Print edition for January 25, 2005

LV Christian radio founder French dies: When Ann French and her husband, Jack, founded Southern Nevada's first contemporary Christian radio station, KILA-FM, in 1972, they did not view Las Vegas as Sin City.

Letter: Public will soon rise up to protest protracted war: Russia became involved in an unwinnable war. Its troops were bogged down in a battle with an insurgent army. Casualties and the death toll continued to mount, until the crescendos of protests rose to such a deafening level that the government finally realized that its troops had to be withdrawn.

Legislation to allow British super casinos passes hurdle: Lawmakers voted by 236 to 38 to back the Gambling Bill. It must be debated and approved by Parliament's upper chamber, the House of Lords, but the government hopes it will become law by the middle of next year.

Progressive Gaming announces plan to acquire VirtGame: A Las Vegas gaming equipment supplier intends to solidify its bid to be a major player in next-generation casino games with the acquisition of a San Diego company.

News briefs for January 25, 2005: A Las Vegas woman was killed early Monday morning when she apparently fell from a ladder into her swimming pool, Metro Police said.

State to fight order reinstating reformatory official: CARSON CITY -- The state is going to court to try to to prevent the reinstatement of the head group supervisor at the state youth reformatory in Caliente.

Caesars executives set to receive millions in severance pay: By Liz Benston; The top three executives of Caesars Entertainment Inc. are expected to receive severance payments totaling at least $10.7 million upon the company's acquisition by Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Museum has a case of the snakes: OK, I do.

Packers hire Bates to coach defense: Jim Bates, who coached the Miami Dolphins for the final seven games of the season after Dave Wannstedt quit, was hired as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.

Mozart Society tuning up for birthday celebration at UNLV: To pay respect to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the child prodigy who left his final requiem unfinished on his untimely death at age 35, Isabelle Emerson, president and the founder of the Mozart Society of America, along with the UNLV faculty will present an hourlong celebration of the composer's music, followed by birthday cake and wine.

Editorial: Carson the magnificent: Carson's passing is particularly felt here in Las Vegas, where from 1964 to 1980 he was a regular headliner. Also, from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, he co-owned the local independent TV station, KVVU Channel 5.

Health care, taxes top chamber's priorities for legislative session: Kevin Rademacher; One would expect the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce to spend most of its free time talking business, but the head of the organization said she plans to turn up the volume in the coming year.

Centennial, Silverado, Green Valley roll along in 4A girls' soccer: Nick Christensen; Three teams remain undefeated this year in 4A girls' soccer, quite an accomplishment this late in the season.

Letter: Bush rewarded bad performance: As far as I know no one died because of the CBS mistake but thousands have died in Iraq. We are heading for a quagmire and quite possibly inheriting a country that will be bogged down in civil war for a long time to come.

Getaway driver testifies in heist trial: Jace Radke; A man who has pleaded guilty to being a getaway driver for a gang of violent jewelry store thieves testified Monday that Vu Nguyen was involved in a 1999 robbery in Las Vegas that resulted in the slaying of a security guard.

Obituaries for January 25, 2005: Vivian Agnew, 61, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. She was born Jan. 29, 1943, in Kosciusko, Miss. A resident for four years, she was a retired office manager for a construction management company, former chairwoman of the hospitality committee with the Detroit Connection Inc., and a school volunteer.

Rival investors pay to keep track open for another week: Appearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Utica, lawyers for New York City businessman Jeff Gural and Las Vegas-based Vestin Mortgage Co. said the party that ultimately wins the judgment will then pay off the other's $75,000 loan.

Station may accelerate development of casinos: By Liz Benston; With several local future casino projects on tap to fuel profit over the next several years, Station Casinos Inc. is contemplating speeding up the development process for those casinos because of stronger than expected performance in recent months.

Slot machine approval likely: Since Kulongoski picks the commission, approval is virtually certain. Less certain is how it will affect the share that goes to tavern owners and other lottery retailers.

