36 years ago this month

Here come the wild burros!

Out of the West, in a cloud of dust and with a "Hi Yo, Gertrude," it's the 12th annual Beatty Lions World Championship Wild Burro Race.

This year it's co-sponsored by the Las Vegas Jaycees. Nye County will never be the same. More than 30 wranglers will be aiming to dethrone champion Joe Spearman and pick up the $750 first prize.

The first Beatty Grand Prix motorcycle event sponsored by Olympia Beer will be held in September. More than 300 cycles from all over the West are expected to compete in three classes over a challenging seven-and-a-half-mile course. There will be safe spectator areas available to watch the race.

Gene Drew, president of the sponsoring Silver City Scramblers, said all cycles will be impounded upon arrival in Beatty until race time.

30 years ago this week

Pre-school registration with about 50 new students indicates that Pahrump schools may open classes with around 600 students. This would be 91 more students than started last year - a jump of about 18 percent.

Student enrollment generally increases throughout the year, especially the first few months in Pahrump Valley.

The beginning enrollment of 509 last year increased to 550 at the end of the year. Prospects are that the enrollment this year will end up with 650 or more students.

The federal grand jury investigating Nye County affairs has concluded and "failed to show any federal violations."

Larry Leavitt of the U.S. attorney's office said the grand jury produced no indictments and that no judicial proceedings are pending.

He said the matter will be referred to the state attorney general's office to determine if any state laws have been violated. He said the U.S. attorney's office will cooperate with the state attorney general to whatever extent is lawful, including providing investigative reports.

Leavitt said the federal laws guiding conduct of a secret grand jury do not allow him to make a statement regarding details of the investigation.

20 years ago this week

A petition seeking a Nye County grand jury was denied by Judge William Beko but was scheduled to be modified and re-filed.

Beko ruled that the petition failed to include the names of two people corroborating the material submitted by District Attorney Phil Dunleavy.

Dunleavy's petition charges the Nye County sheriff on 11 points, including cover-ups, withholding evidence, protection of lawbreakers and improper expenditure of county funds.

Beko denied the petition, writing that (it) must be accompanied "with corroborating affidavits of at least two persons."

"Sixty minutes of the world's most exciting entertainment" will come to Pahrump when Otto Berosini brings his Wild Animal Spectacular to the Pahrump community park.

Entertainment will be provided by several lions, leopards, tigers and black panthers, which are coaxed to perform without the use of whips, guns or bullying by Berosini. A member of the famed Berosini circus family of Czechoslovakia along with his father Jan, he has trained animals for the renowned Circus Medrano. All proceeds from the performance will benefit local seniors and the fire department.

No investigation of brothel owner Joe Richards will be conducted by the Gaming Control Board.

Seven slot machines in Richards' Cowboy Joe's in Lathrop Wells have been pulled from the location, and the slot operator, J & T Inc., has given up its license. Richards was involved only as the property owner deriving a lease fee from the slot operator.

The Las Vegas Sun sensationalized the fact that the gaming board had scheduled a review of Richards' background regarding the seven slot machines. A headline across the paper proclaimed: "Gaming board recommends probe of 'brothel baron.'"

10 years ago this week

The Las Vegas bomb squad obliterated the Bill of Rights in the parking lot of Smith's Food and Drug.

Fortunately, it was just a copy of the country's original 10 constitutional amendments taped around what was thought to be a pipe bomb. The pipe was apparently a muffler from a 1963 Triumph motorcycle used by sheriff's candidate Ray "Mallow" Mielzynski.

Paul Miller, a spokesman for Mielzynski's campaign, said the candidate uses the muffler as a "freedom baton" that "counters the batons police use to beat people."

According to Miller, Mielzynski inadvertently left the baton on top of his car and drove off. The muffler fell from the car, landing in the parking lot.

Putting the "neighbor" back in the "hood" is the main goal of Dep. Don Boulden, crime prevention officer for the Nye County Sheriff's Office.

To reach that goal, Boulden is looking for people willing to help their neighbors help police, and he's going to give them a statistically proven method to help them along.

Neighborhood Watch is a program that has been around since 1972 and in Nye County since 1994. Statistics suggest crime can be reduced from 25 to 70 percent in communities that participate in the program.

Jason Pike will try to become the first driver to win four straight main events this season at the Pahrump Valley Speedway.

Pike, a four-time IMCA track champion, he has won four of the last five IMCA mains and six of the 12 races he's competed in this year. The Pahrump driver is in fourth place in the standings with 413 points.

Dan Fitzgerald, who has run all 14 races at the quarter-mile dirt track this season, leads the division with 529 points. The Las Vegas driver has won two main events.