Stories published March 3, 2000Las Vegas Sun

Obituaries for March 3, 2000: Ronald J. Bodas, 56, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in a local hospice. He was born Jan. 15, 1944, in Oakland, Calif. A resident for 35 years, he was a restaurant manager and an Army veteran.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Fans will see, but will Reid?: Dean Juipe; It's a question that comes up every time David Reid fights, although it has never really been answered.

LV man pleads guilty in fraud case: Landon pleaded guilty to falsely collecting insurance benefits. He reported his 1997 GMC pickup had been stolen from a parking lot at the Meadows mall in March 1999.

Attorney hopes to meet with Mattsen: David Mattsen, whose testimony has been sought in the Ted Binion murder case, is preparing for his federal firearms trial while in hiding, his lawyer said this morning.

Racing notebook: Roush signs deal with Internet site FamilyClick.com: Jack Roush on Thursday announced a multi-year deal to have FamilyClick.com serve as the primary sponsor on the Roush Racing No. 16 Winston Cup Ford driven by Kevin Lepage.

Death penalty sought for murder, robbery suspect: Kim Smith; A 41-year-old man accused of beating an elderly woman to death in December and later robbing another could receive the death penalty.

Critics: Monorail estimate too high: Adrienne Packer; Only two years ago Transco Holdings executive Ron Watson approached a group of influential consultants and offered to build a 3.7-mile monorail linking Bally's hotel-casino to the Las Vegas Hilton.

Two morning fires hit within minutes in North Las Vegas: No one was injured in either fire, which struck the Valley Baptist Church at 2944 Civic Center Drive at about 9:30 and a nearby vacant home at 2491 Webster St. a few minutes later.

Prominent LV horse dies: The horse was put down last week at the stable where he had lived since 1978. Owned by Ingrid Hines and kept at her ranch/stable off West Sahara Avenue, The Good Lord won a number of prominent races and established seven track records during his heyday in the late 1970s.

Race fans soak up scene at speedway: Jace Radke; While the NASCAR Busch Series drivers Thursday raced to be among the qualifiers for Saturday's Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, vendors, fans and speedway employees were finishing up their preparations for Sunday's main event, the NASCAR CarsDirect.com 400 race.

Saturday at Bay Meadows: 1st race 5-1/2 fur 4YO & up F & M Mdn Clm: 1 Old Times (Radke) 112; 2 For the Love (Bisono) 117; 3 Merry Dam (Perez) 117; 4 Pip's Little Bit (Miranda) 112; 5 Lucky Trickster (Alferez) 117; 6 Tricketta (Gutierrez) 110; 7 T T Tight (Gonzalez) 117; 8 Jaunty Miss (Arriaga) 117.

Prosecutors say jailhouse notes reveal alibi scheme: Prosecutors Thursday unveiled handwritten jailhouse notes from Rick Tabish outlining an alleged plot to pay alibi witnesses in the Ted Binion murder case.

Isle of Capri completes purchase of company: BILOXI, Miss. -- Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. completed its $420 million acquisition of Lady Luck Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas on Thursday, both companies said.

Ayala a big favorite to beat Bredahl: Dean Juipe; Upstaged to some extent by the presence of Felix Trinidad and David Reid fighting in Las Vegas one day before his title defense, Paulie Ayala was at least spared the uneasiness of having promoter Bob Arum announce an Oscar De La Hoya fight at a Thursday press conference.

Downtown redevelopment expects boost from a cool business source: Erin Neff; Successful redevelopment efforts are often accompanied with talk of hot projects and a temperate economic climate.

Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Fishing group to hold banquet: Paula DelGiudice; Southern Nevada Trout Unlimited has announced plans to hold its annual banquet on Saturday, March 11, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Gold Coast hotel-casino.

Malpractice insurance rates to fall: State Insurance Commissioner Alice Molasky-Arman said the drop was effective Feb. 1 for new policies and Wednesday for renewal policies.

Elementary school pulls library book that teaches kids how to draw Satan: Stacy J. Willis; Learn to read, write and draw pictures of Satan.

