Print edition for October 4, 2004

Lawmakers study rules for Augustine impeachment: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn should be ready to appoint a replacement quickly for state Controller Kathy Augustine, who faces impeachment by the Nevada Legislature.

Local Muslims concerned about police interviews: Dan Kulin; Kausar Chowdhry said just as it is human nature to assume that if the police are at someone's house there must be something wrong there, so the local Muslim community will be cast in a negative light by law enforcement interviewing local Muslims for information about possible terrorist attacks.

County takes another look at Wal-Mart controversy: A long-running dispute about a Wal-Mart planned for Clark County-owned property at Eastern Avenue and Russell Road could come to a head Wednesday, when the county commission is scheduled to once again consider the project that officials say was a mistake to allow in the first place.

Planes moved for convention: Planes moved for convention

Lender OKs revocation of mortgage license: Kevin Rademacher; Controversial Las Vegas real estate agent and lender Eric R. Alpert has agreed to the permanent revocation of his state mortgage license.

Dodgers' season a bit mysterious, a bit magical: AP; The last time that happened was 16 years ago, which just happens to be the last time the Dodgers were in a World Series. Even then, there were red taillights leaving Chavez Ravine long before Kirk Gibson hit the home run that lives in baseball lore.

Death penalty sought in cabbie slaying: By Matt Pordum; A man accused of killing a cabdriver by setting him on fire during a robbery will face the death penalty, but probably not for a year.

UMC to get OK to expand facilities: University Medical Center on Tuesday should get the go-ahead for a major expansion that Clark County officials said should improve both the hospital's quality of care and number of services.

LV nursing home rates up 10 percent: Michelle Swafford; Nationally, the price for a room at a nursing home rose about 6 percent in 2004, while the Las Vegas Valley's rate rose about 10 percent, an insurance company's study reported last week.

Letter: Fair Iraq election in January is an unrealistic dream: It maintains this position to project progress in Iraq for re-election purposes.

Editorial: Judge was too lenient: Gates said there was no evidence that Green had physically abused 85-year-old Esther Governale, her neighbor. Gates also said Green had no prior convictions. These are flimsy reasons, in our view, for letting someone convicted of stealing that much money off with probation. After all, this is a state where you can be sentenced to a year or more in prison for possessing an ounce of marijuana. Surely stealing $1.5 million from an ailing woman is an offense of equal gravity.

Editorial: Cameras would help protect cab drivers: After a particularly violent rash of crimes against taxi drivers in 1992, the state Taxicab Authority, which regulates cabs in Las Vegas, considered but rejected the idea of cameras. The idea remained alive among drivers, however, because of the constant threat they are under.

Debate rules designed to leave nothing to chance: Benjamin Grove; Schedule for the remaining presidential and vice presidential debates:

Birth announcements for October 4, 2004: Sept. 21:

Nambe Pueblo approves plan for a casino: Tribal members voted 109 to 74 Saturday to approve the casino.

Community briefs for October 4, 2004: Paula Morris, author of the award-winning novel "Queen of Beauty," will present a fiction reading at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at UNLV's Barrick Museum Auditorium, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

Obituaries for October 4, 2004: Elizabeth T. Bamberger, 84, of Las Vegas died Thursday in a local care center. She was born Dec. 27, 1919, in Savannah, Ga. A resident for 15 years, she was a homemaker.

Playoff lineup set: Yankees vs. Twins, Angels vs. Red Sox: AP; After beating the Cleveland Indians 6-5 in 12 innings in the completion of a game suspended a day earlier, the Twins lost 5-2 in the regularly scheduled game Sunday.

Lottery unveils first electronic scratch game: The Iowa Lottery will begin distributing battery powered cards loaded with 80 plays. Each card will cost $20 -- that amounts to 25 cents per play, thus the name "Quarter Play," lottery officials said.

Tourism officials don't expect boon from Nebraska casinos: Scott Bauer; OMAHA, Neb. -- Casinos could draw more people from out of town and convention business to Omaha, but tourism officials don't expect the city to be transformed into a Midwest Las Vegas.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Again, Lance is spokesman: There is no worse, more congested, more frustrating point in time to jockey for a spot on the Strip. But it was worth it to catch a glimpse of Lance Armstrong and his team of winners-against-all-odds pedaling a bicycle up the world-famous thoroughfare.

Champ Car Schedule-Winners: AP; May 23 - Monterey, Mexico (Sebastien Bourdais)

Poll: Likely voters support education initiatives: Two Nevada education initiatives that will appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot are receiving overwhelming support from very likely voters.

