Print edition for November 17, 2000

Correction: Correction

Hank Greenspun -- Where I Stand 1969: Citizens review board needed in community: When a human being is cut down by a bullet and no one questions the justification of the act, you and I are imperiled.

Trustees' numbers could grow: Board member Sheila Moulton Thursday proposed that the number of trustees be increased from seven to nine, due to the district's rapid growth.

Officer wounds 2 in alleged robbery attempt: Keith Paul and Jace Radke; An off-duty Metro Police officer shot and wounded two men who allegedly tried to rob him and another off-duty officer Thursday night while they were playing pool in a garage.

Regent casino chief out, talks continue: David Strow; Paul Hanley resigned Thursday as president and chief executive of the Regent Las Vegas after just two months on the job, the hotel-casino said.

Reading program expansion sought: Terry Webster; Clark County School District officials are looking to expand a literacy program to ensure that students can read by the end of third grade.

Northern Arizona-UNLV box score: N. ARIZONA (0-1)

Nevada regulators struggle with poor residential taxi service: One way the Taxicab Authority of Nevada could keep an eye on Clark County's 1,500 cabs would be to monitor them from space.

Golf course not part of LV SportPark sale: Company officials said earlier in the week they are in discussions with experienced park owners about acquiring the property, which includes a themed batting cage and Go-Kart track adjacent to the golf course.

Las Vegas officials court Smithsonian partnership: Erin Neff; The Stewart Avenue post office could be placed in any East Coast downtown and would blend immediately with other neo-colonial facades.

Lawsuit threatened over test allegation: Terry Webster; A law firm has sent a warning letter to the former School Board candidate who accused a school district employee of attempting to sell answers to the Nevada High School Proficiency exam.

Casinos fighting new OSHA rule: David Strow; The Nevada Resort Association is joining in the opposition to a new federal standard designed to protect workers from repetitive stress disorder injuries, set to go into effect Jan. 16.

Analysts divided over LV casino business trends: David Strow; Concern is building among Wall Street analysts over a series of reports that business along the Las Vegas Strip weakened in September.

Subcontractor found liable in construction-defects suit: Durable Homes took Allied Underground, Western Landscape and Gale Insulation to court last month in connection with defects found in the Sunset Bay Condominiums, a 140-unit complex near Tamarus Street and Warm Springs Road.

Rescue workers train for disaster: Nevada's urban search and rescue task force sent 62 members to a catastrophic earthquake training exercise.

Gore rushes to appeal court decision as absentee ballot tabulation begins: David Espo; George W. Bush's lead inched higher in Florida's fiercely contested presidential election today as the overseas absentee ballots began breaking his way. Al Gore rushed to appeal a court ruling that undercut the manual recounts in heavily Democratic counties.

Controversial religious center finds new location: Stacy J. Willis; The controversially located religious center that caused a rabbi's arrest and a personal apology from the mayor last summer has been relocated.

Car that spooked helicopter pilot wasn't in landing zone: Keith Paul; A driver apparently didn't have her car in the landing zone when a Flight for Life helicopter veered off and wrecked in Pahrump on Monday, Nye County sheriff officials said.

LV restaurant operator Il Fornaio sold to investment firm: Il Fornaio (America) Corp., which runs 24 upscale Italian restaurants in seven states including Nevada, said Thursday it agreed to be purchased for $14 per share, or about $81 million, by the private investment firm Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co. of Greenwich, Conn.

Gaming Board Chairman DuCharme to retire: CARSON CITY -- Steve DuCharme, chairman of the state Gaming Control Board, will retire when his term ends Jan. 1, closing 30 years of law enforcement service, Gov. Kenny Guinn announced today.

Scientist warns of volcano threat to Yucca: RENO -- The greatest radiation risk to people for the 1,000 years after a proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain is sealed would come from volcanoes, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission consultant said Thursday.

Trading in JCC Holding stock halted: NEW ORLEANS -- Trading of stock in JCC Holding Co., the owner of Harrah's New Orleans Casino, has been stopped indefinitely by the American Stock Exchange after the company filed a report about its proposed reorganization that calls for eliminating all current stock holdings.

Hospital drops suit against Nevada Nursing Board: Rick Plummer, UMC spokesman, declined to comment on why the lawsuit was dropped. Court documents didn't say why UMC chose to dismiss the case.

Majority of Clark County students are nonwhite: If the Clark County School District were to categorize students by just two groups -- white and other -- whites for the first time ever would be the minority.

McDonald speaks out after demotion: Erin Neff; The day that was to mark a new beginning at Las Vegas City Hall found itself awash in the same old spin cycle.

Test Site to land nuke project: The Nevada Test Site will receive a major nuclear physics project from another U.S. Department of Energy laboratory in 2002, and the agency's Nevada office could receive $35 million a year for operating the machine.

