Print edition for April 22, 1999

Las Vegas news briefs: Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Scott Flabi said the motorcyclist, whose name was withheld until relatives can be notified, was eastbound on State Route 163 west of Laughlin about 3 p.m. when the accident occurred.

Two council seats to be filled in Boulder City: Jace Radke; Robert Kenneston has decided to forgo another term as a councilman to run for mayor instead.

UNLV calls Miller trip 'dead issue': UNLV senior associate athletic director Jerry Koloskie said he doesn't expect the school's women's basketball program to be penalized as the result of an alleged illegal recruiting trip made by head coach Regina Miller before she was hired by the university.

Friday at Golden Gate: 1st race 6 fur 4YO & up Clm: 1 Sovreign (FValenzuela) 119; 2 King Me (Barton) 119; 3 La Castelli (Arriaga) 119; 4 Hajji's Babilee (Mercado) 119; 5 Fool Proof (Castanon) 119; 6 Restless And Fast (Schvaneveldt) 119; 7 Gale Warning (Delgadillo) 119.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Hollywood Park: FIRST RACE:

SCORE Points Leaders -- April 22, 1999: Cars & Trucks

Friday at Hollywood Park: 1st race 6 fur 4YO & up Clm: 1 a-Indomable (Solis) 116; 2 Harbour Patrol (Black) 118; 3 a-Barrybrown (Antley) 116; 4 Eddiefromalhambra (Garcia) 116; 5 Copelan Park (Gomez) 116; 6 Hodson (Stevens) 116; 7 Desert Mountain (Puglisi) 116; 8 Baja Gold (Pincay) 116.

Wednesday's prep results -- April 22, 1999: Cheyenne 205, Mojave 214 Medalist: Matt Jolley (Moj) -- 37

Fight schedule -- April 22, 1999: At Tulsa, Cliff Couser, Las Vegas, vs. Luis Monaco, Denver, 10, heavyweights.

Friday at Aqueduct: 1st race 1 mi & 1 fur 3YO & up Turf Mdn: 1 John's Rockfleet (Espinoza) 113; 2 Pleasant Prince (Douglas) 113; 3 Georgia Crown (Samyn) 113; 4 Regal Dynasty (Gryder) 113; 5 Lenny's Ransom (Bravo) 113; 6 Ayacara (Velazquez) 113; 7 Bajaridge (Smith) 118; 8 a-Broker Buster (Velasquez) 113; 9 a-Slewfrito (Migliore) 113; 10 Aunt Evie (Rodriguez) 123; 11 Star Sabre (Smith) 113; 12 Miner's Claim (Castillo) 113.

Box score: Golden Spikes 4, Stars 3: Las Vegas

Community briefs: Locally, Christmas in April Greater Las Vegas will rehabilitate or renovate 29 homes with the help of 2,500 volunteers from area companies, Nellis Air Force Base and church and civic groups. Call Beth at 259-4900.

Settlement reportedly near in Tahoe land dispute: The agency in February had offered to settle the case for $305,000.

Columnist Tim Graham: Stop heinous criminals from getting in the ring: Tim Graham; They rape. They rage. They murder. They plunder.

Senate considers relaxing reporting requirements for lobbyists: Jennifer Coleman; Assemblywoman Gene Segerblom, D-Boulder City, says she authored AB518 to encourage lawmakers to go to parties, dinners or other events sponsored by lobbyists.

Educators press Legislature for more money: Kiley Russell; A joint budget committee heard Wednesday from public school officials from around the state who say Guinn's proposed $1.73 billion school spending plan lowers per-pupil spending.

Man with Alzheimer's wanders from care home; found dead in reservoir: Hamilton was a ward of Washoe County. Authorities said he apparently left his room at Country Care One through a window and walked a short way before falling into the Highland Ditch.

Car Capades: Lisa Ferguson; Rarely is so much horsepower amassed in one place. In fact, it only happens once a year.

Stars fall to Omaha in fight-marred game: Shortstop Greg LaRocca and designated hitter Aaron Guiel were both ejected in the seventh inning for their part in a brawl that began when LaRocca slid hard into second base while trying to break up a double play.

Services set for firefighter: Department spokesman Steve La-Sky said more than 200 firefighters will march to the funeral in honor of Stephen Kingry.

