Print edition for October 19, 1999

Merger may send executives packing to community banks: Phil Levine; Pioneer acquistion completed

Porter plans run for House: CARSON CITY -- Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, estimates he will have to spend $1 million to unseat freshman Rep. Shelley Berkley and says he will bring his ability to build a consensus to Congress.

LV area students in Washington, D.C.: William Hooks, a student at the Community College of Henderson High School, Christine Papio of Las Vegas Academy and Jeanine Tegano of Green Valley High School heard President Clinton address the group this morning.

Park for sale: Erin Neff; When soccer fields and playgrounds on 10 acres of land were dubbed Charleston Heights Neighborhood Preservation Park, the name implied saving open space for the future.

Grave robber gets probation for theft of skull: Shaughnessy also admitted to taking the skull of Clayton's wife, Susan, when he pried open the above-ground crypt at Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City on Oct. 31, 1997.

Agency affirms Mandalay debt ratings: Aside from a $150 million temporary casino in Detroit, Mandalay Resort Group executives have indicated they don't plan to add any new construction projects to their balance sheet, DCR said.

Silver City Casino sold: Currently run by Mandalay Resort Group, Silver City is slated to be closed at the end of the month. A spokesman for Brugnara said it would be impossible to avoid the scheduled closing, but that future plans include reopening a "fully remodelled" casino better reflecting the property's value.

LV headed for 34 mil. visitors this year: Visitor volume jumped 10.1 percent in August, to 2,962,887 people, from August 1998, the LVCVA said.

Senate set for key vote on campaign funding: WASHINGTON -- The Senate, in a landmark vote today, could change the way U.S. political campaigns are waged and funded.

LV travel firm partners with TheStreet.com: Lowestfare.com, formerly known as Global Discount Travel Services LLC, will operate TheStreet.com Travel Center, a co-branded travel service for site visitors.

Youbet.com raided by police: LOS ANGELES -- Youbet.com Inc. said it is cooperating with law enforcement officials who raided the headquarters of the Internet horse-betting service last week.

Dancers sue club over assault, rape: The plaintiffs said they were hired as dancers on May 21. The dancers said they were assaulted -- and one raped -- during an armed robbery because the dressing room allegedly lacked a lock and security personnel to guard it.

Advisory board begins probe of UNLV police: A Clark County high school principal claims UNLV police handcuffed and abused him after a reggae concert on campus four years ago.

Students claim panel not representative: A newly created UNLV Department of Public Safety Advisory Board, which held its first meeting Monday in the midst of growing complaints against campus police, is not an independent body and does not reflect the community it serves, critics say.

BLM boss opposes Lincoln County land swap as "sweetheart deal": But John Singlaub, manager of the BLM's Carson City District, said the proposed deal could result in special treatment for a single developer.

Wrestlers pin investors for $170 mil.: Martha Stewart vs. wrestlers

ZCMI sold to May Department Stores: SALT LAKE CITY -- May Department Stores Co. is buying the Mormon Church-owned ZCMI department store chain in Utah and Idaho in a $52 million stock deal, the companies announced.

Barrick announces new mine development plan in Africa: "We see Bulyanhulu making a strong contribution to production, earnings and cash flow from the very start," Barrick president Randall Oliphant said at a news conference today.

Reports mixed for big LV airlines: America West Airlines reported record third-quarter earnings today and the best nine-month performance in the company's history. Its top competitor in Las Vegas, Southwest Airlines, reported a decrease in net earnings.

California water agreement could help Nevadans: A deal to distribute California's share of the Colorado River and stop its farmers from taking more than the state's allotment is good news for Southern Nevada, a top water official said.

Editorial: Search seems futile for common ground: Despite the rejection, Clinton extended an olive branch Monday to congressional Republican leaders, hoping to find common ground. But House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., didn't offer much encouragement, repeating the fiction that full funding of foreign aid would require a "raid" on the Social Security trust fund. Republican leaders should stop their needless partisan posturing, though, and work with Clinton if the United States is to continue its world leadership role.

Kenny Kerr files for bankruptcy: Kerr, whose impersonations of Cher and Barbra Streisand have entertained audiences at the defunct Silver Slipper hotel-casino and the Debbie Reynolds hotel-casino, filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, doing business as "Boylesque," 2255 S. Buffalo Drive. The filing listed assets of $122,700 and liabilities of $206,913.

School discipline problems growing: Terry Webster; Mouthing off, bullying classmates, refusing to listen to teachers -- classroom troublemakers are starting to act out at a younger age in the Clark County School District.

