Print edition for February 8, 1999

Winter wallops Sierra with one-two punch: Sandra Chereb; "We're waiting for the final shot from this low pressure system later tonight and tomorrow," said Roger Lamoni, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno. "That's the colder portion that could very well bring snow to Reno proper."

Obituaries for Feb. 8, 1999: He is survived by his wife, Gerri; one daughter, Sharleine Morrison of Las Vegas; two sons, Jeff Braun of New York City and Douglas Braun of Los Angeles; and four grandchildren.

Zoltan wins fourth straight Las Vegas Marathon: Tim Graham; In an attempt to finally break Frank Plasso's long-standing record, LVIM director Al Boka is thinking about employing a rascally rabbit for next year's runners to chase after.

LV Norwest, Wells Fargo branches' fate decided: One of four things will happen to Las Vegas branches of Wells Fargo and Norwest banks because of their merger.

Few takers for free classes: The $5 million publicly-funded center is packed with 200 computers to be used by high school students in the mornings and college students in the afternoons and evenings.

Brief: Special charges cut into health firm's profit: Without the special charges, Sierra would have earned $12.5 million or 46 cents per share.

Students skip class in protest over cancelled assembly: "We had our assembly canceled and we haven't done anything to deserve it," said senior Melanie McKenzie, a protest organizer. "We might get suspended for this, but all of us are standing up for what we believe."

Boulder City mayor's speech to focus on growth: Lisa Snedeker; What does Mayor Bob Ferraro plan on talking to his fellow Boulder City residents about at a 6 p.m. open house in City Hall?

Letter: Republicans beware -- Gloating has begun: It's time for the 13 managers to stand up like men, stop snivelling and wash the egg from their faces. It's embarrassing to watch.

Reform group rips Sierra's coverage review plan: Art Nadler; Sierra Health Services Inc. announced Thursday that it would pay for external, independent reviews of coverage decisions under its Health Plan of Nevada division. The criteria would be that the disputed procedure must cost at least $1,000 and be deemed a "medical necessity" or an "experimental treatment."

Columnist Dean Juipe: Marathon belongs on the Strip: Dean Juipe; Rarely do people feel so good about feeling so bad.

Mother charged with scalding death of 2-year-old: Police found the girl, Dezjanea Taylor, about 4:30 p.m. Thursday after responding to a possible child abuse case.

Rebels post win over Gauchos in opening series: Thanks to a 25-14 pounding in the second game of a three-game set with UC Santa Barbara, the UNLV pitching staff came out of its season-opening series with an inflated 9.33 earned-run average.

Letter: China's choice for next U.S. president? Bush: Of potential candidates, Bush, the special team concluded, would be the most likely to further Chinese interests. "Chinese leaders ... think the young Bush will pursue policies friendly to China because of the influence of his famous father," said the Morning Post's anonymous source.

LVMS owner has plan to build condominiums at Speedway: When Las Vegas Motor Speedway still was on the drawing board, the track's developers borrowed many of the design concepts from Bruton Smith's Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Letter: Students interested in Silver State: Mrs. Ward's Class, Stephenville Intermediate School, Stephenville, Texas 76401

Adelson: Venetian will beat union, financial challenges: John Wilen; The Venetian hotel-casino may be making aggressive financial projections, and it may open under a cloud of union protest, but it will surmount the obstacles facing it and confound its critics.

Box Score: UNLV 65, Air Force 64: 3-Point Goals: 5-11, .455 (Simmons 1-2, Keefe 1-3, Dickel 2-2, Herod 0-1, Daniels 1-3).

Showing heart on Valentine's Day: County Clerk Shirley Parraguirre is planning to spend about $1 more of taxpayer money per couple in hopes of cutting by one-half the five-hour-plus wait some people have endured to get hitched on Cupid's holiday.

Review: Sugar Ray plays too safe: Geoff Carter; It was opening night of the Sugar Ray's tour, which admittedly may have compelled the five-piece outfit to overshoot their marks. But that can't explain away the needless heavy hand they applied to "Falls Apart" and "Glory," the cover of the Steve Miller Band's "Abracadabra" (track eleven on the new disc - please, God, make it disappear) and an overeager stage manner that more becomes group of insecure outsiders desperately trying to get into Delta House.=20

Thunder 5, Ice 4 (SO): Second Period -- 5, Indianapolis, Maclean 2 (Dupuis, Herperger), pp, 19:59. Penalties: Indianapolis, Hymovitz (roughing), 5:10; Las Vegas, Jinman (roughing), 7:08; Indianapolis, Royer served by Tardif (double minor, roughing, misconduct), 7:08; Indianapolis, Wilford (high-sticking), 9:23; Las Vegas, Kaminski (hooking), 18:06.

Letter: Learn lessons in freedom of liberty: Jan Storm

LV gaming people: Deborah Paige is vice president, leisure sales, at the Aladdin hotel-casino.

Change in lineup pays off in win vs. Air Force: Steve Carp; COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- It's not like this was something new. It has happened before with positive results.

