Las Vegas Sun

Archive for March 3, 2004

Accident drives boy to pen book: When Chase Curi wrote about his family's car accident in November 2002, he was just doing his homework.; 11:26 a.m.

Rawson resigns teaching position: Kirsten Searer; Assistant Senate Majority Leader Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, announced this morning he has quit his teaching job at the Community College of Southern Nevada in the wake of the state attorney general's ruling that said ...; 11:25 a.m.

Federal judge rejects Williams' argument of double jeopardy: Jace Radke; A federal judge has ruled that Jessica Williams' rights were not violated during her trial for the traffic deaths of six teenagers in a roadside work crew in Las Vegas.; 11:25 a.m.

Attorney sues Las Vegas casino over ejection: By Liz Benston; Los Angeles attorney and gambler Ernest Joseph Franceschi Jr. has sued MGM MIRAGE, accusing casino officials of ejecting him about a year ago after he won thousands of dollars at the company's New York-New York ...; 11:21 a.m.

Deaths related to drugs on rise: By Timothy Pratt; The Las Vegas metropolitan area had some of the highest numbers of deaths linked to drugs compared with 30 other cities studied nationwide, federal data released Tuesday shows.; 11:20 a.m.

Gasoline prices are going up overnight -- literally -- in LV: Blink your eyes and you could miss the latest gasoline price.; 11:20 a.m.

Barrick Gaming discloses major investment plan: The state Gaming Control Board today recommended approval for Barrick Gaming Corp.'s purchase of most of Jackie Gaughan's downtown Las Vegas real estate assets, including four hotel-casinos.; 11:18 a.m.

March conventions hit record: The shows mark a monthly record and are expected to attract about 190,000 attendees with an estimated nongaming economic impact of $265 million.; 11:18 a.m.

Fitzgeralds' value cut by $10 million: Sun Staff; Majestic Star officials last year said spinning off the Las Vegas property would free it from the restrictive covenants on bank and bond loans and would allow the company to more easily pursue upgrades and ...; 11:18 a.m.

Sierra selling military unit: Sierra Military Health Services Inc. will be sold to Health Net Federal Services in Rancho Cordova, Calif., a subsidiary of Health Net Inc. Terms were not disclosed.; 11:18 a.m.

IBM sponsors trade show: The show is an opportunity for IBM business partners to exhibit new software and give vendors hands-on time with equipment. About 5,000 people were expected to attend the show.; 11:18 a.m.

Players in Vegas mortgage case remain frustrated: Kevin Rademacher; At the age of 74, Jerry Levinson is looking for work.; 11:18 a.m.

LV looks to redraw ward lines once again: Sito Negron; Pamela Stancliffe lived in Las Vegas for about six years before she was able to cast a vote for her city representative.; 11:17 a.m.

Jury weighs fate of murderer, 21: Erica D. Johnson; Moments before they were to begin deliberating his fate on Tuesday, a 21-year-old man convicted of first-degree murder asked jurors to sentence him to death.; 11:17 a.m.

State lawmaker/employee issue may not be a big deal at polls: Kirsten Searer; While the issue of full-time state employees serving as part-time state lawmakers is the hot political topic, some politicians and activists wonder if voters will remember the brewing controversy come November.; 11:17 a.m.

Columnist Jeff German: Titus right to challenge Sandoval: How dare she run for a fourth term in the state Senate and hold onto her job as a political science professor at UNLV in the face of an attorney general's opinion telling her she ...; 11:17 a.m.

Silverado students spared a move: Heather Rawlyk; Cheers erupted in the lobby of school district offices Tuesday evening, as Silverado High School students celebrated a small victory. The Clark County School Board had just passed a zoning proposal that would allow them ...; 11:17 a.m.

Sprint, competitors study key phone regulation ruling: A federal appeals court handed a victory to the four large regional Bell telephone companies on Tuesday, striking down regulations that required the Bells to lease their local networks to rival companies at low prices ...; 11:10 a.m.

Casino customers get stomach flu: A spokesman for California owner Boyd Gaming Corp. said the company doesn't know for sure how or where the cases originated but said most of the customers flew in on charter flights from Hawaii.; 11:07 a.m.

Hughes president looking for new situation in Vegas: Jennifer Shubinski; The president of the Howard Hughes Corp. announced Tuesday that he will leave the development company by June 30 and said he hopes to stay in the Las Vegas area.; 11:06 a.m.

News briefs for March 3, 2004: A body found buried six months ago in a back yard on Eighth Place near downtown Las Vegas has been identified as 44-year-old Cecil Walter Wilson, the Clark County coroner's office said this morning.; 11:04 a.m.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: ABBA's Ulvaeus ready to play 'Chess': And the Swedish singing group's Bjorn Ulvaeus has plans to continue the global assault.; 11:01 a.m.

