Print edition for March 29, 2004

McCarran won't rush into private screeners program: Jace Radke; While the chairman of a key aviation subcommittee says that more than 100 airports are planning a return to private security screeners this fall, McCarran International Airport is taking a wait-and-see approach.

Columnist Dean Juipe: From Wolf Pack blue to just plain blue: Dean Juipe; RENO -- It was a heck of a lot easier getting a seat at the Little Waldorf Saloon on Sunday than it had been Friday afternoon.

Children of Night won't be copied: Jen Lawson; After visiting a home for former child prostitutes in the Los Angeles area this week, the board of directors of the Nevada Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth decided against trying to implement a similar program for such girls in Las Vegas.

Community news brief for March 29, 2004: The Silver State Kennel Club will hold its All Breed Show and Obedience Trials beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Dog Fanciers Park, 5800 E. Flamingo Road.

Step taken for statue of Winnemucca in D.C.: Nevada and New Mexico have just one statue in the Capitol building's National Statuary Hall, according to the Architect of the U.S. Capitol office. Each state can have two statues representing its state. A statue of late Sen. Pat McCarran was put in Statuary Hall in 1960.

Editorial: Withdraw new school application: The School Board originally approved Hawk's proposal. Last week, however, it rescinded the approval, citing concerns that Hawk had received waivers from the State Board of Education that allowed him to shorten the proposed school's calendar year and relax the licensing requirements for teachers. School Board members wondered aloud why they were even involved if the state board could take such action. And in our view there was another issue: Why is the state board granting waivers that affect an application by one of its own members?

Water ruling due by end of the year: CARSON CITY -- State Engineer Hugh Ricci says he will make a decision by the end of the year on the contested applications of the Southern Nevada Water Authority to pump 17,000 acre-feet of water from rural valleys to thirsty Las Vegas.

UNLV makes WNIT final: It may have sounded like rhetoric at the time, but two weeks after they talked the talk about winning the Women's National Invitation Tournament, the Lady Rebels now have a chance to walk the walk.

Bicyclist back on ventilator; driver may be cited: District Attorney David Roger's decision late Friday to seek charges against 24-year-old driver who hit a 13-year-old bicyclist provided little comfort to the boy's parents over the weekend.

Search teams fail to find missing man: A 38-year-old Las Vegas man is still missing although rescuers and dog teams have spent days searching for him at Lake Mead.

Births for March 29, 2004: March 12:

Station acquiring locals casinos in Henderson: By Liz Benston; Station Casinos Inc. announced an agreement Friday to buy two small casinos in Henderson, a deal that gives the company six locals casinos in the region.

Busch dominates at Bristol, again: Kurt Busch was born and raised in Las Vegas and now lives in North Carolina, but he continues to make himself at home at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Editorial: Fair and balanced?: Jim Angle, a Fox News White House correspondent, last week "broke" the story of how Richard Clarke back in August 2002 spoke approvingly of President Bush's anti-terrorism efforts during an off-the-record White House briefing. Clarke, of course, is in the news now for his new book, whose general theme is that Bush was asleep at the switch while al-Qaida planned and carried out its attacks on Sept. 11.

Scott hangs on for 1-shot win at Players: UNLV's Moore cards 64

Letter: O'Callaghan's leadership made impression: I was among the spectators at one of the events, the carnival or the talent show. I fought the crowd around Mike to meet him. I must have been 6 or 7. He smiled and gave me a key chain. I still remember that smile.

Letter: Gov. Mike was simply the best: Working with Mike was a 24-7 deal. He would send us scrambling to the field out of Washington to troubleshoot a problem at one of the camps. As we arrived, there was always a message from Mike wanting to know, "What the hell we had done and when were we going to give him a report."

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Big winners over weekend in Las Vegas and Middle East: Ralph Siraco; There were two championship winners in racing over the weekend. Each a half world apart. One was for the performer. The other for the consumer. Both paid off big.

Growth panel to convene for first time: Modeled after county committees that brought together citizens to study finance issues with the regional health care system or ethical issues in government, the Growth Task Force was created last month to study Southern Nevada's rapid growth -- and potentially propose policies to blunt the negative impacts of that growth.

