Andrew Doughman

Story Archive

Radioactive waste to be shipped to Nevada site starting in 2014: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013; Coming soon to Nevada: 403 canisters of nuclear waste. Despite questions and opposition from Nevada’s governor, the Department of Energy said it would begin shipping 403 canisters of highly radioactive nuclear waste to Nevada.
NSA spying legislation creates unexpected splits in Nevada delegation: Monday, Nov. 11, 2013; Nevada’s elected officials in Washington, D.C., have made some unusual alliances of late when it comes to national security and civil liberties.
Business-funded group springs up to push back on union tactics: Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013; The Alliance to Protect Nevada Jobs has made a splash sending out videos of union workers yelling offensive names at tourists, but little has been said about the new group that sent them to the press and orchestrated the ensuing media campaign.
Regents looking into rule that prohibits UNLV medical school until 2025: Friday, Nov. 8, 2013; Although the presidents at UNLV and UNR inked an agreement to create a separately accredited medical school at UNLV, they're hamstrung by a past decision of the university system's Board of Regents.
Nevada's top elected officials opening schedules to public: Friday, Nov. 8, 2013; The top elected officials in Nevada’s state government will begin distributing their public schedules in the coming months. The announcements come after the Sun asked Nevada’s governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, secretary of state, attorney general, and controller to provide a weekly calendar to the public.
Sandoval, Marshall to release weekly public schedule: Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013; Gov. Brian Sandoval plans to begin releasing a public schedule to the media next week. The announcement comes after the Sun asked the governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, secretary of state, attorney general, and controller to provide a weekly calendar.
Lowden still dealing with campaign debt from failed 2010 Senate bid: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013; Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate Sue Lowden says she’s made good on her debts from her 2010 race for Senate. But her own campaign says this is not so.
Heller critical 60th vote for Employment Non-Discrimination Act: Monday, Nov. 4, 2013; Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., announced this morning he will support federal legislation to prohibit employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Assembly Republicans in disarray after repeated gaffes: Monday, Nov. 4, 2013; Nobody’s very happy with Nevada’s Assembly Republicans these days. Not even Nevada’s Assembly Republicans.Two controversial statements about slavery and minorities from GOP members of the Assembly in the past few months have sparked outrage among Republicans and Democrats alike and have left elected Assembly Republicans planning how best to make an exit from their recent adventures in political gaffe land.
Are ‘small’ tax increases nickel and diming the Las Vegas economy to death?: Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013; Poor Clark County residents may be having somewhat of a taxing year. The county hiked the gasoline tax earlier this year, water rates are likely headed for an increase, and the Clark County commission may approve a sales tax increase before the year’s out.
Comedian Stephen Colbert skewers Nevada assemblyman over slavery remarks: Friday, Nov. 1, 2013; Nevada Assemblyman Jim Wheeler made national television Thursday night as the subject of ridicule on “The Colbert Report.” Stephen Colbert lampooned Wheeler for saying he’d vote for slavery if his constituents wanted him to.
Activists urge Heller to back anti-discrimination bill: Friday, Nov. 1, 2013; Activists in Nevada are asking Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., to vote for a bill in the Senate that would add federal employment protections to gay, lesbian and transgender individuals.
Q&A: Sisolak on police arbitration dispute, assault weapons ban and running for governor: Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013; The chairman of the county commission has made headlines recently for calling out Metro and the police officers union, saying they broke the law when they negotiated a new contract. He’s also led the charge against two tax increases, one that passed earlier this year to raise the county gasoline tax and another under consideration now to hike the sales tax with revenues going to Metro.
Las Vegas vying to host 2016 Republican National Convention: Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013; Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki announced today he’s leading an effort to attract the Republican National Convention to Las Vegas in 2016.
Professional poker player files to run for Congress: Monday, Oct. 28, 2013; Frank Kassela, a business owner who has won millions of dollars playing poker, filed paperwork last week to run for Congress as a Democrat in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional district, which encompasses southern Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City.
Nevada lawmaker says he'd vote for slavery if his constituents wanted him to: Monday, Oct. 28, 2013; The GOP assemblyman says “liberal” operatives are trying to frame him as a bigot by spreading video of the statement online.
Think you know Nevada politics? Check out these myths: Monday, Oct. 28, 2013; Many of the folks who popularized the conventional wisdom often did so decades ago, and new trends, new issues, and new influences have the possibility to matter more than the common tropes and truisms about Nevada politics repeated in conversations and in the media.