LV company sold for $127 million: Employing about 1,100 people, Sunbelt provides infrastructure services to customers in the high-tech, gaming and industrial/commercial sectors; its revenues for this year will exceed $300 million.

Airline passenger arrested after high-flying scuffle: Leonard Holmer, 30, of Minnesota, was arrested, cited for battery and released after Champion Airlines Flight 505, which had taken off from Minneapolis, landed at McCarran.

Summerlin going in circles over traffic: Diana Sahagun; On any afternoon inside Summerlin, traffic looks a lot like a dog chasing its tail.

Longtime UNLV educator, civic leader Cassese dies: To Tom Cassese, students always came first.

Saturday at Aqueduct: 1st race 6 fur 3YO Fil Mdn: 1 Distinctively Jen (Vergara) 120; 2 Alylivia (Rocco) 115; 3 Dame Edna (Arroyo) 115; 4 Glorious Gift (Gryder) 120; 5 Wheatley Heights (Blake) 113; 6 Baby Barbara (Castillo) 120; 7 Home On the Hill (Luzzi) 120; 8 Buna Beach (Hole) 120; 9 Perigee (Montalvo) 115.

Despite success of shopping center, magic fades from expansion dreams: Erin Neff; When retired basketball great Magic Johnson stood on a vacant West Las Vegas lot in 1993, he envisioned grocery stores, coffee shops and maybe even movie theaters.

Women's box: UNLV-Colorado State: UNLV (15-11)

Bankruptcies: Kenneth Lynn Shore, formerly doing business as Shore's Upholstery, 1700 Alta Drive No. 1152, filed for Chapter 7, listing assets of $19,025 and liabilities of $52,418.

Murphy's lavish lifestyle is troubling to Binion judge: District Judge Joseph Bonaventure Thursday voiced concerns that Sandy Murphy may be living a life of luxury following his order declaring her indigent and entitled to taxpayer funds for her defense on murder charges.

U.S. sues Nevada over Yucca water rights ban: As expected, the U.S. government has filed suit contesting a Nevada decision that denies water rights needed to build and operate a Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository.

Rite Aid: Jackpot must pay rent for slots: Grace Leong; Rite Aid Corp., disputing allegations leveled against it by a Las Vegas slot route operator, is pursuing rents for slot machines operating in 37 of its Nevada drugstores.

Earnings shortfall causes stock to plunge for Nevada bank operators: First Security Corp. and Zions Bancorporation, big players in the Nevada banking industry, saw their stock prices plunge this morning when First Security issued an earnings warning.

Mesquite mayor facing recall: CARSON CITY -- Chuck Horne, elected last June as mayor of Mesquite, is the target of a recall, the organizers of which say he has created a hostile environment among the citizens in the rapidly growing city.

Kinser claims win at LVMS: Steve Kinser passed Stevie Smith with one lap remaining and captured his first A feature of the season in the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Silver State Shootout Thursday night at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway half-mile dirt oval.

State seeks fed funds for nuke water study: Gov. Kenny Guinn and a Nevada environmental official are urging the U.S. Department of Energy to pour $40 million more into its ground water program to search for radiation contamination at the Nevada Test Site.

Gym dandy: Victoria Sun; Tasha Schwikert frequently giggles, casually sprinkles the word "like" into almost every sentence that comes out of her mouth and considers shopping one of her favorite hobbies.

Witness: Suspect defied order by police: Keith Paul; A witness testifying at a Clark County coroner's inquest this morning said he saw a man -- who police moments later shot and killed -- jump up from a hiding spot and pull a handgun after police had shouted: "Stop, police!"

UNLV notebook: Rebels go on scoring spree with 'Kas' on bench: Steve Addy; SAN DIEGO -- From the final stats, it looks as if Rebels center Kaspars Kambala had an excellent game against San Diego State on Thursday.

Observers disappointed with Kerzner's abandonment of Desert Inn deal: David Strow; Sun International Hotels Ltd. announced Thursday it is pulling out of a $275 million pact to buy the Desert Inn -- a move seen by many as a severe blow to hopes of revitalizing the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.

