Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 | 9:04 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- The nuclear energy industry and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson are among the donors to President Bush's inauguration festivities.
The nuclear industry's top lobby group, the Nuclear Energy Institute, gave $100,000 to the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee, which is organizing this year's extravaganza in Washington.
Bush will be sworn in Jan. 20. Events that week include a special prayer service, three candlelight dinners, a youth concert organized by Bush's daughter Barbara, nine balls and the traditional parade along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Most of the events are covered by private donations capped at $250,000 per donor, most of which are corporations.
NEI is an aggressive lobbyist in Washington for the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. The industry has long prodded the federal government to make good on its legal responsibility to construct a permanent repository for the nation's high-level radioactive waste, which for years has been piling up at nuclear power plants.
The inauguration committee has collected more than $13 million for the events, with a goal of as much as $40 million, roughly what the inauguration cost four years ago. The theme of this year's inauguration is "Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service."
Among the top individual donors for this year's events are Adelson, chairman of the board and principal owner of Las Vegas Sands, Inc., and his wife, Miriam Adelson, a physician. Each gave $250,000.
Other donors include Southern Company, a nuclear power utility, which gave $250,000. Stephens Group, Inc., the firm that owns the Stephens Media Group, which publishes the Las Vegas Review-Journal, also gave $250,000.
At least 100 Nevadans are planning to make the trip, said Earlene Forsythe, Nevada Republican Party chairwoman. Gov. Kenny Guinn and First Lady Dema Guinn will lead a group of elected officials.
Also among the Nevadans will be Community College of Southern Nevada political science teacher Mark Peplowski and some of his students, who aim to eyewitness the politics in action by volunteering at a few inauguration events. Peplowski brought his students to the inauguration four years ago and they volunteered ushering media around a ball and greeting guests as they stepped from limousines.
Among the balls, the "Constitution Ball" on Jan. 20 at the Washington Hilton is the designated ball for Nevadans. They will join gala revelers from 14 states and American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Congressional lawmakers were allotted tickets to the swearing-in ceremony, traditionally held on the Capitol steps and viewed by thousands on the National Mall. House members got roughly 200 tickets; Senate members about 400.
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., had about 365 tickets and has distributed most of them, spokesman Jack Finn said. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has some tickets left. Reid wants to distribute them to Nevadans, spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said.
Staffers for Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., have been compiling a list since September of people who wanted to travel to Washington for the inauguration, spokeswoman Amy Spanbauer said. Nevadans have been given first dibs on tickets, she said.
Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., has given away about 120 tickets and ticket requests are being taken by Porter on a first come, first serve basis, Porter spokesman Adam Mayberry said. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., also compiled a list and gave tickets away to Nevadans first. On Tuesday, she had about 40 tickets left from her 160-ticket allotment. She gave 25 to Ensign.
Nevada will be represented in the inaugural parade by the McQueen High School marching band from Reno. Band students had feared they wouldn't get an invitation because the Washoe County superintendent of schools had refused to let the band play for President Bush at a campaign rally this year because it was a political event. Then the band got the invitation -- and students feared they wouldn't be able to raise enough money to go. But a few generous corporate donations at the last minute saved the trip, director Rick Moffit said.
"The kids are ecstatic," Moffit said. "It's been an emotional roller-coaster for them."
Nevada's Republican lawmakers plan to celebrate at inauguration events during the week, their aides said.
Reid, the new Senate Democratic leader, has not decided his plans, Hafen said. Berkley will skip inauguration events. Her birthday is Jan. 20, the day Bush takes the oath of office, and she plans to spend most of that week in Nevada.
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