Stories published March 18, 1999Las Vegas Sun

Columnist Tim Graham: Duke hopes to avoid fate of '91 Rebels: Tim Graham; Not even Eugenia Williams could find reason not to select Duke as the favorite to win this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament.

NLV Police alcohol issue debated: Lisa Snedeker; North Las Vegas residents say recent allegations that a police officer reported to work with alcohol on his breath constitutes a public safety issue, not a personnel matter.

Dealers usually at heart of table game cheating: John Wilen; Myriad are the ways a patron can cheat or create an advantage over the house in a table game.

Some bettors felt duped after Holyfield-Lewis draw: Ed Koch and Ron Kantowski; As if watching Lennox Lewis batter Evander Holyfield to a controversial 12-round draw in their heavyweight unification fight Saturday night in New York wasn't bad enough, some bettors in Las Vegas and worldwide saw their money go down for the count.

Columnist Dean Juipe: McCullough not impressed with Morales: Dean Juipe; Erik Morales is 22 years old, has won all 32 of his professional fights, is 6-0 in championship matches and has won seven consecutive bouts by knockout.

Community briefs: There are two categories for competition: 18-54 years, and 55 and older. The three fishermen in each age group who catch the largest trout and the three in each group who catch any other game fish will receive a grand prize.

Democrats question value of Washington office: CARSON CITY -- Assembly Democrats question the effectiveness of the state's office in Washington, D.C., and the decision by Gov. Kenny Guinn to spend more than $500,000 during the next two years to keep it open.

Radio disc jockey fired after controversial contest: Scott Dickensheets; Mostly, it's a story about newly unemployed KOMP 92.3-FM disc jockey Greg McFarlane, who station managers say crossed the bad taste frontier by hosting an on-air contest in which a man drank a few ounces of McFarlane's urine.

Editorial: Airport bids again create controversy: But just two weeks after passing the tougher ethics code, the County Commission is in danger of falling into the same trap it did last year. Ethics concerns again involve the County Commission's oversight of the airport. This time it involves a multimillion-dollar airport advertising contract.

Iverson bill comes under heated attack: Karen Zekan; Yet such a duty has stirred tremendous concern among those who see within the language of the proposed law the potential for turning otherwise innocent people into criminals.

Las Vegas news briefs: Jesus Celestin, 14, was in an apartment at 3431 E. Cheyenne Ave. when several shots were fired through the windows of the kitchen and living room. One of the shots struck the youth in the back.

Mayoral hopefuls face off at debate: Erin Neff; City Councilman Arnie Adamsen relied on statistics, history and his personal role in a variety of issues when answering questions while developer Mark Fine discussed his views on city issues from his private-sector position, referring dozens of times to the need to build a better "community."

92 percent pay boost proposed: Assembly Bill 600, sponsored by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, raises the salary of $7,800 per session to $15,000 effective in 2001. In addition, the salary would be tied to an annual cost-of-living raise.

Taxable sales up in Clark County: The state Tax Department reported Wednesday taxable sales rose to $2 billion as the Nevada economy hummed along.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Santa Anita: Friday's card

Thunder suffers 7-0 defeat to Manitoba: The Moose are second in the Midwest Division at 38-20-9 and 85 points, which ties a franchise record.

Preps: Durango golf squad aims to defend zone championships: Spencer Patterson; Perhaps more than any other sport, golf is famous for being a solitary activity -- one in which individual honors tend to grab the most headlines.

Error puts highway land into hands of Vegas man: Meet Las Vegas real estate agent Neil Ohriner. He really does own a piece of the Desert Inn Super Arterial -- in fact, he bought a part of the road from Clark County.

Letter: Why the fuss over long-ago figure?: To please the locals and and attract more tourists I propose that Circus Circus erect in the center of Red Square a kiosk with wanted posters of Hitler, Mussolini, Quisling, Ho Chi Minh, Ivan the Terrible and all other extinct dodos.

Prep Softball: After strong showing in '98, South ready to break through: Matt O'Brien; After four years of futility against northern opponents, Southern Nevada's prep softball clubs nearly broke through last spring.

Lawyer blasts arrest of Black Book nominee: John Wilen; Pascente, an ex-felon, was arrested by Metro Police Monday for failing to register with authorities within 48 hours of his arrival in Las Vegas. Pascente had been in Las Vegas since Friday.

