Print edition for March 25, 1998

Carson City sheriff's deputy shot and wounded: Chief Deputy Jerry Mather said a search was continuing for the two men. A sawed-off, single-shot, 20-gauge shotgun was left behind when they scaled a wall and fled on foot.

Another nuclear-related test conducted at Nevada Test site: Before the experiment, 21 anti-nuclear protesters gathered at the gates to the sprawling test site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Two were cited on simple trespass charges, then released, the DOE reported.

Police find first big clue about serial rapist: A black, wool brim-less "beanie cap" with a Nike logo on it was left behind when the would-be raper was beaten away by his victim and fled an apartment in the Polo Club complex in the 3100 block of East Flamingo early Tuesday.

Adelson blasts LVCVA, competitors, union: Gary Thompson; Unlike Sheldon Adelson, a fine wine mellows with age.

Columnist Peter Benton: Armour tearing up course on two tours: Peter Benton; PRIOR TO last week's Bay Hill Invitational, former Las Vegas resident Tommy Armour III found himself in a unique position: He was leading both the PGA Tour and Nike Tour scoring average charts.

500 tons of illegal medical waste dug up: Art Nadler; Environmental Technologies of Nevada Inc., a subsidiary of Silver State Disposal Service, has been removing medical waste from an adjacent yard next to US EnviroMedical Corp., 3890 Walnut St., since Friday.

LVCVA sticks with controversial contract: The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors Tuesday deadlocked in a 6-6 vote to reconsider the bid awarded to US Telecom of Houston.

LPGA Money Leaders through March 22: LPGA Money Leaders through March 22

Detroit leaders defend once-reprimanded attorney's work on casino project: That made little difference to Dimitrious Marangos, a General Motors Corp. worker on disability who filed the complaint against McMillan.

Editorial: Geography rules: Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., quietly slipped into a reauthorization bill some language designating Lake Champlain, which abuts Vermont, as a Great Lake. But as any student who has taken a geography class knows, there are just five Great Lakes. Lake Champlain hardly merits the status of a Great Lake; it is just one-fifteenth the size of Lake Ontario, the smallest of the Great Lakes.

Thompson happy to be home with Stars: Steve Guiremand; PEORIA, Ariz. --- Sometimes, as the adage goes, you have to take one step back to go two steps forward.

Editorial: Counties worry about tax decline: As the 1997 Legislature passed legislation allowing for competition by the end of 1999, even one of the biggest proponents of electric deregulation acknowledged there were uncertainties ahead. "We're in for a wild ride," Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said.

Jones: Pauls could still develop UP land: Richard N. Velotta and Denise Cardinal; Mayor Jan Laverty Jones met with Union Pacific Assistant Vice President David Uhrich on Tuesday and got assurances that Pauls is still the top choice to buy the land -- valued at an estimated $120 million. Jones also said Uhrich indicated Union Pacific has no plans to divide the property into smaller units in an attempt to sell it faster.

Dersch drops casino from lawsuit: Dersch, 32, who is serving at least five years in prison after being declared a habitual criminal, voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit Tuesday against the Fremont hotel-casino and the security guards who watched as he was mistreated.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Let's include Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic in NATO: This may be difficult for my regular readers to swallow, but I find the recent remarks by Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., making more good sense than many of the people who oppose NATO expansion to include these three nations. It's very rare that Helms is used as a positive reference by me, but, in this case, his logic flies in the face of the conservative Cato think tank and other naysayers.

Inexperienced, inebriated boaters overwhelm law enforcement: Tim Molloy; But to take the helm of a boat, a passion for many in the desert Southwest, there's only one requirement: You need to be at least 12 years old.

'Sluggish' revenues don't stop an increased county budget: Jeff Schweers; A 12.4 percent boost in assessed property values have helped to offset a slump in sales tax collections keeping Clark County's budget prospects bright and financial planners optimistic.

Lawmakers delay action on expansion funds for state Supreme court: "It's a whole new concept," said Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, the IFC chairman. But he added that there's no argument the Supreme Court needs a facility in southern Nevada.

Direction of groundwater flow a key in Sunrise landfill probe: It will take about a month before the groundwater report is ready, said BLM spokesman Mike Moran, in charge of the solid waste study at the Las Vegas office.

People in the News for March 25, 1998: Miscellany

New-look Thunder finds success on ice: Tim Graham; Across the board, the Las Vegas Thunder brass raved about its newest players.

