Print edition for September 7, 1999

Elsinore ends Four Queens management deal: Elsinore said it named 30-year gaming executive Dual Cooper as general manager of the downtown Las Vegas property. No explanation was given for the decision to end the management agreement.

Resort sued by former security officer: Julie Mitchell alleged the hotel wrongfully fired her for infractions listed in the hotel's handbook, when other male employees who were guilty of more severe infractions weren't terminated.

Aladdin retail developer happy to see Paris open: Phil Levine; Set against a desert backdrop, one of Hollywood's most famous final scenes finds Humphrey Bogart speculating about the future with his French colleague- in-arms.

Local briefs for September 7, 1999: No arrests have been made in the weekend shooting death of a man killed as he and a group of associates drove through a neighborhood near Swenson Street and Twain Avenue.

Grand jury indicts pair in fatal carjacking: Bill Gang; In a move that will expedite a trial, two people already charged in a carjacking that resulted in the death of one suspect and a motorcyclist have been indicted by a Clark County grand jury.

Call centers blooming in LV: David Strow; Las Vegas will always be known for its casinos. But as the area tries to diversify its economy away from gaming, a new call center industry is emerging.

Ex-Frontier owners prevail in jackpot dispute: Bill Gang; The reels of justice whirled for three hours as a jury deliberated whether a California school teacher should be compensated for a jackpot hit by another person on a Frontier hotel-casino slot machine she claims to have primed for hours.

Union holds rally to build support for health workers: Grace Leong; The Nevada Service Employees Union Local 1107 is bringing up to 100 nurses and health care workers to a Wednesday rally in a show of support for workers in contract negotiations on staffing and pay issues with several hospitals in Las Vegas.

What's new, pussyCats?: Kimberley McGee; Cats

Homeless women get 24-hour restroom: Diana Sahagun; When the four major homeless shelters on Owens Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard close their doors for the night, they also close their restroom facilities to women who are living on the streets.

Med school short students: A decision last year by the University of Nevada School of Medicine to allow some students to begin a year late has left the school six students short in its second-year class and deprived would-be medical students of six admission slots this year, Regent Steve Sisolak said.

Lawyer: Warning sent to pimps: Kim Smith; Las Vegas pimps need to take note of what happened in U.S. District Court Friday, Assistant United States Attorney Tom O'Connell said.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Mandalay Bay, Hard Rock show they have heart: They are corporate giants, with huge, money-grubbing mechanical arms. But it's good to know that well beyond the bottom line at Mandalay Bay and the Hard Rock hotel-casinos there beats a heart that seems nearly human.

Prep schedule: Boys Soccer

UNLV Single-game tickets go on sale today: The Rebels open the John Robinson era at home on Sept. 18 against Iowa State of the Big 12 Conference. Utah comes to town the next week, Sept. 25, to mark the first Mountain West Conference game in school history. Both of those games are scheduled for 7 p.m.

Ex-Henderson mayor faces charges in altercation: Jace Radke; Deputy District Attorney Chris Owens today is trying to decide what, if any, charges to file against former Henderson Mayor Bob Groesbeck.

Box score: Stars 5, Sidewinders 4: HBP -- by Padilla, Hanel. WP -- Ward. Time -- 2:35. Attendance -- 4,465.

Equinox OK to operate pending trial: David Strow; A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against Equinox International Corp. on Friday, which will keep a receiver in control of the controversial Las Vegas multilevel marketing company until a trial begins in April 2000.

Ethics panel's ruling tossed: Bill Gang; Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates has won her legal challenge of the Nevada Ethics Commission's decision that she illegally helped two political allies win concession contracts at McCarran International Airport.

Can downtown's future be bright, even as Fremont St. stages go dark?: Erin Neff; Revenue Drops

Man killed in fire after 10-hour standoff with Metro Police: Thirteen guns were recovered from the house where a man killed himself after a 10-hour police stand-off Sunday that ended when the man set the house on fire, police said.

Mirage Resorts' chief financial officer to leave: Gary Thompson; Dan Lee has resigned as chief financial officer of Mirage Resorts Inc. of Las Vegas.

Cop who testified in Binion hearing takes leave: A Nye County police detective sergeant who testified in the Ted Binion slaying preliminary hearing has gone on stress leave rather than accept reassignment while he is being investigated, according to the Nye County Sheriff's office.

Obituaries for September 7, 1999: Howard O. Aberman, 72, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in Las Vegas. He was born April 23, 1927, in Chicago. A resident for 16 years, he was a retired consultant for a mechanical engineering firm and a World War II Navy veteran.

High court no help to murder defendant: Bill Gang; An emergency motion filed with the Nevada Supreme Court that could have halted the murder trial of Terrell Cochise Young has been rejected, as was a similar motion filed in federal court.

Ex-Test Site workers training to be truckers: The program, coordinated with Teamsters Local 631, will be designed to teach basic truck driving skills necessary to pass the commercial driver license exam. The initial grant will be used to establish a permanent center to train displaced workers in Southern Nevada, the union said.

