Print edition for January 31, 2000

Anchor vows to appeal Florida lottery ruling: A Florida Circuit Court granted a summary judgment Friday to GTECH Corp., which had challenged a March 9, 1999, contract between the state's lottery system and Anchor's Automated Wagering International Inc. (AWI) subsidiary.

Casino operator details alleged kickback scheme in Louisiana trial: Natalie Gott; BATON ROUGE, La. -- Former Gov. Edwin Edwards met with casino owner Robert Guidry in a Baton Rouge hotel room in 1994 and agreed to help Guidry get a state gambling license after Guidry promised an Edwards aide $100,000 monthly, Guidry testified Friday.

Pope returned to jail, awaits judge's ruling: Ed Koch and Bill Gang; An arraignment on Friday will determine whether Conan Pope, the 15-year-old charged with killing his father, stays in the Clark County Detention Center until a trial or whether he can return to house arrest.

Arco merger decision delayed: WASHINGTON -- BP Amoco Plc, seeking to revive settlement talks to win approval of its $35 billion purchase of Atlantic Richfield Co., is giving U.S. antitrust enforcers four extra days to review the transaction.

NTS workers may get compensation: Screenings

Students cut back on risky business: CARSON CITY -- Use of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs has increased among high school students in the past two years, but students are exercising more and are not carrying weapons to the classroom as often as in the past, a new survey shows.

Cuts hitting LV-area Timet plant: About 10 percent of the work force at the Henderson plant of Titanium Metals Corp. has been laid off in the past few months and more cuts are expected.

Firm closing LV hospital, cutting 135 jobs: Charter, based in Alpharetta, Ga., said it will close its 84-bed Charter Behavioral Health Systems of Nevada hospital at 7000 W. Spring Mountain Road by the end of February, eliminating 135 jobs.

More plutonium studies urged: A nuclear engineer is calling for more research on chemical changes in stored plutonium that may allow the radioactive material to dissolve and perhaps travel in water -- a recent finding that could have a serious impact on both the future of aging nuclear weapons and the burial of high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain.

Casino investor dies: Steinberg was president and co-owner of Detroit radio station WGBH-AM. She was best known in the city as a well-known radio personality since her arrival in 1963.

Letter: LV resort wins four-diamond award: In November, the Four Seasons hotel at Mandalay Bay became Southern Nevada's first five-diamond hotel, achieving the honor in less than a year of operations.

Bank halts selective disclosure: Wells holds these calls after it reports earnings. While many companies let ordinary shareholders listen to such calls, some companies, including Wells, restrict them to Wall Street insiders.

Rec center search: Diana Sahagun; Ask Tyrell Johnson what he wants out of a city recreation center and he's quick to tell you -- "More hoops."

Big LV hospital operator to change name: Company officials don't know when the name will be changed or even what the new name will be, although one candidate is HCA, a reference to Hospital Corp. of America, which was the name of the company led by Dr. Thomas Frist Jr. before Columbia Healthcare Corp. bought it in 1994.

Staff noncommittal on ambulance service: Erin Neff; How's this for advice?

Anderes drops out of chancellor race: CARSON CITY -- A committee to search for a new chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada holds its first meeting Feb. 9, and acting Chancellor Tom Anderes has withdrawn his name for the job.

Barely opened, D terminal set for expansion: Adrienne Packer; The first step of a $120 million expansion of McCarran International Airport's newest terminal is expected to be approved this week.

Historic Mapes Hotel demolished after prolonged legal wrangling: Scott Sonner; RENO -- In the end, nothing -- not petitions, protests, lawsuits nor even Lady Luck herself -- could save the historic Mapes Hotel.

Riverboat fined for allowing child on board: St. Joseph Riverboat Partners, owner of the St. Jo Frontier Casino, said it would appeal last week's decision.

Black chamber of commerce plans gaming conference in Las Vegas: The conference, scheduled for May 3-5, will examine the societal impact of the expansion of gaming into urban areas across the country, such as Detroit and Chicago. About 500 are expected to attend from across the country and the world.

Gaming bills light early in 2000 Mississippi legislature session: Jack Elliott Jr.; The industry, fueled by record earnings, has been a steady source of money for the state, cities, counties and schools during the past eight years.

St. Mary's eight-run first inning sinks UNLV: Spencer Patterson; The first inning of Sunday's UNLV game against St. Mary's (Calif.) College served as a microcosm of the Rebels' season thus far: a rocky start.

Survey says residents willing to pay to save Lake Tahoe: "A regional source of environmental funding is an absolute necessity for securing the rest of the help we need from the federal government and the states," said Rochelle Nason, executive director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

Sandia Pueblo dropped from national gaming program: Former chief inspector Patricia Miskovich of Albuquerque alleges she was fired in October after reporting her findings and, acting on the commission's orders, initiating action to terminate the employees.