New recall effort, more candidates surface: Erin Neff; Michael McDonald denounces Steve Miller as a sore loser who is only leading a recall effort to exact revenge on the man who twice beat him for a Las Vegas City Council seat.

Casino designer sued over legal fees: In a Clark County District Court lawsuit, Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, which said it was retained on Dec. 28, 1992, and had provided legal services through March 1998, alleged Advent agreed to pay the firm on a monthly basis plus a 1 percent monthly interest charge for late payments.

Mayor receives a lesson in problems of disabled citizens: Kris Hill; Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman learned Thursday that more needs to be done in providing services for disabled people.

Police probe tainted water jug that sickened football players: Jace Radke; Metro Police detectives are investigating the contamination of a youth football team's water jug that resulted in eight children becoming violently ill.

Gorman will have hands full at C-M: Spencer Patterson; For Bishop Gorman football fans, Cimarron-Memorial's dramatic overtime win over Cheyenne last week can be looked at either of two ways.

Volleyball: Rebels eliminated at MWC tournament: The Rebels were led by Amber Graham's 22 kills and 16 digs. Blair Wilkes and Michelle Johnson also had double-figures in kills with 15 and 12, respectively. Maria Julia Goes tallied 52 assists in the loss, a MWC tournament record for assists in a four-game match.

NASCAR champ Jarrett struggles in 2000: Steven Wine; HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Since the Daytona 500 is the Super Bowl of stock car racing, anyone who wins it has had a great year.

Eye problems end Amato's career: Mike Harris; This isn't the way Joe Amato wanted to end his racing days.

Columnist Kate Maddox: Hutton finally headed home: Kate Maddox; Lauren Hutton snuck out of town Wednesday. The actress had been staying in a deluxe suite at the Venetian since her Nov. 6 release from University Medical Center following her Oct. 21 motorcycle crash.

Flowers attempting to revive lawsuit: The lawsuit accuses the first lady of orchestrating three burglaries of Flowers' home, defaming her and invading her privacy. It also alleges that the presidential aides libeled and slandered Flowers in statements made on CNN and in Stephanopoulos' 1999 book.

Letter: Hand count all Florida counties: Therefore, if one county is hand counted, all counties in Florida should be treated in the same manner with the same rules. It would be worth the time and wait to clear the air and should be acceptable by all parties.

Weather hampers seed collecting efforts for Nevada fire rehab: Sandra Chereb; RENO, Nev. - A dry summer and an early winter are hampering the collection of seeds needed to replant vast portions of northern Nevada destroyed by wildfires the past two years.

Datebook for November 17, 2000: The Great Craft Festival will be at Cashman Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North, until 6 p.m. today, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $6 for adults; $5 for seniors; $2 for children ages 6-16.

Reward offered in attack on Las Vegas woman: Keith Paul; Everyone in the neighborhood knows Essie Oten. A woman who lives by the neighborhood bus stop even left her porch light on so Oten would have some light while waiting for her morning bus ride to work.

Q & A session provides insight to 2000-01 Rebels: Steve Addy; As UNLV embarks on a new college basketball season tonight against Northern Arizona at the Thomas & Mack Center, there are a lot of questions on the minds of Rebels fans. Sun basketball writer Steve Addy lists 10 of them here, along with the answers to the best of his knowledge.

Letter: What's wrong with those Florida seniors?: 1. Did not all registered voters receive a sample ballot to study prior to Nov. 7?

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Monday games are finally living up to expectations: Sal DeFilippo; When ABC made its bold move to add Dennis Miller to its broadcasting team this offseason, the hopes were that his comedic wit would boost lagging ratings.

Editorial: Falling just short on forest protection: After receiving public input after the draft plan was unveiled, Clinton has decided to include the Tongass after all, protecting 8.5 million acres of the 17-million-acre Tongass. It's estimated that the ban in the Tongass will reduce logging by nearly two-thirds, from 153 million board feet of timber every year to between 50-53 million board feet. Still, Clinton has opted to provide a grace period, allowing logging until 2004. Environmentalists worry, with some justification, that this four-year window could set off a cutting and bulldozing frenzy by timber companies in this temperate rain forest, which is home to some of ...

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Speeds have CART drivers leery of Texas: In political circles, Florida may be considered the confusion capital of the United States these days. In auto racing, however, that distinction belongs to Texas.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Brown tells it as it is: The United Nations representative got out of his helicopter and looked like he wanted to leave immediately and return to his expensive house in Tegucigalpa. The one person he didn't want to see sitting on a rock waiting for him was me with my camera. Two days earlier he and other United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees officials had made it clear the press wouldn't be allowed to watch the removal of 900 women, babies, disabled and elderly Nicaraguan Resistance refugees from their Pista Nueva camp in the jungles of Bocay, Honduras.