Tribes told to protect their gaming interests: John Wilen; If the tribes want to retain their status as sovereign nations, immune from state and federal regulation, they must change tactics, and fast, the experts urged.

Bernstein rips media for catering to 'idiot culture': Carl Bernstein, along with fellow Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, gained international fame and a place in history for a series of stories on the Watergate break-in that helped topple the Nixon presidency and earned the reporters a Pulitzer Prize.

Water Master makes releases from reservoirs: The next storm is not expected until late Friday or Saturday, and forecasters think it will be a snow-maker more than a rain producer. Warm rain triggered Tuesday's runoff as it washed down the Sierra snowpack.

Letters: Too many fees placed on those who use airport: It isn't bad enough they raised the parking fee 30 percent, now they are planning to charge for bringing passengers to and from the airport.

Race car driver dies, 13 months after being shot in the head: Tim Dahlberg; On Wednesday, their struggle finally ended. Thirteen months after a bullet ended Trickle's promising racing career, it finally ended his life.

Obituaries for March 25, 1998: He is survived by five daughters, Shirley Rogers Davis, Demita Vinson, Anita Alexis, Crystal Graves and Shauna Alexis, and two sons, Herbert Rogers and Stanley Rogers, all of North Las Vegas; three brothers; two sisters; 28 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Miller: DOE report unsatisfactory: Miller urged the federal government Tuesday to continue its moratorium on shipments into Nevada until safety issues are addressed to protect not only Nevadans but those along the transportation route.

Mulberry trees produce record pollen count: The Clark County Health District's Monty Symmonds counted 65,102 pollen grains in an air sample from Baskin Park on Oakey Boulevard Tuesday.

State high court decisions to be available on Internet: The Supreme Court releases about 1,300 decisions a year. Most aren't available to the general public and attorneys until weeks after they're filed.

State rejects Sprint request for lower tax assessment: Board Chairman Rodney Larva, after a daylong hearing Tuesday, said there was no question that the taxable value of $459.2 million was proper for Sprint, which purchased Central Telephone Co. in Las Vegas several years ago and changed its name earlier this month.

Rodeo's pact with LV extended to 2007: The action concluded months of negotiations for the 10-day gathering of the world's best riders and ropers between Las Vegas Events, which coordinates the rodeo, and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, which had considered other locations for the rodeo.

Appeal denied for man who rammed SIIS office: Forrester maintained his prison term was cruel and unusual punishment because of his severe medical problems. He claimed he is a "prisoner in his own body" and "has been sentenced to serve the rest of his life in excruciating pain."

Justice suggests audits of Supreme Court spending: "We deal with a lot of money, an $18 million budget," Young said Tuesday.

Council OKs road-widening funds: Denise Cardinal; The money is being used to fix what are called saw-tooth roads -- those streets that from one block to the next become narrower or wider without warning.

Columnist Paula Del Giudice: Endangered Species Act is in dangers: THE ENDANGERED Species Act legislation seems to be languishing in the Senate. The unpopular bill introduced last year was opposed by conservation organizations even though it received early support from Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and the Clinton administration.

Circus Circus sues Internet casino over use of the Circus name: Bill Gang; The culprit, according to the lawsuit, is a German corporation named WWW Internetgames that is using the logo Circus-Casino on its Internet gaming site.

Court rules against man in prison for '93 rampage: Forrester, 61, is serving a seven-year term in the Nevada State Prison in Carson City for malicious destruction of private property, illegal discharge of a firearm and assault with a deadly weapon.

Stop DUI chief blasts Reid for vote on 0.08 measure: "I'm more than hurt," Stop DUI Executive Director Sandy Heverly said. "When you have a history with a person such as Harry Reid you expect certain things. You expect a person to stand by their word."

Give that microbiologist a medal: Margulis is most well known for her contribution to the "Gaia hypothesis," named for the Greek goddess of the Earth. The theory proposes that life, especially microorganisms and plants, provides the Earth with natural, self-regulating mechanisms to set surface temperature and the chemistry of the air and the oceans.

Letter: Children don't belong anywhere inside a casino: This would provide a much nicer atmosphere for adults to enjoy an adult area free of all the brats. They don't belong there in the first place.

Letter: Clinton wants to make Nevada a union-only state: He came to this right-to-work state to push the union millionaires to change the minds of business leaders and break the state law and declare this a union-only state, by using worker dues as PAC money (without the OK of the rank and file).

