Print edition for November 11, 2004

Lawyer indicted over alleged conduct: Jace Radke and Cy Ryan; A local attorney who is the son of a prominent Las Vegas developer has been suspended from practicing law because he allegedly misappropriated $350,000 in settlement funds from his clients.

Top 25 Fared: AP; No. 1 Southern Cal (9-0) did not play. Next: vs. Arizona, Saturday.

ACLU says ruling infringes on free speech: David Kihara; A Nevada Supreme Court ruling Wednesday struck a blow against free speech and political activity by the public, leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada and Nevadans for Sound Government said Wednesday.

Women's College Basketball Schedule: AP; Minnesota at Washington, 10 p.m.

McCarran eyes future, winks at Southwest's planned red-eyes: McCarran International Airport officials say they would have no problem accommodating late-night flights by Southwest Airlines if the company chooses to implement a red-eye schedule.

Parade is a reminder of soldiers fighting now: Got Freedom?

Airport offers deal to nearby homeowners: Residents on Russell Road west of Eastern Avenue could soon have the option of selling their homes to Clark County.

ACLU plans to appeal petition ruling: David Kihara; A Nevada Supreme Court ruling Wednesday struck a blow against free speech and political activity by the public, leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada and Nevadans for Sound Government said Wednesday.

On Veterans Day, thoughts are with deployed soldiers: Jace Radke; Kimberley Irenze was planning on thanking the veterans in Las Vegas this morning at the annual Veterans Day parade, but when she gets home this evening she'll be thinking about her husband and brother-in-law as they drive supply trucks in Iraq.

Ruling in uniform case lets teen back in school: David Kihara; Kim Jacobs may be the happiest student at Liberty High School come Monday.

Reaction mixed on gas hike: Kevin Rademacher; Customers had mixed reactions Wednesday to the news of a 9 percent increase in their natural gas bills.

Assembly takes vote to impeach Augustine: CARSON CITY -- In a preliminary move, the Assembly this morning decided unanimously to impeach Controller Kathy Augustine for using state employees and equipment in her 2002 re-election campaign.

Fewer in LV can afford to buy home: Jennifer Shubinski; Teachers, nurses and hotel workers are being left out in the cold as the ability to buy a home becomes more out of reach for many in the Las Vegas Valley.

Golden Nugget owners eye expansion plans: By Liz Benston; The owners of the Golden Nugget casino in downtown Las Vegas are exploring how to expand the west side of the property across First Street and have locked up some land across First Street over the past several months for potential development.

Fired manager: BLM covered up hazards at site: Molly Ball; A former manager of the project to clean up the radioactive former mine site in Yerington has filed a whistle-blower complaint claiming state and federal agencies were engaged in a coverup of the site's dangers and fired him because he wouldn't play along.

Berkley, in Israel, says Palestinians are at crossroads: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has not caused celebrations in Israel, but will create more hope for peace, said Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.

Sports briefs for November 11, 2004: Serena Williams rallied from a set and two service breaks down Wednesday to beat French Open champion Anastasia Myskina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the WTA Championships at Los Angeles.

Goodman could be special prosecutor: Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said Wednesday that was possible, but after seeing reports about Perkins' statements, Goodman this morning ruled it out.

Gaming briefs for November 11, 2004: INDIANAPOLIS -- Prosecutors have charged a former Hoosier Lottery security officer with telling two others that a winning ticket in a $1 million scratch-off game had been sent to a small town grocery store.

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

PeopleSoft rejects Oracle's takeover bid: Michael Liedtke; SAN FRANCISCO -- PeopleSoft Inc.'s board of directors rejected Oracle Corp.'s $9.2 billion takeover bid Wednesday and vowed to continue its staunch resistance even if a majority of the business software maker's shareholders decide to accept the offer.

Community briefs for November 11, 2004: Paris Las Vegas will help the Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada usher in the holiday season with the premiere Las Vegas holiday event, the Festival of Trees and Lights, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday.

Longtime women's clothier Olson dies: Longtime Las Vegas clothing retailer Drew Olson was not easily intimidated, nor did he buckle under to trends or fads.

Correction: They are business associates. The Sun regrets the error.

Otellini named chief executive: Otellini, a 30-year Intel veteran who made his name overseeing the introduction of the Pentium processor in 1993, will replace Craig Barrett in May. Barrett, having shepherded Intel's expansion through the late 1990s, steps aside as Intel struggles with sliding demand that has left the company burdened with a record stockpile of chips.

