Print edition for January 2, 2001

Child's testimony needed in Soria trial: Soria, 39, is scheduled to go to trial on sexual assault, kidnapping and murder charges Jan. 17. Steadman was found dead near U.S. 50 March 20, a day after she disappeared from the Lake Park Apartments in Stateline where Soria also lived.

Orange Bowl notebook: FSU kicker returns to scene of disaster: Steve Guiremand; MIAMI -- Don't blame Matt Munyon if he isn't a big Miami Dolphins fan these days.

Band needs money for inauguration trip: The goal originally was $75,000, but Zabelsky scored some good deals on air fares. And he booked the group into cheaper accommodations in Annapolis, Md., 40 miles from Washington.

120-day deadline on Legislature curbs bill drafts: "The smaller number of bills should be very helpful in meeting our deadlines," said Lorne Malkiewich, director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

Community news briefs for January 2, 2001: MountainView Hospital

County neutering plan set: The county's Animal Control department is making $20,000 worth of vouchers available to residents through Jan. 31. The Las Vegas Valley Humane Society is complementing that with 300 vouchers for cat spaying and neutering.

Columnist Dean Juipe: Lack of true title game defies logic: Dean Juipe; Three times in the 1990s the college football season ended without a clear and distinct national champion.

Rowdy but controlled crowds welcome 2001 in Reno, Tahoe: "This has got to be the biggest year so far," Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini said at the Tahoe substation. "But the arrests are a little low. They're rowdy but not out of control."

Ninth Nevada leukemia case cited: A ninth case of childhood leukemia has been confirmed in Northern Nevada, state epidemiologist Randall Todd said today.

Letter: Odd character as president: Letter: Odd character as president

Letter: Lobbyists serve no good purpose: What are the job descriptions of Harry Reid, John Ensign, Shelley Berkley and Jim Gibbons? Didn't we elect them to lobby for us (and Las Vegas)? Isn't Reid the second in-command of the Senate Democrats, with lots of horsepower, and isn't Ensign a member of Bush's faithful?

Columnist Ron Kantowski: Mountain West basking in perfection: If you thought the fireworks salesman on the Las Vegas Strip had a Happy New Year, what about Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson?

Outlaws ready to open camp, prepare their inaugural roster: Victoria Sun; The Las Vegas Outlaws will play their first game against the New York/New Jersey Hitmen at Sam Boyd Stadium on Feb. 3.

VA seeking payments for those exposed at NTS: An estimated $1.1 billion could be paid to veterans exposed to radiation during bomb blasts at the Nevada Test Site and other locations around the world or to their survivors under a Department of Veterans Affairs plan.

2000-2001 College Bowl Schedule: College Bowl Games

Bosses named for parole, National Guard: CARSON CITY -- A veteran of 25 years in the field of parole and probation has been named to head the state Board of Parole Commissioners by Gov. Kenny Guinn, who Friday also named a new boss for the Nevada National Guard.

2000-2001 NFL Playoff Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 30

IGT buying company for $45 million: IGT will pay 8.25 cents to 9.5 cents per share for Silicon, a price that will be determined by the value of Silicon's assets at the time of the deal's close, as well as the amount of the company's liabilities. Several months ago, the companies disclosed they were in merger talks -- the definitive agreement was announced last month.

Jury to consider death for skinhead: Kim Smith; Jurors who must decide if a Nazi skinhead should receive the death penalty for the murders of two anti-racist skinheads will learn today he has not been a model prisoner.

Commissioner is seeking to crack down on halfway houses: Kris Hill; Residents of a southeast Las Vegas neighborhood could find relief from the proliferation of halfway houses for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts in their community if an ordinance proposed by County Commissioner Dario Herrera is passed in two weeks.

Delta cutting sixth flight to Las Vegas: Delta Air Lines said a sixth flight to Las Vegas would be discontinued early next year, but that all six of them would be restored by May.

Tyson paying $3.2 billion for meatpacker: The cash-and-stock acquisition ends a three-month battle between Tyson and Smithfield Foods, the giant pork processor, for control of IBP, the nation's biggest packer of fresh beef and a leading pork processor.

Local news briefs for January 2, 2001: Metro Police say the failure of a driver to stop at a red light near downtown on Saturday night resulted in a fatal two-car accident.

Obituaries for January 2, 2001: Robert Budyach, 69, of Henderson died Saturday in a local hospital. He was born Jan. 30, 1931, in Chicago. A resident for nine years, he was a retired Postal Service clerk, a Korean War Army veteran and a member of the Disabled American Veterans.

Long-sought land swap gives city key parcel downtown: Erin Neff; The city of Las Vegas rang out 2000 with potentially the biggest single event that will shape not just this new year, but the next few decades.

North Las Vegas sees drop in slayings: Keith Paul; The Las Vegas Valley's two other major cities went in opposite directions in their homicide trends in 2000, with North Las Vegas seeing a decrease in slayings and Henderson having more homicides last year than the previous three years combined.