Agassi, friends raise more than $6 million at ninth annual Slam: The 2004 Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children, a spectacular event held Saturday night that included an auction, gourmet dinner and a concert, earned $6.1 million for a dozen Las Vegas charities.

A year later, Horn's recovery is no mirage: Roy Horn demonstrated the difference between the two at his 60th birthday party Sunday night -- one year to the day after he was critically injured by a tiger during a performance at the Mirage, the same hotel where 1,000 friends gathered to celebrate not only his birthday over the weekend but the fact that he survived the mauling and has made remarkable progress in his recovery.

Piscopo holds Garden (State) party at Orleans: Entertainer Joe Piscopo is a fraud.

Roseanne cuts loose in House of Blues show: While the heavy-set (though less heavy than in past years) comedienne may be less vulgar than when she began her career in the early '80s, she is no less caustic in her wit -- assailing everyone from God to herself, homosexuals, the rich and political systems.

Judge limits picket activity: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- A judge this weekend agreed to limit picket-line activity by striking casino and hotel workers after lawyers for the casinos said union members were creating safety hazards by choking sidewalks.

She Got Game: Women now make up nearly half of video game fans: Kirk Baird; Not Julie Flynn.

Bail set at $600,000 in bat attack: Elvin Avila is charged with four counts of battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of battery with substantial bodily harm and two counts of attempted robbery for the Sept. 16 attack in Shadow Rock Park at Los Feliz Street and Carey Avenue near Sunrise Mountain.

Chief executive resigns amid sluggish sales: "The board felt a change was required," spokesman Brian Levine said, adding that the change was intended to "jumpstart growth." Delray Beach, Fla.-based Office Depot, which has 901 stores in North America, said it expects to hire a new executive early next year.

News briefs for October 4, 2004: A 54-year-old Las Vegas man was arrested Saturday after his wife's body was found in the parking lot of a northwest Las Vegas car wash earlier that morning.

Red-eyed Rebels look for more: Steve Guiremand; When it comes to his legacy as UNLV's eighth head football coach, John Robinson will be able to point to a number of accomplishments. Among them:

Child neglect charges added for woman in death of diabetic daughter: By Matt Pordum; A 38-year-old woman accused of killing her diabetic daughter now faces child neglect charges as well after being indicted on Friday for allegedly dragging the girl out of a vehicle by her hair.

Talladega win vaults Earnhardt into points lead: It has become a given that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the best car at Talladega Superspeedway. The new Nextel Cup points leader's come-from-way-behind victory in Sunday's EA Sports 500 at Talladega, Ala., showed that his driving skills are as impressive as the performance of his No. 8 Chevrolet.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Countdown to Breeders' Cup: A shakedown weekend: Ralph Siraco; Less that four weeks from now the mystery surrounding the World Thoroughbred Championships will be solved. The Breeders' Cup, as it is more commonly known, will be at Lone Star Park, Grand Prairie, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 30.

A capsule look at the Dodgers-Cardinals playoff series: AP; Schedule:@ (All times Eastern) Game 1, Tuesday, at St. Louis (1:09 p.m., ESPN); Game 2, Thursday, at St. Louis (8:19 p.m., FOX); Game 3, Saturday, at Los Angeles (TBA); x-Game 4, Sunday, at Los Angeles (TBA); x-Game 5, Monday, at St. Louis (TBA).

Candidates display similarities, contrast: Molly Ball; They went to the same college and graduated a year apart. They go to the same church, where they see each other every Sunday.

Air Warfare Center at Nellis gets new leader: Stephen Curran; The Air Warfare Center, the high-profile training complex that calls Nellis Air Force Base its home, is getting a new boss today.

Regents may alter colleges' policy on firing: Community College of Southern Nevada President Dr. Richard Carpenter wants to be able to get rid of employees who are not doing their jobs.

A capsule look at the Red Sox-Angels playoff series: AP; Schedule:@ (All times Eastern) Game 1, Tuesday, at Anaheim (4:09 p.m., ESPN); Game 2, Wednesday, at Anaheim (10:09 p.m., ESPN); Game 3, Friday, at Boston (4:09 p.m., ESPN); x-Game 4, Saturday, at Boston (TBA); x-Game 5, Sunday, at Anaheim (TBA).

Shots at Siegfried, Roy's house probed: The blasts broke two windows and left a 12-inch hole at the residence, though nobody was injured.

