Stories published September 10, 1999Las Vegas Sun

Nevada offers Test Site for new space program: What Nevada Offers

Formal charges filed vs. Groesbeck: Bill Gang; With the failure of efforts to plea bargain the criminal case against former Henderson Mayor Robert Groesbeck, formal charges were filed Thursday afternoon in spite of the fact that the alleged victim in the case no longer wants to press charges.

Lyrics to Bonanza theme: The tune, penned by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, actually reached No. 19 on the pop charts in 1961. Listen up, saddle tramps!:

Committee to study university funding: CARSON CITY - Gov. Kenny Guinn on Friday appointed UNLV Foundation President Don Snyder to a committee to study funding for the University and Community College System of Nevada.

'Bonanza' tales and tidbits: THE SERIES

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

Shelf Life -- Scott Dickensheets: Teen ambivalence, Woodstock madness explored in Spin: Every new generation fancies itself lost. Some to drugs, some to money, some to media-numbed boredom, some to the tides of history, whatever the romantic indulgence of the times requires. It's probably too soon to diagnose exactly what's eating the current crop of teensomethings -- too early, anyway, for a humble books and magazine column -- but two stories in the latest issue of the music magazine Spin at least offer preliminary X-rays.

509289208.html: d TUESDAY

This week's races: Exide NASCAR 400

Las Vegas 1 nets kudos from media group: Upon its debut in April 1998 Las Vegas 1 promised to provide in-depth, around-the-clock regional news coverage to area cable subscribers.

Accused horse shooters ordered to stand trial, some charges dismissed: Scott Sonner; VIRGINIA CITY, Nev. - Two ex-Marines and a former high school buddy were ordered Thursday to stand trial in the killings of more than two dozen wild horses shot with high-powered rifles last winter.

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

Where I Stand -- Brian Grenspun: Tolerating intolerance: A NEW YEAR is dawning for a people who have commemorated them for the past 5,760 years.

Prep summary: Valley 20, Green Valley 16: V--Ford 6 run. Kick failed. GV--Graves 16 pass from Jerome. Yokozawa kick.

California gov, several tribes reach casino agreement: Brendan Riley; A major break came when Davis, labor-friendly legislators and tribal leaders agreed to keep a controversial provision on union organizing rights for casino workers separate from the compacts.

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

Airport Authority votes to require EIS for mail hub: RENO, Nev. - The Washoe County Airport Authority has voted to require the U.S. Postal Service to conduct a detailed environmental impact statement before establishing a regional sorting hub here.

Burtons know where to draw line: Dick Brinster; Long before they became stars on the Winston Cup circuit, they learned the pitfalls of racing against each other.

Coalition seeks lower water level at Tahoe: RENO, Nev. - Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is being asked to consider lowering the level of Lake Tahoe until more is known about how shoreline erosion pollutes the lake.

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

Editorial: Reduce politics' role in judicial selections: As the Sun's Erin Neff noted in a Wednesday story, there is no formal screening process for those seeking a Municipal Court judgeship. The only requirements are that one has to be an attorney and live in Las Vegas. This stands in contrast to how District Court judge vacancies are filled. If a District Court judge resigns or dies, his replacement must first apply with the state's Judicial Selection Commission. This commission's membership includes the Nevada Supreme Court's chief justice, nonlawyers appointed by the governor and lawyers appointed by the Nevada State Bar's board of governors and the Clark County ...

Saddle Tales: Bonanza celebrates 40th anniversary: On Sept. 12, 1959 a map of the fictitious Ponderosa ranch in Northern Nevada leapt onto television screens and ignited -- and over the next 14 years seared its way into the memories of millions of viewers around the world.

Creator, stars' relatives remember popular Western 'Bonanza': "Bonanza" ended after the final original show aired on Jan. 16, 1973. Although more than a quarter of a century has passed the program still is affecting people whose lives were changed by the popular television series that ran for 14 seasons on NBC.

Former Henderson mayor charged for groping woman, fighting police: LAS VEGAS - Prosecutors have filed lewdness and battery charges against former Henderson Mayor Robert Groesbeck despite pleas to drop the case from the woman he is accused of groping.

