Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 15

da Today's tip Monday SEPTEMBER 7, 1987 RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL CITY EDITOR: JOE HOWRY 788-6305 Section 2C OBITUARIES 3-1 3C CLASSIFIED 10C BRIDGE The Sparks Leisure Services Department begins the first four-class session of crafts classes for senior citizens at 10 a.m. at the Street Senior Center. Details: 359-7930. await 00 new faces School district trustees decided to move the sixth-graders as part of a stop-gap $350,000 plan to ease crowding until new schools can be built. The plan also includes the purchase of seven mobile units that hold two classrooms each and a modular classroom at Verdi Elementary.

The new space will accommodate the 1,213 new elementary school students expected this year. Children in all grades should have enrolled early this year. Those who didn't will still be able to do it Tuesday, although officials are hoping that enough will have preregistered to alleviate the traditional first-day-of-school chaos. "We hope that at least we caught most of the new people," Mulvenon said. See SCHOOLS, page 2C chools Pupil shuffling, portable classes to ease crunch By Courtney BrennGazette-Joumai School starts Tuesday, and the Washoe County School District will be ready for the incoming 35,000 public school students about 2,000 more than last fall with a number of measures to alleviate crowding.

Many sixth-graders have been shifted to the middle schools to make more room in the elementary schools. Portable classrooms and an addition to one school will ii middle school this year, and Tuesday is the only day their buses will run late, said district spokesman Steve Mulvenon. About 500 of the district's more than 700 sixth-graders will attend middle schools this year to open up space in the overflowing elementary schools. Sixth-graders from Brown, Smithridge, and Lenz elementary schools will be attending Pine Middle School. Glenn Duncan sixth-graders will be going to Traner Middle School, and Swope Middle School will be taking some sixth-grade students from Mount Rose and Smithridge elementary schools.

Sixth-graders at Lemmon Valley, Stead and Libby Booth (from Raleigh Heights and Golden Valley) will go to O'Brien Middle School, and Dunn Elementary sixth-graders will go to Dilworth. Lake ducks been gathering carcasses daily and dis posing ot tnem. Norman Saake, a Nevada Department of Wildlife waterfowl biologist, said clos-tridum botulinum type bacteria are always present in aquatic environments. It becomes a probiem only when invertebrates pick up the bacteria and then are eaten by waterfowl. Invertebrates are part of the birds' diet and when consumed emit a toxin that begins a deadly cycle, Saake said.

Botulism bacteria spreads when infected fly larvae or tainted crustaceans are eaten by healthy birds and toxin in the bacteria kills the waterfowl. The cycle continues when insects lay their eggs on waterfowl corpses. Uninfected birds are endangered by eating those insects and eggs. handle any overflow of students. Sixth-grade students who will attend middle school this year will have a special enrollment time Tuesday to avoid the confusion of enrolling along with the seventh- and eighth-graders.

The sixth-graders will register at the middle schools to which they are zoned at 10 a.m., two hours later than the seventh-and eighth-graders. To accommodate that schedule, a special bus run will be used Tuesday. The sixth-graders attending middle school will be picked up two hours later than the usual time for their area. The bus schedule was published in the Neighbors section of the Sept. 2 edition of the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The special schedule is only for the sixth-graders who fire assigned to attend "This probably won't hurt a bit to cut down on that population," Rice said Sunday about Virginia Lake's outbreak. Authorities are optimistic they can prevent the bacteria from spreading to wild-land habitats. This year, the disease was discovered at Virginia Lake Aug. 1 and gradually spread, killing at least half the lake's waterfowl population. The lake had an estimated 350 to 400 waterfowl in July before the latest outbreak.

At least 15 birds a day have died there since mid-August, said Chris Healy, a Nevada Wildlife public information officer. Experts say the best way to control botulism is to pick up decaying carcasses to interrupt a food chain that causes the disease. As a result, Reno city work crews have Lane closuftks Delays Reroute with delays 8 if "i i I Stunt pilot killed in air demonstration MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. A stunt flier was killed Sunday when his military training plane crashed in flames before spectators at the Mammoth Lakes Air Show, authorities said. Gary J.

Loundagin, 42, of Livermore, had been trying to make a loop during an aerobatics demonstration when his plane crashed, according to a Mono County Sheriff's Department dispatcher. No one else was injured in the crash at 12:49 p.m. at the Mammoth-June Lakes Airport in the eastern Sierra resort community, 300 miles north of Los Angeles. An official with the Federal Aviation Administration in Reno witnessed the crash and was investigating, said an FAA regional duty officer in Los Angeles. Authorities said the plane Loundagin was flying was privately owned, but it wasn't immediately known whether he was the owner.

