Story Archive

Gibbons finally answers Rogers’ memos

Governor cites six-figure salaries in demand for higher education cuts

Monday, Aug. 25, 2008

After months on the business end of higher education Chancellor Jim Rogers’ scathing memos, Gov. Jim Gibbons’ administration finally hit back last week, signaling a more aggressive effort to defend and promote the governor’s position in the run-up to the 2009 legislative session.

Cuts aren’t the way out of the hole, Guinn says

Ex-governor says long-term financial planning must become priority for Nevada

Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008

State political leaders have spent the past year searching for ways to cut the budget. Because of the continuing economic downturn, they will likely be preoccupied with more of the same when the 2009 Legislature convenes in February.

Guess who’s hoping Gibbons runs again

It’s not the Republicans, many of whom are making a short list of alternatives

Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008

Veteran Reno TV journalist Tad Dunbar sat across from Gov. Jim Gibbons and said this: “Several sources, three that I know of, say that the Republican National Committee has said they will not support you running for a second term.”

Where the going gets tough (in Reno), Obama gets going

Monday, Aug. 18, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama met privately with a handful of Nevada’s Democratic leaders Sunday before giving a short speech and answering questions from about 250 labor leaders and union members.

Obama highlights economy in Nevada speech

Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008

Sen. Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of 250 labor leaders and union members in Reno this morning, arguing he has the best plan for the economy and swiping at Sen. John McCain over the likely Republican nominee's economic plan.

Overheard

Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

What one one-time top aide to former Gov. Kenny Guinn said to another former Guinn aide at Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio’s election night party Tuesday at the El Dorado in Reno.

Expiring benefits prompt retirement exodus

City, county workers leaving for coverage

Friday, Aug. 15, 2008

A wave of Nevada teachers, city and county workers, and other employees are retiring in time to take advantage of subsidized health benefits.

GOP discord evident in primary outcomes

In show of strength, party’s right wing tests incumbents

Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008

The Republican Party establishment had gathered on Tuesday night to watch election returns for state Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio. What they witnessed was a punch from the right in the Nevada Republican primary that knocked out several incumbents and almost took down one of the state’s most powerful legislators for the past quarter-century.

No pay hike, but specialists seem OK with Medicaid

Overall, more are seeing patients in program for poor

Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008

More obstetrician/gynecologists and fewer general surgeons are seeing patients enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program.

Raggio holds off Angle in Senate District 3 race

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008

They are literally popping champagne at the Bill Raggio campaign party as the Senate Majority Leader squeaked by Sharron Angle by just 500 votes.

State slides deeper into fiscal hole

Gaming shortfall puts total tax collections $6.75 million short of June projection

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008

Including gaming and all other sources of tax revenue, the state has collected about $6.75 million less to date than the Economic Forum projected it would when the five business leaders huddled in June.

Senate GOP leader in fight of his life

Bill Raggio, 81, pounds pavement to stave off challenge from the right

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008

Usually, with a party veteran such as Sen. Bill Raggio, a primary election could be dismissed. But the Republican Senate majority leader is facing the most watched, and possibly most competitive, primary in the state.

Has Fossett flown the coop?

Inspired, perhaps, by the perpetual obsessions with Bigfoot, Elvis and Earhart, a British tabloid asks that very question

Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008

The British press has been scrambling to follow up on a tabloid report that Steve Fossett, 63, the millionaire adventurer who disappeared in the Nevada desert in September, may have faked his death. Neither his body nor his plane was found.

Teachers know: Taxes may be a certainty in life, but in Nevada, tax increases aren’t

Friday, Aug. 1, 2008

Everybody needs a backup plan, particularly in politics and especially when you’re talking taxes.

Gibbons girds for meal tax fight

Governor wants state to press challenge to casinos’ bid to recoup millions paid in ‘comped’ food transactions

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Gov. Jim Gibbons wants to continue the state’s $142 million battle with casinos over “comped” meals.

McCain stresses independence in Sparks visit

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Sen. John McCain took the stage shortly after 10 a.m. at Reed High School in Sparks and took questions for an hour.

Precedent may trump politics on term limits

Observers say reversal unlikely for high court

Sunday, July 13, 2008

State Supreme Court justices filed into their chambers this month to hear arguments before an audience packed with much of Nevada’s lawyerly elite about how to enforce Nevada’s term limits.

