Print edition for June 27, 1999

Two bantamweights prove a big hit: Then anyone in the crowd who was not a fight fan had to become one as bantamweights Paulie Ayala and John Tapia put on a demonstration of skill and courage over 12 frantic rounds Saturday night.

Letter: Facts usually stem prejudice: How many lives could have been saved, destruction stopped if only enough people had asked, "You say this is true, but can you prove it is true? Can you name the time, place, people and witnesses?"

Letter: Commandments not for schools: Why do these so-called pious people insist on intruding where they do not belong? It is just a power grab. They are not to be trusted.

Letter: Labels can be made to fit any president: By modern standards, FDR was almost as much a fascist as the Axis he fought, if not quite as much as our wartime comrade, "Uncle Joe."

Johnny Flamehead: Set to burn: Ken Francis Wenzel; Johnny Flamehead vocalist Jeff Henderson surveys the nearly empty merchandising shelves at his band's offices, just a few doors down from hot venue the Boston Grill & Bar.

The Rohn Shead project: What it's about: Ken Francis Wenzel; Walk into Drink and Eat Too! Saturday midnight, and you'll be bombarded with the usual cigar smoke, themed bars, disco music and gorgeous women. Limousines, attitude, expensive drinks and long lines are the norm here--but back in the club's second largest room, the atmosphere's a little different. Immediately noticeable are the Rhodes seventy-six piano sitting center stage and the two attractive singers to its left.

One dead, dozens injured in two unrelated tour bus crashes: Shortly before 9 a.m., a Chevy Malibu traveling southbound on Interstate 5 veered into the bus' path, said Officer Gary Montanez, a CHP spokesman.

Man arrested in murder of woman: A joint investigation was launched by Washoe County sheriff's deputies and Reno police after she was reported missing.

Del Papa investigated Bible: (C) Copyright Las Vegas Sun 1999

King of Las Vegas: Ken Francis Wenzel; Chris King looks at the crowd gathered at a local coffeehouse and waits for the applause to subside. He and the King Cartel have just finished a playing a European blues tune, infusing it with an eclectic groove-rockabilly spice that rolls menacingly underneath lyrics King sings in French.

Editorial: Docs vote to create a union: The AMA traditionally has been viewed as a conservative organization, not one to rock the boat. But the HMOs finally pushed too far in their zeal to maximize profits at the expense of patients. This is a significant development in the movement toward better patient care, but it also needs to be understood that the unionization plan passed by the AMA is not radical by any means.

Wynn's attorneys use two ways to apply for art tax exemption: For the previous two years, they'll apply under the laws governing art dealers, who are exempted from paying personal property taxes on inventory.

Why Will Oldham matters: Dawn Pomento; There's a good chance that it wasn't Will Oldham who responded to my e-mail questions. Once that thought occurred to me, I couldn't shake it. It would fit the whole aura around Oldham, a man who adds dimension to the word "enigmatic." When I contacted his very helpful label Drag City with the request for an interview, it seemed an e-mail interview was the obvious way to circumvent logistical and time considerations.

Ormsby House's fate uncertain: Day, the lone bidder at a May 26 public auction of the hotel-casino, said he withdrew his $4.2 million offer because of difficulties with a representative of a New York-based lending company.

Columnist Sandra Thompson: Sex, lies and DNA complicate matters: Sandra Thompson; FOR 14 YEARS, Mark went about his business routinely, building a career and eventually marrying.

Finances are often a sensitive topic for churches: Stacy J. Willis; Money can ruin a perfectly good conversation about religion.

Iowa 8, Las Vegas 4: LOB -- Iowa 5, Las Vegas 4.

Fire destroys mobile home: Shaffer and his wife, Sharon, stayed at the home in the Mark Twain subdivision during legislative sessions, said neighbor Jill Drumheller.

Two arrested in murder case: They're accused of murdering David W. Kloehn, 46, whose body was found early Friday morning at the rear of Mr. O's Bar on South Virginia Street by a customer.

