Print edition for January 13, 2005

Jordan, Reynolds named state's top football players: Nick Christensen; Take a look at the performance this season of Eric Jordan and Ryan Reynolds, and there's little question that the two are the hottest commodities in Southern Nevada high school football.

Macau group may bid for country's first license: The plan, which will put the Macau casino operator in competition with MGM Mirage and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. for a license in the city-state, will be its "first step to tap into Asia's gaming and entertainment industry" outside Macau, Greek Mythology's controlling shareholder Ng Man Sun said.

Haz-mat team to inspect tankers derailed by flood: A 54-car Union Pacific freight train that included six tankers that carry hazardous chemicals derailed Wednesday after floodwaters poured into a canyon about 65 miles north of Las Vegas where the train had been sidelined for a week.

Killer sentenced to four consecutive life terms: By Matt Pordum; A judge said a man convicted of beating and shooting two young men to death in August 2000 "should not walk among us" as she sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences without parole on Wednesday.

Boston-area man hits $3.9 million jackpot at airport: Frost, 49, of Raynham, Mass., won more than $3.9 million Tuesday playing a slot machine at McCarran International Airport.

Editorial: Downtown dream could be improved: The mayor envisions an eclectic downtown, one that is home to medical research, a Major League Baseball team, performing arts, retail and wholesale businesses, housing, open spaces for socializing and strolling, gaming, professional office buildings, alluring nightclubs, arts and entertainment districts and even one-man entrepreneurs, such as hot dog vendors. Remarkably, because of his achievements so far, Goodman has succeeded in making this dream sound possible.

Letter: No law is needed for gift cards: The real solution to gift cards with declining values is to simply not buy them. We don't need legislators to get involved at all.

Rebels expect better effort against Aztecs: Steve Guiremand; As the head football coach at the University of Arizona in the early 1980s, Larry Smith once had a helicopter fly over the practice field and drop some tennis balls down after a tough loss.

Illness going around in Jets-Steelers game: Pittsburgh linebackers Joey Porter and Kendrell Bell are suffering from flulike symptoms.

Reynolds aims to be the best: Nick Christensen; Ask David White about Ryan Reynolds' drive for success, and it almost sounds as if the Bishop Gorman coach is speaking in hyperbole.

Letter: Use state surplus for more officers: We could then eliminate the need for the two-stage sales tax increases for more Metro Police officers. I understand that the state Highway Patrol is also understaffed.

RTC reveals proposed mass transit during public meetings: Eric Leake; Additional public meetings on light rail systems are scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Boys & Girls Club, 2980 Robindale Road.; and Jan. 19 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Andre Agassi Boys & Girl Club at 800 N. Martin Luther King Blvd.

Southern Nevada coach happy to help build future rival: Southern Nevada high school baseball players expected to become part of Western Nevada Community College's first recruiting class next Monday include:

Community briefs for January 13, 2005: Courage Unlimited, a nonprofit health organization, in collaboration with Clark County Department of Parks and Community Services, is presenting a Black History Month essay and poster contest.

Immigration's Internet policy a hurdle for homeless: Ed Koch and Timothy Pratt; A new federal government policy meant to make getting immigration services easier may be rough on those who are homeless or for other reasons don't know they can only get to see an official by first making an appointment via the Internet.

Longtime educator, embryologist Shapiro dies at 82: David Kihara; Harriett Shapiro, a longtime educator and noted embryologist, died at her newly acquired Henderson condominium on Wednesday. She was 82.

Letter: Bush's deadly vendetta should not be forgotten: There are now 1,350 American troops who have been killed and 17,811 who have been wounded. And even though the Bush people won't tell us, more than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed since Bush attacked their country.

Jordan's hard work pays off in victories: Nick Christensen; If this keeps up, it won't be long before the Sunrise Region's Northeast Division is better known as Running Back Central.

Editorial: It's just simply wrong: We didn't originally plan to comment on criticism of the inauguration since these events historically have been a chance for a president's supporters to celebrate his victory. But we couldn't remain silent after learning that the White House has parted with tradition and refused to use federal money to reimburse Washington, D.C., for what it will cost to provide security for the inauguration. Instead, the Washington Post reports, the city will have to divert $11.9 million from its federal homeland security budget to carry out the job.

Dental school treatment program criticized: CARSON CITY -- Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, isn't happy with the way low-income dental patients are being treated at the Quick Care center in Las Vegas.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1 p.m.

Preps: Wednesday's Results: Palo Verde 71, Shadow Ridge 54: PV: Nate Schulte 21 pts, Brian Marks 17 pts, P'Allen Stinnett 16 pts. SR: Lewis 19 pts.

