Print edition for September 1, 2004

Letter: God cherished in public conscience: Long before George W. Bush arrived on the scene there were those who indelibly "imposed" God upon our culture and nation. Their words were cherished then and so accepted by our forebears that they were inscribed on the most important documents of every state in the nation.

Manufacturing activity cooled slightly in August: WASHINGTON -- U.S. manufacturing expanded less broadly in August as fewer companies reported an increase in orders and production.

Veterans planning Sunday celebration: The event will honor the partnership between veterans and labor.

Letter: President is not in tune with the economy's needs: It's the same old trickle-down economics Republicans have used for decades. It has made the rich richer and the rest of us poorer. And the country has been left with debilitating national deficits that suck the life out of Social Security, Medicare and ultimately our economy.

Editorial: Lori Harrigan brings honor to Las Vegas: The accomplishments did not stop at graduation. She was a gold medalist at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 International Softball Federation's world championships. She took gold at the 1995, 1999 and 2003 Pan American Games. Best of all, she's been an Olympian, bringing home gold medals from Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000 (where she became the first pitcher in Olympic history to throw a solo no-hitter) and now Athens, where she pitched a one-hit shutout against China.

Columnist Peter Benton: College gets a surprise gift from golfing grad: Peter Benton; Over the years, I have been critical of many successful PGA touring professionals, likening them to a bunch of spoiled, rich, demanding and unappreciative prima donnas.

Columnist Adam Candee: Green Valley winning streak: A generation of greatness: Adam Candee; In terms of Las Vegas sports history, it is not discussed with the iconic reverence reserved for people such as Greg Maddux and teams such as the 1989 UNLV Rebels basketball team. Hey, it's not exactly the same competitive stage. We understand.

Letter: Wet 'n Wild will be missed: It seems every time a place is built for all ages to go to and have a good time, the next thing you know it's torn down for another casino.

PacificCare gives $35,000: Adoption Exchange -- Nevada received $5,000 to recruit adoptive families for children who live in Nevada foster homes.

Lower class size called a key to better education: Dan Kulin; Concerned parents and Clark County School District officials meeting Tuesday night agreed that classes should be smaller and that the roadblock to achieving that is finding the additional money to hire more teachers and build more schools.

Comments sought on wilderness proposal: The BLM and the Park Service share management duties of the area, that stretches from the Valley of Fire to Callville Bay at Lake Mead.

Old West park plan gets little support from residents: Heather Rawlyk; When Sher Capital representatives asked the 31 Boulder City residents attending a meeting Tuesday night to raise their hand if they supported building an Old West theme park in their city, three arms lifted high.

Slogans adorn wide variety of GOP souvenirs: Suzanne Struglinski; NEW YORK -- The motto for salesmen at the convention is leave no souvenir behind.

Medical school plans to expand residency programs: If they train here, they'll stay here.

Biaggi to head conservation office: Gov. Kenny Guinn today announced the appointment of Allen Biaggi to the $109,582 a year job to succeed Michael Turnipseed, who resigned. Biaggi has been acting director since July 9.

Editorial: Court official showed lack of judgment: Unfortunately, this is not what happened last week when a teenage boy wearing a G-Unit T-shirt appeared in Juvenile Court before Hearing Master Sylvia Beller. Hearing masters are not judges, but they are appointed by judges to hear cases and they have all of the power of a judge while court is in session. Instead of ordering the boy to come back when he was properly attired, Beller ordered him to remove the T-shirt, leaving him naked from the waist up. The boy was in court on a misdemeanor graffiti charge and Beller had been ready to sentence him to ...

Ralph Siraco's Del Mar selections: 1st Race -- HURRICANE ROUTE -- Draws good post for sprint opener, Flores aboard co-owner Headley trainee, diploma Route to winners circle. SIREN LURE -- Nakatani on West trainee, draws good box for maiden/claiming dash, well bred gelding. Value Play -- CALAMANDER

Believe in MAGIC: Kirk Baird; It's not even fall and already the fashion industry is looking to spring.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Junior League is major-league endeavor: Elizabeth Foyt; This school has the highest population of homeless children of any school in Clark County. Once a month, the Junior League hosts a birthday party for all of the children with birthdays during the month.

Nader wins suit to stay on Nevada ballot: District Judge Bill Maddox, after hearings covering three days, said there were at least 7,000 valid signatures of registered Nevada voters on the petition to qualify Nader for the ballot. The law required Nader get 5,000 signatures.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Saks stocks shelves with savings: There is an abundance of new merchandise, with more arriving almost daily. The fine jewelry cases have a number of name brand oversized watches for men and women. Such upscale names as TechnoMarine were included. Some were embellished with diamonds.