Ralph Siraco's Hollywood Park selections: 1st Race -- DUBAI DOLLY -- Training at Santa Anita, draws good rail post for route claimer, Berrio atop one of two Ward entries. TITA EMERALD -- Espinoza on Gonzalez trainee, has outside box in five-filly two-turn tag run, Emerald a gem in opener? Value Play -- CORPORAL GREINER

Shipmates honor LV sailor: Dick Benoit; Raymond Bone, a sailor aboard the Harpers Ferry-class amphibious command ship USS Pearl Harbor, was recently recognized as sailor of the quarter out of crew of nearly 400 men and women aboard the ship, which then puts him in the running for the ship's sailor of the year award.

With their QB healthy, Bulldogs want rematch: Nick Christensen; Virgin Valley High's football players know exactly what they want to be doing next Saturday.

Seven Hills residents can use Rio golf course: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday ruled that homeowners in the Seven Hills community in Henderson have the right to use the adjoining golf course but they must pay the $300 per round charged by course owner Rio Development Inc.

Terror threat for financial institutions lowered: Lowering the threat level from orange to yellow -- the midpoint on the government's five-level terror warning system -- comes three months after the alert was raised because of concerns the institutions and the areas around them could be al-Qaida targets. Yellow is "elevated," while orange is considered a "high" threat of attack.

Obituaries for November 11, 2004: Lucille B. Bunce, 84, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in Las Vegas. She was born April 28, 1920, in New Mexico. A resident for 30 years, she was an IBM operator and a member of the Red Hat Society.

Small plane lands safely in desert: Dan Kulin; A single-engine airplane landed in the desert near Durango Drive and U.S. 95 about 4 p.m. Wednesday, sending the pilot to the hospital with a cut on his nose, the North Las Vegas Airport manager said.

Homes under construction burn: No one was injured in the fire, which started about 5:15 a.m. in the 6000 block of Jubilee Gardens Avenue, in the Canyon Mist neighborhood near Jones Boulevard at Elkhorn.

Defense witness debunks burking: By Matt Pordum; A forensic toxicologist said the prosecution had no "medical or scientific" evidence to conclude Ted Binion's death was a homicide and further stated during testimony Wednesday that he was "99.9" percent certain Binion died of a drug overdose.

Atlantic City casinos show revenue increase, despite monthlong strike: David Porter; TRENTON, N.J. -- Atlantic City's casinos won more money from gamblers last month than they did in October 2003, despite a monthlong strike at seven of the city's 12 gambling palaces.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Scelzi goes for No. 2 in season finale: Gary Scelzi will attempt to notch his third consecutive NHRA Funny Car victory and lock up sole possession of second place in points at this weekend's season-ending NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

Stand Down underscores need for IDs for homeless: By Timothy Pratt; Homeless people on the streets of Las Vegas are held back by citations for petty offenses and a lack of identification, twin problems that were highlighted at the 12th annual Stand Down for the Homeless Wednesday.

Las Vegas Marine is laid to rest: Jace Radke; A 21-gun salute by Marines in dress uniforms welcomed Las Vegas Marine Pfc. John Lukac home to his final resting place at the Southern Nevada Veterans Cemetery in Boulder City on Wednesday.

Michelin will re-up as Las Vegas PGA event sponsor: Adam Candee; The Michelin Man is just about ready to park his tires outside the TPC at Summerlin for another two years.

Possible ID made on bones in park: Jen Lawson; A cell phone in the pocket of a green hooded sweatshirt gave Metro Police a major lead in identifying the skeletal remains found Wednesday morning in a rocky culvert in a northwest Las Vegas park.

South Jersey Democrats upset over exclusion from meeting: Geoff Mulvihill; MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. -- A group of southern New Jersey Democratic lawmakers is closing ranks to protect Atlantic City from losing its exclusive hold on gaming in the state.

Coyotes baseball puts six on board: Kyle Price attended Oklahoma's 28-13 football victory against Texas Tech at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 2. Chris Siewert, Ryan Tabor and Mike Dunn watched Tennessee beat Florida, 30-28, in Neyland Stadium on Sept. 18.

The road to a state title can be very ... very ... long: Nick Christensen; MESQUITE -- On a field that is literally adjacent to the Arizona border, the Virgin Valley High School football team spent afternoons this week preparing for its state semifinal game this Saturday.

