Print edition for April 11, 2005

News briefs for April 11, 2005: Metro Police were investigating a homicide this morning at Maslow Park near Nellis Boulevard and Boulder Highway.

Sports briefs for April 11, 2005: Warren Johnson became the oldest driver to win a pro drag race, and Tony Schumacher raced to his 23rd career Top Fuel victory Sunday at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.

Solution to chronic homelessness sought: By Timothy Pratt; At a conference Friday on ending chronic homelessness, a federal official said that event participants stayed at one of the Las Vegas Valley's most upscale hotels the night before because it was the only one available that didn't feature gambling, offered government rates and had rooms for a large group.

Disabled students find a friend in CCSN: By Christina Littlefield; Movement has always been difficult for Las Vegas resident Brenda Allen.

Editorial: Bring back group homes: One of its major concerns is overcrowding at Child Haven, the county's temporary home for children rescued from abusive or dysfunctional families. The county has acknowledged the problem, saying that children are coming into the county's care at record numbers. The law firm was appalled that 33 infants were living at Child Haven. "This is not the appropriate setting for raising infants," said William Grimm, senior attorney with the law firm.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: New contenders emerge in big weekend of Derby preps: Ralph Siraco; The final major prep races for this year's Kentucky Derby still remain, with the Blue Grass Stakes and Arkansas Derby this Saturday, and the April 23 Lexington Stakes a last-ditch qualifier just two weeks before the Run for the Roses.

Eureka Casino is sued over shooting death: Jen Lawson; The family of a 51-year-old man who was shot and killed after tackling a gunman at the Eureka Casino a year ago is suing the business, alleging that it is partially to blame for the death because security was inadequate.

University of Iowa faculty oppose casino proposal: "In our professional judgment, this location so near Iowa City will be detrimental to University of Iowa students since students are at a heightened risk for developing pathological or problem gambling behavior," public health faculty currently said in a statement.

Gearbox foils Tagliani; Vasser 11th: LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Las Vegas resident Alex Tagliani was headed to a top-10 finish in Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach when, two laps from the end of the race, his gearbox broke.

Smoking, overeating, gambling a deadly equation for residents: Health experts say the high-pressure, pleasure-seeking lifestyle and ubiquitous all-you-can-eat buffets have contributed to Atlantic County having the highest death rate in New Jersey.

Proxy statement outlines executives' pay: Steve Wynn earned a salary of $1.8 million and a bonus of $2.7 million last year. Wynn Resorts President Ronald Kramer reported a salary of $1.2 million and a bonus of $1.2 million. Chief Operating Officer Marc Schorr reported a salary and bonus of $1 million each. Chief Financial Officer John Strzemp reported a salary of $509,000 and a bonus of $175,000. Linda Chen, president of Wynn International Marketing LLC, reported a salary of $500,000 and a bonus of $250,000.

Massage studios may lose licenses: Henderson is considering banning stand-alone massage studios after a sting operation uncovered alleged prostitution at four of the six such businesses in the city, officials said.

Letter: Block grants fund essential services: Across the nation, CDBG is an important source of funding for affordable housing, public services, and infrastructure improvements. The president's proposed budget, however, would eliminate this successful program and endanger Las Vegas' ability to continue to provide much-needed social services.

Takefuji Classic no guarantee to come back after this year: Adam Candee; Say hello to the LPGA Takefuji Classic today and be prepared to wave goodbye to it by the end of the week.

Bill would make it illegal to leave kids in cars: CARSON CITY -- After hearing testimony about 16 youngsters who had died since 1996 as a result of being left alone in vehicles in the Las Vegas Valley, a Senate committee today approved a bill to make it illegal to leave a child unattended in a vehicle

Roaring back: Adam Candee; AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It resurfaced three holes too soon to be poetry, yet none too early.

Porter wants Yucca e-mailers to go public: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The Interior Department does not want three federal scientists who exchanged e-mails about falsifying documents on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository to testify before a congressional panel, but Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., hopes they will come forward on their own.

Airline aims for Asia, Europe, North America flights: The airline will announce its routes after it reaches agreement with Air Macau, the city's sole carrier, Andrew Pyne, chief executive of WOW!Macau, said by telephone. The airline aims to begin scheduled flights in October, he added.

Governor, legislators engage in last-minute slots negotiations: Ehrlich met with Miller, his slot machines ally, in the morning, and then came down to House Speaker Michael Busch's office late in the afternoon for a private discussion that lasted about 20 minutes.

Weeds seen as threat to desert: Conservationists had expected an invasion of weeds along with a spectacular wildflower bloom this spring in Southern Nevada, but the profusion of blooms the past two months has exceeded their expectations.

Editorial: Safety versus money: The answer is money. Only five states require their buses to come equipped with seat belts. When the issue is raised, the cost issue usually wins out. Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, is raising the issue in the Nevada Legislature. His Assembly Bill 411 would require seat belts in school buses by 2006.

Drivers not fully adjusted to speed of ramp lights: Stephen Curran; Educating Clark County drivers on how to merge using the newly activated ramp lights at three busy intersections is likely to be a "continual, evolving process," the engineer who oversees the automated lights said Thursday.

DiMarco's defeat feels like win: Adam Candee; AUGUSTA, Ga. -- He high-fived little Cristian and Amanda, banged fists with Richard and shot a smile to Amy just behind the scoring hut.

Obituaries for April 11, 2005: Ardelle L. Lawrence Corona, 81, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in a local hospital. She was born Dec. 31, 1923, in Volin, S.D. A resident for 15 years, she was a retired military nurse and Korean War Navy veteran.

