Print edition for October 26, 2004

Casinos look to replace workers: By Liz Benston; At least two of the four casino companies involved in a long-running strike in Atlantic City have raised the stakes by saying they will begin hiring replacement workers to fill positions vacated by union members on strike.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- AIZARUNNER -- Draws good middle post for sprint opener, Santiago atop Knapp trainee, is-Aiza-a-runner here? RUN THRUTHE SUN -- Court on Eurton trainee, needs prompt start and clean trip from rail post in starter allowance dash, an all-run quinella? Value Play -- FIT AND TOUGH

Profit down on lower box-office receipts: The company said its net income for the period ended Sept. 30 dropped to $27.8 million, or 19 cents a share. That's down from the prior year's $44.2 million, or 30 cents a share.

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

No reopening in sight for monorail: Stephen Curran; The Las Vegas Monorail, out of service since an industrial-sized washer fell from a moving train last month, remains closed with no re-opening date in sight, county inspectors said Monday.

Yucca documents available on Internet: Stephen Curran; To access the Licensing Support Network database, visit www.lsnnet.gov. No passwords are needed.

Medical examiners discuss cause of death: By Matt Pordum; The trial of millionaire casino figure Ted Binion's alleged killers is now focused on the key question: How did he die?

Kerry's LV visit: Kerry was to appear at a rally at Jaycee Park at East St. Louis and Eastern avenues. Music, including a performance by Sheryl Crow, was scheduled to lead up to Kerry's afternoon appearance.

Christensen fails to impress Jones with response to charges: Kirsten Searer; The Democratic candidate challenging Assemblyman Chad Christensen, R-Las Vegas, says Christensen's response to charges of misuse of campaign funds raises more questions than it answers.

Gaming company reports profit: That translates to 41 cents per share on revenue of $288.7 million for the period ended Sept. 30. Those results are up from $13.6 million, or 34 cents per share, on revenue of $271 million for the same period last year.

Renewable energy contracts signed: The deals involve Nevada Power's agreements to purchase renewable energy credits from the Las Vegas Valley Water District's planned 3.1 megawatts solar power plant and a solar array constructed on top of the Your Vitamins Inc. plant in Henderson.

News briefs for October 26, 2004: A 33-year-old man was injured by a pickup truck this morning as he jaywalked across Lake Mead Boulevard near Pecos Road in North Las Vegas, police said.

Expansion in store for Herbst property: By Liz Benston; Terrible's casino expects to begin construction next month on a new parking garage that will mark the first phase of a larger casino expansion.

Rogers offers pledge of confidence: Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers' renewed $25 million pledge to UNLV shows a renewed confidence in the state's higher education system, regents said Monday.

Advertising could get boost from LVCVA windfall: With occupancy of Southern Nevada's resorts up and the average daily room rate increasing, room tax coffers are bulging.

Columnist Jeff German: Cab owners keep drivers fuming: What's astonishing is that, while the drivers are doing their part, the wealthy companies have had a hard time reaching into their own pockets for this worthy cause.

Giuliani says economy, security will decide election: Kirsten Searer; Two things will ultimately help Americans decide this election: the state of economy and their feeling of security, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said this morning at a rally for President Bush.

Las Vegas firms pour money into gambling effort: Five separate gambling-related measures appear on the ballot, four of which are part of a package put there through initiative petitions, the other a legislative plan called Amendment 3.

Pulte Homes' earnings miss estimates on sluggish LV sales: Jennifer Shubinski; Pulte Homes on Monday reported that its third-quarter revenue increased almost 24 percent, despite sluggish sales and price cuts in Las Vegas.

Chief of insurance broker resigns amid investigation: Eileen Alt Powell; NEW YORK -- A day after sacking its chief executive, Marsh & McLennan announced today that it is adopting "significant reforms" to its business operations, including ethics training and the permanent elimination of incentive fees that New York's attorney general denounced as kickbacks.

Couple injured in two-story fall: Jen Lawson; Two 83-year-old tourists from Connecticut suffered critical and serious injuries respectively Monday morning after their car drove through a concrete barrier on the second floor of the Golden Nugget's parking garage and plummeted into the alley below.

Endorsement raises conflict questions: A higher education system lobbyist's decision to endorse a candidate for the state Board of Regents has raised a few eyebrows from those in the system.

Harrah's releases World Series of Poker schedule: The World Series of Poker is scheduled to begin June 2 and will run through July 15.

Show of Force: ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Hard Rock takes action to stem unpredictable high-roller wins: By Liz Benston; You win some, you lose some.

