Print edition for December 22, 1997

Mirage buys Boardwalk Casino: But more importantly, the $135 million deal announced today gives Mirage 12 acres and 817 feet of Strip frontage. Combined with 30 acres Mirage already owns behind this frontage that was part of the Dunes golf course, Mirage will control 42 acres for potential development of a resort between its Bellagio resort and the Monte Carlo, which is a joint venture between Mirage and Circus Circus Enterprises.

Organizers see big future for Las Vegas Bowl: Tim Graham; It is routine in Las Vegas.

TV/Sports for Week of Dec. 22: TUESDAY

Table Tennis Nationals: Championship Events ($13,450)

Symphony's new music director speaks his mind: Anne Hosier; Sidlin has conducted the symphony in both classical and pops concerts during the past two seasons, and currently serves as resident conductor of the Oregon Symphony. He plans to continue in that position even after he begins his duties at the NSO on Jan. 1.

System brings light snow, slick roadways to Reno area: Troopers said most of the accidents were minor and involved motorists who were driving too fast for icy road conditions. They said heavy traffic spurred by the Christmas shopping rush contributed to the high number of accidents. No fatalities were reported.

No free lunch for school athletes: The school's athletic department has asked competitors to brown bag or to queue up at the local burger joint, according to Athletic Director Jack Peavey.

The Show(girl) Must Go On: Melissa Schorr; Joan Lunden spent years waking up the country as the host of "Good Morning America." Now she knows what it's like to keep them up -- as a Las Vegas showgirl.

Reebok Holiday Classic leaders: Points

Country singer faces domestic violence charge: Clark County authorities filed the charge in October after the singer's estranged wife, Stephenie Lawrence, told Las Vegas Metro Police that he attacked and threatened to kill her following a concert in Primm, 43 miles south of Las Vegas.

People in the News for December 22, 1997: Briefly

State considers running own employee health insurance plan: "The consultant estimates it would cost $1.6 million to $2.5 million a year," Perry Comeaux, director of the state Department of Administration and a committee member, told the Nevada Appeal.

Police identify woman found dead in trash bin: Perez moved to Las Vegas about four months ago from Alaska, and worked as an exotic dancer.

Old-fashioned meat market set for demolition: Mendes, who has owned the 5-acre slaughterhouse and meat market for 32 years, said he is sorry to see the business go.

Saturday's College Hockey Scores: Merrimack 3, Dartmouth 3, tie

New figures show Las Vegas has much higher room occupancy: However, the news is not all doom and gloom. Average daily room rates have increased 7 percent to $75 this year, the E&Y report goes on to say. The rates are expected to grow to about $80 in 1998 and to $84 in 1999. Also, profits are forecast to be a record $14 billion on total revenues of $80 billion.

Reebok Holiday Prep Classic schedule: At Durango Main Gym

Reebok Classic, Weekend recap: DURANGO (76)

EPA raises questions about open-pit mine: In a letter, EPA officials challenged the Bureau of Land Management's draft environmental impact statement on the project, saying it contained insufficient information.

Gorman on the fast track at Reebok Classic: Steve Cunningham; Today is special at the Reebok Holiday Prep Classic.

N.J. group drops bid for Casino Journal: Gaming Venture Corp. U.S.A. of Fort Lee, which signed a letter of intent in May to buy the West Atlantic City, N.J.-based Casino Journal Publishing Group, cited a decline in the price of its stock for its decision to abandon the acquisition.

Two Las Vegas regional malls will be sold: But two will be put up for sale early next year in another instance where cash-rich real estate investors will likely pay a premium price to owners ready to move to new investment horizons.

LV malls report strong holiday sales: But even if the late crowd doesn't turn out this week, mall managers say the Christmas and Hanukkah '97 season already has been a success.

Take some eating precautions during the holidays: Art Nadler; Taking it off isn't so easy -- which you probably know.

Attention shoppers: Be cautious: As a result, Metro Police are cautioning people who intend to use their credit cards for Internet purchases this Christmas holiday season.

Girl held in grandmother's death: The 16-year-old girl and another teenage girl were found early Saturday by Metro sleeping in the slain woman's car. A relative said the girl has a history of running away from her home in Los Alamitos, Calif. The grandmother had raised the girl since she was a toddler, the relative said.

Two sought in murder of LV man: Karen Zekan; Metro Police have not determined why the victim was a target in the slaying, which occurred between the La Villita and Royal Orleans apartment buildings in the 1600 block of East University Avenue near Caliente Street.

Yucca tunnel to test earthquake fault features: The new excavation, called a cross-drift, was recommended to the DOE by the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board to further examine possible earthquake faults and other features in the complex volcanic tuff.

Chase ends when trooper rams suspect's van: A trooper attempted to pull over a driver of a van that was traveling north at more than 90 miles per hour.

Furniture donations help residents facing hardships: Elizabeth Dutton; "It all looks so nice, I can't even talk now," said Smith as he watched delivery men bring a new sofa through his front door.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Oregon not bad choice after all: But in retrospect, the Las Vegas Bowl committee deserves at least a pat on the back for bringing Oregon to town when Michigan State played itself into a bigger bowl (by beating Penn State) a couple of weeks ago.

