Print edition for December 20, 2000

Company posts profit for quarter: Net income was up from a net loss of $261,000, or 4 cents per share, reported in the year-ago quarter. Current quarter results included a $415,000 gain from a lawsuit settlement and a $174,000 loss from the closure of casino operations.

Harrah's rejects land deal: Alan Sayre; NEW ORLEANS -- The city offered to sell Harrah's New Orleans Casino the land it sits on for $600 million, but the casino quickly turned the deal down last week.

Station Casinos leaves Missouri in its wake: David Strow; In 1994, Missouri became Station Casinos Inc.'s first great experiment in geographic diversification.

Nevada sales growth slows statewide: CARSON CITY -- Nevada's general economy leveled off in October as merchants looked for a healthy holiday shopping season.

LV singer sued over production costs: In a Clark County District Court lawsuit, Barbara Ellen Steffen, the wife of James G. Steffen who died in June 1999, alleged her late husband had incurred out-of-pocket expenses while "orchestrating charts" in January 1997 for musicians in Bono's opening act at the Tropicana and recording 12 tracks for Bono's album at Capitol Records in Los Angeles later that year.

Afghanistan calls off peace talks, refuses bin Laden handover: Amir Shah; KABUL, Afghanistan - The ruling Taliban militia responded Wednesday to harsh new U.N. sanctions, pulling out of U.N.-mediated peace talks on ending Afghanistan's civil war and refusing any handover of terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden to the United States.

Bush to nominate Pa. exec O'Neill for treasury, sources say: Ron Fournier; WASHINGTON - President-elect Bush was nominating Pennsylvania business executive and former Ford administration budget expert Paul O'Neill as treasury secretary Wednesday, The Associated Press learned. Three other Cabinet positions were to be filled by day's end.

Correction: The Sun corrects its errors. If you find a mistake, call 385-3111 to report it.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Good buys are still out there: Last-minute shoppers will find many good buys these last few days before Christmas. Sales are already under way, but selections are, of course, smaller. Nevertheless, this is a good time to find some excellent values. And during this time stores often have extended hours. I love shopping early in the morning before the crowds arrive.

Chile's Supreme Court throws out Pinochet indictment: Eduardo Gallardo; SANTIAGO, Chile - Chile's Supreme Court on Wednesday threw out the homicide and kidnapping indictment against former dictator Augusto Pinochet, saying his case was not properly handled.

Obituaries for December 20, 2000: Antonio Demond Addison, 20, of Las Vegas died Dec. 6 in Las Vegas. He was born May 14, 1980, in Las Vegas. He was a nursing assistant.

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

Nevada lawmakers call for more scrutiny of DOE bias: The Nevada congressional delegation is asking the General Accounting Office to investigate whether the Energy Department has shown a bias for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.

Columnist Paula DelGiudice: 'Nevada Book' a must for hunters: Paula DelGiudice; For big game hunters, there's nothing like the sight of a big buck (or bull, or ram) to get your adrenaline flowing. It keeps hunters going from season to season, from tough hunt to successful hunt.

Letter: GOP writes text on winning: First, the cabal, consisting of the hierarchy, pick their man. Second, they begin a massive fund-raising effort and establish a war chest.

Polluting company has fine cut by county's Air Quality Division: A company threatened with a $57,000 fine for putting dust pollution into the air had the fine reduced to less than a tenth that amount during a hearing Tuesday of the Clark County Health District's Air Quality Division.

Officer under investigation to retire after 22-year career: Keith Paul; A high-ranking Metro Police officer whose blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when he was arrested last month will retire effective Jan. 2, police officials said.

Community news briefs for December 20, 2000: Henderson will open its third new fire station this year on Monday, giving the city eight stations.

Horse slaughter report ordered: Matt Kelley; WASHINGTON -- A federal judge 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.

Prep Classic notebook: Western still enjoying success on easy street in Gold Cup: Spencer Patterson; After opening Monday's first-round game with a 39-2 run reminiscent of a pregame layup drill, the Western Warriors certainly didn't expect another cakewalk in round two Tuesday against George Washington, the top-ranked team in Colorado.

Guinn throws support behind gaming fight: Gov. Kenny Guinn quietly held his own mini-summit with casino industry leaders this week to discuss strategy in the fight against the NCAA's push for a betting ban on college sports.

