Print edition for March 24, 1998

LPGA statistics through March 22: Eagles

District Attorney drops smut peddling charges: Deputy District Attorney Ben Graham asked Justice of the Peace Bill Jansen last week to dismiss the counts, citing evidentiary problems with the cases involving the illegal distribution of handbills.

After delay, medical waste site digging to resume: Art Nadler and Bill Gang; Environmental Technologies of Nevada Inc. refused to continue excavating a 15,625-square-foot yard behind US EnviroMedical Corp., 3890 Walnut St., until it receives a "letter of understanding" from the Clark County Health District granting it permission to store what is thought to be medical waste at its Apex landfill.

PGA Tour winners, schedule: Jan. 8-11 - Mercedes Championships (Phil Mickelson)

LPGA Tour winners, schedule: Jan. 21-24 - The Office Depot (Helen Alfredsson)

Teacher of the year running for Assembly: She said Monday she will seek the Democratic nomination for the Assembly in District 40 which encompasses much of Carson City. The seat is held by Republican Mark Amodei who is running for the state Senate.

Binion has license revoked: The commission voted 4-0 to strip Binion of his license following a contentious nine-hour hearing in which the son of the late gaming pioneer Benny Binion acknowledged he had made a mistake doing business with Blitzstein.

Agencies hope to spend week cleaning the air: The RTC, in partnership with Clark County Comprehensive Planning and the Health District, are promoting March 23-27 as "Clean Air Week."

Boat runs aground at Lake Mead; 4 die: Karen Zekan; The "Underestimated," a 47-foot Fountain craft, was determined by Mohave County Sheriff's investigators to have been traveling between 50 and 60 mph when it slammed into the rocky area about six miles upstream from Hoover Dam, northeast of Burro Point.

NFL Calendar: April 13 - Signing period ends for restricted free agents.

Thunder deals pair for defensive help: Tim Graham; Size matters.

Oscar fans enjoy Hilton bash: Adrienne Packer; They sipped wine and feasted on a lavish meal. This was not a cruise ship where the unsinkable Molly Brown was to be spotted. Nor was it the 70th annual Academy Awards held Monday evening in Los Angeles.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Dallimore moving to Reno: Dean Juipe; "I got a job as a sales rep with Paul-Son (Gaming)," he said this week. "My house is for sale right now and we're moving to Reno."

Union Pacific to update city on downtown land status: Richard N. Velotta and Denise Cardinal; Union Pacific Assistant Vice President David Uhrich scheduled a meeting with Mayor Jan Laverty Jones to discuss options for the land, targeted as a site for a downtown project to include an events center, a performing arts district and a collection of restaurants.

Regional planners consider Boomtown expansion plans: Plans include a 2,100-room hotel tower, 100,000 square-feet of casino space, an outdoor amusement complex and an 18-hole golf course.

Council approves Hecht deal: Denise Cardinal; The City Council unanimously 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.

Girls remain critical after crash that killed their mother, sister: Karen Zekan; Amanda Caskey, 12, and Jenna Caskey, 5, suffered potentially life-threatening injuries after their father, John Caskey, 39, lost control of the family's 1989 Ford while southbound on the expressway near Lake Mead Boulevard about 8:20 p.m. Friday, authorities said.

Man believed to be on drugs leads police on chase: No flights took off during the 10 minute ordeal and one plane that was on final approach was ordered to go around.

Church congregation back pastor, ousts board: The doors to the building at 316 Madison Ave. had been locked since December as a result of a conflict between two opposing sides within the church -- one side supporting the board and its policies and the other supporting the Rev. Donald Walker.

Former Nellis commander Fischer dies at 65: When Fischer left Langley for the Las Vegas job, his successor accepted an award for outstanding operational readiness that Fischer's leadership had earned.

Another nuclear-related test set for Nevada Test site: Chemical high explosives will be used to generate high pressures that are applied to weapon materials in an underground complex at the nuclear testing facility.

Las Vegas group eyes F-1 race: A local group moved one step closer to bringing Formula One racing to Las Vegas as the United States Grand Prix formally submitted to Clark County a proposal to build an 18-hole championship golf course and a 2 1/2-mile F-1 circuit.