Report: Improper city cash controls led to theft of money: The report indicates that controls on petty cash were not followed, which allowed the employee to siphon off almost $8,000 over a four-year period.; 11:00 a.m.

Fireplace heat sparks blaze: Investigators said smoke alarms didn't sound until evacuation was under way because the fire was above the smoke alarms, Leinbach said.; 10:59 a.m.

Kahne eyes bright future: When Kasey Kahne learned he would be taking over for Bill Elliott in the No. 9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports, his attention immediately turned to the third race on the NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule.; 10:08 a.m.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Community not sold on Kruger: Dean Juipe; I guess I'm a magnet for such things.; 10:07 a.m.

Rain will keep Kinser from milestone in LV: All the stars were lined up for Steve Kinser to make a little history at the World of Outlaws sprint series stop at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Thursday and Friday night.; 10:07 a.m.

Sports briefs for March 3, 2004: Cornerback Champ Bailey's agreement on a seven-year, $63 million contract with the Denver Broncos has cleared the way for a trade today that will send running back Clinton Portis from Denver to the Washington Redskins ...; 10:05 a.m.

Oscar De La Hoya steps up to middleweight class: Dean Juipe; Suave and typically debonair, Oscar De La Hoya spoke of history and, perhaps, his place in it.; 10:04 a.m.

Rebels excited about Calif. start: Adam Candee; Even after a taxing day of double duty at the golf course, Missy Ringler still sounds pretty darn upbeat as evening rolls around.; 10:03 a.m.

Columnist Peter Benton: Volunteers sought for local LPGA event: Peter Benton; The success of every professional golf tournament is invariably predicated upon the services provided by its volunteers.; 10:03 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- ALPINE SINGER -- Draws good post for short sprint opener, Solis scales Eurton trainee, backers hope to be singing the victory song here. MS POWFUL -- baze aboard Canani trainee for owner ...; 9:55 a.m.

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series: Race week schedule: 2:30 p.m. -- World of Outlaws pit gate opens (LVMS dirt track); 9:54 a.m.

NASCAR hands down suspension to Grubb after positive drug test: NASCAR suspended Busch Series driver Kevin Grubb on Tuesday for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy.; 9:47 a.m.

Guest Columnist Brendan Gaughan: 'Coach' Baker helping me learn the ropes: One of the greatest things about driving for team owners like Roger Penske and Doug Bawel is that they are giving me all the help I can get to make this rookie driver look good.; 9:47 a.m.

Software glitch cuts off phones: Dan Kulin; A software problem at Sprint's downtown Las Vegas office disrupted phone service for all area cell phones and about 5 percent of the local land lines for about an hour Tuesday, according to a utility ...; 9:37 a.m.

Driver fires a gun as rescuers enter his overturned SUV: Dan Kulin; As Las Vegas firefighters crawled into an overturned sport utility vehicle Tuesday afternoon to rescue the driver, the man pulled out a handgun from under the dashboard and fired once in an apparent suicide attempt, ...; 9:35 a.m.

President cites Nevada's drug-monitoring program: Jen Lawson; Nevadans addicted to prescription drugs have re-injured their own broken limbs, lied about their children having attention deficit disorder and forced their kids into telling doctors they're in pain in order to get their hands ...; 9:33 a.m.

Jury receives final instructions: "You are the sole and exclusive judges of the facts," U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum told the jurors, giving them a set of legal instructions to guide their deliberations.; 9:27 a.m.

Services expand at slower pace in February: The Institute for Supply Management reported that its non-manufacturing business activity index, which describes the performance of the single largest part of the U.S. economy, stood at 60.8 in February versus 65.7 in January, the ...; 9:26 a.m.

Senecas' voice carries beyond its reservations: Carolyn Thompson; ALLEGANY INDIAN RESERVATION, N.Y. -- Before New York ventured deep into gambling to help recoup losses from Sept. 11, there were long, tough talks with the Seneca Indian Nation.; 9:17 a.m.

County outlaws spectating at street races: Hoping to prevent illegal street racing, the Clark County Commission voted Tuesday to outlaw spectators at the races.; 9:17 a.m.

Motors will rule on Strip: Pedicabs, rickshaws and similar conveyances pulled by people or animals were barred from the Strip by the Clark County Commission Tuesday.; 9:15 a.m.

Some poor areas may benefit from Illinois casino proposals: Maura Kelly; CHICAGO -- Several poor communities in Cook and Lake counties, including two towns that had their casino bids rejected, would benefit from proposals submitted by three companies vying for the state's last casino license.; 9:15 a.m.