NCAA staff to speak with Bayno, ex-student manager: Steve Guiremand; Former UNLV basketball manager Mike Viellion, who has accused Rebel associate coach Glynn Cyprien of breaking several NCAA rules, said he will meet with representatives from the NCAA's enforcement staff today.

Daredevil's cousin bullish on new school: Karen Zekan; Programs abound for kids wanting to play football, basketball and soccer in this town.

New strategy helps police chase down robbery suspect: Jace Radke; Police booked Douglas Kirk, believed to be in his mid-30s, into the Clark County Detention Center on robbery and traffic charges.

NLV City Council OKs changes to pawnshop ordinances: Lisa Snedeker; As part of an attempt to upgrade the city's image, the amendment allows granting only one new pawnshop per 50,000 residents once the city's population officially surpasses 100,000.

Man dies after struggle with police: The Clark County coroner's office this morning was still trying to determine the cause of death.

Letter: Meat eaters should meet a new diet: It's a great setting for the 15th annual observance of the Great American Meatout on March 20. Concerned people in more than 2,000 communities in all 50 states and several other countries are planning to welcome spring with educational events.

Wednesday's Prep Results -- March 18, 1999: Las Vegas 8, Basic 1

Bank sued over premium: In a suit filed in Clark County District Court, Charles Fallon said he was denied a $150,000 death benefit from Farmers Insurance when his wife died because the bank failed to pay the insurance company two months prior to the death.

Another student kidnapped near school: Karen Zekan; Although the kidnapper initially claimed to have a gun, Lt. John Alamshaw said the girl was never harmed during Wednesday's bizarre abduction about 7:30 a.m. from the 100 block of North Decatur Boulevard.

Fight schedule -- March 18, 1999: At Philadelphia, (ESPN2), Demetrius Jenkins, Detroit, vs. Bryant Brannon, Trenton, 12, for vacant USBA super middleweight title; Billy Irwin, Niagra Falls, vs. Gerald Gray, New York, 10, lightweights.

Venetian still set for April opening: Gary Thompson; The Venetian issued a cautiously worded statement Wednesday saying it expects construction of the $1.5 billion Strip resort to be completed on schedule.

LV braces for possible America West strike: The Las Vegas traveling public braced for the worst even as negotiations began turning hopeful between America West Airlines and its flight attendants.

Builder of $1.5 billion Venetian megaresort fires back at accuser: Lehrer McGovern Bovis Inc. said John Prendeville demanded the company pay him $6.8 million in exchange for his "silence" about alleged bid-rigging, kickbacks and other activities in the Venetian project.

Sun Softball State Top 10 poll -- March 18, 1999: Sun Softball State Top 10 poll -- March 18, 1999

NLV City Council briefs: The City Council has interviewed three candidates -- the Warner Group, DMG Maximus and Ralph Andersen and Associates -- to conduct the audit that is expected to take about 24 weeks, City Manager Pat Importuna said.

Gaming report to be rewritten: Mark D. Preston; WASHINGTON -- A new report detailing gambling's social and economic impacts today was criticized as incomplete by a federal commission investigating gaming.

Upstart Gonzaga dead serious about winning: Steve Carp; PHOENIX -- Normally, you don't see the West Coast Conference on ESPN on Monday night. Or any night, for that matter.

Letter: Assembly bill 18 amounts to attack on paralegals: Furthermore, most middle-class Americans generally cannot afford $200 to $650 per hour for attorney services. Paralegal businesses that prepare and file forms, and provide nonlawyer-required services are utilized by consumers and attorneys, and there is a realistic requirement for such services. AB18 would make such businesses illegal in Nevada, and the consumer would be forced to pay attorney fees for the same services, as provided by the paralegals.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Do the math -- Broadway-style offerings are profitable: Joe Delaney; With a state-of-the-art, 1,700-seat theater and an average ticket price of $60 (a low figure), the per-performance gross potential is in excess of $100,000. ... With eight performances a week, the weekly potential is $800,000-plus. ... Somewhere short of that is a break-even point.

Shackleford finds new city job: Erin Neff; After weeks of negotiations and public protest about the city reorganization plan, Shackelford has agreed to take an administrative position in the Las Vegas Fire Department.

Internal probes destined for public: CARSON CITY -- A bill that would make public the results of internal investigations into complaints against state employees was approved Wednesday by the Assembly and sent to the Senate.

Freeway widening project still waiting on federal OK: Jace Radke; But there was only one question on residents' minds: When will construction begin between Decatur and Martin Luther King boulevards?

Arum: Let boxing fans see scoring after every round: Promoter Bob Arum wants boxing fans to be able to see after each round how judges are scoring a fight.

