Joe Schoenmann

Reporter/Clark County

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Recent Stories (view all stories)

Commissioner grills officials on bid process: Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009; The wrangling over bids for county contracts continues to be an issue for county commissioners — and provided one of them with a “Perry Mason” moment during last week’s meeting.
County considers suing over travel Web site room taxes: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009; As other parts of the country win tens of millions of dollars in court judgments against online tourism companies, Clark County commissioners are talking about following suit. At issue is the amount of hotel room taxes paid by online travel sites.
Competition for county work worth a look?: Commissioners say maybe, but they raise several questions; Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009; The “runaway” costs of unionized employees have municipalities across the nation considering “managed competition,” which forces public employee unions to compete for their public jobs.
Pay increase is only for some under DA: As court reinstates raises of most-senior prosecutors, it takes away pay hikes for their lowest-paid colleagues; Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009; Clark County’s highest paid prosecutors are getting the raises they fought for this year, but their less experienced colleagues are paying the price.
Likely cost of state mandate on marking sewer lines: $700,000: Two high-tech trucks that would find sewer laterals carry that price tag; Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009; Laterals have to be located and marked due to a law passed by the 2009 Legislature. A lateral is the pipe that extends from the sewer main in the middle of the street to a home or business. Homes in other states have exploded when those sewer laterals were accidentally breached and the gas was sparked.
Budget cuts could thin the ranks of foster parents: State budget squeeze spurs county to propose lower stipends for families; Friday, Oct. 30, 2009; Having taken in some 200 foster children over the past 11 years, Jeanmarie Schirling knows the rewards of providing a safe home and some measure of joy to children who have known so little happiness.
Sabra Smith-Newby, Clark County Director Of Administrative Services: The county's chief in-house lobbyist on the state's brutal legislative session; Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009; A soft-spoken Clark County employee was in the middle of the no-holds-barred brawl between Clark County and the state Legislature this year, when the state was trying to take the county’s money and the county was trying to keep it.
Employees get OK to switch unions — and 3% raises: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009; With no comment, Clark County commissioners approved what amounts to about 3 percent raises for 16 employees of the Clark County Fire Department last week.
Commissioners keep park for disabled off funding list: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009; An effort to build a park for people with disabilities was set back this week when county officials decided not to put it on a federal funding list despite Sen. John Ensign’s all but guaranteeing he would secure millions more to get the park completed.
Low bidder loses out to county workforce: One commissioner calls decision ‘ridiculous,’ says process undermines concept of free enterprise; Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009; In what one Clark County commissioner called a classic example of the sometimes ridiculous way government operates, the county solicited and opened bids for a project only to decide Tuesday to do the work in-house at a higher cost. The county has about 40,000 manholes, which the county calls “access structures” because “manhole” is politically incorrect.