Stories published September 29, 2000Las Vegas Sun

Letter: Bayno should zip it up: By Ron Kantowski; That moron Bayno is going to get the Rebels in deep (trouble). I am glad that you had the guts to write that article; sometimes reporters feel they need to kiss Bayno's butt.

FBI plans no action in death of passenger: Keith Paul; Federal agents have found no new evidence that would support reopening the investigation into the death of a Las Vegas man killed by passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight, FBI officials told the Sun today.

Southwest Gas stock rises on takeover speculation: "Not only is Southwest Gas in the right business, but it is also a takeover play that's worth much more than its current price," investor Mario Gabelli told Business Week. "The company is stuck in a legal quagmire and the board needs to act swiftly to enhance shareholder value by selling the company."

Changes asked in gas tax formula: CARSON CITY -- A recommendation is going to the Nevada Legislature to change the distribution of the gasoline tax so a greater share will go to the more populous counties.

The Movie Guys: 'Titans' can tackle others' feel-good flicks: Grade: Jeff B, Dave A-

Jones falls short in bid for five golds: Marion Jones lost out on her bid for five track and field golds by less than half a foot -- her own foot.

Metro officers taking new language to the streets: Keith Paul; They stumbled over pronunciations, teased each other and helped each other. These students are much like any others trying to learn Spanish, but for them, knowing the language could keep them out of harm's way.

Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Andretti: Three is no crowd at Team Green: Paul Tracy and Michael Andretti have had more than a few on-track incidents over the years, and the two have traded an equal amount of verbal jabs about each other's driving styles.

Ethics board to mull allegations against Arberry: Arberry is accused of using his position as chairman of the Assembly's Ways and Means Committee to appropriate $2.8 million for a local development for which Arberry's mortgage company is a lender.

UNLV stats support community policing: Critics of UNLV's aggressive policing methods say annual crime statistics released today that indicate little violent crime occurs on campus are a strong sign that friendlier, community policing is the answer.

Obitauries for September 29, 2000: Paul P. Accetta, 71, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in a local hospice. He was born March 24, 1929, in Hoboken, N.J. A resident for 2 1/2 years, he was a retired commercial interior designer and a Korean War Army veteran.

Board to keep legal fees report secret: Terry Webster; Taxpayers will continue having a hard time learning how much the district spends on legal fees as the result of a Clark County School Board decision.

Allegations vs. Welfare Division dismissed: CARSON CITY -- A team of federal auditors has cleared the state Welfare Division of allegations of misappropriation and misuse of money collected for child-support payments.

Filipino Americans tackle rights issues at LV meeting: Ed Koch and Jeffrey Libby; More than 80,000 Filipinos fought under the American flag in World War II, some as U.S. citizens and many more as conscripted soldiers, and most have yet to receive the same benefits as other U.S. war veterans.

Closure of T&M sought: Jace Radke; The Thomas & Mack Center should be closed until it meets national standards for accessibility, a disabled rights group argues in a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court.

Local hockey fans must make do with NHL exhibition: Steve Addy; Who: Avalanche vs. Kings When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday Where: MGM Grand Tickets: $20-$60 at the box office or by calling 474-4000

Columnist Dean Juipe: 'Forgotten Olympics' near an end: Dean Juipe; Most of the 11,000 athletes representing 199 countries and participating in 300 events have devoted their entire lives to performing and excelling in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney.

Two of four remaining defendants in Binion case accept plea deals: Greg Tuttle; The four remaining defendants tied to the death of gambling figure Ted Binion and the theft of his silver fortune have been offered plea agreements that would allow them to avoid prison sentences.

CCSN interviews to be conducted in public: Jeffrey Libby; Interviews with the remaining candidates for president of the Community College of Southern Nevada will be conducted out in the open, District Judge Michael Douglas ruled this morning.

