Print edition for October 12, 2004

Judge's ruling opens door for casino boats: Fred Collins, owner of video poker business Collins Entertainment and a 358-foot gambling boat, has written to the county to express interest in running "cruises to nowhere," said Councilman Jerry Oakley. It is unclear where Collins would dock his boat, Oakley said.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Group flips Kerry an endorsement: President George W. Bush's camp has country singer Toby Keith. Sen. John Kerry's has rocker Bruce Springsteen.

Harvard study examines problem gambling: The Port Authority of Kansas City provided a $297,000 grant for the study, which focused on 5,125 Missourians who voluntarily excluded themselves from the state's casinos between late 1996 and early 2004.

Community briefs for October 12, 2004: Now through Nov. 14, the Lied Discovery Children's Museum, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North, will exhibit several ofrendas (altars) and will present several activities as part of its participation in the festivities of Los Dias de los Muertos, or the Days of the Dead.

Letter: Pending law on health insurance seriously flawed: Nevada policy-makers have worked hard to maintain a healthy private insurance market by enacting responsible legislation and regulation. Nevada requires fair marketing practices and reasonable rating practices and has taken steps to ensure consumers are protected by enacting solvency requirements.

Immunization schedule for October 12, 2004: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Drive, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Editorial: Our choices for education: The Board of Regents, which oversees the University and Community College System of Nevada, has been mired in controversy for the past few years. Things have improved in recent months, however, as interim Chancellor Jim Rogers has infused the university system with his strong leadership -- not always easy when dealing with an elected 13-member Board of Regents that often has been unwieldy and meddlesome to the point of distraction. With that context in mind, our endorsements follow in the two Board of Regents' elections that will be held in Clark County this November:

Editorial: 5 percent looms large: An additional 5 percent felt that Yucca Mountain was the most important issue. This should not be discounted as miniscule. Ralph Nader, and the Libertarian Party candidate, Michael Badnarik, for example, will very likely not get 5 percent between them.

Company to unveil portable music player: Virgin Electronics hopes its slim Virgin Player, which debuts today and is smaller than a deck of cards, will rise as a lead competitor to Apple Computer Inc.'s wildly popular iPod players. Apple dominates the portable player market that is filled also with choices from Rio Audio, Sony Corp., Samsung Electronics, and Creative Labs Inc., among others.

Points of Light finalists named: The award program recognizes individuals and organizations for their dedication, commitment, and determination in promoting and supporting volunteerism throughout the state.

Education groups fight Michigan ballot proposal: Tim Martin; LANSING, Mich. -- Supporters and opponents of a ballot proposal that would require new gambling ventures in the state to get voter approval held separate news conferences Monday to debate whether the proposal would hurt school funding.

Union offers to resume talks with Atlantic City casinos: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- Striking casino and hotel workers offered Monday to resume negotiations in the hope of ending a 10-day-old strike that has idled thousands, forced casinos to improvise and made gamblers eat off paper plates.

Letter: Uniforms are apropos in class: But if their children are to be members of a public school's student body, engaged in everyday learning activities, parents find it an imposition if their children are asked to dress and act the part of a student.

Mack's play lights up the course: Nick Christensen; With a water main break holding up the start of play and darkness quickly settling on the Boulder City Municipal golf course, it was tough to tell what was a tougher challenge at the Sunset Region golf tournament -- dealing with the cool, windy and increasingly poorly lit conditions or trying to edge powerhouse Bishop Gorman and their star, In-Bee Park.

Sports briefs for October 11, 2004: A victory Wednesday against Panama and the United States is in.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Crash prevents Kyle Busch from making big points gain: Kyle Busch missed a golden opportunity to gain some ground on NASCAR Busch Series points leader Martin Truex Jr. during Saturday's race at Kansas Speedway.

