Print edition for December 17, 1996

Tainted dirt from SF Bay on way to Utah landfill: A train carrying up to 5,000 tons of the DDT-laced dirt was bound Monday for a landfill in East Carbon City, Utah, said John Lyons, a lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency office in San Francisco. He said he expects an agreement to be reached that would send another 25,000 tons there.

MLB Notes: Yanks ready to go to Wells: Ronald Blum; John Wetteland followed Jimmy Key and Jim Leyritz by leaving the New York Yankees for Texas, less than two months after their World Series win.

Local Briefs: * MAIL DEADLINES -- If you haven't mailed that fruitcake to grandma, you better do it soon or it will cost you a lot. The deadline for first-class letters to have a shot at arriving on time Christmas morning is Wednesday. For priority letters and parcels, the deadline is Friday, the U.S. Postal Service says. Express Mail and parcels, starting at $10.75 per half pound or less, can be mailed as late as Monday to arrive by Dec. 25, the Postal Service says. Deadlines for on-time delivery of international mail and packages, military letters and parcels and Parcel Post have ...

Students go to work on donated used computers: Juniors and seniors in Richard Kirkland's afternoon computer technician class will spend class time assessing and refurbishing used computer equipment donated last week by Lockheed Martin Systems Support & Training Services.

Metro shuffling goes on as new captain takes over detectives: Cathy Scott; Davidaitis becomes head of the bureau Jan. 4, replacing Capt. Mike Zagorski, who has been promoted to deputy chief.

Cable company wants rate hike: More cable. More money.

Tomba finishes 2nd in return: The Italian skier, eighth after the first run, was the fastest in the second heat to finish 0.58 seconds behind Sykora.

Trouble to follow McCall to LV for his Feb. 7 fight: Dean Juipe; McCall, the former WBC champion, was arrested Monday in Nashville, Tenn., and charged with vandalism, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Las Vegas visitor, family member killed in accident: Killed were Margaret Gillette, 85, who was visiting her grandson from Charleston, S.C., and Claudia Jones, 34, of Las Vegas.

Katie Barto didn't get Heisman, but she's a winner: Tim Graham; Katie Barto didn't win the award she was nominated for, but she didn't leave New York a loser.

Letter: Egyptians were foolish to rely on physical immortality: Humbug -- All they will find is the first ruler of Egypt at that time. Probably all his family, wealth, a boat, food and his slaves like the pyramids had, but a lot more.

College Notes: Abuses alleged at Grambling: Grambling State violated its own rules in awarding scholarships and cannot account for over $100,000 in football tickets and athletic department expenditures, a state audit shows.

Lee calls it quits: Steve Carp; The 6-foot-10 center from Indianola, Miss., decided it wasn't worth the battle after trying to deal with numerous setbacks that marred his two-plus years with the Rebels.

School zoning panel to meet: The agenda includes issues related to the 1996 bond issue and preliminary zoning considerations for elementary and secondary students for the 1997-98 school year. The committee will meet in the board room of the Education Center, 2832 E. Flamingo Road.

Del Papa to review city-county meetings: Jeff Schweers; "It is under investigation," Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said Monday after receiving a letter from the SUN alleging violations of the open meeting law. "Once we have all the facts, we will try to supply some answers in that regard."

Letter: States are in a dilemma over liscensing procedures: Andrew Yuzwa

Holidays a time for host-guest etiquette: Lisa Ferguson; With the holiday season in full swing, chances are you'll be attending some sort of celebration soon.

Letter: Nevada should provide more handicapped funding: I would ask our state leaders to please reconsider the budget to provide these specialized programs to individuals with mental retardation. These students must have an opportunity waiting for them when they leave our school. Please open the door for all our students to have a meaningful placement in a community training center and/or a job placement when they leave Helen J. Stewart School. I want to thank the Las Vegas SUN for its support of the funding for community programs for individuals with mental retardation.

Clinton gets Nevada's votes: Four long-time Democrats on Monday officially cast the votes during a 17-minute ceremony in the old Nevada Supreme Court chambers on the second floor of the state Capitol. The voting was supervised by Secretary of State Dean Heller.

NFL Notes: Jaguars control destiny: What a turnaround.

UNLV outlook: More growth: Alison Calkins; "With high construction cranes across the landscape and construction employment now comprising more than 10 percent of the workforce, the tourism sector no longer matches the economic buoyancy of construction activity," wrote outlook authors Ricardo Gazel, Robert Potts, and R. Keith Schwer of UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research.

