Print edition for September 14, 2005

LV father-son team drives to Mississippi to assist friend: Stephen Curran; Three days after Hurricane Katrina turned neighbors' houses in Gulfport, Miss., into matchsticks, Robert Scarborough knew the knock on the front door of his battered childhood home meant one of two things.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 10 a.m.

Panel studies how state would respond to similar disaster: Jen Lawson; If a disaster the size of Hurricane Katrina hit Nevada, could the state coordinate a quick, efficient response?

Obituaries for Sept. 14, 2005: Bonnie Bourne Davis, 39, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospital. She was born Oct. 27, 1965, in Enid, Okla. A resident for six months, she was a real estate appraiser.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: New shops mark passage in time: David Z shoe store has been part of downtown New York for more than 20 years, offering a variety of name brand footwear for men and women: UGG, Born, Dansko, adidas, Birkenstock, Diesel, Timberland, Kenneth Cole and more. David Z is known for its ability to offer exclusive styles, and for its customer service.

Pilots continue negotiations after authorizing strike: "We have made progress," said Rusty Ayers, a spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association.

City takes control of northwest BLM land to prepare for transportation projects: Stephen Curran; Las Vegas is bracing for future transportation strains, taking ownership this week of almost 246 acres of Bureau of Land Management-owned land years before planners say it will likely be needed.

Corrections: Corrections

Sports briefs for Sept. 14, 2005: Defending champion Syracuse, Texas Tech, Wake Forest and Florida will all host a four-team regional in the season-opening 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Hammer's summer party the end-all, be-all: Elizabeth Foyt; The now-annual event, which was hosted with friends Terry and Dana Wright and Randy and Kathy Black, the tropic-themed party has transformed itself into a significant fundraiser on behalf of Nevada Cancer Institute.

Judge leaves permit issue up to DMV: A judge ruled Tuesday it will be up to the Department of Motor Vehicles to determine if a man convicted of drunken driving in the death of another motorist in 1995 should keep his learner's permit.

UNLV teams ranked in preseason poll: The UNLV men's golf team has been ranked eighth in the nation in the 2005-06 Golfweek preseason rankings, the magazine has announced.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: On rivalries, Agassi and Spuds MacKenzie: In honor of this week's UNR-UNLV football game, a few notes to load into your cannon:

Attorney: Killer was delusional: CARSON CITY -- An attorney told the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday that death row inmate Alfonso "Slinkey" Blake was "so delusional that he did not know right from wrong" when he killed two young women and critically wounded another in Las Vegas.

Booklet helps kids learn about water: "Discover the Waters of Nevada" is designed to inform fourth through sixth grade students about water through an exploration of Nevada's ecosystems. The full-color 32-page booklet includes facts, experiments, puzzles and educational activities centered around the theme of Nevada's water resources.

Letter: Cindy Sheehan, others sap morale of brave Marines: Being a fellow Marine of Casey's, I am especially dismayed and disgusted with Cindy Sheehan's words and actions, and the words and actions of her gang of handlers -- Michael Moore, MoveOn.org, the Crawford Peace House, the Rev. Al Sharpton and others of that ilk.

LVCVA board gives chief a healthy pay increase: The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board gave its president a healthy pay increase Tuesday to bring him up to par with the nation's other top tourism executives.

Editorial: Foreign aid pouring in: This help has all been widely publicized, yet some people, for some reason, are saying they have not heard of any worldwide outpouring of support. Maybe they are depending too much on agenda-driven news outlets. For the record, President Bush and the U.S. State Department are acknowledging the international assistance and are receiving it with gratitude.

Katrina inspires jobs website: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The travel industry on Thursday plans to launch a job bank website for workers displaced by Hurricane Katrina, at www.katrinajobs.org, the Travel Industry Association of America announced today.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Look for Huskies, Eagles, Jets to rebound: A week ago, the University of Washington was attracting as much attention from gamblers as any team on the college football betting board.

Letter: Response result of bad policies: The Federal Emergency Management Agency was downgraded from a Cabinet position and placed under the control of the Homeland Security Department, where it could more easily be gutted financially. I believe that was done by politicians. Michael Brown, an incompetent and a buddy of President Bush's, was appointed to lead FEMA. I believe that was done by a politician.