Arrest made in series of '90s rapes: Jen Lawson; Metro Police on Tuesday arrested a 38-year-old man believed to be responsible for a series of rapes in the late 1990s in the East Flamingo Road area.

Decision expected in Nader case today: CARSON CITY -- Ralph Nader's chances of appearing as an independent candidate for president on the Nevada ballot may hinge on whether those who circulated his nominating petition put their correct addresses on the documents.

Services for the mentally ill take another hit: By Timothy Pratt; A 12-bed wing for mentally ill senior citizens at Valley Hospital Medical Center shut down last weekend, leaving the region with only one other such service.

New chapter for Aladdin begins as Earl takes over: Workers of the Aladdin hotel and casino had New York strip steak for breakfast this morning in the employee dining room. It was Robert Earl's way of saying thank you for persevering through 35 months of operating in bankruptcy.

Obituaries for Sept. 1, 2004: Stephen Boghian, 76, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospital. He was born March 20, 1928, in Detroit. A resident for 14 years, he was a retired machinist in the aerospace industry.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Looking out for No. 1, Carpentier has eye on IRL: This month's Champ Car World Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway could prove to be Patrick Carpentier's lone opportunity to race on his hometown track.

Teachers get video warning: By Emily Richmond; To many, it's a no-brainer message -- if you're a Clark County School District employee and engage in sexual misconduct with a student, you'll be fired, face criminal prosecution and ruin your future.

Near-collisions down at NLV Airport: Jace Radke; The number of planes nearly colliding with other aircraft or objects on runways at the oft-criticized North Las Vegas Airport continued to drop last fiscal year, according to a new Federal Aviation Administration report.

Gaming briefs for September 1, 2004: DES MOINES, Iowa -- A member of the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino board of directors has dropped his proposal that board members receive an annual salary.

Edwards' wife discusses military benefits, Yucca: Kirsten Searer; Her staff was trying to hurry her along, so they sighed Tuesday when a reporter asked Elizabeth Edwards about medical malpractice reform.

Genstel, widow of Nellis Air Force Base's namesake, dies: While walking out of Las Vegas' El Portal movie theater in the weeks following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Shirley Nellis' 25-year-old husband, Bill, asked her: "Should I join up?"

Vegas firm faces 'do-not-call' fines: Kevin Rademacher; A Las Vegas telemarketing company is facing a federal lawsuit on charges that it violated the rules of the federal do-not-call registry designed to protect consumers from unwanted solicitations.

Maloofs pad Schwarzenegger campaign: Don Thompson; SACRAMENTO -- When they organized a $1 million fundraiser for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in February, Sacramento Kings owners Gavin and Joe Maloof's family casino business was negotiating a deal that would net them millions from running what could be one of the world's largest casinos, according to interviews and state records.

World's largest wine bottle displayed at Morton's: The restaurant chain commissioned the bottle of Beringer Vineyards 2001 Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the restaurants.

Falling SAT math scores don't add up, official says: Stephen Curran; A four-point drop in math scores on the most widely used college entrance test has given Clark County School District officials "something to keep an eye on," the woman in charge of the district's testing said Tuesday.

DOE takes another Yucca hit from NRC: Benjamin Grove and Molly Ball; The Nuclear Regulatory Commission handed Yucca Mountain another setback Tuesday, saying the Energy Department did not have all of its project documents in order when the 5.6 million pages were submitted in June.

Long injects a positive attitude into Sierra Vista program: Nick Christensen; SUNSET REGION Northwest Division

Injuries mounting as Rebels prepare to open: Steve Guiremand; The big news from UNLV football practice Tuesday night was that there weren't any more serious injuries to Rebels players.

Tennis stars feel the New York heat: NEW YORK -- As the reigning Wimbledon champion, Maria Sharapova is learning to deal with a higher profile and greater expectations.

Sandoval to address delegates: Suzanne Struglinski; NEW YORK -- Attorney General Brian Sandoval will take the podium and address his fellow Republicans tonight, praising the Bush administration's record on protecting children, representing his strong support for Bush's re-election.

Consumers' natural gas bills to jump 5 percent: The state Public Utilities Commission approved a $7.3 million, or about 2.5 percent overall, general rate increase for Southwest Gas Corp. of Las Vegas.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Even in the glow of gold, Harrigan worries about coach: As she got off the airplane at McCarran International Airport Monday night, her third Olympics softball gold medal draped around her neck and surrounded by friends and family, Las Vegas' Lori Harrigan basked in what had to be one of her proudest moments as an amateur athlete.