Senate confirms Gutierrez: Senators confirmed Gutierrez, 51, by voice vote. He will replace Donald Evans, who resigned to return to Texas after serving at the Commerce Department during President Bush's first term.

Public safety, other highlights in governor's budget,HFR,302: AP; -INMATES: The governor's budget assumes growth in prison inmate numbers to 11,800 by fiscal 2007. Because of the growth, the state would stop taking inmates from the states of Washington and Wyoming - which now account for more than 360 of the prisoners.

Dodgers sign Penny to one-year, $5.1 mil. deal: The Los Angeles Dodgers reached an agreement Monday with Brad Penny, signing the right-hander to a one-year contract with a $5.1 million base salary and up to $100,000 in additional incentives. In becoming the club's last arbitration-eligible player to sign, Penny ensured the Dodgers won't have to go to a hearing this winter.

Turmoil strikes retirement community: David Kihara; The heated campaigning to join a board that oversees an approximately $14 million budget led to one candidate dropping out after being labeled a neo-Nazi.

Children sought for UNLV study: Doctoral student Jennifer Vecchio is seeking children between the ages of 6 and 10 who do not speak at school or in social settings to take part in an assessment and treatment study. Interested parents should contact at 895-3305.

Preps: Monday's Results: Eldorado 74, Pahrump Valley 36: ELDO: Davell Jackson 19 pts, Curtis Malone 15 pts. PRMP: Brian Eleogram 10 pts.

Google to branch into TV with new feature: Michael Liedtke; SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Inc. is using its popular Internet search technology to find information and images broadcast on television, continuing its effort to extend beyond the Web.

Rebels on the rise: Steve Guiremand; By all rights, the Rebels had reason to feel pretty good about themselves as they entered the locker room after Monday night's 79-67 victory against Wyoming at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Editorial: Governor's last hurrah: For the most part, we liked what we heard last night. In many areas where the state should be doing better -- such as in education and social services -- the governor wants to invest more than was approved two years ago. It was encouraging that he wants the Legislature to set aside $100 million to establish a trust fund that would help elementary school students not meeting the standards created by the No Child Left Behind Act. (We also have to admit that this proposal is bittersweet because the states have been frustrated by the federal government's failure to ...

Immunization schedule for January 25, 2005: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

County to increase funding for Metro: Metro's financial oversight committee, comprised of Las Vegas City Council members and county commissioners, approved the new funding formula Monday.

Berkley pushes for return of Auschwitz artwork: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., hopes to use a trip to Poland this week to push for the return of paintings made in a Jewish concentration camp to the artist who made them.

Human caffeine:: Adam Candee; It is Coco Blalock's job to make people miss him, and he did just that to the Las Vegas Gladiators early last year.

Sales of existing homes climb to all-time high in 2004: Sales of existing homes last year were well above the 6.10 million sold in 2003, the National Association of Realtors reported today.

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

Quotes on Gov. Kenny Guinn's "state of the state" address: AP; ---

Golf Glance: AP; Schedule: Wednesday-Sunday.

Feinstein renews opposition to Indian casino in San Pablo: "I have serious concerns about the expansion of Nevada-style gaming -- with its slot machines and in-house banking -- into urban areas," Feinstein said in a statement. "This legislation is designed to prevent the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians from short-circuiting the process laid out in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act for gaming on newly acquired lands."

Middle school plan runs into problem with site: By Emily Richmond; The Clark County School District's plan for a new middle school has been rejected by the North Las Vegas City Council, sending the architects back to the drawing board.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Real test for Rebels yet to come: Well, over a span of 72 hours the Rebels, at long last, are showing signs of getting it.

Guinn likely to face strong opposition on some issues: Kirsten Searer and Cy Ryan; CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn received moderate praise for his 50-minute State of the State message Monday but he's going to encounter strong opposition from state legislators on a number of points, particularly from Democrats who hold the majority in the Assembly.

NHRA champion voted Driver of the Year: Greg Anderson, who fashioned arguably the best season in NHRA history en route to winning his second consecutive Pro Stock championship, on Monday was named the 2004 Speed Channel Driver of the Year.

