Print edition for April 19, 2005

Sports briefs for April 19, 2005: On a day ideal for spectators but too warm for runners, and with a headwind that at times became discouraging, an Ethiopian man won the Boston Marathon, America's showcase race, for the first time since 1989. The winner, by 180 yards, was 25-year-old Ehtopian Hailu Negussie in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 45 seconds, the slowest winning time since 1987. The Kenyan men, who had won 13 of the last 14 versions of this Patriot's Day race, placed second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Takefuji gave us something new to see: Unless you count the windmill hole at the local putt-putt, I had never witnessed a 12 in golf until Thursday, when Chris Johnson, a veteran on the LPGA tour, took that many shots to hole out out on the Par 5 No. 9 hole at Las Vegas Country Club during the first round of Takefuji Classic.

Letter: Teachers are grossly underpaid: The building funds come from building bonds that were approved by the voters specifically for new educational facilities and have little to do with the funds that are needed to teach our children, mainly funds for teacher pay, textbooks, support materials and supplies. And when they continue with their rhetoric on how our state teachers' pay is at the national average, well that is like a comparison of a rotten apple to another rotten apple.

Legislative briefs for April 19, 2005: Homeless people would not have to pay to get a new copy of their birth certificate or driver's license under Assembly Bill 84, passed Monday by the Assembly.

New home prices top $300,000: When apartment-to-condo conversions are included into the equation, the median price of a new house in March was $291,000, SalesTraq reported.

Penny rocks Sox: Nick Christensen; Cashman Field Radio: all games on 1460-AM and 870-AM

Wind advisory issued for Las Vegas Valley: Under windy conditions local clouds of blowing dust or valley-wide dust storms can occur. Airborne dust is a form of inhalable air pollution particles, which aggravates those with respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma.

Poker tournament kicks off at Bellagio: Poker tournament kicks off at Bellagio

MGM Mirage reports rosy profit, outlook: By Liz Benston; MGM Mirage officials said the company shattered profit records at several Las Vegas Strip resorts in the first quarter and that the remainder of the year also looks strong.

Mint to make new coin with more gold: Martin Crutsinger; WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Mint announced today it will begin producing a new 24-karat gold bullion coin early next year, hoping to capitalize on growing international demand for purer gold coins.

Heller bringing in funds to run for Gibbons' post: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller, who intends to run for Jim Gibbons' congressional seat, made a flurry of phone calls to donors in the last few days of March to net a total of nearly $120,000 in the first three months of the year, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Company forging ahead with plans for high rise in Arts District: Jennifer Shubinski; A Las Vegas real estate investor wants to bring some "color" to downtown Las Vegas and plans on building a 38-story condominium tower called H.U.E. Lofts in the city's Arts District.

Bill tackles payday loan abuse: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- The Assembly is expected to vote on two bills this week designed to curtail payday loans.

Lawmakers debate digital conversion for televisions: When the United States converts to digital broadcasting from the existing analog system, people could wake up one day, turn on their televisions and see a blank screen.

Regents impressed with chancellor candidate list: Nevada university system Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers' competitors for the permanent job are now public.

Wynn offers inside look at new resort: By Jeff Simpson; Wynn Las Vegas opens to the public in less than nine days, and the inside of the $2.7 billion megaresort already looks spectacular.

Gaming briefs for April 19, 2005: Aristocrat Leisure Ltd., the world's second-largest maker of slot machines, had its credit rating raised one level to 'BB+' from 'BB' by Standard & Poor's, which cited improved cash flow, cost management and lower debt.

Justice center builder likely out: Stephen Curran; The Clark County Commission was expected today to remove the embattled construction company in charge of building the much delayed Regional Justice Center, moving one step closer to opening its doors, county manager Thom Reilly said.

Housing body runs big deficit: David Kihara; The North Las Vegas Housing Authority could face foreclosure on a $20 million low-cost housing project and is facing multiple financial problems, including a nearly $400,000 deficit in its 2004 budget, according to a recent audit of the agency.

