Print edition for April 27, 2000

Telephone wagering, slot machine bills go into law in Louisiana without governor's action: "I wasn't very enthusiastic about them," Foster said Wednesday. "But I think people in those areas wanted them."

Tennessee House panel approves legislation making online betting a crime: "You don't need to go to Tunica (Miss.) to shoot craps. You can do it on the computer back in my office," said Williams, the House sponsor.

Nevada regulators OK Addams Family slot machine: Brendan Riley; The state Gaming Commission unanimously agreed to restrictions on the device, produced by International Game Technology, to ensure it's placed mainly in casinos and not restricted locations such as grocery stores.

Arizona couple plead guilty in multi-county video gambling network: A sentencing date was not immediately set. The Martins entered the pleas Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Birmingham, agreeing to a number of penalties, including forfeiture of $500,000 to the government from the sale of a bowling alley in Haleyville.

Local columnist may run for County Commission seat: Smith said today he prefers covering politics to becoming a politician, but he added that he is giving the request some thought.

Bob Cashell offers to play role in RSCVA: "They need to have somebody to get them through this period that understands our community," Cashell told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "I'm kind of goofy," he added of his willingness to volunteer for the challenge - for $1 a year.

Illinois alone in lack of funding for compulsive gambling: James Webb; A plan to provide $2 million for compulsive gambling programs from the state's take of casino taxes failed in the waning days of the Illinois Legislature's spring session earlier this month. Illinois Gaming Board officials pointed out their disappointment Tuesday, prompting Gov. George Ryan and Republicans in the state Senate to blame each other for the failure.

Man pleads guilty to federal conspiracy charges in investment scheme: Brown, 54, of Williston, faces up to 25 years in a federal prison based on his plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

City completes garage; clock starts on Neonopolis: Erin Neff; Weeks of arguing over whether the Neonopolis parking garage is finished will be settled at the bank in 10 days.

Repairs approved for reservoir: The 3-year-old River Mountains reservoir needs $54,500 in repairs after runoff washed away natural materials used in its drainage channels.

Public agencies, citizens forge federal land wish list: Local governments want to write their own wish list of environmentally sensitive lands in the Las Vegas Valley that need to be bought for the protection of threatened and endangered species.

Interim chancellor leaving post: CARSON CITY -- Tom Anderes, who has been interim chancellor at the University and Community College System of Nevada since last July, is leaving to take a job at the University of Oregon.

Scam artists targeting Arkansans: One unnamed Virtual Vegas prospect was contacted by phone in Arkansas and sent a packet of printed materials. Although he decided not to invest, the Securities Department is concerned other Arkansans may be taken in.

No deal made yet for D.I.: David Strow; The owner of the Desert Inn said today it's examining all bids for the Las Vegas Strip property, even as rumors heat up that Steve Wynn is on the verge of striking a deal to buy the 50-year-old resort.

MGM, New York-New York seek edge with new airport check-in: David Strow; As Marilyn and Kim Bennett of Columbia, S.C., made their way through McCarran International Airport Wednesday afternoon, their eyes went immediately to something they'd never seen before -- a check-in desk at the airport for their hotel, the MGM Grand.

One of three Arkansas gambling petitions dropped: The company proposed a state constitutional amendment to legalize charitable bingo statewide and to allow casino gambling in Carroll, Crittenden, Garland, Jefferson, Miller, Pulaski and Sebastian counties.

NDA launches new website to attract tech companies: The Nevada Development Authority is taking the Silicon Oasis into cyberspace.

Cram rips plan for separate Henderson school district: Valerie Miller; Breaking up the Clark County School District to form a separate district for Henderson would mean higher taxes and greater racial and economic disparities, Superintendent Brian Cram said.

Behind the scenes: Art Besser and Randy Minyard: Contribution to prep sports: Besser is in his ninth year as president of the body that governs local American Legion Baseball in the summer. He presides over a 12-member board which compiles the league's game schedule, arranges for field usage and collects league fees, which help pay for equipment and umpires. Besser and company are also responsible for running the state tournament and annual all-star night festivities. "Aside from high school baseball, Legion is the next highest level of (prep) baseball there is," said Besser, who also serves as the head coach for Silverado's Legion team and an assistant for ...

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: A treasured tradition: Some traditions are meant to endure.

Editorial: Another reason for drug benefits: President Clinton used the survey Wednesday to renew his call for adoption of his plan that would make all of the nation's 39 million Medicare recipients eligible for prescription drug coverage. While many Republicans have offered support for a more limited benefit, they should pass Clinton's legislation, which would offer all Medicare beneficiaries coverage for prescriptions, whose rising costs can be devastating for those on limited incomes.

