Print edition for September 2, 1999

Slot maker finalizes Sodak Gaming purchase: IGT acquired Sodak for $10 per share in cash, totaling approximately $230 million. The purchase was financed using a portion of the proceeds received from the earlier sale by IGT of $1 billion of senior notes.

Albertson's slot machine dispute heads for federal court docket: David Strow; Alliance Gaming Corp. won the approval of a split Nevada Gaming Control Board Wednesday to put slot machines in 15 former Albertson's stores in the Las Vegas Valley.

Park Place chief pays attention to detail: Gary Thompson; Thirty-three months ago, Arthur Goldberg took an opening-night stroll through New York-New York, the city-themed hotel-casino destined to become one of Las Vegas' biggest draws.

Discover the touches of Paree that distinguish the new Paris Las Vegas: He slowly navigates his way through clusters of pedestrians, singing French songs in a resonant voice and excitedly introducing himself to startled visitors.

McDonald backs LVCVA in battle with Venetian: Erin Neff; Council spending

Trump deal for casino still uncertain: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - What are the odds that The Donald is coming to Kansas City? It's still up in the air.

Retailer's stock falls: CHICAGO -- Sears, Roebuck and Co.'s stock plummeted 11 percent today after the nation's second-largest retailer warned Wall Street that its third-quarter earnings would fall below expectations and announced a management shakeup.

County to review Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program: Adrienne Packer; Clark County's revamped Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program takes greater steps to encourage traditionally disadvantaged groups like women and minorities to submit bids for construction projects.

Strip gets an Eiffel: Gary Thompson and David Strow; Paris Las Vegas, the final Strip resort to open this millennium, was greeted Wednesday night by a packed but well-ordered mob numbering in the tens of thousands.

Lenotre opens first U.S. cafe: The day before the opening of the new Paris resort I met with the founder of the Lenotre gourmet empire, Gaston Lenotre. Lenotre's reputation began in the little town of Point-Audemer, near Deauville, where he opened a small pastry shop. The success of that first venture encouraged him to move with his wife to Paris, where he bought a small shop in the desirable 16th district.

Deal to cost another $60 million: Both banks operate in Nevada, with Zions owning Nevada State Bank here. In June, Zions announced its intention to acquire the larger bank and retain First Security's name. The stock-for-stock transaction has an estimated value of $5.9 billion, and initially merger costs were estimated at $210 million.

LV dairy industry facing extinction: What it means to the consumer:

Message to builders: Fight new tax plan: Phil Levine; Nevada state Sen. Ann O'Connell believes that when it comes to taxes and education, less is more.

NLV cogeneration plant to be sold: Company officials said Southwest Power LLC is acquiring the plant's holding companies, Las Vegas Cogeneration LP and SUNCO Ltd., from the United Co., a Bristol, Va.-based, privately held holding company with interests in oil and gas, roof supply distribution, golf operations and real estate.

Magician moving from Lady Luck to Sahara: Commencing February 15, 2000 -- Valentine's Day -- Wyrick will perform his large-scale illusions in the new, 950-seat Sahara Theater. Sahara Marketing and Entertainment Director Yale Rowe said the magician signed an eight-year contract with the hotel. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Santa Fe subsidiaries' disclosures approved: Judge Linda Riegle approved the statement filed with the reorganization plans of Pioneer Finance Corp. and Pioneer Hotel Inc. Both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the wake of Pioneer Finance's failure to make a $60 million balloon payment on junk bonds issued in 1988.

Park Place to become world's biggest gaming firm: Gary Thompson; Paris Las Vegas is the newest but far from the last jewel to be added to the crown of the gaming industry's heavyweight champion.

Prosecutors unveil suffocation theory: Prosecutors for the first time Wednesday laid out their new suffocation theory in Ted Binion's Sept. 17 murder.

Pyrotechnics worker falls on Strip's Eiffel Tower: An otherwise grand opening of Paris Las Vegas was marred by an injury to a pyrotechnics worker who fell at the 540-foot Eiffel Tower after a spectacular fireworks display.

Local briefs for September 2, 1999: Brian L. Greenspun, president and editor of the Las Vegas Sun, did not change his Republican party registration by the Sept. 1 deadline, meaning he will not be eligible to run for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat next year.

Paris to boost holiday draw: The highways will be crowded this Labor Day weekend with tourists visiting Las Vegas to see Paris Las Vegas and the city's other new attractions. Older standbys such as the MGM Grand and Mirage will be busy as well.

Girls Volleyball breakdown: Top teams:

Trial for caretaker accused of abuse postponed: Larry Wisenbaker's trial was scheduled to start on Tuesday. District Judge Kathy Hardcastle on Wednesday delayed it until Nov. 29.

