Anjeanette Damon

Senior Editor/politics

Anjeanette isn't technically a native Nevadan but is about as close as you can get in this transient state. Raised and educated in Reno, she pursued journalism not just to escape math class but also for the love of challenging authority. She's worked in newspapers since 1998, joining the Sun in 2010.

Email »

775-336-6225

« Older
Newer »

Story Archive

Bill to expand background checks for gun purchases passes Nevada Senate: Wednesday, May 22, 2013; In a party line vote following an emotional floor debate, the Nevada Senate today passed a measure that would expand background check requirements to private party firearm sales.
Senate passes bill to replace NV Energy coal plants: Wednesday, May 22, 2013; A measure that would require Nevada's largest electricity provider to accelerate the closure of its coal-fired power plants and launch massive new construction projects to replace the coal plants with renewable energy and natural gas passed the Nevada Senate unanimously today.
Democrats cry uncle on taxes, accuse Republicans of obstruction: Wednesday, May 22, 2013; If there’s one promise Democrats have kept so far this session, it’s to have a discussion about taxes. But with the majority party’s capitulation on the Senate floor Tuesday that their payroll tax hike proposal is dead, it appears that discussion is all it’s going to be.
Senate Democrats give up on payroll tax hike to help schools: Tuesday, May 21, 2013; Running up against the reality of a powerful Republican minority, Senate Democrats on Tuesday gave up on their push for new taxes to fund education programs they've argued all session are critical to fund.
Bill closing gun background check loophole advances at Nevada Legislature: Tuesday, May 21, 2013; Moments after a cadre of gun control advocates who lost family members in mass shootings arrived in Carson City, the Senate Finance Committee passed SB 211 in a party line vote. It now heads to the Senate floor, where it almost certainly will face a pitched partisan battle.
Few big tax bills afoot, but plenty of little ones at Nevada Legislature: Sunday, May 19, 2013; Democrats may have fallen short of crafting a comprehensive tax reform plan to address Nevada’s wobbly revenue structure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a bevy bills to raise taxes floating around the Legislature this year.
Legislature might get messy near the end: Sunday, May 19, 2013; The Nevada Legislature has reached the point in every session when lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters ask: Is it going to end on time? And the answer always is: Maybe.
Bills live and die on deadline day in Carson City: Saturday, May 18, 2013; The legislative grim reaper struck again Friday as the Nevada Legislature hit yet another milestone on the 120-day march to its finish.
Deal reached to preserve bistate compact protecting Lake Tahoe: Wednesday, May 15, 2013; Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and California Gov. Jerry Brown have reached an agreement to keep the two states in a decades old compact to protect the environment around Lake Tahoe, agreeing to ease some barriers for development and mollifying the concerns of some environmentalists.
Democrats circle the wagons against 'Family Fun Tax' foes: Wednesday, May 15, 2013; Democratic lawmakers showed little restraint when opponents of Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick’s admissions tax took to the microphone Tuesday to beg for exemptions to the 8 percent levy she wants to assess on nearly all forms of recreation.
Electric Daisy Carnival, Speedway to fight proposed entertainment tax: Tuesday, May 14, 2013; Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, is expected to take critics head on today at the first public hearing of her proposed entertainment and admissions tax, an 8 percent levy on everything from concerts and sporting events to gym memberships and strip clubs. Chief among them is the Electric Daisy Carnival, the massive outdoor music festival that draws an estimated 345,000 attendees to Las Vegas each summer.
With time running out, Democrats' tax plans spark partisan firefight: Tuesday, May 14, 2013; When Senate Democrats on Monday released details of a tax increase they say is needed to adequately fund education, they swung a partisan hammer that shattered the patina of cooperation that had dominated this legislative session.
Denis plows forward with recycling bill: Friday, May 10, 2013; Responding to critics, Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis has amended his construction material recycling bill to protect smaller centers that could have been put out of business by the original version of his proposed legislation.
Nevada Democrats seek 'help' for Nic Cage: Friday, May 10, 2013; Nevada Democrats sent a blast email to supporters with headline "Help us help Nicolas Cage!" in an attempt to garner support for a tax incentive for movie production in Nevada.
Tax movies, strip clubs, gyms? That's Nevada legislator's proposal: Thursday, May 9, 2013; On Wednesday, Kirkpatrick released a sweeping entertainment and admissions tax proposal — the centerpiece of her effort to clean up a Nevada tax code rife with exemptions and haphazardly applied interpretations.
Speaker Kirkpatrick introduces entertainment tax bill: Wednesday, May 8, 2013; Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, today introduced a long-awaited measure to implement a new entertainment tax on everything from movies to strip clubs.
