Print edition for August 16, 2000

Mall nears approval: The mall's fire safety testing is now "90 percent complete" following Tuesday's inspection, and county officials will return this afternoon to complete their inspection, said Rita Mincavage, public information officer for the building department. Mincavage said she expects the mall will receive authorization to open to the public sometime today.

Churches stall new business development in West Las Vegas: Churches are popping up all over Las Vegas City Councilman Lawrence Weekly's district -- and are frustrating efforts to bring new businesses to the area, city staff members and others said Tuesday.

Man sues Metro over apartment search: Carlos A. Bennett is seeking $135,000 in damages from the officers, the police deaprtment and Sheriff Jerry Keller, according to the lawsuit. Bennett alleges his civil rights were violated and the officers committed assault, battery, false imprisonment, trespass and invasion of privacy.

Mob links dominate Binion new-trial hearing: The mob's rumored role in Ted Binion's death remained a mystery during his well-publicized murder trial. Neither side wanted to talk about it.

Nevada Power to raise rates again: CARSON CITY -- Nevada Power Co. customers will be hit with another rate increase.

Promoter Arum hit with $125K sanction: Dean Juipe; Appearing before the Nevada State Athletic Commission today in a disciplinary hearing that could have resulted in the loss of his boxing promoter's license, Bob Arum was, instead, fined $125,000 and placed on six months' probation.

MDA seeking telethon volunteers: Volunteers are needed between now and Labor Day to help with the local broadcast on KLAS Channel 8.

Increase in early voting seen with presidential election: Jace Radke; Early voting is expected to become even more popular during this fall's primary and general elections, partly because of an expected push in total voters for the presidential election.

North Las Vegas to assist county firm on nuke report: Diana Sahagun; Anticipating a rash of studies in the coming year, North Las Vegas is planning to put its stamp on the research assessing the risk of hauling high-level nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain.

Reno City Council dodges billboard question: An initiative backed by a group called Citizens for a Scenic Reno seeks to restrict where new billboards can be located and limit their numbers.

Station names executives: Jonathan Swain, who resigned from the Hard Rock earlier this month, was named vice president and general manager of Palace Station. In addition to his time at the Hard Rock, Swain has served as president of the Tropicana hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

UNR ready to start $30 million worth of projects: A new residence hall and student services center are among the projects showcased on Tuesday.

Obituaries for August 16, 2000: Erasmo J. Auricchio, 79, of Henderson died Saturday in a local care center. He was born Feb. 22, 1921, in New York. A resident for seven years, he was a scorer in the paper industry, a special-events usher at the MGM Grand and Thomas & Mack Center and an Army veteran.

Las Vegas area fishing reports: One of the more productive areas for both shore anglers and boaters has been the 33 Hole. Other areas that have produced stripers recently are Boxcar Cove, Government Wash and Sand Island.

Nevada executive leaves: The change means two Las Vegas bank executives will be Nevada regional executives in the bank's consumer banking division.

Gore stiffens Yucca stance: Benjamin Grove; LOS ANGELES -- Vice President Al Gore has sent a strongly worded letter to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., stressing his concerns about a proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

Teenager released on bail: Kim Smith; Conan Pope got an early birthday present Tuesday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Late opener 'a negative' for Rebels: Dean Juipe; Veteran members of the UNLV football team report today and open practice the following day.

Sportspark co-owner says city's audit unfair: Erin Neff; Two partners of Las Vegas Sportspark told the Las Vegas City Council this morning they could not comment on an audit report that shows a $5 million debt because they themselves haven't seen the center's financial books.

Sports theme park may be sold: Ron Boreta, president of All-American SportPark Inc. (AASP), which owns the park, and Voss Boreta, president of Sports Entertainment Enterprises Inc., which has two-thirds ownership of AASP, said in separate news releases that selling all or a portion of the park is an option being considered by the owners.

Fort Smith rezones to allow for casino gambling: City directors voted Aug. 1 to rezone two riverfront tracts, one along Clayton Expressway and the second off Kelley Highway and Interstate 540, to allow for casino gambling. Mayor Ray Baker vetoed the item later that week.

Tell, matriarch of newspapering family, dies: Beatrice Tell, the matriarch of a Nevada newspapering family that for 36 years has published the Las Vegas Israelite and once published the Las Vegas Free Press and Virginia City's Territorial Enterprise, has died. She was 85.

Enus to take Las Vegas HR post: Claudette Enus is expected to be approved by the Las Vegas City Council on Sept. 11. She will make $94,000.

HealthSouth opening big Las Vegas clinical center: The nation's largest provider of physical therapy services is building in Las Vegas its sixth all-in-one rehabilitation center housing diagnostic services, outpatient surgery and therapy.

Milko noisily accepts plea bargain: Kim Smith; Perennial political candidate Hilary Michael Milko pleaded guilty in a 2-year-old criminal case Tuesday, but only after raising such a ruckus that the judge threatened to duct tape his mouth shut.

