Print edition for March 3, 1998

Teen deaths touch many at Eldorado: Benjamin Grove; "RIP Olga + Freddy Lopez 4 my Lil' Cuzz I Lovv You Xiomara"

Growth panel to retain moderator: Larry Henry; On a 17-1 vote, the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority expressed its confidence in Stevens and agreed to retain her as moderator despite Bryan's recommendation last week that she be fired.

Will Bayno alter assistants?: Dean Juipe; It's said Bayno wants to add an "X's and O's" guy to augment assistant Dave Rice.

Thunder prepares for the return of key players: Tim Graham; But the waiting soon will be over for the Las Vegas Thunder.

Fraud charges dropped against Harris: District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski dismissed the charges as a result of Harris' September guilty plea to a single count of racketeering for similar crimes in Washoe County. The dismissals involved charges that were lodged in Clark County as the result of slot cheating incidents at casinos in Laughlin and Las Vegas.

Council chooses man who worked on recall petition as new member: Dunton said despite the recall effort, he didn't see why they couldn't work together.

Olympic snowboarders arrested on marijuana charges: American snowboarder Anton David Pogue, of Hood River, Ore., was asleep in the vehicle at the time it was stopped. He was released.

Chevys, Pontiacs get concession from NASCAR: Lowering the spoiler height is supposed to slow cars in the turns and make the racing more competitive. The Chevrolet Monte Carlo will keep its 5-inch rear spoiler, and the Pontiac Grand Prix will stay at 5.375 inches.

Man charged in anthrax scare returned to Ohio: Rod Robinson of the U.S. Marshals Service declined to say how Harris was being transported to Ohio or when he would arrive.

Elko sees 44 percent increase in city payroll over 6 years: The largest increase in employee numbers came in the category of "general government."

Odds to win 1998 Winston Cup Points: Odds to win 1998 Winston Cup Points

Hearing held for teenager alleged to have plotted to kill fellow students, teachers: Prosecutors opened their case with a freshman who testified that McCabe tried to enlist him in a plot to lock the doors during an assembly and open fire, targeting people on a list he had marked for death.

Deputies begin removal of homeless camps along Truckee River: Tom Gardner; "Most are transitory camps," Washoe County Sheriff's Sgt. Bob Towery said Monday.

Cloudy, cool and very, very wet: Tom Gardner; "The precipitation not only was well above normal at most locations, but the number of wet days was more like Seattle or Portland than Nevada," state Climatologist John James said on Monday.

Political figures line up to support Ohrenschall: "She looked like a concentration camp prisoner," said Reina, who performed the emergency colon surgery last month.

Nevada to get $23 million more for highway projects: The full Senate was expected to take up the amendment later in the day.

Pioneer casino boss Stump dies: Nearly every day, he sat in seat No. 10 in the $1-$2-$5 pot-limit Texas Hold 'em game so that he could have easy access to the telephone, which was located just over his shoulder. He would use that line to conduct business between raking in pots and flipping sizable tokes to the dealers.

Columnist Scott Dickensheets: Happy anniversary to me: Scott Dickensheets; I began this column with a surprising lack of fanfare on Oct. 21, 1997. I still remember yanking that issue off the presses and skipping excitedly to the boss's office. As I stood there, trembling on this new career pinnacle, I think my eyes moistened a little as I said to him, "Why do the Movie Guys get better play than I do?"

The NeXt Files: Lisa Ferguson; Rolling up his long, striped shirt sleeves, Charles Tart prepares to journey into the mysteries of the mind.

Court bars prosecution in alleged gold scam: The 3-2 court decision prevented state Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa's office from amending a grand jury indictment to cure the defects in the case of Daniel V. Hancock, Richard P. Boyer, Charles E. Dixon and Frank Hine.

Kicking Violence Through Soccer: David Aquila Lawrence; A group of young people gather in a dusty soccer field on a hillside slum. In this neighborhood, that used to mean trouble. But there are no threats, no trash-talking in the huddle. "Let's stress sportsmanship, fair play," says coach Jon Jairo Baus. Laughter erupts as he adds, "On and off the field."

