Print edition for December 11, 1998

Brief: Alliance Gaming gets new licenses: Alliance, the nation's largest gaming-route operator, also makes slot machines and management-information systems for the casino industry.

Letter: INS shames itself by deporting woman: The man is married to an American woman who has been overwhelmed with traumatic family problems. Now I am one American who is fed up with uncontrolled immigration into our country, but the lack of compassion by some arrogant INS official is inexcusable.

Brief: Station faces fine for city water use: The exception is Station Kansas City, which is owned by Station Casinos of Las Vegas. Station is accused of using city tap water in violation of the old state law, which required casino moats to be filled with 100 percent Missouri or Mississippi river water.

Brief: LV phone company buying Internet service provider: James Thompson, LjNet's president and chief executive officer, will head MGC's Internet service program.

Letter: Fire the station manager, not the talent: Meanwhile, they all say "no comment" to give the illusion that they are "big corporate giants who are too good to comment," even though they are obviously in dire need of being commented on! They didn't even let Brascia say goodbye!

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Yes, nurses are important: Now researchers at the U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research have come to the same conclusion and published their findings in the nursing journal Image. A press release told us: "Studies like this demonstrate that it is critical to study the outcomes and effectiveness of changes in the organization and delivery of health care services," AHCPR Administrator John M. Eisenberg, M.D., said. "This information is as important to improved health care quality as is information about the outcomes and effectiveness of medical treatments. AHCPR is dedicated to providing the scientific evidence that clinicians, health care systems leaders and ...

Columnist E.J. Dionne: Impeachment not intended as a symbolic political tool: DeLay, a Texas Republican who is the leading voice for impeaching President Clinton, candidly defines the core issue in the current battle. It is not about whether the president should be removed from office. Everyone agrees the votes aren't there in the Senate to do so.

Brief: Shareholders agree to new company name: Company officials said the change more accurately reflects their line of business activity.

Letter: Another in long list of Clinton lies: Q: Did you dodge the draft?

Editorial: Court gives dial tone for privacy: Wednesday's ruling arose from an age discrimination suit filed in 1992 by Randy Lane, who was fired by Allstate Insurance Co. in Washoe County. The insurance company sought to dismiss Lane's suit, alleging that he illegally tape-recorded more than 700 telephone conversations with two of the company's executives and more than 180 witnesses.

LV Bankruptcies: Zigfields of Nevada Inc., doing business as Z Sports Bar and Grill, 4608 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing assets of $1.2 million and liabilities of $1.8 million.

Study says most new Nevada jobs don't support families: Brian Seals; A booming Nevada economy in recent years has created jobs, but those jobs aren't paying a liveable wage.

Brief: Ex-teacher says hospital divulged suicide attempt: Doe alleges a hospital employee, Lisa Amato, had improper access to Doe's medical records and later began harassing Doe about the incident and telling people in Nye County. Doe alleges Amato confronted her at Silver Rim Elementary School, where Doe was a teacher.

Heavy-hitters to address Nevada tourism conference: When a record number of delegates arrives for the three-day conference beginning Sunday, they'll get assessments of the state of the gaming industry from Mirage Resorts Chief Executive Steve Wynn and American Gaming Association leader Frank Fahrenkopf.

Editorial: Unreasonable search will meet its demise: As the Sun's Jerry Fink reported Thursday, the impact on Nevada from the ruling is expected to be negligible since the state Supreme Court already places more restrictive limits on police searches. Nonetheless, if the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled for the police there likely would have been a push to permit full searches during routine traffic stops.

Brief: Station casino work called an eyesore: The Post-Dispatch newspaper in St. Louis reported Moeller complained Station is spending millions of dollars on other projects in Las Vegas while it has done little work in the last 21 months on its St. Charles expansion, leaving an exposed steel infrastructure.

Letter: Justice paying way to retreat: The Nevada Legislature recently increased the number of justices to allow the court to meet in panels, one in the south and one in the north. This is a new process to be instituted by the court this coming year and the procedure to implement it will take considerable planning.

Mass transit extension to Northwest LV proposed: Convinced that a portion of the resort corridor mass transit plan is safely in the hands of a private monorail franchise developer, the RTC voted Thursday to direct its staff to concentrate on a northwest system that could connect to whatever system is built between downtown and the Strip.

Michigan Legislature approves compacts for tribal casinos: Engler's strategy to get legislative ratification of the compacts has included frequent meetings with House Republicans who cast 'no' votes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Few of them changed their votes, but some agreed to not vote at all by Thursday.

School bus-truck crash results in minor injuries: The bus, headed back to Carson City from Minden, was spun 180 degrees and ended up facing south.

Whitfield tops calf roping: To pass Ohl, Whitfield needs to win both the final two rounds to move from third to first in the NFR average. He also needs Ohl to finish no better than seventh in each round and drop from first to ninth in the average.

State pays $75,000 claim for sexual harassment: In addition, she wasn't promoted even though her performance reviews were superior to a male co-worker who was promoted.

