Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 21

RenoS LOTTERY 2C PARKS OPINION 10-11C OBITUARIES 13C SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1995 RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL MARK LUNDAHL, CITY EDITOR PHONE, 788-6305; FAX, 788-6458 ALSO COVERING NORTHERN NEVADA AND THE WEST durchil files to stop water settlemeet Truckee River pact: County manager to know effects on Lahontan Valley. I Pending studies: A look at assessments under way'that look at the effects of the Truckee River negotiated settlement, 4C Sclinder is particularly worried that a federal program to buy up farmers' water rights and transfer them to wetlands and Pyramid Lake will dry up valley aquifers and leave hundreds of homes and businesses without well water. He said the county's pleas for more studies on the ground-water system and for help in developing a sustainable, dependable water supply for the community have been ignored. "We have been patted on the head and told 'There, there, we'll look at Selinder said. the Environmental Defense Fund.

Congress specifically allowed the feds to go ahead and buy water rights while the environmental studies are going on, Yardas said. Interior and the state have purchased 15,509 acre-feet of water rights for the wetlands and plan to purchase 5,000 acre-feet more while Interior works on a larger buy-out program. The feds are also getting ready to purchase 3,500 acre-feet of water rights from the Fernley area for Pyramid Lake. An See WATER on page 4C The act, signed into law by President Bush five years ago, allows Reno and Sparks to store 39,000 acre-feet of water in Stampede Reservoir for droughts. It also officially allocates the Truckee River's waters between California and Nevada and authorizes the Interior Department to purchase water rights from the Newlands Reclamation Project near Fallon and Fernley for the Stillwater wetlands and the endangered cui-ui fish in Pyramid Lake.

The county is asking the court for a preliminary injunction to finished. None of the environmental studies has done a good job of adding up and evaluating all the impacts that the Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Settlement Act could have on the Lahontan Valley, Churchill County Manager Bjorn Selindersaid. By Faith Bremner GAZETTE-JOURNAL Churchill County has filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop the Truckee River negotiated settlement from going forward until yet another environmental study is stop the feds from acquiring and transferring water rights until a judge can rule on its request for the new environmental impact study. That request alarms David Yar-das, water resources analyst for Thousands attend Hometowne festival in Sparks WINNEMUCCA Goldfield Hotel looking for buyer Town turns its attention to tourism 100 miles f- i I 4 Reno Piece of history: 1908 structure closed since WorldT World II. ft Las Vegas Mi.mn.ri A i Nelhs mr Kjte 267i; Bombina Xi Gunnery Range Beatty t.374! Mark Bartley Gazette-Journal Jean Dixon Gazette-Journal Wadsworth take in Saturday's parade along Victorian Avenue.

WATCHING THE WORLD GO BY: Four year old Matthew Oakie, left, and his brother Nathan, 7 of GOLDFIELD (AP) For Sale: The Goldfield Hotel. One of Nevada's oldest and most historic hotels. Located on Highwav 95 260 miles south of Reno, 180 miles north of Las Vegas. Built in 1908, it is a four-story, ornate brick structure with 101 rooms and baths, a restaurant, coffee shop, large lobby and casino. It boasts the first electric elevator built west of the Mississippi.

The hotel has hosted countless famous people, ranging from President Theodore Roosevelt to Wyatt Earp (who dealt faro) and the boxing champ, Jack Demp-sey. The Goldfield Hotel is one of the most picturesque buildings in Nevada and has been the location of several feature motion pictures and television films. The hotel's sale is being handled by a real estate firm in Reno. Asking price: $895,000. Why so low? The hotel has been closed since 1936, although it was opened briefly during World War II to house personnel at nearby Tono-pah Army Air Base.

A Las Vegas entrepreneur bought it in the early 1980s with the intent of fixing it up and reopening it. He put several million into the old hotel, including replacing the sagging and leaking roof, but mounting costs caused him to go belly up. "We were almost ready to reopen the hotel," says Virginia Ridgway, who owns an antique Families sample arts, crafts, food store across the street and has served as hotel caretaker during renovations. "We had hired a chef, a casino manager, and had 52 million in advance room bookings. "But unfortunately, the Las Vegas people funding the project couldn't come up with the final money to complete the project," she said.