Flyn' the coop with the Ruffnecks: Ken Francis Wenzel; It's 11:30 on a Wednesday night as I pull up to the Sand Dollar Blues Lounge and park. There's a moon and a light breeze out tonight, and the air has that perfect, invisible quality it gets when it's neither too hot out nor too cold--a temperature you can't feel at all.

Columnist Jeff German: Goodman anxious to run city: STRAP YOURSELVES in, friends. Las Vegas has a new mayor who's going to take us on a roller-coaster ride.

Las Vegas 7, Salt Lake 4: DP -- Las Vegas 2.

Apollo 14 flies again: Geoff Carter; "We've got Apollo 14 coming up next," says Dirk Vermin to a fair-sized Wet Stop crowd. He grins and gestures at the stage with his cigar as he adds "Surf band. Lots of one-note leads and reverb. I've certainly never heard anything like it before."

Ensconced in TV sitcom history, Gary Coleman ponders his past: And without fail, some yahoo cannot resist the temptation to spit out "The Phrase." It happened again recently when Coleman, in Las Vegas to tape an episode of the Game Show Network hybrid sitcom, "Burt Luddin's Love Buffet," walked in to a Flamingo Hilton restaurant.

Agassi sends message, qualifiers oust Krajicek, Haas: Message sent and match point delivered, Agassi smiled with a hint of malevolence toward the chastened Alberto Martin before smacking a 125-mph ace to end matters Saturday, 6-2, 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.

Editorial: Notion of decency seems to slip away: Despite Salinger's objections to the sale, Maynard had no qualms about letting the world see someone else's most private thoughts. "It's a financial decision," she matter-of-factly told the Associated Press. Nothing seems sacred anymore and everything seems fair game in a culture where money trumps principle in such an intimate matter.

Retired appraiser criticizes land swap: Hancock beat Friday's deadline to challenge the appraisal of $12,210 per acre set for the 2,498 acres in Henderson where Del Webb is building its Anthem project.

Las Vegas 7, Salt Lake 6: Las Vegas 7, Salt Lake 6

Sun to launch daily television news talk show: Point of View Vegas, a topical and innovative daily news television talk show that will serve as an extension of the Las Vegas Sun's in-depth coverage of issues and events, will debut July 12.

Epstein's Mother: The "Mother" lode: Richard Fenkel; Local Las Vegas favorite, Epstein's Mother, has been placed into many different music classifications by its fans.

Pansy Division: A two-chord 'romance': Dawn Pomento; Think you know Pansy Division? If you know the name and vaguely associate it with a gay punk rock band, you've barely scratched the surface. The group's latest CD on Lookout Records, "Absurd Pop Song Romance" commands a second listen.

Floor Thirteen: Elevator goin' up: Todd Peterson; I'm a sucker for vocal harmonies--especially of the male-female duet type. When done right, these harmonies remind me of all things innocent and pure. So this night, in a warehouse space off Industrial Road, when Deana Hartman and Rob Henry of Floor Thirteen are gently working out a new vocal arrangement to the accompaniment of Henry's guitar, I'm in seventh heaven. It's a jam-packed practice night for the eight-piece group, or for the five-eights of the band that have made it tonight. Missing are Floor Thirteen's trumpeters Chuck Garcia and Chris Castellanos and saxophonist Ken Green.

Zen exit: tHE SOUND OF ONE BAND HAPPENING: Richard Fenkel; First published June 16, 1998.

Reid secures more than $5 million to protect Lake Tahoe: Since convening the Lake Tahoe Presidential Summit in 1997, Reid has helped spearhead efforts to protect Nevada's crown jewel: Lake Tahoe.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Having a change of heart: TELL ME it ain't so, Joe.

Columnist John Katsilometes: Lessons learned from a lifetime of strikes: He once found 2,000 yen lying on the floor of the strip club where he works as a bouncer, then excitedly called the newspaper for the latest Japanese-American currency exchange rate (about $17).

Washoe County unveils last-minute plan to save Reno landmark: "We thought that perhaps two community goals could be met in the same proposal," she wrote, noting the plan would save the Mapes and provide much-needed space for the county.