Boys soccer breakdown: Top Teams:

CART schedule, standings: March 21 - Marlboro Grand Prix, Homestead, Fla. (Greg Moore)

509258080.html: Tom Gardner; By Tom Gardner ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

Where I Stand -- Oscar Goodman: Mayor's learning curve: I felt as though I was back in school. I had a crash course in local government. I learned volumes of information on city services from new teachers. I had to remember numerous names. It has truly been one of the most satisfying and fascinating times of my life.

This week's races at a glance: Southern 500

Threats, violence rising for federal resource employees, report says: John Hughes; WASHINGTON - Patti Rodgers remembers the dark, early morning in 1996 when she watched a ranger station in the Willamette National Forest burn to the ground.

NASCAR Winston Cup schedule, standings: Feb. 14 - Daytona 500, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Jeff Gordon)

Box score: Dukes 9, Stars 3: HBP -- Dennis. PB -- Wilkins, Lidle Umpires -- Sanders, Barksdale, Drake. Time -- 3:01. Attendance -- 3,866.

Life and Crimes in Las Vegas: By Richard Abowitz; "Johnny Rotten hates everybody and Pat Boone loves everybody and I'm right in the middle somewhere," Cooper tells me. It is the dubious fate of every successful revolutionary to become the establishment and though once one of the most controversial figures in popular culture, Alice Cooper has long past being surprised by this twist of fate. "If I had them both at a concert I'd sit them next to each other."

Columnist Richard Bunker: Column on taxing casinos quickly went awry: Richard Bunker; When I read state Sen. Joe Neal's recent column, "Gambling must ante up," I marveled at the confusion under which he is laboring. At the beginning of his column Neal acknowledges that the resort industry "is the principal engine of our growth." Yet after that tip of the hat he goes on to not only criticize policies that have kept the engine humming but to recommend a policy that would throw ground glass into the engine parts.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck schedule, standings: March 20 - Florida Dodge Dealers 400, Homestead (Mike Wallace).

Indy Racing League schedule, standings: Jan. 24 - Indy 200, Orlando, Fla. (Eddie Cheever)

UNLV 26, North Texas 3: Robinson coached 12 years in two stints at Southern Cal (1976-82 and 1993-97) and coached the Los Angeles Rams for nine seasons starting in 1983. Robinson hadn't coached since November 1997, when he was fired by USC.

NHRA schedule, standings: Feb. 4-8 - Chief Auto Parts Winternationals, Pomona, Calif. (TF-Mike Dunn; FC-Tony Pedregon; PS-Jeg Coughlin; PT-Randy Daniels)

Feds tell Elko County to pay up or face lawsuit: The county district attorney's office received notice of the Justice Department's intent Monday, along with a draft copy of the government's case.

Paris entertainment: Motown to 'Notre Dame': Before answering "Rien" (French for "nothing"), take a look at the list of entertainers christening the Paris Las Vegas hotel casino over the next couple of weeks. There's Mr. Motown and your main mime, each exhibiting their distinctive, diverse forms of entertainment to help launch a new Strip resort.

NASCAR Busch GN schedule, standings: Feb. 13 - NAPA Auto Parts 300, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Randy LaJoie)

Formula One schedule, standings: March 7 - Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne (Eddie Irvine).

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Senior sex spices up magazine: Ruthe Deskin; When I first saw the cover of the publication from the American Association of Retired Persons, I did a double take. A foxy redhead stares out with a come-hither look in her eyes. The cover is further sexualized by such come-ons as "Great Sex," "What Has Age Got To Do With It," "Who's Sexy Now" and an exclusive Viagra survey.

Longtime area coach Fromhart dies at 68: By the autumn of 1980, coach Larry Fromhart's high school football championship seasons at Western and Valley were well behind him.

Nellis to honor helicopter crews killed in collision: A monument to the memory of the 12 Nellis Air Force Base helicopter crewmen killed last Sept. 4 during maneuvers will be dedicated at 9 a.m. Friday.

Hunters miss doves, hit cable TV: Crews worked into the night to restore service to some 15,000 customers in Minden, Gardnerville, Genoa and Jacks Valley.

DA employee named to Parole Board: CARSON CITY -- Tami Bass, a family support specialist with the Clark County District attorney's office, has been named to the state Parole Board by Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Indian gambling negotiations continue as tribes ask Davis to rewrite plan: Brendan Riley; The governor's spokesman said early in the day "there would certainly be very little room for wiggling" as the dealmaking continued behind closed doors. By the day's end, little had changed.

Line construction and backfires strategy in battle to tame blaze: Anthony Breznican; The battle against the 60,100-acre Willow blaze, which started as a campfire, was focused on the northeast flank five to six miles away from the Big Bear Lake and Lucerne Valley areas. No homes were in danger.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Del Mar: 1ST RACE

Two relatives of Blackburn indicted: Kim Smith; A federal grand jury indicted two relatives of Timothy Blackburn Wednesday on charges they helped the late robbery suspect escape from the North Las Vegas jail Aug. 11.

