Print edition for May 19, 2004

UMC considering privatization: The University Medical Center administration took the first steps Tuesday toward replacing its Quick Care urgent care center doctors with contractors, privatizing one of the hospital system's last bastions of government-paid physicians.

News briefs for May 19, 2004: A man in his mid-20s was shot and killed early today after an argument at a home near Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway, Metro Police said.

Nuke adviser warns of threat from Cold War's leftovers: Thomas C. Reed, an adviser on nuclear issues to Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, told a group at the Atomic Testing Museum Tuesday night that it is remarkable that the Cold War did not end in nuclear war.

Well flushing is necessary despite drought conditions: Caitlin Hudgins; It might seem odd that North Las Vegas is planning to send 360,000 gallons of water from the Silver Mesa well into a storm drain during the fifth year of a regional drought.

New congressional caucus addresses problem of DUI: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- A new congressional caucus announced this week, started with the help of two of Nevada's House members, aims to help members educate constituents about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Obituaries for May 19, 2004: Howard C. Abercrombie, 90, of North Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospice. He was born Jan. 9, 1914, in Walsenburg, Colo. A resident for eight years, he was a retired Navy chief warrant officer and World War II veteran.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Boutique celebrates 10-spot: Without any fanfare, The $10 store opened April 26. I would have missed it if I had not been with a friend who knew that the parking garage was the shortest walk to Canter's. A quick perusal of The $10 Boutique was all the encouragement we needed to make our way back to this intriguing store after brunch.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Puck helps make Alzheimer's event a success: Elizabeth Foyt; Puck, recognized for his unstinting support of local Alzheimer's fund-raising efforts, drew an enormous and generous crowd that raised $5 million in the course of this single glittering evening.

Airport to get extra security screeners: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Transportation Security Administration will be sending 46 more security screeners to McCarran International Airport than the agency had recommended in a report issued Friday.

Longtime automobile dealer, civic leader Coward dies: Tom Coward knew the automobile industry inside and out, from tool and die making at the Ford Motor Co. trade school in Dearborn, Mich., in 1939, to the sales floor of his two Lincoln-Mercury dealerships in Las Vegas in the 1990s.

1 million more residents projected by 2024: By Emily Richmond; Nevada's sizzling population growth will continue for the next two decades, the state demographer announced Tuesday, with Southern Nevada projected to add 1.1 million people by July 2024.

New Zealand deal advances: AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Sky City Entertainment Group Ltd., New Zealand's largest gaming company, has gained approval from the nation's antitrust regulator to buy a stake in Christchurch Casinos Ltd.

Juvenile justice system criticized: Stephen Curran; Top juvenile justice experts called for wholesale changes in how the state treats its underage offenders, saying Nevada's current rehabilitation methods are outdated.

Daellenbach named new testing chief: A 19-year veteran of the district, Daellenbach was principal of Foothill from 2002 until February of this year when she was promoted to assistant regional superintendent for the southeast region. Daellenbach is expected to begin her new duties Monday, said Karlene McCormick-Lee, assistant superintendent of research and accountability for the district.

Gaming briefs for May 19, 2004: Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Scott Barry has upgraded Mandalay Resort Group to "outperform" from "neutral," saying shares are trading lower than their 52-week high and the Las Vegas market continues to show momentum in tourist and convention visitation.

Las Vegas approves first $1 billion budget: Before passing Las Vegas' first $1 billion budget, the City Council on Tuesday told its staff to think lean, even as economic times improve, and warned department managers to be ready to prove the need to hire new employees.

Bingo plan dies in Alabama Legislature: Bob Johnson; MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A proposed constitutional amendment to legalize electronic bingo games with unlimited cash prizes died on the final day of the 2004 regular session of the Alabama Legislature.

Mortgage applications drop: The Mortgage Bankers Association said its gauge of loan demand fell to 654.1 from 742.2. It was the second-straight decline in the index and came as 30-year mortgage rates exceeded 6 percent for a fourth consecutive week.

Letter: Courts martial can't be last word: Perception is important propaganda in war time, but if the military wishes to scapegoat a few reservists for our image and to elect President Bush, neither justice nor the public good will be served.

Taxicab board study to look at crime deterrence: The Nevada Taxicab Authority, bruised by criticism that it hasn't done enough to help keep taxi drivers safe, jump-started a study to determine which crime deterrents would do the most good.

