Print edition for February 20, 2001

Columnist Susan Snyder: A brush with kitty hygiene: You know society has reached a certain level of economic security when adults occupy their time with endeavors such as brushing their cats' teeth.

Jury finds oil giant cheated dealers out of $500 million: MIAMI -- Exxon Corp. cheated 10,000 station owners in 35 states out of $500 million over a 12-year period by inflating wholesale fuel prices, a federal jury ruled today in awarding that amount.

UNLV football loses bid for linebacker prospect: Steve Guiremand; UNLV's bid to land arguably the top linebacker prospect on the West Coast this year, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly High School's Marvin Simmons, apparently has come up short.

Letter: Rich pay more, so they deserve bigger tax break: When you cut income taxes you can't avoid helping these upper income groups, because they are the ones who pay all the taxes. The bottom 50 percent income group pays only 4 percent of all income taxes. They get their government for free.

Columnist Ron Kantowski: LV's Trampler savored meeting with Mathews: Chances are Dale Earnhardt, the hard-driving stock car racing legend, and Eddie Mathews, the hard-living baseball Hall of Famer, never met.

Editorial: Let's tackle underage gambling: It is encouraging that later this year the state Department of Education will include a question on gambling -- for the first time ever -- in a statewide risk behavior survey that is given to sixth through 12th graders. The question will ask how many times, and in what forms, students have gambled. More than anecdotal evidence is needed to see how prevalent underage gambling is, and such a survey should help.

AC casino action includes work on "Ocean's 11": John Curran; ATLANTIC CITY -- The baccarat pit at Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino became a movie set as Oscar-nominated director Steven Soderbergh, heartthrob George Clooney and dozens of behind-the-scenes workers began filming on "Ocean's 11," a big-budget remake of the 1960 Rat Pack movie of the same name.

Black History Month celebrations planned: An African-American cultural celebration and luncheon, "Celebration of Culture V," will begin with a show at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the Clark County Library Theater, 1401 E. Flamingo Road. Cost of the luncheon is $10 per person, while the program is free.

Nevada lagging in prenatal care: Pregnant Nevadans in 1998 were less educated and less likely to receive adequate prenatal care than the national average, according to a study released today.

Jeweler sued for rent: In a Clark County District Court lawsuit, Aladdin Bazaar LLC sued Venice Beach Partners doing business as Barone Art and its three Californian partners, Arne Freeman and Tony and Karen Barone, alleging they removed their merchandise from the store on Dec. 15 and told other mall tenants that the it was permanently closed.

Firms accused of reorganizing to avoid payment of Sprint bills: Sued were Easy Cellular Plus, Easy Cellular Inc., Easy Phone Inc., Pre-Paid Phones Ltd. and an alleged alter ego of the companies, the Lorinda C. Bucchieri Family Limited Partnership. Sprint claims the companies and the partnership are predecessors or successors to each other and may have shared funds and assets.

2001 State prep basketball tournament schedules: At Lawlor Events Center

Disruptive-students program defended: CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's decision to scrap a $500,000-a-year program to help school districts handle disruptive students came under some criticism today by state legislators.

Pitino not interested in Rhode Island job: University president Robert Carothers said Pitino had been contacted by the school, but on Monday "expressed his desire not to be further considered for this position."

Columnist Kate Maddox: Busy Joel claims his steak: Kate Maddox; Billy Joel found a home away from home this weekend at Charlie Palmer Steak at the Four Seasons. Sure, most celebs have star-friendly Vegas hangouts they like to frequent during visits. But how many places will stay open 'til five in the ayem just to rock out with the Piano Man?

Collapse in 2nd half sinks UNLV: Steve Addy; ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Forget all of the Rebels' high-minded talk about finishing the season with pride and togetherness.

CCSN chief starts new job in Oregon on April 1: Jennifer Knight; Robert Silverman will begin a new job leading an Oregon community college on April 1 -- hastening the search for his replacement as interim president at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Boxing fans are only so resilient: Dean Juipe; Over the weekend a local casino executive and a boxing promoter were lamenting the fact that recent fight cards in Las Vegas haven't been drawing large crowds.

Community news briefs for February 20, 2001: Odyssey Hospice Care is seeking volunteers to provide emotional support, companionship, brief caregiver relief, transportation and run errands for patients with a life limiting illness.

Arraignment set for suspect in fatal shooting at Harrah's: Kim Smith; A 31-year-old suspect in a Harrah's shooting death, who was arrested in New Jersey after mistakenly being released from the Clark County Detention Center, is back in Las Vegas.

Obituaries for February 20, 2001: Eusebio Alfonso, 82, of Las Vegas died Friday in Las Vegas. He was born Aug. 14, 1918, in Cuba. A resident for many years, he was a retired chef.

New tests proposed for state's students: Terry Webster; Testing changes

Legislation would help city annex county islands: CARSON CITY -- A proposal that would grant the city of Las Vegas more ease in annexing county islands was introduced Monday in the Assembly.

Local news briefs for February 20, 2001: A 39-year-old local waitress apparently despondent over money jumped from the Interstate 15 overpass at Tropicana Avenue this morning.

Corrections: Corrections

Nevada Power parent calls fuel costs 'crippling': Nevada Power Co.'s parent company reported worse-than-expected losses today as high wholesale prices for fuel and purchased power continued to hurt the state's top electricity producer.