Motion Devotion: Austine Wood Comarow's exhibit at LVAM really moves: For more than 20 years Comarow has been popular at science and nature centers, as well as commercial properties and public spaces from France to Boston to New Mexico. But the nature of her work makes it a difficult pitch to art museums. To grasp what Comarow has created, one needs to stand before it, beside it or slowly move past it.

Clark County ranks high on list with imperiled species: WASHINGTON -- Clark County had the second highest number of species imperiled by development among the nation's 35 fastest-growing large metropolitan counties, according to a new study.

New mental hospital may not solve ER problems: CARSON CITY -- State Human Resources Director Mike Willden says construction of a new mental hospital in Las Vegas will not solve all of the problems of psychiatric patients filling the beds in emergency rooms of hospitals in Clark County.

Artists work pierces troubling subject matter: Clad in checkered Vans, oversized jeans, a zip-up sweatshirt and more silver on his face than you'd find in your grandmother's cutlery collection, Schneider, known more commonly as Adam! looks across his art hanging in the back room of the Funk House.

Lawmakers look for scholarship changes: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's Millennium Scholarship program to help Nevada students get through college has been so successful that it could be $16 million in the hole next year.

Team to assess flood, avalanche damage: The assessment team will stay in Southern Nevada throughout next week, Jim O'Brien, Clark County Emergency Management manager, said Wednesday night.

Obituaries for January 13, 2005: Lena Lou Barnette, 79, of Las Vegas died Dec. 18 in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 28, 1925, in Casa Grande, Ariz. A resident for 48 years, she was a retired apartment complex owner.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Can we all be free at last?: In this space last week, I shed light on a movement called "free- cycling," in which people who have stuff to get rid of offer it up on the Internet to other people who might want it. It's sort of like eBay, except everything is given and taken for free.

Las Vegan 'Makeover' scheduled for tonight: Kirk Baird; Aimee Baum is an avid fan of ABC's "Extreme Makeover," the popular reality series that provides often life-changing physical transformations.

Grand Canyon trail is closed: Weather has prevented trail crews from performing work to re-open the trail, Maureen Oltrogge of the National Park Service said.

Program helps reduce juveniles in detention: Molly Ball; A year ago, the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center was overcrowded. Boys accused of breaking the law often slept two to a cell, their thin vinyl mattresses crammed into the tiny, bare concrete room.

Fire hits apartments at Moulin Rouge site: Windows in an upstairs apartment on the northwest corner of the complex were blown out, and smoke damage was visible outside the window frames this morning.

Pipelines begin sending fuel again: Jace Radke; The pipelines that carry gasoline, jet fuel and diesel to the Las Vegas Valley have passed inspection and were again operating this morning after heavy rains in California had forced a four-day closure.

Expo showcases promo products: Michelle Swafford; How do you leave a good impression on customers?

Massive cleanup awaits Overton, Mesquite: Stephen Curran; OVERTON -- As the floodwater from the Muddy River continued to recede this morning, authorities began allowing some people to return to their homes.

Waters damage railroad tracks: Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning; WASHINGTON -- Floodwaters this week damaged railroad tracks in Lincoln County, and Nevada officials promptly renewed their objections to the Energy Department's plan to ship nuclear waste by rail through the county to Yucca Mountain.

November visitation up despite drop in conventioneers: Convention attendance in Las Vegas was off in November, but it didn't prevent the destination from finishing ahead of year-ago figures despite an unfavorable calendar.

Kelly officially named to state PUC: Cy Ryan and Kevin Rademacher; CARSON CITY -- Jo Ann Kelly is returning to the state Public Utilities Commmission. She previously served nearly 12 years on the commission, Kelly, who recently moved from Las Vegas to Reno, was named today to the commission by Gov. Kenny Guinn. Kelly succeeds Adriana Escobar Chanos, who was named state Consumer Advocate in the Attorney General's Office.

Software problem blamed in Raptor crash at Nellis: Jace Radke; The crash of one of the Air Force's new FA-22 stealth fighters at Nellis Air Force Base last month is related to a software problem involving the aircraft's flight control, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper said.

NFL Playoff Glance: AP; N.Y. Jets 20, San Diego 17, OT

Derailed tankers checked: Inspectors have not found any indications that Wednesday's flood-caused derailment of a Union Pacific freight train north of Moapa has caused any environmental contamination, officials said this morning.

Bush adviser offers conference attendees a recipe for success: Michelle Swafford; Business leaders should master the principles of C.E.O. to be successful, a counselor to President Bush said Wednesday.

