Andrew Doughman

Story Archive

Fight over margins tax ballot initiative brewing at grassroots level: Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013; Advocates hoping to pass a 2 percent business revenue tax on the 2014 ballot have a new strategy: start small. Grassroots groups associated with the Democratic Party in Nevada are beginning to endorse the Education Initiative, a proposal that would levy a 2 percent revenue tax on businesses annually grossing more than $1 million after payroll costs or the costs of goods sold
Heller blasts talks with Russia over Syria: 'We’re making a deal with the devil': Friday, Sept. 13, 2013; The United States shouldn’t be negotiating with Russia about Syria’s chemical weapons, said Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., in an interview Friday evening.
Mayor Lee wants city to take control of CSN's Cheyenne campus from the state: Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013; North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee said this week that the College of Southern Nevada should give its Cheyenne campus to the city of North Las Vegas, meaning the oldest of CSN’s three campuses could eventually become a city entity.
Feds owe Nevada businesses and fire district millions for fire prevention work: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013; Firefighters and small businesses in Nevada and California cleared brush, chopped down trees, and then submitted invoices in expectation that they’d be paid soon after. They weren't.
San Francisco makes good on its threat to sue Nevada in patient busing scandal: Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013; San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera filed today a class action lawsuit against the state of Nevada to recoup costs for care San Francisco provided to mentally ill patients bused there from Nevada.
Q&A: Why is Nevada last when it comes to getting federal money?: Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013; Nevada ranks dead last in per capita federal funding for health, education, housing, science and transportation, according to the Brookings Institution. The Sun spoke with visiting fellow Tracy Gordon about her upcoming talk “By Choice or by Chance: Why is Nevada Last in Federal Funding and What Can Be Done About It?”
Decay in Nevada's mental health system goes beyond Rawson-Neal: Monday, Sept. 9, 2013; The story of mentally ill man discharged from a state psychiatric hospital onto a Greyhound bus provided a glimpse into one aspect of the state’s troubled mental health system, but subsequent investigations have revealed wide-ranging problems in a system struggling to provide even basic services.
State spends $2.5 million on Obamacare outreach effort in Nevada: Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013; All Nevadans must have health insurance in 2014 under President Obama’s health care law, and the state is contracting with companies to educate and enroll Nevadans in insurance plans starting Oct. 1.
Heck back in familiar territory fending off attacks that he's 'no advocate for women': Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013; Erin Bilbray, a Democratic candidate running against Rep. Joe Heck in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, says he's “no advocate for women’s equality, choice, or health.” How true are the allegations?
Tired of risking illegal raw milk transactions, band of supporters seeks to change law: Friday, Aug. 30, 2013; The fact that the sale of raw milk is illegal in Clark County may never have crossed the minds of some, but it has created a problem for raw milk consumers. They have reacted by creating a homespun black market, and now they are seeking to legalize it here.
Governor, legislative leaders earn low marks from conservative think tank: Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013; Republican state legislators performed well and Democrats performed poorly at the state Legislature this year. At least that’s what a conservative advocacy organization thinks.
Nevada AFL-CIO not officially onboard with margins tax despite leader's support: Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013; The state teachers’ union is finding few friends to help it convince voters that they should approve a 2 percent business margins tax in 2014. The Nevada AFL-CIO, an early sponsor of the Education Initiative, has signaled that it may not sign on to the campaign.
New interstate freeway could mean riches for Las Vegas, but it'll cost you: Monday, Aug. 26, 2013; The envisioned Interstate 11 corridor could make Las Vegas a transportation hub where freight would move to and from other major cities on interstates 15 and 11. Boosters for the project say building I-11 would immediately bring construction jobs to Nevada. But higher gas taxes are needed to fund it.
Q&A: Nevada AFL-CIO head on taxes, Obamacare and the economy: Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013; Danny Thompson, leader of the Nevada State AFL-CIO, is calling for higher taxes on some Nevada businesses and is also criticizing Obamacare.
Nevada AFL-CIO condemns provision of Obamacare: Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013; The Nevada State AFL-CIO passed a resolution slamming Obamacare today. The union claims the law would destroy union health plans, making the usual staunch allies of President Barack Obama just the latest Las Vegas union to publicly condemn the health care law.
