J. Patrick Coolican

Columnist

Stories

Courageous first move could bring success to north portion of the Strip: Wednesday, May 16, 2012; Someone had to be first. Some guy in a hut had to have the courage to drink the juice of fermented grapes, and good things followed. Likewise, the north end of the Strip needed someone to have the courage to invest. Now that SBE Entertainment of Los Angeles and private equity group Stockbridge Real Estate are putting money into the shuttered Sahara, perhaps the 20-teens will eventually be known as the era when the action moved north on the Strip.
Teenage parents, trying to graduate, face enormous challenges: Sunday, May 13, 2012; Icalynn Gamble had quit going to school last fall, overwhelmed by the responsibilities of being an 18-year-old mother and dejected about her chances of graduating. That’s when a parade of dignitaries — including Clark County School District Superintendent Dwight Jones, state Sen. Steven Horsford and new Chaparral High School Principal Dave Wilson — knocked on her door on a Saturday morning and persuaded her to return.
Greener Block provides a snapshot of something good, but there's more work to do: Wednesday, May 9, 2012; I strolled around Build a Greener Block, which sought to dress up a somewhat neglected stretch of Main Street and turn it into a vibrant urban experience for a weekend, when I heard a new friend scoff that the raw food store was also selling tofu, which, of course, is processed.
With arbitration ruling, teachers union wins battle but comes out a loser: Friday, May 4, 2012; A conundrum: Polls show that teachers are some of the most admired people in America. Yet nearly half of the respondents in a 2011 Gallup poll said teachers unions hurt the quality of education, while just 26 percent said they helped.
How about delivering them from unfairness?: Monday, April 30, 2012; I received a press release recently that read, “A team of approximately 40 community volunteers and downtown supporters will ‘invade’ downtown Las Vegas on Friday, April 20 to perform a Random Act of Happiness.”
Odds on UFC President Dana White running his mouth? Very good: Friday, April 27, 2012; Imagine NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tweeting out that the Saints are 10-1 to win the Super Bowl next year. Yeah, probably not. But here’s Dana White, president of Ultimate Fighting Championship, on Twitter earlier today: “TUF Live tonight on FX the MGM has Sicilia -350 vs Saunders +290.”
Why is higher ed getting pushed around?: Thursday, April 26, 2012; The Redfield name can be seen all over campus at UNR. The Nell J. Redfield Foundation has given about $40 million during the past three decades for gems such as the auditorium in the math and science building, a student health clinic and the Redfield Theatre.
Renewable energy becomes fodder for the culture war at just the wrong moment: Monday, April 23, 2012; There’s no point hiding from it, especially in Nevada: The clean energy movement, despite rapid gains in recent years, faces a potential crisis as government support withers. I can hear the cheering from many conservatives, whose latest foray into identity politics is contempt for clean energy (more on that later) while either ignorantly or willfully ignoring decades of massive government support for fossil fuels and hydroelectric power such as the Hoover Dam.
The psychology of pimping, and how a community can help: Saturday, April 21, 2012; The 9-1-1 call is chilling: A woman, who has locked herself in a room after enduring a severe beating, screams. Then she screams again and again. If there are words, they are unintelligible, but terror can be conveyed without words.
What can be done with the city’s half-built corporate eyesores?: Saturday, April 21, 2012; Imagine if the guy who owned the house next door tore it down and started building a cool new palace. Then imagine that a third of the way into construction, he stopped building, leaving a half-finished shell for you to see from your window.

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Blog Entries

Ensign's chief of staff leaving: Wednesday, July 22, 2009; John Lopez, Sen. John Ensign's chief of staff, is leaving the senator's employ, as first reported by Sun columnist Jon Ralston.
Lawmakers preparing for governor's speech: Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009
Governor's budget won't spread the pain equally: Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009; I just left an embargoed press briefing on the governor's budget. "Embargo" in the media world means we can't reveal what was said until an appointed time, in this case, 6 p.m., when the governor makes his State of the State speech.
Mood more somber ahead of governor's speech: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009
Danny Glover stumps for Obama: Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008; Memo to Democrats: No one cares about Danny Glover.
GOP gives help to Al Franken's opponent: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008
State Democratic leader says he's staying: Monday, Oct. 27, 2008
Ensign pointing finger at McCain: Monday, Oct. 27, 2008; Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, head of the Senate Republican election effort, is blaming the McCain campaign for his unhappiness.
Report: McCain's troubles in the West: Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008
Palin on the powers of a VP: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008; Responding to a question from a third-grader today, here's Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin:

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J. Patrick Coolican was born in Connecticut to a large, Irish Catholic family and then studied dead white male authors at the University of Notre Dame. He started his career during the 2000 presidential campaign, writing for a Web site he created with two friends. He's written for The Seattle Times, The Nation, LA Weekly and, since early 2006, for the Sun.