Fallon assistant police chief position filled: Tedford said the chief is never off duty and can be called back at any time. He said the assistant will help cover the management position, give Chief Don Phipps him some relief and offer somebody off whom to bounce ideas.

Prep Schedule for March 24-28: Baseball

Stars pitcher Clement on fast track to Majors: Steve Guiremand; PEORIA, Ariz. --- Matt Clement is no stranger to the city of Las Vegas.

Seven pedestrians injured in Strip crash: At 11:15 p.m., Nancy Reisman, 69, of Brooklyn, N.Y., ran a red light on the Strip and crossed the intersection at Flamingo Road, NHP Trooper Steve Harney said. Reisman's car was hit by a 1987 Nissan pickup, driven by Gabriel Sierra, 29, of Las Vegas.

Singelton remembered as prominent pioneer attorney: Singleton, a chief warrant officer in the Army Air Corps during World War II, was assigned to the gunnery school that became Nellis Air Force Base.

At Lunch With Ian McEwen: Sarah Lyall; And he is careful in the way he approaches his work, making sure that his characters, and his readers, know that he is firmly in charge. He is not the sort of novelist who will tell you that his characters rule their own lives, that his plots spin themselves or that his ideas bubble up from some subconscious level that he barely understands.

Monday's UNLV Golf results: Country Club at Lakeway (Par 72, 6,954 yards):

Burton offers reward in cabbie's death: Karen Zekan; Burton told authorities his generosity is in recognition of the cooperation so many other cab drivers have shown on his behalf in past years, according to Metro Police homicide Sgt. Kevin Manning.

LV attorney appointed Lincoln County DA: He conceded that "cow county politics can be tough" but said he isn't worried about facing the same fate as Dill in the one-person office. Dill's political demise came after he reduced a felony sexual assault charge to a gross misdemeanor in a plea bargain.

Iowa House votes restriction on gambling credit: There have been efforts to add more slot machines at the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona.

Counties fear reduction of utilities' taxes: The Nevada Association of Counties sent word Monday to the state Board of Equalization that reducing the taxable value of these companies will "result in financial hardships in many companies."

Lake Mead officials warn boaters to play it safe: Karen Zekan; The National Park Service recommends boaters:

'Antelope Wife': Myths of Redemption Amid a Legacy of Loss: Michiko Kakutani; In the hands of another writer, this episode might seem contrived, melodramatic or willfully perverse, but Ms. Erdrich writes with such uncommon emotional precision that she is able to invest such events with both a harshly palpable reality and a tragic sense of myth. By cutting back and forth in time among several generations of an extended family, she illuminates the ancient roots of the troubles afflicting the Whiteheart Beads clan, while at the same time revealing the rippling aftereffects of Richard's actions on those who loved him.

Pioneer educator Gray dies: Benjamin Grove; "He got that principal in there with his wife and he counseled them and they stayed together," said Gary Gray, Gray's son. "If there was ever a problem, he went right after the person."

Whalen named Gorman head football coach: Spencer Patterson; New Bishop Gorman head football coach Roger Whalen is hoping the third time is indeed the charm.

Cost of cleaning landfill site rising: The Bureau of Land Management released a report Monday by two Colorado consultants that said sample soil gases contained organic and hazardous materials not found in ordinary household wastes.

Video poker strategist, author Frome dies at 71: Bob Shemeligian; Frome also wrote a column on video poker strategy in Gaming Today.

Del Papa may seek re-election: Del Papa, a Democrat, had started an exploratory committee to seek the Democratic nomination for governor but pulled out last October, saying she couldn't match the $2.5 million campaign chest of Republican front-runner Kenny Guinn.

Judge must decide who owns winning bottle cap: Bill Gang; The question of who owned the elusive bottle has resulted in a District Court lawsuit, but not over the 60 cents or so that Judy Richardson paid for it and not over the beverage itself.

New York man pleads guilty to trying to engage in sex act with teen: The "boy" turned out to be a Metro Police officer trained to converse like a teenager on the Internet, and 46-year-old Menashe Morad found himself facing charges that could put him in prison for 18 months.

