Print edition for August 8, 2005

Lightning sparks six new wildfires in area: Dry lightning storms sweeping toward Las Vegas from the west and the southwest sparked six new wildfires in surrounding Southern Nevada mountains Sunday.

City bearing down on illegal used car lots: Stephen Curran; People wanting to report a code violation may call the Las Vegas Neighborhood Response Line at 229-6615.

Transportation safety facility to open: Metro Police and Las Vegas officials today are opening a new Transportation Safety Bureau in a remodeled building at St. Louis Avenue and Atlantic Street.

Campaign consultant wins payment fight: A campaign consultant who was sued by former Las Vegas City Council candidate Steve "Devil Dog" Sanson over a payment dispute has prevailed in a Clark County Justice Court small claims case.

Siegelman says he would negotiate casino compact: Phillip Rawls; MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Former Gov. Don Siegelman said Friday that if he were Alabama's next governor, he would try to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Creek Indians that would allow them to operate full-fledged casinos, provided they paid substantial money to the state.

Teachings of Islam explored during seminar: Eric Leake; Aslam Abdullah concluded a three-day seminar on Islam and nonviolence Sunday by saying Osama bin Laden is not his spokesman.

News briefs for August 8, 2005: Metro Police are searching for a 29-year-old woman whom they believe stabbed another woman to death Saturday in an alley on the 2500 block of East Charleston Boulevard, Metro stated.

Prospective jurors can go online: The District Court activated eJuror on Friday, giving prospective jurors a tool in addition to the phone to respond to a summons.

Tribe nearing end of fight for recognition: Jay Lindsay; MASHPEE, Mass. -- Next spring, nearly four centuries after the Mashpee Wampanoag welcomed the Pilgrims to the New England wilderness, the federal government will finally say for the first time whether the tribe officially exists.

Mother of 23-year-old man killed by Kane calls on lawmakers: By Matt Pordum; The mother of the man killed by Michael Kane stood on the courthouse steps Friday and asked Gov. Kenny Guinn and the Legislature to "call a special session and show you care about your citizens."

Tribe announces casino deal: The agreement calls for NORAM Inc. to bankroll the complex, projected to cost $18 million to $20 million and create 60 to 75 permanent jobs on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation southwest of Havre.

Officers cleared in woman's death: Jen Lawson; Four Henderson Police officers were justified in shooting and killing a woman who raised a sawed-off shotgun toward them in June, a coroner's inquest jury decided Friday.

State shuts down Internet gaming site: The Division of Special Revenue blocked Connecticut patrons from parimutuel waging on eBet USA. Last month, the agency told Foxwoods to stop a promotion on the Web that regulators believed was a type of Internet gambling.

Two boys wounded in accidental shootings: David Kihara; Two boys were wounded in separate accidental shootings less than a half-hour apart on Sunday morning in Las Vegas, Metro Police said.

Letter: Best of luck for new era at Sun: Many thanks are due to the Greenspun family for its years of publishing the Sun. The pleasure and benefit of having had two separate weekday newspapers in Las Vegas has been a very special and appreciated situation for many readers.

Editorial: Another Yucca danger: Last week the NRC released its conclusions about armed Nellis warplanes training so close to the nation's proposed dump for high-level nuclear waste. It said the Energy Department, in planning for Yucca Mountain, failed to properly consider risk factors involving Nellis and its training flights. It did not accurately count the number of plane crashes in the vicinity of Yucca during the last decade, nor did it consider the possibilities associated with stray ordnance striking the waste facility, the NRC concluded.

Doctor describes effects of radiation on unborn: Even 60 years after the August days when the United States dropped atomic bombs on two Japanese cities to end World War II, the tension continues over President Harry Truman's decision to bomb and the future of nuclear weapons.

The Crack of Dom: Irreverent Irrera brings stand-up tour to Riviera: Kirk Baird; He's much too busy working on his stand-up material, he says, than to worry about headlining a pedestrian series in which, "my father dies and on his deathbed I promise him to stay home and care for my mother and the laundromat."

Special 'Splash' planned for LV history: The l benefit performance will be from 5:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Riviera.

Busch unhappy with 10th place: INDIANAPOLIS -- A top-10 finish by a rookie in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard is something to be proud of -- unless you feel you had a top-five car.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Students' comfort is our bag: First, classes always seem to begin just about the same time we figure out which 15 mph speed limit zones are for nine-month schools, and therefore can avoid slowing down and the near-miss rear-end collision with the woman yapping on the phone in the Urban Assault Vehicle behind us.

Names in the game for August 8, 2005: Eagles running back Brian Westbrook ended his weeklong holdout and reported to training camp today.

Zany Zoo picnic to benefit kids: The event will feature prizes, stuff animals, books information will be available about education and health programs of Sunrise Children's Foundation. Lunch and snacks will also be available to purchase. Call 731-8373.