Sports briefs for October 26, 2004: Four top carmakers plan to split from Formula One and launch a rival open-wheel Grand Prix racing series by 2008.

Once they ached to be noticed, now they just ache: Adam Candee; Bearing the weight of national expectations could get a little tricky for the UNLV Lady Rebels if they cannot keep a few healthy legs on the court.

Democrats say Republicans may use PDAs in challenges: Dan Kulin; State Democratic Party leaders said Monday they have come across another plan by the Republican Party to disrupt the election -- this time by challenging some voters' registration on Election Day, which the Democrats said is intended to create long lines at the polls and discourage others from waiting to vote.

State leaders show support for Supreme Court Justice Douglas: A bipartisan group of major Nevada political figures have thrown their weight behind Supreme Court Justice Michael Douglas after a recent poll showed him to be slightly behind opponent Joel Hansen in the race for seat F.

Lottery Commission allows Powerball subscriptions: The Lottery Commission says that beginning Monday, gamblers will be able to buy subscriptions to the Powerball game. Lottery Director Rick Wisler said New Hampshire is the first state to offer Powerball season tickets.

Blacks cite shortage of early voting locations: Kirsten Searer; Leaders from 10 black organizations complained Monday that there aren't enough early voting sites in a neighborhood with a significant black population and many people who need help getting to the polls.

Attorney general clears School Board: The complaint, filed by School Board candidate and Las Vegas attorney Richard Segerblom, alleged that the the open meeting law was violated because the June 14 discussion included Garcia's plans to improve student achievement on the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam.

Clinton plans Las Vegas stop to stump for Kerry: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Former President Bill Clinton plans to stump for John Kerry in Las Vegas later this week, Democratic sources said.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Basketball rivals need a real prize: There are enough Little Brown Jugs (Minnesota vs. Michigan), Old Oaken Buckets (Purdue vs. Indiana), Beehive Boots (Utah vs. BYU), Paul Bunyon's Axes (Minnesota vs. Wisconsin), Old Brass Spittoons (Indiana vs. Michigan State) and Floyd of Rosedales (Iowa vs. Minnesota) to fill up a dozen college football trophy cases.

Treat them like babies: Hospital employees get training in care of premature children: Michelle Swafford; Some of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals nurses and administrators learned firsthand Monday what it is like to be a premature baby in a hospital.

Several measures maintain solid leads: Nevadans continue to show strong support for ballot measures dealing with educational issues, the minimum wage and more police officers, according to a new poll.

Firm completes privatization: PDS Gaming, formerly traded on the Nasdaq stock market, is based in Las Vegas and offers slot machine financing and leasing services for casinos.

Preps: Schedule: Girls' Volleyball All times 5 p.m. unless noted: Vo-Tech at Basic, Del Sol at Coronado, Foothill at Silverado, Green Valley at Liberty, Durango at Bonanza, Clark at Bishop Gorman 6 p.m., Spring Valley at Western, Las Vegas at Rancho 5:30 p.m., Eldorado at Valley, Canyon Springs at Chaparral, Cheyenne at Desert Pines, Mojave at Sierra Vista.

State budget officials eye $5.8 billion in requests: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Legislature doesn't meet until February but state budget officials are already wading through $5.8 billion in requests from state agencies -- a 20 percent increase over the current two-year spending program.

Water Authority looks at conservation successes: An intrastate committee looking at water issues took a close look at Southern Nevada's water-conservation programs Monday as part of a larger examination of where the resource will come from in the future.

Students hear tales from mayor: By Emily Richmond; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman taught English class Monday at Roy Martin Middle School, regaling eighth graders with tales of his career as a criminal defense attorney, why he's the "world's happiest mayor" and how a good education opens doors.

Metro sees good news in crime statistics this year: Dan Kulin; After seeing a 13 percent jump in the crime rate for the most serious offenses last year, Metro Police are on pace for a 1 percent increase in that crime rate this year, thanks largely to better trends in the numbers for robbery, theft and auto theft, according to department crime statistics through the end of August.

Dems: GOP to challenge voters Nov. 2: Dan Kulin; State Democratic Party leaders said Monday they have come across another plan by the Republican Party to disrupt the election -- this time by challenging some voters' registration on Election Day, which the Democrats said is intended to create long lines at the polls and discourage others from waiting to vote.

Board gives 'student attire' plan tentative OK: By Emily Richmond; Denim could be back. Stripes are still out. And baggy pants are definitely a no-no.