Bush's nephew helps woo Hispanics: Kirsten Searer; President George W. Bush is the presidential candidate who will nurture the American dream and protect the nation's families, a group of Hispanic Republicans said this morning at a rally of Bush supporters in Las Vegas.

AG warns Yucca board about open meeting law violations: Stephen Curran; Members of a board created to study the proposed rail line from Caliente to Yucca Mountain may have knowingly violated Nevada's open meeting laws when it closed its doors to local residents and media, according an attorney general's legal opinion released Monday.

Moore's college visits stimulate hot debates: Controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11" filmmaker Michael Moore on Friday will try to get many of the Las Vegas Valley's young nonvoters to change their ways.

Hamrick mum on search for coach: Steve Guiremand; UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick said he's still very early in his search to find a replacement for John Robinson and said he preferred not to talk about it during the season.

California Democrats target Nevada voters: Kirsten Searer; California Democrats, feeling confident that Sen. John Kerry has an easy win in their state, continue to invade Nevada, a state where the outcome isn't so clear.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1 p.m.

Group to ask Congress for plan in case of failures: The group, the Business Travel Coalition, said in a statement that the country must be prepared for a "catastrophic failure" of the industry and urged lawmakers to authorize the National Academy of Sciences to develop policies that could be put in place should the industry reach such a crisis point.

TV, Web driving poker fever: By Liz Benston; While the popularity of televised poker tournaments has helped drive business to casino poker rooms, online poker sites may be equally, if not more responsible, for the surge in casino traffic.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Logan thinks a 51s park could be big: This year's Diamondbacks and Royals are proof that it is possible to play Triple-A baseball in a major league ballpark. But the big question for proponents of putting a major league baseball team in Las Vegas while increasing their comfort level at 51s games until that day arrives is whether the opposite is true.

Insulin-measuring equipment may be evidence in girl's death: Molly Ball; The defense attorney for Cheryl Botzet must let prosecutors examine a pair of devices found in her home and used to measure blood sugar, District Judge Sally Loehrer said on Monday.

Harter may get big raise, but also a new, rigid contract: UNLV President Carol Harter's proposed $50,000-a-year raise from the UNLV Foundation may come with a lot of strings attached, depending on how regents take a new proposal from Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers.

Nothing concrete in future of West LV project: Sito Negron; The Edmond Town Center project received vocal support from some West Las Vegas religious leaders Monday, but its future continued to be uncertain.

Turnberry sales office demolished: Completion of the final tower is scheduled for September 2006. Florida-based Turnberry, in a joint venture with MGM Mirage, also is developing the Residences at MGM Grand, a condo-hotel behind the MGM Grand. Construction on the Residences began this month.

Flu shot guidelines to be set: The Clark County Health District is expected to announce today new priority guidelines for those who should get vaccinated against the flu this year in the wake of a nationwide flu vaccine shortage.

Study: 39 million Americans in working poor families: Genaro C. Armas; WASHINGTON -- One in every five U.S. jobs pays less than a poverty-level wage for a family of four, according to a study by the nonpartisan Working Poor Families Project.

News briefs for October 12, 2004: Metro Police are seeking two men for questioning in connection with a shooting death Oct. 7 at Boulder Station.

Valley home sales drop for Richmond American Homes: Jennifer Shubinski; MDC Holdings, which builds under the name Richmond American Homes, reported a drop off in the number of homes sold at its Las Vegas communities in its third quarter earnings report.

Judge rejects DeStefano appeal to get on ballot: Ousted Board of Regents District 13 candidate Mark DeStefano will remain off the ballot, a district judge ruled this morning.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- QUEEN OF THE HUNT -- Draws good post for short first-year filly dash opener, bug boy Bisono atop Gaines trainee, Queen for a day of graduation? CLEVER M.D. -- John on Mullins trainee, in good box for maiden/claiming sprint, witty diploma operation here? Value Play -- MYSTICAL CAPER

Lawyers cautious in selection of jurors for Binion retrial: By Matt Pordum; Defense lawyers and prosecutors are moving cautiously in the selection of a jury for the re-trial of the most publicized murder case in the history of Clark County.

