Print edition for July 13, 2000

Xtremely different from the NFL: Steve Addy; Here is a list of cities that will field teams in the new XFL, which will begin play in early February 2001:

Tribes again seek casino gaming: CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Tribal leaders plan to again ask state officials to allow casino gambling as a way to spur economic development on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Owners of $1.4 billion resort recommended after grilling: The state Gaming Control Board recommended licensing the owners of the soon-to-open Aladdin hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, but not before grilling one of the principals over finances of the $1.4 billion project and other business deals.

Internet company investigated in gambling probe: HOUSTON -- A Houston-based Internet company whose sites contain several links to electronic gambling is being investigated for allegedly illegally promoting gambling.

Utility power costs soar $70 million-plus: Sierra Pacific stock traded this morning at $14.11, down 83 cents. Blaming "an unprecedented and extremely volatile energy market," the company said fuel and purchased power expenses will likely have a negative impact on second quarter earnings and an ongoing negative earnings impact for the remainder of the year.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Ex-Lions' deaths baffling: Forget about who's killing the great chefs of Europe.

Gamblers lost $879 million last year: DES MOINES, Iowa -- A report by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission says gamblers lost a record $879 million at Iowa's racetrack and riverboat casinos in the budget year that ended June 30 -- 10 percent more than the previous year.

LV company agrees to fine, will sell Internet gambling subsidiary: CARSON CITY -- In the first disciplinary case ever in Nevada for Internet gambling violations, a Las Vegas company agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and to sell off its Australian business that allegedly accepted illegal sports bets.

Phone merger canceled: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- WorldCom and Sprint agreed today -- as expected -- to call off their planned merger in the face of extreme opposition from regulators in the United States and Europe.

Riverboats win $979 million: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Riverboat gamblers in Kansas City lost a record $522 million during Missouri's 2000 fiscal year, which ended June 30.

Southwest adding seven flights in Las Vegas: The Dallas-based carrier, the largest at McCarran International Airport, will add nonstop round-trip flights between Las Vegas and Louisville, Ky.; Tulsa, Okla.; Ontario, Calif.; Houston; and Reno; and two new daily flights to Kansas City.

NLV planning commission OKs recreation center: The city appeared before its Planning Commission Wednesday, asking the members to approve a special use permit to allow a recreation center in an area zoned residential.

Debbie Reynolds sale near -- wrestlers seek new site: The World Wrestling Federation says it's within weeks of selling the Debbie Reynolds hotel-casino in Las Vegas, but officials declined to name the prospective buyer.

Five plead guilty in attempted bombing of Reno synagogue: The pleas before U.S. District Judge David Hagen came on the eve of jury selection for the trial of DeAmicis. Testimony in that trial was scheduled to begin Friday.

Yucca budget facing trims: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The federal budget for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project is being hammered out in Congress, and the Department of Energy could end up with considerably less than what it needs for critical work.

Witness explains how he played dead to survive: Kim Smith; Jurors in the Zane Floyd murder trial today will take images with them of a camouflage-clad gunman stalking an employee through the produce section as they begin deliberations on whether Floyd is guilty of the bloody rampage last year at a local grocery store.

Agassi involved in auto accident: Victoria Sun; The pain and disappointment U.S. Davis Cup captain John McEnroe felt when he learned that Las Vegan Andre Agassi would not be able to play next week in a semifinal against Spain pales in comparison to what Agassi is feeling now.

Swap meet gets more time: Diana Sahagun; The owner of Broadacres Swap Meet will have to wait two months before finding out whether he will have another year to fulfill promises he made in 1997 when he expanded a parking lot.

NLV residents express concerns about northern beltway leg: Diana Sahagun; What is now miles of desert speckled with a few housing developments in North Las Vegas will soon be home to a major thoroughfare, the northern leg of the Las Vegas Beltway.

Local students reap scholarship rewards: Fifteen Las Vegas seniors received scholarships from the Greater Las Vegas McDonald's Owner/Operation Association and the Ronald McDonald House Children's Charities Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Bramble's toughest challenge: Finding someone who'll fight him: Dean Juipe; Livingstone Bramble wouldn't feel so bad about his meandering career if he wasn't in such good shape.

Bantamweights to clash at Arizona Charlie's: Dean Juipe; One man had won 23 consecutive bouts and the other hadn't been beaten in 29 fights.

Nellis innkeeper receives award: Dick Benoit; A Nellis Air Force Base innkeeper, recently recognized as the best in Air Combat Command, has been presented the command's Individual Service Award.

Man gets prison time for causing baby's death: District Judge Sally Loehrer on Wednesday gave Jose Martinez six to 20 years on an attempted murder charge and four to 10 years on a voluntary manslaughter count.

This week's races: BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL

Auto racing schedule, winners and points standings: Feb. 20 - Daytona 500, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Dale Jarrett)

Busch won audition, became Roush star: Dick Brinster; Winning the audition can be tougher than playing the part. Just ask Kurt Busch, who had to beat eight other wannabes last fall to earn the driver's seat with vaunted Roush Racing.