Young driver rage of Formula One: Stephen Wade; SILVERSTONE, England - Buttonmania, the latest craze to hit Britain, appears to be spreading beyond Formula One.

Prison for young offenders criticized: CARSON CITY -- A Family Court judge and a public defender, both from Clark County, told a legislative subcommittee Wednesday that "horrible" things happen to juveniles who are placed in adult prisons or detention facilities.

Phillips battling to keep trainer: Dean Juipe; When Vince Phillips steps into the ring Friday night in Lafayette, La., there will be more than a minor boxing title at stake.

Boys Volleyball standings: CLASS 4A

Prep Softball standings: CLASS 4A

Prep Baseball standings: CLASS 4A

High court rejects appeal in suit over Frontier strike: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed the appeal of a man who sued the Frontier hotel-casino after he was beaten up by union pickets in 1993.

Sun Top 10 Softball Poll: Teams ranked jointly by the Las Vegas Sun and the Daily Sparks Tribune

Letter: Thank heaven Elian, father are reunited: God bless America and Elian's family.

Boys Golf Standings: CLASS 4A

Sun Top 10 Baseball Poll: Teams ranked jointly by the Las Vegas Sun and the Daily Sparks Tribune

Pa. governor helps raise GOP money: Jace Radke; Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge took time to talk about Yucca Mountain and his being a potential running mate for Texas Gov. George W. Bush between fund-raising events in Las Vegas Wednesday afternoon.

Speedway taking shape as June opening nears: Steve Bailey; SPARTA, Ky. - Think of Kentucky, and basketball, bourbon, bluegrass and horse racing come to mind.

Letter: U.S. not rescuer of children: It is not the duty of the United States to rescue children from every country in which we disagree with their politics. Parent-child relationships are sacred and should only be interfered with when criminal acts are committed that adversely affect a child.

Letter: Special interests destroy builders: The one-on-one construction defect lawsuit filed by an owner against the builder of his or her own home is not the crux of this problem. It's the million-dollar litigation filed by directors of scores of homeowners associations who are coaxed into suing builders by special interests who seek to generate income by planting and then feeding construction-defect anxiety.

Catching up with: Jody Lupo: High School: Bishop Gorman ('99)

Coach optimistic about Rebels: UNLV women's tennis coach Kevin Cory brought a healthy dose of optimism into this morning's opening round of the Mountain West Conference Championship at the Fertitta Tennis Complex on the UNLV campus.

Sun Athletes of the Week: Grant Stanley and Rachel Hirsch: School: Foothill

Columnist Dean Juipe: Controversy surrounds heavyweight fight: Dean Juipe; In that it wouldn't be boxing if there wasn't controversy involved, Saturday's heavyweight championship fight in New York between Lennox Lewis and Michael Grant is anything but an exception to the rule.

Wednesday's prep results: Bishop Gorman 8, Clark 0: Derek Rodriguez scattered three hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking none for the Gaels. Dan Norquist went 3-for-4 and Brad Miller had a pair of RBIs in the victory.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Neotorque - Draws good rail spot for the route opener, hustling Pedroza aboard Canani trainee, a factor throughout. Plumazo - Santa Anita leading jockey Nakatani scales here, Abrams trainee fits here, needs trip to be effective. Value Play -- Lucky Sandman

Community news briefs for April 27, 2000: The Spring Mountains Association, a volunteer organization affiliated with the U.S. Forest Service in Las Vegas, is holding a public recreation summit 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.

Editorial: Don't botch it this time: Under a plan that is winning support, Clark and Washoe counties would assume the bulk of the responsibilities that the state currently has in this area. Rural counties, however, could still rely on the state to take care of foster care and adoption because they generally don't have the resources to do so. There still are a number of vexing issues that need to be addressed, including the need to establish caseload standards and assess the financial impact on the counties. The money involved is an important piece of the puzzle, and any plan would have to adequately compensate the ...

$10 million high-rollers casino nearing completion: Construction on the $10 million project, located near the entrance to the high-end "Mansions at MGM Grand" villas, began in January. Some of the new space came from the MGM Grand's sports book, which is also being remodeled as part of the Mansion Casino project.

LV Springs plates to be available soon: CARSON CITY -- The special motor vehicle license plates designed to raise money for the Las Vegas Springs Preserve in the heart of Las Vegas are about ready to be issued.