"So much construction still has to be done, such as installing plumbing, finishing carpentry work and so forth." It wasn't always this way. Fueled by the gold rush at the turn of the century, Goldfield was once the state's largest city. But the boom eventually turned to bust, and the town has dwindled -to a few hundred hardy souls. Nonetheless, "We've had 1 7 or 18 people come and look at the hotel, and some have said they were serious about purchasing it," Ridgway said. "But so far, we've had no luck." Yet she remains hopeful that the hotel will eventually be restored, and Goldfield will once again thrive.

"Just wait and see. Goldfield is coming back and someday will be a tourist mecca." she said. I List of winners: From Saturday's parade, 2C By SevilOmer GAZETTE-JOURNAL Trumpets sounded and cymbals crashed. Tiny blinking red lights grew bigger and brighter as the parade neared 1 1 -year-old Jamie Hudson, who for an hour had sat and waited to watch this year's Hometowne Christmas Celebration in Sparks. Hudson and his family joined thousands of people who flocked to Sparks' main strip to enjoy the ninth annual Christmas celebration Saturday.

Hudson wanted to see his brother, Nathan, march down the street, "Yep. Santa Claus. We like Santa Claus," added his younger brother, Ray, 4. "I want to see Santa. Santa," whispered Michael Brandon Richardson, 6, of Sparks.

After the nearly two-hour parade had ended, spectators were able to stroll along a Sparks Hometowne Christmas Village with its arts, crafts and foods. The celebration concluded with a tree-lighting ceremony. This year's ceremony was dedicated to Pat Bash of Garibaldi, who died this year. Bash was instrumental in recruiting a community Christmas tree for Sparks, Garibaldi's sister city. By Tim Anderson GAZETTE-JOURNAL WINNEMUCCA The essence of this community can be captured in two words: ranching and mining.

So what's new? Well, for one thing, a renewed emphasis on luring tourists. "We're convinced we've got a lot to offer. There's a great deal for visitors to see and do around here and we're working hard to get our message across," said Kim Petersen, director of the Winnemucca Convention Visitors Authority. The strategy to tell people about the rich heritage of this Great Basin oasis is reflected in a marketing slogan that suggests the region has been overlooked: "There's More Than Meets The Eye." To help push the aggressive campaign highlighting Winnemucca and surrounding areas of Humboldt County, tourism officials have hired a marketing and public-relations firm. Winnemucca also was one of five stops along Interstate 80 during a recent "Cowboy Territory" tour for national travel writers organized by the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

"We have to keep building "on what we've already done. We can't relax," Petersen said. I He acknowledged, though, that some in the community "prefer a slower approach. "Many people are worried we're going too fast," Petersen said. He said their concerns will be heard in a series of town meetings.

I For now, though, Winne-mucca wants to become more tourism-oriented, i "The people there are cer-Jtainly enthusiastic and well-organized," said Ken Evans, spokesman for the state Corn-emission on Tourism, That helped the town get a 56,000 commission grant the "first part of this fiscal year. The funds come from money derived from room taxes. Regardless of its future level support, Petersen said Winnemucca will have to work 4iard to keep up with the town's competitors especially Elko. Of foremost importance, though, is for Winnemucca to maintain a strong identity, Petersen said. Traditionally, that's been "done by emphasizing the link with cowboys.

The town's annual rodeo, Labor Day weekend, is the oldest in the state. "But we feel there are many other opportunities to get people interested in Winnemucca," Petersen said. Among them: Basque heritage. The modern mining boom. Winnemucca Farms, site of the country's largest potato field.

The Humboldt Historical Museum and Buckaroo Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum. playing his clarinet with the Sparks High School band. He also wanted to see Bertha, the Nugget's resident elephant, march down Victorian Avenue. Though youths like Hudson were entertained by comical characters such as Fred Flintstone, they were actually waiting to catch a glimpse of the man in red. "Santa Claus is why we are here," said 6-year-old Isaac Rodriguez of Sparks.

School helps kids focus talents "Some kids came to school with the attitude Tm not good at As they excel they're thinking: 'Maybe I'm not so Suzy Sheldon fifth-sixth grade combination teacher HANDS-ON: Under the gaze of tutor Jory John, a volunteer from UNR's school of education, Lucio Lara saws a board for his rocket car in Rhonda Calderon's class at Sierra Vista Elementary. The classes are fun, but also teach hands-on academics. Kids are learning the answers to physics, math and practical problems such as: "How do you make your rocket car go faster? How do you measure five-eighths of an inch?" The school has beaten the odds in the past with average test scores in the upper 40s with a student body of more than 60 percent at-risk kids. Other schools with similar numbers of needy kids have slipped into the 30s for test scores. The Talent Academy self-esteem and creativity building could boost the scores higher.