DOE recommending $2.2 bil. for Test Site cleanup projects: BethAnn D'Agostino; As part of a national proposal to clean and close nuclear projects across the nation, the DOE on Monday recommended that amount for the Test Site. The portion of that money to be used for environmental cleanup would be spent through 2014.

Date rape topic of conference: The conference is sponsored by the Department of Prisons, Community Action Against Rape and other organizations.

Arbitrator orders rehiring of fired Metro Police officer: Cathy Scott; Ron Fox is going to be "made whole" by getting his job back, according to an arbitrator's decision that came 10 months after he was fired by Metro.

State mailroom mixup delays appeal in 'sex-slave' killer's case: Del Papa said Monday her office delivered the state's petition for a writ of certiorari to the state's mailroom on Friday, Feb. 13, a tthree-day holidya weekend, for dispatch by first-class mail to the U.S. Supreme Court. The deadline for filing withthe court was Tuesday, Feb. 17.

As Balkans Tense, a US Twist: Justin Brown; BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA -- During years of war and peace in the former Yugoslavia, the Serbs have earned their fair share of nasty labels. They have been called ethnic cleansers, war criminals, and ultranationalists.

Murdoch Puts China Billions Over Books: Alexander MacLeod; LONDON -- Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, long criticized for his tough and sometimes ruthless handling of his global newspaper and satellite TV empire, is under fire from a new quarter.

Changes coming for Western Athletic Conference: Steve Carp; The conference's 16 athletic directors met Monday and will meet again today to determine which way to go. Currently, the league is divided into two divisions with four quadrants. And for at least one more year, those quads will remain intact.

Columnist Jeff German: Growth Panel sends mixed signals in Yucca Mountain battle: Bryan, who's been at the forefront of the battle for more than 15 years, understands the big picture.

Former anthrax suspect returned to Ohio: Deputy U.S. Marshal Rod Robinson would not say when the 46-year-old microbiologist would be arriving in Columbus, Ohio, for a preliminary hearing on the probation charges.

Judge denies landowners' motion in condemnation: Clark County District Judge Sally Loherer denied a motion by the landowners Monday to reject the county's right to condemn the property and take it over as part of the airport's development plans. However, she also ruled the owners do have the right to make an offer to develop it with a project compatible with the airport.

FBI agent tells of overhearing mafia plan to skim Nevada casino: Ruffino said he listened in 1982 to the men in the next room of a Holiday Inn near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. He said he was surprised to hear they knew the identity of an FBI agent working undercover in Las Vegas.

Columnist Steve Carp: Kids know how to keep perspective: Steve Carp; Suffice to say, it has been a frustrating year for the UNLV basketball team. It has been disappointing, dysfunctional, disillusioning ... whatever word you want to throw in that starts with 'D.' From the players and coaches, to the fans, to those of us who have had to chronicle this misadventure of a season, it has been an exercise in anguish.

NASCAR to return to Vegas next year: Richie Clyne, chairman of the $200 million speedway, said Monday that tickets for the 1999 Las Vegas Winston Cup race will go on sale in April.

SUN editorial: Las Vegas gets checkered flag: To put into perspective the scale of this event, the next biggest crowd for a Nevada sporting event was in September 1996 when 67,132 spectators attended the Las Vegas Indy Racing League race on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's opening day. And the attendance record for a team sporting event in Nevada was set in December 1996 for the inaugural Western Athletic Conference championship football game, which drew 41,328 fans.

Rating the WAC: Rating the WAC

Mayfair deprives Woods of victory in hometown: Woods seemed on his way to a hometown victory in the Nissan Open Sunday when he birdied three of the last four holes, including a scrambling birdie on No. 18 that ended when he curled in a tricky 12-foot putt.

Agassi rolls in Templeton: One was the tentative performer who skidded to the worst season of his 12-year pro career last year, and the other was the dazzling shotmaker who was No. 11 in the world in 1995.

Hawaii survives challenges to take on UNLV: Steve Carp; The coach got sick and was told to stay in bed. The team came to the mainland and proceded to get stomped by 42 points. That sure-fire NCAA bid was looking tenuous.

