Print edition for May 23, 2005

Police: Man who tried to set family on fire still on run: Victor Darryl Butler managed to escape from North Vista Hospital in North Las Vegas, where he was taken after officers arrested him Thursday afternoon, North Las Vegas Police spokesman Tim Bedwell said.

Pharming is latest scam on Internet: Jen Lawson; A maddening new trend in Internet scamming is called "pharming," and it is turning the Web into a land of smoke and mirrors where experts say users can't be sure if they're on an actual Web site or an identical fake one set up by crooks.

Reid: There's still time for compromise: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is poised to set an "illegal" precedent by obliterating the filibuster with the so-called nuclear option, "a precedent that will eliminate the essential deliberative nature of the Senate," Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Sunday.

Youth detention center disputes report: David Kihara; Officials at the Nevada Youth Training Center in Elko dispute claims in a recent letter from the Justice Department to the state attorney general's office that the center is failing to provide special education services to students.

Valley flirts with record in heat wave: RECORD HIGHS

Obituaries for May 23, 2005: Charlotte C. Allanach, 79, of Las Vegas died May 12 in Las Vegas. She was born May 11, 1926, in Detroit. A resident for nine years, she was a retired medical transcriptionist.

Royster at his wit's end with 51s: Nick Christensen; Cashman Field 7:05 p.m. Today-Thursday Radio: all games on 1460-AM

East region in need of high school: By Emily Richmond; If Clark County School District zoning director Dusty Dickens had her way, the next high school site to be approved by the School Board would be in the east region and would be ready for students by the 2007-08 academic year.

Airline partners with schools for philanthropic program: America West Airlines has launched a philanthropic program that will benefit Clark County School District classrooms.

Carmaker says older tires present safety risk: Ford says the move is in response to research that suggests that tires deteriorate as they age and can experience tread separations and other failures.

Birth announcements for May 23, 2005: May 10:

Henderson teenager killed; another stabbed: Henderson Police were called to a cul-de-sac along McKenzie Drive at Duppel Court shortly after midnight after neighbors heard several gunshots. Patrol officers arrived in time to see a car full of teens leaving the area, police said.

Some homeless finding their way off the streets: By Timothy Pratt; One woman looked out into the near triple-digit heat from her sidewalk tent, poured some iced tea-looking drink into a cup and spoke of a property deed she's awaiting in order to get off the streets.

Microsoft facing June 1 deadline in antitrust case: Raf Casert; BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union has given Microsoft Corp. until the end of the month to comply with its antitrust order or face punitive sanctions, the software producer and an EU official said today.

Uncertainty grips Hawthorne: Jeff Donaldson; When Greg West moved to Hawthorne 11 years ago to take a job at the Army depot, the little town of 6,490 was a bustling desert oasis of stores and shops.

Joint custody bill fails: Kirsten Searer; CARSON CITY -- When he first started his testimony on Senate Bill 109, Sen. Maurice Washington acknowledged that the bill would be difficult.

News briefs for May 23, 2005: Flames whipped through a vacant, two-story apartment building in downtown Las Vegas late Sunday afternoon, but no one was injured.

Sports briefs for May 23, 2005: Deanna Nolan made five free throws in the final 34 seconds to lift the Detroit Shock to a 78-71 road victory against the New York Liberty.

Project in works for land owned by airport: Kevin Rademacher; Plans are in the works to convert a conspicuously idle 44 acres at the northwest corner of Tropicana Avenue and Paradise Road into a nearly 1 million-square-foot office-and-retail project.

Vague substance policies bitter pill for 51s: Nick Christensen; Soon, Los Angeles Dodgers doctor Michael Mellman will begin a tour of the minor leagues, giving players a more detailed explanation of what's legal to use and what's not.

Company to refinance debt: Rating agency Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned a BBB- rating to the debt issue, which constitutes an investment-grade rating. S&P also affirmed the company's BBB- long-term and A-3 short-term corporate credit ratings. The company's ratings outlook, in light of the company's pending acquisition of Caesars Entertainment Inc., remains negative.

Police probe double slaying: Jen Lawson; Metro Police were investigating a double homicide this morning after two men were found shot in a street lined with partially built homes near Southern Highlands, in the southwestern part of the valley, Metro Police said.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: With loss, Gladiators officially on job hunt: Wanted: Part-time work in Las Vegas. Experienced handyman comfortable both inside and outside. Has tools and good hands. Contact Joe Douglass, care of Las Vegas Gladiators. Available immediately through January 2006.

Coroner receives top award: Murphy was recognized for his work in improving identification of unidentified dead bodies.

Fresh from IPO, Vegas bank plans acquisition: Kevin Rademacher; Less than six months after its initial public stock offering, Las Vegas-based Community Bancorp has announced that it will acquire Henderson-based Bank of Commerce for about $40 million.

Markets susceptible to Fed meeting minutes, GDP release: Michael J. Martinez; NEW YORK -- Optimism returned to Wall Street last week, with solid economic data and falling oil prices giving the stock market its strongest week of 2005.

Ted takes to street for ads: The spots debut today and are expected to run through the summer.

