COLUMN: Norm!

Colleagues, friends pay tribute to mob-fighting journalist

George Knapp, Sue Lowden and Bob Stoldal gathered Tuesday for their September ritual: to toast the memory of a pal and a professional.

Local journalism legend Ned Day died 15 years ago this month, and for Knapp, Lowden and Stoldal, there is much to remember -- and to question.

Day was Knapp's best friend and mentor in criminal investigation. Stoldal was the news director at KLAS-TV, Channel 8, who hired Day and Knapp and was a close friend of Day's. Lowden was Day's co-anchor.

On Sept. 3, 1987, they were devastated when Day, 42, died while snorkeling in Hanauma Bay near Honolulu.

Knapp flew to Hawaii to investigate.

Because of Day's nose-thumbing crusade in his Review-Journal column against hitman Tony Spilotro and his gang, Knapp was suspicious.

"Ned was absolutely fearless; he taunted them relentlessly," Knapp said. Day didn't back off even after his car was fire-bombed, an incident that resulted in bumper stickers, Knapp recalled, that said, "This Is Not Ned Day's car."

Medical authorities in Honolulu County ruled Day died of a heart attack from an enlarged heart and diseased arteries. Day's father had died of a heart attack also.

Knapp met with Hawaiian authorities but didn't come away with a smoking gun.

But he still doubts the officials were as thorough as they could have been if they had known how many people wanted Day dead.

"I think it's entirely possible that somebody could have artificially stimulated a heart attack," Knapp said.

Knapp said it didn't take long to suspect mob involvement. "There was a longtime Las Vegas mob associate in Hawaii at the time who coincidentally is the one who found out about Ned's death and called his daughter about it. She called me, and I called the station."

But the eeriest twist showed up in the last paragraph of Day's final column. He asked his R-J editor to save the column "as a potential historical document, in the event I sleep with the fishes."

Each year on April 5, Day's birthday, Knapp takes a bottle of Jack Daniels and Diet 7-Up to Day's grave site. "It was all I ever found in his refrigerator."

"I have a drink with him and leave the bottle behind."

The Celine Issue?

The governing body of the swank Lake Las Vegas development has an intriguing issue on Thursday's agenda.

Under new business: "Helicopter resolution."

Homeowners speculate the agenda item has to do with Celine Dion's plans to fly to and from her Lake Las Vegas home to Caesars Palace for her three-year headliner deal that starts in March.

Helicopters are not allowed to fly into the postage stamp-sized pad before 8 a.m. or depart after 6 p.m.

Media Updates

Robin Leach joins KVVU-TV, Channel 5, on Friday in the first of a series of regular weekly appearances to cover the Las Vegas high life scene. ... Ann Stephens, the new anchor at Fox affiliate KVVU-TV, Channel 5, is off this week to marry Keith Sterling at Babylon, N.Y., on Friday. They were anchors together in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He is joining her in Las Vegas in December and is hoping to remain in TV. ... "The Morning Zoo" at KLUC-FM, 98.5, is now known as Spence, Amy and Weasel. Spence has been filling in since Chet Buchanan left for Portland in May.

The Scene and Heard

I'm taking some time off to mend from Tuesday's thyroid surgery at Sunrise Hospital, my second home this year. Get well wishes to Gov. Kenny Guinn.

The Punch Line

"I'm glad I stayed with CBS, because I get unlimited use of the corporate Greyhound." -- David Letterman.

Norm Clarke's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can reach him at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.

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