Letter: Police officer should be commended for helping out: Metro came, made many arrests and put a stop to it. The house in question is now for sale as a fixer-upper.

Letter: White House mistaken in releasing Willey letters: Given her resistance at the time, she had reason to believe there would be a recurrence and would be wary of ever again getting into a situation to allow it. On the other hand, in a new and confusing life without the husband who existed at the time of the incident, she might have even been inviting a recurrence, though that would never have excused the initial event.

Boat deaths blamed on wrong turn: Karen Zekan; The seven adults on board had gone to Hoover Dam and were making their way back shortly before midnight Sunday when the "Underestimated" ran aground about six miles upstream, northeast of Burro Point, said Karen Whitney, National Park Service spokeswoman.

High court reprimands attorney: Shortly after opening his Las Vegas law office in July 1995, McNabney ran into financial troubles.

Assemblyman Bob Price recovers from heart attack: Sandra Chereb; Price, D-North Las Vegas, began having chest pains about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday just after getting off a plane at the airport.

Lawmakers OK $4.2 million fund transfer for higher computer program costs: Brendan Riley; The Legislature's Interim Finance Committee voted Wednesday to approve the transfer for the state Division of Child and Family Services, which has a contract with a McLean, Va., firm for a $14.2 million computer system.

Nannini silences Gorman: Spencer Patterson; There might not have been anything tangible on the line in Tuesday's non-conference baseball game between Bishop Gorman and Green Valley, but don't tell that to Gators' coach Roger Fairless.

Arrest of Abortion Doctors Puts Australia Laws on Spot: Caryn Coatney; Both sides of the debate are watching events unfolding in the predominantly conservative city of Perth, Western Australia, viewing them as a test case for how the rest of Australia may proceed on the question.

Propane leaks from cab after accident: Police blocked off the two roads following the spectacular 3:49 a.m. accident that sent the Checker Cab driver to the University Medical Center with what turned out to be mild injuries.

Roster cuts by Padres help shape Stars' 1998 roster: Steve Guiremand; PEORIA, Ariz. --- The Las Vegas Stars will likely pick up three new players today when the parent San Diego Padres trim their roster to 33 players.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Baseball's sacred record due to fall: Dean Juipe; For sports fans, it's an unavoidable discussion that figures to have a summer-long shelf life in spite of the fact it's a simple yes or no, believe or don't believe, issue.

Female cop demotion is upheld: Cathy Scott; At the end of a 13-hour hearing Tuesday that lasted past midnight, the five-member Civil Service Board voted 4-1 to not give Debra Gauthier back her lieutenant's bars. Chairman Elgin Simpson cast the dissenting vote.

Fallen cop was experienced in search in rescue: Adrienne Packer; Russell Peterson, 40, an eight-year Metro veteran, had just finished descending from a frozen waterfall about 3 p.m. when a massive chunk of ice loosened and collapsed, falling on top of him.

World's Digital Dynamos: Finns Leaders in Mobile Phones: William Echikson; When it comes to being digital, Finland is the world leader: Nearly 1 in 2 Finns uses mobile phones, and more than 2 in 5 are connected to the Internet.

Africa: The Loded Continent: Kate Dunn; The gold, diamonds, cobalt, and platinum have always been there. But non-Africans are now welcome to mine and export the mineral wealth - and profit from it. It's as though the continent's post-colonial socialist past never happened. Now mines ministers compete with each other to give incentives to foreign firms. "The country is bestowed with treasure," says Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, mines minister for diamond-rich Namibia. "You just bring your tools." And as America and other nations push trade (over aid) to Africa, mineral wealth will take on a greater luster.

Rodeo Money Leaders through March 23: ALL-AROUND

Thursday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 6 fur 4YO Clm

Torn Over Garments, Turkey Hurtles Toward a Showdown: Sami Kohen; ISTANBUL, TURKEY -- Duandane Deger, a student at Istanbul University, tries to come to campus daily in Islamic dress. But she is refused entry at the gate of the university each time.

Two men die in crash near Ely: Bryan Vandermoler, 24, of Boulder, Colo., was taken to Ely Medical Center, then on to a Salt Lake City hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Tuesday's College Baseball Scores: Averett 4, New Paltz St. 2

Bill includes $24 million to help widen I-15: The bill has been passed out of the House Transportation Committee and could reach the House floor next week.