Print edition for June 16, 1999

Riley treating Open like a regular event: Chris Riley will be playing in his first U.S. Open this week in Pinehurst, N.C., but the 1996 UNLV graduate and PGA Tour rookie isn't approaching this tournament any differently than a regular tour event.

Gwynn's injury may send Darr back to Padres: Steve Guiremand; Mike Darr checked back into the Las Vegas Stars locker room before Tuesday night's 8-4 loss to the Tacoma Rainiers at Cashman Field.

Fighter planes crash near Tonopah: Both pilots were flying F-15C/Ds and both were members of the 53rd Wing, base officials said.

Box score: Rainiers 8, Stars 4: Tacoma

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Hollywood Park: 1ST RACE:

Fishing report -- June 16, 1999: Boaters report the best fishing for stripers has been taking place in front of Boulder Beach, Government Wash and Las Vegas Wash. One boater reported that he had poor luck for stripers over the weekend while trolling in the Overton Arm.

Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Canada's concerns reflect our own: Paula DelGiudice; Ijust returned from the annual general meeting of the Canadian Wildlife Federation in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territory where I learned a lot about the issues troubling conservationists in Canada. Outdoors people in Canada have plenty in common with us in the U.S.

Records mean little to California's Won: Spencer Patterson; The comparisons were inevitable, even before Ron Won broke one of Tiger Woods' high school records last week.

Columnist Peter Benton: Stewart's the best of a tough Open field: Peter Benton; Play gets under way Thursday in the 1999 U.S. Open, which will be held at the 7,175-yard par-70 Pinehurst No. 2 course in North Carolina.

Thursday at Belmont Park: 1st race 1 mi & 1 fur 3YO & up Turf Mdn: 1 a-King Hut (Espinoza) 114; 2 Winter Bid (Davis) 122; 3 Halissinating (Leon) 114; 4 Jobless San Joe (Bridgmohan) 114; 5 Improve (Gryder) 114; 6 Cozzeebaba (Chavez) 114; 7 Homer Boyer (Smith) 109; 8 Ben's Bluesman (Velazquez) 114; 9 Harbor's End (Santos) 114; 10 Stewster (Migliore) 114.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Rebels ranked No. 3 in college golf poll: The UNLV golf team, which finished sixth at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships earlier this month, is ranked third in the nation in the final Golfweek/Sagarin College Golf Rankings.

Congressional compromise keeps nuclear waste out of Nevada Test Site: Kiley Russell; A measure that kills the plan to temporarily store nuclear waste at the Nevada Test Site is seen as half a victory by Nevada lawmakers.

Ex-Las Vegan Kimmel cavorts on 'The Man Show': "There was the time me and a bunch of friends got arrested."

Elko woman described as "cold lady" pleads guilty to second killing: Scott Sonner; Described by investigators as a "very cold lady," Elizabeth Powell, 33, was convicted in March of kidnapping and murdering Curtis Moss in the desert just off U.S. Highway 95 north of Winnemucca on May 16, 1998.

Older Strip resorts taking a hit: Gary Thompson; Strip gaming revenues rose 6.1 percent in April, but apparently only the rich got richer.

Community briefs for June 16, 1999: A class on pool aerobics for seniors is being offered 10-11 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at the Sunset Station pool.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Rich, smart kids excel in sports: Dean Juipe; It's too simplistic to look at Stanford's incredible success in college athletics and pin it on rich kids getting all the breaks.

Albertson's, Lucky look at forced sale: The Albertson's supermarket chain is expected to learn by the end of the month if it will have to sell any of its Las Vegas stores when it buys the company that owns Lucky grocery stores.

Mortensen's attorney says deal for witness tainted trial: Bill Gang; A decision could be made by the end of the month in the latest move to win a new trial for Ron Mortensen, the former Metro Police officer who was convicted of a fatal drive-by shooting.

Hospital ads must target minorities: Art Nadler; The Clark County Commission approved a new $1.7 million University Medical Center advertising contract Tuesday but insisted the hospital beef up its efforts to attract more minority patients.

Saccadelic, baby! Tony Sacca's TV show defies the skeptics: Karen Zekan; That's all the critics were giving Tony Sacca's idea for a Las Vegas-based entertainment TV show in 1986.

Silver State to clean Sunrise landfill: Adrienne Packer; Nearly a year after a violent rainstorm tore open garbage-filled cells at the Sunrise Mountain landfill, sending a channel of trash into the Las Vegas Wash, a clean-up agreement was hammered out Tuesday.

Thursday at Hollywood Park: 1st race 5 fur 2YO & up Mdn Clm: 1 Scarletlin (Garcia) 118; 2 Naevus Who (Valdez) 118; 3 Sustained Success (Solis) 118; 4 Tell 'em Cielo (Enriquez) 118; 5 Fresh Currency (Ramsammy) 118; 6 Acefromouterspace (Pincay) 118; 7 Duchess Deb (Delahoussaye) 118.

