Print edition for May 4, 1999

Columnist John Katsilometes: Time to fluoridate our lives: The phone blared. The caller identified himself only as "a powerful politician":

Viva Venetian: Pigeons take flight and celebrity likenesses will pose placidly at the new resort: Melissa Schorr; The new megaresort's entertainment options will include a version of Madame Tussaud's famed London wax museum, a bird-release show replicating the pigeons of St. Mark's Square, and a 30-member cast of paddling gondoliers and characters such as Marco Polo, Napoleon and Cassanova wandering through the hotel's corridors and canals, singing Italian arias and enacting duels.

Monday's prep results: May 4, 1999: Clark 10, Western 9 Western 001 071 00 -- 9 13 5 Clark 111 240 01 -- 10 12 6

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: GOP add-ons hit target: Hunter's first paragraph was enough to turn me off, but because of his past record of helping the military I continued to read. He did show his political skill by dodging the practice of Congress keeping expensive and unnecessary military bases open when the dollars are needed for the upkeep of a healthy military. Nobody has expressed concern over this practice more eloquently than Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The congressman from San Diego could take a few lessons from the gentleman who makes his home in Phoenix.

Community briefs: Senior Advantage is offering water aerobics demonstrations 3-4 p.m. Friday and a seminar, "Gambling on a Fixed Income," 2-3 p.m. May 11.

Wednesday at Golden Gate: 1st race 1 mi 4YO & up F&M Clm: 1 Fifty Nine White (Matias) 118; 2 Chai Koncupt Chug (Radke) 113; 3 Jamin Jaime McQ (Delgadillo) 118; 4 Bally's Gal (Tohill) 118; 5 Miss Satterlee (Castro) 118; 6 Another Truce (Barton) 118; 7 For My Madison (Bisono) 118.

Culinary, Lesser win seats on Santa Fe board: John Wilen; The two new directors, Peter J. Siris and John M. Bradham, were elected at a meeting in Laughlin by identical margins of 4.7 million preferred shares to 330,678 shares for the company nominees.

Card printing company implicated in SAfrican blackjack fraud: If the same scheme was used nationwide, as officials suspect, it would have cost industry about $8.3 million a year, said Ernie Joubert, CEO of Global Resorts. Global Resorts and the Caesar's World unit of ITT Corp. own the casino.

Teen pleads innocent in McDonald's shooting: Prosecutors have not yet decided whether they will seek the death penalty for Cano.

Investigators still looking for cause of explosion: But so far, they haven't been able to find the gas leak. The line leading to the building has been checked and no leak was discovered.

Letter: Before we punish kids, teach them: Taking these kids to the woodshed for disobedience would be criminal. First let's be crisp, clear and not muddle up the rules with a bunch of nonsense. It's about time our kids learn: Thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not bear false witness, thou shall not covet. Honor your mother and father.

Mob's former mouthpiece leads Vegas mayor race: If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the two top vote-getters go to a June 8 general election.

Letter: Homeowner groups have their perils: Since July of 1998 we have been trying to see our financial records. The president gave us what he thought we wanted to see. After reviewing the reconciliation report for the third quarter, we asked for copies of 33 checks and 23 invoices. We were informed the cost for this would be $425. Finally two weeks ago, but not before the intervention of a lawyer, we had the chance to review all financial data, but are still waiting for copies.

Box score: Stars 5, Trappers 2: LOB--Edmonton 4, Las Vegas 4. 2B--Giovanola, Mitchell. HR--Davis, Decker.

Letter: We have chance to learn from school shooting: The promotion of gratuitous violence and moral bankruptcy are pervasive in our society -- it is spewed from movies and television, from music lyrics, from video games -- and when children are exposed to it day in and day out, trouble is bound to result.

One killed, three injured in accident: The vehicle apparently was traveling too fast for the poor weather conditions, the patrol said.

Letter: Mentoring kids is better than constant security: Since the incident in Littleton, there has been ongoing dialogue and the call for more police and metal detectors in school. We contend that the need is not for more "quick fixes," but long-lasting and caring interaction between children and adults.

Remains found in mountains may be Utah man: The vehicle was registered to Dan Sturgill, Provo, Utah, Harris said.

