Print edition for March 9, 1998

'Hero' low-key after saving three lives: Cathy Scott; But he's being hailed as one for pulling an elderly couple, their son-in-law and two dogs from a burning mobile home and house.

'Women's Summit '98' at UNLV: Lisa Ferguson; Posted on a utility box was a handmade, black-and-white photocopied poster of a muscle shirt-wearing male situated atop the hood of a car. His identity was reveled in block lettering: "He is an all-American. He is a rapist."

New link added in Nevada bus service: Twice weekly Ely-Las Vegas service began in November 1996 and costs $44 one way and $79 for a round trip. The Reno runs cost $63 one way and $104 round trip with less expensive trips through Eureka, Austin, Fernley and Fallon.

Personal bankruptcies on rise in Nevada: Court records also found the number of such filings nearly doubled in the last six years, from 6,614 in 1991 to a record 12,412 last year.

Reports: Cashman on his way out as Flyers coach: After the Flyers beat the Penguins 4-3 on Alexandre Daigle's overtime goal, Cashman was asked about reports that veteran NHL coach Roger Neilson was going to take over the coaching duties.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Big Cap is a Big Bust as Gentlemen finishes last: Ralph Siraco; While the WAC went wild at the Thomas & Mack, the Big Cap became the Big Bust at Santa Anita.

Even dogs come from all over to play ball at UNLV: Karen Zekan; It's an outlet that lets dogs be dogs; running, barking, fetching balls. And it was a natural draw for the late Viola Odell, who was instrumental in organizing the sport here in Las Vegas years ago.

UNLV plays to the final inning of 18-1 loss to Ohio State: Trailing 18-1 to Ohio State Sunday evening, Soesbe could have invoked college baseball's new mercy rule which allows two teams to forego playing the final two innings if one team is head by 12 or more runs after seven innings.

UNLV prepares to face Princeton: Steve Carp; Instead, the UNLV-Princeton matchup in the NCAA Tournament elicited cheers throughout the Si Redd Room Sunday as the entire Rebel basketball family -- players, coaches, boosters and friends -- found out where the school's seven-year hiatus from The Big Dance ended.

Indian casino to ferry gamblers from New York: Tribal officials said on Thursday that the ferry service, which is to begin on March 16, would reduce the travel time to the casino to about 2 hours and 45 minutes from lower Manhattan, compared with about 3 1/2 hours by car.

Cave Rock talks resume: After briefly placing the rock off limits last year, the Forest Service issued a modified closure in December that prohibits the installation of new climbing bolts. Now, the Forest Service is seeking a long-term management policy.

NCAA top seeds look to set a record: Jim O'Connell; Despite the fact North Carolina, Duke, Kansas and Arizona have been considered the four best teams in the country since the end of January, March has always been cruel to at least one No. 1 seed. The hard part is trying to figure out which one -- or ones -- will go down before the Final Four in San Antonio.

Bobby Labonte wins again at Atlanta: "We were struggling a little there," said Labonte, who led only the last 47 laps. "We couldn't get it balance up real good, but the guys kept working on it and it was great at the end."

Bears defeat Thunder 2-1: The Thunder is winless in four starts, and drop to 27-31-7. Las Vegas took the lead in the first period with Trevor Roenick's power play goal.

Gerlach man injured in accidental shooting: Authorities said Minto was a passenger in a vehicle and was holding his hunting rifle between his legs with the barrel pointed up when the vehicle hit a bump.

Domestic abuse now means jail time: Art Nadler; A state law that took effect Jan. 1 mandates that those who plead guilty or those who are found guilty of domestic violence will go to jail on a first offense for no less than two days and no more than six months.

Lake Tahoe casino sued over deadly DUI accident: Scott, who had been convicted of drunken driving three years earlier, was driving a pickup-truck. He crossed over the line and plowed into the family's sport utility vehicle, killing the threesome who were headed up to Tahoe for a ski weekend.

Soft schedules, injured star affect women's seedings: Chuck Schoffner; The teams that played difficult schedules were rewarded Sunday with high seeds in the 64-team field. No. 1 seeds Tennessee, Old Dominion, Stanford and Texas Tech were prime examples. So was Illinois, a surprising No. 3 seed, and Iowa and Iowa State, both surprises at No. 4.

UNLV vs. Ohio stats: Lee, Stafford (8) and Kremblas, Alvord (9); Gidge, Lopez (1), Tipton (3), Scheffels (6) and Campbell, Hamill (8). WP--Lee (3-0). LP--Gidge (2-1). 2B--OSU: Turner, Carek, Durant; UNLV: Ludwick, Pryor, Campbell, Adolph. HR--OSU: Turner (1). DP--OSU 3, UNLV 0. LOB--OSU 5, UNLV 9. A--470. T--2:41.

