Print edition for March 27, 2000

New newspaper receives name, publisher: The tabloid-format newspaper is scheduled to debut in early summer and will be available on Fridays with an initial distribution of 12,000.

Rebels lose another close MWC game, slip to 7-24: Zack Hall; If the UNLV baseball team could only win one-run games, it might not be winless in Mountain West Conference play.

Taxpayers Association, gamers at odds over taxes and subsidies: A report to be issued this week challenges the Nevada gaming industry's key tax arguments. The report also defends the state's bid to diversify its economy and says the state's growth is paying for itself.

Supreme Court to take up wiretap: CARSON CITY -- A dispute over whether Metro Police properly obtained permission for a telephone wiretap in a murder case comes before the Nevada Supreme Court this week.

Obituaries for March 27, 2000: Ron Bavington, 69, of Las Vegas died Saturday in Las Vegas. He was born Aug. 10, 1930, in London. A resident for 24 years, he owned Practical Rent A Car Systems.

Students win big in 'wordy' assay: Students at Meadows School received high honors in the "In WordMasters Challenge," a national language arts competition -- students are asked to understand complex words and challenged to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of relationships.

4.5-mile walk proceded from the told temple to the new: The congregation raised $2.3 million to build the new temple on land donated by American Nevada Corp. at 1940 Paseo Verde Drive.

Newspaper moving to Green Valley: The Sun's approximately 100 employees will occupy the third floor of Corporate Center III, which is part of the American Nevada Corp. business park at Green Valley Parkway and Interstate 215. Pre-leasing is under way for the bottom two floors of the 68,000-square-foot building.

Bank of America's minority spending: During that same period, the bank's Nevada operations spent about $335,000 in purchases from minority-owned businesses.

Letter: Gaming study is questionable: It should consider paying Nevada and its employees more because it is paying the lowest gaming tax in the world, paying its employees only a bit above minimum wage and providing only bare minimum employment services. In turn, the employees are forced to burden the infrastructure (schools, health services, etc.) to survive.

Quick fencing lesson: What is fencing? Two opponents compete on a 6-foot-by-40-foot strip. The movement is so fast that the touches are scored electronically.

Letter: India's support is necessary in peace talks: Reaction of Indian leftist newspapers, essentially opposition Congress Party supporters, to peace talks was unexpected. They fear if Norway is successful then the West might interfere in Kashmir, but the ruling party of India's national government has already courted U.S. help in containing Kashmir terrorists. They also fear assertion of minority Tamil identity in Sri Lanka will be a threat to India. These irrational fears have prompted them to work with anti-peace forces to misinform the Indian public, thus trying to set Indian policy against peace. It is essential that India supports the peace process for it to succeed.

Fifth-ranked ASU tops UNLV: Fifth-ranked ASU tops UNLV

How the top five Oscar winners did at the box office: -"American Beauty," five, $108 million.

Sprinter leads UNLV women: Sprinter leads UNLV women

Book offers help to fledgling home owners: Kimberley McGee; It's the little things that count, and the little things that can add up to insurmountable problems for new homeowners.

AutoNation to strengthen local brand, expand sales on Internet: Phil Levine; Michael Maroone wants to end any lingering confusion among Las Vegas car buyers about his company's presence in this market.

Henderson sparks Bandits: Henderson led four other Silver Bandits in double figures while attempting an IBL season-high 24 free throws. He made 17 of them.

Elian: 'My mother is not in heaven'; family beats deadline for appeal: Alex Veiga; MIAMI - As his relatives met a government deadline today to file an appeal, Elian Gonzalez said in his first TV interview that he remembers how the boat bringing him and his mother from Cuba sank. But he said he doesn't believe his mother is really dead.

'American Beauty' parlays oddball premise into Oscar gold: The film won five awards: best picture, best actor for Kevin Spacey, best director for Sam Mendes, best original screenplay for Alan Ball and best cinematography for Conrad L. Hall.