VegasBeat -- Timothy McDarrah: Jersey a tight fit for ex-'SNL' star Piscopo: Huh? Joe Piscopo?

Man appears in court in child's death: Wayne Jackson, wearing North Las Vegas Detention Center-issued khakis, appeared this morning before North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Natalie Tyrrell during what turned out to be a one-minute arraignment, where a 9:30 a.m. time was set for the preliminary hearing date.

Marijuana petition fails on second count: CARSON CITY -- A second count of the signatures on an initiative petition to allow adults to each possess up to an ounce of marijuana has found that the petition does not have enough signatures to qualify for the election ballot.

Protection sought for Little Red Rock land: Written comments on Little Red Rocks are due to the Army Corps of Engineers by Sept. 10. Comments should be sent to the District Engineer, U.S. Army, Corp. of Engineers, Sacramento District, Attn: Regulatory Branch, 1325 J St., Sacramento, CA 95814-2922.

Jets, Pennington close: New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, entering his fifth season in the NFL, is close to a deal that will net him about $22 million in guaranteed money.

LV ticketing outlet acquired for $25 million: Southlake, Texas-based Travelocity, owned by Sabre Holdings Corp., plans to operate Allstate as a subsidiary.

Rogers blasts regents in memo: Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers sent a scathing memo to the state higher education system's Board of Regents Tuesday evening informing the board that the system is dysfunctional and inefficient and that board divisiveness was largely to blame.

Sports briefs for September 1, 2004: An Air Force football player was found innocent of drug charges today after telling a court-martial he thought the steroids he had taken were legal.

Third time no charm for tax petition: CARSON CITY -- After a third count, the referendum petition to repeal the $833.5 million tax increase has come up short again, failing to garner the signatures needed to put the issue on the November ballot.

Bush team, Nevada delegates talk strategy: Suzanne Struglinski; NEW YORK -- Key members of the Bush campaign and the Republican Party challenged Nevada delegates to build even strong volunteer organizations and recruit more voters as Election Day nears.

Apparel firms unsure of quota changes: Jennifer Shubinski; Consumers most likely won't see a decrease in prices when worldwide apparel quotas are lifted at the first of the year.

Jury hears one of murder defendant's statements to police: By Matt Pordum; The first of two recorded statements given to detectives by a man on trial for murder and robbery was played for jurors on Tuesday, but they were not allowed to watch a portion of one of the tapes in which police told Wolff that their investigation pointed to him as the killer.

Just in time for holiday, gasoline prices rise again: Harold Scranton wants to visit friends out of state over the three-day Labor Day weekend, but with gasoline prices shooting above $2 a gallon in Las Vegas and elsewhere, he is not sure he's going to make that trip.

Titus calls LV growth a state issue: A potential candidate for governor in 2006 is calling for the state government to take a bigger role in growth-related environmental issues, a move she said is likely.

LV sends letter of termination: The CenterStaging group has 10 days from receipt of the letter to respond to the termination notice.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Fab Four for '04: We surveyed 14 major Las Vegas sports books and analyzed the house edge in each of their Super Bowl future books.

Source: Kenny given $200,000 in land deal: Jace Radke; Former Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny received $200,000 to help pass a controversial land deal involving a drugstore and convenience store three years ago, a source close to an ongoing federal political corruption investigation said.

Snapshot at the window: Figuring out the house edge: While a great number of people care about which sports books offer the best Super Bowl futures, relatively few care about the underlying mathematics.

Candidates for Supreme Court report campaign contributions: CARSON CITY -- Supreme Court Justice Michael Douglas has raised $174,792 in campaign contributions in his bid to retain his job in the upcoming election.

Former hostess to face trial in restaurant killing: A Las Vegas woman accused of killing an Applebee's restaurant manager in a late-night robbery in August 2003 will face trial, Henderson Justice of the Peace Rodney Burr ruled Tuesday, but the prosecution appears to have a few problems with its case.

'The fight of my life': Oscar De La Hoya has been talking a lot lately about upending Bernard Hopkins to become the middleweight champion of the world.

Police say car fire not related to fuel tank problem: The cruiser was a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria, which many police departments use. Sgt. Chris Jones said the department upgraded the safety of its Crown Victorias several years ago.

Pedestrian hit by cab still in serious condition: Stephen Curran; A North Carolina woman in Las Vegas for the MAGIC convention remained in serious condition this morning after she was struck by a taxicab while illegally crossing the street.