Print edition for February 29, 2000

AOL, Time Warner pledge consumer choices: WASHINGTON -- America Online Inc. and Time Warner Inc. today pledged to give consumers a choice of Internet providers by opening their cable TV lines after their planned merger.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Rebels don't need Mr. Nice Guy in middle: According to a story that moved on the ESPN website over the weekend, UNLV's Kaspars Kambala "might be the meanest, dirtiest player in the college game."

Robbery suspect may have given false info before death: Blackburn is the bank robbery suspect who killed himself, his wife and two young daughters when police closed in on him after he had escaped from the North Las Vegas jail.

Downtown's fixes bogged down in complexities: Erin Neff; The complexities of issues surrounding downtown revitalization became evident Monday as a workshop designed to establish a plan for the area bogged down in inaction and blurred vision.

New twist on Web gambling generates controversy: Alan Sayre; NEW ORLEANS -- A company that wants to telecast casino table games from Monroe to players on the Internet is disputing a state attorney general's opinion that could bar the firm from Louisiana.

Land secured for St. Louis casino: The land is owned by the St. Louis County Port Authority, and currently leased by Southboat, a limited partnership controlled by a consortium of St. Louis business people, including former Anheuser-Busch Inc. President Dennis Long. Southboat would receive a royalty from casino operations.

Governor comfortable with betting, waste bills: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Gov. Kenny Guinn said he is comfortable for now with the status of two critical Nevada-related bills pending in Congress, one that would bring nuclear waste to the state by 2007 and another that would ban betting on college sports.

State progressing on tax break for Wynn's art collection: CARSON CITY -- Details are being hammered out on a final state regulation to give a tax exemption to Steve Wynn's Bellagio art collection, now valued at $400 million.

Wynn faces legendary deal maker in Kerkorian: David Strow; In a high-stakes poker game for control of the Las Vegas Strip's most well-known gaming company, Mirage Resorts Inc. Chairman Steve Wynn is facing off against a formidable opponent in MGM Grand Inc. controlling shareholder Kirk Kerkorian.

Defense lawyers in Binion case grill private detective on stand: Private detective Tom Dillard, who many credit with breaking open the Ted Binion murder case, returned to the witness stand today.

Woman sues police who defended her: Tammie Payton filed the wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court here.

Edwards trial: Paying in cash, ripping up the invoice: Natalie Gott; A witnesses said Edwin Edwards paid $30,000 cash plus a trade-in for a new private airplane during his last term. Another said Stephen Edwards made a final $28,000 cash payment for plumbing, air conditioning and heating work at his private home. And the defense agreed to allow evidence that Edwards paid $200,000 in cash in 1992 when he closed on the 600 acres of Mississippi land which later became his Double E ranch.

Donald wants to erase memory of loss to Bowe: Dean Juipe; Ask the typical boxing fan for a first impression of Larry Donald and the reply almost always will address the only loss of the heavyweight's career.

Georgia lottery executive named to head N.M. lottery: Until recently, he had been the executive vice president of operations and administration at the Georgia Lottery Corp. He graduated in 1975 from Wayne State University with a degree in business administration.

Casino profits from expansion: Revenues for the quarter ending Nov. 30 rose 45.8 percent, to $26.3 million. The company attributed the gains to the expansion of the Hard Rock, completed during the second quarter of 1999, as well as higher table game and slot volume. Cash flow growth was slowed by a lower hold percentage for table games, the company said.

Hotel-casino planned for Pahrump: The company said it entered an alliance with the ETT-Terrible Herbst Casino Group to develop the new hotel-casino.

JASON Project XI fuses technology, science: More than 15,000 Clark County students and 350 teachers are participating in the JASON Project XI, a premier national education program that each year produces live science lessons to students worldwide via the Internet.

Community news briefs for February 29, 2000: St. Rose Dominican Health Foundation presents the 43rd annual Mardi Gras Ball, "The Fine Art of Healing," Saturday at the Bellagio hotel-casino. The valley's oldest ball will benefit the development of St. Rose Dominican Hospital's Siena campus and renovations of the Rose de Lima Campus.

