Sunday, December 29, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

2002 YEAR IN REVIEW

Top 10 local stories

Nevada's efforts to keep Yucca Mountain from becoming the nation's nuclear waste repository site was the top story of 2002. Photo by K.M. Cannon. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, center, made local headlines when he recommended in February that President Bush approve the Yucca Mountain repository. Photo by Jeff Scheid. Obstetrician Darren Housel was among hundreds of physicians who said they would pack up and leave Southern Nevada because of rising malpractice insurance rates. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett. A blue-ribbon panel came up with a report that calls for $859 million in tax increases. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Dario Herrera Lost his congressional race to Jon Porter Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., watches election coverage that showed the Democrats losing control of the Senate. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Timothy "T.J." Weber eluded police for 24 days before his arrest in the slaying of Kim Gautier and her son. Photo by Craig L. Moran. Bill Rundle was charged with beating his wife to death. A grand jury is investigating the disappearance of his mother. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Las Vegas High School students Ashley Troester and Natasha Keeter died after Troester crashed her speeding car into a light pole. Photo by Gary Thompson. An April 27 clash between gangs in Laughlin left three dead and dozens injured. Photo by K.M. Cannon. An Army honor guard carries the flag-covered casket of Matthew Commons to his grave site at Arlington National Cemetery in March. The death of Commons, a Boulder City native, during a firefight against al-Qaida forces in Afghanistan, ranked No. 10 among the top local stories of 2002. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Patricia Marek and Greg Commons attend the military burial ceremony for their son, Matthew Commons, who was killed in Afghanistan. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

T.J. Weber and Bill Rundle fled the law. Doctors fought for malpractice reform. Dario Herrera's congressional campaign fizzled amid questions about his ethics. And a pair of traffic fatalities focused attention on teen driving.

But the biggest story in a busy year for Southern Nevada was one we've been living with for a long time: Yucca Mountain. In a vote by the Review-Journal's newsroom staff, the Bush administration's decision to green-light the storage of high-level nuclear waste just 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas won top honors for 2002's most significant story.

Stories that narrowly missed the cut this year include the approval by Congress of a bill that will set aside 440,000 acres of wilderness in Southern Nevada, bassist John Entwistle's death at the Hard Rock as The Who was about to start touring, and the arrest of Henderson priest Mark Roberts on charges of molesting five boys in a three-year span.

JAN MOLLER/REVIEW-JOURNAL

1.Yucca fight heads to the courts

When Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham recommended in February that President Bush approve the Yucca Mountain repository, he set in motion a series of events that culminated in the recommendation becoming law five months later.

Undeterred by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman's description of Abraham as a "piece of garbage," Bush accepted the recommendation, which promptly was vetoed by Gov. Kenny Guinn. But warnings from Nevada leaders about the dangers of transporting nuclear waste were ignored by the House and Senate, which overrode the veto by comfortable margins.

After the Senate voted in July, Nevada took its fight to the courts. A half-dozen lawsuits challenging the project have been consolidated into three actions, which are expected to be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sometime next year.

2.Doctors flee while others fight

Doctors in high-risk specialties began closing their practices or cutting back services after Nevada's largest malpractice insurer pulled out and rates began to skyrocket. When University Medical Center announced that it might have to close its trauma center because its doctors could no longer afford to work there, the problem became a full-blown crisis.

A three-day special session of the Legislature in late July produced a compromise bill that put a $350,000 cap for malpractice lawsuits on noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering, with exceptions for gross negligence and in cases where there is "clear and convincing" evidence that the cap should be lifted. Doctors were pleased at first, but since have organized a petition to force the state to take stronger action.

3.Tax debate heats up

While Gov. Kenny Guinn ran a feel-good campaign for re-election, a blue-ribbon panel was hard at work on a report that calls for $859 million in tax hikes to balance the two-year state budget -- $335 million the first year and $524 the second.

The report had barely been released in November when the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and several legislators came out against its centerpiece provision -- a 0.25 percent gross revenue tax on all business income. Days later, Guinn said the task force recommendations weren't enough and that $428 million would be needed the first year just to maintain the current level of services.

Then, a Guinn spokesman said that figure could reach $1.4 billion for the two-year budget.

The tax issue is sure to heat up when lawmakers converge on Carson City for the 2003 Legislature. Meanwhile, local governments are gearing up to fight a Legislative raid on their revenue sources.

