Print edition for October 5, 1999

Sacred Spirit Mountain listed among historic places: Spirit Mountain, a sacred place to Indian tribes in Southern Nevada, has become the first Indian land in the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Wednesday at Belmont Park: 1st race 1 mi & 1 fur 3YO Turf Clm: 1 Diamond Ransom (Velazquez) 118; 2 Focus (Prado) 116; 3 Wait for the Sword (Chavez) 116; 4 Bookmobile (Luzzi) 116; 5 Gallantly Yours (Santagata) 118; 6 Glockenspiel (Graell) 116; 7 a-Tony Basich (Bridgmohan) 116; 8 Improve (Gryder) 116; 9 Tricky Kenny (Nelson) 116; 10 No Trickery (King) 116.

Editorial: Clinton's fair shake for Nevada: Clinton's opposition is critical since Congress is doing everthing in its power to ensure that nuclear waste is sent here. Earlier this year the Senate was prepared to advance legislation that would allow nuclear waste to be shipped to the Nevada Test Site on a "temporary" basis. But this was a ruse: If the waste had been sent here the reality is Congress would have never let it leave Nevada. Fortunately this plan was abandoned following Clinton's threat he would veto that legislation.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: As IHL begins, few mourn loss of Thunder: In case you missed it, the International Hockey League began its 55th season without the Las Vegas Thunder this past weekend.

Three Nevada death row convicts lose U.S. Supreme Court appeals: Chappell was sentenced to die for killing Deborah Panos, the mother of his three children, by stabbing her repeatedly with a kitchen knife in 1995. The murders occurred after his release from prison, where he was doing time for domestic battery.

Former Washoe tribal police chief reports to halfway house: In a plea bargain earlier this year, Ahdunko pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a fully automatic rifle and for making false statements in a police report about a 1997 vehicle accident.

NTS Development gains equity in new LV firms: David Strow; Two emerging companies employing environmentally friendly solutions to refrigeration and power generation are coming to the Las Vegas Valley.

Talks to consolidate courts are in recess: Bill Gang; Talks to consolidate the Las Vegas Municipal and Clark County Justice courts that had been suspended for three years were quietly resurrected this summer and a committee of judges started to hammer out details of such a consolidation.

Authorities seek suspects in death of Fernley woman: An autopsy revealed the victim died of strangulation.

Expansion set for business center: Located on South Valley View Boulevard, between Post Road and Hinson Street in the southwest Las Vegas Valley, the 40-acre industrial park will encompass 625,000 square feet of eight Class A buildings. Construction cost for the entire project is estimated at $50 million.

Parties may not be UNLV's strong suit: You have to be suspicious when a university located in the "Entertainment Capital of the World" fails to make it among the top 10 party schools in the country.

LV investment company in bankruptcy: Deseret Investment Corp., 3235 Red Scott Circle, listed assets of $4.67 million and liabilities of $4.07 million in the filing before Judge Linda Riegle.

Venetian contractor purchased for $472 mil.: Gary Thompson; The parent company of Lehrer McGovern Bovis Inc., general contractor for the Venetian hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, has been sold to an Australian real-estate management firm.

Hearing in Du Pont case is canceled: Kim Smith; The much anticipated guilty plea of a Du Pont family member on murder conspiracy charges failed to materialize Monday.

Analyst upgrades LV casino operator: Stock of the gaming company was quoted at $28.1875 a share in early afternoon trading today, unchanged from Monday's close.

Bus contract awarded by Scenic Airlines: Travelways Inc., Howell, N.J., signed the deal to transport up to 170,000 Scenic passengers annually in four 49-passenger coaches and eight 29-passenger minibuses.

Soccer fans' antics raise concerns among officials: Steve Carp; Sam Boyd Stadium was still standing Monday, which was good news for the folks at UNLV who need to use it in the weeks ahead for football.

Vote on Yucca Mountain bill postponed: In the face of a certain presidential veto, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., has postponed consideration of a nuclear waste bill Nevada until the end the month.

West Las Vegas group charges discrimination in school district: Terry Webster; A community activist group known for making wake-up calls is giving one to the Clark County School District.

LV roofer sues state over safety regulations: Grace Leong; Dean Roofing Co. of Las Vegas sued the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations and several of its senior officers, alleging they wrongfully issued a citation against the contractor for allowing its workers to work without fall protection and safety devices.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Wynn tour paints pretty picture of art gallery: Kate Maddox; On Friday night Steve Wynn personally led a very special tour of his Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. This was his gift to the elite handful of patrons who purchased $15,000-a-piece platinum sponsorships to the "Three of Hearts" benefit held over the weekend at the Bellagio's Monet Ballroom.

