Print edition for June 20, 2000

LV commercial real estate brokers beef up lobbying: Johnson, with 30 years of real estate experience, had been with Fidelity National Title, Stewart Title, Chicago Title and Nevada Title.

Lanni resigns from Internet company boards: Alan Feldman said that Lanni resigned from the board of Las Vegas-based PurchasePro.com on May 31, the day MGM Grand's $6.4 billion acquisition of Mirage Resorts Inc. closed. Lanni has also informed Youbet.com, a Los Angeles-based Internet wagering service, of his intent to resign from that company's board at the end of this month.

Vegas gains first nonstop Buffalo flight: The flight is the first nonstop flight between Buffalo's Niagara International Airport and Las Vegas, McCarran International Airport officials said. Southwest will offer one flight between the cities daily.

Vegas man reappointed: Gurrola, 70, has served since 1992 on commission that regulates the casino industry in the state. The term is for four years.

DNA called crucial in cop-shooting case: Keith Paul; Prosecutors this morning filed a motion seeking to obtain a DNA sample from a suspect in last week's shooting of a Metro Police officer.

Local news briefs for June 20, 2000: A man shot to death Monday while walking his dog in a northeast Las Vegas neighborhood was identified this morning as 52-year-old Danny Lee Sopp.

Casino development freeze planned: TORONTO -- Four eastern Ontario communities will be able to vie for a new charity casino before the province imposes a three-year development freeze on new or expanded gambling facilities.

Press barred from annual meeting: DETROIT -- In a rare move, Mandalay Resort Group barred the media from attending its annual shareholder meeting, held in Detroit last week.

Study findings grim for kids in Nevada: Lee Scrivner; Louise Helton simply notes that "it's nothing to brag about."

Del Mar parent buying mortgage operation: Terms weren't disclosed. Las Vegas-based Mortgage Source is licensed in 13 states with plans to expand nationwide. It completed $65 million in residential home loans in 1999 and has 31 employees, Sunderland said.

AIDS patient takes on state bar after his firing: Birusk Tugan; For 11 years Paul Ortiz helped people find a lawyer. He knew everyone in "the business." But when he needed a lawyer for himself, Ortiz, 33, couldn't find anyone willing to represent him.

Lawmakers bail out farmers hurt by Nevada company's bankruptcy: David Espo; WASHINGTON -- Take a bankrupt Nevada seed company and add 14,000 troubled farmers and an election-year Congress mindful of their votes. It totals up to $35 million worth of no-interest loans from the federal government.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Getting a backstage education: Holly Barnes never figured on all the sewing.

Renovated apartments celebrated in march to new downtown image: Aaron Clemens; The difference at the corner of Maryland Parkway and Ogden Avenue was startling.

Drills to be at Sunset Park: Drills to be at Sunset Park

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Use of Der Fuehrer creates an NBA furor: Maybe you had to be there. But several others weren't amused upon learning Lakers coach Phil Jackson juxtaposed the image of Sacramento coach Rick Adelman alongside one of Adolf Hitler on a tape that was shown to Lakers players prior to the deciding game of their first-round playoff series against the upstart Kings.

Editorial: Tougher position on parole: In response to this tragedy, state lawmakers made sweeping changes to Nevada's parole system. The lawmakers eliminated parole in many instances for violent criminals; they also required a mandatory prison time of at least 40 percent of the crime's maximum sentence to be served before parole was even considered. For the Parole Board's part, it revised much of the guidelines it used to determine whether parole should be granted. For instance, new rules ranked crimes by their severity, which included not only taking into consideration previous offenses, but also accounting for crimes committed at the same time as the one ...

Lakes settles shareholder lawsuits for $18 million: David Strow; Lakes Gaming Inc. announced Monday it will pay $18 million to settle a series of four-year-old shareholder lawsuits over problems in building and opening the Stratosphere hotel-casino in Las Vegas.

18 local projects draw special praise: More than 2,900 projects nationwide were nominated for the awards, which specify that a particular project is a model for other communities to follow.

Letter: Fire coverage appreciated: The Las Vegas Sun's contributions were deeply appreciated by all of the firefighters.

Cargo center could boost profitability for McCarran carriers: David Strow; Airport growth

Editorial: Clinton vow may aid medical care: It was heartening, then, to see the Clinton administration announce Monday it would ask Congress to increase these payments, offering $21 billion more over the next five years to pay Medicare health care providers. While bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Congress to boost Medicare funding, it's still uncertain if a deal can be struck. Partisan squabbles in this election year have hampered compromises on other health care issues, such as a patient's bill of rights. But Congress should not adjourn until it resolves Medicare funding, ensuring that health care providers have enough money to guarantee that the nation's seniors ...

No relief in sight to rising gasoline prices in U.S.: CHICAGO -- Oil and ethanol industry executives blamed one another for rising gas prices Monday at a congressional panel designed to examine why drivers are paying more than $2 a gallon in cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee.

Letter: Welcome money if state gets nuclear waste: Under Loux's leadership the state has received over $70 million to oversee the Yucca Mountain studies and all they have done is use the money for political science. Loux will be extremely ineffective in protecting the state because of his program's well-known lack of scientific credibility.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: One-Puka-Puka in town: SOME OF AMERICA'S finest fighting men and patriots are gathering in Las Vegas to visit and recall past relationships and experiences. They are the men from three troop trains moving into Camp McCoy, Wis., 58 years ago. It had been a long trip for them from Hawaii aboard a crowded troop ship and then on equally crowded trains from Oakland, Calif., to the farmlands of Wisconsin.

