Print edition for September 29, 1999

Police car collides with vehicle: Initial reports of the incident were sketchy this morning.

News briefs for September 29, 1999: The Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will conduct a subcritical weapons experiment 1,000 feet below the surface of the Nevada Test Site on Thursday.

Woman receives probation in fatal DUI crash: Bill Gang; A 30-year-old woman responsible for a February collision that killed a Las Vegas man has been sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay more than $44,000 in restitution.

Columnist Victoria Sun: May calls British Masters win 'a dream come true': Victoria Sun; May Day no more.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Mayor finds New York to his liking: Dean Juipe; Oscar Goodman's one-day exploratory trip to New York City in a nutshell: He ventured and Las Vegas gained.

Leases nearly up for cabins at Tahoe church center: But could there be trouble in paradise?

Metro Police rallying against deconsolidation: Jace Radke; Sometime in the last two weeks someone, somewhere first said the words "Metro" and "deconsolidation" in the same sentence, touching off a rumor-driven political wildfire.

One-year sentence for phone scheme: District Judge Sally Loehrer has sentenced Thomas O'Donnell, 37, of Las Vegas to one year in jail for his part in a telemarketing scheme that bilked 840 elderly citizens across the country out of at least $400,000.

Nevada mortgage banker advisory committee named: CARSON CITY -- Five people, including the son of Gov. Kenny Guinn, were named to an advisory council to make recommendations on regulations and laws on the mortgage investment industry, rocked last year by the Harley Harmon investment company scandal in Las Vegas.

Computer leasing firm leaving LV: LEC Technologies Inc. will close its Las Vegas operation Friday after agreeing to sell its assets to Somerset Capital Group Ltd. of Bridgeport, Conn.

Air Force must navigate tough path to league title: Steve Guiremand; At first glance, the standings for the Mountain West Conference seem a little out of whack.

Las Vegas area fishing report: A lack of shad is being blamed by the Nevada Division of Wildlife for the thin stripers that are being caught by anglers. Thin stripers appear to be more common in the upper portions of the lake.

Wells Fargo to buy back some shares: Spokeswoman Christy Drumm said the move is a "regular part of our common stock repurchases" needed to meet the common stock issuance requirements for benefit plans, conversion of convertible securities and other company purposes.

Four shareholder suits settled: The first of the lawsuits was filed in December 1996, following a one-day plunge of 33 percent in the company's stock price. Casino Data Systems announced the settlement one year ago, and paid the $1 million settlement fee last November.

Board approves funds for I-15, U.S. 95 widening: CARSON CITY -- Nearly $400 million will be spent in Clark County in road building and maintenance projects in the next fiscal year starting Oct. 1, with $122.9 million going for widening of Interstate 15 and $73 million to widen U.S. 95 in Las Vegas.

Suit: Boardwalk shareholders shortchanged: Bill Gang; A class action lawsuit claims Mirage Resorts and several board members and officials of the Boardwalk Casino conspired to devalue the tiny Strip property and set the stage for another mega-resort.

Columnist Peter Benton: Golf guide lends hand finding scholarship aid: Peter Benton; In last week's column, select members of the Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association were listed along with the scholarships they had received and the college they will be attending.

First of two motorcycle festivals coming to Vegas: Organizers of the World Bike Expo say their inaugural festival planned early next month at Sam Boyd Stadium isn't a bid to upstage a bigger motorcycle event planned for October 2000.

Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Fires shouldn't spoil hunting: Paula DelGiudice; Most of Nevada's deer seasons open on Saturday morning and predictions for a successful season are positive. The Nevada Division of Wildlife is predicting the state's big-game hunters will enjoy good hunting this season despite fires that burned over 1.5 million acres mostly in northern Nevada.

Goodman leaves N.Y. meetings with optimism: Steve Carp; NEW YORK -- Across the street from the National Basketball Association's offices on 5th Avenue is the league's store, which caters to the every whim of any NBA fan.

Metro questions need for marshals: Erin Neff and Steve Kanigher; When Jorge Martinez was pulled over in downtown Las Vegas last week for a traffic violation, he didn't give the object of his ire a second thought.

