Print edition for March 11, 2004

10th-ranked Rebels set to take on nation's best: Adam Candee; Dwaine Knight likes the way his UNLV golf team is playing, but the Rebels are about to find out how they stack up with the country's best teams on their own course.

Editorial: More reason to question Yucca safety: Alan L. Flint, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said his research shows that much more water than estimated by the Energy Department could penetrate Yucca Mountain's burial vaults. The big fear involving water is that the casks containing the waste could corrode. The waste would then leach into groundwater, causing widespread contamination. While the Energy Department has said that most water flows off or around Yucca Mountain, Flint said fractures in the rock enable water to penetrate much deeper than shown by previous studies.

Highlights of January 2004 revenue report on Nevada casinos: AP; -STATEWIDE: $882.1 million win, up 4.4 percent.

Founders get $5 million worth of help: Adam Candee; From the most unusual of sources came the most unusual of golf tournament sponsorships and because it did, the Las Vegas Invitational will proceed as usual this year.

Guest columnist Timothy C. Brown: The Mike who Nevadans hardly knew: Timothy C. Brown; Timothy C. Brown, a widely published author and graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno and Sparks High School, is a former Marine and professional diplomat. A Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, Brown is also chair of the nascent Diplomatic Academy at Tahoe of Sierra Nevada College, Incline Village. Brown lives in northern Nevada with his wife and family.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Jirov-Mesi bout serves as heavyweight eliminator: Dean Juipe; The wide open heavyweight division will lose at least one of its would-be contenders Saturday night when former cruiserweight world champion Vassiliy Jirov and undefeated slugger Joe Mesi collide in the primary undercard bout at Mandalay Bay.

Letter: Diligence kept rural school alive: Mike O'Callaghan took time to listen, guide and direct us in how to keep the school open. He wrote editorials, had political cartoons developed and taught us how to work with the government.

LV sees cases of STDs resistant to antibiotics: Las Vegas has a significant number of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea cases, according to a nationwide study of the sexually transmitted disease.

Wind will help set course for area's best: Nick Christensen; With temperatures nearing 90 degrees this week, the high school boys' golf season is beginning just as the girls' season ended -- unseasonably warm.

Community briefs for March 11, 2004: Twenty teams totaling 300 middle and high school students will compete in the state finals of the Science Olympiad from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in and around the Community College of Southern Nevada, 6375 W. Charleston Blvd.

Ensign blasts Kerry: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- A reminder that Nevada's senators belong to different political parties came Wednesday as Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., blasted Democratic presidential contender Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

Durango grad keeping enemy on run: "We specialize in denying the enemy any sanctuary or safe haven," said Sam, an infantryman with the 10th Mountain Division at the Kandahar Air Field. "We hunt them down and bring them down, if necessary. Our job is a hard job that no one really wants to do. It deals with a lot of movement, and we are called upon at any given time to serve our country," he said.

He helped create jobs for youths: Mike was a cheerful presence when he visited me daily and he was always devoted to the difficult job of establishing Job Corps centers around the country. He was an inspiration. Even almost 40 years afterward, I still remember his many contributions to enable disadvantaged youths to develop skills in many crafts. Today, because of the early dedication of people such as Mike, because of the solid foundation they created, such a worthy and successful opportunity for disadvantaged youths still exits. Job Corps is still thriving, with more than 100 centers nationwide.

Man convicted in Henderson slayings: Ralph Goodman was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in the August 2000 slayings of David Bender, 21, and Steven Szany, 22. Authorities believe the killings were drug-related.

Woman pleads guilty to killing handyman: Erica D. Johnson; A Las Vegas woman told a District Court judge Wednesday that she strangled her former handyman with pantyhose before burying him in her back yard.

That Smarts: Science Olympiad brings together some of Nevada's brightest teens: With the air conditioner off and the atmosphere still, Wong removes her feather-light planes from their plastic storage box.

Editorial: Heading off a storm: Attorney General Brian Sandoval's written opinion that employees of the state's executive branch cannot also serve as legislators sets up this possible scenario. In his opinion, Sandoval said the state constitution does not allow a person to have overlapping executive and legislative powers -- that the powers of the judiciary, legislative and executive branches must be separate. Five legislators, including Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, remain affected by the decision (another legislator, Sen. Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, resigned his state job two days after Sandoval released his position). Because ...

