J. Patrick Coolican

Story Archive

Nevada rich in natural resources, poor in reaping their rewards: Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011; When it comes to the emerging clean energy revolution, Nevadans should fear that once again we’ll play the role of the developing country, plundered for our natural resources without much benefit to ourselves.
To the sociologists: If you don’t like Vegas, don’t come back: Monday, Aug. 29, 2011; The American Sociological Association held its annual convention at Caesars Palace this month, and their reaction to Las Vegas has been like a parody of academic pomposity.
Clean car program gets a push from Harry Reid at energy summit: Monday, Aug. 29, 2011; I was really hoping Sen. Harry Reid would get in one of the electric cars on display and drive around today at Aria, which is hosting the fourth National Clean Energy Summit that gets under way Tuesday.
Good news for apartment resident plagued by bedbugs: Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011; Lawrence Cabrera has been complaining for months to the management of the Siegel Suites Twain II location about bedbugs. Finally, last week he called the Southern Nevada Health District, which found “significant bedbug infestation” at his studio apartment this week, according to a document he showed me. A Sun photographer documented the obvious infestation.
It’s back to school and the community steps up: Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011; I’m not sure why it surprises me anymore — the sheer amount of need in our community, and the tireless work of some to try to meet it.
Shifting demographics demand greater urgency in improving schools: Friday, Aug. 26, 2011; The news last week that Hispanics are Nevada’s largest group of students was worrisome.
The loneliest road: A drive down U.S. Highway 50: J. Patrick Coolican drives down U.S. Highway 50-and back to Vegas-to understand what’s so dangerous about social isolation; Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011; A trip down U.S. Highway 50 to understand what's so dangerous about social isolation.
An introspective travelogue across Nevada's obscurity: Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011; I drive at only-in-Nevada high rates of speed on U.S. 93 so we can make a midafternoon appointment, and I’m thinking about the road, a central metaphor of all American storytelling.
Who's the loneliest? Isolated highway leaves question unanswered: Monday, Aug. 22, 2011; Before we embarked on our trip across U.S. Highway 50, which Life magazine declared 25 years ago to be America’s loneliest road, I decided to learn what I could about loneliness.
Lake Tahoe's crystal clear water threatened: Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011; We drive on U.S. Highway 50 toward Lake Tahoe, its surface shimmering with sunlight, the hillsides dense with trees. I’m a little confused by all the hippies roaming about, until I realize that the jam band Phish is playing an amphitheater right on the lake.
Kindness of America reveals itself on loneliest road: Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011; When we began our journey across America’s loneliest road in Baker, on the Utah border, we encountered two woman cyclists who looked exhausted. We called them the joyless, sullen cyclists. On our 62-mile drive to Ely the next day, we saw a hitchhiker going in the other direction, and turned around in an attempt to talk to him: What could be more lonely than hitchhiking the loneliest road?
Already isolated, folks in Ely fear loss of air service: Friday, Aug. 19, 2011; As far away as anyplace you can possibly be and still be in the United States, but it’s right in the middle of everywhere. That was the saying of a late friend of Ed Spear, executive director of the White Pine County Tourism & Recreation Board.
In rural Nevada, everyone worries about the pipeline: Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011; BAKER — At T&D’s restaurant in this hamlet near the Utah border, the talk turns to water almost immediately. “What about our water problems — Las Vegas trying to steal our water,” says Rouena Leonard, a semi-retired British-born waitress.
Open-air market could be solution for Strip's desolate north end: Thursday, July 21, 2011; Throw this into the ever-growing pile of the baffling: Why is there no discussion about blight on the Strip? Why is there no sense of concern about the long stretches of our most important economic and cultural asset that are pocked with half-finished projects or just empty land?
Demise of Borders brings just what Las Vegas needs: More empty big-box spaces: Tuesday, July 19, 2011; The news that Borders Books will liquidate doesn’t just bring the loss of four big bookstores in the valley, but it also indicates the flagging fortunes of the suburban big-box store model of development.
Granted, some have evolved more than others ...: Saturday, July 16, 2011; A bunch of scientists have been at the South Point this week to talk science at what’s called “The Amazing Meeting.” They’re talking science, but also discussing how to make America less foolish on matters scientific.
Inmate work program key to turning lives around: Friday, July 15, 2011; Ronnel Pingul says he was a successful dealer at a Strip casino until he slipped a disc in his back and got hooked on opiates — prescribed painkillers at first, and then heroin.
In construction, hard work followed by long wait for payday: Friday, July 15, 2011; Here’s a story about how the little guy gets paid: Last month I wrote a lengthy profile of the Cosmopolitan, rooting for this cool new Strip resort to succeed while questioning whether it actually will, considering its $4 billion price tag, its ownership by a massive German bank, and its failure, thus far, to attract enough gambling revenue.