Fightin' Words: Brad Pitt and Edward Norton mix it up over the hard-hitting 'Fight Club': Dave Neil; Well, stars Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, two of Hollywood's most sought-after talent, broke the rules and did just that -- "talked about" their already heatedly controversial film, "Fight Club." Both actors were recognized by the Academy early in their careers, earning three nominations between them, and each has even taken home a Golden Globe Award for their performances (Pitt for "12 Monkeys" and Norton for his debut in "Primal Fear").

Dalron Johnson making an immediate impact: Victoria Sun; College basketball coaches often say that the best thing about freshmen is that the next year they become sophomores, meaning they will be more productive their second year in school.

Henderson: Parks tax hike proposed: Shaunta Grimes; The city of Henderson is proposing an increase in its residential construction tax to provide more money for developing and improving parks, following the lead of the county, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.

Soccer league season cancelled in response to gunfire: Fernando Corona, league president, said he had no money for the officers so he signed the letter revoking this year's permit and canceling this season's championship game, which involved the same two teams that played Sunday.

Rebel golfers third in tournament: The Rebels (283-275 -- 558) are one shot back of co-leaders Georgia (280-277 -- 557) and Clemson (284-273 -- 557). Houston (279-281 -- 560) and Arizona State (277-285 -- 562) round out the top five.

Wednesday at Santa Anita: 1st race 5-1/2 fur 3YO & up Mdn Clm: 1 Getitgotitgood (Guerra) 120; 2 Rick'sregret (Alvarado) 118; 3 Placing High (Antley) 120; 4 Tricky Ring (Pedroza) 118; 5 Excessive Force (Sorenson) 120; 6 Heart T' Heart (Enriquez) 122; 7 Megadeal (Delahoussaye) 122.

Longtime Las Vegas attorney Robert Callister dies at 77: Las Vegas attorney Robert Callister, the son of a prominent Salt Lake City criminal defense attorney, shared some good advice with his attorney son and other lawyers.

1999 NHRA Pacific Division Sears Craftsman Racing Series E.T. Finals: October 17, 1999

Police warn residents of home robberies: Metro Police are urging residents to be alert when they go home, and even while they are in their residences in the wake of home robberies in the past week.

Editorial: Offenders need more oversight: Some of the audit's findings were eye-openers. For instance, officers in Las Vegas made only 54 percent of the contacts mandated by regulations. Visits to offenders' homes also were found to be deficient, with just 43 percent of home visits made. Division regulations also require the first home visit to be done within 10 days, but the average time it took was 123 days, and in some cases it took as long as 250 days.

Wednesday at Belmont Park: 1st race 6 fur 3YO & up Mdn Clm: 1 Pacho (Beitia) 114; 2 Branjidas (Teator) 121; 3 Aly Esty (Espinoza) 121; 4 Mossad (Diego) 112; 5 Jet John (Bridgmohan) 118; 6 Assert N Destiny (King) 114; 7 Hoss'n Around (Toscano) 116; 8 Daniel's Affair (Santos) 116; 9 Tricked Out (Castillo) 114; 10 Cool Cold Gold (Coa) 109; 11 Cargo Kid (Beasley) 109; 12 Joe's Big Gun (Nelson) 114.

Letter: Beers tries to keep governor honest: Beers' oversight committee is exploring the administration's contract, which now appears fatally flawed. Meanwhile people aren't buying cars and are endlessly waiting in line.

UNLV women tennis players in Calif.: In qualifying-round action, Katarina Malec will face 77th-ranked Mira Radu of the University of Mississippi. Malec, a senior, was unranked in the preseason poll but has since gone 10-1 in singles. Lady Rebel Veronica Goude, also a senior, will face 70th-ranked Erica Biro of Duke.

E. Timor horrors recalled: The bullets were flying so close to Tom Kinsella that he could hear them whistle past his ears.

Attorney named Silver Bandits president: Victoria Sun; Las Vegan Mike Olsen was named president of the Las Vegas Silver Bandits of the International Basketball League Monday afternoon.

Historic Kiel Ranch, with recent bracing, defies quake: Diana Sahagun; Not even an earthquake could rattle the historic adobe house at Kiel Ranch.

Hearing delayed for ATM robbery suspect: Kim Smith; A change-of-plea hearing for a man charged along with the late Timothy Blackburn of robbing an ATM repository was postponed for the second time Monday.

Nevada voters at a glance: Here's a county-by-county breakdown of Nevada's registered voters in major parties at the end of September, with Democrats listed first followed by Republicans:

Columnist John Katsilometes: A real chat with King of Hoaxes: The e-mail was short and snappy, and the sender was clearly torqued.

