Print edition for March 9, 2004

Columnist Susan Snyder: We swear to use less profanity: Clear Channel has dumped Howard Stern. Congress has conducted hearings about profanity on the airwaves. Federal Communications Commission officials seem ready to fine broadcasters for profane language.

Immunization schedule for March 9, 2004: NORTH LAS VEGAS PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 1820 E. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Two plead guilty in plot to attack dog: Erica D. Johnson; The two men who allegedly plotted to kill a Rottweiler in a Summerlin neighborhood agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges as part of a plea deal.

Women's coaches believe MWC deserves three NCAA berths: Only one thing is certain when it comes to the Mountain West Conference women's basketball tournament and what it means beyond Saturday afternoon:

Eminent domain ruling may set precedent: Sito Negron; The U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear a decade-long eminent domain case from Las Vegas could strengthen the city's hand in a similar case it is fighting to take property to allow a casino's expansion, Mayor Oscar Goodman said.

Charter schools warned: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School District has red-flagged three more charter schools for failing to report student data or failing to contribute to their employees' retirement funds.

Volunteer panel works to save military bases: Jace Radke; A volunteer commission designed to lobby for Nevada's military bases started preparing Monday for the Defense Department's review and possible closure of some military bases nationwide.

Casino plans failing in 2 states: Scott Bauer; LINCOLN, Neb. -- With the apparent demise Monday of a legislative proposal to legalize casinos, gambling opponents are now turning their attention to a petition drive to force the issue on the November ballot.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Hawk cries foul over 'Survivor' incident: She walked off the show during last week's episode, and is now claiming that another player harassed her.

Community briefs for March 9, 2004: The 15th annual Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS runs through Saturday with events scheduled at local churches.

Reliant faces criminal charge: HOUSTON -- Federal prosecutors plan to indict a unit of Reliant Resources Inc. and four current and former workers in what would be the first criminal case against a company accused of manipulating power prices during California's energy crisis, the Houston-based company said Monday.

Crime not seen in NHP radio fiasco: CARSON CITY -- The improper spending of millions of dollars on the wrong communications equipment for the Nevada Highway Patrol will not result in any criminal charges, the state attorney general's office said Monday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: O'Callaghan always had story to tell: Dean Juipe; The story caught Mike O'Callaghan's eye, as many often did, not so much for its overall significance or veracity, but because of its subtleties and affectionate quirks.

Cup commeth over: Nick Christensen; In most sports, the championship team is awarded a trophy.

Sandoval: Court must decide candidate ruling: Dan Kulin; State Attorney General Brian Sandoval said Monday he wants the Nevada Supreme Court to rule before the candidate filing deadline on his opinion that state employees cannot serve in the Legislature while local government employees can.

Letter: Mike was a man of principle: Sherman Frederick, publisher of the "other paper," said Gov. Mike "leaves a mark to which all future Nevada governors should aspire." I believe Mike O'Callaghan leaves a mark to which all men should aspire. Please pass along my condolences to his family and his extended family at the Sun.

O'Callaghan's services will be on Las Vegas ONE: Las Vegas ONE, Cox cable channels 1 and 19, will broadcast the funeral live at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Defense claims teen killing suspect's confession coerced: Erica D. Johnson; Defense attorneys on Monday asked a judge to toss out a confession made by a teen charged with a killing, several home invasion robberies and a string of sexual assaults.

Ky. racing industry, casino supporters can't agree on plan: Joe Biesk; FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The House sponsor of legislation to bring casino gambling to Kentucky said Monday it's unlikely to pass during this session of the General Assembly.

Mountain West Conference women's tournament capsules: No. 1 New Mexico

LVMS pleased after smooth event: It was hard to tell who had the bigger smile Sunday afternoon following the NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Race winner Matt Kenseth or speedway general manager Chris Powell.