Sugar Water Festival great for Scott: Spencer Patterson; Queen Latifah came in with unmatched credentials; Erykah Badu with heaps of critical acclaim.

Deal leads to trading charges: The Securities and Exchange Commission moved swiftly in response to rumors of unusual trading activity in Reebok options in the two days prior to the Aug. 3 news that German shoemaker Adidas was buying Reebok. The agency on Friday charged a 63-year old Croatian with inside trading, citing "highly profitable and suspicious trades."

Condo crush lures foreign investment: Adrian Sainz; MIAMI -- They have thought-provoking names like Opera, Axis and The Venture, condominiums that will line Miami's bayfront skyline.

Letter: Treat poorly paid teachers more kindly: Another controversial topic is starting pay. What critics don't understand is that the salary schedule for teachers is based on experience working for the district, not for prior teaching experience. This means that teachers who move to Clark County with previous experience are still paid starting wages. This is not the way to lure experienced teachers.

French Lick to break ground for casino Tuesday: Actual earth-moving on the project work won't begin until October, but Tuesday's ceremony in French Lick comes after local officials and Blue Sky Casino executives signed off on an agreement that details how Orange County communities will benefit from the casino project.

Editorial: Test scores versus salary: The former Clark County schools superintendent, Carlos Garcia, who resigned last month, earned a base salary of $212,000. The new figure represents an increase of nearly 37 percent, which School Board members say they feel should be enough incentive to attract outstanding candidates. The base salary does not include health benefits and perquisites such as housing and car allowances and performance bonuses.

Mountain dwellers come out against resort: Dozens of people went to Mount Charleston on Saturday for the annual Festival in the Pines at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort. This year, many of those attending also took a swing at a resort proposed for a few miles down the mountain.

Rate bump expected as economy gains steam: Economists expect the Fed's policymaking Federal Open Market Committee, which has been raising rates in quarter-point increments for more than a year, to continue its campaign until its target for short-term rates is 4 percent or higher.

Sports briefs for August 8, 2005: Kate Ziegler led all the way in winning the 1,500-meter freestyle by 10 1/2 seconds Sunday on the last night of the U.S. Summer Nationals.

Birth announcements for August 8, 2005: July 27:

High court to take up West Warwick casino proposal: The casino would be a partnership of the Narragansett Indian tribe and Las Vegas-based Harrah's Entertainment.

Obituaries for August 8, 2005: Joan M. Catherman, 65, of Las Vegas died July 31 in Las Vegas. She was born April 27, 1940, in Philadelphia. A resident for eight years, she was employed at the Mirage and loved spending time with her dog Lucy.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Day will remain active in racing off the saddle: Ralph Siraco; The rumors started materializing on Wednesday when Churchill Downs officials notified the press that a special announcement was scheduled for the next morning concerning the Hall of Fame rider. His longtime agent and friend, Doc Danner, confirmed the news soon after the news conference, just saying, "He is retiring." Period.

Community briefs for August 8, 2005: MGM Mirage employees gave more than $135,000 to three area charities recently as part of an ongoing campaign that has raised $3.2 million this year, officials said.

Home despot: INDIANAPOLIS -- Tony Stewart knew it would be an emotional moment when he finally won a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Greenville set to build downtown convention center: Last year, the Mississippi Gaming Commission approved the Delta Blues Casino complex, which includes a 120-room hotel, the 30,000-square-foot convention center and a nine-acre water park.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Who needs an NBA franchise, anyway?: You can officially add me to virtually every local casino executive and sports book director, UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick, Rebels basketball coach Lon Kruger, any local sports fan who thinks $77.36 is too much to pay for an average ticket (which is what they get in L.A.) and the arena security force in the event the Pacers would come to town, on the list of those who really don't care if we ever get an NBA franchise.

Utilities file plan for renewable power standards: Kevin Rademacher; APPEARED IN THE AUG. 2, 2005 EDITION

'Ho sale dispute spurs suit: By Liz Benston; An investor attempting to purchase the Westward Ho hotel and casino is locked in a legal dispute with the property's owners, claiming they breached an agreement to sell the property and let it fall through.

Tourism, trade focus of Thai official's trip to LV: Michelle Swafford; Thailand officials want Nevada businesses to expand into the dynamic Asian country.

Former campaign consultant who was sued prevails: A campaign consultant who was sued by former Las Vegas City Council candidate Steve "Devil Dog" Sanson over a payment dispute has prevailed in a Clark County Justice Court small claims case.

Clark ranked among top 50 counties for number of firms: The Census Bureau reported that Clark County had 34,233 business establishments in 2003 and 700,032 employees as of March 12, 2003, while Los Angeles County in California had the most establishments with 235,085 and 3.8 million employees.

New president named: Selesner will have responsibility for the property's day-to-day operations and report to Tom Jenkin, president of Harrah's Western Division. He previously served as general manager of the Rio, Hard Rock and Harrah's casinos in Las Vegas and Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, where he started his career.