Print edition for April 25, 2005

Jackson rolls out hits at Grand Garden Arena: In this high-tech society that wakes up in a new world every day, country superstar Alan Jackson is just an old half-ton, shortbed Ford pickup, like the one in his 2002 hit "Drive."

Columnist Susan Snyder: Restaurant sends smoke signals: Except, last week.

Blood drives: April 29: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Orleans.

The Natural: Beckmann's ecological-themed artwork displayed in Washington: At one point, Peterson pulled Beckmann aside and mimicked the call of a nearby golden-crowned kinglet. Soon the two were hunkered in nearby bushes, where Peterson (of Peterson Field Guides) made a sharp kissing sound that lured the bird 3 feet down on the limb to stop and stare at them.

Hospital fire forces patients to evacuate: The blaze that created a cloud of thick, black smoke was confined to a fifth-floor maintenance area after firefighters arrived at 6:17 a.m. to the hospital on the 600 block of Shadow Lane, Szymanski said.

Editorial: A senseless slaughter: It was the first time such a slaughter had taken place since a new federal law went into effect weakening previous protections for mustangs. In December Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., was able to get legislation passed that repealed a 34-year-old ban on slaughtering wild horses, which run free across much of the West. Nevadans have a particular interest in protecting wild horses since about half of the 37,000 wild horses in the nation live in our state. Previously, the law required buyers who purchased a horse under the Bureau of Land Management's adoption program to keep the horses for at ...

Pension change has meant little to Mexican stocks: Will Weissert; MEXICO CITY -- Mexico's attempt to get workers to invest their retirement savings in the stock market is being threatened by its own success.

Sports briefs for April 25, 2005: Adam Morrissey hit a tie-breaking, bases-loaded single in the ninth inning Sunday to lead the Sacramento River Cats to a 4-3 victory against the Las Vegas 51s in West Sacramento, Calif.

UNLV women reprise 2004 performance: Adam Candee; The challenging weather in Sunriver, Ore., lived up to its billing, but so did the UNLV women's golf team.

Senate OKs homestead protection hike: CARSON CITY -- Homeowners would be able to shield up to $300,000 equity in their homes in a bankruptcy proceeding under a bill approved by the Senate on Friday.

Late payments hurt Nevadans' credit scores: Kevin Rademacher; Late payments and the excessive pursuit of new accounts are dragging down the credit scores of Nevada residents.

GM, Delta lobby against Bush's pension restructuring proposal: Jay Newton-Small; President Bush and big companies, normally the best of friends, are on a collision course over pensions.

Judge issues threat in biker case: By Matt Pordum; District Judge Donald Mosley threatened lawyers representing members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang with possible disbarment if they aren't prepared to go to trial on July 25.

Pedestrian discovers injured man: A North Las Vegas Police officer was flagged down by the pedestrian about 6 a.m. Sunday, police said.

Jury foreman says Tillman acquittal was well thought out: By Matt Pordum; The foreman of a jury that on Friday found a 22-year-old alleged gang member not guilty of fatally shooting a security guard said the verdict was well thought out.

Mandalay purchase expected to close today: By Liz Benston; MGM Mirage is expected to close its historic $7.9 billion buyout of Mandalay Resort Group by this afternoon, welcoming the Mandalay properties into the fold, company officials said this morning.

Henderson interchange ramp opens: Stephen Curran; Some commuters in the southeast valley will have reason to rejoice early Tuesday.

Letter: Environmental panel is not the place for Gibbons: Well, wasn't it just a few months back that Gibbons described those opposed to the war in Iraq as "liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals"? Didn't he suggest that using tree huggers, also known as environmentalists, as human shields in Iraq would have been a good idea? Interestingly, he made these comments despite polls showing a majority of Americans now think that the war in Iraq was a mistake.

Birth announcements for April 25, 2005: April 7:

Margarito after heavy hitters now: As complete and devastating as his performance against Kermit Cintron was Saturday, Antonio Margarito saw his victory not as a climactic scene but as a new beginning.