Once in need, LACE founder more than repays community: Stacy J. Willis; DONATIONS

Selling Vegas in the South: Shelia M. Poole; ATLANTA -- Coming your way: A swivel-hipped Elvis and high-stepping showgirls.

Editorial: Making the courts run better: Some of the recent happenings:

Uptown Downtown Artown a month long with endless variety: Scott Sonner; A variety of cities around the world boast the largest opera festivals, blues festivals, ballet festivals, film festivals, theater festivals, folk festivals, etc.

Patient found dead after wandering away in triple-digit heat: Angie Wagner; Workers at the North Las Vegas Care Center found the body of Margarete Sheets by a nearby storage shed Saturday evening.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Tropics lent the theme to LV Hilton's 'Social': Elizabeth Foyt; Only the finest of comments and accolades were heard in praise of the Las Vegas Hilton for its efforts in presenting "The Social." Incredibly, this spectacular evening was even better than the first. Using a tropical ocean theme with Cuban and South American influences, the resort lavishly decorated 70,000 square feet of its vast convention complex, including a water and sand-encircled stage for the reggae band and elevated areas for the 11-piece Cuban orchestra and its quite-glittering dancers.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Enjoying the perks of Fashion Island: Until this past week it had been years since I shopped at Fashion Island in the Newport Center in Newport Beach, Calif.

'Salt & Pepper' more than just spices: Salt and pepper, simple every day staples. Without them, cooks would be at a loss.

Youth golf: Las Vegas Founders' Legacy scores: BOYS

Suspect in Rios killing faces new hearing: Bill Gang; John Flowers had been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial on murder charges in the slaying of Las Vegas singer Ginger Rios, but a court date will now be set for a preliminary hearing.

Thursday at Golden Gate: 1st race 1 mi 4YO & up Clm: 1 Magical Grey (Carr) 119; 2 Raftery (Radke) 114; 3 Art of Perfection (Perez) 119; 4 Gold Capital (Delgadillo) 119; 5 Carsonic (Castanon) 119; 6 Seek a Bargain (Barton) 119.

Letter: One devil the same as the other: Tell me the difference between your devil and mine!

Letter: Internet tax part of huge conspiracy: Instead of crying about Internet taxes, average people should organize to eliminate the Fed, which is a highly profitable private banking cartel disguised as a federal agency (the Fed makes as much profit as all manufacturing combined)!

Veterans home key issue for new chief: The new chief of the state's Veterans Services Commission says his key goals will be on-time completion of the veterans home in Boulder City and reaching a consensus on a 2001 veterans legislative package.

County to spend more than $2 million on habitat project: According to the county's comprehensive planning division, the report presented to commissioners Tuesday has been called one of the most extensive eco-system-based multiple species plans in the country.

Venetian, Four Seasons added: The company, which booked more than 320,000 Las Vegas room nights in 1998, can now book rooms at the two new resorts, giving customers a choice from among 43 Las Vegas hotels.

Letter: Disabled woman feels let down by CAT service: There are many such individuals in our community and they need and want the same quality of life that the rest of us are pursuing. My friend is one such person. Her name isn't important, but she is. She is important to her son, to her mother and brother, to me and a whole host of others who know her.

Coyotes ready for home debut: Steve Carp; The sights and sounds were familiar. Even some of the names rang a bell.

Letter: Repair program no help to needy: A car is a necessity in this town. This $900,000 grant will, at best, take care of 2,000 cars or less. If this program is really for the poor, it should have been advertised as such, not operating quietly since last August. It also should be stated for single incomes of not over $12,000 per year.

Nevada lawmakers scoff at national gambling tax proposal: Kiley Russell; Gambling is addictive, causes suffering and hurts the poor, young and elderly the most, Wolf contends. His proposed tax, which would amount to about $500,000 million a year, would be used to support treatment for gambling addicts.

Las Vegas news briefs for June 16, 1999: A Las Vegas couple have pleaded not guilty to four felony charges resulting from the death of a 42-year-old man who apparently was trying to prevent a break-in and robbery at his home.

Boulder City: Second municipal golf course in works: Lisa Snedeker; Boulder City is two steps closer to building a second municipal golf course, but remains 2 1/2 years away from the first foursome ever teeing off if the course becomes a reality.

Today's retail opening to include 25 to 30 shops: The shops passed county building and fire department inspections Tuesday, clearing them for opening, the spokesman said. Approximately 50 of the Shoppes' 70 stores and restaurants will be open by the July 4 weekend, the spokesman said.

Businesses asked to help prevent domestic violence: Eric Feigenbaum; State and local government officials and private groups are urging Nevada businesses to help combat domestic violence.

