Print edition for August 27, 1998

New Justice Court judgeship attracts five candidates: Bill Gang; Justice courts handle misdemeanor and traffic cases, felony arraignments and preliminary hearings, minor civil matters, temporary protective orders and evictions.

District Growth hot topic in schools race: Benjamin Grove; In the fastest-growing district in the nation, the School Board races are likely to center on discussions about school safety, school construction and both educational and fiscal accountability in a district some believe is growing out of control.

14 vie for lieutenant governor's post: Art Nadler; The leading candidate for the job is Clark County Commissioner Lorraine Hunt. She is passing up a second commission term in hopes of working full-time on bringing more tourism and economic development to Nevada.

Many state offices up for grabs: Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, seeking a third term, faces only minor opposition from Marilyn O'Connor in the Democratic primary election. Las Vegas lawyer Scott Scherer is without opposition on the Republican ticket.

North Las Vegas Police conducting paperwork checks: Despite objections from the American Civil Liberties Union, police say the project is paying off.

Where I Stand -- Debbie Reynolds: Dealing with public aspects of fame required adjustments: I have been asked to comment about what it was like to be a young movie star during what I and many others who love the industry call the "Golden Age of Hollywood."

New women's soccer program gets off to a flying start at UNLV: Steve Carp; Quick, somebody call the NCAA and have the investigators get over to Peter Johann Field on the double. Because something is amiss with UNLV's women's soccer team.

Guinn, Jones early favorites: To make that happen Guinn still needs to beat three fellow Republicans in the Sept. 1 state primary. Jones must defeat eight other Democrats.

Preps: Lambert, Bengals want crown back: Spencer Patterson; Success may have come early for Bonanza's Matt Lambert, but that hasn't taken away from his desire to keep on winning.

Diverse group running for regent posts: Jace Radke; The subdistrict C race features seven candidates who are trying to get through the Sept. 1 primary, while subdistrict G has four candidates. Perhaps buoyed by University of Nevada art professor Howard Rosenberg's successful regent bid in the last election, some nontraditional candidates are cropping up.

Week One: Patterson's Prep Football picks: The Scoop: Two of the teams expected to challenge for titles in their respective divisions lock up to open the season. The Sundevils have been working hard in the weight room and it showed in their scrimmage last weekend. But it could take more than size and strength to stop the Desert Shields' quick running attack.

Companies show off latest in golf technology: GOLF is a $2.4 billion a year industry, which comes as no surprise to anyone who strolled down the seemingly endless aisles of exhibits at last weekend's PGA International Golf Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Nine republicans aim for Ensign's vacant seat: Jace Radke; Before a Republican can claim the seat he or she will have to win the Sept. 1 primary, and then most likely have to overcome Democratic front-runner Shelley Berkley in the Nov. 3 general election.

Prep Cross country: Lahodny challenges the distance: Tim Graham; On the race course, Chaz LaHodny is used to being out in front.

Ensign faces Stephens before taking on Reid: Because Reid has no Democratic opponent in the Sept. 1 state primary, the two-term senator will get a free ride to the November general election. Ensign, however, must get past fellow Republican Dr. Ralph W. Stephens of Reno before facing Reid for the six-year seat.

Assessor, recorder face several challengers: Adrienne Packer; Incumbent assessor Mark Schofield and recorder Judith Vandever are both fighting to keep their positions.

Guilty verdict in quickly at Elliot murder trial: Karen Zekan; The three women and nine men deliberated 2 1/2 hours before returning their verdict Wednesday evening to District Court Judge Jeffrey Sobel, who on Oct. 22 will decide if Elliot deserves life in prison with or without the possibility of parole.

1998-99 UNLV Basketball Schedule: * WAC game

Launch project sidesteps clash of future, past: But cooperation between state and federal agencies have saved the arrowheads, grinding stones and scrapers while allowing Kistler Aerospace to go ahead with plans to launch 128-foot reusable vehicles.

Box score: Stars 7, Trappers 6: Las Vegas

Columnist Steve Carp: Playing the name game a tough task: Steve Carp; Now that the departing eight, which includes UNLV, agreed to basically give away everything in the house to the WAC in their divorce -- with the exception of that $2.6 million nest egg generated from the NCAA basketball tournament -- for the right to do their own thing, they're on a sudden information binge.

