Print edition for November 23, 1998

Indian gaming threat heightens LV's I-15 concerns: Weekend customers from Southern California now leave early from Las Vegas on Sunday because of traffic logjams along the highway.

Freed mom seeks new start with daughters who accused her: Bill Gang; Yet when she was released from jail a free woman last week -- the pandering charges dropped and doubts raised about the integrity of the investigation -- Behymer's first thoughts were of the welfare of the girls, now 11 and 13.

Letter: More to story, about Lanni, gambling panel: Neither in my written nor oral presentation to the commission, nor at any other time, have I ever accused Lanni of having plotted the MGM's takeover of the Tropicana sidewalk. We can all understand why Lanni would so fiercely disavow any association with it, but he implied that I made an accusation I never made. It was the age-old attack-the-messenger trick. The message apparently struck a chord.

Station on the rebound after a tough summer: John Wilen; The company is making money. Analysts are upgrading its stock. Investors are buying its stock. And a vital Missouri ballot initiative went Station's way.

Letter: Will of people defers to crime: I'm holding my breath. I told my kids the president broke the law by lying under oath. Perjury, a felony, is a real crime in our justice system. It sure would be sad if they get the message, "If you're big enough and strong enough there will be no consequences for breaking the law."

Letter: Make authority prove water safety: I would think by now the newspaper and the reporters would ask the Southern Nevada Water Authority to give proof beyond a question of a doubt every time it makes the statement, "Our water is safe." Aren't we asking for another disaster like the MGM fire before the days of building sprinklers?

LV gaming people: At Boyd Gaming Corp., Thomas Ballance is vice president of development for the company's joint venture with Mirage Resorts that will develop a resort in Atlantic City.

LV business events: ADA -- Americans With Disability Act compliance seminar co-sponsored by AIA. Dec. 2. 895-0936.

Bill would rewrite law on records: The Nevada Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Association has requested a bill to revise Nevada's 87-year-old public records law. The bill will be introduced during the legislative session that begins Feb. 1.

Editorial: Setting aside land for defense: Among prominent officials and groups outside the military, Guinn's voice has been the lone one in advocating an indefinite grant to the Air Force to use this land. While some believe the Air Force should be allowed to continue to use the Nellis Air Force Range, most sentiment favors allowing the land to be used for a set period of time, requiring periodic reviews.

Obituaries for November 23, 1998: She is survived by her husband, Joseph; one daughter, Joan Orlowsky of Orlando, Fla.; one son, Neil Alpert of Las Vegas; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Columnist Melissa Schorr: So, you know, she like talks funny: Melissa Schorr; "I don't tell just anybody, you know."

Letter: Schools are fine -- it's the students: They have no pride in their appearance, no respect for themselves, their teachers or anyone else. It's hard for me to believe that parents let their children dress this way. They should not be allowed in school, which would make room for the good students who want to learn. All of our schools should have a uniform dress code.

Action threatened over Olympics-themed casino, topless bar: John Wilen; Several Las Vegas-area businesses could soon find themselves in trouble with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

LV business people: Kent Morishige is corporate assistant vice president and relationship manager and Ryan Stipe is assistant corporate relationship manager at U.S. Bank.

IHL Standings -- November 22, 1998: Northeast Division

Nevada plans use of digital security: Already pioneers in the technology are using carefully guarded computers to store and authenticate the secret elements of these digital signatures.

Road work endangers flower: The Nevada Department of Transportation is weighing two options for the widening: the removal of a housing tract on the north of the expressway or paving over the birthplace of Las Vegas known as Big Springs to its south.

Man charged with felony DUI in death of fetus: The Nevada Highway Patrol said the accident occurred Saturday on Interstate-80 near the Fourth Street interchange when Hobaugh's pickup, traveling west in the eastbound lane, collided head-on with a sport utility vehicle driven by Lea Slocum, 25, of Reno.

Brief: Firm sued over lease: Attempts to contact Casinovations officials for comment failed.

Loss to Trojans leads to long practice session for UNLV: Steve Carp; By the time Sunday's marathon practice session had concluded at the Thomas & Mack Center, day had long since turned to night and many of the UNLV players had lost track of the time.