Reid touts new labor secretary before friendly union crowd: Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013; U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had something of a trophy to display to Las Vegas labor unions Wednesday: Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, whose confirmation Reid had to fight Republicans for.
Labor unions work to combat negative stereotypes: Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2013; Union workers meeting for the annual Nevada State AFL-CIO convention at the Excalibur this week are talking about growing their organizations in a time of declining memberships and hard economic conditions.
Union leaders' salaries stay high even in hard times: Monday, Aug. 19, 2013; Many local union executives have gotten pay raises and others have maintained six-figure salaries as membership dues collections have either stalled or declined among local union chapters, according to local unions’ annual public tax documents filed between 2009 and 2012.
Nevada Republicans formally pitch Las Vegas for 2016 convention: Friday, Aug. 16, 2013; Touting the support of Sheldon Adelson, Nevada Republican Party officials planned to pitch Las Vegas as an attractive host site during a summer meeting of GOP officials in Boston.
Reid's energy extravaganza also a Democratic fundraising opportunity: Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2013; This wasn’t a fundraiser, but it was clear that Democrats at the National Clean Energy Summit at Mandalay Bay could cash in on the plethora of sympathetic supporters there.
More productive talks, no resolution on planned nuclear waste shipment: Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013; The nation’s energy chief said Tuesday that the federal government is losing millions of dollars every month because Nevada is resisting a shipment of nuclear waste from Tennessee to Nevada.
Moapa Paiutes poised to construct first large-scale solar plant: Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013; Southern Nevada may soon host the nation’s first large-scale solar project on tribal land, said U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.
FERC chairman: Nevada power customers need to be freed from the utility: Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013; As the Clean Energy Summit kicks off in Las Vegas today, Reno native Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, discusses renewable energy, the future of electric cars and giving electricity customers more freedom to pursue small-scale energy projects.
Touting his record, Horsford formally launches re-election campaign: Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013; Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., bookended his week with a call to recruit campaign volunteers Friday after returning from heart bypass surgery Monday.
North Las Vegas Sen. Atkinson mulls run for secretary of state: Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013; Sen. Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, said he’s considering running for secretary of state during the 2014 election.
Rawson-Neal hospital could lose crucial Medicare funding: Friday, Aug. 9, 2013; A troubled Las Vegas psychiatric hospital is on the verge of losing federal funding, the Sacramento Bee reported Friday evening.
Show me the memo: Fight between state, federal officials over nuclear waste continues: Friday, Aug. 9, 2013; State and federal officials appear at odds over some basic facts surrounding a proposed shipment of controversial nuclear waste from Tennessee to Nevada.
Rep. Horsford set to announce his re-election bid: Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013; Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said he will run for re-election in Nevada’s 4th Congressional District in a press release.
Nevada's secretary of state moves to clarify state ethics law: Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013; In Nevada politics, what constitutes a “gift” could mean the difference between elected officials following or breaking the law. Secretary of State Ross Miller is seeking clarification from state agencies about how they’ve defined the word “gift” in the past.
Your water bills are likely to rise again next year: Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013; Water rates in Southern Nevada may increase again next year. A technical committee of the Southern Nevada Water Authority will likely recommend next month a new rate structure with increases for all consumers — from small homes to large casinos and golf courses.
Nevada's mental health system to get $2.1-million funding infusion: Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013; The legislative Interim Finance Committee approved $2.1 million in emergency mental health funding on Tuesday after spending hours criticizing Nevada's inadequate treatment of mentally ill residents and visitors.
Back to work after heart surgery, Rep. Horsford touts affordable care: Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013; Rep. Steven Horsford walked into his North Las Vegas office Monday morning, returning to work for the first time since a major heart surgery in early July.
Control of the state Senate hinges on these three races in Southern Nevada: Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013; Republicans who battled Democrats at the state Legislature earlier this year now are shifting the fight to the ballot box.
Managing demand for Colorado River water about to get expensive: Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013; Federal water experts and climatologists issued a grim report on the future of the Colorado River watershed to a gathering of state lawmakers from around the West in Las Vegas.