Rookie stumbles, grows up fast in CART: Landon Hall; Alex Tagliani got greedy, and he still agonizes over it.

Future of Internet gambling bill murky: Laurence Arnold; Skeptics maintain the legislation would help some gambling interests reach bettors through home computers, particularly horse racing. Those critics, plus others who say the bill would unfairly restrict state lotteries and unwisely regulate the Internet, could scuttle a movement that appeared to be gaining momentum when the Senate approved an Internet gambling bill last year.

Elko County delays on mediation tax patience of Justice Department: Sandra Chereb; "The failure of the Elko County Commission to ratify the settlement agreement is a rejection of the mediation in favor of litigation," government attorneys said in a statement released Thursday by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Las Vegas.

Audit: Minnesota Gambling Control Board inappropriately paid three board members: One board member used vacation time to attend board functions. Another used unpaid personal time. The third has retired and couldn't be reached. Two were county employees; one was a city employee.

New Mexico: Gaim-Ko given more time to sell machines: He told the board Wednesday he needed more time. He and his attorney, Joe C. Diaz, said an agreement to sell the machines is near.

Atlanta IRL race is make-or-break event: Paul Newberry; HAMPTON, Ga. - When the Indy Racing League came out with its 2001 schedule, Atlanta Motor Speedway wasn't on it.

Senate approves amendment blocking Indian gambling: The one-year delay would give a federal court time to rule on suits filed by Alabama and Florida, questioning regulations that authorize Babbitt to grant such a license if states and tribes cannot agree on a gambling compact.

Friday's horse racing entries: Post Time 7 p.m.

Craig pulls back proposal to delay roadless plan: John Hughes; The Clinton administration and environmentalists declared victory.

Community news briefs for July 13, 2000: Nevada Theatre Company will present a free performance of "Aesop's Fables" 11 a.m. Saturday at the Mermaid Cafe and Art Gallery, 2910 Lake East Drive in the Lakes Town Center.

Letter: Nuclear waste won't reach us: These bureaucrats think, of course, out here at Yucca it is safer. This plan should be scrapped. This plan is pure suicide. This monstrosity of an accident could wipe out three states or more, perhaps.

Government land deals criticized by congressional auditors: H. Josef Hebert; The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, recommended that lawmakers halt land exchanges by the government's two principal land agencies - the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service - because, according to the report, the swaps often do not serve the public interest.

SunRay says casino and racetrack in the red: "The return on investment isn't there," Campbell told the Legislature's revenue stabilization and tax policy committee Wednesday. "What they've gotten out of it is nothing."

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Executing 2 killers: When are the anti-death penalty people going to get a credible example? Every time they find a cause to stop an execution, they select just one more loser. You would think that with all of the executions going on in Texas, the death-penalty opponents could have picked a cause more acceptable than Gary Graham's.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Allen, Blackwell a bargain at Gold Coast: Joe Delaney; Marty Allen and Karon Kate Blackwell, plus a hot five-piece band led by John Jacobson, are filling the 480-seat Gold Coast showroom Fridays through Mondays at 8 p.m. and are a sure bet to continue doing so through Aug. 28 ... Allen has been a headliner here since the Allen and Steve Rossi days in the 1960s at the Riviera ... Allen and Rossi and Blackwell filled the even larger showroom at Vegas World before it became the Stratosphere.

Tribe negotiates with town to turn old track into casino: The complex could provide more than $100 million over an undisclosed number of years to the city and Outagamie County, the newspaper said.

Gamblers lose $879 million in Iowa last year: The success of Iowa's casino industry provided $188 million in gambling taxes to the state treasury during the past budget year. County and city governments received a total of about $8.7 million in gambling taxes.

Federal land sale provides money for Lake Tahoe: Sandra Chereb; "This money will assist us in our efforts to restore the lake's clarity so future generations can enjoy this jewel of the high Sierra," Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said Wednesday.

Letter: Streets finally claim the life of young man: I was a long-term special education substitute teacher at Chaparral High School, where he attended. He asked me to teach him how to read. We made a commitment to meet three times per week during my lunch hour. He showed up and tried his best most of the time, as if he lacked the attention that he did not get at home. I spent my own money on materials for that class of less than 10 kids. I even baked a cake for those who came to the class on Fridays to encourage the dropouts to stay in school.

Former Marine guilty of grocery store killings: Angie Wagner; The jury took a little more than two hours to find Floyd, 24, guilty of four counts of first-degree murder.

Fight schedule: Friday

Edwards' second trial postponed to Sept. 18: Janet McConnaughey; "The court expects the trial to take three to four weeks, and jury selection about two days," U.S. Attorney Eddie Jordan said after a closed-door conference with defense attorneys and U.S. District Judge Edith Brown Clement.

Interim president slot at UNR has four candidates: Possible interim presidents include Paul Page, who is assistant vice president for university advancement; Ken Hunter, vice president for research; David Westfall, vice president for academic affairs; and Mike Reed, dean of the College of Business Administration.