Letter: Congress takes good care of itself: JAN STORM

Liberace card contest under way: The second annual Liberace Museum greeting card art contest is under way.

Consolidation is a judgment call: Erin Neff; Customer service problems plaguing Las Vegas Municipal Court will force the City Council to consider a $237,000 increase in budgeted funds this week, even amid talk of consolidating city court services with the county's Justice Court to save money.

Letter: Harder to find items made in U.S.: I wonder where she buys her clothes and are they all labeled "Made in USA By Union Members?" I would also like to know what automobile this person drives.

Ware to undergo knee surgery, miss 2 weeks: Steve Guiremand; As if UNLV didn't have enough problems trying to score points ...

Online broker opening Las Vegas office: Company spokeswoman Renae Hart said the Las Vegas branch is part of a "national rollout" of retail offices. Included in the company's Western Region will be a Phoenix branch, and a regional processing center in San Jose, Calif. The Las Vegas office will be in the Green Valley area.

Black Mountain Community Bank planned: Less than three months after Nevada Community Bancorp. opened the Desert Community Bank in Las Vegas, the bank holding company has applied for its third local bank charter.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Bloody day at No Gun Ri: THERE HAS NEVER been a nice, clean war, and the one fought in Korea was far from being a pleasant affair. Civilians caught between battling armies have always been victims. Even those far away from ground battles have become victims from the time air power and missiles entered the fray. What may appear to be almost bloodless air power victories in Desert Storm and later Kosovo don't take into account the suffering of civilian populations.

Letter: Health insurance premiums go up, but not benefits: Well, it seems like Congress had no trouble giving themselves a cost-of-living adjustment increase, and nothing like we are getting.

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E: The century's most durable star: Bob Thomas; Yet, after 71 years, he remains the longest-lasting Hollywood star of all. His movies still attract an audience, he has a merchandising deal to die for and is still married to the same gal.

Columnist John Katsilometes: Down in Dixie: Peanuts, pride, gaming debate: Some of the finest boiled peanuts in South Carolina can be found at a produce stand just inside the Summerville town limits. It's across the street from the Piggly Wiggly, and the proprietor carries both varieties -- regular-sized and jumbo.

Correction: Correction

Wednesday at Santa Anita: 1st race 6 fur 2YO Mdn: 1 Gibson County (Flores) 120; 2 Naughty Nacho (Antley) 120; 3 Mr. Seattle (Bourdieu) 120; 4 Meet Me In Dixie (Gomez) 120; 5 Badgets Ruler (Valdivia) 120; 6 Ceeband (Solis) 120; 7 Patrick's Slew (Puglisi) 120

Casino reopens as Klondike Sunset: David Strow; Longtime casino operator John Woodrum opened his second local operation Friday evening, as the redesigned Klondike Sunset Casino opened its doors on Sunset Road in Henderson.

Wednesday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 6 fur 3YO Clm: 1 Secret Stories (Smith) 114; 2 Greetches Tribute (Chaves) 119; 3 Taken (Carr) 119; 4 Tri Xacta (Baze) 117; 5 Pirate's Stash (Nuesch) 117.

Community news briefs for October 5, 1999: Events such as jousting, battle re-enactments, royal processions, highland games, and plays will be available throughout the festival. The festivals run 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday with a free Celtic rock concert at 6:30 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

New hangar to be built at Henderson airport: Dan Dohrn, director of marketing for Nevada Building and Development Co., said his company has been selected by the Alper Limited Partnership to build the 4,800-square-foot hangar. The building will include a pilot lounge and a flight planning room and will be completed in early January.

High court stands by ruling in Convention Center case: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court Monday stood by its decision in April to void a $9 million judgment awarded to owners of two parcels condemned by Clark County for expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Defendant seeks to be tried separately: Sandy Murphy filed motions late Monday asking that her trial be separated from that of co-defendant Rick Tabish.

Bellagio gallery gains 1928 Matisse portrait once stolen by Nazis: Gary Thompson; A Matisse portrait stolen by the Nazis and later returned to the owner's heirs has been added to the masterpieces on display at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.

Expanded agreement broadens international air service: The new agreement takes effect a month after the fifth anniversary of the initial agreement between America West, which operates a hub at McCarran International Airport, and Continental, the nation's fifth largest airline.

Sierra Club criticizes area's handling of sprawl: The Sierra Club released a national ranking of the states Monday that gave relatively low marks to Nevada for dealing with the effects of urban sprawl.