Federal grant to convert nuclear workers into truck drivers: "Too many workers have been tripped up when their skills no longer fit the rapidly changing job market," said Teamsters President James Hoffa Jr. "We know this is just the beginning."

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Ray still confident despite LVMS crashes: The last time Greg Ray walked out of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he was lucky to be walking.

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

Forest Service supports Jarbidge cemetery land conveyance: RENO, Nev. - A U.S. Forest Service supervisor says the agency does not oppose conveying ownership of an historic cemetery in Jarbidge to Elko County.

SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 entries: Official Entries/Class Starting Order

Speedway to host NHRA drag racing: Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials trotted out virtually everybody except P.T. Barnum to formally announce their April 6-9, 2000, National Hot Road Association event.

Palffy could bring some pizazz to Kings: Steve Carp; After all the acrimony, Zigmund Palffy knew he was going to be moving last spring. So much for that nice new home he had recently bought in Old Westbury on Long Island.

Woman's fight to save pigeons leads to eviction: Martin Kuz; The sanctioned poisoning of pigeons at Wilehelmina Mohamed's apartment complex turned her life inside out. Now, alleging that the 60-year-old retiree went too far in protesting the death of the birds, the Las Vegas Housing Authority intends to turn her out on the streets.

Planners OK Spring Valley hotel-casino proposal: The Clark County Planning Commission approved a zoning change to allow a 300-room hotel and casino in Spring Valley Thursday evening.

Reid lashes out at report, denies softening his stance on Yucca: Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning; WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., strongly denied Thursday a report in CongressDaily that he is becoming soft on opposing a high-level nuclear waste repository for Nevada.

Couples in Las Vegas seek dose of love potion No. 9: Stacy J. Willis; Patrick Huber was dressed to the nines.

Tracy, Andretti bury hatchet in their longtime CART feud: It may not have been as earth-shattering as, say, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and the Indy Racing League announcing a merger.

Casino-mogul Gaughan buys NASCAR truck team: Michael Gaughan, chairman of Las Vegas-based Coast Resorts, has assumed another title: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team owner.

Master of silence has much to say: Adrienne Packer; His hands constantly slicing through the air and his facial expressions altering as quickly, one might believe the world-famous pantomime Marcel Marceau could tell any tale without a word.

Ray wins Colorado Indy 200; LV's Hamilton settles for 2nd: Ray finished .445 seconds ahead of Hamilton and 2.166 seconds in front of Dismore, with Buddy Lazier placing fourth and Henderson's Sam Schmidt fifth on Pikes Peak International Raceway's one-mile oval.

Fee dispute puts detention center in danger of losing inmates: Kim Smith; The Clark County Detention Center is in danger of losing its federal inmates and a $2 million contract with the Jusitce Department because of a dispute over prisoner fees.

Venetian calls for end to LVCVA: By Richard N. Velotta; Executives of the Venetian hotel-casino say the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has outlived its usefulness and are calling for its elimination.

Blue Diamond haven for biker crowd: A little calendar hanging above the cash register at Blue Diamond's Village Market foretold the inevitable in a single word scrawled over three days of this week.

Jewish holy days a time for introspection: Stacy J. Willis; Rabbi Felipe Goodman eavesdropped on a conversation between two women at a supermarket recently.

Saturday at Belmont Park: 1st race 6 fur 3YO & up Clm: 1 Sunny Side (Smith) 113; 2 Stalingrad (Lopez) 118; 3 Sell the Farm (Diego) 109; 4 Top Official (Bridgmohan) 118; 5 Leap to Flame (Velazquez) 116; 6 Emilys Dad (Davis) 120; 7 Robb (Smith) 118; 8 Kitt Carson (Prado) 116.

NLV jail officials seek $5 million for expansion: Kim Smith; Officials with the North Las Vegas Detention Center hope to submit a $5 million grant application to the federal government as part of a jail demolition and expansion program.

Movie Guys: Koepp's 'Stir of Echoes' reverberates with fear: Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas, Kevin Dunn and Liza Weil.

