Print edition for January 26, 2005

Guinn wants to borrow funds for state projects: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn is proposing spending $321.9 million on constructing college, military and prison projects in Clark County over the next two years and he wants the state to borrow most of the money to pay for the work.

UNLV course probes forensic science depths: Jen Lawson; "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation" has spawned yet another spinoff -- a four-year degree program in forensic science at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Lawmakers told of need for mental health funding: CARSON CITY -- Nevada's spending on mental health is far below the national average, and that's why Gov. Kenny Guinn is recommending a 47.7 percent increase in the next two years, lawmakers were told this morning.

Weather mutes Las Vegas classical music station: Spencer Patterson; Southern Nevada classical music radio station KCNV 89.7-FM has been off the air since Sunday morning, the result of weather damage to broadcast equipment on Mount Potosi.

Guinn plans to use land rule to help with affordable housing: Jennifer Shubinski; Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposal in his State of the State address to make "homes more affordable for hard working Nevadans" is rooted in a never-used provision within the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act of 1998.

Airport land deal is under scrutiny: A Clark County commissioner has asked county managers to review a land deal involving the airport and review a specific land deal that angered some residents in the southwest valley.

Palms construction continues: Palms construction continues

Companies urged to welcome gender differences: Michelle Swafford; If women and men can embrace their differences, businesses would be more successful, a professor of management told women business leaders Tuesday.

Gators clinch playoffs berth: Mike Sims; When a team has 14 turnovers by halftime, it usually doesn't look like the outcome is going to be very impressive. But for the Green Valley boys' basketball team, it wasn't too much to overcome to clinch the first playoffs berth this year.

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

Ward 1 voters choose Tarkanian in recall: Dan Kulin; Ward 1 Results

Problem gambling advocates laud Guinn's call for funding: By Liz Benston; Problem gambling advocates are applauding Gov. Kenny Guinn's effort to raise $200,000 to help problem gamblers but say it is only a small starting point for what they hope will become a longstanding financial commitment from the state and its dominant industry.

Hispanic students show gains in AP tests: By Emily Richmond; The percentage of Nevada students who did well enough on the Advanced Placement exam to earn college credit nearly doubled from 2000 to 2004, with Hispanic students showing the strongest gains both in participation and test scores.

Nevada State Bank parent's earnings jump: Kevin Rademacher; Zions Bancorporation, parent company of Nevada State Bank, reported fourth-quarter net income of $105 million, or $1.15 per share.

Execs charged in stock fraud case plead not guilty: Normally a trial date would have been set in March to ensure defendants' right to a speedy trial. But U.S. District Judge Walter Kelley approved a request from prosecutors to push the trial date back to August, citing the case's complexity.

Senate confirms Rice, 85-13: Barry Schweid; WASHINGTON -- The Senate overrode Democratic critics of the Iraq war today and handily confirmed Condoleezza Rice, a chief architect of U.S. policy, to be secretary of state. The vote was 85-13.

Cable television growth hampered, experts say: Kevin Rademacher; A study released this week in Las Vegas makes the claim that television programming alone will no longer be sufficient to grow the number of customers for U.S. cable companies.

Las Vegans recall horrors of the Holocaust: Thousands of people, frightened and tightly packed into cattle cars, arrived at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp during World War II and faced the same horror.

Columnist Jeff German: Taxicab Authority has lost it: Nothing, of course.

Environmentalists oppose re-channeling of Virgin River: A national environmental group is threatening legal action to block the city of Mesquite's work to re-channel the Virgin River, but the city says the work is needed to protect public infrastructure and private property following damaging floods two weeks ago.

Guard, inmate plead guilty in prison sex case: By Matt Pordum; A former guard at the state women's prison in North Las Vegas and the inmate whose baby he fathered both pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the incident on Tuesday.

Bodman sets new Yucca deadline: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The man expected to be confirmed as the new energy secretary said the Energy Department would submit its license application to construct Yucca Mountain "by the end of the calendar year" -- an admission that the nuclear waste repository program may be another year behind schedule.

New technology has TV affiliates on alert: Kirk Baird; As if local network affiliates didn't have enough worries with eroding ratings and increased competition from cable TV, there is a new problem.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Love is the answer at Nambe: Nambe has the beauty and luster of silver and will not crack, chip or tarnish. In 1999 the Santa Fe, N.M.-based company began working with full lead crystal blown by master European artisans. Some of those pieces are included in the Valentine gift collection.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Black & White Ball a well-attended success: Elizabeth Foyt; The festivities for Diamond-level supporters ($25,000) began with a private meet-and-greet party with Ann-Margret, NBT's 2005 Woman of the Year, in one of Caesars' lush penthouse suites.

'It was the open-pit fires, where they would toss the newborn babies': Auschwitz survivors Ben Lesser, Ernie Ostreicher and Perry Oehlbaum of Las Vegas say they never will forget their arrival at the infamous Nazi death camp, their most haunting memories of the ordeal and the day of their liberation.

Community briefs for January 26, 2005: Training classes for Family Home Hospice volunteers will be 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday in the Charleston Towers Building, 1701 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 201.

