Print edition for April 12, 1999

LV February visitor count up 7.7 percent: Four more big resorts will open this year and in 2000: The Venetian, Resort at Summerlin, Paris-Las Vegas and the Aladdin.

Starwood confirms talks on sale: Starwood has been talking with, among others, Park Place Entertainment Corp., the gaming operation spun off by Hilton Hotels Corp. earlier this year. Park Place President Arthur Goldberg would like to acquire the Caesars properties, though sources say the two sides are several hundred million dollars apart on price.

LVCVA, school district battle over room taxes: Benjamin Grove and Adrienne Packer; Ultimately, lawmakers will decide which group will get about $12 million a year in hotel room taxes.

Columnist Dean Juipe: All's quiet as Thunder lies in state: Dean Juipe; With the fitting backdrop of a cloudless and almost dreary sky, those looking to pay their last respects to the Las Vegas Thunder hockey franchise quietly scheduled a visit to the Thomas & Mack Center Sunday night.

Lawmakers reach second milestone: Friday was the deadline for committees to vote on measures introduced in their respective houses. Most measures passed by the committees will reach their house floors this week, where they must be approved or rejected by April 19.

Columnist E.J. Dionne: Doves, hawks in same policy boat now: The Vietnam Syndrome. How this syndrome is described depends on your point of view. Seen from the perspective of opponents of the Vietnam War, it was a sensible wariness, a belief that it's prudent to recognize the limits of American power.

Stars' Darr happy with career pick: Steve Guiremand; He has already been labeled as the heir apparent to Tony Gwynn in right field for the San Diego Padres. But while growing up in Corona, Calif., Mike Darr didn't dream of one day replacing a Hall of Fame baseball player.

Voluntary water conservation proposed: South Tahoe Public Utility District spokeswoman Dawn Forsythe said on Monday that starting June 1, people will be asked to water their lawns only when it's absolutely necessary and restaurants will serve water only if they're asked to.

Players sad to be leaving Las Vegas: Spencer Patterson; With all but one joining the team for the first time this season, the Las Vegas Thunder's current crop of players certainly didn't have long to get too attached to their new town.

Casino security scrutinized: Topics include tourist crime statistics, policing in a gaming environment and the local Prostitution Task Force.

LV business events: Starting a small business -- Workshops offered by Service Corps of Retired Executives Association and the Small Business Administration. Ongoing. 388-6104.

Indian casino operators at odds with federal commission: Mark D. Preston; Some members of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission last week threatened to use their congressional authority to subpoena the information unless the Indian tribes cooperate.

Columnist Melissa Schorr: Free Ladies Night drinks no bargain: Melissa Schorr; For the uninitiated, Ladies Night is the practice of offering women free drinks, presumably to make them easier pickings for the gents. With the right chromosomal makeup, a person could theoretically drink for free all week long: Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays at The Beach, Tuesdays at The Drink and Saturdays at Tom & Jerry's ...

Transit system linking Circus properties opens: A $20 million people mover that opened Friday linking Circus Circus' three southern Las Vegas Strip properties is being hailed as a prototype for future airport transportation systems.

Rebels upset New Mexico: Senior Asaf Tishler won his 15th consecutive singles match to lead the 65th-ranked UNLV men's tennis team to a 4-3 road upset of 37th-ranked New Mexico Sunday in Albuquerque.

Box Score: Golden Spikes 8, Stars 3: Omaha

LV business people: Charlie Titus is president of ATI Title of Nevada.

UNLV tops San Jose State: Chris Adolph and Ryan Ludwick combined for six hits and five RBIs to power UNLV to a 9-8 victory over San Jose State in WAC baseball action Sunday at Wilson Stadium. UNLV improved to 9-6 in WAC action, 20-22 overall, while the Spartans slipped to 8-7 and 17-18-1. Jimmy Smith picked up his fifth save for the Rebels, who won two of the three games in the weekend series.

1999 Las Vegas Stars Roster (3-31-99): Pitching Coach: Tom Brown

State workers compensation chief wants his agency privatized: Kiley Russell; The Legislature should adopt Gov. Kenny Guinn's plan to cut state ties to the 86-year-old agency to make it more efficient and to insulate Nevada from worker compensation liabilities, EICON chief Doug Dirks said.

Promising quarterback likely to choose UNLV: Steve Guiremand; Former USC quarterback recruit Jason Thomas will make an official recruiting trip to UNLV this weekend and the odds are very strong that the 6-5, 230-pound left-hander will commit to the Rebels.

UNLV recruit Diggs sees NCAA Tournament berth in his future: Steve Carp; Trevor Diggs isn't coming to UNLV to be a savior. But he does think he can help the Rebels get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Editorial: Poorly built houses are troubling: Assembly Bill 636, authored by Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, would allow homeowners to receive up to $30,000 from the creation of a new fund to fix bad work when a contractor refuses to make needed repairs. Homeowners could still sue, but the legislation would enable them to sidestep the potentially costly and lengthy legal process and opt for a faster resolution to their problems. The recovery fund would be financed by a fee on residential contractors. The bill last week received a recommendation for approval by the Commerce and Labor Committee and is now up for a vote in ...

Mr. Spock beams down in Carson City: The Nimoys are residents of the Tahoe City, Calif., area. They were the first top-rank celebrities to ever perform at the Carson City Library and spent more than an hour reading to an audience of nearly 140 to launch National Library Week.