Cash-strapped states look to gaming to boost revenue: Carl Manning; TOPEKA, Kan. -- Like counterparts in other states, Kansas lawmakers are shaking the money tree extra hard to find enough dollars to avoid raising taxes or cutting services.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Pletcher adds to Derby stable; Baffert and Servis out: Ralph Siraco; With fewer than seven weeks before this year's Kentucky Derby, trainer Todd Pletcher was still searching for a Derby contender from the record 34 nominees under his care. Coming off an Eclipse Award-winning year, it was a little disconcerting to have more horses than any other trainer eligible to compete in America's most famous horse race and yet have no real contenders. This, while trainer Nick Zito was cultivating one-fourth the occupancy in the precious 20-horse starting gate of Derby hopefuls.

Plan for weekly trash pickup still alive: By Timothy Pratt; It appears the idea of cutting back on the number of days garbage is picked up may not be trashed after all, and instead could be recycled in the near future.

Laughlin motorcycle rally purrs to a halt: Eric Leake; It was easy riding at the weekend's Laughlin River Run motorcycle rally.

Ex-administrator pays price for conduct at CCSN: Smith, formerly the dean of Arts and Letters, resigned from the college last month as part of his plea agreement with the Nevada attorney general's office. He paid a $500 court fine and $9,126 in restitution to the college on Friday for giving student Julie Bruton a campus job for which she was not qualified without having conducted a proper candidate search, Senior Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen said.

Accounting firm settles lawsuit on WorldCom: Larry Neumeister; NEW YORK -- Arthur Andersen has reached a settlement with WorldCom investors who had accused the company's former outside auditor of violating securities laws by failing to protect them from WorldCom's historic $11 billion accounting fraud.

Las Vegas Domino's Pizza race-bias case to get Supreme Court hearing: The U.S. Supreme Court will use a case involving Domino's Pizza Inc. to consider the scope of a federal civil rights law that bars discrimination in business contracts.

Nevada problem gambling bill receives strong support: AP; "I do not overstate the situation when I say this truly could be a lifesaver and in many other cases a home, job, family and incarceration-saver," said Craig Swope, a recovering compulsive gambler who attends Gamblers Anonymous meetings. "This is a problem that can't be dealt with by a simple decision to stop on one's own."

New F-1 management group hints of changes coming at top: Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Bayerische Landesbank and JPMorgan Chase & Co., which together own 75 percent of Formula One's commercial rights, are considering making management changes in the sport, according to team officials.

Feds indict reputed mob figures in string of murders: Mike Robinson; CHICAGO -- Fourteen reputed mob members and associates have been indicted on charges of plotting at least 18 murders including that of former mob kingpin Tony Spilotro, federal officials announced today.

18-year-old arrested in fatal shooting: Shawn Glover of North Las Vegas was arrested on charges of murder with a deadly weapon. The arrest took place at a house in the 3000 block of Milton Place, North Las Vegas Police spokesman Tim Bedwell said.

Las Vegas companies make shortlist for Singapore casino: Yoolim Lee and Linus Chua; Fourteen casino operators have been invited by the Singapore government to make final bids for the city-state's casino-resort projects, the tourism board said.

Legislative briefs for April 25, 2005: Fast-food and other restaurants would be protected from lawsuits blaming them for patrons' weight gain or obesity under a bill approved by the Senate and sent to the Assembly.

Pedestrian killed on Sahara ID'd: Hamm was hit by a vehicle that drove away, police said.

Letter: GOP's extremism knows no bounds: This is open defiance by the extremist Bush administration of constitutionally protected separation of powers.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: MWC slate builds confidence for Rebels: It had been a few weeks since I last looked in on the UNLV baseball team, which has taken its usual spot among the teams to beat in the upcoming Mountain West Conference baseball tournament. Provided, of course, there is a plural when it comes to teams to beat.

Three arrested in series of convenience store heists: Metro robbery detectives and a SWAT unit moved into a southern Las Vegas area on Friday with search warrants. Jerry McClain, who allegedly attempted to flee, was apprehended by SWAT officers after a brief struggle on Friday, police said.

