Print edition for October 15, 1999

Shelf Life -- Scott Dickensheets: A harrowing trip through 'Perv': I committed to reviewing Jerry Stahl's new novel before I was fully aware of its contents, and now I have a slight problem: It's wonderfully packed with depravity and sickness and humid sex, frequently engaged in or at least vividly imagined by the teenage (underage!) narrator.

Letter: Don't penalize surviving spouses: This would enable the surviving spouse to maintain some dignity without the need for requesting additional government assistance. No need for seeking help from Welfare or Medicaid. Most importantly it would keep the surviving spouse from sleeping in doorways and off the street, which befalls many, many surviving spouses.

Dial File -- Steve Bornfeld: Nets need new concept: Classics 2000: Tele-time marches on:

Another computer system lagging: A second major Southern Nevada government computer system installed by the national firm of Deloitte and Touche has been riddled with glitches since its installation 18 months ago, sources say.

Date book: The Poets' Corner, featuring established poets and open-mike participants, will meet at 7 p.m. today at the West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Admission is free. Call 229-4800.

Racing notes: Solving restrictor-plate mysteries: Mike Harris; The Winston 500 on Sunday will be the last of four restrictor-plate races this season.

Editorial: Partisan venom on treaty vote: The administration and Senate Democrats abruptly changed course and tried to head off a vote, arguing that a rejection would not only damage the United States' standing in the international community but that it also could set off a dangerous arms race, especially by politically unstable nations, including neighbors and rivals such as Pakistan and India. A number of responsible Republicans believed it was in this nation's best interest to postpone a vote on the treaty, including Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner. But the bipartisan effort to delay the vote was rejected Wednesday, with the treaty supporters losing handily, ...

Letter: City, county board members exceed their authority: Their nose goes where it doesn't belong, such as in the continual skirmish between union and nonunion, commercial-enterprise situations, and become "experts" in zoning mastery, changing the peaceful existence of property owners everywhere by disregarding neighborhood preservation and thrusting incompatible uses into them, ignoring every form of petition or vote majority to instill those changes.

Wirtgen to sponsor World of Outlaws race at LVMS: "We are excited to have Wirtgen join us for our upcoming Pennzoil World of Outlaws races," Chris Powell, LVMS general manager, said. "The sprint cars offer one of the best events of the year, and we're glad to have Wirtgen as our partner for the event."

Saturday at Belmont Park: 1st race 1 mi & 1 fur 3YO & up F & M Turf Mdn: 1 Special Virtue (Castillo) 117; 2 Funny Girl (Velazquez) 121; 3 Precious Clare (Chavez) 117; 4 Firmness (Smith) 117; 5 Ensnare (Diego) 112; 6 Somerset West (Bailey) 117; 7 How Can That Be (Sellers) 117; 8 Enough Tough (Davis) 117; 9 a-Enter (Santos) 117; 10 a-Buy Sell Or Hold (Espinoza) 117;

Prep Tennis tournament results: 4A SUNRISE REGION TOURNAMENT

Ralph Siraco's selections for Saturday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- Amber's Cup - Broke sharp from rail post, dueled lead and weakened late to be 4th in last, eliminated at the start in debut before that, draws rail again, P. Val. now, graduation for Cup. Nephrite Mountains - 1st time starter by Bertrando, steady worktab for debut, draws outside post, gets first time lasix and Black, bred to win early. Value Play -- Ceemenowceeyalater

Thursday's prep results: Centennial 1, Cimarron 1 Goals: Cent-Canada; Cim-Seyoum.

Furyk thriving again in Las Vegas: Scores are traditionally low in the event, which has a pro-am format, and conditions have been ideal the first three days this year.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Schmidt hoping to make it two in a row: JUSTIN, Texas -- Sam Schmidt thrust himself into the Indy Racing League championship picture with his victory three weeks ago in the Vegas.com 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Rahal prepares team for Gold Coast Indy: Dennis Passa; SURFERS PARADISE, Australia - When Bobby Rahal was growing up in the United States, he included American Mario Andretti among his racing heroes as well as overseas drivers Jackie Stewart and Bruce McLaren.

Even with mistakes, Sting can still shake the house down: Geoff Carter; "We made some mistakes," Sting admitted, near the end of his set at the Hard Rock's the Joint Thursday night.

