Print edition for March 22, 2005

Columnist Susan Snyder: Women make history at library: Singing.

Raggio questions increase for economic development: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's plan to increase state funding for economic development efforts ran into questions Monday from Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno.

Letter: National coffers are being raided: This bamboozle also doesn't count the $5 trillion that Bush's handover of Social Security would cost. That's OK, we'll get a loan from China and wait for the rug to be pulled out from under the American people when China calls in the loans.

Bill for smaller schools criticized: CARSON CITY -- There appears to be no dispute that building smaller schools will produce better students, higher achievement levels, fewer dropouts and a host of other benefits -- but it will mean more money, a lot more money.

Here's a quick look at some key bills: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- Legislators scrambled Monday to introduce almost 200 bills in the Assembly and Senate. Here's a sampling of some of the more interesting and important ones:

Suspects in killing at McDonald's will face trial in other robberies: By Matt Pordum; Two men accused of robbing two McDonald's restaurants and killing a convention attendee who attempted to stop them from fleeing will also stand trial in several robberies and burglaries committed the month before the killing.

Legislative briefs for March 22, 2005: Freshman Assemblyman Scott Sibley, R-Las Vegas, Monday introduced a bill to require the sale or trade of most public lands be done through by public auction.

Trial set for former schools athletic director: By Matt Pordum; Former Clark County School District athletic director Larry McKay pleaded not guilty to four counts of felony theft on Monday.

Letter: Retain, expand state's helmet law: Not only did Greenspun make several good points about the common sense of wearing helmets, but he managed to include a reminder about why we are still feeling the loss of our beloved Gov. Mike O'Callaghan. It is heartening to know that O'Callaghan's son Tim has taken the reins in many areas to fill the void he left behind.

Bill addresses judges' experience: Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, sponsored Senate Bill 234 to require that a Nevada Supreme Court Justice must have been admitted to practice law 10 years before being elected or appointed.

ACLU: Anti-war protesters' rights violated by police: Stephen Curran; The Metro Police officers who arrested scores of anti-war protesters outside the Bellagio on Saturday may have violated the demonstrators' civil rights, representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday.

Obituaries for March 22, 2005: Ethel G. Bruges, 75, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospice. She was born Feb. 20, 1930, in Wantagh, N.Y., she was a homemaker.

News briefs for March 22, 2005: A certified personal care aide accused of killing her quadriplegic ex-husband by drowning him in the bathtub will continue to he held without bail pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 11, Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure ruled this morning.

Bail set for 'Destroyer' in November killing: By Matt Pordum; A former star of pro basketball in the Phillipines pleaded not guilty on Monday in the killing of his ex-wife's new husband and may now be able to post bail.

Letter: Crucial issues are being ignored: What happened to the Republicans who call for states' rights? Do they support states' rights only when it suits their purposes? What happened to the Republicans who argue for a smaller federal government? Do they make that argument only when it suits their purposes?

Federal briefs for March 22, 2005: A federal judge on Monday denied a motion that would have allowed a boxer convicted of throwing a fight at Paris Las Vegas in 2000 to stay out of prison while his case is appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

LV veterinarian plies trade in war-torn Iraq: Stephen Curran; Michael Simpson may be one of the only veterinarians in the world who wears a bullet-proof vest to work.

Columnist Jeff German: Troubles mount at courthouse: Now it turns out the employees also have reason to worry about the long-term stability of their jobs -- and once again their right to join a union.

Rail giant challenges ban on hazardous materials: Mimi Hall; WASHINGTON -- The nation's capital will fight the federal government and the freight-rail industry in court this week over whether the city can ban freight trains from carrying dangerous materials just four blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

Woman jailed after wild ride at NLV airport: Mary Manning and Jace Radke; A 33-year-old Las Vegas woman was arrested Monday after she stole a National Guard vehicle and then an aircraft tug, which she drove around the North Las Vegas Airport, police said.

Nevada lawmakers hear bill to reduce school populations: AP; Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, said a school that holds 10,000 pupils may provide "a bigger bang for the buck" because it only requires one gym, one cafeteria and one football field - but it shortchanges students.

History against them: Steve Guiremand; COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The UNLV men's basketball team will try to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself here tonight.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Don't forget Kruger's role in UNLV's turnaround: I see where Lon Kruger finally got a little love from the UNLV unfaithful in the letters-to-the-editor section in Sunday's newspaper.

