Print edition for January 12, 1999

Columnist Jeff German: GOP rift over casino contributions widens in Washington: About three years ago, former Republican National Committeeman Haley Barbour attracted considerable national attention when he came to Las Vegas for a fund-raising rendezvous with casino moguls at Steve Wynn's exclusive Shadow Creek Country Club. Wynn himself wrote a check to Barbour for $250,000.

One more chance given Shepherd Hills: Erin Neff; City officials are hoping the fifth time is the charm to get an oft-delayed low-income housing project off the drawing board and into construction.

Brief: Owners still talking with Gaming Board: In December, the Board declined to give Sunrise owners Mike and Rhonda Mona a gaming license, citing associations with a telemarketer who has spent time in federal prison, and with others who have had brushes with federal authorities. Board members also questioned a past Mona run-in with the police and some questionable accounting entries.

Man draws life sentence in 1997 slaying of his wife: Leffall, 44, pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in the 1997 shooting death of his estranged wife, Dana Lorraine Leffall, 33. District Judge Kathy Hardcastle decided he would serve 25 years before being eligible for parole.

Brief: Federal grant to fund study on historic hotel: Gina Fountain, director of corporate affairs for Nucleus, which is operated by the owners of Nucleus Plaza Inc., the developers of a shopping center on West Owens Avenue, said hotel owner Bart Maybie and Nucleus owner John Edmond are working on the effort to restore the Moulin Rouge, which was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Probation granted teacher who had sex with students: Bill Gang; Prosecution and defense attorneys agreed that Patton, 28, has thrown away his career through the actions that constitute a felony under a new Nevada law.

High-tech program to help treat heart attacks in the field: The program is called "Medical Informatics in Acute Myocardial Infarction" and equips firefighters with a helmet-mounted miniature television camera and microphone.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Utah latest IOC victim: Four decades ago, when working with the Amateur Athletic Union, I heard talk of how to treat the IOC and USOC officials. They were oftentimes treated as royalty and many of them came to expect such treatment. Over the years, this was expanded upon by the IOC and the areas bidding for the opportunity to host games became victims. The entire process has become a corrupting dance that leaves those areas not selected poorer but seldom wiser. The losers keep coming back with bigger and better gifts in second, third and fourth attempts to attract the prestigious games.

LV immigrants hold protest over revoked work permits: She may have been young to take up a picket, but she has a personal interest in the issue.

Hair Lair: A reporter goes under the scissors at the high-toned new Prive salon at the Bellagio: Kimberley McGee; "(Clients) leave and say 'Oh my God! I didn't think I could look like this,' " says Michael Boychuck, colorist and partner in Prive, the salon chain based in Hollywood that services the stars. "Everyone has something that makes them beautiful. We bring that out."

Gambling scams put LV Bowl on hot seat: Steve Guiremand; "That's the first I've heard about it," Rossi Ralenkotter, vice president of marketing for the LVCVA, said of reports emanating from this week's 93rd NCAA Convention in San Antonio.

Wednesday at Golden Gate: 1st race 6 fur 4YO & up Mdn Clm: 1 Kanpur (Dieguez) 112; 2 China Prize (Perez) 119; 3 Flying To Victory (Arriaga) 119; 4 Trucemaster (Lopez) 119; 5 Chance To Riot (Bisono) 119; 6 Dave's Moment (Meche) 119.

Brief: GOP urged to reject gambling money: South Carolina Republican National committeeman Buddy Witherspoon submitted a resolution calling gambling "unconscionable in light of devastation via increased crime, marital strife, child abuse and neglect, personal financial bankruptcies and victimization of our nation's youth and underprivileged classes."

Brief: Nevada receives $28,000 settlement: The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from dozens of states claimed the telemarketer sent sweepstakes notification mailers to consumers urging them to dial toll numbers to claim prizes that were worth less than the cost of the call. After being charged an average $30 per call, the prizes turned out to be $1 or nothing at all.