LV poised to wrap up second place: Nick Christensen; It's hard for a team to get a season sweep on a team it plays 10 times in a year, but the Las Vegas Wranglers found themselves on the doorstep of just that Saturday night at the Orleans Arena.

Sports briefs for March 29, 2004: With a brilliant variety of shotmaking, Spain's 17-year-old Rafael Nadal surprised Roger Federer 6-3, 6-3 at the Nasdaq-100 in Key Biscayne, Fla., and became the first teenager to beat a top-ranked man since 18-year-old Andy Roddick upset Gustavo Kuerten in August 2001 at Montreal.

Robinson pleased with workouts: Steve Guiremand; This probably has been the quietest UNLV spring football practice since John Robinson took over as head coach for Jeff Horton in December of 1998.

Letter: Bush programs hurting schools: The 2004 budget proposal from Bush reduced spending for NCLB programs and entirely eliminated some, including rural education, dropout prevention, gifted and talented education (GATE), and after-school programs.

Pulte hit with suit on accessibility: Alana Roberts; The Disabled Rights Action Committee (DRAC) has filed a federal lawsuit against Michigan-based developer Pulte Home Corp., alleging the design of three of Pulte's Las Vegas condominium complexes violates federal housing accessibility laws.

PurchasePro creditors seek $6.1 mil. from ex-CEO: Kevin Rademacher; Amid increasing legal action over the failed Las Vegas e-commerce company PurchasePro.com Inc., a bankruptcy court lawsuit has been filed against the company's founder and former chief executive Charles "Junior" Johnson.

Demolition under way at site of AC garage collapse: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- In the shadow of the Tropicana Casino and Resort's crumpled parking garage, the noise never stops -- the jackhammers and chain saws, the rivet-driving and the hammering.

Obituaries for March 29, 2004: Rita Martin Abrams, 86, of Las Vegas died Thursday in a local hospital. A retail saleswoman, she was born March 24, 1918, in Pennsylvania.

More identity theft arrests made: A traffic stop Saturday led Metro Police to their second major identity theft bust in three days, in which large amounts of forgery equipment, drugs and stolen materials were recovered.

Gamblers dodging road construction: Las Vegas locals casino operators know their customers.

S&P rates Vegas operator's debt: In its filing the company also noted its intent to finance its pending $1.3 billion merger with Coast Casinos Inc., as well as to refinance the debt acquired in that merger by replacing its current bank credit facility with a bigger bank loan. The new package includes a $1 billion, 5-year revolving credit line and a $500 million, 7-year term loan.

Another execution to be set; opposition growing: CARSON CITY -- One convicted killer has been executed and another may soon follow, but an opponent of the death penalty says opposition is growing against capital punishment in Nevada.

Speaker hopes to highlight other side of juvenile justice: Dan Kulin; Growing up with domestic and substance abuse in the home, Zulema Ruby White's younger brother was troubled and often in trouble -- becoming a ward of the state in the 10th grade, and then was in and out of jail until he was 26, when he was killed.

News briefs for March 29, 2004: A mother and her two infant children escaped from their burning home in northwest Las Vegas on Saturday after electrical wiring in a closet sparked a blaze, fire officials said.

Senator goes to bat for tribes: Republican Sen. Jim Battin of Palm Desert, in mailers bearing his letterhead, urged voters to sign a petition to place an initiative proposed by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians on the November ballot.

Tyco judge rejects defense mistrial request: Samuel Maull; NEW YORK -- A judge declined to call a mistrial today in the trial of two former Tyco International executives, rejecting a defense motion contending that one juror apparently holding out for acquittal had been pressured by intense media coverage.

Analysts say Alliance, Gtech deal is unlikely: Marcus Prater, senior vice president of Alliance Gaming Corp., said Friday he had no comment about reports that Gtech Holdings Corp., West Greenwich, R.I., is considering acquiring Alliance.

'Friendly fire' blamed in deadly '03 incident: Robert Burns; WASHINGTON -- The worst "friendly fire" incident of the Iraq war was triggered by a Marine air controller who mistakenly cleared Air Force attack planes to shoot at U.S. positions, killing as many as 10 Marines, officials said today.