Chris Christie finds a reason to visit Las Vegas in the dead of summer: Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — who once said only the stupid would visit Las Vegas in the summer — is coming to town for a campaign fundraiser hosted by Sheldon Adelson.
Clark County finds business support for gas tax hike: Wednesday, July 31, 2013; Clark County businesses appear to have thrown their support behind a gas tax hike commissioners are considering this summer. A survey shows more than 90 percent of local businesses back the tax.
Assemblyman Hambrick mulls bid for Senate: Tuesday, July 30, 2013; Assemblyman John Hambrick's bid for the Senate would be in an important district that could decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate during the 2015 legislative session.
Heck opponent: 'I would have voted in favor' of defunding NSA's data collection: Monday, July 29, 2013; Democratic Congressional candidate Erin Bilbray said Monday she would have voted to defund the National Security Agency’s collection of phone data of millions of Americans.
Southern Nevada misses out on millions in job training money: Sunday, July 28, 2013; For a region scarred with high unemployment and a struggling education system, free money from the federal government for community colleges to retrain unemployed workers for high-wage, high-skill jobs would seem like a perfect fit for Southern Nevada. But college officials didn't apply.
UNITE Here boss D. Taylor lambastes Obamacare: Friday, July 26, 2013; The Sun talked to D. Taylor, the president of UNITE Here, the parent organization of Nevada’s largest union, Culinary Local 226, about labor's concerns on the Affordable Care Act.
Panel of experts on renewable energy decry climate change: Thursday, July 25, 2013; A panel of Democratic state lawmakers and renewable energy advocates Wednesday endorsed comments from Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who said last week that climate change contributed to large wildfires in Nevada this year.
Local governments spend $3 million to lobby Legislature — for tax increases: Wednesday, July 24, 2013; The party’s over, and now the bills come due. Local governments in Nevada spent more than $3 million this year lobbying the state Legislature, according to reports filed with the Department of Taxation at the conclusion of each 120-day legislative session.
Funding boost for English-language learners prompts some backlash: Sunday, July 21, 2013; For some, the state’s $50 million in new spending for English-language learners smacks of special treatment and seems like an unjust, unfair burden on taxpayers who must subsidize the education of a select group of outsiders.
PUC staff agrees NV Energy should refund $14.6 million to customers: Friday, July 19, 2013; In an unprecedented move, two state agencies are arguing that NV Energy should refund its customers a total of about $14.6 million.
Wildfire prevention funds dry up as need grows: Thursday, July 18, 2013; At a time when large wildfires have charred wide swathes of land in both Northern and Southern Nevada, the state’s forestry division faces millions of dollars of cuts in federal fire prevention grants and has little recourse but to go to Congress and say: Show me the money!
Sandoval pushes Department of Energy for meeting on nuclear waste: Monday, July 15, 2013; Gov. Brian Sandoval gave the U.S. Department of Energy a rhetorical nudge today, reminding Secretary Ernest Moniz that he’d sent him a letter June 20 requesting a meeting and hasn’t yet received a reply.
Nevada Republican Party renews vow that this time will be different: Monday, July 15, 2013; After a fractious 2012 election season, Nevada Republican Party higher-ups are vowing that they’ve changed — that months of quiet reflection on their mistakes have made them clear-headed and ready to help lead Republicans to victory in 2014.
Conservative think tank, teachers union continue battle over union opt-outs: Sunday, July 14, 2013; The Nevada Policy Research Institute wants teachers in the Clark County School District to know they can leave their union between July 1 and July 15, and they’ve been publishing instructions about how and why teachers should consider writing an “opt-out” letter to rescind their union memberships.
DOE slow to respond to Nevada lawmakers' nuclear waste concerns: Sunday, July 14, 2013; Strong words from a congresswoman, a senator and a governor might normally prompt quick action. Not so from the federal Department of Energy.
In Las Vegas, Rand Paul laments dangers of a 'surveillance state': Friday, July 12, 2013; U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, warned of a “grand spymaster” during a speech he delivered in Las Vegas Friday evening.