Print edition for March 7, 2005

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400: Weekend schedule: Noon -- World of Outlaws pit gates open (Half-mile dirt track at LVMS).

Property tax cap threaten budgets: CARSON CITY -- Enactment of a 6 percent cap on skyrocketing property tax value could force the state to provide more than $40 million more to Nevada school districts over the next two years.

James accepts the blame: Adam Candee; The loneliest number that you'll ever see, it turns out, is actually two. It certainly is for Gladiators coach Ron James after his decision not to go for a two-point conversion after Las Vegas' final score combined with an Austin touchdown at the buzzer to create a distressing 42-41 loss Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center that could make the road to playoffs much harder than it needs to be.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Declan's Moon announces presence with authority: Ralph Siraco; It wasn't until Saturday that the No. 1 contender for this year's Kentucky Derby finally took to the track, but it was worth the wait.

Racists' outreach efforts in LV gain attention: David Kihara; A white supremacist organization has stepped up recruitment efforts throughout the Las Vegas Valley in recent months, so much so that it will be the subject of a discussion at UNLV Tuesday night.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: For UNLV's fortune in Denver, toss a coin: So, the guy behind me in line at the pharmacy awaiting his prescription for March Madness wanted to know, how are the Rebels going to do in the Mountain West Conference tournament in Denver this week?

Lawmakers push for plan to help casino towns: The aid payments, which are part of Rell's 2006-07 budget proposal, are intended to defray some of the impact of the casinos on the towns, including costs associated with roads and educating children of casino workers.

Bill to ban casino boats filed: A judge ruled last year that Georgetown County couldn't ban the boats, saying that power remains only with the state.

Legislative briefs for March 7, 2005: The Andre Agassi charter school in Las Vegas wants $900,000 from the state to help build classrooms for kindergarten and first graders.

Rejected developer has new plan for Las Vegas: Dan Kulin; The last time the Ambling Co. went before the Las Vegas City Council, the company's proposed development for land at Alta Drive and Martin Luther King Boulevard was rejected after neighboring property owners rose up in opposition.

Lady Rebels' goal loftier than being competitive: Adam Candee; The Lady Rebels spent 14 conference games proving that they can hang with the best of the Mountain West.

LV or California could be Irwin's zoo site: Dan Kulin; Las Vegas and locations in California are being considered as possible sites for "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's first zoo in the United States, his manager and business partner said Friday.

Mothers upset by lack of services for jailed youth: David Kihara; The 17-year-old who is currently serving a two-year sentence at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center for killing three 15-year-old friends in a November 2003 drunken driving crash is not receiving a proper education or counseling because of his very unusual detention situation, a group of mothers said on Thursday.

Chief exec gives $15 million: The campus will include senior housing, assisted living, long term care, short term acute care and a K-8 school.

Profit rises 40 percent: Net income climbed to $3.34 billion, or $2,171 a share, from $2.39 billion, or $1,553, a year earlier, the Omaha, Neb.-based company said on its Web site.

News briefs for March 7, 2005: A man sentenced to 131 months in prison for his part in a $345,000 bank robbery in Las Vegas is going to get another hearing before U.S. District Judge Lloyd George.

UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400: Drivers' appearances: Reed Sorenson -- 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Galleria at Sunset Mall, 1300 W. Sunset Rd., Henderson.

Record rainfall gives valley flower power: In Bloom

Survey: Many homeless lack basic comforts: By Timothy Pratt; Nearly one in three homeless men and women doesn't always have access to a restroom, and nearly one in four can't always get clean drinking water, according to preliminary results from an annual survey of that population.

Lobbying blitz begins on Internet poker measure: Dale Wetzel; BISMARCK, N.D. -- Licensing Internet poker sites can help prevent gambling by youngsters, compulsive gambling and other consequences that concern state policymakers, an Internet gambling company executive believes.

Guardsmen finally get their due: Eric Leake; Far from the roads of Iraq where they were injured, two Nevada guardsmen were finally awarded the Purple Heart Sunday.

Two killed in separate traffic crashes today: The victims are not believed to be at fault in either wreck, Sgt. Tracy McDonald said.

Nevada unemployment rate inches down in January: CARSON CITY -- Despite the snow and rain that hit Nevada in January, the statewide unemployment rate inched down to 3.9 percent with an estimated 46,700 people out of work.

Credit issuer buys Hibernia: Sunday's decision by Capital One, the nation's fifth-biggest credit-card issuer, gives the McLean, Va.-based company 314 branches in Louisiana and Texas. Hibernia agreed to receive 45 percent of the $33-a-share offer in cash and 55 percent in Capital One stock.

Study: Philip Morris 'shaped' secondhand smoke review in 2001: Edvard Pettersson; Philip Morris, a division of Altria Group Inc., successfully encouraged an author to change his conclusion in a 2001 scientific review of the risk of secondhand smoke, according to a study in Pediatrics.

Yee Haw! Rebels draw Cowboys in first round: Steve Guiremand; PROVO, Utah -- UNLV had just rallied to defeat BYU at the Marriott Center for the first time since 1998. But as the Rebels left the locker room following their sixth victory in their past seven games, a 76-66 win against the Cougars, their thoughts were already turning to this week's Mountain West Conference tournament in Denver.

After stopping Diaz, Castillo predicts a KO of Corrales: Little business was left unfinished Saturday night at Mandalay Bay, as the winners of two world title fights were gracious in their assessments of the men they beat even as they publicly turned their attention to their next championship bouts.