Lawyer agrees to pay former Miss Nevada $30,000: Bill Gang; Las Vegas lawyer Gerald Gillock agreed to pay $30,000 to a former Miss Nevada to settle a lawsuit she filed after her face was slashed during a luncheon in 1994.

LV City Council set to hear several controversial issues: Erin Neff; Three items -- scheduled for 4 p.m., 4:30 and 5 -- on the agenda carry with them the baggage of petitions, constituent calls to council members and controversy.

Brief: Alliance Gaming reports loss: Alliance said it lost $12.9 million for fiscal 1999's first half, compared with a net loss of $76.9 million in the fiscal 1998 period. First-half revenue was $202.7 million, compared with $204.7 million in the year-ago period.

Legislators wary of governor's prison plan: Kiley Russell; Several Assembly Judiciary members seemed unconvinced that Gov. Kenny Guinn's plans will work, especially given Nevada's rapidly growing inmate population.

Box score: Thunder 4, Vipers 2: Second Period -- None. Penalties: Detroit, Leach (Obstruction, hooking), 8:05; Detroit, Aldridge (interference), 9:35; Detroit, Shaw (interference), 11:47; Las Vegas, Mcbain (holding), 15:47.

Gymnastics Go For It Classic, Results: Women's Artistic

Brief: Firm reacquires golf at theme park: The theme park company bought 42 acres and all the assets of All-American Golf LLC, which includes the Callaway Golf Center, the Divine Nine golf course, a 110-station driving range, the Saint Andrews Golf Shop, the Bistro 10 Restaurant and the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. The golf course is a lighted nine-hole par 3 course.

Box score: Thunder 8, Komets 5: Second Period --5, Las Vegas, Romaniuk 20 (Hollis), 6:55; 6, Las Vegas, Naumenko 8 (Lefebvre, Berens), 8:04; 7, Las Vegas, Jinman 3 (Lefebvre, Ustorf), pp, 14:30; 8, Las Vegas, Romaniuk 21 (Jinman, Hollis), 19:02. Penalties: Fort Wayne, Penn (Obstruction, hooking), 3:54; Fort Wayne, Sorochan (interference), 10:45; Fort Wayne, Dupuis (roughing), 13:12; Fort Wayne, Roy (slashing), 15:51; Las Vegas, Kaminski (slashing), 15:51.

Tarkanian civil lawsuit ready for trial: It's a lawsuit Tarkanian has labeled a vendetta, prompted not by inappropriate behavior on her part, but by her constant questioning of the way the district's business is handled.

Parents rattled after children bring gun to campus: The boys were expelled after bringing a .357-caliber revolver to an after-school party at Meyers Elementary School in a backpack. The gun was stolen from the parents of one of the boys.

Officers accused of using racial slurs, breaking boy's arm: Police Department spokesman Lt. Rick Alba said Thursday the department began an internal investigation after the Wednesday morning incident though Tammy Lyons, Pookie's mother, has yet to file a complaint with the department's Internal Affairs Bureau.

Boulder Dam Hotel gets state cultural grant: The hotel was one of 24 projects that received money from the state Commission on Cultural Affairs in a program to preserve historic sites.

Decision on retrial nears in child-abuse murder: Bill Gang; If the judge rejects Wegner's motion for a new trial, he will go ahead with the scheduled sentencing on her murder conviction.

Election guide added to website: Erin Neff; The city of Las Vegas has added an election guide to its website, allowing residents 24-hour access to everything from ward boundaries, campaign expense reports and poll locations.

Monday's Prep Results: Palo Verde 98, Western 91, OT

Report will chart gambling's spread: The second draft of an overview chapter was given to members of the commission's Report Subcommittee on Sunday.

Box score: Thunder 2, Areos 1 (SO): Second Period -- 2, Las Vegas, Berens 19 (Mcbain, Naumenko), pp, 7:01. Penalties: Houston, Wiseman (roughing), 5:38; Las Vegas, Mcbain (holding the stick), 8:12.

Prep Schedule - Feb 7-13: Boys Basketball

Settlement reached in school lawsuit: In her Reno federal court lawsuit filed last year, Baldwin claims the district violated her constitutional rights when it eliminated her former position as Whittell High vice principal.

Nevada Women's Lobby willing to give governor chance: Nevada Women's Lobby started this year's effort by taking a diplomatic approach in its opposition to the budget proposed by the Republican governor.

Box score: Vipers 5, Thunder 3: Second Period -- 3, Detroit, Ciavaglia 23 (Felsner, Drulia), 7:03; 4, Las Vegas, Hollis 10 (Jinman, Naumenko), pp, 15:37; 5, Detroit, Aldridge 9 (Emmons, Prokopec), 19:35. Penalties: Las Vegas, Srubko (Obstruction, interference), 12:20; Detroit, Aldridge (Obstruction, holding), 13:54; Detroit, Herbers (roughing), 14:53.

Punter expected to fill big shoes: Steve Guiremand; UNLV has found the punter it hopes can fill the cleats of consensus All-American Joe Kristosik.

