Print edition for November 30, 1998

Hunt still on for Aztecs' foe in Las Vegas Bowl: Steve Guiremand; Saturday morning's Western Athletic Conference Championship game between BYU and Air Force is supposed to be the final game pitting teams from the WAC in 1998.

Prominent writer of dog books Tarrant dies: That passage from Bill Tarrant's book "The Magic of Dogs," sums up a career in the field of canine training that is matched by few.

Killer of retired schoolteacher loses Supreme Court appeal: The court agreed it made a misstatement in its first decision but said it was minor and did not warrant a rehearing. It said there was overwhelming evidence to convict Castillo of the bludgeoning killing of 86-year-old retired schoolteacher Isabelle Berndt in her Las Vegas home in December 1995. The home was then set on fire to cover up the crime.

Social worker, family therapist Hammargren dies: By Ed Koch; The ex-wife of Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren also was president of the Governor's Board of Examiners for Marriage and Family Therapy from 1985 to 1989.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Great day, great year for Flutie: Dean Juipe; But, through no fault of his own, Doug Flutie's chances for the trophy are a little less today than they were prior to the officials deciding the outcome of the Buffalo vs. New England game at Foxboro Stadium. In a season seemingly plagued by inept officiating, the Patriots were virtually handed a gift touchdown on the game's penultimate play to escape with a 25-21 win.

Reid poised to take over as Democratic whip: "This is a rare opportunity for Nevada," Reid told the Sun. "I will be in a position to be involved in all things that take place in Washington."

Nellis team won't be home for the holidays: Jace Radke; They won't be home for Christmas.

Portable classrooms help district cope with growth: Scott Reeder; "These portables classrooms don't have quite the sound insulation that you would expect from a permanent building," said Billy Chapman, principal of Raul Elizondo Elementary School in North Las Vegas.

LV Business Press libel ruling upheld: CARSON CITY -- Minor inaccuracies in a newspaper story are not enough to sustain a libel suit, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled.

UNLV claims championship of Golden Gopher Classic: Froehlich, the tournament's most valuable player, scored 17 second-half points as UNLV led by as many as 17 on its way to its fourth win of the season in as many games. The tournament championship for UNLV is its first since the 1993-94 UNLV Showboat Shootout, and first on the road since the Houston Lady Cougar Classic during the 1990-91 season.

UNLV's point guard situation has Bayno in a quandary: Steve Carp; SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Personally, Mark Dickel had to be satisfied. But if he was, given his gone-for-naught effort against Kansas, he wasn't showing it.

Obituaries for November 30, 1998: She is survived by two sons, Daniel Lavarve Smith of Las Vegas and Carl T. "Chuck" Jepson of West Hollywood, Calif.; two daughters, Lorna J. Watson of Las Vegas and Lisa Lynn Brown of Boulder City; two sisters, Karen Sherer and Jean Thrush, both of Overton; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Ensign huddles with staff to ponder recount: Ensign's press secretary Jack Finn said a press conference would probably be held later today in Las Vegas on the decision. Staff members say the two-term Republican congressman has been encouraged both by the Nevada and national GOP to continue his fight to overturn the Reid victory.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Thanksgiving holiday brought racing fans much to feast upon: Ralph Siraco; The four-day holiday weekend brought more than expanding waistlines and droves of people to Las Vegas. The just concluded holiday stretch brought a feast aplenty to area horse race fans with an array of stakes races running a gambit of variety to stuff the heartiest of race-going appetites.

Judge-elect suing ethics committee: Bill Gang; He joins Family Court Judge Gary Redmon and attorney James Mahan in challenging the constitutionality of the actions by the the Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics and Election Practices.

Soccer parents demand level playing fields: Adrienne Packer; They slice dozens of oranges to replenish players at halftime. And they kick themselves in the legs in futile efforts to help their children boot the ball.

1998 SCORE Desert Series Final points leaders: CARS AND TRUCKS

Use of seat belts up in Nevada, but not enough, officials say: "Our goal is to get it even higher," said Joanna Keller, highway safety coordinator. "We want to reach 80 percent next year if we can maintain our momentum."

UNLV volleyball team snubbed: Tim Graham; To Deitre Collins and her UNLV volleyball team, neither the math nor the logic added up.

Columnist Melissa Schorr: An overdue look at library fees: Melissa Schorr; So, I exaggerate. But still, if you're like me, stocking up with reading material in bulk on each trip, a couple days of attention deficit can end up costing more than, well, a trip to Borders would have cost in the first place.

Editorial: Alaskans try to fell foresters: Instead of debating national forest issues on their merits, Young and Murkowski have waged a mean-spirited campaign against the Forest Service, trying to force it into submission. The latest chapter in their bullying textbook is to assert that the Forest Service has been illegally lobbying members of Congress. But their suggestion, that the Forest Service's distribution of information about its forest management to the media is tantamount to lobbying Congress, is ridiculous.