2001 PGA Schedule: Jan. 11-14 - Men's golf, PGA Tour, Mercedes Championships, Kapalua, Hawaii.

Sierra Health sells Las Vegas real estate holdings for $115 million: Nevada's largest health insurer has sold the bulk of its real estate holdings to a Los Angeles-based investment fund for $115 million.

Tooting his own horn: Local man makes trumpets for the stars: By Jerry Fink; This time of year, when kitchens are filled with the aroma of pies and cookies, at Scodwell's residence the smell coming from the oven is more likely to be part of a trumpet baking.

Developers plan new south Strip casino resort: David Strow; A Las Vegas development company has announced plans for a major gaming development on the south end of the Strip -- and has overcome airport objections to the construction of a 40-story tower at the site.

Appeals court reverses judgment against Caesars Palace: CARSON CITY -- A $420,000 judgment awarded to a Las Vegas woman who claimed she was fired by Caesars Palace in 1994 because of gender discrimination has been reversed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Nevada casino owner backing Minnesota gambling bill: But it's an emotionally-charged issue, and the proposal faces long odds.

Backcourt depth helping Rebels avoid more misery: Steve Addy; Entering the season, the Rebels knew they would be in trouble if Kaspars Kambala struggled, and that has proved accurate.

Appeal filed on Nasdaq delisting: All-American SportPark Inc. spokesman Kirk Hartle said the company expects to hear within a few weeks when its appeal will be heard. The appeal request automatically stays a decision by the panel to delist the stock, which had fallen below the $1 required minimum price to remain listed.

Two killed in New Year's accident: Blair's wife Patricia, 60, and her 79-year-old mother Laura Gerber were pronounced dead at the scene.

Letter: Give new regime chance to help poor people: Another section of the same Sunday paper tells us how many people are living in shelters and how much money is needed and spent to feed and house poor people, and how it takes everyone in the family working to get by. Sure, there are a lot of people working because they are each making minimum wages and need to work two or three jobs to make a living wage.

Columnist Peggy Pierce: Mass transit needed sooner than later: Peggy Pierce; Whoa! You guys need better security. It looks like the editorial staff from the Las Vegas Review-Journal snuck in and had their way with your Dec. 4 editorial, "More lanes are critical for U.S. 95."

Editorial: Harnessing the wind is a big boost: Deregulation of the electric industry has sparked a number of worries, especially the fear that the loss of government oversight would lead to skyrocketing costs. Another concern, and one which hasn't received as much attention as it should have, was deregulation's impact on the development of alternative energy resources. While wind, geothermal and solar energy are friendlier to the environment than nuclear power and coal, these renewable energy resources also have cost more to produce.

Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: Watt protege in Cabinet: President-elect George W. Bush will become our new president this month. Despite receiving at least 539,000 fewer popular votes than his opponent, he is the winner with 271 electoral votes. This is the tried and true U.S. system used to select our presidents.

All eyes on QBs in Orange Bowl: Steve Guiremand; MIAMI -- The folks at ABC probably couldn't have planned it any better.

Lawyer questions witness' statements: Kristen Hays; "He very well could have been the one," Washington County Public Defender Glenn Alterio said of John S. Shaker, 31, of Las Vegas. Alterio represents Alexander Martos, 33, of Bentleyville.

LV City Hall could face upheaval this year: Erin Neff; Although the year just dawned, the calendar is already bearing down on a majority of Las Vegas City Council members.

LV rivals Big Apple: Ed Koch and Jace Radke; It took New York City's Times Square about a century to evolve into the New Year's Eve celebration capital of the world, but it has taken Las Vegas less than a decade to become a contender for that title.

State sees decrease in fatal accidents: As of Dec. 31, there were 255 fatal crashes resulting in 309 deaths reported across the state. That's down from 307 fatal crashes and 350 deaths in 1999.

Las Vegas homicides hit 10-year low: Keith Paul; Las Vegas had fewer than 100 homicides last year for the first time in a decade, while nationally other major cities may have witnessed an end to the years-long decline in crime, especially murders.

Bandits take on New Mexico tonight: The contest will be the first in a three-game series between Las Vegas and New Mexico as the teams will resume their rivalry in Albuquerque on Monday and next Wednesday.

Drier, warmer across Nevada in 2000: Tom Gardner; "Reno had 19 consecutive months of warmer than usual temperatures until November finally ended up cooler. December came right back with warm temperatures again," state Climatologist John James said Tuesday.

Las Vegas basks in glow of successful New Year's fireworks: Ken Ritter; "It was a great New Year's - as good as it gets," said Mayor Oscar Goodman, who had blamed the absence of fireworks last year for the sense that Las Vegas' Y2K celebration was a dud.

High court rules against bail bond companies: While specific legislative authorization for the fees didn't exist until 1997, the Supreme Court said the Nevada Constitution and the law "indicate that the municipal courts have the inherent power to charge and collect reasonable fees."