RedHawks rough up 51s in rout: Nick Christensen; Luis Garcia pitched the ninth inning. That's how bad things got for the Las Vegas 51s, as they concluded their series with the Oklahoma RedHawks by allowing 21 hits in a 12-1 loss Tuesday night at Cashman Field.

Sports Illustrated honors sports, recreation programs in Henderson: Dan Kulin; Henderson is receiving nationwide recognition for its community sports programs in this week's edition of Sports Illustrated.

Columnist Peter Benton: Private golf school helps juniors learn game: Peter Benton; At its awards banquet in January, the Las Vegas Chapter, Southwest Section, PGA of America, named Tom Carlson of Higher Education Golf Schools as the unanimous selection for the 2003 Las Vegas Junior Golf Leader award.

No tax increases seen in city budgets: Dan Kulin; Henderson and North Las Vegas will add employees, with a focus on public safety, and Boulder City will cut one position under budgets for the coming fiscal year.

First lady reaffirms faith in husband at UNLV rally: Kirsten Searer; First lady Laura Bush took to her role as comforter-in-chief on Tuesday, telling a crowd of more than 1,000 supporters in Las Vegas that while the nation faces difficult times, she has never doubted her husband's leadership.

Charges dismissed against one suspect in 311 Boyz case: By Matt Pordum; Charges against one alleged member of the 311 Boyz gang were dismissed and another co-defendant entered a plea agreement on Tuesday in connection with the rock attack that left 17-year-old Stephen Tanner Hansen with a crushed face.

LV releases Shaw, signs ex-UNLV star Ware: Adam Candee; Terrill Shaw followed Clint Dolezel to Las Vegas seven months ago with dreams of the duo powering the Gladiators just like they did for the Grand Rapids Rampage.

Bonanza nips PV for state crown: Nick Christensen; After playing nearly even on Monday, Palo Verde and Bonanza high schools didn't do much to distance themselves in Tuesday's final round of the 4A state boys' golf championship.

Columnist Jeff German: Nevadans have ally in Kerry: "Rest assured, Nevada," he said. "If I'm the president of the United States, Yucca Mountain will not be a repository."

Experts: Vegas should fly through airline turmoil: The nation's established air carriers are continuing to lose ground to upstart low-cost competitors, speakers at an aviation conference in Las Vegas said Tuesday.

25 women leaders will be honored: The honorees were selected by a panel of women business and community leaders through Distinguished Publishing Co., which is publishing the first illustrated edition of "25 Notable Las Vegas Women."

Six candidates seeking open City Council seat: Dan Kulin; And then there were six.

Family Thais: Chutimas leave home to establish family, Vegas restaurant: Ken Miller; For Suchay, it's an affirmation that his years of sacrificing his career and future, and living in relative poverty for more than a decade, were worth it.

Investors buy stake: In March, First Data Corp. sold its controlling interest in Global Cash Access to M&C International. Tuesday, M&C International sold a portion of its interest to Tudor Ventures and Summit Partners, both private venture capital firms.

Preps: 4A State Golf: At Aliante Golf Club

Rebels falter down stretch: After the first day of play, the Rebels were 20 shots over par and in 22nd place among the 24 teams.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Developers use golf tour to sell land: Dean Juipe; Anyone who wonders where Las Vegas is going to put all the newcomers who continue to descend upon the valley hasn't really examined the outskirts of town.

Expos' future on the table: Major League Baseball's headquarters are 4 1/2 blocks from Grand Central Station, in between the Chrysler Building and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

House approves OSHA changes: Leigh Strope; WASHINGTON -- The House voted Tuesday to make employer-friendly changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, including adding two members to a violations review commission, increasing its power, extending deadlines for companies to challenge citations and allowing more of them to recoup lawyers' fees.

C-M, Sierra Vista to clash for 4A state championship: Adam Candee; Sara Melvin would like for Cimarron-Memorial to be known as more than just the other team in tonight's 4A state boys' volleyball title game against Sierra Vista.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: CineVegas Film Festival knows Jack: That way, Jack Nicholson won't have any conflicts June 18, the day he is scheduled to be in Las Vegas to receive the CineVegas Film Festival's Marquee Award.

Vegas woman arrested in alleged stock fraud: A $3,000 bond was set for Eleanor "Ellie" Gordon, who was apprehended by state investigators without incident. An attorney contacted by Gordon said she had no immediate comment.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Henderson's Schmidt may enter car in Indy 500: Sam Schmidt, a Henderson resident and Indy Racing League Infiniti Pro Series team owner, said he is considering fielding a car in this month's Indianapolis 500.