Vegas awaits decision on high-speed train funding: Federal administrators said Thursday that a decision could come in October on whether Las Vegas will advance to the next rung in the competition for nearly $1 billion for a high-speed train to Primm.

Affordable housing sites scouted downtown: Erin Neff; As Alex Guillen hopped off a CAT bus on East Fremont Street Thursday afternoon, his gaze turned down to the crumbling sidewalk in front of him, and he didn't look up at the surroundings.

Rancho students turn out to support fired counselor: Terry Webster; Rancho High School students are upset over the firing of a counselor who they say encouraged them to excel in school and overcome personal obstacles.

UNLV notebook: Volleyball team blanked: UNLV notebook: Volleyball team blanked

Letter: Don't flag driver for his choice: By Ron Kantowski; Maybe in (his) next column, (he'll) dog a guy who goes to a funeral instead of doing what his father felt was important.

No. 1 U.S. airline to post losses: Dave Carpenter; In Las Vegas

LV company acquires assets: Terms weren't disclosed.

Jackson's 5 TDs pace Sundevils: The Sundevils (4-1) led 18-15 after one quarter, then broke the game open with four straight touchdowns -- the last two courtesy of Jackson. The senior upped his season total to an area-best 1,022 yards in five games.

Harassment suit settled: SHAKOPEE, Minn. -- Six years of legal wrangling over a casino sexual harassment lawsuit may be finally over.

Columnist Steve Guiremand: McBride left at the altar: Steve Guiremand; Call it the curse of the Las Vegas Bowl.

Regional agencies approve new air quality committee: A proposal to study the finances of a new unified air quality agency got a boost from two regional agencies Thursday.

Former UCLA star wants fresh start with Bandits: Victoria Sun; Being suspended for four games during his senior year wasn't what had former UCLA guard Kris Johnson depressed for almost all of the last two years.

Thursday's prep results: Boys Soccer

Datebook for September 29, 2000: "The Wonder of Reading," a reading festival, will be from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at Sonata Park, 1515 Seven Hills Drive in Henderson. Entertainment, music and activities will be offered. Admission is free. Call 804-4253.

Spartans hold off Cheyenne upset try: Spencer Patterson; Cimarron 28, Cheyenne 21

Police say killing was coincidence: Keith Paul; A man killed by North Las Vegas Police in August during a drug raid is the uncle of a 22-year-old man accused in the June shooting of a Metro Police officer -- a fact police said Thursday is just a coincidence.

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Doors finally close at Caesars Palace's Cafe Roma: Every time I learn of another restaurant closing I get grumpy. I've got a long history with Caesars Palace and I hated to see the Palace Court and Bacchanal become memories. Then came word that Cafe Roma would go, too. Drats. Not the 24-hour coffee shop where everyone used to hang out for breakfast and lunch.

LV gaming supplier settles shareholder lawsuits for $2.2 mil.: Acres agreed to pay pay $660,000 in cash, of which approximately $200,000 will come from the company's insurance carrier, and issue warrants to purchase 1 million shares of the company's common stock, exercisable over a 10-year period, at a price of $2.50 per share.

Second big power plant set for Moapa area: PG&E is based in San Francisco and is the parent of Pacific Gas and Electic Co., a big California utility. The company owns or controls some 7,000 megawatts of power plant capacity throughout the nation and has another 14,000 megawatts under development.

Out-of-this-world production needs boost from a big song: Joe Delaney; "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" is "a musical revue about love -- the good, the bad and the funny," in the words of composer Rita Abrams and director-choreographer David Bell.

Letter: ACLU must come to aid: By Ron Kantowski; We should get the American Civil Liberties Union involved. The ACLU has defended people's right to view pornography so why not someone's right to wager on sports -- especially when there are legit legal issues (states rights, freedom of speech) and jobs at stake?

Perini building two Las Vegas-area hotel-casinos: The project is at Green Valley Parkway and the I-215 beltway in the Green Valley area of Henderson. American Nevada, developer of the Green Valley master-planned community, is controlled by the Greenspun family, owners of the Las Vegas Sun.