Mosley delays Hells Angels trial: By Matt Pordum; District Judge Donald Mosley on Friday rescheduled the trial of Hells Angels motorcycle gang members accused of taking part in the deadly riot at the 2002 Laughlin River Run. It is now scheduled to begin July 25.

Little progress reported in car show shooting: Eric Leake; Six months ago three people died in a hail of gunfire at a car rally attended by hundreds of people.

Two men killed by trains: The man, whose name and age were not released this morning, walked onto the Union Pacific Railroad tracks near Arden and Blue Diamond roads about 12:25 a.m. and turned to face the oncoming train, Sgt. Chris Jones, a Metro spokesman, said.

Experts: High oil prices may cause lasting harm: That's the view of an increasing number of economists who are beginning to reduce their growth forecasts for the third and fourth quarters. Unlike the temporary surge of 2004, which landed the economy in what Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan described as a "soft patch," oil and gasoline prices have risen enough to do more lasting harm, they say.

Gulutzan: 'We will be a playoff team': Nick Christensen; If one word could describe the 2004-05 season for the Las Vegas Wranglers, disjointed might be a good pick.

Police believe two deaths on Lamb are not related: Witnesses told police that two men ran out of an apartment complex near Lamb and Owens Avenue about 8 p.m. and exchanged gunfire. One of the men, described by police as a 22-year-old man, collapsed and died in front of a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant.

Despite limited profit, casinos repackaging poker as attraction: Matt Apuzzo; MASHANTUCKET, Conn. -- It's just another day at Foxwoods Resort Casino and the wait for a seat at a poker table is well over an hour. All 81 tables, all 810 seats at New England's only poker room, are filled.

UNLV has strong presence at tournament: Adam Candee; AUGUSTA, Ga. -- As he shaved six strokes in just 14 holes of his third round, Chad Campbell looked every bit of the player chose by his peers as the next big star.

Officials spar over plan to eliminate franchise taxes: Kirsten Searer; Source: Nevada Legislature

In '60 Minutes' interview, mob figure links cops to murders: Eric Leake; A former mob boss told the CBS television show "60 Minutes" that he hired two former New York City police detectives and Las Vegas residents for Mafia killings.

Letter: President, others sincerely believed Iraq had WMD: Cosgrove should also note: It is the murdering terrorist thugs who are killing innocent people in Iraq and around the world, and we are not blithely watching it happen, as she stated. Our soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen are in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other places to help people attain the peace, freedom and democracy they want and the world deserves.

Rogers is not alone in race to run colleges: At least six other people are in the running against Jim Rogers, the interim chancellor of the state university system, for the permanent position, search consultant Jan Greenwood said Friday.

Bill aims to ensure hospital revenue reinvested locally: Michelle Swafford; Nevada hospitals would have to ensure they were spending a portion of their revenue locally before sending money to out-of-state headquarters and would have to provide more financial information to the public if state legislators get their way.

Forecasters predict warmer temperatures: A storm system that brought snow to Reno and Denver was responsible for the winds, lower daytime temperatures and rain showers that brushed the valley until Sunday afternoon.

Bourdais shocks even himself: LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Reigning Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais picked up where he left off in 2004 by winning Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and ending Paul Tracy's two-year domination of the popular street race.

Moore stays focused, finishes with authority: Adam Candee; AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Out of contention and out of gas, Ryan Moore looked to be fading his way home Sunday afternoon at the Masters.

Odds against sports teams surviving in Atlantic City: That's what the owners of several Atlantic City-based teams are finding out.

Suspended attorney pleads guilty to forging signature of judge: Jace Radke; A suspended local attorney and son of a prominent Las Vegas developer pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to charges that he forged the signature of a federal judge.

Dream becomes reality for UFC hopefuls: In the first of two Ultimate Fighting Championships cards on successive weekends in Las Vegas, light heavyweight Rich Franklin scored a first-round TKO against veteran Ken Shamrock in the main event Saturday night at the Cox Pavilion.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Schwikert beaming about new balance: You never know who you might run into while changing channels.

Developer: Tribes to continue fight to build Colorado casino: Gov. Bill Owens has rejected the tribe's offer of $1 billion and the surrender of all land claims in exchange for acreage near the airport, but tribal officials still plan to continue their fight for the land swap, said Michael Brendzel, vice president of the Golden, Colo.-based Native American Land Group, the developer of the $400 million project.

Complaint against planner dismissed: The Nevada Commission on Ethics has dismissed a complaint against North Las Vegas Planning Commissioner Harry Shull, accused by residents of using his position to advance his proposed housing project.

Utility measures face scrutiny: Kevin Rademacher; A pair of utility-related bills on Friday faced difficult questions in debates before the Nevada Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce.

University officials continue to press lawmakers for funds: University system officials continued their quest for more money at a joint legislative finance committee hearing Friday, pledging promises of saving elsewhere.

Senate majority leader Raggio worried about athletic scholarship spending: CARSON CITY -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, wants more control over the state money going to provide athletic scholarships at UNLV and UNR.

Contemporary menu covered with Cheese: Spencer Patterson; "Who's Richard Cheese?" one asked. "Why is he such a big deal?" wondered another, glancing at the line of ticket holders snaking around the club.

Legislative briefs for April 11, 2005: A bill raising the fee by $1 for a certified copy of a death certificate has been approved by the Senate and it on its way to the Assembly.

Birth announcements for April 11, 2005: March 29:

Team captain hangs'em up: Nick Christensen; He's played for 18 teams on two continents, but Las Vegas Wranglers captain Jason McBain has one spot that he knows he belongs.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Kids at fair battle sheep disorder: A contestant in the Clark County Fair's junior livestock show, it was a pretty safe assumption Gravy's next stop wasn't to be Disneyland.