Print edition for September 7, 2005

County prepares for hurricane victims: By Timothy Pratt; As one man unpacked metal wastepaper baskets and pencil holders and set them down in empty offices, another barked into a phone about 12-span fiber cable needed for Internet hookups -- and a cabdriver, his wife and their 7-month-old baby from New Orleans wandered in seeking help.

Nevada medical team returns from disaster site: Two nurses and two paramedics from the Las Vegas Valley were at the Louisiana Superdome from the time it was declared a "shelter of last resort," just before Hurricane Katrina came ashore, to the time the last victim was moved out of the trashed stadium.

West Las Vegas residents urge meeting over market: Dan Kulin; A group of West Las Vegas residents demonstrated at City Hall this morning, calling for city officials to meet with them as the city looks to bring a supermarket to their neighborhood.

Woman arrested in mom's death: Metro Police arrested Janet Rogers at about 8 a.m. Rogers is accused of suffocating her mother, who was sleeping in apartment on the 2600 block of Wyandotte Street with her 59-year-old daughter.

School officials ready to help Katrina victims: By Emily Richmond; With about 800 Hurricane Katrina survivors expected to take up residence in Nevada, officials for Clark County's schools -- public and private -- say they are ready to help.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Tracy's series gives Champ Car welcomed exposure: Paul Tracy and Forsythe Championship Racing teammate Mario Dominguez will be the featured drivers in a 13-episode reality-based television series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Champ Car World Series.

State balks at Yucca rules on water flow: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- New proposed Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules for the Yucca Mountain project match radiation exposure rules proposed last month but also specify how the Energy Department can measure potential water flow through the rock.

LV soldier's 'life was about service': As Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery workers covered the casket of 21-year-old Army Spc. Joseph L. Martinez with dirt, a woman in a long black print dress a few hundred feet away knelt at the headstone of her son.

Customers sound off on proposed electric rate hikes: Kevin Rademacher; Regardless of higher natural gas prices, Nevada Power Co. customers on Tuesday said they were not happy about the prospect of higher electric bills.

Metro officer charged in fraud: A Metro Police narcotics officer suspected of stealing money intended for undercover drug buys and of attempting to defraud an insurance company to support a gambling habit was arrested Tuesday.

Recommendations made for LVCVA to keep ownership of protected slogans: The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which promotes Southern Nevada as a tourist destination, would retain ownership of its trademarked slogans if recommendations made Tuesday are adopted by the LVCVA board.

Group wants to unionize nurses at Las Vegas hospital: Spring Valley Hospital is owned by King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services Inc.

News briefs for Sept. 7, 2005: Tourists making their way from Strip hotels may soon have one less thing to carry on their way to catch flights home.

Emergency workers receive much-needed free vacations in Vegas: J. Craig Anderson; New Orleans paramedic Keeley Williams stood on the bone-dry asphalt of a McCarran International Airport loading dock Tuesday, but all she could think about was the ever-present, unrelenting water that had suffocated and starved her neighbors as it thwarted her efforts to save them.

County OKs plan to pay some of workers' bills for adoption: Stephen Curran; As part of its continuing effort to attract would-be foster parents, the Clark County Commission on Tuesday approved a plan to pay some of the bills for its employees planning to adopt.

Columnist Peter Benton: Course closures necessary: Peter Benton; Well, it is that time of year when many local courses will be closed for overseeding, aerification and what-all.

Charges to be filed in KPMG investigation: The nine defendants, a former lawyer at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood and eight former partners at KPMG, pleaded not guilty.

Taste of casinos seems sweet in French Lick: Ryan Lenz; By Ryan Lenz ASSOCIATED PRESS

Employee-discount incentives end on 2006 vehicles: Ford has been allowing customers to pay the employee price for 2005 vehicles since July. In August, it added the 2006 Ford Escape, Ford Expedition, Ford Econoline and Lincoln Navigator to the discount plan, but Ford removed those 2006 models from the plan on Tuesday.

