Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Winning the West — On the Road

  • Latest stories
  • Nevada neighbors turn ideas into economies

    By J. Patrick Coolican, Joe Schoenmann · Aug. 24, 2008 · 2 a.m.

    FORT COLLINS, COLO. — 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.

  • Rethinking the war

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 22, 2008 · 2 a.m.

    ALBUQUERQUE — The Iraq war has defined American politics for most of the decade, but now, with the endless campaign entering the climactic stretch, the war is losing its clarity and importance as an election issue. That is the message from voters in a tightly contested congressional race here that could well serve as a national bellwether.

  • As Democrats fret, Obama gets more direct

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 19, 2008 · 2 a.m.

    ALBUQUERQUE — Democrats are anxious these days. Since Sen. Barack Obama returned from a trip to the Middle East and Europe, he has slipped slightly in the polls and his main opponent, Sen. John McCain, has driven the race onto ground friendlier to the Republican.

  • Minutemen claim softer side

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 19, 2008 · 2 a.m.

    NEAR ARMADO, ARIZ. — The Minutemen want you to know they are humanitarians, and they can be quite persuasive. They say they are not vigilantes or racists. They understand the impulse to come to America, to feed a family. They might do it themselves if they were Mexican.

  • Signs of region’s emerging power found in Arizona

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 17, 2008 · 2 a.m.

    PHOENIX — Beatriz Escalante, a hotel sales manager, paints a grim picture of life in Hispanic communities here, hunkered down and racked with fear. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the long-serving lawman of Phoenix’s Maricopa County, has instituted aggressive tactics aimed at sweeping up illegal immigrants. Arpaio’s teams round up large groups of Hispanics suspected of being in the country illegally. The sweeps inevitably also net legal residents, who are released once it’s determined they belong here.

  • Video
  • New Industries Thrive

    By Matt Toplikar · Aug. 24, 2008 · 7:48 a.m.

    New Industries Thrive

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    On the road to the Democratic National Convention, the Sun looks in to two growth industries in the Intermountain West. New Mexico has recently become a major hot spot for film and television productions, while Colorado is taking advantage of environmentally friendly technology to push its economy forward. (2:51)

  • Iraq Veterans Share Views

    By Matt Toplikar · Aug. 22, 2008 · 9:30 a.m.

    Winning the West

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    Like Las Vegas, Albuquerque, N.M., has an Air Force base and a strong veteran presence. Traveling through New Mexico on the road to the Democratic National Convention, the Sun sat down with two Iraq veterans in the Albuquerque area in order to hear their thoughts on the current war.

  • Mariachi in Tucson

    By Matt Toplikar · Aug. 20, 2008 · 10:50 a.m.

    Winning the West

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    Tucson, Ariz., loves its mariachi music. The town was the original U.S. host of the International Mariachi Conference in 1983. Two legends in Tucson's musical heritage share their thoughts on the town's music education curriculum and tell how the future of Vegas' own mariachi program is being shaped by former Tucson residents.

  • Albuquerque Ladies' Man

    By Matt Toplikar · Aug. 19, 2008 · 9 a.m.

    Winning the West

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    Barack Obama answers questions from a group of Albuquerque women on topics ranging from health care to immigration to the Iraq war.

  • Minuteman

    By Leila Navidi · Aug. 19, 2008 · 8:27 a.m.

    Winning the West

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    The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps believe that the government is failing to enforce the law and protect the border from illegal immigrants. They have taken it upon themselves to observe, record and report illegal activity to the Border Patrol. They gathered last weekend, near the town of Amado, Ariz., 30 miles north of the Mexican border, for what they call a muster.

  • Hispanics Rise in Phoenix

    By Matt Toplikar · Aug. 17, 2008 · 2 a.m.

    Winning the West

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    Like its namesake the mythical bird, which rose to life anew from its ashes, some might argue the city of Phoenix is also being reborn -- with a growing Hispanic population that is emerging from the political fire of strong immigration enforcement.

  • Blogs From the Road
  • Settling in at the convention

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 25, 2008 · 7:49 p.m.

    DENVER -- Sorry reader(s). The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind of trying to get this figured out, and colleague Jon Ralston sums it up: "Assume everything will be a hassle."

