Print edition for June 15, 2005

Columnist Peter Benton: Doping the U.S. Open field: Peter Benton; The 105th U.S. Open gets under way this week over the 7,214-yard, par-70, Pinehurst No. 2 course in Pinehurst, N.C.

Columnist Jeff Haney: All-Star acquiescence a slippery slope?: Everyone take three steps back.

Editorial: The system worked: This is an example of the court system working. The prosecution fell considerably short of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Much of it depended on anecdotal evidence impossible to prove, and testimony from witnesses who in many cases were not credible or whose testimony conflicted with the prosecutors' allegations.

Guinn vetoes cabdrivers bill: "Taxicab drivers contribute greatly to the economy of this state," Guinn said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Hospitality industry execs get due at dinner: Elizabeth Foyt; Dean Stuart Mann presided and introduced Dr. Jerome Vallen, founding dean of the college, and Vallen's wife, Flossie, co-authors of "The Right Place: An Anecdotal History of the UNLV College of Hotel Administration."

Nevada Supreme Court rejects murderer's petition: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court Tuesday rejected the petition of Elder Zacarias-Lopez sentenced to two life terms for the first-degree murder of a woman in Las Vegas in 2001.

Centennial star commits to UNC: Nick Christensen; Last weekend, Italee Lucas found herself walking in the footsteps of her heroes while taking part in a basketball camp at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Editorial: Kickbacks kicking back: Overnight, the practice stopped. Yeah, right.

King for a day: Kirk Baird; Christopher Walken was 35 in 1978 when he picked up an Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in "The Deer Hunter."

Reid nets millions with LV property deals: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid made $1 million to $5 million in January 2004 by selling a piece of property in Las Vegas and 47 percent interest in an adjoining property, based on his financial disclosure report.

Letter: DMV could print reminders about kids left in cars: This would advise all who are getting licenses that such neglect is a criminal offense punishable by a fine, jail time or court-ordered attendance at a parenting class. Perhaps outlining this matter on a page that the drivers know will be retained by the DMV (with their signature acknowledging that they have been advised ) will be an ever-present reminder that this practice of leaving children and pets alone in a vehicle is dangerous, often fatal.

Art winners announced: In the Kindergarten through third grade division, the winners are:

Trial set for woman charged in stabbing death of husband: By Matt Pordum; The 59-year-old Laughlin woman charged with the stabbing death of her estranged husband in December 2002 won't stand trial until next year and in the meantime will remain in jail, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Unser III gets chance to follow in father's groove line: Al Unser III, the son of a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and grandson of a four-time Indy winner, will return to the Toyota Atlantic Championship for the remainder of the 2005 season.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1:20 p.m.

Judge denies defense motion to overturn sentence: By Matt Pordum; The forewoman of the jury that sentenced Donte Johnson to death went from the jury box to the witness stand on Tuesday as she fended off allegations that she had predetermined Johnson should be sentenced to death and that she persuaded other jurors to vote for death in hopes of making a book she planned on writing about the case more profitable.

Pinehurst pulls Gamez away from Hall night: Because of his day job, Robert Gamez will not be able to attend Friday's ceremony at Cox Pavilion, where he and four others will be inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.

Obituaries for June 15, 2005: Alva "Al" Clum, 86, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospital. He was born July 23, 1918, in Marcola, Ore. A resident for eight years, he was a retired Navy chief petty officer, a World War II and Korean War veteran and a member of the Fleet Reserve.

Sports briefs for June 15, 2005: Former Baylor basketball player Carlton Dotson was sentenced to 35 years in prison today, a week after he unexpectedly pleaded guilty to murdering his teammate two years ago.

Governor names Wixom to fill regents position: University regent Doug Seastrand's spot on the Board of Regents will be filled by Las Vegas lawyer Michael Wixom, Gov. Kenny Guinn announced Tuesday.

County gets rehearing on expansion: The move, which sets another hearing for July 21, came about a month after the three-member panel found there was not enough evidence for the county to prove AF Construction billed it an extra $33 million for the expansion project.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: AAA gives well-traveled advice: Young drivers consider themselves invincible (we've all been there). But read the statistics -- risks increase for teens because of their inexperience and overconfidence. "The fatality rate for teenage drivers is four times higher than the rate for drivers 25 to 65," AAA reports.

Community briefs for June 15, 2005: UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration announced they will host a networking event 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday and Tuesday in the the new lounge at the International Gaming Institute in the Stan Fulton Building on the campus.