Wednesday at Aqueduct: 1st race 6 fur 3YO Mdn Clm: 1 Twined (Leon) 120; 2 K Bar Bill (Castillo) 120; 3 Devil's Flint (Espinoza) 120; 4 Fight For Victory (Diaz) 115; 5 Dandy Dickens (Diego) 113; 6 Navahoe (Pezua) 120; 7 Brawny (Nelson) 120; 8 Lake Dillon (Douglas) 120; 9 Pleased (Davila) 113; 10 Tuneitout (Molina) 113.

Three prized balls go up for auction: When Philip Ozersky and Albert Chapa recovered landmark balls from the greatest home run season in history, they were offered autographed paraphernalia in exchange.

Ex-Rebel stars gearing up for short NBA campaign: Steve Carp; They've been spending the past few months watching others play. But it's time for some former UNLV stars to get back to work.

LV man charged in apparent suicide try: Karen Zekan; Michael McGilbra, 40, was cooperative when arrested by fire investigators Monday afternoon at Montevista Hospital, a Las Vegas care facility for people with emotional and behavioral issues.

Columnist Scott Dickensheets: Credit cards can put you in a Box: Scott Dickensheets; After all, could anything be more humiliating than having your credit rejected by Jack in the Box?

Gibson has big plans to keep Henderson's small-town appeal: Lisa Snedeker; Maintaining his city's small-town values while continuing to attract quality residential developments are just a few of Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson's goals for the upcoming year.

Metro has all the goods on pawnshop items: While strolling through a local pawnshop, one of the victims spotted a painting that was part of the missing cargo. Another found a 100-year-old glass work that was part of his missing items.

Figure in mobster's slaying dies at 59: Peter Vincent Caruso, who has spent 18 months in the Clark County Detention Center awaiting trial as one of six men charged in the January 1997 killing of Blitzstein, died of heart failure Sunday. He was 59.

City Council votes on funding: * $100,000: to various suppliers for fire hydrant parts.

Brief: Gambling concern to post loss: "During the December quarter we continued to experience a softness in the replacement market for gaming machines, coupled with several customers who we had expected to ship to in December pushing their delivery requirements to the March 1999 quarter," said Chief Executive Morry Goldstein.

Council review panel: Add 2 seats: Erin Neff; The Council Review Committee was formed last October to examine the composition, job status and compensation level of City Council.

Beltway may solve traffic on Air Force road: Scott Reeder; Air Force officials expressed concern that traffic using the road would increase once a segment of the Beltway near Nellis Air Force Base is complete by the end of 2001.

Ex-UMC executive dies in LV: Services are pending for Brandsness, who died Monday of lung cancer at his home.

Jailed burglar suspect in rape of girl, 12: Paul Haskell Spicher, 38, a twice-convicted felon, is being held in Fort Bragg, Calif., on vandalism charges. He is awaiting extradition to Nevada on sex assault charges.

Small fire burns itself out at Timet plant: The fire started at about 11:15 a.m. when a spark from a cutting torch entered a duct, Timet spokesman Lorne Taylor said.

Tractor smashes through playgrounds: Karen Zekan; Investigating authorities described the vandalism as having been caused by a "tractor joy ride." Other youths are suspected of having taken part in the early Saturday morning spree and the investigation is continuing.

Nov. gaming win up 6.3 percent: John Wilen; That's partly because of a boxing match in November 1997.

Letter: Stroke support group information: We meet on the third Wednesday of each month at the Summerlin Library at 2 p.m. We are one of three stroke support groups here in Las Vegas. We welcome new members as do the other clubs.

Letter: Letter on trucks not whole story: Absolutely, Mr. Bougon, so they (trucks and buses) can "run over" the cars going 40 mph on the interstate! We own a "large truck" and a bus-sized motor home, and I can't count the number of times we were traveling in the right lane, only to come upon some driver who can't go the speed limit. Or some pickup truck with 10 people in the back bed. Or some senior citizen afraid to be on the interstate and shouldn't be there in the first place.

