Print edition for June 2, 2005

Players defend video; owners issue apology: San Francisco 49ers owners John York and Denise DeBartolo York apologized Wednesday for a players' orientation video that contained racist and sexist material. At the same time, players defended the video's star and producer, team public relations director Kirk Reynolds.

Seniors doing better on math testing: By Emily Richmond; Clark County high school seniors showed a marked improvement on the math proficiency test, according to Clark County School District numbers.

Council gives raises to LV officials: Dan Kulin; The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday approved sizable pay raises for the city manager and city attorney and gave the city auditor a pay raise plus a one-time bonus.

Virtual High School to graduate first class: By Emily Richmond; Nearly an hour after his high school's commencement rehearsal was due to start, it appeared senior Neil Hilton would be the only student to show up.

Lawmakers wrestle with unresolved issues: CARSON CITY -- Although the deadlock over the state budget has been broken, lawmakers still must resolve their differences over Gov. Kenny Guinn's plan to give a $300 million rebate to auto owners and end the tug-of-war over raising the minimum wage.

Prosecutor calls for death penalty in knife attack: By Matt Pordum; A prosecutor said Wednesday the only punishment available for Beau Maestas that even comes close to achieving a sense of justice for "doing the unthinkable" and killing a 3-year-old girl and paralyzing her 10-year-old half-sister is the death penalty.

Sports briefs for June 2, 2005: Michael Jorden, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird -- three member of the original U.S. Olympic "Dream Team," are among 12 former NBA players who have agreed to help select the 2008 U.S. team.

Brothers bringing the colors of Rainbow to Las Vegas Valley: Michelle Swafford; A replica of a Hollywood legacy opens in Las Vegas on Friday.

LV airline adds Midwest routes: Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air will begin offering nonstop flights twice a week to Green Bay, Wis., beginning July 28, and to South Bend, Ind., beginning Aug. 5.

Loews lands at Lake Las Vegas: The upscale Loews Hotels chain plans to build a $200 million, 400-room nongaming resort at Lake Las Vegas, the company announced Wednesday.

Andre Agassi slots to debut at MGM Grand: Aristocrat Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Australia-based Aristocrat Leisure Ltd., will install the machines early next week at the MGM Grand.

$419.4 million building plan OK'd: CARSON CITY -- A record $419.4 million building program will be undertaken by the state in the next two years, with higher education getting $200 million for new buildings.

Rogers reminds regents to keep calm picking next chairman: Chancellor Jim Rogers reminded regents to play nicely with each other when campaigning to be the next chairman of the Board of Regents.

Legislature briefs for June 2, 2005: The Assembly voted 41-1 Wednesday to give themselves and senators a retroactive increase in their travel and housing allowance for a session from $6,800 to $10,000.

Action on medical center delayed: City Manager Doug Selby said there are still no major problems with the negotiations, and the delay was requested to give all sides more time to examine the proposed agreement, which would not be binding.

Ramirez promises rally: North Las Vegas mayoral candidate Andres Ramirez vowed to go ahead today with a free concert and political rally, blaming politics for the city's denial of a permit to use Eldorado Park.

Rough 2nd round has Rebels reeling: Adam Candee; OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Today began with the sun rising on UNLV's early tee time at the NCAA championship at Caves Valley Golf Course.

Planning Commission loses permit authority: The North Las Vegas City Council has stripped the Planning Commission of its authority to issue permits for new schools and will make the decisions itself.

LV Council OKs condo complex: Dan Kulin; A scaled down version of a controversial condominium complex won approval Wednesday, almost six months after Ambling Development Partners' original high-rise proposal for Alta Drive and Martin Luther King Boulevard was rejected.

Assembly shoots down casino bill: Cy Ryan and David Kihara; The Assembly on Wednesday voted not to concur with controversial Senate amendments to a gaming bill that would change regulations on neighborhood casinos, with Democrats saying the amendments changed the original nature of the bill.

Nevada ranks No. 1 in U.S. for housing appreciation: Kevin Rademacher; Boosted by big jumps in Las Vegas housing prices, Nevada's soaring housing costs paced the nation with a 31.2 percent appreciation rate from the first quarter of 2004 to the first quarter of 2005, recent government data said.

IGT to make slot system protocol available to others: International Game Technology will drop its licensing requirement and make its new SuperSAS gaming machine protocol available to other manufacturers.