Ute loss clears the way for UNLV: Steve Addy; The Rebels have been granted one last shot at first place. Maybe they'll finally exploit this one.

News briefs: Henderson Police are looking for two suspects in connection with a Monday morning home-invasion robbery.

Teens express fears of school violence: Jace Radke; Students took about 30 minutes to open up to authorities, but once the dialogue began Monday night at Western High School, one emotion poured out -- fear.

Will NBA say 'Give me Liberty?': Victoria Sun; At 31, the clock is ticking for Marcus Liberty, and he knows it.

DOE halts plans to burn B-52 parts: Both the Pentagon and the Department of Energy have dropped controversial plans to burn B-52 bomber parts, including radioactive and toxic chemicals, in Southern Nevada, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said.

Three firms vie for North Las Vegas auditing job: Diana Sahagun; North Las Vegas is looking to hire a new auditor to examine the financial aspects of the city at a cost of $39,000 to $56,000 for the first year.

LV supplier profits from tax benefit: The company's profit was almost entirely the result of a $9.6 million tax benefit recorded during the quarter, related to the elimination of a deferred tax allowance established in 1997. Before that tax benefit, Casino Data recorded net income of $1.7 million, or 9 cents per share, a 5.6 percent decline.

Census barrier: Local and federal officials fear that a new national Salvation Army policy could hurt the U.S. Census Bureau's ability to accurately count the estimated 7,000 homeless people in the Las Vegas area.

Cigarette may be cause in hotel fire: VICKSBURG, Miss. -- A burning cigarette is believed to be the culprit behind a weekend fire at Harrah's Casino and Hotel.

Internet bookings rival travel agent sales for Southwest: David Koenig; In Las Vegas

Searches raise concern for missing woman: Kim Smith; Authorities may have found one of David Fitch's wives alive and well, but after executing several search warrants last week, authorities are more concerned than ever about his other wife.

Survey finds opposition to state business tax: Warren Hardy, Nevada state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said a survey indicates 98 percent of Nevada small business owners oppose the initiative backed by the Nevada State Education Association.

Sell-off of Mirage Resorts assets is a possibility: David Strow; If Steve Wynn wants to retain control of Mirage Resorts Inc., he does have an option -- a sell-off of the company's assets in an attempt to boost Mirage Resorts' share price.

August trial scheduled in slashing death of prostitute: Kim Smith; An August trial date has been set for a Las Vegas man accused in the throat-slashing death of a prostitute.

County will look to military for teachers: Terry Webster; A military strike will be the Clark County School District's next line of defense in competing against other large districts for new teachers.

Rouse adopts anti-takeover measure: COLUMBIA, Md. -- Rouse Co. adopted a new system for board elections that is commonly used to discourage hostile takeovers.

Key witness goes 'off deep end': Negotiations between David Mattsen and prosecutors collapsed Monday after the key witness in the Ted Binion murder case began acting erratically.

N.Y. man guilty of offering Internet betting: Larry Neumeister; NEW YORK -- A man who operated a sports betting business on the Internet was convicted by a federal jury Monday in what is believed to be the first case of its kind to go to trial.

Pruett sees NASCAR as his 'last frontier': At age 39 and with 10 years of experience driving in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series, it's hard to think of Scott Pruett as a rookie.

Move over, Nevada - Indian gambling looms in California: Michelle DeArmond; Jobs and other benefits will be lost, he warns, if a constitutional amendment making Indian gambling legal isn't approved on March 7.

Home defect suits settled for $21 million: A $16.2 million construction defect lawsuit filed in 1997 against Rhodes Design and Development Corp. and two now-defunct builders, H.B.R. Development Inc. and and Halco Inc., was settled on Feb. 14 in favor of 188 single-family homeowners at the Casa Linda subdivision in North Las Vegas.

Five arrested in gambling ring: EL PASO, Texas -- Five El Paso residents were arrested and charged with operating a nationwide, multimillion-dollar sports gambling operation that accepted bets from hundreds of people and made a $300,000 profit on this year's Super Bowl, the FBI said.