Nicolas Cage says filmmakers would love to shoot in Nevada: Tuesday, May 7, 2013; Movie star Nicolas Cage traveled to Carson City today to urge state lawmakers to pass a movie tax incentive bill, promising to use his connections in the industry to help spark a filmmaking boom in Nevada if the measure becomes law. “My name is Nicolas Cage, and I’m an American filmmaker,” Cage told lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee, who put away their laptops and phones to listen to his testimony.
Are diehard anti-tax conservatives shrinking at the Nevada Legislature?: Sunday, May 5, 2013; The tax-pledge-signing, Tea Party-espousing, anti-tax Republican crusader appears to be a dying breed in the Nevada Legislature, though some hope to halt its decline. One politician says Republicans these days try to take a more nuanced approach to fiscal policy.
Casino mogul Steve Wynn makes rare trip to Carson City to meet with lawmakers: Wednesday, May 1, 2013; Casino mogul Steve Wynn met with legislative leaders today to "share insight" into what he called a slow recovery of the gaming industry at a time the Legislature is poised to consider new taxes.
Improper discharges of psychiatric patients result in terminations at state hospital: Monday, April 29, 2013; A review of 1,500 cases of busing a discharged psychiatric patient out of state has resulted in additional disciplinary action and employee terminations at the state psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas.
Senate leader's former employer would benefit from his legislative pitch: Sunday, April 28, 2013; Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, has authored two bills — Senate Bills 315 and 316 — that would directly benefit the company that employed him up until the start of the legislative session this year.
Tyrone Thompson sworn in to replace ousted assemblyman: Wednesday, April 24, 2013; Tyrone Thompson was sworn in today to represent Assembly District 17, which has been vacant since the Assembly ousted former lawmaker Steven Brooks.
Six Republicans propose doubling Nevada's mining tax: Wednesday, April 24, 2013; Six Senate Republicans today unveiled their plan to double the net proceeds on minerals tax, a proposal, that if approved by voters, would net an estimated $600 million that would be earmarked for education.
Which bills made the cut in the Nevada Legislature? Here are the biggest: Wednesday, April 24, 2013; Tuesday was a big day for scores of bills in the Nevada Legislature — a day when measures died or traveled to the opposite house, where they may encounter more hostile territory for their second round of hearings.
Roberson to unveil details of mining tax proposal: Tuesday, April 23, 2013; Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson plans to unveil the details of a mining tax proposal he hopes to put on the ballot as an alternative to the margins tax initiative.
Sandoval decries improper patient discharge from Vegas psychiatric hospital: Tuesday, April 23, 2013; In his first official reaction to an ongoing investigation into whether the state's psychiatric hospital is routinely busing mentally ill patients out of state, Gov. Brian Sandoval said his administration took immediate action to address the situation, but downplayed any suggestion the state has a systemic problem on its hands.
Services tax is dead; Democrats' hopes for major tax reform dim: Tuesday, April 23, 2013; With just 41 days left in the legislative session, Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, said any effort to pass a services tax is finished and sounded less than optimistic about the chances of any kind of broad-based business tax making it to a vote.
In split vote, Nevada Senate passes measure to begin repeal of gay marriage ban: Monday, April 22, 2013; Following more than an hour of a riveting, emotional and personal floor debate, the Nevada Senate voted 12-9 to start the process of repealing the gay marriage ban from the state constitution.
Policy change in 2009 prompted increase in busing mentally ill patients: Saturday, April 20, 2013; Since a mentally ill man from Las Vegas turned up in Sacramento on a Greyhound bus earlier this year, the state’s health department has disciplined employees involved in the man’s release, changed hospital policy and asked for a federal review of their practices.
Coal politics: Why legislative power play could halt big NV Energy plan: Tuesday, April 16, 2013; NV Energy’s powerful lobbying corps has quietly tried to muster wide support for a major energy proposal at the Legislature, but the choreographed show it hoped to premiere to legislators didn’t go quite as planned.
Another top staffer leaves Nevada governor's office: Friday, April 12, 2013; Gov. Brian Sandoval's general counsel and policy director Lucas Foletta resigned today. He is the latest in a string of top staff departures from Sandoval's office.
Controversial Tahoe bill highlights lobbyist's dual role: Thursday, April 11, 2013; Lobbyist Steve Robinson is a Nevada appointee to the Tahoe Regional Protection Agency board. He also works for the lobbying firm hired to pass legislation that could end up abolishing the agency altogether.
Five ways the GOP's Roberson is invading Democrats' territory: Sunday, April 7, 2013; Maybe it was the procedural hijinks that redirected a priority bill to a friendly committee. Maybe it was when he plopped a surprise mining tax proposal in the laps of lawmakers; Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson has been a thorn in the side of the Democratic majority since the start of the legislative session.
With legislative session half over, which bills might affect you?: Friday, April 5, 2013; For most embroiled in the thick of the ongoing legislative session in the capital, Thursday was a day to celebrate. The halfway point. Day 60. The light at the end of the 120-day tunnel is that much nearer. (Well, we hope, anyway. Voters did happen to give lawmakers the power to call themselves into special session, so who knows.) At the halfway point, bills are slowly winding their way through the process, with the bulk of the work still remaining in the committees assigned to give legislation a first work through.
