Print edition for November 18, 2004

Corrections: Because of an error by the Sun, a story in Wednesday's edition incorrectly stated that President Bush told Nevadans that he would not ask Congress to change the radiation standard for the Yucca Mountain project. He did not specifically say that. What he said was, "I will allow this process to be appealed to the courts and to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and I will stand by the decision of the courts and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission." The Sun regrets the error.

Editorial: Shameless networks: ABC, after receiving criticism for airing the segment, subsequently apologized. Still, it's incredible that a broadcast network -- after the fallout when one of Janet Jackson's breasts was exposed Feb. 1 during CBS' Super Bowl halftime show -- would knowingly push the envelope of decency again. The only possible reason is that the executives at ABC are arrogantly consumed by the "sex sells" mentality. This is inexplicable, however, for a network owned by the Walt Disney Co., which built its reputation on family entertainment.

Families of crash victims offered $300,000: By Emily Richmond; The families of four boys killed or injured when a drunken teen driver wrecked his car have been offered a share of $300,000 to settle a civil lawsuit against the owner of a home where the boy was drinking.

Senator against spending tax money on casino: "I have heartburn about public money being used to build a casino," said Sen. Shannon Robinson, D-Albuquerque.

Editorial: Wording is everything: The advisory question asked voters if they approved of an initial quarter-cent increase in the sales tax, followed by a like increase in 2009 that would bring the total increase to one-half of 1 percent. And it carried this explanation for how the money would be spent if the Legislature approved: "Revenue generated would be allocated for use by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the police departments of Boulder City, Henderson, Mesquite and North Las Vegas to hire and equip additional police officers."

Kmart, Sears merger will still leave chains struggling, analysts say: Anne D'Innocenzio; NEW YORK -- The $11 billion deal between Kmart and Sears is seen as a high-risk gamble to some analysts, who say the struggling discounter and struggling department store won't merge with quick, or even certain, success.

Boy, 5, struck, dragged by car: David Kihara; Three pedestrians were injured when hit by traffic around the valley Wednesday, including a 5-year-old boy who was struck and dragged under a vehicle in North Las Vegas, police said.

Consumer demand driving furniture warehouse growth: Jennifer Shubinski; Walker Furniture, citing increased demand at its retail store, has more than doubled its warehouse space in North Las Vegas, while industry experts said more furniture companies are looking for industrial space -- but not just for storage.

UHS to issue dividend: The King of Prussia, Pa.-based company said in a statement that its board of directors approved a 8-cent per share dividend on Dec. 15 to all shareholders of record as of Dec. 1.

Sports briefs for November 18, 2004: Terrell Owens apologized today to anyone offended by his role in a steamy segment with actress Nicollette Sheridan for the intro to "Monday Night Football."

Leading indicators fall for fifth month: A barometer of future U.S. economic activity fell for a fifth month in October, the longest stretch of declines since 1995, signaling that the world's largest economy isn't likely to accelerate in coming months.

One in four Californians considering a move: Jim Wasserman; SACRAMENTO -- High rents and rising home prices are pushing one in every four Californians to consider moving elsewhere in the state or leaving California entirely, according to a new statewide survey on places people call home.

News briefs for November 18, 2004: The North Las Vegas City Council postponed a decision on a controversial rental inspection plan Wednesday.

Judge upholds Weston gambling referendum: In the ruling issued Wednesday, Circuit Judge Thomas Keadle said the Lewis County Commission properly put the issue before voters as a necessary first step in the process. Whether the property qualifies for a gambling license under state law will be determined by the Lottery Commission.

Casino workers find a home in Primm: By Liz Benston; In the shadow of the Desperado roller coaster that winds around the Buffalo Bill's hotel and casino in Primm, a virtual city of 52 beige stucco buildings spreads out into a corner of the desert.

Consultant accused of cheating tribes takes Fifth: Jim Abrams; WASHINGTON -- In what could be his final words to the Senate panel he heads, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the Senate's only native American, told a Washington consultant Wednesday that he represented the kind of people who have been defrauding American Indians for four centuries.

County manager says growth hurting social services: David Kihara; The rapid growth in Clark County is continuing to hurt many of the area's social services, including Clark County's foster care system, access to medical care and juvenile offender services, Clark County Manager Thom Reilly said this week.

Rating upgraded: A.M. Best Co., which rates insurers, upgraded Sierra's rating to B++ from B+, both of which are considered secure ratings and show Sierra is able to meet its obligations to policyholders, the ratings company's Web site said.

Education officials praise new test company: By Emily Richmond; State and local education officials have high hopes for the New Hampshire company chosen to take over a $13.4 million contract to administer standardized tests to Nevada's students.

Pinnacle buying hotel as part of plan for casino: Jim Suhr; ST. LOUIS -- Casino-operating Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. said Wednesday it has agreed to buy a downtown St. Louis hotel and fold it into a planned $250 million casino complex along the Mississippi River.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Veterans ready for a powwow: Very little.

Ralph Siraco's Hollywood Park selections: 1st Race -- SKIPPING COURT -- Daws good post for 7-panel opener, Baze aboard owner Capestro trainee, adds blinkers for this diploma try. SWEETKINDYLYNN -- Draws alongside top pick for first-year filly maiden/claimer, Bisono atop Hofmans trainee, also adds blinkers for this graduation attempt. Value Play -- SWEET CURRENCY

Man pleads guilty in bat attack: Molly Ball; A man who was captured on videotape attacking a group of women with a baseball bat admitted his guilty in court this morning, and his request for lower bail was denied.

