Print edition for October 18, 2004

Heller: GOP wrong on law interpretation: CARSON CITY -- Secretary of State Dean Heller has told the Nevada Republican Party that its interpretation of how election laws may be used to challenge voters during early voting was wrong.

BLM land sale focus of public meetings: The federal Bureau of Land Management will hold a series of meetings beginning this evening to seek public comment on the sale for potential development of almost 50,000 acres in the Las Vegas Valley.

2 killed, 5 injured in weekend car crashes: Heather Rawlyk and Jen Lawson; A 41-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man were killed and five other people were seriously injured this weekend in vehicle collisions in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.

Preps: Schedule: Girls' Volleyball

'Lone ranger' Rogers sorry if his memos hurt: RENO -- Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers says he's sorry if he offended any member of the Board of Regents with his strong-worded memos, but he's a "little bit of a lone ranger" and he's not going to change.

Wranglers show speed and spirit in exhibitions: Nick Christensen; A week into training camp but just six days from their season opener, the Las Vegas Wranglers are just about where head coach Glen Gulutzan wants them to be.

Obituaries for October 18, 2004: Sibyl Beck, 67, of Henderson died Friday in a local hospital. She was born April 2, 1937, in Georgia. A resident for 42 years, she was a homemaker.

USC and Miami _ not Oklahoma _ take top spots in first BCS standings: AP; While Southern California took the top spot in the reworked BCS standings' debut Monday, look who's second: Miami. The Hurricanes edged Oklahoma, a strong No. 2 behind USC in both The Associated Press Top 25 and the coaches poll.

Editorial: Forcing the door open: Transportation is one of the more dangerous aspects of the Yucca Mountain plan. Deadly waste would be hauled thousands of miles across the country for decades, inviting irreparable disaster. The final leg of the trip from nuclear power plants to Yucca Mountain would be via a proposed rail line from rural Caliente, 150 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

USC and Miami _ not Oklahoma _ take top two spots in first BCS standings: AP; Oklahoma is No. 2 behind USC in both The Associated Press Top 25 and coaches poll. The new BCS formula relies more on the human polls than ever before - they each count for one-third of a team's total points.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for October 18, 2004: Lisa Ferguson; See, here's the problem with the presidential campaign: The candidates and their minions are focused entirely too much on the issues and not nearly enough on poll results at least, not the fun ones.

Betting on poker's popularity: John Seewer; TOLEDO, Ohio -- With poker's popularity growing because of televised tournaments, retailers are betting that playing cards and chips will be among the must-have items during the holiday shopping season.

Firing of school police chief prompts job description change: By Emily Richmond; The responsibility for ensuring all Clark County School District police officers have the required state certification is being deleted from the job description of the chief of police.

Court ordered to evaluate gaming board appointment: State Attorney General Jerry Pappert challenged Coy's appointment, arguing that the state constitution prevents Coy from taking the $145,000-a-year commission job until his term as a lawmaker expires Nov. 30.

Murphy's character, Tabish's finances are early issues: By Matt Pordum; The prosecution focused on the allegedly questionable character and actions of Sandy Murphy and alleged financial hardships facing Rick Tabish during the first full day of testimony Friday in the retrial of the Ted Binion murder case.

Four charged in casino robbery: Casino cashier Stephanie Nesmith, 23, handed over $39,000 to a gunman who had given her a note demanding money at about 1 a.m. that day, according to police. Nesmith did not set off an alarm and an investigation later determined that she helped plan the robbery, police said.

Hip-hop's new direction is West: Spencer Patterson; Over the past few years, the producer has lent a guiding hand to such popular singles as Jay-Z's "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and Ludacris' "Stand Up," rapidly becoming one of the genre's most sought-after studio impresarios.

Birth announcements for October 18, 2004: Sept. 30:

Yum Brands' Lewis named chief executive: The appointment is effective immediately, the No. 3 U.S. discount retailer said today in a news release. Lewis, who spent 13 years at Yum, was most recently president, and chief multibranding and operating officer.

Letter: Mercury must be cleaned up now: Coal-fired power plants are the largest industrial source of mercury pollution, accounting for 41 percent of total U.S. mercury emissions. The pollution from these plants ends up in our lakes and rivers, and in the fish we eat. The American Indians the AP was quoting are concerned because these power plants are contaminating the fish they use to feed their families.