Bill limits collection of gambling debts: Brian Seals; Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., is sponsoring a bankruptcy reform bill that includes a provision that would limit claims on a debt incurred in or adjacent to a gambling facility or a debt the creditor should have known was intended to be used by the debtor for gambling purposes.

Fund-raiser nets $18,000 for Baby Jacqueline: Hundreds of people filed into the Nightclub at the Las Vegas Hilton Saturday night to support baby Jacqueline, the infant who was shot in the face Feb. 25 while riding in a baby seat as her parents drove along East Sahara Avenue near 6th Street.

UNLV win ties oddsmakers' hands: Tim Graham; New Mexico fans were not alone in their displeasure.

UNLV finds itself playing David to Princeton's Goliath: Steve Carp; Funny thing, though. The giant-killer has suddenly become a giant itself. And how ironic is it that Princeton, once David to UNLV's Goliath, is the one without the slingshot and the stone come Thursday's opening round of the NCAA Tournament?

Claims may not be reported because of loophole: But the reports only require the disclosure if a payment is made in the same year the claim is filed.

Many Nevada officials oppose stiffer DUI rules: Fifteen states already have adopted that level, while 35 - including Nevada - use a more lenient 0.10 percent.

What a week for UNLV: Steve Carp; Friends of coach Bill Bayno and his coaching staff. Colleagues from across the nation. And just regular UNLV fans. All were giving the Rebels an electronic pat on the back for the amazing feat they had accomplished.

Two jailed after pulling a gun on police officer: The officer was able to disarm Parrish and both men were treated for minor injuries and released. Parrish was held under $145,560 bail on charges of battery on a police officer and several narcotics counts.

UNLV's Dickel is MVP in the fans' minds: Steve Carp; To the denizens of the Thomas & Mack Center, Mark Dickel stands head and shoulders above everyone else, especially after his performance in the Rebels' 56-51 victory over No. 20 New Mexico in Saturday's championship game.

Bankers, attorneys disagree over why Nevada bankruptcies are skyrocketing: Brian Seals; An estimated 1.3 million bankruptcy cases were filed in 1997, which amounts to about $40 billion in erased debt. The number of filings in 1997 is up from 200,000 in 1978. Consumer bankruptcy filings in Nevada have increased from 7,170 in 1994 to 13,028 in 1997.

King says Tyson made mistake in filing lawsuit: Dean Juipe; Yet in the midst of his meandering diatribe the famed boxing promoter let it be known that he feels his most celebrated client, Mike Tyson, has made a mistake in filing a $100 million lawsuit against him in New York City.

Wet winter bodes well for farmers: The Truckee-Carson Irrigation District will start taking water orders and making deliveries once enough water has been collected to charge the system, the Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle standard reported.

Three teens arrested in connection with armed robberies: A 17-year-old who works at the Burger King in Gardnerville is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Airport considers new path for departing flights: Reno Air pilots tested the route in August and October.

People in the News for March 9, 1998: Briefly

California murder suspects nabbed in LV: Michael Martinez, 21, and Florence Noriega, 28, both of Norwalk, Calif., were arrested at the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Las Vegas about 11 p.m. Saturday by Las Vegas police and FBI agents, authorities said.

McSorley steps down as Thunder's head coach: Tim Graham; He fielded telephone propositions from an International Hockey League team and two minor pro organizations over the weekend. But the most attractive call came from an unexpected source.

Scam artist escapes jail sentence for now: Bill Gang; But the transactions withered into a theft scam and the victims' golden years were tarnished by the anguish of lawsuits, legal battles and often unpayable debt.

Police have no leads in dog trainer's murder: Karen Zekan; She raised them, trained them and over the years became one of the most familiar faces in competition circles, her three prize-winning shelties and a border collie named Kip earning titles time and again.

New rule to be tested in rain-delayed Primestar 500: The new rule got its first race test today when the rain-delayed Primestar 500 took the green flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race was postponed Sunday by a nearly day-long rain.

Australian GP Results: 2, David Coulthard, Scotland, McLaren, 1:31:46.698, 58.

Letter: Religious beliefs have no place in public schools: Certainly, this columnist should be aware of the difference between teen magazines providing needed factual information for those teenagers wishing to obtain such information and religious tracts endorsing specific beliefs.

Letter: Lack of restrooms at NASCAR race appalling: James Bunyard, San Angelo, Texas

Letter: Teen's grief is no excuse for graffiti: A few months ago some other teens did the same thing on a public sidewalk and the press covered it as though the kids were heroic but tragic figures instead of the taggers they were. It seems to me a precedent is being set here.