Henderson firm expects loss for fiscal year: The turfgrass seed company has had four profitable quarters since the company went public in September 1993.

I-15 travelers enjoy safe Labor Day weekend: Since the first of the year 53 people have died on Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Barstow, Calif., 38 of them on the California side of the state line and 15 in Nevada.

Letter: FAA should relocate office: When I was in business at McCarran my school was only steps away from the local headquarters of the FAA. Experts were readily available to assist me, my fellow instructors, mechanics, students and licensed pilots with any problems. Furthermore, FAA inspectors were often seen doing random "ramp checks" of airplanes and their pilots.

Plans for Enterprise Township to be discussed at public meeting: Valerie Miller; The city of Henderson plans to hold a public meeting tonight to discuss transportation routes and possible land uses for the part of Enterprise Township that it hopes to annex.

Wednesday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 6 fur 3YO & up F & M Alw: 1 a-Flor de Morelia (Baze) 115; 2 Trina's Choice (Rollins) 119; 3 a-Private Act (Meza) 119; 4 Vice 'n Reason (Castro) 115; 5 Talk About Looks (Gonzalez) 119; 6 April Encore (Miranda) 112.

Columnist John Katsilometes: Wrestlers and verbal body slams: At its highest level, professional wrestling is promoted by a pair of warring factions. One is the oft-vulgar World Wrestling Federation, headed by shameless and hedonistic WWF President Vince McMahon (whose organization survived a steroid scandal a decade ago and the recent in-ring death of popular wrestler Owen Hart).

Community news briefs for September 7, 1999: The national program introduces seventh and eighth grade students to engineering through practical applications of math, science and technology.

Letter: America must stop invasion: Our spineless politicians are silent. The Aug. 30 edition of the Sun had an article about a border town in Texas which voted to establish Spanish as the official language of the town, and to not cooperate with the Immigration Service on illegal aliens. And a former Cuban mayor of Miami states that if one does not speak Spanish in Miami in the next few years, he or she will not be able to do business there.

Michigan cooker takes top honors at rib cook-off: Wall and the Eight Til Late barbecue team from Midland, Mich., took first place at the annual Labor Day weekend event sponsored by John Ascuaga's Nugget.

UNLV ticket sales on rise after win: Steve Guiremand; Ca-ching!

Letter: Consolidation of child care will raise cost: Similar to my experience with La Petite, I am curious whether Bright Start might increase its tuition. Just a few years ago, I recall paying the Children's Learning Center $85 for full-time child care. Since then, CLC, a company with five locations, was purchased by another large corporate enterprise.

Agassi strolling in Meadows: NEW YORK -- Las Vegas' Andre Agassi continued his waltz Monday at the U.S. Open tennis championships.

Wednesday at Del Mar: 1st race 1-1/16 mi 3YO & up F & M Mdn Clm: 1 Trapper'shabit (Solis) 116; 2 Bourne Royal (Pedroza) 116; 3 Sum Deal (Flores) 118; 4 Blane Heathen (Alvarado) 118; 5 Dance Sharp (Blanc) 116; 6 Polly's Promise (Steiner) 116; 7 Saratoga Assassin (Puglisi) 118; 8 Precious Darcy (Enriquez) 118; 9 Betsy Hoss (Garcia) 120; 10 Tempestuoso (Scott) 120.

Firefighters focus efforts on controlling blazes: In California, a total of more than 155,000 acres burned. The largest wildfire, called the Willow fire, started Aug. 28 near the Lake Arrowhead resort and burned 63,486 acres.

Indians to submit gambling signatures: In another development, a citizens' group opposed to Indian gambling, "Stand Up for California," plans today to demonstrate in front of the federal courthouse in Sacramento, calling for a federal grand jury investigation of millions of dollars in donations to state politicians by tribes involved in illegal gambling.

Elko County gets extension from feds on Jarbidge road dispute: ELKO, Nev. - Nevada U.S. Attorney Kathryn Landreth has granted Elko County an extension from a deadline to either pay or face a lawsuit over a dispute centering on repairs to a remote road in Jarbidge.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Pro bettors say research is essential: Dean Juipe; Abundantly clear over the three-day holiday weekend: Everyone is talking football.

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

Editorial: Taking ax to timber subsidy: There are significant problems with the subsidy. For starters, it is absolutely unnecessary for taxpayer money to be spent on what should be a cost of doing business. If these companies believe there is going to be an economic gain, then they alone should pick up the tab. In addition, building more roads through our national forests frequently results in devastation to the environment. While this is an issue primarily affecting Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, even Nevada has seen its share of problems. Logging roads are believed to have contributed to runoff at Lake Tahoe, which in turn has ...

Box score: Grizzlies 7, Stars 3: Time-1:49. Attendance-N/A.

Where I Stand -- Tom Kaplan: Fine dining no illusion: IN LESS THAN one year Las Vegas has witnessed the single largest opening of fine dining establishments in one city at one time in the history of the restaurant business and almost instantaneously positioned itself to compete with the best food cities in the United States.