Print edition for February 8, 2001

Early friend of Israel freedom among those getting pardon: By Jeff German; An associate of late Sun Publisher Hank Greenspun in running guns and airplanes to Israel during its 1948 war with the Arabs, was among those former President Clinton pardoned last month before leaving office.

City vows to battle nuke waste at Yucca: Diana Sahagun; TV call-in

Local news briefs for February 8, 2001: Arrest warrants have been issued for a couple accused of secretly entering the Child Haven shelter and abducting their two elementary-school-age children on Friday.

Prep girls soccer standings: CLASS 4A

Democrats fail to stop Guinn's veto of teacher evaluations bill: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Both parties pledged an era of bipartisanship this legislative session, but an attempt to override Gov. Kenny Guinn's veto of a 1999 teacher evaluation bill Wednesday fell squarely along party lines.

Crowded ERs filling needlessly: Stacy J. Willis; An apparent glitch in communication may be responsible for a significant portion of overcrowding in local emergency rooms, hospital administrators found out Wednesday.

Prep wrestling standings: CLASS 4A

Columnist Dean Juipe: Mosley talks up his fight -- and his foe: Dean Juipe; With Las Vegas about to be inundated with mid-level to high-priority boxing cards, ticket-buying fans can be very discerning when it comes to selecting what fights they care to see.

Avalanche warning issued: The area covers Kyle and Lee canyons and Mount Charleston. It does not apply to the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort. The warning is issued for a 24-hour period.

Wednesday's prep results, wrestling and soccer results, schedule: Basic 47, Vo-Tech 43: James Dinicola scored 16 points and hit four 3-pointers to lead the Wolves to victory. Cory Eatman and Solomon Coleman had 11 points apiece for the Road Runners.

Nevada lawmakers look for ways to boost state's economic growth: Siobahn McDonough; CARSON CITY, Nev. - Assembly Ways and Means members held a brainstorming session Wednesday on ways to boost Nevada's economic growth.

Would-be Minnesota Vikings owner files for bankruptcy in Las Vegas for second time: Grace Leong; Anil Kumar Gupta of Las Vegas -- who gained national headlines with his bizzare and failed bid in 1998 to buy the NFL's Minnesota Vikings -- filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on Feb. 2 to avoid being evicted from his home.

State wraps up case in crash that killed 6: Kim Smith; The state wrapped up its case against Jessica Williams this morning with the testimony of an accident reconstructionist who gave two possible reasons why Williams' van went off Interstate 15 and struck and killed six teenagers.

Snow reaches valley: Snowflakes swirled in the air on the western side of the Las Vegas Valley overnight, but the ground was not cold enough for it to accumulate.

Man faces trial in wife's death: Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman ruled Wednesday there is enough evidence to try Vitaly Zakouto on murder, home invasion, burglary and stalking charges.

More cash needed to get state college off ground: Jennifer Knight; Nevada State College at Henderson needs more money than the governor is willing to give.

Public hearing sought for robbery suspect: Prosecutors and defense lawyers in a security-heightened casino robbery case agree that the public needs to be allowed into an upcoming hearing.

Garcia chooses four region chiefs: Terry Webster; Four longtime administrators are in line to become regional superintendents in the reorganization of the Clark County School District, the nation's sixth largest.

Herbst taking back 13 LV-area gas stations as partnership collapses: David Strow; A deal between Herbst Oil Co. and a Florida-based operator of car washes has been rescinded, a move that will return 13 Terrible Herbst gas stations and car washes to Las Vegas-based Herbst.

Stock plunges in wake of legislative hearing: Sierra Pacific stock fell $1.45 to $10.80, a 52-week low, on extremely heavy volume. Sierra Pacific is the parent company of Nevada Power Co., Southern Nevada's dominant electric utility.

Friday's Santa Anita entries: Post Time 1 p.m.

Police to probe allegations against city employee: Diana Sahagun; Metro Police have been asked by the Las Vegas City Council to investigate allegations that a city employee intimidated and tried to extort a Peccole Little League coach.

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Get set for a double dose of blue & orange: Spencer Patterson; So you're a prep basketball fanatic, eagerly awaiting the start of Nevada's regional playoffs next week? All right then, here's a trivia question to whet your appetite.

Longtime county official retires: Adrienne Packer; Clark County facilities manager Bill Barrett accepted a retirement package late Wednesday in the midst of a state ethics investigation and a federal Environmental Protection Agency probe.

Focus shifts as new shelter opens: Kris Hill; Hope for pets

Catching up with: Ronnie Jones: High School: Las Vegas High ('98)

LV attorney named to PUC: Escobar-Chanos is a Las Vegas attorney who currently serves on the Nevada Taxicab Authority.