Challenge arises as Illinois chiropractor teaches lay people animal adjustments: Sonya Padgett; Chiropractic treatment of animals is not just for veterinarians anymore and state laws to the contrary be damned.

Deadline extended on slot acquisition: The ballots were due June 14. They are now due June 22.

County tightens leash on pet shop owners: Adrienne Packer; Animal lovers who cringe at the sight of puppies curled up in small cages but can't resist ducking into a pet shop during a visit to the mall ought to do their shopping in Clark County.

Ariz. law firm sues State Bar of Nevada: Lewis & Roca, currently operating in Las Vegas as Ashcraft & Heinz, is challenging the constitutionality of Nevada Supreme Court Rule 199, which prohibits using the names of attorneys in a law firm's name if those attorneys were never admitted to the Nevada bar. Lewis & Roca claims Nevada is the only state in the nation to enforce such a rule.

Yucca water fight headed to high court: The fight over the right to use ground water at Yucca Mountain for a proposed high-level nuclear waste repository is likely to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court, an official of the state attorney general's office said.

City and county to hire consultant to help with consolidation: But the county wants assurances that volunteer firefighters in outlying areas would be preserved. It also wants an independent cost analysis to ensure the merger would save money while improving service.

LV gaming company's profit increases: That was an improvement from the year-ago quarter, when the company earned $700,000, or 4 cents per share. Revenues also increased, from $2 million in last year's quarter to $2.5 million this year.

Jury seated in trial of suspect in 4 slayings: Bill Gang; A jury of three blacks and nine whites took their seats this morning to hear opening arguments in the murder trial of Sikia Smith in the execution-style slaying of four young men last August.

Park Place won't respond to offer: Park Place acknowledged receiving an unsolicited offer to purchase certain Caesars gaming assets for $3.6 billion from an Internet sex site operator, Ocean Fund International.

One teen killed, five hurt in rollover: Cheryl Miller; A Chaparral High School student was killed and five other Las Vegas-area teens were hurt early Monday when the sport utility vehicle they were traveling in drifted off a highway near Needles and overturned at least twice.

Obituaries for June 16, 1999: John P. Bergamasco, 67, of Las Vegas died Monday in a local hospice. He was born Nov. 3, 1931, in Monessen, Pa. A resident for 37 years, he was a retired Wackenhut security guard at the Nevada Test Site for 24 1/2 years, a Korean War Army veteran, a member of the Masons in Donora, Pa., and the Las Vegas Pittsburgh Club.

Delay requested in development of resort: Nightspot Inc. wants to build a 2.56 million square foot, 33-story resort.

Brothels to pay higher business license fees: Under the approved ordinance, brothels will pay $13,750 in quarterly business license fees, an increase of $5,000, beginning next month. A second $5,000 increase will take effect Jan. 1, 2002.

Armey opposed to fed gaming tax proposal: A casino industry critic's proposal for a 1 percent federal tax on gambling revenues drew swift opposition from House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, on Tuesday.

Proponents optimistic about turning historic ranch into state park: The Supreme Court decision effectively stopped Douglas County from accepting $50,000 from the Dangberg Home Ranch's current owners as settlement on a claim to the piece of property. The ranch has been in litigation since 1996. A year after Glide died, the property sold, and jockeying began over the future of the 10- to 30-acre home ranch.

Arizona State professor named dean at UNLV: Flaherty, who has been at ASU since 1978 and was director of the School of Accountancy there from 1988 to 1993, begins his new job July 15.

Acting director named at business agency: Horsey, who is administrator of the state Housing Division based in Las Vegas, succeeds Dan Tom, who died unexpectedly after being on the job for three months. Horsey was acting director before Tom's appointment.

Police trying to determine identity of man found in river: Investigators said the body appeared to have been face down in the water for a long time.

Henderson: Horse, bike riders to have own park: The Henderson City Council on Tuesday approved the hiring of Poggemeyer Design Group to prepare plans for an equestrian park on the corner of Equestrian Drive and Magic Way Street.

Ethics panel rules against commissioner: CARSON CITY -- The state Ethics Commission has ruled that a county commissioner must not only disclose but also must abstain from voting when a law firm his child belongs to appears before the county commission.

Boulder City Council approves agreement with Teamsters: Similar contracts with the bargaining units for blue collar and clerical employees were ratified by union members Tuesday and should be up for council approval in July, City Manager John Sullard said.

Councilwoman victim in hit-and-run accident: Lisa Snedeker; North Las Vegas Councilwoman Stephanie Smith was the victim of a hit-and-run accident Monday while jogging.

Vote opposes Test Site nuke storage: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee abandoned temporary nuclear waste storage at the Nevada Test Site today, opting to keep it piled at reactor sites in 34 states.

Hundreds take another shot at 'The Test': Benjamin Grove; Thirty-five Clark and Durango high school seniors trudged back to Durango today, still chasing diplomas two weeks after their classmates graduated.