The Sierra Vista program fits into the district's move toward Personal Education Plans that set individual goals for children. The Sierra program also helps teachers identify their special talents to emphasize. The district is watching the program. If it's a success, it could be at your school next. "We encourage risk-taking in the district, and they're taking a risk in spending time doing this," says Superintendent Mary Neb-gen.

"The potential is there to make a difference." Principal Jim Barclay found See SCHOOL on page 2C By Mary Warejcka GAZETTE-JOURNAL Educators have a novel idea at Sierra Vista Elementary. They believe every child has a special gift or talent and they're exploiting them for some amazing results after only a few months. Students stay in for recess to work on their projects whether they're rocket cars or a piece of pottery for their weekly Talent Academy classes. They make up their regular classroom work they missed while at Talent Academy without any complaints. They are more responsible.

They are changed. "Some kids came to school with the attitude 'I'm not good at said Suzy Sheldon, a fifth-sixth grade combination teacher. "As they excel they're thinking: 'Maybe I'm not so dumb. Maybe I'm not so "They put more effort into their work. It's been phenomenal all around." This is at a school considered to be at-risk.

That means the kids are more likely to have low standardized test scores, more likely to have problems at home, more likely to have parents who work more than one job and have little time or money to take their kids to special after-school programs. 1 "j'-M, Craig SailorGazette-Journal Hantavirus alert Whistle-blowers Hot line There is mounting evidence that the tjffonlpflteer4 Do you have a hantavirus is earned by the iler, buKaucrltil waste, abuse of pi common deer mouse 1 snafus, official cov virus is found brief desWWKL. corruption? Give a rodents' urinp, saw mtHP -f the situation and the name of the Deer and feces, avd bq mouse airborne. Reno police arrest 3 men on drug charges downtown Reno police arrested three men Friday night on various drug charges. The men were taken into custody after allegedly being observed conducting suspicious activity in the downtown area.

The officers made contact with each of them and determined all to be under the influence of a controlled substance. Reno police's enforcement team concentrated its efforts in the areas of Second and Virginia, Fourth and Lake, and First and West streets. Arrested on drug charges were: Steven Hasse, 42, who has no fixed address; Steven Allan Thornsberry, 2 1 of Reno; and Christopher L. Ross, 19, of Sparks. agency involved.

Be as specific as you can. Call 324-0225, then press 1490 when asked for the four-diait code. Please leave youranswer, name and phone number. Or fax at 788-6458. Or write to: Please turn to page 1 3C for a complete obituary listing and other news of record.

Mclba J. Grandi Berlat, 90, Castella, Calif. Harold Wentworth Crandall 58, Reno Ralph Ovalle Garcia, 60, Fallon Edith Elizabeth Van Houtte Houk, 79, Yuma, Ariz. Keith Irvin Jensen, 7 1 Carson City Edith L. Johnson Kirk, 79, Gardnerville John E.

McCarthy 59, Dayton John McDonald, 86, Hawthorne Jack Meek, 84, Carson City S.J. "Nick" Nicholas, 88, Portola, Calif. Patrick Patton, 78, Carson City Latti Germaine Rose II, 13, Lovelock George Welsh Rosier 72, Sparks Bcttina Brower Swanson, 82, Reno Mary B. Woodburn Vlautin, 79, San Francisco Nevadans should be aware of the danger and know preventative measures, including: Use disinfectant and wet-mopping methods to remove rodent feces, urine from buildings. Don't use a vacuum or broom; they will create dust.

Wear rubber gloves and a dust mask and wash hands thoroughly afterward. Seal openings around the base of a home. Place three inches of gravel under homes to discourage rodent burrowing. Remove wood and other debris from around the outside of the home. Whistle-blowers Hot line, Gazette-Journal City Desk, P.O.

Box 22000, Reno, NV 89520 The Gazette-Journal will publish a selection of reports from the hotline and the responses from appropriate government officials..