Print edition for February 23, 2000

Highlights from Tuesday's testimony in the Edwards trial: As a birthday present to Edwards in 1994, Brotherton had a set of wooden chips and a carrying case made for Edwards, Brotherton testified.

Fla. Atlantic-UNLV box score: FLORIDA ATLANTIC (1-25)

Columnist Jon Ralston: Beware of pols whispering sweet nothings: The technique is as old as politics, presidential and otherwise: candidates producing rhetorical candy while in the company of one audience, though the words may be less sweet elsewhere.

Taxicab industry in booming in LV: The Nevada Taxicab Authority reported the number of taxi trips in 1999 increased 13.6 percent to 19.9 million from 17.5 million in 1998. Revenues from those trips increased 15.9 percent to $171.6 million in 1999 compared with $148.1 million in 1998.

Ray records best lap in testing at LVMS: Ray, at 26.270 seconds, 205.558 mph, was one of three drivers who crested the 205 mark around the 1.5-mile oval at LVMS. Mark Dismore, in the Bryant Heating & Cooling-On Star Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone, finished the day with a lap of 26.331, 205.081 mph.

Metro gang unit probes two fatal drive-by shootings: Keith Paul; Metro Police continue to investigate whether gangs were involved in a pair of drive-by shootings that killed two high school students over the weekend, but they have no reason to believe the two incidents were connected.

Letter: It's rude to leave show before end: At the end of the performance only one-half to 60 percent of the people were left to applaud the hard work of these talented dancers. Perhaps those who left early thought a ballet is like a baseball game; when you know how it's going to turn out, you might as well leave. That way you can jump in your SUV, be first out of the parking lot, and start cutting people off in traffic.

Scrumptious food marked second Gourmet Games: Max Jacobson; Everyone partied hard at the mouth-wateringly delicious, second annual Gourmet Games held Saturday in the Palace Grand Ballroom in Caesars Palace hotel-casino.

MGM Grand offers to buy Mirage Resorts for $5.4 billion: Mirage officials declined comment on the unsolicited offer this morning.

Tribal members take over council chambers in South Dakota: John MacDonald; And FBI Special Agent Paul McCabe said at least one weapon was seen inside the tribal headquarters.

Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Conservation bill garners support: Paula DelGiudice; Landmark conservation funding legislation H.R. 701, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), was reported out of committee last week. With another 293 co-sponsors, this represents a solid bipartisan majority of the 435-member House of Representatives.

Letter: Electric power shortage will hurt middle class: The laws of economics say that if the cost to produce a product goes down and you have free access to become a producer, the price will go down. (Long distance phone and air travel). In the world of generating electricity, you cannot just go build a power plant because the public is afraid of nuclear plants; environmentalists are against hydroplants, they even want to tear down the Glen Canyon Dam; and coal plants are unacceptable due to air pollution.

With a 23-game losing skid, it's not so easy being Green: Victoria Sun; First-year Florida Atlantic head coach Sidney Green had been there before.

New Forest Service boss in Nevada won't rule out road: Scott Sonner; SPARKS, Nev. - The new Forest Service supervisor in Nevada says he is not ruling out the possibility of rebuilding the washed-out road at the center of a dispute over a threatened fish in Elko County.

Letter: Supreme Court justices absent: H. AMZALLAG

Mandalay posts a quarterly loss: The Las Vegas-based casino operator said it earned, on an operating basis, 1 cent per share vs. 16 cents in the year-ago quarter.

Officers, directors quit Henderson firm: The Henderson company on Tuesday also reported a quarterly loss of $19.5 million or 39 cents a share compared with a loss in the year-ago quarter of $10.3 million or 26 cents a share. Revenue fell from $75.9 million to $52 million.

Man wanted in New York killing found in Las Vegas: John M. Beers, 38, was picked up by members of the Criminal Apprehension Team Saturday morning after he checked into the Sunset Motel, 6000 S. Boulder Highway, using his real name and address.

LV judge chosen for fed bench: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- President Clinton on Tuesday nominated U.S. District Judge Johnnie Rawlinson of Las Vegas for a higher bench, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But the most difficult hurdles in the nomination process may lie ahead.

UNLV Academic Top 30 Team: Men's Soccer-- Ryan Bledsoe, Andrew Hooker, Benjamin Hooker, Paul Lunkwitz, Marcus Sorensen, Tuomas Talvio.

Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Foundation gearing up for historic fashion show: Elizabeth Foyt; A note from Beverly Carlino-Banta, executive director of MLAF -- the Museums, Library and Arts Foundation -- who reports that its new year is filled with progress for the new nonprofit agency based at the Nevada State Museum in Lorenzi Park. Recently the MLAF board of trustees conducted their annual meeting and elected their new officers for 2000. I.R. "Renny" Ashleman is president, while Janice Pine will serve as vice president, Marydean Martin as secretary and Robert Ostrovsky as treasurer.

Park Service goes high-tech to nab cactus poachers: Robert Macy; The National Park Service hopes implanting tiny transponders the size of a grain of rice will help thwart poachers who dig up the desert plants for resale or for their own use.

Mad About 'Plaid': What: "Forever Plaid."

Obituaries for February 23, 2000: Rose Mary Belgiano, 74, of Las Vegas died Thursday in Las Vegas. She was born Oct. 1, 1925, in New York. A resident for 18 years, she was a retired waitress.

Thursday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 1-1/16 mi 4YO & up F & M Clm: 1 Money the Fast Way (Warren) 117; 2 Candi Moonshine (Perez) 117; 3 A New Life (Radke) 112; 4 West Side Sally (Baze) 117; 5 Western Fly Way (Matias) 117.

MGM Grand sets its sights on Mirage Resorts, betting billions on a deal: Robert Macy; The offer was 56 percent higher than the market value of Mirage and also included the assumption of $2 billion in debt, a deal so rich that it could discourage any other bidders, analysts said Wednesday.

Editorial: California wager is a big gamble: "Unlike their counterparts across the state line, Sacramento regulators lack clear authority to audit casino books or inspect slot machines. And unlike Nevada, Davis granted tribes the discretion to permit people as young as 18 -- the age of many high school seniors -- to wager. Moreover, if a tribe disputes a jackpot, the tribes' own gambling commissions will resolve the dispute. Patrons will not have the right to appeal to courts," Times' reporters Dan Morain and Tom Gorman wrote.

Mirage shareholders sue over MGM takeover: Grace Leong; In a Clark County District Court suit against Mirage and its board members, Crandon Capital Partners said it and other Mirage shareholders have been "deprived of the opportunity to realize fully the benefits of their investment in the company" because of Mirage management decisions.

Edwards trial elicits more tales of suspected payoffs: Natalie Gott; John Brotherton told the jury that longtime Edwards family friend Ricky Shetler once described to him how he made payoffs to Edwards and his son Stephen.

Fair tax for trade on Internet studied: Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, also is concerned about untaxed e-commerce. He says the state will lose a lot of revenue if such sales continue to go untaxed.

Saturday at Aqueduct: 1st race 6 fur 4YO & up Clm: 1 Golden Tent (Nelson) 115; 2 Focus (Montalvo) 112; 3 We Belong (Perez) 108; 4 Flo's Double (Mojica) 117; 5 Touch of Honey (Teator) 117; 6 Lough Conn (DeCarlo) 117; 7 Silver Kipper (Bridgmohan) 117; 8 McRyanne (Luzzi) 117; 9 Devil's Ransom (Arroyo) 110.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Don't rush to judgment on Wilt and gambling: So, the FBI once investigated charges that Wilt Chamberlain bet on his own games and shaved points in the late 1960s.

Union sues builder, trade group: In a U.S. District Court suit, the Southern California-Nevada Regional Council of Carpenters alleged Keenan Hopkins Suder & Stowell Contractors Inc. delayed the settlement by failing to appoint two of its members to a Board of Adjustment and appear for a scheduled hearing, which is part of a settlement procedure.

Coldwell Banker chief is bridging Internet, personal touch in real estate: Phil Levine; Alex Perriello says high technology likely won't replace the human side of real estate, and "the era of part-time Realtors and mortgage burning parties is over."

Savvy wine buys: Sometimes the classification of French wines can be confusing as this hard-to-pronounce wine attests to. Vacqueyras is a village in southern France on the Rhone. The wines it produces were given their own appellation in 1990. This deep red, concentrated wine is all Grenache, a wild, spicy grape that is the principal ingredient in more prestigious wines such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This wine tastes of cranberries and smoke. It should improve in the bottle for a few more years.

Isle of Capri official sees no bar to Boonville project: Dana Fields; Allan B. Solomon, executive vice president of Mississippi-based Isle of Capri Casino Inc., told the Missouri Gaming Comission the company has modified its standard design to fit local needs in other states.

