Print edition for June 30, 1997

Man charged in party death: A second suspect was still outstanding, homicide Sgt. Bill Keeton said today.

Las Vegas business news briefs: Patricia Allen and Dr. Tony Alamo have opened Health Strategies Inc., an insurance brokerage and managed care consulting firm specializing in the development of health care delivery systems, workers' compensation and insured health care products.

Injuries reduced in 1996 but fireworks still a threat: The National Council on Fireworks Safety says that fireworks injuries nationwide reached an all-time low last year of 7,600, based on a sampling of people treated for fireworks-related injuries at the nation's hospitals.

Pahrump woman crowned Ms. Senior: Nichole Davis; The 62 1/2-year-old grandmother won Sunday's pageant at the Boomtown hotel-casino, spurred on by family and friends among the 200 enthusiastic spectators.

Gentlemen runs away to Gold: Under Stevens, who recorded his third Gold Cup victory, Gentlemen covered 1 1/4 miles on Hollywood Park's main track in 1:59 1-5 -- one second off the stakes record set by Quack in 1972 -- and paid $5.20, $2.60 and $2.10.

Oprah show prompts tips about missing woman: Cathy Scott; A New Jersey father is hoping there's some truth to two tips generated from the "Oprah Winfrey Show" that his missing daughter is working in a Las Vegas casino.

An eye for detail can bring profit: Professional CarWashing & Detailing, a trade magazine, noted in one survey that the biggest profit-making operation at a full-service car wash is the detail shop, with an 84.4 percent profit margin. An exterior-only car wash has a 41.9 percent profit margin for detailing, the magazine says.

Pacific League standings: PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE Second Half Northern Division

Bill to restrict Boulder casinos called unfair: Larry Henry; "Some of these places (on Boulder Highway) have been here longer than the Strip," said Assemblywoman Gene Segerblom, D-Boulder City. "Whatever is legal on the Strip should be legal here."

Five federal agents honored for roles in fighting crime: Rachael Levy; U.S. Attorney Kathryn Landreth for the first time singled out federal agents from the FBI, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Service and Secret Service based on their strong investigative techniques and interagency cooperation.

Hotel room-rate war over in Reno: Hotel rates increased by $6.28 to $49.92 and motel rates jumped by $6.26 to $43.65.

Quick Care called unfair competition: Art Nadler; That's how Dr. Lane Friedman feels about Clark County-run University Medical Center and its Quick Care centers. He sees them as being in direct competition with his three Premier Family Medical Centers.

Bills to improve quality of life in Vegas closer to approval: All three bills passed unanimously, although six senators abstained on the neighborhood casino measure because of conflicts of interest.

The often-injured upper extremity often needs a special touch: David Renzi; The good news is, he made the save.

Bill to mandate kindergarten passes Assembly: AB6 requires parents who opt out of sending their 6-year-olds to kindergarten to have those children tested before they enter first grade. If they failed to pass the test, they would be placed in kindergarten.

Box Score: Sky Sox 9, Stars 5: DP--Colorado Springs 1. LOB--Las Vegas 8, Colorado Springs 8. 2B--Helfand, Scarsone, Tredaway, Howitt, Strittmatter, Velazquez. HR--Scarsone (5), Barry (3), Howitt (10). SB--Jones 3 (23), Counsell 2 (11).

Have spray gun, will travel: Every morning, Tom Elgas loads up his 1995 Toyota truck and trailer with the tools of his trade -- water, cleaning chemicals and rags -- and sets off for customers' homes and businesses to wash their cars.

Mayhem charges possible: Cy Ryan and Jeff German; "The ability and authority of the athletic commission to penalize a fighter should be increased well beyond their current authority," said Miller, who sat ringside Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Correction Date change for "Evening With Stars": * The date for "An Evening With Stars Honoring Bill Willard" has been moved to July 21 at the Orleans hotel-casino. Call Catholic Charities at 383-1163 for details.

Teacher award is bittersweet: Teresa Hinds; Fifth-grade Wooley Elementary School science teacher Katheryn Grimes and Gibson Elementary Principal Margaret Moore were attending the four-day Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference when Grimes received a phone call informing her that a family member had been murdered.

Some bettors also feel the Tyson bite: Sal DeFilippo; It's hard to guess why Tyson twice bit Holyfield, leading to a disqualification after the third round, in Saturday's World Boxing Association heavyweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden. But he did, causing mayhem in the ring and confusion for anyone watching, especially if they had a vested monetary interest.

It's legislative do-or-die time for many bills: Typical property tax bills in the two communities have been about $150 higher than in unincorporated Clark County.

Las Vegas business events: Tickets are $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. RSVP to Susan Spurlock, 736-3750.

Duo finally tastes victory: The drought is over -- for driver Tony Stewart and, more poignantly, for car owner John Menard.

Governor, others to get pay raises: Assembly Bill 560 now goes to the governor for his signature. The elective officials, including the governor, have not had salary increases since January 1991.

MGM will chew on problem: Steve Carp; Possibly, though no one at the hotel-casino was willing to confirm it Sunday.

Charter-school bill in doubt: By a 30-12 vote, the Assembly approved Assembly Bill 6, the mandatory kindergarten bill long sought by Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, who says it has a better chance to clear the Senate than in the past.

More bad news on $54 million Welfare Division computer system: IBM has already been paid $19.2 million to design and develop the comprehensive system. The Legislature has appropriated more than $7 million for the next fiscal year to be used on the system.