Preps: Boys Golf Standings -- April 22, 1999: SUNRISE DIVISION

Local schools turn to men's adult league to upgrade facilities: Spencer Patterson; If you're a high school athletic director with a run-down baseball field, take heart. The local chapter of the Men's Adult Baseball League may be coming to the rescue.

Nevada jobless rate inches up in March: The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reported today the jobless rate rose by three-tenths of a percentage point with an estimated 33,100 people out of work.

LVCVA gives up fight for tax money with schools: Benjamin Grove; The visitors authority has officially abandoned its attempt to get back roughly $12 million a year in room-tax money that will soon belong to the school district, LVCVA officials now say.

Las Vegas physician nominated to fed post: Dr. Ikram Khan has been nominated for the board by President Clinton, at the request of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Earnings for IGT dip, sales increase: John Wilen; Gaming machine manufacturer International Game Technology of Reno today reported slightly lower earnings despite dramatically improved sales in the company's second fiscal quarter that ended April 3.

Cram slams Guinn budget for schools: In Clark County alone this translates into a loss of $7 million next fiscal year, Cram told a legislative budget committee. "We have not been made whole."

UNLV's Froehlich leads German team against USA national squad: UNLV freshman forward Linda Froehlich will be in Colorado Springs this weekend to join the German Women's National Team, which will be playing in an exhibition game against USA Basketball's women's squad on Sunday at the Olympic Training Center.

Enterprise residents hoping to protect their rural lifestyle: Lisa Snedeker; About 40 residents sent that message to Henderson planners Wednesday at the first of three meetings scheduled to gather public comments on the development of a joint land-use plan between the city and the county.

Chronicler of the common man, poet MacDougall dies: MacDougall, the older brother of blackjack author Peter Griffin, collapsed and died of a heart attack on April 18 while playing tennis in Sacramento, where he was a resident since moving from Las Vegas last year.

Kenneston ready for his shot at mayor: Jace Radke; The challenge of becoming mayor and continuing his journey through the political process is not something Kenneston takes lightly, because it's something that has been ingrained in him for a long time.

Preps: Boys volleyball standings -- April 22, 1999: SUNRISE DIVISION

Rights of Jewish women among issues on agenda: Stacy J. Willis; Their husbands won't allow it.

Armory ready to give ground to redevelopment: Erin Neff; City officials joined with residents and business owners to celebrate the start of an $8 million to $10 million project that will create a cultural gateway to East Las Vegas where once only guns and heavy artillery resided.

Softball Standings -- April 22, 1999: SUNRISE DIVISION

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Five California schools will be allowed to compete in Nevada: Spencer Patterson; After months of debate, the state's California controversy finally appears to be over.

Casino sues city over tax lien: The legal action, filed through attorney Thomas Fell, asks that the city be declared in contempt for "willfully disregarding the bankruptcy court order."

Top Local 4A Track Times -- April 22, 1999: 100 Meters Boys: Arren Dodsen, Dur, 10.5 Girls: Nicole Ireland, Moj, 11.7

Bribery charged in fire probe: Bill Gang; The 24-count indictment returned Wednesday charges Anthony Schwabb and John D'Amico Sr. with conspiracy and fraud over the blaze, resulting in an estimated $12,000 to $16,000 damage to the restaurant at 1550 E. Tropicana Ave.

Liberace spirit lives in house: Adrienne Packer; There are those who say that Liberace's spirit lives in the extravagant master bedroom of his Las Vegas home, a mansion that for eight years has been leased for grand parties and weddings.

Pioneer Nevada banker Laiolo dies: A bank official told him to first go to college, get a degree and then become a banker. He took that advice. Three decades later, the son of Italian immigrants co-founded his own Nevada bank.

World Team Tennis at UNLV: Teams participating in the event are the champions of local WTT leagues from across the region. Teams scheduled to compete represent Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington. They will compete in seven divisions -- 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, Open, Seniors 50+ and Seniors 60+. The winners from each division will advance to the DuPont nationals Nov. 18-21 in Palm Springs, Calif.

Rice pleased with NCAA settlement: Steve Carp; One day, Travis Rice will be walking around some campus with an armload of books, and he'll be able to thank the NCAA for helping to pay his college education.