City likely to OK land for neon sign storage: Erin Neff; Info

Harrah's New Orleans wins $21 million in May: Alan Sayre; NEW ORLEANS -- Harrah's New Orleans Casino, whose performance is being watched carefully amid speculation it will seek a tax break from the state, won just under $21 million from gamblers in May.

Teamsters take pay cut, return to LV concrete jobs: Grace Leong; A 17-day lock-out of Teamsters Union truck drivers by two big Las Vegas concrete producers ended with some 300 drivers returning to work Monday and accepting a $1.52 an hour rollback in wages.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Coldwater Canyon - Flores/Baffert team, draws good post for the route opener, time to graduate. Nationalore - Richest maiden in the land, has finished runner-up to the best and mediocre in the country, but one of these days...... Value Play -- Airiasaffiair

Illusionist Roy's mother dies at 86: Jace Radke; Siegfried and Roy manager Bernie Yuman enjoyed calling Johanna Horn for advice because she always made time for everyone.

Elderly, disabled Nevadans sue music companies: Grace Leong; Two elderly Las Vegas women are seeking restitution from the nation's five largest music distributors, alleging they came up with illegal advertising policies that jacked up the price of compact discs.

Wednesday's horse racing entries: Post Time 1:10 p.m.

School Board begins conference: Some of the issues the School Board will examine include treatment of staff and "consumers," financial planning and budgeting, financial condition and activities, asset protection, compensation and benefits, communication and support to the board, governing style, board job description, the board president's role, board members code of conduct and monitoring the superintendent's performance.

Community news briefs for June 20, 2000: The American Cancer Society is offering "I Can Cope," a series of free classes about cancer, 6-8 p.m. beginning July 12 at the Barbara Greenspun WomensCare Center of Excellence, 100 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 330.

Stars rainout forces twinbill today: The two teams will make the game up today at 6 p.m. as part of a doubleheader.

Help children experience summer camp: They haven't seen their mother since they were small children. Their father has a series of problems, one of them being women who have come and gone in his life leaving the children, who have already lost their mother, with abandonment issues.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: LVMS may get shut out of open-wheel racing: Two significant announcements concerning American open-wheel racing were made within 48 hours of each other over the weekend, and both could have an impact on the future of Indy-style racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Gambling link to suicides refuted: David Strow; Las Vegas may have one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, but that's not the fault of gambling, a new study found.

CCSN acts in response to audit: RENO -- The administration of the Community College of Southern Nevada has been shaken up in response to audit findings that the school overspent its budget on projects, ignored state policies and kept shoddy records on its presidential host fund.

Letter: Circus no place for animal lovers: I am raising my children to respect the lives of animals and not to laugh at them in a show ring being forced to do demeaning tricks. All you need to do is watch PBS and Discovery to get a glimpse of what their lives were meant to be.

FTC approves $90 billion Pfizer, Warner-Lambert merger: Brigitte Greenberg; WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators have approved a merger that will leave one company dominating many U.S. medicine cabinets.

Obituaries for June 20, 2000: Helen Alexander, 80, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospital. She was born Oct. 10, 1919, in Morgan City, La. A resident for 10 years, she was a homemaker.

Stephanopoulos seeks dismissal of Flowers' lawsuit: Kim Smith; A former adviser for President Clinton has asked that a defamation lawsuit brought against him by alleged presidential flame Gennifer Flowers be dismissed.

Reunion recalls camaraderie of Japanese-American soldiers: Aaron Clemens; Although all of the troops who fought in World War II made sacrifices for their country, the price paid by the most highly decorated unit was especially great -- and not just because of the 18,143 individual decorations its members were awarded for bravery.

Cram to work for foundation: Terry Webster; Retiring Clark County School District Superintendent Brian Cram has accepted a position as director of educational and community initiatives for the Greenspun Family Foundation.

County air pollution chief blasts report by Calif. agency: The director of the Clark County Health District's air pollution control agency fired back at a private consultant's report that harshly criticized the agency's performance.

Anti-gay campaign debated on show: Stacy J. Willis; Bob Fulkerson's hands trembled.

Bill would include fed help on wash: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The federal government would formally join an effort to fix the troubled Las Vegas Wash, the natural filtration system for water flowing into Lake Mead, according to a bill introduced in Congress on Monday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: De La Hoya expected to retire: Dean Juipe; They're holding a "Life After Oscar" meeting this afternoon at the Top Rank Boxing offices in Las Vegas.

Casino ATMs, Internet gambling debated in House: Benjamin Grove; WASHINGTON -- The House today considered one of several bills aimed at outlawing Internet gambling.

Box score: Stars 8, Sidewinders 7: E-Conti, Ortiz 2, Barajas. DP-Las Vegas 3, Tucson 2. LOB-Las Vegas 5, Tucson 5. 2B-Sell, Ward, Mitchell. HR-Darr (5), Allen (14). SF-Allen.

Lounge performers yearn for the days of intimate shows: Today's Las Vegas shows typically have things that explode, people who fly, disappearing tigers and spectacles with smoke-shrouded superstars singing to audiences of thousands.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Rio braces for 'De La Guarda': Kate Maddox; The Rio is hoping to score big with a new show and a somewhat unusual entertainment idea. The hotel, which recently shelled out beaucoup bucks for the new 1,500-seat Pavilion Theatre, has just about completed work on a new showroom by the hotel's pool area.