Nevada ACLU supports an individual’s right to bear arms

State affiliate bucks national stance, supporting the right to bear arms

Friday, July 11, 2008

Everyone loves guns in Nevada. Ducks Unlimited, the National Rifle Association, Republicans, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ... Wait. The ACLU?

Next budget expected to be cut to the bone

$1 billion shortfall could force worst reductions ‘since Great Depression’

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

The next round of budget cuts will make the past round seem mild, with Gov. Jim Gibbons’ senior staff projecting a shortfall of more than $1 billion. The governor’s office is assembling a budget for the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years. Without a sharp upturn in the economy or higher taxes, the cuts will be historically steep.

Gibbons’ new chief of staff lends prudence to thorny job

Sunday, July 6, 2008

When Gov. Jim Gibbons announced June 27 that he was replacing his top two staffers, the only surprise was the timing — the middle of the day during a special session.

Duplicitous donor nearly gulls Gibbons

Web site donation in blackout period followed by complaint

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Woe be the politician who forgets to disable the part of his campaign Web site that solicits donations.

Bill threatens gaming, dies quickly

Measure to help tax casino comps had wide backing

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

A bill intended to prevent the casino industry from getting $150 million in taxes back from state and local governments and school districts began the day with bipartisan support and backing from legislative staff and the governor.

Gibbons had chance to silence his critics

But his actions in days leading up to Friday’s session left some furious

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Gov. Jim Gibbons came close, tantalizingly close, to getting the fresh start he so badly needed.

Chancellor Rogers’ TV station urges Gibbons to call it quits

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

In an editorial, a Las Vegas TV station owned by higher education Chancellor Jim Rogers called Monday for Gov. Jim Gibbons to resign for the good of the state.

Where Gibbons, Buckley and Raggio stand, as of today

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Upheaval in the capital last Friday as the state’s Economic Forum crunched some more ugly numbers and the governor decided to delay a special session until this Friday.

Target still vague as special session looms

With one due today, estimates of state’s budget shortfall are all over the map

Friday, June 20, 2008

What in the name of Pythagoras is going on? Nevada lawmakers — facing next week’s special session — need to repair the state budget by cutting it. But, as of Thursday evening, no one could agree on how much needs to be cut.

Adelson money is political baggage

Ads elsewhere have attacked ties to mogul, and heat is building here

Thursday, June 19, 2008

As the Culinary Union agitates, a divide among Democrats on the Clark County Commission is growing about whether to accept money from the companies of Sheldon Adelson, the conservative casino mogul.

Lanni proposes payroll tax hike

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The chief executive of Nevada’s largest employer Monday proposed doubling the state’s payroll tax to help the state close its ever-growing budget deficit.

As troubles mount, Gibbons disengages

Observers, including current and former officials, say the governor has become more isolated and his administration more dysfunctional as he faces state and personal crises

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Gov. Jim Gibbons called an emergency budget meeting with elected officials last week, but he and his staff failed to notify key legislators, who learned of it from media reports.

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.

Opposition to room tax hike building

MGM Mirage, Sands want county to keep issue off the fall ballot

Thursday, June 12, 2008

MGM Mirage and Las Vegas Sands, two of the state’s biggest private employers, are lobbying the Clark County Commission to keep an advisory measure about raising hotel room taxes for education spending off the November ballot, a county official said.

Governor’s textual misconduct

Gibbons acknowledges ‘mistake,’ denies affair

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The governor looked surprisingly relaxed Wednesday in his black turtleneck and sports jacket, especially for a guy who says he gets two or three hours of sleep a night, who’s dealing with a major state economic crisis, who has filed for divorce and been accused by his wife of cheating, and is the regular subject of political obituaries.

Gibbons weighs selling tobacco payments to plug budget gaps

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The proposal, which could be brought up in a special session this summer or in the 2009 Legislature, would be only a short-term solution, aides for Gov. Jim Gibbons admitted. Sources estimate the one-time payout to be between $500 million and $700 million.

With the dirt flying, party backing away

GOP support for Gov. Jim Gibbons erodes after wife’s allegations revealed in filing

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Gov. Jim Gibbons’ political future turned bleak Wednesday as prominent Republicans said his support in the party is quickly disintegrating in the wake of the latest court filing in his divorce.

Term limits a simple concept, a nightmare issue

Candidates in limbo until courts set them free

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Twelve years after voters added term limits to the state’s constitution, Nevada still can’t figure them out, leading to chaos on this year’s ballot.

