Joe Schoenmann

Reporter/ Las Vegas City Hall

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Story Archive

What’s a desert tortoise worth?: Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008; Some people think it’s a waste to spend a lot of money and time on desert tortoises.
Swinging Vegas entrepreneur to get his day in court: Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008; The courts are going to get a chance to determine the legality of sex clubs in Las Vegas. At the very least, a judge will be asked to determine whether swinger David Cooper is right when he says Clark County is out to get him.
Duo target tax breaks to attract businesses: Assemblywomen suspect they sap needed revenue, which the state then must make up; Monday, Sept. 1, 2008; The dynamic duo that two years ago fought to scale back the green building tax breaks are gearing up for what could be an even bigger war, one that will pit the Legislature against Clark County and city halls across the state.
County’s double-checking feds’ work on Yucca: Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008; The Clark County Commission occasionally approves contracts for tens of thousands of dollars to do work relating to Yucca Mountain.
HISTORY HITS HOME AS OBAMA ACCEPTS: In Vegas, cheers rise, tears fall for first black nominee; Friday, Aug. 29, 2008; For its strident politics and passion and the history of the moment, Sen. Barack Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday enthralls his supporters at an overflowing — and tearful — TV watching party and brings deep satisfaction to a veteran civil rights activist and her niece watching quietly in their living room.
The Kelleys, charitable cat lovers: Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008; A Sun story prompted Audrey and Charlie Kelley to start a $5,000 matching fund campaign for the Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary.
Maimed at bus stop, she makes plea: Double amputee tells board increased safety ‘shouldn’t take this long’; Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008; Most meetings of the county’s Bus Shelter and Bench Advisory Committee are largely filled with functionary paper shuffling, staff reports on bench widths and notes on bus stops for the next biennium.
Nevada neighbors turn ideas into economies: In Colorado, universities cultivate research to grow companies; Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008; W. S. Sampath was at a loss. The Indian-born professor of engineering at Colorado State University had just been told that he had a great idea for manufacturing solar panels more cheaply but he needed a business plan to turn it into something that would sell.
Why slump could be a good thing: Valley needs timeout to consider quality-of-life design; Friday, Aug. 22, 2008; For the valley, the housing market downturn is also an opportunity. Not for people seeking to buy low and profit later, but for those who believe urban planners need a chance to rethink the design of our suburbs.
This swinger feels persecuted: Owner of Sextasy wants license, fights eviction; Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008; David Cooper says he and his wife and their girlfriend have for years been trying to find a “nice” establishment in which to have group sex with strangers.
Six Questions for Daryl Thome, Member, Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Advisory Committee: Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008; Daryl Thome is an expert on nuclear issues. He responded to the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant disaster three decades ago and worked for the Environmental Protection Agency at the Nevada Test Site for many years.
McCarran postponing $348 million in improvements: Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008; Responding to ailing airlines’ requests that McCarran International Airport cut costs, the Clark County Commission today agreed to defer $348 million in capital improvement projects. Airport officials said they will ask the commission to reconsider the improvements in 2012.
Those smog tests really do matter: Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008; Decades ago, the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Fremont Street was infamous — to air quality experts. It was known for having the valley’s highest concentration of poisonous carbon monoxide during during the winter.
She’d ‘legalize’ feral cats to save them: Commissioner proposes code to help groups record, sterilize, vaccinate felines; Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008; Because the yowling ranks of feral felines are growing as financially strapped people abandon their pets, a self-described “dog person” on the Clark County Commission is pushing for a code change to stop stray cats from overrunning neighborhoods.
Trekkie mecca headed for new galaxy: Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008; What does an Earth-bound Klingon do for work when her day job at Star Trek: The Experience ends? Shouldn’t she commit the ritualized suicide required of Klingons who are no longer able to fight?
Measuring population in moving boxes: Fewer people need them of late, another indicator of slowing growth; Monday, Aug. 4, 2008; Early last week, as he prepared to move back to California, Steve Saltzman sold a competitor what was left of his once thriving enterprise — at a going-out-of-business price.
Told you, critics of arena plan say: They say sales pitch for site shows intent all along was to flip; Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008; In a move that has critics crying foul, the brokerage TR Las Vegas, who convinced property owners to sell 56 acres to REI Neon to build an arena, wants to sell all those acres — together or piecemeal — to whoever wants to buy them.
NEW HEARTLAND: Brookings report predicts Nevada, nearby states will be American powerhouse ...: ... if they work together to solve problems; Sunday, July 20, 2008; Nevada and four other states are poised to become a new American heartland, largely because of rapid growth combined with economic and demographic changes in five “megametro” areas including Las Vegas, a Brookings Institution report released today says.