Bonanza High graduate honored at ceremony: Stephen Curran; The family of Lance Cpl. Nicholas Anderson asks that donations be sent in his memory to the remaining members of his unit. The Marines need pens, AA batteries, hard candy, cider and cocoa mix, beef jerky, magazines, lip balm, sunscreen, baby wipes and dark socks. The supplies can be sent to Sgt. D.J. Collins or 1st Lt. S.A. Cuomo, c/o Any Marine, 1/4 Wpns. Co., CAAT B, UIC 40270, FPO AP96610-0270.

Detroit makes surprising offer to sign Percival: Troy Percival, who never strayed beyond the boundaries of Southern California as a youth, collegiate and professional athlete, found good reason to become enamored with the city of Detroit on a two-day recruiting trip this week.

Wednesday's Major College Basketball Scores: AP; Elon 73, Fairleigh Dickinson 59

Finishing touch: After a sluggish 62-56 exhibition victory against the EA Sports All-Stars on Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center, UNLV senior shooter Romel Beck said he wasn't concerned with the state of the Rebels.

Lawmakers pick new laptops: CARSON CITY -- In the competition to be the laptop of legislators, Gateway pulled ahead Wednesday.

Nevada lags on women's issues: Women in Nevada have come a long way -- but not far enough and not as far as women in other states, a study released Tuesday indicates.

Las Vegas soldiers leave Korea for action in Iraq: Dick Benoit; At least five Las Vegas soldiers of 2nd Infantry Division, Eighth U.S. Army based in South Korea have deployed to Iraq.

Suspect sought in Laughlin slaying: Off-roaders driving in the desert off Needles Highway discovered Helton's body on Nov. 11.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Capps steps out of Prudhomme Funny Car: The NHRA's "silly season" kicked into high gear Wednesday with Ron Capps' announcement that he has resigned as driver of one of Don "the Snake" Prudhomme's Skoal Racing Funny Cars.

'2' Much Fun: Millions of game players celebrate release of Xbox's Halo' sequel: Kirk Baird; It was time to pick up my copy of the just-released "Halo 2," the much-awaited Xbox game.

Cheyenne finds encouragement in first meeting with Palo Verde: Nick Christensen; You'd think the Cheyenne football team would be sick of this predicament. But heading into its third consecutive Sunset Conference final against Palo Verde, the Desert Shields are more confident than ever.

Obituaries for November 18, 2004: Nunzio J. Calculli, 79, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born June 26, 1925, in New York City. A resident for 11 years, he was a retired musician and a World War II Marine Corps veteran.

Golden Nugget video games in the works: The first products will be "Golden Nugget Casino" for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance system and TV Arcade, Majesco's proprietary games that plug directly into TV sets. The game will allow players to play video poker and slot games including Texas Hold 'Em, Jacks or Better Poker and Double Up Poker. The games will carry a suggested retail price of $19.99 each.

Police try to link suspect with two Las Vegas killings: Jen Lawson; Metro Police say they are investigating whether a man charged with killing a 25-year-old woman earlier this month also was responsible for the death of a man he lived with.

LV to spend $1.3 mil. on three homes: Dan Kulin; The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday approved spending more than $1.3 million to buy three residential properties planned to become part of a parking lot for a new city office building across Las Vegas Boulevard from City Hall.

Court briefs for November 18, 2004: A man accused of murder in the death of a 15-month-old baby entered a not-guilty plea to the charge on Wednesday.

Letter: Democrats must be progressive to foster enthusiasm: George Bush is an incumbent wartime president who had Karl Rove on his side. Rove is a great fear propagandist who always manages to get people to vote against their own interests. Bush also had support from the religious right.

Mom ruled competent to stand trial in slaying of two children: By Matt Pordum; After hearing emotionally charged testimony and arguments about whether the mother who allegedly beat her two children to death with an aluminum baseball bat is mentallly competent to stand trial, a North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace effectively decided she is.

Congress OK's bill for pipeline in Lincoln County: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- After several months of compromises and negotiations, Congress approved a 299-mile utility corridor on federal land between Clark and Lincoln counties, which paves the way for a new water pipeline for the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Real estate exchanges merge: Southwest Exchange has 18 employees and Nevada National Exchange has two employees. All will stay with the companies.

Harrah's to rename Iowa casino using Horseshoe brand: The rebranding effort marks the first time Harrah's will take the Horseshoe brand beyond the three Horseshoe casinos in Indiana, Mississippi and Louisiana that Harrah's acquired in the purchase of Horseshoe Gaming Holding Corp. this year.

Bengals WR Johnson just can't keep quiet: Chad Johnson said Wednesday he's ready to celebrate a touchdown catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Letter: Dress code fight is not productive: Liberty High School is trying to make a positive difference by having a dress code and enforcing its standards. As a former member of the Nevada State Board of Education, I can tell you that Harvard University did a study on uniforms in schools and it showed that students benefited by being on the same playing field with each other. Also, teachers had no preconceived opinions based on dress.

U.S. 95 will be shut down at Rainbow: Stephen Curran; One of the Las Vegas Valley's busiest stretches of highway will be closed this weekend as crews prepare to demolish an old bridge structure to make way for a new interchange on U.S. 95.

Two men are acquitted in 1982 alleged rape: Molly Ball; Twenty-two years after two men were accused of beating and raping a young woman for hours, they were acquitted on all charges on Wednesday afternoon.

Master plan update completed: After more than a year of work and 15 public meetings, the Clark County Commission on Wednesday adopted the sweeping update to its land-use plan for 33 square miles of the township of Spring Valley, where rapid development has often sparked contentious battles pitting residents against builders.

Community briefs for November 18, 2004: The Gay and Lesbian Community Center will be sponsoring the third annual Gay Youth Prom from 8 p.m. to midnight Friday at Christ Episcopal Church, 2000 S. Maryland Parkway.