Gambling board OKs MotorCity expansion, rejects Greektown's: With Tuesday's action, MotorCity now needs city building permits to begin the project.

Land sold for oil, gas exploration: The federal Bureau of Land Management sold leases to more than 86,000 acres throughout Nevada for oil and gas exploration Tuesday.

Big Nevada union pulling out of AFL-CIO: UNITE HERE, which represents 450,000 apparel and hospitality industry workers, has joined several other dissident unions in leaving the AFL-CIO.

Sandoval judgeship may be delayed: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Senate action this year on the nomination of Attorney General Brian Sandoval, tapped to be a federal judge, is in question now that Congress is dealing with a revised agenda, topped by a massive hurricane recovery and two Supreme Court vacancies.

Eldorado Valley development delayed: Concerns over limiting development in Eldorado Valley are holding up an agreement between Boulder City and a New Zealand-based company that wants to lease city land for a hillside thrill ride.

Federal Reserve: Minorities pay more for loans: In an examination of 2004 mortgage data, Fed economists found that the average incidence of higher-priced home-purchase loans was 32.4 percent among blacks, 20.3 percent among Hispanic whites and 8.7 percent for non-Hispanic whites. Higher-priced loans generally fall into the category of "near-prime" or "subprime" and carry higher interest rates.

Mobile weather stations assisting efforts: When Hurricane Katrina took out several weather stations on the Gulf Coast, federal officials tapped Desert Research Institute scientists to help them provide weather data crucial to emergency operations.

State pays $149,000 in sex claim: CARSON CITY -- The state Board of Examiners agreed Tuesday to pay $149,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation claim in a case that resulted in the departure of two top administrators in the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Columnist Adam Candee: Most preseason predictions wound up hit into bunkers: Adam Candee; Don't expect to see me reading palms or poring over tarot cards anytime soon.

Nevada Response Team helps boy after seizure: Nevadans at home and in hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast states are doing their part to offer comfort and relief to thousands of Katrina survivors, and no better example of that was the help given to a boy suffering a seizure in Mississippi.

Editorial: Files should be released: Earlier this summer, on June 29, Adacelli was found dead in her family's home following a 911 call placed by her mother. In the first public report of the death, Metro Police stated that the three other children had been placed in protective custody because evidence at the scene pointed to neglect. When the coroner's report came out on Aug. 2, it stated that Adacelli's death was a homicide, that she had died from malnourishment and neglect. Clark County Assistant Coroner John Fudenberg said the baby had a "skin-and-bones appearance."

Columnist Peter Benton: Bard Challenge to be held in Las Vegas: Peter Benton; The PGA tour has announced that the Bard Capital Challenge will be a new Challenge Season event this year. As an officially sanctioned tournament, the "Challenge" offers qualifying amateurs from 250 local American Cancer Society charity events throughout the country the opportunity to experience what it's like to be a professional for a day and compete with top tour stars.

Community briefs for Sept. 14, 2005: Patients, professionals and the public will gather from 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Hampton Inn, 4975 S. Industrial Road, to discuss chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Council OKs pay hike for city employees: The Boulder City Council approved a contract Tuesday that will increase most city employees' pay by 8 percent by the end of 2006 and requires the city dip into its year-end surplus funds.

Defendant maintains anti-income tax stance: David Kihara; The defendant in a tax evasion trial that began on Tuesday said he is innocent of the charges against him because there is essentially no law that requires people to pay income tax.

Pueblo officials want to hear more about casino proposal: On a 5-1 vote, the City Council agreed Monday to sign a nonbinding letter of interest in the proposal by the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.

Southern Nevadans continue to donate money, equipment: In 48 hours, the Dawson students raised $11,800 and collected 61 boxes packed with diapers and toiletries to help relief efforts for displaced and weary residents along the Gulf Coast.

Court disbars Las Vegas lawyer: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday disbarred Las Vegas lawyer Lawrence J. Davidson because he admitted he was guilty of forgery, falsification of a court order and misappropriation of more than $800,000 from his clients, according to the court.

Autopsy: Football injuries contributed to ex-player's death: Former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Terry Long died from a brain inflammation that resulted, in part, from repeated head injuries suffered while playing football.