Letter: Replace slot machines with state-run lottery: If Jones is really as concerned about helping the children of Las Vegas, she should use New Jersey as an example. If she succeeds in removing the machines from our groceries and convenience stores, she should talk to the governor and lobby for a state lottery to replace the revenues lost by these stores, and let all other proceeds from the lottery go toward educating the children of Nevada.

Letter: Las Vegas 400 was a transportation fiasco: The last CAT bus to the speedway that we saw was at 8:15 a.m. Repeated attempts were made to hail taxis, but most had fares, and empty taxis did not stop for the crowded bus stop. At 10:30 a.m. we angrily gave up our hopes of making it to the track in time for the start of the race, and retreated to a sports bar to catch the race in its entirety.

Rebels aim to slay giant-killer: Steve Carp; Kevin Simmons still was wearing the remnants of the netting as a necklace that he had left the court with less than 24 hours before. WAC championship hats, earned in the 56-51 win over New Mexico, adorned the heads of several other players. Coach Bill Bayno, physically tired and emotionally drained, smiled a weary smile while chatting on a celluar phone.

Man shoots NP worker, kills self: Cathy Scott; The employee was in a truck at Tenaya Way and Farm Road in the valley's northwest when a man walked up to his truck at about 9:20 a.m. and began firing, police said.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Late reversal allows Rebels to alter image: Dean Juipe; There has been a complete turnaround and it happened just like that.

Smoking out sales of tobacco to minors: Larry Henry; Under a $234,000 contract signed last week with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa will add two investigators to her office.

Nuclear activist involved in Reagan incident on book tour: Reagan was showered with shards and startled but unhurt in the incident during the National Association of Broadcasters Convention at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Editorial: Ducking the real issue in Congress: Late on Wednesday, the House resuscitated efforts that could allow the commonwealth to some day be the 51st state. The vote in favor was a razor-thin margin of 209-208. The legislation, which now moves to the Senate, would give Puerto Ricans three choices in a referendum to be held before the end of the year: continued commonwealth status, statehood or independence. Congress would have to follow any vote for change by its own vote on a 10-year plan for transition to either independence or statehood.

Letter: Las Vegas desperately needs Amtrak train stop: Think about it. Every whistle-stop in the country has one. But not futuristic Las Vegas.

UNLV professor, linguist Clark dies: Clark, a Las Vegas resident of 28 years, died of complications from a bone marrow disorder Feb. 26. His family disclosed his death Friday.

Carson City treasurer joins race for state controller: Other candidates for the job that Nevada Controller Darrel Daines is vacating after 16 years include Mary Sanada, a former top staffer who challenged him four years ago and is running again as a Democrat.

Tribes face 60 day deadline on gambling compacts: While a handful of tribes are praising the agreement, others are resentful and predict that the issue will lead to divisiveness among California's 100 tribes.

Obituaries for March 9, 1998: He is survived by his mother, Gloria Barrows, his father, Javier Arzola, and one brother, Leo Aguilar, all of Las Vegas; two sisters, Amanda Aguilar of Las Vegas and Jacqueline Arzola of Oxnard, Calif.; and his grandparents, Lillian and Efrain Alvarez and James Williams Barrows Jr., all of Las Vegas.

Pioneer resident Bruns dies: They had built their house in 1949 on a one-acre lot off what was then a dirt road near Charleston Boulevard in an area surrounded by nothing but desert cactus and sagebrush. It would be their home for five decades.

Reno professor loses Supreme Court race discrimination case: Farmer's appeal also contended that the school, which hired her a year later, illegally paid her less money than her black colleague.

Letter: Race itself was great, but there were offensive moments: At the beginning of each race there was an invocation thanking the Lord for the wonderful weather and asking for the safety of the drivers. A generic prayer is great and I have no problem with that. However, I do have a problem with the statement: "We ask this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen."

Mays swings toward first this year: Matt O'Brien; High expectations are nothing new to the sweet-swinging senior. Since finishing third in zone as a freshman, Mays has been a marked man. Now, he appears intent on capturing this year's individual state title.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Growth panel sends wrong message to rest of nation: A headline in last Thursday's Las Vegas SUN declared that Nevada's U.S. Senator Dick Bryan "stands alone against growth panel leader." The headline was accurate because it reflected a story that said our junior senator was basically crying in a wilderness full of movers and shakers when he suggested that an out-of-state facilitator for a local planning group be fired because she works for a company whose job it is to help the government locate the high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

Mirabelli hopes to catch on with San Francisco: Steve Guiremand; But the Valley High School catching product would just as soon not spend any more time around Cashman Field this year.