Print edition for January 18, 2005

Columnist Jeff German: Put the boobs on the tube: In my case, lapses into stupidity are pretty common.

Trial of horse-betting company in North Dakota begins: Prosecutors say Susan Bala and Raymundo Diaz Jr. set up an unlicensed parlor for off-track horse betting in Fargo and created an organization called "Brixcorp" to disguise the business and avoid paying taxes or fees.

Government to seek more tax from Internet gambling: Online exchanges paid 7.3 million pounds ($13.6 million) in taxes last year on wagers of 2.67 billion pounds, the newspaper said, citing a National Audit report. Normal bookmakers paid 376 million pounds of duty on bets worth 30 billion pounds, a much higher percentage.

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

Researcher trains dogs to sniff out tortoises: Molly Ball; For years, an ecologist at Nevada's Desert Research Institute has tried to convince fellow scientists that search dogs might be the answer to tracking the elusive, threatened desert tortoise. What a ridiculous notion, they said.

Obituaries for January 18, 2005: Suzanne Burchfield, 73, of Las Vegas died Sunday in Las Vegas. She was born Sept. 9, 1931, in Des Moines, Iowa. A resident for 25 years, she was a homemaker.

Lake Tahoe workshop set for Las Vegas: A series of workshops on the future of Lake Tahoe in Northern Nevada are scheduled for January at locations in the West, including Las Vegas.

Ethics panelist wants to put teeth in law: CARSON CITY -- A veteran member of the state Ethics Commission believes the state's ethics law should be strengthened to help punish public officials who have gone awry.

Guinn will unveil plan for state salary schedule: CARSON CITY -- Governors and Legislatures in the past have used pay raises as a means to reward high ranking state employees or to punish those in the doghouse.

Sports briefs for January 18, 2005: Fifteen-year-old Michelle Wie accepted an invitation to play in the 2005 LPGA Championship, making it likely that she will compete in all four of the women's major tournaments this year.

Key Largo closes today: Liz Benston and Richard N. Velotta; One of several older off-Strip properties slated for redevelopment, the Quality Inn Key Largo Casino -- known for $1.99 burgers and budget accommodations -- is expected to close today, the property's general manager said.

Video game company building success from ground zero: Jennifer Shubinski; Two years ago, Las Vegas-based Petroglyph was three guys in a small temporary office.

Company narrows loss: Revenue at the St. Louis-based company fell 17 percent to $9.6 million in its third fiscal quarter.

Issue of media diversity arises from racial slur: Beth Slovic; A local television weatherman's on-air use of a racial slur is one indication that news organizations in the Las Vegas area need to address diversity issues, representatives from the National Association of Black Journalists said.

Weather boosts water supply: Rain and snow that have swept across the Southwest were disasters for communities in Southern California, Utah and Southern Nevada, but brought good news for the region's imperiled water supply.

Guinn headed for Washington: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn flies today to Washington to attend the inauguration ceremonies for President Bush and intends to meet with other governors about Medicaid.

Nevada National Guard looks into why Purple Hearts denied: Jace Radke; Officials with the Nevada National Guard are investigating why nine local Guardsmen were denied Purple Heart medals after being injured while stationed in Iraq in 2003.

Magazine names Loveman industry's best CEO: Selections were based on the votes of more than 1,250 analysts and investment portfolio managers, who were asked to identify their picks for the top three CEOs in certain industry sectors, the company said.

D.C. lobbying office has new face, same criticism: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The state's federal lobbying office has a new person in charge, a slightly larger budget than in past years, and is expected to be a point of contention again in the coming legislative session.

Strategic alliance signs with Scientific Games: Reno-based IGT's alliance with Scientific Games Corp. is expected to lead to the development of new technology and products for central server-based systems.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Look who's leaving Las Vegas: Usually, it's hard to keep track of who's coming and who's going on the local sports scene. Last week, it was mostly the latter.

Las Vegas, Atlantic City to boost earnings: In a statement today, Caesars said it expects to earn a profit of 7 cents to 9 cents per share as compared with previous estimates of 4 cents to 6 cents.

Resort begins taking room reservations: The $2.7 billion megaresort will open April 28.

Major Vegas banking players report strong earnings: Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and U.S. Bancorp, three of the five largest financial institutions in the Las Vegas Valley, reported record quarterly profits as consumers signed up for more credit cards, checking accounts and loans.

High cost of special medical flight delays acrobat's trip home: Since he suffered a broken neck in an acrobatic accident before a Las Vegas audience seven months ago, Robert Nzovi has wanted is to go home to Evansville, Ind., to his wife, family and friends.

Development breaks ground in Henderson: Jennifer Shubinski; A local development company and the city of Henderson broke ground this morning on the first downtown mixed-use project to be built in more than 30 years in the Henderson Water Street District.

Sewage leaking into rivers slowed: Sewage is still leaking into the rivers that empty into Lake Mead, but not as much as had been for about a week, a Utah water official said Monday night.

Monday's Sports Transactions: AP; BALTIMORE ORIOLES-Agreed to terms with OF Luis Matos on a one-year contract.

Injured acrobat's case raises health care questions: Robert Nzovi came to Las Vegas believing that a gig in the "Entertainment Capital of the World" would boost his career as an acrobat.