Preps: Today: 5 p.m.: Eldorado at Silverado, Las Vegas at Basic, Rancho at Arbor View, Valley at Cimarron-Memorial, Chaparral at Green Valley, Centennial at Clark, Coronado at Durango, Foothill at Sierra Vista, Del Sol at Canyon Springs, Palo Verde at Bishop Gorman, Shadow Ridge at Bonanza, Desert Pines at Western, Mojave at Spring Valley.

Sports briefs for September 7, 2005: Barry Bonds, whose bat could yet turn out to be a factor in baseball's most winnable division, went through another day of workouts Tuesday at Dodger Stadium but remained on the disabled list, where he has spent the entire season.

Letter: Tax on oil firms would help area: If the good president, using the powers of his office, declares, by executive order, a windfall profits tax on the oil companies, those taxes could flow directly to the hurricane area. Now everybody wins.

County OKs hiring of five mental health specialists for juveniles: Stephen Curran; Clark County's Juvenile Justice Department is making strides toward improving what two nonprofit groups said earlier this summer was a critical lack of mental health services for minors in its care, the department's interim director told county commissioners Tuesday.

Obituaries for Sept. 7, 2005: Francisco F. Alvarez, 41, of Henderson died Saturday in Henderson. He was born Oct. 4, 1963, in Guadalajara, Mexico. A resident for 23 years, he was a hotel food server.

Former urbanites find smaller towns can bring big rewards: Michael J. Martinez; NEW YORK -- Living in Queens and riding a crammed subway into Manhattan each day for work, Luis Rivera and Beth Gissinger-Rivera personified New Yorkers' resigned acceptance to the hassles and travails of life in one of the world's biggest cities.

Editorial: Silver State helps out: We're looking forward to Nevadans extending the hospitality that this state is famous for. Many of the now homeless people are expected to remain here up to three months, and even longer depending on how soon they will be able to return to what is left of their homes.

Letter: Rebuild city on higher ground: First of all, official reaction to the hurricane drowning our Gulf Coast was delayed by the same folks who hummed and debated while disaster struck before.

Shuffle Master posts record results: Las Vegas-based gaming equipment supply company Shuffle Master Inc. stayed on a roll in Fiscal Year 2005 with record earnings for the third quarter, company officials said Tuesday.

Appeals court says phone cards not illegal gambling: The court upheld a lower court judge who ruled against the state Feb. 17, 2004, in a case against Treasured Arts Inc., a South Carolina company that sold the cards at convenience stores in North Carolina.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Leroy's adds twist to handicapping contest: Its unusual format almost required special dispensation from gaming regulators, but a new high-stakes 16-man football handicapping contest is scheduled to make its debut this weekend in Las Vegas.

Berkley continues recovery from surgery: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., will miss this week's expected vote on Hurricane Katrina aid because she is continuing to recover from cosmetic surgery on her neck.

Letter: Hypocritical lack of respect for life on display: If he and the Christian Coalition believe life is so precious, where were all these people during this crisis? They sure don't practice what they preach.

Firm proceeds with IPO despite rival's stock plunge: 888 hasn't changed its plan to sell shares, said a spokesman for the Gibraltar-based company, who declined to be identified, in a telephone interview. The company has had "very positive feedback" from investors ahead of this month's sale, he said.

2006 NASCAR weekend tickets go on sale Monday at LVMS: Tickets for the 2006 NASCAR weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday, speedway general manager Chris Powell announced Tuesday.

Fire destroys church under construction: Tim Pratt and David Kihara; A $3 million Mormon church under construction in North Las Vegas was destroyed by fire this morning and authorities suspect the fire was intentionally set.

Student panel joins in superintendent search: By Emily Richmond; Cheyenne High School senior RaQuan Snead said Tuesday while he never met the Clark County School District's former superintendent in person he knew what Carlos Garcia looked like.

Community briefs for Sept. 7, 2005: Wild Oats Market, at 517 Stephanie St., Henderson and 7250 Lake Mead Blvd., a leading national natural, organic and gourmet foods retailer, announced it will be collecting monetary donations to help aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Customers can donate any amount at the checkout stands now through Sept. 30 for the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief Fund. The program will run in all stores throughout the country.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Runners up for Cirque du Soleil fundraiser: Elizabeth Foyt; Hosted by Cirque du Soleil, the annual race benefits the Center for Independent Living. This nonprofit facility was begun in 1994 and serves Nevada's disadvantaged youths, ages 16-20, working to provide each with opportunities to develop independent living skills.

