by Ron, Las Vegas Correspondent
Once again there is turmoil on the local political scene. What the Feds termed "Operation G-Sting," ensnared at least a half dozen. It was the result of three years of wiretaps. Included are County Commissioners, former commissioners, and a topless club mogul. They face fraud, extortion and racketeering charges. A couple of those indicted have already pled guilty.
The charges allege that the strip club owner corruptly influenced them on some of these issues: Changing an ordinance to increase the distance between strip clubs; Issuing liquor licenses for a club; Lifting a hold that had been placed on construction of a new club; Obtaining an immediate inspection by the health district, ahead of others; Controlling and harassing night club competitors; Changing an ordinance to allow totally nude dancing in strip clubs that serve alcohol. Defeating an ordinance that would have prohibited all touching between dancers and patrons, and allow dancers under 21 to work in strip clubs that serve alcohol.
The club owner was passing out bribes to get the best of regulations. The sad part is that those involved kept coming back for more. There were heavy-handed threats and intimidation. It was like he was their personal ATM Machine.
The club owner is expected to divest himself from ownership interest and forfeit $3.8 million in assets. Turns out he owns a club in San Diego, and the same thing was going on. When all the related stories of the G-Sting scandal come oozing out, our city will take a hard hit.
Another topless club owner also has the FBI's interest. Many patrons to that club have run into some so-called heavy-handed tactics. For as little as a protest over paying for an alleged inflated bar tab, there have been broken necks as well as loss of life. If you patronize these clubs in Las Vegas, best you mind your P's & Q's.
I am always intrigued by "The Rest of The Story." Read something recently that filled in a blank. When I was a youngster back in Wisconsin, Ned Day from Milwaukee was one of the best on the Pro Bowlers Tour. When I moved to Las Vegas in 1979, my favorite newscaster here was also named Ned Day. Turns out it was Ned Day Jr. He was also a newspaper columnist. Ned was relentless in his attack on the mobsters in Vegas. It was the early 80's and the mob still had its fingers in this town. It was hard Journalism. His newscasts and Documentaries were memorable. I still have one on tape.
Ned Day died in Hawaii in 1987 while on vacation with the love of his life, Mary Ottman. Months later, Mary gave birth to Noel, the daughter whom Ned never got to meet. The mother and daughter now live near Kansas City. Noel, a sophomore in high school, made her first trip to Las Vegas recently. Word is that she enjoyed the City. Ned was snorkeling in the clear Hawaiian waters when he suffered that fatal heart attack. Many of us still wonder, was it a heart attack that killed Ned Day, or was it somehow a Mob hit?
Had a chance to visit with Ryne Duren a while back. For those of you who don't remember him, he pitched for the Yankees in the late 50s. He terrified batters, pitching 100mph while squinting through thick, dark sunglasses. For effect, a warm up pitch would go sailing back to the screen. Meanwhile, it was Ryne who was in fear and his drinking was out of control, turning the World Series hero into a chronic alcoholic. Duren overcame his addiction, and turned his competitive spirit to helping others.
Now as he completes his 35th year of sobriety, Duren shares his reflections on alcohol, baseball and life in a book: "I Can See Clearly Now." Ryne is associated with Winning Beyond Winning, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping young athletes make the right choices and preparing athletes of all ages for life after competition. You can check them out on the web at winningbeyondwinning.org or go to Google and put in "ryne duren".