Snapshot at the window: Plannin' for a fall: Teams to watch

Four more members of street gang plead guilty: Four more members of the Rollings 60s Crips street gang pleaded guilty to racketeering-related charges in hearings Monday and Tuesday.

Bail set for suspect in crash that killed boy at bus stop: By Matt Pordum; Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo set bail at $500,000 for the man charged with crashing his car into a Las Vegas bus stop on May 3, killing a 4-year-old boy and hospitalizing the child's mother.

Nantkes eager to return to practice: Steve Guiremand; Call him a glutton for punishment or just plain relieved but UNLV quarterback Kurt Nantkes is looking forward to the start of informal team workouts in early June.

Nevada opens tourism office in Beijing: Nevada opens tourism office in Beijing

Sheriff's plan for new offices supported: The Clark County Commission lent its tentative support Tuesday to a plan to replace the existing county courthouse downtown with a new Metro Police headquarters.

Sports briefs for May 19, 2004: Six NBA teams will play their annual summer games in July at UNLV's Cox Pavilion, arena officials said Tuesday.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Sabermetrics not just an abstract concept: Tim Trushel's radio show, "The Vegas Sportswire," airs 7-9 a.m. weekdays on KENO 1460-AM, and is archived at sportswireonline.com.

Community briefs for May 19, 2004: Aggie Roberts Elementary, 227 Charter Oak St., is holding a fund-raiser from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today to support one of its students, Brittany York, a cancer patient.

Letter: Time to travel, but not to read: I hope with this time on his hands, he took an hour or so to read Maj. Gen. Taguba's February report on the problems at Abu Ghraib prison.

Negotiations with Las Vegas union continue: About 130 warehouse workers and truck drivers were set to walk off their jobs at the plant on North Mojave Road in Las Vegas, Gary Mauger, secretary-treasurer and chief executive of Teamsters Local 14, said Tuesday.

Editorial: EOB fails to instill confidence: Although the bureau began demanding answers following the audit, the issue of accounting failures at EOB received little public attention until January of this year. At that time, the state sounded alarms when the EOB could not account for $2.1 million in state and federal money. The state had advanced the money to the EOB to help low-income parents pay for child care while they worked. There never has been any proper accounting of where the money went. The EOB simply explained, although it couldn't prove it, that the advance had been co-mingled with other funds that paid for other ...

Women business owners in LV hear Kerry's plan for help: Kirsten Searer; Nevada has the nation's fastest growing number of women-owned businesses, and on Tuesday a small group of local female business owners sat in on a conference call with Sen. John Kerry to hear his plans to help them.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1:20 p.m.

Ohio waste may be bound for Nevada: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department may be preparing to take radioactive waste out of storage silos in Ohio just to create a need to move it to Nevada, state officials allege.

ACLU questions arrests at Bush visit: Stephen Curran; Tuesday's arrest of two Las Vegas men for disorderly conduct after they refused to move from outside the auditorium where first lady Laura Bush was addressing a rally has sparked the interest of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Letter: Security threats already reside within borders: While finger-pointing continues about past failures to prevent terrorism, invitations are still being handed out to terrorists who could commit future crimes.

Man who allegedly pointed gun at officer charged: Jen Lawson; A 30-year-old Summerlin man who was shot and wounded last month by a Metro Police officer has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly pointing a BB gun at the officer, which police said provoked the officer to shoot him.

Editorial: Show youths the money: With the fund having generated $3 million, no one is really sure how to use the money. The model gaining favor seems patterned after a Slinky going downstairs -- the state releases money to counties and the counties release money to youth organizations and the youth organizations release money to service providers ... When will the Slinky reach the youths?

Rebels relish chance for 2nd consecutive MWC title: By beating New Mexico twice in a three-games series in Albuquerque this week, UNLV would become the first team in Mountain West Conference history to win back-to-back regular-season championships. The past pacesetters:

Japanese gambling giant taking over Sega -- again: TOKYO -- Sammy Corp., Japan's biggest maker of gambling machines, said it will buy the three quarters of Sega Corp. it doesn't own for about 165 billion yen ($1.45 billion) in stock, resurrecting a takeover that collapsed in May last year.

County opposes lawmakers' actions: The Legislature is passing dozens of bills that are costing counties and cities money, and the Clark County Commission wants the voters to tell it to stop.