Print edition for March 10, 2004

Drought's end will not stop West's water woes, Raley says: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Even if Western drought problems stopped tomorrow, water supply will still be a serious issue for Nevada and other Western states without proper planning, administration officials told a Senate panel Tuesday.

Gaming briefs for March 10, 2004: Hard Rock Hotel Inc. on Tuesday reported a narrowed loss in its fourth quarter that ended Dec. 31.

Groups to work together on teen DUI issues: By Timothy Pratt; Two groups of parents met for the first time Tuesday, after different opinions on how to punish a teen who killed three of his friends in a crash while driving drunk had set them at odds.

130-acre park a pleasant surprise for neighbors: When Laura Johnson, 42, moved to a cul-de-sac across Washington Avenue from the future park nine years ago, she worried the land could have been developed for industrial uses.

Sports briefs for March 10, 2004: A Mothers Against Drunk Driving executive says NASCAR should suspend Nextel Cup rookie Scott Wimmer if he is convicted of driving while impaired.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: 'CSI's' Zuiker is board by latest project: Then go buy the new board game.

State settles wrongful termination suit: CARSON CITY -- A former director of nursing for the state will receive a payment of $88,242 for wrongful termination in a case that one official said could have been settled without any cash award.

Officials warn of spring, summer dangers: As the temperature warms up, local health and vector control officials warn people to avoid spring and summer dangers by drinking plenty of water, wearing sun screen and either avoiding or exterminating pests.

UPS did homework on rebranding Mail Boxes Etc.: Michelle Swafford; A store name must communicate much more than the location of a business, especially when it's re-branding.

Toddler drowns in backyard pool: Dan Kulin; A 20-month-old boy drowned Tuesday afternoon in a backyard pool that had about 2 feet of water in it, police said.

Judge stays fines, upholds license revocations: Judge Jennifer Togliatti told Dutchess Business Services Inc. and Legend Pharmaceuticals Inc. that she was not authorized to override the Board of Pharmacy's decision to revoke the companies' licenses for an undetermined amount of time. But, she said both companies could postpone paying hefty fines until a judicial review hearing concludes in Clark County District Court.

SEC, Calif. probes disclosed: The Indianapolis company disclosed the SEC and California probes Tuesday.

Scientists detail Yucca water threat: Reports issued Tuesday to an independent federal review board could spell troubling news for backers of a nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

Obituaries for March 10, 2004: Daniel J. Cronan, 65, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. He was born Feb. 10, 1939, in New York. A printing business owner, he was an Air Force veteran and a member of the Poker Players Association.

Mortgage Lending Division announces actions against four firms: Kevin Rademacher; The state Mortgage Lending Division has announced new actions against four companies doing business in Nevada.

State of the City tapes added to ethics complaint: Sito Negron; Robert Rose said Tuesday he has amended his ethics complaint against Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman to include the fact that the mayor gave a city-owned copy of his State of the City speech to representatives of iPolitix, a company in which Goodman's son and Councilman Michael Mack have partial ownership.

Two held in killing of Odyssey bartender: Kevin Martinette, 27, was arrested Tuesday night on charges of murder and robbery of a victim over 65.

Trial under way in killing of woman through her door: Erica D. Johnson; Testimony was under way Tuesday in the murder trial of a North Las Vegas man charged with killing a 26-year-old woman by firing bullets through her closed apartment door.

Lady Rebels set for disappointing BYU: DENVER -- There's a feeling among coaches that in a matchup of competitive teams, it's hard for one to beat the other three times in the same season.

Source of video shot in Bellagio at issue: E. Eduardo Castillo; MEXICO CITY -- Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador alleged Monday that the U.S. and Mexican federal governments as well as a casino were involved in a scandal that has shaken his administration.

Ex-county worker to plead guilty: Carl Lobsien, 50, waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court. He said he would take the case directly to District Court, where he intends to plead guilty to two counts of possession of photos depicting sexual conduct of a person under 16.

Tuition refunds await legal rulings: University regents are awaiting legal opinions from the state Legislative Council Bureau and the attorney general's office to see how retroactive the refunds can be for students who wrongly paid out-of-state tuition, Chancellor Jane Nichols said.

Schwarzenegger urged to restrict casino impact: Don Thompson; SACRAMENTO -- About a hundred representatives of 10 communities from across California asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday to require Indian tribes to provide compensation for the impacts of booming casinos on traffic, crime and the environment.

Ethics panel agrees to delay Deane hearing: CARSON CITY -- The state Ethics Commission has granted a request by the attorney for Clark County Recorder Frances Deane to delay the public hearing on charges of misconduct against Deane.

Nevada to get team for WMD response: Jen Lawson and Suzanne Struglinski; Nevada will get a federal team to help first responders react to a terrorist attacked, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.

Dad hopes to prevent other tragedies: By Emily Richmond; David Fish, the Clark County man whose infant son died after being forgotten inside his van, said he's ready to speak out if it means keeping others from repeating his tragic mistake.