Obituaries for December 11, 1998: She is survived by one son, Lloyd Johnson, and her mother, Leona, both of Las Vegas; one sister, Loria Barris of Denver; and one grandchild.

Williams wins third straight 'sexes' title: Spencer Patterson; For the fourth time in as many years, however, the world's top female bowler couldn't match King's feat, as Walter Ray Williams Jr. defeated Carol Gianotti-Block in a three-game match.

French, Italians team up on Nevada casino complex: Groupe Partouche operates or is developing resorts in Belgium, Morocco, the Caribbean, Romania and Tunisia. Publicly traded on the Paris Stock Exchange, the company controls 16 percent of the French casino market.

Las Vegas news briefs: Claudia Urbano, 28, was driving the Mitsubishi that hit the officer, and it appears that she was not paying attention and drifted from the right lane into the left lane, police said.

Pioneer restauranteur Nakanishi dies at 74: Nakanishi, who long operated the Osaka Japanese Restaurant, 4205 W. Sahara Ave., died Sunday in Las Vegas.

School administrator charged with solicitation: Karen Zekan; School officials directed Ron Malcolm, 36, not to return to work until the district can gather all the facts relating to the case.

Movie studio gets Henderson board's thumbs-up: Valerie Miller; Around 60 people from the surrounding Mission Hills area turned out for the meeting at Henderson City Hall, with about a dozen residents speaking before the commission to request strict guidelines for the project, often to loud bursts of applause from their neighbors.

$6.8 billion California-Nevada magnetic train idea still alive: The Regional Transportation Commission of Clark County voted Thursday to appropriate $2 million of its federal funds -- aimed at relieving congestion and improving air quality -- to help the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission in its bid to obtain a larger federal grant.

Investigators search for cause of explosion that wrecked house: Jace Radke; The resident of the home at 1402 E. St. Louis Ave., a 76-year-old man whose name has not been released, was taken to University Medical Center where he is listed in good condition this morning.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Wishing legendary Williams a happy birthday: Joe Delaney; Jillean and Joe are just back from the Kennedy Center Honors taping in Washington, DC. ... Shirley Temple Black, Bill Cosby, Kander and Ebb, Willie Nelson and Andre Previn are this year's five honorees. ... The program will be telecast Dec. 30 on CBS (Cox Cable Channel 8 locally).

Dial File: Blame it on the fever: * Memo to Lynne Russell, CNN Headline News anchor: Will you marry me? Here's everything you need to know: I enjoy long walks among the rose gardens, romantic, candlelit dinners, and I love to cuddle. Really.

Columnist Brian Hildebrand: Marlin aims to play catch-up to Gordon: Brian Hildebrand; Gordon won a record-tying 13 races and posted a staggering 19 top-five finishes en route to his third series championship in four seasons.

Man who pursued, shot intruders indicted: Bill Gang; The indictment charges Thomas Gaule with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting away from his residence, but the grand jury found no wrongdoing in the shooting of the first intruder just outside Gaule's home.

Speedway completes shift to new owner: As reported in Tuesday's Sun, Englestad and Bennett sold the 107,000-seat Speedway, industrial park and nearby real estate to Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc., for $212.4 million, Bennett said.

Trek faithful show up for intergalactic gala: Stars of the show were on hand for the event, which was the opening night attraction of the inaugural CineVegas Film Festival. Following the premiere, cast members, studio officials and VIPs attended a gala at the Las Vegas Hilton's "Star Trek: The Experience" attraction.

Calf roper Cody Ohl keeps his hot streak going: Bill Bowman; Ohl, from Stephenville, Texas, posted a time of 7.4 seconds to tie for the top spot during Thursday night's seventh go-round at the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack.

Support from camp of old archrival Laxalt helped Reid: Reid and Nevada's former Republican U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt, one-time arch political enemies, are now friends. Laxalt may even have been a silent ally of Reid in his campaign against Rep. John Ensign, R-Nev.

Judge approves Nevada's settlement with tobacco firms: Springgate said the court would continue to hold jurisdiction over the case to see that both sides live up to the agreement. She also canceled a trial set for July 2000, which had been set to hear the suit filed by the state against the tobacco industry.

0-3 starts didn't bode very well for Heels, Aztecs: Steve Guiremand; Tollner, head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs, and Torbush, the first-year coach at North Carolina, were in town to promote next Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl VII match-up at Sam Boyd Stadium. And considering their teams began the season with 0-3 records, the prospect of meeting in a bowl game in Las Vegas is probably more than either Tollner or Torbush could have hoped for.

Nevada among states with high asthma rates: Art Nadler; The lowest ranking noted in the report was for Florida, Oklahoma and West Virginia, which have rates of 5.8 percent. Colorado and California each came in at 0.1 percent below Nevada.

Police give details of rampage at Apex: "It looked like a creature from Jurassic Park," the 32-year-old officer told a coroner's jury Thursday. "It was the biggest thing I've ever seen."

Gates named head of state's association of 17 counties: Adrienne Packer; Atkinson Gates' responsibilities will include working with county leaders to identify critical issues, then bringing those concerns to the attention of the state Legislature.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Poor play has Rebels under siege: Dean Juipe; Here's one: The bloom is off the rose.