Red Rock closing further thins ranks of discount movie houses: One of the last remaining discount theaters in Las Vegas has run its final credits.

FBI Uniform Crime Report: Murder 1997: 148, 1998: 116

Saturday at Santa Anita: 1st race 6-1/2 fur 3YO & up F & M Mdn Clm: 1 Amber's Cup (Valenzuela) 120; 2 La Charita (Espinoza) 120; 3 Objectofthesword (Almeida) 118; 4 Ceemenowceeyalater (Valdez) 120; 5 Satin Sister (Silva) 120; 6 Melo Note (Garcia) 120; 7 Nephrite Mountains (Black) 120.

Sound Check -- Geoff Carter: Poring over ingredients for out-of-fashion mix tapes: I fly to Thailand in a little under three weeks. No special reason, other than having never been there. You know how these things get started -- somebody sees a Rough Guide or Lonely Planet special on the former Siam, you find out how low round-trip airfare really is ... The next thing you know, you're getting shots, shopping for backpacks and preparing mix tapes for the 18-hour flight.

Letter: Commission vote is a travesty: Three members allowed their personal beliefs to determine the future grocery costs for everyone in the valley. One of the trio then announces that the reason is not to keep out Wal-Mart, but because of traffic. Come on, be for real. This is Las Vegas, not Beatty. Traffic is a reality here.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Culinary scores in East: AS THE WAL-MART forces continue their local struggle to open "box" style supermarkets much bigger than their present stores, the unions have become the target of critics. Some people have gone so far as spreading the stories that everything would be OK if it weren't for the unions. Strangely, the union and Clark County Commission bashers don't discuss the problems Wal-Mart has created and faced in several other locations both near and far from Clark County and the state of Nevada.

Saturday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 6 fur 3YO Fil Clm: 1 Volunteer Park (Baze) 117; 2 First Issue (Chaves) 117; 3 Fair Hostage (Schvaneveldt) 117; 4 Princess Cielo (Arriaga) 117; 5 Close to Heaven (Smith) 112.

Connolly's Elvis performance rocks the joint at Bally's: Joe Delaney; Boston-born Steve Connolly's "Love Him Tender," a well-conceived, excellently performed tribute to Elvis Presley, started with good attendance on Oct. 7, doing 2 p.m. performances, Thursdays through Mondays, in Bally's Jubilee Room, and has been building solidly since.

Editorial: New drug program for inmates on hold: But as the Sun's Cy Ryan reported Wednesday, a legal snag has prevented the program from getting under way. A section of the new law contains language that states until the prison system can show there have been savings, the inmates can't be released. As Guinn's legal adviser told Ryan, savings can't be realized, however, until sometime after the program is started, posing a Catch-22.

This week's races: Site: Talladega, Ala.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Romance of Oprah, Stedman gets very unsteady: Kate Maddox; Sources close to Oprah Winfrey are whispering that the talk queen's relationship with longtime steady, Stedman Graham, is not long for this world.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Golf, football, baseball, boxing -- and betting: Joe Delaney; Welcome, golfers and fans of the Las Vegas International Golf Tournament, being played on three of our town's finest golf courses through Sunday. ... This is good for business locally and great publicity coverage nationally on television. ... Golf on TV can offer dramatic entertainment; remember the United States' dramatic comeback recently to win golf's Ryder Cup.

Ex-mayor to give up LVCVA position for Harrah's job: Former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones will give up her controversial position with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority when she takes her new executive post at Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Fryatt making a name for himself: Dean Juipe; On the graph that charts Edward Fryatt's career progress, the line moves along steadily in one direction: Up.

Shoppers stage rally: Adrienne Packer; As the owner of a small computer shop, the last store Tom Johnson wants to see open its doors near his business is a mega-retail center.

Factions forming on arena committee: Erin Neff; A committee studying the feasibility of a sports arena and performing arts center vowed Thursday to keep up the momentum generated with a delegation's recent trip to New York to talk with pro sports leaders.

16-year-old girl, waiting for bus, is attacked: District spokeswoman Mary Stanley-Larsen confirmed that the girl was assaulted sometime after 6 a.m. as she waited for a school bus near the middle school at 1562 Katie Ave.