UNLV women hold off feisty CSU: In a game that was tight throughout, the Lady Rebels (15-11, 7-6 MWC) held off several attempts by CSU (19-7, 9-4 MWC) to claw its way back into the game.

Resort operator in default on debt: Resort at Summerlin said it has borrowed $30.9 million from Swiss Casinos of America Inc. since November, and has had to secure this debt with a subordinated deed of trust and security interest on the Regent Las Vegas.

Saturday at Santa Anita: 1st race 1-1/16 mi 4YO Clm: 1 Ole by Me (Solis) 120; 2 Sweet for a Moment (Enriquez) 118; 3 Amber's Beau (Berrio) 118; 4 Cunning Fellow (Martinez) 116; 5 Enzo the Baker (Pedroza) 120; 6 Belfast Drive (Diaz) 111; 7 Profit Record (Flores) 118; 8 Northern Johnny (Valdivia) 118; 9 Si Charmant (Hunter) 118.

Hotel-casino replaces auditor: A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said the dismissal will be effective May 31. The company will replace Arthur Andersen with accounting firm KPMG LLP.

Prosecutors want leniency in du Pont murder sentencing: Kim Smith; Two of the main players in the du Pont murder case helped prosecutors so much they should receive less than the minimum sentence called for by statute.

Getting in and out of LV speedway made much easier: The NASCAR drivers inside Las Vegas Motor Speedway may zoom around the 1.5-mile track at 170 mph -- but in past years, the drivers outside the speedway gates have been mired in traffic moving at a snail's pace.

Judge to decide if pants can be used as evidence in slayings trial: Kim Smith; District Judge Jeffrey Sobel is giving prosecutors one more chance to persuade him that he shouldn't toss out evidence gathered against Donte Johnson in a quadruple slaying 19 months ago.

Parole axed for bank heist driver: CARSON CITY -- The state Parole Board Thursday denied the application for release for Carlos A. Gurry, the driver of a getaway car in a bank robbery in Las Vegas in which an FBI agent was shot to death.

Man pleads not guilty in girlfriend's killing: Deputy District Attorney Melissa de la Garza told District Judge Mark Gibbons of the office's decision during Danny Kaye Taylor's arraignment Thursday.

Mountain West Conference standings: Conference/All Games

E-commerce company opening LV-area call center: Phil Levine; Henderson officially becomes home to one of the nation's leading e-commerce players with next week's opening of Providian Financial Corp.'s first Nevada operations center.

Morning blaze destroys apartments: Keith Paul; A fire early this morning raged through an apartment building, destroying the homes of about 15 people and forcing another 50 from nearby apartments.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: More money, less competition: With crowds approaching papal-visit proportions and TV ratings that even the producers of the wildly popular hospital drama ER would -- well, die for -- these are halcyon times for NASCAR.

Locals featured on TV show: Founded by "Buffalo" Jim Barrier, the BWF holds occasional cards at the Silver Nugget in North Las Vegas. The BWF will hold a free exhibition at its training site, 2456 Industrial Road, April 1 at noon.

Columnist Rusty Wallace: 'Happy Hour' isn't always pleasant: Rusty Wallace; The final NASCAR Winston Cup practice on Saturday before Sunday's race is called "Happy Hour," but sometimes it isn't so happy.

509936970.html: Hank Parker Jr. crashed his primary race car during practice for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway and was unable to join other Busch Series drivers for a two-day test session last month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Greenspun Media Group executive resigns: Rusher said today he needed time to handle a family emergency.

News briefs: A former Nevada Department of Prisons employee who married a Warm Springs Correctional Center inmate has filed a complaint against the state because officials won't let her visit her husband.

Globetrotters in Las Vegas: On Sunday at 2 p.m., the team will showcase its talent at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Nevada power plant auction process begins: The sale of the plants was a condition of the merger deal between Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Resources Inc. The generating facilities are being grouped into four asset bundles in Southern Nevada and three in Northern Nevada.

Tabish friend testifies about movie deal: Rick Tabish once bragged that he expected to earn $200,000 to $300,000 from selling the rights to his story in the Ted Binion murder case, a Tabish friend testified Thursday.

