Print edition for May 17, 2004

Poker tournament used restitution in fraud case: A man scheduled to be sentenced in a New Jersey court Friday for masterminding a nearly $2 million illegal investment scheme was instead at Binion's Horseshoe playing poker, according to published reports and tournament records.

Letter: Prison scandal started at the top: When one considers the actions of our country's leadership -- the preemptive invasion, virtually alone internationally despite the obfuscation by Rumsfeld of a coalition, its unequivocal rejection of the U.N., the macho "Bring em on" posture of the president, the outsourcing of military interrogation work to civilians, and worst of all, the continued holding of prisoners at Guantanamo with no access to the judiciary -- the inhumane treatment of prisoners can almost be expected.

Sports briefs for May 17, 2004: Marion Jones, the world's most prominent track athlete, served notice Sunday she will file a lawsuit if she's kept out of this summer's Athens Olympics because of information obtained in a federal probe into the alleged steroid sales by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative.

Obituaries for May 17, 2004: Norma Frehner Bowman, 81, of Pahrump died Friday in Nye. She was born June 9, 1922, in St. Thomas. A lifetime Southern Nevada resident, she was a homemaker, LDS Relief Society president, Young Women's president, and Primary president. She was active in elementary school activities, and was a member of the PTA and Pahrump Women's Club.

Area cities to vote on budgets Tuesday: Dan Kulin; Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City residents would see no tax increases in the coming fiscal year under proposed budgets all scheduled to be voted on after public hearings Tuesday.

Community briefs for May 17, 2004: The Southern Nevada Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will host the Hope Is Eternal Ball beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday at J.W. Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Blvd., to raise money to fund research programs to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and myeloma.

Letter: Roadless Area Conservation must be ensured: The fundamental trait of such landscapes is an absence of roads. More than half, or 3.2 million acres, of Nevada's highest peaks and watersheds in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest are roadless, but their protection is shaky.

Park Place: Audiences still turning out at venerable Las Vegas Drive-In: Kirk Baird; There's a gorgeous evening sky even by Las Vegas standards with the sun setting into a pinkish-orange haze over the mountains.

Homeland security chief quits: CARSON CITY -- Jerry Bussell, Nevada's chief of homeland security, has resigned from his $102,000 a year job effective May 28.

Colorado River states discuss water priorities: Representatives from seven Colorado River basin states today will begin discussing a proposal that would give urban areas some of the water that has long been earmarked for agricultural use.

After slow start, Coon gives lift to Skyhawks: Adam Candee; Casey Coon anchors the Silverado baseball team, and it is tough to hold anything in place with a broken wrist.

Columnist Susan Snyder: True drama unfolding in Fallon: It wasn't scripted. It wasn't hyped.

Rebels hit 8 HRs, whip Utes in slugfest: With a 10-run lead in the sixth inning of the fourth and final game of a weekend series against Mountain West Conference also-ran Utah, it appeared that garbage time for the UNLV baseball team was fast approaching at Wilson Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Wanted: A dictionary for Fed's statements: Jeannine Aversa; WASHINGTON -- Whether you are an armchair Federal Reserve watcher on Main Street or a seasoned veteran on Wall Street, Fed policymakers sometimes seem to be speaking a foreign language.

Dream come true?: Adam Candee; The Gladiators turned the ball over four times in the first half Sunday, falling behind by 21 points and generally playing their worst football in more than a month when they could least afford to do so.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for May 17, 2004: Lisa Ferguson; Summer or at least its unofficial start, marked by the long Memorial Day weekend is almost here. Time to take the pool floaties out of the mothballs; hose a year's worth of grime off the patio furniture; and break a sweat trying to scrape the charred remains of last season's cookouts off the barbecue grill.

Belmont should draw a big field: Smarty Jones might face an unusually large field in the Belmont Stakes when he attempts to become the first Triple Crown champion in 26 years.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Bright future ahead: It is easy for me to make this prediction. I have many decades of experience in this valley, watching those who lead our community and state, listening to the people who work in the trenches who actually get things done, and hearing the desires of the hundreds of thousands of people who have come here in recent years to make Las Vegas their home, to live and work here and raise their children. When Gov. Grant Sawyer gave the commencement address to that first class at Nevada Southern University, he predicted that what is now UNLV would take its place ...

