Print edition for April 21, 2005

Summer camps available for children of deployed military: Dick Benoit; Registration for "Operation Purple" summer camps for children of deployed service members is now open according to a release from the American Forces Press Service, citing the National Military Family Association.

Utilities lose round against Enron: Kevin Rademacher; A federal judge has affirmed a portion of a March 2004 U.S. Bankruptcy Court decision that ordered Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas and Sierra Pacific Power Co. of Reno to pay Enron Corp. $336 million, but the legal battle is far from over.

Editorial: Nothing but the best: The outrageous purchases, made in 2003 for the agency's new crisis-operations center in a suburb of Washington, didn't stop with art work and silk plants. The Homeland Security Department's inspector general, who uncovered the expenditures, also reports that the new building has seven kitchens and a top-of-the-line fitness center that cost $350,000 -- all for 79 full-time employees. There is no justification for such high living with taxpayer dollars -- and it's even more infuriating in light of another report by the inspector general that found the agency still is having difficulty meeting its core mission. The Transportation Security Administration, ...

Santana to receive BMI award: Spencer Patterson; Few Latin artists have influenced popular music the way Carlos Santana has over the past half-century.

NYSE, rival plan to merge: Erik Schatzker and Philip Boroff; The New York Stock Exchange will merge with Archipelago Holdings Inc. in a transaction that speeds the Big Board's push into electronic trading and transforms the 212-year-old institution into a public, for-profit company.

County Commission approves The Curve: Stephen Curran; The Clark County Commission on Wednesday gave the design of two 18-story towers in southwest Las Vegas a unanimous thumbs up, while sending another plan back to the drawing board.

Ohio congressman failed to report tribe's donation: Malia Rulon; WASHINGTON -- Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, held a campaign fund raiser at a Washington Wizards basketball game two years ago but failed to report the use of a $1,500 luxury suite leased to an Indian tribe, according to amended campaign finance reports filed this week.

Time Warner, Comcast seal deal on purchase: The deal beat out a last-minute bid by Cablevision Systems Corp., a New York-area cable TV company, and still faces several steps before closing, including approval by regulators and bankruptcy court.

Stratosphere awaiting OK to open thrill ride: A wind gust of 61 mph prompted the ride, called Insanity, to automatically shut down abound 12:45 a.m. Thursday with two girls on it. The girls, ages 11 and 16, were stuck on the ride until 2:05 a.m., stranded, but strapped in, about 900 feet above the ground.

Sports briefs for April 21, 2005: Top-seeded Andy Roddick defeated unseeded Robby Ginepri 7-6 (6), 6-4 Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston.

Conforming to Disabilities Act is costly: North Las Vegas is negotiating a settlement with the Justice Department that will cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars to address violations of a 1990 federal law requiring local governments to improve access for the disabled to government facilities and programs.

LV plans affordable housing: The program, called a Community Land Trust, would essentially have the city subsidize home purchases in return for homebuyers being bound to sell the home below market value, city Neighborhood Services Director Orlando Sanchez said.

Only one group bids on Indiana casino project: Deanna Wrenn; INDIANAPOLIS -- The deadline for applications for the Orange County casino license dropped by Donald Trump's company passed Wednesday with no additional applications.

Costs from acquisition cited as Caesars profit falls 30 percent: By Liz Benston; Profit at Caesars Entertainment Inc. fell 30 percent in the first quarter because of costs related to the sale of the company to Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which is expected to close its purchase by the end of June.

Olsen is a treasure for CCSN: Community College of Southern Nevada sophomore Shawn Olsen received an abundance of off-season attention as one of top pitching prospects in junior college baseball.

Rupe taken out after straining muscles: Nick Christensen; Las Vegas 51s starting pitcher Ryan Rupe exited in the second inning of his team's eventual 8-3 loss Wednesday after straining his left intercostals muscles -- the muscle area between the ribs.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Grateful Prudhomme pushes crew chief into spotlight: Don Prudhomme used the occasion of his 100th NHRA victory as a driver and team owner to show a little love for Dick LaHaie, the veteran crew chief who is largely responsible for Prudhomme's two Top Fuel championships with driver Larry Dixon.

