Print edition for July 1, 1998

Officials fear abductor may run off with sweetheart scam suspect: Loeo is accused of one count of obtaining money falsely from a person older than 65, a felony. She and two others are accused of bilking Stateline resident Anthony Brusca, 82, out of his life savings of nearly $250,000.

Investigators probe police crash: Sgt. Curt Albert, traffic investigator, said Jones, 35, had made a traffic stop just before being called to an emergency and hitting Brazil. The person he stopped, Albert said, might be able to confirm that Jones had his lights and siren on as he sped away.

California initiative may ignite spending by Nevada casinos: Rose delivered his comments during a Monday conference call for investors that was sponsored by the Wall Street investment banking firm of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.

Baer says he'll go elsewhere if Reno rejects casino at mall: He wants to build a $130 million, 408-room hotel-casino on the south end of the mall. And he told the Reno Gazette-Journal that if city officials deny a zoning change, he'll take his project to another city.

BLM to offer "pairs" of wild horses for adoption: In Nevada alone, about 300 mares at BLM facilities had foals. Most of those at the National Wild Horse and Burro Center at Palomino Valley north of Reno are between 3 and 5 months old.

School board delays decision on superintendent pay: Board members Tuesday also agreed that a committee of parents, educators and business leaders will interview the top three of five candidates.

NHL Free Agents, List: Forwards

Dini defends his bill giving tax break to Steve Wynn, other art collectors: Dini, D-Yerington, authored a 1997 law exempting art collectors from part of the 7 percent sales tax if they agree to display their works publicly. The exemption can be claimed by people who buy art worth more than $25,000.

Pacific Coast League standings through June 30, 1998: Midwest Division

Columnist Steve Carp: NBA lockout will cost everyone: Steve Carp; Chances are the Boston Celtics guard may be trying to hit you up for a loan.

DMV's $50 refunds go to 889 Nevadans: As of Tuesday, 889 Nevadans had received the refund as a result of a mandate by the 1997 Legislature, leaving the state $44,450 poorer.

Valley not affected by beef recall: Art Nadler; Las Vegas Warehouse Manager Ted Sniezyk said the recall is for frozen ground beef patties packaged on two dates -- April 6, 1998, and April 7, 1998. The brand names are 1/3 pound Kirkland Signature Ground Sirloin and Loin of Beef Patties in 6-pound packages.

Not guilty pleas entered in slot case: Also charged are Eugene Bulgarino, 65, his wife, Joan Bulgarino, 65, and Ronnie McElveen, 59. All are from Las Vegas except McElveen, who resides in New Orleans.

State opens fiscal year with pay raises, new programs: More than $4.8 billion in state and federal funds will be pumped into state agencies to carry them through until June 30. That's 6 percent more than last fiscal year.

Vegas lounge singer John Wills dies at 50: His uncle was the legendary Bob Wills the "King of Western Swing." His dad is Luke Wills who played guitar in Bob's band, The Texas Playboys. His other uncles, Billy Jack Wills and Johnny Lee Wills, also were members of that group.

State seeks answers on disqualified pot petition: Secretary of State Dean Heller and his staff will be talking to county officials, but will take no action until Tuesday when all counties must report verified numbers on the petition.

Insurance system changes name: CARSON CITY -- The State Industrial Insurance System, on the verge of bankruptcy six years ago, is trying to revamp its image with the announcement of a new name today.

Columnist Peter Benton: Child Seekers fee actually only $175: Peter Benton; OOPS. IN LAST WEEK'S column, it was reported entry fee for the July 27 Nevada Child Seekers Bob Dickinson Memorial Golf Tournament at Las Vegas Country Club is $275 instead of $175.

New assistant DA named: Bill Gang; Davidson, who will earn about $105,000 as Bell's second assistant district attorney, replaces Johnnie Rawlinson who recently was appointed Nevada's newest federal judge.

Pete Rose Jr. hopes stint in Nashville pays off: Spencer Patterson; On Sept. 1, 1997, a lifetime of hopes and dreams finally came to fruition for Pete Rose Jr., son of baseball's all-time hit king.

Las Vegas Stars scorecard -- July 1, 1998: Upcoming games

Reid announced new $40 million study of Yucca Mountain: Angie Wagner; "It's going to take outside academic institutions to do a fair study," Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday during a news conference to announce the new research project.

