Joe Schoenmann

Reporter/Clark County

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Story Archive

Plan suggests ways to raise productivity of the too-few park police: Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009; Parks are popular — especially on those days when it isn’t so hot outside that the air hurts. And they’re perhaps more popular during tough economic times, when cheap entertainment is all that some can afford.
Prive enlists lawyer with connections in fight for liquor license: Wednesday, July 29, 2009; As Prive nightclub seeks to regain its liquor license, it will rely on the formidable skills of attorney Jay Brown, who over three decades has earned a reputation as an influential advocate in local government circles.
Tracking workers' presence: In the name of efficiency, county expands its time clock system, leaving some employees disheartened by what they see as a show of mistrust; Tuesday, July 28, 2009; More Clark County hourly employees will punch a time clock to start and end their workdays as officials roll out a plan they say is primarily aimed at streamlining the county’s payroll system.
This fall several departments will start using the Kronos system, which requires employees to swipe ID badges through a timekeeping device. By June 2010 the county will have added 4,600 employees to the system.
Low bidder vows lawsuit over paving contract: Sunday, July 26, 2009; After last week’s tumultuous County Commission hearing during which attorneys for Fisher Sand & Gravel protested losing a highway widening contract to Las Vegas Paving, which bid higher, a Fisher attorney warned a lawsuit will be filed against the county.
Local, state officials square off in blame game on service cuts: Friday, July 24, 2009; Lawmakers finished their work in Carson City weeks ago, but a key debate from the 2009 Legislature continues.
Commission accused of pro-union bias: Lowest bidder not awarded contract because of past violations, Sisolak says; Thursday, July 23, 2009; Current and former members of the Clark County Commission said a Tuesday vote — taking a Beltway-widening contract away from the lowest bidder and giving it to Las Vegas Paving — might set a perilous precedent.
County creating panel to look at spending habits: Tuesday, July 21, 2009; Clark County is looking for volunteers to sit on a 15-member committee that County Commissioner Rory Reid is setting up to look at how the county spends money.
Blue collars may set fashion pace in race to take over Reid’s seat: Sunday, July 19, 2009; County Commission Chairman Rory Reid has not formally announced that he’s leaving the commission to run for governor, but people are lining up to replace him. Among those expressing interest in Reid’s seat are a police officer, former plumber and a former cement truck driver.
County settles on charge for fee-based park use: Friday, July 17, 2009; The owner of the fitness training business Boot Camp Las Vegas said today that she has reached a compromise with the county that allow her to continue using parks for her business while paying the county for the use.
For refusing on givebacks now, will fire union be sorry later?: Wednesday, July 15, 2009; The popular image of brave firefighters running into burning buildings, saving people trapped in wrecked vehicles and rescuing cats in trees has helped their union win enviable salaries and benefits. But experts and local officials say that image could take a hit this week as Clark County firefighters are expected to, in effect, reject the county’s request for wage concessions amid near-record budget shortfalls.
Road study commissioned, just in case: Commission to argue that transportation to nuclear dump threatens public; Sunday, July 12, 2009; The new administration in Washington has assured Nevadans that they can relax — the unopened nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain will stay that way.
In Sunset Park, unfazed fisherman reels in, ties up alligator: Officials say reptile was probably cast-off pet — one that’s illegal here; Tuesday, July 7, 2009; A fisherman angling for catfish in Sunset Park reeled in an alligator Monday morning. Authorities were alerted about 8:30 a.m., and by the time they arrived at the park’s man-made lake, the fisherman had secured the 3 1/2-foot reptile with fishing line.
High-tech photography may be answer to vandalism on trail: Sunday, July 5, 2009; The Clark County Commission will look at a high-tech way to combat graffiti Tuesday, illuminating a connection between vandalism, parks and wasted dollars.
When housing boomed, so did park-building.: Not anymore Mountain’s Edge residents’ angst over plans for regional park may spur change; Friday, July 3, 2009; The recession has taught Las Vegas some lessons: Home prices don’t always go up. Having financing in place before you start building a multibillion-dollar resort is a good idea — to name two.
UMC's bill collections baffle: Commissioner wants to know why hospital in red sees so little of what it's owed; Wednesday, July 1, 2009; University Medical Center is collecting less than 1 percent of its past-due bills, a situation that one county commissioner said needs to be quickly addressed to turn around the financially troubled public hospital. Of the $459 million in past-due debt UMC was owed between October and May, its three collection agencies recovered just $2.9 million, or 0.6 percent, from former patients.
Blame game over financial hit to county is under way: Sunday, June 28, 2009; From the standpoint of Clark County officials, the 2009 Legislature carried out one of the worst government-on-government thefts in state history. Who’s to blame — that is, who beyond the lawmakers who voted to take huge chunks of county tax revenue to balance the state budget?