Lady Rebels lose again: Lady Rebels lose again

Obituaries for December 22, 1997: He is survived by three sons, John Basile and Andrew Basile, both of Las Vegas, and Anthony Basile of Illinois; two daughters, Dolores Closterides and Anna Marie Mastorgio, and two brothers, Anthony Basile and Carmen Basile, all of Illinois; one sister, Lillian Punicki of Florida; 17 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Valley lives up to advance billing, opens season at 8-0: Steve Cunningham; Valley boys' basketball coach Paul Aznarez thought his Vikings were getting too much praise before the season started.

Preps: Westling roundup: Steve Cunningham; Cimarron-Memorial won the Silverado Invitational Saturday by a slim margin.

Girls basketball roundup: Steve Cunningham; Paige Sutton scored 25 points and Amy Roban added 19 but Bishop Gorman fell way behind and fell to Snow Canyon, Utah, 60-58, in a regular-season game on Saturday.

Cabbie shot to death: Cathy Scott; The driver answered a call to go to the 900 block of West Bartlett Avenue. He picked up the fare and took the person to the 1600 block of Cadillac Lane, about nine blocks away, where he was shot, Metro Police homicide Sgt. Bill Keeton said.

English class for kids, adults exceeds expectations: Teresa Hinds; "For years I had been working with ESL kids, and it just wasn't getting there for them," Gunderson said, adding that he was getting frustrated with seeing students spend sometimes more than half of their public school career in English as a Second Language classes.

Snow falls in Boulder City, Searchlight: Cathy Scott; Two inches of snow fell overnight in Searchlight, and one inch in Boulder City, said Donald Maker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at McCarran International Airport. About half a foot of snow covered Red Rock Canyon, he said. At Mount Charleston, two inches of snow fell Sunday and two inches overnight, he said.

Christmas crime prevention tips: * HIDE GIFTS: To prevent becoming a victim of burglary, it is recommended that gifts not be placed under the Christmas tree, especially if the curtains are to remain open. Shut drapes when leaving the house. If possible, wait until Christmas Eve to put the wrapped gifts under the tree.

Odom's mysterious whereabouts? Vegas: Steve Carp; The 6-foot-9 prep star was supposed to be in New York tending to his sick grandmother. Other reports had him back in Rhode Island where he was supposedly studying for final exams.

Fred Dallimore takes year off for knee Surgery: For the first time since he began his coaching career 30 years ago, former UNLV head coach Fred Dallimore will not be wearing a baseball uniform in 1998.

IHL recaps for Dec. 19, 1997: FORT WAYNE, Ind.--Guy Dupuis scored at 11:59 of the third period to give the Fort Wayne Komets (13-13-1) their third win in a row, 4-3 over the Orlando Solar Bears Friday at Memorial Coliseum. The loss denied the Solar Bears a share of first place in the IHL Northeast Division, and dropped them to 16-12-5. Konstantin Shafranov scored twice for the Komets, in the first period to tie the score at 1-1, and in the second to give Fort Wayne a 2-1 lead. Steffon Walby added a goal in the third period, 3:05 before Dupuis' game-winner. The Solar Bears, who ...

IHL recaps for Dec. 20, 1997: GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--Jesse Belanger scored twice in the first period, including the game-winner at 17:16, to lead the Las Vegas Thunder (18-12-3) to a 4-2 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins (19-11-1) Saturday at Van Andel Arena. The game attracted the Griffins' 12th home sellout crowd of the season, 10,834. Belanger put the Thunder on the board with his 23rd goal of the season, 5:11 after the opening faceoff. Rob Pattison also scored in the first period, and assisted on a third-period goal by Joe Day. IHL scoring leader Patrice Lefebvre picked up a pair of assists, giving him 36 ...

Where I Stand--Mike O'Callaghan: There's more trouble than cheer for U.S. in Bosnia: In addition to his visiting our troops, there is expectation that the chief executive will express some policy views. The Wall Street Journal predicts that "@a speech in Sarajevo's restored Opera House, he will give a multi-ethnic Bosnian audience a tough-love message on their need to take responsibility for their future. The message he will send back home, say White House officials, is twofold: first, that Bosnia is getting back to normal; second, that we aren't going to solve all its problems for them."

Las Vegas Thunder 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 2: Las Vegas Thunder 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 2

Loss to Orangeman has Rebels red-faced: Steve Carp; It wasn't as if there was a secret weapon that UNLV had to contend with. All the Rebels had to do was execute and Syracuse was ripe for the taking.

MGM, Marriott sign agreement for 1,500-room hotel: The 1,500-room high-rise will be on land just east of the 5,005-room MGM Grand Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

IHL recaps for Dec. 21, 1997: WINNIPEG--Steve Maltais scored twice to lead the Chicago Wolves (24-7-2) past the Manitoba Moose (11-18-3) 5-4 Sunday in front of 5,616 at Winnipeg Arena. The Wolves, who have won four straight, played Manitoba to a 1-1 tie in the first period, then took command in the second with unanswered tallies by Maltais, Scott Pearson and Tim Bergland. Maltais iced the win with a power play tally in the final period. Ralph Intranuovo paced the Moose with a goal and assists on tallies by Scott Arneil in the first period and Doug Purdie in the third. Jimmy Roy also scored for ...

UNLV falls to Syracuse: Steve Carp; There were no secrets at the Thomas & Mack Center Saturday. But even though UNLV knew the questions, it couldn't provide enough answers.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: A weak Hollywood season: Ralph Siraco; It is no secret, that outside of two big weekends of racing, the Autumn Turf Festival over Thanksgiving weekend and of course, Breeders' Cup weekend, the Hollywood Park stand was weak this year.