Aztecs roll over Rebels: UNLV next hosts MWC rival BYU Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Wulfenstein prevails at LVMS: "I made a couple of early runs this year to get the car ready," Wulfenstein said. "We can make the car a lot faster, but for tonight it was fast enough. It's a great way to start a season."

Brown looks to turn things around in Rebels' program: Steve Guiremand; While growing up in Southern California, it was only natural that Kevin Brown be compared to Lawrence Phillips.

The Academy Awards was a night to play it safe fashion-wise: Even Cher came down with a case of class, leaving her trademark beaded, see-through numbers and towering headdresses at home. The actress arrived on stage in a modest black gown to present an award.

DeLay lends hand to Porter's race: "I'm grateful that Mr. DeLay is able to take time from his busy schedule to discuss our most important resource -- children," said Porter, R-Boulder City. "He and I have both been active in children's issues, particularly the streamlining of the adoption process, which helps provide loving homes for hundreds of Nevada children."

Cheeseheads going wild over Wisconsin's run: Steve Addy; ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Look out, Final Four. The Wisconsin Badgers are going to Indianapolis with invitations in hand, and contrary to popular belief, they're taking some athletes with them.

Fencing thrusts itself into mainstream popularity: En garde!: The age-old sport of fencing is just an infant in Southern Nevada.

Local drivers fare well over weekend: It was a banner weekend for five Las Vegas drivers competing in national racing series, led by Paul Tracy's third-place finish in the CART season opener Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Columnist Ralph Siraco: Radical sheikh's bold move pays off in Dubai: Ralph Siraco; If you think that building a multimillion-dollar state-of-the-art racing facility, staging an $11.5 million night of racing at that Taj Mahal and inviting the best horses, jockeys and owners from around the world to your little oasis in the sand -- just for the sport of it -- is a little arrogant, then watching the Dubai World Cup racing program Saturday, beamed halfway around the world to local race books, must have driven you crazy.

Editorial: Step up tests for radiation: The Department of Energy believes that this most recent discovery is radiation caused by nature. Separately, Nye County reported that it recently had found high levels of radiation in a test well, but subsequently it was found that the radiation came from natural sources. It is hoped that this most recent revelation turns out to be a false alarm, too. Still, no matter what the final findings are, there still is a genuine concern about radioactive contamination, which scientists always have believed would occur at the Nevada Test Site. The key question, though, is whether radiation from decades of atomic ...

Columnist Dean Juipe: Rebels find losing is contagious: Dean Juipe; Facts don't lie and the fact of the matter is that the current UNLV baseball team may be the worst in the school's history.

Event organizers say unions, press, others object to 'America's founding documents': Brendan Riley; CARSON CITY - An ardent anti-socialist now touring state capitals criticized journalists, major unions, public defenders and members of the ACLU, NOW, NAACP and Sierra Club as having "serious objections" to the U.S. Constitution.

Hatchery officials still seeking cause of big trout kill: Scott Sonner; RENO, Nev. - Federal fish managers began sterilizing a northern Nevada hatchery Monday, still baffled by what caused the bacterial outbreak that led to the death of thousands of cutthroat trout.

Panel recommends approval of revised gambling agreement: Barry Massey; SANTA FE, N.M. - On the eve of a special session of the New Mexico Legislature, a panel of lawmakers recommended Monday that the House and Senate approve a revised gambling agreement with Indian tribes that could provide more than $27 million to the state next year.

Urban Scrawl -- John Katsilometes: Persistent Cassidy shows fighting side: He's donned in Rat Pack black -- a '50s-style leather jacket, a button-down, short-sleeved shirt and denim pants -- and the room is murkily lit. The small, delicate-looking figure is difficult to distinguish through the dark.

2 inmates escape in transport: The two Nevada prison inmates who overpowered officers and escaped Saturday while being transported in California remained on the loose this morning and it was unclear whether they are headed to the Las Vegas area, officials said.