Girlfriend summoned to court in Binion case: Chief District Judge Lee Gates, who is overseeing Binion's multimillion-dollar estate, on Monday ordered Sandy Murphy and the three theft suspects, Rick Tabish, Michael Milot and David Mattsen, to appear before him Feb. 4 to answer questions under oath about the missing items, which include a $300,000 collection of rare currency.

Former UNLV player Sanders making name at San Jose State: Steve Carp; OK, so maybe things didn't go the way Ben Sanders had originally planned.

Postal officials urge extra steps for safety: Jace Radke; "I have all my checks sent to the post office because I want to make sure only I get them," Naples said in front of the Redrock Vista postal station at 2449 N. Tenaya Way. "I just feel safer picking it up here in my post office box."

Editorial: Targeting drunken drivers: The DUI Serious Offender Program is the brainchild of Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker, who heads the district attorney's DUI Unit, and Laurel Turner, a substance abuse evaluation technician for the court system. The idea behind the program is to stop the pattern of repeat arrests among chronic drunken drivers by focusing on curing them of their bad habits.

$900,000 committed to Metro training facility: Erin Neff; During the 1999 budget process, Metro divided its budget into an operating component of $69,166,201 and a capital component of $1,075,000. The capital component was for the cost of expanding the existing Metro Communications Facility.

Letter: House members' morals seem to have vanished: The first thought to remember is some of these supposedly leaders of government claim they are leaders with a high moral code.

Reports cite gaps in Nevada day care: Art Nadler; Day-care centers throughout the state are lacking in quality of care, two newly released UNLV reports have concluded.

MGM Grand bullish on Tyson bout: Gary Thompson; And MGM Grand Inc. executives believes this weekend will be one, too, setting the stage for a first quarter that could be one of the company's best ever.

Soesbe hopeful as practice begins: Rod Soesbe got halfway through running down his roster for the 1999 season when he paused and smiled.

Reno City Council approves Jethro's Hillbilly casino: Scott Sonner; On a 4-3 vote, the council approved the controversial 240-foot derrick with a 70-foot flame that was holding up the $130 million project Baer wants to build at an aging shopping mall south of downtown.

Nevadans willing to spend more on many state programs: Sandra Chereb; RENO, Nev. - Nevadans are willing to spend more on state programs to help victims, the elderly and to improve K-12 education. And when asked how to pay for it, a majority favor higher taxes on casinos.

Gambling commission chairwoman warns industry execs: Robert Macy; "Fix your own problems," Kay Coles James, chairwoman of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, told gambling industry executives meeting in Las Vegas. "The federal government isn't the answer."

City news briefs: The card features the city seal and a photo of the city's skyline. Proceeds from the sale of the cards will be used in support of city youth sports programs and facilities.

Tyson looks like his old self: Tim Graham; By Tim Graham LAS VEGAS SUN

Six hours not enough to get jury for alleged killer of campus cop: The court adjourned about 5:30 p.m. on Monday after spending about six hours on jury selection. More than half of the prospective jurors acknowledged they remembered something about the case.

Brief: Monarch results improve: Brief: Monarch results improve

Correction - Gourmet Olympics: The Sun corrects its errors. If there is a mistake, report it to 385-3111.

Obituaries for Jan. 12, 1999: She is survived by four daughters, Pearlene Trotter, Roxie Coleman, Minnie Sparks and Marilyn Weiston, and three sons, Garland "Nick" Burns, Milton Burns and Tommy Burns, all of Las Vegas; one brother, John T. Childs of Hot Springs, Ark.; two aunts, Velma Tatum and Luna Marshall, both of Banks, Ark.; many other relatives and friends; 36 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Shareholders may get piece of former casino operating firm: John Wilen; In exchange for an $80,000 payment from Florida time-share developer David Siegel and mortgage creditors of the Debbie Reynolds resort, unsecured trade creditors of the resort have agreed to a plan giving Siegel 97.5 percent of the reorganized Debbie Reynolds operating company, and shareholders 2.5 percent.