Nix is Boulder City's traveling councilman: Jeffrey Libby; Boulder City Councilman Bryan Nix is a frequent flier on the taxpayer's nickel.

Mobile Art: Kirk Baird; They don't make 'em like they used to.

Business briefs for February 20, 2001: Three tourists sued two Las Vegas aerial sightseeing tour companies, alleging they suffered injuries while on a sightseeing flight of the Grand Canyon.

Reid schedules hearings on Fallon leukemia: Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., plans to bring congressional hearings to Fallon in April to look into 11 cases of childhood leukemia confirmed in the Northern Nevada community.

Las Vegan Wynalda to play for Revolution: Wynalda has scored 34 goals and 16 assists in 106 appearances with the national team but didn't make the team for any World Cup qualifiers last year. He has scored 23 goals and 31 assists in 68 appearances with San Jose, Chicago and New England of the MLS.

Bill could help Billy Walters get his seized millions: Brendan Riley; CARSON CITY, Nev. - Golf course developer and high-rolling gambler Billy Walters pressed Tuesday for changes in a law used by Las Vegas police to seize $2.8 million from him in an alleged money-laundering case.

CEO leaves for Burger King: MINNEAPOLIS -- John H. Dasburg is stepping down as president and chief executive officer of Northwest Airlines to return to the restaurant industry as the head of Burger King Corp., the airline announced Monday.

UNLV-New Mexico Box Score: UNLV (15-11)

Gorman to face a challenge in Reno: Spencer Patterson; Just last week, it looked to many like a done deal.

Outlaws get rid of starting quarterback: Cawley had come on in place of Ryan Clement, who sustained a separated shoulder in the first quarter of the Outlaws' game Feb. 11 in Memphis, Tenn.

Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Helping us "live long": THE FUTURE is finally here. How can we not afford it?

County-city zoning feud will be revisited: Flashpoints of recent Clark County Commission land use decisions will be back on the commission's agenda Wednesday -- including a controversial decision that highlighted disagreements between the city of Las Vegas and the county.

Letter: GOP continues Clinton pursuit: Certainly Clinton has proved to be something less than a far-left liberal, but the Republicans seem to see some basic evil that lies just below the surface.

Hearing no longer secret, but still under wraps: District Judge Kathy Hardcastle plans to give the public access to a hearing this week in the security-heightened Bellagio robbery case.

Residents organize to oppose proposed casino: MORGAN CITY, La. -- A group opposed to putting a riverboat casino in the Morgan City area collected more than 60 pages of signatures from other residents opposed to having a gambling hall near their homes.

Truck accident closes U.S. 95-Alternate near Yerington: YERINGTON, Nev. - A truck accident resulting in the spill of sulfuric acid closed U.S. 95-Alternate north of Yerington for much of the day Tuesday.

Fans honor lost legend: DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt's true impact upon America's collective consciousness came into focus on Monday, the day after the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion died of head injuries suffered in a crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500.

Legislative briefs for February 20, 2001: A bill has been introduced by the Assembly Government Affairs Committee to allow Clark County municipalities to acquire more of the streets now owned by the state.

Panel fumes over Yucca lobbyist: Benjamin Grove and Adrienne Packer; Faced with the difficult task of keeping nuclear waste out of Southern Nevada, the Clark County Commission today chose a nationally recognized lobbying firm to lead it through the war.

Rebels basketball notebook: Parmer collects bragging rights: Steve Addy; ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- As Marlon Parmer walked past UNLV's locker room after the game, the New Mexico point guard tapped Dalron Johnson on the chest and gave him a smile and a nod.

Editorial: Earnhardt's passing leaves fans in sorrow: NASCAR's success was generated mainly by Earnhardt. The sport has become extraordinarily popular, including here in Las Vegas, which will hold a Winston Cup race in two weeks. It is unknown what lasting impact Earnhardt's death will have on the sport's fans, or whether it will result in more safety measures. For now, at least, fans simply will grieve the loss of a NASCAR giant.

Letter: Notch babies need Bush's help: As a World War II veteran I've written to some of our senators and congressmen. James Roosevelt was the only active voice for our concern.

Laser restrictions get Assembly OK: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Most adults view laser pointers as either a small flashlight or an annoyance often flashed onto the theater screen during the previews.

School funding rally gets support: Terry Webster; Waving signs and drawing honks and hollers of support from passing traffic, an estimated 1,000 Clark County School District employees Monday marched along Paradise Road and Sands Avenue in an effort to raise support for public education.

Lawmakers bear down on issues concerning power woes: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- After testimony Monday that they have little control over consumer pricing, supplies and construction of new power plants, state legislators this morning began to learn that everyone can make a difference in the pending energy crisis.

Slot machine maker posts higher profit: SYDNEY, Australia -- Gambling machine maker Aristocrat Leisure today reported a 10.3 percent jump in net profit to A$64.9 million for 2000, as its push into international markets offset declining revenue in the mature Australian market.

Schools must find more bus money: Erin Neff; CARSON CITY -- Everybody seems to agree that the Clark County School District should bus elementary school students who live farther than 1.5 miles away from their schools.

Billiards parlor owner and top player Butterfield dies: At age 14 Frank Butterfield left home to earn a living as a pool hustler and escape the poverty he knew as a child.

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