Victim gets look at rapist: Cathy Scott; The latest victim, a 16-year-old girl, is the first person since the attacks began 15 months ago who has been able to describe her attacker.

Population in valley larger than estimated: Henderson has won its appeal to the state to have its estimated population increased from preliminary figures distributed last year. The population figures for Las Vegas and Mesquite also have been raised.

WAC Tournament: Gallup and Carmichael fuel BYU win: Steve Guiremand; "Those two players were huge for us," Shippen said referring to forwards Kari Gallup and Barbie Carmichael. "They were just huge."

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Silver Charm, Gentlemen clash in santa Anita 'Cap: Ralph Siraco; The refined horsepower harnessed under the hood will give way to the purest form of equine power on the hoof for back-to-back weekends of championship performances.

Doctor describes advice to Ohrenschall: Bill Gang; She doesn't believe she should be in the courtroom of Judge Gerald Hardcastle defending herself from child-neglect allegations that could result in her 16-year-old daughter being made a ward of the court.

Tuesday's College Baseball Scores: Alabama 15, Mercer 3

Letter: Hitler and Saddam share history of broken promises: For those who don't remember their history, Hitler started making promises, like Hussein, back in the mid-'30s. You can bet your tail-end the same thing will happen if President Clinton backs down.

Prime Cable talks to big investors: Brian Greenspun, who oversees the family's business interests, said the company is not selling out completely but is considering numerous options including selling some of its 63-percent ownership interest in the system.

Where I Stand -- Ruthe Deskin: Rebels' recent resurgence offers hope to true fans: To an old, and I mean that literally, basketball fan, the last two games the UNLV Rebels played were a delight.

People in the News for March 3, 1998: Briefly

Officials downplay risk of dairy sludge: State and local officials said there was no immediate health risks to residents of the agricultural community, about 75 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The greenish dairy sludge drained about seven miles across the California border through the Amargosa River.

Letter: Nuclear industry, Congress view Nevada as a wasteland: A great deal of the nation views the West as an empty wasteland, suitable for all types of hazardous and radioactive garbage disposal. Las Vegas certainly does not fit into this mold. It is one of the West's largest cities and the country's fastest-growing metropolitan areas. The reality of the matter is that states with nuclear reactors (located predominantly in the East) find it easier to dump their radioactive waste on a politically weak state like Nevada than dealing seriously with a difficult problem.

Ralph Siraco's picks for Gulfstream: dd Gulfstream Park

Tuesday's WAC Tournament box scores: BYU (9-21)

Ralph Siraco's picks for Aqueduct: dd Aqueduct

Editorial: Solomon needed in transplant case: In addition, Glen Whorton, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Prisons, indicated Bair won't be allowed to go to the San Francisco hospital where he's on the waiting list for a transplant. "He's in the custody of the Department of Prisons and we don't send inmates out of state for medical treatment," Whorton said.

Editorial: Las Vegas gets checkered flag: This weekend's NASCAR Winston Cup race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway attracted the largest crowd ever in Nevada's sports history. Nearly 110,000 fans, including local residents and tourists, were able to enjoy a beautiful afternoon and watch Mark Martin win the inaugural Las Vegas 400.

Tuesday's Major College Basketball Scores: Princeton 78, Penn 72, OT

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Time to get vacation strategies on the drawing board: It's not a minute too soon to pull out the passport, tie a colored ribbon around your favorite suitcase or carry-on so it can be distinguished from all the look-a-likes and head for your travel agent. The early travel planner gets the best deals.

Obituaries for March 3, 1998: She is survived by her husband, Nelson Wong; and two sons, James Simpsey of Pennsylvania and Danial Simpsey of New Jersey.

Letter: Paxon's political exit may be short-lived: We could almost hear Newt's sigh of relief seven months ago as the Paxon coup failed. He might have recalled Caesar's wary words, "Let me have men about me that are fat; sleek-headed men and such as sleep o' nights. Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look; he thinks too much; such men are dangerous."