Poll: Voters still favor conflicting initiatives: Three Nevada ballot measures that deal with the damages for pain and suffering a victim of medical malpractice could receive are all leading in a new statewide poll.

Tax breaks on car sales a key part of question: Jean Reid Norman; "Shall the Sales and Use Tax of 1955 be amended to revise the exemption from the tax for the sale or use of used vehicles; to provide exemptions from the tax for the sale or use of prescription opthalmic and ocular devices and appliances, farm machinery and other agricultural equipment, works of fine art for public display, and professional racing vehicles and parts; and to revise the exemption from the tax on the sale or use of aircraft and parts of aircraft used by commercial air carriers?"

Norovirus suspected in Flamingo cases: Eric Leake; A norovirus is suspected to be responsible for a outbreak of a flu-like illness at the Flamingo Las Vegas, Clark County Health District officials say.

EOB cleanup is behind schedule: By Timothy Pratt; The team's progress report at the EOB monthly board meeting Monday and an interview with the organization's interim executive director, Mary Twitty, made clear that at least a half-dozen key financial and administrative deadlines had not been met.

Editorial: President's quagmire: That Bush is receiving higher marks than Kerry on foreign policy owes in large part to the fact that the public tends to support an incumbent president during a crisis, especially in wartime. This tends to be the case even when a war isn't going well. Indeed, by any objective measure, Bush's war in Iraq has been a failure. No stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction were found (the main reason for the invasion) and U.S. military forces find themselves in a quagmire because of poor planning (not enough troops were sent in and not enough serious thought was given ...

New Eagle Scouts are named: Tyson Charles Bunker, 18; Douglas Raymond Cannon, 17; William Evans Carlson III, 16; Daniel Young Chidester, 18; Scott Michael Cunningham, 14; Christopher Elden Ellis, 16; Hernan Guillermo Farias, 17; Nathan Paul Kanani Gubler, 17; Richard James Jensen, 18; Frank Alan Leavitt, 15; John David Lee, 18; James Anthony Miller, 16; James Bodeen Park, 18; Jared Van Potts, 15; Joseph T. Quackenboss, 18; Raymond Blake Rawson, 18; Thomas Daniel Rhoda-Rosenbaum, 17; Quentin Wayne Roop, 18; Christopher Ruiz-Gardner, 18; Kaiden David Shakespear, 14; Trevor Tippetts, 18; Bryce Ryan Turner, 17; and Michael Gregory Turner, 18, all of Las Vegas.

Editorial: We can all sleep better: "We felt we had to be able to sleep at night," he said.

Regulators clear Cingular-AT&T Wireless merger: Scott Lanman; Cingular Wireless LLC won U.S. government approval for its $41 billion purchase of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. on the condition the companies sell airwaves and give up customers in some cities.

Community briefs for October 26, 2004: Trails Day at the State Railroad Museum in Boulder City will be celebrated 8 a.m. Friday.

Letter: Privatizing has drawback: Who wins with privatization?

Letter: District fails to tackle problem of transiency: Ask any teacher, student or school office personnel what is the biggest interruption to their classroom instruction, or obstacle to efficiently operating our school offices, and chances are they'll say the constant, daily movement of students enrolling and withdrawing.

Ames makes appearance in Summerlin: Boston native Darin Ames is twice blessed -- not only does he carry the moniker of Darin ("Mack the Knife," "Splish Splash") but his last name matches that of the Ames Brothers, a popular quartet from the '40s and '50s ("Rag Mop," "Sentimental Me" and "You, You, You").

Immunization schedule for October 26, 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.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Sadly, we're not sew skilled: Consider the cell phone with five functions I still haven't learned to use, or the Palm Pilot that is nothing more than a calendar with a pokey thing. And let us not forget the food processor has made nothing but salsa since Santa dropped it off three Christmases ago.

Obituaries for October 26, 2004: Linda Atkinson-Trudell of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. A retired accountant, she was born in Woods Cross, Utah.

Elimination of IPO 'quiet period' proposed: SEC commissioners voted 5-0 to submit the new regulation for public comment. It would amend a Depression-era rule that almost derailed Google Inc.'s $3.47 billion initial public offering in August after Playboy published an interview with the company's founders.

Live and Learn: Spencer Patterson; Ashlee Simpson might not have been the biggest name on a "Radio Music Awards" stage that also featured Usher, Beyonce, Elton John and Janet Jackson on Monday night at the Aladdin Theatre for Performing Arts.