Tribes looking at casino along Lake Sakakawea: Army Corps of Engineers spokeswoman Linda Phelps said the Three Affiliated Tribes has notified the corps that it is working on the proposal. A Bismarck-based engineering firm hired by the tribes was at Beaver Bay recently.

Nevada Power's parent turns quarterly profit: Kevin Rademacher; Beneficial regulatory decisions and a productive legal maneuver in its ongoing battle with Enron Corp. helped Sierra Pacific Resources to a fourth-quarter and full-year 2004 profit.

Shoshone file suit against Yucca dump: Jace Radke; The Western Shoshone Nation has rejected millions of dollars in compensation for the loss of their ancestral lands, and now the tribe is suing the federal government to stop nuclear waste from being housed at Yucca Mountain.

Obituaries for March 7, 2005: Thomas G. Barnett, 85, of Pahrump died Thursday in Las Vegas. He was born Jan. 10, 1920, in Montana. A resident for 10 years, he was a cabinetmaker and an Army Air Corps veteran.

Blankson first team all-MWC: Steve Guiremand; UNLV senior forward Odartey Blankson was selected today to the all-Mountain West Conference first team for the second consecutive year.

Passing game: NASCAR's new aerodynamic rules are certain to be the topic of conversation this weekend when the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series makes its eighth annual visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.

DOE, Nye officials take Yucca case door-to-door: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department and Nye County officials are taking a door-to-door tour of part of Nevada through which proposed rail routes would haul nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

Grand Casinos may get new names with merger: The Grand Casinos have resorts in Gulfport, Biloxi and Tunica County.

Sports briefs for March 7, 2005: Fired football coach Rick Neuheisel will receive $4.7 million in a settlement today of his lawsuit against the NCAA and the University of Washington.

Council launches problem gambling TV ad campaign: By Liz Benston; Starting today, Nevada residents may see their first television ad about gambling that doesn't feature any casinos or slot machines.

Fledgling slot-machine law in Pennsylvania faces court test: Marc Levy; The lawsuit: Gambling opponents and good-government advocates claim that the procedures used to approve slot-machine legislation in July violate the state constitution. Supreme Court justices will hear arguments on it Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Company to buy United Defense: BAE, which will become the Pentagon's sixth-largest contractor with the purchase, will pay $75 a share in cash for Arlington, Va.-based United Defense, Chief Financial Officer George Rose said today on a conference call.

Senate OKs gambling changes: Gamblers who want casinos to refuse them access could put their names on a voluntary exclusion list to be kept by the casino and the Gaming Control Board.

McKay, former schools AD, is indicted: By Emily Richmond; Former Clark County School District athletics director Larry McKay was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on four felony counts of mishandling public funds, charges that carry a potential penalty of 40 years in jail.

Rather Unique: Peers share respect for legendary anchor as final broadcast nears: Kirk Baird; "Our main anchor (Stacy Smith) had a seat in the afternoon meeting that everyone knew was his," Neerman said. "It was kind of a running joke that no one would dare sit in his seat."

Birth announcements for March 7, 2005: Feb. 22:

Columnist Susan Snyder: Pushing potty parity: Gender-neutrality is the hot topic on the potty politics frontier, according to a New York Times News Service report.

Editorial: A chance for jailed youths: Five years after her appointment Crawford is still working on ways to ensure that inmates do not become repeat offenders upon their release. One of her latest ideas involves giving youthful prison inmates a chance to start over in a new environment, one that would remove them from regular prisons more suitable for older, more hard-core prisoners. She is proposing to reopen the Southern Nevada Correctional Center in Jean, 30 miles southwest of Las Vegas. Opened in 1978, the prison was closed five years ago to save the state money. She sees the facility as perfect for housing up to ...

High court denies appeal in teen killing: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has denied the petition of a Las Vegas man who, at the age of 14, shot and killed another teenager.

A little 'Sugar' sweetens lineup for 'The Contender': Kirk Baird; A fighter for 15 years, Ishe "Sugar Shay" Smith was on the verge of quitting boxing.

Letter: A state Taxpayer Bill of Rights is long-term answer: Angle's proposal, the California Proposition 13 model, rolls back property taxes to 2002. Words, once spoken, cannot be taken back. The same applies to money once spent, contractually committed or planned. This rollback would only hurt taxpayers in the end because alternative financing would have to be found.

Letter: Lawmakers boost high dropout rate: The Assembly's message to employers is that they must pay more for less. What marketable skills has an employee who can barely follow instructions, let alone draft a literate document, because they chose not to complete their high-school education? Did Assembly members interview any minimum-wage job candidates before approving their increase? I'm in the mergers and acquisitions business, and I'm a fellow of the International Business Brokers Association. I don't run my business like that, and I don't believe the members of the Assembly run their personal businesses like that either.

Defense says killer of sister, grandparents insane: By Matt Pordum; Twenty-one-year-old Dante Hanalei Pattison did kill his grandparents and his pregnant sister, his defense attorneys told a jury Friday.

Bill for assessment districts criticized: CARSON CITY -- A bill sought by Clark County to create special assessment districts has run into a barrage of criticism from business and tax representatives.

Florida divided over slots impact: Tim Reynolds; MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- The visions could not be more different.

Editorial: Sweeps a waste of time: Sweeps should be ended, and not just because they clog Municipal Court with petty cases and saddle nonviolent people with fines they can't afford. They do nothing to attack the root problem of homelessness, which is a shortage of mental health and drug treatment facilities, shelters and low-cost housing. We urge local governments to stop wasting time and money on sweeps and develop a comprehensive program for the homeless.