Man arrested in biting case Part of a man's ear was bitten off during a University of Nevada-Reno fraternity party early Saturday. Several hours later, police arrested another man for investigation in the attack, officers said. Brian Walter Alcantar, 19, arrested at his southeast Reno apartment, also was booked for investigation of burglary and sexual assault, a police spokesman said. Sunday night, Alcantar remained in Reno City Jail on $16,500 bail. Police could not confirm the name of the fraternity involved.

Representatives of several fraternities in the neighborhood said their organizations weren't involved. The man whose ear was bitten off, Darren Maya, 18, address unavailable, was treated and released from Saint Mary's Hospital in Reno, a nursing supervisor said. She said she didn't know whether doctors were able to reconnect the ear. A section of Maya's ear was found shortly after the fight on University Terrace and it was rushed to Saint Mary's, police said. Police did not disclose where and when investigators allege the sexual assault and burglary occurred.

After the fraternity house fight, a woman told officers she had been sexually assaulted and police booked Alcantar in connection with that investigation, the spokesman said. Fire damages apartment Smoke from a couch fire extensively damaged one unit of an apartment building Sunday afternoon at 1690 Merchant St. in Sparks. There were no injuries in the blaze, tentatively blamed on a malfunctioning electrical plug. The cause was being investigated, firefighters said.

Twelve firefighters doused flames soon after they were reported at 1:42 p.m. There was no evacuation and damage was confined to one room. Repair costs had not been estimated. The occupant's name was unavailable for release, a fire department spokesman said. AIDS seminars scheduled The first in a series of public education seminars on AIDS will be from 7 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday and Wednesday at Washoe County's Reno Central Library. The seminars will be repeated Sept. 22 and 23 at Sparks Branch Library and Oct. 13 and 14 at Incline Village Chateau. Those presentations also are from 7 to 9 p.m.

The series is sponsored by Washoe County Health District's Division of Community and Clinical Health Services, Nevada Human Resources Department's Health Division and Washoe County Library System. The seminar was organized to inform people about AIDS, alleviate fears about the disease and how it's transmitted, said Wende Pappas, assistant division director of the Health Department's Community and Clinical Health Services. i iW i i in Jean Dlxon-AlklnGazette-Journal WHAT A WHACK: A truck rams a giant croquet ball Sun- Gerlach. The event, organized by San Francisco artist Mar-day as a player jumps out of the way in the first Desert shall Lyons and held in conjunction with the Planet Ranch Croquet match on the Black Rock Desert, 15 miles from artist colony, drew about 60 players. Avian botulism hits Virginia By Wayne MeltonGazette-Journal Recent deaths of 200 birds at Virginia Lake Park in Reno are being blamed on avian botulism, deadly to ducks and other waterfowl but harmless to humans.

Officials are confident they can stop the disease's spread by quickly disposing of carcasses, said David Rice, Nevada Wildlife Department's conservation education chief. The disease isn't considered a major problem at Virginia Lake because most of its waterfowl are domesticated, live there year-round and frequently suffer from overpopulation, Rice said. The disease last hit Virginia Lake in July 1986, killing an estimated 150 waterfowl. The disease is much more serious when it spreads to wildland habitats such as Stillwater, where it killed 50,000 waterfowl in 1985, Rice said. Monday update Murder victim recalled as trial begins By Mark LundahlGazette-Journal Suzanne Chilow remembered Kathleen Kennedy as a "feather in the wind." She said Kennedy was a dancer, an artist and a writer who struggled through a waitress job to make ends meet.

Others described Kennedy, who was 33 when she died, as pretty and pleasant but they pause to add that she had problems. That, and she drank a lot. The clerk of the downtown motel where she lived said Kennedy was a very nice woman. "The only thing I can say about her, I don't think Reno was very good to her. She went downhill since she came to town," Colleen Lukow said shortly after Kennedy died.

Tumbling slowly, Kennedy's life ended face down in a downtown Reno alley. Police have said she was pummeled and kicked the night of Feb. 27 and that she probably was beaten Kennedy with either a blood-stained rock or tree stump that were found nearby. An autopsy showed marks up and down her entire body and revealed evidence that someone walked on or stomped on Kennedy's naked back. On Tuesday, jury selection is set to begin at the trial of the two women, Eileen Cunningham and Valerie Moore, and a man, James Mayfield, who are accused of participating in the beating.

Authorities have said the death was the result of a dispute about $5 and Kennedy's relationship with Mayfield. Lawyers involved in the case were tightlipped last week about the evidence that will be brought out in trial. Based on past reports and police documents, though, much of the tale will likely involve the eyewitness accounts of two young children, as well as the testimony of a woman who was living on the row of Elko Street apartments the night of the beating death there. Kim Parks, who was originally charged in the death, was later released after police said she didn't actively participate in the beatings and may have tried to stop them. Parks also See VICTIM, page 2C year in a row.

