Print edition for September 21, 2004

Two girls on bike, driver of car injured in collision: One girl went through the windshield and both were seriously injured, Todd Rasmussen, Henderson police spokesman, said.

Nevada officials dismiss LV firm's return to California: Kevin Rademacher; Nevada economic development officials aren't sweating a Monday morning media stunt by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The front man: (Winners in parentheses)

Judge says Stewart must surrender by Oct. 8: The judge also recommended that U.S. prison officials assign Stewart to a prison camp in Danbury, Conn., or Coleman, Fla. -- the two she requested last week.

Sports briefs for September 21, 2004: Olympic time-trial champion Tyler Hamilton of the United States is being investigated for possible blood doping and could be stripped of his gold medal.

Counties complain about state's order to pay for retired workers' insurance: CARSON CITY -- An organization of counties is complaining that their members have had to shell out nearly $1 million to comply with the order from the Legislature that they help retired employees pay for health insurance.

Video footage may help police identify attacker: Jen Lawson; It's a victim's eye view of a brutal attack -- a man taking a full swing with an aluminum baseball bat at a video camera held near the face of a young woman.

Election nears; Nevada has no ballot: Kirsten Searer; Just 41 days before the election, Nevada is still without a ballot.

KB Home earnings jump: Jennifer Shubinski; Labor shortages in Las Vegas and Phoenix affected KB Home earnings slightly for the third quarter, company executives said this morning following Monday's release of its third quarter earnings numbers.

Porter television ads emphasize the negative: Kirsten Searer; A blurry black-and-white photo of Democrat Tom Gallagher hovers on the screen, looking ghost-like.

Experts question safety of Yucca casks: Stephen Curran; A metal drip shield that would keep water from penetrating casks holding high-level nuclear waste at a proposed dump at Yucca Mountain may be less effective than originally thought, members of an independent oversight board said Monday.

Passengers allege discrimination on Alaska Airlines flight: According to the complaint filed Friday, the nine passengers boarded in Vancouver, British Columbia, an Alaska Airlines plane, which was scheduled to fly to Las Vegas on Sept. 29, 2003.

Nevada urges rejection of appeal: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Nevada is urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reject an Energy Department appeal regarding the first phase of the licensing process for the nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Firms' use of mayor's name is questioned: Dan Kulin; The use of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman's name in his law firm's name and on the letterhead for his son's law firm doesn't appear to violate the letter of a state rule for attorneys who are also elected officials, but it does appear to violate the spirit of the restriction, according to a law school professor.

Columnist Jeff German: Zadrowski is losing the name game: At 38 he's an experienced prosecutor in the district attorney's office. He has a long list of law enforcement endorsements, including the influential Las Vegas Police Protective Association. And he can point to his many activities within the legal community.

National Guard chief offers relief: Jace Radke; The Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act protects the jobs of National Guard and Reserve soldiers.

Media groups wrestle over domain name: A Clark County District Court judge has been asked to sort out who has the right to one of the world's most coveted Internet domain names, lasvegas.com.

Initiative nightmare: Unless the Nevada Legislature makes reforms to the referendum and initiative process, local and state voting officials say litigation will become commonplace for future ballot questions.

Harrah's creates World Series of Poker Circuit: Adam Goldman; LAS VEGAS -- Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and ESPN are aiming to capitalize on poker's best-known event by beginning a series of high-profile tournaments across the country next year.

Editorial: Court order justified: Work on Question 3, also known as the "Keep Our Doctors In Nevada" initiative, was undertaken by the state's medical community shortly after the 2002 special session of the Legislature, during which emergency laws were passed to contain the rising cost of malpractice insurance. The escalating cost had driven some doctors out of state and others restricted their practices. It also resulted in the temporary shutdown of the trauma center at University Medical Center. Doctors did not believe the new laws were strong enough and so began gathering signatures for Question 3.

First-quarter earnings dip: For the three months ending Aug. 29, General Mills earned $183 million, or 47 cents per share, on revenue of $2.59 billion. A year ago, the company earned $227 million, or 59 cents per share, on revenue of $2.52 billion.