New Nellis boss sees continued growth at base: Jace Radke; In more than 24 years in the Air Force, Maj. Gen. Stephen Goldfein never found himself stationed at Nellis Air Force Base -- but now he is in Las Vegas commanding the Air Warfare Center and overseeing the country's premier test and training base.

Sports briefs for January 26, 2005: Terrell Owens' doctor said he will not give the All-Pro receiver clearance to play in the Super Bowl. However, Owens could ignore those instructions and be in uniform for the Philadelphia Eagles against the New England Patriots on Feb. 6.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Bettors turn attention to Super Bowl props: Today is the heart of prime time for bettors who like to get the first crack at freshly posted Super Bowl propositions in Las Vegas sports books.

Editorial: Boon for mental health: Statewide, Guinn proposed spending an extra $100 million on mental health services, about half of which would be spent in Las Vegas. This would allow the state to fully staff and open its psychiatric hospital on Jones and Oakey boulevards. The money would allow the hospital, scheduled to open in May 2006, to open with 190 beds. Original plans had called for it to be built in stages, starting with 150 beds.

Diplomat: Israel not likely to take action against Iran: David Kihara; A top ranking Israeli diplomat in the United States said on Tuesday that it is unlikely Israel will pursue military action against Iran and that diplomatic pressure is the best course to halt Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions.

Tabish's attorney Serra offers other reason for leaving case: By Matt Pordum; A request to postpone the sentencing of Rick Tabish and Sandy Murphy this morning was originally expected to be nothing more than procedural, but a motion filed by Tabish's lead attorney to withdraw from the case was expected to have District Judge Joe Bonaventure fuming.

Speedway adds seating for March NASCAR race: Las Vegas Motor Speedway virtually is assured of setting an all-time attendance record for its annual NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race with the announcement that additional seating has been added for this year's NASCAR weekend.

Card games expected to begin in a few days: David Stewart, chief executive of Cherokee Nation Enterprises, said the card games are expected to be in operation at the Cherokee Nation Casino Resort by the middle of next week.

Letter: Highway litter is out of control: Both on I-15 and Blue Diamond Road the amount of litter was absolutely disgusting. As much money as Las Vegas spends on promoting itself as a fun way to spend your vacation, my lasting impression is that of miles and miles of trash and litter.

Obituaries for January 26, 2005: Dennis J. Baca, 64, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospice. He was born July 7, 1940, in Belen, N.M. A resident for 25 years, he was a retired hotel pastry chef.

Lobos' star questionable, but Rebels prepare for him: Steve Guiremand; Will he play or will he not?

Firm posts $12 million loss: The company also cautioned today that it found errors related to its income taxes in 2004 that might require a restatement.

She lived to see Red Sox win Series again: Helen Grace Bartlett Leckemby knew what it was like to be a suffragette and what it was like to suffer.

Deadline nears for seniors' rebates: To qualify, seniors must be 62 by June 30; a Nevada resident since July 1; own or rent property in Clark County, including a manufactured home or lot; and have a total household income of $25,304 or less, including Social Security.

Official says dog tracks now in gambling compliance: On Dec. 1, King announced that after reviewing all the state's gambling statues, he had come up with criteria for electronic bingo machines in Alabama. He said the machines must be based on the traditional five-by-five grid for bingo cards, but some machines at the two dog tracks used cards of different sizes. King said he would give the tracks an appropriate amount of time to remove or reprogram the machines.

Nanny must get public defender: Stephen Curran; When the nanny facing felony child abuse charges for allegedly shaking a Henderson baby made her first appearance in Henderson Justice Court on Tuesday, the parents of the child were there to call for more scrutiny of people who get paid to care for children.

Columnist Peter Benton: Exber reels in another player of the year award: Peter Benton; Brady Exber, for the second consecutive year and sixth in the past seven, was awarded the Championship Division Player of the Year award by the Southern Nevada Golf Association at its recent awards banquet at the Rio Secco Golf Club. Exber won four times in 2004 -- the Hall of Fame Classic, the Rio Secco Amateur, the Casablanca Amateur and the Boulder City Team event, plus he placed second in the Southern Nevada Amateur.

Media oppose bill to exclude records of racino applicants: Media and anti-gambling groups are challenging provisions of the bill, which would allow Penn National to keep the wraps on personal, criminal and other material on its application for a state license. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing today before a legislative committee.

Legislature gets controversial taxi issue: The Nevada Taxicab Authority, stung earlier this month by an interim legislative committee's ruling that rejected regulations ordering cameras in taxis, voted Tuesday to let state lawmakers grapple with the issue.

30-year lease approved to build motocross track: The city agreed to award Dale Matteson and Jim Provencher a 30-year lease that allows the two men to construct and run a 50-square-acre motorcross recreation park off U.S. 95, the highway to Searchlight.

$60 million expansion at Prairie Meadows OK'd: Ryan J. Foley; JOHNSTON, Iowa -- The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission on Tuesday approved a $60 million expansion at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, which will add 500 slot machines to the 1,500 the casino has now and a new entertainment room to the complex.