Little conditioning or training is involved. "I chew a lot, but I don't ever prac- tion for the Nevada event is launching chaws out the window of his logging truck. He had the distance but not the aim his plug missed the mark by more than a foot. Even so, he did a lot better than his friend, Jim Oliver, a miner from Placerville whose wife talked him into entering, although he doesn't chew tobacco. "I got sick just from the taste of it, spit on my shoe and almost threw up on the target," Oliver said.

"Wind is definitely a factor, especially if it's blowing toward you," said miner Gary Hilton, who doesn't have to take that into account where he usually chews: the See IONE, page 2C The local telethon collected a record $136,000 last year, and organizers will be happy to collect just $1 more than that this year, Phillipson said. Nationwide, the telethon aims to collect $1 more than last year's record $34 million. Several local politicians and media personalities joined the local telecast hosted by David Finley and Erin Meehan. About 250 volunteers are helping this year's local drive, many operating fund-raising booths in the Peppermill parking lot. "The people of Reno are constantly giving," Phillipson said.

"They're either volunteering their time or donating money." Nationwide, the telethons have raised more than $404 million since Lewis began the crusade in 1966. Additional fund-raising efforts, from corporate sponsors to kiddie carnivals, have pushed the total to almost $1 billion. Vja Current streeV repairs iVJ Tobacco chewers aim to have fun Lemmon rwYT I By Doug McMillanGazette-Journal IONE, Nev. The athlete stepped to the white line, closed his eyes to concentrate for several minutes, then finally let loose. A wad of chewing tobacco soared 15 feet through the air and landed 8.5 inches from a bull's eye circled in lime on the dusty ground.

The crowd cheered. Skip Hesman had won the seventh annual lone Days Tobacco-Spitting contest. The unique competition was one of the zanier events of lone Days, a two-day celebration that turned the former ghost town of lone, population 41, into a small city of recreational vehicles and tents Saturday and Sunday. Good tobacco spitters are born, not made, explained Ron Jackson of Placerville, runner-up spitter for the second 1. 1-580 from Plumb Lane to Moana Lane; possible LANE CLOSURE 2.

Rock Blvd. between I-80 and Hymer Ave; possible DELAYS 3. McCarran Blvd. between Clear Acre Lane and Pyramid Way; possible LANE CLOSURE 4. 1-80 at W.

McCarran; possible DELAYS at on and off ramps 5. Nichols between McCarran and Howard traffic REROUTE WITH POSSIBLE DELAYS 6. Queens Way from East Quail Street to Mongolo; DELAYS 7. Boise Dr. from East Quail Street to Mongolo; DELAYS 8.

East Quail -Street from Probasco to Boise; DELAYS 9. McCarran from Plumas to Greensboro; temporary DETOUR through the golf course. Razorback is closed Labor Day telethon kicks off with high hopes X. Sun -N i 1 I i a I 2 '-5 N. McCarran Blvd.

XI Oddie Blvd. Ave. sJ JA I iMiiistrV 1 5 1 I -1 I S. McCarran GJ i i Del Monte Ln. Huffaker 1 HuftaK 39.5 County urges seat belts The Washoe County District Health Department has launched a drive urging motorists and their passengers to use safety belts.

A law passed by the 1987 Legislature imposes $25 fines on each driver and passenger who fails to wear safety belts in vehicles stopped for other reasons. Marlen Schultz, a health department program coordinator, said she and her staff are available to speak about safety belts at schools, businesses and local organizations. For more information, call 328-2400. Accidents claim 2 lives LAS VEGAS A head-on collision killed a Laughlin man early Sunday and police have jailed an Arizona juvenile on investigation of drunken driving in connection with the death. John Newton died at the scene of the Laughlin crash, which occurred about 1 a.m.

Sunday. Meanwhile, 75-year-old Rubie Deliz, injured in a two-car collision Saturday, died Sunday at Valley Hospital. Wire service and staff reports By Wayne MeltonGazette-Joumai The 1987 Northern Nevada Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Telethon began Sunday, with organizers optimistic of surpassing their $136,000 goal. The live broadcast on KOLO TV Channel 8 from Peppermill Hotel-Casino began at 6 p.m. Sunday and ends at 4:30 p.m.

today. Several thousand dollars were raised by late Sunday, and organizers hoped donations would begin to roll in by this afternoon. "The momentum and enthusiasm are phenomenal," said Maggie Phillipson, local pledge center co-coordinator. Local portions of the telethon run from 15 to 30 minutes after every hour. A nationwide portion of the telecast from Las Vegas fills remaining time.

The nationwide portion of the telecast ends about 3 p.m., and the local drive runs through the next 90 minutes. Reno Is expected to receive approximately 60,000 visitors during Labor Day weekend. Nevada Traffic Safety Now, a non-profit group, urges motorists to buckle up. Last year's holiday saw four fatal accidents that claimed the lives of six people, none of whom were wearing seat belts. Nevada law enforces mandatory use of seat belts.

Gazette-Journal i 1.