Top Republicans huddle over Nevada GOP future: Brendan Riley; Mason said he'll make a final decision next week, adding that the upbeat meeting Tuesday was a big factor in his willingness to think twice about his earlier decision to quit.

Four indicted in conspiracy to cheat slots: FBI spokesman Kevin Caudle said the scheme resulted in losses of anywhere from $300,000 to several million dollars. He said an exact loss amount is not known.

Rebels overcome UNR in volleyball: Angie Sylvas (23), Amber Graham (19), Danielle Gerlach (16), Alicia Erickson (11) and Christel Eves (10) all recorded double figures in kills for UNLV (8-3). The win marked UNLV's third straight over UNR.

LV airline, website offer travel packages: The affiliation with Travelscape.com is a prelude to the introduction later this year of the airline's branded packaging company, National Vacations, which will focus on travel to Las Vegas.

Benson, stalker of Jerry Lewis, due out of prison early: Jerry Fink and Jean Reid Norman; Gary Benson was scheduled to be released from prison today after serving 4 1/2 years in prison and mental institutions for stalking entertainer Jerry Lewis.

Letter: Bryan has helped national forests: During his Senate career, Bryan has led the charge against corporate welfare on our national forests. His leadership in this arena is unparalleled and will be sorely missed when he retires next year. We can only hope that other senators will champion Bryan's cause after his departure from the Senate.

Letter: State, not county, responsible for air pollution: The state is required to submit a State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Las Vegas Valley. In the Federal Register, the EPA specifically identifies the state of Nevada as the responsible party, not Clark County. In fact, in the same Federal Register, the EPA recognizes positively the specific efforts of Clark County officials to facilitate progress on this issue.

Editorial: Bad plan to handle uranium byproduct: The NRC's cheap and environmentally risky approach has been rightfully condemned by Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, environmental groups and some members of Congress -- including Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Chris Cannon, R-Utah -- as being a Band-Aid measure. It is hoped that Congress approves Cannon's legislation that would provide enough funds to clean up this mess the right way, removing the radioactive tailings so they don't continue to contaminate the river.

Fire ices Joe Public; Alajuela stuns Toluca: Victoria Sun; Tournament schedule

Community news briefs for September 29, 1999: The Las Vegas Blind Center will hold its fall fund-raising yard sale 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at 1001 N. Bruce St.

Letter: Frivolous lawsuits cost taxpayers: While they're at it maybe they can help that dummy in Oregon who some years ago let a friend attempt to shoot an apple off his head with a bow and arrow (like William Tell) only to get his eye poked out. Yes, that would make a great lawsuit. They could say, "The bow and arrow manufacturer should have had a warning label that read, "Warning: Letting someone shoot an apple from your head could be hazardous to your health."

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Santa Anita: 1ST RACE

Thomas doesn't regret transfer: Steve Guiremand; What if?

Las Vegas Icemen home schedule: Friday -- Peoria, 7:30 p.m.

SEC suing Henderson firm for fraud: David Strow; Tarkenton sacked by SEC

Nevada banks under scrutiny for customer privacy issues: Phil Levine; The Nevada attorney general's office is investigating whether banks are breaking the law by selling customer information to other companies.

School Board meets to decide superintendent qualifications: Terry Webster; In its quest to fill the top post for the nation's eighth-largest school district, the Clark County School Board Tuesday decided what qualifications the new superintendent will have.

Las Vegas team opens season: The Icemen are members of the WSHL's Southern Division and will play 21 home games at the Sahara Ice Palace. Other members of the division are New Mexico, Ventura, Utah, Colorado and Long Beach. Home schedule on scoreboard, page 8D.

Obituaries for September 29, 1999: Lillian S. Brown, 72, of Las Vegas died Monday in Las Vegas. She was born May 3, 1927, in Georgia. A resident for 45 years, she was a homemaker.

Anchor Gaming stock upgraded: Stock in Las Vegas-based Anchor today was up $4 a share, or 7.5 percent, in midday trading to $57.25, near its 12-month high and up from a 12-month low of $33 a share.