Downtown stymied by financial difficulties: The observation was raised Monday in a meeting of city council members and the City Centre Development Corp., the city's redevelopment arm.

Nevada schools may get new protections: Councilmen Lawrence Weekly and Michael McDonald made the commitment in a meeting Monday night of students and parents to discuss growing violence among teens in the Las Vegas Valley.

FBI says books on death, firearms found in trailer: According to documents filed in U.S. District Court, agents found some 25 books in a fifth-wheel trailer owned by Fitch, and the books hint at a fascination with firearms, explosives, disguises and death.

'Net companies ordered to stop credit-repair schemes: CARSON CITY -- Two Las Vegas companies pressured by the state have agreed to a court judgment requiring them to stop telling people that they can legally change their identities to escape poor credit reports.

Columnist Rusty Wallace: Another Wallace is being groomed for racing: Rusty Wallace; OK, I'll admit it: I have a plan for my future in racing. I've done a lot of thinking about it, but little talking about it. And, as far as I know, this is the first thing written about it.

Valley's water to get first doses of fluoride: Adrienne Packer; Clark County residents will begin receiving a dose of fluoride with every glass of tap water Wednesday, eight months before they will be given an opportunity to vote on whether they want the additive.

Suspect nabbed while watching 'America's Most Wanted': Keith Paul; Apparently those who are wanted also watch "America's Most Wanted."

Nevada's March 1 deregulation canceled: Brendan Riley; Gov. Kenny Guinn said Monday he'll instead hold a summit meeting of major participants in deregulation negotiations to find a way to overcome legal and technical obstacles.

Wednesday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 6 fur 4YO Fil Clm: 1 Neaskra (Skelly) 116; 2 It's Victoria (Radke) 113; 3 Only Gold (Gutierrez) 111; 4 Smashin Miss (May) 116; 5 Majic Ruler (Castanon) 116; 6 Dawn's Moonlight (Baze) 116.

Environmentalists petition to save Yosemite toad, Sierra frog: Scott Sonner; "All throughout the West, if you look at amphibians, you'll find massive declines," said Peter Galvin, chief conservation biologist of the Center for Biological Diversity.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- Bienandanza - Solis scales Gonzalez trainee, blinkers added for this trip, must deal with outside post routing on lawn here. Belleau Wood - Draws rail post here, McCarron aboard McAnally's horse, should get catbird trip. Value Play -- England's Rose

Five Rebel soccer players win academic honors: Five Rebel soccer players win academic honors

Mirage rejects MGM Grand takeover offer, leaves door open for talks: However, Mirage Resorts left the door open for talks between the companies or perhaps another suitor, saying it would "consider a transaction which would fairly reflect the long-term values inherent in the Mirage properties, brand name and good will."

Letter: Slayer of dog got off easy: This lady has lost her dog -- no small thing -- but what is the lesson learned? It's OK to shoot if it's only a dog?

Officials working on tax exemption for Steve Wynn's art: Brendan Riley; Critics say the proposal, reviewed Monday by the state Taxation Department, is tailor-made for Wynn, and could save him $15 million or more in the first year alone.

Casino giant rejects $3.5 billion takeover bid; leaves door ajar: Robert Macy; Mirage Resorts, Inc. has rejected a $3.5 billion takeover offer by MGM Grand, Inc., setting up a poison pill defense while leaving the door ajar for negotiations on a better deal.

Wednesday at Aqueduct: 1st race 1-1/16 mi 3YO Fil Mdn Clm: 1 Joy in the Country (Perez) 112; 2 Ria's Charm (Bridgmohan) 119; 3 Conette (Montalvo) 114; 4 Little Mouse (Leon) 119; 5 Real Honor (Nelson) 119; 6 Prospective Gal (Rocco) 114; 7 Anjiz Princess (Arroyo) 114; 8 Chocolate Overdose (Luzzi) 119.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: A real beauty of a trip: There is so much to write about. But it will just have to wait until I talk about Chile.