Hilton appeals $25.2 million judgment to Nevada high court: Attorney David Frederick argued that Washoe District Court Judge Steven Elliott erred in not defining "despicable conduct" that would justify punitive damages. Lawyers for people stricken by the gastrointestinal virus said that conduct occurred when Reno Hilton supervisors hindered ill employees from taking sick leave.

Former UNLV tennis coach Easley dies at 57: Larry Easley, who coached the UNLV men's tennis team to three conference titles and produced two individual NCAA champions, died Monday in Las Vegas at the age of 57 following a long illness.

Columnist Jeff German: Tab keeps growing for LV slogan: It turns out that Morrison & Foerster -- the law firm hired to straighten out this mess and steer the taxpayer-financed tourism agency back on a course of public accountability -- submitted legal bills totaling $200,000 for its first month's work.

Las Vegas about to get park back: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn said Tuesday that Las Vegas will be able to turn Floyd Lamb State Park "into a phenomenal park" because it has the money to do the maintenance and improvements.

CEO panel focuses on Katrina recovery, taxes: Although the spike in the price of gasoline got everybody's attention immediately after Hurricane Katrina, top executives for three moderately sized casino companies say things are already returning to normal.

Shuffle Master sues LV company: The owner of the popular Four Card Poker table game has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against a small Las Vegas company in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.

Horrific condition at trailer described: The transcripts of the grand jury proceedings that led to the indictment of the couple who allegedly so severely neglected a 2-year-old girl that she starved to death in filthy living conditions indicate that the situation at the family's trailer home was even more horrific than has been previously reported.

K. Wah plans to open three new casinos by Mid-2006: K. Wah, which will change its name to Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. this year, today reported first-half net income of HK$14.3 million, or 1 HK cent a share, up from HK$11.3 million, or 0.8 cent, a year earlier. The profit doesn't include earnings from the casino unit, acquired after the half ended.

Limo operators make case for providing liquor: Kevin Rademacher; State law clearly allows passengers in Clark County's massive fleet of limousines to drink alcoholic beverages.

S. African women in construction look to U.S. sites for ideas: Jennifer Shubinski; Women in construction fields face many of the same challenges in countries across the globe, two South Africans said during their visit to Las Vegas.

Perkins cleared for governor run: An administrative law judge has dismissed a complaint that Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins violated the Hatch Act by his duties as a Henderson deputy police chief.

Vendors hawk wares that stray far from traditional gaming fare: By Liz Benston; While hundreds of blinking slot machines got most of the attention when the trade show floor opened for business at Global Gaming Expo Tuesday, other vendors that supply the growing casino industry also fought for attention amid the crowd.

Station Casinos holds job fair for Hurricane Katrina victims: Alana Roberts; Station Casinos Inc. has offered 35 people jobs in a variety of positions following an all-day job fair for Hurricane Katrina victims at Texas Station.

Man hit by truck while running from store with stolen beer: David Kihara; A 22-year-old man was critically injured Tuesday night when he was hit by a pickup truck while running away from a convenience store with a stolen 12-pack of Budweiser, Metro Police said.

River panel rejects research funds request: Concerned about the makeup of a panel of scientists set to study the Colorado River, the Nevada Colorado River Commission put off a request Tuesday to help pay for the work.

Court hears arguments on mechanics liens: But a lawyer for the firm that loaned $100 million for the construction of the hotel-casino says his client has priority in getting the loan repaid.

Governor angered over Guard meal deal: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn wants to know why National Guard members called to active duty are budgeted for only two meals a day.

Builder earns highest marks for customer satisfaction: The study, which measures customer satisfaction with new homebuilders in 30 of the largest homebuilding markets, is based on 10 factors that drive overall satisfaction.

Vets home wants to junk troublesome computer: Although it was only two years ago that $50,000 was spent on computer software for the Southern Nevada Veterans Home in Boulder City, state officials now are prepared to scrap that software and spend $250,227 more to buy a new computer system.

Groups pitch tourism proposals to state panel: Leaders of an effort to bring the Winter Olympic Games to Northern Nevada say the exercise of putting a proposal on paper would generate ideas that will help the state refine its tourism offerings.

USGS faces big budget cut: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Geological Survey faces an 89 percent budget cut for its work on the Energy Department's Yucca Mountain project. If finalized, government employees and contractors in Nevada and Colorado would lose their jobs by the end of the month.