Elbow damage KOs Maddox for two months: Quarterback Tommy Maddox will be out at least six weeks with a torn ligament and tendon damage in his right elbow, an injury that at least temporarily makes rookie Ben Roethlisberger the starter in Pittsburgh.

Letter: No compassion in administration: The compassionate George was gone the day he was sworn into office. He has already done enough damage to this nation. One only has to look at such issues as the economy, environment, national reputation and the plight of the less fortunate, just to mention a few.

Judge OKs extra time to prepare for trial: James Scholl, 33, is charged with murder, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, mayhem and third-degree arson in connection with the Aug. 20 attack on 51-year-old Pairoj Chitprasart, a Nellis Cab driver.

Utah Shakespearean Festival's fall season begins Thursday: "You can feel it. Autumn is in the air, and our fall company is here," said Fred C. Adams, festival founder and executive director for 43 years.

Pari-mutuel clerks end strike at Dubuque racetrack: About a dozen clerks walked off the job Sept. 4 after contract talks failed to resolve issues over health insurance and holiday pay. The previous contract expired on Aug. 31.

Net result of court scheduling pulls coaches in two directions: Nick Christensen; 1. Bonanza 2. Coronado 3. Moapa Valley 4. Basic 5. The Meadows

Housing construction climbs to highest level since March: Jeannine Aversa; WASHINGTON -- Housing construction in August surged to its highest level in five months, a dose of encouraging news for the economy's expansion.

News briefs for September 21, 2004: Robert Redford will join the parade of national figures who have campaigned in Nevada this year, making an appearance Wednesday at the Rainbow Library.

Twins clinch; Angels gain ground: AP; The Twins clinched their third straight AL Central title Monday night with an 8-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox, then topped it off with a raucous celebration in the visitor's clubhouse.

Editorial: Bush doesn't tell the truth: Even Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the normally placid chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last week scolded the Bush administration for its rosy prewar view that Iraqis would embrace the U.S. military and democracy. "The nonsense of that is apparent," Lugar said. "The lack of planning is apparent." Part of the frustration experienced by Lugar and other members of Congress -- both Republicans and Democrats -- is the Bush administration's glacial pace in spending money to rebuild Iraq. Only $1 billion of the $18.4 billion that Congress authorized last November for Iraq's reconstruction has been spent. Furthering the bewilderment ...

Letter: Adding Mexico a liberal's dream: Dropping all pretense of a border would give us access to cheap oil that is already owned by the corrupt Mexican government, and the price of illegal drugs would certainly plummet. The drug runners could be expected to keep the terrorists out in order to protect their market, thereby allowing us to disband our armed forces. As an added benefit, the new pool of cheap labor would allow rich Republicans to relax and enjoy our ill-gotten gains.

Shooter sentenced in slaying; will testify: By Matt Pordum; A 28-year-old man who claimed he shot a man while trying to help a woman recover stolen property was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison on Monday for second-degree murder.

Radios stolen from School District buses: Heather Rawlyk; Clark County School District Police say someone stole 240 two-way radios, valued at a total of about $120,000, out of school buses during the weekend.

Letter: Drug prices must be standardized: Our president and Congress don't want the Canadian and Mexican pharmacies filling our prescriptions for safety reasons. They are concerned that the drugs purchased outside the United States are either outdated or not the ones your doctor wrote the prescription for.

Former Coke exec named CEO: In an announcement today, the company said Sternlicht will assume the position of executive chairman, reducing his day-to-day role to focus on long-term strategies for the company as well as capital investment and real estate matters. Sternlicht will also assume the role of chief design officer for Starwood.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Truck racer will try cross-country weekend: Carl Edwards plans to compete in Saturday's Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at LVMS as well as Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race in Dover, Del., the driver said Monday.

Suit: Tobacco must forfeit $280 billion: Bob Van Voris and Chris Burritt; The U.S. government is asking a judge to order Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA unit and four other U.S. tobacco companies to forfeit an unprecedented $280 billion in profits, invoking a racketeering law that the industry argues authorizes no penalty at all.

Casinos recruit workers in Asia, South America: Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Sun Casino have sent executives to Sao Paulo, Brazil and will take a trip to South Korea to interview student workers.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Putts, not emotions, are what you drain in golf: Somehow, Chris Riley managed to usurp Peter Jacobsen as professional golf's resident buffoon this weekend, with the major difference being that he didn't set out to do it on purpose.

