Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 23

Mevacla Senior lunches Reno Care Share lunches are provided from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Washoe County Senior Citizens Center, 1155 E. Ninth St. Details: 328-2579.

Tuesday DECEMBER 25,1990 RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL CITY DESK: 788-6397 Section 2C OBITUARIES 2C VITALS 6C EDUCATION NOTES 13-15C MARKETS 13-16C BUSINESS Incumbents cash in on special interest groups Reno-area candidates listed these special interest contributions: Political party groups $77,200 Labor $57,650 Health-care $41,900 Non-gaming business $33,100 Casinos Mining $16,850 ('includes hospitals, physicians and dentists) health care and mining) corporate and other large vested interests who helped them get re-elected. The voice of the average voter, they argue, is lost. Without substantial reforms aimed at leveling the incumbent-challenger playing field, the trend will continue unabated, they charge. Recent disclosure statements seem to bear out fears about incumbents getting the financial advantage. Incumbents throughout the state were able to raise substantially more from special interests than challengers this year.

The nearly $100,000 collected by Republican Townsend one of the party's most effective fund-raisers simply over whelmed his opponent, Democrat Gary See FUND, page 2C The story was much the same in other legislative races throughout the Reno-Sparks area. Out of the two Senate and eight Assembly elections in which incumbents were running, challengers won in only two. And even then, their victory margins were relatively close. A number of incumbents, such as Sen. Randolph Townsend, who was virtually assured of re-election due to weakly financed opposition, were still able to accumulate huge campaign war chests bulging with special interest contributions.

"That's seems to suggest they (special interests) were scared," said Leola Armstrong, executive director of Common Cause of Nevada. Critics of the current political financing By Mike NorrisGazette-Journal When GOP Assemblywoman Joan Lambert ran for her fourth term this year, the nearly $35,000 she raised included generous donations from major corporations and came to more than 10 times what her opponent, Democrat John Sampaga, collected. This striking contrast in fund-raising ability illustrates that cash-rich special interest sources continue to direct most of their money to incumbents. Lambert, a 44-year-old homemaker, combined those donations with $27,050 she received in contributions under $500 and a good deal of footwork to defeat Sampaga, a communications worker and union activist, by a nearly 2-1 margin. Police seize evidence in Reno woman's killing Two knives from her stolen car and bloodstains from her posh southwest Reno house were among 104 items of evidence seized by police in an investigation of the Dec.

14 burglary-stabbing death of widow Genevieve McCoskey. Police filed the list in Reno Justice Court Monday as Albert Dawson and William Clayton Walker, both 18, and Paul Randell, 17, await a Jan. 2 preliminary hearing on murder and related charges. Police allege that the three planned to burglarize the Manzanita Lane home of the 50-year-old victim and armed themselves with knives in case they were discovered. Confronted by her in her bedroom, Dawson and Randell repeatedly stabbed her, police charged.

Police later used warrants to search the house and the victim's Jeep Wagoneer, in which Dawson and Randell allegedly fled until apprehended by police in Sparks, police said. Among items in the car were two knives with 8- and 9 Vt -inch blades and a pistol taken from the house. Among items police seized at the residence were bloody clothes, towels, and tape and electrical cord that was used to tie McCoskey 's two sons and their friend. system, which ironically grew out of reforms inspired by the Watergate scandal, say it turns officeholders into pawns of the etools want mor state cas Reno-area kids warm hearts on Ho-Ho Hotline Si: A- TV. T.

1 Santor may seek office again CARSON CITY Ken Santor, whose embattled four-year term as state treasurer expires in January, says he plans to run for political office again. Santor, 46, was soundly defeated in the Republican primary by the man who will replace him Bob Seale. Santor talked about running for governor earlier this year, but declined to specify what office he may run for in the future. He says he was the victim of so-called good-old-boy politics while state treasurer rather than problems of his own making. "There isn't honesty in government," he said.

"Politicians will say they will do this and that and then when they get elected they ignore the people and go along with the good old boys. We suffer because of their back-door deals." He provided no specifics where back-door maneuvering has resulted in public harm. In 1989, several Democratic assemblymen threatened to impeach Santor for incompetence. Republican State Controller Darrel Daines later endorsed Seale in the September primary after expressing concerns about Santor's performance. a- Washoe officials ready requests for Legislature By Jill JordenGazette-Journal Money for smaller class sizes, more elementary school counselors, special education and English as a Second Language will be among the top priorities of Washoe County school officials in the next legislative session.