Meteor lights up pre-dawn sky over Reno: "It was absolutely beautiful," she said.

Las Vegas business briefs: sgreen@lasvegassun.com; LV CALLED RIPE FOR MORE TIMESHARES -- A new survey suggests gambling communities are untapped markets for timeshare developers. Resort Condominiums International LLC said a recent survey of time-share owners in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Reno found that slightly more than half saw the presence of casino gambling as important in their decision to purchase a time-share. The survey also found many more time-share projects in Orlando, Fla., a non-gambling community, than in Las Vegas. Orlando has 55 time-share projects vs. eight in Las Vegas.

Letter: Nothing private about the acts done in public part of building: Whatever the president or his family choose to do in that particular area is, and must be accepted as, his private affairs. But when he uses any part of the rest of the building for his own nefarious purposes, then it becomes totally public.

UNLV ranking incorrectly reported: In the fall of 1997, UNLV was ranked 40th. The university moved up five spots to number 35 this year in the western regional lists. It was not ranked 7th as previously stated by the university public information office.

Preps -- Boys Soccer standings, August 27: SUNRISE DIVISION

Indian youths families express sympathy, call for calm: Rocky Boice Sr., Jack Malone and other parents of the youths facing murder charges said they wanted to extend their "most heartfelt sympathy" to the family and friends of Resendez.

Letter: Paycheck protection initiative explanation doesn't cut it: Excuse me Mr. Mason, have you ever heard "fool me once -- your fault -- fool me twice -- it's my mistake"? Believe me sir -- you won't fool us twice.

Obituaries for August 27, 1998: She is survived by one son, Juan M. Andrade of Las Vegas.

Prison sergeant arrested in drug bust: According to a spokeswoman for the TriNet Task Force, Lillo's wife, Susan, 42, was the raid's primary reason.

Preps: Cross Country -- Top teams, players to watch: 2. Basic

TRPA continues study to raise money: But the board authorized staffers to continue narrowing the options. Possibilities include charging drivers entering the Tahoe Basin a $2 fee, adding regional taxes on gasoline, taxing tickets to cabaret shows and charging boat-launch fees.

Jones foe asks panel for another investigation: Miller, a bitter foe of Jones ever since she defeated him in her first bid for mayor, has filed a libel suit against her and this is the second complaint he has submitted to the Ethics Commission concerning the mayor's actions. Jones was cleared of any wrongdoing in the other allegation involving her vote to deny zoning for a restaurant.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Del Mar: Selections made for clear racing conditions before scratches.

Letter: Starr-led Republicans showed no shame in attacking Clinton: They have never let up, which made our current Republican legislators the worst of any year. They did not do their job. They bilked us taxpayers out of millions of dollars. They played partisan politics with a vengeance. They had no shame. They are villains because they cheated our country. We had the first good president in years and they could not stand it.

Letter: Damage to presidency is done; let's not keep rehashing it: Many a man is thanking his lucky stars that he didn't get caught, that his companion was no compulsive blabbermouth Lewinsky. Talk show anchors cluck as they probe every salacious detail as though this were a one time aberration in history. Nonsense.

Ethics report enrages Gates: "They're not giving us guidance," Gates said. "That's not what the Ethics Commission does. The Ethics Commission is a means to destroy people who care about this community, people who have spent years working in this community, who are trying to make a difference."

Trapped in the Blurbs: Scott Dickensheets; Of course, it takes more than a cap-lock key and a fast pinkie with the exclamation point to craft ideal movie blurbs, those excitable snippets of hyperventilating praise adorning film ads. It also requires adjectives. Not many -- the thesaurus listings under "amazing" and "hot" should suffice. It helps to be able to say something nice about "The Avengers" against all evidence to the contrary.

Pacific Coast League standings through August 26, 1998: Midwest Division

Former union officer arrested for embezzlement: A federal grand jury indicted him on 162 counts of embezzlement from the union's bank accounts and three counts of filing false annual financial reports with the Department of Labor. The thefts between January 1993 and October 1996 totaled $72,547.

Group gathering signatures to delay temporary casino: The Community Coalition wants a referendum on the City Council's recent vote to rezone two buildings for MGM's temporary casino. The group needs just 4,982 valid signatures from registered voters to force a vote on the issue, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.

