Print edition for November 24, 2004

Attorneys from first trial have mixed reactions: Matt Pordum and Jace Radke; Although the six-week retrial of Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish for the killing of Ted Binion ended with a not guilty verdict on charges of killing casino figure Ted Binion, the fallout and analysis has only just begun.

Letter: Gay soldiers are fighting for all: Obviously, the phrases "land of the free" and "with liberty and justice for all" don't apply to gay Americans -- even if they fought in Iraq!

Heller supports voter registration on same day election is held: CARSON CITY -- Secretary of State Dean Heller says allowing Nevadans to register and to vote on election day would cure many of the complaints lodged during the political campaign this year about registration of voters.

Correction: Correction

Ralph Siraco's Hollywood Park selections: Thursday's card

Youth Forum participants split on dress codes: David Kihara; The halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center were buzzing with talk of school dress codes on Tuesday as high school seniors and juniors from across the Las Vegas Valley discussed the much-debated issue at the Sun Youth Forum.

Sports briefs for November 24, 2004: Asian golf officials are protesting today the arrival of the U.S. PGA tour in South Korea for its first tournament on Korean soil.

Organizer in drive to oust Moncrief seeks post: Dan Kulin; The group that turned in what appears to be more than enough signatures on a petition to force a recall election of Las Vegas City Councilwoman Janet Moncrief is throwing its support behind potential challenger Vicki Quinn, a leader of the petition drive said Tuesday.

Stanley Leisure, Genting to create U.K. super-casinos: Paul Jarvis; Stanley Leisure Plc, the largest U.K. casino operator, said it is joining forces with Malaysia's Genting Bhd. to develop Las Vegas-style casinos in Britain and capitalize on the relaxation of the country's gambling laws.

Jurors put stock in medical experts: Molly Ball; The jurors who handed down a not guilty verdict Tuesday for the pair accused of murdering casino heir Ted Binion put the most stock in the testimony of the many medical experts they heard, the jurors said afterward.

Payday: Some banks backing lenders that charge 780 percent rates: Edward Robinson; Jason Withrow, a petty officer second class in the U.S. Navy, had long ignored the stores with signs in their windows offering "$500 Instant Cash!" that were clustered around his base in Kings Bay, Ga. Then, on July 4, 2003, he suffered a back injury, had to quit his part-time job and decided to borrow $300 from one of the stores, which are called payday lenders. Finally, after paying annual interest rates that reached 780 percent and spiraling in debt, Withrow, 25, got bailed out with an interest-free loan from a charity connected with the Navy.

Obituaries for November 24, 2004: George L. Bailey, 63, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. He was born July 28, 1941, in Yreka, Calif. A resident for 36 years, he was a retired marble mason and a Vietnam War Army veteran.

Cleanup continues to delay master-planned community: Jennifer Shubinski; Construction on a planned 2,200-acre community by the LandWell Co. and homebuilder Centex Homes is still several years away as LandWell continues cleaning up a polluted portion of the site.

About the jury: The seven men and five women who decided the case are:

State Supreme Court makes Nov. 2 election results official: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court canvassed the vote Tuesday, meaning the results of the Nov. 2 election are now official.

GE to buy Ionics for $1.1 billion to build water business: General Electric will pay $44 a share, a 48 percent premium to Ionics' stock price Tuesday. Investors holding 20 percent of Ionics' stock outstanding have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the transaction, General Electric said in a statement.

Women's Top 25 Basketball Schedule: AP; No. 20 Boston College vs. Quinnipiac, 7 p.m.

Electronics retailer hopes to launch new strategy in Vegas: Jennifer Shubinski; Tweeter Home Entertainment Group, a specialty retailer of entertainment electronics, will open a new concept store and launch a new national brand strategy in Las Vegas.

More doses of flu vaccine on way: Eric Leake; A new shipment of flu vaccines to the county won't cure the shortage but will help alleviate an acute need, officials said Tuesday.

Nevadans welcome end of political ads: Kirsten Searer; Las Vegas residents might be relaxing now to the sweet sound of car dealership commercials. Better that than political ads.

Top Sands execs get five-year contracts after IPO: By Liz Benston; The owner of the Venetian resort in Las Vegas has locked up its top executives with employment contracts in advance of its forthcoming initial public offering.

Small taxi operator denied Strip certification: One of Southern Nevada's smallest taxi operators has been denied certification to serve the lucrative Las Vegas Strip market.