Nevada lawmakers vow to probe federal response: Suzanne Struglinski and Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Nevada lawmakers are vowing that Congress will find out what went wrong in the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

School Board to vote on sale of land rejected for campus: Three years after North Las Vegas turned down a request by the Clark County School District to build a new middle school near City Hall, the district is preparing to sell the 18.6-acre site to the city.

Columnist Adam Candee: Three reasons to keep watching: Adam Candee; If baseball teams finish racing for pennants and football teams start ironing their grids all at once, then it must be September.

No Holding Back: 'Oncology On Canvas' exhibit reveals cancer's stark realities: The pain, the anger, the fear and the difficulty in talking with family members it's all too familiar to this mother of three, who has detailed her cancer journey in her artwork.

NHRA reverses race finish: NHRA officials announced Tuesday that the result of Monday's Pro Stock Motorcycle final has been overturned, and the victory at the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals has been awarded to Steve Johnson.

Productivity growth slows while labor pressures increase: The Labor Department reported today that productivity -- the amount of output per hour of work -- increased at a 1.8 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, down from a 3.2 percent increase in the first three months of the year and the slowest increase since the summer of 2004.

Guinn wants details of Beers' gas plan: CARSON CITY -- GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beers' suggestion to give motorists a break on the rising price of gasoline got a lukewarm reception from several key state lawmakers.

Candelight vigil to honor 9-11 victims: Guest speakers include Sheriff Bill Young, Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese, City Councilman Larry Brown, Las Vegas Fire Chief David Washington and Clark County Fire Chief Earl Greene.

Greyhound track to close: The closing Nov. 6 will leave Wisconsin with one greyhound track, Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha.

Casino companies still paying displaced workers' salaries: By Liz Benston; Many casino workers who lost homes and jobs in Hurricane Katrina will still receive their paychecks by mail or in person -- a small ray of hope for people who are struggling to rebuild their lives.

Saints owner hopes to use LSU stadium: New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, who drew criticism for his silence concerning where the team should play home games in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, prefers to call Baton Rouge home.

Problem gambling help line sees increase in calls: Tennessee's 2-year-old lottery, however, is still relatively new and that number could increase as people are just now developing compulsive gambling problems, according to Stacy Bernard, a specialist with the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug and other Addiction Services.

County briefs for Sept. 7, 2005: Tourists making their way from Strip hotels may soon have one less thing to carry on their way to catch flights home.

Editorial: Put Roberts to the test: With Republicans in control of the Senate, Roberts' confirmation to replace O'Connor had been fairly certain. But if he earns confirmation now to replace Rehnquist, all that will happen is that one conservative will be replaced by another conservative. Rehnquist, nominated by President Richard Nixon, joined the court in 1972 and became chief justice in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan chose him to replace the retiring Warren Burger. As associate justice, he supported the death penalty, opposed Roe vs. Wade and was a strong advocate for most conservative positions. As chief justice he set a conservative tone for the court. ...

Las Vegas High adapting well to new offense, new star: Nick Christensen; Week by week, the questions surrounding Las Vegas High's football team are starting to be answered.

Letter: Bush stayed on vacation too long: Perhaps if President Bush would have spent more time preparing for this disaster and less time on a road trip visiting with his adoring fans trying to rally support for his Iraq disaster, things wouldn't be so devastating.

Billionaire is lynchpin of development project: Ryan Lenz; Orange County hasn't hung all its hopes for prosperity on historical riches -- there's a modern billionaire to consider, too.

Council considers limit to payday loan growth: Concerned that the payday loan industry is growing too fast in Henderson, the City Council is mulling regulations that would limit its growth.

Reid rips Katrina response after D.C. meeting: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay traded verbal jabs Tuesday when congressional leaders emerged from a meeting with President Bush about Hurricane Katrina.

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