Commission won't interfere in casino hiring process: Culinary Union officials say they weren't surprised by the Nevada Gaming Commission's unanimous rejection of a proposed regulation that would have restricted employee layoffs when casinos are sold.

Bank commits $100 mil. to downtown projects: Erin Neff; Downtown Las Vegas redevelopment efforts received their biggest economic boost Thursday when a subsidiary of one of the largest banks in North America committed $100 million in financing.

Letter: Cheers are unacceptable: By Ron Kantowski; -- SUE WELPER

Court briefs for September 29, 2000: A federal lawsuit filed by a man who claimed a Metro Police officer used excessive force during an arrest has been dismissed.

Prosecutor calls slaying hate crime, seeks death penalty: Greg Tuttle; The gunfire outside a Las Vegas apartment in July that left one man dead and another paralyzed was a hate crime that could lead to a death sentence for the man accused of pulling the trigger, a Clark County prosector said Thursday.

Local news briefs for September 29, 2000: A 19-year-old man was booked into the Clark County jail Wednesday accused of the June killing of a 27-year-old Las Vegas man.

Tobacco money spread among programs: CARSON CITY -- A state task force concluded two days of meetings Thursday by allocating more than $6 million toward stopping smoking and to financing health programs for children and the disabled.

Bush says he'd veto Yucca as interim site: CARSON CITY -- Texas Gov. George W. Bush says that if elected president he would veto any bill to send nuclear waste to an interim storage site in Nevada.

NLV residents: Don't overlook older parts of town: Diana Sahagun; Long-time North Las Vegas resident Christine Fields is pleased with the development of the newer part of town, but she told Councilman John Rhodes Wednesday not to forget the poorer areas of the city.

Campbell draws first motorcycle start for Baja 2000: There were 187 official entries in 23 classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs included in the drawing. Twenty-two of the entries are from Nevada and 19 are from Southern Nevada.

Nuke workers compensation talks break down: Negotiations by a congressional panel broke down Thursday night, likely killing a plan to compensate nuclear weapons workers for their illnesses.

Rosh Hashanah signals start of High Holy Days: Five-year-old Kaeli Wells trumpeted a ram's horn Tuesday as her schoolmates dipped apple slices in honey.

Station Casinos gets OK to buy Santa Fe: The Nevada Gaming Commission voted 5-0 Thursday to approve the licensing of Station Casinos to buy the Santa Fe, a neighborhood casino in North Las Vegas, for $205 million.

Plan calls for Admiral casino boat to move north in November: However, two to four days will be needed for the entire operation, which also involves disconnecting utility lines, docking ramps and mooring wires and anchors, officials for President Casinos said Thursday. Tentative plans call for the casino to open Nov. 17.

Birth announcements for September 29, 2000: Sept. 12: Trinity to Brandy Jamieson and James Melchor. Sept. 13: Aaliyah to Helicia and Harry Thomas. Sept. 15: Luz to Maria Hernandez and Felipe Bustos; Adrejion to Maxine Waters and Calvin Jackson. Sept. 18: Alejandra to Hilda Nunez and Joseph Rodriguez.

Man sentenced to death for killing ex-wife in front of daughter: Fernando Hernandez, 38, was found guilty in July of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, second-degree kidnapping and burglary while in possession of a weapon.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Lippia surrounded by Sinatra's one-time crew: Joe Delaney; Steve Lippia and a 20-piece orchestra, conducted by Vincent Falcone Jr. and including a number of Frank Sinatra alumni, will be the attraction tonight through Sunday in the new Suncoast showroom ... Lippia, very much his own person as a performer, does have a strong Sinatra sound and manner ... Falcone was Sinatra's musical director for more than 10 years.

