Cy Ryan

Carson City Bureau Chief

Contact Cy via e-mail

Call Cy at 775-687-5032.

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Story Archive

Gibbons wants to go solar on new state buildings: Wednesday, July 23, 2008; Gov. Jim Gibbons believes solar energy should be used in all future state buildings.
State Supreme Court lifts stay on executions: Wednesday, July 23, 2008; The Nevada Supreme Court has lifted its stay on executions.
Mining fee increase would help educate: Goal of proposal is to replace $400,000 UNR cut from budget; Wednesday, July 23, 2008; Don’t worry, Governor — it’s a fee increase, not a tax increase.
Prison too expensive to replace but too expensive to maintain: Tuesday, July 22, 2008; Nevada State Prison, among the oldest prisons operating in the United States, is in bad shape and it would cost untold millions to fix, according to a recent 104-page study by the state Public Works Board.
Governor’s tax lawyer castigates assessor: Words fly after Elko official expresses misgivings about tax break; Saturday, July 19, 2008; In the melodrama that is Nevada politics, a state tax official says the Elko County assessor is “a baldfaced liar.”
Beers, peers at odds over term limit case: Saturday, July 12, 2008; State Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, is leading a campaign to persuade the Nevada Supreme Court to retain term limits for public officials.
Death penalty a costly proposition: Study finds few in state executed, expenses high; Wednesday, July 9, 2008; Only 8 percent of those sentenced to death in Nevada have been executed in the past 25 years.
New laws affect millions in Nevada: The nearly 20 statutes cover minimum wage, taxes, social issues and more; Wednesday, July 2, 2008; Almost 20 new laws that were approved by the Legislature last year took effect this week. Among the changes: More than 50,000 low-paid workers in Nevada are going to get a raise.
More need Medicaid; less money is available: Patient access to doctors could be affected by cuts; Saturday, June 28, 2008; The 187,000 people enrolled in the state medical assistance program may have to wait longer to see a doctor or specialist.
Judge must apologize to woman he jailed: Tuesday, June 17, 2008; Las Vegas Municipal Judge George Assad is going to have to apologize formally to a woman he jailed for two hours because her boyfriend did not show up in court to pay four-year-old traffic tickets.
What gets cut?: When legislators meet to tackle shortfall, everything, apparently, will be on the table; Saturday, June 14, 2008; Gov. Jim Gibbons’ call for a special legislative session is unprecedented in the history of the state, according to Nevada historians. This is the first time, historians say, that an off-year special session has been called to deal with a statewide budget shortfall. So here’s a primer on the proposals that could be discussed.
State mulls mental health fix: Privatizing: Gibbons meets with interested companies; Wednesday, June 4, 2008; With Nevada facing a potential 14 percent budget cut, the state is considering the possibility of turning all or part of its mental health system over to private companies to reduce costs.
Contract for wood could fire up dormant power plant: Prisons facility has gone unused for lack of fuel; Friday, May 30, 2008; An $8.3 million wood-burning prison energy plant that has been a failure so far may soon move ahead full steam. The biomass plant was built to supply electricity to the Northern Nevada Correctional Center and the Stewart Conservation Camp, both of which are south of Carson City.
Teens report safer schools, but riskier driving: Tuesday, May 27, 2008; More students at high schools and middle schools in Clark County feel safe on campus, but they may be putting themselves at risk in other ways — notably, by traveling in cars driven by someone who has been drinking.
Wilderness road upgrade has to wait: Environmentalists left out of deal get their say; Thursday, May 22, 2008; Environmentalists have won a round in their seven-year battle to limit reconstruction and traffic on a road into the pristine wilderness area of Jarbidge in Elko County.
Petition seeks OK for hemp in energy research: Backers fight association with marijuana; Thursday, May 15, 2008; Two years after voters rejected a proposal to allow Nevadans to possess 1 ounce of marijuana for personal use, a plan has surfaced to permit research into using industrial hemp, a relative of marijuana, to generate energy.
His priority: Protect rural water: From Southern Nevada, that is, which plans to import it; Tuesday, May 13, 2008; Sen. Dean Rhoads, the second in seniority in the Nevada Legislature, says his priority in the 2009 session will be to protect the water resources of rural Nevada.
Tougher law tackles repairman runaround: State commission OK’s more service contract protection; Wednesday, April 23, 2008; It could be 118 degrees in Las Vegas when a home air conditioner fails.