Nevada's growing pains continue: Sito Negron; U.S. Census Bureau calculations released today indicate Nevada is the state with the fastest growing populations of those older than 64, older than 84 and younger than 14.

Study: Nevada benefits by billions because of franchises: Michelle Swafford; Nevada ranks among the top states when it comes to the economic impact of franchise businesses, the International Franchise Association reported Tuesday during its 44th annual convention in Las Vegas.

Airport hopes video screens will ease security problems: By Liz Benston; This summer, passengers at McCarran International Airport will be greeted by video screens near security checkpoints that will instruct them on how to get through security more quickly.

Problems linked to Camrys probed: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Problems related to Toyota Camrys and two other car models experiencing "unwanted acceleration" are being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Man may face more charges in Binion silver theft: Erica D.Johnson; Prosecutors say they have information that could further implicate a man charged with digging up Ted Binion's silver fortune two days after the casino executive's 1998 slaying.

Caesars' Entertainment outlook improves: Caesars Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas, the largest U.S. casino company, today said profit will be as much as 19 cents a share in the first quarter, more than it expected, because it's charging higher hotel room rates in Las Vegas and winning more from gamblers.

Visitors center may replace golf course: Goodbye golf course, hello visitors center.

MTR: Binion's deal on track: Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Chief Executive Gary Loveman explained on Tuesday why the casino-operating giant had no long-term interest in running downtown Las Vegas' Binion's Horseshoe, and why buyer MTR Gaming Group will be a positive for downtown.

Columnist Jeff German: Pappas lost, but fought the good fight: At the very least this is one underdog who deserves recognition for hanging in there so long against such overwhelming odds. Fighting City Hall is hard enough, but when you also have to go up against the biggest special interest in town, it's nearly an impossible task.

New airline sees low fares, regional jets as winning combo: Matthew Barakat; CHANTILLY, Va. -- When regional carrier Atlantic Coast Airlines reinvents itself later this year as Independence Air, it will embark on a new concept in the airline industry: a low-fare carrier using a fleet of small, regional jets.

Kerzner, Starwood may compete with MGM MIRAGE for Wembley: Kerzner International Ltd., the owner of the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, and Starwood Capital Group LLC may bid for Wembley Plc to gain gambling venues including six U.K. dog tracks, rivaling a $492 million agreed takeover by MGM MIRAGE.

Yucca official to address failed protection of workers: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Yucca Mountain Project's top official, two former workers and a cancer specialist and experts in worker safety will address the Energy Department's failure to protect employees from silica exposure at a Senate hearing in Las Vegas next week.

State of the City tapes might join ethics complaint: Sito Negron; Robert Rose said Tuesday he wants to amend his ethics complaint against Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman to include the fact that the mayor gave a city-owned copy of his State of the City speech to representatives of iPolitix, a company in which Goodman's son and Councilman Michael Mack have partial ownership.

News briefs for March 10, 2004: Construction worker and activist Rick DeVoe said he will hold a rally to kick off a campaign today to challenge Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev.

Two held in Odyssey bartender's killing: Jen Lawson; Two men are being held this morning in the Clark County Detention Center in connection with the Monday homicide of a 70-year-old bartender at a Fremont street tavern.

Trade deficit tops records: January's trade gap compared with a deficit of $42.7 billion in December, the Commerce Department said in Washington today. Exports declined 1.2 percent, the biggest drop since August.

More controversy on tap for regents: The university Board of Regents' agenda for its meeting next week includes several items related to a controversy over the firing of former Community College of Southern Nevada President Ron Remington and his lobbyist John Cummings. They include:

Top Nevada lawmaker may retire from city job: AP; Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said he's considering the options but added Wednesday, "I haven't made a firm decision or anything like that."

This week's preps schedule: All games 3:30 p.m.: Basic at Durango, Foothill at Palo Verde, Bishop Gorman at Green Valley, Clark at Liberty, Chaparral at Mojave, Desert Pines at Western, Eldorado at Shadow Ridge, Cheyenne at Rancho, Cimarron-Memorial at Valley

Community briefs for March 10, 2004: The North Las Vegas Library District in cooperation with Red Rock Interpretive Association will offer the seminar Exploring Red Rock I, Nature Trails from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Silver Mesa Recreation Center, 4025 Allen Lane, North Las Vegas.

Columnist Peter Benton: Walking still important to tradition, health of sport: Peter Benton; Mike Kobeaga, a gentleman I truly admire (and not just because he's an avid reader of this column), called last week expressing (once again) the value of fitness in golf and questioning why I have not written more regarding this subject.

Letter: O'Callaghan was accessible leader, treasured friend: Coming from Ohio, where governors were not accessible, I was amazed, as some have noted, that I could call that back line in the mansion kitchen, in the early morning, and actually hear the governor answer the phone and willingly talk to me. I pictured him up there in Carson City and wondered at that time whether Mike O'Callaghan also had two six-shooters strapped to his side and his horse out back, ready to ride. Surely he did, in his own way.