Fire service could suffer from latest cuts: Sunday, June 28, 2009; Clark County administrators say there is a real possibility the county Fire Department will suggest rolling “brownouts” as a way of coping with the county’s budget woes.
Pay vs. jobs: Firefighters’ raises might be saved by union’s hard line amid budget crunch, but collateral damage looms: Jobs; Friday, June 26, 2009; Clark County firefighters’ unwillingness to give up cost-of-living raises will likely lead to job cuts in the department, officials said. Months of simmering tensions between county officials and the union flared up in recent weeks as administrators ordered another round of budget cuts to address a looming shortfall. Because the raises are part of a collective bargaining contract, the county cannot force the union to accept concessions.
Pinball hall’s move will put it closer to where the tourists are: Sunday, June 21, 2009; One of Las Vegas’ best kept secrets is moving to a place where it might not be so secret anymore. The Pinball Hall of Fame is moving west on Tropicana Avenue, closer to Maryland Parkway, UNLV and tourists from the Strip.
What's the deal with consultant contracts?: Agencies pay tens of thousands of dollars for lobbying and consulting expertise; Saturday, June 20, 2009; Commissioner Steve Sisolak began in January trying to understand the numerous payments to consultants, lobbyists and public relations experts that sometimes require the approval of the Clark County Commission.
Readers come to the rescue: Inspirational story of Las Vegas man touches community; Wednesday, June 17, 2009; Goodwill and generosity aren’t typically the first attributes that come to mind regarding Las Vegas for many outsiders and even for some locals, which makes the altruism of a few people in the case of Carlos Ramirez all the more remarkable.
Hollywood’s attention unwelcome: Retired colonel expects film to give short shrift to military’s exploration of the paranormal; Monday, June 15, 2009; George Clooney portrays a character loosely based on Las Vegas resident John Alexander in a movie coming out this year. But being played by a Hollywood heartthrob isn’t enough to make the retired Army colonel happy with the film.
Fritz Reese, certified sommelier: Monday, June 15, 2009; When Fritz Reese tells people he’s a certified sommelier, the reaction often is raised eyebrows.
Hundreds of vehicles to get GPS devices: Gadgets will show where county workers are, not just help them get there; Sunday, June 14, 2009; Clark County is a few weeks away from finishing the installation of Global Positioning System units in a few hundred more of its vehicles.
Homeowners’ chance to make good on permits: Sunday, June 7, 2009; Do-it-yourselfers in unincorporated Clark County are catching a break. The county has launched a three-month amnesty period for homeowners who did their own remodeling or fix-ups without necessary permits.
For disabled marathoner, saving home is toughest test: Friday, June 5, 2009; Because he finishes marathons despite being a hobbled survivor of strokes and heart attacks, Carlos Ramirez has been celebrated as the man who never gives up.
Commission gives blessing for 80-acre movie compound: Thursday, June 4, 2009; The man who founded the Oakley sunglasses company has his eye on creating a camera manufacturing plant and movie studio in the Las Vegas Valley. Jim Jannard was listed in 2008 by Forbes magazine as the 134th-richest man in the U.S. with about $3 billion in assets.
Prosecutors say they’ll dig in to fight for 3% raises: New lawyers in office, other county workers to get 1 percent; Sunday, May 31, 2009; Clark County firefighters are no longer alone in refusing to reduce scheduled pay raises to help Clark County taxpayers fill a $123 million budget gap.
Firefighters feeling budget backlash: Thursday, May 28, 2009; Once upheld as selfless, county firefighters are now being called selfish by some.
State budget fallout: Family Services braces for layoffs: Sunday, May 24, 2009; The county is almost certain to lay off employees to balance its budget. One of the first areas to be hit is likely to be the Family Services Department.
State wants to raid where county says is best: Alternative to property tax grab to be considered; Wednesday, May 20, 2009; In a curious turn of events, Assembly leaders said late Tuesday afternoon they will work with Clark County administrators on an alternative to the state’s plan to take roughly $60 million from the county’s general fund.
State may add to cost of firefighters: Bill would hike workers’ comp benefits for cancer detection, treatment, at county’s expense; Sunday, May 17, 2009; Clark County firefighters have not given back any pay raises to help offset a $123 million county budget hole. Yet state lawmakers took a step last week to reward them with a new benefit for cancer treatment.
City, county may lose say in police pay negotiations: Under amendment, union would talk with sheriff only; Saturday, May 16, 2009; Under a last-minute amendment approved by a Senate committee Friday, the union that represents Metro Police would negotiate contracts directly with the sheriff, barring from bargaining sessions representatives of Las Vegas and Clark County, which fund the police department.