Court rules against 51s spectator hit by foul ball: Friday, April 18, 2008; A foul ball will not go down in the books as a financial hit for the Las Vegas 51s thanks to a Nevada Supreme Court ruling that baseball team owners have only a limited duty to protect spectators.
Guilty plea may be withdrawn in prostitute killing: Wednesday, April 16, 2008; Vornelius J. Phillips will get a chance to withdraw his guilty plea in the killing of a prostitute in Las Vegas and the running over of a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper in a high-speed chase.
Casinos urge court to speed appeal: Industry: Teachers’ tax petition leaves out facts; Saturday, April 12, 2008; The casino industry has asked the Nevada Supreme Court for speedy handling of its appeal to stop a petition by school teachers to raise the state’s gaming tax.
Prison’s wood-fired power plant a big loser: After 2-month shutdown, state will farm out operations; Friday, April 11, 2008; An $8.3 million biomass plant that was supposed to generate electricity by burning wood at a state prison in Carson City has been a failure so far.
Oops! Governor has nine guns: He amends statement that all weapons tested; Thursday, April 10, 2008; Gov. Jim Gibbons admitted Wednesday that he misspoke last month when he described to a Sun reporter how he had renewed his concealed weapon permit.
Prison official: Tougher sex offender laws creating extra costs: Thursday, April 10, 2008; A bill sought by Gov. Jim Gibbons to tighten the reins on sex offenders is having “significant unintended consequences,” the director of the state prison system says.
Not all news bad in state budget mess: Workers to get raises, break on July health insurance premiums; Thursday, April 3, 2008; Gov. Jim Gibbons says 4 percent cost-of-living raises for state employees and schoolteachers due July 1 will not be affected by any cuts to address Nevada’s nearly $900 million budget shortfall.
Slot company loses case to worker who blew whistle: In separate suit, court says Sparks casino’s food comps can’t be taxed; Sunday, March 30, 2008; The Nevada Supreme Court has given wider protection to whistleblowers who report their employers’ illegal activities.
In bond ratings, some good news: Friday, March 28, 2008; Despite its financial troubles, Nevada has retained its good bond ratings. Robin Reedy, chief deputy state treasurer, says she’s pleased the state maintained its bond rating “given the most recent economic news.”
State to help owner find new use for old Huntridge Theatre: Wednesday, March 26, 2008; The fate of the historic Huntridge Theatre near downtown Las Vegas remains uncertain.
State says ‘wait’ on solar system rentals: Friday, March 21, 2008; To help consumers cope with the high cost of solar heating systems, three out-of-state companies hope to rent or lease them to homeowners and businesses. But their plans have been put on hold by the state Public Utilities Commission.
Latest case undercuts Gibbons’ clinic defense: It is governor who should step down, says one health official he blamed; Wednesday, March 19, 2008; Gov. Jim Gibbons over the weekend dismissed the crisis stemming from the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, saying if there had been “gross negligence” at the clinic, there would be more cases of hepatitis C linked to unsafe treatment practices than the six reported. On Tuesday, the Southern Nevada Health District reported another case.
Lawmakers asked to weigh road taxes — and toll roads: With Gibbons firm on taxes, other funding sources get attention; Thursday, March 13, 2008; State legislators are being quietly surveyed to see whether they would support new or increased taxes to offset a $5 billion to $6 billion shortfall in money for building highways over the next decade.
Gibbons: Inspections sufficient: Governor says regulation not the answer in Southern Nevada’s hepatitis C scare; Tuesday, March 11, 2008; Faced with a public health crisis, sinking confidence in Nevada’s medical care and questions about inadequate government oversight, Gov. Jim Gibbons is standing by his ideology: Regulation is not necessarily the answer.
Gaming: Teachers would call shots with proposal: Ballot measure would allow them to put screws on legislators, some say; Saturday, March 8, 2008; Attorneys and two former state budget officials suggest that a vague wording in a teachers union’s petition for a ballot initiative could cause havoc — even closing schools for lack of money.
State, feds pummel programs for poor: Thursday, March 6, 2008; Like a target on a firing range, the state Health and Human Services Department is taking a lot of hits. “We’re getting squeezed from all sides,” says Director Mike Willden, referring to programs that help the poor, children and the elderly.