Fernandez earns tourney spot: A field of 90 boys and girls from 12 states will be competing in the 54-hole tournament, which begins Tuesday and concludes Thursday with tee times from 7-9 a.m. each morning at The Legacy. Competition will be held in both boys (ages 15-18) and girls (ages 13-18) divisions.

Assembly committee chairman says charter schools on life support: "If he's willing to consider some language, there's still a chance," said Williams, who has made it clear he doesn't like the idea of wide-open charter schools legislation.

Regulator: Boats will be asked to explain lack of sailing: Under that contract, Harrah's Jazz agreed that dockside gambling in Orleans Parish would not be a breach of its monopoly - and therefore would not be grounds for failing to pay the state taxes. Harrah's Jazz now wants a bankruptcy judge to approve a new reorganization plan with no such agreement.

Las Vegas businesspeople on the fast track: * Behnam Bavarian has joined Mikohn as vice president of engineering.

Gladys is the star, Kenya takes the cake: Shane Gammon; Who would have thought that Kenya Jackson, daughter of Gladys Knight, would become the proud owner of a national gourmet bakery?

Humps, not bumps, on most streets: Denise Cardinal; Even though the signs read "BUMP," the proper term is hump.

Queensryche puts crowd into its version of nirvana: Geoff Carter; The five members of the Seattle-based metal outfit, guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson, drummer Scott Rockenfield and vocalist Geoff Tatewere, were forced to watch their years of dedication being eclipsed by some talented upstarts as the Northwestern city was made out to be rock's last stand. Alice In Chains boosted the angry arena-rock crown. Soundgarden rose to claim the new Zeppelin mantle. Nirvana drowned out all other competition, becoming even stronger and even more influential in death. Kurt Cobain may be gone, but there's an unhealthy amount of little Nirvanas out there.

Neal cries 'corruption' over lack of casino tax hike vote: Larry Henry; "If we're going to tell the public we can't tax the gaming industry, we may as well pack it in and go home and let the gaming industry pass the laws," Neal, D-North Las Vegas, said during a fiery floor speech Sunday.

Nevada community bids good riddance to U.S. 395 traffic: But peace and quiet returned to Wellington over the weekend with the reopening of the canyon stretch along the eastern Sierra. Wellington is located at the junction of the Nevada routes about 80 miles south of Reno.

Bill restricting porn cartoons heads to governor: Lee introduced AB336 in an effort to restrict access by minors to foreign cartoons, which are often unrated.

Nevada struggling to deal with explosion in juvenile crime: But in Nevada, the rate rose 10.3 percent the same year, and 29 percent over the last six years, the newspaper reported in its Sunday editions.

Biting of Holyfield leaves its mark on boxing world: Steve Carp; "At this time, we do not believe Mike Tyson deserves the privilege of being in the same ring with Evander Holyfield," said Jim Thomas, Holyfield's legal general counsel in the aftermath of one of the most bizarre endings to any sporting event.

Ex-sheriff candidate faces felony charge: Karen Zekan; Kepler, 53, was yelling profanities at officers when he was taken into custody outside his townhome in the older Paradise Spa complex, 9475 Las Vegas Blvd. South, where he had barricaded himself for almost a half hour Sunday afternoon.

Injured Red Wings showing progress: Doctors announced Sunday that the men are being upgraded to serious condition. They also cautioned against being overly optimistic, saying the men still faced months of rehabilitation.

Legislative summary: SENATE

Speed humps a popular request: Denise Cardinal; The traffic on Coutant's street, Tonopah Drive between Alta Drive and Sunland Avenue, was out of control, he said. Several hundred cars a day sped through the residential neighborhood, he said, almost always shattering the 25 mph speed limit.

$54 mil. computer system not working: The state notified IBM last week it will not accept the system because of continuing problems.

Independence Day keeps firefighters busy: This year, they hope to get definitive proof to back that theory.

Commission gets chance to redeem itself: Something reeked from the events of late Thursday night and it carried over into the ring Saturday. It's clearly evident today that Tyson was not prepared to beat Holyfield and, in fact, had no honorable way out.

Assembly votes to pass e-mail restriction bill: An Assembly amendment allows the $10 fine only if the ad isn't readily identifiable as an ad. The ad must also include the name and address of the advertiser and a notice telling e-mail users that they can elect not to get similar ads in the future.

Fireworks safety: * DON'T: Because of the potential dangers of fireworks, some safety organizations list just one tip regarding the devices: Don't use them. If you can't adhere to that suggestion, read on.

Lungren gets 'pilot program' measure: Among other things, the initiative would permit betting on sporting events, slot machines, dice, roulette, blackjack and house-banked card games.

Commission to weigh punishment: Steve Carp; It depends how strongly the Nevada State Athletic Commission decides Tyson's behavior Saturday night damaged the sport.

Fight panic: Crowd mistakes sounds for shots: Karen Zekan; Champagne bottles and glasses, not bullets, are being blamed for the popping sounds that panicked thousands of fight fans and MGM Grand hotel-casino guests into a stampede that left dozens injured.

UNR student crowned Miss Nevada: In the talent portion of the pageant, she sang "The Queen of the Night" from Mozart's "The Magic Flute."

Stars home after bad Colorado trip: After going 6-2 in the opening homestand of the second half, the Stars dropped four straight at Colorado Springs, including Sunday's 9-5 defeat to the Sky Sox, and have lost five in a row. Las Vegas is 6-6 in the second half.