Community news briefs for February 23, 2000: The fourth annual African American Student Achievement Conference will be offered 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday at UNLV's Moyer Student Union.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Thursday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- More Cal Bread - Hustling Pedroza aboard Siegal runner for trainer Hendricks, must negotiate outside post at a mile here, Bread and butter? Unique Affair - Breaks right outside top pick, may hustle for position with top jock Nakatani aboard, first turn tells tale. Value Play -- Spanish Thoughts

UNLV golf team opens spring play in Hawaii: The ninth-ranked Rebels have not competed since coming in seventh out of 18 teams at the Golfworld Collegiate Invitational on Nov. 7.

Editorial: Awful show receives well-deserved axing: Now it seems that the "multimillionaire" might not be so rich after all. Rick Rockwell may have embellished his resume and he has been accused of threatening a former girlfriend. Fox had planned last night to repeat the popular episode, which originated from Las Vegas, but shelved both the rebroadcast and future shows after questions were raised about Rockwell's past.

MGM Grand and the Mirage: MGM Grand:

News briefs: The Republican Party of Nevada raised $330,000 at its Team Nevada Kick-Off fund-raiser at the Bellagio hotel-casino Tuesday night.

New help for problem gamblers, new rules for casinos considered: Joe Stange; Under one bill, the state would send one penny to compulsive gambler programs for every $2-per-person boarding fee paid to enter a Missouri riverboat casino. That would raise about $400,000 a year for publicizing the programs.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Confronting the alluring TV pitch: Relaxing at home watching television may not seem like material for a shopping column, but these days it is -- unless you're watching a commercial-free movie.

Prostitute makes deal in Pope case: Bill Gang; The male prostitute alleged to have engaged in a voluntary sexual encounter in the Clark County Detention Center with 15-year-old murder defendant Conan Pope has agreed to a plea bargain in his case.

Cause of airport escalator failure remains unknown: Keith Paul; With the reason for last week's escalator accident still unknown, McCarran International Airport officials said Tuesday the remaining three escalators in the D gates terminal were shut off.

DNA tests confirm remains of Sparks teens: Sandra Chereb; RENO, Nev. - Nearly twenty-one years after they disappeared from a Reno fairground, the remains of two missing Sparks teens - suspected victims of a convicted sex-slave killer - have been positively identified.

Columnist Jeff Haney: Senior rookie Lendzion weathering storm on tour: Wind and dust storms normally are pet peeves for golfers.

Retrial begins for man once sentenced to die in killing of teacher: Bill Gang; Jury selection has begun in the retrial for one-time death row inmate Charles Manley, who had been convicted in the 1995 execution-style shooting death of his girlfriend, a popular Clark County teacher.

Thursday at Santa Anita: 1st race 1 mi 3YO Fil Mdn Clm: 1 Blair's Favorite (Black) 120; 2 Setareh (Jauregui) 120; 3 Virtual (Blanc) 120; 4 Spanish Thoughts (Garcia) 120; 5 More Cal Bread (Pedroza) 120; 6 Unique Affair (Nakatani) 120.

Mistaken identity claimed in alleged attack: Keith Paul; When off-duty North Las Vegas Police Detective William Brooks grabbed a woman in a Home Depot parking lot over the weekend, he said he thought he had the wife of a man who owed $30,000 he was being paid to collect.

Bandits to help ailing boy: Chris Smith is a fifth-grader at Dailey Elementary School who has a rare form of spinal meningitis that until recently had not been treatable. With his current medication, Chris's chances of survival have improved greatly. His medicine costs run approximately $500 a day.

Rouse earnings rise: COLUMBIA, Md. -- The Rouse Co., owner of the Howard Hughes Corp. in Las Vegas, reported fourth quarter funds from operations of $62.6 million, or 80 cents per share, up from $50.7 million or 66 cents in the year-ago quarter.

Owners want to drop Iowa casino hotel: When the Racing and Gaming Commission granted Peninsula a gaming license in May, the group stipulated that the riverboat's owners begin construction on the $10 million hotel within 18 months.

Ho, hum! Rebels take frustrations out on struggling Florida Atlantic: Steve Addy; With all the joy of a wart removal and no more energy than necessary, the Rebels got on with the business of rescuing their season Tuesday night.

Cimarron girls advance to county title game: Zack Hall; After having its semifinal match postponed due to rain, the Cimarron-Memorial girls soccer team picked up right where it left off.

Locals complain taxis ignore neighborhoods, focus on Strip: A citizen transportation watchdog group says Clark County's 13 taxi companies spend too much time on the Strip and are doing an inadequate job serving the rest of the county.