Steve Carp: Rebel roster beginning to thin out: One day, there's not enough minutes to go around to please everyone. The next, there aren't enough players to give any time to and the starters are playing 35-36 minutes a night.

LPGA hands out awards as it celebrates a banner year: Ron Sirak; Laura Davies was player of the year, Annika Sorenstam had the lowest scoring average and Karrie Webb was rookie of the year and leading money winner. But the strides the LPGA made as an organization and the gains it made for women in sport were the true success story of the year.

UNR 78, UNLV 69: 3-Point Goals: 5-24, .208 (Nesby 3 (9), J. Smith 2 (13))

Letter: It's up to the homeowners to know association rules: Prospective buyers of property with a homeowner association: Read the CC&Rs before closing escrow.

Ex-exec: Frontier tapped own lines: John Patton, who left the resort in June 1993, alleged in a sworn court deposition that Frontier co-owner John Elardi directed the eavesdropping, which was aimed at the hotel's management and employees.

Offensive valleys bug Bayno: Steve Carp; While his team is sporting a 4-1 record heading into Wednesday's nationally televised game against 5-4 Syracuse, UNLV coach Bill Bayno is frustrated with his team's inability to maintain any offensive continuity. He's also very concerned.

Ensign calls for serious revamping of Medicare: Larry Henry; Those items are among the hot-button issues Congress will address when it convenes next month, said Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev.

This bowl built for excitement: Yates, the executive director of Las Vegas Bowl V, merely points to the wide-open offensive displays that have become commonplace since the game moved to Sam Boyd Stadium four years ago.

Sports Briefs: Giants, city in accord on park: The Giants will pay the city $1.2 million a year and have committed to play at least 23 years at the privately-funded, 42,000-seat, $255 million stadium, to be called Pacific Bell Park. The rent is subject to cost-of living increases.

Shedding a black light on etiquette: Lisa Ferguson; Emily Post, Amy Vanderbilt and Miss Manners have nothing on them.

Where I Stand: Despite poll, media have more than just a cynical side: Forty-two percent of those polled believe journalists are arrogant and cynical.

More force for Contractors Board on legislative agenda: Art Nadler; The recommendations of the Consumer Fraud Committee follow eight months of hearings at which citizens testified about problems they have encountered in getting the Contractors Board to take action against errant builders.

Air schtick: David Renzi; "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and especially to all my fellow Italians."

City Briefs: * WORK CARDS LONGER -- Work card holders will have to get renewed less often under revisions to the Las Vegas' municipal code. The revisions were recommended by a City Council committee Monday. In addition to the longer term, the ordinance would allow Metro to exclusively decide who will be granted a card, with appeals heard by the council. The ordinance would also allow Metro's Fiscal Affairs Committee to set work-card fees. Police currently charge $20, despite the fact that city law allows for only a $6 fee, according to city documents.

Six injured in Utah accident: Three people were transported to a clinic in nearby Park City by ambulance, while three men were taken to the University of Utah Health Sciences Center by medical helicopter. The names of the injured were not immediately available. One of those taken to the clinic, a 38-year-old woman, was later transported by ambulance to the Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City.

505393053.html: SATURDAY

Seastrand won't seek seventh term as NLV mayor: Steve Sebelius; Goynes, 67, scheduled a news conference for this evening at North Las Vegas City Hall to announce his candidacy, as well as endorsements from the Teamsters and the North Las Vegas fire and police associations.

Boy charged with arson at LV store: The Las Vegas boy, whose name was not released, is being held in the Clark County Child Detention Center on two counts of first-degree arson.

NFL Power Rankings: The Cowboys and 49ers, two teams that have combined to win six of the last eight Super Bowls, have moved up to third and fourth respectively behind Green Bay and AFC leader Denver. Key wins on Sunday weighed in heavily as Dallas dumped AFC-East leader New England while San Francisco won handily at AFC-Central leader Pittsburgh.

DePaul gets respect after La. Tech upset: Quick guards Kim Williams and Fuchsia Forrester have set the tone defensively, while Williams and center Mfon Udoka have shouldered the bulk of the scoring to offset the loss of All-America Latasha Byears.

World Cup Slalom: The Italian skier, eighth after the first run, was the fastest in the second heat to finish 0.58 seconds behind Sykora.

UNLV Smimming: The Rebels men's team racked up 1,208 points to easily outdistance second-place Northern Arizona, which had 668.5 points. UC Davis was third with 234 points and Utah was fourth with 80.