Print edition for March 20, 1998

Fraud suspect kills self: Bob Shemeligian; A second suspect, James D. Greenbaum, 46, Las Vegas, was expected to plead guilty but was found dead at the Fiesta hotel-casino Thursday afternoon. Sources said they understood it was a suicide. An autopsy was scheduled today by the Clark County Coroner's Office to determine the cause of death.

Letter: Dogs, children ride loose in truck beds: Every time I see another car that has a dog hanging out the window or a dog riding loose in the bed of a truck, my heart sinks at this carelessness. I guess the only thing that bothers me even more than this is seeing children riding in the back of pickup trucks without any restraints.

America West: Lack of demand, not planes, hurting LV: That viewpoint is a departure from the arguments of tourism and airport officials and Wall Street experts. They say airlines are backing away from the Las Vegas market in favor of more profitable business markets.

'Lolita': A movie America can't see: Caryn James; Then Humbert Humbert, the man who has loved a 12-year-old girl, begins his long confession. In voice-over, Irons offers the most famous lines from one of the most poetic, romantic novels ever written: "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul, Lo-lee-ta."

Letter: People must demand end to law enforcement abuses: At Ruby Ridge those lawyers with guns killed a women and a kid. The husband was charged, tried and acquitted. We now know the FBI lied in that case and the shooter may have to stand trial in Idaho.

Ex-Child Haven worker pleads not guilty to murder: A July 20 trial has been scheduled for Sheila Logan, 33, who had called an ambulance to her home on July 11, 1996, after the 21-month-old baby's lips turned blue.

LV woman pleads guilty to second-degree murder: But this time, Claudia Canada, 26, will be eligible for parole after five years, not the 20 years she would have served for her prior conviction on first-degree murder charges.

Neal ousted from Metro review board: Cathy Scott; Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, was absent at Thursday night's meeting when Metro Undersheriff Richard Winget made the motion to remove Neal from the Citizen Review Board advisory committee. It was the third session for the 16-member committee and Neal's third absence.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Guthrie returns to Phoenix site of only IRL rookie win: Jim Guthrie provided the racing world with one of the great stories of 1997 with his victory in the Dura-Lube 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

'Not Tonight: I Have Cerebral Palsy': Anne Hosier; The critics said few people would want to watch a cerebral palsy-afflicted comedian with a slow, slurred speech pattern and spastic, shaky limbs.

Tiny German Town Has a Passion for 2000: Alexander MacLeod; OBERAMMERGAU, GERMANY -- The 5,300 inhabitants of this Bavarian village, nestled among snow-clad mountains south of Munich, decided long ago how they would mark the coming millennium.

Gore backs Reid's efforts against dump: The two had to be in Washington, D.C., for a vote on education while the vice president waved the Democratic flag and raised $1 million for the party.

AFL-CIO seeks $13 million for political fund: Brian Seals; "The essence of what was approved yesterday was to undertake an aggressive mobilization campaign educating our members and their families that the issues that are before us, whether they are issues of legislation in Congress regarding health and pensions or the attacks being made on workers and their ability to participate in the political process," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said this morning.

Columnist Scott Dickensheets: Tiptoe through the mailbag with glee: Scott Dickensheets; And speaking of friendly readers, here's Marilyn O. Jones: "Poor Scott Dickensheets," she writes. Uh oh -- I don't think she's referring to my financial status. Rather, she's a partisan of the Las Vegas Art Museum, one of several who disliked my critique of LVAM's Bob Guccione exhibit. In a letter she headlines "Scotty the Impaler," Jones diagnoses the source of my pique. "Sounds like he's been sucking on too many sour grapes." Yowch!

Frontier strikers lauded by politicos: This time it was to praise the workers as heroes in a hard-fought union victory that has become a symbol of organized labor's renewed energy in America.

Gore, Gephardt woo labor: Vice President Al Gore and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt both met behind closed doors at Bally's with the executive council of the AFL-CIO, which is convening here for the first time ever.

Ralph Siraco's Selections For Saturday at Santa Anita: Selections made for clear racing conditions before scratches.

Rancho student stabbed in school cafeteria: Benjamin Grove; Officials would not release the name of either student. The wounded boy, who suffered several stab and puncture wounds, underwent surgery Thursday for a lacerated diaphragm and liver at University Medical Center, Clark County School District Police said. He was in fair condition today, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Thunder set for critical weekend: Tim Graham; The Las Vegas Thunder has encountered many crossroads this season.

Cleanup in Cairo Leaves City's Potters in the Dust: Sarah Gauch; Today a few live in makeshift homes of rusty corrugated iron, plastic sheeting, and bricks in this empty dirt field in Cairo where they once had thriving businesses and comfortable housing. The rest are scattered, crammed in with relatives or sleeping on city benches.

District Attorney, Nevada lab investigate cattle mutilations: Another rancher, Tony Trujillo, found an eerily similar scene last spring. "The funny thing is, that you don't see the dogs or the birds. They don't get near it," Trujillo said.