Company hires former FBI official to oversee security: Bruce J. Gebhardt, 56, who also was special agent in charge of FBI offices in San Francisco and Phoenix, was named senior vice president of global security in November, MGM Mirage executives confirmed Monday.

Automaker predicts lower profit for 2005: Profit on that basis will be $1.75 to $1.95 a share, down from $2.11 last year, the automaker said in a New York presentation today. The financing unit will have pretax profit before some costs of about $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion in 2005, down from $5 billion. Pretax automotive profit will rise to $1.5 billion to $2 billion, from $850 million, excluding some costs.

Deserts can fight global warming: Nevada scientists studying the desert and its ability to absorb gases that contribute to global warming were startled to discover that an arid patch in Southern Nevada may reduce its uptake of carbon dioxide in the future.

Sports briefs for January 25, 2005: UNLV football coach Mike Sanford picked up two more commitments on Monday.

Columnist Jeff German: Hope for problem gamblers: The casino industry has agreed to provide $200,000 in matching monies.

Rio unveils new poker room: Rio unveils new poker room

NRC nominees not on level playing field on Yucca issues: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The two newest members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have to play by different rules, at least for a year, when it comes to work related to Yucca Mountain, and that has the critics of the nuclear dump crying foul.

Shotgun-wielding driver leads police on high-speed chase: A 23-year-old North Las Vegas man was arrested after pointing a shotgun at people, shooting at police then leading officers on a high-speed chase that ended when a patrol car rammed his pickup truck.

Regents told to adopt clear policy on meetings: Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers and university system lawyers are asking the Board of Regents to adopt a formal policy stipulating that the regents are "committed to the open and public conduct of business in accordance with the provisions of the Nevada open meeting law."

Lambe to take over Reid's Las Vegas office: Nevada Democratic Party Executive Director Rebecca Lambe will join Sen. Harry Reid's staff as his Southern Nevada regional director, according to a statement released by Reid's office today.

Registration rebate plan is questioned: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposal to rebate $300 million to Nevadans was already running into a lot of questioning this morning.

Berkley pushes for return of artwork: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., hopes to use a trip to Poland this week to push for the return of paintings made in a Jewish concentration camp to the artist who made them.

Students, colleagues shocked by teacher's suicide attempt: Emily Richmond and David Kihara; A popular Green Valley High School history teacher attempted suicide Monday in a classroom minutes before the start of the school day, leaving students and colleagues shocked and distraught, school officials said.

Guinn promises to boost health care, education: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn lauded the state's record economic growth in his fourth and final State of the State address, vowing to pump much of the state's newfound wealth into health care and education.

Ensign to take lead on one of top GOP priorities: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., was tapped by Senate Republican leaders to shepherd one of the party's top 10 legislative priorities this year: a bill that bans the transport of a minor across state lines for an abortion in order to circumvent state parental notification laws.

GOP leaders bash Reid on Social Security issue: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Republicans are suggesting that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., flip-flopped on the issue of Social Security.

Failing schools would get help: CARSON CITY -- Pay raises for government workers, an extra $100 million to help failing public schools and a beefed-up plan for economic development in Nevada are included in Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed $5.7 billion two-year general fund budget.

School zoning meeting draws heated debate: By Emily Richmond; More than 200 parents and students braved an overheated auditorium Monday to let the Clark County School District know how they feel about plans to redraw attendance zone boundary lines for the coming academic year.

Girls' plight sparks community support: By Timothy Pratt; Friends and family of Emma and Mariam Sarkisian -- two Armenian teens who have lived most of their lives in Las Vegas and are threatened with deportation -- rallied in support of the girls Monday, as their attorney filed additional arguments to a federal judge in favor of releasing them from a Los Angeles cell.

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

Fire guts houses being built near Nellis: Eric Leake; Three houses under construction near Nellis Air Force Base burned Monday night as firefighters ran into problems with a hydrant next to the homes.