Thursday's Prep Football scores: Thursday's Scores

UNLV-UNR to be televised: The school announced Thursday that the Oct. 2 contest will be shown live on KLAS TV-8 (CBS). The game kicks off at 1 p.m.

Rebels' offense aiming to avoid the Bear trap: Steve Guiremand; After gaining 97 yards and scoring two touchdowns in UNLV's season-opening 26-3 win at North Texas, tailback Jeremi Rudolph will probably be a marked man when the Rebels play at Baylor on Saturday.

LV firm sold to Barjan: Barjan Products LLC, East Moline, Ill., a national marketer and distributor of automotive and electronics products, has acquired three companies in an expansion program designed to double annual sales by 2002.

School Board told construction workers are being treated poorly: Terry Webster; After hearing testimony from community and union leaders, School Board members said they were appalled and saddened by the reported treatment of some construction workers by contractors at new school sites.

Saturday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 6 fur 3YO & up F & M Clm: 1 Tappin Her Toes (Campbell) 119; 2 Top Roman (Arriaga) 119; 3 Mergele (Castro) 119; 4 Act of Integrity (Schvaneveldt) 119; 5 Mojan Lady (Baze) 119.

Former cop loses bid to withdraw plea in sex case: Bill Gang; A judge has rejected a bid by a former Metro Police officer to withdraw his guilty plea to a statutory sexual seduction charge involving a 14-year-old girl he admitted he began dating a year before he married her in Mexico.

Las Vegas blows out Eldorado: Spencer Patterson; With their week one upset win over highly touted Cheyenne fresh in their minds, the Eldorado Sundevils came into Thursday night's game against No. 3 Las Vegas hoping to pull off another shocker.

Prep summary: Cimarron-Memorial 41, Clark 14: CIM--Marshall 5-yard run (two-point conversion), 10:46.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: Harter's decision paved way for Rebels: Steve Guiremand; UNLV president Dr. Carol C. Harter was awarded the first game ball of the John Robinson era in the Rebels' steamy and cramped locker room following last week's long overdue 26-3 win at North Texas.

Sunlife Datebook: "Mountain Man Rendezvous," a primitive camp site featuring men in period dress of buckskins and furs, will be presented from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.

Las Vegas business licensing information hits the Internet: Erin Neff; The hundreds of people who call Las Vegas City Hall each day for information about business licenses will now be able to click and point their way to answers without tying up city staff.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Agassi is city's most visible star: Dean Juipe; For all of Las Vegas' highly visual performers and wealthy resort executives, the city's most charismatic personality and widely recognized star is a philanthropic athlete of seemingly unlimited mass appeal.

Corrections: Corrections

Harveys exec named CEO at Travelscape.com: Stephen Cavallaro will replace current CEO Timothy Poster in October. Cavallaro is currently executive vice president and chief operating officer of Harveys Casino Resorts, which operates Harveys Resort & Casino in Lake Tahoe.

LVMS points standings: NASCAR LATE MODEL

Prep summary: Chaparral 21, Basic 0: CHAPARRAL--Hagan 38 run (Dobbs kick), 11:51. CHAPARRAL--Hagan 54 run (Dobbs kick, 9:37

Letter: Being more safe shouldn't cost us our freedom: Those who witnessed the fruits of militarized law enforcement in the bloody Waco debacle, or who were appalled to see our fighting men ordered to carry out the terror bombing of Serbian civilians, may be alarmed over Cohen's proposed "remedy" for terrorism.

Ex Wal-Mart workers allege labor violations in Vegas: David Strow; Already under attack in Clark County by union and county officials, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. now faces a potential class action lawsuit that alleges the megaretailer is engaged in a systematic campaign to violate Nevada's wage and labor laws.

Downtown to charge $100 for Dec. 31 party: Erin Neff; If you want to ring in the new millennium at the Fremont Street Experience this year it will cost you $1 for every year of the past century.