Brief: LV firm enters controversial business: "Australia brings the regulations and credibility to sports wagering on the Internet that assures our customers of our integrity and financial strength," said Chief Executive Victor Salerno. "We believe our company's Internet business will be very successful. AWI has always prided ourselves as pioneers in sports betting. Our Internet business will continue this tradition."

Ex-state treasurer to head N.Y. firm: His job will be to manage the fund and develop new business. The company invests in fixed-income investments such as Treasury notes, Fannie Maes and commercial debt.

Columnist Dean Juipe: If Tyson's perturbed, he hides it: Dean Juipe; Luckily for Mike Tyson, he found the right vocation.

Medical school seeing red: In early 1998, the school borrowed $1.5 million from the University of Nevada, Reno, which runs the medical school. By the end of the 1999 calendar year, Anderes said, the medical school expects to pay back UNR and could begin showing a profit.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Tyson may be losing his touch at ticket window: Ask somebody at the MGM Grand about the number of tickets sold/available for Saturday's Mike Tyson comeback fight against Frans Botha, and you'll get a response bordering on Marcel Marceau. With laryngitis.

Steele the man for Saturday's fight between Tyson and Botha: Dean Juipe; As the third man in the ring, a boxing referee inevitably plays a significant role in a prize fight.

Federal, state unity vowed in management of Nellis natural resources: Rick Nielsen, executive director of the statewide watchdog group Citizen Alert, urged the five parties to give the public a summary of activities and what has been accomplished. The next public meeting is expected a year from now.

Cox sees cash flow growth this year: Greg Wiles; Atlanta-based Cox estimated it will add 450,000 to 500,000 subscriptions for the new residential services by the end of the year. It said it had about 160,000 subscriptions for new services at the end 1998.

New state personnel chief named: Greene has been working for 18 years in the Personnel Department, which oversees payroll and placement of Nevada's 15,000 state workers.

November casino win up, doesn't match October's Bellagio-driven win: Brendan Riley; The increase wasn't as strong as the previous month's 11 percent gain, when the Bellagio megaresort opened on the Las Vegas Strip, but regulators were still pleased with the take, and tax receipts for the state were even better.

Brief: LV firm sued over undelivered slots: Neither Worldwide Capital nor Knapp could be reached for comment.

Two charged with assaulting teen they allegedly met on Internet: Scott Sonner; "I feel there could be" other victims, Sparks Police Detective Dave Adams said Tuesday. "That's why we've put out a request for anyone who has had contact with these guys to come forward."

Mecca out as Mandalay Bay hotel-casino chief: Mecca, 50, left his executive positions with the $950 million Circus Circus Enterprises Inc. project last week. A Circus Circus spokeswoman said he left to pursue other interests; Mecca couldn't be reached.

Las Vegas blackout on fight lifted: Orders can be placed with Cox Communications daily until 8 p.m. The fee is $45.95.

Man charged in apartment explosion: Investigators determined that McGilbra disconnected the flexible gas-supply line to his kitchen stove to kill himself on Jan. 4. The ignition source has not been disclosed.

Ralph Siraco's Santa Anita selections: Wednesday's card

WCW grill bringing head butts and cheeseburgers to Las Vegas: Angie Wagner; As they heaved sledgehammers through a wall Tuesday, the crowd of pro wrestling fans went wild.

Conservationists fear probe of land swaps will hurt efforts: While the probe is underway, on-going efforts to convert private land to public ownership have ground to a halt.

Gates, Jones face ethics decisions: Lisa Snedeker; The state Ethics Commission this week will consider whether there is sufficient evidence to pursue charges against County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates, Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and North Las Vegas Constable Herb Brown, among others.