Print edition for February 10, 2000

Marathon runner killed sprinting to Vegas bus: Police say 30-year-old Thomas Anthony Caruso was struck early Sunday as he ran across Tropicana Avenue to catch a bus that would take him to a race in Sloan, Nev., south of Las Vegas.

Community news briefs for February 10, 2000: Life Care Center of Paradise Valley presents a seminar, "Food Choices for Better Living" at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Life Care Center of Paradise Valley, 2325 E. Harmon Ave. Call 798-7990.

Death threat wasn't serious, prosecutors say; Tarver fined $500: Natalie Gott; The testimony by would-be casino operator Bernie Klein came Wednesday in the federal racketeering trial of former Gov. Edwin Edwards. Klein's claim that commission member Sam Gilliam had felt his life was threatened brought an immediate halt to the trial Wednesday evening. However, in a hearing this morning, prosecutors said the "threat" was not as serious as it sounded.

Stars feature new leader, but doubts about future: Steve Guiremand; The Las Vegas Stars will have a new look for the 2000 season as Duane Espy replaces Mike Ramsay as manager of the triple-A squad.

Letter: Leave downtown post office alone; remove eyesores: Let me give you a gratis tip: Cut down on a lot of stupid rules and regulations and the private sector will come in; remove all the eyesores and rebuild the city!

Columnist Dean Juipe: Trinidad planning to beat Reid, stay at 154: Dean Juipe; If Felix Trinidad defeats David Reid March 3 at Caesars Palace, he will leave the ring with three championships in two weight divisions.

Editorial: Remove roadblocks to real HMO reform: At first glance it would appear as if there might be room to get some substantial legislation passed, especially considering the strong public support for a patient's bill of rights. Unfortunately, as President Clinton noted Wednesday, the problem is that the GOP House leadership has stacked its negotiating team with opponents -- not supporters -- of reform. If a patient's bill of rights doesn't become reality, blame should be placed squarely on the Republican congressional leadership. These Republican leaders have done everything in their power to torpedo important patient protections at the behest of a big GOP campaign contributor -- ...

How the Western was won: Even the homeless feel at home in a downtown Las Vegas bingo parlor, where some devoted patrons have been covering numbers for almost 30 years.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: All-Star game has local entry: Larry Johnson wasn't even nominated for this year's NBA All-Star game but that doesn't mean Las Vegas won't be represented in the annual 5-on-5 pickup game which tips off Sunday afternoon in Oakland.

Letter: Obvious cruelty must be punished: RITA LEONE

National search planned for chancellor: Jace Radke and Ed Koch; The search for a new chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada will be national in scope, with September the target month for the new administrator to take over.

Firing of prison psychologist upheld at hearing: CARSON CITY -- A state hearing officer has upheld the firing of a prison psychologist who burned the neck of an inmate with a match and who then sought to escape disciplinary action by first offering the convict a favor and later threatening him.

Colorado Powerball gets a second chance: The bill allows multi-state lotteries, which usually have bigger jackpots than Colorado's lottery. Chlouber said he will introduce legislation soon that would allow a statewide vote on whether money from such multi-state lotteries should go to construction of elementary, middle and high schools.

Letter: Many wondering about bear abusers: CAROLE LA ROCCA

Rams likely to throw change-up at Kambala: Steve Addy; When UNLV played Colorado State barely two weeks ago, Kaspars Kambala couldn't help feeling insulted, but in a pleasant sort of way.

Moore's death still haunts Carpentier: HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- After an extended period away from racing this winter, during which he devoted much of his time to working out in Las Vegas, Patrick Carpentier finally thought he had put the death of teammate Greg Moore behind him.

Vegas said to be a beneficiary of Internet travel industry: The executives say the Internet bookings have begun to alter the mix of visitors coming to Las Vegas, drawing more younger visitors with higher incomes and more education.

Letter: Why does MLK have his own day?: Yet Martin Luther King gets a day all his own, with parades and heavy media coverage. My comments are not to be construed as a race issue, just a curiosity as to where our priorities are today. Also, why not a day to honor the original Americans, the Indians.

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Open your hearts to camp fund: Ruthe Deskin; "Thank you for the mostest fun I ever did have."

Columnist Joe Delaney: Big bands' musical dexterity is appreciated: Joe Delaney; Lon Bronson's Big Band, onstage throughout, is not only a major contributor to "David Cassidy at the Copa, co-starring Sheena Easton" at the Rio, it also packs the Riviera lounge, starting at 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday nights, with guest sit-ins, both performers and top musicians. ... Wayne Newton's Stardust orchestra is another full complement, backing Newton with near perfection; stalwarts, all.

