Print edition for March 23, 2005

EOB hears from public: By Timothy Pratt; About two dozen people, nearly half senior citizens who use the Martin Luther King Senior Center, showed up Tuesday night to attend the first of three community forums the Economic Opportunity Board will be holding this week.

MGM Mirage delays closing of Mandalay buyout: By Liz Benston; MGM Mirage today said the appointment of new regulators in Illinois will delay their $7.9 billion acquisition of Mandalay Resort Group by about four to six weeks.

Gaming briefs for March 23, 2005: MADISON, Wis. -- The state would cut half the Wisconsin Lottery's employees by contracting their work to private companies under Gov. Jim Doyle's plan to dramatically restructure the 17-year-old program.

Young man's suicide catalyst for change: The following are signs of concern that someone might be at risk to commit suicide as provided by the Jason Foundation Inc., a national suicide prevention organization:

Culinary, Boyd in legal bout: By Liz Benston; For years the powerful Culinary Union in Las Vegas has failed in its efforts to organize the solidly nonunion locals casino market.

Mohegan Tribe to invest in casino in Washington state: Margaret Ellis; VANCOUVER, Wash. -- The gleaming glass of the Mohegan Sun's 34-story hotel is the only thing taller than the trees in this part of southeastern Connecticut. It dominates the skyline, like a city unto itself. A version of that skyline may be on its way to north Clark County, Wash., where the Mohegan Tribe hopes to manage a casino owned by the Cowlitz Tribe on 152 acres of pasture near La Center.

Senate OKs closed trauma meetings: CARSON CITY -- By an 11-10 vote, the Senate Tuesday approved a bill to allow closed meetings of a review board of the Clark County Health District that licenses and regulates emergency medical services.

Sports briefs for March 23, 2005: An appeals committee today lifted the suspensions of the crew chiefs for Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, 10 days after they were accused of cheating in a race in Las Vegas.

Man to face charges in death at LV car wash: By Emily Richmond; A 36-year-old chiropractor will face homicide charges in the death of a 60-year-old man he allegedly knocked down after a heated exchange at a car wash in an affluent Las Vegas neighborhood.

Hunt letter urges Bush to re-evaluate dump stance: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt sent a letter to President Bush reminding him that she was a strong supporter of his in the last election and urging him to "re-evaluate the evidence used to make decisions regarding the Yucca Mountain project."

Indian casinos in Florida seek expansion after vote on slots: Jackie Hallifax; TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Seminole Tribe notified Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday that it wants to negotiate an agreement to have full-fledged traditional slot machines.

County OKs Wynn licenses: By Liz Benston; More than half of the 9,000 or so people hired to work at the soon-to-open Wynn Las Vegas megaresort have worked for Steve Wynn in years past, the casino boss told county commissioners during a licensing hearing Tuesday.

High home prices make renting look affordable: Jennifer Shubinski; Skyrocketing home prices over the past five years have made renting a relative bargain in Las Vegas.

More rain could hit later in week: National Weather Service spokesman Brian Fuis said an average of 0.25 of an inch of rain fell across the valley Tuesday night into early this morning.

Patriots' Bruschi might sit out 2005 season after having stroke: For the first time since his rookie season, Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi has retained the services of an agent to represent him, and they are discussing the possibility of Bruschi sitting out the 2005 season for health reasons, similar to the way Carolina linebacker Mark Fields sat out 2003 after being diagnosed with cancer.

Attorney conflict is cited: Chief Deputy Public Defender Curtis Brown said this morning his office could not represent 27-year-old Jerry B. Johnson because the office previously represented a man accused of shooting Johnson in the back last year.

Business briefs for March 23, 2005: CIP Real Estate, an Irvine, Calif.-based real estate investment company, has purchased six buildings in the Hughes Airport Center for $36.2 million.

Obituaries for March 23, 2005: Florence Stirling Adams, 80, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. She was born April 26, 1924, in Leeds, Utah. A resident for more than 35 years, she was a homemaker.

