Print edition for May 6, 2004

Cases of two teen boys sent to juvenile court: Matt PordumLAS VEGAS SUN; Rocky Mendoza, who told police he accidentally shot his sister while playing with a relative's gun, appeared in juvenile court this morning.

Group plans to picket play at school: Heather Rawlyk and Ed Koch; An anti-gay, Kansas-based church plans to picket a Las Vegas high school Wednesday because of the school's production of a play about the slaying of a gay college student.

Rural residents resigned to Yucca route: Stephen Curran; CALIENTE -- Some saw an economic windfall for Lincoln County; others said it opened the door for rural Nevada to become a dumping ground for other states' nuclear waste.

Kincaid-Chauncey files for re-election: Kirsten Searer; CANDIDATES

Ward 2 seat may go to special election: Hopefuls for the vacant Ward 2 Las Vegas City Council seat are resigned to the likelihood that they will have to quickly raise a campaign war chest and somehow get their names out to the voters in six weeks for a special election that would cost city taxpayers an estimated $70,000 to $80,000.

Seven schools to institute dress code: By Emily Richmond; Students at seven campuses in the Clark County School District's northeast region will face a strict new dress code in August, with severe limits on styles, colors and fabrics.

City to spend $100,000 more on mobile park: The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday voted to spend an additional $100,000 on expenses related to last week's closing of the Sky-Vue Mobile Home Park, bringing the city's total spending on the closure to $140,000.

Girl in critical condition after bicycle struck by car: Dan Kulin; A North Las Vegas third-grader was in critical condition late Wednesday after being hit by a speeding car while riding her bicycle home from a friend's house, police said.

Ex-Clinton aide outlines Democrats' plan: By early June, Nevadans should see new television ads bashing President Bush, even if the Federal Election Commission rules next week that financing for these independently produced ads should be banned, a top Democratic strategist said Wednesday.

Special counsel clears Oceguera of Hatch conflict: Dan Kulin; John Oceguera's dual role as a Democratic assemblyman and a North Las Vegas firefighter did not put him in conflict with the federal Hatch Act because his involvement with a city program funded with a federal grant was not significant, the U.S. office of special counsel said in a letter to the city.

U.S. initial jobless claims fall to 315,000: Courtney Schlisserman and Carlos Torres; The number of Americans filing initial claims for jobless benefits dropped to 315,000 last week, the fewest since October 2000, a government report showed today.

Robison joins river commission: CARSON CITY -- Ace Robison, who has a history of government service, has been named by Gov. Kenny Guinn to the Colorado River Commission, replacing the late Lamond Mills.

Alaska casino measure revived: Cathy Brown; JUNEAU, Alaska -- A casino could eventually open in Anchorage under a bill that passed the House on Monday, but first Anchorage voters would have to approve an ordinance allowing gambling there.

Obituaries for May 6, 2004: Jerry Franklin Butler Jr., 38, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in a local hospital. He was born Oct. 10, 1965, in Key West, Fla. A resident for nine years, he was a delivery driver for a furniture company and a Marine Corps veteran.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 7:05 p.m.

Editorial: Extra pay sounds siren: School Police Chief Elliot Phelps acknowledged that overtime is excessive, but he also pointed out why it cannot now be avoided. "We've got to get this under control, but the question is how do we do that when the district is constantly building new schools and we're not increasing the size of our force?"

BLM proposes change in DUI rules: Current BLM rules require federal officers to call local law enforcement authorities to handle DUIs or possession of alcohol by minors, BLM spokesman Richard Brown said.

Kruger signs up Rebels for ultimate road trip: Steve Guiremand; The Lon Kruger era of UNLV basketball will get a head start of about two months thanks to the addition of a Labor Day weekend trip to Canada.

Fight schedule: At Bangkok, Thailand, Cruz Carbajal, Mexico, vs. Ratanachai Sor Vorapin, Thailand, 12, bantamweights.

Ralph Siraco's Hollywood Park selections: 1st Race -- TWO THIRTY SEVEN -- Nakatani on Mitchell trainee, draws outside box in small six-horse route opener, barn is white hot right now. UNCLE JACK -- P. Val atop Jones trainee, draws good inner post for two-turn claimer, sans blinkers for this try. Value Play -- STEELEON SEASON

City Council news briefs for May 6, 2004: The Las Vegas City Council accepted a report Wednesday that says the downtown post office should be turned into a museum that capitalizes on Las Vegas' history but does not repeat what is available at other area museums.