Western High School cafeteria to reopen after four-year project: By Emily Richmond; After more than four years without a cafeteria, Western High School hopes to be serving students lunch indoors by the end of the month.

Campaign wins top award: The award -- expected to be presented today at a meeting of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority -- was handed out for the company's "What happens here, stays here" campaign.

Obituaries for October 12, 2004: Charles Bianco, 83, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born Aug. 3, 1921, in New Rochelle, N.Y. A resident for 30 years, he was a retired city firefighter and a World War II Army veteran.

The quick and the hungry: ID theft used to steal meals: By Emily Richmond; Identity theft may have reached a new low -- Clark County School District students are stealing their less-privileged classmates' ID numbers in order to get free lunches paid for through a federal aid program.

Crude oil passes $54 as demand forecast rises: Mark Shenk; Crude oil rose to a record for a sixth session, reaching $54.45 a barrel today in New York, after the International Energy Agency said that demand is increasing faster than predicted this year.

Gunfight bullet count set at 85: Jen Lawson; At least 85 bullets whizzed through the air Sunday night in a gang-related gunfight, and one of the three men who died was found grasping a Tec-9 semi-automatic handgun, Sheriff Bill Young said.

Kyle gets Labonte's ride: Las Vegas native Kyle Busch will replace Terry Labonte in the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2005, team owner Rick Hendrick announced this morning.

Porter pulls out of two debates: Porter's staff long ago committed the congressman to debates on "Face to Face With Jon Ralston" on Las Vegas ONE and with KVBC Channel 3, but those commitments were "done so in error," according to Porter campaign consultant Mike Slanker.

Appeals court denies Yucca radiation request: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- A federal appeals court has denied a request to keep the Yucca Mountain radiation standards in place until the Supreme Court decides whether to hear the case.

Columnist Jeff German: Prospective jurors must open lives: That's what 180 prospective jurors in the Ted Binion murder retrial are doing this week.

Senate approves funding for Test Site anti-terrorism training: WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Monday approved $20 million for next year for counter-terrorism training at the Nevada Test Site.

UNLV profs: Yucca won't be key issue in race: Dan Kulin; With Las Vegas on the verge of a presidential-candidate filled couple of days, some of the top political scientists at UNLV gathered for an on-campus forum Monday night to talk about the coming election.

Griese gets starting call for Tampa: Brian Griese will become the third quarterback to start for Tampa Bay this season when the Buccaneers travel to St. Louis for Monday's game against the Rams.

Officer kills gun-toting man in wheelchair: Jen Lawson; A Metro Police officer this morning shot and killed a man in a wheelchair who allegedly threatened the officer with a large-caliber handgun.

August gaming win rebounds: CARSON CITY -- Fueled by strong play in the slot machines, Nevada casinos bounced back in August, winning $905.1 million, up 11.2 percent from a year ago.

PUC rejects motion to strike staff testimony: Kevin Rademacher; Testimony recommending that a $16.3 million Southern Nevada natural gas rate increase request be nearly doubled will be considered by the state Public Utilities Commission.

Caesars planning to build major casino in London: By Liz Benston; In the company's first move into Europe, Caesars Entertainment Inc. said it will develop and operate a luxury casino resort adjacent to the Wembley soccer stadium in London.

Small wonder: Steve Guiremand; Dominique Dorsey is 344 yards from achieving the seventh 1,000-yard rushing season in UNLV history.

County rejects challenge of 17,000 Democratic voters: Kirsten Searer; Clark County has rebuffed efforts of a local Republican activist to revoke the voter registrations of about 17,100 inactive Democratic voters.

Proposed bill includes extra pay, recognition for soldiers: CARSON CITY -- Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, wants taxpayers to financially help the National Guardsmen and reservists called to active duty after 9/11.