Print edition for May 17, 1999

Neighborhood casino bill dies: A Boyd Gaming spokesman said today the company doesn't plan to contest the action in the Legislature, but is considering other steps to protect its interests.

Supplier move headquarters to LV: Floyd Glisson, chief executive, projected annual savings of $1 million.

American Wagering to sell LV hotel: The sale, subject to Gold Rush getting a firm financing commitment, is for $4.3 million, American Wagering said. Proceeds will be used to repay a $2.4 million mortgage.

Registered sex offender charged with molesting boy at park: McCune is a registered sex offender with the Reno Police Department. It marks the second time he has been charged with the latter offense, although no details of the previous case were immediately available.

Estranged son challenges will benefitting animal foundation: Judge Lee Gates set a Sept. 8 trial date to determine who should receive the estate of Robert Schreffler Jr.

Fourth wallboard plant proposed for Las Vegas: A California company hopes to cash in on high prices for construction wallboard by developing a gypsum mine north of Las Vegas, along with the area's fourth wallboard manufacturing plant.

Disabilities champion remembered in Reno: "He was a scrapper. He held his ground," said Kathy Olson, administrator at the Governor's Committee on the Employment of Persons With Disabilities.

Clark County gives more than its share to Washoe candidates: About 31 percent, or $396,426, came from Clark County.

City expected to approve $294 million budget: The budget anticipates a 7.8 percent increase in the city's share of state taxes, Finance Director Mark Vincent said.

Station preferred stock move praised by analyst: John Wilen; Station Casinos Inc. said it will call all 2.07 million of its $3.50 convertible preferred stock for redemption on June 14, and an analyst reacted by boosting his earnings estimates for the company.

Senior Classic Scores: End

Survey shows declining percent of Clark County adults gamble: Gambling ranked second as the favorite activity of local residents, with movies topping the list and eating out ranking No. 3.

Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal of Nevada death row inmate: The Nevada Supreme Court earlier refused a similar appeal.

Vicente Fernandez ends drought with win in Las Vegas: A lot of it went away following his eagle on the 16th hole.

Judge postpones preliminary hearing for suspects in horse shootings: The lawyer for one of the suspects, Anthony Merlino, 20, Reno, had a scheduling conflict and already was granted a continuance.

IRS suspends casino meal tax work: John Wilen; In the wake of an appeals court decision last week, the Internal Revenue Service has suspended work on training guidelines that were to instruct casinos and hotels how to tax workers for the free meals they receive while on the job.

Rawson reveals novel plan to fund new dental school: CARSON CITY -- Starting a dental school at UNLV, a project that wasn't given much chance of passage by the Nevada Legislature three months ago, is now close to becoming a reality.

Obituaries for May 17, 1999: Grande GillingerKimberly Jean Grande Gillinger, 30, of Las Vegas died Friday in Las Vegas. She was born May 25, 1968, in Sharon, Pa. A resident for 25 years, she was a casino cage cashier.

High school students win honors for journalism accomplishments: The program was conducted in cooperation with the UNLV College of Extended Studies and the Hank Greenspun School of Communication.

Coming events -- May 17, 1999: The Anti-Defamation League will present its Distinguished Community Service Award to Claudine Williams, chairwoman of Harrah's Las Vegas, at its annual dinner Wednesday at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Action taken over the weekend by the state Legislature and Gov. Kenny Guinn:: Governor

Bill creating NLV wards passes Senate committee: CARSON CITY -- After criticizing the North Las Vegas City Council, a Senate committee approved a bill ordering the council divide the seats into four wards.

Second search for teens in the works: Missing are Dawn McKnight, 13, and Joshua Bucher, 12.

Panel disagrees on number of recommendations to make: Mark D. Preston; WASHINGTON -- Nearing the end of a two-year fact-finding mission to study gaming's societal impact, federal gambling commissioners continue to disagree over the contents of their report due to Congress next month.

Nevadans want settlement funds used to cut teen smoking: "Health care for seniors and efforts to reduce tobacco use among kids are favored by eight out of 10 Nevadans," said Dan Geary of the Cancer Society. "Nevada's elected officials should study these results carefully and enact the state's first comprehensive tobacco control program."