Public policy maker or private lobbyist? 10 state officials play dual roles: Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013; Disclosure reports filed with the Nevada Commission on Ethics detail how legislators and members of state boards and commissions often get paid to do business before state agencies, boards and commissions. Their elected or appointed positions likely enable them to build relationships and gain expertise useful in their private enterprise — a fact recognized by lawmakers when they passed the disclosure law in 1991.
Report: Medical school at UNLV could have $900 million economic impact: Friday, Oct. 25, 2013; If a new UNLV medical school opened in 2017, it could improve health outcomes in Las Vegas, create thousands of jobs, and boost state coffers by millions of dollars each year. A report from Tripp Umbach, a top national health care consulting firm, is the first to examine various medical school models for Southern Nevada and evaluate the economic impact of each. It concluded that the price tag for a medical school at UNLV would be $68 million, much less than the $220 million estimated cost for an academic medical center near UMC that was discussed earlier this year.
Reid challenges 'mainstream' Republicans to step up: Majority leader calls Heck 'anti-woman' for voting to repeal health care law; Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013; Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., pitched the nation’s next budget battle as a contest between “mainstream” Republicans and the “insane” Tea Party wing of the Republican Party. He said he was “sad” to see the GOP taken over by “illogical and not rational people.”
Bilbray campaign tries to clarify her 'un-American' comment toward Heck: Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013; Bilbray's campaign manager Bradley Mayer said Bilbray did not call Heck "un-American." Rather than Heck himself, Bilbray was describing the act of Heck’s campaign sending a negative email that could discourage people from running for office as "un-American," he argued.
Congressional hopeful Bilbray says Heck's 'negative' email was attack on women: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013; Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., is “un-American” for sending a political fundraising mailer, said Democratic congressional candidate Erin Bilbray.
Does Gov. Sandoval stick to the facts in his campaign pitch for money?: Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013; Sandoval sent a four-page campaign mailer to Republican-minded supporters throughout the state. “We are writing a remarkable story of Nevada’s comeback,” the letter begins. But is that story true? The Sun looks at the facts.
Nevada health exchange a work in progress: Monday, Oct. 21, 2013; State officials acknowledged that the online portal giving Nevada customers access to the new health insurance marketplace created under Obamacare wasn't quite complete when it launched Oct. 1.
No safety net to catch Nevada’s mentally ill once they walk out hospital doors: Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013; At the moment a bipolar Canadian man walked out the door of Valley Hospital in July, he was on his own with nothing but his mania-driven mind to guide him. Mental health officials call this moment an “intercept point," a moment at which somebody can swoop in and say “Hey, buddy, let’s get you some help here.” But in Nevada, that rarely happens.
The Sun investigates: Who called the cops on protest at Heck's office?: Friday, Oct. 18, 2013; The police showed up to a protest outside of Rep. Joe Heck's Henderson office last week. The protestors say Heck's staff called them. Staff say no way. So who called them?
10 questions with AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka: Friday, Oct. 18, 2013; AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka advocates a universal health care system as a way to “fix” President Barack Obama’s health care law, expresses support for a 2 percent tax that will be on the ballot in Nevada next year, and makes it clear he’s no fan of Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.
Q&A: Immigration activist Leo Murrieta on stalled push for reform: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013; Leo Murrieta, national field director for Mi Familia Vota, has been traveling the country to advocate for passage an immigration reform bill. The 27-year-old has spoken to members of Congress throughout the United States. The Sun chatted with Murrieta last week to hear his thoughts about what the legislation and the chances that it will pass.
Five ways the continuing shutdown is hurting Nevada: Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013; As the government shutdown marks its 16th day, it has already stifled tourism in the Las Vegas area, caused cash-poor federal workers to spend less in the local economy, and has halted research and other federal projects. If the shutdown continues, the effects only get worse.
State lawmaker hired as lobbyist for medical marijuana bill he helped pass: Monday, Oct. 14, 2013; “I know you’re fishing for an ethics thing, but there isn’t one there,” Assembly Majority Leader William Horne said. “I fully disclosed that I am an Assemblyman, but I am working on behalf of a client as an attorney.”
Big money clamoring for a piece of Nevada's medical marijuana pie: Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013; They’ve got a lot of money and a big plan to peddle marijuana throughout Clark County. But they’re not a drug cartel pushing pot on the streets. They’re high profile lawyers, consultants and investors.
Shadow network of marijuana dispensaries still operate in legal gray area: Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013; The Legislature began the process to fix the medical marijuana system earlier this year and starting next spring patients should have a variety of licensed and legal dispensaries to shop at. For now, though, a shadow network of delivery based medical marijuana businesses have stepped in to fill the void left by the once prohibited and now soon to be legal storefront dispensaries.