Rudin decision to come next month: Greg Tuttle; Clark County District Judge Joseph Bonaventure will decide next month whether defense allegations of a conspiracy between police and civil attorneys to deny the widow of a slain Las Vegas real estate agent her inheritance should result in the dismissal of a murder charge.

Casinos to keep stance on Internet gambling: David Strow; The casino industry will again insist on exemptions to protect itself before supporting any future federal legislation banning Internet gambling, the head of the American Gaming Association said.

Killer's life sentences to run consecutively: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man linked to a quadruple slaying because of his "scary eyes" was sentenced to four consecutive no-parole life sentences Tuesday.

Johnston won't be named to energy position: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The author of the so-called "Screw Nevada" bill today took his name off President-elect George W. Bush's short list for energy secretary.

County fire department audit set: Adrienne Packer; The Clark County Fire Department will undergo an internal and financial audit to determine whether the division is short-staffed and undertrained and, if so, to what extent.

Alleged police abuses of power protested: Diana Sahagun; Officer-related shootings

Halfway houses ticketed for not having licenses: Kris Hill; Two halfway houses in the Hazelcrest neighborhood in southeast Las Vegas were cited Tuesday afternoon by the county's business license department for operating without licenses.

Lady Rebels fade late in loss to Northridge: UNLV's women's basketball team had not played a game for nine days going into its nonconference match with Cal State Northridge Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Rebels look for edge vs. bowl-experienced Arkansas: Steve Guiremand; For John Robinson's UNLV Rebels, it's a good thing that tradition doesn't count for any points in Thursday night's Las Vegas Bowl matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Supreme Court overturns verdict in murder case: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court has overturned the first degree murder conviction of a Las Vegas gang member because the prosecution failed to provide crucial evidence to defense lawyers.

Witnesses' stories conflict in Butler's trial in slayings: Kim Smith; One by one, John Edward Butler's defense witnesses testified he was with them in the hours before and during the slayings of two anti-racist skinhead activists.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Alarmists crying wolf once again: Dean Juipe; For those who cover Major League Baseball on a 24/7 basis, there seems to be unanimity on the subject of the game's future. After what happened last week, everyone says it's bleak.

Another ex-Wash. State star to join Rebels: Steve Guiremand; It worked once, so why not again?

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Fragrant Prospect - Espinoza aboard Dolan trainee, draws good post for sprint opener, Prospect has scent of victory. Bonus Pay Day - Training at Anita, draws just inside top pick, hard-riding Pedroza on Carava horse, team productive. Value Play -- True Delight

For-profit hospitals eye county funding: Adrienne Packer; An independent auditor will determine whether for-profit Southern Nevada hospitals serve enough uninsured, low-income patients to warrant receiving a portion of Clark County funding.

Gorman gets early wish: A shot at No. 1 Oak Hill: Spencer Patterson; All they've wanted for Christmas is a shot at the champs.

Holiday Prep Classic results, schedule: Las Vegas Millennium Cup

Columnist Jeff Haney: 'Root' for these bowl selections to come in: He works part time as a motivational speaker, so it's no surprise Wayne Root sounds enthusiastic as he talks about his latest ventures.

Pollution credits program threatened: The head of a subcommittee charged with oversight over an audit of a troubled Clark County Health District pollution program is charging that some district employees and policymakers are willing to scuttle the program rather than risk the audit.

Ladies & gentlemen, meet your Las Vegas ... 51s (!): Victoria Sun; The number 51 will soon be on the minds of many Las Vegans. At least that's the hope of the city's triple-A baseball team front office staff.

Letter: Powell's speech fails to mention affirmative action: Sadly, there was no mention of affirmative action, a program his political party refutes, but which was one of the conduits through which he rose to his present position.

Local news briefs for December 20, 2000: That tree may look lovely in your home right now, but it certainly won't spruce up the neighborhood on your curb or in a trash bin after the holidays.

Letter: Clinton legacy is one of betrayal: Can I ask her what planet has she been living on the past couple of years? She stated, "President Clinton did not steal his elections, nor did he betray the voters and country."

GAO moves ahead with probe into dropout problem: Terry Webster; The General Accounting Office is moving forward with a federal investigation into the causes of the high school dropout rate in Nevada and the nation, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said Tuesday.

Malone, at last County Commission meeting, doesn't rule out comeback: Adrienne Packer; The scene has become common around the Malone household -- 22-month-old Grant Malone speaking into a flower vase, then moving around the living room to hug his parents before returning to his stage.