Wednesday's prep results: Green Valley 47, Silverado 43 (OT): The Gators took control of the Southeast Division race -- grabbing the tiebreaker over the Skyhawks by beating them by more than three points. Jamar Jordan hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch in the extra period to solidify the victory. Jordan and Jared Bedich led Green Valley with 11 points apiece.

Friday at Aqueduct: 1st race 1-1/16 mi 3YO Mdn Clm: 1 Serwin (Arroyo) 111; 2 Seventh Sacrament (Castillo) 118; 3a Unend (Aguilar) 116; 4 Lemieux Adieu (Rocco) 111; 5 Casanova Cat (Gryder) 120; 6 Blue Eyed Trickstr (Teator) 120; 7a Good Boy Sam (Bravo) 120; 8 Devil's Dynasty (Luzzi) 120; 9 Spectacular Light (Lopez) 120.

Report says California tribes could have strong impact on Nevada: Robert Macy; LAS VEGAS - The evolution of Indian casino gambling in California could cost the Reno/Sparks area $232 million in revenue growth through 2004, according to a new Wall Street report.

Key lawmakers clash over Forest Service findings in Nevada: Scott Sonner; RENO, Nev. - Dozens of allegations of harassment and intimidation of Forest Service workers in Nevada outlined in an investigative report are "disturbing and disgraceful," Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said Thursday.

AG says grant funds available to fight youth tobacco use: Grants can be renewed annually for up to three years, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said, adding that she looks forward to working with other Nevada officials, including state schools chief Mary Peterson, to ensure the state gets its cut of the money.

Senators claim nuclear waste vote victory for Nevada: Angie Wagner; LAS VEGAS - The Senate may have voted to dump the nation's highly radioactive nuclear waste in Nevada, but the state's senators said Thursday's decision is a major victory because they have enough support to sustain a promised veto by President Clinton.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Wrestling the gorilla: The fool rushes in ... wise men may follow.

Lady Luck shareholders approve merger with Isle of Capri: Matt Moore; Shareholders of Lady Luck Gaming Corp. gave their approval to the proposed merger with Biloxi-based Isle of Capri.

Friday at Santa Anita: 1st race 1 mi 3YO Mdn: 1 Indy Film (Delahoussaye) 121; 2 Positive Outlook (Garcia) 121; 3 Smokeville (Black) 121; 4 Dyouknowwhatimean (Atkinson) 121; 5 Tradesman (Pincay) 121; 6 Victory Dash (Blanc) 121; 7 L. A. Bull (Nakatani) 121; 8 Livingonthestrand (Espinoza) 121; 9 No Wager (Berrio) 121.

Executive Council approves new New Hampshire lottery contract: Rebecca Mahoney; Autotote Lottery Corp. will take over operation of the New Hampshire Lottery on July 1 and plans to install 24-hour online lottery and instant gaming systems.

Judge rejects bid of confessed child killer for new trial: Angie Wagner; "This court cannot tell you why you did what you did," District Judge Joseph Bonaventure said. "You, Mr. Strohmeyer, did in fact kidnap and kill Sherrice Iverson."

Editorial: Minimum safeguards for privacy: While this is better than nothing, the best policy would be a requirement that financial companies must first get the consent of the consumer before any information is released. Placing the burden on the consumer to track down the company, and then ask that a hold be placed on sensitive data and information, is unreasonable. But given the current political climate in Washington, where privacy rights don't merit the serious consideration they deserve, this probably is the best deal the public will get.

Plan would help threatened fish blocked by dam since 1905: Scott Sonner; Bureau of Reclamation officials outlined plans Wednesday night to build a fish passage system that would allow threatened fish in Pyramid Lake to migrate up the Truckee River toward Lake Tahoe for the first time since the Derby Dam was built 20 miles east of Reno in 1905.

Gretna mayor details efforts to gain riverboat approval: Natalie Gott; BATON ROUGE, La. - A former member of the now-defunct Riverboat Gaming Commission said he had no choice in his June 1993 vote to award temporary approval to six riverboats because his life had been threatened, a witness testified at Edwin Edwards' federal racketeering trial.

Senate approves bill to open up gambling at racetracks: Deborah Baker; Tracks could have full-scale casinos under the bill, which passed on a vote of 20-17.

Friday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 6 fur 4YO & up F & M Mdn Clm: 1 Onceuponalime (Carr) 117; 2 Thread the Needle (Arriaga) 117; 3 Merry Dam ( (Matias) 117; 4 Flow Terces (Radke) 112; 5 In Country (Castanon) 117; 6 Eldorado Belle (Baze) 117.

Casino executives offer upbeat industry assessment: Robert Macy; LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas has weathered concerns about overbuilding and companies that are expanding to other jurisdictions are enjoying record revenues, casino executives told an investors conference Thursday.