Rebels in position to clinch top seed: Steve Addy; SAN DIEGO -- Their lifelines are long gone, but the Rebels have no need for Phone-a-Friend or 50-50 now. All they need is an emphatic final answer.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Benefit for PAWS goes vegetarian with great results: It's a rare benefit that features a vegetarian meal, but there were no complaints at the ARK 2000 benefit for the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) at Spiedini Ristorante at the Regent Las Vegas recently.

Editorial: Fans looking for speedy speedway entrance, exit: Those of us who plan to attend this weekend's events at the speedway, including the feature NASCAR race on Sunday, hope that they do not become hair-pulling experiences. Officials with the speedway and Nevada Department of Transportation assure us that traffic should be much better this time because Las Vegas Boulevard has been widened to five lanes from two previously between Craig Road and the track. Add two lanes on the shoulders and fans will have seven lanes of access.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Back-to-back title bouts highlight a raging weekend: Joe Delaney; Boxing is the major entertainment attraction this weekend with not one but two title fights, tonight between Felix Trinidad and David Reid, both undefeated, outdoors at Caesars Palace, and Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Bredahl, Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. ... The Trinidad-Reid match has the greater significance.

Sound Check -- Geoff Carter: Checking in on an 'electronica' quartet: Even as Matchbox 20 featuring Santana and Christina Aguilera abscond with their ill-gotten Grammys, a full-blown musical revolution is taking place.

Are you blushing?: Kimberley McGee; It's just a moment, a string of seconds that add up to cringing minutes.

Birth announcements for March 3, 2000: Feb. 1: A boy to Lisa and Milton Swonger. Feb. 19: A girl to Melissa and Kenneth Milstead. Feb. 20: A boy to Janet Gomez and Ryan White. Feb. 22: A girl to Shana and Derek Stott; a girl to Valerie and Joe Ahumada. Feb. 23: A boy to Susann Davis and Kenneth Brown Jr; a girl to Evelia and Jeffrey Moore; a girl to Lisa and Don Stevens; a boy to Laura and Patrick Cross. Feb. 24: A girl to Shannon and Alan Barnett; a girl to Magalie and Patrieio Sarnataro. Sean Duffy; a girl to Ralinda and Ngametua ...

Columnist Kate Maddox: EAT'M ready to greet 'em again: Kate Maddox; Musicians trying to hit the big time might be able to find some luck right here in Las Vegas in June. EAT'M -- Emerging Artists & Talent in Music -- will hold its third annual conference and showcase June 7-10 at the Rio hotel-casino, and the process of nailing down the hundreds of bands that have submitted demos has already begun.

Editorial: Don't leave ex-Test Site workers out: It was not until a Department of Energy hearing in North Las Vegas last week that many former Test Site employees publicly disclosed their exposure to hazardous materials that wrecked their health. As reported by the Sun's Mary Manning, they absorbed radiation, dust and asbestos as well as diesel fumes and toxic solvents. Many contracted lung disease and are dependent on oxygen tanks. Others need wheelchairs, canes or walkers.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Pat still firing blanks: THERE'S SOMETHING about former Sen. Warren Rudman and Sen. John McCain that upsets the Rev. Pat Robertson. Rudman, a retired Republican senator from New Hampshire, helped McCain upset George W. Bush in his state's GOP presidential primary. This success resulted in Robertson attacking Rudman as a "vicious bigot" in phone messages during the next unsuccessful Bush campaign in Michigan.

Rudd wins CarsDirect.com 400 pole by shattering course record: It might not have impressed him at the time, but Ricky Rudd's qualifying lap shattered the track record by nearly two miles per hour and put the 43-year-old Rudd on the pole for Sunday's NASCAR Winston Cup CarsDirect.com 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Marines-sponsored Parker Jr. wins Sam's Town pole: Hank Parker Jr. crashed his primary race car during practice for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway and was unable to join other Busch Series drivers for a two-day test session last month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Two guards killed in armored car heist: Angie Wagner; LAS VEGAS - Masked gunmen carrying assault rifles shot and killed two armored car guards in a strip mall ambush before escaping with three bags of money Friday.

