Print edition for September 20, 2005

Sports briefs for September 20, 2005: The UNLV men's golf team has been recognized as Golfweek Magazine's Men's Team of the Week.

R.I. court finds casino proposal unconstitutional: Eric Tucker; PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A bill that would allow the Narragansett Indians to open a casino in West Warwick does not pass constitutional muster, the state Supreme Court said in an advisory opinion Monday, responding to a request by legislators who crafted the bill.

Letter: Rich, powerful are excused from sacrifice, duty: It is obvious that Bush has no sympathy for their sacrifice and the grief that only a parent can know when a violent death snatches a child from them in the peak years of their young lives.

Sanford shakes up lineup: Steve Guiremand; The fallout from Saturday night's error-plagued 22-14 loss to Nevada-Reno in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon hit the Lied Athletic Complex with a loud thud on Monday morning.

Valley residents are getting on the bus: Stephen Curran; For Bonnie Rogers, the sign outside a Chevron station barely a mile away from the South Strip bus terminal advertising gasoline for $3.09 a gallon might as well have been in another state.

Army pitch slips past School Board chief Mason: By Emily Richmond; With military recruitment at high schools becoming increasingly controversial, Clark County School Board President Larry Mason said Monday he unwittingly signed off on plans for the Army to co-host a workshop for Rancho High School students today at the Community College of Southern Nevada, where he is an administrator.

Expert: Disasters cause U.S. to lose appeal: -- Mark Twain

Six School Board applicants disqualified: Denise Brodsky, who represented District E in the northwest Las Vegas Valley, resigned in August. The remaining six School Board members will appoint her replacement, who will serve until the next general election in fall 2006.

Two big unions reach accord to end feud: The two unions had devoted hundreds of workers and hundreds of thousands of dollars in the last six months to a fight over which should represent child-care employees in Illinois and home health care workers in California.

Retired casino manager sues MGM Mirage: By Liz Benston; A retired Circus Circus casino manager has sued MGM Mirage, saying the company terminated retirement benefits owed him by Mandalay Resort Group after MGM Mirage bought out Mandalay.

Letter: Strong leadership lacking at the top: We knew for days that powerful Hurricane Katrina was going to hit the Gulf Coast. Michael Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or President Bush, needed only to turn on the news to see how bad the situation there was.

Editorial: Park at a crossroads: The final transfer agreement with the state does require that only passive recreation uses be allowed, such as family play fields, picnic areas, cultural events, hiking and jogging trails. Still, we are concerned that the agreement doesn't spell out what kinds of uses won't be permitted, such as lighted baseball diamonds and soccer fields, activities that would destroy the rural nature of the park. (We wouldn't be surprised, after a few years pass, to see the city try to renegotiate the transfer agreement with the state to permit baseball and soccer fields.) Despite our opposition to this agreement, we hope ...

Preps: Monday's results: Sierra Vista def. Western 25-15, 25-9, 25-10: SIER: Lindsey Reed 6ac, 9sp; Kait Witts 8ac, 11sp; Julie Fogerty 4ac, 10p. WEST: Chrystal Millard 13sp.

Builder pledges money to college: Centex Homes has pledged $125 to Nevada State College in Henderson for each home the company sells over the next two years.

Obituaries for Sept. 20, 2005: Evelyn Arvilla Burton, 90, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. She was born May 6, 1915, in Arriba, Colo. A resident for two years, she was a homemaker.

Mom says graduation makes all sacrifice worthwhile: Nevada State College nursing student Gabriela Begne will be the first person in her family to earn a bachelor's degree.

Nevada meeting on Yucca is added: Suzanne Struglinski; Monday, Oct. 3, 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. Amargosa Valley Community Center 821 Eas Farm Road, Amargosa Valley, NV Information Session 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Roundtable Dialogue Session 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Public Hearing 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Meeting to discuss Medicare changes: Participants will learn about the major changes and choices Medicare beneficiaries will face in the coming months, including the 2006 Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit and Medicare Health Plan Options.

Candidates oppose subsidy for gaming site improvements: Officials with MTR Gaming want the public to chip in $37.5 million in improvements they say are needed at the proposed site of Presque Isle Downs in Summit Township.

Changeover from AmWest to US Airways won't be instant: McCarran International Airport's second-largest passenger carrier -- America West Airlines -- officially becomes US Airways tomorrow, but it's going to take a few months before the transition is complete.

Citizen panel alleges police wrongs: David Kihara; A panel of the Citizen Review Board, which fields complaints about Metro Police, is asking why seemingly obvious violations of Metro Police policies and procedures appear to have been ignored by the department's Internal Affairs division.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Fear of unknown is contagious: Figured that probably is newsworthy in some circles, seeing as how I never use those those little anti-bacterial wipes grocery stores are now providing to clean off shopping carts.

OPEC agrees to offer extra crude as storm triggers fears: The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said it would offer the extra oil for three months starting Oct. 1, but that its output ceiling would remain unchanged at 28 million barrels a day.