Editorial: Cautious approach is best way: Guinn noted a number of complex problems that have yet to be addressed: creation and financing of an independent administrator to oversee the electric distribution system; establishment of rates for those using the distribution lines; and solving the task of access to the transmission lines by companies that want to come into Nevada to compete. It is clear, then, that the governor's decision to delay deregulation's commencement was the right one.

Acting out with Joe Behar: Week in and week out for the past 25 years the 66-year-old drama coach has worked with aspiring actors in Las Vegas who attend his free weekly Community Drama Workshop.

General manager of The Woodlands leaving for another post: Allan P. Meyers, a former Kansas City, Kan., police chief who is The Woodlands' security director of security, will be acting general manager.

Twice-convicted killer loses bid for third trial: Brendan Riley; The high court refused to grant Robert Byford a third trial, rejecting numerous claims of courtroom errors in earlier trials for the 1991 murder of Monica Wilkins, 18.

Woman's trial begins in case of lying to FBI: Kim Smith; North Las Vegas resident Seila Lim lost her sister, two nieces and her brother-in-law last summer when her brother-in-law shot his family to death and killed himself. Now seven months later, she faces losing her freedom.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Apple no longer part of the 'Pack': Kate Maddox; Not all of the original gang is returning to "The Rat Pack Is Back," as previously reported.

BLM hearings set on proposed new Burning Man festival site: Martin Griffith; RENO, Nev. - A plan to move the annual Burning Man counterculture festival closer to the heart of the Black Rock Desert has angered some desert users and local residents. Land windsurfers, history buffs and others fear the new site would block access and threaten historic covered-wagon trails.

Letter: Federal workers take a hit, too: What gets me is that this includes the senators and congressmen. Anyone who retired from a federal job, you would think they would make sure that theirs would be tax-free, wouldn't you?

Former prep tennis star, golfer Muterspaw dies in car crash: At the 1989 Southern Zone high school tennis tournament, defending champion Jason Muterspaw of Chaparral was nursing a sore leg as he battled his way to a repeat of the singles title.

Wednesday at Santa Anita: 1st race 1-1/8 mi 4YO & up F & M Mdn: 1 Belleau Wood (McCarron) 122; 2 Leaning Tower (Blanc) 122; 3 Royal Amity (Sorenson) 122; 4 Clearandconcise (Berrio) 122; 5 Herbie's Angel (Valdivia) 122; 6 England's Rose (Gomez) 122; 7 Bienandanza (Solis) 122.

Obituaries for February 29, 2000: Otto Boegner, 79, of Las Vegas died Sunday in a local hospital. He was born July 4, 1920, in Vienna, Austria. A resident for 12 years, he was a retired hospital administrator.

Letter: Give Africanized killer bees a shot of soap and water: In a November 1989 article written by M.T. Sanford of the Department of Entomology and Nematology of the University of Florida, the formula was given as one cup of dishwashing detergent in a gallon of water, applied via a sprayer.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Home court is big plus for Rebels: Dean Juipe; It's a sweet deal for UNLV, no two ways about it.

Editorial: Ensuring fairness for all phone firms: U S West appealed the decision (Ameritech did not), arguing that it wasn't actually providing phone service, it simply was "selling" another firm's services. But this was semantics on U S West's part, because the firm was getting paid by Qwest to do this. Fortunately on Monday the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal regulators' decision, blocking U S West's bid to skirt the federal law's intent of maintaining a level playing field for telecommunications companies.

Man pleads innocent in prostitute death: District Judge Joseph Bonaventure set Ronald Collins' trial for Aug. 7.

Columnist Susan Snyder: A sturdy house of straw: You can huff, you can puff, but you'd be hard pressed to blow Vera Vann's Blue Diamond house down -- even if it is made of straw.

High court upholds verdict in Vegas slaying: CARSON CITY -- While there may have been two and possibly three errors at trial, the Nevada Supreme Court Monday upheld the first-degree murder conviction and death penalty for Robert Byford, who in 1992 shot a young woman in the desert near Las Vegas.