Southern Baptists target LV for growth: Stacy J. Willis; Last month 1,000 North Las Vegas residents found a bag on their doorstep that contained a video about the life of Jesus, a package of microwave popcorn and an invitation to a Southern Baptist church.

Rock slide shuts down Kingsbury Grade: The slide occurred about one mile up from the valley floor when snow, rocks and boulders let go shortly after 2 p.m.

April storms, warming temperatures heighten flood potential: Tom Gardner; "The potential for spring snowmelt flooding is high in the eastern Sierra drainages north of the Carson Basin and in northwestern Nevada and northeast California due to continued above average snowpack," National Weather Service hydrologist Gary Barbato said.

Mock-up of space orbiter will go to BC museum: Formerly the Fisher Air & Space Educational Center, the facility designed to generate math and science interest among Clark County students will offer an aerospace museum, planetarium, Challenger Learning Center and space camp.

Lawsuit filed against Fallon police: Ellifritz claims her job performance was scrutinized and her intelligence was insulted because she is a woman.

Federal panel looks at casino ATM ban: Mark D. Preston; The National Gambling Impact Study Commission has little more than two months before it releases its report that is expected to detail gambling's social and economic impact on the country. The commissioners spent Wednesday and Thursday trying to shape the report's message and iron out any differences between themselves.

Nevada economic index declines: The index also is negatively affected by the state's low unemployment rate of 3.5 percent, which makes it hard for small businesses to find and hire employees.

Letter: World won't forget attack on Kosovo: Be careful what you wish for. Other countries have been coveting Kosovo for a thousand years -- it is full of mineral deposits, gold, and oil. It is a strategic location in the world. A couple of extreme terrorist organizations could be given control of Kosovo because of the U.S./NATO action. If that happens the trouble has only just begun.

Henderson auto dealer Stepman dies: Stepman died at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson where he recently was admitted. The cause was not immediately available. He recently underwent surgery there.

Downtown life on the rise: Erin Neff; This 168-acre parcel -- enough vacant land to recreate downtown from scratch -- has always been talked about as ideal for cultural centers, parks, and commercial and entertainment uses.

Bill overhauls Taxi Authority: Individuals who want to start limousine service in Southern Nevada have complained that their applications languish before the state Transportation Authority. The bill, which now goes to the Senate Finance Committee, would give the Taxicab Authority 195 days to act.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Full house is probable for Derby: Ralph Siraco; The road to this year's Kentucky Derby is going through some serious widening after the results of Saturday's final major three prep races for America's most famous horse race.

Box Score: Golden Spikes 5, Stars 1: Omaha

Letter: Luncheon for Interfaith Council merely for dialogue: Rather than wait for something negative to happen, we decided to extend an invitation to members of the council to meet with us.

Prep Schedule -- April 12-17: Baseball

Worker killed in Aladdin accident: Ed Koch and Jace Radke; But none of the broncos he busted or bulls he rode in amateur and professional competitions in Utah could prepare the journeyman ironworker for the horrific ride he took Sunday, crashing through several upper stories at the Aladdin Hotel tower construction site to his death.

Rate freeze advances: Committee Chairman Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said a second protection in Senate Bill 428 is that customers will not be assigned to any new company during the three-year period. "They will stay exactly where they are unless they choose to go to a different provider until March 1, 2003," said Townsend, who proposed the plan.

Old foe rips plan for convention center: John Wilen; In a self-described "sternly worded letter," William Weidner, president and chief operating officer of the Venetian hotel-casino and Adelson's right-hand man, blasted an LVCVA plan to finance an $85 million, 1.3 million-square-foot addition to the Las Vegas Convention Center with prepaid rent from a group of convention tenants.

Former officer's test thrown out in DUI case: Police said an arbitrator's decision in March to deny Wagner's appeal of her firing is binding even if she is acquitted of all charges.

Box Score: Stars 5, Golden Spikes 3: Omaha

Former NAACP leader named citizen of month: Scott, a former president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was honored for his work providing food for the homeless, shelter for victims of domestic violence and drug and alcohol counseling.

Obituaries for April 12, 1999: He is survived by two daughters, Joella Catherine Bernas and Deborah K. Runnels, both of Las Vegas; and four grandchildren.

Pay may be factor in LV rate case: Consumer Advocate Fred Schmidt said he'll be interested in seeing details of how Esrey is compensated as part of the discovery process that goes with a utility making its case for a rate increase.

Suspects in $1.6 mil. robbery arrested: Richard Alan Gonce, 59, and Fain T. Gonce, 63, were arrested Thursday in southwest New Mexico for a Dec. 28, 1997, armed robbery of United Coin Machine Co., police said.

Blitzstein case moves closer to prosecution: Friday's decision by Alfred Mauriello to plead guilty in the murder plot and testify for the government is expected to put added pressure on his co-defendants who are scheduled to stand trial April 26 in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Philip Pro.

DRI tabs Reid for President's Medal: "Sen. Reid's environmental dedication has uniquely paralleled that of DRI, with major initiatives and accomplishments from the level of local Nevada communities right up to the global issues that face us all equally," Stephen G. Wells, president of the institute, said.

High court says taxpayers may have overpaid in condemnation: The high court said the jury was given wrong instructions and that taxpayers may have paid too much.