Print edition for September 11, 1998

Severe thunderstorms strike the valley: The severe storms formed over Henderson and city spokeswoman Vicki Taylor advised people to stay in their homes.

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

Movie Guys: Dealing out disagreements over poker-faced 'Rounders': * Starring: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Gretchen Mol, Martin Landau, John Malkovich and John Turturro.

Hamed to fight McCullough in Atlantic City: Dean Juipe; Add one, subtract one.

Search resumes for suspect in cop shooting: Karen Zekan; Nacho Hinojosa-Garcia, considered by authorities to be armed and dangerous, has been wanted since Jan. 30, 1997, when a warrant was issued charging him with one count of using a deadly weapon on a police officer and one county of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

Coronado's Quest retires Nov. 7: Ralph Siraco; As reported here Thursday, the leading contender for this year's Horse of the Year title, Skip Away will retire from the racing wars after defending the Classic at the Breeders' Cup on Nov. 7.

Neal proposes eliminating gaming contributions from politics: Neal, who got no casino industry support in his campaign for governor, received 16 percent of the vote compared with 60 percent for Jones, who was backed by the industry.

Editorial: Teens may benefit from history lesson: It's understandable that teenagers are more interested in pop culture than they are in subjects they view as dry, such as American history. But the sad fact is the results show too many students have a poor understanding of the Constitution, an ignorance that threatens our democracy.

Woodbury plans to abstain again on golf-course vote: Ed Koch and Scott Reeder; The reason, as they outlined in memos sent Thursday to the Nevada Ethics Commission, is that they want that panel to make a quick decision on whether their friendships with any of the applicants is reason for them to abstain.

Saturday at Belmont Park: 1st race 1 mi & 1 fur 3YO&up Turf Alw

Heavy rains drench Burning Man cleanup efforts: About 15,000 people attended the annual Labor Day festival that is billed as a tribute to free expression and artistic creativity.

Letter: Media not reporting the news; they've taken to shaping it: If there is any weakening of the presidency, it has been created by the media saying it repeatedly. At what point did the media go from "The people have a right to know," to "The media have a right to ratings"?

NHP nabs father who hid children from mother in Mexico for 3 1/2 years: Barraza was arrested Aug. 28 after a trooper saw his car at the side of the road and stopped to help. A record check showed an outstanding felony warrant.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Wayne Newton's long, legendary career: Joe Delaney; Newton holds all Las Vegas records for number of weeks played, number of hours on stage; five or more hours per night total, seven nights a week; and total crowd counts during his peak period. ... He divided his time between Howard Hughes' hotels, the Desert Inn, Frontier and Sands.

Thursday's Prep Results: Silverado 1, Chaparral 1. Goals: Chap-Castro; Silv-Mathews.

Letter: Media should report news, not trash-talk president: My sincere belief has absolutely nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with what is "fair and equitable" for all of us. The "Sex Police" could bring down our government. Are we ready to allow them to do that?

Fired parole officer files suit to get his job back: Rader, an assemblyman from Las Vegas in the 1985 Legislature, said today state Hearing Officer John Graves ignored the evidence in upholding his dismissal.

Brutal sked works against lowly Rebels: At a time when UNLV badly needs a victory, and, therefore, something like a Tulsa on its schedule, instead the Rebels are looking at Air Force this Saturday and Wisconsin and Colorado State the following weeks.

Rebels look to homer against Falcons: Steve Guiremand; With McGwiremania sweeping the nation, it seemed only natural that UNLV head football coach Jeff Horton would pull out a few baseball analogies for his team this week after they struck out in their season-opener at Northwestern.

Miller to promote non-stop flights between Mexico and Las Vegas: Mexico was the seventh largest international market for Las Vegas in 1997 with 104,000 airline passengers.

Louisiana gambling 'like pouring gasoline on a bonfire': Perkins said the state erred by presenting only the lottery for a public vote before its introduction. Later referendums to decide whether to keep casinos and video poker made it impossible for the public to decide gambling on its merits, he said.