Market owner arrested for alcohol sale to minor: Officers said they conducted a surveillance of the store after getting numerous complaints from parents about alcohol sales to minors. A citation was issued last year.

Video gambling at Alabama dog tracks has strong opposition: Phillip Rawls; "Any senator who votes for gambling after the people rejected gambling last October is going to do so at his or her risk," Lt. Gov. Steve Windom said.

Letter: Bottom line is Bush's backing of huge tax cut: What does all of this have to do with George W. Bush, you might ask. If you listen carefully, George W. Bush is talking a huge tax cut, but is silent on Social Security, Medicare and paying off Reagan's debt. Many people do not understand supply side economics, including some economists. Supply side economics is akin to a businessman loading his warehouse with inventory without and before he gets orders. Supply-siders cut taxes and then borrow to pay for programs. Whither it is "tax and spend" or "borrow and spend" as Reagan did, both are anathema to any economy.

Letter: Trade show parking irritates reader: The guard yelled at me to make a U-turn and return to the outer parking lot, where a roped off area was being entered by panicky drivers who were charged $5. I made another U-turn and exited right on to Paradise Road, turned left onto Desert Inn and went home in disgust. The distance for walking from the outer parking lot to the huge "convention factory" would have been too long to be worth $5. I also know that other parking lots in the vicinity charge gouging rates even higher than that and require large walking distances to boot.

Prep Schedule: MONDAY

Some religious leaders speak out against gambling following suicide in Detroit casino: "The Second Commandment says, 'Thou shall not make a graven image of God," Harding told his congregation of more than 600. "America has its own version of the golden calf - the almighty dollar."

Rams' win a push for Vegas gamblers: Ed Koch and Jeff Haney; There is an old poker player's prayer that goes: "Lord, please let me break even tonight -- I sure can use the money."

Columnist John Katsilometes: It's (Not) a Wonderful Leif: He hit town on a mission. The red Spandex pants were gone, replaced by jet-black leather. His hair, once a mass of wavy blond locks, was concealed by a leopard-skin bowler.

Editorial: Two reap financial windfall: It didn't end there, though. Lawsuits by former legislators also were filed. The architect of the increase, Sen. Don Mello, D-Sparks, quickly retired after the 1989 Legislature ended and shamelessly tried to collect the increase. The state Supreme Court dismissed his plea, however, ruling that Mello wasn't entitled to the pension. Another challenge was made by two other former legislators, Robert Craddock of Las Vegas and David Nicholas of Reno, who tried to collect their pension increases. Unlike Mello, however, neither Craddock nor Nicholas were in office when the Legislature passed the pension increase (Craddock was defeated in his 1988 ...

Class size reductions pose budget problems: The Nevada State Board of Education Saturday voted to reduce caseloads and class sizes for speech pathologists, special education teachers and early childhood special education teachers. Beginning July 1, speech pathologists will carry a maximum of 50 cases instead of 60, while those who teach special needs students will have classes of 22 students instead of 24.

Local news briefs for January 31, 2000: A Metro Police officer who fired two shotgun blasts at a gunman who had just pistol-whipped a driver of a coin truck during an apparent robbery last week was identified this morning as Sgt. Clint Robison.

Letter: Writer awaits mayor's example: Letter: Writer awaits mayor's example

Columnist Dean Juipe: Anecdotes reflect great game: Dean Juipe; Matching the most pleasing Super Bowl of all time with an assortment of proverbs, sayings and witticisms:

Carson City brings "deadbeat dad" back into court: A Carson City jury convicted Mantik in December 1997. He owed nearly $95,000 in back support and penalties for his three children, who live in Washington.

Expedia acquires Las Vegas company Travelscape.com for $95 million: Bellevue, Wash.-based Expedia Inc., a company spun off by Microsoft Corp. late last year, announced Monday it bought two Internet travel companies in separate transactions.

Community news briefs for January 31, 2000: The "Believe in Angels" black-tie fund-raiser to benefit Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer of Southern Nevada will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at the Four Seasons hotel-casino.

Mapes Hotel's demolition spurs recall drive against mayor: Martin Griffith; Pete Menchetti, organizer of a group of preservationists that hanged Griffin in effigy Sunday, said recall papers would be filed against the mayor in the next couple of weeks.

Comdex sale nears; New York owner focusing on Internet: Carrie Kirby; Ziff-Davis, best known as a computer-magazine publisher headquartered in New York and as the owner of the Comdex trade shows, is reinventing itself as a Web-only technology resource headquartered in San Francisco.

Photographer John Broussard pays tribute to local notables: Kimberley McGee; What: Exhibit of photos by John Broussard.

Washington woman dies on I-80: Troopers said the accident occurred at least several hours before they found the vehicle at about 7:30 a.m.