Letter: People have chosen Gore: Without Florida, Al Gore has more electoral votes than George Bush. In fact, assuming his lead in Oregon holds up, Gore would be just 3 votes shy of victory. George Bush, on the other hand, would be 24 electoral votes shy of victory without Florida.

Jury gives quadruple murderer life in prison: Jurors deliberated about three hours Wednesday before deciding Richard Powell, 38, should be sentenced to life without possibility of parole instead of the death penalty, which prosecutors had sought.

Joe Delaney remembers 1969: Laine at the International: Joe Delaney remembers 1969: Laine at the International

Obituaries for November 17, 2000: Geraldine Beckman, 75, of Cal-Nev-Ari, died Wednesday in Cal-Nev-Ari. She was born March 28, 1925, in Albany, Texas. A resident for 35 years, she was a homemaker.

Columnist Susan Snyder: DMV lines can prove profitable: Next time you're in the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles' West Flamingo Road office, think about this:

Meadows shooting for 4th straight title: Spencer Patterson; After keeping one impressive winning streak alive this season, The Meadows will look to extend a far more significant streak on Saturday.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Depleted IBL looks to be dying: Dean Juipe; It's not something the league wanted to advertise.

New national forest proposal takes middle of the road: Scott Sonner; RENO, Nev. - The Clinton administration's new plan to protect 58 million acres of roadless areas in national forests won't do everything the backers wanted or the critics feared.

News of the Day: 1969: Story: James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in return for life yesterday, but he hinted he was not alone in the plot to slay the civil right leader.

Nevada's presidential electors to vote Nov. 18 for Bush: Brendan Riley; CARSON CITY, Nev. - A handful of renegades in the Electoral College could swing the presidential election one way or the other this year - but you won't find any "faithless electors" from Nevada.

Saturday's horse racing entries: Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Schwarzenegger shines again in 'The 6th Day': Max Jacobson; Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tony Goldwyn, Robert Duvall and Michael Rapaport.

Judge orders Sparks man to pay $140,000 in child support: Berge, 51, lived in the area until the early 1990s. He returned after a federal grand jury indicted him last year on charges of not paying child support.

Local news briefs for November 17, 2000: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn has been named chairman of the Education Commission of the States, an organization that works to raise student achievement.

Facts for tonight's opener UNLV vs. N. Arizona: WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center

Comdex transforms Vegas into techie world, with strip clubs: Angie Wagner; LAS VEGAS - You wouldn't recognize the Strip this week. Instead of tourists armed with coin buckets, it's techies with cell phones attached to their ears. They wear pocket protectors, their collars are buttoned-down and they don't like to gamble.

High court asked to throw out conviction in NLV murder case: The leader of a North Las Vegas street gang who was convicted of first-degree murder in the execution slaying of a fellow gang member has asked the Nevada Supreme Court to throw out the 1999 verdict, claiming prosecutor errors were made at trial.

Rebels get things started with a win: Steve Addy; The Rebels raised the curtain on their season Friday night. At the same time, they raised their hopes of making a good showing next week in the Maui Invitational.

Nevada rancher convicted in fight over cattle on national forest: Scott Sonner; RENO, Nev. - Federal prosecutors will seek jail time for a Nevada rancher convicted of trespassing charges for grazing his cattle on government land.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: Don't overlook Edwards' final home game at BYU: Steve Guiremand; With most of the nation focusing its attention on big rivalry games such as Florida vs. Florida State, Michigan vs. Ohio State and USC vs. UCLA on Saturday, the sentimental journey that is BYU coach LaVell Edwards' final season makes its last stop in Provo.

Time for three-time champ to move on: Mike Harris; HAMPTON, Ga. - Once the most hated man in NASCAR, Darrell Waltrip ends his long career as one of its most beloved drivers.

District attorney yet to decide on case against NLV councilman: Diana Sahagun; Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell said Thursday it could be a week or two before he decides whether North Las Vegas City Councilman John Rhodes will be charged in connection with an alleged felony fraud.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Recounting the comedic rise of Bernie Allen: Joe Delaney; Bernie Allen, headlining in the Riviera Comedy Club tonight through Sunday, is 84 years young, a hardy survivor of the comedic and other wars ... Allen was born on "toity-toid street and toid avenue" in New York City's Manhattan ... Never more than 5 feet 7 inches, short and squat, a human fireplug, Allen has never lacked for courage.

