Print edition for February 14, 2005

News briefs for Feb. 14, 2005: North Las Vegas Police are investigating the death of one nab and the wounding of another in a shooting about 9 p.m. on Saturday, spokesman Tim Bedwell said.

More poker rooms going smoke-free: By Liz Benston; For more than a decade, nonsmoker Sylvia Reiter has played poker through a cloud of cigarette smoke at Palace Station's poker room.

America West says McCarran congestion cause for concern: TEMPE, Ariz. -- With the number of daily departures of commercial flights at McCarran International Airport closing in on the 500 level, America West Airlines is getting increasingly concerned about the airport's congestion.

NBC spot in the cards for poker tourney: By Liz Benston; Capitalizing on the popularity of poker and previous poker broadcasts on NBC, NBC Sports in May will air the first poker tournament to appear on a major television network.

Las Vegas concrete company plans IPO: Jennifer Shubinski; Las Vegas-based Ready Mix Inc., a major player in the local concrete market, is seeking to raise $12 million through an initial public stock offering.

City orders sweep of another camp: By Timothy Pratt; A homeless camp of about 40 people downtown is about to be broken up only weeks after it was created in the wake of another sweep.

Union chief rips plan to shut down prison camp at Nellis AFB: Jace Radke; The president of the local union for the workers at the Nellis Federal Prison Camp isn't buying the Bureau of Prison's contention that shutting down the camp and three others like it will save the government millions of dollars.

Man barricades himself in apartment: Officers had been trying to remove a man from an apartment in the 900 block of East Twain Avenue near Paradise Road when he barricaded himself inside the apartment, Sgt. Chris Jones, a Metro spokesman, said.

Gaming Commission chairman: Nevada Powerball would be illegal: CARSON CITY -- The chairman of the state Gaming Control board said today he thinks the Nevada Constitutional ban against a lottery prohibits Nevada from joining with other states to participate in a Powerball lottery. But Chairman Dennis Neilander agreed to research the issue to determine if backers of a lottery may get around the constitutional ban by joining with other states.

Chocolate fountain flows at Bellagio: Chocolate fountain flows at Bellagio

Two women injured in crash: Norma Jean Kinman, 79, of Las Vegas was driving a 1996 Mercury Cougar south on Tenaya when a northbound 2001 Lincoln LS driven by Rebekah Ehler, 49, crossed into the opposing lane, police said.

Lennar gains 300 acres from Celebrate Homes: Jennifer Shubinski; North Las Vegas homebuilder Celebrate Homes sold about 300 acres to Lennar in an effort to capitalize the company and allow it to expand outside Las Vegas.

Bighorn leading possible Nevadaquarters: Eric Leake; A picture of a bighorn sheep is now the front-runner to fill the back of the Nevada state quarter.

NHP car stolen, six damaged during chase: Eric Leake; A man stole a Nevada Highway Patrol car and led troopers on a chase that damaged another six patrol cars before a suspect was arrested Friday evening, the Highway Patrol said.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Home run record needs a recount: Pitchers and catchers are headed to spring training this week, and with the start of another baseball season just around the corner, it prompts the question:

Thrills & Pills: Relationships boosted by erectile-dysfunction treatments: Kirk Baird; There was nothing wrong with him physically. It's just that, two years ago at age 40, Duque couldn't perform as often or as long as he wanted.

Columnist Susan Sndyer: Holiday is key for Lovelock: Susan Sndyer; For one thing, journalists seeking a Valentine's Day play on words are falling in love with this tiny Northern Nevada town of 2,000 that sits 100 miles east of Reno along Interstate 80.

Rancho shoots for the stars without having a star shooter: Nick Christensen; The "streets" between the rows of portable classrooms at Rancho High School may be named for famous roads in Hollywood, but keep going down Santa Monica Boulevard and into Rancho's gym and you'll be hard-pressed to find one star.