Bonanza still in driver's seat: Mike Sims; The Bonanza boys' golf team is thinking repeat after last year's state championship victory. But this season the Bengals might have a bit more competition on both sides of town.

Letter: Leave Schiavo to her doctors, God: Not a peep out of the Republicans in Congress or President Bush for the past seven years on this issue. Perhaps polls of the general public are showing a voting preference.

Editorial: Disturbing allegations: As damaging as that revelation was last week, the Energy Department's troubles may have only begun. Joe Egan, a lawyer for the state of Nevada who is in charge of the legal efforts to stop a nuclear waste dump from being built here, told the Las Vegas Sun on Friday that the Energy Department may have known as far back as 2000 about the existence of other "quality assurance" problems. Lawyers working for Nevada made the discovery after scouring through a Yucca Mountain database, where they found an Energy Department audit from 2000 that revealed problems with documentation by U.S. ...

Uncut Diamond Rio shows a great mix of styles: Leah Robinson; Sometimes a band's vocals and instrumentals are so good, the lack of stylish showmanship goes almost unnoticed. Diamond Rio is just that kind of band.

Editorial: Mission needs rescuing: In November the city of Las Vegas and the Rescue Mission agreed to work together to clean the streets. But in January the city stopped this service and the mission, facing the task alone, ended its effort in February. For five days in January the city tried to find housing for the camp residents but met with little success. Afterward, the Nevada Transportation Department swept through the area, dispersing the homeless people and cleaning the streets. But the homeless came back.

Letter: Failures receive nice promotions: Paul Wolfowitz has been surprisingly candid in admitting that the war in Iraq was fought for reasons other than those advertised. "For bureaucratic reasons," he told Vanity Fair magazine, "we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason everyone could agree on."

Letter: Nation's basic principles: 10 Commandments: May we be reminded that laws, such as you shall not murder, steal, or bear false witness, are commands given by the Judeo-Christian God, who the Bible claims is Jesus, and not by the "people." The people simply enforce what God has previously commanded. The government's true role is to enforce this law, and not to decide for itself what is right and what is wrong.

Burgess leaves behind big shoes to fill at Basic: Jeff Neubert; A new era began Wednesday for the Basic High School track program when William Wells stepped into the footsteps of Larry Burgess, who retired last fall.

Community briefs for March 22, 2005: The UNLV Psychology Department is looking for Hispanic and white children to participate in a study on the factors associated with separation anxiety.

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

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- LADY ASSASSIN -- First two-furlong race of the year for babies sees this filly draws good post, Nakatani atop Sise trainee, puts hit on field? STORMING HUN -- Has good box in full field at short drag race distance, Pedroza on Ward trainee . Value Play -- ANGEL TRICK

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Kyle Busch impresses under adverse conditions: Kyle Busch's 12th-place finish in Sunday's NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway may have been more impressive than his runner-up finish a week earlier at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Walls of Women: She's a mother. She's a showgirl. She's a full-figured redhead in a red dress, lounging gracefully on a couch.

Letter: Allow speedway fans food, drinks: On the East Coast fans are allowed to bring in soft coolers with food and drink. It would not be so bad if there were enough vendors to serve the fans efficiently and quickly. A trip to buy some lemonade and barbecue sandwiches resulted in waiting in extremely long lines only to find out they were out of certain items. A trip to another vendor involved the same long lines. This resulted in missing about 50 laps of the race. I find that totally unacceptable.

Blood tests received in fatal bus stop crash: Mary Manning and Stephen Curran; Metro Police have received the results of the toxicology blood tests for the driver charged in the accident that killed four people at a bus stop March 14, but authorities had not filed charges in connection with the deaths as of this morning.

Man found guilty in extortion of Dion's husband: By Matt Pordum; A jury on Monday convicted a man for demanding millions of dollars from Celine Dion's husband to silence a rape allegation.

Minnesota governor tries political balancing act: Patrick Condon; ST. PAUL -- Jaws dropped at a recent town hall meeting on Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed state-tribal casino, when one of the state's most prominent fiscal conservatives uttered a surprising statement.

Goodman applies for political action committee to promote Las Vegas: Dan Kulin; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman filed the paperwork Monday to create a political action committee called OPAC, which the mayor said will be used solely to promote the city and not any candidates for elected office.