Noted veterans advocate Spierer dies: When Stan Spierer hit the beach at Guadalcanal in August 1942, he was an 18-year-old sergeant leading an untested but determined group of Marines in the first U.S. amphibious assault on Japanese-held positions in the South Pacific.

Burned Boys-Girls Club will reopen: Eric Leake; The North Las Vegas Boys & Girls Club was expected to reopen today after a Wednesday morning fire that gutted its kitchen.

Letter: More red ink, blood expected: From Montana and North Dakota through Colorado and Kansas, all the way down to Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia, and through to benighted Florida, it looks exactly like a spreading sea of blood. Or red ink. Or both.

Editorial: A telling symbol for veterans: On Memorial Day in 1958, with President Dwight Eisenhower presiding, remains of unknown American troops who died in Word War II and the Korean War were also interred in the tomb, which thereafter, unofficially, became known as the Tomb of the Unkowns. On Memorial Day 1984, with President Ronald Reagan presiding, the body of a then-unknown American serviceman killed in Vietnam was interred in the tomb. The body of U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie, however, was identified in 1998 through DNA testing and returned to his family in St. Louis for burial there. Some military items found ...

RTC looks at future safety: Stephen Curran; Members of the Regional Transportation Commission readily agreed Wednesday that safety should be one of the agency's top goals, but commissioners have yet to settle how they want the RTC to tackle the issue.

Editorial: Raising the bar, again: The MGM Mirage's project is more evidence of the gaming industry's continuing diversification, as it offers much more than gambling. Las Vegas now has some of the world's greatest restaurants, retail shops and spas, truly making this city a premier resort destination. For this project the MGM Mirage will rely on the help of a New York firm known for developing and integrating residential and work areas that are pedestrian-friendly -- New York City's Battery Park and Baltimore's Inner Harbor East district. "This is the next evolution of Las Vegas, creating a much more developed urban market," MGM Mirage Chief ...

Johnson can almost grasp the top rung: Steve Guiremand; Most of the UNLV football team has been able to put behind the bitter memory of its 63-28 loss at seventh-ranked Utah three weeks ago.

Judaism group honors Las Vegas woman: The mission of Women's League for Conservative Judaism is to strengthen and unite synagogue women's groups and their members; support them in mutual efforts to understand and perpetuate Conservative Judaism in the home, synagogue and community, reinforce their bonds with Israel and with Jews worldwide.

Bonanza has date to make history: Nick Christensen; Bonanza (7-4, 4-1 SW) vs. Palo Verde (10-0, 5-0 NW) 7 p.m. Friday Palo Verde High School Alta at Pavilion Center, Summerlin Mutual opponents: Western (3-8) -- Palo Verde won 47-7 and 27-0, Bonanza won 14-13; Shadow Ridge (6-4) -- Palo Verde won 50-19, Bonanza won 29-28. Key for Palo Verde: Don't underestimate the Bengals. They are 0-3 against division champions this year, but that also means they have the experience. Key for Bonanza: Don't let Palo jump out. Earlier games against Foothill and Las Vegas would have been a lot closer if the Bengals hadn't fallen behind early. Virgin ...

Dodd-Masters gets one-game suspension: Steve Guiremand; UNLV will be without starting cornerback Ruschard Dodd-Masters for Saturday morning's game at Colorado State after he received a one-game suspension from the Mountain West Conference on Wednesday for a violation of the league's sportsmanship policy.

Letter: Simple flat tax on income would be fair to everybody: Given the general belief that the tax code is overwhelmingly complex and riddled with provisions that benefit special interests, the flat-tax principle of one tax rate on all income, with no deductions, should be appreciated and applauded for its simplicity and fairness.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Special day is tough to track: Fourth annual.

Little Jacob loses Tay-Sachs battle: Even in death, little Jacques Jacob DeFevre was inspiring.

Preps: Schedule: Preps: Schedule

Tribal games dispute likely heading to court: Chris T. Nguyen; LOS ANGELES -- Setting up a likely court battle, one of two Southern California tribes accused by the state of illegally operating machines that look and feel like slot machines on Wednesday refused to remove them from its casino floor.

The Rural Thing: 'Wildfire' author Michael Martin Murphey fights to preserve Western tradition: It's a topic that's become prominent for the artist whose 1970s hit "Wildfire" gave him mainstream recognition.

News briefs for November 11, 2004: A woman driving a sport utility vehicle with a bumper sticker showing support for highway troopers made a U-turn on the Las Vegas Beltway this morning, colliding head-on with a trooper, authorities said.