  • Converging at the convention

    By Lisa Mascaro · Aug. 24, 2008 · 10:19 a.m.

    Leaving Washington, D.C., this crisp, late-summer morning to join my Winning the West colleagues at the Democratic National Convention in Denver feels like leaving one bubble for another.

  • Obama playing the press negativity with VP timing

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 23, 2008 · 11:07 a.m.

    Announcing Biden in the middle of the night going into a Saturday seemed strange -- note my post Thursday about how people consume less media on Saturday than any other day of the week.

  • Songs of the road

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 22, 2008 · 4:30 p.m.

    WTW soundtrack: Iron and Wine, The Mars Volta, The Decembrists, Bob Dylan, Coltrane, Talking Heads, Sigur Ros, early Beatles, "Oh Brother Where Art Thou."

  • More voters’ views on Iraq

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 22, 2008 · 3:44 p.m.

    Sorry for the light posting today, but we've been busy learning about algae (there's a lot of it, and it can make fuel), seeing what happens to a smoothie made from ice cream and juice concentrate when it sits in a hot minivan (it separates and looks evil), and suffering the effects of altitude sickness (I'd only smoked a half pack and it felt like I'd smoked the whole thing.)

  • The Big Tease

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 21, 2008 · 9:53 p.m.

    Obviously I was wrong about today being VP day. Obama said he's chosen his running mate, but there was no announcement.

  • Cool energy, hot tub

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 21, 2008 · 9:49 p.m.

    We've arrive north of Denver here, to report on how Colorado State is driving economic development with partnerships with some cool energy companies.

  • Viva for the other Vegas

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 21, 2008 · 2:53 p.m.

    We've just spent a few hours in the original Las Vegas and it's much more aptly titled.

  • Obama VP pick expected today

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 21, 2008 · 9:37 a.m.

    It's VP announcement day for Obama, according to a lot of speculation. He's in Virginia, then to Chicago and Springfield, Ill., where he announced 19 months ago. There's a rally in Indiana Saturday. Who will it be?

  • McCain has fun in Las Cruces

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 20, 2008 · 7:31 p.m.

    Campaigns love the local press. Check out this report in the Las Cruces Sun-News after covering Sen. John McCain today.

  • Blogger: Obama whining too much

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 20, 2008 · 3:58 p.m.

    August sure is the cruelest month for Democratic presidential candidates, isn't it?

  • War and peace and green chiles

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 20, 2008 · 3:52 p.m.

    Snooty elitism food criticism interlude. In the lovely historic Old Town here, we just had an incredible meal at La Placita, an historic dining room.

  • Random polling at the gas pumps

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 20, 2008 · 2:21 p.m.

    Our second stop interviewing voters today was a Chevron right near Kirtland Air Force Base.

  • Talking to the voters

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 20, 2008 · 9:29 a.m.

    It's voter day, as the Team WTW (that's Winning the West) interviews residents of Albuquerque and its suburbs.

  • New Mexico attracting TV, film industry

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 19, 2008 · 3:38 p.m.

    We're doing some reporting this week on how other states in the Intermountain West are trying to create vibrant, diverse and sustainable economies. New Mexico started a tax incentive program for the movie business, and it's working quite well, at least measured by the number of movies and TV shows being shot here.

  • Getting the cold shoulder

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 19, 2008 · 3:27 p.m.

    Gov. Bill Richardson is avoiding the Las Vegas Sun again. OK, not really.

  • A lesson for McCain

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 19, 2008 · 3:16 p.m.

    A quick interlude from politics and the Intermountain West.

  • Following up after Obama

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 19, 2008 · 10:54 a.m.

    Check our stories and photos in today's Sun. Yesterday we were with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama here.

  • McCain’s ‘rich’ definition new fodder for Obama attacks

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 18, 2008 · 12:26 p.m.

    Waiting for a second Obama event, and I notice Sun partner Politico's blogger Ben Smith has posted a new line of Obama attack I just witnessed but didn't include in my report.

  • Obama focuses on women’s issues

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 18, 2008 · 11:24 a.m.

    Illinois Sen. Barack Obama just addressed an intimate crowd of mostly women at a library here, focusing on equal pay for equal work.