Community briefs for May 23, 2005: Success By Six and Clinic on Wheels will hold an immunization clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Ruby Thomas Elementary School, 1560 E. Cherokee Lane and at Robert E. Lake Elementary School, 2904 Meteoro St., from 9-11:30 a.m. June 2.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: High drama in racing, even without Triple Crown: Ralph Siraco; There will be no Triple Crown winner in 2005, but if you think this year's three-race classic series hasn't gained the attention of John Q. Public, then it is obvious you have been out of the country -- maybe in Siberia -- for the past month.

Sad-iators rattled, 49-42: Adam Candee; Technically speaking, a team has to first show up for a game before losing it.

Cox planning digital phone service this year: Kevin Rademacher; Local cable provider Cox Communications said it has tentative plans to roll out its digital telephone service in October.

UNLV poised to repeat 1998 team's success: Adam Candee; The most impressive proof that the UNLV men's golf team is ready to contend for a national championship is not the NCAA West Regional title it won last weekend.

Louisiana's final riverboat casino to open Thursday: Alan Sayre; The 15th and final riverboat casino allowed by law in Louisiana opens Thursday as Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. unveils its $365 million gambling resort in Lake Charles.

Virginia stores with top lottery sales wary of N.C. legislation: Bob Lowry; RIDGEWAY, Va. -- Mary Skeen hunches over a table, busily rubbing the numbers off a Pick 3 lottery card at the E-Z Stop convenience store a couple of miles from the North Carolina line.

Preps: Weekend results: 4A: Sierra Vista 4, Centennial 0

WestCare selected to run mental health unit: CARSON CITY -- The state Purchasing Division has selected WestCare of Nevada to operate a 50-bed mental health crisis unit in Las Vegas for the next year.

Hard work pays off for Sierra Vista: Nick Christensen; It's natural for a father to help out his son, especially when the child is following in his dad's footsteps.

Letter: Dark side of the Force in Senate: It's active in the sense that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and a gang of Republican senators, including Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., are attempting to eliminate the filibuster rule, which has been part of the Senate for 200 years. This would lead to allowing not only judicial nominees, but all legislation, to be approved by a simple majority.

Interior Department temporarily blocks casino deal: The agency's decision comes more than a month after the tribes and Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed an agreement setting out the terms for a casino in the community in the scenic Columbia River Gorge.

Cirque du Soleil may boost chances at Singapore bid: The Las Vegas-based casino operator said 500,000 people have seen its 15 shows in the U.S. gaming hub, generating $500 million in revenue, the paper said, citing Lanni. The company has an exclusive partnership with Montreal-based Cirque, known for its elaborate theatrics in its circus acts.

Man gets 21 months for running illegal gambling business: Arthur Barker was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Theresa Springmann in Fort Wayne. He pleaded guilty in 2003 to charges of supplying video gambling machines to a variety of northwestern Indiana taverns and lodges.

Proposed casino remains in discussion stage: Prospective casino partners Ken Davis and Guy Useldinger met with Gov. John Hoeven last week in Bismarck. Davis is chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and Useldinger is co-owner of the south Grand Forks land on which the tribe wants to build.

McQueen pitcher shows championship mettle: Tim Mullin; McQueen junior Katie Eshelman made like Brianne McGowan on Saturday.

Committees study governor's budget: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn proposes to spend $321.8 million over the next two years for construction projects, including a new college of urban affairs building at UNLV and a major addition to the High Desert State Prison near Indian Springs.

Letter: Better funding is key to improving education in state: If the citizens of this state expect the quality of education to improve in the near future, then increasing per-pupil funding must be a priority. Despite the antiquated idea advanced by head-in-the-sand conservatives that large class sizes do not influence education, there is a definite need to reduce class sizes across the curriculum. Even the most outstanding teacher can do little to give individual attention when classes approach 40 or more students.

Wonder at center of jam at Woods event: Kirk Baird; Stevie Wonder should perform more often.

Editorial: No special treatment: Earlier, citing the need for everyone to be protected in this day of stalkers and identity thieves, we suggested keeping all names of homeowners confidential. The intent of making names and addresses public was so that property owners could compare their tax levies with other similar properties to ensure equitable treatment. This can be done simply by knowing addresses. Names are not necessary.

Court rejects appeal of man convicted of cheating slots: CARSON CITY -- A man convicted of using a light optic device to cheat slot machines in Laughlin, has lost his appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Editorial: Children all alone in cars: Our only issue with the bill that was introduced in the Senate was its language that gives the judge discretion over whether the individual can take a parenting class in lieu of being jailed or being fined; first-time offenders should not have to serve jail time and should have the right to attend a court-approved parenting program. The bill should emphasize education, not punishment, especially in cases where the child isn't harmed. Overall, the bill authored by Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, is a reasonable response, one that acknowledges in today's world that a child should never be left alone ...

Legislative briefs for May 23, 2005: A bill setting up a program to help problem gamblers and to finance it from casino revenue has been approved by the Senate Finance Committee.

Court rejects appeal of Vegas murderer: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court on Friday rejected the appeal of Donald R. Lee, sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1986 for the killing of a serviceman stationed at Nellis Air Force Base and robbing him of $9.