Editorial: Congress takes on solemn duty: Independent counsel Kenneth Starr sent a report to Congress on Wednesday which a spokesman said contains information of "substantial and credible evidence that may constitute grounds for impeachment of the president of the United States." Meanwhile, President Clinton's private attorney responded that Starr's account was one-sided and added that there "is no basis for impeachment."

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Sampling the Chinese buffets around town: My research mission was basic: Try to find out why there is the sudden flurry of Chinese buffet-only restaurants. The answer is a simple one: People like them. Prices are reasonable -- most are under $7 at lunch and under $10 at dinner. They're as cheap as fast food for families. And, having observed a number of children making their way around the buffet -- all but the smallest ones managed on their own -- I am convinced that given the right circumstances, kids are just as adventurous in their eating as adults.

Obituaries for September 11, 1998: He is survived by one sister, Arturina Lavagnini of Italy.

Las Vegas Bankruptcies: Scott Peroni, doing business as Prestige Siding and General Contracting, 5374 Pistolera Circle, Las Vegas, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, listing assets of $1,880 and liabilities of $62,307.

Ruling will result in new Grand Canyon tour routes: Tour operators say the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in Washington last week upholding laws to restore natural quiet to the national park won't immediately affect flights, but it allows federal agencies to complete new tour routes prohibiting planes from 87 percent of the canyon.

Group charges police harassment in pamphlet stop: Tony Rogers, a member of Spring Meadows Presbyterian Church, said the latest incident occurred Sunday night as he and another man crossed a street to talk to a passerby. He said two officers in a patrol car halted them, told him to spread his hands on the car's hood, then emptied his pockets and frisked him.

Henderson's Bekki Freeman achieves success against off-road racing's big boys: BEKKI FREEMAN IS poised to make history as the only female driver to win a class championship in the male-dominated SCORE Desert Series and, later this year, as the only woman to drive the treacherous Baja 1000 by herself.

JAL adds third Tokyo-Vegas flight: Japan Airlines said it will add a third weekly non-stop flight between Tokyo and Las Vegas in November.

Area football teams prepared for conference action: Spencer Patterson; After two weeks of non-conference tuneups, local prep football squads get down to serious business tonight with the start of league play.

Rhodes homes wins round in court: Brian Seals; Rhodes and Rainbow formed Rainbow Canyon Development LLC in 1993 to build housing developments known as Palm Canyon and Palm Hills at the base of Black Mountain in Henderson.

WAC removals overturned: The ruling Thursday came in response to an appeal UNM had filed after the decision was announced last month that Davalos, Alday and others from the eight schools leaving the WAC were being removed by the conference from NCAA committee posts.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: Scouts to eye Denton vs. Couch shootout: Steve Guiremand; As one of his reasons for leaving UNLV this past summer, Jon Denton said he had tired of the spotlight that was constantly following him as the star and sometimes troubled player on the Rebels football squad.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Miss Circus Circus 'parts' making a return to town: Miss Circus Circus will make an unexpected return to the choppy waters of Lake Mead when the Unlimited Hydroplanes visit Southern Nevada later this month.

SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 -- Fast Facts: * WHEN: 7 a.m. Saturday.

He's the Falcons' pilot, but roots for the Rebels: Steve Guiremand; No doubt there were a few double takes when members of the Air Force Academy band and football team boarded one of their Boeing 707s for Las Vegas this morning.

Ex-LV bowler wins in Florida: Ex-LV bowler wins in Florida

Mourners recall fallen Nellis rescue 'warriors': "I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace/ Where never lark or even eagle flew./ And while with silent lifting mind I've trod/ The high untrespassed sanctity of space/ Put out my hand and touched the face of God."

Former deputy DA jailed in drug case: Bill Gang; There was a motion on Thursday's court calendar to set aside the warrant, but before Hill could walk through the courtroom doors, investigators from the attorney general's office arrested him.

Las Vegas business briefs: sgreen@lasvegassun.com; CALIFORNIA INDIAN GAMBLING BACKERS DECRY LOSS OF BUSINESS TO NEVADA CASINOS -- Backers of California's Proposition Five, the pro-Indian gambling initiative, opened their fall campaign Thursday by emphasizing their home-grown support and attacking the out-of-state financing of their opponents. To dramatize their point, the initiative's proponents held a news conference at a Sacramento motel where chartered buses leave several times a day for Nevada casinos, which have contributed $900,000 to defeat the ballot measure.