Drinking and driving: Victoria Sun; Now that PGA Tour golfer John Daly has realized that drinking is part of his life, he says that he wants to move on with the rest of it, including his role as a professional golfer.

Arts center official defends legitimacy of Quinn exhibit: Kim Smith; The controversy surrounding an upcoming benefit for the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center has been overblown, center president Donald Kemp said Monday.

Prevailing wages posted on Internet for first time: Prevailing wages are set once a year by the Nevada Labor Commissioner. They are the wages that must be paid to all workers performing labor on public works projects with a contract value above $100,000, and are established by county.

DMV overcharges 'computer glitch': CARSON CITY -- A new glitch has cropped up in the trouble-plagued computer system of the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety -- overcharging motorists when they re-register their autos.

Hospital lays off 11 from business office: The organization, Nevada Physicians' Choice, employed 17 people. Some of the employees who were not laid off will be absorbed elsewhere in the hospital, a spokeswoman said.

Editorial: New road map will help Forest Service: This only promises to get better as new rules proposed by the Forest Service last week intend to get more public and scientific input before adopting guidelines on managing national forests. Most importantly, for the first time ever, a forest's ecological health would take priority over commercial uses, such as logging. Timber industry officials are upset by the proposals, but it makes sense for the Forest Service to once again act as the guardian of our national forests, preserving them for future generations.

Letter: Cannon Center not serving seniors: MARGARET H. BURIE

Del Papa buys time: Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa bought more time Monday to explain to District Judge James Mahan why he shouldn't release documents that show her office conducted a secret intelligence investigation of Nevada's top gaming regulators.

Obituaries for October 5, 1999: Walter E. Archibald, 51, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in Las Vegas. He was born June 30, 1948, in Birmingham, Ala. A resident for 13 years, he was a security/yard manager for Hampton Tedder, employed by the Clark County School District for eight years, two years at UNLV and was a Vietnam War Army veteran.

Binion prosecutors vow to fight defense requests: Prosecutors plan to oppose defense efforts to lessen the bail conditions of Ted Binion's accused killers, Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish.

Sprint sold for $129 billion: Richard N. Velotta and David Strow; Today's merger of Sprint and MCI WorldCom has observers wondering if MCI will sell off Sprint's local phone business in Las Vegas. The deal has state regulators concerned about phone rates in Nevada and has unions looking into whether workers' jobs will be protected.

FCC chairman questions merger with MCI WorldCom Inc.: Noelle Knox; NEW YORK -- MCI WorldCom Inc. has forged the largest corporate takeover in history, announcing today a $129 billion acquisition of Sprint Corp., the nation's third-largest long-distance company.

Phone company to offer magazine for newcomers: Welcome Home magazine will offer information on driver registration, utility connections, home buying and health care.

State says county can adopt store ordinance: CARSON CITY -- In a victory for organized labor, the state Attorney General's Office said today that Clark County Commissioners could adopt an ordinance stopping Wal-Mart from building a super store in Southern Nevada.

Venetian to protect waterways in Venice: The announcement comes less than two weeks after a war of words erupted between the Venetian and some political and union leaders from Venice who criticized hotel-casino owner Sheldon Adelson for replicating Venetian landmarks at his Las Vegas resort.

Hotels enjoyed busy August: Total rooms filled increased 8 percent in August compared to the same month a year ago. The 652,148 room nights paid for the month was the biggest total recorded in Washoe County since 1994.

Monday's prep results: Green Valley 207, Foothill 328 Medalist: Christine Fernandez (GV) -- 34

Statistics show student attacks on staff increase: Statistics released today by the Nevada Institute for Children reveal violence between students declined by 5.2 percent between 1996 and 1998 but attacks against school staff increased 46 percent.

Founder of U-Haul Shoen dies in crash: Ed Koch and Gary Thompson; Leonard S. Shoen, the founder of U-Haul, which revolutionized the do-it-yourself moving industry, has died in Las Vegas. He was 83.

Marilyn Monroe exhibit coming to Strip: The exhibit will feature a collection of Monroe's artwork, movie costumes and personal mementos including what the Venetian called the "stellar Mikimoto pearl necklace" she received on her honeymoon with Joe DiMaggio in 1954.

Wal-Mart discussion expected to draw big crowd to meeting: Adrienne Packer; Clark County commissioners are bracing for a record crowd at Wednesday's meeting as union members and Wal-Mart supporters make their last-ditch pitches to the commission about a proposed zoning ordinance.