Water chief stresses role of business for stability: Kevin Rademacher; Speaking to a room full of Las Vegas-area business leaders, Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy said that efforts to pipe water from Northern Nevada counties could be bolstered by business partnerships.

December retail sales rise 1.2%: Martin Crutsinger; WASHINGTON -- Retail sales, helped by sizzling activity in auto showrooms, jumped by 1.2 percent in December, providing a solid finish to a year in which sales climbed at the fastest pace since 1999.

Road closures: Road closures

Appeals court denies new hearing for anti-tax advocate: Jace Radke; A federal appeals court has denied Las Vegas author and businessman Irwin Schiff's request for a new hearing of a ruling that bans the sale of one of his anti-tax books.

Mental hospital may not solve ER problems: CARSON CITY -- State Human Resources Director Mike Willden says construction of a new mental hospital in Las Vegas will not solve all of the problems of psychiatric patients filling the beds in emergency rooms of hospitals in Clark County.

Sports briefs for January 13, 2005: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bob Boughner, an NHL Players' Association vice president, said Wednesday night the union isn't preparing a new collective bargaining agreement proposal in an attempt to end the nearly four-month lockout, and that his "gut feeling" is the 2004-05 season is dead.

Feds yank $12.2 million Head Start contract: By Timothy Pratt; The federal government has decided to pull a $12.2 million early childhood program from the Economic Opportunity Board -- formerly the Las Vegas Valley's largest nonprofit organization -- because of problems with management and governance, according to a letter obtained by the Sun.

Suit filed to put pot initiative before lawmakers: CARSON CITY -- Backers of an initiative petition to allow adults in Nevada to legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit in Las Vegas asking for emergency action to place the issue before the 2005 Legislature.

Seniors plan protest of rising property taxes: Hundreds of seniors plan to file appeals with the Clark County Assessor's Office as a protest against rising property tax bills.

Agency wants to settle auction-rate bond probe: The SEC's investigation of 25 brokerages has uncovered evidence of potential violations, said the people, who asked not to be named. Sales of the bonds, whose yields are reset periodically by auctions, can be manipulated when brokers share information on bids. That can drive up borrowing costs for the states, cities and companies that issue the securities.

Lawyers in talks about impact of high court ruling: "We're having discussions with our client about the implications of the decision," lawyer David Chesnoff told The Daily News for today's editions.

Gaels too tall for Sierra Vista: Nick Christensen; Shooting 7-for-21 from the field isn't any team's ideal way of playing a first quarter. Of course, when you're Bishop Gorman and your opponent makes seven field goals in the entire game, bad shooting is easily forgiven.

Heller sets his sights on Congress: CARSON CITY -- Secretary of State Dean Heller says he has "been chompin' at the bit" to run for Congress in two years and he expects a "wide open" contest for the Republican nomination next year.

Centennial's Lucas gives Mojave the boot: Mike Sims; Most people sit back and relax on their birthdays. But not Italee Lucas, who led all scorers Wednesday as the Centennial girls' basketball team cruised by Mojave 80-47.

Sun All-State Football: Said Falcons coach Ray Fenton: "I think he was a lead-by-example guy. He had a great work ethic, inside the weight room as well, not only at practice."

Executive increases holdings in company: Mark Yoseloff, the Las Vegas company's chairman and chief executive officer, said in the filing that he is selling 200,000 stock options and exercising 100,000 share options with the intent of holding the resulting acquired shares.

Cox names new Las Vegas general manager: Kevin Rademacher; Cox Communications has a new boss in charge of its Las Vegas operations.

Union training center fined: The EPA requires training facilities to be accredited before offering training on lead-based paint removal, the EPA said. The center had trained 15 students and issued three students certificates in how to handle lead-based paint materials.

Preps: State rankings: Compiled by the Las Vegas Sun and the Sparks Tribune

Economic award renamed after the O'Callaghans: Kevin Rademacher; Hundreds of economic development and business leaders paused Wednesday evening during the sixth annual Henderson Economic Development Awards to honor the contributions of former Governor and Las Vegas Sun Executive Editor Mike O'Callaghan and his wife, Carolyn.

Many on Mount Charleston ignore evacuation advisory: David Kihara; At least half the residents who were advised by Metro Police to evacuate Mount Charleston remained on the mountain on Wednesday, with several saying that parts of the mountain were safe and free from the dangers of avalanches.

Control Board recommends OK for Venetian gaming salon: The Venetian and Wynn Las Vegas will raise the bar in their use of private gaming salons to attract high rollers, a gaming regulator said.