Alleged rape plays no role in extortion case: Molly Ball; Whether or not Celine Dion's husband raped Yun Kyeong Sung has no bearing on the accusation that Sung committed extortion, District Judge Jackie Glass ruled on Friday, as a discussion of the fine points of criminal law was interrupted by an outburst from Sung's husband.

Editorial: Our choices for Senate: Sen. Valerie Wiener, a Democrat, is seeking re-election in District 3. Wiener has been a thoughtful lawmaker, focusing on important issues such as consumer protection, health care, education and juvenile justice. The Sun endorses Valerie Wiener.

Letter: Cutting meat production would save oil: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, global oil reserves are fixed at around 3,000 billion barrels. Likely fields have been explored and assessed. Yet, the annual global consumption of 27 billion barrels is growing at 1.6 percent, threatening to outstrip current production capacity.

Businessman files suit against Maxfield: Brent Lovett, owner of Matrix Construction Consulting, filed the suit Friday. The suit states that Lovett was hired to perform a forensic construction analysis in litigation involving Maxfield's firm, Southwest Engineering, placing the two at odds.

Appeals from two killers are denied: CARSON CITY -- Two convicted murderers from Las Vegas, each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, have lost their appeals to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Ignorance is unsettling environment: But was discussion of the environment virtually absent from the three presidential debates?

Attorney in trouble before high court: CARSON CITY -- In a strongly worded opinion, the Nevada Supreme Court said the performance of Reno lawyer Robert B. Lindsay was "wholly substandard and unacceptable" and ordered him removed from representing a murderer on death row.

Check Out: Increased use of debit, credit cards phasing out check writing: Kirk Baird; What remains a standard question by baggers at grocery stores has taken on a new meaning to consumers: paper or plastic currency?

Space shortage brings growth at CCSN to a halt: RENO -- Because of a lack of space, Community College of Southern Nevada's enrollment growth has come to a "screeching halt" with 2,200 students turned away this semester, President Richard Carpenter told the university regents last week.

Judge's son hopes to make name for himself: Jace Radke; Clark County Deputy District Attorney Bernie Zadrowski has found himself spending half his time telling voters about himself and the other half talking about who is opponent is, and more importantly who he isn't.

Licensing deal signed to put EA games on slots: Las Vegas-based Alliance's Bally Gaming and Systems unit announced today that it had signed a deal with Electronic Arts Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., to develop a series of games based on EA's Pogo.com online game Internet site.

Chinese journalists look to profile LV's nongambling side: A group of Chinese journalists on a familiarization tour organized by the Nevada Commission on Tourism was dazzled by Las Vegas' nightlife and thrilled by a helicopter trip over the Grand Canyon.

27 teen drivers died in 2003: Stephen Curran; Clark County saw a jump last year in the number of teenagers killed while behind the wheel, even as an annual study found a decrease in the number of young drivers killed nationwide.

Preps: Scoreboard: Eldorado 40...Desert Pines 39 (2OT) This week: Eldorado (3-0, 6-2) at Valley (3-0, 6-1), Desert Pines (1-2, 3-4) vs. Las Vegas (2-1, 5-2)

Third man convicted in robbery, killing: Molly Ball; The third man to be tried for the killing of Benito Zambrano-Lopez last summer was found guilty Friday after a weeklong trial.

Cooler termperatures hit Las Vegas Valley: As if someone flipped a switch in the sky, warm autumn days have turned into cooler temperatures with winds and a chance of rain showers through the week.

Rebels drop the ball: Steve Guiremand; The UNLV Rebels were a frustrated group following Saturday afternoon's 24-20 homecoming loss to New Mexico.

News briefs for October 18, 2004: Clark County will conduct the second of six informational seminars about the job of firefighter 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Winchester Community Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive.

Group helping Nevadans sue for right to vote: Kirsten Searer and Dan Kulin; A nonpartisan voters rights group is offering to help people file lawsuits if they think they were unfairly left off the voter registration rolls.

Qualcomm partners with UNLV for security research: Jace Radke; UNLV is teaming with the mobile communications systems of Qualcomm to research and develop ways that communication technology can be used to protect the country from terrorist attacks.

