Las Vegas Sun

Archive for December 18, 2009

Man's death after struggle with Metro Police ruled excusable: By Tiffany Gibson; A Clark County coroner’s jury ruled Friday that the death of a man who stopped breathing after Metro Police tried to subdue him with a neck restraint was excusable. Jurors at the inquest determined Dustin ...; 8:37 p.m.

Celebrity/media NFL picks Week 15: By Sal DeFilippo; The St. Louis Rams' offense -- Steven Jackson and the Anonymous 10 -- are easily the worst in the NFL.; 6:50 p.m.

Local donations down, Rachael Ray to the rescue: By April Corbin; When the recession hits and locals can't donate as much, you can still rely on the charity of television chefs.; 6:30 p.m.

Suspect to be arraigned in investment scam: By Tiffany Gibson; A Justice Court felony arraignment for a Las Vegas man who is suspected of scamming millions of dollars from dozens of victims worldwide has been scheduled for 8 a.m. on Jan. 8.; 6:02 p.m.

WEC 45 weigh-in: Big-name fighters on hand to watch: By Brett Okamoto; The WEC 45 official weigh-ins Friday looked more like a reunion party for UFC and WEC fighters, as some of the biggest names in the sport showed up to support those competing Saturday night.; 5:54 p.m.

Feds back off on drivers license requirement: By Cy Ryan; CARSON CITY – The federal Department of Homeland Security has backed off its requirement that all motorists provide additional identification starting Jan. 1 to renew or get a new driver’s license.; 5:44 p.m.

Program hopes to keep drunks off road by offering free rides: By Kyle B. Hansen; Law enforcement officials have begun reaching out to local bars and taverns to remind people that anyone can be arrested for driving under the influence, even Santa Claus.; 5:28 p.m.

Is Lady Gaga biting Deadly Seven's style?: By April Corbin; Eye bars. Nipple tape. Fake blood. Dudes in bondage gear. Who did it first?; 5:08 p.m.

Planet Hollywood timeshare owners move in: By Amanda Finnegan; The first 20 timeshare owners of Planet Hollywood’s PH Towers by Westgate checked in Friday morning, marking the first of several residential tower openings over the next few months.; 4:53 p.m.

Crash totals are down, but questions about restrictor-plate races remain: By Mike Smith; The number of crashes in Sprint Cup racing is dropping. For the second year in a row the number of wrecks and spins has gone down.; 4:49 p.m.

Court date set for woman charged with rear-ending motorcycle cop: By Tiffany Gibson; An initial appearance and arraignment has been set for a Las Vegas woman charged with driving under the influence and rear-ending a motorcycle Metro Police officer.; Updated 6:17 p.m.

Tucson's take on Livengood: Pat Finley, Arizona Daily Star; Sometime during Jim Livengood's first weekend as UNLV's new athletic director, he'll likely conduct interviews and select a football coach, a man who will hold no less than the Rebels' very athletic future in his ...; 3:24 p.m.

Man vandalizes Las Vegas sign during live TV shot: By Kyle B. Hansen; Metro Police arrested a man this morning who vandalized the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign during a live television news shot in front of the sign.; 2:55 p.m.

Mutant showgirl: Lady Gaga touches down in Las Vegas: By Joe Brown; Lady Gaga out-Cher-ed Cher, made Cirque du Soleil and Britney's "Circus" tour look like county fair carnivals, and made New Year's Eve in Las Vegas anticlimactic. The first of the pop phenomenon's two sold-out shows ...; 2:47 p.m.

Hauck, Franchione set to interview for UNLV football coaching post: By Ryan Greene; Montana coach Bobby Hauck led the Grizzlies into the Football Championship Series title game Friday night in Chattanooga, Tenn., where they finished the season 14-1 with a 23-21 loss to Villanova. He will be in ...; 2:40 p.m.

Steve Wynn reportedly purchases Rembrandt for $33.2 million: By Kristen Peterson; Too bad Steve Wynn yanked his art gallery out of namesake resort.; 2:32 p.m.

Nevada census contract awarded to out-of-state firm: By Cy Ryan; CARSON CITY – Secretary of State Ross Miller has bypassed seven Nevada firms to award an $866,000 contract to a Minnesota company to help with getting a full count in next year’s census.; 2:15 p.m.

Las Vegas area offers sleighful of ongoing holiday events: By Las Vegas Sun Staff; From reindeer rides and visits with Santa to viewing Christmas displays and holiday cactus light shows, Las Vegas Valley residents have a stocking full of choices for holiday fun. Most of the following community events ...; 1:44 p.m.

