Print edition for November 1, 2004

Ancient celebration starts today: Eric Leake; Halloween may be over, but the skeletons are just getting started at "Life in Death: The Day of the Dead" in Las Vegas.

Seriously Funny: Satirists play enhanced role during contentious election season: Kirk Baird; During a recent guest appearance on "Crossfire," "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart opted to play it straight.

Dreamy performance awakens Wilson's genius: Spencer Patterson; I woke up from an amazing dream early Sunday morning.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Event gives boost to recovery: Members of the Basin and Range Trail Advocates group (BARTA) are donating all proceeds from their annual Blue Diamond-to-Jean mountain bike ride to Tina and Brandon Hayes, Eric's wife and 17-month-old son.

Cops raid business linked to knockoffs: Jen Lawson; Stuart "Steve" Conn was convicted last year of selling counterfeit purses, shoes and accessories bearing high-end brand names such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Prada out of a store called Designer Incognito.

Doctor opens home for Nevada Day festivities: Heather Rawlyk; To the right of a giant octopus sculpture, a replica space shuttle and miniature Eiffel Tower, a long line of people from Las Vegas and afar waited Sunday afternoon to personally meet former Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren before entering his eclectic home.

Harrah's to use access to capital in Singapore pitch: Linus Chua and Bernard Lo; Harrah's Entertainment Inc., the No. 2 U.S. casino operator by market value, will use its ability to raise funds and draw tourists as part of its pitch to the Singapore government for a casino plan.

Campaigns work through weekend: Kirsten Searer; Actor Edward Norton was campaigning Saturday night in what he termed a "tough" Las Vegas neighborhood when a few young men came running up to warn him he could be in danger.

Motorcyclist killed in crash: He was identified this morning as 33-year-old Zedrick Mitchell Robinson. The coroner's office did not know where he lived.

Southwest on the prowl after ATA bankruptcy: DALLAS -- Growth by Southwest Airlines at McCarran International Airport isn't likely to slow down, even though the airline has big plans in other markets.

Pair of UNLV professors land Fulbright grants: Christina Littlefield and Eric Leake; When UNLV finance professor Michael J. Sullivan first traveled to the Philippines as a Fulbright Scholar in 1998, he was going to teach finance and to research the Filipino stock exchange and the effects of government deregulation on the banking market.

Police probe homicides: A body was also found Friday near the Las Vegas Speedway, and detectives are trying to determine who he is, when he died and who killed him.

Man ID'd in shooting-suicide: Chan allegedly followed his ex-wife to the store, then hid in her vehicle while she shopped. When she came out to her vehicle he began shooting at her, Metro Police said. She was hospitalized for her injuries but survived.

Top 25 Fared: AP; No. 1 Southern Cal (8-0) beat Washington State 42-12. Next: at Oregon State, Saturday.

Nevada Supreme Court rejects voter challenge: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court this morning dismissed the petition of a Sparks couple who said they signed up to vote but their registration was never turned into the Washoe County Voter Registrar's Office.

Reid in position to assume leadership if Daschle fails: Benjamin Grove and Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., may be watching South Dakota's Senate race as closely as his own.

Obituaries for November 1, 2004: Florence M. Andrade, 90, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in a local health care center. She was born Dec. 17, 1913, in Los Angeles. A resident for 73 years, she was a homemaker.

Prosecutors want Tabish's ex-wife cleared to testify: By Matt Pordum; Prosecutors have asked District Judge Joseph Bonaventure to allow the ex-wife of Rick Tabish to testify in the retrial of Tabish and Sandy Murphy for the murder of Ted Binion.

Deal expected to clear path for Henderson golf course: Dan Kulin; Tee times are filling up in anticipation of Henderson opening its first city-owned golf course on Wednesday.

Sports briefs November 1, 2004: Andre Agassi and David Nalbandian both pulled out of the Paris Masters today, meaning neither will play in the season ending Masters Cup.

Gaming briefs for November 1, 2004: Hilton Group Plc, which operates Hilton hotels outside the U.S., plans to spend 200 million pounds ($367 million) building a Las Vegas-style casino in Blackpool in the north of England, the Sunday Times said, citing a local government official.

UNLV hoping program translates to success: UNLV has long been nationally known for its basketball program and its hotel college. Now it is rapidly gaining international prestige among literati.

BMI inaugurates McCarran service: With showgirls, Elvis and a British beefeater in the crowd, Sunday's arrival of Great Britain's second-largest airline at McCarran International Airport might have been mistaken for just another costume party on Halloween.

Ex-Henderson councilman Wood dies: David Wood, a one-term Henderson City Councilman who addressed growth issues and fought against the development of neighborhood casinos, died Oct. 25 of pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

Vets place crosses to honor soldiers killed in Iraq war: Stephen Curran; Just after sunrise this morning four veterans placed 18-inch white crosses in rows at Freedom Park.