Aide pleads not guilty in ex-husband's drowning: Twenty-five-year-old Gloria Guzman was arrested on March 11 after she allegedly admitted to detectives that she intentionally drowned 40-year-old Mark Richards on Feb. 26.

Former Vegas resident killed in Baghdad explosion: David Kihara; A soldier who formerly lived in Las Vegas was killed in Baghdad on Saturday, the Defense Department reported Tuesday.

Spotlight shines on Moore: Adam Candee; PINEHURST, N.C. -- Out of the shower stepped Andres Gonzales into his room at the Sheraton Baltimore North, unknowingly moving his half-clothed self into sight of a handheld video camera.

State champion has rough first round: Nick Christensen; A month ago, Adam Tebbs was beating the competition -- and the conditions -- on his way to the 4A golf championship in Reno.

Governor signs into law payday loan bill, 27 more: CARSON CITY -- Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, says her payday loan bill, signed by Gov. Kenny Guinn Tuesday, "will prevent Nevadans from being placed on a debt treadmill."

Letter: Battle for hearts and minds is lost: In a country where the unemployment rate hovers between 60 percent and 70 percent, most of the Iraqis who sign up do so for the $300-$400 a month salary rather than any desire to fight their countrymen.

Malmstrom to be made full-time city clerk: The Boulder City Council is preparing to make Pam Malmstrom the city's permanent city clerk.

Consumer prices fall, manufacturing rebounds: Prices paid by consumers unexpectedly fell 0.1 percent last month, the first decline in almost a year, led by a drop in energy prices, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Industrial production rose 0.4 percent, twice as much as expected, according to a report from the Fed.

Firm pledges not to advertise new drugs for first year: It is believed to be the first company to make such a promise but many drug makers have been changing the tenor of their advertising in response to rising complaints from doctors, patients and lawmakers about the amount and accuracy of the advertising. Johnson & Johnson adopted a set of advertising principles three months ago and will create commercials to help patients better understand drugs' risks and benefits. The pharmaceutical industry is working on a voluntary code of conduct for drug ads that could be released as early as next month.

Companies seek federal relief from state rules: In a letter to Sen. Richard C. Shelby, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, its ranking Democrat, the insurers and bankers complained of the burden of having to comply with regulators in 50 states, saying it was a very costly system that "provides no advantage to the consumer."

Tribe files second suit to get casino: The 251-member tribe wants to have a gambling hall in Grant Parish in central Louisiana, a plan that Gov. Kathleen Blanco is opposing. The tribe sued in state district court in LaSalle Parish and followed that up with a federal court suit filed in Baton Rouge.

CCSN overhauls student services: Community College of Southern Nevada President Richard Carpenter is overhauling the administrative structure of the college's student services department in hopes of better serving students.

Senate panel OKs cruise ship gambling: Rep. Danny Martiny, R-Kenner, said only one boat currently would meet the strict requirements of the bill: the Delta Queen Steamship Company's American Queen. He told the Senate Judiciary B Committee that foreign boats docked in New Orleans already have gambling on board, and he said his bill would help the American Queen compete for tourist dollars.

Union: Lining up contract dates increases leverage: Alex Veiga; LOS ANGELES -- After a yearlong contract battle, workers at seven hotels scaled down their demands for more money to win a key concession -- a deal that expires next year.

Allegiant Air making a success of leisure time: Allegiant Air has taken its unusual business plan on the road.

Online poker operator worth $9.2 billion: The Gibraltar-based company's founders plan to raise as much as 1.1 billion pounds by selling 20.6 percent of the shares in London for 111 pence to 127 pence each, PartyGaming said today in a statement. The middle of the price range values the company at about 25 times its 2004 net income, less than U.S. Internet stocks such as search engine Google Inc.

Union holds job fair: Union holds job fair

Newest Vegas ads tout specific attractions: By Liz Benston; Starting this week, consumers nationwide will get a taste of Las Vegas through a series of new television spots that will do something that tourism bureaus nationwide have so far avoided.

Canadian airline to offer nonstop service at McCarran: WestJet, marketed as a low-cost airline, began operations in February 1996 serving five destinations in Western Canada and now offers scheduled service across 34 cities in North America.

Reid nets millions with property deals: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid made $1 million to $5 million in January 2004 by selling a piece of property in Las Vegas and 47 percent interest in an adjoining property, based on his financial disclosure report.