Next ACT set for April 9: The ACT Assessment now contains an optional writing test. Some colleges will require writing scores from students entering college in the fall of 2006. Students should check the admissions requirements of colleges they are considering before deciding whether to register for the ACT with or without the writing test.

Citizens learn what to do in case of disaster: Eric Leake; If a major disaster strikes the Las Vegas Valley, emergency personnel would likely be overwhelmed. That's one of the reasons a dozen citizens started preparing themselves for the worst.

C-Leg offers hope for those missing knee: Alicia Karau is one of 3,500 U.S. residents and 5,000 above-the-knee amputees worldwide who are benefitting from C-Leg technology.

NLV, county to team up in restricting housing near Nellis: By Brian Wargo; Clark County and North Las Vegas are nearing an agreement to guide and restrict development near Nellis Air Force Base as part of a long-term strategy to protect the base from closure.

Killers come up short in Grammy bid: Spencer Patterson; The Killers' dream year closed without a storybook ending Sunday night, as the Las Vegas band's Grammy run came up short.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Kentucky Derby fever strikes Vegas race books: Ralph Siraco; Though we are experiencing better-than-average rainfall in the desert this winter, it smells like roses in spring at the race books.

Mistakes don't get Gladiators down: Adam Candee; The deflating turnovers are still there, as are many of the unnecessary penalties that trail this team like a lost kitten in a thunderstorm.

Jarrett in the driver's seat: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Considering that he is five years removed from his last victory in the Daytona 500, it is understandable that Dale Jarrett wasn't being mentioned as a contender for this year's race coming into Speedweeks.

Letter: Reid should lead proud, loyal opposition: Here is my advice to the senator:

News briefs for February 14, 2005: North Las Vegas Police are investigating the death of one nab and the wounding of another in a shooting about 9 p.m. on Saturday, spokesman Tim Bedwell said.

Comeback win one for the ages: Steve Guiremand; Here is a breakdown of the final 17.8 seconds of UNLV's improbable 10-point comeback Saturday at San Diego State, starting with the Aztecs leading 81-71:

Verizon to buy MCI for $6.75 bil.: Bruce Meyerson; NEW YORK -- Verizon Communications Inc. is acquiring MCI Corp. for $6.75 billion, a swift response to the acquisition of AT&T Corp. by SBC Communications Inc. and the third big telephone industry merger in two months.

Preps: 4A State Tournament Winnemucca Events Center

Lady Rebels see progress: Adam Candee; UNLV coach Regina Miller looks down the sideline at most of the same faces, yet looks at the standings and sees something totally different.

February same-store sales rising within retailer's forecast: The discounter has forecast a gain of 2 percent to 4 percent from the year-ago month. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart updated results through Friday in a recorded call Saturday.

GM pays $2 billion to end auto alliance, win diesel designs: The agreement reached two days ago cancels ventures formed in 2000, requires GM to surrender a 10 percent stake in Fiat Auto and lets the Detroit-based company acquire diesel engine assets, the companies said in a statement Saturday. The companies had disagreed on terms of the 2000 agreement for more than a year.

Man hit after cars try to miss him: A Henderson man jumped out of a Chevrolet SUV on Mountain Vista Street and then ran back and forth in oncoming traffic until he was hit by a car, police said Sunday.

Tribe to argue again for recognition timeline: "It was a quest that was started by our elders a long time ago," said Glenn Marshall, chair of the American Indian tribe, based on Cape Cod. "We continue to walk that path, because it's what they've asked us to do."

Relaying hope: Eric Leake; The feeling at the Relay for Life of West Valley kickoff last week was that of preparing for both a battle and a block party.

Two witnesses can't place weapon in suspect's hand: By Matt Pordum; Two witnesses testified Friday that a 25-year-old Californian accused of killing a 51-year-old Las Vegas woman on Thanksgiving Day was at the scene of the crime and fled after the killing, but neither saw her shoot or possess a gun.

Mos Def's character outpaces material at House of Blues: Spencer Patterson; Then again, Mos Def is far from the typical rapper.

