Print edition for September 28, 2005

Rebate checks to be delayed about one week: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's planned $300 million rebate is going to be delayed about one week, officials said this morning.

Early Las Vegas entrepreneur Ragland dies: Bertha Ragland came to Las Vegas in 1943 against the advice of family and other friends and with just $60 to her name.

Man who shot at Horn's home to be medicated: A judge has ordered doctors at the state's mental facility to forcibly medicate a former NFL kicker accused of shooting at the home of longtime Strip headliners Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn.

Companies unveil plans for second NLV hospital: Michelle Swafford; IASIS Healthcare LLC announced today it has partnered with Meadows Hospital LLC to develop a second hospital in North Las Vegas.

Man may be charged with father's killing: Doctors at the state's mental facility in Sparks have deemed a 48-year-old man competent to stand trial in the slashing death of his elderly father.

Reid urges president to pick mainstream candidate for court: WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., today urged President Bush to nominate for the Supreme Court a "mainstream candidate," not "an activist who would bring an ideological agenda to the court."

Columnist Jeff German: Cops are near to new agreement: There are smiling faces at the Metro Police Department today.

Wild ride in stolen cab ends in crash, injuries near Strip: David Kihara and Jen Lawson; A man driving a stolen Yellow Cab led police on a 45-minute chase around the valley that ended with four people injured when the cab crashed into other vehicles at the busy intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Paradise Road on Tuesday morning, Metro Police said.

Ensign won't return campaign donations: WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., will not return campaign donations from a figure embroiled in the controversy surrounding former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

USA Capital suspends investments in fund: The move to suspend investments in the USA Capital First Trust Deed Fund LLC was announced in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of the suspension, "all distributions will be made in cash in accordance with the company's operating agreement, and members will not be permitted to reinvest their distributions for the purchase of additional membership units."

Walkers hope to expose suicide crisis: Molly Ball; Suddenly, Lynette Kish was seeing suicide everywhere.

Business news briefs for September 28, 2005: In response to rising natural gas costs -- which has translated into higher rates for customers of Nevada Power Co. and Southwest Gas Corp. -- state utility experts will hold a forum on the topic Thursday afternoon.

Couple will do time in prison: Although the mother of two girls who were stabbed in Mesquite in 2003 didn't wield the knife that killed one of the children and crippled the other, "she caused this to happen," Deputy District Attorney Lisa Luzaich Rego said Tuesday.

Names in the game for Sept. 28, 2005: Hawaiian golf star Michelle Wie will play in a top-tier men's event in November on the Japanese tour.

About 400 Texans are urged to get shots for hepatitis A: Texas health officials say about 400 people from Texas who attended a gambling industry convention earlier this month might have been exposed to hepatitis A and are being urged to get a shots to try to avoid becoming ill with the potentially deadly disease.

Testaverde exits couch to help Jets: The middle-aged man was lodged on a couch in his Long Island home on another lazy Sunday afternoon watching his favorite childhood team, the New York Jets, play the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Voluntary exclusions from casinos up sharply: Jim Salter; ST. LOUIS -- The list of those voluntarily banning themselves from Missouri's riverboat casinos has jumped 15 percent over the past year to nearly 9,000 people. While the Missouri Gaming Commission attributes the increase to education and outreach efforts, gambling opponents say it's an indication that more people are becoming gambling addicts.

Corrections: Corrections

Downtown deal approved: Landry's Restaurants Inc. has made its millions satisfying the hunger of diners at Joe's Crab Shack, Saltgrass Steakhouse and the Rainforest Cafe.

Breakaway unions to target Wal-Mart workers: Betsy Taylor; ST. LOUIS -- Leaders from unions that broke away from the AFL-CIO pledged Tuesday to organize Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers and reach out to those who lost their jobs due to Hurricane Katrina.

Sports briefs for Sept. 28, 2005: Second-year Missouri Southern football coach John Ware died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack after collapsing at his desk.

Gaming news briefs for September 28, 2005: CHICAGO -- Attorneys for the Illinois Gaming Board told an administrative judge Tuesday that Emerald Casino Inc. should lose its gambling license for repeatedly lying to regulators about its plans to finance and build a casino in Rosemont.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: After glimpsing many fetes, it's time to move on: Elizabeth Foyt; When I first began to write this column (with my mother, the late Ann Valder) my daughter Alicia had barely entered kindergarten. Today, at 27, she's just survived Hurricane Rita and returned to her duties as marine biologist for Galveston Bay Foundation in Texas.

Editorial: Empty call to conserve: It's a lip-service turnaround from the man who in 2001 appointed Vice President Dick Cheney to head a White House task force charged with developing a national energy policy. In response to critics who at the time accused the administration of slighting conservation, Cheney said, "To speak exclusively of conservation is to duck the tough issues," and added that conservation "is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." The administration said little more about conservation until Monday, when Bush got religion like a death-row inmate and discovered conservation in much the same manner he discovered poverty in ...