Sun Baseball State Top 10 poll -- March 18, 1999: Sun Baseball State Top 10 poll -- March 18, 1999

City panel to consider audit of office bids: Erin Neff and Ed Koch; The special audit, completed March 9, confirmed a suspicion that the city is paying higher prices than necessary for office supplies, according to acting auditor Philip Cheng, who wrote the report. The contract with Advance Marketing for office supplies cost the city $80,000 more than it should have annually as a result of an inappropriate bid evaluation, the report states.

Bill puts strings on rural water going to LV: Senate Bill 108 says the state engineer cannot approve any inter-basin transfer of ground water if it will unduly limit future development and growth in the county from which the water is being drawn.

Review panel blasts Yucca studies: A report by a six-member review panel criticizes the DOE's 15 years of scientific work at Yucca Mountain so far, saying the federal agency does not have enough evidence to prove it is a safe place to keep highly radioactive waste.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Here's a sure thing: Don't trust recruit rankings: The next time you read a story in the newspaper or on the Internet that says State U. or Disco Tech had the best recruiting class in the Big Cheese Conference, clip it or download it and put it somewhere for safe keeping.

Friday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 1 mi 4YO & up F&M Clm: 1 Just A Little Icy (Bisono) 117; 2 Damascaly (Jauregui) 115; 3 Color Fast (Russell) 110; 4 Karizma (Puglisi) 117; 5 Moscow Sky (Radke) 110.

Boys golf top teams -- March 18, 1999: 1. Durango

Columnist Steve Carp: Fans trying to reason with upset season: Steve Carp; PHOENIX -- OK, so your heart's broken. You sit around mopin' and cryin'.

Editorial: Sweatshops are target of monitoring group: Editorial: Sweatshops are target of monitoring group

Friday at Santa Anita: 1st race 2 fur 2YO Mdn: 1 Local Syn (Puglisi) 118; 2 Big Papa Cameron (Enriquez) 118; 3 a-Dargonegood (Sorenson) 118; 4 b-Bala Shark (Garcia) 118; 5 Gator In Excess (Flores) 118; 6 Brite Jaz (Valdez) 113; 7 Rich Melody (Steiner) 118; 8 b-Phony Mahoney (Vergara) 118; 9 a-Manila's Time (Antley) 118; 10 In Lust With Loot (Stimpson) 115.

Community briefs: births: Lake Mead Hospital

School Board members hear stories of church intrusion: Benjamin Grove; "I was very disturbed by some of the things occurring in the schools last week," said Mel Lipman, an attorney and state board member of the American Civil Liberties Union. "This is a clear-cut violation of the Constitution."

Education reform measure surfaces in Senate panel: Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said these items were discussed during the past 18 months by his Legislative Committee on Education.

Nursing home told to fix problems or lose Medicaid: Art Nadler; The Cheyenne Residential and Nursing Center, 2860 E. Cheyenne Ave., was slapped with the ultimatum on Wednesday. Until the nursing facility comes into compliance, it cannot accept any new Medicaid patients and is being fined $3,000 a day.

Raid may spur gun charges in Binion case: David Mattsen, a former Binion ranch hand whose Pahrump home was raided by Metro Police last week, could face additional criminal charges, Homicide Lt. Wayne Petersen said Wednesday.

Purchase of Amil health service awaits state approval: Art Nadler; The agreement, which was announced earlier this week, requires the approval of the Nevada Insurance Division. If approved, it could be finalized by either June or July.

Preliminary hearing in Binion theft case delayed: Justice of the Peace Margaret Tsafos on Wednesday notified both sides that she has postponed a preliminary hearing for three defendants charged with digging up and trying to haul away as much as $4 million in silver from Binion less than 36 hours after his Sept. 17 murder.

Columnist Janie Greenspun: Standing up for pet protection: Janie Greenspun; First of all, I am sick and tired of having to defend the Animal Foundation against negative, unjustified and personal attacks made by people with grudges and too much time on their hands.

Judges ask state to pay for rehab program: Jennifer Coleman; Drug Court, a voluntary program administered through the courts, focuses on treating drug addiction. Participants go through detoxification, counseling and job training instead of serving jail or prison time. The program lasts a minimum of one year.

Harvey's passes on casino site: Jim Rafferty, the company's senior vice president of corporate marketing, said Harvey's wants to let the Las Vegas market absorb its current round of resort construction before building here.