Owner seeks stolen movie equipment: The item is valued at $100,000, police said.

LV rents parking spaces downtown: If you build it and they don't come, rent out some spaces.

Letter: Medicare reform helps drug firms, but not seniors: Worse than that, this bill does little more than hurt seniors in our community.

Calling cards offered for troops: Dick Benoit; The Defense Department recently announced that citizens can now help troops call home. The Armed Services Exchanges may now sell prepaid calling cards to any person or group that wishes to purchase cards for troops who are deployed. The Help Our Troops Call Home program is designed to help service members call home from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Arum can't lose with Marquez: Dean Juipe; It isn't quite a "no lose" situation for promoter Bob Arum, but even in the worst-case scenario Saturday night he has something profitable to fall back on.

Sun rankings: Sun rankings

Letter: Goodman's joke was demeaning: Perhaps Mr. Goodman needs to take a reality check on the world around him.

News briefs for May 6, 2004: Thomas Y. Hartley, chairman of Southwest Gas Corp., collapsed today during a presentation at the company's annual shareholders' meeting at The Rio Convention Center.

Guest Columnist Linda Frohlich: It's time to pack up and head for Phoenix: ROVERETO, Italy -- And another month is gone. Can you believe it? Time is flying. I am sitting here in my now-empty apartment, and I am looking at my halfway packed bags ... reminiscing about all the nice days that I've had here in Rovereto for the past couple of months.

Community news briefs for May 6, 2004: The Findlay Toyota Rebel Athletic Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament will begin with registration at 10 a.m. and followed by a shot-gun start at 11 a.m. Monday at SouthShore Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas.

Opening of Sands Macau will test casino waters for city: Margaret Wong; MACAU -- New casinos are cropping up, the economy is booming in double-digits and this Chinese city is about to find out whether it made a smart bet by opening the doors to Las Vegas-style casinos ready to give longtime gambling tycoon Stanley Ho a run for his money.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Topless dancer has Inna beauty as well: Introducing Inna Bashta, the world's first "20" -- she's a "10" both in brains and in beauty.

Regents cancel training on open-meeting law: University regents were forced to cancel Friday's panel on the state's open-meeting law after the attorney general's office declined to participate because of pending litigation against the Board of Regents.

Business news briefs for May 6, 2004: NEW YORK -- After a strong spending pace the first three months of the year, consumers retrenched a little in April, leaving many retailers with modest sales gains for the month.

Making it Big: In Iglesias' world, love and music are intertwined: By Jerry Fink; When: 10 p.m. tonight through Saturday.

Quest to break '4': Nick Christensen; Progression of the mile world record from 1923 to present:

State workers enter court battle over legislative service: CARSON CITY -- Police, firefighters, state workers, university professors and school administrators have told the Nevada Supreme Court that public employees are entitled to serve in the Legislature.

Letter: Armstrong was great Nevadan: Ironically, the last time I "saw" Leola was when Mike O'Callaghan passed away. The TV stations were running archival footage of Mike delivering a State of the State speech and there was Leola, sitting at his right hand in her position as secretary of the Senate. I remember thinking what a couple of uncontrollable forces of nature they were and how it had never been wise to arouse their sense of outrage by abusing power or betraying the public trust. Several legislators learned that first hand when Mike and Leola came together to defeat the legislators' plan to quadruple their ...

Catching up with...Jason Ruiz: Where he is now: Southern Utah

Conservation groups oppose Sloan heliport: Legislation introduced Tuesday to move helicopter flights over the Grand Canyon to a site near Sloan has drawn criticism from a couple of conservation groups.

Gallagher launches effort to return to board of regents: CARSON CITY -- Dorothy Gallagher, who served 22 years on the board of regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada, has filed for election to return, saying she wants to restore credibility to the board.

Raggio doesn't worry about losing leadership: RENO -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, isn't worried about reported efforts by some Southern Nevada GOP senators to force him to give up either his leadership post or his chairmanship of the powerful Finance Committee.

Land approved for medical school: The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday agreed to provide the University of Nevada School of Medicine with 8 acres to develop an academic medical center on the former Union Pacific Railroad property.