4A Zone baseball, softball results: 4A SOUTHERN ZONE TOURNAMENT

LV airport traffic up in April: The McCarran numbers include both arriving and departing passengers.

Nevada dry cleaning chain sold: Terms of Delia's acquisition of the Johnson Group Inc. were not disclosed.

LV won't curtail pollution control efforts: A court decision that scraps new air pollution rules won't affect Clark County's efforts -- or its need -- to clean up air in the Las Vegas Valley, local officials say.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Colbert eases into new role: Dean Juipe; As Jim Colbert tapped in on the 18th hole, the Las Vegas Senior Classic leaders were still three and four hours behind him.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Charismatic makes pundits play the fool: Ralph Siraco; Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Las Vegas News Briefs -- May 17, 1999: Reid's son named new state chairman

Senior Classic: Win was bit of revenge for Fernanadez: Vicente Fernandez avenged his second-place finish in last year's Las Vegas Senior Classic by capturing the $1.4 million tournament Sunday at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin.

Lawmakers stay busy over weekend: Nevada senators held their first Saturday session and Assembly members held their second weekend session of the 1999 Legislature, acting on dozens of bills.

Ali watches daughter graduate from UNLV: Muhammad Ali slipped quietly into the UNLV graduation ceremony Saturday morning to watch his eldest daughter receive a diploma.

Transiency keeps some from moving forward: Benjamin Grove; Lucy, a quiet fourth grader, blew in and out of Helen Jydstrup Elementary School this year like an autumn leaf.

Editorial: Committee 'hammers' retaliation: This is part and parcel of politics and has gone on throughout our history. But sometimes legislators can become so intoxicated with power they take steps that push the envelope of ethical behavior. One such politician is Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the House majority whip known as the "Hammer" for his hardball tactics in corralling votes and raising campaign funds. The House ethics committee, though, has found that DeLay finally has stepped over the line. Last week the ethics committee reprimanded him for threatening a Washington trade group last year with retaliation for hiring a Democrat as its president.

Will leaving estate to shelter challenged: The estranged son of a man who left his $300,000 Las Vegas estate to the Animal Foundation of Nevada says his father was not competent when he made out his will weeks before his death.

Senior Classic: Fernandez sinks long putt on No. 16 for 2-shot victory: For all intents and purposes, Vicente Fernandez wrapped up the 14th annual Las Vegas Senior Classic by draining a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th hole Sunday at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin.

Committee skeptical of DMV reorganization plan: Genesis was based on the assumption that the reorganization effort was a done deal - an assumption that influenced how the program's computer code was written.

New York City police commissioner offers ways to reduce crime: Angie Wagner; He insisted Monday during the annual Tourism Safety and Security Conference here that graffiti can't be found in New York City.

Local drivers satisfied with progress at Indy: Schmidt's fastest lap of the day was 221.697 mph, eighth fastest of the 34 drivers who took to the track on the second day of practice. "We're happy we're still in the top 10," Schmidt said after a drop in speed from 224.394 mph Saturday. "We ran race setups. We didn't really work on a qualifying setup (Sunday). ... We ran many laps to get a feel for what it's like out there."

South has mystique in its favor as state baseball tourney begins: Spencer Patterson; It's time to find out how good the Reno High baseball team really is.

Lawmakers consider bill to lessen trauma on foster children: "This speeds up the process by 12 months to terminate parental rights or reunify the child with their biological parents," added Washington, R-Sparks.

Senate committee hears plan to retest failing students: Jennifer Coleman; The Finance Committee said the students, about 10 percent of this year's graduating class, could enroll in an intensive remedial course this summer and test again. They could participate in June graduation ceremonies, but wouldn't get a diploma until they pass.

After time with Stars, Williams hopes to catch on with Twins: Steve Guiremand; Eddie Williams loves Las Vegas.

Columnist Melissa Schorr: A dancer stripped of his virtue: Melissa Schorr; My friend Nick, the Chippendales dancer, called me the other day, complaining that he was feeling degraded.