Letter: The sad truth about Democrats: On and on, that's the common theme. The Democratic Party's lies are that anyone who opposes their mob's agenda wants to starve, kill, throw out, or are just mean.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Tracing the history of Jerry Lewis' Calif.-based telethon: Joe Delaney; For nearly three decades Labor Day weekend and the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon have been synonymous. ... This year's telethon starts at 8 p.m. Sunday locally on KLAS Channel 8 and concludes at 4 p.m. on Monday. ... It was in the early 1970s that Lewis moved the telethon to Las Vegas in the Sahara Space Center, the origination point until it was moved to Los Angeles in 1996.

Friday at Del Mar: 1st race 1 mi 3YO & up F & M Turf Mdn: 1 Dozey Doats (Antley) 118; 2 No Integrity (Puglisi) 122; 3 Smart Wife (Blanc) 118; 4 Flying Carousel (Flores) 118; 5 Gentle Words (Nakatani) 122; 6 Recklesswarrant (Espinoza) 118; 7 Lili's Encore (Enriquez) 118.

Community news briefs for September 2, 1999: A chairman will be named to head the committee, created by the Legislature earlier this year.

Cheyenne gets nod to get back on winning track this weekend: Spencer Patterson; Palo Verde (0-1, 0-1) at Cheyenne (0-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.

Columnist Dean Juipe: De La Hoya fesses up: He's a flawed fighter ... and a liar: Dean Juipe; Oscar De La Hoya used the occasion to come clean and make a few honest admissions.

Crews fight fire with fire to stop forest blaze: Anthony Breznican; "We're going to try to beat it at its own game," Kathy Saindon, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, said Wednesday as crews set controlled fires near Fawnskin, Big Bear Lake, and Green Valley Lake.

Trial to proceed without suspect: Bill Gang; The trial of Terrell Cochise Young in the Aug. 14, 1998, execution-style slaying of four young men will go on without him.

Trial delayed in molestation case against former boys home worker: Bill Gang; The Sept. 7 trial of Larry Wisenbaker on charges he molested 16 boys at St. Jude's Ranch in Boulder City has been postponed until Nov. 29 to give his attorney time to prepare a defense to allegations that he committed similar acts with eight boys in Texas.

Gorman's Arbalaez duo seeks revenge: Spencer Patterson; The way Bishop Gorman's 1998 soccer season ended still leaves a bad taste in Victor "Boomer" Arbalaez's mouth.

Letter: Nuke waste will affect gaming, too: Let me ask those gaming patsies: Did you bother to listen when Hastert said he still favors Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste storage site?

Burning Man drawing 20,000 to Nevada's Black Rock Desert: Scott Sonner; More than 20,000 artists, spiritualists, old hippies, young thrill-seekers and curious travelers are expected to land on the high-desert floor 120 miles north of Reno by the weekend for the 14th annual "Burning Man" festival.

Stars see win streak come to end: Matt O'Brien; In Tuesday's game against Albuquerque, Dusty Allen's bat was responsible for a Las Vegas Stars come-from-behind victory.

News briefs for September 2, 1999: The city's rural northwest is being eyed for a large master-planned park.

Girl, 18, passes IRL test, but won't race at LVMS: Sarah Fisher passed her Indy Racing League rookie test Wednesday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but the 18-year-old sprint-car driver will not make her IRL racing debut in this month's Vegas.com 500 at LVMS.

Metro reaching out to homeless: Jace Radke; The key to Metro Police's first community outreach substation is to remember to treat the people it serves as a community, police say.

Goodman vows quick action on remapping: Erin Neff; In as little as six weeks, the city of Las Vegas will likely have two new wards and council members to fill them.

Editorial: Inquiry into Waco is welcome: For six years the FBI and Attorney General Janet Reno, who authorized the raid, denied that any incendiary devices had been used. But it was revealed last week that the FBI in fact had used two heat-generating tear-gas canisters several hours prior to the FBI's assault on the religious sect's compound. Reno, who was visibly angry at a news conference last Thursday about the FBI keeping her in the dark about the use of incendiary devices, announced she would launch a new investigation into what happened.

Blitzstein case figure Panaro gets 7 1/2-year sentence: Kim Smith; Another of the co-defendants in the case of murdered underworld figure Herbie Blitzstein was sentenced Wednesday.

Resort has plenty of dining options: Muriel Stevens' dining column, The Main Course, regularly appears Fridays in the Accent Section. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@vegas.com

Reno gas customers miss heat in summer: The utility said gas would note be restored until this evening to some customers in the area bordered by North McCarran Boulevard, Washington Street and Interstate 80.