Corrections: * Because of an error by the Sun, a story in Monday's Business section incorrectly stated that only University Medical Center's nurses had pension plans when in fact all Service Employee International Union Local 1107-represented workers at UMC have pensions. Also, thestory incorrectly said that in 2006 all of the health care contracts for Las Vegas Valley SEIU members will expire. It should have said four of the contracts will expire and one or two others could expire, depending on the terms negotiated with St. Rose Dominican Hospitals.

Nevadans prep for inaugural events: Kirsten Searer; Kris Shepherd got his start in politics by cleaning toilets.

Las Vegas man sues cops: The suit, filed last week by Don Fields and his attorney, Cal Potter, is seeking more than $10,000 in damages.

Homeless man's stolen car involved in wreck on Rancho: Kenneth Miller sat on a sidewalk surrounded by clothing, a bedroll and a knapsack that he pulled from the mangled wreckage of his red car, which he had called home until Monday night.

Brindise's Florida connection pays off: Steve Guiremand; UNLV picked up three more football commitments on Monday, including a pair from Florida state Class 2A champion Immokalee High School.

Krispy Kreme CEO Livengood dismissed: Paul Nowell; CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Chief Executive Scott Livengood was ousted today as head of troubled Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., which has been under regulators' scrutiny for its franchise buybacks and earnings outlooks and is facing shareholder lawsuits. Shares of Krispy Kreme jumped more than 17 percent on the news.

Glamis Gold begins 'no' vote campaign: The proxy, which was filed with securities regulators in Canada, allows Glamis to directly solicit from Goldcorp shareholders a "no" vote on the bid for Wheaton at a meeting slated for Jan. 31 in Toronto, the Reno-based company said a statement.

Quarterly profit plummets: The San Francisco-based company said today that it earned $53 million, or 4 cents per share, during the three months ended in December. That contrasted with net income of $148 million, or 11 cents per share, during the same 2003 period.

Profit meets expectations for fourth quarter: 3M said it earned $720 million, or 91 cents per share, for the three months ended Dec. 31, up from $619 million, or 77 cents a share, a year earlier.

Video store chain to consider new offer for Hollywood: Blockbuster won't pursue a hostile tender offer for the company, it said in a statement today. Movie Gallery has offered $850 million, topping Blockbuster's $750 million bid and another from buyout firm Leonard Green & Partners.

Work to be done at Ash Meadows: Volunteers need to sign up by Thursday. They should call (702) 515-5453.

Gladiators already preparing for opener: Adam Candee; * WHO: Los Angeles Avengers vs. Las Vegas Gladiators

Community briefs for January 18, 2005: Richard Becker, president of Copywrite Ink, will teach Writing for Public Relations through the Division of Educational Outreach, during an 11-week course from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. beginning Thursday.

Concerns raised over massage code: Eric Leake; Jeana DeMarchis has worked hard to differentiate her new North Las Vegas massage business from the "full-service" types in the phone book.

Immunization schedule for January 18, 2005: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., today through Friday.

Family victims of home invasion: A man told police that he had stepped outside his home about 9 p.m. and three men and a woman rushed at him, forcing him inside his home, police said.

Golf Glance: AP; Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Editorial: Where we can do more: One option that has become increasingly popular for these seniors is assisted living centers, which typically offer residents private rooms and provide on-site staff in case there is an emergency. The centers, which resemble apartment complexes, also provide preventive health care and offer on-site visits from health care providers. The downside is that assisted living centers can be expensive and well out of reach of many seniors -- rent can run as high as $3,000 a month.

Letter: Let's make sure that Millennium Scholars belong: In its present form, the Millennium Scholarships are an open invitation to high school grade inflation. There's really no reason to change the current grade eligibility level; rather, the B average should be obtained exclusively in core subjects -- English, math and science. Fluff courses should not count.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Protesters consumed by silence: It won't even make any noise.

Nevada State College chief faces tough sales job: Newly appointed Nevada State College President Fred Maryanski will have a lot of selling to do when he officially takes charge of the Henderson school Feb. 1, Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers says.

Letter: CBS error not as costly as Bush lies: CBS News' blunder cost the American taxpayer nothing in money, lives or national reputation.

Gorman's losses at tourney don't look so bad: Nick Christensen; The Bishop Gorman boys' basketball team had mixed news in two games last weekend in Southern California.

Editorial: Justice better served: Although a number of legal analysts don't believe this was a total victory for judges, many of whom had chafed under the restrictions, it still is a step in the right direction. Obviously, Congress should set ranges when establishing possible criminal sentences. But it really should be up to a human being -- not some rigid formula, as was the case under the mandatory sentencing guidelines -- to hand down a sentence that's appropriate to the crime. That's why we want such great care taken in the nominating and confirming of federal judges, who not only should have bright legal ...

Creature Feature: Disney on Ice brings 'Monsters, Inc.' to Orleans Arena: One-eyed. Several-eyed. Multi-legged. Disproportioned. Winged and bulbous.

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

Letter: Social Security is latest deception: His latest lie is about Social Security. The idea that it is in some immediate danger of collapsing is once again another Bush attempt to get his way on something by misstating the facts.