Get the room tax increase enacted now, senator urges

Sunday, May 25, 2008

State Sen. Bob Coffin doesn’t mind the word “taxes.” He says we might need more of them.

Teachers show how to break through

Gaming giants back their plan for more funding

Sunday, May 25, 2008

When it comes the state’s dire financial affairs, the language is coded in the negative. No new taxes. No more state government. No raises.

Their plans to cope with budget squeeze

Sunday, May 25, 2008

What’s worse than knowing that the party is over? Waking up with a hangover when you didn’t even go to no stinkin’ party. That’s how Nevada legislators feel these days. Their state wasn’t flush with money even when the Nevada was booming. Now, with the economy slowed and the state struggling to make budget, legislators have a morning-after headache that didn’t come from a fabulous night before.

Teachers give up gaming tax bid in deal

Offer of money from hike in room tax sways union

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Teachers made a Las Vegas deal Monday night, trading the chance at a big score for a quicker, more modest gain with backing from at least some of Nevada’s biggest gaming houses. The Nevada State Education Association announced it is dropping its effort to raise the gaming tax.

Goodman changes face on state’s top job

Mayor says gubernatorial run no longer out of the question

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

When asked in the past about a possible run for governor, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman typically said he was the happiest mayor in America — his way of saying no to Carson City.

In anti-tax Nevada, policy can be pawned

Gaming tax hike proposal has dealmakers working both sides

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Casino moguls jetting to meet with the governor, clandestine sessions between gaming executives and the teachers union president, eleventh-hour jockeying over raising the room tax — this is how public policy gets made in Nevada.

First, Democrats wanted clout on cuts; now they’re not sure

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Democratic legislators felt snubbed when the governor started cutting the budget this year without consulting them.

Divorce as political spectacle

Governor may have asked for privacy, but observers say his actions invite public scrutiny

Thursday, May 8, 2008

When word of marital trouble in the Governor’s Mansion seeped out, Gov. Jim Gibbons’ allies hoped for as quiet a divorce as possible. That clearly is not how things have gone.

Given $50,000, he decides to run

By law, hopefuls can withhold source of cash — and he does

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Steve Nathan hadn’t thought about running for public office. Then some friends and business associates approached him about a state Senate seat and presented a war chest with $50,000.

As Dems woo Titus for run against Porter, GOP begins attack

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Back when he was a congressional candidate — say, last week — Robert Daskas painted himself as a centrist. He spoke out against universal health care, proclaimed the need to fix the nation’s borders before considering paths to citizenship for illegal immigrants and said he would not endorse a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

To Dems’ dismay, Daskas drops out

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

After months as the Democratic establishment’s anointed candidate, Robert Daskas on Monday dropped out of the contest against Rep. Jon Porter, citing “family considerations.” Democrats now face the recurring problem of recruiting a challenger.

Gibbons not living at the Mansion

Governor residing at his Reno residence; first lady remains in Carson City

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Gov. Jim Gibbons has moved out of the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City as he and first lady Dawn Gibbons deal with marital problems.

Beers’ rival is ‘nice,’ but is nice enough?

Democrat says she’ll talk issues — later

Friday, April 25, 2008

Allison Copening is in some ways a dream candidate to take on Republican stalwart Bob Beers in the pivotal race to decide the future of the state Senate, which Republicans control by one vote.

Purse strings to get tighter

Budget cuts were quick fix; toughest decisions loom

Friday, April 25, 2008

A second round of budget cuts eliminated nearly $400 million in Nevada’s spending, meeting the requirement that the state keep its financial books balanced. Despite dire predictions of layoffs and cuts to schools and social services, most of the doomsday scenarios did not occur. Don’t be lulled into believing the worst is over, though. From the Legislature to the governor’s office, officials acknowledge that the latest round of cuts only delayed difficult decisions still to be made about the size of state government and whether taxes are sufficient. Gov. Jim Gibbons and a bipartisan group of legislators who came up with the cuts relied on short-term fixes, such as delaying construction projects, not setting aside money for future retirement costs and draining the state’s rainy day fund. But tougher choices are on the horizon.

Dems reminded: Don’t take Adelson money

But Culinary Union doesn’t say what could happen if they do

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

After staring at the uncomfortable fact that some Democrats accepted campaign contributions from conservative casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s companies, the Culinary Workers Local 226 has issued a reminder that it does not regard Adelson as a friend.