Supreme Court won't disturb Indian gaming: Gina Holland; WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on today sidestepped a dispute over tribal gambling, a victory for California tribes and their new high-profile supporter, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ex-administrators teaching math at charter school: Susan D'Aniello, principal of Odyssey's high school program, confirmed this morning that both Reese and McKay were employed by the school. She declined to comment except to say that the school's board of directors " is aware of the (criminal charges) and we're following the situation."

51s revel in their brush with pennant race: Nick Christensen; LOS ANGELES -- The day after the celebration, with the champagne crusted to the ceiling and blowers drying out the freshly shampooed carpets in the home clubhouse at Dodger Stadium, it was back to business-as-unusual for the Las Vegas 51s.

Debates available on demand on Cox: Customers may watch the first presidential debate on channels 1 and 998 for free up through Nov. 2 by clicking on the Election 2004 category on Entertainment on Demand welcome screen.

Insurance contracts to help UMC: University Medical Center will begin reaping the benefits of large new pools of potential paying customers, Clark County officials said this week.

Sponsor satisfaction is the lead storyline of this tournament: Adam Candee; For more information, call 242-3000 or visit the Web site at lvcfgolf.com

Barber fights to keep School Board seat: By Emily Richmond; Since she first joined the Clark County School Board in 1997, Shirley Barber has felt like an outsider, her concerns largely ignored by fellow board members.

Preps: Schedule: Girls' Tennis All times 3:30 p.m. unless noted: Basic at Silverado, Boulder City at Liberty, Coronado at Green Valley, Del Sol at Foothill, Canyon Springs at Valley, Chaparral at Rancho, Desert Pines at Moapa Valley, Eldorado at Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman at Western 3 p.m., Spring Valley at Clark, Durango at Sierra Vista, Centennial at Shadow Ridge, Palo Verde at Cimarron-Memorial, The Meadows at Mojave 3 p.m., Bonanza at Cheyenne.

Nevada quarter won't include symbol of gaming: CARSON CITY -- A view of the Strip won't appear on the Nevada quarter. Neither will a mushroom cloud.

Insurer: SEC considering suit: American International said the SEC is considering the suit because the New York-based company didn't mention the transactions in a Sept. 21 press release about the regulator's investigation into similar transactions with PNC Financial Services Group Inc., a Pittsburgh-based bank.

Station Casinos mulls options with purchase of Castaways: Liz Benston and Richard N. Velotta; Station Casinos Inc. has snapped up the defunct Castaways hotel and casino on Fremont Street for $33.7 million from mortgage holder Vestin Group months after the locals casino giant said it wouldn't make a deal for the property.

Local affiliate of Urban League to open Las Vegas office soon: By Timothy Pratt; A new nonprofit organization aimed at helping blacks scale the economic ladder will be setting up shop in the Las Vegas Valley in the coming months, its board chairman said last week.

Gashed out: During his two stints as world heavyweight champion in the 1980s, Tim Witherspoon was known for his ability to punch people out with his strong right hand.

Correction: The Sun corrects its errors. If you find a mistake, call 385-3111 to report it.

Letter: Partial election cannot be valid: Allawi says the elections "may not be perfect" because of all the violence and no-go zones. And Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says it's possible elections will be held only in parts of Iraq.

Letter: Don't trust Bush with re-election: I am very disturbed about events at home and abroad. Conditions in Iraq are abominable. The U.S. is hated there and in most of the world. Our health care and Social Security have been decimated. Bush turned a surplus into a deficit. Our schools aren't doing a good job and unemployment and the economy are in a shambles. He deserves an F on the environment. His arrogant treatment of North Korea and Iran inspires them to sell nuclear technology and equipment to rogue states. Yet Bush's spin machine says the opposite.

Sports briefs for October 4, 2004: Lauren Jackson scored 23 points and Seattle held off a late Sacramento rally, beating the Monarchs 66-54 in Game 2 on Sunday night to tie the WNBA Western Conference final at 1-1.

Shadow Ridge leaps to top of the heap: Nick Christensen; J.D. Johnson expected progress. But his Shadow Ridge football team may be on the verge of something a lot bigger.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Robinson's team shows heart and a pulse: It was a victory so thorough, decisive, uplifting and unexpected that it would take a clinical psychologist to figure it out.

Correctional officers file suit against High Desert: CARSON CITY -- Eight present or former correctional officers at the High Desert State Prison in Clark County have filed a federal lawsuit claiming they were harassed and were placed in a hostile work environment.

Factory orders down in United States for first time in 4 months: Leigh Strope; WASHINGTON -- Orders placed with U.S. factories fell for the first time in four months, the Commerce Department said today, with demand dropping sharply for commercial airplanes and parts.