Editorial: Accountability for area hospitals: That is why it is not surprising that state legislatures and Congress are trying to reform managed care practices that have placed profits first and medicine second. An integral part of quality health care is nursing, an often overlooked element essential for patient treatment and recovery.

Inspectors search for cause of state building illnesses: Art Nadler; For 10 months, workers employed at 14 state agencies inside the office building, located at 555 E. Washington Ave., have been experiencing respiratory problems. Itchy eyes, coughing, wheezing and a general feeling of fatigue are common symptoms.

Columnist Jeff German: Keller may face political fallout over Mendoza shooting: The Justice Department is winding down its civil rights investigation into the December 1996 drive-by shooting of Daniel Mendoza, and it could cause some political fallout for Sheriff Jerry Keller.

Prep Schedule -- August 27-29: Girls Golf

Preps -- Football standings, August 27, 1998: SUNRISE DIVISION

Preps -- Girls Tennis standings, August 27, 1998: SUNRISE DIVISION

CCSN spreads out its classes: To celebrate what might be called a new era in education, CCSN officials will host four open houses to introduce the idea to the general public and to select groups interested in learning more about what is being billed as "America's first high-tech center."

Preps -- Girls Volleyball standings, August 27, 1998: SUNRISE DIVISION

Fight schedule --August 27, 1998: At the Las Vegas Hilton, (Showtime), William Joppy, Washington, vs. Roberto Duran, Panama, 12, for Joppy's WBA middleweight title; Bernard Hopkins, Philadelphia, vs. Robert Allen, Atlanta, 12, for Hopkins' IBF middleweight title; Tiwon Taylor, Las Vegas, vs. Saul Montana, Mexico, 12, cruiserweights; Julio Cesar Green, Brooklyn, vs. Joaquin Valezquez, Brooklyn, 10, middleweights.

Editorial: Trying to save a national treasure: The ranch, enveloped by the Santa Fe National Forest, has been in the hands of one family for 40 years. The family has given the federal government until the end of this year to come up with a plan to purchase the land. Otherwise, it might be sold to developers. Local zoning allows three-quarter acre lots which, if built, would destroy the land that has been called northern New Mexico's "Grand Canyon."

Friday at Saratoga: 1st race 1-1/16 mi 3YO&up F&M Turf Mdn

Boys Soccer -- Top teams, players to watch: 1. Bishop Gorman

Preps -- Boys Tennis standings, August 27, 1998: SUNRISE DIVISION

Eagle soaring with Scenic Airlines buyout: The deal, announced Wednesday, gives the Eagle Group 18 two-engine, 19-passenger Twin Otter planes -- 10 on lease -- and Scenic's hangar and office facilities at the North Las Vegas Air Terminal.

Supreme Court: No delay in Strohmeyer trial: The high court already had granted one continuance to permit lawyers for Strohmeyer to examine evidence found on his home computer in Southern California. It said another delay was not warranted.

Man wanted in Nevada arrested after trying to apply for police job: He was arrested Tuesday after applying for a job with the West Haven Police Department. The warrant was discovered when police ran a background check.

Dial File: Movie bomb blasts open TV pride: For those who haven't yet inflicted "The Avengers" on themselves -- and judging by early box-office receipts, it's most of you -- that's the advice from this corner.

Preps -- Girls Golf standings, August 27, 1998: SUNRISE DIVISION

Mayor unveils plan to improve education: Jones unveiled her SMART Schools plan at Ernest A. Becker Middle School. SMART stands for school safety, measurable standards, attendance, reduced class size and technology.

County website hits road: Adrienne Packer; County computer specialists figured the best way to celebrate the opening of seven neighborhood access centers Wednesday was with a brief cyberspace ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Different platforms highlight sheriff's race: Art Nadler; Two candidates are running on a promise to improve morale within the ranks of police officers on the street. There's also been allegations that the Metropolitan Police Department is too top heavy with administrators, and that there are not enough cops to police certain city councilmen's wards.

Residents rap development plan: Valerie Miller; Of the 250 people packing the Henderson Convention Center, most were residents of the Calico Ridge, Two Crows and Calico Cove subdivisions on the south side of Henderson between Lake Mead Drive and Olsen Street.