Box score: Thunder 5, Blades 4 (SO): Second Period -- 4, Las Vegas, Neved 6 (Burridge, Jomphe), 2:45; 5, Las Vegas, Burridge 5 (Mcbain, Jomphe), 9:22; 6, Kansas City, Ferschweiler 1 (Richison, Ratushny), 9:47; 7, Kansas City, Cirone 11 (Ferschweiler, Wood), 17:27. Penalties: Las Vegas, Mccambridge (Obstruction, interference), 4:37; Las Vegas, Ewen (elbowing), 6:58; Kansas City, Ferschweiler (high-sticking), 18:55.

Reid-Ensign among the most expensive Senate races ever: Reid and Ensign were far and away the biggest spenders in terms of votes garnered. Reid spent the most of any candidate per vote - $22.02. The next biggest spender was Ensign, spending $13.14 per vote. Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, R-N.Y., was third at $11.66 per vote.

1998-1999 Las Vegas Thunder Roster (11-18-98): Head Coach: Bob Bourne

Wind gusts to 89 mph blow out store front: Scott Sonner; "It sounded like a bomb exploded," said Lisa Mohun of Truckee, Calif., who was 20 feet away when the windows blew out of the Two Giraffe's Bar and Grille in downtown Reno.

Box Score: UNLV 103, Sacred Heart 56: 3-Point Goals: 5-22, .227 (Hunter 2-7, Randazzo 2-9, Reis 1-5, Lydeka 0-1).

Von Tobel loses powerful committee job: But Von Tobel thinks she's been removed, in an unprecedented action, because she took a strong stand against the University and Community College System of Nevada and the merit pay for faculty. "I asked tough questions and expected accountability of state agencies and the university."

Davies ends 20-month winless skid with LPGA Tour Championship: Laura Davies did just about everything she could to talk herself out of winning the LPGA Tour Championship.

Famed gambler Ungar dies at 45: The owner of the Oasis Motel, 1731 S. Las Vegas Blvd., said Ungar, a former three-time world poker champion and world-class gin rummy player, checked in Friday night and was found dead in his room about 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Brief: Mirage picks Texas ad agency: GSD&M said its 1998 billings should hit $750 million. The Mirage account is expected to bill about $30 million a year, the agency said.

Brief: Excalibur to get wrestling restaurant: WCW said its plans call for at least one wrestler such as Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Bill Goldberg, Warrior, Diamond Dallas Page and The Giant to appear each week at the facility.

Box score: Thunder 4, Komets 3: Second Period-- 5, Fort Wayne, Nemirovsky 4 (Lehtera, Butsayev), 4:54; 6, Fort Wayne, Nemirovsky 5 (Lehtera, Butsayev), pp, 13:36. Penalties: Las Vegas, Roenick (roughing), 9:05; Las Vegas, Mcbain (tripping), 9:35; Fort Wayne, Boguniecki (slashing), 9:36; Las Vegas, Berens (high-sticking), 12:52; Las Vegas, Jomphe (slashing major, game misconduct), 18:35; Fort Wayne, Penn (slashing, double minor), 18:35.

Sorrenstam attains goal with par: Annika Sorenstam won the LPGA Tour Player of the Year award, captured the money title and became the first player to average below 70 in a season.

UNLV player honored by WAC: UNLV's Christel Eves was named the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the Mountain Division Sunday. It marks the third time this season a UNLV volleyball player has received the honor and fourth time in the program's history.

Prep football fest comes to end of the line: Spencer Patterson; Last week, Sports Illustrated posed the question "Is high school football dying?" across the corner of its front cover.

Letter: Third firm downgrades Mirage: Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs trimmed its rating on Mirage stock to "market outperform" from "trading buy;" while BancBoston Robertson Stephens cut Mirage to "market outperform" from "buy."

School Board wants fee on new homes to help pay for school construction: Board members voted to approach commissioners with the requests, but held out little hope they would gain approval.

Sympathy and solutions: Melissa Schorr; Rita Mecham never had to worry much about her older son. It was the younger one that had always been a handful.

Nickel a drink tax and four other petitions fail: "We got a couple thousand signatures in the south," said Vil Paskevicius, program director at the treatment center of the Economic Opportunity Board in Clark County. "But we didn't get the support of the north."