Highway Patrol having trouble tracking its things, audit finds: Monday, March 3, 2008; On the heels on an investigation into missing weapons and drugs from a locker in Fallon used by law enforcement agencies, an auditor’s report says the Nevada Highway Patrol can’t keep track of its credit cards or its equipment, including weapons and three vehicles.
Vegas man’s case a test for lethal injections: Monday, Feb. 25, 2008; The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed executions in four states, including Texas where the prisoner volunteered for the death penalty, pending its decision in a case challenging lethal injections.
Roads need new billions, but will Gibbons go along?: Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008; The state will be short $5 billion to $6 billion over the next 10 years to meet its highway construction and maintenance needs.
Quickie divorce in state not as easy as this guy thought: Monday, Feb. 18, 2008; A professor at a university in South Korea has learned you can’t get a quickie divorce in Nevada merely by living here six weeks.
Vegas sees needed water, rural counties see ‘fraud’: Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008; To opponents, the plan to pump water from rural Nevada to Las Vegas is, as one put it, “the biggest public works fraud ever in Nevada.”
Plan to siphon water for Vegas OK’d, with eye out for refuge: Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008; The Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, about 90 miles north of Las Vegas, lies west of the Delamar and Dry Lake valleys, from which the Southern Nevada Water Authority wants to pump water.
Lawmaker backs off suing Gibbons, goes for ‘end run’: Friday, Feb. 1, 2008; State Sen. Bob Coffin has abandoned his plan to sue Gov. Jim Gibbons over who has the authority to make $283 million in cuts in government spending because of a downturn in tax collections.
Stock market sneezes, pension fund catches cold: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008; In a slumping market, the state Public Employees Retirement System, with 140,000 state and local government workers, is suffering just like everyone else with its investments.
Gamblers’ best bets for free drinks, meals in Clark County are Laughlin, that other Strip: Friday, Jan. 25, 2008; If you’re looking for a free drink while gambling in a casino, the best places in Nevada are in Elko County and in Laughlin in Clark County.
Coffin to make budget case to colleagues: Vegas senator will try to stop governor’s ‘unconstitutional’ cuts; Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008; In a showdown between two veteran state legislators, Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, intends to appear personally at a meeting of a legislative panel to urge it to stop “unconstitutional” budget cuts by Gov. Jim Gibbons.
Left out of the loop, lawmakers mull suing to overturn Gibbons’ budget cuts: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008; Steamed at Gov. Jim Gibbons for slicing $283.6 million from the state budget without consulting them, ranking Democrats in the Legislature intend to do something about it -- now and in 2009.
High court defies lawmakers on salaries: Justices say their employees’ pay is their business, not the Legislature’s; Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008; The Nevada Supreme Court has once again exerted its power to ignore the law. A bill passed by the 2007 Legislature set the maximum salaries that can be paid to state employees, including those who work for the Supreme Court. The court, however, says that law does not apply to it and has ordered the state’s payroll system to pay an annual salary of $135,240 to court administrator Ron Titus, effective immediately. The Legislature set that salary at $116,688, not including a 2 percent raise effective last July 1.
Insurer to cough up a record $1 million: Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008; Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has agreed to pay a $1 million penalty to the state for failing to properly handle claims from Nevadans.
Gibbons lives in the capital, doesn’t mean he votes there: Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008; Although Gov. Jim Gibbons lives in the Governor's Mansion, he's not registered to vote in the capital. Gibbons has continued to maintain his voting registration in Washoe County.
Jobs safe at Health and Human Services, but cuts will still hurt: Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008; The Health and Human Services Department, the biggest agency in state government, must reduce its budget by $78 million but won't make any layoffs in doing so.
LOOKING IN ON: CARSON CITY: Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007; CARSON CITY - Irwin Schiff, an "irascible" 79-year-old nationally known tax protester, has won a legal point in his battle with the government, but he still may have to spend more than 13 years in prison for violating federal income tax law at his Las Vegas business.