Nuke-waste bill appears veto-bound: Mark D. Preston; "This is the same sequence of events that we have seen time and time again as the nuclear power industry tries to shove the nation's nuclear waste down Nevada's throat," Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said

County approves new winter gasoline: The gasoline will be available in November and costs between 2 and 4 cents more a gallon.

$3 million in Horseshoe chips surface: The chips, which do not appear on any inventory, were removed by Binion, a former Horseshoe executive, last July along with as much as $4 million in silver before Behnen took over the hotel-casino. The chips were contained in two safes at a cashier's cage, and the silver was stored in a basement vault.

Indictment hits Bechtel official: Bill Gang; The indictment returned Wednesday names Bechtel Director of Diversity Dorothie Clark and Desmear Systems Inc. owner Omotayo Idowu in the alleged conspiracy that began in 1996.

Epileptic seizures curbed by electronic implants: King, who suffered from severe epileptic seizures for 28 years, had a small generator termed a "pacemaker for the brain" implanted under the skin in his chest one year ago. Since then, King has not had a grand mal seizure.

Five bills proposed by SNSPA: Scott Reeder; Senate Bill 432 -- Originally the bill would have required almost all diesel engines in Clark County to undergo emissions tests, just as gasoline-powered vehicles must now be tested. After being amended in the Senate Natural Resources, the bill primarily calls for establishing a committee to study the issue and provides funding for additional random testing of diesel trucks. The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

Marion headed for NBA: Steve Carp; He always had the right to change his mind, and apparently Shawn Marion is going to exercise that right.

History of child abuse noted before death of girl: Bill Gang; During opening statements at the child-abuse murder trial of Emory Slayden, Monroe told how the girl had been slammed into walls, thrown onto her bed and forced to take cold showers.

Baseball standings -- April 22, 1999: SUNRISE DIVISION

Boulder City will cast votes on 4 ballot questions: Jace Radke; While the city's first elected mayor will help guide Boulder City into the new millennium, the election's four ballot questions could shape the city's future just as much.

Preps: Cimarron captures track title: Matt O'Brien; The baton was passed, literally and figuratively, Wednesday afternoon at the Boys Freshman/Sophomore Track and Field Championships held at Las Vegas High.

Planning authority continues to draw criticism: Scott Reeder; The group formed by the Legislature during its last session is now pushing through its own agenda for dealing with growth in Southern Nevada. But critics say the proposals are not particularly ambitious.

Del Webb profit surges on strong demand for homes: Revenues increased 27 percent to $324.4 million.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Meeting scheduled Friday on open-scoring proposal: Dean Juipe; Promoter Bob Arum's suggestion to use open scoring for the Wayne McCullough vs. Erik Morales fightMay 8 at the Las Vegas Hilton will be resolved Friday at a meeting of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

MGM Grand quarterly earnings jump 50 percent: Gary Thompson; MGM Grand Inc. said today first-quarter revenue, profits and earnings soared to record levels due to booming Las Vegas business, improved margins and the acquisition of Primadonna Resorts Inc.

Youth club withdraws request for billboard: Commissioners Bruce Woodbury and Dario Herrera agreed to give the club $250,000 -- the same amount it would have received from leasing the land for the sign -- using discretionary capital improvement funds.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: A most poignant letter: "On March 27, 1980, my father, George Monahan, was murdered by Samuel Howard. In May 1983, Samuel Howard was sentenced to death for this crime. In the 16 years since his conviction, Samuel Howard has had his right to an automatic appeal heard. He has continued to appeal his sentence since 1983. These appeals have not been based on new evidence to determine guilt or innocence, but on technicalities and the conduct of the trial court. No other court has found any error made by the trial court which affected Howard's right to a fair trial. The transcripts of this ...

Union protest ruling due next week: Pro gave no indication how he would rule. He also delayed deliberating whether to allow American Civil Liberties Union attorneys to intervene in the case. Pro said a ruling on that matter would have to wait until the other parties had time to file briefs in answer to the ACLU's intervention request.

Profit falls at Casino Data: Net income for the quarter ended March 31 was $192,000, or 1 cent per share on a basic basis, compared to $320,000 or 2 cents in the same quarter in the prior year.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Dialing up a headache: Ruthe Deskin; Recently I wanted to reach some friends in Apple Valley, Calif., but didn't have their number. I looked under long distance calling in the directory and got nowhere. Finally, under general information, I found a number: 555-1212. I dialed and gave the information they needed to fulfill my request. The operator obliged with a number to call.