Paris resort exceeding expectations: Las Vegas-based Park Place had previously projected a 15 percent-to-16-percent return on its $785 million investment in Paris. That would have meant cash flow, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, of about $125 million annually.

Seed company to post 1-year loss of $47 mil.: This compares to net earnings for grass the seed company of $400,000 or 1 cent per share on sales of $205 million for fiscal 1998. Agribiotech said $35 million to $39 million of the loss occurred in the fourth quarter because of a restructuring charge, merger integration costs, an extraordinary loss on debt redemption and write-offs on inventory and receivables.

Banks urged to adopt principles on privacy: "Though not an official policy per se, the principles were recommended a few years ago in an effort to ensure customer privacy," said ABA spokeswoman Janet Eissenstat.

State Farm sues LV man over Internet name: Grace Leong; State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. sued a Las Vegas man, Brian Evans, alleging he infringed State Farm's trademark rights in cyberspace by registering and using its domain name to point to his personal website, and by allegedly offering State Farm's domain name for sale.

Legislator to take look at state law: CARSON CITY -- The proposal to break up Metro has prompted Assembly Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, to look at whether state law should be changed.

City planning department suffers another casualty: Erin Neff; A deputy planning director has become the latest casualty in the powerful political war in Las Vegas City Hall that chews up certain departments' employees after brief stints on the job.

LV firm late again with filing: The company's annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30 was due Tuesday. The Las Vegas company announced today that it would be unable to meet that deadline, saying that it could not file by that date "without unreasonable effort and expense." NevStar said the annual report will be filed within 15 days.

LV casinos divided on NBA betting ban: David Strow; The National Basketball Association has yet to arrive in Las Vegas, but professional basketball is already a big business in town.

Two LV firms accused of software piracy: A Compulink official today declined comment on the allegation. Software Surplus could not be reached for comment.

School District plans to add two satellite bus yards in outlying areas: Terry Webster; By not going the extra mile, the Clark County School District stands to save $50 million in busing costs over a 10-year period, according to the transportation division.

Strip abuzz with speculation on future of MGM chief Lanni: Gary Thompson; Terry Lanni, the patrician leader of two of gaming's most respected companies over the past two decades, may step down as chairman of MGM Grand Inc. before the end of the year.

Reno City Council refuses to reconsider demolition of Mapes Hotel: The National Trust for Historic Preservation says the Mapes is one of the most endangered historic buildings in the country. Built in 1947, it was the first place to house a hotel, casino and live entertainment under one roof. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Binion was trying to get Murphy out of his life, lawyer says: Ted Binion was taking steps to remove Sandy Murphy, his girlfriend and accused killer, from his life before he was murdered, one of his lawyers has told an investigator.

24 percent of Class of '99 didn't graduate: Terry Webster; When it came time to get their high school diplomas, about 24 percent of the Clark County School District's Class of 1999 were left empty-handed.

Council has two weeks to pick new members: Erin Neff; Two expected appointments to the Las Vegas City Council will not be made on the same day the wards for those seats are created.

Attorney general throws out 1996 Mineral County ruling: A 1996 settlement Mineral County officials used to avoid duking it out with the U.S. Justice Department over taxes collected from for-profit businesses that use federal land has been declared illegal by the Nevada attorney general's office.

$8 million high cost for regent's post: CARSON CITY -- For seven months, Steve Sisolak was an $8 million man.

Blitzstein murder case figures indicted in insurance scheme: Kim Smith; Six Las Vegas residents were indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday in connection with insurance fraud reportedly hatched by the same people involved in the death of mobster Herbie Blitzstein.

Bryan takes to Senate floor to battle nuke waste proposal: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Sen. Richard Bryan on Tuesday fired a preemptive strike against lawmakers in Congress who are pushing the latest version of a bill concerning nuclear waste storage in Nevada.

French triathlete nears end of 2,800 bike ride on Donner Trail: Steve, 37, took off from Springfield, Ill., on Aug. 26. He's been averaging about 100 miles a day.

