Print edition for May 10, 2005

Casino tries rebate program on slow nights: Steve Brisendine; KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bet more, get more. Free meals. Free rooms. Free cash.

Man arrested on slot counterfeit charge: On Wednesday evening, Derek Barona, 23, was spotted using the counterfeit currency by security at the Foothills Ranch casino, a 35-slot facility on North Rancho Drive near Decatur Boulevard, according to the Metro Police report on the incident.

More e-mail messages on Yucca revealed: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- More e-mail messages support Nevada's position that the Yucca Mountain nuclear dump will not work, the state said today.

Lottery supplier files lawsuit: Lottery supplier files lawsuit

Sports briefs for May 10, 2005: Judge Cecile Blau ruled today in Bloomington, Ind., that Indiana University trustees did not break the law when they met to hear plans to fire coach Bobby Knight.

Letter: Immigration policies lack logic: Then why is it that if someone with a student visa attends a university here, paying out-of-state tuition rates, they usually must leave our country after graduation? However, an illegal immigrant residing here may attend these same institutions of higher learning at taxpayer-subsidized in-state rates and, it seems, are never asked to leave.

Obituaries for May 10, 2005: Norma M. Abbott, 82, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in a local hospital. She was born Oct. 25, 1922, in Provo, Utah. A resident for 17 years, she was a retired owner-operator of a computer business.

Big things expected from Green Valley, Coronado: Jeff Neubert; Today's Sunrise Region golf tournament looks to be very competitive, with three of the top five teams from the Las Vegas Valley competing in the six-team field.

Community briefs for May 10, 2005: The North Las Vegas Library District, in addition to its regular Family Storytime, special bilingual storytime will be offered in English and Spanish.

Researchers help develop cancer test: Molly Ball; Nevada Cancer Institute researchers have helped discover a potential new method for detecting ovarian cancer at a very early stage, a scientific advance that is also a milestone for the nascent research facility.

Legislative briefs for May 10, 2005: Legislators would receive a travel allowance in the off-session to attend public meetings under a bill approved by the Senate Finance Committee on Monday.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Baseball seams a bit dangerous: Granted, the image isn't as resilient as a petrified grilled cheese sandwich bearing the likeness of the Virgin Mary. And my colleague's wife would (probably) object if we tried to place him in a plastic bag for 10 years to preserve it.

Record cake could lead to record waste: Let them throw away cake.

Editorial: Stop killing wild horses: The amendment ended the federal protection that had been extended to wild horses since Congress in 1971 passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. That legislation protected all wild horses that were rounded up to preserve their habitat. They were to be kept in open-range sanctuaries or adopted out to caring families. This was in keeping with the national image of wild horses as a symbol of America, particularly the West.

Lawmakers urge school named for Perkins: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- The Legislature approved a resolution Monday urging the Clark County School District to name a school after controversial former Superintendent Claude Perkins.

New card games are popular: Poker and blackjack are allowed under compacts between tribes and the state after Oklahoma voters in November approved the expansion of Indian gaming. In exchange for the new games, agreements with the tribes give the state a share of the gaming profits and some oversight.

Nevada officials confident Nellis will remain open: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Nevada may know by Friday if the Pentagon has decided to close any military installations in the state.

Nevada congressmen to meet with Bodman: The delegation has called for an independent investigation into e-mails sent by U.S. Geological Survey employees that discuss how they "fudged" information or made things up while working on technical aspects of the nuke dump.

Description of suspect released in fatal home attack: Police said the suspect was seen running May 4 from the Green Valley Ranch home on Camelback Ridge Avenue near Paseo Verde Parkway around 1:30 a.m. He is described as of medium height and build, in his late teens or early 20s, and possibly black or Hispanic. He wore all black clothing and held up his baggy pants as he ran, police said.

Editorial: Break with the past: Specifically, Bush put distance between himself and Putin by showing U.S. support for Eastern European democracies -- once under Soviet communist domination -- that have been at odds with Russia. The former Soviet-bloc nations were unhappy that Putin, in the run-up to Monday's ceremonies, refused to denounce the past oppression and instead tried to portray the Soviet Union as a liberator following World War II. To suggest that communist-imposed rule for more than four decades in Eastern Europe was somehow a "liberation" is nothing short of Orwellian -- although totally in line for Putin, a former KGB officer.

Columnist Jeff German: Chance to KO Yucca not taken: The state's persistence has turned the tide and backed the federal government into the ropes in recent months.

Winds break area's best: Nick Christensen; So much for windbreaks and an easier course.

Earnings jump for Stratosphere owner: First quarter profit at American Casino & Entertainment Properties was $10.1 million compared with $6.2 million for the same period last year.

Closed meetings on terrorism get cool reception: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- A bill that would close some public meetings dealing with terrorism could die in an Assembly committee unless it is amended, the committee chairman said. "I don't see that at this point there is a great deal of comfort with what is in the bill," said Assembly Government Affairs chairman David Parks, D-Las Vegas.

Money needed to arbitrate vets home debacle: CARSON CITY -- A construction company pulled off the job of building the veterans home in Boulder City maintains that it is entitled to $15 million.

Preps: Monday's results: At par 72 -- 6,744 yard Legacy Golf Club

Letter: Ensign taking lead in fighting animal cruelty: Dogfighting and cockfighting are gruesome and barbaric practices that should receive no protection under the law. It is wrong to breed animals for aggression, to place them in a pit from which they cannot escape and to goad them to fight until they are severely injured or killed. It's a miserable end for animals that never choose such a life, and it's dehumanizing for the people there who are titillated by the spectacle of watching animals bloody one another in lethal combat.

Guinn's plan for failing schools launched: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's plan to help the failing or near-failing schools in Nevada took its first step forward in the Nevada Legislature Monday.