St. Jude's chief Ward will head foundation: The nonprofit charity in Boulder City assists homeless or abused children and has two other campuses in Texas. The Boulder City site, overlooking Lake Mead, is licensed to serve up to 54 children in its eight cottages.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Cafe Heidelberg on E. Sahara makes a culinary comeback: Many years ago when Cafe Heidelberg opened on East Sahara (behind Marie Callenders) I ate and shopped there regularly.

Blazers slither past Rattlers: Steve Carp; When the college recruiters come calling, and you know they will, Durango coach John Mausbach need only slip a tape of Thursday's game with Mojave in the VCR and keep some towels handy to prevent the scouts from drooling on the floor.

LV Wolves play Sunday: LV Wolves play Sunday

Rulings on Yucca favor Nevada in fight against fed plan: Nevada's state government won two victories Thursday in its battle against federal plans to open a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

Police captain selected acting chief: City Manager Phil Speight announced the appointment of Mayberry to replace retiring Chief Tommy Burns. Mayberry will fill the position until at least the end of the year.

DCR downgrades debt: The downgrade, to BBB from BBB+, maintains DCR's investment-grade ratings for Mirage's senior notes and debentures. DCR also reaffirmed the company's commercial-paper rating at D-2.

Valley tops GV despite mistakes: To error is human, to overcome them, divine.

Sound Check -- Geoff Carter: Surfing the Internet eliminates the need for car radio: I have no radio in my car. I haven't had a radio since day one; I bought the car with a gaping hole in the dash and profuse apologies from the previous owner. At first I thought I really wanted one, at the very least to satisfy the radio-blasting top-down gene that lives inside the DNA strand of every transplanted Southern Californian. No Jan and Dean, please -- not while we're driving.

Game summary: Las Vegas 67, Eldorado 20: LV--Safety (punter tackled in endzone), 9:38 LV--Mills 69 kickoff return (Hales kick), 9:28 LV--Mills 33 pass from Marini (kick failed), 9:10 LV--Williams 1 fumble return (kick failed), 7:28 LV--Park 25 pass from Marini (kick failed), 3:41

Composite Power sues ex-chief executive, CFO: Grace Leong; Composite Power Corp. of Las Vegas won a temporary restraining order against its former chief executive and chief financial officers, after alleging the two used confidential information to try to induce its partners to pull out of a multibillion-dollar green energy project planned for Nye County.

Obituaries for September 10, 1999: Adolph Beckx, 73, of Henderson died Tuesday in a local hospital. He was born Aug. 28, 1926, in Henderson. A resident for one year, he was a retired procurement specialist in the aerospace industry, a World War II Dutch Air Force veteran and a member of the Boy Scouts of America.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Entertainment takes on Mexican theme this week: Joe Delaney; Mexican Independence Day, which is Thursday, has become a major observance in Las Vegas during this decade, a place for Mexicans to celebrate away from home. ... This year's events cover an eight-day period starting with the ninth annual Las Vegas International Mariachi Festival at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Mandalay Bay Events Center and ending there with the long-awaited Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad welterweight championship bout Sept. 18.

Trouble may be brewing for new college: RENO -- University regents and state legislators could be headed for a showdown in the future over creation of a four-year state college in Henderson.

First steps to dental school approved: RENO -- University Regents today approved the first steps of a financial plan to start a dental school at UNLV in August 2001.

Defense to present its case in Young's quadruple murder trial: Bill Gang; Members of a District Court jury have been told they will begin deliberations Monday into the guilt or innocence of Terrell Cochise Young over his role in the murders of four young men.

Scholarship rules raising concerns: RENO -- University regents Thursday expressed fear that a plan to qualify Nevada high school students for the Millennium Scholarship program next year might penalize those pupils who take tougher courses.

Bankruptcies: Kyu Ok Han, formerly doing business as Joy Cleaners, and Yang Kang Han, formerly doing business as Joy Cleaners, 901 Brush St. No. 33, filed for Chapter 7, listing assets of $7,590 and liabilities of $232,770.

Dial File -- Steve Bornfeld: Stomp 3 times if you love horse operas: Long before "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place," there were Three Guys, a Dad and a Ponderosa.

Letter: Caring makes MDA telethon a miracle: It is truly amazing to watch these people work during the telethon. They display a spirit like nothing else on Earth. From the phones to the mailroom they got the work done.