Where I Stand 1962 -- Hank Greenspun: Death of 'Big Jim' prompts strong eulogy: I guess Jim Cashman lived in this town as long or longer than any other individual, for Jim came to Las Vegas in the year 1904, which is a year earlier than the date recorded for the birth of the town.

Nevada to get $215 million for energy, water projects: Nevada received about $215 million in energy and water projects tucked inside a Senate budget package approved by a joint congressional conference committee on Thursday.

Police report says man killed by passengers may have been provoked: L. Anne Newell; The Salt Lake City Airport police incident report, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, said when police boarded the airplane Aug. 11, they found Jonathan Burton unconscious in the center aisle, one passenger's foot placed on his neck, another on his head and two more on his arms.

Police arrest 15 people in Orange County gambling raid: Nguyen, authorities said, ran a sophisticated operation that used "stealth" video machines that, with the flip of a switch, could be changed from legal arcade games like "Pac Man" to video games of chance.

Henderson OKs campus' bid for lights at ballfield: Greg Harman; The Community College of Southern Nevada should be able to install 80-foot stadium lights at its Henderson campus baseball field, the city's planning commission decided Thursday.

Owners of North Carolina video poker machines challenge registration requirement: Under the new law, only poker machines listed on property tax rolls last January are legal in North Carolina, which limits video poker winnings to a maximum of $10 in prizes or merchandise. As of Oct. 1, all video poker machines in the state are supposed to be registered with local sheriffs, and only three machines will be allowed per location.

Toast of the town: Victoria Sun; Las Vegas gymnast Tasha Schwikert exceeded just about everyone's expectations with her gutsy performance at the Olympics.

Letter: Lawyers overrun nation's capital: CONNIE MORRIS

Big Nevada hospitals show profits, some smaller ones lose money: Brendan Riley; The report Thursday from the state Health Care Financial Analysis Unit shows the "Big Six" hospitals in Reno and Las Vegas had a combined $56.9 million profit in 1999. Small urban hospitals made a combined $2.5 million, and rural hospitals had an overall profit of $1.2 million.

Letter: Why did Reid kill tour ads?: What possible reason could the senator have for doing this? The Yucca Mountain budget is over $200 million and he deletes $3,000. Certainly not for a savings. Could it be he is afraid we might see the site and make an informative decision on whether we think it is good or bad? Or does the government need the $3,000 for something else?

News of the Day: 1962: Story: Jubilant U.S. space experts last night "eyed the moon" after John H. Glenn Jr. flashed triumphantly around the Earth three times in America's first orbital flight and splashed down in the Atlantic about six miles from a recovery ship "in excellent condition."

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Nevadans in action: Do you want a book for friends and relatives who live out of state or country? Authors Bob and Melinda Macy have published a real beauty to put in the mail. "The Stars of Las Vegas" has beautiful artwork along with stories of this city and the stars who made it shine. It's also a book that old-timers will enjoy and you can have in your home reading room. Bob's beautiful use of words and the artwork put together by Melinda will make this book a best seller.

Sound Check -- Geoff Carter: Destiny certain to carry 'Heartbreaker' Adams away: I'm going to hate it when Ryan Adams breaks big. While I'll be the first to declare that the Whiskeytown frontman deserves a wider audience for his music, it's still going to be sad to see Adams improve his seats because he won't be sitting with us any more -- smoking beers, making obnoxious cigarettes and swigging commentary in the back row.

Air Force probes Nevada desert crash of missile with dummy warhead: No one was hurt when it hit the ground Wednesday morning about 50 miles south of Wendover, Nev., she told the Ely Times.

Editorial: Campaign scofflaws are bereft of shame: While that was landmark campaign-reform legislation in Nevada, accountability requirements don't do much good if candidates fail to turn in their campaign contribution disclosure forms. As the Sun's Cy Ryan reported earlier this week, as of Sept. 22, 60 candidates in the current election still had failed to file in the last reporting period, whose deadline was Aug. 29. The secretary of state's office sent the 60 candidates letters last Friday notifying them they're being fined $1,475 for their failure.

