Print edition for December 19, 2000

Reid vows to block Johnston in Cabinet: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., sent a strong message today to President-elect George W. Bush: don't hire former Sen. Bennett Johnston as your Energy secretary.

Community news briefs for December 19, 2000: An all-day ski trip for teens is being hosted by the Henderson Parks and Recreation Department Jan. 20.

Letter: A sad day for all Americans: They have overturned Americans' right to select their leaders. They have subverted every American's right of the electoral ballot. Fear is a powerful force.

Las Vegas City Council to vote on topless club that is at center of political dispute: Erin Neff; Normally when a business license is transferred to a new owner, the item is so routine it doesn't even merit comments from the City Council.

Western ignites local teams' rally: Spencer Patterson; Southern Nevada schools were off to a combined 0-10 start on day one of the Powerade Holiday Prep Classic when the Western Warriors took the court Monday afternoon at Green Valley High School.

Software company to relocate to Las Vegas: Vanguard, a developer of information security software since 1986, will be headquartered at 2950 E. Flamingo Road.

State's education rate near average: Terry Webster; A new Census Bureau report shows Nevada's high school graduation rate isn't as dismal as other reports have shown -- for residents 25 and older.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Cee Me Tizzy - Training at Santa Anita, Pincay on Carava horse, draws good inner post for the route opener. Brodrick - Gomez scales Hines horse, should get good trip from this spot, ten-four-over-and-out. Value Play -- Daring General

Shopping center near Kyle Canyon?: The road up to Mount Charleston promises scenic vistas of wide-open desert, dramatic rocks and cliffs and tree-lined mountains.

Commissioners give Malone a touching sendoff: Adrienne Packer; During his four-year term on the Clark County Commission, Lance Malone had no trouble speaking his mind on issues. Today, however, the board member was speechless.

Columnist Dean Juipe: UNLV coach proves she can do it: Dean Juipe; When Regina Miller was introduced as the UNLV women's basketball coach 2 1/2 years ago, it was virtually impossible to look past her 60-100 record at Western Illinois.

Wedding: Edling, Wood: Youth Pastor Daniel Hannum officiated at the ceremony.

Letter: Bus service strands many casino workers: I do not ride the bus, nor have I ever. Thank goodness I have my own transportation or I would be among the ones stranded downtown or elsewhere. I feel for the ones who have to "bum" rides or wait until 3 a.m. or 5 a.m. to get home. I have encountered some who just sleep in the lobby of an establishment waiting for their bus.

Lehman Bros. resumes industry coverage, urges caution in investing: David Strow; Wall Street firm Lehman Bros. today resumed coverage of the gaming industry -- and promptly advised investors that gaming stocks may be a risky bet in 2001.

Mayor lends name to anti-Yucca letter: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman today joined more than 100 environmental groups in demanding that Nevada's Yucca Mountain be disqualified as the site for the nation's first high-level nuclear waste repository.

Henderson developers sued over loans: In a Clark County District Court lawsuit, USA Commercial Mortgage Co., which said its customers depend on the company to deliver loans that are "first rate and not likely to go into foreclosure," said it asked its clients to fund several loans and a debt restructuring agreement for the defendants because it was misled by their allegedly false financial statements into believing the defendants were creditworthy and able to service the loans.

New Chicago flight planned: The new round trip will bring the total to three daily flights between that airport and Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.

UNLV women's game at UCSB canceled: The cancellation was forced by a scheduling error by UCSB. NCAA rules permit teams to schedule 27 regular-season games, and the Gauchos had scheduled 28. With the nonconference season coming to a close, cancellation of the Jan. 3 game was the best option. The game will not be rescheduled.

Offices, restaurants planned at Summerlin: The master-planned Plaza Commerce Center will include 95,000 square feet of building and office pads to be built by Triad Development, a group of local business people led by Mark Fine.

LVCVA: Settlement talks under way with Venetian: A settlement is near on a series of lawsuits filed against the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority by owners of the Venetian hotel-casino.

Father of murder suspects offers alibi: Kim Smith; The father of two people implicated in a double murder case told jurors that the third suspect was eating at his house at the time of the slayings.

Firefighters protest over staff, training, equipment: Adrienne Packer; Angered by the lackluster response from Clark County fire administrators, firefighters staged a protest this morning to publicize their concerns over staffing, equipment and training.

Walking Box Ranch is sold: The Walking Box Ranch, once a Hollywood star haven, has been sold to an investor group for $950,000.

Mississippi tax break denied: County supervisors, meeting Monday, voted unanimously to reject the casino's request.

Gaels take Round 1: Spencer Patterson; As much as for their size, depth or outside shooting, the Bishop Gorman Gaels are odds-on favorites to repeat as Nevada 4A state champions because of their wealth of senior leadership.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Court briefs for December 19, 2000: Two men accused of trying to rob two off-duty Metro officers have been bound over for trial.

LV developer sues grocer over Reno site: In a Clark County District Court suit, American Pacific Capital Village at Double Diamond Co. LLC said it incurred substantial damages when Smith's reneged on an agreement to build a supermarket and parking lot facilities by Oct. 6. The supermarket was to be an anchor business at the Reno shopping center.

Nevada eases air standards to help California: The skies will be a bit darker over Southern Nevada in order to keep the homes a bit brighter in Southern California.

Company divests New Mexico racetrack: The sale was part of a stock purchase agreement between Anchor, Fulton and members of Fulton's family. On Oct. 17, Anchor purchased 4.6 million shares of stock from Fulton and family members for $66.60 per share. The $306 million purchase price included $240 million in cash and $66 million in promissory notes that will be canceled once asset sales to Fulton close.