Students delve into war issue: Students were chosen by their peers Tuesday at the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum to write columns for the Las Vegas Sun or CLASS Student Magazine or to appear on a UNLV TV panel to share what was learned from their group discussions. Here are their names, schools and topics:

Youths say verdict shows why America's system is best: Ed Koch and David Kihara; Students at the Sun Youth Forum Tuesday said they didn't necessarily agree with the jury's verdict in the Ted Binion murder trial, but they said it demonstrates that, even with its faults, America's justice system is still the best.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: LV to celebrate with Busch at Fremont Experience fete: Kurt Busch is about to find out whether the racing fans of his native Las Vegas are interested in helping him celebrate his NASCAR Nextel Cup championship.

Teachers' licenses to be revoked, but delay criticized: By Emily Richmond; More than three years after they pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with students, two Clark County School District teachers are slated to have their licenses revoked by the State Board of Education.

Letter: Better military leaders needed: An American soldier during a battle kills a terrorist and this becomes a headline for days and maybe even for weeks to come while he is investigated. When will the American people stand behind our young men and women who are in harm's way? Not since World War II have Americans as a whole rallied behind their military members, who have fought and died for their rights to speak as I am speaking out today.

Court 'has a lot of options' in sentencing Murphy, Tabish: Matt Pordum and Jace Radke; Once convicted of murdering millionaire casino heir Ted Binion, Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish were overjoyed Tuesday when a Clark County jury acquitted them of killing him in their retrial.

Columnist Jeff German: Acquittals don't mean end of saga: But you would probably be wrong.

News briefs for November 24, 2004: A man who ran a red light and collided with a Metro Police patrol car and a pickup truck Tuesday morning died at University Medical Center shortly after the collision.

Golden Rainbow discovers its pot of gold: By Timothy Pratt; The only nonprofit organization in the Las Vegas Valley that helps HIV and AIDS patients obtain permanent housing was bombarded by good Samaritans Tuesday, after its offices were robbed on the weekend.

Judge orders online movie pirate to pay $23.8 million: A federal judge announced the decision against Tan Soo Leong at a hearing Monday, said John Malcolm, the association's director of worldwide anti-piracy operations.

Legislation for heliport land will wait until next year: WASHINGTON -- An attempt to transfer federal land to Clark County for a tourism helicopter pad did not get off the ground in Congress this year.

Boyd adds to bank of land near Stardust: By Liz Benston; Boyd Gaming Corp. has acquired a 13-acre parcel next to the company's Stardust resort for about $43 million, which includes the assumption of about $16 million in debt. The parcel includes a Budget Suites motel, which Boyd will continue to lease back to the motel operator for another two years.

Parents warned of safety hazards of some toys: Christina Littlefield and David Kihara; Toy buyers beware.

Red ribbons annual reminder against drinking and driving: Jen Lawson; Kyle Canyon Road, a curvy, 22-mile route leading up to snow-capped Mount Charleston area, can be dangerous even in the best of conditions, but anti-drunken driving officials say the danger becomes greater during the holiday season.

Durango grad arrested for rape in Montana: BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State junior point guard Frank Brown, a 2002 graduate of Durango High School, was arrested on rape charges Tuesday and suspended indefinitely from the team.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Star-studded event benefits cancer institute: Elizabeth Foyt; Guests, nearly 1,000 in all, paid between $1,000 and $2,000 to attend the lavish affair, and nearly all were avid bidders on items including a speaking role on CBS's "Joan of Arcadia," designer bags from Prada, jewels and watches from Bulgari, Tiffany and Fred Leighton, select memorabilia from the entertainment world, cooking lessons from Kerry Simon of Simon Kitchen and Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel, and much more.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Plate is nearly full on holiday: Celebrate Thanksgiving in a beautiful sylvan setting, complete with snow, at the historic Mount Charleston Lodge. Enjoy traditional holiday fare prepared by Master Chef Yves Menes, who somehow manages to retain the same prices year after year -- $23.50 for adults; $13.50 for children.

Convicted killer given lesser sentence under old guidelines: By Matt Pordum; A man convicted of second-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon for the killing of a 21-year-old man received a minimum sentence Tuesday that is only half of current guidelines.

Columnist Adam Candee: Some got off course in 2004: Adam Candee; It may be tough to tell as peak season rates go into place at courses around town, but most of the golf world is done, but for the silliness of multimillion-dollar TV events, until next year.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 11 a.m.

Hong Kong gambling tycoon to open casino to rival Vegas: The first phase of the Greek Mythology Casino at the New Century Hotel will open to gamblers on Dec. 23, the hotel's deputy general manager Michael Chan told the Associated Press by phone late today. The hotel is a subsidiary of Ho's Macau Gaming Co.