Senate committee approves video gambling at dog track: Phillip Rawls; The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee voted 4-1 Wednesday for a bill by Sen. George Clay, D-Tuskegee, that would allow video gambling at the Macon County dog track. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it could be considered as early as Tuesday.

British firm borrows from flashy slot machines to update table games: Brendan Riley; The state Gaming Control Board recommended a distributors' license Wednesday for John Huxley Casino Equipment Ltd., which has made gambling tables for years - and watched slot revenues steadily surpass the house winnings at casino table games.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- L.A. Bull - Nakatani takes Ellis trainee, adds blinkers for this trip, must overcome post here. Indy Film - Draws good rail post for the mile on turf, Eddie D. for trainer Hofmans here, should get golden trip. Value Play -- Victory Dash

Rebels baseball team hosts No. 3 UCLA: UNLV is 2-3 on the season. The Rebels opened the 2000 season with a three-game series against St. Mary's, Calif. UNLV lost the first two games, 8-5 and 13-6 and won the third game of the series, 3-1. The Rebels then split a two-game series against Southern Utah.

Girls Bowling standings: SUNRISE REGION

Sun Girls Basketball Poll: Teams are ranked jointly by the Las Vegas Sun and the Daily Sparks Tribune.

Winter Cup Challenge in LV: Winter Cup Challenge in LV

Highlights of 1999 revenue report on Nevada casinos: Highlights of 1999 revenue report on Nevada casinos

Gabelli continues building Jackpot stake: A Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicated Gabelli's funds purchased more than 55,000 shares of Jackpot stock on Monday. Gabelli spent nearly $640,000 on the purchases, which increased his holdings in the company by 6.2 percent.

Police looking for motive in slaying at sports book: Bill Gang; Metro Police are still looking for a motive in the shooting death of a man in a Las Vegas casino sports book.

Doctor, 79, arrested in illegal prescription case: Dr. Gabriel D. Cacuci and Ahmad Sobhani were charged with illegally prescribing controlled substances and with maintaining a place for the purpose of unlawful sale of a controlled substance.

Girls Soccer standings: SUNRISE REGION

New Mexico Gaming Control Board says Farmington track failed to keep adequate records: Pete Herrera; The New Mexico Gaming Control Board said Wednesday that SunRay Gaming Inc., the corporation that owns and operates the track in Farmington, is doing a poor job of keeping its records in order. So the board is considering fining SunRay $17,500 if it doesn't correct the problem within 20 days.

New senior's legislation gets mixed reviews: Kim Smith; A new state law that requires licenses for companies that refer seniors to nursing homes, assisted living facilities and group care homes is drawing mixed reactions.

Judge dismisses bankruptcy petition by California woman who won $1.3 million jackpot: Zurzolo also gave permission to Thomas Rossi's lawyers to return to court with the bankruptcy court ruling. Rossi previously won a Superior Court ruling giving him all the money from his ex-wife's lottery win.

Nevada gaming win total tops $9 billion in 1999: Cy Ryan and Richard N. Velotta; Nevada casinos won a record $9 billion last year as revenues on table games rebounded from 1998.

License to care: Kim Smith; When Deneice Peters realized she wasn't going to be able to care for her ailing mother any longer, she felt blessed to find a homey, comfortable and safe environment for her.

UNLV hosts men's tennis tournament: UNLV hosts men's tennis tournament

School Board members to get outside help on getting along: Terry Webster; Improving board governance and policymaking will be the topic Friday for the Clark County School Board during a retreat led by Miriam Carver of the Atlanta-based firm Carver Governance Design Inc.

Boys Bowling standings: SUNRISE REGION

Convention contractor sues union: Grace Leong; GES Exposition Services Inc. sued the union representing its Las Vegas electricians, alleging the union is insisting its members install light bulbs and instigated a Jan. 29 strike over the issue.

State gets report ripping monorail: Adrienne Packer; An Illinois-based consultant's report that says ridership estimates for a Las Vegas monorail are overly optimistic was submitted to the state this week by Yellow-Checker-Star Transportation.

Internet travel could aid business in LV: David Strow; The booming business of booking travel on the Internet presents new opportunities to drive more business to Las Vegas, a group of top industry executives said Wednesday.

Gates will decide on Walters judge: Bill Gang; Chief District Judge Lee Gates said today he will determine whether fellow District Judge Donald Mosley should preside over the money-laundering case of sports bettor and politically connected golf course operator Billy Walters and three others.

Girls Basketball standings: SUNRISE REGION

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Teams must wrestle title from Cimarron: Spencer Patterson; Can anybody beat Cimarron-Memorial?

Local businesses could be targeted in Net attacks, officials say: Kim Smith; ETrade, eBay and CNN today. Could you be tomorrow? According to some experts, the answer is an emphatic "Yes."