Teens face charges in pipe bomb case: They were arrested Thursday after talking with investigators about a pipe bomb that was found in an open area of the subdivision, where Etheridge lives. Authorities say the two admitted to building the 6-inch long, half-inch wide piece of pipe containing gun powder, batteries and a clock.

Wednesday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 6 fur 3YO Fil Mdn

Columnist Steve Carp: For Majerus, the game is still on tap: Steve Carp; It's a fun game with Majerus and a few of his buddies, which sometimes includes the likes of Kevin Costner and Jaleel White, who plays the geek Erkel on the TV show "Family Matters." Usually, Majerus has time to play because he goes to the Final Four to eat, shoot the breeze and set some picks.

TV/Sports for March 23-28: TUESDAY

'Nosferatu': The Imagined Life of a Film Pioneer: Richard Bernstein; Shepard has now expanded that story into a novel telling the fuller imagined life of the German filmmaker. It is a life in which Nosferatu - "Doesn't the name sound like the midnight call of a death bird?" - stands for Murnau's own solitude, his self-exclusion and guilt over the evil that he suspects lurks within himself.

Baseball: Durango wins 8th straight: Spencer Patterson; When Durango baseball coach Mike Gomez scheduled this week's games against Hawaiian school Kalani, he was hoping to provide his club with some tough competition before it opened conference play.

High schools to face pressure from student explosion: Simon Gajer; The number of Nevada high school graduates will jump to nearly 25,000 in 2012, the study says.

Magician offers $10,000 reward for information on cabbie killer: Harris was shot to death in the early morning hours Saturday, apparently by a fare he had picked up who tried to rob him.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Excursion to wine country is nothing to whine about: How about a journey to wine country via a luxurious cruise down the Rhone river with travel consultant Robert Boyd and wine expert Carolyn Prusa?

Lake Tahoe future on agency agenda: Projects to restore Lake Tahoe's declining clarity would absorb $350.6 million, with soil conservation accounting for $192.7 million and air quality $129.1 million.

Concern turns to relief as rains end: Tom Gardner; Washoe County inmate crews began filling and stacking sandbags along Steamboat Ditch in Pleasant Valley, a site of extensive flooding over New Year's in 1997, and in the Franktown Road area of Washoe Valley.

Nevada report critical of feds' nuke waste report: The DOE report followed a Dec. 15 discovery near Kingman, Ariz., that water was leaking from metal containers being trucked to the department's Nevada Test Site.

Gaming critics liken their campaign contributions to tobacco's: Brett Pulley; Over the last decade, finding a place to make a legal wager has become as easy as buying a beer. And though Las Vegas is still the center of growth, so many states turned to gambling during tough fiscal times in the 1980s that the gambling industry could begin to rival the tobacco industry in political influence.

Riviera, Four Queens mum on failed merger: John Wilen; Allen Paulson wants out of an agreement to buy Riviera Holdings Corp. and Elsinore Corp., prompting analysts to speculate Paulson has simply waken up to the harsh reality of today's gaming industry.

Columnist Scott Dickensheets: Smile, print boy! You're on 'Jintsy's' camera: Scott Dickensheets; -- Greg Kinnear to Jack Nicholson in "As Good as It Gets"

Box score: Thunder 2, K-Wings 1: Second Period -- 1, Michigan, Galtcheniouk 10 (Lukowich, Buzek) 8:30. Penalties: Hendrickson, Michigan (hooking) 4:43; Gusev, Michigan (holding) 13:23; Hendrickson, Michigan (hooking) 17:01.

Obituaries for March 24, 1998: She is survived by one great-niece, Yvonne Wright of Las Vegas; and three grandchildren.

Study finds little impact from river pact on Lake Tahoe: The proposed Truckee River Operating Agreement is intended to fairly divide downstream water rights among private and public interests in California and Nevada, including farmers in the Fallon, Nev., area, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and Reno-based Sierra Pacific Power Co.