Stars Trek: Stacy J. Willis; Something is wrong with my Neptune.

State religious groups protest gambling proposal: Melissa Nelson; The groups oppose a constitutional amendment to expand legalized gambling in Arkansas. Supporters of the initiative submitted 80,881 signatures to the Secretary of State's Office last week in an effort to put the issue before voters in November.

Editorial: Tragedy waiting to unfold: But a group of environmental activists, the Washington-based Nuclear Information and Resource Service, recently started its so-called "Radioactive Roads and Rails" tour, which is a bid to raise more awareness to the perils of transporting high-level nuclear waste across the nation. A truck, which will carry a mock 20-foot-by-8-foot nuclear waste cask, left Michigan on July 3 and will end its journey in Nevada sometime next month. The activists note that if Yucca Mountain is approved as a repository by the federal government, 100,000 shipments of waste from Department of Defense facilities or nuclear power plants would travel amid heavily ...

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Clearing air of dirty politics: Ruthe Deskin; Putting a stop to "dirty politicking" is like saying "whoa" to a cue ball.

Arts coverage abandoned: The Big Three evening newscasts, seen by more than 20 million households every night, steadily decreased arts coverage during the 1990s.

Editorial: Some firms take notice of privacy: As the Associated Press reported this week, many businesses are hiring privacy officers. At some of these companies these individuals have sweeping authority to set policies that protect consumers from having their privacy invaded. Some big names, such as American Express, AT&T, Citigroup and Prudential Insurance, have brought aboard privacy officers.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Friday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Golden Glimmer - French-bred runner draws good post for turf dash opener, Berrio on Canani trainee, good spot. Last Reputation - Irish bred training at Anita, trainer Vienna tabs Flores here, needs good trip. Value Play -- Clever Miss Caper

Officers who killed robbery suspect identified: Keith Paul; Three of the Metro Police officers who shot and killed a 19-year-old robbery suspect were in a gang unit that happened to be in the area when a bar was robbed.

Halt to Western land swaps sought: On the heels of a new report that says the federal government has been cheated in Western land swaps, U.S. Rep. George Miller has called for a halt to all similar land exchanges.

Runway clear for Ivanpah airport: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Political maneuvering by Nevada's delegation in Congress may have cleared the runway for a bill to establish a second Las Vegas area airport.

Local news briefs for July 13, 2000: Anastasia Chopelas, UNLV associate professor of physics, was elected vice chairwoman for the 2002 Gordon Research Conference on Research at High Pressure, marking the first time in the nearly 50-year history of the prestigious conference that a woman has been elected to serve in that capacity.

Motion for new trial denied for killer of four: Kim Smith; Convicted four-time killer Donte Johnson's hopes were dashed this morning when District Judge Jeffrey Sobel denied a defense motion for a new trial based on alleged juror misconduct.

Church spoils topless plans for former Rogich offices: Erin Neff; City planners have never warmed to the idea that political adviser Sig Rogich's former office building could be turned into an adult business.

Two armed men rob casino at Treasure Island: About 9:30 p.m. Wednesday the two men jumped over the cage counter and pistol-whipped an employee before running out of the hotel's Las Vegas Boulevard exit and into the crowds waiting to view the resort's pirate battle, Lt. Gary Schofield said.

Panel trimming list of CCSN president hopefuls: Jeffrey Libby; The list of candidates to run the Community College of Southern Nevada is narrowing.

Running red lights kills 800 annually: WASHINGTON -- Nevada ranks second nationally in traffic fatalities caused by drivers running red lights, a study released today says.

Couple fight destruction of Desert Inn: Adrienne Packer; Nancy Tufano and Gary Romano watched the Dunes hotel-casino implode. Then the Sands went down in a heap. Then it was the Hacienda.

UNLV law school accredited: By receiving provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association, the UNLV Boyd Law School can breathe a sigh of relief that its first graduating class will at least get a chance to take bar examinations.

Explosion at Reno home kills woman, injures her husband: Sandra Chereb; Fire investigators said the Wednesday night explosion that ripped the roof off the home was the work of an arsonist, Reno Fire Marshal Larry Farr said. Investigators are now working with homicide detectives searching for clues in the debris.

Guinn gives lawmakers peek at budget: CARSON CITY -- After paying for growth in the schools, prisons and the Medicaid program, Gov. Kenny Guinn estimates he will have $90 million available to finance pay raises for state workers and other enhancements to the next biennial budget.

LV hires new leader for redevelopment: Erin Neff; A veteran government planner has been tapped to help secure developers and projects for a prime piece of vacant land downtown and to lead the city of Las Vegas' overall redevelopment efforts.

Obituaries for July 13, 2000: Albert R. "Archie" Archuletta, 83, of Henderson died Tuesday in Henderson. He was born Feb. 28, 1917, in Colorado. A resident for 51 years, he was a retired brick mason for a titanium processing plant, a World War II Army veteran, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and was actively involved with the Henderson Seniors Center.