Saturday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 1 mi 3YO Clm

Ex-accountant guilty in $35 million scam: Bob Shemeligian; Jeffrey Jolcover, a certified public accountant who worked for the state from 1977 to 1979, faces a prison term of up to 25 years and fines totaling $550,000 when he is sentenced June 15.

Movie Guys: Strike up the band - here's who will dance with Oscar: Jeff; Here are The Movie Guys' picks for who will win the little golden statuettes.

Baby to get comp surgery: Cathy Scott; Dr. George Alexander will examine the infant today for the first time, he said.

Las Vegas won't get to watch Cinderella Team: Tim Graham; Dave McCann knows no matter what he decides, somebody will be upset.

Law to Protect Children Riles Many Parents in Guatemala: Jared Kotler; Quite a few people, it turns out. Churches, libertarian lawyers, and conservative parents are outraged by a measure they say would sabotage religion, disrupt the family, and trap parents in an Orwellian police state.

San Felipe off-road race Saturday: Las Vegas brothers Ed, Tim and Troy Herbst lead a group of 14 Southern Nevada desert racers to Mexico for Saturday's 12th Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 off-road race.

Gephardt to fight GOP plan: Larry Henry; "They are trying to take away the voice of labor," Gephardt, D-Mo., said at a press conference at Bally's hotel-casino. He spoke to reporters after addressing a closed session of the AFL-CIO executive council.

Marching off to WAR: Shane Gammon; WAR will bring its music-shooting instruments to Las Vegas to perform at the Sunset Station hotel-casino's Club Madrid at 8 and 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Students playing hooky in pipe suffer smoke inhalation after starting campfire: Cathy Scott; Las Vegas Fire Department rescue crews and Metro's Search & Rescue Section officers searched for 3-1/2 hours to pull the last four teens out of the east end of the pipe near Lake Mead Boulevard and Buffalo Road behind Cimarron High School.

Berosini-PETA battle back in court: Berosini and PETA battled in a Las Vegas courtroom several years ago over charges by the activist animal rights group that the entertainer had been beating his orangutans before shows. A copy of a videotape showing Berosini whipping the animals was broadcast nationwide.

Picabo Sheep, et al, shipped to new digs: A school bus brought Debbie Miller's fourth-grade class and Teena Walker's sixth-graders to the Interstate-80 exit near the Utah line.

Columnist Dean Juipe: McSorley looks for good old days: Dean Juipe; IN AN AGING building that's being refurbished, in a dark and largely deserted room that within a month will be a brightly lit snack bar and coffee shop, sits Chris McSorley at a makeshift, dust-covered desk. In terms of both the temperature and the aesthetics, it's cold.

Another nude bar faces fine: Denise Cardinal; Talk of the Town, 1238 Las Vegas Boulevard South, is a nude dancing and pornographic video establishment that is being brought before the Las Vegas City Council at Monday's meeting.

Hecht deal ready for ratification: Denise Cardinal; The city has preliminarily agreed to pay $3.2 million to help purchase an office building in northwest Las Vegas that satisfies the legal requirement between the Hecht family and the city.

State issues violation notice against mobile home dealer: Senior Deputy Attorney General Leslie Nielsen said the state agency has received numerous complaints from customers that Silver State sold mobile homes with serious title problems, including unsatisfied prior liens. Silver State, located at 4904 E. Tropicana Ave., deals in used mobile homes.

Prep Baseball: Van Meetren plays well as big league scouts take notes: Spencer Patterson; With major league baseball scouts studying his every move from the bleachers, it would have been understandable for Bishop Gorman's Jason Van Meetren to perform below par on Thursday.

A true tribute for the musically in-Clined: Joe Delaney; Gordon Stoker, Neil Mathews, Duane West and Ray Walker -- the Jordanaires -- have been together for more than four decades and have backed hundreds of top recording artists on thousands of hit records, including 15 years touring and recording with Elvis Presley, as well as with Cline. Their opening 30 minutes includes Presley songs and a few stories, a heartfelt "You Are Always On My Mind" that deserved a Willie Nelson writer credit, and a Ricky Nelson "Hello, Mary Lou" closer.

Ex-director of Chicago Film Office hired to bring Hollywood to Nevada: Geocaris will bring "a vast array of resources" with him when he takes over, Shriver said.

EAT'M presents musical talent: EAT'M is produced by Las Vegas-based Tenner & Associates and hosted by Las Vegas Events and the Desert Inn hotel-casino.

Obituaries for March 20, 1998: She is survived by one child, Stacy Cater of Las Vegas; two brothers, John Cater of Oregon, and Billy Rhynes of Arkansas; and two grandchildren.