City Council faces contentious items: Erin Neff; Even as warring ambulance companies resuscitate their feud, the Las Vegas City Council will have equally contentious items before it Wednesday.

Guidry to continue testimony: Natalie Gott; Former Treasure Chest Casino owner Robert Guidry admitted to meeting Edwards in a Baton Rouge hotel conference room in 1994 to secure a deal that would force Guidry to pay $100,000 a month to Edwards for the former governor's help in securing a riverboat license.

Storm brings more heavy snow, traffic delays to Tahoe: Chains or snow tires were still required early today on I-80, as well as on U.S. 50 over Echo Summit, the Mount Rose Highway southwest of Reno and on all other trans-Sierra roadways.

Rebels on target with Kambala posting up: Steve Addy; LARAMIE, Wyo. -- There is no doubt about the size of Kaspars Kambala's biceps, and no one has questioned the size of his heart since the 40-point Cincinnati debacle.

Public will get day at beach - somewhere: "The public should realize the land the public ends up with may not be land at the estate," said Matt Mathes, spokesman for the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service. "If we do wind up with public beach access elsewhere, it will be equal or better."

Jury deliberates punishment in killing at O'Aces tavern: Barbara Cavaretta wept as a District Court jury found Kenshawn Maxey guilty of killing her son, bartender Salvatore Zendano, at the O'Aces Bar & Grill in May 1998.

Interior Department gives opinion on proposed New Mexico Indian compact revisions: Chris Roberts; The Interior Department opinion on proposed revisions to the gambling compacts between the state and the tribes was made public Saturday at a meeting of the Legislature's Committee on Compacts.

Judges' rules ban fraternal orders that discriminate: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court is issuing new rules that will prohibit judges from belonging to fraternal groups that discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin but allow judges to speak at fund-raising events that recruit lawyers to provide free services.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Bettors seek 3-year-old to go on a Ram-page: Ralph Siraco; Wanted: Kentucky Derby future book favorite. Urgently needed. Must be 3 years old, have sportsmanlike owners and no commitments outside of Louisville, Ky., on the first Saturday in May. Derby-experienced trainer preferred. Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner need not apply. Now that the St. Louis Rams have pulled out one of the longest-priced Super Bowl victories in history, those who held winning futures tickets at 200-1 may now be looking for another nugget in the Kentucky Derby this year.

Gambling industry to go far and wide to beat tax increase effort: The proposal by Neal, D-North Las Vegas, would increase the tax on gross revenues of casinos that take in more than $1 million a month from 6.25 percent to 11.15 percent.

Local business events for January 31, 2000: Housing -- Developer Irwin Molasky discusses "Housing: The Past, Now and the Future" at meeting of the Society for Marketing Professional Services. Tuesday. 798-5156.

Lifting cruising requirement now unlikely this year: None of the bills to lift the requirement that floating casinos must be under way for gambling to occur had received committee hearings by Thursday's deadline - virtually ending their chances to pass.

Killer of bartender gets death: A death sentence for convicted killer Charles Randolph gives little peace to Shelly Lokken's family.

Sports books licking Super Bowl wounds, facing Congressional challenge: Tim Dahlberg; A bid to ban legal betting on college sports - an effort backed by the NCAA - gets underway Tuesday with the scheduled introduction of legislation in Washington, D.C.

Reports show Siegelman's lottery foundation spent to zero: Bill Poovey; Politicians and political groups that spent or collected money last year were required to file their annual financial reports Monday.

Obituaries for January 31, 2000: Geneva L. Butler, 99, of Las Vegas died Jan. 24 in a local hospital. She was born Feb. 25, 1900, in Hickory, Miss. A resident for 10 years, she was a homemaker.

UNLV-NAU tennis match postponed: UNLV-NAU tennis match postponed

McGruder commits to Vols, then wavers about his decision: Steve Guiremand; For about 24 hours this past weekend, Lynn McGruder was a Tennessee Volunteer.

McKinney-James to head renewable resources committee: McKinney-James will represent Nevada at EarthFair 2000. Scheduled for April 22 on the Mall in Washington D.C., EarthFair 2000 will showcase hundreds of exhibits displaying elements needed for a society to be self sustaining.

Guinn appoints local lawman to advisory council: Winget began his law enforcement career in 1973. He was promoted to undersheriff in 1994.

UNLV-St. Mary's box score: St. Mary's 13, UNLV 6

Road will close for Swayze shoot: Local filming of the movie, which co-stars Billy Bob Thornton, will run from Monday through Friday.

Longtime entertainment critic Willard dies at 86: Bill Willard knew how to critique the arts because, first and foremost, he was an artist.

Two pedestrians killed in weekend accidents in Reno: Police said they were crossing in a dark stretch of road and were not in a crosswalk when the they were struck by a car.