Jarbidge residents winning old-fashioned battle over town cemetery: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- A bill that would wrest control of Jarbidge Cemetery in Elko County from the U.S. Forest Service and put it in the hands of locals seems poised to pass the Senate after a favorable hearing Thursday. The House passed the measure last month.

Vegas saw huge rise in September traffic: McCarran said it served 2.878 million people in September vs. 2.376 million in September 1998 and 2.4 million in September 1997. This is the highest monthly jump in five years and reflects strong demand for Las Vegas vacations by gamblers coming to see the city's new megaresorts including Bellagio, Venetian, Paris and Mandalay Bay.

Gamez still struggling: Dean Juipe; With a sour expression, Robert Gamez plucked his ball out of the cup and flung it into the pond behind him.

Title company fined for kickbacks: LOS ANGELES -- First American Title Co. agreed to pay $2.5 million and limit its marketing activities to settle allegations that it provided illegal kickbacks, including cash, computers and free Las Vegas vacations, to real estate agents in return for business referrals, state regulators said Thursday.

Ryder Cup hero Leonard staying near the top: After sinking the "Putt Heard 'Round the World" three weeks ago to return the Ryder Cup to the United States in dramatic fashion, Justin Leonard conceded that even a $2.5 million tournament such as the Las Vegas Invitational can seem like a leisurely round of golf.

Crime down in LV, North Las Vegas: Kim Smith; The number of major crimes in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas continues to drop, but Henderson suffered an increase in most crime categories, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, due to be released Monday.

Veterans are still battling for respect: Stacy J. Willis; Retired Col. Newell Henderson's fiancee bought her wedding dress the day before Pearl Harbor was bombed.

Goldman boosts rating of LV casino operator: Analysts covering the company expect Station to report third-quarter earnings Monday of 29 cents a share, up sharply from the 8 cents a share it earned in 1998's third period.

New panel to aid in area flood protection: The Clark County Regional Flood Control District Board of Directors formed a committee Thursday charged with speeding up improvements to the flood-control system to avoid damaging flash floods such as the one on July 8.

Disabled transit service is ailing: Getting from point A to point B got a lot harder for people with disabilities in the Las Vegas Valley this month.

Judge will not ban TV cameras in Binion trial: District Judge Joseph Bonaventure today refused to ban television cameras from the courtroom during the Ted Binion murder trial.

Warrants exercised for casino stock: The warrants carried an exercise price of 1 cent per share, giving Fitzgeralds proceeds of $14,952. The shares represent a 27 percent stake in the company.

Huge lapses reported in supervision of parolees, probationers: CARSON CITY -- Inmates, some of them violent or sex offenders, who were paroled from the state prison were able to roam the streets in Nevada with only moderate or no supervision, a legislative audit reported Thursday.

Reno beats Vegas in starting accounting pay: In their "1999 Compensation and Benefits Survey of Nevada Public Accounting Firms," University of Nevada, Reno, accounting professors Jeanne Yamamura and Jannet Vreeland found that small accounting firms pay an average starting salary of $28,000 in Reno, compared to $25,000 in Las Vegas.

North Las Vegas: Detention officers to get safety vests: Diana Sahagun; North Las Vegas Detention Center officers will soon be strapping on an extra 4 pounds of weight that could help save their lives.

Airline plans Las Vegas-Long Beach flights: Allegiant Air, which currently operates one round trip six days a week each to Lake Tahoe and Fresno, Calif., from McCarran International Airport, now also plans service between Las Vegas and Long Beach.

Nevada lawmakers question contracting of out-of-state firms: Nevada lawmakers who operate computer businesses say they are disturbed by reports of problems with large state and county computer systems.

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Favre consistently spells defeat for at least on e Las Vegas bettor: Sal DeFilippo; There are many reasons why I should dislike Brett Favre.

Obituaries for October 15, 1999: Guy Vincent Adamo, 44, of Las Vegas died Thursday in a local hospital. He was born Nov. 17, 1954, in New York. A resident for 21 years, he was a Tropicana hotel-casino floorman since 1985.

Voice of Choice: What: Bill Acosta's "Lasting Impressions."