Housing construction falls for second straight month: The Commerce Department reported that construction of new homes and apartments dropped 1.3 percent last month after a decline of 1.5 percent in July. The decrease was larger than had been expected and it marked the first back-to-back declines in housing starts in 17 months.

Court rules against man in search warrant case: CARSON CITY -- A federal appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, has ruled that a Las Vegas police detective had "reasonable" cause to arrest a suspected drug dealer and gun runner, even though the man was not carrying any weapons or narcotics.

Teamsters' fight to represent school support staffs goes to high court: CARSON CITY -- A three-year battle by the Teamsters Union to represent the more than 9,000 school support staff members in Clark County goes before the Nevada Supreme Court on Wednesday.

EEOC files suit against restaurant in casino: Alana Roberts; The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in federal court on behalf of five kitchen workers at The Noodle Shop at Mandalay Bay.

Henderson man shoots alleged home invaders: David Kihara; A Henderson man shot and wounded two men who allegedly broke into his home near College Drive and East Horizon Drive on Monday night, Henderson Police said.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Reno moonwalk still baffling days later: Two days after it happened, it was still hard to comprehend that the Rebels had a first-and-goal at the UNR 6-yard line Saturday night and wound up punting -- that's right, punting -- on fourth-and-goal at the Wolf Pack 42. It was an exercise in futility that essentially decided UNR's 22-14 victory at Mackay Stadium.

Immunization schedule for Sept. 20, 2005: HENDERSON PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER: 129 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Building A, Suite 10, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Columnist Jeff German: Property rights take center stage: Former District Judge Don Chairez is kicking off a ballot initiative today for a constitutional amendment to create a property owners' bill of rights in the state.

Editorial: Regard lapse in its context: Guinn appointed Crawford to the state's top prison job in May 2000. With 32 years of experience in criminal justice and prison administration jobs, she was the right choice. She came to the position understanding that not all inmates are violent criminals worthy only of strict warehousing. Under her leadership, the prison system began new programs for rehabilitating inmates. We believe that should be her legacy, as those programs continue today.

Community briefs for Sept. 20, 2005: Gov. Kenny Guinn has named Las Vegas physicians Stephen D. McBride and Benjamin J. Rodriguez to four-year terms on the state Board of Medical Examiners that regulates doctors in Nevada.

Tentative deal set over ADA violations: North Las Vegas has reached a tentative agreement with the Justice Department that will cost the city about $2 million over the next two to three years to address violations of the Americans with Disability Act.

Church among players who say baseball would fit in Las Vegas: SAN DIEGO -- If not for some 11th-inning political scrambling in the nation's capital, this could have been Las Vegas' Major League Baseball team battling for a wild-card spot in the playoffs.

Corrections: Corrections

Schizophrenic may testify without benefit of drugs: A 28-year-old schizophrenic charged in a shooting rampage in 2003 that killed one man and wounded two Metro Police officers will stand trial in October, but he may be going without his medication during the trial.

Singapore close to announcing details of first casino projects: Linus Chua; Singapore will unveil details of the nation's first casino projects as early as next week to bidders, including Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and MGM Mirage, as part of a plan to boost tourism and create up to 35,000 jobs.

News briefs for Sept. 20, 2005: A 14-year-old believed to have been headed to school was struck by a vehicle this morning on Craig Road near Simmons Street, about a block away from Cheyenne High School.

New Zealand casino operator considers acquisition: "Sky City is undertaking due diligence in relation to a possible acquisition," the Auckland-based company said in a 142-page prospectus for the sale of A$150 million ($115 million) of debt securities released on Sept. 16. Sky City declined to comment further, said spokesman Paul Gregory.

No horsing around -- yet: By Liz Benston; The neighs have it.

Injury compromises UNR star's promising start: Three players who have hit their first major league home runs on the same day:

Rain expected throughout day: About a tenth of an inch of rain fell overnight, mostly in the west part of the valley near Sahara Avenue and Fort Apache Road, said Charles Bell, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Las Vegas.

States meet over Colorado River: The tough task of managing the Colorado River by committee continued with a Monday morning meeting of representatives from the seven states that use the river resource.

Oil companies shun Democratic meetings: Suzanne Struglinski; WASHINGTON -- Three chairs waited for oil company executives at a Democratic Policy Committee meeting Monday examining "record high gas prices and windfall oil company profits."

Parents file lawsuit in teen's drug death: The parents of a 16-year-old Boulder City girl who died of a drug overdose in June 2004 have filed a lawsuit holding her daughter's teenage friend and her parents liable for her death.

Reid to oppose Roberts' confirmation: WASHINGTON -- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said today he is opposing the confirmation of John Roberts as chief justice of the Supreme Court.

State College won't have graduation ceremony in December: Nevada State College nursing student Gabriela Begne will be the first person in her family to earn a bachelor's degree.

Utah official switches gears on plan for nuclear waste: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- A Utah senator today said he planned to introduce a "major" new comprehensive plan for dealing with the nation's nuclear waste.