Print edition for December 1, 1997

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Ryafan captures prestigious Matriarch at Hollywood Park: Ralph Siraco; Just like the holiday weekend, racing was stuffed like a Butterball turkey with activity zeroing in on records and award performances. And now, in the final month of this calendar year, there's a final rush to complete the holiday shopping list of unfinished racing business.

Child protective services often forced into no-win situations: A cartoon making the rounds at Clark County Family & Youth Services depicts an angry mob lynching someone from a tree.

'Life's a Dance' for John Michael Montgomery: Joe Delaney; When Montgomery released his debut single recording, "Life's a Dance," in October 1992, little did he dream he would be including it in a greatest hits album just five years later. More than 10 million albums have been sold to date, yet Montgomery remains focused on his earliest ambitionQsimply making music.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: MSU leaves LV Bowl at the altar: Prior to this weekend, romance was in the air. Air Force, the first choice among teams which would satisfy the Western Athletic Conference tie-in, had accepted the LV Bowl's proposal and Michigan State was batting its eyelashes to be the Falcons' opponent.

Man involved in traffic accident collapses and dies at the scene: The accident occurred around 11 p.m. Sunday.

What happens when a child enters protective custody: If the judge determines the child should not return home, authorities have up to 10 additional days to file a petition seeking continued protection or recommending other action such as counseling for the parents.

Mah Jongg makes headway with kids: "My grandchildren (ages 9-12) are now starting to play it with their friends," said Marjorie Troum, daughter of the late Dorothy Meyerson, who standardized Mah Jongg rules in the United States and Canada in the 1930s and ushered in the game's golden era in the 1950s.

Two dead, three critical in holiday accidents: Karen Zekan; The Nevada Highway Patrol has yet to determine who was behind the wheel of a 1990 Toyota sport utility vehicle at 5:30 a.m. Sunday when it rolled several times on southbound U.S. 95 near Kyle Canyon Road, ejecting all four passengers.

CASA helps foster children in overburdened system: The child's caseworker didn't have time to trace the child's medical history. Enter Poonum Adams of Las Vegas, the child's court-appointed special advocate. She made time and found the necessary records, which helped the doctors.

Blame it on Texas: He has country in his voice, his songs, and especially his blood. "Mark Chesnutt gives us country in the tradition of Texas legends Willie Nelson, George Jones and George Strait," wrote the Dallas Morning News.

Adelson going own way in Venetian strategy: Gary Thompson; The 64-year-old entrepreneur who created COMDEX, the world's largest trade show, is now creating The Venetian, the world's largest resort.

Gambling study gets more money: The money will fund an ambitious two-year study of legalized gambling, its growth this decade and its impact on communities and gamblers.

Straight from the heart: Penny Levin; Loveless is the leader when it comes to heart-wrenching, tear-jerking songs, and she will be sharing these when she performs at the Las Vegas Hilton, Dec. 5-6.

People in the News for December 1, 1997: Jeopardized

NFR rolls out events: Cowboys and cowgirls gather in the East Lounge at The Orleans each night after the rodeo as buckles are presented to the winner of each event. The presentations run from 11-11:30 p.m., Dec. 5-13.

Air Force foe still sought: Tim Graham; Michigan State's trajectory was set too high.

Local cases linger longer than federal law mandates: That was one of the findings of a Family Court foster care and adoption study performed by John Sarb and forwarded last spring to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Where I Stand--Mike O'Callaghan: Tourists and writers face different dangers in Egypt: The terrorists have created the economic problems they want the Egyptian government to suffer. Just to make certain their message has been received by the rest of the world, the extremists promise more and deadlier attacks on foreigners coming to Egypt. There's no possible guarantee the government can prevent the promised attacks.

USC, Bibby eye winning tradition: Steve Carp; LOS ANGELES -- The task appeared to be hopeless. Or at best, an exercise in futility.

County targeting vacant lots' dust: Although vacant lots without bulldozers or vehicle traffic kick up roughly 32 percent of the Las Vegas Valley's dust, they had largely been ignored by county officials.

Man found dead identified: McDonough was last seen alive at 10 p.m. Wednesday night, Metro Police said. He was seen driving a 1991 blue-green Toyota Celica with Nevada license plate 093 HLP. Police were searching for the car Monday.

Sexual abuse investigations often hinge on child's statement: Local investigators typically use anatomically correct drawings of adults and juveniles as they question the child suspected of being abused. There also is a medical exam.

The Bubba breakthrough: An Atlanta native, Foxworthy sports a distinct accent and an uncanny wit. With an observant eye on life for everyman and everywoman U.S.A., Foxworthy is best known for his "You might be a redneck if ..." jokes, which seem to spark a laugh of recognition in all of us.

Guided hikes offered at Lake Mead: Scheduled hikes for the end of November and December are:

Museum starts Young Scientists' Club: The program will be held every Saturday and Sunday, beginning Nov. 29. The young scientists will cover a new topic every weekend, beginning with bottle gardens and moving on to other topics such as bird feeders, butterflies, bubble gum, slime molds and surimi gashi art. The children will not leave empty-handed. Besides taking with them a wealth of new knowledge, many experiments include a project that the kids will finish and take home with them too.

