Print edition for April 24, 2000

American Wagering quarterly revenues up, but loss widens: The Las Vegas company reported its annual earnings last week, and did not break out earnings for the fourth quarter. However, a comparison with earlier financial reports indicates the company had revenues of $4.23 million for the quarter, up 28.6 percent from the year-ago period.

Fertittas continue selling shares: Frank Fertitta, Lorenzo Fertitta, Blake Sartini and Delise Sartini each sold just under 292,000 shares of Station stock in open market sales last week, grossing about $7.2 million each. The Sartinis made sales from their joint holdings.

Officers recall surprise of stumbling onto $7 million in silver: Robert Macy; Ed Howard, a detective sergeant with the Nye County Sheriff's office, said Rick Tabish told him he was moving concrete off the property in the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 19, 1998.

PCL Box: Stars 3, Fresno 1: E -- Melo, Juan. DP -- None. LOB -- Las Vegas 4, Fresno 5. HR -- Allen (3), Melo (1). SAC -- Herndon. SF -- De Haan, Kory.

Less competition for stars in Minden: She urged commissioners to consider a county ordinance on outdoor lights that would keep the county's night sky as dark as possible.

Local Three Stooges imitators soitenly love their jobs: "The Three Stooges," which airs tonight at 8 on KTNV Channel 13, chronicles the rise of the team from vaudeville in the mid-1920s to Hollywood stardom in the 1950s.

Builders Association looks to raise gas taxes: Robert Jones, association executive officer, said developers are holding up their end and are on track to contribute $227 million for roads needed because of new development.

Babbitt renews calls for revising mining law: Matt Kelley; Babbitt plans to visit the White Vulcan pumice mine on the flanks of the San Francisco Peaks which tower over his hometown of Flagstaff, Ariz. The Interior Department does not control the land under the mine - it's in the Coconino National Forest, under the Agriculture Department - but Babbitt says the mine is "a poster child for the abuses" of the law.

U.S. Supreme Court turns down Nevadan's death sentence appeal: Geary previously got a life sentence for the stabbing death of a Las Vegas woman in 1974 - also with a boning knife. He was paroled three times from that sentence, but each time was arrested for drinking and imprisoned again. After serving a total of 13 years, he was paroled a fourth time and a month later was arrested for Colvin's murder.

Horse-drawn carriage spills riders onto roadside: Four other people were hurt when horses they were riding tried to get out of the way of the coach on Seven Mile Canyon Road.

Airlines consider return to Lake Tahoe Airport: Tahoe Express also is in negotiations with an airline.

PCL Box: Stars 3, Fresno 2: E -- Estrella. DP -- Las Vgas 1, Fresno 1. LOB -- Las Vegas 5, Fresno 7. 3B -- Nicholson (1). HR -- Williams (2). SB -- DeHaan (3), Estrella (1).

Man charged with shooting wild horse in Utah: Investigators allege that Binks shot a well-known gray stallion - easily recognizable because he had only one ear - last September in the Swasey Mountain area about 30 miles west of Delta.

Jury deadlocks on murder charge: Nestor, a Chilean national, was charged in the death of Joseph Bates, 54. He also was charged with attempted murder

Box score: Stars 6, Buzz 5: E-LaRocca. DP-Salt Lake 3. LOB-Salt Lake 10, Las Vegas 4. 2B-Jones, Curl, Allen, Dehaan, Ferguson, Milliard 2. 3B-Ferguson. HR-Canizaro (4). SB-Jones, Davis, Buchanan, Cey, Mientkiewicz. SF-Nicholson, Buchanan, Valdez, Canizaro.

Justices to hear dispute between California, Arizona and Indian tribe: Bart Jansen; The Quechan tribe wants more water to irrigate its Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, which straddles the Colorado as it flows between the two states. The tribe claims the water under an 1893 treaty that promised irrigation benefits which never materialized.

PCL Box: Stars 2, Grizzlies 1: E-Minor. DP-Las Vegas 1. LOB-Las Vegas 9, Fresno 6. 2B-Curl. SB-Melo, DeHaan. SF-Minor.

Nevada State Bank parent posts a loss: The bank said the quarterly loss was the result of its aborted merger with Salt Lake City rival First Security Corp. That failed merger cost Zions $85.5 million or 99 cents per share, including a write-down to market value of its investment in First Security stock.

Desert Inn marks 50th anniversary: David Strow; In a city where casinos seem to come and go like tumbleweeds blowing in the wind, there's something special when one property actually lives to see its 50th birthday.

Perchlorate findings concern scientists: A new discovery of the effect of perchlorate on baby laboratory rats now has scientists trying to determine whether the chemical found in Southern Nevada drinking water might affect human growth.

