Print edition for September 26, 2005

Douglas County considers raising airport weight limits: AP; Voter approval of a 2006 ballot measure raising the limits could be critical to securing federal grants that provide about 95 percent of the airport's funding, County Commissioner Jim Baushke said.

Footage from show on Vegas to enrich UNLV archives: UNLV library's Special Collections department will be inheriting hundreds of hours of raw footage and interviews from the making of an upcoming PBS "American Experience" documentary on Las Vegas, officials said.

Announcement of casino guidelines is delayed: The city-state, which is allocating two sites for the casino-resorts, said the first guidelines for bidding for a downtown bayfront site will be delayed until the end of November, and rules for the location at the southern island of Sentosa will be released in the first quarter of 2006.

Rita casino damage less than feared: By Liz Benston; Reports from some casino companies today indicate that Louisiana casinos sustained relatively modest damage from Hurricane Rita, which touched down just east of the Texas-Louisiana border early Saturday.

Nevada seniors to have choice of Medicare drug providers: CARSON CITY -- An estimated 292,000 Nevada senior citizens will have a wide variety of companies from which to choose for their new Medicare prescription drug plan.

Casino company, Clear Channel team up on Singapore project: Clear Channel produces a range of theater productions including "The Lion King," "Hairspray," "Chicago" and "The Producers" as well as musical acts such as Madonna, U2, Sting and the Rolling Stones. Clear Channel also offers family entertainment such as museum exhibitions, specialized sports and televised events.

White Pine County's financial condition worsens: CARSON CITY -- White Pine County may have to close its senior citizens center and sell its golf course because of its deteriorating financial condition.

17 options for Medicare drug plans approved: Aetna Life Insurance Co., Anthem Insurance Co., Connecticut General Life Insurance Co., Coventry Health and Life Insurance Co., Humana Insurance Co., Marquette National Life Insurance Co., Medco Containment Life Insurance Co., MemberHealth, PacifiCare Life and Health Insurance Co., RxAmerica LLC, Sierra Health and Life Insurance Co., SilverScript Insurance Co., Sterling Life Insurance Co., UniCare, United American Insurance Co., UnitedHealthcare Insurance Co. and Wellcare Health Plans were approved to offer Medicare Part D drug plans in Nevada.

Reid puts his assets in blind trust: WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is putting his financial assets in a blind trust to try to avoid any ethics questions, a spokeswoman said today.

Bodine knows the fastest way around LVMS circuit: Nick Christensen; It's easy to understand why Todd Bodine loves racing in Las Vegas.

LV street race just talk so far: In the wake of Saturday night's Champ Car World Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, several drivers openly speculated that if the open-wheel racing series returns to Las Vegas in 2006, it might be on a temporary street course near downtown.

Letter: Ineffectual war on drugs imperils liberty: The financial incentives created by civil asset forfeiture laws create a dangerous precedent. Police can confiscate cars, cash and homes without bothering to charge owners with a crime. Vague allegations of drug trafficking don't justify turning what should be protectors of the peace into financial predators. The drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the concept of limited government. Police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in schools and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties while failing miserably at preventing drug use.

'Housewives' in fine form in season two premiere: Frazier Moore; NEW YORK -- "Desperate Housewives" featured a desperate widow Sunday night.

Boulder City's Pickton sends rivals packing: Nick Christensen; Fed up with being on the losing end of his team's rivalry with Moapa Valley, Jeff Pickton took charge.

Editorial: Why the long delays?: A similar situation is occurring at Las Vegas City Hall. For years it has been receiving federal funds for a Housing and Urban Development Department program known as HOME. The program was established to allow participating cities to provide housing assistance to families with very low incomes. A growth task force recently identified affordable housing as one of the greatest needs in the Las Vegas Valley. But the city, for some reason, is hoarding the funds. It has more than $5 million accumulated. When this newspaper inquired about its plans for the money, a city spokesman mentioned an "affordable housing ...

Letter: Agencies failed to monitor child: I am sure this child was eligible for First Step, a state program operating out of University Medical Center designed for handicapped children of less than 3 years of age. First Step is a program supervised by medical people, who should have been involved with this case. Obviously, even this much was not done for some unknown reason. Perhaps the parents didn't take her, didn't follow-up or whatever. But neither did the social service agencies that knew the risks in this case.

CCSN faculty raises OK'd: A small part of the $1.6 million pool over the biennium will also go to raise nursing professor salaries at the college to help meet a severe staff shortage there, CCSN President Richard Carpenter said. The funding will allow the college to hire nursing faculty slightly above the current salary schedule and give greater cost of living increases.

Editorial: Shining a light on nuke dump: The Energy Department has vigorously fought attempts by state officials and Nevada's congressional delegation as they tried to get a copy of the draft application, with Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., likening it to "pulling teeth." The reason for the Energy Department's stonewalling is simple: It wants to steamroll its application through the Nuclear Regulatory Commission -- the regulatory agency that will have the final say on Yucca Mountain -- without giving Nevada officials enough time to raise substantive scientific objections to the proposed dump. There have been serious questions raised about the project, including the danger of shipping nuclear waste ...

Card games trump gambling machines in state revenue: Card games have produced $3.8 million in revenue for the state, compared to $697,000 from Class III electronic games, state records show.

Key features of bankruptcy law: Marcy Gordon; WASHINGTON -- The most sweeping rewrite of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in a quarter century, making it harder for debtors to erase credit card and other obligations in court proceedings, goes into effect Oct. 17. The legislation was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in April after an eight-year campaign by banks, retailers and credit card companies.