Letter: Mike influenced many students: His face would light up with his beautiful smile when he talked with you. He reached the heights of success when he was elected governor of Nevada for two terms and then became the executive editor of the Sun. He was very sympathetic and sensitive. He would always call on the phone or in some way get in touch with his acquaintances who had just lost a loved one. He would always send flowers.

Letter: Nurses lose an influential voice: In meetings with him on health care issues, he was always courteous and receptive to our input. Never did he display the arrogance seen in too many political figures. He will be greatly missed by members of the nursing profession.

Government briefs for March 10, 2004: North Las Vegas Police began department-wide Taser training Tuesday, a police spokesman said.

Letter: Being a good neighbor is legacy: Soon after, my family moved to a new neighborhood so I could be closer to school. The O'Callaghans were our new neighbors. I remember playing basketball with my brothers and Mr. O'Callaghan would drive up next to us to say hello and see if I'd hit a shot. I remember going to church on Sundays and feeling a pat on the shoulder. I'll always remember talking with Mr. O'Callaghan in his family room; his door was always open.

Letter: A noble man who sought to help: I first met Brother O'Callaghan at the Las Vegas Sun newspaper when I had first married my wife, Magickal Marissa. He approached us smilingly and said "Hey John, where did you get that beautiful girl?" He had a wonderful aura about him and I don't think he ever met a stranger.

MWC men's tournament capsules: Steve Guiremand; No. 1 Air Force

Concerns raised over deal with board's lawyer: CARSON CITY -- A contract allowing the state Board of Contractors to pay its private lawyer $200 an hour raised questions Tuesday at a meeting of the state Board of Examiners.

Men's Conference Tournaments: America East Conference

Expect a wild, wacky event: Steve Guiremand; DENVER -- In just about any other year, the comments coming out of this week's Mountain West coaches' conference call about the MWC men's basketball tournament, which begins Thursday at the Pepsi Center here, would border on cliche:

New voting machines OK'd for rest of state: CARSON CITY -- A contract to buy more than 4,500 touch-screen voting machines to replace the state's old units for the 2004 election was approved by the state Board of Examiners on Tuesday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Tournament hits the road to spite UNLV: Dean Juipe; If you're wondering why the coaches, athletic directors and faculty reps in the Mountain West Conference wanted to move the league's annual postseason basketball tournament from Las Vegas to Denver, look no further than the current UNLV men's basketball team.

Woman lends hand to LVI: Adam Candee; More than a year of concern about the future of Las Vegas' PGA Tour stop will end today with the announcement that at least three years of sponsorship are in place to keep the tournament alive.

Boulder Creek contract to be bought out: "I think this is as close as it can get in resolving the issue," City Attorney Dave Olsen said. "We'll get Triad on their way and Boulder City can get back to managing the golf course."

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- CRISTOFI -- Part of common ownership and Headley-trained coupled entry with FLAMING MOE, Solis here, Ramsammy there, double threat in Cal-bred sprint opener. WHAT'S IT'S NAME -- Hustling Espinoza on young Mulhall trainee, draws good post for maiden special weight dash, It's Name may be on diploma here. Value Play -- JONES TALE

Air travelers' items to be sold: During Tuesday's City Council meeting a plan was approved to sell on eBay the pocket knives, scissors, corkscrews and other items either banned or previously banned from aircraft.

Editorial: Shock at the pumps: We believe a better tactic is for the state to contact the Texas Gulf Coast pipeline companies and begin making a case for another pipeline. There is just one gas pipeline serving Southern Nevada and it comes from Southern California, where there is a shrinking number of refineries. Every time production slows there, Southern Nevada is affected. We would be well served by the expansion of pipeline service from El Paso to Phoenix. With a greater supply of gasoline heading to Phoenix, a pipeline could be built from Phoenix to Las Vegas, meaning we wouldn't be so reliant on one ...

Editorial: Bring back traditional recess time: How could we have arrived at this conclusion? Recess has been a treasured image by generations of Americans whenever they thought back to their early school days. Whether it was hopscotch or kickball, soccer or dodgeball, calisthenics or playing tag, recess has been a part of public schooling since at least the late 1800s. Recess has been such an essential part of elementary school for so long that some educators refer to it as the "Fourth R."

Columnist Muriel Stevens: O'Callaghan was a friend for decades: Mike was bigger than life, and had a heart that denied no request that had to do with children, the physically challenged or anyone of any age who was in need. He was the champion of all causes.

Big crowd expected at O'Callaghan's Mass: The family of late Las Vegas Sun Chairman Mike O'Callaghan said Tuesday they are honored that his services will be televised live, but they are encouraging those who want to go to the services to do so.

Oldest of the singing DeCastro Sisters dies at 82: Peggy DeCastro, the oldest member and lead singer of the DeCastro Sisters, died Saturday at her Las Vegas home following a lengthy illness. She was 82.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Trailblazer Dondero honored for life's work: Elizabeth Foyt; Dondero served as president during the early years of the Service League, which later became Junior League. Dondero was a working mother who combined life with her late husband, Harvey, and the raising of five successful children with volunteerism, a career with the Girl Scouts and, later, politics.