Print edition for January 23, 2000

Columnist Jeff German: Casinos flip-flop on Indian gambling: It was amusing to hear former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones extol the virtues of Indian gambling in California last week as the spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Columnist Kate Maddox: McDonald makes 'promise' to Simich: Kate Maddox; City Councilman Michael McDonald has upped the ante with girlfriend Jennifer Simich, an employee of Silver State Disposal Services. Sources say that for Christmas, McDonald gave his girlfriend a diamond ring of "enviable size."

Letter: Cuban boy's case similar to others: It's an opportunity for our servants to turn the tables and lobby foreign dictators.

Letter: BLM shouldn't whine over funds: I was hoping that BLM owning the land surrounding Las Vegas would help control the growth situation -- something our city planners and officials haven't the backbone to do. Guess not ... silly me. Instead, they just continue selling off the land to developers, even if it means houses right next to Red Rock Canyon.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Ex-dancer a feline's best friend: Renee Lyss hasn't graced a Las Vegas stage in decades, but she's dancing as fast as she can.

Experts: Ruling could spur more lawsuits between ex-lovers: "There is some potential for the decision to open up the courts to these kinds of cases," said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Boyd School of Law. "But I suspect plaintiffs will have great difficulty in proving them."

Letter: Patients, nurses get lost in drive to make money: The hospitals certainly aren't listening to their nurses, who ask for more staff on a daily basis to give adequate patient care. They pay us below the national average and intimidate and harass those that take the initiative and advocate for their patients. Some even get fired. Nurses will stay on the job if they are offered an adequate salary, decent benefits and an administration that will listen to their concerns about patient care.

Sparks booze crackdown a minor affair: Of 34 businesses contacted, only Yeat Hout, 38, a clerk at Albertson's Food Center on Oddie Boulevard, was cited on suspicion of selling alcohol to a minor.

Heller: Ruling makes signature gathering for ballot measures easier: Groups circulating petitions for ballot questions on tax hikes and gay marriages complained the new regulations would have a chilling effect on gathering signatures.

CitiLife available to fewer: "I hear a lot in the public that eligibility should be tightened," RTC Chairman John Mayer said. "This is a step in that direction."

Children taken from home compared to "landfill": When deputies arrived at the house in response to a neighbor's call, they found a 7-year-old girl supervising two babies who had a fever and appeared ill.

Editorial: Residential casinos are still under fire: While neighborhood casinos are popular with some local residents, many Las Vegans are tired of seeing a casino everywhere they turn, especially those that are too close to their homes. The next session of the Legislature will need to revisit this law and, where necessary, tighten the restrictions so that casinos don't jeopardize the character of the valley's residential areas.

Heavenly patrol will not join union: "Quite frankly, it's a tremendous vote of confidence in the resort," said Heavenly lawyer John Feldman. "Heavenly is very pleased and we want to move forward."

Columnist Sandra Thompson: Stormy relationship ends in homicide: Sandra Thompson; Last July Tamara Thiros obtained a temporary protection order against Leonard Gregory Soto after another in a series of physical altercations throughout their 10-year on-again, off-again relationship.

Americans dominate Australian Open: Steve Wilstein; Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and a surprising Chris Woodruff reached the men's quarterfinals while Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati made the women's quarters.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Not a case for courts: The headline reads "Parents vs. grandparents case goes to Supreme Court." Now isn't this an unnecessary mess? At first blush I'd have to agree that if nothing else, it's a shame that such a valuable relationship is even forced into our courts for a decision.

Editorial: Gore is a leader on nuke waste: Here in Nevada, as in other parts of the nation, issues sure to be high on the list include education, health care, Social Security, Medicare, taxes and the national debt. But the policy in our nation's capital that has the biggest potential to harm this state, especially Las Vegas, is the federal government's efforts to place a high-level nuclear waste repository in Nevada. It is fitting, then, that the Sustainable Energy Coalition -- a group of more than 30 environmental and consumer organizations interested in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies -- last week published a survey of presidential ...

Future Reno postal hub sought by Calif. airport: "It's been no secret that we'd like them to be here," Mather Manager Larry Kozub said. "It's also no secret they would rather be in Reno.

Stewart breaks out as Rebels roll: Steve Addy; With a strong game by unheralded starter Donovan Stewart, UNLV maintained its ardent pursuit of first place in the Mountain West Conference on Saturday night.

Columnist Jon Ralston: Commission makes mockery of neighborhood casino law: In 1989 the Gang of 63, while they pondered weak and weary, decided to put an end to the blight of neighborhood casinos on the Las Vegas Valley landscape. Quoth the lawmakers: "Nevermore."

Mapes supporters urged to flood city hall with calls: Martin Griffith; Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said a massive last-minute outpouring of support for the Mapes represents the best chance to halt its Super Bowl Sunday implosion on Jan. 30.

Media mogul sets sights on schools: Multimillionaire James Rogers owns television stations, runs banks and donates fortunes to universities. He could literally ride off into the sunset on one of his Tennessee walking horses.

Valley home prices heading upward: The Martin Luther King Day holiday brought a steady stream of potential buyers through the model homes at a Summerlin home-finding center.

Turning Over a New Leif: Kirk Baird; There isn't a lot to be said about Leif Garrett that a VH1 "Behind the Music" episode hasn't already covered: the fame, the fall, the sex, the drugs, the rock 'n' roll. The former teen heartthrob who juggled a singing and acting career still maintains both as a frontman for Godspeed, which is scheduled to play at the House of Blues at 8 p.m. Thursday. Recently Garrett talked about his teen-idol days, his new band and what the "Behind the Music" episode -- during which he emotionally implored, "Turn off that camera!" -- did for his career.

Fundraising for statue of "Snowshow" Thompson in motion: The bricks will become a permanent part of the base of the sculpture, which is scheduled to be in place by the Snowshoe Thompson Days Festival here in June.