We have big challenges to tackle: LAS VEGAS: We’ve got unique assets, but we lag in education, water, transportation, wages; Sunday, July 20, 2008; Greater Las Vegas figures prominently in the new Brookings Institution report, “Mega Metros: A Federal Partnership to Enhance the Intermountain West’s New Urban and Economic Reality.”
WHAT IT RECOMMENDS: Involvement by the federal government is a big part of the suggestions in the Brookings Institution’s report: Sunday, July 20, 2008; he Brookings Institution’s study examining problems faced by the West’s emerging “mega-metropolitan areas,” such as the Las Vegas Valley, zeros in on several key areas on which the think tank highlights problems and makes recommendations, including:
Fiercest UFC fighter isn’t in the ring: Fan with disability helped change access rules, now writes for sport’s Web site; Tuesday, July 15, 2008; Eight years ago, Thomas & Mack Center security guards wouldn’t let Stephen Quinn’s motorized wheelchair roll across the floor level of the arena citing concerns about fire hazards. These days, he never has to worry whether he will find a seat.
How we can prevent bus stop deaths: Barriers, more distance from road could help protect in crashes like Monday’s; Wednesday, July 9, 2008; By 10 a.m. Monday, the broken skeleton of the bus stop had been carted away. And there was nothing left to indicate a woman had been fatally struck there five hours earlier.
City mulls downtown land sale at cut rate: Deal before council would transfer acreage to Lady Luck developer; Wednesday, July 2, 2008; Las Vegas officials want to sell downtown property to the new owners of the Lady Luck for tens of millions of dollars less than what the city’s appraisers say the land is worth.
The good in gas prices: Miles driven are down, and so are deaths in traffic accidents; Tuesday, July 1, 2008; The high cost of gasoline may be killing the economy, but it also may be saving lives. Over roughly the first half of this year, fewer drivers are using state highways, and fewer people are dying on those roads.
For the long term, there’s optimism about sports arena: Sunday, June 22, 2008; Last summer, two groups were rushing to be first to build a Las Vegas arena.
Expensive commuting not holding the charm: Gas price spike could bode ill for an outlying place like Coyote Springs; Thursday, June 19, 2008; If, as some expect, gas tops $5 a gallon by the end of the year, the pain at the pump could make some rethink buying a home in “exurbs” distant from their region’s major hub — something happening in Southern California and elsewhere across the nation.
plz send PR help!!: The governor needs to enlist spin doctors in text-a-tete scandal, crisis managers say; Friday, June 13, 2008; If ever a governor needed some good PR, it would be the sore-thumbed Jim Gibbons. Crisis management experts on both coasts conceded that a married governor’s attempt to defend 867 text messages exchanged — some in the very early-morning hours — with a married woman as harmless chatter between friends would challenge the most skilled public relations strategists.
For Vegas, this low average is a good thing: Thursday, June 12, 2008; The Brookings Institution report ranks Las Vegas in the upper echelon of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas in terms of the relatively small “carbon footprint” it creates, the few miles its residents drive and the relatively small disparity between upper- and lower-income workers.
Ivanpah planning forges ahead: To not account for future needs? ‘Irresponsible,’ airport chief says; Monday, June 9, 2008; McCarran International Airport chief Randy Walker publicly aired his worries recently about an empty patch of desert 25 miles away that one day is expected to become a major airport.
New vows for old wedding chapel: Garden of Love transformed amid handbiller crackdown; Monday, June 9, 2008; This is no longer the chapel that Cheryl Luell built.
Casino plan may survive arena’s death: Friday, May 30, 2008; The casual stance of opposing attorneys during a Thursday hearing spoke volumes about the REI Neon arena project — which is good news for the Culinary Workers Union and a group of concerned residents, both of which are fighting the project.
Fifth Street School soon to brim with students of the arts: Renovations nearing completion; Thursday, May 29, 2008; It could have ended up just another Las Vegas story, a memory faded from disuse, forgotten by the hordes of residents coming and going, then finally falling victim to the wrecking ball.
Library District has fallout with its Friends: Audit request leads to hard feelings, legal battle both sides may regret; Thursday, May 22, 2008; Although they don’t agree on much else on the subject, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District and a group that for 34 years has supported it concede that the squabble between them is in no way worth the $44,000 in legal fees they have spent fighting each other.