Official budget proposals haven't yet been drawn up, but district officials estimate continued growth throughout the next decade. That means more teachers and counselors, more special programs, and more schools to educate more students. "There's little question there will be continued growth in the schools," says Paul Killian, district director of research and development. "Right now the growth is mostly in students who are already in school and progressing through the grades. But if we continue the growth pattern and increased birth rate we've seen lately, it extends it even further." Current projections say the district will grow by 4.5 percent in 1991-92 and another 4.5 percent in 1992-93.

The majority of the growth is expected to take place in northeast Sparks (the Spanish Springs area), northwest Reno and southeast Reno (when more than 6,000 homes are built on the Double Diamond Ranch), Killian said. Other pockets of growth could occur with apartment development along Prater Way and a Lewis Homes subdivision in Stead, he said. Statewide estimates call for enrollment increases of 6.33 percent in 1991-92 and 6.23 percent in 1992-93. Statewide salary increases are projected at 7 percent each year, and cost of living increases are estimated to be 4.71 percent each year. Preliminary estimates for the governor's budget proposal call for a 4 percent increase for growth each year, plus a 2 percent annual increase for roll-ups on the salary schedule and a 3 percent increase for inflation.

Educators and legislators say those increases, the ones that are expected and built into the system, will almost surely be funded without much debate. The real question, educators say, will be whether lawmakers agree to help foot the bill for federally mandated programs and expensive programs designed to improve Nevada's educational system. A top item on the district's wish list is continued funding to slash class size. Last session, thanks to an unusually healthy economy, Nevada school districts got nearly $16 million to cut first-grade class size to 15 students per teacher. School officials See SCHOOL, page 5C Joe Gotenudeiie journal MRS.

CLAUS: Jane Pike is one of 20 Reno Healthcare nursing home volunteers and residents who work the Ho-Ho Hotline. North Pole's first lady takes their last-minute requests Holdup suspect still critical LAS VEGAS A man who allegedly shot himself after the robbery of a Las Vegas bar remained in critical condition Monday at University Medical Center. Police say a man robbed Murphy's Pub on the city's southeast side Saturday, then fled in a car. IltMlut'l sun (jwiiic (juiicu a mi matching the description of the r. By Faith BremnerGazette-joumai 'Twas the night before Christmas, and Santa was busy packing his sleigh.

But Reno-area youngsters weren't taking any chances with their place on the jolly old man's list. Children by the dozens were double-checking Santa's itinerary and placing last-minute phone orders to the Reno North Pole substation Monday. One particularly anxious 6-year-old, Brandy, called six times as she thought of more things to add to Santa's list. "Sure, we can give Santa Claus this message," Mrs. Claus said, furrowing i her brow and looking a little tired after weeks of answering the phone.

"You know he's leaving tonight, don't you? i "He's out back getting the sleigh ready and polishing Rudolph's nose." One of the hardest things about working the Ho-Ho Hotline is learning about the strange things kids are interested in, such as Nintendo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and New Kids on the Block. "My children are 45 years old," she said. "Hopalong Cassidy was the last craze I heard about." Most of the hot line volunteers have been women. Early on, one young man refused to accept Mrs. Claus' excuses that Santa was too busy to come to the phone.

He demanded to speak with Santa. A visiting gentleman, with gray hair and authority in his voice, was pressed into service. "Between the ages of 5 and 7, they are very very self-assured, they know exactly what they want," Pike said. "It's usually the younger ones who are prompted by their parents. "I think a lot of the kids 11 and 12 are just testing me.

They give me a long list, and when I tell them Santa will be there they say something like, i bet he day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to thank Santa one last time before he closes up shop for the season. And in her nearly two weeks listening to the hopes and dreams of northern Nevada's little people, Mrs. Claus, also know as Jane Pike, has heard it all.

Pike is one of 20 Reno Healthcare nursing home volunteers and residents who have worked the hot line, its 10th year in existence. One little boy called and asked for a puppy that can't piddle. Another confused little girl called demanding to talk to the Easter Bunny. "One little boy, he must be near genius, demanded to know exactly how Santa Claus gets the reindeer into the sky and how he keeps them in the sky," Pike said. "He wanted to know if Santa used jet engines.

"I really had to pull my chestnuts out of the fire on that one. I told him I couldnj, explain it and even if I could, it 'Would destroy the magic of Christmas." suspect car and gave chase, ne car crashed in a desert area near Calico Ridge. Police say the man driving the car shot himself in the chin after the crash. The man was identified by police as Gene Field, 29. 12.

Lawmaker to talk gaming LAS VEGAS Members of the Hundreds of children have called the special Ho-Ho Hotline since it was installed Dec. 12. Children can call the line, 322-XMAS, Wednesday and Thurs 9 r. 2S fer Nevada Resort Association are scheduled to meet this week with an influential member of Congress and the head of the Culinary Union to discuss critical gaming issues. Association officials will meet with Rep.