Was Electric Daisy Carnival the beginning of a rave-based economy?: Thursday, July 14, 2011; When it comes to making money, Las Vegas, admirably in my view, doesn’t do cloying moralism.
Double hero: Fat-cat firefighter and tax-raising politician: Friday, July 8, 2011; Oh, to be a Republican political operative for a day! What fun to plan the negative ads against John Oceguera, the outgoing Nevada Assembly speaker expected to run for Congress as a Democrat.
Who knew? My former coworker struggles with a gambling addiction: Tuesday, July 5, 2011; When I arrived in Las Vegas I was surprised by the lack of media coverage of the social costs of gambling and problem gambling. Problem gambling could be its own beat here, like mine safety in West Virginia or brain injuries among NFL or war vets.
Recovering meth addict gives back through sober living program: Monday, July 4, 2011; At his darkest moment, Jeff Iverson was so enslaved to methamphetamine that he willingly took a three-week jail sentence because he thought county lockup was the only way to get clean, at least in the short term.
Why does district attorney act as bill collector for casinos?: Wednesday, June 29, 2011; Next time my girlfriend doesn’t promptly deliver dinner and a movie after I win one of our regular trivia bets, I’m gonna call Clark County District Attorney David Roger and have her prosecuted. I’m sure he’ll get right on it.
Celebrating freedom through the fantastic at Electric Daisy Carnival: Saturday, June 25, 2011; Midnight at the CosmicMeadow stage and Röyksopp, a nutty Norwegian electronic duo, has the crowd in a dancing thrall when the fun really starts, as acrobats in head-to-toe sparkly gold hit the trampoline in front of the stage. A bit later, Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman, directs a frenzy of music behind one of the most sophisticated light shows I’ve ever seen.
Celebrating freedom through the fantastic at Electric Daisy Carnival: Event breaks down barriers through music, dance and art; Saturday, June 25, 2011; Midnight at the CosmicMeadow stage and Röyksopp, a nutty Norwegian electronic duo, has the crowd in a dancing thrall when the fun really starts, as acrobats in head-to-toe sparkly gold hit the trampoline in front of the stage. A bit later, Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman, directs a frenzy of music behind one of the most sophisticated light shows I’ve ever seen.
It's time to legalize same-sex marriage in Nevada: Tuesday, June 21, 2011; I remember when same-sex marriage meant the end of civilization. It wasn’t that long ago. I remember it well because I covered a rally of 20,000 people in a Seattle football stadium raising the alarm against this supposed menace. This was 2004.
Coolican: Urgent need for leaders to step up: Saturday, June 18, 2011; Pittsburgh once had some of the worst air pollution in the world. But after World War II, city fathers, including industrialists whose steel mills and other heavy factories were creating the mess, pledged to clean it up. And they did.
Valet living, loving life high above the Las Vegas Strip: Friday, June 17, 2011; Anthony Young is living the Las Vegas dream if there ever were one. When he’s not working as a valet at New York-New York, he can crash at his cool, tile-floored, 12th-floor studio apartment at one of the Veer Towers at CityCenter.
Coolican: Why Big Gaming helped snuff out voter-approved smoking ban: Wednesday, June 15, 2011; The first time tavern owners tried to overturn the smoking ban, during the 2009 Legislature, I was amazed they even got it out of committee, foolishly thinking Democrats in the majority would never go against the voters who had approved the ban in 2006.
'Today' show, Al Roker surprise Culinary Academy with $1.5 million in gifts: Tuesday, June 14, 2011; Al Roker and the “Today” show made a surprise visit to Las Vegas this morning, bringing about $1.5 million in cash and in-kind donations to the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas.
3 early successes and challenges for Cosmopolitan: Monday, June 13, 2011; The Cosmopolitan opened in December, positioning itself as the anti-Strip resort. Six months later, it is still enjoying a strong positive buzz, but nonetheless lost $50 million in the first quarter, primarily because of poor gaming revenue. Here are three things that Cosmo is doing well, and three challenges.
Is the Cosmopolitan too big to fail?: Against heavy odds, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is a runaway hit. Hugely popular with tourists and locals, it still finds itself swimming in red ink. What can it do to turn things around?; Monday, June 13, 2011; There’s little doubt about where the place to be is in Vegas on a Saturday night lately. If it’s early, it’s at Vesper Bar, where you sip a Moscow Mule and watch the beautiful people check in while you check out one of the floor-to-ceiling video art installations.