Clinton: Nevada 'massively important' for Kerry: From Yucca Mountain to homeland security to a livable wage for working Americans, former President Bill Clinton said there are numerous reasons why Nevadans should make fellow Democrat John Kerry the next president.

Profit falls on currency woes: Net income of the maker of Lexus sedans fell 1.5 percent to 297.4 billion yen ($2.8 billion) in the three months ended Sept. 30, less than the 320 billion yen expected by six analysts in a Bloomberg poll. Sales of the carmaker, based in central Japan's Toyota City, rose 9.4 percent to 4.52 trillion yen.

City Council returning to improved chambers: Dan Kulin; Ten months after setting up temporary shop in the nearby city convention center, the Henderson City Council is moving back into its new and improved Council Chambers in City Hall next week.

Sophomore from Reno has national following: Nick Christensen; It would be natural to think that with the state high school cross country championships set for Boulder City on Saturday, the Southern teams would have an advantage.

Preps: Weekend results: This week's schedule TUESDAY Boys' Soccer Sunrise and Sunset regional quarterfinals at Bettye Wilson Soccer Fields, northwest Las Vegas. Teams TBA. 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Future of Nebraska casinos before voters: Scott Bauer; LINCOLN, Neb. -- Finally, after years of legislative debate, public arguments, lawsuits, and petition drives, the future of casino gambling rests with Nebraska voters.

Motorcyclist dies in crash: He was identified this morning as 33-year-old Zedrick Mitchell Robinson. The coroner's office did not know where he lived.

Consumer spending soars by 0.6 percent: Martin Crutsinger; WASHINGTON -- Consumers, who substantially slowed down their spending in late summer, roared back to life in September, boosting their purchases by 0.6 percent. The gain in spending reported today by the government far outpaced the increase in incomes.

Birth announcements for November 1, 2004: Oct. 15:

Letter: One requirement for CIA directors: Yet the Senate confirmed Goss -- who did serve 10 years in the CIA's clandestine service before being elected to Congress -- as the new CIA director on Sept. 23.

Community briefs for November 1, 2004: The Temple Beth Am, 9001 Hillpointe Road, is sponsoring a gala event 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the temple to benefit the Adult Day Care Center, Shenker Academy, and Temple Community Services.

Letter: Landscape is part of Boulder City's history: As a preservationist, I recognize that turf removal programs are necessary, particularly given the severe drought we are experiencing. In this case, however, the hill displaying this landscaping forms the foundation of Boulder City's historic district, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Case may get second phase: U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein has told attorneys in the case that without a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on the constitutionality of federal sentencing guidelines, he may add a sentencing phase to the case.

New ward map with few changes backed by council: Dan Kulin; The Henderson City Council wards are scheduled to be redrawn Tuesday, with the council apparently behind a proposed new ward map that would force minimal movement of the boundary lines.

Editorial: Sun offers its choices: Earlier this month the Las Vegas Sun offered its endorsements of candidates and made its recommendations on ballot questions for this year's election, all of which are recapped here. If you'd like to review the complete text of the Sun's endorsement editorials, please go online at www.lasvegassun.com and click on the Election 2004 link.

Force says 13th title the toughest: There was a time when John Force used to take for granted winning NHRA championships.

WR award list has Rebels' Johnson: Steve Guiremand; UNLV senior wide receiver Earvin Johnson has been named one of the 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which is presented annually to college's football's top receiver.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Ghostzapper gives Frankel biggest win of his career: Ralph Siraco; On Saturday, the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships lived up to its billing. Again. In true Texas style, the 21st edition of the sport's biggest day showcased big efforts for big money -- for the players and participants. And host track Lone Star Park had anything but a Lone Star.

Redskins' game not the only offbeat predictor: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Amid the flurry of final-weekend campaigning, superstitious partisan faithful kept a close eye on the Redskins-Packers football game Sunday.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: You don't have to chase around to sense these thrills: Having grown up near Chicago, once we worked up the courage to ride the "El," a baseball buddy and I began an annual tradition where we would check out a midweek game at Wrigley Field after the Cubs had been eliminated from playoff contention. In most years, that meant any midweek game after the Fourth of July would have sufficed, although we usually waited until September, because that's when the crowds were the smallest. Besides, ditching school was half the fun.

BLM maps for new utility pipeline are being withheld from public: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The maps that the Bureau of Land Management will use to determine where a new utility pipeline may be built between Lincoln and Clark counties are being withheld from the public, officials with the Center for Biological Diversity say.

Anderson forces the issue: When Greg Anderson left NHRA Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson's team after 12 years to try his hand at driving in the category, Anderson never entertained the thought that he would be able to compete on the same level as Johnson.

UNLV women search for their golf identity: Adam Candee; After punctuating a breakout season with a trip to the NCAA championship in June, no one in the UNLV women's golf program expected the next chapter to begin in such a halting manner.