State senator wants pardons for medical marijuana card holders: Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013; Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, wants to pardon felony convictions for marijuana possession and sale for some Nevadans.
Sandoval: Nevada faces catastrophe if government shutdown persists: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013; Gov. Brian Sandoval said today Nevada is in danger of “catastrophic” consequences if the federal government shutdown persists until the end of the month.
No weddings, no pink Jeeps, but a few opportunities for yard work in wake of government shutdown: Friday, Oct. 4, 2013; No, no, you can’t get married in a national park like you’d planned. That’s the federal government’s message to a pair of European tourists here in Las Vegas.
Voters split on margins tax for education, new poll finds: Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013; Nevadans generally think the economy is improving and its schools are failing, but voters remain divided over an upcoming ballot measure that would raise taxes for education, according to a new poll out today from the Retail Association of Nevada.
First lady Kathleen Sandoval to speak at mental health walk: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013; The walk and Kathleen Sandoval’s remarks come at a time when Nevada’s mental health system has been fraught with recession-era budget cuts, the loss of accreditation and certification from oversight agencies, and lawsuits alleging the staff at the Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas improperly bussed hundreds of patients out of state without regard to their well-being.
Lowden says she will run for lieutenant governor: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013; Las Vegas businesswoman Sue Lowden said she will announce this morning that she’s entering the race to be the next lieutenant governor, a move that will queue up a high-profile Republican battle for Nevada’s No. 2 elected office.
Shutdown presents mixed bag for federal facilities in, around Las Vegas: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013; Hundreds of visitors arriving Tuesday at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area west of Las Vegas encountered a closed gate.
What the Affordable Care Act will mean for Nevada residents: Monday, Sept. 30, 2013; The law could have a considerable impact in Nevada, which is No. 2 in the nation for the percent of its population that lacks health insurance. About 22 percent of Nevadans don’t have health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Nevada's health exchanges to open, but will they work?: Monday, Sept. 30, 2013; Nevada Republicans may want to defund or repeal Obamacare, but the ship has already sailed. The Affordable Care Act’s health care exchanges launch nationwide Tuesday.
Nevada Republican Party ignores Sandoval's choice for party chairman; re-elects Michael McDonald: Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013; In a rebuke to Gov. Brian Sandoval, the Nevada Republican Party re-elected chairman Michael McDonald at a party meeting Saturday, snubbing Sandoval's choice.
With competitive drive, Hutchison sets sights on becoming lieutenant governor: Friday, Sept. 27, 2013; As a boy, Mark Hutchison wanted to be a truck driver. Today, Hutchison still drives a truck, a Ford F150 with “State Senator” slapped on the license plate. He parks it behind a building in Summerlin with his name on it — Hutchison & Steffen law firm — and represents Ahern as the company’s general counsel. Next year, he might be lieutenant governor of Nevada.
Republican official accused of improperly using political foe's Social Security number to dig up info: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013; The Nevada Republican Party political director is facing accusations he inappropriately used a Clark County Republican official's Social Security number to obtain private information about him.
Is 4 percent decline in teachers union membership advocacy group's doing?: Union exec: Opt-out campaign is just part of NPRI's political agenda; Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013; Nearly 470 Clark County teachers dropped their union membership this summer, according to data obtained by the Sun from the Clark County School District. The 4 percent decline in the teachers union membership comes on the heels of a bitter battle between the Nevada Policy Research Institute and the Clark County Education Association.
Shelley Berkley publicly blames campaign staff for Senate loss: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013; Former Senate candidate Shelley Berkley lambasted her 2012 Democratic campaign consultants today, saying "I wouldn't let these people run my bathwater."
Sisolak on challenging Sandoval: I don't think it's an impossible task: Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013; No Democrat has yet declared an intention to run against popular Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, but Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak says, “I don’t think it’s an impossible task.”
NV Energy could break promise to close coal plants by 2014: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013; In the midst of a high stakes effort to pass a major piece of energy legislation earlier this year, NV Energy promised Nevadans it would begin eliminating its coal-fired power plants on a tight schedule starting next year.
Cortez Masto: I'm not running for governor: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013; In a sit-down interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto says she's not running for governor. At least not in 2014.
Democrats, trapped between grassroots and powerful business interests, stay silent on margins tax: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013; Democratic legislators in Nevada who have publicly and loudly called for higher taxes to better fund the state’s education system have gone silent now that it’s up to voters to decide.