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.

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Story Archive

Mounting fears over armed Nevada lawmaker's mental state preceded arrest: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013; About 3 p.m. Saturday, State Sen. Kelvin Atkinson received a chilling telephone call. Assemblyman Steven Brooks, a fellow North Las Vegas Democrat, was driving around in his car with a gun, “and he is looking to harm” the top member of the Assembly, Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Atkinson was told, according to documents obtained by the Sun. Brooks wanted “to do in” Kirkpatrick, Atkinson told police.
Armed assemblyman was prepared for a shootout, report says: Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013; Assemblyman Steven Brooks said he was “not afraid to die” and was “willing to have a shootout with the police,” his relatives told officers before the North Las Vegas Democrat was arrested for threatening the Democratic leader.
Economic development costs Nevada $30,000 per job in tax incentives: Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013; Nevada officials approved $87.6 million in tax incentives to create nearly 2,900 jobs in the past two years, according to data obtained by the Las Vegas Sun. That’s about $30,000 in forgone tax revenue per job.
5 Sandoval goals that might cause him problems in Legislature: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013; Gov. Brian Sandoval has done his best to avoid a combative legislative session. But that doesn’t mean his agenda he detailed in his State of the State address will be embraced by Democrats in the Legislature.
Governor presents mostly status quo budget: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013; Gov. Brian Sandoval proposed a mostly status quo budget today that keeps up with an expected flood of Nevadans getting health care through the state and has small, targeted bumps in funding for early education initiatives.
Southern Nevada lawmakers determined to halt shortchanging of Vegas students: Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013; Democratic leaders said achieving “funding equity” is their top priority. That means ditching the decades-old funding formula that favors Northern and rural Nevada and diverting more money to Southern Nevada.
Should tax dollars be spent to draw maker of violent video games to Las Vegas?: Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013; The decision to invest $600,000 in state tax dollars in Take-Two Interactive, which produces the video game "Grand Theft Auto," raises the question of whether social issues should be part of deciding which companies should earn tax incentives.
Is Sandoval more likely to address tax reform in a second term?: Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012; A sense is developing in Carson City that lawmakers will hold the line on the budget this session, opting for a tax reform discussion now but delaying any real action for two years when Gov. Brian Sandoval may be in his second and final term.
Sandoval opts to expand Medicaid coverage for Nevada's neediest: Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012; Saying it will save Nevada money in the short-run despite posing a long-term burden on the state’s general fund budget, Gov. Brian Sandoval announced today he will expand Medicaid for more low-income Nevadans.
Miller's voter identification proposal could ease way for same-day registration: Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012; Secretary of State Ross Miller is working to assuage the concerns of liberal Democrats by touting the fact his idea for linking driver’s license photos to voting rolls could be a step toward same-day voter registration.
Nevada Supreme Court hears arguments on margins tax petition: Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012; The Nevada State Education Association and its labor union partners argued the Nevada Supreme Court should overturn the lower court's decision to declare the margins tax initiative petition invalid.
Both parties jump on board with proposal to give driving privileges to illegal immigrants: Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012; Sure, the losing side typically engages in a bit of soul-searching following a major election, but the 2012 election seems to have sent Nevada politics skittering off into Bizarro World. Suddenly, a Tea Party group is acting like Democrats and a leading Democrat is acting like a Republican.
Sen. Mo Denis proposes driver's privilege cards for undocumented immigrants: Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012; Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, is sponsoring legislation that would require the state to issue a driver’s privilege card to undocumented immigrants and other Nevadans who don’t want to jump through the stricter identification hoops for a true driver’s license.
Republican resistance to Grover Norquist started early in Nevada: Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012; A bevy of Republicans in Congress created quite a stir last week when they announced they would be willing to ditch a once sacrosanct pledge never to raise taxes. The announcement is a step toward a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff. “When you’re $16 trillion in debt, the only pledge we should be making to each other is to avoid becoming Greece,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said on ABC’s "This Week."
Some real-world advice for incoming lawmakers: Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012; The 14 freshman legislators arriving in Carson City for the first time last week had a packed three-day schedule. Here’s a handy real-world guide to reading between the lines of advice legislative leaders gave, as well as a bit of unsolicited insight into the process.