Disney takes another pass at Vegas with filming of ‘Witch Mountain’: Monday, May 12, 2008; The Disney-fication of Las Vegas was a short-lived ’90s phenomenon meant to ensnare Baby Boomer parents by giving their children things to do at video arcades, theme parks and rides.
Fremont East shows signs of regaining momentum: After a splashy start, development of the entertainment district stalled; Saturday, May 10, 2008; With great fanfare eight months ago, Las Vegas hailed the rebirth of East Fremont Street with a street party and the lighting of sparkling new neon.
Council finds soft spot for needy: Group may share ‘special events’ funds with elderly poor; Friday, May 9, 2008; Las Vegas City Council members soon may trade in a fraction of their “special events” budgets, typically spent on parties, luncheons and gifts, for something arguably much more important: subsidized meals for thousands of the city’s poorest seniors.
Ross’ green light has shades of gray: Just-released opinion warns of potential conflicts; Monday, May 5, 2008; Almost a year after Steven Ross was given the nod to work as a union lobbyist while serving on the Las Vegas City Council, the Nevada Ethics Commission has released a written version of that advisory opinion.
Surprise! Strip’s an urban place: It wasn’t planned that way, but now it’s being copied worldwide; Saturday, May 3, 2008; Some suprised urban planners were jolted into derisive chortles, but the more than 1,000 planning specialists listening to the Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger last week had difficulty dismissing his argument that the rest of the world is learning from Las Vegas.
Planning official up in arms over putdowns of Las Vegas: Saturday, May 3, 2008; Las Vegas Planning Director Margo Wheeler bristled at the distinguished architecture critic’s digs at her city. When he finished, she hurried to the stage to confront Paul Goldberger — nicely.
Our concentration of resorts is cited as economic model: Brookings Institution: Clustering similar businesses key to success; Friday, May 2, 2008; Las Vegas’ success in becoming a nexus of entertainment and gambling is a model that American cities would do well to emulate in other businesses, a new Brookings Institution report concludes.
Parkway route cuts 22-mile path: Preservationists, residents lining up to weigh in on corridor; Sunday, April 27, 2008; A battle now taking shape in the northern reaches of the Las Vegas Valley has been more than 40 years in the making.
Senator thinks case of masseuse who got citation was mishandled: Hundreds have petitioned to repeal or change law; Saturday, April 26, 2008; Help may be on the way for a woman who pleaded with the Las Vegas City Council two weeks ago about her massage career being ruined by a potentially unjust citation by undercover Metro Police vice officers.
Gender law a pain in the neck for massage therapists: Thursday, April 24, 2008; If you travel to clients’ homes and work independently, you can massage only persons of the same sex. Get caught massaging the neck of someone of the opposite sex and you could find yourself out of business.
Many out of luck if arena site heads south: Landowners signed sale agreements that may become moot; Wednesday, April 23, 2008; Rita Martin certainly didn’t start spending money she didn’t have in her hands yet when she joined dozens of downtown Las Vegas property owners who signed an agreement last year to sell their property to a would-be arena developer.
Code proposes, city disposes: Council agrees to most requests made by developers, review finds; Sunday, April 20, 2008; Whatever image the developers hoped to evoke by naming their plan Providence Square, northwest valley residents find little providential about a project that, to many, has become synonymous with bad growth.
Other cities take hardline stance on zoning changes: Sunday, April 20, 2008; In Lake Oswego, Ore., it’s the city’s way or the highway.
Downtown arena site may have moved, but to where?: Tuesday, April 15, 2008; Though Mayor Oscar Goodman has talked for weeks about the possibility of a sports arena’s moving from a planned location near Charleston Boulevard and Main Street, no firm alternative has been put forth.
Clinics pay up, avoid facing angry patients: No-shows at Las Vegas hearing leave many in audience frustrated; Tuesday, April 8, 2008; There were no beads of sweat from twitchy witnesses. No one was sworn in only to take the Fifth to avoid self-incrimination. And there were no tough questions from accusatory lawyers, no grandstanding by politicians.
Desai expected to skip hearing: Despite city subpoena, clinic owner has little to gain by attending; Monday, April 7, 2008; Las Vegas city marshals will be on hand in the event emotions become too heated. Members of the City Council will make a special appearance. And a large crowd is expected to pass through a metal detector to get into council chambers this afternoon.
Preservationist plans fundraiser here to boost Vegas image in D.C.: Sunday, April 6, 2008; The idea of Las Vegas as a hub of preservation or even a place where the community actively thinks about saving old buildings — well, let’s just say it’s strange.