Print edition for October 2, 2000

Adding seats would be costly: CARSON CITY -- Enlarging the Legislature -- an idea pushed by Northern Nevada lawmakers to keep from losing seats in the upcoming reapportionment -- carries a hefty price tag.

Nevada legislator, Guinn seek speedier approval for new power plants: CARSON CITY -- In an effort to increase Nevada's electricity supply and lower rates to consumers, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus wants to shorten the time for approval of the construction of power plants.

Ensign to reject Bernstein offer of TV ad ban: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ed Bernstein said he will ban all soft money television advertisements in his campaign and return all political action committee donations if Republican foe John Ensign does the same.

Prep Schedule: MONDAY

University system to appeal hiring ruling: Jeffrey Libby; Just a few hours after a District Court ruled Friday that state higher education officials must open the hiring process of university system presidents to the public, university attorneys announced they would appeal the decision to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Woman dies in fire in northwest LV home: Keith Paul; Las Vegas firefighters found a woman dead in a bedroom gutted by a blaze this morning in northwest Las Vegas.

Audit says state properly handled refunds for child support: After reviewing state accounting records from Jan. 1 through July 21 of this year, the federal audit "did not identify any pattern in disbursements that would indicate misuse of funds."

UNLV women's soccer team loses: Washington State (8-2) scored first at the 19:07 mark on a corner kick by Beth Childs and never looked back. UNLV goalkeeper Shannon Wilson, making her return to Pullman after beginning her career at Washington State, had nine saves and has 40 on the season.

Tahoe snowmobile ban won't happen this winter: Any new regulations affecting the machines there wouldn't take effect until the winter of 2001-2002, he said. The meadow is located along Nevada Route 431 roughly halfway between Reno and Incline Village.

Editorial: Bush's missive falls short: For instance, Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore has made his views known on nuclear waste storage for some time now. After President Clinton in April vetoed legislation earlier this year that would have weakened health and safety standards for a proposed repository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain, Gore immediately said he agreed with the president's decision, a veto that Republican congressional leaders denounced. Bush, meanwhile, said nothing. Then at a campaign stop in Nevada in September, Gore declared that he would veto an interim nuclear waste storage site. Again, silence from Bush -- until Friday.

Letter: Ending shuttles upsets reader: As of last Sunday there are no more shuttle pickups of locals to be brought to the Santa Fe, and effective Dec. 1 pickups of locals will cease to the Fiesta.

Firefighters may have been fed contaminated food: Nevada Division of Forestry spokesman Bob Ashworth said volunteers played a big role in feeding firefighters during the busy summer fire season.

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, October 2, 2000: Lisa Ferguson; You're kit-ing

Letter: Freeway aid is a godsend: Kudos to Tony Pisano and Joe Kuhner. We need more services like this, especially in our very hot summers. Year-round service on our major freeways would be a blessing. It is the best idea to come from the Nevada Department of Transportation, ever!

Busch has rocky race: A week after starting 10th and finishing 18th in his Winston Cup debut in Dover, Del., the 22-year-old native Las Vegan was involved in several incidents in the pits and on the track Sunday in the NAPA AutoCare 500 in Martinsville, Va.

Police cleared in killing: Keith Paul; A Clark County coroner's inquest jury deliberated about 25 minutes before deciding two North Las Vegas Police officers were justified when they shot and killed a man during an August drug raid.

Letter: Veterans deserve better treatment than they get: During World War II, I was in the service for over 4 1/2 years, of which 18 months were spent in combat as a member of the 1st Armored Division in Italy. I, along with countless veterans of service in World War II and the following wars, are now made to stand in line to receive the medical care our country promised us. What is wrong with the system?

Community news briefs for October 2, 2000: Lake Mead Hospital

Reno officer hurt in conflict with trespasser: Police said the suspect knocked the officer to the ground and leaped on him. But the officer was able to gain control of the suspect with the help of two bystanders.

Lucrative deal for Rosemont detailed in lease: "It smacks of ownership," said Sterling "Mac" Ryder, a member of the Illinois Gaming Board.

LVMS loses Le Mans Series event: For the second time in less than a month, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has lost an event at its 1.5-mile superspeedway.

More questions than answers in airplane death: Pauline Arrillaga and Sharon L. Crenson; Somewhere behind the pale stone facade of the FBI building in Salt Lake City, the transcript from a cockpit voice recorder and a thick sheaf of interview notes hold clues to why a 19-year-old was killed by fellow airline passengers.

Door left open for a fourth indictment against Walters: Kim Smith; Money-laundering charges against golf course developer Billy Walters have been dropped for the third time, but a fourth indictment may not be out of the question.

Obituaries for October 2, 2000: Thomas "Chuck" Atchison, 75, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in Las Vegas. He was born July 11, 1925, in Fort Cobb, Okla. A resident for 40 years, he had been a bartender and a World War II and Korean War Air Force and Navy veteran.

PG&E power plant may have edge over Moapa competitor with water deal: David Strow; Once PG&E Corp. opens a 1,000-megawatt power plant near Moapa in 2004, the natural gas-fired plant will consume as much as 2.9 million gallons of water per year -- enough water for 9,000 households.

Warrant issued for sexual assault suspect: Nine days earlier, he was released from the Washoe County Jail after posting $13,000 bail.

UNLV men's soccer team takes own tourney crown: Tournament MVP Tuomas Talvio scored the winning goal in the 88th minute on a Jason Melendez assist, breaking a 2-2 tie.