Secretary of state goes to court to force AFP to reveal donors: Friday, Nov. 30, 2012; Secretary of State Ross Miller filed a civil complaint alleging Americans for Prosperity violated Nevada’s campaign finance laws in a case that could force the national conservative group to reveal its donors for the first time.
Liberal activists suspicious, conservatives applaud Miller's voter ID proposal: Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012; Since taking office, Secretary of State Ross Miller has declared Nevada’s electoral system to be safe enough from fraud that a voter identification system shouldn’t be a priority. On Tuesday, he took a step back from that line, proposing a hybrid photo ID system to help protect the integrity of future elections.
Adelson's return on political investment lacking: Friday, Nov. 16, 2012; Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson spent an awful lot of money on trying to get Republicans elected to the White House and the U.S. Senate this year. In political parlance, Adelson and his team lost. Democrat Barack Obama is installed for a second term, and Democrats expanded their majority in the Senate. In business parlance, that’s a poor return on investment. By most calculations, Adelson became the largest Republican donor this year.
How Heller overcame Nevada Democrats' vaunted turnout machine: Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012; The Democrats’ storied turnout machine lived up to its reputation last week, delivering victories to President Barack Obama, Congressman-elect Steven Horsford and enough Democratic legislative candidates to keep the party in control of the state Legislature. But, with the help of a deeply flawed opponent, one Republican managed to best the machine.
Has Nevada gone blue?: Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012; Rest easy, Nevada. We’re still a battleground state. By the last count compiled by The Washington Post, $54 million was spent on Nevada airwaves to influence the presidential election here this year — that’s about $53 per vote cast here.
Top five Nevada campaign moments: Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012; Campaign 2012 has been a season of twists and turns, upsets and smack downs, chaos and… well, more chaos. Here's a look at how we got here.
A formidable firewall: How Nevada came into its own as a presidential swing state: Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012; Nevada’s status in the presidential race this year perhaps could be more aptly described as a “firewall” than a “battleground.” That fact was evident in the way both Obama and Romney fit Nevada into their overall electoral vote strategy.
Heller says he needs Obama voters to win: Monday, Nov. 5, 2012; U.S. Sen. Dean Heller is in a bit of an awkward position as a Republican who has spent years in Congress staking out a conservative position. By his own admission, Heller is relying on Barack Obama voters to hand him a re-election victory.
Ryan rallies Nevada one last time as campaign shifts to true battleground: Monday, Nov. 5, 2012; Republican vice presidential running mate Paul Ryan briefly touched down in Reno today, delivering one last stump speech to energize voters on the eve of the election.
Campaigns dig in for final push to Election Day: Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012; After months of registering voters, recruiting volunteers, knocking on doors, placing phone calls, cheering on debate performances, pushing voters to early voting polls and chanting at rallies, the ground troops in the presidential campaigns have reached the home stretch.
Arrest documents detail how woman allegedly tried to vote twice: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012; A Henderson woman accused of trying to vote twice this week said today that she is eager to tell her side of the story.
Southern Nevada woman is arrested on suspicion of trying to vote twice: Friday, Nov. 2, 2012; Investigators arrested a Southern Nevada woman for allegedly trying to vote twice at two different early voting locations. Roxanne Rubin was taken into custody as she arrived for work at the Riviera hotel-casino, investigators said.
Sandoval goes all out for Mitt Romney in campaign's final days: Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012; After months of nominal support for his party’s presidential nominee, Gov. Brian Sandoval will use the closing days of the campaign to cut a television ad for Mitt Romney.
Line of Attack: Is it fair to go after Horsford's record on taxes?: Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012; Crossroads GPS accuses Democratic congressional candidate Steven Horsford of using poor judgment and supporting a tax increase.
Republicans wish Sandoval would spend more political capital on Romney: Friday, Oct. 26, 2012; Privately, some Republicans have kept up a steady drumbeat of questioning on why Gov. Brian Sandoval hasn’t done more to campaign for GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
Romney works to win over key swing voters in Washoe County: Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012; Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney culminates his two-day Nevada campaign swing in Reno today with a speech aimed at driving early voters to the polls in the key battleground county of this battleground state.