Ensign pushes Bush's Social Security plan: CARSON CITY -- Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., pushed President Bush's Social Security plan to the Nevada Legislature Tuesday, getting in return the silent treatment.

Jack Galardi loses license to sell liquor: Dan Kulin; A Las Vegas topless club had to cork its bottles Tuesday when the Clark County Commissioners voted against giving strip club mogul Jack Galardi a liquor license for his Leopard's Lounge.

Casino fight deja vu for Ohio senator: John McCarthy; COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Anti-gambling forces, led by U.S. Sen. George Voinovich and other statewide officeholders, are preparing to fight another bid to get casinos in Ohio, where voters twice have rejected the idea in the last 15 years.

Columnist Jeff German: Cabdriver steps up for comrades: Amid a wave of violent crimes against drivers in recent months, the 61-year old Bambic has been involved in raising money for some of the victims and their families.

Growth task force OKs part of report to commissioners: The task force will likely meet twice before it presents a series of recommendations to the County Commissioners, once on March 29 and again on March 31 if needed.

Agencies' meeting produces limited plan for homeless: By Timothy Pratt; A meeting of 10 public and private agencies Tuesday produced a plan to help dozens of men, women and children off the streets -- up to a point.

President of Flamingo to join MGM Mirage: By Liz Benston; Lorenzo Creighton, president of the Flamingo Las Vegas, has resigned his post at Caesars Entertainment Inc. to join the top management at MGM Mirage's New York-New York resort across the Strip, according to sources familiar with the move.

Meter ticking on cameras in cabs: The two largest Southern Nevada taxicab companies are close to having their fleets equipped with cameras, the Nevada Taxicab Authority was told Tuesday.

High-speed chase ends in fake ID arrests: David Kihara; Metro Police on Tuesday arrested two men suspected of operating a small, fake ID lab from their home in southwest Las Vegas after one of the suspects led police on a high-speed chase.

Letter: Government employees are OK in Legislature: I work for University Medical Center. I am therefore a government employee. My paid days off are earned and used according to the policies of UMC. When I take those days off is between my supervisor and myself. No one else in Nevada has any right to tell when I can take my days off or what I can do on those days. If I decide to take a part-time job during those days off it is my decision -- no one else's.

Preps: Tuesday's results: Santana (Santee, Calif.) 5, Taft (Calif.) Union 3

Reid: 'This place is devastated': Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The United States needs to focus on four goals in Iraq -- security, reconstruction and political and economic stability, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said after spending Tuesday in the war-torn capital of Baghdad.

Open to the Public: Kirk Baird; When KNPR first signed on the air a quarter century ago, the station was competing with the likes of Blondie, Kool and the Gang, Andy Gibb and Rupert Holmes.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Coach K's legacy began with UNLV: He's known as Coach K but in the NCAA tournament you might as well call him Coach W.

Columnist Adam Candee: NBC has every angle covered, but is it necessary?: Adam Candee; With one more day to enjoy the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, here's our tribute with a dozen plus four notes on golf near and far ...

Being ranked nationally rankles coach at Cimarron: Nick Christensen; When Andrew Hatch made his much-publicized transfer from Coronado to Cimarron-Memorial last summer, most of the attention was focused on the impact he'd have on the Spartans' football team.

News briefs for March 23, 2005: Metro Police officers will be monitoring intersections with high incidents of accidents or drunken driving in downtown Las Vegas and southern Las Vegas today and Saturday, the department announced Tuesday.

DNA backlog thwarts solving old crimes: Stephen Curran; The man Metro Police say killed one woman and sexually assaulted another walked free for almost two years while the DNA that ultimately linked him to the crimes sat on a shelf waiting to be analyzed, the head of the department's crime lab said Tuesday.

Durango proves it can compete with best in high school baseball: Nick Christensen; If a moral victory were as good as the real thing, then Durango's baseball team would be having a great week.

Closing in on the dream: Adam Candee; PHOENIX -- Before the betting, before the lying or any other smudges appeared on Pete Rose's record, some of the stains he wore were admirable.