Lawmakers eye revenue that would fracture county’s finances: Wednesday, May 13, 2009; County coffers have become a favorite target of the Legislature this session. Lawmakers cast several votes recently on measures that would either move county revenue to the state or shift costs from the state to the county.
Fire union-county flap reverberates: Lobbyist’s letter doesn’t completely back remarks he made at legislative hearing; Sunday, May 10, 2009; Sparks are still flying from the legislative hearing last week at which the president of the Clark County firefighters union made startling allegations against Clark County administrators.
Laws on keeping poultry vary, but prepare to seek neighbors’ consent: Saturday, May 9, 2009; Chicken laws vary across the valley. In Henderson, you can keep chickens but not within 350 feet of another dwelling unless that neighbor gives you written permission.
Jobless man's solution: Raise chickens: His idea was simple, it was county approval that was complicated; Saturday, May 9, 2009; Unemployed construction manager Rodney Balinski’s partial solution to his personal economic crisis seemed simple and logical enough to him: more chickens. But what’s common sense in the country doesn’t always work in the city, and winning permanent resident status for the 50 cluckers in Balinski’s back yard at the far southern end of the Las Vegas Valley wound up taking seven months. He was confronted with a lot of snickering along the way. The Senate majority leader’s receptionist was one of the many people who found his problem funny. He’s also tired of being stereotyped.
County, fire union break ice with heated words: Thursday, May 7, 2009; The rift between Clark County officials and the county firefighters union broke into open conflict Wednesday. The union’s leaders, stung by criticism that they have not offered to help close the $126 million county budget gap by offering concessions similar to those from police and other unions, claimed they had indeed told the county they would give up pay and benefits.
Gains in child protection threatened: Legislators poised to strip funding at critical time, county official says; Thursday, May 7, 2009; The state’s plan to cut $2.25 million from Clark County’s efforts to protect children comes at a time when more kids are dying from abuse or neglect.
Full-time status proposal off the table: Sunday, May 3, 2009; The position of Clark County commissioner is classified as a part-time job, but lots of people say it should be full-time. Why did a bill that would have made commissioners full-timers die?
Bill that called for more lawyers for children might be dead: Wednesday, April 29, 2009; The state senator who authored a bill that aimed to strengthen legal services for abused and neglected children now wants the bill shelved.
Firefighters have perks to give back, if they wanted to: County’s compensation package has many parts; Wednesday, April 29, 2009; Clark County firefighters find themselves in the spotlight lately because they have not agreed to give up any scheduled salary increases to fill the county’s budget gap.
Staff backing, low bid fail to win job: Commissioners pick local company for northern beltway paving project; Sunday, April 26, 2009; The Clark County Commission made an unusual move during last week’s meeting — and the result is a lawsuit and a lot of questions.
Shortfall looms large as fire union holds out: Trim the budget elsewhere, president says, and leave rank and file out of it; Thursday, April 23, 2009; County officials hoping to finalize their budget by mid-May are frustrated that they aren’t even close to getting concessions from the firefighters union to help curtail a $114 million shortfall.
It pays EMTs to dot I's and cross T's: In Vegas, they get bonus for proper paperwork, but city touts savings; Wednesday, April 22, 2009; Las Vegas pays its paramedics and EMTs a bonus said to be unique — for properly filling out paperwork. Those payments totaled more than $600,000 last year, and Clark County officials are worried the emergency workers in their fire department will try to copy their city colleagues.
Cuts put focus on cost of rides across parking lot: Monday, April 20, 2009; One lonely government worker faced east on the sidewalk lining the Clark County Government Center Friday at 3 p.m. waiting for the bus — the shuttle bus that would take her from the front of the county building to her car, a few minutes’ walk away in the parking lot.
No fair! Weather, economy take toll: Attendance, food sales by vendors declined at annual event in Logandale; Sunday, April 19, 2009; How did the Clark County Fair and Rodeo in Logandale do? Not so good. It rained on Saturday, it was a holiday weekend (Easter Sunday) and the economy is running at a low ebb.
At county home sale, a hunt for bargains: When tax-delinquent properties reach end of line, plenty are waiting; Friday, April 17, 2009; The fire sale atmosphere in the usually staid Clark County Commission chambers belied the seriousness of what was happening Thursday morning.
Six questions for Michael John Pappageorge, Billy Joel tribute artist: Wednesday, April 15, 2009; Close your eyes and you might swear it’s Billy Joel. But it’s not and the lyrics aren’t about New York.
No concessions yet from firefighters: Two other unions have agreed to trim raises in face of budget crisis; Sunday, April 12, 2009; After obtaining salary concessions from two unions, county administrators are struggling to broker a deal with a third — the county firefighters union.