Dan Rostenkowski. chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and union leader Ed Hanley. John Giovenco, president of Hilton Nevada Corp. and a member of the resort association, said topics to be discussed include Indian gaming and taxes. Other issues to be discussed will be proposals for an excise tax and a plan to alter the deductibility of meals and entertainment expenses.

The industry also wants to discuss Internal Revenue Service compliance programs that affect hotel-casino employees. Women sue Vegas police LAS VEGAS Two Las Vegas women have filed suit against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, charging they were wrongfully arrested in December of 1989. Sheila Lewis and Angie Evans say they were made to sit handcuffed for more than two hours in a cold police van. The suit says Lewis' left wrist was permanently injured because the handcuffs were too tight. Metro attorney Walter Cannon declined comment until he could review the case.

The suit says Lewis and Evans were arrested on a misdemeanor charge of loitering. Police say they were with a man identified as a gang member, and were standing next to a vehicle that police say had been used in several drive-by shootings. 0 Group seeks continued ban on mining in refuge By Earle EldridgeGannett News Service WASHINGTON A conservation group has called on the government to continue its ban on mining in part of the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge area of Nevada. Defenders of Wildlife, a Washington-based wildlife conservation group, said opening a portion of the refuge to mining would threaten the sensitive prong-horn antelope population. The refuge in northern Nevada straddles the Oregon border, and part of it lies in Washoe County.

About 70,000 acres of the refuge in Virgin Valley is available for mining. About 462,000 acres have been withdrawn from mineral exploration but that withdrawal is due to expire in October 1991. The conservation group wants the withdrawal extended for 20 years. Federal Bureau of Land Management officials, who oversee the property with the federal Fish and Wildlife Service, have proposed opening another 100.000 acres of the refuge to mineral exploration and designating the remaining area as wilderness. Defenders of Wildlife sent the federal agencies a letter opposing the plan.

"As shown by a recent (federal) report, mining is the single greatest threat to wildlife on our nation's refuges," said group spokesman James Dougherty. "Refuge managers have indicated that mining is harming wildlife on 85 percent of the refuges in which it occurs," Dougherty said in his letter. "This shocking statistic indicates that mining is more likely to harm wildlife than any other type of secondary use." The refuge is a crucial winter habitat for pronghorn antelope not only within the refuge but from neighboring Oregon. The antelope require isolation to raise their young. The conservation group said it expects a decision on the refuge within the next week or two but Bureau of Land Management officials said it may take longer.

Electrical fire forces Reno hotel evacuation By Phil BarberGazetie-joumai An electrical fire destroyed one room and caused evacuation of 40 others Monday at the 10-story Sundowner Hotel in Reno. No injuries were reported, but the frigid weather hampered conventional firefighting techniques, forcing the Reno Fire Department to extinguish the blaze the old-fashioned way, as Chief Marty Richard put it. Responding at 3:55 p.m. to a report of heavy smoke in a sixth floor room of the hotel at Fourth Street and Arlington Avenue, firefighters found the emergency equipment in the hotel's north tower frozen. Fire Marshal Larry Farr said the fire alarm, automatic sprinklers and the standpipes all were knocked out.

Normally at a hotel, firefighters connect hoses to the building and deliver water to the floors through standpipes. When those were blocked by ice Monday, firefighters entered the room, broke out windows and hauled a hose up the outside of the hotel by rope. The fire was out in about 25 minutes. Richard said investigators' initial finding was that an electrical short circuit had ignited a mattress. "That room hasn't been occupied for three days," hotel general manager Bill Leary said.

Because business has been slow, the hotel has been using only about 40 of the tower's 300 rooms, mostly on lower floors, he said. He said that on Monday no rooms on the sixth floor were occupied. Gary Johnson of Felton. was in a fifth floor room when he heard a fire alarm, he was lying down. I drove up a couple of hours ago for Christmas.

I heard a siren and knew what it was because I've been here before when they had a fire alarm. I bailed out." Guest Mohammed Khalid and his family of Davis, were in a fourth floor room. He said he was playing cards with some of his six children and never heard an alarm. "The kids looked out and saw some fire trucks, so I grabbed them and ran." They and other guests were evacuated to the south tower and casino to keep warm and await other rooms. 'jaN Jo GovGaetie Journal COLD VICTIM: An autopsy failed to find the cause of death for Armand A.

Reynaud, 77, whose body was found Monday between Interstate 80 and the Plantation Casino in Sparks. Reynaud, who had no fixed address, apparently had died of exposure to the fngid weather, police said. Wire service and staff reports I I if If.