Study sides with residents on new southern corridor: A federal environmental study has tabbed a $345 million southern route that bypasses Boulder City as the alternative for upgrading U.S. 93 to the Nevada border.

World's best rider easily wins show jumping title: Jeff Butler; The 2005 World Cup Finals in show jumping and dressage ended Sunday with two veteran winners emerging as champions. Netherlands veteran Anky van Grunsven, riding Keltec Salinero, won the dressage competition and German rider Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, riding Shutterfly, walked away with the title of World Cup Finals jumping champion.

Licensing changes for locals casinos examined: Stephen Curran; A solution to the controversy surrounding neighborhood casinos may lie in creating a new licensing category, members of a Clark County committee studying the subject said Friday.

Company buying Premcor: Valero, the third biggest in the U.S. now, will pay $3.4 billion in cash and issue $3.5 billion in stock, the companies said in a statement today. Holders of Premcor can sell each of their shares for 0.99 Valero share or $72.76 in cash, 23 percent more than Friday's closing price.

Apparent attack on woman at apartments investigated: About 4 a.m. a man had come home to the Eastgate Apartments, 3055 Nellis Blvd., and found his girlfriend bleeding from her head, police said. There was also a lot of blood near a vehicle in a covered parking spot within the complex, leading police to believe she may have been attacked in the parking lot, police said.

World Poker Tour crowns champion: By Liz Benston; More than seven grueling hours after the kickoff of the World Poker Tour Championship at the Bellagio resort Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles resident Tuan Le took home the top prize of $2.9 million in what has become the world's most expensive poker tournament.

Priorities in order: Steve Guiremand; For UNLV linebacker Adam Seward, nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina.

Community briefs for April 25, 2005: As part of its annual Spring Lecture Series, UNLV's student government will present "An Evening with New York Gov. George Pataki" at 7 p.m. Thursday in the South Gym of the McDermott Physical Education Complex on the UNLV campus.

Four valley spas earn high rankings: Jennifer Shubinski; It may come as no surprise to the pampered: Four of the country's top spas are located in the Las Vegas Valley.

Lawuit alleges developer wrongly used information: Jennifer Shubinski; Sasson Hallier Properties LLC, the company building the now-under-construction Panorama Towers, is suing the Related Cos. for allegedly wrongfully retaining and using its confidential and proprietary information.

Shaq lets his mates do job: Most of the talk before the New Jersey Nets' first-round playoff series with the Heat was about how the Nets would try to defend Shaquille O'Neal, Miami's 7-foot-1, 325-pound behemoth of a center.

New IRS building touted as boon for downtown LV: Stephen Curran; State and local officials this morning unveiled a new government building billed as a "vital component" to downtown revitalization.

Obituaries for April 25, 2005: Penny Lee Blake, 45, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in Las Vegas. She was born Dec. 4, 1959, in Las Vegas. A lifelong resident, she was an administrative assistant in the real estate industry.

Help for problem gamblers urged: CARSON CITY -- A former compulsive gambler, who stole from his employer and wrote bum checks to fuel his habit, urged a Senate Committee today to allocate up to $3 million to help problem gamblers.

Merger talks confirmed: "In response to various inquiries and numerous speculative articles by the press, America West Airlines today confirmed that it is currently in discussions with US Airways regarding a potential merger," the company said in a statement released Friday afternoon.

Editorial: Future shock for state park: Last week a majority of the Las Vegas City Council voted in favor of a plan to assume ownership of the park from the state. Under the deal, the city would own 680 acres and the state would transfer its lease of 1,050 federal acres surrounding the park to the city. The deal calls for leaving just 60 of the 680 acres the way they are now -- restricted to passive uses such as fishing and hiking. On the other 620 acres, despite Mack's previous assurance, the city would be free to build ball fields and develop other recreation areas ...

Deputy city attorney cleared of claims of double dipping: A Henderson assistant deputy city attorney has been cleared of accusations that she conducted a private practice while on the city time clock.

Teacher, Nellis win EPA honors: "The EPA applauds the outstanding achievements of these environmental heroes," said Nastri. "Thanks to their efforts, our air, water and land will be cleaner and safer for generations to come."