Blassingame running the Rebels: Steve Guiremand; UNLV junior point guard Jerel Blassingame averaged 9.5 points and 5.8 assists in his first 21 games as a Rebel. Here's what he's done in the six games since interim head coach Jay Spoonhour took over and opened up the offense:

Sports briefs for March 11, 2004: In a case that was argued Monday, arbitrator Roger Kaplan invalidated an NBA memo barring the other 28 teams from signing Baker until his other grievance -- against the Boston Celtics -- is settled.

Binion's sale closes: Finally, the deal is done.

Nevada: Education low, but income is high: Dan Kulin; Nevadans were less likely to have graduate or professional degrees than residents of any other state except Mississippi, according to Census Bureau calculations released Wednesday.

Valley's largest nonprofit agency is under scrutiny: By Timothy Pratt; The Economic Opportunity Board, the Las Vegas Valley's largest nonprofit agency, can't account for $2.1 million in federal and state funds and has lost two of its top people, according to a county memo and people close to the situation.

Strip pushes gaming win up: Thanks to a robust Chinese New Year performance on the Strip, Nevada's 349 casinos won $882.1 million from gamblers in January, up 4.4 percent from $844.9 million in January 2003, the state Gaming Control Board reported today.

18-month-old nearly drowns in backyard pool: Heather Rawlyk; An 18-month-old boy nearly drowned Wednesday night in a backyard pool during a family get-together in northeast Las Vegas, police said.

Strip results jump 12.3 percent for January: Chinese New Year 2003 was in February, making the Strip's January comparison easier.

Spring means dusty air is on the way: Spring is just around the corner, although the season's warm temperatures have already arrived. With those balmy conditions, however, often comes high winds.

Probe may shed light on death of LV couple: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- A federal investigation into acceleration problems on Toyota Camrys might provide a new answer as to why a Las Vegas couple's car drove off the fourth floor of a downtown parking garage in January.

Gaming briefs for March 11, 2004: The nation's largest provider of casino ATMs today completed a $435 million leveraged buyout of its majority owner's interest in the company.

Harrah's ups casino bid to $520 million: The auction closed around 1:30 a.m. when the companies submitted final bids in writing to the Illinois Gaming Board, spokesman Gene O'Shea said.

North Las Vegan acquitted of firing shots that killed woman: Erica D. Johnson; Jurors on Wednesday acquitted a North Las Vegas man charged with killing a woman by firing shots through her closed apartment door.

News briefs for March 11, 2004: A local tax consultant was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday by District Judge Kathy Hardcastle.

Look of bingo machines changing: By Liz Benston; The spread of bingo games that resemble slot machines is expected to pave the way for a day when casinos can quickly reprogram new games into existing machines from a central computer terminal rather than buying new machines every several months.

Agency analyzing ad results: The Nevada Commission on Tourism has begun seeing results from its first-ever national television advertising campaign -- more than 5,000 responses in less than a month.

City, riverboat company negotiate expansion deal: Negotiations have been ongoing for more than three years and both sides say now is the right time to move forward.

Six firms consider or commit to Clark County expansions: Kevin Rademacher; The Nevada Commission on Economic Development on Wednesday approved incentives for six companies looking to expand or relocate in Clark County, a move that could create 380 jobs.

Nevada Power owner receives mediocre grade: Sierra Pacific, parent company of Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas and Sierra Pacific Power of Reno, received a Customer Satisfaction Index score of 95, two points below the Western Region average. The study polled businesses that spend between $500 and $50,000 a month on electricity.

Perkins considers retiring from Henderson Police: Kirsten Searer; Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins said he might retire from his full-time job as a Henderson Police deputy chief because of the ongoing concerns about public employees serving in the Legislature.

Board: Licensee associated with criminals: CARSON CITY -- A 28-count complaint has been filed by the state Gaming Control Board against Albert D. Seeno Jr., who holds interests in five Nevada casinos, accusing him of associating with and catering to convicted felons.

Burlington Coat Factory prepares to open new store: Burlington Coat Factory prepares to open new store

Hunt on long list of gubernatorial hopefuls: Kirsten Searer; More than two years before the 2006 election, the list of people eyeing the governor's mansion is growing longer.

Girl, 12, dies in morning fire: Jen Lawson and Ed Koch; A 12-year-old girl died this morning in a mobile home fire in a downtown neighborhood on a property that residents say is plagued by electrical problems and junk.

Casino billboards subject of protest: Lucille Lusk, chairwoman of the Nevada Concerned Citizens, a political advocacy group, said her organization isn't organizing the March 18 appearance, but agreed to issue e-mails on behalf of citizens who say recent advertisements have crossed the line of community taste standards.