America West, Allegiant adding Las Vegas flights: The Tempe, Ariz.-based company announced today that it would offer flights to and from Fresno, Calif.; San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Medford, Ore.; and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The company also said today it would increase service to two flights a day to and from Santa Barbara, Calif., with all the new service operated by its commuter partner, Mesa Air Group, which uses 50-passenger Canadair twin-engine regional jets on its routes.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Santa Anita: Wednesday's card

LV company named in viaticals probe: Michelle Swafford; A Las Vegas-based company was issued a subpoena Monday on behalf of the California Department of Corporations, which is investigating the possible illegal selling of life insurance investments.

Satellite TV provider turns off Viacom channels: An estimated 1.6 million customers on EchoStar's DISH Network across the nation were affected, a move that could threaten their ability to watch, among other things, the March Madness college basketball tournament.

Reid honored for education help: The event featured a $5 million SBC Foundation grant to NCCEP to fund a competitive grant program for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, also known as GEAR UP.

Man pulls woman from burning car: Jen Lawson; A 19-year-old woman whose speeding car flew up and over a 50-foot embankment off the Las Vegas Beltway this morning was pulled from the car by a nearby resident moments before it caught fire, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper said.

Letter: Integrity, insight will be missed: A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. O'Callaghan again at a Las Vegas Sun editorial meeting regarding the problem of uranium contamination at the Yerington Mine site, and I sat in awe as he regaled us with mining issues that the newspaper had covered, including cyanide leach ponds, and vignettes of Nevada history. It had been a lot of years and he hadn't lost a step.

Blankson hopes honor is omen for good week: Steve Guiremand; ALL-MWC AWARDS

Opening of high-tech bus system to be delayed: The Metropolitan Area Express, a mass-transit hybrid of rail and traditional bus systems, will not be ready to run March 15 as hoped, Regional Transportation Commission officials said Monday.

Charter schools receive warnings: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School District has red-flagged three more charter schools for not properly recording student data or failing to contribute to their employees' retirement funds.

Gaming Today publisher Di Rocco dies: Jeff Simpson and Ed Koch; Chuck Di Rocco, the colorful publisher and founder of Gaming Today and a pioneer in bringing racing simulcasts to Las Vegas casinos, died Saturday morning after a long illness. He was 69.

Elementary schools phasing out recess: By Emily Richmond; Recess at Clark County School District elementary schools is out as school officials try to wring as much teaching time as possible out of the school day.

Teenager makes deal in arson: A 17-year-old boy who started one of the largest arson-related fires in Clark County history "got a lucky break" with a sentence of an indeterminate amount of time in a juvenile correction facility, District Judge William Voy told the teen Monday afternoon.

Woman's death in jewelry heist may lead to second murder charge: Erica D. Johnson; The man charged in a jewelry store beating that left an 86-year-old woman dead will face an additional murder charge, following the death this week of the woman's daughter, prosecutors announced Monday.

Senator wants full Yucca funds: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON --- Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is working on an amendment that would allow the Yucca Mountain Project to get the full $880 million requested by the Energy Department.

Porter to push for all states to punish drug DUIs: Kirsten Searer; Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., announced Monday he will push legislation requiring each state to set penalties for people who drive under the influence of drugs.

Senator wants full Yucca Mountain funding: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON --- Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is working on an amendment that would allow the Yucca Mountain Project to get the full $880 million requested by the Energy Department.

Controversy surrounds women's coach honors: Jeff Judkins, the women's basketball coach at Brigham Young, was telling the Mountain West Conference media that Wyoming's Joe Legerski deserved to be mentioned as a coach of the year candidate when he was informed that Lergerski had indeed received the honor about an hour earlier.

Culinary in dispute with New Frontier: Alana Roberts; Trustees of two trust funds of the Culinary Union Local 226 and the Bartenders Union Local 165 have filed a lawsuit against the New Frontier hotel casino, alleging the Las Vegas casino failed to make fringe benefit contributions to the funds since July 2000.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: A view from the Left: My friend Melinda Bates spent eight years working for the Clinton White House. During that time, she heard, saw and probably almost did it all. She is, what I would call, an expert in the political field.