Armour III fires a 60: Victoria Sun; At almost any other tournament, Vijay Singh reasoned, he would be leading after shooting a 63 for a two-day total of 16-under-par 128.

Guinn wants to give local governments more control: Adrienne Packer; In a relaxed round-table discussion Thursday, Gov. Kenny Guinn mixed humor with earnestness while explaining how local government fits into his administration during a presentation to the Nevada Association of Counties (NACO).

Second Vegas nursing home operator files for bankruptcy: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Sun Healthcare Group, one of the nation's largest nursing home chains, filed for bankruptcy protection after more than a year of severe losses it blames on declining Medicare fees.

May's 68 keeps him in the race: Victoria Sun; Before Bob May even stepped off the 7,164-yard par-72 course at the Las Vegas Country Club after his second round at the $2.5 million Las Vegas Invitational on Thursday, a new course record already had been set.

Self-serve grocery checkout introduced in Las Vegas area: Phil Levine; Smith's Food & Drug Stores is introducing the grocery equivalent of "pay at the pump" to Las Vegas.

Subsidies set for three expanding Vegas firms: David Strow; The Nevada Commission on Economic Development on Thursday awarded $1.4 million in incentives to a national bottling company that plans to open a plant in Henderson, creating 76 jobs.

Council to discuss LV's strategic plan: The meeting will be held in Room 104 at Cashman Center. City staff will give the council reports to help the board formulate strategic planning goals.

Letter: Cross country deserves ink: May I remind you that cross country is the only prep sport that has a national championship? Furthermore, there are at least 2,000 runners in this town who would be interested in reading such articles.

Can you lend a hand?: November marks the nonprofit organization's 10th anniversary. To celebrate, a catered dinner for all volunteers, past or present, will be held Nov. 5. State Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, will be the guest speaker.

Valentino name subject of suit over restaurant: Grace Leong; Valentino's of America Inc., Val Ltd. and two subsidiaries are seeking a preliminary injunction against Valentino Las Vegas LLC to prohibit the company from operating and advertising its Italian restaurant under the Valentino's name at the Venetian hotel-casino.

Eldorado aiming for home edge: Spencer Patterson; Friday

Columnist Dean Juipe: D.I. course may be on its last legs: Dean Juipe; It's a beautiful old course, with every blade of grass seemingly manicured to perfection.

Bankruptcies: Mark Richard Credico, doing business as Credico Quality Landscaping, 9085 Nomo St., filed for Chapter 7, listing assets of $6,605 and liabilities of $22,952.

BYU women shut out UNLV soccer team: BYU women shut out UNLV soccer team

Tyson-Norris officials picked: Richard Steele will referee the scheduled 10-round fight, and the judges will be Art Lurie, Dave Moretti and Dalby Shirley.

Rebels' Pavicevic defeated: Pavicevic, ranked 39th in the nation, did not take advantage of a set point in the second and lost to 18th-ranked James Shortall of Mississippi, 6-2, 7-6. Pavicevic now moves into the consolation bracket and will face 77th-ranked Andrew Nisker of Vanderbilt today.

Letter: Cut Warrick some slack: Warrick may have (resorted to stealing) because of wanting something others were enjoying. This is not to say what he did was right -- it was unlawful.

Births: Oct. 6:

The Movie Guys: Intense 'Fight Club' is a bloody good film: Grades: Jeff, B; Dave, B-.

Lewis not ruling out a bout against Tyson: Dean Juipe; While his focus is riveted on Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis admits a fight with Mike Tyson could be in his future.

Former steelworkers union leader arrested: Jace Radke; The former president of the United Steelworkers of America local in Henderson, who was forced to resign over allegations of writing bad checks on a union account, was arrested Wednesday in connection with a burglary at union headquarters, police said.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: Once-great rivalry fading out: Steve Guiremand; Remember back in the golden age of professional wrestling -- that would be sometime between the Crusher and Dick the Bruiser dynasty and the Cyndi Lauper era -- when they used to have things called "Loser Leaves Town" matches?

Race notes: LV's Tracy gets provisional pole for Aussie CART race: Tracy, trying to win his second consecutive race on the CART series, led Michael Andretti by nearly half a second on the 2.795-mile course. Tracy powered his away around the street circuit in 1:32.7 seconds for an average speed of 1:33.544 mph.