'Les Trix' offers music, magic: Joe Delaney; "Les Trix," starring the Showgirls of Magic -- Julie Northrup, Teresa Serge and Teresa Marie King -- explosive comedian Joe Trammel and Vegas Heat, a singing trio composed of Jeff Fairchild, Tony Koons and Tony Mosti in the tiny band-box type showroom at the San Remo is the best buy for the money, at $31.50 with one drink.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: A full guide to Thanksgiving dining in Vegas: Thanksgiving in Las Vegas. Just about every hotel and restaurant will celebrate this favorite American holiday, offering both traditional and nontraditional fare in a variety of settings. Whatever your choice, be it a buffet or fine dining, the mood and the food promises to be wonderful.

Capriati replaces Rubin in Fed Cup: The selection by captain Billie Jean King means Capriati will join Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles and Lisa Raymond for the Fed Cup World Finals Tuesday to Nov. 25 at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.

Tapia's cornerman has license suspended: Gutierrez, who worked Tapia's corner for his Oct. 7 fight in Las Vegas with Paulie Ayala at the MGM, was charged with striking Top Rank executive Todd duBoef in the ring following the fight. Gutierrez (and Tapia) were angry that Ayala was awarded a decision win and assaulted duBoef, whose firm promotes Ayala. DuBoef did not press formal charges.

Bishop Gorman athletic director calling it quits: "I would like to stay on, but I want to slow down and enjoy my family," Craft said. "I've been at this about 40 years, and it's time to enjoy my grandkids and do some traveling I've wanted to do."

Filmmaker draws on her Las Vegas upbringing: Kimberley McGee; As a little girl, filmmaker Michelle M. Leddon dreamed of what the Las Vegas compound of entertainer Wayne Newton held behind its thick walls.

Animal rights group introduces sexy anti-rodeo message: Angie Wagner; LAS VEGAS - With the National Finals Rodeo coming to town, an animal rights group has a message for cowgirls: don't "saddle" up with guys who make animals suffer.

Changing of the (point) guard at UNLV: Steve Addy; A positional look at the 2000-01 Rebels:

New, expanded resorts could boost Mississippi revenue: Ground was broken Thursday for the Golden Moon Casino and Hotel, which will anchor the new resort.

Barbara Greenspun remembers 1969: Police review board isn't a new concept: I recall the days when Kellar would come to the Sun in his role as NAACP president. He was a ferocious defender of his constituents and never missed an opportunity to close the gap between white citizens and black. Kellar, now in his 90s, was a driving force in early civil rights movements. Thinking back to those days one cannot forget the contributions of black leaders such as Dr. Charles West, Dr. James McMillan, David Hoggard, Woodrow Wilson, Bob Bailey, Joe Neal, Marion Bennett and many others.

Ralph Siraco's selections for Saturday's races at Hollywood Park: 1st Race -- Three Flags - Training at Anita, Stevens scales Canani trainee for route opener, must overcome outside post here. Sky Menace - Espinoza aboard Currin trainee, draws good inner post for the distance, should get a good trip for graduation effort. Value Play -- Moscow U.

Editorial: Quick fix wouldn't help much: A problem with such a change is that proportional representation is a close cousin to a popular vote, potentially diluting what little say Nevada already has. While the large states always will be the big prizes in the hunt for the White House, under our Electoral College system their influence is tempered. For instance, California was considered a lock for Gore so he barely campaigned there for its 54 electoral votes, feeling no need to run up the score. This allowed Gore to stump in tossup states, including smaller ones such as Nevada, where the winner gets a clean sweep. ...

Cross country: UNLV's Barto to run in NCAA Regional: The 6-kilometer race, hosted by Iowa State University, will be contested on Monday and will feature 31 teams and a total of 255 individual participants.

70 percent of starters survive Baja's 1,600-plus miles: A total of 185 vehicles and their drivers, led by overall winners Johnny Campbell of San Clemente, Calif., (two-wheel vehicles) and Dan Smith of Riverside, Calif., (four-wheel), officially survived some of the toughest desert landscape in the world to reach the finish line near Cabo San Lucas and complete the rugged route within the 80-hour race limit.

Las Vegas looking to continue streak: Spencer Patterson; After going 11-1 in 1999, 2000 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Las Vegas Wildcats.

Herrera decides against bid to lead County Commission: Adrienne Packer; The race for the ceremonious Clark County Commission chair position was reduced by one Thursday after Dario Herrera delivered a letter to his colleagues saying he is no longer interested.

The wonder years: Rocker Dio reflects on controversial period in the limelight: Kirk Baird; As a former frontman for Black Sabbath, Rainbow and his self-titled band, the reputation he developed had nothing to do with drugs or hard living, but rather the belief that he was, in some way, associated with the devil. Dio performs today at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues.

Man faces charges of sexual assault: Keith Paul; A 40-year-old Las Vegas man accused of drugging at least three women into unconsciousness and videotaping himself sexually assaulting them was held this morning in the Clark County jail on $200,000 bond.