Protecting open spaces key issue: Eric Leake; Henderson leaders met Tuesday evening to discuss how to plan for the growing city's open spaces while they still can.

Preps: Boys' State Rankings: Preps: Boys' State Rankings

Editorial: Don't break family apart: Only some desperate calls by their family's attorney on Jan. 17 prevented them from being forcibly boarded onto a plane. On Jan. 18 they received a reprieve when the one flight to Moscow was full. On Jan. 19, just three hours before their scheduled flight, their lawyer was successful in appealing to a federal magistrate, who granted the girls a stay while he reviewed the facts of the case.

Court orders common ground on Yucca documents: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON-- An administrative court wants the lawyers for Nevada and the Energy Department to find common ground regarding the handling of millions of Yucca Mountain project documents destined for a federal database.

Armenian sisters in 'unusual' case are called flight risks: By Timothy Pratt; Federal immigration officials on Tuesday said the case of the teenaged Armenian sisters threatened with deportation is "highly unusual" and said the teens haven't been released to their father because they are considered a flight risk.

Lawmakers tackle slot machine issue in South Florida: Jackie Hallifax; TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- State lawmakers Tuesday started exploring how they might regulate and tax slot machines in South Florida, and what a constitutional amendment passed last November means for gambling at Indian reservations in the state.

Court briefs for January 26, 2005: A 17-year-old who pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a 311 Boyz gang attack that left a teen with a crushed face had his house arrest restrictions eased Tuesday.

Galardi must keep hands off Jaguars strip club: Clark County commissioners on Tuesday gave a green light for the new operators of a strip club to continue in the business but did not immediately decide on the fate of a politically touchy operation nearby.

Letter: Proposition 13 is not to blame for California's woes: The concept of a California Proposition 13 type approach has been pooh-poohed by every interviewed office holder and bureaucrat. Proposition 13 as structured and passed in California does have some flaws, but it is not the cause of California's current fiscal crisis as every politician would have you believe.

Sophomore trumps: Nick Christensen; Take a look at the Southern Nevada scoring leaders on this page, and you'll see Heiden Ratner's name at the top of the list.

Valley gets even with Pioneers: Nick Christensen; When Canyon Springs beat Valley on the road last month, the Pioneers were 9-2 and looking like the class of the Northeast Division.

McCracklin not likely to return: Adam Candee; UNLV senior Sherry McCracklin hates doing the cheerleading thing, but Lady Rebels coach Regina Miller said Tuesday that McCracklin is unlikely to play this season.

Pressure taken off Beaver Dam to ease danger from flooding: State officials punched an 8-foot hole in Beaver Dam to drain floodwaters into a popular fishing area on the Nevada-Utah border after heavy rains and runoff posed a threat to public safety.

Residents will vote on new animal shelter: At issue is whether voters would approve the sale of the city's existing animal shelter and the use of $1.5 million in capital improvement money for the construction of a new animal shelter.

Preps: Tuesday's Results: Valley 75, Canyon Springs 60: VALY: Josh Rivers 25, Josh Everett 15 pts. CNYN: Robert Williams 23 pts, Juan Patillo 17 pts.

Agassi Academy adding kindergarten, first grade: By Emily Richmond; Agassi College Preparatory Academy announced Tuesday it will launch its full-day kindergarten and first grade classrooms in August, three years ahead of schedule.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Sanford gets a pass before judgment: We're No. 11! At least when it comes to hiring a new football coach, in the estimation of CBS SportsLine.com.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- PRELUDE TO PUDDLES -- Draws good box for maiden special weight sprint, Douglas atop Drysdale trainee for owner Papiano, sans blinkers for this diploma try. GIVE ME SUGAR -- Draws alongside top pick for dash opener, Smith scales co-owner Headley trainee, sweet graduation for Sugar? Value Play -- MILK RIVER

News briefs for January 26, 2005: The Nevada National Guard announced Tuesday that two soldiers from Clark County have been awarded the Distinguished Service Medals for their actions during insurgent attacks in Iraq in June 2003.

Coyote Hungry: The impressive trophy from the 2003 national championship season resides behind a glass case up in Building C at the Community College of Southern Nevada, far from the baseball clubhouse.

Cost of living, urban villages discussed: Stephen Curran; The struggle for affordable housing remains one of the toughest challenges facing middle-income Las Vegans, the Clark County Growth Task Force agreed at its meeting Tuesday.

Columnist Adam Candee: The first of many golfers to enter UNLV's hall of fame: Adam Candee; Apparently, Warren Schutte's snowstorm of 16 years ago finally melted.

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

Candidates line up to file for upcoming city elections: Dan Kulin; The race to replace Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack got off to a crowded start on Tuesday as four candidates filed for the city's Ward 6 council seat.

Guinn proposes $250 million extra for higher education: Nevada higher education officials said they were scrambling Tuesday to decipher Gov. Kenny Guinn's budget proposals, but they were satisfied that each institution should receive at least 84 percent of its formula funding needs and that several key classroom projects will receive funding.