Lawmakers asked to protect big casinos from slot arcades, sports betting kiosks: Thursday, April 4, 2013; Nevada’s biggest gaming companies went to the Legislature on Wednesday to ask lawmakers to protect them from strip mall slot machine parlors and barroom sports betting kiosks.
Horsford calls for immigration reform, urges state lawmakers to better fund education: Tuesday, April 2, 2013; On his first trip back to the Nevada Legislature since being elected to Congress, U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford urged state lawmakers to better fund education and social services so Nevada can take full advantage of available federal money.
Ousted assemblyman’s mother says ‘world knows my son is ill’: Tuesday, April 2, 2013; Former Assemblyman Steven Brooks “intended to harm no one,” even as he publicly spiraled out of control and everyone failed to help him, his mother told Las Vegas journalist Jon Ralston in an interview Monday evening.
Legislators open discussion on call to abolish Las Vegas constable's office: Monday, April 1, 2013; The Las Vegas constable’s office is not needed, its duties can be handled by other agencies and the current officeholder is a source of seemingly unending “difficulties” for Clark County, Sen. Michael Roberson told a legislative panel.
Roberson seeks to 'take politics out' of Las Vegas water rate hikes: Monday, April 1, 2013; Las Vegas water czar Pat Mulroy foretold financial calamity for the Southern Nevada Water Authority should lawmakers decide to hand rate-making oversight to the state Public Utilities Commission.
Precedent-setting Brooks case does little to define standard for expulsion: Sunday, March 31, 2013; One word can no longer be used to describe the Nevada Legislature ousting one of its members: Unprecedented. But what kind of a precedent did lawmakers set with the expulsion of former Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-North Las Vegas? Although the mechanics of the process were transparent, the evidence and the reasons for determining Brooks should be expelled were not.
Brooks banished from Legislature: 'We did not feel safe': Friday, March 29, 2013; Through gut-wrenching tears Nevada lawmakers brought a conclusion to the at-times frightening saga that has gripped the Nevada Legislature for two months, voting Thursday to oust one of their own.
Media agencies seek access to report used for assemblyman's expulsion: Thursday, March 28, 2013; Fourteen Nevada news agencies, including the Sun, have filed a public records request seeking access to the report used as evidence to expel Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-North Las Vegas, from the Nevada Legislature.
Assembly casts historic vote to expel troubled lawmaker Brooks: Thursday, March 28, 2013; In a voice vote masking how each individual lawmaker sided, the Nevada Assembly made the unprecedented decision to expel one of their own — troubled Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-North Las Vegas.
Assembly delays vote on Brooks ouster: Wednesday, March 27, 2013; Assembly Democrats continued to struggle late Wednesday with making an unprecedented decision on whether to oust fellow Democratic lawmaker Assemblyman Steven Brooks, delaying for at least a day a formal vote on the recommendation to expel him from the Legislature.
Republicans call for more transparency before Brooks vote: Wednesday, March 27, 2013; Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey, R-Reno, called on Democratic leaders to provide more details on the evidence used to support the Select Committee's decision to recommend troubled Assemblyman Steven Brooks be expelled from the Legislature.
Committee recommends Brooks be expelled from Legislature: Tuesday, March 26, 2013; A bipartisan committee of lawmakers voted Tuesday to recommend troubled Assemblyman Steven Brooks be expelled from the Legislature. After meeting for nearly three hours behind closed doors, the somber legislators voted 6-to-1 to recommend expulsion.
Committee considering Brooks' ouster convenes today with secret report: Tuesday, March 26, 2013; As a bipartisan panel of seven lawmakers readies to hear evidence on whether Assemblyman Steven Brooks is fit to continue serving in the Legislature, the troubled lawmaker has furiously sent text messages and emails to his colleagues in an effort to save his seat.
Smaller classes not at top of Sandoval's education agenda: Sunday, March 24, 2013; When it comes to education, Gov. Brian Sandoval has used both the bully pulpit of his office and his budget to call for school choice, ending social promotion, expanding full-day kindergarten and better funding for programs targeting English-language learners. But Sandoval, and his administration, has been largely silent on one key issue important to education advocates, school districts and Democrats: reining in class sizes.
Assembly has constitutional authority to expel Brooks, lawyer insists: Wednesday, March 20, 2013; Legislative lawyer Brenda Erdoes argued the constitution gives the Assembly express powers to discipline and even expel its members.
Roberson hoodwinks Democrats in gambit to put construction defects bill in friendly venue: Wednesday, March 20, 2013; GOP Sen. Michael Roberson has been intent on reforming the law governing how homeowners can sue for construction defects. But first he had to find a Democratic committee chairman who would entertain the idea.