Nevada unemployment inches up in March: CARSON CITY -- The jobless rate inched up to 3.8 percent in March in Nevada, but it was still below the rates in the nation and California.

Senators hear about protections for Black Rock Desert: Bart Jansen; His drawings and diary chronicled travel along the Applegate Trail 150 years ago. And the rugged landscape - marked by wagon ruts and axle-grease drawings - remains nearly unchanged across a region the size of Delaware.

Bryan touts bill on Black Rock at hearing: Bryan, D-Nev., introduced the bill that would protect the land now managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Bryan seeks to preserve emigrant trails and surrounding land in the desert and High Rock Canyon. The retiring senator has made the Black Rock legislation a priority before he leaves Congress at the end of the year.

Obituaries for April 27, 2000: Billie Jean Bernal, 72, of Las Vegas died April 20 in Las Vegas. She was born Feb. 15, 1928, in Oklahoma.

MGM Grand child-care center still in planning stage: In 1997, the MGM Grand hotel-casino became the first gaming property in Las Vegas to announce plans to develop a child-care center aimed specifically at children of its employees. Plans for employee child care were included in a Culinary Union contract with the MGM signed that year.

Phase 2 launch for Venetian hoped for this year: David Strow; Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson on Wednesday repeated his commitment to launching construction of a second hotel tower at the Strip resort by the end of 2000.

Local news briefs for April 27, 2000: Two men using fake credit cards attempted to get $4,000 in cash advances from a Las Vegas casino, according to a federal grand jury indictment filed Wednesday.

State Supreme Court standardizes domestic violence paperwork: Veronica Boyd-Frenkel, the state's domestic violence ombudsman, said Nevada, by standardizing forms used in Justice Court and District Court proceedings, joins about a dozen other states that have done the same.

Central Missouri's first riverboat casino back on track: Joe Stange; Isle of Capri president Jack Gallaway said preparation work will resume Thursday on the Boonville site next to the Missouri River.

Activist group hits Sierra timber swap agreement; may trigger backlash: Don Thompson; Sierra Pacific Industries - California's largest timber company - said the stunt may backfire by undermining this month's agreement to swap the threatened South Yuba River canyon land.

Prosecution wraps up case with key testimony: Robert Macy; "Let's get some stuff handled and pay attention to business," Tabish wrote in a letter to Jason Frazer of Missoula, Mont.

'Laverne & Shirley' sweethearts reunite and find that 'Grease' is the word: Kimberley McGee; When: Today through May 30; 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 9:30 p.m. Fridays; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturdays; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. The show is dark on Wednesdays.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Catching up on the progress of local shows: Joe Delaney; Las Vegas is nearly four months into the new millennium, or is it really the last year of the old millennium? ... Either way the following is a progress report. ... There have been a number of new arrivals and changes in venue since Jan. 1. ... Some are hot; some are not. ... People did come in for this past holiday weekend; many opted not to attend shows.

Child welfare changes called a start: Reilly has been working with Clark and Washoe counties and the state Department of Children and Family Services on the model, which would shift foster care, adoptions and emergency care services to the two counties - Nevada's most populous.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Packaging opens up frustration: Ruthe Deskin; It might have started with the well-intentioned idea of keeping hazardous materials out of the hands of children, which certainly is a worthwhile endeavor.

Sing Along! "We Go Together: "Remember forever, as shoowop, shoowally, wally, yippity, boom-de-boom

$10 billion raised in record IPO: Shares of the new AT&T Wireless Group, created through the biggest initial public offering in U.S. history, debuted on the open market today, bobbing higher from the IPO price of $29.50 set Wednesday evening.

Popular kids' activity looking for a home: Greg Harman; Matt Garrett and Kelley Bryant grew up possessed by an irrepressible criminal urge: They wanted to skate.

Durango clinches division with win over Bonanza: Zack Hall; As defending state champion, the Durango high baseball team would like nothing more than to repeat the feat this season.

Costs of labor central to council budget talks: Erin Neff; Budget facts

Misdiagnosis costs eye doctor $2 million: Kim Smith; A Clark County jury awarded a Las Vegas woman $2 million Tuesday after deciding an opthamologist's negligence caused her to lose the sight in one of her eyes.

Mayberry suggested for police chief: Keith Paul; Acting Henderson Police Chief Michael Mayberry has been recommended by the city manager to take over the 204-officer department on a permanent basis pending a City Council confirmation Tuesday.

DA: Murphy may have coerced change in will: A prosecutor suggested today that Sandy Murphy may have coerced a drug-dependent Ted Binion into including her in his will two months before his death.