Harrah's donates $1 million to USO: By Liz Benston; Harrah's Entertainment Inc. has donated $1 million to the USO to maintain programs and services that benefit troops and their families worldwide.

Nevada Cancer Institute names officials: The institute named a chief operating officer, a chief clinical oncologist, a laboratory services director and a chief information officer. Of the four, two were imported from out of state.

Pirating of souvenir plates feared: Dan Kulin; The Las Vegas Centennial Celebration Committee's top administrator is having the group's copyright and trademark attorneys look into unlicensed souvenir license plates that have been for sale at local gift shops and which she says appear to be too similar to the official centennial license plates.

Galardi tells court he gave $18,000 to councilmen: SAN DIEGO -- Former strip club owner Michael Galardi provided bombshell testimony in the federal public corruption case here Tuesday, telling the jury that he paid thousands of dollars in cash bribes to San Diego city councilmen in an attempt to change a city ordinance.

Ex-manager of Del Mar motel will get to keep his teaching job: By Emily Richmond; A business and marketing teacher who moonlighted as manager of an adult motel will get to keep his day job, Clark County School District officials confirmed Tuesday.

Mom accepts diploma for son who fought the good fight: The mother of the late James "Fuj" Dalrymple accepted his Las Vegas High School diploma Tuesday night in front of a cheering crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Lawmakers spar over nuke storage: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The newly hatched House plan to begin storing the nation's high-level nuclear waste at temporary sites is on a collision course with the Senate, which could doom it for this year.

Sun deal with R-J 'a tremendous opportunity': The Las Vegas Sun this fall will enter a new chapter in its storied history when it will return to morning delivery on a daily basis as an independently produced newspaper within the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Casino equipment makers team up: By Liz Benston; Three casino equipment makers have formed a partnership in order to develop automatic table game tracking systems more quickly and cost-effectively.

Report: California plan to join 11-state lotto game illegal: The Legislative Counsel's Office said Tuesday in a 12-page opinion that joining the massive lottery game could violate a 1984 law passed by voters that specified that all lottery games played in California should be run by the state, the Daily News of Los Angeles reported. The Lottery Act also contains no provision for sharing prize money from tickets purchased outside the state, the paper said.

Business lobbies remain bullish on overhaul of Social Security: Jeff Bliss and Brendan Murray; Business lobbyists remain bullish that Congress will pass a Social Security overhaul this year, while stopping short of predicting that President George W. Bush's private accounts will be part of the final legislation.

State Ethics Commission clears Shafer: CARSON CITY -- The state Ethics Commission has released its opinion learing former Clark County Public Administrator Jared Shafer of allegations that he misused his office to obtain a lucrative private contract to act as an administer of an estate.

Bill calls for more disclosure from limited liability firms: One last-minute compromise bill approved by the Nevada Legislature before it adjourned last week would require limited liability companies to reveal more about their members in land transactions with state and local government.

Bush, Seminoles to start negotiations over slot machines: Jackie Hallifax; TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Jeb Bush and the Seminoles have agreed to begin negotiating over slot machines at the tribe's six gambling facilities, the two sides said Tuesday.

UNLV, UNR sign medical center pact: UNLV and the University of Nevada School of Medicine have formally agreed to work together in developing the academic medical center in downtown Las Vegas.

Columnist Jeff German: Sounding off on cab cameras: But I was wrong.

Mother questions policies at youth detention center: Molly Ball; In the wake of revelations that lapses at the county's juvenile detention facility allowed her daughter to commit suicide and the subsequent firing of one of the employees, a Henderson woman is questioning the assertion that the death was an isolated incident brought on by employee misbehavior.

Indian casinos rake in $19 billion last year: CARSON CITY -- The 405 Indian-owned casinos in the United States won $19 billion last year from gamblers -- $8.5 billion more than all of Nevada's gaming resorts.

Massage studio closed for alleged prostitution allowed to reopen: A Henderson massage studio shut down last month by the city for alleged prostitution will be allowed to reopen, a district judge ruled Tuesday.

Bond issue sought for UNLV parking: UNLV officials are asking the Board of Regents to approve a bond issue of up to $13 million in order to add 850 new parking spaces to the Cottage Grove parking garage at its meeting next week.

July 11 set for taxicab workshop: Cameras, no cameras? Sound, no sound? Video or stills? Mandatory or voluntary?

News briefs for June 15, 2005: A man who was trying to protect his friend from her violent boyfriend was shot and killed in a downtown Las Vegas apartment Tuesday morning, Metro Police said.