University system chancellor moved by news of $200 million for new buildings: It's highly unusual to hear a grown man fight back tears when discussing budget issues over the phone.

Guinn gives OK to wireless gaming devices in casinos: Elizabeth White; CARSON CITY -- Now that the governor has signed off on legislation allowing gamblers to play poker or roulette at poolside or slots from a restaurant salad bar, regulators will have to make some judgments on mobile gaming safeguards.

World Series stopping at new venue: Michelle Swafford; Poker's biggest annual get-together is back in Las Vegas, but there's a lot new at the 36th annual World Series of Poker.

Nevadans choose wild horse design for state quarter: CARSON CITY -- The wild horse is going to be the Nevada theme on a 25-cent piece to be minted in January next year and distributed nationwide.

Real estate firm hit with record fine: CARSON CITY -- The owners of a Las Vegas real estate firm have been fined a record $105,000 by the state for carrying on business without a license.

Private Las Vegas air terminal sold: The Las Vegas Executive Air Terminal, one of two fixed-based operations catering to private aircraft at McCarran International Airport, is being sold to a company that specializes in infrastructure management.

Study: NASCAR weekend has $167 million impact: To nobody's great surprise, Jimmie Johnson wasn't the biggest winner on UAW-DaimlerChysler 400 weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

Two to testify in ticket scam case: Under their plea agreement, Chad R. Adkins, 28, and Daniel J. Foltz, 31, will admit to theft and testify against William C. Foreman, the former lottery official charged with telling them where to buy a winning ticket.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Baja 500 half the length, but every bit as challenging: It is only half the distance of the more famous Baja 1000, but this weekend's Tecate SCORE Baja 500 just might present more of a challenge to the 375 off-road racers expected to take part in the race which begins and ends in Ensenada, Mexico.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 7:05 p.m.

Group reprimanded for campaign law violations: The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board voted May 19 to issue a letter of reprimand to Washington County Citizens for Good Jobs, saying the group failed to file required reports disclosing debts or estimated debts.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Senators practice going left ... in racecar: It was just after 11 a.m. Wednesday when the senator from Virginia, his silver racing helmet barely visible from the cockpit of the bright yellow No. 19 Mario Andretti Racing School Indy car, negotiated turn 1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway without incident.

Editorial: Report a rap on caps: This week a report, based on statistics from a federal malpractice data base, was published in the journal Health Affairs. The statistics "suggest that ... large jury awards ... have not been the key drivers" of the malpractice crisis, the report stated.

Fight schedule: Today

Lofty Plans: Holsum project a cornerstone of arts downtown renaissance: By Kristen Peterson; From the patio of the Grill on Charleston, a small restaurant in the Holsum Lofts, you can see the new World Market Center.

Bullring driver fined, suspended: NASCAR Super Late Model driver Spencer Clark has been fined $250 and suspended from the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway until June 10.

Letter: Mayor's recent actions abhorrent: First, it was his message to a classroom full of children that if stranded on a desert island, his first choice for a possession would be gin. Now it is a more large-scale message to the entire community: "Hey, look, your mayor did a nude photo shoot!"

One-year wonder: J.C. Sibley, UNLV senior center fielder

Harmony runners scheduled to hit B.C. on Friday: An 11,000-mile relay run promoting international friendship will arrive Friday in Boulder City, its lone stop in Nevada on a swing of Western states.

Nation's retailers report solid sales for May: As merchants began reporting their May results today, the big winners were luxury stores such as Nordstrom Inc. and teen retailers including Bebe Stores Inc. and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, reported sales that matched analysts' modest estimates.

Guest columnist Ryan Keeney: First day so good, can't wait for second: The banquet was long. Long, long speech that everyone agreed wasn't too well done. So we're all just hating life during the banquet, to tell you the truth. The food was OK and it's just something that you've got to do. No one really enjoys banquets.

Man who died in crash was off-duty officer: Fred Hernandez died when he struck the rear of a tanker truck that was turning right of Vegas Valley Drive into a water treatment plant, police said.

Obituaries for June 2, 2005: James C. Coleman, 50, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. He was born Sept. 26, 1954, in Louisiana. A resident for 36 years, he was a hotel porter.

California lawmaker to replace SEC chairman: David Espo; WASHINGTON -- Acting quickly, President Bush named conservative Rep. Christopher Cox to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission today. Cox would succeed William Donaldson, who announced the day before he was stepping down after 28 months.