Men convicted in federal cocaine robbery sting in Las Vegas: By Kyle B. Hansen; Three men who conspired to steal a large quantity of cocaine in Las Vegas have been convicted, the U.S. Attorney announced today.; 1:04 p.m.

Gov. Jim Gibbons says divorce is on: By Cy Ryan; CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons says his divorce trial is still set for Dec. 28 in Reno and it will be open to the public. he governor said his side made a latest offer ...; 12:39 p.m.

Investors move to seize Village Square Shopping Center: By Steve Green; Investors moved Thursday to seize control of a prominent western Las Vegas shopping center, charging its owner has failed to turn over rent to the investors as required.; 12:21 p.m.

Southwest to increase nonstop, round-trip flights to Las Vegas: By Richard N. Velotta; When Southwest Airlines’ summer schedule begins May 9, Las Vegas will see a net gain of three nonstop round-trip flights.; 11:57 a.m.

Court rejects appeal of killer: By Cy Ryan; CARSON CITY – Saturday will mark 26 years since Rodolfo Leon was convicted on two counts of first degree murder in Las Vegas.; 11:18 a.m.

Hard Rock Hotel investor granted state gaming license: By Richard N. Velotta; A major player in retail shopping centers has received a Nevada gaming license after investing in the company that owns Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel.; 10:55 a.m.

Jones, Vera to meet March 21 in Colorado: MMAweekly.com; http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=10282&zoneid=13; 9:55 a.m.

MGM Mirage executive Gary N. Jacobs resigns: By Steve Green; MGM Mirage on Friday disclosed the surprise resignation of Gary N. Jacobs, a director, general counsel and president of corporate strategy.; Updated 6:51 p.m.

Warm and sunny for Las Vegas, unlike historic snowfall a year ago: By Dave Toplikar; Shed the coat and jacket this afternoon — skies will be sunny and temperatures are heading into the mid-60s as warmer-than-normal weather continues in Las Vegas. That's a completely different picture from a year ago, ...; 6:54 a.m.

Virtual law office fills void: By Buck Wargo; Andy Urban, former Henderson assistant city attorney, is making his law practice a virtual reality.; 3:00 a.m.

Alliance pushes high-speed train corridor: By Richard N. Velotta; A newly created alliance of local transit agencies will try to persuade federal authorities that stimulus money should be used on high-speed rail corridor studies, a move that could put Las Vegas back on the ...; 3:00 a.m.

The List: Commercial Tax Preparers: By Ulf Buchholz; 3:00 a.m.

Homebuyers hustle to get credit in tax off-season: By Buck Wargo; First-time homebuyers comprise a large percentage of sales in the Las Vegas housing market, and claiming their windfall from the federal government has kept tax preparers a little busier than normal in the offseason.; 3:00 a.m.

Luring rodeo to Las Vegas jump-started city’s special events strategy 25 years ago: By Richard N. Velotta; Former Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board member Berlyn Miller enjoys telling the story about how Las Vegas roped the National Finals Rodeo away from Oklahoma City in 1984.; 3:00 a.m.

Heading off liability angst at holiday parties: By Buck Wargo; Holiday parties are a chance to relax and have fun during tough economic times, but lawyers warn companies should take steps to keep workers in line and limit liability.; 3:00 a.m.

Nevada foreclosure filings take another dive: By Buck Wargo; Foreclosure filings plummeted in November in Nevada, but analysts are not sure if this marks a trend.; 3:00 a.m.

The List: Individual Tax Preparers: By Ulf Buchholz; 3:00 a.m.

LAWYER PROVES RELIABLE RESOURCE FOR THE POOR: By Buck Wargo; Christian Hale came to the United States for a career in casino management, but the English native traded it for the law and is quickly making a mark by helping those in need.; 3:00 a.m.

Wrong again: Gov. Jim Gibbons has proclaimed his support of education in the past, but his actions speak louder than his words. The most recent example is the way the governor and his staff have treated Dan ...; 3:00 a.m.

2010 Book of Business Lists published today: In Business Las Vegas; 3:00 a.m.

Q&A: Mark Hutchison: By Buck Wargo; Co-founder of the law firm Hutchinson & Steffen; 3:00 a.m.

Indoor speedway is partnership’s second in the Las Vegas Valley: By Buck Wargo; Pole Position Raceway has opened its second indoor speedway.; 3:00 a.m.