$2 billion stake taken in Mitsubishi: FRANKFURT, Germany -- DaimlerChrysler AG, seeking a foothold in Asia, said today it would acquire 34 percent of Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp. for an alliance that would create the world's third-largest automaker behind General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co.

25 cent per share offer made: AgriBioTech said New World Liquidity is offering to buy up to 1 million shares at 25 cents each.

Net wagering company "restructures" Station deal: The two companies signed a letter of intent in June to create and operate an online race and sports wagering service exclusively for Nevada residents. Earlier this year, Station officials told the Nevada Gaming Control Board that the letter of intent had expired and the company had no plans to renew it.

Former ATF agent takes UNLV post: After losing its police chief and acting police chief amid controversies alleging officer abuses, UNLV has gone outside the school for leadership of its embattled public safety workers.

Local news briefs for March 27, 2000: A 10-year-old boy was killed when the car he was riding in made an abrupt lane change Saturday night, sending it spinning out of control and into a light pole.

Efforts under way to expand gambling in Kansas: Carl Manning; MAYETTA, Kan. -- The jingling sound of slot machines provides a melodic background sound for David Elliott, who drives every couple of weeks from Wichita to the Prairie Band Potawatomi reservation to try his luck.

Glitch in superintendent search: Terry Webster; Both of the candidates in the running for Clark County School District superintendent have an out. And it's the same one.

Shutdown averted with new contract: ARLINGTON, Va. -- US Airways flights are running on schedule after the airline and its Association of Flight Attendants union reached a contract agreement Saturday, averting a shutdown.

When good luck turns bad: There may be no "Curse of Megabucks."

Science scores concern school officials: Terry Webster; The Clark County School Board plans to take a hard look at the TerraNova test scores for fourth, eighth and 10th graders by race and gender after the most recent results showed science scores had fallen in all grade levels and other scores were mixed.

U.S. Park Service objects to dump at Yucca: The National Park Service has come out against plans for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, saying that radiation could harm an endangered fish that exists only in Death Valley and transportation routes could threaten Lake Mead.

New online auto selling competitor enters LV market: Phil Levine; Competition for new car buyers has entered the world of cyberspace.

Cable operator said in merger talks: The Sunday Telegraph in London reported such a merger would create one of the world's most powerful media groups worth more than $100 billion.

Seattle Art Museum sues over Matisse painting: SEATTLE -- A federal judge cleared the way for the Seattle Art Museum to sue a New York art gallery over a painting by artist Henri Matisse that was briefly on display at the Bellagio.

Outcry, politics halted mercury sludge: An official of a company that wanted to bring 18,000 drums of mercury-contaminated sludge into Southern Nevada for treatment said the proposal was stopped because of political reasons and public outcry.

Battle of experts heats up as trial opens: The outcome of the Ted Binion murder trial, which began today with jury selection, may hinge on a battle of famed forensic experts.

Community news briefs for March 27, 2000: The Boys and Girls Club of Henderson is holding its "Swing Into Spring" 21st annual auction 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Henderson Convention Center.

Domestic violence cases focus of statewide study: Kim Smith; Not too long ago, a Clark County justice of the peace pro tem threw a domestic violence case out of court because of "insufficient evidence."

Video gambling battle heats up in Alabama: Phillip Rawls; MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Groups on both sides of video gambling legislation are turning up the pressure, even though proponents don't plan to push for a vote until after the Legislature returns from its spring break in early April.

Campaign law at center of Malone case: Adrienne Packer; The focus of a probe into who mailed anonymous fliers attacking Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone has turned to the Nevada campaign law Malone had hoped would identify the culprits.

Mirage chief rumored to be eyeing Beverly Hills: New York Daily News gossip columnist Mitchell Fink, citing sources close to Wynn, said the casino magnate is currently shopping for a home in Bel Air. These sources say Wynn will soon bid on the Beverly Hills Hotel or the Bel Air Hotel.