Senate delays vote on Yucca bill veto: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Wednesday scheduled a vote on President Clinton's veto of the nuclear waste bill next Tuesday.

Condo developer to buy El Rancho: David Strow; After eight lonely years of deterioration on the Las Vegas Strip, the El Rancho's days may finally be coming to an end.

Construction defects alleged: Red Hills Homeowners Association sued Robert V. Jones Corp. and Red Hills at Pueblo Ltd. Partnership, alleging defects in their 256-unit condominium complex at Rampart and Las Vegas Drive.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Give southern schools the edge in baseball, but not in softball: Spencer Patterson; With the prep postseason set to begin next week, it's time to examine Southern Nevada's chances of capturing baseball and softball state championships in the coming month.

Coyotes baseball team ranked 13th: CCSN's walloping of 7th-ranked Dixie College on Tuesday helped boost the Coyotes in this week's poll. At 45-7, CCSN has the best record of the 20 ranked teams.

Mohawk casino deal may be good for future, causes rift in the present: On Wednesday a $12 billion class-action lawsuit against Park Place Entertainment was filed on behalf of tribal members unhappy with the new deal.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Technology could give boxers a lift: Even watching on television, the knockdown looked incredibly vicious. When Andrew Golota unleashed a perfect shot to the jaw that almost knocked Michael Grant out of the ring and into another galaxy during their heavyweight fight last Nov. 20, those sitting at ringside said it sounded as if a bomb exploded -- and Grant's chin was Iraqi headquarters.

Henderson golfers in favor of proposed municipal course: Greg Harman; Golfers in Henderson would love to see a municipal golf course built -- oh, and make that with illuminated practice range, use of mountain terrain, possibly some wetlands, and don't forget good food. Work around the fact it would be built on an abandoned solid waste landfill.

Bishop lawyer offered TRPAs top job: James is expected to decide on the offer by Monday. Board members said his starting salary would be capped at $100,000 but compensation remains a topic of negotiation.

District attorney backs officer's shooting of escapee: Scott Sonner; The armed escapee, Daniel Lopez, was about to run head-on into two officers pursuing him around the corner of an apartment building when a third officer shot him in the chest on Jan. 17, Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick said Wednesday.

Cordish unveils sweeping plans for downtown Reno: It said the key is to create enough attractions and open space to encourage people to walk downtown, not just stay in their cars or at the blackjack table.

Agencies criticize parking plan for Tahoe's clothing-optional beaches: Both say the document fails to adequately deal with the need to remove parking along the highways shoulder - the primary reason expansion of the lots is being contemplated. The league and TRPA want to halt the practice that has hundreds of cars parking along the highway in summer months.

Pit road dangerous to racing crews: Jenna Fryer; Robert Yates was sitting on the wall along pit road watching his drivers race when a car suddenly came right at him. The NASCAR team owner barely had time to move.

Wynn buys Desert Inn: David Strow; "Steve confirmed today he has purchased the assets of the Desert Inn, which includes the hotel, the golf course and the undeveloped land from Starwood (Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.) as a birthday present for his wife Elaine, whose birthday is tomorrow," the spokesman said. "Mr. and Mrs. Wynn are the only shareholders."

Stewart struggling as sophomore: Paul Newberry; Tony Stewart never thought of himself as superstitious. If things don't change, however, he might soon be racing with a rabbit's foot hanging from his rearview mirror.

Sales, profit increase for LV company: Sales increased from a pro forma $115.2 million to $125.5 million.

Minor setbacks: Steve Guiremand; The good news for Las Vegas Stars fans is that the team finally has the star-studded lineup it was supposed to have back on opening day before a rash of injuries in San Diego caused a mass defection to the major league club.

Venetian, Station Casinos tout employee child-care centers: David Strow; Faced with growing competition for workers, two Las Vegas casino operators are betting that child care will prove to be a powerful perk.

PCL Box: Stars 9, Cannons 5: E--Raven, McNally, Gibson. DP--Calgary 1. LOB--Calgary 5, Las Vegas 3. 2B--Simon, Raven, Davis 2, Nicholson. 3B--Darr. HR--Gibson (2), Radmanovich (1). S--DeSilva, Carlyle. SF--Polanco, Jones. CS--M. Martinez, Roskos.

Nellis honors officer killed in Kuwait: Dick Benoit; Capt. Michael D. Geragosian, who was killed in a crash during a landing attempt at an air base in Kuwait in December, was posthumously awarded the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal April 14 during ceremonies at Nellis Air Force Base.