Editorial: No secrecy for police shootings: Normally, police departments in Southern Nevada release the name of police officers involved in shootings within 48 hours of the incident. But as the Las Vegas Sun reported last week, the North Las Vegas Police Department is refusing to identity the officer and is seeking to keep the officer's name secret even during the traditionally open Clark County coroner's inquest. Officer Tim Bedwell, a police department spokesman, said publicly identifying the undercover officer would compromise his safety. Bedwell adds that if the officer's cover is blown, it also could jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations.

Sports briefs for May 6, 2004: Former UNLV and Oklahoma State assistant Glynn Cyprien was introduced Wednesday as the new head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette.

Thermal imaging gives firefighters sixth sense: Jen Lawson; Imagine walking into a smoke-filled, pitch black room you've never been in before and trying to find unconscious victims.

Lasorda's scouting trip brings him to Las Vegas: Nick Christensen; There was a definite buzz at Cashman Field Wednesday night, as the food was a little fresher, the security was a little more noticeable, and gawkers were a little more eager and anxious.

Gaming board looks at misdeeds on Wall Street: Crackdowns by the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators on wrongdoing by investment companies are having a ripple effect on requests for waivers involving securities before the state Gaming Control Board.

Experts differ on value of time shares to casinos: By Liz Benston; Time share customers may boost Las Vegas' tourist economy but actually do little to increase profit for major casinos, a gaming executive told a group of time share sales agents and vendors Wednesday.

Red Rock Station quietly passes commission's design review: A once-controversial proposal to build a hotel at the west end of Charleston Boulevard passed a Clark County design review without protest Wednesday.

Seale files for Assembly race: Kirsten Searer and Cy Ryan; Former state Treasurer and Republican Party Chairman Bob Seale filed as a candidate for Assembly District 21 on Wednesday, saying he felt his background in finance and government would be helpful in dealing with the state's budget.

Gorman athletes to sign letters for Div. I scholarships: Soccer standout Mike Zaher, one of the top players in the West, will sign with UCLA. He is the second Zaher to play soccer in the Pac 10 Conference soccer -- his late brother, Joe, played at Oregon State.

Action sought against Audit Defense Network: Jace Radke; At a hearing scheduled for this morning attorneys for the Justice Department were expected to ask U.S. District Judge Lloyd George to grant a temporary restraining order against the Las Vegas-based National Audit Defense Network.

Senate bills would let state's research facilities expand: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- A Senate subcommittee considered a bill to expand the University of Nevada, Las Vegas research park and two other Nevada bills on Wednesday.

Gaming news briefs for May 6, 2004: ST. LOUIS -- Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. has scrapped plans to buy the St. Louis waterfront's President Casino on the Admiral, opting instead to focus on pursuing licenses for new gambling sites in St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Why fix a fight that didn't need fixing?: Dean Juipe; There's dumb and there's dumber, and, surprisingly enough, Robert Mittleman gets high marks for both.

Evidence request limited in CRC, Nevada Power dispute: Kevin Rademacher; An administrative law judge for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday narrowed the scope of a dispute between the Colorado River Commission and Nevada Power Co.

Voters recall mayor, council members who favored Indian casino: Don Thompson; SACRAMENTO -- Plymouth voters have recalled the mayor and two city council members who supported a pact with an Indian tribe that wants to build a casino in the gateway town to Sierra foothill wine country.

Jones-Tarver rematch gets two new judges: Dean Juipe; Two of the three judges who worked the first fight between Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones Jr. were not retained for the May 15 rematch, as the Nevada State Athletic Commission appointed officials for the bout on Wednesday.

Cocky Tarver set for Jones: Dean Juipe; It's a bravado that approaches the level of chest thumping. It's overwhelming.

NRC undecided on cask tests: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still deciding what type of tests it will perform on casks that are intended to be used to ship nuclear waste to Nevada.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Las Vegan's drivers excel in Pro Stock division races: Las Vegas businessman Ken Black had plenty to celebrate over the weekend.

Rouse Co., Crescent report mixed results for first quarter: The Rouse Co. of Columbia, Md., reported funds from operations of $89.3 million, or 87 cents per share, up from $76.6 million, or 82 cents, in the year-ago quarter.