  • Getting ready for Obama

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 18, 2008 · 9:04 a.m.

    At the public library here, getting ready for an Obama event.

  • Arriving in Albuquerque

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 17, 2008 · 11:16 p.m.

    We've arrived in New Mexico to cooler weather and political ads for Obama, McCain and Republican Senate candidate Steve Pearce, all in fairly heavy rotation as we watch the Olympics.

  • Names matter in presidential pairings

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 17, 2008 · 10:59 a.m.

    Some of my favorite journalism has come out of presidential campaigns and political conventions, especially since 1960, with Theodore White's "The Making the President 1960." As we make our way to Denver and St. Paul, I beg your forgiveness for sharing some of my favorites.

  • Entrepreneurial spirit in the creepy lane

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 17, 2008 · 10:04 a.m.

    A quick interlude from politics and policy in the Intermountain West to report on the amazing entrepreneurial spirit of Americans and how creepy it can be.

  • Politics, driving and déjà vu

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 16, 2008 · 12:56 p.m.

    For the eight people reading our nascent blog, and for the two of those interested in Coolican and his lame-o life-story (mom, dad), here's a fun thing I found on the Internet Archives Wayback Machine.

  • ASU president makes a difference

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 16, 2008 · 12:40 p.m.

    ASU president Michael Crow is a controversial figure here, but for whatever people think of him, there’s no question he’s hard-charging and dynamic.

  • Compare and contrast

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 16, 2008 · 12:23 p.m.

    I heard Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano on the radio the other day.

  • Taking the long view

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 15, 2008 · 5:14 p.m.

    Nevada could use its own Grady Gammage Jr. Everyone I talked to the past few days said I should talk to Gammage, and I now realize why. His father was president of ASU, and he got a Stanford Law degree before becoming a development lawyer (Not everyone is a fan because of this background.)

  • Playing through Peoria

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 15, 2008 · 5:04 p.m.

    More people live in Peoria, Arizona than in Peoria, Illinois.

  • Foreclosure thrill ride on the Web

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 15, 2008 · 3 p.m.

    TUCSON -- A few places had real estate markets as crazy as Vegas the past few years, and Arizona was one of them.

  • More insights on immigration

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 15, 2008 · 2 p.m.

    A few more interesting insights from David Plane, professor of geography at University of Arizona.

  • Democrats and demographics

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 15, 2008 · Noon

    Our trip is really showing the prescience of Thomas Schaller’s book, “Whistling Past Dixie.”

  • This bowler favors taxes and McCain

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 14, 2008 · 5:30 p.m.

    PHOENIX — We went to a bowling alley to meet some transplanted midwesterners. Arizona is filled with them, and unlike years past, when they were mostly snowbirds, a younger crop of people is moving here.

  • Sheriff Joe’s busy broom

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 14, 2008 · 12:37 p.m.

    We waited for a phone call Wednesday from Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s press people. It never came. Arpaio is the long-time sheriff of Maricopa County, which is sort of the Phoenix equivalent of Clark County.

  • A city in need of retrofit

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 14, 2008 · 12:27 p.m.

    Fans of urban planning, let me warn you: Phoenix is not for you. Developers hold great sway. That, combined with a strong property rightsethos, have created a city that is hard to get around, lacking in walkable amenities, and as Sun photographer Leila Navidi nicely put it, "visually incoherant."

  • The West, as Jim Kolbe sees it

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 14, 2008 · 12:24 p.m.

    I talked to Jim Kolbe Wednesday. The former Republican congressman is a true libertarian, a limited government conservative who was also the only openly gay Republican in Congress. Kolbe retired in 2006 and a Democrat won his Tucson district.

  • Arizona’s looming political clash

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 14, 2008 · 11:42 a.m.

    I’ve had two fascinating interviews here in the Phoenix area, one with professor David Plane, a university demographer, and Harry Garewal, who heads up the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

  • Getting to Phoenix the old fashioned way

    By J. Patrick Coolican · Aug. 14, 2008 · 11:34 p.m.

    As we made our way from Las Vegas and the Mojave into the Sonoran Desert on U.S. 93 toward Phoenix, we noticed the greener, more interesting vegetation and the redder and softer hills, and we cursed the gods — and feds — for giving Nevada such a paltry offering.