Campaign '98 ruled by tranquility so far: UNLV professor Craig Walton, who teaches ethics and public policy, said there are plenty of growth-related issues in Southern Nevada to choose from. He just doesn't know whether any candidate will be willing to tackle those issues head on.

UNLV guard earns farm award: Steve Guiremand; UNLV's season-opener at Northwestern still is eight days away but the Rebels already have had one player earn All-American honors.

County-Bellagio deal could make Strip alternate possible: Adrienne Packer; An agreement to be considered by commissioners would allow the county to acquire rights-of-way from Bellagio so work can begin on a frontage road to Interstate 15 and a Harmon Avenue extension.

Report: Some school emergency systems not working: "It could be that the fire alarm system hasn't really been checked out or is not working, or the center monitor system is not connected at police headquarters," said David Broxterman, who heads the district's facilities division.

Wynn resigns from TRPA: Mirage Resorts' $1.6 billion Bellagio hotel is set to open in Las Vegas in October, and the $600 million Beau Rivage is set to open in Mississippi in February.

GOP nominees for treasurer have little respect for each other: The two square off in the Republican primary election Sept. 1 for state treasurer with the winner almost assured a victory in the general election. There is no Democrat in the race, which includes two candidates from splinter parties.

Changes considered for Ethics Commission: At least two state legislators -- Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, and Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas -- don't like what they see and have asked that bills be drafted to alter the makeup of the commission.

Law proposed to punish those who stand by during crimes: Strohmeyer's friend, David Cash, 19, saw the beginning of the alleged attack in a women's restroom but walked away without alerting anybody. Later, when Strohmeyer told Cash what happened, he didn't go to the police. He eventually told a grand jury about his conversation with Strohmeyer.

Open house: Lewis Homes is for sale: Solomon Smith Barney was hired to broker the sale of the Southern California-based Lewis, which has built more than 50,000 homes in California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah since 1955.

Wells Fargo commits to loans in California, but not Nevada: Wells Fargo promised Wednesday to make $15 billion in loans available to low-income and minority borrowers in California over the next three years if the government approves the merger.

Thunder muscles up: Thunder muscles up

Local drivers struggling to crack auto racing's major leagues: There are two certainties -- perhaps the only two -- in auto racing: It takes money to reach the sport's highest levels, and all the money in the world won't guarantee success once a driver gets there.

Youth basketball signups: Youth basketball signups

Search for library chief coming to a head: Friday each of the candidates will spend about 90 minutes being interviewed by the district's Board of Trustees in a meeting open to the public at the main library, 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd.

Production up, profits down, in Nevada mining: "The report shows the industry has done a very good job trying to adjust their operations to the lower gold price," said Russ Fields, president of the Nevada Mining Association. "But the price has fallen enough that we will really see some marginal operations start to suffer."

Hopkins, Allen trade words over title fight: Dean Juipe; A week ago in Las Vegas, at a boxing press conference that was poorly attended and of little interest, a pair of fighters drew attention to themselves by having a shoving match.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Tapia set to move up divisions: Dean Juipe; The best fighter in the world at 115 pounds no longer wants to fight at 115.

Race is on for three County Commission seats: Adrienne Packer; This past year, they faced one more obstacle -- ethics probes. Five of the seven board members were investigated at one time or another by the state Ethics Commission.

Race for Las Vegas constable wide open: One of Nolen's critics, Deputy Constable Michael Counterman, is seeking the nod in the Republican primary.

Lomon finally gets win: Lomon (1-9), who had not won in 15 starts, got the victory in five innings of work in Las Vegas' 7-6 victory over the Edmonton Trappers.

Kept promise leads to three-way race for NLV constable: Tabat, fulfilling a campaign promise he made four years ago that his sixth term would be his last, retired April 30.

Opponents in Senate, Assembly face tough challenges: The election also will provide the first test for Assemblywoman Genie Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, who was involved in a messy court hearing on charges of neglect of her daughter.

Strong races mounting for Clark County judgeships: Bill Gang; FAMILY COURT

Internet used as alternative campaign medium: Jace Radke; Many Nevada candidates have hired staffers to set up websites that allow 'Net surfers to get their political information from their favorite source.

12 will face off in primary for county clerk: Adrienne Packer; Bowman, a native of Southern Nevada, was credited with running an efficient, productive division. Now she will pass the duties to one of 13 candidates running for county clerk.