Local student wins national chess championship: Hummel added to his laurels in Parsippany by tying for first place in the National Scholastic Blitz championship held prior to the main event. Competing against players from seventh through 12th grades, Patrick also swept this event with a perfect 5-0 score. Due to the large turnout for this event, Matthew Hoekstra of New Jersey also finished with a perfect score. Hoekstra managed to defeat Hummel in the one-game playoff, relegating Patrick to a fine second-place finish. Blitz Chess is the same as regular chess except that each player is allowed only five minutes to complete the entire game.

On rough ride: Vegas pulls out the stops for NFR: Ed Dodrill; The National Finals Rodeo roared into Las Vegas amid fears that nobody would visit the remote desert location just before Christmas, and that the reputation of Las Vegas would keep the wholesome rodeo fans away.

Navy conducts environmental study: Federal law requires the base to evaluate bombing ranges every 15 years. Bravo 20 has been in use since the 1940s. The impact statement will consider the range's effects on wildlife, pollution and noise problems.

Councilwoman questions PR hire: With Griffith's help, Ardis Parmer & Associates set up a private, nonprofit corporation to head fund-raising events.

IHL recaps for Nov.29, 1997: KALAMAZOO, Mich.--The Michigan K-Wings (9-6-6) scored three times in the first period on their way to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Lumberjacks (12-8-3) Saturday at Wings Stadium. Michigan's win, their third straight at home, snapped a four-game unbeaten streak for the Central Division-leading Jacks. Marty Flichel scored Michigan's first two goals, both in the first period. Jamie Wright also scored in the first. Jeff Mitchell made the score 4-0 at 14:18 of the second period, and Chris Tancill added a third-period tally. Joe Dzedzic put Cleveland on the board with less than a minute left in the second period, ...

IHL recaps for Nov. 30, 1997: CLEVELAND--Grigori Panteleyev scored twice and assisted on a third goal to lead the Orlando Solar Bears (12-7-4) to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Cleveland Lumberjacks (12-9-3) Sunday night at Gund Arena. Panteleyev's second goal, at 4:42 of the third period, was the game-winner. The Solar Bears trailed 2-0 when Ben Hankinson started a three-goal rally at 4:22 of the second period. Panteleyev and Barry Dreger also scored before the intermission to give Orlando their first lead of the game. Hubie McDonough and Mark Beaufait each chipped in with two assists in the winning effort. Joe Dziedzic scored in the ...

Alien contradiction is focus of new book: Anne Hosier; The stretch of desert known as Area 51 remains so shrouded in secrecy the government is still reluctant to admit it exists.

Dollar cinema closes curtains for final time: Karen Zekan; The nuclear thriller's theme had little to do with Peterson's melancholy. Rather, it was saying an abrupt goodbye to an opportunity he never really had.

Colorado increases probe of ex-cop in girl's murder: Middleton is on Nevada's death row for the murders of Reno school teacher Katherine Powell and Sparks casino worker Thelma Davila. He was convicted Sept. 15 by a Washoe County jury.

UNLV time off between games well spent: Steve Carp; You have nearly two weeks between games with a holiday thrown into the mix. Your daily routine is pretty much kaput.

Management changes spark library union: The reverberations of that and other changes in management style are still being felt today, and a number of people say the reaction to those changes has been the near-unanimous decision by almost 300 full-time district employees to join the Teamsters Union.

Sunday's College Hockey Scores: Bentley 6, St. Michael's 2

Asian officials establish supplementary bailout fund: Ranjan Roy; Some countries sought additional funding for International Monetary Fund-type rescue packages but wanted to ensure, as Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said, that it was not "merely an appendage" to the IMF.

Experienced Las Vegas parachutist dies in jump from Tucson radio tower: But Northwest Side Fire District Battalion Chief Matt Shobert said the 35-year-old man was wearing the wrong type of chute for a low-level jump.

Obituaries for December 1, 1997: He is survived by his mother, Anna Lee Turner of North Las Vegas; his father, Ezra Davis Sr. of Las Vegas; four brothers, Ezra Davis Jr. and Leon Rayford, both of Las Vegas, Amos Davis of Henderson and Samuel Davis of North Las Vegas; and five sisters, Veronica Adams of San Diego, Dorothy Jean Davis and Shelly Davis, both of North Las Vegas, and Mavis Davis and Daisy Davis, both of Las Vegas.

Cameras help firefighters look into burning buildings: Firefighters will begin training with the new equipment on Wednesday.

Las Vegas Thunder 6, Utah Grizzlies 5 (SO): Las Vegas Thunder 6, Utah Grizzlies 5 (SO)

Libraries offer free access to Internet: Library spokeswoman Karen Bramwell said each library will have two computers designated for Internet use.

Manufacturing growth slows, sending stock market higher: The Dow Jones industrial average was up more than 100 points shortly after the purchasing managers' report was released.

IHL Standings as of December 1, 1997: Northeast Division

Las Vegas business events: The Written Workplace Safety Program class discusses the Nevada requirements for a written workplace safety program and activities under each major category within the requirements. Categories are responsibilities, hazard identification, communication, training, accident investigation, enforcement and safety committees.

Las Vegas Thunder 2, Long Beach Ice Dogs 1 (SO): Las Vegas Thunder 2, Long Beach Ice Dogs 1 (SO)

Vegas hotels make presence known on the web: Staring at him from his computer monitor was the image of the Imperial Palace, residing at www2.imperial-palace.com/vegas.index.html on the Web.

Two killed in Southern Nevada traffic accidents: Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Steve Harney said a 26-year-old woman was killed and three people critically injured when a sport utility vehicle went out of control and overturned on U.S. Highway 95, about 29 miles north of Las Vegas.