Bank of America posts higher first-quarter profit: Bank of America Corp.'s first-quarter earnings rose sharply from a year ago as the nation's No. 3 bank benefited from its acquisition of FleetBoston as well as strong commercial loan growth and deposit growth.

Control Board member offers regulation lesson: Keeping up with rapidly changing technology is the biggest challenge facing gaming regulators, a state Gaming Control Board member told a class of UNLV law students Monday.

Rogers hits lawmakers up for another $94 million: CARSON CITY -- Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers urged a legislative budget committee today to provide $94 million more than is in Gov. Kenny Guinn's budget for construction projects at the University and Community College System of Nevada.

Hotel inspection was delayed by 'worker's error': Dan Kulin; A three-week gap between a complaint and full inspection of a downtown Las Vegas hotel co-owned by the mayor's son occurred because a city inspector made a computer error, a city official said.

Riviera's staying power on display: By Liz Benston; Within months of opening its doors in April 1955, the Riviera hotel and casino went bankrupt -- the fallout of a glut of casinos that opened around the same time.

MGM Mirage announces big plans for Macau casinos: Liz Benston and Richard N. Velotta; MGM Mirage said today the government of Macau has granted a subconcession to a joint venture with business partner Pansy Ho Chiu-king to build a $975 million casino resort in the Chinese province, which is poised to overtake the Las Vegas Strip in gambling revenue. The company also expects to build up to three casinos with Ho.

Columnist Jeff German: After delay, justice is served: They're looking to kick the slow-moving general contractor, AF Construction, off the jobsite and assign county workers to finish work on the 17-story complex, which is more than three years behind schedule.

NAB speakers urge broadcasters to keep pace with technology: Kevin Rademacher; At the opening ceremony of the National Association of Broadcasters convention, the keynote speech was given by someone who admittedly has nothing to do with broadcasting -- at least not on the surface.

Fight between Florida tourist and girlfriend turns violent: Omniel Ortiz, 28, was taken into custody on charges of attempted murder and first-degree kidnapping after a hotel security officer witnessed Ortiz attacking the woman in the hallway outside their room, according to a police report.

Public Works chief named among top: His department has also earned the association's accreditation, the 23rd public works department in the nation and the first city in Nevada to earn the status.

Man shot in 7-Eleven parking lot: The victim was taken to University Medical Center and is expected to survive, said Tim Bedwell, spokesman for the North las Vegas Police.

Strip club customer arrested after argument lands in parking lot: Police said the incident started when 39-year-old Royal Jackson of Las Vegas became "verbally aggressive" toward a bartender at the club.

Cuban, Maloof support Vegas bid: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had a brief response to a Monday inquiry about the NBA exploring Las Vegas as a potential site for its 2007 All-Star Game.

New Internet 'sweepstakes' raises questions in Wyoming: Dan Lewerenz; CASPER, Wyo. -- Every morning, D.R. "Doc" Carson makes his way to this city's newest Internet cafe and pulls up a chair in front of a terminal. He skips the keyboard, choosing instead to use the touch-screen monitor. He usually stays until around 5 p.m., when his wife gets home.

Immunization schedule for April 19, 2005: RAFAEL RIVERA COMMUNITY CENTER: 2900 Stewart Ave., noon-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Developer seeks continued blasting: A developer is seeking an injunction allowing it to resume blasting halted by Henderson in March after area residents complained vibrations damaged their homes.

Community briefs for April 19, 2005: A skin care/make-up workshop will begin 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the North Las Vegas Library, 2300 Civic Center Drive, North Las Vegas.

Wholesale prices rise 0.7 percent in March: Martin Crutsinger; WASHINGTON -- Inflation at the wholesale level, propelled by a surge in the price of gasoline and other energy products, shot up 0.7 percent in March, the government reported today. It was the biggest jump in five months.