Retirement, assisted-living homes change names: Seville Terrace will now be called Atria Seville, while Sunlake Terrace and Sutton Terrace will now be called Atria Sunlake and Atria Sutton respectively. All three of the centers will be undergoing cosmetic updates, but the company declined to say how much it is investing in them.

New nongaming property plans early opening: The hotel, which will have 548 rooms and 30 suites, is scheduled to open Dec. 3, about three months earlier than initially planned. Renaissance is one of Marriott International Inc.'s brands.

Issue of valley's growth at center of election: Polls have consistently shown that population growth and its effect on the quality of life in Southern Nevada rank high among residents' concerns, but few -- if any -- politicians have explicitly called for brakes on the pace of growth here.

Opening of center for homeless is delayed: By Timothy Pratt; A one-stop center meant to help the homeless and other poor people will not open until late November, or two months behind schedule, said Dan Goulet, president of the United Way of Southern Nevada, the nonprofit organization behind the project.

Palo Verde shows what's really special: Nick Christensen; Since August, Shadow Ridge coach J.D. Johnson has been talking about his team's special defensive plan for league rival Palo Verde's vaunted double-wing offense.

Removal of Aztar committee member sought: By Liz Benston; The AFL-CIO sent a notice to Aztar Corp. Friday calling on the company to remove an individual from three key board committees because of a potential conflict of interest.

LV Marine dies on father's birthday: Heather Rawlyk; Less than two days before 26-year-old Marine Cpl. William Salazar of Las Vegas was killed by a car bomb explosion in Iraq, he wrote an e-mail to his father to wish him a happy birthday:

Top 25 Fared: AP; No. 1 Southern Cal (6-0) beat No. 15 Arizona State 45-7. Next: vs. Washington, Saturday.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Giveaway day ... followed by get-out-of-the-way day: Welcome to basketball season.

More than 27,000 vote early: Dan Kulin; More than 27,000 Clark County voters went to the polls for the first two days of early voting this weekend, many spurred by their strong convictions in the presidential race and others drawn by the convenience.

Catholic Healthcare West notes increased revenue: Michelle Swafford; Catholic Healthcare West, parent company of two St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, reported excess revenue over expenses of $246 million for fiscal year 2004 ended June 30. That compares with excess revenue over expenses of $66.2 million for fiscal year 2003.

Four killed, five seriously injured in weekend crashes: Heather Rawlyk and Jen Lawson; Four people were killed and five others were seriously injured during the past three days on Las Vegas Valley roadways.

Scarcity of flu vaccine causes panic: Senior citizens, some in wheelchairs, some pulling oxygen tanks, stood in line for hours outside Smith's Food and Drug stores over the weekend, hoping to get one of the few flu shots available in the Las Vegas Valley after a nationwide flu shot shortage forced the cancellation of most other planned clinics.

Tour operator Air Vegas shutters operations: Air Vegas Airlines, a family-operated air tour operator that has specialized in scenic flights over the Grand Canyon for 28 years, has closed its doors.

Sports briefs for October 18, 2004: UNLV (10-3-2, 3-1) moved back into fist place in the Mountain West Conference with the victory. Wyoming's record fell to 7-5-4, 1-2.

Hospital employees OK SEIU representation: Michelle Swafford; Non-management employees at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Henderson voted Oct. 14 to unionize.

NFL Consecutive Victories: AP; 18 - Denver Broncos, 1997-98

Correction: * Because of an error by the Sun, a headline in Friday's edition had the wrong state Senate district number for the race be-tween Democrat John Lee and Sen. Ray Shaffer, R-North Las Vegas. They are in Senate District 1. The Sun regrets the error.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Wheelchair-bound trainer's win tops Cal Cup day: Ralph Siraco; For the past several weeks those in the racing world have been scrutinizing every stakes race from coast to coast and beyond, searching for the newest entrant in the World Thoroughbred Championships to be held at Lone Star Park on October 30. Dozens of Breeders' Cup prep races covering each of the divisions to be represented in the eight championship races on Breeders' Cup Day have produced at least quantity if not always quality to the fields.

11th-hour save of senior center doesn't answer all questions: By Timothy Pratt; Luis Sosa has been volunteering at the Arturo Cambeiro senior center for 14 years and no one connected with it ever told him the place was having trouble paying its bills.