First home-grown bald eagle in more than a century takes flight: A weekly welfare check on the eaglet that hatched in April on the Silver Springs Bay area of Lahontan Reservoir found the eaglet further from its nesting tree than ever before.

Lawsuit continues despite grand jury's clearing of deputies in raid: But Reno attorney Andy Boles, hired by Maita's stepson, Mark Matoon, said the report "will have absolutely no effect at all" on the civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in December.

Letter: Longtime Las Vegas Valley resident yearns for past: Having a drink with Sinatra in the lounge. Car insurance payments based on accidents you had, not ZIP codes. House payments for next to nothing. Sleep with your doors unlocked.

UNLV's Barto deflects shot by Sampson at collegiate programs: Steve Carp; If ousted coach Steve Sampson is looking for an excuse for the United States' pitiful performance at this year's World Cup, UNLV soccer coach Barry Barto suggests he find another scapegoat.

Columnist Paula Del Giudice: Campion bass fisherman pictured on Wheaties box: Breakfast of Champions

LV union sees progress in organizing concrete industry workers: Brian Seals; More than 85 cards were counted by clergy with the Interfaith Council for Worker Justice -- enough to represent a majority of workers. The mostly Hispanic employees erupted into applause at Laborers Union Hall 872 when the majority was reached.

Committee: Schools must take parental excuses for absences: Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, who headed the subcommittee, said school superintendents supported a plan to give them more authority to turn down an excuse made by the parents for their child to be absent from class.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Concoction about what did or didn't occur in Vietnam: The story created headlines throughout the country because the report came from CNN television and Time magazine. It even raised my attention until I learned that Peter Arnett had helped write it. Arnett's conduct as a reporter in Vietnam and later in Baghdad during the Gulf War gives good reason to question any U.S. military story with his name on it. He has always been too eager to grab on to, and report, stories damaging American military operations.

Funding for special education sought: Benjamin Grove; "Special education continues to be an unfunded mandate," said Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas. "It hasn't been our unwillingness to look at the issue. It's been our unwillingness to put up the money."

Nevada scientists get funds for Yucca studies: They plan to study if earthquakes and volcanos pose a threat, if ground water can corrode buried containers, whether radiation can escape from the site, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas and possible contaminants.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Volunteers shine at American Heart Association dinner: Elizabeth Foyt; During the hosted social hour preceding dinner, guests toured the room to view displays explaining the Heart Association's many health-care offerings and fund-raisers. Photos of past years' volunteers in action and the opportunity to sign up were provided at the displays for the golf tournament, American Heart Walk, Women and Heart Disease Conference and the Multi-Cultural Heart Disease Workshop, to name just a few. Mingling in the crowd and explaining their own commitments to the Heart Association were underwriters for this volunteer dinner, among them Roger and Sandy Peltyn, George Maalouf, Simon Keith, Jim Zeiter, John Zelling, Roger Croke, Jon ...

Activist group fears nuke trains could be diverted through Reno: Another slide four days later blocked the tracks to all train traffic until it could be cleared.

Letter: McDonald's award for knee injury seems too high, at the least: Interesting how one can manage five accidents in a few months which all caused injury to the same knee.

Police identify body found in trash bin: Workers from a business located near the trash bin discovered the fire early June 25 and extinguished it. One worker then looked into the smoldering container and saw a body.

Apartments still a complex issue: Denise Cardinal; The situation started more than a year ago when Shepherd Hills Development Corp. bought the dilapidated complex for $1 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The complex is at Simmons Street and Holly Avenue, south of Lake Mead Boulevard.

Thursday at Belmont Park: 1st race 1-1/16 3YO&up Mdn Clm

Dorothy Hamill skates into LV to 'Enter the Night': Lisa Ferguson; And they've been more frequent than not in recent years, according to the 1976 U.S. Olympic gold medal figure skater, whose famous "wedge" hairstyle started a fashion craze.

Union says talks are continuing, strike on hold: Robert Macy; "Both sides are back at the table trying to see if we can come up with something more reasonable," Jim Sala, director of organizing for the Southern California-Nevada Regional Council of Carpenters, said Tuesday.