Box score: Cyclones 8, Thunder 3: Second Period --4, Cincinnati, Pavlikovsky 2 (Biggs, Shevalier), 0:16; 5, Cincinnati, Morrow 7 (Joseph, Simon), pp, 2:26; 6, Las Vegas, Miller 3 (Neved, Vasiliev), 9:52; 7, Cincinnati, Joseph 8 (Biggs, Kjenstad), pp, 15:23; 8, Cincinnati, Morrow 8 (Nielsen, Wells), 19:11. Penalties: Las Vegas, Debrusk (fighting, slashing, major), 2:04; Cincinnati, Dandenault (fighting, major), 2:04; Las Vegas, Jomphe (holding the stick), 3:19; Cincinnati, Pavlikovsky (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:19; Las Vegas, Helmer (holding, unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:31; Las Vegas, Ewen (fighting, major), 8:31; Cincinnati, Dandenault (fighting, major), 8:31; Las Vegas, Bannister (fighting, slashing, major), 13:51; Cincinnati, Hawkins (charging, fighting, major), 13:51; Las Vegas, Roenick (elbowing), ...

Brief: Phone company signs marketing agreement: UST will have about 1,800 agents in Southern California and 2,800 in the Chicago area.

UNLV vs TCU -- Game notes: Steve Guiremand; The Jeff Horton era of UNLV football had just ended with a dismal 41-18 loss to TCU (6-5) Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium as Horton and wife Teri walked off the field with the Tina Turner song, "Simply The Best" blaring over the loudspeakers. Then, UNLV players, many in tears, hugged Teri Horton on the way into the locker room following their 16th straight loss over two seasons, the screeching sound of saw against metal echoed nastily throughout the stadium. Yes, within five minutes of UNLV's winless 1998 season, construction workers were already fast at work on the $17 ...

Box score: K-Wings 4, Thunder 3 (SO): Second Period -- 1, Las Vegas, Neved 3 (Mcbain, Jomphe), 4:47; 2, Las Vegas, Romaniuk 6 (Burridge, Mcbain), pp, 6:02; 3, Michigan, Wright 4 (Gusev, Fairchild), pp, 10:37; 4, Michigan, Sim 3 (Jackman, Roberts), pp, 16:28; 5, Las Vegas, Neved 4 (Mcbain, Debrusk), pp, 18:12. Penalties: Michigan, Wright (slashing), 2:25; Michigan, Martin (interference), 5:53; Las Vegas, Romaniuk (roughing), 9:59; Michigan, Gavey (game misconduct), 9:59; Michigan, Botterill (roughing), 12:24; Las Vegas, Romaniuk (roughing), 12:27; Las Vegas, Neved (cross-checking, holding), 13:31; Michigan, Lukowich (holding), 16:46.

Guinn holds transition team meeting in capital city: Brendan Riley; Guinn, Nevada's first Republican governor in 16 years, said drafting a budget and establishing policies will come first and any reshuffling of the top agency directors in state government could take as long as a year.

Horton, Rebels bid farewells after winless season: Steve Guiremand; Jeff Horton may not be leaving UNLV with a lot of football victories, but if Sunday's team banquet at the Sam's Town Hotel was any indication, he's departing with a whole lot of friends and admirers.

Utility district pursues replacing sewage export pipeline: They expressed anger over the failure of the federal government to provide more than $9 million in promised funds.

Woman killed in bus accident: Police said Causey was using a crosswalk at Fourth and North Virginia streets when she was struck by a Frontier Tours bus driven by Laurie Coffin of Reno. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Professional poker player Stu Ungar found dead in hotel room: Ungar's ex-wife, Madeline, said late Sunday that no drugs or paraphernalia were found in the motel room.

Henderson has a master plan in mind for BLM land: Scott Reeder; The city has approached the Bureau of Land Management about purchasing the land due south of the Sky Harbor Airport.

Brief: LV No. 3 on national business list: But P.O.V. pointed out a couple of problems that kept Las Vegas from being ranked No. 1: the average quality of its workforce and its poor business success ratio.