Exemption plan could jeopardize Yucca funds: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department's $880 million budget request for the Yucca Mountain Project may be jeopardized by a plan to get money exempted, Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, said today.

Real estate brokerage formed: Jennifer Shubinski; Two former CB Richard Ellis, Las Vegas, retail specialists have left the Las Vegas company to form their own brokerage and development firm.

Crying fowl: Once-beloved wild birds at lakes community now seen as nuisance, hazard: Sito Negron; They're noted as an amenity on several websites touting Desert Shores, a community surrounding four long and narrow lakes, but in a city where "too much of a good thing" is almost an oxymoron, the waterfowl there have become a nuisance.

Yucca water studies show safe storage less likely: Kirsten Searer; It could take about 1,000 years for contaminated water to flow from Yucca Mountain to the Amargosa Valley, scientists said Wednesday.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Gallery offers a brush with greatness: An exhibition of paintings by the Chairman of the Board and works from his personal art collection will go on display next month at the Godt-Cleary Gallery at Mandalay Place.

Lobos get past pesky Falcons: DENVER -- Top-seeded New Mexico's performance against No. 8 Air Force in Wednesday's Mountain West Conference women's basketball tournament quarterfinals fell somewhere between a small leak and a flat tire.

Digital camera giants set for patent showdown: "Sony has not violated any product patent relating to digital imaging and will vigorously defend any allegations made in this regard," Sony spokesman Kei Sakaguchi said Wednesday.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Teaspoon has made his old man proud: DENVER -- Although conspiracy theories are popular around UNLV whenever a coach of one of its marquee programs is fired, resigns, is run out of town by his own administration or ordered by doctors to the Grapefruit League for the beginning of permanent sabbatical, I don't believe Charlie Spoonhour's fate as Rebels basketball coach was decided on a grassy knoll adjacent to athletic director Mike Hamrick's office.

Pool owners warned to take steps to protect kids: Heather Rawlyk; An 18-month-old boy nearly drowned Wednesday night in a backyard pool during a family get-together in northeast Las Vegas, police said.

State Supreme Court reverses judge on probation revocation: Erica D. Johnson; The Nevada Supreme Court determined a District Court judge was wrong in revoking probation for a Las Vegas man who insisted a court document be translated into Spanish.

Heller defends 'paper trail' devices on voting machines: CARSON CITY -- Secretary of State Dean Heller says he is "deeply troubled" by criticism of his plans to go forward with purchase of "paper trail" devices on 4,500 new touch-screen voting machines.

Boxing schedule: At Glen Burnie, Md., Hasim Rahman, Las Vegas, vs. Al Cole, Spring Valley, N.Y., 10, heavyweights.

UNLV women squeak by BYU: DENVER -- Given they had beaten Brigham Young handily both home and away, you might think the Lady Rebels would consider a 60-57 victory against the Cougars on a neutral court as something of a disappointment.

Sun Boxing Rankings: 1. Chris Byrd (I) 37-2

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- TWELVE VOLT MAN -- Baze aboard O'Neill trainee, draws good box for sprint opener, may be charged up to break maiden here. SINTASTIC -- Draws alongside top pick for sophomore maiden/claiming dash, Desormeaux on young Dollace trainee, fantastic Sintastic graduation here? Value Play -- LEROY J

Schaefer plans run against Shaffer: CARSON CITY -- Mike Schaefer, a disbarred Nevada attorney and perennial political candidate, will run for the Democratic nomination in an attempt to replace Republican state Sen. Ray Shaffer in North Las Vegas.

Sandoval: Scam uses his name: The scam artist first calls a consumer and tells them they've won a large sum of money, in one case $350,000, but that the consumer must insure the money for $3,500 before they can claim the prize, Sandoval said. Within a few minutes, a second caller claiming to be Sandoval verifies that the prize is legitimate.

Mosley takes top billing into fight against Wright: Dean Juipe; 1. Roy Jones Jr.

Obituaries for March 11, 2004: Lisa Altenbern, 41, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 16, 1962, in Galveston, Texas. A resident for 18 years, she was a cosmetologist.

Housing authority chairman wants report on units' status: Las Vegas Housing Authority Chairman Robert Gronauer has asked the agency's executive director, Parviz Ghadiri, for a full accounting of why 788 public housing units have been sold, demolished or boarded up since 1998 while thousands of people remain on a waiting list for homes.