No quiet evening for 'Stomp' audiences: Joe Delaney; There is an impressive, attractive but utilitarian set, and about 20 very imaginative segments. There is no musical soundtrack, just the percussive rhythms produced by each of the performers, using hands, feet, other parts of their bodies, drums, percussion, and various unusual sources.

Board completes hiring of new library director: "That's what Darrell Batson was making when he left," said Carl Rowe, who has been managing the district since shortly after Batson's departure in January.

Proposed school gets site OK with conditions: Valerie Miller; The Planning Commission voted 6-0 in favor of approving a use permit and architectural review for the 60,042 square-foot facility, but added the condition that the Clark County School District meet with city police, fire and traffic officials to address safety concerns before going before the city council in 10 days.

Caught between two fronts, Nevadans left out in rain: Southern Nevada is caught between a low-pressure trough in central California and a high-pressure ridge east of the Rocky Mountains, meteorologist Donald Maker said.

Reid to Clinton: 'You betrayed us': Clinton provided Senate Democratic leaders with blunt assessments of how his behavior -- that is, his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and his lying about it for seven months -- may have crippled him politically.

TV show revisiting LV murder case: Bill Gang; Margaret Rudin talked her way out of being arrested last week in Phoenix, Ariz., by showing police there identification in another name, according to Deputy District Attorney Gary Guymon.

What's My Line? 'Backdoor' cover can wreak havoc: I COULD SEE IT a mile away, even at Mile High Stadium.

Nevada report links illiteracy to social ills: The findings of the task force, comprised of 17 community leaders from the business community, the justice system and human service agencies in Nevada, were released at the second annual International Literacy Day Dinner Thursday night at the RIO hotel-casino.

Weekend Update: Music, Theater, Etc.: Cool tunes -- Bring a picnic basket and enjoy an afternoon of reggae and Caribbean music at 11 a.m. Saturday at the West Las Vegas Arts Amphitheater, 947 West Lake Mead Blvd. The Rohn Shead Project and Caribbean Delight with Rupert Henry will perform. Admission is free.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: President who follow likely to face more legal smearing: On May 28, 1997, I wrote a column criticizing the Supreme Court decision that said the president of the United States would not be distracted by the prosecution of a civil suit against him while in office. It was a naive decision and, as hindsight has proved, a potentially disastrous one for our country. I started that column by saying, "If I were in the predicting business, I'd predict some very ugly times ahead for the next few presidents of the United States."

Ex-mobster rips gaming: "After all the camouflage is removed," William Jahoda said, "the harsh truth is that every form of organized gambling is either a replica, a knock-off or a jazzed-up model of each betting scam the mob trotted out before an unsuspecting public in the barren Las Vegas nightscape 50 years ago."

Panel told no mob in LV gaming: "Organized crime infiltration of the casino industry is a shadow of what it once was," said Jay Albanese, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor who is an expert on the mob and gambling.

Week of activities planned for Mexican independence celebration: Often confused with Cinco de Mayo, which observes Mexico's 1862 defeat of the French, Mexican Independence Day commemorates the events of Sept. 16, 1810 when a priest named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rallied his parishioners to revolt against their Spanish colonizers.

School Board reduces number of students' allowed absences: Benjamin Grove; That's according to a new policy adopted Thursday by the Clark County School Board. The old policy allowed students 18 absences before automatic failure.

Charleston project put on fast track: On Thursday the board of the Clark County Regional Flood Control District took a big step toward eliminating the third by fast-tracking the three phases of the Charleston Underpass Bond Project.

Breaking the Chains: Lisa Ferguson; The Seattle native spent 11 years as lead guitarist, songwriter and sometime vocalist for the grunge band Alice in Chains ("Would," "Rooster" "Man in the Box," "Down in a Hole") before going solo this year with the release of his own disc, "Boggy Depot," amid rumors that Alice's chains had been severed.