Swimmer dies in triathlon at Mead: A 37-year-old Las Vegas restaurant owner swimming in the Mountain Man Triathlon on Sunday died after he apparently suffered seizures, the National Park Service said.

Existing-home sales climb to second-highest level on record: Martin Crutsinger; WASHINGTON -- Defying expectations, sales of previously owned homes rose in August to the second-highest level on record with home prices rising at the fastest pace in 26 years.

Companies face more restrictions under new law: Harry R. Weber; Whether they are small retail stores or major publicly traded corporations, businesses will face more restrictions when the new bankruptcy law goes into effect Oct. 17.

First atheists' lobbyist has Nevada political roots: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The career of the first lobbyist to represent atheists on Capitol Hill -- Las Vegan Lori Lipman Brown -- was forged in the political fires of Nevada.

Births for September 26, 2005: Sept. 14:

Many fear rebuilding could ruin charm of coastline: Emily Wagster Pettus; JACKSON, Miss. -- As Mississippi recovers from Hurricane Katrina's destruction, many fear the development to come could erase the charm and diversity of the state's eclectic Gulf Coast communities.

Majestic Star won't operate Orange County casino: "The citizens of Orange County should rest assured that we do not view this as anything that will adversely affect operation or timing" of the project, said Ernest Yelton, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission.

Land-based casinos are no sure thing: Emily Wagster Pettus; Mississippi lawmakers return to the Capitol Tuesday to handle Hurricane Katrina recovery issues, and Gov. Haley Barbour says he wants a short and easy special session.

Water agency chiefs call for research, communication: Managers of Western water agencies and climate scientists capped a two-day conference in Las Vegas with a call for more research and better communication.

Romney denies that his position on gaming politically motivated: Glen Johnson; BOSTON -- The gambling debate is scheduled to return to Beacon Hill this fall, but this time around, Gov. Mitt Romney is clear where he stands: He is opposed to expanding it in Massachusetts.

Sandoval to go before Senate Judiciary panel: WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Brian Sandoval is scheduled to appear at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday as the panel considers his nomination to be a U.S. District Court judge in Nevada. Sandoval is expected to win approval from the panel and the full Senate. The committee could vote as early as next week, a spokesman said today.

Psych testing ordered for crash suspect: David Kihara, Jen Lawson and Matt Pordum; The California man who allegedly told police that he ran over a crowd of people on a Strip sidewalk last week because he thought they were armed and angry demons, this morning was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Buddy Walk held to raise funds for Down Syndrome: The Henderson Parks and Recreation Department hosted this year's Buddy Walk at the Discovery Park at 2011 Paseo Verde Drive.

Illuminated Eagles know the score: Nick Christensen; When the Boulder City High football team took the field Friday night, they ran through a giant inflatable eagle at the north end of Bruce Eaton Field.

17 options for Medicare drug plans are approved: Two of the plans offer monthly premiums of less than $20 while others offer higher monthly premiums, but additional services or more variety in their drug coverage.

Ex-track owner applies to build Raton horsetrack: Eric Culver and his partners -- the Horse Racing at Raton Limited Partnership -- want live horse racing in Raton by the summer of 2007. The track would be the state's sixth.

Changes in bankruptcy law spur increase in filings: Dave Carpenter; CHICAGO -- File bankruptcy now -- before the law changes!

Methods discussed to regulate regents who receive favors: Chancellor Jim Rogers and some regents are looking into whether there needs to be a codified way for college presidents to tattle on regents who try to unduly influence them.

One killed, five injured in weekend accidents: Another man was also found dead on Saturday morning on a road near a bicycle. Metro Police homicide detectives are investigating the incident.

West's natural resources industries are booming again: Sandy Shore; PARACHUTE, Colo. -- John Loschke climbs out of his truck in the cramped parking lot outside the Outlaws restaurant and surveys the collection of cars, trucks and RVs.

Preps: This week's schedule: Girls' Volleyball

Songs of the Heart: Spencer Patterson; Who: Aaron Neville.

Rebels say they'll bounce back: Steve Guiremand; LOGAN, Utah -- After they lost a very winnable game for the second consecutive week to a WAC bottom-feeder, this time a 31-24 loss to Utah State, it might seem easy to write off the rest of the season for the struggling UNLV Rebels (1-3).

Health officials innoculate 166 against hepatitis A: Clark County health officials over the weekend gave shots to 166 people to protect them against hepatitis A, but they are still hoping to reach the rest of the approximately 1,000 people they believe were exposed to the potentially deadly virus at a Las Vegas convention earlier this month.

Fire restrictions lifted in parts of Spring Mountains: The Bureau of Land Management, the Nevada Division of Forestry, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service eased restrictions on Friday.

Sports briefs for Sept. 26, 2005: The last time Wladimir Klitschko fought Chris Byrd, Klitschko beat him. Now, the two might be headed for a rematch, thanks to Klitschko's victory against Samuel Peter in an IBF elimination bout.

Tribe's casino plans delayed: The Quechan tribe wants to build a two-story casino, a six-story hotel and other facilities off Interstate 8 just west of the Arizona-California line.

Obituaries for September 26, 2005: Teresa D'Amore, 46, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospital. She was born Dec. 23, 1958, in England. A resident for more than 20 years, she was a hotel waitress.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Identifying race fans made easy: Before the rubber met the road for race winners Todd Bodine and Sebastien Bourdais during Saturday night's Double Down in the Desert NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series/Champ Car World Series doubleheader at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, about 50,000 fans of the two series filed into the grandstands to see if they could peacefully co-exist for a few hours.

Centenarians share secrets of longevity: J. Craig Anderson; Nancy Harris was born into a country of just over 70 million people living in 45 recently reunited states.