LV council briefs for February 8, 2001: Political consultant Sig Rogich will wait until Feb. 21 for the City Council to hear his request to transfer his tavern license to two Houston brothers.

Woman arrested after body found in storage unit: Keith Paul; A 47-year-old woman was in the Clark County jail this morning accused of killing her mother, sealing her in a large plastic trash can and leaving her body in a rented Las Vegas storage unit.

Gibson warns builders of threat of EPA regulations: Jeffrey Libby; Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson told contractors and builders at a luncheon Wednesday that strict federal environmental standards may have already killed one small town in Nevada.

Library bond plan placed on hold: Kris Hill; When the Clark County Commission let representatives of the Clark County-Las Vegas Library District know on Tuesday that it would rather not spend $73 million to build six new libraries, the North Las Vegas City Council got the message, too.

Zoning approved for casino: Kris Hill; Station Casinos Inc. can start building its proposed resort on the Craig Ranch Golf Course following the North Las Vegas City Council's unanimous approval Wednesday of a zoning change.

Library district request receives cool reception: Diana Sahagun; Las Vegas City Council members all agree that libraries are essential for learning, but they are split on whether a $73.9 million bond issue would do more harm than good for taxpayers.

Hilton recommended as a new director for Park Place: CARSON CITY -- William Barron Hilton, who has been associated with Nevada gaming since the 1970s, has been recommended by the state Gaming Control Board to be a director and shareholder in Las Vegas-based Park Place Entertainment Corp., the largest casino operator in the world.

State seeks tougher penalty against LV stock promoter: CARSON CITY -- A state's attorney urged the Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday to beef up the penalty against a Las Vegas man who sold stock in a venture in which investors may have lost $600,000.

Cop plays teen girl in Internet seduction case: Keith Paul; A 24-year-old man is in the Clark County jail this morning accused of convincing a 14-year-old Las Vegas girl over the Internet to meet in person and star in his pornographic video.

Former L.A. coroner on Rudin witness list: Kim Smith; Retired Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Noguchi, better known as "Coroner to the Stars," has made the defense's witness list in the Margaret Rudin case.

Disbelieving driver was shown bodies of victims: Kim Smith; An Illinois woman facing drunken driving charges in a fatal accident was so convinced a trooper was lying to her about the deaths, she insisted on seeing their bodies.

Guinn joins governors in fight against energy price caps: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Energy issues continue to dominate the early discussions and decisions in the early going of the state Legislature.

Centennial shuts down Durango: Spencer Patterson; Complete with freezing conditions, a hat trick and even an empty net, Wednesday's 4A Sunset Region semifinal between Centennial and Durango resembled a hockey game as much as a girls soccer contest.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: UNLV: Real deal or just imposters?: "This is your host Bud Collyer, and welcome to To Tell the Truth.

UNLV notebook: Rebel baseball to visit UCLA: UNLV's baseball team, which opened the season last weekend by taking two of three from Washington State, will face a tough challenge this weekend when the Rebels travel to Westwood, Calif., for a three-game series against UCLA.

Wednesday's Rebel signees: Tyler Arciaga, qb, 6-3, 230, Bonita Vista HS, Bonita, Calif.

LV company issues earnings warning: Mandalay said it expected to report net earnings of 1 cent per share before non-recurring items for the quarter ending Jan. 31. Analysts had expected 14 cents per share.

NY journalist suggests Goldberg made death threats: New York Post columnist John Crudele wrote he learned through an organized crime source that Goldberg "was looking around the underworld for someone who could get me ... to 'retract what I had written.' "

Gambling debts cited in official's bankruptcy: The High Court in Hong Kong granted a bankruptcy order against Kwok-Yin Lam, an official in a northern province of Hong Kong, after Caesars Palace and a Hong Kong property developer took action against him for debts.

Morales expected to unseat featherweigt champ Feb. 17: Dean Juipe; It's a coincidence, of course, but the last two men who trained at the Prince Ranch lodge on the lower edge of Mount Charleston were devastatingly ineffective when it came time to fight.

Rebels still have shot at Mountain West crown: Steve Addy; In the time it took Dalron Johnson's magical shot to glide through the net at Wyoming, the Rebels' season changed from upheaval to uplifted.