Nevada GOP chief may stay after all: CARSON CITY -- After an extended GOP summit meeting Tuesday night, state Republican Chairman John Mason indicated today he may withdraw his resignation.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Hockey bettors are backing the Blueshirts: With the start of the regular season two days away, NHL bettors are in a New York state of mind.

National TV schedule: AUTO RACING

Nevada company and Indian tribe to open casino: Ben Fox; The deal was announced Tuesday between the Pala Band of Mission Indians and Anchor Gaming. It follows an agreement between Gov. Gray Davis and the state's gambling tribes that is expected to resolve questions about the legality of tribal gambling in California and pave the way for Nevada gambling interests to invest here.

Editorial: Even spin won't help this havoc: So Valentine is "amazed" by the reaction? If anything, she should have anticipated that talk of deconsolidation would create a political firestorm. After all, valley residents haven't been clamoring for a breakup of Metro Police. It is perfectly understandable that when city government initiates a study to look at secession from a successful police department, which has seen a 36 percent decline in crime over the past five years, that the public will be worried.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Annual 'Miss America-Bashing Party' a success: Elizabeth Foyt; Fast becoming a tradition with friends dear to Shenandoah Merrick, her fifth annual Miss America "Bashing" Party was again a howling success. Held at the home of Shenandoah and her husband, Ed Janov, the girls-only gathering was celebrated in true American fashion with decorations of red, white and blue. Flags, sparkling stars and floating balloons dazzled the eyes of new arrivals Allison Copening, Leah Roberts, Theresa Minden, Monterey Brookman, Sara Ohlson and Lisa Wellborne. Shared glory was provided by way of rhinestone-studded tiaras and crowns worn by all the Miss America critics who viewed the program on several large screen ...

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

IRL's run in Charlotte is over: Joe Macenka; CONCORD, N.C. - The Indy Racing League's foray into the heart of stock-car country is finished.

Thursday at Belmont Park: 1st race 6 fur 3YO & up Mdn Clm: 1 Daniel's Affair (Santos) 115; 2 Aly Esty (Pezua) 121; 3 Full Bore (Riquelme) 117; 4 Heavyweight (Davis) 121; 5 Hoss'n Around (Beasley) 112; 6 Rotary Drive (Bridgmohan) 113; 7 Pacho (Beitia) 113; 8 Jet John (Espinoza) 113.

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

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

Tuesday's prep results: Palo Verde 3, Mojave 1 Goals: PV-Crolli, Flangas, Freeman; Moj-Huether.

Police Scholarship Program Continues in Nevada; Justice Department Approves Nevada Interagency Agreement: WASHINGTON -- Nevada will continue as one of 25 states that participate in the Justice Department's Police Corps program. The Police Corps program, which was authorized in the 1994 Crime Act, provides federal scholarships on a competitive basis to college students who agree to serve as police officers for four years.

'Weird Al' Yankovic brings his twisted rock parodies to Las Vegas: Lisa Ferguson; When: 8 tonight.

Nevada funding delayed: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON --Millions of federal dollars earmarked for Nevada projects are wrapped in the spending bills that Congress will fail to pass by midnight Thursday, the end of the fiscal year.

Marshaling money: June '96: $2,044,188 June '97: $2,490,332 June '98: $2,858,277 June '99: $3,779,600 June '00: $4,170,504

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

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Getting to the heart of Qualita art: Visiting art galleries is a favorite pastime of mine. Getting to see the works of both established and new artists is, to me, an exciting form of art appreciation. A prime example of the kind of gallery I enjoy most recently opened at the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian.

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

Long list of highway projects endorsed by state panel: The funding is for the upcoming federal fiscal year, which opens Friday. Much of the money goes to fast-growing Las Vegas, including $44 million to rebuild the Interstate 15-Sahara Avenue interchange.

Thursday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 1-1/16 mi 3YO & up Clm: 1 Hoedown B. Good (Baze) 117; 2 Rare Top (Castanon) 117; 3 Superdeed (Carr) 117; 4 Almost Golden (Smith) 112; 5 Fourstarattraction (Warren) 117.

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