Columnist Susan Snyder: This little piggy went to court

Friday, Sept. 27, 2002 | 9:15 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Fridays Sundays and Tuesdays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4082.

This week's air quality hearing for R.C. Farms was a real pig push.

Actually, the hearings generally were pretty foul. It took nearly three hours to resolve two cases that were heard before the one involving embattled pig farmer Robert Combs.

By the time Ernest Freggiaro, the hearing officer, got to the pig people, Clark County's air-quality officials weren't winning much.

Freggiaro cut in half a $2,000 fine levied against a concrete company owner who failed to file his annual report on deadline.

Then he tossed out one of three air pollution violations lodged against a Moapa-area gravel company and reduced the requested fines of $76,000 to $12,000.

"We're not here to be punitive," Freggiaro said. "We're here to educate."

It was quite the education on the public process. It was nearly 4 p.m. by the time they got around to discussing Combs' 120-acre pig farm north of Ann Road. Air quality officials have levied $69,000 in fines against Combs because the pigs stink.

(Prospective home buyers note: Pigs stink.)

Six members of the Combs family and 15 neighbors and friends stuck it out while Combs' lawyers told Freggiaro that air-quality complaints against agricultural businesses should first be referred to the state Department of Agriculture, because agencies must allow "customarily agriculture procedures" to occur on agricultural land.

(Customarily: Pigs stink.)

The state's top agriculture official said no such referral was made. So the stink over Combs' pigs was delayed until January to give both sides time to review the process.

Given the kinds of procedural questions raised in the day's two previous hearings, maybe the pigs aren't the only things that stink.

Evidently, the only thing more humiliating than losing a game of tic-tack-toe to a live chicken is winning one against her ... it ... whatever.

Ginger the chicken had a second "off night" last Friday and lost $10,000 to a challenger who "did not wish to have her name and likeness used for publicity purposes," according to a statement released by Tropicana.

Well, what would she say? Does she take credit for the keen intellect and strategy it took to beat a chicken? Or does she simply admit she stood in line to do it?

No way to win.

Not all chickens are lucky. The cluckers owned by jazz pianist and former Benny Goodman Orchestra member Buddy Greco and his wife, singer Lezlie Anders, soon could be looking for work. The Grecos have filed for protection under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Ginger better watch her back. I hear Colonel Sanders always is hiring.

And finally, donations are needed to help feed the wild horses being held at the Bureau of Land Management's Oliver Ranch.

Friends of Red Rock and the National Wild Horse Association have been feeding the 39 equines with donations. But hey, horses have to eat every day, and that costs about $2,000 a month.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to the National Wild Horse Association, P.O. Box 12207, Las Vegas, NV 89112.