Man dies after being hit by car: Heather Rawlyk; A man was killed Monday night after he was struck by a car while trying to cross Tropicana Avenue at Topaz Street.

Convicted killer may get new trial: By Matt Pordum; A Las Vegas woman convicted of killing her mother and cramming the body into a trash barrel may have hopes revived for a new trial because someone checked into a California hospital using the name and Social Security number of the jailed woman's brother, whom authorities had previously presumed to be dead.

Man seeks to overturn murder conviction: CARSON CITY -- A member of the Independent Nazi Skinheads is asking the Nevada Supreme Court to overturn his murder conviction and the death sentence he was given for killing two men in the desert outside Las Vegas in 1998.

Rebels' lack of turnovers is recipe for three defeats: Steve Guiremand; UNLV was a football team that thrived on forcing turnovers during the 2003 season.

Odd-itions: Vegas 'American Idol' contestants show remarkable range: Kirk Baird; His son, David Gonzales Jr., is one of 6,000 hopefuls to pack The Orleans Arena for "American Idol" auditions.

Funds OK'd for National Guard armory: WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Monday tucked $12.8 million for a new National Guard armory into a military construction spending bill.

Giovi raising funds, spirits at awards show: Las Vegas vocalist Mark Giovi will be the host and featured entertainment at an awards ceremony in New York City on Wednesday honoring actor Christopher Reeve and others who have shown courage in the face of handicaps.

Letter: Bush's decisions have made world more dangerous: Billions of our tax dollars are going overseas, which is creating havoc on our domestic programs and resulting in record government budget deficits. There are funding cuts to education, health care, the environment, police departments, etc. It is not a sign of leadership to take office with a budget surplus and then run up a big budget deficit when you campaigned for fiscal responsibility.

Letter: Russians are not reducing arms: The U.S. responded, providing more than $1.5 billion in aid. But, according to Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Russia has destroyed only slightly more than 1 percent of its stockpile and "has no credible plan for destroying the remainder of its nerve gas stockpile."

Calif. gambling initiatives compete on November ballot: Chris T. Nguyen; LOS ANGELES -- As they decide the fate of two gambling initiatives on Nov. 2, voters will also have a third choice -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Lockout at the top is sending a parade of youngsters to minors: Nick Christensen; Las Vegas Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan has seen the face of this coming season, and it's got peachfuzz.

Augustine, ethics panel may agree on compromise: CARSON CITY -- A compromise agreement may be offered in the case of state Controller Kathy Augustine who goes before the Nevada Ethics Commission on Wednesday regarding accusations that she used her office staff for political work.

Propositions 68 and 70 at a Glance: Proposition 70

Letter: War valor should be respected: Their point was to indicate that Sen. John Kerry received his Purple Hearts because of scratches. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth indicated the same thing.

Obituaries for September 21, 2004: Ronnie Araiza, 43, of Henderson died Thursday in a local hospital. He was born Oct. 25, 1960, in San Fernando, Calif. A resident for six years, he was a hospital X-ray technical assistant and a Navy veteran.

Seat belt use reaches record high in Nevada: Heather Rawlyk and Cy Ryan; Nevadans are buckling their seat belts more than ever according to a recent study by the Transportation Research Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Police won't charge mayor's son: Sito Negron; Police did not find evidence to support filing charges against Ross Goodman or Louis Palazzo regarding the hotly contested land deal between the two lawyers and an 85-year-old woman who, according to her daughter and lawyer, drifts in and out of lucidity.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 10 a.m.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Puttin' on the cat not a good idea: If I waited until it was actually October all the spooky stuff would be on the clearance shelves and the Christmas season already would have started. And some stores already have Christmas stuff on display. I am beginning to wonder why they even put it away.

Letter: Presidency will baffle historians: Equally baffling for them will be the fact that after being appointed president by the U.S. Supreme Court, his policies led to huge deficits, high unemployment and alienation of allies.

Community briefs for September 21, 2004: The Clark County Health District has four public health centers and 15 satellite clinics open each week in Southern Nevada. A $15 administration fee will be assessed per visit. These clinics will be open through Sunday.