Campus station music switch has some upset: The Board of Regents, which holds the FCC license for KUNV-FM, has scheduled an Aug. 6 and 7 meeting in the Northern Nevada town 428 miles away from Las Vegas. Included on the regents' agenda will be a discussion about the UNLV station's abrupt switch to a mostly jazz format days after spring classes ended in May at the university.

June was wet, cloudy and cool: Daytime highs were kept especially low, with temperatures averaging 5 to 10 degrees below normal, he said.

Editorial: Dismal display of voter apathy: The sobering fact is that less than 17 percent of those old enough to vote went to the polls in 16 statewide primaries that have been held so far this year, according to the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. Ten states had their lowest turnouts ever, even in light of their and Congress' efforts to make it easier to register to vote.

Box score: Sounds 8, Stars 7: Nashville

Ralph Siraco's selections for Hollywood Park: Selections made for clear racing conditions before scratches.

Local Fishing Report -- July 1, 1998: LAKE MOHAVE: Fair action for striped bass is continuing above Cottonwood Cove while the rainbow trout fishing is very good at Willow Beach. Boaters report catching stripers in the 14-inch range by trolling crank baits from the north power lines to Owl's Point. Large Rapala lures are being favored by trollers.

Green Valley product Hermansen homers in his return to Las Vegas: Steve Guiremand; It was perhaps only fitting that in his first triple-A at-bat at Cashman Field on Tuesday night that Chad Hermansen belted a towering two-run home run over the left-field fence to help pace the Nashville Sounds to an 8-7 win over the Las Vegas Stars.

Parents held following death of 7-month-old child: The infant died Sunday night after spending the day in the rear of an older model panel truck while the adults drove around town looking for recyclable material to sell, say investigators. Metro Police Lt. Tom Monahan said when the infant's mother and her boyfriend realized the baby was becoming ill they took it to a medical center and the center transported the baby to University Medical Center.

Missing girl found after five years: Several people called authorities after seeing Cruzita's picture earlier this month in a nationwide advertising campaign by ADVO, sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Abducted Children.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Get to know a store's return policy: Read the signs in the store -- usually found behind the cashier's station. They are a good guide to the shop's sales philosophy.

New law goes on offensive to restrict unwanted e-mail: Bob Barengo, a lobbyist for the direct mail association, said his group was concerned initially the Internet bill would have a "chilling effect on free speech and this is a matter that should be handled by Congress or by the industry initiating protocol."

Serving Your Community: * DESERT QUILTERS -- The Desert Quilters of Nevada presented quilts, wall hangings and pillows for the Ronald McDonald House. For more information about Desert Quilters, call 655-8213.

LV bail bond firm remains in business with new management: Bill Gang; The Nevada Division of Insurance had suspended the license of the company and four bail agents because of complaints by customers that they had been intimidated at gunpoint.

Medical school comes calling: Art Nadler; Critics think the University of Nevada School of Medicine should work on its public image, before asking the Southern Nevada community for financial support.

Nevada officials rapped in loan case: State legislators chastised Nevada's Financial Institutions Division and Attorney General's office for taking a year to close a Las Vegas mortgage company that allegedly misappropriated millions of dollars from investors.

Letter: Before buying into Anthem, look at history is in order: The first two rec centers, Mt. Shadows and Sun Shadows, were essentially promised. There were still a lot of homes to sell.

Politicians wary after ethics ruling: County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates, hit the hardest by the ethics panel on Saturday, got the ball rolling during a Tuesday morning session of the County Liquor and Gaming Licensing Board.

Letter: MASH programs not part of Catholic Charities: MASH is not a part of Catholic Charities. MASH Village is a City of Las Vegas-owned and funded program operated for the city by SVDP Management Inc., which came to Las Vegas three years ago.

Push for medical use of pot jeopardized in Nevada: Nye County Clerk Arte Robb, whose office sampled 1,228 signatures to see if they were registered voters, said Monday that only 607 were valid. The minimum requirement for Nye County is 926 voters.

Construction site damaged by fire: Jace Radke; Approximately 20 fire trucks responded to the Avalon apartment construction site off Seven Hills Road one mile west of Eastern at Lake Mead Drive.

Nevada home inspectors to be licensed: Steve Humm; The Nevada Division of Real Estate is enforcing a new law mandating the licensing of home and commercial building inspectors. Nevada is now one of just a handful of states that licenses home inspectors, said Barry Penzel of the agency.