Editorial: DOE's recklessness: Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., voted for the Yucca Mountain project in 2002, but now says she is "having second and third thoughts" regarding her vote. "I made a mistake," she said. "I certainly am going to push that we do something immediately." We've believed all along that the Yucca Mountain project's fate ultimately could hinge on the opposition that cross-country shipment of 77,000 tons of nuclear waste could engender from people who live along the possible routes. It's why the Energy Department for so long was so elusive about identifying routes or methods of transportation and, even today, only reveals ...

Jewelry store beating victim dies: Erica D. Johnson; The man charged in a jewelry store beating that left an 86-year-old woman dead will face an additional murder charge, following the death this week of the woman's daughter, prosecutors announced Monday.

Editorial: Loophole needs to be closed: Granted, there were extenuating circumstances in the Rohr case. The landscaping crew apparently didn't follow safety rules, such as placing cones in the road to properly block off where they were working, and didn't have a barricade plan filed with the city. While it might seem surprising more serious charges weren't leveled against Rohr, the district attorney's hands were tied. Bruce Nelson, the deputy district attorney of the vehicular crimes section, says that in order to be charged with reckless driving under Nevada law, the driver must commit at least two traffic violations. Nelson said two violations -- such as ...

Mold causes closing of day care: Dan Kulin and Christina Littlefield; A Las Vegas day-care center was shut down Monday after toxic mold was discovered in the building.

Letter: O'Callaghan always sought to help others: I then told her I had worked with him at the Sun for a few years, and found him to be a good, hardworking man who, nevertheless, always had time for others. We continued the conversation with a couple of funny stories of our association with him. After I left the store, it struck me that in the years I have known him, I have yet to hear a derogatory remark from anyone about this kind man.

Casino supporters block child support collection measure: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's proposal to withhold prize money from gambling winners who owe child support, an idea opposed by the gaming industry and Nevada lawmakers, was left out of the budget resolution approved by a Senate committee last week.

PacificCare Foundation grants to help children: The nonprofit organization awarded grants in the amount of $5,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas, Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Lied Discovery Children's Museum, Southern Nevada, AHEC, and Street Teens.

Letter: Civility touched many people: I wanted to talk with his staff and was going to leave a message. Mike picked up the phone -- and after a second of shocked hesitation, I blurted out: "Governor, you're answering your own phone ..." In his gruff voice, he said: "No one else is here and the phone was ringing ..."

Obituaries for March 9, 2004: Harold R. Beal, 75, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. He was born Nov. 19, 1928, in Kansas. A resident for 17 years, he was a retired letter carrier, a Navy veteran and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

SW Gas again asks for rate hike: Kevin Rademacher; Southwest Gas Corp. of Las Vegas on Monday asked state regulators for an $18.9 million general rate increase for Southern Nevada customers.

Longtime Las Vegas bartender found slain: Jen Lawson; Regulars of the Odyssey Lounge spent Saturday night at the eastern Las Vegas tavern celebrating bartender Terry Petropoulos' 70th birthday over a buffet of ribs, chicken and spaghetti.

Nightclub and bar convention comes to town: Nightclub and bar convention comes to town

Study shows industry hiring higher percentage of minorities: The AGA said today that a study using 2002 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data also showed that casinos employed a higher percentage of black executives, white and black female executives, Hispanics and women than other industries.

Gaming briefs for March 9, 2004: SYDNEY, Australia -- Aristocrat Leisure Ltd., the world's second biggest maker of slot machines, on Monday said it has received approval for key products from regulators in three U.S. states.

Grocery giants' results decline: Kroger's net loss in the quarter ended Jan. 31 was 45 cents a share. Profit at Albertsons declined to $130 million, or 35 cents a share.

Drug wholesalers go to court to block shutdown by state: Michelle Swafford; Two Las Vegas pharmaceutical wholesalers could learn this afternoon whether their drug licenses will be revoked and fines imposed for their violations of state regulations.

New sale of Binion's parcel set: A Clark County District Court judge this morning set aside Friday's probate sale of a parcel underneath the closed Binion's Horseshoe hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas.

Golden Nugget owners say TV show cameras draw gamblers: Sun Staff; It's been a great six weeks for the new co-owners of downtown's Golden Nugget, Tim Poster and Tom Breitling said Sunday evening.