Survey ranks health of Nevada's children near bottom: CARSON CITY -- Nevada has made progress in the overall health of its children but is still near the bottom in a national survey, a state task force was told Tuesday.

Big layoffs not planned if merger goes through: "The most exciting opportunities we can see that accrue from a combination of our two companies are revenue enhancements," said Jim Murren, president and chief financial officer of MGM Grand. "We're a growth company, and we're growing rapidly in our own right. In combination, we'll grow better.

Ex-casino exec discusses pressure from Shetler, monopoly for a price: Natalie Gott; Asked by prosecutors why he never reported his suspicions to authorities, John Brotherton said his bosses and many other Players employees knew about the alleged payoffs from Ricky Shetler to Stephen Edwards - and did nothing.

'Multimillionaire' marriage may be cold but reality shows still hot: Lynn Elber; The stranger-bride who married Rick Rockwell last week in the Fox TV special "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire," said she was caught off-guard when the bridegroom chose her from 50 contestants.

Illinois regulators hold up Harrah's-Players buyout: James Webb; It was unclear whether the snag could be resolved before Feb. 29, the self-imposed deadline for the companies to complete the deal involving riverboats in Illinois, Louisiana and Missouri.

Chinese monks find different world as Las Vegas showmen: Angie Wagner; The Shaolin monks didn't count on winning any jackpots (monks can't gamble), but they did know a show that includes sword fights and walking on knives would sell in Las Vegas. After all, everything else does.

'Multimillionaire' bride: I made a big mistake: Lynn Elber; "I don't think I was thinking clearly," nurse Darva Conger told "Good Morning America" today. "I committed an error in judgment."

Kerkorian bids for Mirage: David Strow; Los Angeles billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's MGM Grand Inc. today offered to buy Mirage Resorts Inc. for $5.4 billion -- a deal that would be the largest in gaming industry history if completed.

Cram labels Kids Count results 'an embarrassment': Terry Webster; Beset by a barrage of social ills, Nevada ranks 36th in the nation for the overall well-being of children, according to the 2000 Nevada Kids Count Data Book.

Ailing workers from Test Site get chance to face DOE: Test site hearing

Suit: Rio used liquor, prostitutes to induce gambler: Grace Leong; A Los Angeles high-rolling alcoholic sued the Rio hotel-casino, alleging it enticed him with sex and liquor to gamble until he lost all $1.035 million of his inheritance and insurance proceeds at its blackjack tables.

Ex-Rebel goalie Abdalla to lead UNLV women's soccer: Abdalla, who served as the Rebels' assistant coach for the 1999 season, takes over the third-year program following the resignation of Staci Hendershott last month.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Pros have a singular motivation: Dean Juipe; Lest we forget, 99 percent of professional athletes play strictly for the money and have no real allegiance to the owner who signs their paycheck.

College town: Valerie Miller; A new state college in Henderson will be located in the shadow of the industrial plants off Boulder Highway.

Sale of Alliance Gaming casino going nowhere: VICKSBURG, Miss. -- The absence of serious offers will likely result in Rainbow Casino being taken off the market, company officials say.

Ill. regulators threaten casino development: CHICAGO -- Illinois gambling regulators threatened Tuesday to stop construction on a Rosemont casino, citing concerns that developers don't have necessary approval for the project.

UNLV athletes excel in classrooms: The 2000 UNLV Rebel Academic Top 30 includes the 30 student-athletes with the highest grade-point averages for the spring 1999 and/or fall 1999 semesters. All 30 were enrolled in and completed a minimum of 12 credits and achieved a semester GPA of 3.77 or higher for one or both semesters. Fifteen of these student-athletes achieved a 4.0 GPA. Men's soccer led the way with six of the 30 honorees. See list on page 6D.

UNLV baseball team gets fresh start at tourney: Steve Guiremand; UNLV baseball coach Rod Soesbe is approaching this weekend's 20th annual Coors Desert Classic as a new beginning for his young and struggling baseball squad.

Rebels' Orris Pitcher of Week: Rebels' Orris Pitcher of Week

Merger bid highlights strong wills of Kerkorian, Wynn: Steve Wynn and Kirk Kerkorian, two of the titans of the gaming industry, are alike in their drive for success, but polar opposites in style.

Expert says mark on Binion's chest may have been left by gun: A crime lab expert for the prosecution has suggested that a circular red mark on slaying victim Ted Binion's chest could have been the result of pressure from a firearm.

Key figure in Binion case seeks plea deal: A central figure in the Ted Binion murder investigation planned to sit down with prosecutors today to discuss the possibility of cooperating in the probe.