Letter: Gasoline boycott must be selective: Gas companies are among the greediest companies in American history. If our lawmakers refuse to help the working man, then we must help ourselves. Just don't buy say Mobil or Chevron and watch prices nosedive.

Nevada Attorney General's Office files complaint against Texas company: The attorney general's office says it has received numerous complaints against Excel for alleged phone slamming.

Governor backs 18 percent pay hike for prison guards: "We view this not simply as an issue of equity but of public safety," she said Monday.

Mob's mouthpiece, eight others vie in primary election for Vegas mayor: Tim Dahlberg; It was, but only until Oscar Goodman decided the title of mayor might look better next to his name than that of mob mouthpiece.

Elko County Commission considers change in senior citizen center design: "Even the lowest bid was way above the monies available," Elko County Manager George Boucher said Monday.

Letter: Nuclear travesty must be halted: This irresponsible government agency travesty can no longer be hidden from the people of this country. There are 60 million women who vote that do not want their children to die from cancer.

Box score: Trappers 4, Stars 1: Las Vegas

Democrats resist class-size move: Flexibility in the use of the money has been proposed in SB466, heard last week in the Senate Finance Committee. The bill would allow all class-size reduction money to be used for remedial programs rather than class-size reduction exclusively.

Two Nevada youths honored for volunteer work: The effort raised $25,000 so Jenny's mother could take time off work to be with her daughter as she battled the illness that eventually took her life.

Ex-Bishop Gorman coach Mike Adras has high hopes as he begins his NAU assignment: Steve Carp; FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Mike Adras has made a move that most tend to measure in inches. But he knows better. So his measuring stick goes by years.

Stars drop 4-1 decision to Edmonton: It's their last game of the season against the Trappers, the triple-A affliate of the California Angels, who have won six of their seven meetings between the two clubs, including the first three games of this current series.

Union: Demonstration is just the beginning: "We got our point across," said Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Jim Arnold, as the union wound down a spirited evening protest. "Sheldon Adelson had a soft opening. Well, we had a soft demonstration."

Culinary Union contemplates organizing neighborhood casinos: John Wilen; The reason is simple. Where else can the union strike an agreement with an employer to automatically bring 3,000 employees into its ranks?

Study: Continued growth to hamper highway flow: Lisa Snedeker; Those additions would include widening I-15 between the Sloan interchange and Tropicana Avenue to 10 lanes, widening Las Vegas Boulevard between Lake Mead Drive and Tropicana to eight lanes and locating interchanges on I-15 at Pebble, Gomer and Silverado Ranch roads and Cactus, Starr and Bruner avenues.

Greenfield cites weak link between citizens and political process: Jace Radke and Lisa Snedeker; That's the message CNN political and media analyst Jeff Greenfield brought to the Barbara Greenspun Lecture Series audience Monday night at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

LVMS top tickets to cost more: Racing fans who are receiving their ticket renewal order forms for the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are being faced with a good news/bad news proposition.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Media did poor job covering deadly crash: In the 25 years since auto racing, Indy-style cars in particular, supplanted the Chicago Cubs as my primary sports obsession, I can recall only three times where spectators were killed at the track as a result of what was happening on it.

Wednesday at Aqueduct: 1st race 7 fur 3YO Mdn Clm: 1 Lake E Lake (Velazquez) 120; 2 Golden Aria (Bridgmohan) 120; 3 Wendy's Honcho (Douglas) 120; 4 White River Kid (Smith) 115; 5 Diggy (Santos) 120; 6 Fight For Victory (Rocco) 115; 7 Pewter (Gryder) 120; 8 Spoof (Santagata) 120.

Editorial: Future for workers' comp fund: The decision two decades ago to allow the cream of the crop to leave hurt the state fund irreparably. Over time the fund has been left with those companies that often are smaller or those with higher risks. In the early 1990s the state workers' compensation fund was in danger of going bankrupt -- which could have had disastrous results. The fund's debt was more than $2 billion, which at the time was the size of the state government's budget for two years. A series of internal and legislative reforms, though, has helped reduce the debt to the point where ...

Delegation eyes end of Kosovo conflict: Mark D. Preston; Gibbons, R-Nev., returned from Vienna, Austria, Sunday night after spending the weekend negotiating with Russian lawmakers over how to end NATO airstrikes on Yugoslavia and repatriate ethnic Albanians to Kosovo.

