Print edition for March 28, 2000

Former spy shop owner pleads guilty to murder: John Flowers, 29, is scheduled to officially plead guilty to the murder charge and a charge of battery with intent to kill on April 3. He will have to serve at least 25 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. He was not given credit for three years already spent in a state mental institution.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: LSU example should worry Rebels: The consensus among most in the media and other observers of the NCAA's hush-hush investigation of the UNLV men's basketball team was that the Rebels were going to get off with a slap on the wrist.

Bandits fall to Stars: Victoria Sun; Las Vegas Silver Bandits coach Rolland Todd is usually confident that by the time the fourth quarter comes, the five players he puts on the court will outlast the opposition.

Nevada unemployment rate reaches 22-year low: CARSON CITY -- Unemployment in Nevada fell to 3.7 percent in February, its lowest rate in nearly 22 years.

509978973.html: Tuesday

Ralph Siraco's selections for Wednesday's races at Santa Anita: 1st Race -- Simply Surprising -Draws good post for the mile run, Blanc aboard on Gaines trainee, adds nasal strip here. Lady Dehere - Desormeaux aboard Cerin trainee, draws good inside post, should get a catbird trip in this. Value Play -- Working Capital

Editorial: Nevada still is in bull's-eye: While Barton asserts that Clinton doesn't want to address this issue, the reality is that it is the nuclear power industry's friends in the GOP-controlled Congress who don't want to face the unpleasant (to them) facts: mounting evidence that Yucca Mountain is an unsafe place to bury nuclear waste. Clinton wants to ensure that scientific evidence is weighed responsibly in the federal government's suitability study -- unlike repository supporters who don't want their predetermined conclusions contradicted.

New Orleans' casino tax break still in the rumor mill: "That's the word that's going around," said Stelly, R-Lake Cahrles.

PUC decision sets stage for court fight: The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada has approved an order that decreases power rates for Nevada Power Co., setting the stage for a court battle between the company, its shareholders and state regulators.

Ethics case leads to complaint against Palazzo: The complaint was filed by Las Vegas resident Lee Haynes, who found two main points of contention in Palazzo's letter to the Ethics Commission on McDonald's behalf.

Africanized bees attack woman: A 77-year-old Las Vegas woman suffered an almost lethal attack by Africanized honeybees as she walked near their hive at Maryland Parkway and U.S. 95 Monday.

Local news briefs for March 28, 2000: Federal and state environmental officials said today that levels of toxic dioxin in soils around Henderson homes and a proposed park site are small enough that there is no threat to people living and playing there.

IBL Box: Trenton-Las Vegas: Grant 6-9 3-4 15, Joseph 1-3 0-0 2, Lorthridge 5-13 4-8 16, Young 10-17 23-4 26, Tutt 9-17 3-6 22, Woodard 0-1 1-1 1, Worthy 2-2 0-0 4, Edwards 1-3 0-0 2, Hyman 2-3 2-3 6, Reynolds-Dean 2-5 1-2 5. Totals 38-73 17-28 99.

Army Corps would help clean up abandoned mines under House bill: Bart Jansen; Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., drafted a bill to give the Army Corps of Engineers $45 million a year to control the drainage of acid and other hazardous chemicals from mines. He set a high priority for six mines in Nevada.

Father, son implicated in Tahoe murder: Pierini said the complaint alleges Thomas Soria Jr., 19, brought the 15-year-old into the Sorias' apartment and with his father convinced the girl Soria Sr. "would die if she refused to have sex with him."

State jobless rate hits 22-year low: The statewide, seasonally adjusted jobless rate fell 0.3 of a percent to 3.7 percent in February, the lowest since June 1978. That's below the nationwide February average of 4.1 percent.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Great start has CCSN thinking big: Dean Juipe; The question is posed to Tim Chambers on an increasingly regular basis.

LV group pitches ideas to 6 teams: Steve Guiremand; Six major league baseball teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, met Monday at the Four Seasons hotel to listen to a sales pitch about moving their spring training operations from Florida to Las Vegas in 2002.