Lofty goals spur local campuses' building boom: By Jerry Fink; Just as casino owners continue to reinvent their industry, tearing down and putting up ever larger and more elaborate resorts, the higher-education system is reinventing itself.

Rebels, Jayhawks stroll through basketball history: Steve Carp; SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- It was a walking history lesson in basketball and the UNLV players were anxious to learn.

Timet pushes on with radiation study: The Las Vegas Wash drains the entire valley and enters Lake Mead six miles upstream from the drinking-water intake for Southern Nevada.

State agencies' budget cuts mostly free of pain so far: The goal is saving money without hurting services to the public.

Brief: October jobless rate steady at 3.8 percent: In the Las Vegas metropolitan statistical area, the jobless rate fell from 3.9 percent in September to 3.5 percent in October with 25,000 people out of work. Employment rose to 581,000, up 6.3 percent from October 1997.

Comdex helps lure a few businesses to Nevada: Comdex is one of a handful of conventions at which the NDA sets up a booth to distribute literature on the merits of building in the Silver State. While the booth was accessible and the exposure was good, the real value of the show was having a credential to get to the corporate decision-makers.

Letter: Murder case should bother all citizens: John Brown Jr., my cousin, was not just an airman, he was a son, a brother, a cousin and, most of all, a human being. He also was someone who was studying to be a minister. He was a person who cared about others with a compassionate heart.

Brief: Nebraska objects to use of football team on gambling website: The site, www.HUSKERCASINO.com, included a Husker helmet, former coach Tom Osborne and ex-running back Ahman Green.

Debbie Reynolds time-share owners worry about hotel's fate: John Wilen; The WWF partnership promised a wrestling-themed resort, an "in your face" kind of place.

LV business people: Jamie Hanlon is a personal banker at the Nellis branch of U.S. Bank.

Brief: Indiana gamblers losing more: Each gambler stayed nearly four hours, a quarter-hour longer than two years ago, the newspaper said.

Letter: Applauding stance on Republicans: Sid Sherman

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

Brief: Slot seminar set for Wednesday: He will discuss the video poker mix, maintaining high hold levels, reel play vs. video play and floor design and layout.

Brief: Union seeks signatures at Colorado casinos: "People are fed up with the way things are down there," said Teamsters spokesman Ed Bagwell in Denver. "Now they are taking their collective voice to Teamsters Local 537."

Brief: Airport spokesman takes Reno position: McCarran will conduct a search for a replacement and has assigned Debbie Millett to handle inquiries.

Letter: Maybe BLM land could be leased: Has anyone given thought to the federal government retaining title to the 7,500-acre tract and long-term leasing it to a developer who would then develop and operate it as a long-term income property? This would mean more affordable homes for people who would own their homes but lease the land on which it is built.

Brief: Non-gaming hotel wants to convert to gaming: The Alexis Park is also asking for permission to expand its 500-room hotel by converting a 208-unit adjacent apartment complex into hotel rooms, and by building a 120-room addition.

Riverboat Casino closes in Reno: Owner William Douglas said he had been negotiating with other companies to purchase the casino with an exterior shaped like a riverboat.

Pavarotti soon to croon in Las Vegas: It shouldn't be a hardship to sing at the $970 million, 3,700-room hotel on The Strip being built by Circus Circus Enterprises Inc. "Tropically themed with mystical architecture and lush surroundings" is how producer Tibor Rudas describes the venue he booked for the legendary opera singer.

IHL Standings -- November 29, 1998: Northeast Division

Man turns over baskets stolen 20 years ago in Nevada, sues to get them back: Paul Shepard, owner of Primitive Arts Ltd., bought three of the baskets last year. But he turned them over to the FBI after an expert on Washo art recognized them as the ones stolen from the historical society on the University of Nevada-Reno campus.

Sierra storm causes major delays for post-holiday travelers: Martin Griffith; The National Weather Service said another powerful winter storm was headed toward the Sierra and western Nevada, bringing another dose of gusting winds and heavy snow.

Some Nevada gun store owners blast new instant gun checks: Local gun dealers call the new system a nuisance, saying they'll be forced to pass on an additional $15 federal expense on each purchase to gun buyers.

Venetian not expecting problems despite differences with union: Company officials said they are offering a wage and benefit package that matches or exceeds contracts negotiated by the Culinary Union, which represents about 40,000 casino workers.

Box score: Kansas 78, UNLV 50: 3-Point Goals: 5-16 .313 (Keefe 4-6, Simmons 1-4, Marion 0-3, Herod 0-1, Stewart 0-2).

Guinn names Ernaut chief of staff: An Elko native, Ernaut was elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1992. He served as Republican floor leader during the 1995 session and was assistant minority leader in 1997.