Print edition for March 30, 2004

UNLV's Moore maintains tournament lead: Moore, who shot a 64 in Sunday's first round, was at 7-under and led three players by one stroke after shooting his first competitive round over par since October.

Christensen amends campaign report: CARSON CITY -- Assemblyman Chad Christensen, R-Las Vegas, has filed an amended campaign report detailing loans he made to his election campaign in 2002 and how he was paid back.

Nevada Power rate hike ruling may be challenged: Kevin Rademacher; The latest state Public Utilities Commission ruling on Nevada Power Co. rates may be challenged by both the utility and the state consumer advocate.

Teenage girl dies in apparent accidental shooting by brother: A 14-year-old Las Vegas girl died after being shot by her 15-year-old brother Monday in an apartment near Eastern and Washington avenues, Metro Police said.

Blake, Schulte nab top honors: Adam Candee; The old saying goes that youth is wasted on the young. Not so on the Sun All-State basketball teams, where both the boys' and girls' players of the year will return to play high school basketball next year.

Community news briefs for March 30, 2004: The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, in cooperation with the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will present "Teaching the Holocaust," from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the International Gaming Institute on the UNLV campus.

Lady Rebels came ready to play two: OMAHA, Neb. -- While their come-from-behind 65-59 victory at Iowa State in Sunday's Women's National Invitation Tournament semifinals might have come as a surprise to many in these parts, you needed only to check the creases in the Lady Rebels' slacks and the starch in their collars to know they were planning on making the Heartland their home away from home this week.

Gaming news briefs for March 30, 2004: Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson's long-planned second megaresort on the Las Vegas Strip will have 53 stories and will top Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino across the street by 105 feet, according to an architectural draft of the project submitted to Clark County planners.

Letter: No consequence for bad driving: Police said she was not being charged because the boy was wrong, too. Because he was riding, instead of walking, his bike in the crosswalk he was considered a motor vehicle rather than a pedestrian. What were the 13-year-old girls and the 15-year-old girl considered last year when they were killed by aggressive drivers who were not paying attention?

Blake plays the cool engineer as Centennial builds dynasty: Adam Candee; In Centennial's anonymous factory line of stellar girls' basketball players, the player who means so much is one you do not often notice.

Utah asks to talk with UNR's Johnson: Days after taking Nevada-Reno further than it's ever been in the NCAA basketball tournament, coach Trent Johnson has reportedly met with University of Utah officials about their vacant coaching position.

Lady Luck founder, arts patron Tompkins dies: Although Andrew Tompkins opposed minors gambling in his downtown Lady Luck hotel, he was cognizant of the value of all future customers.

Pair make deal in Whaley killing: Two of the six young men accused of killing Silverado High School student Jared Whaley plan to testify against their co-defendents in exchange for being allowed to plead guilty to lesser charges, their lawyers told a judge in Boulder City this morning.

News briefs for March 30, 2004: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman's pretrial hearing on drunken driving charges was delayed Monday.

DOE criticized over handling of compensation claims: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department needs to show better results of actually getting compensation benefits to former employees before Congress decides to give it more money to run the program, senators told federal officials today.

Editorial: Homelessness First?: Any gains under that program, however, would likely be more than offset by the Bush administration's plan to cut $1 billion from the longtime rental assistance program known as Section 8. A cut of that magnitude, housing experts say, would cut all assistance to 200,000 families nationwide. Housing authorities in Southern Nevada would see $9.6 million cut from the program. An estimated 1,331 local families would lose their assistance.

Growth of tribal casinos expands membership fights: Gillian Flaccus; TEMECULA, Calif. -- Hundreds of Indians are fighting for their place on tribal rolls at a time when membership can mean instant wealth for those who belong to casino-owning tribes.

Columnist Jeff German: District F deserves better fit: Lynette Boggs McDonald is looking like the favorite to succeed County Commissioner Mark James.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Walker Lake isn't pristine, even if it looks it: Dean Juipe; WALKER LAKE -- Unsuspecting passersby on U.S. 95 as it snakes between this little town and the lake of the same name might very well believe this is one of the healthiest areas in the state. Walker Lake is immense and picturesque, the state's second-largest body of water to Lake Mead and one that entertains campers and fishermen alike.

Police look for ways to save cash: Jen Lawson; A city-county committee is recommending approval of Sheriff Bill Young's slightly scaled down request for a budget increase to pay for 100 new Metro Police officers.

Guest columnist Wayne Pacelle: Ensign merits praise for animal protection: Some members of Congress have little sympathy for animals, and their records reflect their attitudes. One of the most hostile legislators is Louisiana's Chris John, a four-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives. At almost every opportunity, John voted against animal protection legislation -- opposing bills to protect downed livestock and Yellowstone's bison and even voting against bills to combat bear baiting and cockfighting.

County, Walters still at odds over Spring Valley golf course: Developer Billy Walters appears to have the water, the land and the legal obligation to build a golf course just outside Rhodes Ranch, officials with several affected government agencies agree.

Leafing Las Vegas: In a clear glass teapot, a white lychee flower rests on infused tea leaves.

Letter: School district leaders pursue mediocrity: I am not condemning Superintendent Carlos Garcia or Agustin Orci, the deputy superintendent of instruction, but some of the appointed area superintendents are not capable of quality leadership because they see their job as covering up the inadequacy evident in some of the principals assigned to their areas. These on-site administrators need the micromanagement system because they lack the ability and the capability to be anything but inept managers of trite lesson plans and assembly line teaching.

