Columnist Ruthe Deskin: At milestone, Sun looks back and forward

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, June 29, 2000 | 9:06 a.m.

Ruthe Deskin is assistant to the publisher. Her column appears Thursdays. Reach her at deskin@lasvegassun.com.

As the Sun's 50th birthday approaches and staffers are compiling bits and pieces of the turbulent history of my favorite newspaper, the past keeps nudging into the future.

We have been digging through dusty old files, some still showing smoke and water stains from the devastating fire that leveled the Sun in 1963. Pictures of past events have become precious commodities as an enthusiastic Sun staff tackles the job of combining everything into one package. As the oldest active member of the Sun family, I am impressed with the diligence and enthusiasm of the young reporters and editors who are memorializing the past as they prepare for the future.

After Sun publisher Hank Greenspun died, there was a rumor that his presence was still felt in the old Sun building on Martin Luther King Boulevard. I must admit we all felt it. When the Sun's special birthday edition is published on Sunday, I have no doubt Hank's spirit will be stalking the streets of the Las Vegas he loved.

Seniors are advised to assist in exposing Medicare fraud by checking all bills from doctors, hospitals, care-givers and insurance companies, as well as their Medicare statements. Great idea. There are a few glitches, however. Most of the statements are provided long after the services have been performed. It takes a CPA with a medical degree to understand the costs and technical terms. Other than that, we seniors are happy to oblige.

It's not what they did, but how they did it. Granted, city zoning officials were a bit cavalier in their treatment of Rabbi Moshe Omer when they arrested him for holding semipublic religious services in a private home, but zoning laws exist to protect against such practices. Allegedly he had been warned several times but he continued, causing concern for neighbors who found their homes surrounded and driveways sometimes blocked by cars. City officials might have used a bit more sensitivity in the situation. The good rabbi might have been more cooperative in the beginning. It was a Catch-22 situation with no one the victor.

Now it is the Desert Inn. Although the present DI bears little resemblance to the original, the announcement that it will be no more after September held little joy for those of us who have watched the Strip stripped of landmarks and history. But who can argue against progress?

It's easy to carp about the Nevada university system's Board of Regents. They do some amazing things, such as: allowing blatant nepotism in the hiring of new employees; ostensibly ignoring the implications of an audit of Southern Nevada's community college; being caught up in somewhat questionable financing procedures for a new state university in Henderson; skirting the open meeting law; and not paying enough attention to minority opinions on the board. We would hope the lengthy background in public service of former county commissioner and new board Chairwoman Thalia Dondero will take the Board of Regents into a new era.

It's been said that a true friend is one who sticks to you when you come unglued.

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