Photo book of Marines, sailors in action will aid military families: Dick Benoit; Hundreds of color photos depicting the trials and triumphs of the Navy and Marine Corps during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom adorn the pages of "Defending Freedom," a new hardcover coffee-table book.

Early voting will end Friday: Voting started May 18 in North Las Vegas and May 21 in Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City.

Editorial: Right kind of loyalty: Felt obviously took a great risk, even though he was assisting Woodward anonymously, because Nixon was not above seeking retribution against government officials he suspected of leaking information to the media. It should seem obvious that Felt's actions were just, in that they played a role in bringing down a corrupt president. But in the two days since the revelation, Nixon apologists -- made up mostly of former aides to the president -- have tried to smear Felt's reputation, saying he was disloyal by sharing what knowledge he had as a law enforcement official with The Washington Post. The Nixon ...

Ralph Siraco's Hollywood Park selections: 1st Race -- SKIPPING COURT -- Nakatani atop O'Neill trainee, draws good rail post in route claimer, Skipping to winners circle to hold Court? HAVIN A GOOD TIME -- Enriquez on Pearson trainee, has good box for two-turn opener, victory puts backers in mood for Havin A Good Time. Value Play -- LADY'S CAPER

Lawmakers OK lottery games for veterans, cancer research: State lawmakers voted Tuesday to create scratch-off lottery games to raise money for veterans programs and breast-cancer research.

Byrd named CCSN vice president: Arthur Byrd, who currently holds a similar position at Long Beach City College, will make $136,000 a year and will start Aug. 1.

Comments sought on 'third straw' intake: The National Park Service is asking for comments on a recent proposal from the Southern Nevada Water Authority to build the $650 million "third straw" to bring more water from Lake Mead.

Eleven men executed in Nevada since 1979: AP; Ten of the 11 executed in Nevada since the ruling were, like McConnell, volunteers who declined to file further appeals that would have kept them alive.

Letter: Marathon changes a 26.2-mile move in wrong direction: The entrance fee is an outrageous $95, a $35 increase over the last marathon fee.

NTS to test nuclear detection devices: Jeff Donaldson; Detection devices that pick up potential nuclear threats from terrorists will be tested at a new facility at the Nevada Test Site before being installed at the nation's border and airport checkpoints, federal officials said Wednesday.

Letter: Students suffer as better funding is repeatedly denied: Who was out there campaigning, not for a property tax limit of 3 percent but for additional property taxes to fund education? Where was the call for another 1 percent earmarked for education? Time after time a bill is introduced to provide additional educational funding via a state lottery. It never sees the light of day.

51s' Stanley standing out: Nick Christensen; It looked like a routine fly ball, trailing off Jeff Pickler's bat and just left of the third base line at Cashman Field.

Las Vegas airline adds Green Bay to route map: Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air will begin offering nonstop flights twice a week to Green Bay, Wis., beginning July 28.

Ivanpah suit plaintiff says he's financially ruined: Stephen Curran; A now-defunct plan to build a massive air cargo hub in the Ivanpah Valley left Clark County's former partner in the project financially and professionally ruined, the plaintiff in a high-profile suit against the county testified Wednesday.

Columnist Susan Snyder: ABC uses Vegas for swap meet: The catch: You have to trade them for someone else's.

Community briefs for June 2, 2005: Domestic violence advocates and experts will participate in the fifth annual domestic violence conference "Life's Journey: Out of the Darkness Into the Light" at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the East Las Vegas Community Senior Center, 240 N. Eastern Ave.

Letter: Changing system is not Christ-like: I refer to Matthew 22:21 -- "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."

Corrections: Corrections

Event named for O'Callaghan: O'Callaghan, a two-term Nevada governor, was executive editor and columnist for the Las Vegas Sun until his death in March 2004. The tournament raises funds for the projects and programs of the National Jewish Medical Research Center in Denver.

Police seize 26 illegal video gambling machines: The machines were taken Wednesday and administrative charges were filed against the firm's business licenses, according to a news release from the Columbia Police Department. The State Law Enforcement Division also helped in the raids.

Officials unveil summer clean-air campaign: The media blitz includes television and radio commercials, newspaper advertisements and billboards, county officials said Tuesday. It comes as air quality officials are working to meet a federal health standard for ozone, a key ingredient of smog.