Calls to suicide hotline up: "We have seen some additional calls -- not a lot, but more serious ones," said Bryant, executive director of the Suicide Prevention Center.

Plea bargain settles $800,000 dispute: Bill Gang; Criminal allegations that anesthesiologist Dr. John Sheldon Smith bilked his partners out of about $800,000 in a purported kickback scheme -- with much of the money being used to buy a Montana ranch -- has been resolved in a plea bargain.

Jackson's son rebukes Berkley's comments: Berkley, the freshman Las Vegas Democrat, made remarks about Kosovo during a live studio appearance on the Monday morning radio show on KXPT-FM 97.1 "The Point" hosted by Gregg Hodges and Mike O'Brien. During her 35-minute appearance she praised the release of the three soldiers last weekend but accused Jackson of insulting President Clinton.

Las Vegas-based American Wagering narrows its loss: The company's losses declined from $8.8 million last year, or $1.13 per share, to $1.6 million this year, or 21 cents per share. Revenues grew from $9.3 million last year to $9.9 million this year.

Athletic panel wants lid on some medical records: The commission appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to argue on behalf of Assembly Bill 467. The Assembly passed the bill, which would allow items to remain confidential if the athletic commission did not use them in considering whether to grant a license.

Assembly OKs low-income phone rates: Assemblyman Doug Bache, D-Las Vegas, said Senate Bill 487 would provide a $5.25-a-month subsidy on basic service to families that qualify.

Former mob lawyer, councilman advance to runoff for Vegas mayor: Tim Dahlberg; Goodman, who came within 277 votes of an outright majority, will face veteran City Councilman Arnie Adamsen in the June 8 general election.

Venetian brings unique retail element to Strip: John Wilen; The Grand Canal Shoppes didn't open with the casino today. Their opening is expected by May 14.

Not-guilty plea entered in drive-through death: Bill Gang; Miguel Cano pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and attempted murder charges in the March 18 shooting that killed Crystal Ledesma outside the restaurant at 3229 Losee Road in North Las Vegas.

School bond citizen committee experiencing a bit of a rebirth: Benjamin Grove; The Bond Oversight Committee was created in 1989 to watch over school bond money, which is voter-approved tax money used to construct new schools and renovate old ones.

Girardi quits, but he won't head to NAU: Spencer Patterson; Like Michael Jordan and John Elway before him, Cimarron-Memorial High School's Hank Girardi is going out on top.

Weddings and anniversaries: They celebrated their anniversary with a party hosted by Bonnie and Steve Schreiber at Andre's restaurant.

Official among four indicted: The indictments are the latest in a probe of an alleged gambling scheme in which hundreds of video machines were placed in more than 70 taverns, restaurants and social clubs. Investigators claim operators of the machines reaped millions of dollars and shared some of the money with police and public officials as protection payoffs, the Tribune reported.

Las Vegas news briefs: Clark Whitehorn, 44, was killed in a five-vehicle accident Monday when he sideswiped a tractor-trailer and ended up driving the wrong way on Tropicana Avenue, police said.

Embattled Mesquite mayor loses race: Despite having the support of the Chamber of Commerce and the Mesquite Resort Association, Carter's stances on medical care, a possible airport and the value of people's petitions supplied other candidates plenty of fodder.

Culinary and Lesser win seats on Santa Fe board: John Wilen; The two new directors, Peter J. Siris and John M. Bradham, were elected at a meeting in Laughlin by identical margins of 4.7 million preferred shares to 330,678 shares for the company nominees.

Budget committees find little to battle over: Brendan Riley; During the brief meeting Monday, Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means members resolved a handful of minor items in the proposed $3.2 billion spending plan for the next two years.

Mike Adras' resume: Name: Mike Adras

LV travel firm sues TWA: A suit filed on Monday in Clark County District Court says St. Louis-based Trans World Airlines Inc. is attempting to undermine the initial public offering of Lowestfare.com Inc. by reneging on an earlier agreement allowing the company to sell tickets on TWA flights at a discount.

Adelson courts controversy in bid to outstrip other resorts: Gary Thompson; For many, the question is "Why?"

Casino stocks upgraded on Circus report: And analysts Monday increased their ratings on several gaming concerns.