Cyprien in line for Ala. coaching job: Steve Addy; Glynn Cyprien is in the market to run a basketball program of his own, and the Rebels associate head coach might find that opportunity at Jacksonville State in Alabama.

Tobacco money to go to seniors: State Human Resources Director Charlotte Crawford said Monday 36 invitations have been sent out to companies, and more than 1,600 other insurance firms licensed to do business in Nevada have been notified of the project.

Letter: Heston would be better president than Al Gore: To Harbert, let me ask, "What is wrong with prayer?" I am unaware that prayer has ever hurt anyone. And, while I do not condone the use of assault rifles, nor see any need for them by civilians, I am a card-carrying member of the NRA who does believe in our Second Amendment rights. Yes, I do believe that guns, in the hands of maniacs, kill people, but so do knives, poisons, bludgeoning instruments, drownings, stranglings, etc.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Not in our back yard: Is there nothing more important than money?

GOP backer says unions, press, others object to 'America's founding documents': Brendan Riley; "Typically, we have found this among those you see listed," said Balint Vazsonyi, a pro-GOP political theorist, referring to a memo he issued. "Maybe I should have said some of them."

Columnist Susan Snyder: Weighed down by military inflexibility: Whether she retires with her full rank as staff sergeant or with one stripe stripped from her uniform hangs in the balance of a bathroom scale.

Letter: The difference of one letter: BILL MORRISEY

Community news briefs for March 28, 2000: Milt Doyle, a local businessman for 27 years who ran for the County Commission last fall, was recently appointed to the board of directors for Opportunity Village. Doyle, formerly of Prudential Insurance, currently runs Milt Doyle and Associates. In addition to serving on the board of Opportunity Village, he serves on the Whitney Town Board, the Community Development Block Grant Committee and the Marketing and Tourism Committee for the Henderson Chamber of Commerce.

Letter: Being a citizen has its benefits: I am assuming that Standish lives in Berkley's congressional district. If so, he has no electoral connection with Congressman Jim Gibbons; the districts do not overlap.

DOE caught in conflict of interest suit at Yucca: A law firm Monday sued the Department of Energy over a contract awarded to a competitor for legal work on the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

Jury selection process enters a second day: Jury selection in the Ted Binion murder trial moved into its second day this morning at a faster pace than expected.

Sun wins three awards: The Las Vegas Sun took top honors for public service among Associated Press newspapers of its size in California and Nevada for 1999.

Overcrowding solution OK'd: Terry Webster; A three-part approach to solving overcrowding at Silverado High School was approved Monday by the Clark County School Board.

Garcia alone in schools race: Terry Webster; Carlos Garcia was the Clark County School Board's No. 1 candidate before he became the only one.

Clinton nominates Judge Hunt: Hunt has been a U.S. magistrate in Nevada since 1992 and was chosen as a candidate for the district post by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Supreme Court to take up wiretap, jackpot, cell phone cases: Also up for a review is a dispute over a $1.8 million slot jackpot that International Game Technology withheld from a California man.

Elderly woman dies in mobile home fire: Clark County firefighters were called to a mobile home park on Harmon Avenue at Jones Boulevard about 9:10 a.m. Firefighters went inside and found the woman dead in the hallway of the mobile home, said Steve La-Sky, fire department spokesman.

Fresno chief will be pursued by Clark County school board: Trustees of the nation's eighth largest school district spent more than two hours discussing the merits of the two finalists Monday before the head of a search committee reported one of them had withdrawn.

City historians object to casino's fact-twisting: Harrah's North Kansas City Casino and Hotel ran an ad that announced the unveiling Monday of a Pony Express statue.

Reid details stance on boxing bill: Benjamin Grove and Steve Kanigher; Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., this week is clarifying his opposition to a boxing reform bill in the wake of accusations that controversial fight promoter Don King was influencing his stance.

Copter spirals out of control: Keith Paul; Federal investigators will continue today to figure out what caused the crash of a one-person gyrocopter that crashed Monday at the Overton Municipal Airport killing the 85-year-old pilot.