Suspects in robberies are apprehended: Another suspect, possibly armed, was still at large this morning, Metro Police spokesman Officer Bill Cassell said.

Murder conviction is upheld: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Taiwan Allen, found guilty of fatally shooting his live-in girlfriend in Las Vegas and then leaving her four children in the home alone with the corpse for five days.

Community briefs for April 21, 2005: The UNLV Psychology Department is seeking local residents between the ages of 65 and 85 to participate in two new research studies being conducted by the cognition in aging research group.

Obituaries for April 21, 2005: Patricia L. Adams, 57, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. She was born June 13, 1947, in Evanston, Ill. A resident for many years, she was an administrative secretary at a hotel and an Army veteran.

Dressage, showjumping champs being crowned together for first time: Jeff Butler; Schedule

Industrial to become Dean Martin Drive: Stephen Curran; Dean Martin becomes the latest 20th century crooner whose name will be enshrined in the minds -- and maps -- of those who come to Las Vegas to visit or to stay.

Sun earns award for coverage in sniper case: The Sun was honored for its coverage of the March 17, 2004, arrest of Charles A. McCoy, the alleged Ohio sniper, in Las Vegas.

Aybar increases his value by mastering all infield positions: Nick Christensen; They've moved him from shortstop to second to third, and each time Willy Aybar has shown the Dodgers something worth moving him up for.

One Woman Show: Bloom brings impressive stage credentials to UNLV: At 21 she was Juliet at London's Old Vic theater. Then came the roles of Viola, Gertrude, Rosalind, Katherine of Aragon and Cleopatra.

Armstrong outlasted at the wire: ROME, Ga. -- Lance Armstrong's charge over the final 2.5 miles of Wednesday's Dodge Tour de Georgia stage 2 was not enough. The peloton rolled into Rome for three loops in the city center. Armstrong was surrounded by his Discovery Channel teammates on the final lap, but one by one they fell off Armstrong's side leaving him to fend off Gerolsteiner team members Peter Wrolich and Levi Leipheimer by himself.

CCSN gets chemistry right in time for run: CCSN in six years under coach Tim Chambers:

Sky's the limit: Jeff Neubert; She has a .557 batting average, 33 RBIs, a 1.000 fielding percentage, four home runs, a 1.06 ERA in 66 2/3 innings, 118 strikeouts, and averages 1.78 strikeouts per inning pitched.

Columnist Jeff Haney: 'Quiet Man' Ruiz questions opponent's credentials: James Toney, who meets WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz on April 30 at Madison Square Garden, burst into boxing's signature division only a year and a half ago -- yet he has enjoyed a quick ride to the top.

Preps: Softball Top 10: Compiled by the Las Vegas Sun and the Sparks Tribune

Mortgage giants tell Congress companies on right course: Marcy Gordon; WASHINGTON -- The heads of embattled mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac assured Congress Wednesday that the companies are on the right course following their recent accounting scandals and opposed legally mandated limits on their combined $1.5 trillion mortgage portfolios.

News briefs for April 21, 2005: A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted a man for allegedly bringing a minor to Las Vegas from Phoenix for prostitution and for using the money the minor earned to finance two homes in Las Vegas.

Appeal dismissed in case of wife who plotted murder: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of Susanne D. Carno, sentenced to consecutive life terms in prison for successfully plotting her husband's murder in Las Vegas in an effort to collect on a $500,000 insurance policy.

Spring final: 50 percent: Steve Guiremand; Mike Sanford celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday. And on Friday night at Sam Boyd Stadium, he will hit another milestone: the end of his first spring practice as a college head football coach.

Letter: More examples of wasted money: Is there something wrong here? We elect these people to spend tax dollars the best way, and then they turn around and show they can waste it. Then they have the gall to ask for more. This just shows that the more goverment takes away from you, the more it wants.

Goodman wants state law banning nuke waste transport: Dan Kulin; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Wednesday that he wants a state law banning the transportation of radioactive waste through Nevada, a law similar to the city's ordinance.