Shopping options first-rate at new resort: Muriel Stevens' shopping column, Charge It, Please, regularly appears Wednesdays in the Accent section. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@vegas.com

Man dies after being arrested following routine traffic stop: A man who recently moved from Mississippi to Las Vegas died shortly after being arrested for fleeing police following a routine traffic stop Wednesday night.

Casino seeks to collect gambler's winnings: Lorena Higginbotham, 65, of Shelton, Wash., said she did not see a sign limiting the payout to $25,000 on the $16 "Let It Ride" game she was playing March 29.

Prostitute describes working conditions during testimony: Kim Smith; The second day of testimony in the federal trial of a man accused of bringing underage girls across state lines for purposes of prostitution included the testimony of a second member of the man's alleged stable.

Editorial: Taking initiative on medical marijuana: Before the measure takes effect, voters must approve the ballot question again in November 2000, because it seeks to change the Nevada Constitution. But since approval appears likely given its support in 1998, Nevada health regulators already are forming a coalition to present recommendations to the 2001 Legislature, which would have to draw up guidelines on how the drug would be prescribed.

Columnist Peter Benton: 50 events in 2000 highlight PGA Tour: Peter Benton; The PGA Tour schedule of official events for the year 2000 features 50 tournaments, including three $5 million World Golf Championships and the staging of the fourth Presidents Cup.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Lesser known conferences deserve shot: Tonight's UNLV at North Texas game marks the beginning of the John Robinson era in Las Vegas. It also will serve as a compelling kickoff to another NCAA Division I-A Lite campaign.

Friday at Saratoga: 1st race 6 fur 3YO & up Mdn: 1 Joe Pebo (Velazquez) 116; 2 Law School Tuition (Prado) 116; 3 Wahoo (Gryder) 116; 4 Talk the Blues (Luzzi) 116; 5 Heart Two Beat (Bradley) 116; 6 Scarley Davidson (Bridgmohan) 116; 7 King of Thunder (Riquelme) 116; 8 Makes More Sense (Wood) 120; 9 Wild Appeal (Davis) 116; 10 Al Dor Rob (Chavez) 116.

UNLV: The time is here: Steve Guiremand; DENTON, Texas -- With a good year, Len Ware can leave UNLV with most of the school's career receiving marks.

Obituaries for September 2, 1999: Elizabeth Ann Alexander, 44, of Las Vegas died Friday in Las Vegas. She was born May 30, 1955, in Jackson, Miss. A resident for five years, she was a hotel housekeeper.

UNLV runners open season: The Rebels finished fourth in the Jammin' Invitational last year, with senior Angie Fortner capturing the women's individual title.

Project to raise water delivery, quality: Anew $9.74 million operations and maintenance center under construction at the Las Vegas Valley Water District is expected to improve efficiency and the quality of service for customers, district officials said this week.

Chaparral volleyball has two sets of sisters: Spencer Patterson; Coaches often say that to win, a team must come together like a family.

Bay Meadows Friday Entries: 1st race 1-1/16 mi 3YO & up F & M Turf Mdn: 1 Love You Forever (Warren) 115; 2 No Etal (Lopez) 119; 3 Majestic Splendor (Carr) 115; 4 a-Show Me Genius (Baze) 115; 5 a-Saklad (Perez) 115; 6 Fairest Heiress (Meza) 119; 7 Puritan Lass (Castro) 119; 8 Lady Low (Hunter) 115; 9 Prized Buy (Gonzalez) 115.

Teen takes deal in drunken driving death: Bill Gang; A Las Vegas teenager has accepted a plea bargain in a drunken driving rollover accident during a Christmas holiday excursion to Mount Charleston that left one of his friends dead and another seriously injured.

Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Fires harm wildlife resources: Paula DelGiudice; As Southern Nevada becomes engulfed in the smoke of fires burning in Southern California, the reality of how destructive the fire season of 1999 has been to our own state begins to set in.

Letter: Don't buy tickets for circuses that use animal acts: I will never forget a video I saw where a trainer had tied and chained a young elephant and was continually, with no mercy, beating the animal with sharp bull hooks. The frightened, helpless animal was actually crying and moaning in agony. The trainer ignored its pitiful cries and proceeded to torture the defenseless animal.

Attorneys move to have trial stopped: Bill Gang; An emergency motion has been filed with the Nevada Supreme Court that could stop the murder trial of Terrell Cochise Young.

M.A.S.H. leader wants Clinton to veto proposed HUD cuts: Jace Radke; Seeing a busy winter ahead, the Rev. Joe Carroll is praying for some help from one president to another.

Letter: Article afforded relief from pain: Thanks for giving me some relief for my chronic back and leg pains after reading the article. We need more of the same.