EAT'M Alive!: At first glance the Emerging Artists and Talent in Music conference seems to encompass everything an aspiring, Bohemian-fringe contemporary music artist would disdain.

Letter: Coroner's inquest was unprofessional: Claiming the dead man used foul language and inferring he was drug crazed after being shot in the back at least four times helped to create a threatening image along with a well rehearsed (one-sided) version of what took place. (We all know dead men don't talk).

Restaurant offering $5,000 reward for return of Lenin's head: "It's been missing over three weeks," said Kelley Jones, director of operations for China Grill Management Las Vegas, which operates the restaurant. "I don't think it's a joke. I think somebody actually did steal it."

Ban on college sports betting could have major impact: Robert Macy; Bettors wagered $2.3 billion in Nevada's licensed sports books in fiscal 1998, according to Russell Guindon, senior research analyst for the board. The books won $77.4 million on bets placed on college and professional sporting events.

Increases in police, staff costs push city budget up 7.9 percent: Erin Neff; The Las Vegas City Council is expected to approve a "business as usual" budget on Tuesday, with most of the increased costs attributed to new staff and more money for police services.

Letter: Unions necessary to balance power held by employers: Maybe you have a right to choose, but let me explain something. The Venetian is in the business of making a lot of money. You are overhead. If they don't have to give you a good wage and benefits, they will make more money.

Letter: Don't sue Metro over son's death: The dead man's mother, Connie Perrin, choked back tears after the inquest as she called the verdict "Wrong, horribly wrong."

Legislative Briefs -- May 17, 1999: The Assembly Education Committee has reversed its decision to lower the test scores on the high school proficiency test to help out the 2,301 seniors who have not passed.

Rebels baseball team makes WAC field: The Rebels (27-32, 16-14 WAC) will meet No. 3 seed San Jose State in Fresno on Wednesday as the double-elimination WAC tourney gets under way.

Letter: Organizer of food drive is appreciative: The citizens of Southern Nevada have proven that we are a generous, compassionate and united community, and the letter carriers cannot thank you enough for your support.

One year in a school: Making room for one more: Benjamin Grove; Today a substitute teacher struggles to control the students. Later Pendry returns and welcomes another new student to his classroom in the transient school.

Revote may not change outcome: Adrienne Packer; An unprecedented North Las Vegas revote that is expected to cost taxpayers as much as $10,000 might not affect the final outcome in the race for two City Council seats.

One of two officers fired fatal shot: Ed Koch, Jace Radke and Art Nadler; By Ed Koch, Jace Radke and Art Nadler LAS VEGAS SUN

Budget-bashing bothers lawmakers Harter's, regents' reaction to funding called whining: CARSON CITY -- A benefactor who gives $23.7 million usually doesn't get kicked in the shins.

Tensions high, hours long as deadline looms: The night before the Nevada Legislature's bill deadline committee rooms smacked of tensions and smelled of microwave popcorn.

Senate approves bill limiting lawsuit against gun manufacturers: But opponents of the bill, including Sen. Terry Care, saw AB543 as protection for gun manufacturers that takes control away from local governments.

Loss reported by seed company: Duplicate operations at newly acquired companies and special charges related to the integration of those companies resulted in the loss for the forage and turfgrass seed company.

Recent Las Vegas-area appointments and promotions:: At the R&R Advertising healthcare team, Jennifer Vaughan and Cathy Hayes are PR account managers, J.L. Jordan III is an advertising account supervisor and Matt Jones is art director.

Bill would let noneducator run schools: CARSON CITY -- Despite opposition of Southern Nevada Democrats, the Senate has approved and sent to the governor a bill to allow the Clark County School Board to hire a person without educational experience to succeed Superintendent Brian Cram.

SAT-isfaction: Benjamin Grove; Clark High School junior Nathan Dahl said he wasn't sweating the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Box score: Stars 14, Buzz 4: Salt Lake

Clinton raises $400,000 in whirlwind LV visit: President Clinton left Las Vegas this morning after a 15-hour, overnight fund-raising visit that collected about $400,000 for the Democratic National Committee.