Freed man reflects on crimes of the system: But Hayes isn't that kind of guy and never was. Soft-spoken to the point that his voice is at times barely audible, he harbors bitterness about defense lawyers, prosecutors and judges, but his comments are thoughtful and restrained.

IHL Leaders: SCORERS

Brief: Nevada looking at lump-sum payments: That law, passed in October, removed tax penalties for jackpot winners who are offered a choice of discounted lump-sum or long term payments.

Leaders of probation system under fire: Orders are going out to trim back on drug testing of those on probation and to limit the return to Nevada of petty criminals who flee and are captured in other states.

Casinos feel heat for meddling in House business: Gibbons lost his bid on Friday when House members with more seniority were selected to fill three Republican spots on the 39-member panel, which writes the nation's tax laws.

Hammargren, not out of office yet, says he's treated as has-been: During the campaign, his income dropped to the $20,000 salary paid to the lieutenant governor, plus his wife Sandy's income as a nurse.

Metro Police plan northwest substation: Adrienne Packer; The city of Las Vegas is looking at a parcel near the intersection of Hualapai Drive and Cheyenne Avenue to service the fast-growing area.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Feast of racing to enjoy over Thanksgiving weekend: Ralph Siraco; Racing fans will be stuffing themselves with plenty of main courses the day after Thanksgiving Thursday as the eighth edition of the $2.15 million Turf Festival kicks off at Hollywood Park and the Clark Handicap highlights a closing weekend of racing at Churchill Downs.

Reality bites Weber coach: Steve Carp; If someone asks Ron Abegglen if he feels like taking a spin on the Manhattan Express roller coaster at New York-New York today and he politely declines, it will be understandable.

Box Score: USC 71, UNLV 68: 3-Point Goals: 7-15, .467 (Ayuson 3-5, Spanich 2-6, Trepagnier 1-1, Granville 1-3).

Hearing may decide whether Indian slots can remain: The U.S. Department of Justice in August filed a civil action to seize 794 slot machines being operated in Colville casinos and 1,020 others the Spokane tribe operates in its casinos and gaming halls.

Guinn holds transition team meeting in Carson City: Brendan Riley; Guinn, Nevada's first Republican governor in 16 years, said drafting a budget and establishing policies will come first and any reshuffling of the top agency directors in state government could take as long as a year.

Gusty winds buffet western Nevada: A wind advisory was in effect through this evening in the Sierra and around Lake Tahoe down into the western valleys. Forecasters called for winds of 15-35 mph with gusts to 70 mph over the higher elevations.

Independent report questions viability of Yucca repository: The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board released a special report Friday that questions whether the mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, can contain highly radioactive wastes based on the current design of the repository proposed by the Department of Energy.

Box score: Thunder 4, Ice Dogs 3: Second Period -- 3, Las Vegas, Wilson 1 (Burridge, Neved), 3:28; 4, Las Vegas, Berens 2 (Vasiliev), 3:42; 5, Las Vegas, Neved 8, 7:49; 6, Long Beach, Jutras 3 (Nemecek, Stefan), 19:41. Penalties: Las Vegas, Miller (tripping), 5:49; Las Vegas, Debrusk (fighting, major), 9:08; Long Beach, Jobin (fighting, major), 9:08; Long Beach, Nemecek (interference), 9:08; Las Vegas, Jomphe (slashing), 9:37; Las Vegas, Langkow (holding), 14:21; Las Vegas bench, (too many men), 16:32; Las Vegas, Bannister (slashing, misconduct), 17:40.

Guinn names transition team members: Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno.

Construction crews work to finish hotel addition: The project is the latest step in owners' plans to turn Boomtown into a major destination resort.

Actor Nicky Blair dies of cancer: Though Blair claimed to have small parts in more than 100 movies, he was best-known for the two Hollywood restaurants that carried his name in the '70s and '80s.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Coach, wife find firing emotional: Dean Juipe; Sure, Horton failed in a five-year run as coach of the Rebels to accumulate the wins that were necessary to not only keep the team's old fans but add some new ones. He departs with a dismal 13-44 record, his career as a head coach ruined at least for the short term.

Signs installed to drive business to White Pine County: "This program is aimed at diverting traffic off of Interstate 15 and encourages travel up and down Highway 93," council member Larry Metcalf told the Ely Daily Times.