High school athletes honored: High school athletes honored

Fund-raiser at Santa Fe: Fund-raiser at Santa Fe

Las Vegas nips Valley to clinch division title: Spencer Patterson; Just two years ago, Las Vegas High and Valley dominated Southern Nevada's boys basketball scene, with the Wildcats and Vikings meeting in both the zone and state title games.

Chief justice runs for re-election: CARSON CITY -- Chief Justice Bob Rose, a member of the Nevada Supreme Court during some of its stormiest years, announced today he would seek a third six-year term.

Treasure Island challenges benefits for former workers: In two petitions filed in January at Clark County District Court, Treasure Island is seeking court orders to deny unemployment benefits to Alma Pullman, a former cashier; and Jose Diaz, a maintenance worker. Both were allegedly fired for misconduct.

Las Vegas computer school faces critics, receives license: New Horizons Computer Center of Las Vegas will receive a provisional license to open a school after it provides the state a $100,000 bond.

Obituaries for February 10, 2000: Charlene JoAnn Bridges, 63, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. She was born Aug. 30, 1936, in LaPorte, Ind. A resident for nine years, she was a homemaker.

4A Southern Zone Wrestling Championships schedule: At Centennial High School

DA seeks sanctions against Tabish defense: Chief Deputy District Attorney David Roger today asked District Judge Joseph Bonaventure to consider sanctions against defense lawyers in the Ted Binion murder case for filing a "frivolous" motion involving a jailhouse informant.

Bee attack sends man to hospital: Jace Radke; A large swarm of aggressive bees that fit the profile of Africanized honeybees sent one man to the hospital with an attack Wednesday near an elementary school in a northwest Las Vegas neighborhood.

Prep Wrestling standings: CLASS 4A

NLV panel OKs senior housing: Diana Sahagun; Representatives of a proposed low-income senior housing complex hoping their site plan would be a "slam dunk" got their wish Wednesday at a North Las Vegas Planning Commission meeting.

Sun Boys Basketball Poll: Teams are ranked jointly by the Las Vegas Sun and the Daily Sparks Tribune.

Station Casinos expects quick approval of Indian casino: CARSON CITY -- Station Casinos, which owns four big hotel-casinos in the Las Vegas area, feels federal approval will come in late summer for its proposed $100 million casino on Indian land near the freeway in California that links San Francisco and Reno.

National Airlines chief calls for cooperation: Airline executive Mike Conway says the good news is that with a little cooperation, the casino and airline industries could fill more hotel rooms and airplane seats in the future.

Las Vegas plans to dig out from under cemetery: Erin Neff; Woodlawn Cemetery has buried the city of Las Vegas in expenses for years.

Institutional investors sell stakes: In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, MacKay Shields Financial Corp. reported a 2.31 million-share stake in the Las Vegas-based casino operator as of Dec. 31. That represents 1.8 percent control of the company.

Reid, Bryan cheer vote count, which allows for Clinton veto: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The Senate today passed by a crucial 64-34 vote a bill that establishes rules for shipping nuclear waste to Nevada. President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill, and the Senate needs only 34 votes to sustain a veto.

Strohmeyer returns to prison after plea denied: Bill Gang; Officials were preparing today to return confessed child killer Jeremy Strohmeyer to a protective custody cubicle at Nevada State Prison in Carson City after a judge Wednesday denied his request to withdraw a guilty plea in the death of Sherrice Iverson.

Health care company losing CEO: SANTA ANA, Calif. -- PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., a big managed health care operator in Nevada, said Chief Executive Alan Hoops plans to retire by March 31.

Betting bill may be getting the boot: The casino industry's top Washington lobbyist said today he has been told a bill to ban betting on college sports is dead in the House.

New building boom on Strip foreseen: David Strow; The Venetian became the latest casino company Wednesday to join the Las Vegas expansion announcement boom, saying it hopes to start building a second tower this year.

Abraham making fundraising stop at MGM: The fundraiser, to be held at the MGM Grand Mansion, will charge $1,000 per person. Hosts include Alex Yemenidjian, chairman and chief executive of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., and Las Vegas Republican political adviser Sig Rogich. Gov. Kenny Guinn is also expected to attend.

Merrill Lynch downgrades utility's stock: A vote cast by Public Utilities Commission of Nevada Chairman Don Soderberg on a $110 million rate request last week was cited in an analyst's report downgrading the stock from a "buy" to an "accumulate" rating.

Revenue, loss numbers issued: Revenue, loss numbers issued

Cash flow, revenue soar for cable operator: ATLANTA -- Cox Communications, operator of the main Las Vegas cable TV system, reported fourth quarter earnings fell 64 percent from the year-ago quarter to $113.1 million or 18 cents per share.