IGT sees more success on heels of record year: Scott Sonner; RENO -- Shareholders celebrated another record year of sales and profits at International Game Technology on Tuesday, and the world's largest slot machine maker predicted more to come.; 9:14 a.m.

County Commission approves 17 members of growth panel: The Clark County Commission on Tuesday named 17 community leaders and citizen representatives to be members of a task force that will study the region's growth and the impact of growth on Southern Nevada's quality ...; 9:12 a.m.

Gaming regulators consider sale of closed casino: Under terms of the proposed deal, current owner Becky Binion Behnen would sell the property to MTR Gaming, while Harrah's Entertainment Inc. would operate the property for one year, with two additional one-year options.; 9:10 a.m.

Local supporters excited after Kerry dominance: Dan Kulin; Local supporters of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., were excited and relieved by their candidate's sweeping victories in Tuesday primary contests, which combined with the expected withdrawal of Kerry's top opponent appeared to secure Kerry's position ...; 9:08 a.m.

Letter: Bush's budget encourages nukes: His budget includes more than $800 million for the Yucca Mountain project, which is an increase of $300 million over last year.; 8:46 a.m.

Letter: Income tax cut is fair, responsible: Mr. Goplen states that he paid a higher Medicare tax. If he pays no income tax, he does not pay a Medicare tax. He may pay a higher premium for his Medicare supplement, but that ...; 8:46 a.m.

Letter: Lack of context undermines Gibson's movie: I realize, unlike Mel Gibson, that to present certain images and details to an uninformed mass of people, namely my very impressionable and varied students, that if these images and details are not, first, given ...; 8:46 a.m.

Editorial: Solve crisis with better information: Unfortunately, the increases in premiums are about all that can be known with certainty when it comes to this issue. Medical malpractice in Nevada is a major problem but one whose scope is largely unknown ...; 8:45 a.m.

Editorial: Double jeopardy: In Nevada, the federal inspectors found that displaced children stay in temporary shelters too long, that standards and policies for protecting them are not uniform throughout the state and that procedures for investigating reports of ...; 8:45 a.m.

Commission names beltway after prime mover Woodbury: The Las Vegas Beltway, which Bruce Woodbury helped fund and build as a Clark County Commissioner, will now bear his name.; 8:37 a.m.

Community briefs for March 3, 2004: Senior Friends will present Holistic Health Care for Your Pets from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Green Valley Senior Friends, 2809 N. Green Valley Parkway.; 8:36 a.m.

Nellis to welcome back home Red Horse Squadron from Qatar: Jace Radke; About 90 members of the Nellis-based 820th Red Horse Civil Engineering Squadron were expected to return to Las Vegas today after five months of service in the Middle East.; 8:36 a.m.

GOP lawmakers take tax fight to U.S. Supreme Court: CARSON CITY -- The U.S. Supreme Court should consider whether the Nevada Legislature could pass increased taxes without the constitutional two-thirds majority, lawyers for Republican lawmakers said Tuesday.; 8:36 a.m.

Obituaries for March 3, 2004: Jim Armato, 83, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. A machine operator for a paving company and a World War II Navy veteran, he was born Oct. 19, 1920, in Illinois.; 8:35 a.m.

Teachers union unveils petition to raise spending: CARSON CITY -- A schoolteachers union started its drive Tuesday to require the state to put enough money into the public schools by 2012 to meet the national average -- an expensive proposition.; 8:26 a.m.

Officials say effort to lower perchlorate levels is working: The level of perchlorate in the source of Southern Nevada's drinking water has been on the decline since the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection began cleanup efforts in November 1999, water officials say.; 8:22 a.m.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Las Vegas party an Oscar-caliber evening: Elizabeth Foyt; Champagne and themed cocktails reflecting the nominated films were served while attendees explored the vast array of movie-influenced auction items on display at Caesars Palace.; 8:21 a.m.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: For sales, check your mailbox: The more upscale the store, the better the sale. The past season's merchandise has to go to make way for the new merchandise. Stores that have their own outlet stores use that avenue to dispose ...; 8:21 a.m.

Hitting the Marc: Ex-boxer Ritz brings business acumen, family to Las Vegas: Ken Miller; Literally.; 8:20 a.m.

Text of attorney's statement responding to defense allegation: AP; Clune statement:; 8:01 a.m.

Mendocino County votes to ban biotech crops: AP; The move represented a big black eye for the biotechnology industry, which spent more than $500,000 to defeat the measure in a county of 47,000 registered voters.; 6:53 a.m.

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