Nevada's kids lack health insurance: Nevada lags seriously behind the nation in providing health insurance to its poor children, a national study says.

Las Vegas Bowl notebook: Rudolph catches up with old friend: Steve Guiremand; As the old Walt Disney song goes, it's a small world after all.

Bryan likes first appointments: CARSON CITY -- The initial appointments of President-elect George W. Bush "look pretty good," retiring Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said Tuesday in what he described as his last speech as a public official.

High land costs will lead to mixed results: New home sales in the Las Vegas area are off about 4 percent from last year's total and local industry leaders say high land prices are going to make it even harder to offer affordable homes in the future.

Las Vegas area fishing report: LAKE MEAD: Last week's big news came in the form of a pair of chunky largemouth bass that were caught near Fish Island in the Overton Arm. The fish weighed 9 1/2 and 6 1/2 pounds and were caught with jigs.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Holiday party mixes gingerbread, shopping: Elizabeth Foyt; Rarely has the yuletide in Southern Nevada been so richly celebrated as during the recent Holiday Culinary and Shopping Soiree jointly hosted by Neiman Marcus and the Four Seasons. The private party -- attended by Buck and Aurora Wong, Joyce Galane, Dr. Ralph and Sandy Litton, Rick and Lydia Zeller, Bill Greaves and Phyllis Schwartz -- began with hot cider at the Gingerbread Holiday Village, a fantasy creation produced by Four Seasons' chefs for the benefit of the Terry Fox Cancer Research Foundation. Each charming building will be sold to assist with research costs.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Yuletide brings high tide to City Hall: THIS IS the time of year when governments, like people, slow down to concentrate on holiday pursuits. But down on Stewart Avenue, this could be a week to remember for three distinct reasons. Here they are:

Editorial: Shooting range in valley is overdue: So it is a positive sign that local, state and federal officials are working together to secure more than 2,000 acres of desolate, federally owned land in Clark County on which to build a shooting range. Not only would such a county-operated facility offer a needed service for local sportsmen, but it also would protect the safety of other Nevadans who currently are in harm's way if they wander near a makeshift shooting range.

Editorial: Sorting out power mess in the West: So who is to blame for the current mess? Some consumer advocates and elected officials from California have accused electricity generators of price gouging. But as Gannett News Service reported last week, electricity generators say state government policies, which required utilities to buy much of their power off the spot market (rather than entering into stable, long-term contracts), have contributed to the problems. The companies also say price caps advocated by some officials would exacerbate the current shortage of power plants, which they say has also helped lead to higher prices.

Savvy wine buy: Rutherford Ranch '97 Cabernet Sauvignon: Available at Spirits Plus, $11.39 (Spirits Plus will close next month, so buy this soon).

Gateway executive to join board of directors: Bradley currently is executive vice president of global operations for Gateway Inc., a computer systems provider, and had served as president and chief executive of Transport International Pool, a GE Capital Services Co.

Failed sale of store prompts lawsuit: In a Clark County District Court suit, Elri doing business as Bare Essentials-Fantasy Fashions sued Gary and Anna "Carla" Collins, alleging they defaulted on the $1.5 million payment.

Home builder to beat analysts' projections: Del Webb has three of its Sun City retirement communities in the Las Vegas area and is building the Anthem master plan in Henderson.

1,000-machine mark reached with 'Jumble' slot: The slot is based on a newspaper crossword puzzle game distributed by Tribune Media Services. The game, introduced Sept. 18, is a "participation" slot, meaning that WMS receives a portion of revenues from slot play, rather than selling the slot to casinos outright. Such slots help produce recurring revenue streams for slot machine makers; currently, WMS has more than 5,000 participation slots installed, including the popular "Monopoly" slot series.

Casino regulators vote down Reno casino licensing plan: Brendan Riley; Judah Hertz had tried to withdraw an outdated application for licensing at the Flamingo Hilton, Sands Regent and Comstock hotel-casinos in Reno. But state regulators rejected the withdrawal request and voted unanimously to deny him.

FBI: Man enraged by flight attendant, then suffocated: SALT LAKE CITY -- A flight attendant might have provoked an enraged 19-year-old Las Vegas Southwest Airlines passenger who was later suffocated by fellow passengers trying to control him, according to an FBI report.