Dognapping suspect nabbed: Keith Paul; An extortion plot involving a California woman's $2,000 Scottish terrier was foiled last week by police in Jean with the help of poor planning by the accused dognapper.

Santa Fe Gaming's earnings improve: This profit was the result of debt reduction following the sale of a 40-acre land parcel in Henderson in November 1999 for $37.25 million. Santa Fe recorded a benefit of $704,000 during the most recent quarter from early debt payment, and reduced its interest expenses to $5 million, a $1.27 million decrease.

Oasis LV apartments in talks to settle disability access suits: Phil Levine; Advocates for people with disabilities say some Nevada developers continue to violate the Fair Housing Act.

Three Tenors lift the soul of a rock 'n' roll reviewer: Geoff Carter; In July of 1994 I heard the Three Tenors -- Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti -- for the first time.

Nye County officer details day of Tabish arrest: Nye County sheriff's Sgt. Ed Howard testified today that Rick Tabish told him he was with Ted Binion on the day he died.

Bank owner's earnings fall: The Salt Lake City-based bank said its earnings were hurt by costs for its aborted merger with Zions Bancorporation. The bank said merger-related activities cost $36 million; excluding that cost, First Security reported first quarter earnings of $58.4 million or 29 cents per share.

Nevada regulators seek data on taxi supply: Convention cabs

Shareholders join suit over rates: The Utility Shareholders Association of Nevada filed its notice to participate in the suit against the state Public Utilities Commission last week.

Dam built to divert future floodwaters: Greg Harman; On paper it had existed for years as part of the Clark County Regional Flood Control District's master plan.

Test Site rocket launches clear 1st FAA test: The Federal Aviation Administration is poised to rule rocket launches from the Nevada Test Site 60 miles northwest of Las Vegas won't hurt the environment.

Hearing held in Strip accident: Kim Smith; A $10,000 bond has been set for a 24-year-old Las Vegas woman charged with driving into four pedestrians as they walked along the Strip last week.

State ponders penalty for flier attacking Malone: CARSON CITY -- Top executives in the Secretary of State's office will meet Tuesday to decide what action, if any, will be taken on the disclosure by Station Casinos and its lobbyist that they were behind an anonymous political flier criticizing Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone.

Wisconsin casino could draw 3 million a year: Its pricetag has grown by $50 million compared to the tribe's estimates when it sought local approval early last year.

Many Seven Hills homeowners settle suit over Rio golf course: Grace Leong; Many Seven Hills homeowners quietly settled a lawsuit late last year over the Henderson community's golf course.

World Series of Poker results on casino's website: The championship of the tournament, a $10,000 no-limit Texas hold-'em event, will run from May 15 to May 18, with more than 400 expected to participate. The winner is guaranteed $1 million in prize money, with officials expecting the prize to reach $1.5 million this year.

Corruption case going to jury: Natalie Gott; BATON ROUGE, La. -- Money scattered on the floor. Money exchanged in high stakes poker games. Money hidden under ducks in the freezer. Briefcases full of money. Money in trash bins. Money in ash bins. Money in broken down trailers.

Letter: Students suffer consequences of poor decision: Second, in the audit 10 student entries were criticized. My daughter's sheet contains 63 entries. In the audit period that is 486,864 possible entries. Yet 10 were unsatisfactory. The audit mentioned walking, football and Bible reading. Isn't P.E. an activity that leads to improving child fitness? Football and walking don't qualify? Why is reading the Bible not reading? Finally, only 55 students are said to meet attendance standards. Clearly in the charter it states "the days attended will be determined ... by the number of sessions the student has logged on to the computerized program, the work outside of the ...

For Irwin, 4-wood forecasts trouble: Victoria Sun; By Hale Irwin's estimation, he hadn't hit a good shot with his 4-wood in weeks, even months. But he refused to abandon it.

State still says regents violated open meeting law: CARSON CITY -- The state attorney general's office, at least for the time being, isn't backing down on its opinions that the university Board of Regents twice violated the open meeting law.

Woman pleads guilty in fatal DUI: Nancy Ann Oheron is scheduled to be sentenced by District Judge Donald Mosley on June 19 in the November 1998 deaths of Shane Bates, 24, and Amber Bates, 23.

Nelson finishes second to none: Victoria Sun; When it was all over, Senior PGA Tour professional Larry Nelson seemed more relieved than anything else.

A Las Vegan remembers her cousin, the Stooge: The 55-old Las Vegas resident remembers all the children in her neighborhood swarming around to get a peek at her second cousin, Larry Fine, whenever he and his wife, Mabel, came to visit the family at their modest apartment in an area now dominated by the Stratosphere hotel-casino.