Firefighters' car wash will help burned residents: Karen Zekan; Firefighters will be sudsing and scrubbing from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Applebee's restaurant parking lot, 3340 S. Maryland Parkway. There's no set price; firefighters are asking donations.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Delicious Christmas in April fund-raiser brings joy in December: Saturday night's fund-raiser at the Las Vegas Country Country Club benefited Christmas in April. This nationwide home repair and rehabilitation program is dedicated to helping low-income elderly and disabled homeowners live with dignity in a safe environment.

Students learn lessons of giving: Benjamin Grove; "The boxes are for people who can't afford Christmas, to help them and their families," the 8-year-old said. "I like helping people."

Boy, girl pulled from blaze in apartment complex die: Andrew Johnson-Brown, 5, and his sister, Lisa, 9, died, apparently the result of smoke inhalation suffered in a Tuesday morning fire at the Sunpoint Apartments, 2860 S. Decatur Blvd.

New Senate whip Reid finally celebrates re-election: Scott Sonner; "I have to be honest, my mind has been diverted from those responsibilities the last few weeks," Sen. Harry Reid said Thursday.

University cast 'excellent' in Williams' 'Cat': Joe Delaney; Big Daddy was the focal point on Broadway. In the film version, it was Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie, the Cat, and Paul Newman as her alcoholic husband and Big Daddy's favorite son, Brick, who dominated the action. The setting here is the plantation on an early evening in the summer of 1955. The action is continuous, with two 15-minute intermissions over a three-hour total playing time.

Movie Guys: 'Jack Frost' fails to warm the heart: Jack Frost (Michael Keaton) is a musician and a forgetful father, who spends too much time on the road trying to get his big break. On Christmas Eve, Jack realizes his priorities are reversed and, in an effort to get home for the holidays, he skids off the road in a snowstorm. The following Christmas, Jack's son, Charlie, builds a snowman and it comes to life as Jack Frost, the coolest dad a kid ever had.

National Finals Rodeo Results - Dec. 11: Steer wrestling-1, Jeff Corbello, Iowa, La., 3.7 seconds, $14,936. 2, Ote Berry, Checotah, Okla., 3.9, $11,192. 3, (tie) Rope Myers, Van, Texas, and Herbert Theriot, Poplarville, Miss., 4.0, $5,596 each. 5, Byron Walker, Ennis, Texas, 4.3, $1,261. 6, (tie) Tim Segelke, Snyder, Colo., and Brad Gleason, Touchet, Wash., 4.4, $414 each.

Tax hike for water improvements may finally be decided after hearing: Adrienne Packer; The new ordinance, which would increase the sales tax to 7.25 percent, was introduced during a Nov. 17 County Commission meeting after it was overwhelmingly approved during the general election.

School district attacks bad air in classrooms: Benjamin Grove; That was one message delivered Thursday as Environmental Protection Agency officials huddled with Clark County school authorities to discuss the indoor air quality of schools.

Whitfield still has a chance to win world title: Ray Brewer; At last year's National Finals Rodeo, Whitfield won the calf roping event, but fell $5,000 short to Ohl for the world title.

Council members may get big raise: Erin Neff; The Council Review Committee agreed Thursday to recommend that City Council members earn 90 percent of the $54,000 Clark County commissioners make. That would increase council salaries from $36,900 to $48,600.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: Tennessee, Florida State earned trips to Tempe: Steve Guiremand; When the final Bowl Championship Series standings came out this week and pitted undefeated Tennessee (11-0) against once-beaten Florida State (11-1) in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4 for the national championship, folks in Columbus, Ohio, wondered out loud why the Seminoles should be headed to Tempe instead of a 10-1 Buckeyes squad that was No. 1 for much of the season.

Columnist Steve Carp: Bayno, Rebels not exactly clapping over enforcement of palming rule: Steve Carp; Bet you he's paying attention now.

Struggling Rebels take aim on upset of UCLA: Steve Carp; Is it going to be the Rebels who played so unselfishly against Weber State and Nevada-Reno and gave Kansas all it could handle in the first half? Or is Saturday's game with 15th-ranked UCLA going to resemble the Rebels' other forays with the Pacific 10 Conference this year, when it fell to Southern California and Arizona State -- scoring droughts, turnovers and a lack of defense?

Get Your Irish Up: Referring to Pat Roddy's vocation as "dance" is almost unfair.

Trustees OK years-in-planning Young People's Library expansion: The $575,000 project has been four years in planning. Daniel Walters, executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, estimated that it will take 90 days to receive contract documents and nine months for construction.

Sun Life Datebook: Holiday in the Parks festivities are scheduled at Puccini Park in the Seven Hills community in Henderson from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Dec. 18 and 20. For more information, call 897-7000.

AG takes Toys-R-Us settlement in gifts for needy kids: Under the settlement with 43 states including Nevada, those companies will provide toys to settle the court case accusing them of anti-trust violations.