PUC refuses to disclose proposed order: Greg Salter, deputy attorney general, wrote the opinion in response to a complaint from the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the PUC.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Congress should act to dampen bounty hunter abuses: When presenting HR3168, Hutchinson noted that "the Citizen Protection Act fulfills an important public safety goal -- namely keeping innocent citizens safe from the abusive actions of rogue bounty hunters. And it does so without creating a new federal bureaucracy or imposing any mandates on the states."

Letter: Don't forget Las Vegas 400 is backed by a cigarette company: At least we can all sleep well at night, knowing they would never target the youth of foreign countries. After all, we've seen what a good job cigarette companies have done in this country when given the opportunity to police themselves.

Science team to study basin's natural and social environment: Each of the team's scientists explained the scope of the research, before fielding questions from an audience of nearly 100 at South Tahoe High School on Wednesday.

Letter: Radio talk shows entertain, inform: Profeta gives listeners a positive start to their day by talking on subjects such as health, relationships and prosperity. His show is unique to Las Vegas.

Letter: Metro budget hike request unreasonable: Along with the suicides and drug sales we hear about in the local detention centers, we now wonder whether the staff is worse than the prisoners.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Tasty preview of new Gordon Biersch menus a delicious treat: A preview tasting of a number of the new appetizers and entrees showed the tempting range of cuisines and new flavors that have been blended into the choices. Prices are as pleasing as the food. Appetizers start at $4.95; entrees at $9.95.

Anonymous jolt hits Esmeralda County: The quake was followed by at least six aftershocks in the range of 1.9 to 2.6 magnitude.

Letter: Help save Air Force chimps used in scientific studies: These courageous chimps paved the way for our space program, our true pioneers. Help us help them to retire with some dignity.

Celebrity cars roll onto auction block: Angie Wagner; Of course, it'll cost you big time.

Editorial: Clinton delivers in Las Vegas visit: As the president was taking his views directly to the people in Las Vegas, Senate Republicans in Washington were attacking his budget. In a party-line vote, the Senate Budget Committee approved a package with modest tax cuts and a promise of $147 billion in federal surpluses over the next five years. The Republican plan ignores Clinton's plan to build more classrooms, hire more teachers and let people between the ages of 55-64 buy Medicare coverage.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Merle Haggard a world chronicler in song: Joe Delaney; Haggard, born in Bakersfield, Calif., was a wayward child, born for trouble, in and out of jail in his teens, and later did time at San Quentin Penitentiary. ... After his release from San Quentin, Haggard formed a band as bass guitarist and played Bakersfield's infamous "Beer Can Hill." ... This led to a recording contract.

Yerington pupil gets indefinite time at Caliente: Huff convicted McCabe earlier this month after a hearing in which witnesses said the teen-ager tried to enlist them in a plot to lock the doors during an assembly and open fire, targeting people on a list he had marked for death.

Sen. Neal removed from Metro review panel: The committee voted 7-6 to remove Neal, as well as remove O.C. Lee, also an original member. Lee had turned in his resignation before the meeting began.

Letter: Opportunity Village needs help to keep up with growth: We have applied to Clark County for a Community Development Block Grant to complete construction of this facility and have been rejected by the Citizens Advisory Committee.

Veteran gaming exec Nigro gets OK to run Maxim: Nigro told the panel that a foreclosure sale of the Maxim, which had been run by Davis, Calif., tomato tycoon John B. Anderson, may be held early next month - and West Coast Mortgage, which holds $40.6 million in defaulted notes secured by Maxim assets, will likely be the only bidder.

People in the News for March 20, 1998: Miscellany

Family Services fighting own computer problems: The division joins the growing list of state agencies that have experienced delays, higher-than-expected costs and glitches in new computer systems and programs.

Vegas gaming firm wins legal fight over software: A federal judge in Reno ordered Autotote to return sports betting software licensed from American Wagering at the time of the 1996 sale. Autotote had provided the software to one of its customers, The Caliente Group, which runs the Agua Caliente racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico.

Casino companies expand to Eastern Europe, Bahamas: Century Casinos, which has entered into a 10-year agreement to provide casino management service to the venture, owns and operates the Womacks-Legends Casino in Cripple Creek, Colo.

Ethics Commission denies request to dismiss: Jeff Schweers; The Ethics Commission also agreed to reconsider its earlier decision to dismiss a similar complaint against Commissioner Lorraine Hunt. The Ethics Commission will place the matter on its April agenda.

Reid urges Clinton to intercede in kidnappings: Three FBI agents already have been sent to Russia and a fourth who is fluent in Russian and experienced in hostage negotiations was dispatched Friday to help in the search for Andrew Lee Propst, 20, of Lebanon, Ore., and Travis Robert Tuttle, 20, of Gilbert, Ariz.

Boulder City woman killed in crash: At 9:20 p.m., Janice Hodges, 59, was driving east in a 1995 Pontiac when her car veered off the roadway, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Steve Harney said.

Letter: Ice cream truck music is deafening: I appreciate the service and product of the Good Humor man, but will acquit the first person charged with taking a Louisville Slugger to that sound system.