4.Elections: Republicans sweep; Herrera's star falls

The race for Nevada's new 3rd District congressional seat looked at first to be a close contest between a charismatic young county commissioner and a veteran state senator with a reputation for political pragmatism.

But questions about Dario Herrera's ethics arising from a $42,000 public-relations contract the Democrat received from the Las Vegas Housing Authority changed the electoral equation. Herrera never recovered from negative publicity over the no-bid contract and lost by 19 points to Republican Jon Porter in a year when GOP candidates also swept every statewide office.

The only Democrat who survived the Republican tide was Rep. Shelley Berkley, who beat Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald by 11 points in the redrawn 1st District.

5. T.J. Weber: Seven-time felon finally nabbed

It didn't take long for police to name Timothy "T.J." Weber as their top suspect in the April 4 murder of Kim Gautier and her 15-year-old son, Anthony.

Finding the seven-time felon, who also is charged with raping Gautier's 14-year-old daughter, proved far more difficult.

Weber, who had dated Kim Gautier and served jail time after breaking into her downtown home in 2000, eluded police for 24 days before he was arrested while hiding out in a mobile home owned by Gautier's father. The capture ended one of the most intense local manhunts in years.

Prosecutors believe Weber, who is charged with two counts of murder with a deadly weapon and two counts of attempted murder, was motivated by an obsession with Gautier's teenage daughter.

6.The Rundle case: Tragedy strikes twice

When Las Vegas police entered Bill Rundle's home in mid-August searching for clues as to his whereabouts, they found a room dedicated to his late son, Richie.

They also found a chair covered in the blood of his missing wife, Shirley.

Now Rundle, who received widespread media attention when Richie was killed by a drunken driver in 1987 while pushing his best friend from harm's way, is charged with beating his wife to death with a baseball bat. Authorities arrested him in a Florida motel room in October after an eight-week search.

A Clark County grand jury also is investigating the disappearance of Rundle's 87-year-old mother, Willa, who was last seen in 1996. Court documents show Rundle was accessing his mother's Social Security checks while telling people that she was traveling in Europe.

7.Traffic tragedy: Crash prompts move to close campuses

Las Vegas High School sophomore Ashley Troester was an outgoing student who dreamed of a modeling career. Her plans were cut short when she crashed her speeding Ford Thunderbird into a light pole while heading back to school with four friends after a lunchtime trip to Burger King.

Natasha Keeter, 17, died instantly and Troester, 16, died a few days later in an accident that cast public attention on the problem of unlicensed teen drivers. Three others suffered serious injuries but survived.

The Clark County School District responded by banning students from leaving campus during the school day. But in August, 16-year-old Centennial High School student Ryan Sneed was killed when his speeding vehicle crashed into a semitrailer after school.

8.Tie: Bikers shoot it out in Laughlin / Record drought sparks concern

An early-morning rumble inside Harrah's Laughlin left three people dead, dozens injured and brought national attention to a decades-old feud between the Hell's Angels and Mongols motorcycle gangs.

As many as 70 gang members fought with guns, knives and hammers in an incident that marked the first time more than one person was killed inside a casino. It occurred during the 20th annual Laughlin River Run, which draws between 40,000 and 80,000 motorcyclists to the Colorado River town 80 miles south of Las Vegas.

The only person arrested after the melee had his charges dismissed.

An ongoing drought slowed the Colorado River to 25 percent of its normal flow and left Lake Mead at its lowest levels in 30 years.

What became an inconvenience to boaters and dock operators also prompted U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman to declare the state a disaster area in October after Nevada recorded its driest summer on record. Officials say Southern Nevada might be forced to dip into emergency reserves by 2004 if conditions don't improve.

Earlier this month, local water officials had even more reason to worry as water feuds in California threatened the stability of Nevada's surplus water supply.

There was one bright spot: As Lake Mead's waters receded, Southern Nevadans got a look at the remains of St. Thomas, a long-forgotten town that has been submerged since 1938.

10.Boulder City native dies a hero

At Boulder City High School, Matthew Commons was a serious student with a gift for making others laugh.

"He was a real joy to teach," said Alison York, who taught algebra to the 1999 graduate.

On March 4, Commons was among six Americans killed during a 12-hour firefight against al-Qaida forces in the mountains of Afghanistan. The Army private first class, 21, was the youngest of seven U.S. soldiers killed in some of the heaviest fighting of Operation Anaconda.

Commons, who was promoted posthumously to corporal, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.