Columnist Adam Candee: Time to head for the clubhouse: Adam Candee; It's not you. It's me.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Watches top shopping highlights: Some quick shopping notes:

Obituaries for September 28, 2005: Phillip Hays, 57, of Las Vegas died Sunday. He was born March 26, 1948, in Portland, Ore. A resident for seven years, he was a registered nurse, and a Vietnam Navy veteran.

Editorial: Yes on ethics policy: The Board of Regents oversees the Nevada System of Higher education. College and university presidents, and the system's chancellor, answer to the board for all of their decisions. The members wield power over budgets, employee discipline, pay, hiring and firing and other important functions of higher education in the state. To say they have influence over the system's top staff is an understatement.

Letter: Sheehan, others should back war against terrorism: Lachance's statement that, "There has been no call to stop paying for this unjustified war ..." is wrong. On Aug. 14, Cindy Sheehan, the current darling of the anti-war movement, publicly stated, "My son was killed in 2004. I am not paying my taxes for 2004. You killed my son, George Bush, and I don't owe you a penny." (Source: World Net Daily.)

Letter: Peace position has an opening: Since April there has been an empty spot on the Strip. Having been a World War II veteran is not really a job requirement because we're running a little low on "the greatest generation." You don't even have to fill out an application. Just show up with a sign and you're in business.

Community news briefs for September 28, 2005: The Myron Heaton Chorale will host a Fall Crafts Fair from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Club Fortune Casino on Racetrack Road and Boulder Highway in Henderson. Items for sale will include toys, pottery, gift items, clothing, jewelry, crafts, art work and beverages.

BLM raising fees at Sand Mountain: AP; "The BLM is not driven by specific profit margin objectives as are private sector businesses, but it must attempt to recover costs for which funding is no longer available through appropriated funding sources," said Don Hicks, BLM field manager in Carson City.

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

Local news briefs for September 28, 2005: Computer keyboards left on top of a stove in a home economics classroom Tuesday afternoon caused considerable smoke at Orr Middle School in the 1500 block of East Katie Avenue behind the Boulevard mall, the Clark County Fire Department said.

Columnist Jeff German: Cops are near new agreement: There are smiling faces at the Metro Police Department today.

Baptist church leaders face federal fraud charges: By Timothy Pratt; A federal grand jury has charged a pastor, his wife and an associate minister at what may be Nevada's oldest black Baptist church with using $330,000 with bank fraud, use of federal grant money to enrich themselves and other offenses. The U.S. attorney announced Tuesday the indictment of the Rev. Willie Davis, pastor at Second Baptist Church -- which is known as the "mother church of Las Vegas," according to its Web site -- his wife, Emma, and the Rev. McTheron Jones.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Bengals and Jaguars start hot vs. spread: Respected football handicapper and author Kevin O'Neill delivered the line of the week last Friday night at the Stardust.

Park Service looks at new plans as Mead level drops: Years of drought and falling water levels in Lake Mead are pushing the National Park Service to update its management plans for the lake.

Crashes led to changes in police pursuit policies: Los Angeles may be the capital of police car pursuits, but Las Vegas has had its fair share of them over the years, some with less desirable outcomes than others.

Lawmakers spar over Medicaid bill for storm victims: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The Senate is in the midst of an emotional spat over a Medicaid bill that pits President Bush and Sen. John Ensign on one side and Gov. Kenny Guinn and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on the other.

Third person in Strip sidewalk crash dies: David Kihara; A 60-year-old man who was hit last week by a car driving on a Strip sidewalk died this morning at UMC, bringing the total number killed in that incident to three, Metro Police reported.

Ensign to assess pet rescues in Louisiana: WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., left this morning to spend most of the day in Louisiana to assess the effort to rescue pets in the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast region.

Deal links Grand Canyon area lands: A pair of conservation groups, one based in the Southwest and devoted to the Grand Canyon and the other a national land-trust group, said they have finalized a deal that would tie together some of the country's most spectacular federally protected areas.

Giuliani discusses leadership during Las Vegas speech: Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told a Las Vegas audience Tuesday that "relentless preparation" was one of the six principles of leadership that helped him get his city through the crisis of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Campaign aims to buttress fight against bigotry: Emily Richmond, Mary Manning and Jennifer Lawson; The Anti-Defamation League, the Clark County School District and local law enforcement officials announced new efforts Tuesday aimed at combating hate, prejudice and bigotry.

Clinton to give keynote address: The Nevada Development Authority is the state's largest economic development agency. Its mission is to attract, retain and expand the business base to enhance the overall socioeconomic environment of Southern Nevada.

Alleged serial rapist's lawyer says sex with hookers consensual: A 28-year-old man accused of being a serial rapist is guilty of nothing more than refusing to pay prostitutes for consensual sex, according to his defense lawyer.