Winfrey's beau steadfastly devoted to teen wellness: Oprah Winfrey fans know Stedman Graham as their favorite talk show host's longtime boyfriend and sometimes fiance.

Lack of water closes refuge to hunters: Tom Gardner; RENO, Nev. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has canceled this year's waterfowl hunting season at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge for the first time ever because of a lack of water.

Woman accused of two killings wants public defender: It was her first appearance in a Lyon County courtroom since she unsuccessfully fought extradition from California earlier this week.

Three children killed in SUV accident: Another child, age 6, died on Thursday while a 9-year-old remained in critical condition after undergoing surgery. The woman who was driving was hospitalized with facial injuries.

Council approves agreements for sale of President Casino: The package includes agreements that set city docking and boarding fees. It also includes leases for the boat landing and parking lots used by casino patrons. All told, they bring the city about $1.5 million per year.

Editorial: Industry should be pilloried: The Times story, which reported on memos leaked to the newspaper from a Federal Trade Commission investigation of the entertainment industry, was devastating, clearly showing how violent products are test-marketed to children as young as 9. For instance, the violent, R-rated Sylvester Stallone movie "Judge Dredd" was shown to a focus group between the ages of 13 to 16. That's just one of many examples of the industry's irresponsible attempts to get underage children to watch their violent trash.

Manhole deaths under federal investigation: The workers died Tuesday when a buildup of gas, believed to be methane, seeped out of a sewer line and overwhelmed them. The men were attempting to remove dirt and debris which had clogged the line.

Letter: Refuse to pay for events that torture animals: Jumping is not something horses choose to do naturally -- they are terrified and the behind-the-scenes "training" methods are painful, grueling and very stressful to the animal.

Columnist Susan Snyder: Wild wares peddled at Interbike: As conventions go, the one that hit Las Vegas this past week could possibly take some kind of prize for attracting the oddest mix of people.

Barbara Greenspun remembers 1962: Pioneers should be remembered: James Cashman Sr., fondly known as Big Jim, was one of those dynamic leaders. As chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, he was instrumental in getting the highways into Las Vegas improved. Even in those early years, he recognized the value of the tourist trade. He also understood that water was critical to growth and served on the first Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Water District.

Joe Delaney remembers 1962: Bobby Darin at the Flamingo: Joe Delaney remembers 1962: Bobby Darin at the Flamingo

Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Is Keyshawn a man or a mouth: Chrebet outshines ex-teammate: Sal DeFilippo; This must be a great week to be Wayne Chrebet. After all, this is the Jets' lone bye week of the season, which gives him extra time to savor his game-winning touchdown last week as the unbeaten New Yorkers rallied to top Tampa Bay 21-17.

Columnist Kate Maddox: New show has universal appeal: Kate Maddox; Another new show had a grand opening on the Strip Thursday night. "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" celebrated its launch at the Flamingo Las Vegas, and famed relationship author John Gray was in attendance to see how his tales of tackling romance and commitment fared in a musical setting.

Lawsuit filed against drunken driver: The lawsuit seeks damages in connection with the accident that killed Mary Lynn Sargent, 46, and her companion of 17 years, James Burton Hendren, 59.

TRPA votes for more piers at Tahoe: The amendment provides a way around a ban on building piers in areas where fish lay eggs.

Rebels take center stage in milestone game: Steve Guiremand; Lights. Camera. Action.

Air Force will take months to determine cause of missile crash: Scott Sonner; RENO, Nev. - An Air Force safety investigation board will take months to determine why a test cruise missile fired in a training mission went off course and crashed in the Nevada desert, a spokesman said Friday.

Soccer scuffle hits the courts: Charles Ajuziem said he was hired to referee a Las Vegas Major Soccer League game at the Community College of Southern Nevada's Cheyenne campus.