EPA gets county's air quality report: Adrienne Packer; Clark County's clean air plan, which is essential to future highway funds, reached a critical point Tuesday when it was forwarded to the Environmental Protection Agency's regional office in San Francisco.

Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Pollution problems could creep west: Paula DelGiudice; We take a lot for granted here in the West. With relatively few exceptions, we have clear blue skies and clean, clear waters free from pollution. We can catch our fish and feel safe eating them.

Officials tell commission of nuke peril: If a repository for highly radioactive waste is built at Yucca Mountain, six trucks loaded with shipments will drive through the Las Vegas Valley en route to the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas every day for 24 years.

Flight details announced: Beginning Oct. 24, the airline will have a flight leaving Las Vegas at 12:50 p.m., arriving in Washington at 8:15 p.m. The return flight leaves at 9:07 a.m., arriving at McCarran International Airport at 11:08 a.m.

Newcomer Fraraccio adds punch to lineup: Spencer Patterson; When Dan Fraraccio put on his Las Vegas Stars uniform for the first time last week, his nine minor league seasons weren't enough to prevent an old-fashioned case of the nerves.

NLV City Council to decide on change in casino's permit: Diana Sahagun; The Fort Las Vegas Casino will learn tonight whether the North Las Vegas City Council will allow it to operate without a hotel or shut it down for failing to comply with original requirements when it was granted a use permit.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Showboat offers unique football props: Like a good-guy alter ego of "The Sopranos" character Richie Aprile, D. Wayne Mauldin believes in traditional values.

Metro detectives follow lead on missing Las Vegas girl: Jace Radke; After almost 10 months, Metro Police detectives may have finally received a break in the case of Karla Rodriguez, a 7-year-old who disappeared from a neighborhood near downtown Las Vegas in October.

LV firm's profit down: Alliance reported net income of $786,000, or 8 cents per share, for the quarter ending June 30. That's down from net income of $2.02 million, or 16 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

State panel gives extension to proposed casino on Bay of St. Louis: The site is near publicly owned tidal lands.

Gorman coach quits, joins up with Bandits: Spencer Patterson; With classes set to begin Monday, defending 4A boys basketball champion Bishop Gorman finds itself back in the hunt for a head coach.

Del Papa assistant Cathcart dies at 52: CARSON CITY -- Special Assistant Attorney General Anne Cathcart, who represented Nevada in the national tobacco settlement that will bring the state hundreds of millions of dollars in the next 20 years, died Tuesday in a Reno hospital.

Firefighters make headway on Nevada fires: The lightning-sparked blaze has been burning since Aug. 1 in the Clan Alpine Mountain Range 50 miles northeast of Fallon. Some 323 firefighters remained on the lines.

Police try to link rapes, slayings: Keith Paul; Metro Police are trying to determine if a Las Vegas teen accused of a series of rapes is connected to the killing of a former monk in June and the slaying of an elderly woman 14 months ago.

Gas prices to rise after drop: In Reno, the average price was a $1.75, down from $1.81 last month.

PCL Box: Stars 6, RedHawks 2: E -- Dransfeldt, Sierra, Knorr. DP -- Oklahoma 3, Las Vegas 2. LOB -- Oklahoma 9, Las Vegas 10. 2B -- Sierra, Zywica, Faggett, Nicholson, Alvarez. HR -- Faggett. HBP -- LaRocca. SB -- LaRocca.

Letter: Transportation of nuclear waste least of problems: Knowing how waste is transported, especially high-level waste, no nuclear material would have escaped.

Proposed bill would ban secret sexual videotaping: CARSON CITY -- Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske wants to stop a form of "video voyeurism."

Regents may decide on release of UNLV cop probe: The university Board of Regents may decide whether a state report critical of the UNLV campus police over a drug raid will be made public.

No shortage of sundaes in Las Vegas: Max Jacobson; The sundae was invented to circumvent blue laws preventing ice cream sodas from being served on Sundays. Back then, toward the end of the late nineteenth century, the idea of sipping sodas through a straw in an ice cream parlor on a Sunday must have seemed shockingly indulgent.

UNLV 2000-01 women's basketball schedule: Nov. 11 -- #NAT'L WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LEAGUE, 5 p.m.

BLM says ancient mummy not affiliated with Fallon tribe: Sandra Chereb; "After more than four years of consultation with the tribe, analyzing the information and reviewing policy, I feel it's time to make this determination," state BLM Director Bob Abbey said in a written statement.

Judge rejects plea bargain in drunken driving case: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man who would have been guaranteed probation in a fatal drunken driving case will be going to trial because a judge has rejected the plea agreement.

Foxwoods. Mohegan Sun report record slots profits: Foxwoods made $72.1 million from its slot machines in July, an increase of $1.7 million from the same period last year, the Mashantucket Pequot tribe announced Tuesday.