Nevada professors top national average in pay: Faculty at both UNLV and UNR make slightly more money than the national average, but several thousand more than their peers in other Mountain West states, according to a new report released Monday by the American Association of University Professors.

Star-studded lineup has navigated Riviera: By Jerry Fink; When Michael Bolton performs as part of the Riviera's 50th birthday celebration Friday, he will be on hallowed entertainment ground.

NRC's Jaczko set to appear before panel: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Greg Jaczko will appear before a Senate committee this week for a belated confirmation hearing.

Peete hired as co-host of sports show: Rodney Peete's 16-year NFL career came to an end Monday when Fox Sports Net hired the quarterback as a regular co-host on "Best Damn Sports Show Period."

Trial ordered in immigrant's killing: By Matt Pordum; A 19-year-old man accused of killing a 22-year-old man pleaded not guilty on Monday to murder.

Jury gets case in housing guard's death: By Matt Pordum; After three weeks of testimony, a jury was to begin deliberating this morning about whether a 22-year-old alleged gang member killed a security guard outside a Las Vegas Housing Authority complex last year.

Letter: More local input needed to write homeless plan: Phil Mangano, executive director of the federal Interagency Council on Homelessness, travels about the United States trying to get cities to adopt 10-year plans to end homelessness. He and other attendees stayed at the Ritz-Carlon Hotel, Lake Las Vegas. They were transported to the conference in downtown Las Vegas by limousine, at a cost of more than $600. Why didn't they stay downtown, in the area of the homeless corridor? Why didn't they have Paula Haynes-Green, our regional homeless coordinator, set up a tour of homeless areas?

Obituaries for April 19, 2005: Sharon Jean Bilo, 52, of Las Vegas died April 7 in Las Vegas. A resident for 48 years, she was born July 18, 1952, in California.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Youth is served by magazine: This does not mean running off to Borders for the latest psychobabble from another middle-aged "expert" who wants to retire by telling you how to relate to your kids.

Editorial: Armstrong's triumph: Nowadays it's not easy finding professional athletes who not only are the best at what they do but who also serve as extraordinary role models. Armstrong is one such individual, who surely will be remembered as the greatest athlete in his sport and one who defined what true sportsmanship is all about.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Allegiant returns favor to local racer with sponsorship: Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air will sponsor local racer Spencer Clark in Thursday night's NASCAR Grand National, West Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Court upholds prosecution in both state and federal courts: CARSON CITY --In a ruling on a Las Vegas case, a federal appeals court held that a person can be prosecuted by both the state and federal government for the same offense without violating the double jeopardy protection.

Preps: Today's schedule: All times 3:30 p.m. unless noted: Spring Valley at Clark, Bonanza at Durango 6 p.m., Western at Sierra Vista, Cimarron-Memorial at Las Vegas, Virgin Valley at Pahrump Valley 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Beatty at Indian Springs 3 p.m., Spring Mountain Youth Camp at Round Mountain 3 p.m., Faith Lutheran at Boulder City 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., Needles at Laughlin 2 p.m., Moapa Valley at Lincoln County 3 p.m.

All Rivved Up: Strip survivor Riviera celebrating birthday No. 50: The venerable Riviera, a relatively modest hotel-casino by Las Vegas' new standards, celebrates its 50th birthday Wednesday.

Editorial: A proposal that stinks: The company is trying to make it sound as if this new approach really isn't a reduction in service. But the fact is that this is a reduction in garbage collection, pure and simple. It also should be noted that while customer service would take a hit under the plan, the company would stand to profit from reduced labor and transportation costs. For example, during a typical two-week span under Republic Service's proposal, the company would make four pickups (two garbage and two recycling) instead of the current five pickups (four garbage and one recycling) -- producing significant savings for ...

Ebbers asks court for new trial: In a motion filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, Ebbers requested "a new trial in the interest of justice." The request came after jurors convicted Ebbers of masterminding an $11 billion fraud that brought down WorldCom.