Las Vegas plans to keep same city tax rate: Mark Vincent, the man in charge of Las Vegas' finances, said Tuesday that there are no plans to increase the city's portion of the property tax rate this year.

Letter: Minors have skills to drive: It think it's a pretty big stereotype, and am personally looking forward to getting my permit in a few months. Also stated in his letter is that a large number of males in their 20s and 30s lack driving skill and courtesy, and that their "misdirected machismo" should make them ineligible to drive until they're 35. I know, or at least I think, he wasn't serious about that last one, but if certain minor drivers have the ability to drive skillfully and responsibly, why should they be punished with the taking away of their privilege of driving?

Columnist Peter Benton: Harrington a bridesmaid no longer on the U.S. tour: Peter Benton; The victory at the recent Honda Classic by Ireland's Padraig Harrington was not only very popular, but also long overdue.

Preps: Baseball Top Ten: Compiled by the Las Vegas Sun and the Sparks Tribune

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

Rebels find their stroke too late: Steve Guiremand; COLUMBIA, S.C. --- During one of the timeouts during the first half of Tuesday night's second round NIT game between UNLV and South Carolina at the Colonial Center, the crowd of 8,730 was asked to play a game.

Legislative briefs for March 23, 2005: The state would provide $900,000 to the Andre Agassi charter school in Las Vegas to build classrooms for full-day kindergarten and first- grade students under a bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, Tuesday.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Mi-Jack not afraid to put teenagers behind the wheel: Andrew Ranger, a Quebec native who turned 18 in November, will team with Nelson Philippe this season and give Mi-Jack Conquest Racing the youngest driver lineup in the history of the Champ Car World Series.

Wrong tax numbers delay session: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- A joint legislative committee was supposed to meet Tuesday to hear projections on how the proposed plans to curb property taxes will affect local governments.

Nevada called most dangerous again: Stephen Curran; Nevada has the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous state in the union for the second consecutive year, according to an annual survey of crime rates released earlier this month.

Editorial: Small airports at risk: Just how vulnerable was demonstrated Monday afternoon by a 33-year-old woman, who somehow gained access to a gated area at the north end of the North Las Vegas airport. She is accused of stealing a National Guard vehicle and crashing it into fence, then stealing an aircraft tow vehicle and driving it until her apprehension by security guards. Her motivation has not been established.

Editorial: Cut the size of schools?: Schneider is certainly not alone in such a belief, but he is alone in daring to introduce a bill in support of it. He has introduced Senate Bill 166, which would require the state's 17 school districts to cut their school sizes by more than half. He believes that students today are getting lost in the big elementary schools, bigger middle schools and gigantic high schools. Students in smaller schools would receive more personalized attention, both in academics and extracurricular activities, he reasons. This is no doubt true.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Community says 'Hats Off' to arts patron Snyder: Elizabeth Foyt; Don Snyder, retiring president of Boyd Gaming Corp., was honored with a party March 16 beneath the neon canopy of the Fremont Street Experience.

Letter: Hypocrisy in culture of life: Supporting life is one of the key principles of the GOP, but it supports the death penalty. Supporting life is one of the key principles of the GOP, yet it opposes stem cell research. Supporting life is one of the key principles of the GOP, but it seeks to cut Medicaid benefits.

Measure would open personnel sessions: CARSON CITY -- A bill to open more government meetings to the public, including personnel sessions with high-ranking officials, was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: 1st Race -- JUNE'S PRINCE -- Part of Warren-owned coupled entry with Hemet, Pedroza/Sise here, Jauregui/Glatt there. PONCHOFROMDERANCHO -- Training at Hollypark, draws good post for short two-furlong maiden special weight juvenile dash. Value Play -- SEASLASTSCORE

Community briefs for March 23, 2005: Barbara Greenspun WomensCare Center of Excellence will host a yoga retreat from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Reflection Bay, Lake Las Vegas.