Longevity pay must end: Clark County officials are projecting a $120 million tax revenue deficit in the next fiscal year. As county leaders look where to cut, there is one glaring area that stands out: longevity pay.; 3:00 a.m.

In Business Las Vegas People: People of note in the Las Vegas Valley; 3:00 a.m.

Notebook: Willis pushes on despite ankle turn: By Ryan Greene; For the second consecutive game, UNLV's leading scorer — junior guard Tre'Von Willis — came off of the bench in an effort to reduce stress on some mild back pain. Now he has another physical ...; 2:29 a.m.

BYU's Mendenhall to face off against alma mater: By Case Keefer; Oregon State coach Mike Riley admits he made a mistake. When Riley became the head coach at Oregon State in 1997, he scheduled a quick interview with a young up-and-coming defensive coach left over from ...; 2:05 a.m.

CityCenter’s grand opening: CityCenter officially opened Wednesday to high expectations with the unveiling of its centerpiece, Aria.; 2:05 a.m.

RTC offering special buses for Las Vegas Bowl: By Kyle B. Hansen; College football fans who want to avoid the congestion and parking hassles of driving to Sam Boyd Stadium on Tuesday for the Las Vegas Bowl can take advantage of a special bus service for the ...; 2:05 a.m.

Judge rules recall election can go ahead: By Tiffany Gibson; A judge has ruled that a recall election of two Boulder City Council members can go forward, despite a previous decision by the secretary of state that a recall petition was invalid.; 2:05 a.m.

Obama is the ultimate communicator: Rene G. Soto, Pahrump; Regarding David Broder’s Sunday column, “Educational value of Obama’s speeches unparalleled”:; 2:04 a.m.

Politicians help wealthy sustain their influence: Lan Bufkin, Las Vegas; Regarding Vernos Branco’s letter in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun, headlined “Politicians coddle to corporate interest”:; 2:03 a.m.

Why can’t U.S. government get health care right?: John McWold, Las Vegas; PBS’ “Frontline” program examined government-run health care systems in Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and Taiwan (all capitalist democracies).; 2:02 a.m.

Too many casinos are loud, cater to young generation: Gerard A. Sanchez Sr., Las Vegas; “What did you say? Come again, I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the clatter and loud music in this restaurant.”; 2:01 a.m.

Ralston’s ‘Face’ to spread across state: Jon Ralston’s award-winning news discussion program, “Face to Face,” goes statewide in January.; 2:00 a.m.

Destination: Goldwell Open Air Museum: Las Vegas Sun; Just outside of Rhyolite, a ghost town off the road leading to Death Valley National Park, a group of prominent Belgian artists, led by the late Albert Szukalski, created seven outdoor sculptures against the backdrop ...; 2:00 a.m.

Nevada's 10 biggest political stories of 2009: By Jon Ralston; A year when the state’s top two Republicans couldn’t get to 50 percent approval if you combined their favorability ratings. A year of dramatic entrances and exits from the political stage. And a year of ...; 2:00 a.m.

Where do Las Vegans' Christmas trees come from?: My parents were in town recently, visiting from Ohio, where Christmas tree farms are plentiful. They were very curious about where the trees on the lots here come from, as they look a little out ...; 2:00 a.m.

Targeting insurers’ deep pockets: By Steve Kanigher; Health maintenance organizations and insurance companies must be held accountable for telling people which doctors they must use, say attorneys of those exposed to hepatitis C at Dr. Dipak Desai’s Las Vegas Valley endoscopy clinics.; 2:00 a.m.

Will CityCenter change type of tourist in Vegas?: By Liz Benston; After a night spent gaping at Aria’s modernist splendor, draining designer cocktails and downing caviar and sushi, invited VIPs and other well-wishers at the opening gala for CityCenter’s centerpiece resort woke up Thursday to a ...; 2:00 a.m.

In new role, Massamba provides energy with monster dunk: By Ray Brewer; UNLV center Brice Massamba’s stat line Thursday night doesn't immediately stand out as impressive. But what the numbers — four points and two rebounds in six minutes — don’t reveal is a play that provided ...; 12:17 a.m.

UNLV methodically downs Weber State, 72-63: By Ryan Greene; It was a game that, for the most part, was anticlimactic. And when UNLV plays the way it did Thursday night in a 72-63 victory over Weber State, that's the way that it more often ...; 12:02 a.m.

Previewing WEC 45: Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff: By Brett Okamoto; It’s been somewhere in the vicinity of five years since the last time WEC lightweight Donald Cerrone was on the back of a bucking bull. Still, when an offer came to Cerrone to ride a ...; 12:00 a.m.

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