Print edition for June 4, 2000

Shadowing the usual suspects: Keith Paul; George Jefferson walked out of the Clark County jail with his belongings tucked in a small plastic bag. The five-time convicted felon strolled to a bus stop and hopped a ride to the Boulevard mall.

Prestone Route 66 Nationals Pairings: 1. Cory McClenathan, 4.547 seconds, 317.72 mph vs. 16. Bobby Lagana, 5.014, 248.61. 2. Tony Schumacher, 4.593, 322.58 vs. 15. Joe Hartley, 4.795, 290.13. 3. Gary Scelzi, 4.602, 316.67 vs. 14. Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 4.742, 311.77. 4. Doug Herbert, 4.609, 301.67 vs. 13. Doug Kalitta, 4.714, 305.42. 5. Joe Amato, 4.623, 319.37 vs. 12. Don Lampus, 4.714, 314.75. 6. Kenny Bernstein, 4.633, 314.53 vs. 11. Andrew Cowin, 4.664, 313.51. 7. Tim Gibson, 4.641, 312.42 vs. 10. Bob Vandergriff, 4.648, 311.99. 8. David Grubnic, 4.642, 308.43 vs. 9. Larry Dixon, 4.648, 312.78.

Compromise fails before it really starts: Kevin McGill; The six members of a House-Senate conference committee apparently had talked informally about a compromise on the riverboat tax before the meeting.

Malpractice charge still follows Vegas physician: The 6-0 decision released Friday means Bass has been found guilty by the medical board in two separate medical malpractice cases that ended with the deaths of his patients.

Ground broken for $250 million Village at Squaw Valley: The four-phase project will begin with First Ascent, 139 condominiums and 16 shops and restaurants scheduled for occupancy in December 2001.

City agencies pitch in for public relations: Erin Neff; If Southern Nevada were a giant washing machine, the city of Las Vegas and Clark County would be set permanently on the spin cycle.

Southwest Gas seeks natural gas rate hike: Utilify officials say soaring natural gas prices justify a $22.9 million overall rate boost.

Three life terms for man convicted of shooting landlord: In April, a jury found Rosas guilty of first-degree murder, murder with the use of a deadly weapon and kidnapping, each of which carries a life sentence.

Wild ride: A feisty forester blazes her way across the New West: David Foster; So we hurtle down Highway 287, two lanes curving south from Helena toward the Continental Divide. Fields blur by. A cloud of flies splatters against the windshield. Flora crests a rise to see two huge grain trucks and a car poking along up ahead, so she swings her Subaru Forester into the left lane and accelerates to 80, 85 mph.

Nuclear powers charge Bush's campaign: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- Power players connected to the nuclear industry are pouring money into the George W. Bush campaign, barely dropping a dime on his opponent, Al Gore, a review of campaign funding records shows.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Saxe wedding is pure magic: Kate Maddox; Melinda Saxe, known around town as the First Lady of Magic, tied the knot on Thursday night in a small ceremony at the Little Church of the West. Her new "first man" is actually husband No. 2, Mark Evensvold. Saxe's first marriage, to Monte Carlo magician Lance Burton, ended in divorce in 1994.

Letter: Worst lobbying may be occurring in public sector: As for the corrupting power of lobbyists, you'd have to be living on Mars not to be aware of gaming's influence in Nevada. But how does that differ from agribusiness in the farm states? Or the oil and gas industry in the energy states?

Editorial: Bush has no shame in his bid: What makes Bush's appearance at Lake Tahoe particularly galling for Nevadans is that on the biggest environmental issue confronting this state -- federal attempts to place a nuclear waste dump in Nevada -- he would not elaborate on a previous, three-sentence statement on the topic. Bush refused to hold a news conference, an opportunity that would have allowed the local media to ask him questions about GOP-led efforts in Congress to bury 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste inside Yucca Mountain.

Q&A: Band on the Run: Kimberley McGee; Rising rockers descend on Las Vegas this week to mingle with record industry executives at the third annual Emerging Artists and Talent in Music (EAT'M) conference, held Wednesday through Saturday at venues around Las Vegas.

Columnist Jon Ralston: We Nevadans smile on cronyism: The message is clear: In Nevada, behave in the most blatantly unethical manner, using your government position to enrich your friends, and the state will sanction your actions.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Real love goes into real crafts: Little brown boxes were lined up like soldiers along the display case at Frances Begay's Boulder City jewelry shop.

Columnist Sandra Thompson: Child-support crisis is brewing: Sandra Thompson; Is child support enforcement becoming a national crisis?

Letter: TV coverage can inspire voters: In Philadelphia, during the last election cycle, ratings went up when students interviewed candidates for city council, mayoral and legislative seats. Also, voter turnout improved. Wouldn't it be great to test out the possibilities in Las Vegas? If news stories increased on campaigns and elections, perhaps new residents would find out more about the "political players" in our state and get out and vote. Maybe then Nevada would not be written up in Time magazine as having "the worst voter-turnout, only 38 percent, for the 1996 presidential election."

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: A Yucca conspiracy: I am not a conspiracy theorist.

PCL box: Stars 6, Sounds 4: Umpires-Home, Gaze; First, Taylor; Third, Brandt. Time-2:53. Attendance-7,994.

Dozens of South Carolina video gambling operations already have closed: Agents found 133 businesses had closed. Owners had removed 685 machines and turned off another 244, Munn said.

City, county spending millions on public relations: Erin Neff and Adrienne Packer; Local government is fast becoming a multimillion-dollar marketing machine, with television stations, Internet websites and personnel at the ready for any flak attack.

Parents criticize Parole Board after arrest in 23-year-old murder case: Smith is set to be arraigned Monday in the 1977 killing of 6-year-old Lisa Marie Bonham of Martinez, who vanished while on a family trip to the Reno home of an uncle.

Louisiania: Compromise fails before it really starts: Kevin McGill; And there is no sign of agreement on other proposed "sin tax" increases affecting tobacco and riverboat gambling or any other tax.

Tua shows explosiveness in stopping Sullivan in first round: Tim Dahlberg; Fighting with the savage explosiveness of the former heavyweight champion, David Tua needed only 51 seconds Saturday night to stop Obed Sullivan and firmly establish himself as the heavyweight division's leading challenger.

American Indian tribe's joint venture gambling cruise abruptly ends: "We have been talking for some time about dissolving this partnership based primarily on the economic viability of this project," Lou Phillips, chief executive officer of Viejas Enterprises, said Sunday. "The demand hasn't been there."

Stewart wins at Dover: Dick Brinster; Stewart came into the race at Dover Downs International Speedway 10th in the series standings, but had failed to finish three times after just one DNF all last year. He set rookie records with three wins and a fourth-place finish in points in 1999.