Nevada, Utah mortgage companies in litigation: In a Clark County District Court suit, Aspen sued Republic Mortgage of Salt Lake City, alleging the single family mortgage lending company, since 1997, misled several consumers by saying that Aspen was a subsidiary of Republic Mortgage and that it was unnecessary to contact Aspen directly to handle their home mortgage needs.

Financing secured for Atlantic City resort: The loan will provide up to $630 million to build the resort, located on 120 acres owned by MGM MIRAGE in Atlantic City's Marina district. Boyd Gaming and MGM MIRAGE are each providing $200 million in equity to the Borgata, though a portion of MGM MIRAGE's equity contribution includes the value of the land parcel.

Good goes to bench as UNLV rolls past Alaska-Anchorage: Victoria Sun; The substitutions were made fast and furious.

Federal racketeering claims dismissed: David Strow; A federal judge in Phoenix has dismissed federal racketeering claims against Southwest Gas Corp. of Las Vegas by a failed suitor.

Wife of man who faked death takes plea: Greg Tuttle; The ex-wife of a man who staged his own death and, after he was caught years later, committed suicide in jail pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court.

Teen convicted in couple's killing: Kim Smith; Flora Scharnett has a message for the 17-year-old boy who was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in the death of her mother and stepfather.

Letter: Nation's pastime will be passed by: Ashby's lifetime record as a pitcher is 84-87. His ERA last year was 4.92. In other words, he surrendered enough hits to allow the opposing teams to score almost 5 runs a game. I find it hard to believe that Ashby's performance warrants $7 million a year.

Credit pact amended; president to retire: The company also announced Monday that Erin MacDonald, its president and chief operating officer, would take a medical retirement next month.

Hotel's cut phone lines subject of lawsuit: In a Clark County District Court lawsuit, D.W. Pealer Backhoe Inc. said it was sued by Alexis Park Resort and Kerzetski-Bellew & Associates Construction Co. on Nov. 12, 1997, after its backhoe allegedly severed the resort's main telephone line.

Reid plans legislation for public shooting range: Diana Sahagun; Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that he plans to introduce legislation next year that would set aside 2,000-plus acres for a regional shooting range.

Bush succeeds where his father couldn't -- Nevada: CARSON CITY -- Texas Gov. George W. Bush did something his father couldn't do eight years ago -- win Nevada's electoral votes, and that put him over the top in his race for president.

Alaska-Anchorage-UNLV Box Score: ALASKA-ANCHORAGE (4-3)

Survey shows furniture industry wants showroom: Erin Neff; A new UNLV study shows widespread national support from retailers for planned wholesale furniture showrooms here.

Rebels receive early Christmas gifts: Steve Guiremand; It's been Christmas come early for UNLV's football players this week.

Editorial: Anxiety lingers on energy pick: Even one week before Election Day, one of the names floated for secretary of energy was Tom Kuhn, who runs the Edison Electric Institute, the lobbying arm of the nuclear power lobby. Talk about the fox watching the henhouse. Recently there have been other possibilities suggested, too, including a former U.S. senator who fills Nevadans with dread -- J. Bennett Johnston. For new residents to the state who may be unfamiliar with the former Louisiana senator, Johnston authored legislation in 1987 that widely became known here as the "Screw Nevada" bill. Originally three states were under consideration to be studied ...

Alden's meddling unnerves head of Regents: Board of Regents Chairwoman Thalia Dondero this morning blasted a fellow regent for publicly discussing a proposed settlement with fired UNLV basketball coach Bill Bayno.

UNLV graduate earns his degree despite disorder: Kimberley McGee; Diagnosed early with the neurological disorder autism, the 23-year-old Anthony graduated from UNLV Sunday with a bachelor of arts degree, a rare feat for a person with autism.

Judge asks BLM for records of wild horse slaughters, sanctions: Matt Kelley; WASHINGTON - A federal judge in Nevada has asked the Bureau of Land Management to tell him the number of adopted wild horses sold for slaughter despite their new owners' pledges not to do so.

For Turner, game trumps awards: Steve Guiremand; If you look closely, you might find one receiving category that UNLV wide receiver Nate Turner didn't lead the Mountain West Conference in this past season.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: At fault in military: THE DEADLY BOMBING of the USS Cole two months ago has faded slowly into the media shadows. There are still some magazine stories and newspaper comments resulting from Navy leaks. This is typical of most tragic stories, but always in the background there is another story waiting to unfold. Good reporters keep alert, knowing that another shoe will eventually drop.

Local news briefs for December 19, 2000: Metro Police are searching for a 34-year-old man accused of abducting a 17-year-old girl at gunpoint last week and sexually assaulting her.

Opportunity Village inspiration Bailey dies: Claudia Bailey, a mentally retarded woman who inspired her mother to fight to change state education laws and co-found Opportunity Village, has died in Bremerton, Wash. She was 53.

Test Site's next 50 years to focus on new research: After 41 years of exploding atomic bombs in the desert, Nevada Test Site managers are focusing on cutting-edge science that puts the power of a laboratory on a microchip smart enough to monitor toxins underground.

Obituaries for December 19, 2000: Marilyn Joyce Alvarez, 66, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. She was born April 23, 1934, in Ottumwa, Iowa. A resident for 1 1/2 years, she was a homemaker.

Editorial: Fitting way to end a senator's tenure: In addition to the protection of wildlife, the preservation of historic emigrant trails will allow visitors to view them in the same condition as they were during the 1840s, when pioneers traveled west to California. This last-minute, but well-considered decision of the 106th Congress will be remembered fondly by countless generations of Nevadans to come.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Vanishing act at MGM Grand: Kate Maddox; Don't look for illusionists Penn & Teller at the MGM Grand anytime soon. The duo have up and left their Vegas performance home of the past two years and moved to new digs at the Rio.