September to be tough month on Rebels' schedule: Steve Guiremand; Sept. 1 -- at Arkansas Sept. 7 -- NORTHWESTERN Sept. 14 -- COLORADO STATE* Sept. 22 -- at Arizona Sept. 29 -- BYU* Oct. 6 -- at Nevada-Reno Oct. 13 -- SAN DIEGO STATE* Oct. 27 -- at Wyoming* Nov. 3 -- UTAH* Nov. 10 -- at New Mexico* Nov. 17 -- at Air Force* *Mountain West Conference game

UNLV fills its needs with key recruits: Steve Guiremand; It seemed just like any normal day around the UNLV football offices on Wednesday.

Helping at home: Victoria Sun; As much as Andre Agassi loves spending time in San Francisco, the tennis star and Las Vegas resident insisted Wednesday afternoon that he hasn't left his heart there.

Editorial: Secrecy is unjustified in courts: Vigoa was a convicted felon who had been known to be violent. In addition to the Bellagio heist, police also are investigating whether he was involved in other casino robberies on the Strip. They also are looking into whether Vigoa and two accomplices killed two security guards in a botched robbery of an armored car in Henderson. Metro Police believed that Vigoa had associates who might try to help him escape. It is easy to see why heightened security precautions were believed necessary, but there is no excuse why the public should have been kept in the dark.

Editorial: Shooting likely will mean greater buffer: Interviews with presidents often reveal that once they're in office, they feel cut off from the outside world and the problems that everyday Americans face. Paradoxically, Americans want to ensure the president's safety with thorough security measures, yet they also want him to have enough freedom so that he feels he can venture out into the public.

Letter: Rapper missed an opportunity: For a few dollars, he could have been off the hook. Who needs Johnnie Cochran when you have Bill Clinton?

Letter: Del Webb Corp. has a good side: I am the director of a residential program for children here in Las Vegas. It is one of the few residential programs that serves families for no charge, opening the doors to poor but deserving children. We do this without any tax monies or government support.

Letter: What separates one tragedy from the other?: A month ago a young woman from Chicago got into her rented car with a .14 blood-alcohol content and drove in excess of 90 mph, striking a pickup truck, killing two senior citizens outright.

Sun Athletes of the Week: Martrel Johnson and Nickie Olson: Male Athlete of the week: MARTREL JOHNSON

City residents fight plan for county island: The Clark County Planning Commission will hear an item tonight that has Las Vegas and Clark County squabbling like neighbors without a fence.

State Supreme Court lays off tax initiative: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court may not decide the constitutionality of an initiative petition that seeks to impose a business tax to funnel more money to the public schools.

Strohmeyer appeal rejected: CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday denied the petition of Jeremy Strohmeyer, who wanted to withdraw his guilty plea to the 1997 killing of a 7-year-old girl in a restroom at a Primm casino.

Gated development approved over protests from neighbors: Clark County commissioners approved a gated community in the northwest Las Vegas Valley, a decision that prompted catcalls from residents opposed to the project.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Cinematic feast, er, feat: HANNIBAL MOVED his elephants over the Alps and into Italy during the Punic Wars. He made quite a hit.

Wigs and hairpieces adorn countless heads in Las Vegas: "We're No. 7, so we didn't do too bad," owner Steve Serge said, looking at the magazine clip that aligns his "largest wig store" with other Las Vegas oddities, such as the "largest indoor canal," "largest souvenir shop" and "largest indoor theme park."

Mother-daughter duo behind wigs topping 'Jubilee' cast: Never mind the pink, yellow and blue ostrich feathers, the jewels and protruding quills that make the stunning headdresses. For Sutton, it's all about the wigs and hairpieces all 365 of them.

Columnist Joe Delaney: Las Vegas has glut of empty showroom seats: Joe Delaney; Let's put posteriors in all those too-often empty showroom seats ... Needed: full-time entertainment directors and elimination of entertainment by committee, with entertainment decisions made mostly by lawyers, accountants and marketing specialists ... Why should the Rio showroom, recently vacated by David Cassidy and Sheena Easton, be without a tenant two weeks later?

Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Depressed by economic reports: Ruthe Deskin; "AOL Time Warner slashes 2,000 jobs."

Community news briefs for February 8, 2001: Health education sessions and services will be held at the West Flamingo Center, 6255 W. Flamingo Road, an adult recreation center for those age 50 and above.

Henderson CAP cadet leaders chosen: Dick Benoit; New leaders officially assumed responsibility for positions within the Henderson Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol Tuesday at the group's first change of command ceremony.

Obituaries for February 8, 2001: Allene Benjamin, 83, of Las Vegas died Wednesday in a local hospice. She was born Nov. 11, 1917, in Jamestown, N.Y. A resident for one year, she was a retired clerical worker for a legal firm.