Columnist Jeff German: Accustomed to recurring nightmares

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004 | 11:11 a.m.

If you've lived here long enough, you know there are certain things you can count on occurring year after year.

In the past the athletic department has drawn the wrath of longtime basketball donors by raising the price of season tickets at the Thomas & Mack Center. This took place while the talent level of the basketball team tapered off significantly from the glory years under Jerry Tarkanian.

A number of influential ticket-holders who had their seats for years gave them up in protest.

This year the university has managed to upset the rest of us by not making a greater effort to get the early road games on local television, including UNLV's stunning overtime upset of Auburn on Sunday.

How dumb is that, when you have a new coach and want to build excitement for a once-proud basketball program that has been wallowing in mediocrity?

The workers have put the governor on notice that they intend to seek a piece of this year's $320 million tax surplus. They want 5 percent pay hikes over each of the next two fiscal years.

I want a personal secretary, but the boss assures me there's no chance of that happening, either.

A much lower pay raise, however, is in the works for the state employees.

Their biggest political enemy right now is newly elected state Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, who has proposed giving back a large share of the surplus to the taxpayers.

Meet Controller Kathy Augustine.

She acknowledged violating Nevada ethics laws when she attempted to use her office as a campaign headquarters in 2000. That earned her the notorious distinction of being the first elected state official ever impeached by the Assembly.

After the Senate, dominated by her former Republican colleagues, convicted her on just one of three impeachment articles and censured her instead of removing her from office, Augustine embarked on a statewide "I-am-vindicated" media tour.

Is Dr. Phil in the house? Augustine needs help.

When we last checked the $650 million Las Vegas Monorail, which received millions of dollars in tax breaks and used the state's good name to arrange its financing, was still out of commission.

You'll recall that this year's opening of the monorail, once hailed as the most high-tech transportation system in the world, was delayed for six months until July. It operated in the shadow of the Strip until September, when fundamental parts like wheels and nuts and bolts began falling off the trains and onto the well-trafficked streets below.

A small bolt fell off during a practice run as late as last month.

But never fear. Monorail officials say they are close to getting the trains up and running again. Really.

The system, we're told, has gone through more tests than a year's worth of Megabucks pulls around town.

The final testing phase started Tuesday, and some officials are predicting the monorail could be back on track by New Year's Eve.

Look out below!