Obituaries for March 28, 2000: Robert Baker, 74, of Las Vegas died Friday in a local hospital. He was born April 28, 1925, in Steubenville, Ohio. A resident for 40 years, he was a casino executive, a World War II Army and Marine Corps veteran and a member of the Leatherneck Club.

Flowers pleads guilty to murder: John Flowers, 29, is scheduled to officially plead guilty to the murder charge and a charge of battery with intent to kill on April 3. He will have to serve at least 25 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. He was not given credit for three years already spent in a state mental institution.

Company reducing capital expenditures in 2000: MGM Grand plans to spend about $250 million on capital expenditures this year, according to its annual report. That's down from $375 million in 1999, and $362 million in 1998.

Las Vegas visitor count up 7.2 percent in January: Though Las Vegas posted increases in all measured categories, the growth rate was slightly lower than the double-digit percentage jumps seen in 1999. Las Vegas visitor counts rose 10.5 percent for all of 1999, to 33.8 million.

South Strip hotels may be worth millions: Adrienne Packer; John Woodrum remembers the long, dusty drive through the desert to a rickety old motel he had just bought for a million dollars.

Employees to share $138 million: Employees will share $138 million, Southwest officials announced Monday. That amounts to about $3,525 for an employee who earned $25,000 this year.

DMV testing its new services: CARSON CITY -- If the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety learned one thing from its Genesis debacle, it's that more time for testing is needed before any new computerized program is opened for the public.

Expanded Henderson downtown renewal may be in works: Valerie Miller; Henderson city officials are considering including in the downtown redevelopment area a master-planned community to be built next to the proposed Nevada State College.

Hard work, luck help in real estate: Phil Levine; Work hard, develop people skills and hope for a little luck.

Second Washington bank plans local offices: Phil Levine; A second Seattle-based bank is preparing to enter the financial fray in Las Vegas.

Trump makes deal with tribe in Connecticut: The deal between Trump and the Paucatuck Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation is subject to approvals by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Indian Gaming Commission.

America West building flight training center in Phoenix: America West, the No. 2 carrier at McCarran International Airport by passenger volume, operates a Las Vegas hub.

Sahara dragged into DI's Rat Pack suit: Grace Leong; The Frank Sinatra estate's Sheffield Enterprises Inc. won an order to depose an executive at the Sahara hotel-casino, the new host of the "Rat Pack is Back!" show and to obtain confidential documents to support its lawsuit against the show's former host, the Desert Inn.

LV tourist magazine offering Japanese-language edition: Jim McGlasson, general manager of Showbiz, said the insert will include articles and advertisements printed in Japanese.

Man given probation for Pope encounter: Kim Smith; A Las Vegas man accused of engaging in a jailhouse sex act with a teenager suspected of shooting his father to death in January was placed on probation Monday.

Cox offers free movies as lawsuit settlement: Cable television customers of Cox Communications Inc. are receiving notices of a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit with this month's bills.

Negligent vet wins stay, fine reduction: A Henderson veterinarian found responsible for the death of a dog in his care has won a stay of a two-month suspension levied by the Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medicine.

Local GOP to gather at Hammargren's crossing: The event, from 1 to 5 p.m., will feature the completion of Hammargren's railroad that circles the perimeter of his home.

Stayin' Alive: Mark Feeney; "Saturday Night Fever" is on Broadway. Steely Dan just released its first studio album in 20 years. A feature film version of "Charlie's Angels," starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu, is scheduled for November release. Fox's prime-time schedule includes a sitcom called "That '70s Show." Last month ABC earned big ratings with "Mary and Rhoda" (and if you have to ask who Mary and Rhoda are, you might as well stop reading this right now).

DeBartolo sticks to his story: Kevin McGill; "I can sit here and you can harass me and you can try and make me change my mind, but what happened on March 5th and what happened on March 12th is done. And that's why I had to plead guilty," DeBartolo sternly told defense lawyer Daniel Small.

Father, son implicated in Tahoe girl's murder: Brendan Riley; STATELINE, Nev. - A twisted murder case got stranger Tuesday when authorities said the father of a man charged with the throat-slashing death of a 9-year-old Lake Tahoe girl is now a suspect.