Nevada sales jumped 11.4 percent in January: CARSON CITY -- Business continued strong in January as Nevada merchants reported $2.8 billion in taxable sales, an increase of 11.4 percent from the same month of the prior year.

Forklift tips over, killing man: A young lumber yard worker was killed early today when a forklift he was operating overturned and crushed him, North Las Vegas Police and and state safety officials said.

Consumer news briefs for March 30, 2004: NEW YORK -- Consumer confidence, which fell sharply in February, remained relatively steady in March, according to a business research group.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Government at center of shutdown: Cyber-cruising Nevadans seeking trail maps for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area or wanting to comment on public lands issues couldn't do it the past couple of weeks.

Lady Rebels take aim at WNIT title: OMAHA, Neb. -- There must be something in the water -- or least the corn fields -- around here that adds distance and trajectory to one's jump shot.

Starwood, Kerzner top MGM MIRAGE bid for Wembley: Lodging giant and Aladdin co-bidder Starwood Capital Group LLC and Kerzner International Ltd., the owner of the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, today offered to buy Wembley Plc for 287 million pounds ($523 million), topping a $491 million bid from MGM MIRAGE as the U.S. companies seek control of gambling venues in Britain and Rhode Island.

Deal made in child porn case: Carl Lobsien, a former engineering technician at the county Public Works Department, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of possession of visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of a person under 16 years of age.

Golf course at center of recall election: Dan Kulin; The political turmoil that has divided Boulder City comes to a head during the next seven days as voters go to the polls for a recall election targeting the mayor and a councilman who support a controversial city-owned golf course.

Brokerage sees Vegas company expanding in U.K.: By Liz Benston; MGM MIRAGE officials are expected to announce three to four more deals this year to build casinos in the United Kingdom, where the government is expected to loosen its gambling laws to permit many more casinos and an explosion of slot machines in the next couple of years, investment firm Bear, Stearns & Co. says.

Sports briefs for March 30, 2004: Preparation costs for the 2004 Olympics have exceeded the $5.6 billion budget, and more projects could be trimmed to reduce spending, a top planner said today in Athens.

Sun All-Sate Basketball Boys' Teams: Said Falcons coach Kevin Soares: "I think I have a legitimate argument for him being the best player in southern Nevada over the past season."

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

Doctors: Pain pills getting a bad rap: Molly Ball; Local doctors who treat chronic pain say the drugs they prescribe, opiates such as OxyContin, are getting a bad reputation they don't deserve.

Editorial: A milestone for Douglas and Nevada: During his 22 years in Las Vegas, Douglas has worked hard to earn this prestigious and historic appointment. A graduate of the University of California's Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, Douglas moved to Las Vegas in 1982. He served as a staff attorney for two years with Nevada Legal Services, which provides advice and counsel to low-income residents. For the next 11 years he served as a Clark County deputy district attorney, often providing legal advice to the County Commission. He was elected as a Clark County district judge in 1996 and currently serves as chief judge of ...

Judge told to speed up custody case: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court told Family Court Judge Gloria Sanchez of Las Vegas on Monday to speed up her decision in a case in which a biological father is seeking custody of his 15-month-old daughter who is now with adoptive parents.

Obituaries for March 30, 2004: Reina M. Aleman, 76, of Las Vegas died Thursday in a local hospice. She was born Jan. 10, 1928, in Vueltas, Cuba. A resident for 29 years, she was a homemaker.

Schulte's tough leadership belies his sophomore age: Adam Candee; Everyone knew that one guy in high school who never put down the ball, who went to class to kill time until the game, who got a car at 16 and used it to wear a path to the gym.

Business news briefs for March 30, 2004: The downtown Las Vegas landmark hotel-casino Binion's Horseshoe is set to reopen shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday, new operator Harrah's Entertainment Inc. announced Monday.

Appeals court backs up police in no-knock search: CARSON CITY -- A federal appeals court said North Las Vegas Police were justified in using a battering ram to knock in the door of a home where an armed man was suspected of selling drugs.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: NASCAR appears to have separate rules for Earnhardt: There are perceptions from both inside and outside of racing that NASCAR treats Dale Earnhardt Jr. differently than it does its other drivers.

Jurors weep at testimony of victims' families: Erica D. Johnson; Several of the jurors who convicted Alfonso "Slinkey" Blake of killing two young women wept Monday as they listened to emotional testimony from the victims' families.

Sun All-State Basketball Girls' Teams: Said Bulldogs coach Karen Weitz: "Italee is very creative, very athletic. She can make things happen; that's pretty obvious. She draws a lot of attention. She's an excellent passer and sees the floor very well."

Anti-smoking group hopes to light a fire under CCSN: Secondhand smoke is infiltrating the classrooms at the Community College of Southern Nevada, anti-tobacco advocates allege, and they want the college's administration to put a stop to it.

Letter: No such perk for our troops: The Public Utilities Commission, a watchdog for consumers, has decreed that we (the public) should again pay many millions of dollars to Nevada Power as compensation for inept management. The reasoning: Investors must be guaranteed a minimum return of 10.2 percent on any amount of money invested in the purchase of the utility's stock.

Unlicensed mortgage operators penalized: CARSON CITY -- In a crackdown on mortgage businesses and an unlicensed agent, the state announced Monday it has penalized three companies and the agent, all in Las Vegas.

Guard shooting might have been accident: An early Monday shooting reported to authorities as a drive-by in eastern Las Vegas turned out to be something much different, Metro Police said.