Community briefs for February 14, 2005: The Nevada Biodiversity Initiative has extended to Tuesday the deadline for its annual photo contest of Nevada landscapes and wildlife.

BLB Investors moves to block gambling competition: BLB Investors submitted draft legislation to the governor seeking assurances that if it were to buy Lincoln Park, no other gambling facility in Rhode Island would be granted a more favorable tax structure.

Conviction returned in death of drug dealer at LV motel: By Matt Pordum; A 32-year-old man was convicted Friday of robbing and killing a drug dealer in March at a Fremont Street motel.

Supreme Court to consider gambling law challenge: The court put the case on a fast track, scheduling oral arguments for March 9 in Pittsburgh.

Bankruptcy judge allows track to borrow $1.2 million: The track's parent company, Mid-State Raceway, filed for bankruptcy in August, citing $30 million in debts. The state Racing and Wagering Board suspended the track's racing and simulcasting licenses in July after it was revealed several prize-money checks had bounced.

Letter: Smaller classes must be priority: If Nevada had a reasonable teacher-pupil ratio, teacher accountability would make a lot of sense. Let's not skip a vital step by underfunding the school district and then asking for the impossible. According to the 2004 report card prepared by the Children's Advocacy Alliance, Nevada ranks 45th in the nation in terms of per-pupil spending -- giving us a grade of F.

Editorial: Drug plan's bogus stats: The White House used phony numbers at the end of 2003 in order to get enough conservatives in Congress -- who had concerns about the drug program's cost -- to support and pass the legislation, a key part of the president's re-election campaign. We know the numbers were phony because, several months after the legislation was passed, the Bush administration acknowledged the cost would actually be $534 billion. It subsequently was revealed that the Medicare program's actuary had believed in 2003 -- before Congress voted on the legislation -- that the benefit cost would be between $500 billion to $600 ...

Editorial: Save the scholarships: The scholarship to any state university or college is available to all who graduate from a Nevada high school with a B average or better. Krolicki has warned that the program will run out of money in the near future unless the Legislature provides it with an additional source of funds.

Kyle Busch unexpectedly strong in qualifying, focused on duals: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Nobody was more surprised than Kyle Busch that he posted the 16th-fastest qualifying lap Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

Birth announcements for February 14, 2005: Jan. 28:

Obituaries for February 14, 2005: Charlie Ray Baker Jr., 70, of Henderson died Saturday in a local hospital. He was born Jan. 21, 1935, in Nashville, Tenn. A resident for six years, he was a retired contractor, an Army veteran and a member of the Masona.

Sports briefs for February 14, 2005: Dick Weber, one of bowling's first national stars and a three-time bowler of the year, died Sunday night. He was 75.

Supreme Court takes up county appeal: CARSON CITY -- A $16.6 million judgment against Clark County and McCarran International Airport for imposing height restrictions on property near the airport comes before the Nevada Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Computerized leg gives dancer hope: Alicia Karau's dreams of being a dancer, singer, model, actress or network news anchorwoman did not end when doctors amputated her right leg above the knee last June.

More rain records are expected to fall this week: More weather records for rain could be set this week in the Las Vegas Valley on the heels of another record-breaker that fell on Friday, the National Weather Service said.

Planned talks on locals casinos nixed: Clark County government abruptly canceled a planned meeting Friday of a group which was to draft recommendations for the design of new neighborhood casinos.

Marine was to be home within days: A 19-year-old Marine reservist from Las Vegas, who was expected home within days, was killed last week when a truck rolled over him near Ramadi, Iraq.

NHP car is stolen; six damaged during chase: Eric Leake; A man stole a Nevada Highway Patrol car and led troopers on a chase that damaged another six patrol cars before a suspect was arrested Friday evening, the Highway Patrol said.

Culinary Union finds new political director: Alana Roberts; The Culinary Union Local 226 is starting Nevada's 2005 legislative session with a new political director.