It was a bizarre final day for filings: Kirsten Searer and Dan Kulin; Chester Richardson, a Republican running for the County Commission, sent a supporter to file paperwork Friday so he could run for office.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Pick the adjective -- it was Smarty's party: Ralph Siraco; Smarty Jones won the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Underdog Tarver makes it a memorable night: Dean Juipe; Jay Nady reacted with a disapproving facial expression and a "Knock it off" or "Cut that out" remark to Antonio Tarver, just as one might lightly admonish a cat or a dog for acting up.

LV entrepreneur Hazan dies at 86: As a youngster during the Depression, Morrie Hazan developed a keen sense for the business world.

Goodman changes mind on policy: Sito Negron; The self-proclaimed Happiest Mayor in the Land has changed his mind.

Lowe's earnings improve: Lowe's earnings improve

Birth announcements for May 17, 2004: May 3:

Expos' bid in, waiting begins: Here is the letter that Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign, and Reps. Shelley Berkley and Jon Porter, sent to Major League Baseball on Friday:

New Eagle Scouts are named: Travis Mikel Anderson, 18; Kyle Lance Brooksby, 18; Zachary David Clayton, 17; Cameron Troy Crowther, 16; Bradley Kelly, 15, Logandale; Carson Joel Knuth, 18; Trent Houston Lott, 17; Stephen Gene Lund, 16; Michael Joseph Oliver McAllister, 17; Robert Cameron Parker, 18; Tyler Dean Peck, 13, and Andrew David Sallee, 18, all of Las Vegas.

Editorial: Suit adds to concern over Yucca: Plaintiffs say that Burlington Northern managers are representing the railroad to the Energy Department as one that has "good and proven" safety systems. In fact, the suit contends, employees have been ordered to bypass safety rules in order for the railroad to "be more more profitable when train departures and overall operations can be expedited. Many trains are leaving with both known and unknown defects in equipment."

Young Silverado squad wins 9th title in a row: Adam Candee; Stinging from another beating and looking like only a shell of their perennially powerful selves, the Silverado softball team sat in the dugout in silence after losing at home to Centennial in mid-March.

Editorial: Voting for health: The smoking ban, of course, is a no-brainer. With all that's known about the harmful effects of tobacco, there obviously shouldn't be a whiff of smoke anywhere within sight or smell of students. The same holds true for junk food, especially with all that's been printed and televised lately about the obesity crisis overtaking millions of Americans -- particularly those of school age. Blame is being placed on the omnipresence of junk food -- it's hard for anyone to escape it anymore. Schools, however, do not have to be part of the problem.

Few lawmakers sign anti-gambling pledge: Bob Johnson; MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Most members of the Alabama Legislature are not ready to promise they will never support legislation to legalize gambling or that they would refuse to accept campaign donations from gambling interests.

Candidates: U.S. Senate

Gazlay plea deal gains probation: By Matt Pordum; A 19-year-old who police alleged was the leader of the 311 Boyz gang entered a plea agreement on Friday that will get him out of jail.

News briefs for May 17, 2004: A 38-year-old man was indicted Friday on charges of running a red light and crashing into a bus stop, killing a man, while under the influence of alcohol on Christmas 2003.

Laxity cited in fight against AIDS: Stephen Curran and Mary Manning; Joshua Montgomery has seen the nation's AIDS epidemic from several sides.

Coroner's inquest: Man wanted to die at hands of police: Jen Lawson; The last time Laurie Bennett saw her boyfriend Larry Dague, they had argued over a phone call to her ex-husband.

Supreme Court overturns inmate's punishment: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that 120 days of credit for good behavior should be restored to a prison inmate from Clark County who was disciplined for yelling out in the prison mess hall that the food was terrible.