Vegas Indy 300 notebook: Hearn has a ticket to ride -- in the Indy 500: Richie Hearn spent the past month looking for a job after losing his ride with Della Penna Motorsports in the CART FedEx Championship Series.

Letter: U.S. defense a forgotten issue: Imagine the dumbfounded shock and disbelief of the American people on learning that either of these terrible scenarios had become reality. Worse yet, consider the prospect of both of these scenarios (or any number of equally horrific possibilities) occurring at the same time, as part of a coordinated Beijing-Moscow strategy.

Prep Schedule: MONDAY

Editorial: Springs preserve is critical: The land targeted for preservation -- bordered by U.S. 95 on the north, Alta Drive on the south and Valley View Boulevard on the west -- isn't your usual piece of real estate. Until 1970, when Las Vegans started receiving water from Lake Mead, the springs in the area were the primary source of water for residents.

Four-year-old assaulted in park restroom: Police say the incident was discovered at mid-afternoon when a woman heard the girl's cries coming from the bathroom at the Hills Park on Hillpointe Road.

Bush leads Gore in Nevada fund raising: Bush in March received $18,475 from 28 individual contributors in Nevada, 15 from Las Vegas or Henderson, according to FECInfo, a Washington group that analyzes campaign money.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, April 24, 2000: Lisa Ferguson; In the mood for a bit of friendly competition? Then you're in luck. Spring, it seems, is the season of contests.

Workers' comp experts say small businesses subsidizing big employers: NCI

Local news briefs for April 24, 2000: A 28-year-old North Las Vegas woman died Sunday in a one-vehicle accident on southbound U.S. 95.

Speedway could land CART race: A disappointing turnout for Saturday's Vegas Indy 300 may have Indy Racing Northern Light Series officials questioning whether Las Vegas can support an open-wheel race, but Las Vegas Motor Speedway general manager Chris Powell isn't about to give up on Indy-style racing.

South Carolina lawmakers moving to resolve casino boat issue, but courts likely will have final say: The Senate bill would prohibit such "cruises to nowhere," but would allow larger gambling cruise ships, such as those operated by Carnival Cruise Line, to continue to use South Carolina ports.

Supreme Court to hear arguments in libel judgment: The court will have a one-hour hearing on the appeal by Lyle Stuart and Barricade Publications regarding the judgment they were ordered to pay Wynn.

Obituaries for April 24, 2000: Albert Steven Baller, 53, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospice. He was born July 13, 1946, in Detroit. A resident for 45 years, he was a retired dealer.

Sellout crowd cheers famed opera stars: Robert Macy; In a city better known for showgirls and magic acts, the three opera superstars wowed their audience, drawing shouts of "bravo" and returning for four encores.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: A large field is likely to run for the roses: Ralph Siraco; Twenty-five Kentucky Derby prep races have been run since Hal's Hope won the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 15. Only one Derby prep remains before the main event on the first Saturday in May. That race -- the Derby Trial Stakes -- will be run on Saturday when the Churchill Downs spring racing season opens.

Community news briefs for April 24, 2000: Business Watch Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to crime prevention and public safety, is hosting its second annual award dinner and dance beginning with a silent auction and cocktail party at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Stardust hotel-casino to honor people in the community who have shown special attention to crime prevention or public safety.

Brazilian records historic trifecta: Steve Guiremand; First there was soccer's Pele. Then there were mad bomber Oscar Schmidt in basketball and the great Formula One racer Ayrton Senna.

Woman helps fill neighbors' plates: Every Sunday evening Mary Clapper backs her silver Dodge van up to the clubhouse at McKnight Senior Village in eastern Las Vegas.

Services set for pioneer Las Vegas educator Moten: Services for B. Bernice Moten, the first black elected to the Clark County School Board, will be 11 a.m. Friday at St. James the Apostle Catholic Church, 820 N. H St.

Columnist Dean Juipe: TPC owners bored by pro golf: Dean Juipe; Just as youth can be wasted on the inexperienced, wealth can be wasted on the rich.

Ensign vows to lobby for alternative to nuke waste dump: "We're going to come up with a solution that works, the kind of solution I'll take to the Senate and fight every day for," Ensign told about 125 people Saturday at the Clark County Republican Convention.

Big-game herds survive state's devastating fires: Martin Griffith; RENO -- Despite wildland fires that blackened 1.7 million acres of wildlife habitat last year, most of Nevada's big-game herds are in good shape, state wildlife officials said.

Accused man says lawyer wrecking his marriage: Kim Smith; A Boulder City resident suspected in the disappearance of one of his wives is trying to fire his public defender complaining that she has damaged his relationship with his other wife.

Shooting suspect sent for mental testing: Kim Smith; The suspect in February's fatal shooting at the Stardust hotel-casino has been sent to a state psychiatric hospital for evaluation.