Letter: Let benefactors of arena pay for it: With the multimillion-dollar salaries paid to players and performers I'd like to see them put their money where their mouth is and invest in their own future. To be perfectly frank, the entire proposal does not even whet my appetite.

Panel will study funding for colleges: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn today appointed Don Snyder, president of the UNLV Foundation, to a committee that will study funding disparities between northern and southern campuses of the University and Community College System of Nevada.

Landlord billing practices won't be studied: Commissioner Judy Sheldrew proposed the investigation in a meeting Thursday in the wake of a PUC staff legal opinion that said the agency lacked jurisdictional authority on the matter.

R-J editorial writer Tammariello dies: Rafael Elliott Tammariello, an award-winning editorial writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has died of an apparent heart attack. He was 48.

Gambling ties to bankruptcy found limited: Bankruptcy

Letter: Mandalay Bay gouges fans: From there, I phoned Mandalay Bay every day to ask when these tickets were going on sale. Finally, the hotel informed me that the only way that I could purchase these tickets was with a three-night minimum stay. This didn't appear to be a problem, as I am booked to stay for four nights.

Some fast-food restaurants to be sold: ANAHEIM, Calif. -- CKE Enterprises said it will sell at least 350 Hardee's and Carl's Jr. restaurants over the next year to raise money for its program to remodel Hardee's outlets. Locations of the restaurants to be sold were not disclosed.

Chaparral grinds out first victory: Ray Brewer; If the Chaparral football team winds up having a successful season, the Cowboys will be able to look back at their first two games of the year as the turning point.

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Y2K has players bugging out early: Sal DeFilippo; This weekend, the NFL kicks off its final season before the year 2000 amid great uncertainty.

Court briefs: A 22-year-old Las Vegas man facing 34 felony charges in 11 supermarket robberies that targeted slot machine change clerks has agreed to a plea bargain that will put him in prison for a minimum of eight years.

Local news briefs: The decomposed remains of an 81-year-old man who was missing for an estimated three months were found buried amid plants and debris in a back yard in Barstow, Calif., after a former neighbor allegedly tried to cash the elderly man's checks in Las Vegas.

Record highest low temperature for Sept. 9: If you awoke early Thursday expecting something unusual for the ninth day of the ninth month of the 99th year of this century, you needed only to walk outside.

Editorial: Break the logjam at airports: So who should exasperated air travelers believe? The U.S. Department of Transportation did admit this month that delays can be attributed to the FAA's air traffic control system and not just to the airlines. Bad weather also can play a role in delays. But air traffic controllers make a compelling case that the airlines assume the chief responsibility for the crowded skies. For instance, using flight log information, they noted a July 29 logjam around 6 p.m. at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The capacity for that airport during that time frame was just 35 flights, yet the airlines scheduled 57 ...

Mayweather will allow Gerena to dictate fight: Dean Juipe; The length of time Floyd Mayweather spends in the ring Saturday night will be determined by Carlos Gerena.

Letter: Fan to boycott UNLV football: Wednesday morning I went down to the Thomas & Mack Center to buy three tickets for the Sept. 18 home opener against Iowa State. I did this knowing that approximately 7,000 seasons tickets had been sold and that individual game tickets went on sale on Tuesday the 7th. I was absolutely floored when the ticket agent told me the best available seats I could get were in section 104, row 35 -- which looked to be at about the 10-yard line on the open end of the stadium. This is absolutely ridiculous.

'Luau' could use more Hawaiian touches: Kimberley McGee; Hot nights, a tepid island atmosphere and just fair food fare make for a lackluster luau.

Game summary: Durango 56, Mojave 21: Durango--Brimmer 5 run (Brimmer kick), 9:00. Durango--Ablahani 1 run (kick failed), 5:47. Durango--Bosley 75 pass from Brimmer (Brimmer pass to Ablahani), :44.

Cimarron sails past Clark: Matt O'Brien; Local prep pundits who forecasted a down year for perennial power Cimarron-Memorial may already be reconsidering their predictions.