Editorial: U.S. should delay Indian gaming rules: Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, both D-Nev., and Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., have asked Babbitt to postpone the rules until Congress has a chance to override the regulations or the courts render a decision on their legality. Babbitt should reconsider his decision to move forward and call a time-out on the implementation of these regulations that make for poor public policy.

Editorial: Questions dwarfing answers: A national conference on school violence released a report in October that found -- statistically speaking -- it is safer for the nation's 53 million school children to sit in a classroom than it is for them to walk down a street. But these statistics don't comfort parents; they assume their children will be safer when in school.

Obituaries for April 22, 1999: He is survived by his wife, Alma; one daughter, DeOnne Sweet of Henderson; two sisters, Milda Summers of Henderson and Edith Dettloff of Arcadia, Wis.; one brother, Willard Aswegan of Plummer, Idaho; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Assessing the entertainment along the boardwalk: Joe Delaney; There was room in the van sent to pick them up in Philadelphia so I hitched a ride, then proceeded to the Claridge hotel for three days of visits with daughter Megan, her husband, Dennis, my first granddaughter, Caitlin, and son Shay. ... Wednesday night, we caught a couple of sets by the Treniers, the lounge was packed.

Sun Softball State Top 10 -- April 22, 1999: Sun Softball State Top 10 -- April 22, 1999

Sun Baseball State Top 10 poll -- April 22, 1999: Sun Baseball State Top 10 poll -- April 22, 1999

Key elements of the NCAA settlement: Total cash award: $54.5 million

LV company delays annual meeting: Ray Brown, a Santa Fe spokesman, said the company had to delay the meeting because it did not send its proxy materials to investors early enough to meet Securities and Exchange Commission annual meeting notice requirements.

NCAA plans to return to UNLV: Steve Carp; The NCAA is coming back to town next week to continue its inquiry into the UNLV men's basketball program.

Senators defend panel's power to police lies in campaigns: The bill by Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, would repeal a 1997 law that allows the Ethics Commission to levy up to $30,000 fines for malicious statements made during campaigns.

Letter: Pay assistants more to improve nursing home care: This type of abuse in nursing homes gives my job a bad name. It's gotten so bad that families are afraid to put their loved ones into nursing homes.

Lawmakers opt to have state operate new veterans facility: Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, a chairman of the subcommittee, said the decision wouldn't preclude the state from contracting out for the operation of the home in the future.

Letter: Shut down office of misguided Starr: It is time to stop the drain on the U.S. Treasury and send Starr and his army packing.

Letter: Time to investigate police department: Why don't the police use stun guns or like devices when there might be some doubt about who it is they're shooting at with live bullets?

Las Vegas charity expects 20 Kosavars weekly: "I wish casino owners or human resources (officials) could help find jobs," Ms. Leiper said. "We need people to take them to doctor appointments; a lot of the refugees are sick. We'd like people to adopt a family if they can."

Legislator sees no need to amend weapons bill: Another section of Nevada law prohibits any person from carrying firearms into a school or college building without written permission from the person in charge of that building.

Letter: Who is U.S. to tell others what to do?: With the luxury of short-wave radio, the BBC, Deutsche Welle, radio Hilversum, etc., diversity is at our fingertips.

Some workers' comp rates to leap: Starting in July, private insurance companies can compete with the Employers Insurance Company of Nevada, formerly the State Industrial Insurance System, in selling workers' compensation coverage to Nevada businesses.

Ferraro, mayor for 23 years, faces challenge from two: Jace Radke; Serving his fourth term as the city's mayor, Ferraro this time around has two challengers for his job -- Councilman Bill Smith and Councilman Robert Kenneston.

Candidate Smith sees great future in his adopted town: Jace Radke; "I just remembered thinking what an absolute jewel Boulder City was," Smith said. "It was green and beautiful."

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Demitra gives up the puck -- and $500,000: During his brief 22-game stint with the soon-to-be-defunct Las Vegas Thunder in 1996-97, before he was traded to Grand Rapids for some journeyman defenseman and a skate sharpener, Thunder officials questioned Pavol Demitra's commitment.