Lawmakers say they'll finish session on time: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- The Legislature missed its first major deadline Monday, when staff members failed to complete drafts of the more than 1,000 bills that will see light in this legislative session.

State tourism official touts 50 million visitors in 2004: Nevada Commission on Tourism Executive Director Bruce Bommarito paid a visit to lawmakers with a nifty statistic in his back pocket: a record 50.5 million visitors to the state in 2004.

'South Strip' sees resurgence: By Liz Benston; When Michael Gaughan Jr. looks south of Mandalay Bay on the Strip, he sees a continuous line of new development fed by an influx of housing east of Interstate 15 as well as by frequent visitors driving in from Southern California.

DNA sample leads to arrest in murder, sexual asault: Stephen Curran; Metro Police say a 2-year-old DNA sample led to the weekend arrest of a man who authorities allege killed a woman in January 1997 and sexually assaulted a teenage girl in October 1999.

Paperwork filed for political action committee to promote Las Vegas: Dan Kulin; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman filed the paperwork Monday to create a political action committee called OPAC, which the mayor said will be used solely to promote the city and not any candidates for elected office.

State officials: DOE's Yucca woes are 'tip of the iceberg': Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning; Energy Department officials knew they had quality assurance problems with Yucca Mountain documents well before it was disclosed last week, according to internal department documents.

KB Home profit up 65 percent: KB Home, Southern Nevada's largest homebuilder, will enter the Reno market this year, company officials said in a conference call this morning, adding to a growing list of builders looking north for growth.

Nevada small business person of the year is named: Scott Acton, owner of Trevi Manufacturing in Las Vegas, was the Nevada winner. His company, called Cast in Stone until 2002, creates decorative fountains, planters and statues for homes and gardens using glass fiber reinforced concrete.

Sports briefs for March 22, 2005: UNLV and Hawaii have agreed to renew their football rivalry with a home-and-home series that begins in 2006.

Amendments introduced to lower property taxes: CARSON CITY -- Proposed constitutional amendments to allow homeowners to pay lower property rates and to restrict government spending were introduced Monday in the Senate.

Cable companies back new tax on satellite television: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- Customers of DirecTV and other satellite television systems may soon see a tax hike in their bills.

Baseball roundup: Cardinals offer apology to Helton

Sentencing delayed in prison sex: By Matt Pordum; A judge this morning postponed sentencing a former guard at the state women's prison in North Las Vegas and the inmate whose baby he fathered after the inmate alleged the guard lured her into having sex by offering drugs and alcohol.

Gaming briefs for March 22, 2005: Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. has closed on a previously announced purchase of property located along North First Street in downtown St. Louis and adjacent to the company's proposed hotel and casino. The property also is adjacent to the 297-room Embassy Suites Hotel the company has previously agreed to buy.

Monterey, Calif., flight to be added in June: The airline announced today that it would offer flights on its commuter partner, Mesa Airlines, which operates as America West Express, beginning June 17. Flights will leave Monterey daily at 11:40 a.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 1 p.m., with the return flight leaving McCarran International Airport at 1:40 p.m., arriving at 3:05.

Inflation at highest point in 3 months: Martin Crutsinger; WASHINGTON -- Inflation at the wholesale level rose by 0.4 percent last month, the biggest increase in three months, as the price of energy and food products shot upward, the government reported today.

New Web site offers listings of commercial properties for free: Jennifer Shubinski; The city of Las Vegas on Monday unveiled its Las Vegas Prospector Web site, which allows real estate agents to list commercial properties within city limits free of charge and also provides maps and demographic information.

Porter trying to aid Russian family: By Emily Richmond; A spokesman for Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., said this morning the congressman's office was trying to help a Las Vegas family of figure skaters slated to be deported Thursday to their native Russia.

Pushed by low-cost China, Singapore gambles on casinos: Yoolim Lee; Singapore, which fines chewing-gum importers as much as $122,740 and bans Playboy magazine, is relaxing its opposition to another vice: gambling.

City leads developers on tour of east Vegas: Jennifer Shubinski; The city of Las Vegas took local business owners, real estate brokers and developers on a Monday afternoon tour of east Las Vegas in an effort to pitch it as the next area for development and redevelopment.

Ballots in for Trump casino reorganization: John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The stakeholders in Donald Trump's beleaguered casino company have played their cards. They're face down for now, though.