Vegas hospital company settles fraud charges: BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- Quorum Health Group Inc., part-owner of three Las Vegas hospitals, said it settled two civil fraud lawsuits with the U.S. Justice Department for about $95.5 million.

Entities pooling thoughts about work cards: Erin Neff; Thousands of workers carry the simple card, not just for identification, but also to allow them employment in certain places.

Political notebook for October 2, 2000: Planned Parenthood says it will spend $7 million advertising about the presidential candidates' position on abortion in seven "key battleground states" -- among them, Nevada.

Grand Casino pulling out of airline pact: AirTran flies into Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tampa-St. Petersburg, Orlando, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta.

Driver's family files suit against city: The slick road conditions caused Cermak to lose control of his oil tanker-trailer, the lawsuit claims.

Harrigan brings the only medal back to Las Vegas: Steve Addy; How local Olympians fared in Sydney:

State touts prepaid tuition plan: Kris Hill; State officials are reminding families of Nevada's prepaid tuition program, saying the Millennium Scholarship launched this year does not reduce the need for planning ahead for children's education.

Lawmakers want gambling addiction education in public schools: John P. McAlpin; Now kids might be learning about the dangers of compulsive gambling.

El Rancho implosion marks end of an era: Lisa Snedeker; The 2:30 a.m. scheduled demise of one of the oldest properties on Las Vegas Boulevard comes a little more than a month after the historic Desert Inn resort closed its doors.

Council to consider controversial site: Greg Harman; The tiny undeveloped parcel intersected by power and water line easements isn't the sort of property developers fight over.

Mohegans tribal council elects new chairman: The tribe will continue its $950 million expansion of the casino to include more gaming space, a convention center, a 1,500-room hotel and other amenities. The project is scheduled to be completed in October 2001.

Local news briefs for October 2, 2000: A Henderson man remains in jail today after being charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer.

Timet denying basis for sex discrimination suit: Greg Tuttle; The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a federal complaint alleging sex discrimination and harassment against Henderson-based Timet and its parent company, Titanium Metals Corp.

Drugs may have been used to aid alleged rapist: Police said the female victim was possibly drugged Saturday night at a UNR fraternity party before being raped.

Stick Figures: Las Vegas man turns canes into works of art: Kirk Baird; In Alex Rosenberg's case, it's a little of both.

Man indicted in death of tourist: Kim Smith; A five-time felon suspected of accidentally shooting and killing a California tourist last month during a struggle with security guards at Harrah's hotel-casino has been indicted.

U.S. Supreme Court denies appeal of Nevada death row inmate: During trial, prosecutors argued Mulder was a drug addict who beat John Ahart to death and stole his car, jewelry and other belongings from his mobile home.

MTV helps gets out the vote, among other things, at event: Kris Hill; A voter registration table drew a steady crowd on one side of UNLV's North Field Friday night while across the field free AIDS tests and condoms drew equal interest from teens drawn by the sounds of punk bands Pennywise, Common Sense and others.

Columnist John Katsilometes: Time again to realign the planets: Men, Mars. Women, Venus. Rodman, Pluto.

Gafforini wires the field: "I had a feeling it might be a good night right then," Gafforini said.

Casino bartender fired after refusing to wear makeup: "I was humiliated," she told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "I was good enough to do my job as a bartender for 18, 19 years and suddenly I wasn't good enough to do my job anymore because I refused to look like a clown.

Five sentenced for roles in slot cheating ring targeting casinos in Nevada: Authorities said the five were part of a group that stole from $500,000 to $5 million during a nine-month period in 1998.

Rebels offensive line throws block party: Steve Guiremand; Top performers for UNLV in its 34-13 victory over Air Force:

Columnist Dean Juipe: Others pale as St. Louis erupts again: Dean Juipe; At first it was a statement weighted more by fact than casual opinion: These two teams are Super Bowl contenders.

Feds asked to investigate alleged tribal attack: Greg Tuttle; The Las Vegas Paiutes have come under federal scrutiny in the wake of a scandal involving accusations the tribal police chief was fired for an alleged assault on a council member.

State Ethics Commission chief Rohrs quits: CARSON CITY -- Ken Rohrs, the first executive director of the revamped state Ethics Commission, is resigning to "look for something more challenging."

LV bank operator buying mortgage firm for $605 million: The companies expect to close the transaction in the first quarter, PNC spokesman R. Jeep Bryant said. Pittsburgh-based PNC Mortgage has about $7 billion in assets and a primary mortgage-servicing portfolio of $85 billion.

LV phone competitor's stock jumps: The Rochester, N.Y.-based provider of telephone and Internet service to businesses and consumers was rated "buy" in new coverage by analyst Peter DeCaprio at Thomas Weisel Partners. He expects the stock to reach $18 by year's end.

Residents say McDonald scuttled promised park: Erin Neff; City Councilman Michael McDonald rose to political power in Las Vegas by standing up for senior citizens and building parks.

County sets open forum to discuss recorder's problems: Adrienne Packer; Title companies, union members and the Clark County recorder are expected to meet in public for the first time Tuesday, bringing a year of clashes into an open forum.

Final suspect in Binion case has deadline for deal: Kim Smith; The final suspect in the Ted Binion murder saga has until 5 p.m. to accept a deal from the Clark County district attorney's office.