AFP advertises in state Senate races despite pending legal complaint: Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012; The Nevada attorney general is reviewing whether Americans for Prosperity broke state campaign finance laws earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean the conservative group is going to sit out the election.
Sandoval's political adviser predicts Romney will lose Nevada: Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012; One of Gov. Brian Sandoval’s top political advisers is predicting Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will lose Nevada this year. Pete Ernaut said Nevada’s split-ticket voters will likely side with President Barack Obama and Republican Sen. Dean Heller.
The final word on the final debate via Twitter: Monday, Oct. 22, 2012; Nevadans narrate the final debate via social media.
Line of Attack: Do Danny Tarkanian's positions square up with Democratic ad?: Monday, Oct. 22, 2012; Democrats go after Danny Tarkanian for his stand on Obamacare, taxes and Social Security.
Two-week period of early voting begins in Nevada: Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012; Nevada’s two-week early-voting period began Saturday, giving voters an opportunity to squeeze in voting amid grocery runs and giving campaigns the opportunity to finally launch their vaunted turnout efforts.
Biden pushes early voting, key difference between campaigns in Reno speech: Vice president will speak in Las Vegas on Thursday; Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012; Vice President Joe Biden launched a two-day campaign swing through Nevada on Wednesday with a singular mission: motivate supporters to hit the early voting booths in this critical battleground state.
Nevadans react in real time to the debate via social media: Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012; The presidential debate on Tuesday finally delved into more of the issues Nevadans have been talking about: Jobs, immigration, even gun control. And Nevadans reacted strongly on Twitter
Danny Tarkanian's brother filed bankruptcy in wake of failed real estate deal: Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012; Republican congressional candidate Danny Tarkanian’s brother, George Tarkanian, filed bankruptcy this summer after investing with his brother in a failed real estate deal that has resulted in a $17 million judgment against the family.
Reid says it would be 'embarrassing' to elect Tarkanian to Congress: Monday, Oct. 15, 2012; U.S. Sen. Harry Reid today accused Republican congressional candidate Danny Tarkanian of trying to gloss over significant financial troubles that could force him to file bankruptcy either before or after the Nov. 6 election.
Line of Attack: Did Berkley blow taxpayer dollars on an extravagant trip to Europe?: Monday, Oct. 15, 2012; Berkley did make a taxpayer funded trip to Europe, but how lavish was it?
Romney doesn't stake out detailed position on hard rock mining royalties: Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012; Romney attacks Obama for hard rock mining positions, but doesn't offer much insight into his own.
Ross Miller pursues campaign finance law violations against AFP: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012; In a case that may force a national conservative political organization to reveal its donors, Nevada Secretary State Ross Miller is seeking to prosecute Americans for Prosperity for violating state campaign finance laws.
Vice President Joe Biden to stump in Reno and Las Vegas next week: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012; Vice President Joe Biden will rally supporters in Reno and Las Vegas next week.
Reno mayor recuperating from open heart surgery: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012; Reno Mayor Bob Cashell underwent a successful heart valve replacement surgery Tuesday.
How Nevadans viewed the presidential debate: A story told on Twitter: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012; How Nevadans told the story of the presidential debate via social media.
Michelle Obama reaches out to women voters at Reno rally: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012; A crowd of boisterous supporters is gathering on the UNR quad for first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign speech today. The first lady is expected to rally more than a thousand supporters in Reno.
Oceguera set to launch Spanish-language ad campaign: Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012; In an effort not to repeat the same mistake his predecessor did, Democrat John Oceguera is preparing to launch a Spanish-language ad campaign in his race for the 3rd Congressional District.
Berkley, Heller trade barbs in testy first debate: Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012; Little new came from the first face-off between Republican Dean Heller and his Democratic rival Shelley Berkley in their U.S. Senate contest. Speaking from a Reno public television studio, both candidates recycled lines from their caustic TV ads and campaign trail-worn stump speeches.
Washoe County voter registrar inundated by faulty voter registration forms: Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012; Washoe County Registrar Dan Burk said today his office has been inundated by hundreds of faulty voter registration forms with errors ranging from an illegible name to the listing of fake or non-existent addresses.