Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 1

LIFE FOOD tttmx Behind the scenes At Moody's Bistro, it's all about timing and prep, 1G Sierra soprano Nevadan Dolora Zajick returns for opera benefit, 1 HUJ enoGa OURNA WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2004 nP CMTC Maybehiahw CARSON DOUGLAS EDITION WWW.RGJ.COM ut-ll I nutsidmtroirM mm Shiites can make or break U.S. plans RENO MARINE JOINS BATTLE Troops in Shiite south battle with militiamen COMING UP insurgents. Millikin, son of Jackie C. Millikin of Reno and Darren Johnson of Monroe, is a 2000 graduate of Hug High School, where he was on the basketball team. "We knew he went into the service.

We're glad he's representing our country and doing an outstanding said Hug High football coach Rollins Stallworth. Other developments: Marines face urban warfare, guerrilla fire in Fallujah. Details, 2A struggling to stabilize Iraq and eventually get American troops out. So far, attacks on U.S. forces and Iraqi police have been carried out by the mostly impoverished followers of the young radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, well known in Iraq for his anti-American screeds.

But if al-Sadr's opposition to the American presence in Iraq See SHIITES on 6A Editors Note: Gannett News Service national security reporter John Yaukey and photo director JeffFranko spent a week with Iraq's Shiites in Baghdad and the shrine city ofKarbala last month. This is the first of a three-part series ased on their work. By John Yaukey GANNETT NEWS SERVICE KARBALA, Iraq With AP photo THURSDAY: What do Iraq's Shiites want for their country, an Islamic or secular state? FRIDAY: What bearing does the civil war within Islam have on the U.S. exit strategy from Iraq, as well as plans to bring democracy to the country? this week's bloody revolt, Iraq's Shiites have emerged as the most dangerous threat to U.S. authorities Troops were battling in a half-dozenciries on two fronts in some of the most extensive fighting since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

U.S. forces fought insurgents in the Sunni triangle cities of Fallujah and Ra-madi west of Baghdad, and coalition troops battled Shiite militiamen of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the south. See FIGHTING on 6A By Hamza Hendawl ASSOCIATED PRESS NAJAF, Iraa Insurgents and rebellious Shiites mounted a string of attacks across Iraq's Shiite south and U.S. Marines launched a major assault on the turbulent Sunni city of Fallujah on Tuesday. Up to a dozen Marines, two more coalition soldiers and at least 66 Iraqis were reported killed.

In Fallujah, Iraq: Lance Cpl. Jonathan Millikin, 21 drops a mortar into the tube Tuesday as he and fellow members of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, battle Sundowner site could become condominiums A reno 3 1 1 S. ReichReno Gazette-Journal Close to a deal: Casino segment would be used as retail space. By Thomas J.Walsh RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL Another former downtown Reno casino could be sold soon to an out-of-town developer who would turn the building into condominiums. The shuttered Sundowner Hotel Casino at Fourth Street and Arlington Avenue could be available for condo buyers as early as October, said San Francisco-area developer Siavash Barmand, who said he's close to a deal with owners George Karadanis and Bob Maloff.

"We're still studying exactly the unit mix for the maximum product," Barmand said Tuesday afternoon. "Generally, we're looking at converting the two towers for sales and Keeping the casino segment as commercial retail. We're hoping we can get a restaurateur or large national retailer." The news comes iust a week after city officials confirmed the Comstock Hotel and Apartments, at Second and West streets, are on the brink of being sold to a Los Angeles-based developer who also has plans for condominiums. "If it turns out to be a quality condominium project, one that's for sale versus See SUNDOWNER on 4A Pbotn by DM I. PihatReno Gazette-Journal BUILT IN 1872: Preservationists fear for the historic Masonic Temple building because it is old and has no commercial value.

Preservationists worry buildings won't be spared Do-it-yourself kits claim to help parents choose sex of baby Buyer beware: Skeptics attribute success with product to simple luck. MEETING What: Reno Historical Resources Commission. When: 3 p.m. Thursday. Where: Conference room, McKinley Park School Arts and Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive, Reno.

ON RGJ.C0M If you could afford it, would you use the available technology to determine the sex or your next child? To vote, log on to RGJ.comnews. By Don Cox RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL Neal Cobb fears a two-story brick building overshadowed by high-rise casinos won't be saved by claims that it's the city's oldest structure and will be the next target for demolition in downtown Reno. "We are going to run out of anything that's part of our history," said Cobb, a member of Reno's Historical Resources Commission. "We can screw around and become a city with no history." The building, described as Reno's first Masonic Temple, constructed in 1872, is on the southeast corner of Sierra Street and Commercial Row, serving Northern Nevada's 21st-century gambling industry as a warehouse for Fitzgeralds Casino Hotel. The building is scheduled to be discussed Thursday by the commission, which advises the Reno City Council on historic preservation.

By Llndsey Tanner ASSOCIATED PRESS CHICAGO Bov or girl? Now you can pick the sex of your baby in the privacy of your own home. Or so the Internet sellers of sex-selection kits would have you believe. The latest fad in babymak-ing offers guaranteed, worry-free gender selection for just 1 99 plus shipping. Some experts call it "snake oil." But that hasn't stopped entrepreneurs from trying to capitalize on demand among some prospective parents. The phenomenon first gained attention when some U.S.

fertility clinics began offering gender selection for non-medical reasons through costly, often invasive medical Historic buildings B2 GiraudHardy House Z- -3r1 ESS Phillips Stone House t3 PcV Southslde School Annex 4 California Building II I 2 Mary Sherman House 14- I Z. Bi Lear TheaterFirst MLiP iB 'L' Church ol Christ Scientist "TTTTT- EE Mlzpah Hotel I ZJ -L BB Washoe County Courthouse LSdlJ pt mjyj, EE McKinley Park School i I -j 1 HEICortez V- -s. FRmo KNystrom House r- rmi There are no plans to tear down the building, said Fitzgeralds marketing manager Roxanne de Carlo. But preservationists worry that Reno's history, including the downtown building, will continue to vanish. Their concerns, which became a community uproar when the city demolished the Mapes Hotel in 2000, were heightened last month when fire gutted a 94-year-old building on Bell Street that had been Reno's first church for African-Americans.

See HISTORY on 4A procedures. But it's been taken to a different level by purveyors of unproven home-use products, who are milking the increasing awareness about more legitimate sex selection methods and hoping to draw some of the same potential customers, See KITS on 4A Reno Gazette-Journal Index om Weather 71 43 "It iiiru ir Sports Pack baseball An all-around effort gives Nevada an 8-3 win against Saint Mary's. Page 1B Miner's Union Hall The Fraternal Order of Eagles is looking for funds to fix the Virginia City building. Page 1C Business Stores closing Shopko's Oddie Boulevard location, Eagle Valley Frames Art Galleries to close. Page 1 1-10 Lottery 2C Movies 3E 2A Crime 3C Comics 5E 9A Obituaries 4C ClasslfMs 1-16F 10A Business 1-60 Crossword 2F 1-6B Ufs 1-6E DearAbby 2F 2B Insider 2E Horoscope 2F 1-10C TVHappenings 3E Food 1-60 You can find today's news and much more every day at our Web site.

Briefing Opinion Weather Sports Fan's Planner Carson Partly cloudy today; partly cloudy tonight. Details, 1 0A For convenient home delivery: (775)786-8744 or (800)648-5048 cYoup Perfect Choice for Easter Dining. See Om Mem a ilk Today'i Food Diank SectloK. 356-3300 janugget.com Primed using racycM papai. 9 2004 "40901 "01 101" PAID ADVERTISEMENT 'fi.