American Airlines grounded 850 flights Wednesday because of a problem in the plane wiring systems. These flights are in addition to 500 flights grounded Tuesday and hundreds more planes were grounded last week.

Tens of thousands of passengers are stranded and even though American is making accommodations, they are unhappy.

“I don't want a donut and a cup of coffee; I want to get through this line,” said Diane Stroud, a passenger.

Another passenger, Mark Rausch adds, “They obviously had a problem, a big problem and I don't think they handled it very well.”

All of the grounded planes are MD-80s. The issue deals with how wires are secured for the auxiliary hydraulic system in the wheel wells.

The FAA found nine out of 10 jets still didn't meet the agency's standards. Flights at McCarran are affected.

A UNLV student has filed a federal lawsuit against the school, claiming her civil rights were violated. Megan Krainski says she was involved in a dispute with her roommate over their dorm.

She tried to file a complaint, but claims her roommate made up a story about Krainski attacking her. Krainski was arrested and charged with assault.

The District Attorney dropped the case because of a lack of evidence.

“I don't trust anybody at that school, the students or the faculty. I just don't want any more problems,” she said.

Krainski and her attorney Jason Bach claim she was not allowed to represent herself at a UNLV student conduct hearing where she was found at fault for her actions.

“There really is no evidence in this case. Despite the fact there was no evidence in this case, they continued to prosecute Megan under the student conduct code and now her record is tarnished,” said Bach.

UNLV is not commenting, because it says it hasn't been served with the lawsuit.

Rejecting pleas from lawyers for major Nevada casinos, a judge on Thursday endorsed a revised petition from a teachers' union that would raise Nevada gambling taxes to provide about $250 million a year for public education.

Former state Supreme Court Justice Miriam Shearing, who's handling the Carson City District Court case, rejected arguments by the Nevada Resort Association that the revision of the Nevada State Education Association petition didn't comply with her earlier order to avoid “logrolling,” or relying on a more popular element to get a less popular element approved.

Attorneys for the clubs had argued during a hearing Tuesday that the revised petition shouldn't go on the November ballot because it still violated a requirement that initiatives be limited to a single subject, the lawyer argued.

But Shearing wrote that imposing an additional gambling license fee and designating the funds for school salaries and student achievement “is functionally related.” The judge added that the
initiative is “neither confusing nor misleading.”

“In interpreting initiatives, this court is required to make every effort to preserve the initiative power of the people,” Shearing said. “In other words, this court must interpret an initiative so as to preserve the power of the people to vote on it.”

NSEA President Lynn Warne said she was “very gratified by the judge's decision. We said from the beginning that this was a delaying tactic on the part of the gamers.”

“With the decision today we're going to be moving full steam ahead to put this question on the ballot in November,” she added.

To qualify for a spot on the ballot, petition backers must gather at least 58,628 signatures by May 20. Voters would then have to approve the measure in the 2008 and 2010 elections.

Bill Bible, head of the resort association, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment on whether an appeal to the state Supreme Court is planned.

During Tuesday's court hearing, an attorney for the teachers argued that the initiative's revised wording met the judge's earlier mandate and the casino industry was doing everything it can
to keep the tax question from voters.

The revised petition removes, among other things, specifics such as a requirement that said at least 60 percent of the funds generated by the tax be used for teacher pay, benefits and incentives.

Both the old and the new proposals would raise by 3 percent the gross gaming revenue tax now paid by casinos making more than $1 million a month. That would increase their tax rate from 6.75 percent to 9.75 percent.

Warne has said the rate would still be among the lowest casino tax rates in the world. But attorneys for the clubs said the plan amounts to a 44 percent increase in taxes on the clubs.
   
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

A man has been arrested for running an underage prostitution ring on the Strip. Jacob Canto was taken into custody Monday. He’s charged with pandering of a child, kidnapping and other charges.

His alleged accomplice, Kristin Stillman, was arrested last week.

Authorities say the ring involved girls between the ages of 15 and 17.

The police report specifically mentions many properties including Caesars Palace and Mandalay Bay as places where the girls were forced to work as prostitutes.

Cabbies across the valley say they are losing money because there are too many taxis on the roads. Cab drivers say the growing population in Las Vegas is affecting their pocket book.

Traffic on our roads is making it harder for drivers to get around. But with companies putting more cabbies on the road to meet the demand, drivers are forced to compete for work.

“It's a double-edged sword. People are tired of waiting. They call and go with the first cab that arrives and the problem is we can't service everybody if we're stuck in traffic. And it's not just traffic on the Strip – it's traffic all over the city,” said Mary Staply, a cab driver.

Cab drivers say companies are basing the increase of cabbies on inflated numbers. They say the proof is in their income, which continues to fall every year.