Where there's smoke, there's controversy at Lake Tahoe: Scott Sonner; RENO, Nev. - Until now, it's been a no-brainer. The hottest, driest summer months were considered the worst time to set a fire to help thin overstocked forests around Lake Tahoe.

Hearing set to determine lawyers in old death penalty case: Sandra Chereb; RENO, Nev. - Prosecutors haven't decided whether to retry a man whose conviction and death sentence for killing a judge's son 22 years ago was canceled by the Nevada Supreme Court.

Two killed in robbery: Police are looking for three suspects who fled the scene. One suspect is believed to be injured.

Shelf Life -- Scott Dickensheets: Artfully examining some new art books: Reading about art will always run a sorry second to actually looking at it, except for a few masochistic theorists and careerist academics. Standing before my first Jackson Pollock, I understood one thing: not the painting itself, certainly, a glorious whirl of galactic splatters; that stuff's waaaay over my little head. I did, however, realize that nothing I could read about the painting -- not 100,000 words of explanation and context -- would compare to simply standing there absorbed in it.

Letter: Sell methane gas from garbage dump to Nevada Power: In all probability, our original fees would have taken care of that were it not for vacation-home expenses in the northwest. Of course, the one making the most "stink" about the whole situation is the house and golf-course developer that opted to put his "Utopia" directly southeast of the old Sunrise dump.

Letter: Dog killer has suffered enough: I find her judgment very awry, if she thinks that a human should have to be subjected to an attack by a recently domesticated animal, whose breed is chosen for its ability to herd other animals through intimidation, barking, and biting, and that humans should do nothing in defense. Dogs have instincts every bit as wild as any other animal. That we have learned to live alongside them, and make them dependent on us, does not make them harmless.

Kites flying high over Henderson: The park, Sonata, was developed by the American Nevada Corp., developers of the 1,300-acre Seven Hills master-planned community. Festivities commemorating the opening of the 12-acre park at 1515 Seven Hills Drive will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors are invited to come out and observe the flying of one of only four 100-foot "Trilobite" kites in the country. The kite is owned by a local couple, Donna and Steve Rezac, of the Sky Art Co.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Adam Petty to embark on pressure-free career: Whether it's on the race track or at a public appearance, 19-year-old Adam Petty carries himself with the ease of a veteran driver twice his age.

Voter drive to encourage Hispanics: "Su voto es su voz."

Stand up, be counted Nevada, officials plead: The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is hosting the official kick-off ceremony for Nevada Census 2000 at 1 p.m. Monday.

Who's who of drivers turn out for newest Vegas attraction: Robert Macy; Thousands of fans turned out Thursday night to watch a who's who of NASCAR drivers inaugurate a $50 million racing attraction on the Las Vegas Strip.

Roush drivers Martin, Burton are kings of LVMS speed: Experienced gamblers will tell you that there is no such thing as a sure bet.

Letter: Those jurors sure do get around: DONALD J. FERRIS

Date book: The dance company Culture Shock Las Vegas will hold auditions for intermediate and advanced level hip hop dance at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Las Vegas Athletic Club, 2655 S. Maryland Parkway. Call 223-3038.

California accounts for 35 percent of Nevada gaming revenues: Robert Macy; Concerns over expansion of Indian casino gambling is a legitimate issue for Nevada companies, with a recent report indicating Californians provide 35 percent of Nevada's gambling revenues.

Nevada casino companies switching sides as California gambling booms: Robert Macy; Nevada gambling companies facing an unprecedented explosion of competition from Indian casinos in California, their most fertile customer base, are beginning to switch sides and seek gaming development contracts with tribes.

UNLV-San Diego State box score: NEVADA-LAS VEGAS (19-7)

'Buddy Holly' musical rocking tirelessly at Hilton: Joe Delaney; "Buddy ... The Buddy Holly Story," a musical theater success on Broadway and an even bigger hit for a longer period in London, concludes a too-brief run at the Las Vegas Hilton with matinee and evening performances Saturday and Sunday.

Anchor Gaming CEO resigns: T.J. Matthews, executive vice president of Anchor, has been appointed the company's new president and chief executive. Rumbolz also resigned from Anchor's board.