Utilities win tax cuts some fear will harm counties, schools: The cuts, approved Monday, reduce the property taxes that Nevada Power will pay in the coming fiscal year by $1.3 million and taxes paid by Southwest Gas by $660,000.

A Far-Right Populist Pounds at Austria's Gates: Peter Ford; VIENNA -- From the point of view of personal pedigree, Jorg Haider fits the bill perfectly as leader of Austria's far-right Freedom Party. His father volunteered to be a Nazi stormtrooper, his mother was a member of the Nazi League of German Maidens, and his multimillion-dollar fortune is based on an estate confiscated from a Jewish family under Adolf Hitler's rule.

Letter: Race shouldn't be factor in hiring: Anti-discrimination laws already exist. Your affirmative action policy sounds like discrimination to me.

IHL Standings as of March 24, 1998: Northeast Division

Letter: Suggestion of state lottery should not be taken seriously: Regardless of that question, how many residents in this state are actually going to play a lottery which everyone knows is a "sucker bet" from the word go? The answer is very few. Maybe some tourists will spend $5 here and $5 there on lottery tickets, but what's the point? Any game you play in Las Vegas (and other parts of the state) has better odds than a lottery.

Columnist Jeff German: Wilhelm fund-raiser for medical center a West Coast record-setter: Saturday's humanitarian award dinner at the Mirage hotel-casino raised the largest amount ever -- a whopping $370,000 -- for the world-renowned Denver hospital on the West Coast. Previous benefits here have taken in $70,000 to $80,000.

Where I Stand -- Ruthe Deskin: Sexual awareness courses could be going too far: After watching Mike Wallace interview professors and others regarding the teaching of sexual awareness, or whatever they call it, I've decided my sense of morality belongs with the dinosaurs.

Crashed boat was nearly pulled off the water hours before accident: Less than eight hours later, the speedboat - going at least 50 mph - slammed into the shore early Monday, killing four people and seriously injuring three others at Lake Mead National Recreation Area in far northwestern Arizona.

Serbs Shrug Off West's Threats And Hunker Down on Kosovo: Justin Brown; "These sanctions they threaten us with, they are a big mistake," says the official, who is forbidden to speak with the press and asks to remain anonymous. "The international community showed they know nothing of Kosovo."

Harris sentenced for probation violation: Harris and a second man were arrested in Las Vegas Feb. 18 after an FBI informant said they claimed to have deadly military-grade anthrax in their possession. Charges against Harris and William Leavitt Jr., 47, of Logandale, Nev., were dismissed on Feb. 23 after tests showed the material was a harmless anthrax veterinary vaccine.

Letter: Students aren't criminals if they use graffiti to honor dead friends: Graffiti that society finds most offensive is that which is not invited: the "in your face" type. Graffiti can be expressed through clothing, tattoos, hair design, cars, music, speech and in attitude. Graffiti forms draw attention to a point expressed or conceived by the inventor or author. It is an attention-getting device either to get your business, your money, your appreciation, your attention or your insult. Graffiti has existed since the dawn of civilization, and I hardly think that it's going to stop in 1998.

Gaming expo begins: The event, sponsored by Casino Journal magazine, will feature seminars on marketing, regulatory issues, Indian gaming, expansion opportunities and Internet gambling.

Venetian hotel builder blasts city tourism officials: "Their marketing thinking cries out for an overhaul," Adelson said. "If I had a marketing department in a private company that spent $30 million to $40 million a year I'd better see an increase of more than inflation or population growth or I'd soon see my marketing department out the door."

Editorial: Negligence and radioactive waste: The latest fiasco comes from the Energy Department's nuclear weapons plant in Hanford, Wash. For decades, managers there had insisted that leaks from the underground tanks at the plant, which has the nation's largest concentration of radioactive waste, were nothing to worry about since the surrounding soil would trap the radioactive waste.

Editorial: Community rallies to pay doctor bills: Southern Nevadans have been there with financial assistance, helping the family pay for the baby's mounting medical bills. Last week Sutton gave the parents a $19,000 check from the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino, which held fund-raisers, to defray hospital expenses. In addition, Jacqueline will receive free cosmetic surgery from local plastic surgeon Dr. George Alexander.