Las Vegas City Council news briefs for March 29, 2004: Las Vegas has a new program to help needy people pay their sewer bills, which were increased by the City Council on Nov. 19. The ordinance that approved the increase includes a provision "for owner-occupants of single-family dwellings to apply for a waiver of the rate increase by means of a hardship determination," according to a city news release.

Vidler seeks more Sandy Valley water: Sandy Valley residents, already fighting the Vidler Water Co. over water rights in their dry and dusty valley, now find themselves battling the company on a second front.

Sun sues NLV court to open records: The Las Vegas Sun filed suit in District Court today to compel North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Stephen Dahl to release court documents in the case of a woman charged with arson and the attempted murder of her children.

Two reports say underground water at Test Site needs better monitoring: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Two independent reports released today say radioactive contamination in water under the Nevada Test Site needs better monitoring, especially as the area population continues to grow, creating more competition for water resources.

Feds probe global kid porn website: Jace Radke; Federal agents are investigating more than 300 leads in Las Vegas generated from the January indictment of a Belarus-based enterprise that charged people's credit cards for access to more than 50 child pornography websites worldwide.

Young seeking funds for 100 new officers: Jen Lawson; Sheriff Bill Young asked the Metro Police fiscal oversight panel this morning for an 8.87 percent increase in supplemental funding for the next fiscal year, which would pay for 100 new police officers.

County tries to shorten emergency room waits: The Clark County Health District is starting a trial program this week designed to improve the flow of patients through emergency rooms.

Jobless rate in Nevada at 3-year low: CARSON CITY -- Unemployment fell to 4.4 percent in February in Nevada, its lowest point in three years as the state economy boomed, an agency reported today.

Food for thought: By Emily Richmond; Anyone looking to take a bite out of Clark County School District Superintendent Carlos Garcia? For $3.50 he's yours.

Gallagher tries to draw distinction in race: Kirsten Searer; Tom Gallagher doesn't place bets in casinos, so it's ironic -- and telling -- that he rose to the top of a casino company.

Business news briefs for March 29, 2004: A class action shareholders' lawsuit was filed last week against Universal Health Services Inc. -- parent company of Spring Valley, Desert Springs, Valley and Summerlin hospitals in Las Vegas -- alleging Universal overstated its financial situation, harming shareholders when UHS stock fell earlier this month.

Housing cuts would affect thousands in LV: By Christina Littlefield; Proposed cuts of about $1 billion to low-income housing nationwide have Nevada housing authority directors fearing they will have to cut services or lay off staff.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for March 29, 2004: Lisa Ferguson; At this time next week, don't be surprised to find your groggy, sluggish self shlepping around the office. It's a scenario bound to play out at workplaces across this great land, given that April 5 will be the first workday after we've "sprung forward" an hour in honor of Daylight Saving Time on Sunday and, coincidentally, will have lost 60 precious minutes of sleep the night before.

Victims' families hope for death penalty: Jace Radke; The family members of the women murdered by Alfonso "Slinkey" Blake were hoping that the jury that convicted the aspiring R&B singer on Friday would sentence him to death today.

Search begins for new judge to replace Douglas: CARSON CITY -- The search is under way to find a replacement for District Judge Michael Douglas of Las Vegas after his appointment to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Nevada Supreme Court acts on four attorney bar cases: AP; The court said Robert Knott's suspension would remain in effect until the Nevada Bar resolves formal disciplinary proceedings against him.

Sir James Galway breathes easily at Ham Hall: Marilyn LaRocque; When: Friday.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Congress should use Hall way: Nancy Hall lives in Mesquite, but her garden is about an hour's drive away in Lincoln County's Mormon Mountains.

Carrot Top props up ribald image in MGM performance: By Jerry Fink; When: 9 p.m. through Wednesday.

Clarkson, Aiken are focus of idol worship: Spencer Patterson; When: Saturday.

High court suspends Las Vegas attorney: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has suspended Las Vegas attorney Robert Knott from practicing law, pending outcome of a complaint that he might have misappropriated more than $200,000.