X-Ray Vision: Kimberley McGee; A stuffed groundhog toy, pennies glued over its plastic eyes, is tacked to the entrance of Cathy Ray's cubicle, covered in pink cloth.

Official named at casino operator: He is currently secretary, treasurer and a director of the newly reorganized Elsinore Corp., owner of the Four Queens hotel-casino.

LV air traffic surges 7.4 percent in February: For the first two months of 1999, McCarran served 5 million passengers, up 8.3 percent from the prior-year period.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Some Silver State views: The people of Clark County have been pleased to see a community college leader do something besides talk about educating our residents. Moore's close working relationship with the Clark County School District and smooth transition for its high school graduates to attend college has to be most rewarding and refreshing.

Colorado beats Nevada in salary report: Arizona and Nevada have had higher job and population growth than Colorado, economists at Arizona State University say.

Obituaries for March 18, 1999: He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Jaynee L. and Norris Gaylor of Henderson; his father and stepmother, James "Mitch" and Nancy Anthony of Boulder City; three sisters, Kimberly L. Rhude of Henderson and Amber Smith and Jaymie J. Anthony, both of Las Vegas; one stepbrother, Shane B. Gaylor of Boulder City; and his grandparents, Mary Douthlett of Boulder City and Ed and Ellen Evans of Barstow, Calif.

Jones back in car at Sebring: Tom Gardner; Davy Jones is getting back in a race car two years after a crash nearly killed him.

Five Nevada airports awarded $20 million in grants: McCarran International Airport will receive $8.2 million while the Henderson Sky Harbor Airport will get $3.1 million.

Top-spending Nevada lobbyists during February: Carole Vilardo, Nevada Taxpayers Assn., $728.

Hearing in buried silver postponed: The three men, who are out on bail, are accused of trying to steal the silver that belonged to Binion's estate. Binion was slain Sept. 17 in his Las Vegas home. Less than 36 hours after his body was found, the three - including Tabish, who built an underground vault in Pahrump for Binion - were arrested while trying to haul away the silver.

Assembly votes to open probes of state workers: "The incident at UNLV is a perfect example of what can happen (without such a law)," Williams said Wednesday. "Cavagnaro allegedly made negative remarks about women softball players and football and basketball players. The university president said she reprimanded him, but she withheld information."

Poll renews focus on gaming's share of tax load: The poll, conducted for the Sun and Las Vegas 1 by the Cannon Center for Survey Research at UNLV, found that 80 percent of those questioned favored a tax on gaming revenues to pay for increased spending on such things as education, parks and recreation, streets and highways and police and fire services.

Merchants report nearly $2.1 billion in January sales: Brendan Riley; The revenue report Wednesday from the state Taxation Department plus last week's encouraging casino win report indicate that a predicted shortfall of up to $140 million this fiscal year may be overstated by $40 million or more.

Schneider, Shaffer, Dini at top of lobbyist spending list: Brendan Riley; An analysis by The Associated Press shows that lobbyists for mines, taxpayer and business associations and Nevada's two state universities in Reno and Las Vegas were the big spenders among the nearly 700 advocates registered for the session.

Suit by Forest Service workers says paint harmful to their health: Scott Sonner; RENO, Nev. - Past and present employees of the Forest Service are seeking a court order to stop the use of a tree-marking spray paint they say causes miscarriages and other ailments.

Gun-toting bailiff a throwback to a bygone era: He is.

Tests to determine cause of death of man who struggled with police: "We won't know how the suspect died until completion of both an autopsy and toxicology tests," Las Vegas police Lt. Wayne Petersen said.

State prepares to dismantle workers' comp monopoly: Kiley Russell; Since 1913, most Nevada companies have only been able to purchase their workers' compensation insurance from the State Industrial Insurance System, now called the Employers Insurance Company of Nevada. As of July 1, 1999, the state will open up the market to competition from private companies.

Lawyers, families of victims battle over child protection bill: Kiley Russell; The bill, which was inspired by the 7-year-old girl's rape and murder in a Nevada casino, also would eliminate attorney-client, doctor-patient, reporter-source and husband-wife privileges in cases where people had a reasonable belief that someone younger than 18 was being abused.

Santa Fe adversary buys more stock: Because Santa Fe has missed dividend payments for two years, preferred shareholders have the right to elect two special company directors at the company's April 30 annual meeting. Hudson Bay has nominated a number of directors for election to the board. Hudson Bay is also trying to force Santa Fe Gaming into bankruptcy via an involuntary bankruptcy petition.

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