Immunization schedule for May 10, 2005: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Scientific Games sues over online lottery games: Scientific Games claims that Gtech infringes on two Scientific Games patents in services it provides for Rhode Island Lottery's Powerball Power Play and Keno Plus games. West Greenwich, R.I.-based Gtech controls about 72 percent of the market for online lottery systems, according to Scientific Games' annual report.

Company shortens name to Chevron Corp.: The San Ramon-based company adopted a hybrid name after buying Texaco Inc. for $39 billion in October 2001. Texaco is being dropped from the corporate masthead to reduce the confusion caused by the combined name, Chevron Chairman David O'Reilly said.

Las Vegas Sands joins soccer club on casino project: The proposal calls for a five-star luxury hotel, restaurants, a health club, sports bar and casino, Las Vegas Sands said. The company didn't reveal the project's cost.

Snow says China should change currency system: Martin Crutsinger; WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary John Snow says "now is the time" for China to change its currency system, but there is no indication that the Chinese feel the same sense of urgency.

Voting firms back proposal: Two independent proxy voting firms, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. have announced their support of three proposals the union has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Stanley Ho remains on top: Le-Min Lim; Stanley Ho, the billionaire who lost his four-decade Macau gaming monopoly in 2002, hasn't let new competitors such as Las Vegas Sands Corp. shake his dominance of a gambling market forecast to match Las Vegas's by 2008.

Southeast considered last untapped U.S. tribal market: Kathy Hanrahan; BILOXI, Miss. -- The Southeast, rich in Indian tribal lands, should be a prime target for expansion of the multibillion-dollar American Indian gambling business, but few new casinos are being pursued, industry officials say.

Derby long shot Giacomo pays off with a wealth of feel-good stories: Tom Ritchie does not claim to be a great handicapper, nor does he say he knew Giacomo would run a big race in the Kentucky Derby. There was just something about the 50-1 long shot's name that he liked. It reminded him of the former Rangers goaltender Ed Giacomin.

Pirates' Craig Wilson out: Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Craig Wilson had surgery this morning on an injured left finger and is expected to be out of the lineup about two months.

Automaker's profit drops: Net income fell 17 percent to 291 billion yen ($2.75 billion) in the three months ended March, from 351 billion yen a year earlier, the automaker said today in a statement. The company, based in central Japan's Toyota City, was expected by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg to earn 302 billion yen. Sales rose 4.2 percent to 4.88 trillion yen.

Psychiatrist testifies for Schmidt: Jennifer Lawson; A psychiatrist said Monday that Tamara Schmidt showed remorse over her alleged "drug lifestyle" and took responsibility for her actions that authorities said led to the vicious knife attack on her two daughters at a Mesquite RV park two years ago.

Later school start time won't cost much: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- A bill to require high schools to start most classes at 7:35 a.m. or later would cost the state's school districts almost nothing, representatives said Monday.

Alleged attack postpones retrial: By Matt Pordum; The retrial of a man charged with killing his 2-year-old son in 1997 was postponed again Monday because he allegedly attacked his defense attorney at the Clark County Detention Center on Saturday afternoon.

Rogers plans search for vice chancellors: Assistant Chancellor Trudy Larson will not stay on past July 1, Chancellor Jim Rogers said Monday.

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

Tito, Winky talk tough: During his 29-month hiatus from boxing that ended last fall, Felix "Tito" Trinidad continually heard the same two requests, over and over, from fight fans.

Letter: Teachers know schools best: But who else would know more about what schools are all about than a longtime teacher? Record should leave the teaching to the teachers who know what's really going on in our schools.

Malone goes on trial in San Diego: Federal prosecutors were to square off today against a former Clark County commissioner and two San Diego councilmen.

Dead animals accompany racist fliers: David Kihara; The Nevada Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights will ask the FBI to launch an investigation into the white separatist group the National Alliance after two local minority residents allegedly received fliers from the group that were accompanied with dead animals.

News briefs for May 10, 2005: The Marine Corps will honor a Las Vegas Marine for his actions last year while serving with Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Reid continues to seek compromise as battle over judges heats up: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., this week faces his biggest showdown yet as Democratic leader as he and Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., delicately negotiate an intensifying round of brinksmanship over judicial nominees.

Nevada Power parent reports narrower loss: Kevin Rademacher; Sierra Pacific Resources, parent company of Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas, said rate increases and continued customer growth helped narrow its first-quarter loss.

Fast movers: Exotic cars speeding out of Wynn showroom: By Liz Benston; Some of the richest merchandise in Las Vegas has changed hands in recent days at the Ferrari and Maserati showroom at Wynn Las Vegas, which beckons passers-by with luxury cars displayed like fine art.

Lawmakers weigh their own rebate plans for Nevadans: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- Legislators who have shied away from Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposal to rebate vehicle registrations to taxpayers might come out with their own plans this week.

Union chiefs call for shift in leaders: Kim Chipman; James Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and other U.S. union leaders Monday challenged the leadership of the AFL-CIO, saying change is needed to revive the nation's labor movement.

Analysts mixed on Wynn earnings expectations: By Liz Benston; Wynn Resorts Ltd. said it spent $38.1 million in the first quarter to market and promote the Wynn Las Vegas resort prior to its April 28 debut. That compares to $14.6 million in marketing costs in the first quarter of 2004.

Vanguard Media purchases Ballard Communications: Michelle Swafford; Vanguard Media Group finalized its deal to purchase Ballard Communications Inc. on Monday afternoon, enhancing its public relations offerings.

High winds whip up fire in northwest valley: Winds that gusted to 40 mph in the Las Vegas Valley whipped flames in an abandoned building in the northwest valley into a two-alarm fire Monday afternoon.