Coolican: Here's your diploma, and here's a dose of reality: Saturday, June 11, 2011; A letter to this year’s high school graduates: So, let me tell you about the world we adults have made for you. It’s not pretty. As David Hirschman recently pointed out in Ad Age, incomes of most Americans have hardly risen since the 1970s, while the rich, and the very rich especially, have been going gangbusters.
Coolican: Top reasons for Horsford to run for — or away from — Congress: Thursday, June 9, 2011; State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, coming off his second legislative session as Democratic leader, is thought to be a lock should he decide to run for Congress.
Budget deal gives cause for optimism and pessimism: Thursday, June 2, 2011; My warring impulses of naive optimism and fatalistic pessimism are on full display as Gov. Brian Sandoval and Democratic legislative leaders announced a deal Wednesday extending taxes passed in 2009 while enacting reforms of education and collective bargaining.
Of all higher ed issues facing the Legislature, guns on campus shoots to top: Wednesday, June 1, 2011; Of all the problems facing the beleaguered Nevada System of Higher Education, which one seems so urgent that the Legislature would take it up? Perhaps it’s how to deal with deep budget cuts, which will be at least $200 million when you count the loss of federal stimulus money? Or access for underprivileged students? Or graduation rates? Or the division of resources between UNR and UNLV?
The misguided logic -- and cruel irony -- of term limits in Nevada: Tuesday, May 31, 2011; CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Legislature already has a stiff wind in its face when it comes to solving our longstanding problems. They are basically volunteers. They meet for just 120 days every other year.
Coolican: State Republicans turn socialist every other year: Monday, May 30, 2011; CARSON CITY — The goofy carnival known as the Nevada Legislature — with its dozens of simultaneous games of “heads I win, tails you lose” run by a host of clever carnies — will soon come to a merciful close.
Coolican: Is Brian Sandoval shaping up to be Nevada's Sarah Palin?: Thursday, May 26, 2011; Strange notions take hold up here, and one that’s frequently spoken of is that Gov. Brian Sandoval is on the long shortlist of potential Republican vice presidential nominees. We’ll be hearing more of this talk when this dreadful legislative session is finished.
Coolican: How developers could deter a budget breakthrough: Wednesday, May 25, 2011; It’s been said that Gov. Brian Sandoval and his staff are miracle workers this legislative session for having managed to hold Republicans together in opposition to taxes. Maybe so.
Give superintendent what School District needs for success: Tuesday, May 24, 2011; Dwight Jones, the superintendent of the Clark County School District since last fall, will introduce a hard-charging plan this week to improve the education of Las Vegas’ 300,000 students.
New life for Sahara as the state Capitol?: Thursday, May 19, 2011; On the Sahara’s final weekend, I walked into a pathetic scene: A bunched crowd of patrons, arms outstretched, reaching and yelling as employees distributed free T-shirts. It was like something out of a disaster zone where the crowd is pushing up against the relief workers giving out sacks of food. Later, I came up with a classic win-win: We should move the state capital to Las Vegas, and make the Sahara the Capitol building.
Murky math shields mining: Friday, May 13, 2011; At the Legislature, information is power, and on that score, lawmakers are totally overmatched by lobbyists.
Sun can also rise after tax hikes: Thursday, May 12, 2011; Let’s play “Who said it?”
Don't blame unions for our current problems: Wednesday, May 11, 2011; Monday at dinner I overheard some older gentlemen, sipping cocktails, state unequivocally that unions were the cause of the demise of the American automakers.
Choices will have to be made, but what about the firefighters?: Tuesday, May 10, 2011; For several months, I’ve argued that Gov. Brian Sandoval’s plan to balance the state’s budget by cutting funding for teachers, professors, social programs and health care providers would be shortsighted and deeply damaging for all of us, not just recipients of those government services.
Cuts to Medicaid end up hurting you and me: Friday, May 6, 2011; With so much attention on how we’re going to improve our schools and universities by cutting their funding, there’s been too little focus on another policy miracle achieved by Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget: Driving hospitals toward bankruptcy will improve health care.
What state was Sandoval looking at? It couldn't be ours: Thursday, May 5, 2011; Have no worries because all is well! That was the message Tuesday night from Gov. Brian Sandoval as he announced that glimmers of economic recovery are on the horizon.
Educator exemplifies need to support standout teachers: Tuesday, May 3, 2011; In the world of high school forensics, Scott Ginger has built a machine. Ginger teaches English, speech and debate -- and his team recently won a 10th state championship under his direction. This year, 15 of his students are headed to the nationals.
Coolican: Courage to cross a bridge in Selma: Friday, April 29, 2011; The story is well known and oft told: Selma, Ala., March 1965. John Lewis and Hosea Williams and 600 civil rights activists marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They would march to Montgomery for voting rights. First, though, they would be bludgeoned by state troopers. Bloody Sunday.