Emphasizing cooking technique makes cooking simple: Let author and "recipe troubleshooter" Pam Anderson show you the way.

Community news briefs for August 16, 2000: Registration for fall classes for Classroom On Wheels, a free bilingual preschool, will be 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 439 S. Decatur Blvd.

Lewis signs 20-year deal with Orleans: Seventy-four-year-old comedian Jerry Lewis announced Tuesday he has signed a 20-year contract with the Orleans hotel-casino, and he wasn't joking.

Columnist Peter Benton: Holland's No. 1 at Sun City: Peter Benton; Last week the PGA Las Vegas Chapter, Southwest Section staged its 36-hole championship over the Highland Falls and Palm Valley layouts in Sun City Summerlin.

Las Vegas officials remind nonprofit groups of many grant opportunities: The ISIGHT Center, formerly called the Las Vegas Center for the Blind, assists blind and visually impaired people through activities that promote independence, productivity and self-esteem.

Washoe emergency dispatch center to move: The biggest savings will be in not having to build a $600,000 water line to the college to support the facility.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Aspiring country stars turn out for 'Showdown': Elizabeth Foyt; Lisa Windom, the newly crowned Miss Rodeo Nevada 2000, made the first in a series of public appearances recently when she assisted with the "True Value Country Showdown" in Laughlin. Co-sponsored by Highway Country Radio and the Riverside hotel-casino, the musical competition was the first stage for entertainers seeking True Value's $50,000 grand prize, a distinction previously achieved by then-unknown Garth Brooks, LeAnn Rimes and other stars.

Editorial: Vanquished pols no longer invisible: The Democrats weren't alone this year in honoring former living presidents, however, as the Republican National Convention also saluted Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George Bush. Reagan, a successful two-term president, obviously would be revered. But Bush was feted despite lingering conservative antipathy for breaking his "no new taxes" pledge (although it would have been more remarkable if he hadn't been saluted since his son is the GOP's standard-bearer). Ford's moderate views, meanwhile, have alienated conservatives, yet he also was honored for healing the nation after the Watergate scandal.

Judge to announce decision on new trial Sept. 8: Lisa Snedeker; LAS VEGAS - Convicted killers Sandy Murphy and Rick Tabish will learn Sept. 8 whether they will get a new trial in the murder of gambler Ted Binion.

Il Nuraghe '97: Max Jacobson; This cork-encased bottle is both a curiosity and a handsome piece of work, something you'll probably want to keep long after the wine has been consumed. This producer makes both whites and reds from native Sardinian grapes and the character is unlike most other European wines. You'll taste hints of orange and wild fruit, as well as pronounced tannins and an earthy finish. The color is a lovely light ruby and the wine makes a nice match for pungent Italian cheeses.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Democrats make mockery of own tactics: Nevada's Democrats should not feel too ashamed.

Editorial: Fires spark misguided allegations: For starters, many of these disastrous fires have been started by lightning strikes -- a force of nature that man can't control. And no matter how much manpower there is, if the climate is such that the forests become virtual powder kegs, it can be impossible to contain the fires. Short of felling every tree in sight, fires are inevitable. The administration bashing is occurring, in part, because it's an election year. The attacks also echo charges by the GOP-friendly timber industry, which wants more logging in national forest lands, no matter what harm this might cause the environment.

Letter: Preserve U.S. sovereignty: Unless Congress can come to terms with the Shoshone Indians, an international body (government) will make the decision for them.

Idaho tribe has questions about closure of casino: "Additional funds are needed to place the Bannock Peak Casino in an operational condition to meet minimum internal controls," the letter reads.

Mississippi Gaming Commission delays rule barring casinos west of Interstate 110: Patton said his agency figured Coast Resorts of Las Vegas would abandon their plans to build a casino on nine acres of land because of a federal court ruling last week.

Las Vegans among those devoted to maintaining pristine lawns: Kimberley McGee; And it's a national obsession: lawn care.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Del Mar: 1st Race -- Salty Pearl - Scratched out over the weekend for this spot, hustling Espinoza aboard Robbins trainee, well placed here. Flaming Cloud - Draws just inside top pick for mile opener, Gomez aboard Duncan trainee, could be in right spot if top one falters. Value Play -- Lady Di Huntley

Lawn junkies should follow these rules: Kimberly Mcgee; The government is not on the side of those with lawn lust.

Thursday's horse racing entries: Post Time 2 p.m.

Henderson news briefs for August 16, 2000: The Henderson City Council, sitting as the Redevelopment Agency, approved an amended redevelopment plan that would expand the city's redevelopment zone by nearly 4,000 acres while providing for more affordable student and senior housing projects.

Letter: Garcia is trying to heal wounds: Garcia's use of the N-word pushed that hot button in the black community, unleashing a backlash of criticism. Garcia inherited this mess with little knowledge of the powder keg upon which he was sitting.