UNLV golf team second after WAC's first round: Brigham Young shot a 3-under-par 285 to grab the tournament's early lead. UNLV is seven shots back after firing an opening-round 4-over 292. San Diego State is third with 295, New Mexico is fourth with 299 and TCU rounds out the top five with 300.

Measure on special license plates killed: But Asemblyman Don Gustavson, R-Sun Valley, used a parliamentary maneuver to try to force another vote. That effort died on a voice vote.

Curbing the pollution: Art Nadler; You're tooling down the road when a semitrailer roars past, leaving you choking on a thick cloud of black smoke.

'Net portal sues LV firm, alleges spamming: Santa Clara, Calif., based Yahoo Inc. sued Information Technologies Corp., which it identified as a Las Vegas firm located at 3230 E. Flamingo Road, Suite 555.

Chairmen see giant loophole in ethics bill: Current Chairwoman Mary Boetsch and past Chairman Thomas "Spike" Wilson both praised the work of Guinn's general counsel Scott Scherer, who drafted Senate Bill 478 that passed the Senate last month.

Ex-governor nominated to airline board: America West is the second-busiest carrier at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Hollywood Park: FIRST RACE:

Bowling: Duggan, Rider on top at Sam's Town: Bowling: Duggan, Rider on top at Sam's Town

Early signs: Many voters casting ballots: Erin Neff, Lisa Snedeker and Jerry Fink; But if a line of voters waiting for the doors to open at the Howard A. Wasden Elementary School polling location is an indication, then the turnout may be better than expected.

First LV flight arrives from Munich: Condor German Airlines' first extended-range twin-engine Boeing 767 arrived with 199 passengers Monday.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Celebrity chefs own restaurants throughout resort: Joachim Spichal's Pinot Brasserie, Emeril Lagasse's Delmonico Steakhouse, Stephan Pyles' Star Canyon (his newest Mexican casual concept, Taqueria Canonita, will open shortly) were open for the VIP party Monday, and planned on being open later that night for the public, barring any unforeseen delays. The chefs and their food, from restaurants not yet open, were also on hand for the VIP gala.

Columnist Tim Graham: Three stars called it quits: So what!: Tim Graham; We've lost another one.

Obituaries for May 4, 1999: She is survived by one daughter, Terrie Ann; two sons, Frank Ernest Sutton and Joseph Daniel Sutton, all of Las Vegas; one brother, Glen Shurtz of Bakersfield, Calif.; and five grandchildren.

Nevada unique in war on prescription drug abuse: Art Nadler; Keith Macdonald, executive secretary of the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy, will describe the system, unique in the country, at the 95th annual meeting of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy May 23 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Senate passes package of children's measures: The bills include Assembly Bill 544 requiring parents with joint custody arrangements to file for a change in custody status before moving out of state.

Wednesday at Hollywood Park: 1st race 6 fur 4YO & up F&M Mdn Clm: 1 O Que Vista (Garcia) 119; 2 Baxter's Rose (Demesme) 121; 3 Barbara Cheri (Hummel) 121; 4 Shyla's Diamond (Valdez) 119; 5 Ve Chipper (Flores) 119; 6 Maui Bopper (Antley) 121; 7 Cool Flight (Almeida) 119; 8 Roots Of Rome (Arreaga) 112; 9 Aquivana (Bourdieu) 121.

Resort joins Mandalay Bay, Bellagio as LV's newest entrants: Jace Radke and Gary Thompson; The 3,036-suite Venetian joins Bellagio and Mandalay Bay as the latest entrants in the nation's largest gaming market, which will see another 6,000 rooms open in the next year or so with completion of the Aladdin, Paris-Las Vegas and the Resort at Summerlin.

Escort industry battles lawmaker over nudity: But John Cummings, lobbyist for a Las Vegas escort service, says Lee wants to destroy the industry in Southern Nevada.

Adelson hopes to rent suites at average daily rate of $167: John Wilen; It's an understatement to say Sheldon Adelson is proud of the Venetian's hotel rooms.

Venetian files new suit over sidewalk protests: Bill Gang; It is a battle that Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson already fought and lost in federal court, but continues to pursue at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Dispute with Culinary escalates into blood feud status: John Wilen; The union and Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson are at odds over so many issues, the resort seems destined to be besieged by almost constant union protests, rallies and picket lines. Indeed, the disagreement has the aura more of a blood feud than a simple labor dispute.