Reservist will get honorable discharge: Jace Radke; A Marine reservist who bragged about killing two Iraqis in a published report will not face court-martial and will retire and receive an honorable discharge from the military.

Businesses to give way to LV City Hall: Las Vegas officials plan to expand City Hall across Las Vegas Boulevard to Sixth Street and are taking the first steps this week toward purchasing a gasoline station/convenience store and several aging apartment buildings that would need to be demolished to make way for the expansion.

Nevada bar exam called one of toughest: CARSON CITY -- Nationwide, only about 25 percent of law school graduates fail their first attempt to pass the bar exam that would let them practice law. But when graduates of UNLV's Boyd School of Law take Nevada bar exams for the first time, about 40 percent of them fail, the dean of the school said.

Teacher transfer policy showing some results: By Emily Richmond; A new regulation intended to bring stability to struggling schools by restricting teacher transfers appears to be paying off, Clark County School District officials said this morning.

Child run over, killed by dad's van: Ed Koch and Mary Manning; "Right now, it appears this was just an accident," Detective Bob Holland said, noting the father apparently had no idea his son had followed him. "I'll be calling the DA's office this morning to find out what they want to do with it."

Burglary suspects crash into cars while fleeing: Jen Lawson; Burglary suspects fleeing from a Metro Police officer crashed into two cars this morning at Sahara Avenue and Lindell Road, police said.

Mandalay to enter the slot industry: Mandalay Resort Group, one of the casino giants of the Strip, is poised to enter the potentially lucrative slot machine manufacturing, distribution and slot route markets.

Gaming briefs for May 17, 2004: Louisiana gaming regulators today approved Boyd Gaming Corp.'s $190 million purchase of a Shreveport casino from Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

State orders Vegas travel company to issue refunds: By Liz Benston; The Nevada Consumer Affairs Division has accused a Las Vegas company that markets travel discounts of using fraudulent and deceptive tactics to lure customers and has ordered the company to refund fees paid by consumers who complained about the company's services.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Rumsfeld figures in Ensign's philanthropy: "I am not sure how that is going to go over, based on what has happened lately, " Sen. John Ensign told VegasBeat at the event. Ensign supplied the unique item to the auction.

Major telecom companies in trouble: Marcy Gordon; WASHINGTON -- Lucent Technologies Inc. is being fined $25 million by securities regulators in a settlement of civil fraud allegations because it failed to fully cooperate in an investigation of its accounting, a source familiar with the negotiations said today.

Adelson's Sands Macau casino opening tonight: MACAU -- Manuel Joaquim das Neves, Macau's Gaming Control Board director, is struggling with numbers. He has a four-page list of new gambling rules that need to be passed and a stack of plans for as many as 24 new casinos.

Business briefs for May 17, 2004: SAN DIEGO -- Pizza Hut restaurants were falsely advertising low prices and then tacking a 50-cent energy surcharge on pizzas sold in the San Diego area, a county prosecutor said Friday.

Banquet center in the works: The $12 million project is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2005.

Three LV-area stores planned: Owner-operators Craig and Donna Staack will open the stores, including one in Henderson in front of the Galleria at Sunset mall that will open this summer.

Homeland Security chief Bussell quits: CARSON CITY -- Jerry Bussell, Nevada's chief of homeland security, who resigned from his $102,000 a year job on Friday, denied this morning that he used his position to help a communications company get a government contract.

Reno lawyer Mirch files for Supreme Court: Jeff Simpson and Cy Ryan; A controversial Reno lawyer with a history of battles with one of his opponents filed Friday to run for the Nevada Supreme Court.

Street of Dreams opens: Street of Dreams opens

Kerry, in LV, pledges to fight Yucca dump: Kirsten Searer; Sen. John Kerry promised Nevadans on Sunday that, as president, he would do anything he could to stop the nation's nuclear waste from coming to the state.

Officers take it to streets to keep peace in Las Vegas: Jen Lawson; A trailer attached to a pickup truck in a dirt lot at 15th and Fremont streets is an unlikely place to find a Metro Police substation.