Editorial: No funding, no mandates: Nevada's experience is typical of other states. There are 126 schools here on a "watch list" for failing to make "adequate yearly progress" for one year, and another 122 schools labeled as "needing improvement" for failing to make adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years. Each of these schools, under NCLB, is mandated to undertake several costly programs to improve their performance. But where is the money for this? It's not in the state's education budget, and it's not forthcoming from Washington.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Environment suffering exhaustion: The bad news is they have good reasons for worrying, the Gallup Tuesday Briefing report says.

Pediatrician pleads not guilty to porn charges: By Matt Pordum; A 32-year-old Las Vegas pediatrician pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to 70 charges related to allegations he sexual assaulted and photographed children under the age of 14.

Letter: Beers' plan would effectively limit excess spending: The untruths began right in the opening paragraph. A dictionary defines "modest" as "not large, extreme or excessive." You define the increase in taxes two years ago as "modest." In fact, however, the $833 million increase was the largest in the history of Nevada.

Takeover of Floyd Lamb State Park is approved: Dan Kulin; A divided Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday narrowly supported the city taking over Floyd Lamb State Park, with opponents saying they were concerned about the cost of maintaining the large park and supporters saying this is the city's chance to preserve the park for future generations.

NHP defends analysis of crash: By Matt Pordum; The Nevada Highway Patrol said Wednesday it stands by its determination that a man whose car caused a rock to fly through the windshield of a woman's car, killing her, was driving 97 mph and not the 69 to 71 mph a recent reconstruction of the incident suggested.

Deterrence program teaches grim lessons: Jen Lawson; Wearing paper shower caps, face masks, plastic gowns, gloves and booties over their shoes, a group of teens files into the "cooler" -- a back room at the Clark County coroner's office where unidentified bodies are stored.

Ancient habitat stands in way of modern living: Mary Manning and Launce Rake; And those images and related evidence of ancient human habitation in the cliffs west of Las Vegas are complicating Howard Hughes Corp.'s efforts to develop the 8,000-acre, 30,000-home Summerlin West.

Collision claims life of driver who wore no seat belt: David Kihara; A man was killed Wednesday night when the 1996 Ford pickup truck he was driving collided with another vehicle that had sped through a stop sign at Cimarron and Spring Mountain roads, police said.

Russian family still hoping to avert deportation: By Emily Richmond; A family of Las Vegas figure skaters facing deportation to their native Russia has adopted a familiar American expression as its motto: hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

U.S. Census expects Nevada's population to double by 2030: The study calculated that Nevada will experience a 114 percent population increase over the tally of the 2000 Census, an increase of 2.3 million people, which will result in a statewide population of 4.3 million. The lion's share of that increase will be in Southern Nevada, experts say.

Legislative briefs for April 21, 2005: A legislative budget committee today rejected a plan to give state money to the three local health districts in Nevada.

IGT earnings drop as demand sinks: Quarterly profit for slot machine giant International Game Technology fell 20 percent because of weak demand for replacement units, the company said today.

McCarran donates metal detectors to area schools: McCarran International Airport is donating 23 walk-through metal detectors to the Clark County School District today, officials said.

Gaming briefs for April 21, 2005: Attorney General Patricia Madrid said Wednesday the courts probably would strike down an agreement barring any future Dona Ana County Commission from opposing a proposed Jemez Pueblo casino in southern New Mexico.

Pernod to buy Allied Domecq: As part of the transaction, Fortune Brands Inc., the U.S. maker of Jim Beam bourbon, will buy Allied Domecq brands including Canadian Club whisky and some distribution operations from Pernod for 2.8 billion pounds, Pernod Chairman Patrick Ricard said in Paris today. Pernod shares rose to a record.

Vegas hospital operator's earnings beat expectations: Geraldine Ryerson-Cruz; HCA Inc., the largest U.S. hospital chain and a major player in the Las Vegas market, said first-quarter profit rose 20 percent, more than analysts estimated, as the company treated more patients and reduced losses from unpaid bills.

Tropicana helps Aztar to double first-quarter profit: By Liz Benston; First-quarter profit more than doubled for the owner of the Tropicana resort in Las Vegas but still missed analysts' expectations because of a less than impressive performance in Atlantic City.