Editorial: For whom the bells toll: In the days before the Wal-Marts and the Targets, with their locations in privately owned strip malls, there were stores in most cities lining public sidewalks on both sides of long downtown streets. There, bell ringers could volunteer their time during business hours with no danger of being ordered to move along. Downtowns as retail centers are almost nonexistent now, as shoppers have gravitated to the malls and the big discount centers. The Salvation Army bell ringers, their mission dependent upon heavy foot traffic, were forced to move with the crowds.

Humble beginnings: Steve Guiremand; The Lon Kruger era of UNLV basketball didn't exactly start with a bang Tuesday night.

Columnist Peter Benton: New class enters Hall of Fame: Peter Benton; Isao Aoki, Tom Kite, Charlie Sifford and Marlene Stewart Streit were named this month as the 2004 inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame in Florida, being recognized for their personal, professional and amateur achievements.

New Williams writ filed in federal court: Jace Radke; Attorneys for Jessica Williams have filed a second petition for a writ of habeas corpus in U.S. District Court, saying she should be released from prison because her constitutional rights allegedly were violated during her trial.

Editorial: A harvest of food and spirit: Winter on the Atlantic was hard enough, as can be imagined from the fact that they had set sail for Virginia and were blown north to Massachusetts. Winter in New England was to be much harder, with human nature as difficult as Mother Nature. Long before arriving at Provincetown Harbor, the freedom seekers had split into factions and even while anchored they argued strenuously about how to live once upon land. This led to the Mayflower Compact, signed in the ship's cabin by most of the male adults aboard. It bound all of them together under a set of written ...

Three people wounded in two shootings: Two clerks in a 7-Eleven market at Sahara Avenue and Lamb Boulevard said they heard a single shot ring out shortly before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and watched as a wounded teenager crumpled in the dirt west of the store.

Street Fare: Reserved McKibben lets food do talking at Grape Street Cafe: Ken Miller; The only slowdown in his life came after an ankle injury that sidelined his sporting aspirations forever. But McKibben didn't waste time dwelling on the loss. He kept moving forward, and found an occupation where actions spoke louder than words: cooking.

Letter: Utility prices in valley are rising too fast: Southwest Gas raised its price on our home gas five times this last year. A lot of us have had to ask for help and now the gas goes up again.

Pennsylvania gambling board gearing up for first meeting: Mark Scolforo; HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will hold its first meeting in three weeks, and chairman Thomas A. "Tad" Decker is itching to get started.

Community briefs for November 24, 2004: The Las Vegas Climbers Liaison Council will host a trail improvement and cleanup project in Red Rock Canyon 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday.

Weekend Time Schedule: AP; No. 7 Louisville vs. Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m.

Proposed casino pulled from commission agenda: Commissioner Arturo Terrazas requested that the item be removed from the agenda at Tuesday's meeting. None of the other three commissioners objected.

Lottery shaves costs by nearly $1 million: Lottery director Petty Gordon, who replaced Mark Zamarripa in January, said Monday she scrutinized all agency expenses to come up with $975,000 in cuts.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: This dawn comes up a little cloudy: Last week at this time, "that team from Gonzaga's league," which is the way most people will continue to refer to Saint Mary's until the NCAA tournament rolls around, was in Madison Square Garden playing two nationally ranked teams.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Place your bets now on possible BCS matchups: In the latest edition of the Bowl Championship Series standings released this week, Oklahoma and Auburn were No. 2 and No. 3, jockeying for position in the race to play Southern Cal, the clear leader.

Spring Valley High School student Sean Rodgers talks about the death penalty while Durango student T

Students delve into war issue: By Ed Koch; Students who have brothers and fathers fighting in the war in Iraq told fellow students at Tuesday’s 49th annual Sun Youth Forum that their soldier relatives tell them that we are making progress and not to abandon the cause. “We should be there because what we are doing is working,” said Shereene Fogenay, a junior at Chaparral. Her father, Kenneth, is in the Army and serving in Fajullah in Iraq.

On-field seating experiment begins at Minnesota: A long-planned NFL experiment with on-field seating will begin Sunday with the Jacksonville at Minnesota game.

Holiday closings: SAFETY: Police and fire emergency services as usual. Administrative offices closed both days.

Fire Station 28 opens in Summerlin: The building itself is configured as a three-bay station and contains a dormitory, kitchen, training room, workout room and a room for cleaning medical equipment. It houses a captain, an engineer, two firefighters, one paramedic and one emergency medical technician.