Future of downtown eases onto council's priority list: Erin Neff; As the city of Las Vegas enters the next century, the future of its downtown will be a driving force in policy and funding decisions.

Texas toasts IRL: FORT WORTH, Texas -- To even the most ardent followers of motor sports, it truly was an astonishing sight.

Builders fined for pollution: The Clark County Health District's Air Pollution Control Division issued a total of $182,100 in penalties in September.

Letter: World Bike Expo disappointing: The $23 a head price may have been worth the entertainment to some, but it sure wasn't worth it as a motorcycle show.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Fairway to Heaven teed off with the stars: Kate Maddox; VH1's Fairway to Heaven rock 'n' roll celebrity golf tournament teed off Monday at the Las Vegas Country Club.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Senior softball team has trophy, but no sponsor: If forty-something infielder Gary Gaetti ever gets tired of hanging on with major league teams, he can always offer to play third base and hit cleanup for the Las Vegas 70s.

Prep playoff schedules: 4A STATE TOURNAMENT

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- Megadeal - Dueled lead and held 3rd in last, dueled lead and 3rd in prior pair of starts, set pace and worn down when 2nd four races back, ready to graduate. Placing High - Dueled lead and no match late when second best in last, set pace and caught late while close 2nd at the fair before that, should be right with top pick throughout. Value Play -- Excessive Force

Community news briefs for October 19, 1999: MountainView Senior Friends is offering flu shots 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday at 8524 Del Webb Blvd. For reservations and information, call 255-5404.

Las Vegan pleads not guilty: Kim Smith; A 50-year-old Las Vegas resident suspected of bilking more than 300 investors out of $15 million pleaded not guilty in federal court Monday.

Obituaries for October 19, 1999: Damien Lars Aragon, 19, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born June 26, 1980, in Henderson. A lifelong resident, he was a food server and a member of the Culinary Union.

Sellout possible for BYU showdown: Steve Guiremand; UNLV's all-time single-game attendance record of 40,091 set at its 52-17 loss to Wisconsin in 1996 at Sam Boyd Stadium is safe for a while.

Letter: New supermarket's prices much higher than predecessor's: Same bread is 40 cents more. And I found prices throughout the store the same way.

Nevada's voters by party: -Churchill: 3,853 D; 6,859 R

Schmidt to have more foot surgery: DALLAS -- Sam Schmidt of Henderson was airlifted today from a Dallas hospital to Indianapolis, where he will face additional surgery at Methodist Hospital.

Rebels' coach to speak: Rebels' coach to speak

Democrats take lead in registration: CARSON CITY -- Democrats for the first time in four years have gained the edge in voter registration over Republicans, Secretary of State Dean Heller reported today.

Wal-Mart sues Clark County: Kim Smith and Adrienne Packer; Wal-Mart Stores is suing Clark County, claiming an ordinance passed two weeks ago banning certain combination grocery-retail stores is unconstitutional.

Murphy told gaming agents that Binion killed himself: Copyright 1999 Las Vegas Sun

Report: Nevada casinos were biggest donors in anti-Indian gaming battle: Mirage Resorts Inc. topped the list of contributors with $9.56 million. In all, five Nevada casinos or their parent corporations contributed more than $1 million each to fight the measure, the study found.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Harding can't escape her past: Dean Juipe; Some things are just not forgivable.

Bernstein begins fund-raising: Longtime Las Vegas attorney Ed Bernstein says he is no politician, even though he is forming an exploratory campaign committee for a likely U.S. Senate bid.

Big Band-era boogie woogie singer Morse dies in Bullhead City: The British music anthology album "Giants of Rock 'n' Roll" features some of the top music artists of the 1950s.

Business events for October 19, 1999: Small business loans -- Nevada MicroEnterprise Initiative loan information sessions and business plan workshops. Ongoing. 734-3555.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Honoring those who give: THERE'S SOMETHING special about the people who serve as military, hospital, fire and police chaplains. Next week is National Pastoral Care Week and Fr. Gerry McNulty of the Veterans Administration and Hospital has been named Pastoral Care Giver of the Year for Southern Nevada.

Letter: Cassidy speech rudely interrupted: To not do so is the same as trying to speak above a heckler. It's very distracting and nerve-wracking. While I didn't attend the event, I'm sure that everyone came out for a nice dinner in support of a good cause, but they showed a total lack of respect and consideration for the guest speaker.

Monorail to take next step in approval process: Adrienne Packer; Wandering through the quiet Desert Inn Estates neighborhood, it's difficult to imagine a state-of-the-art monorail humming high above adjacent streets a hundred yards away.