Columnist Melissa Schorr: Nice guy in search of valentine: Melissa Schorr; We women love to claim that we're just looking for a "nice guy." But in practice, it often seems untrue.

Racewalker Herazo forced to sidelines by injury: Tim Graham; Victoria Herazo used to be one of the best walkers in the world.

Lawmaker's remark on "wetbacks" causes concern: During a Ways and Means hearing last Friday on restoring the adobe exterior of the Lost City Museum in southern Nevada. Marvel asked why somebody doesn't hire "wetbacks" to do the job.

Runner's goal is as simple as outrunning 'Mr. Grizzly': Bruce Falk; Editor's note: Bruce Falk is a Sun copy editor and veteran marathon runner. Sunday's Las Vegas Marathon marked the 33rd time he completed the 26.2-mile sojourn.

Gaming panel opens huddle in Virginia: But Eugene Christiansen, who participated in a just-released study on national gambling behavior, told the National Gambling Impact Study Commission that the public may be losing interest in games of chance as a leisure activity.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Exploit's win tops big weekend: Ralph Siraco; Stars of the past shared the weekend with potential stars of the future as both the men and beasts of the Sport of Kings returned to glory and reached milestones.

Texas gymnast wins two golds at the Las Vegas Go For It Classic: In the 16-athlete open event finals, which featured a combination of the top athletes from elite and level 10 categories from scores earned in Friday's all-around competition, White won the floor exercise with a 9.700 score and then came back with a 9.750 to capture the vault. The 12-year old gymnast, who finished tied for third in the all-around on Friday, competes for World Olympic Gymnastics of Plano, Texas.

Agents probe six accused of card marking: Karen Zekan; The board will seek charges of burglary, cheating at gambling and conspiracy to cheat against the men, authorities said. A court date is pending.

Del Papa told to expect budget cuts: Chairman Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said the staff in the attorney general's office has increased more than other state agencies. "I know you have been given new duties but even taking that into account, there has been a big increase," he said.

Metro, FBI on alert after ATM ripoffs: Karen Zekan; Few details were available on this past weekend's incident, although authorities say the machine ripped from the ground late Friday or early Saturday from a strip mall off Buffalo and Regatta drives has not been recovered. Authorities this morning could not say which bank the ATM belonged to.

Ernaut's requests miff legislators: Last Wednesday, Ernaut sent a letter to legislative leaders telling them they would have to go through his office to get information from state agencies. These requests, he said are "increasingly time-consuming" and take employees away from their job.

Senator contacts minority leader on growth ideas: Titus said she was encouraged by the effort by Porter, R-Henderson, to include her in the effort to find solutions to southern Nevada's growth problems - particularly after Gov. Kenny Guinn and Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio of Reno said they wouldn't consider any of her ideas unless approved by the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority.

Amil drops service deal with Sunrise: Art Nadler; The health maintenance organization will discontinue services with Sunrise Hospital, Mountain View Hospital, Sunrise Diagnostic Center and three Sunrise Health Strategies clinics and the Flamingo, Sahara and Las Vegas surgical centers.

Plan links Indian gaming, state lotteries: International Culinary Union President John Wilhelm, who represents casino workers in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, unveiled his proposal at a meeting Sunday of the Impact Study Commission's Indian Gambling Subcommittee. Wilhelm is a member of the subcommittee.

Editorial: Health care reform will get priority: The news on the HMO front hasn't been all that encouraging at the beginning of 1999, either. For instance, the New York Times reported last week that a growing number of doctors are being courted by unions as the physicians worry about receiving lower compensation and having to cede more control to HMOs when it comes to treating their patients. In addition, a study published last week by the Journal of the American Medical Association contended that even when patients opt for traditional insurance, they still may not be able to avoid the nasty side effects of managed care. For ...

Paparazzi law questioned at first hearing: Brendan Riley; Sen. Bernice Mathews, D-Sparks, told the Senate Judiciary Committee her SB34 stems from a request from several constituents upset about being videotaped secretly for a television program.

Death sentence will not be sought against teenagers: Bill Gang; Justice of the Peace Jennifer Togliatti ruled at a preliminary hearing Friday there is enough evidence to hold Shauntay Wheaton, 15, and DeAngelo Mitchell, 16, on murder, robbery and conspiracy charges. Most of the evidence came from statements the teenagers made.

State worker raises might be pitted against state building projects: If so, Rawson said the big battle will be whether to spend the money on salary increases for state workers and teachers or whether to put the money back into the state's capital improvement budget, which was cut by about $120 million.

Marvel's remark on "wetbacks" raises eyebrows: Marvel said the term "wetbacks" was used to describe Mexican workers, but now they are called "green cards."

Reid is in red after $4.4 million campaign: A contribution and expense report filed last week show the Democrat, now Senate minority leader, raised $2.8 million during the year. That coupled with the money he had on hand at the beginning of 1997 left him about $20,000 in the red, according to Jenny Backus, his director of communications.