Nevada on Tuesday May 06, 2008

Archive of Nevada on Tuesday May 06, 2008

Governor pitches tax amnesty plan
By Brendan Riley, The Associated Press, Nevada Appeal (Carson City)
Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons announced plans Monday for an amnesty program for businesses that are delinquent on at least $69 million in taxes that, if paid, could help the state deal with a looming revenue shortfall of more than $900 million.
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Nurses unions' showdown starts today
By Tony Cook, Michael Mishak, Las Vegas Sun
The reputation of one of Nevada's largest unions is on the line as 1,100 registered nurses at three St. Rose Dominican hospitals vote today and Wednesday on whether to retain the Service Employees International Union as their bargaining representative -- or join a rival union.
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Candidate filing starts in Nevada
By Brendan Riley, The Associated Press, Nevada Appeal (Carson City)
A two-week window for candidate filing opened Monday, and dozens Nevada incumbents and political hopefuls showed up to pay their fees and sign up for various legislative and congressional seats.
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Will states fix 2012 primary process?
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

While voters in Indiana and North Carolina go to the polls today (May 6) to help Democrats pick Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama as their nominee and Republicans rally behind John McCain, party insiders and state election officials are in informal talks to improve the presidential nominating contests for 2012 and beyond.
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Gasoline tax holiday out of reach in Nevada
By Francis McCabe, Las Vegas Review-Journal (registration)
Motorists in three states, including Nevada, might never see the savings of the gasoline tax holiday touted by two presidential candidates.
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Teamsters may undercut members
By J. Patrick Coolican and Michael Mishak, Las Vegas Sun
Members of Teamsters Local 631 complain their union is colluding with major convention center contractors to wean them of union labor, a suspicion that has spurred efforts to replace local Teamster leadership with a slate of insurgent candidates.
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Food prices on a roll
By Ellen Simon, The Associated Press, Portland Press Herald
Americans may be getting another helping of food inflation, thanks to higher prices for chicken and pork.
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Demand for energy assistance grows in Nevada
By The Associated Press, Nevada Appeal (Carson City)
RENO, Nev. - State social services agencies say more people are seeking help in paying their utility bills at a time when energy assistance programs are facing a shortfall.
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Seven high schools could start drug tests
By Emily Richmond, Las Vegas Sun
Just four months after a high school in Henderson became the state?s first public campus to randomly test student-athletes for drugs and alcohol, the Clark County School District is planning to expand the program.
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Nevada governor's divorce file sealed
By Brendan Riley, The Associated Press, Nevada Appeal (Carson City)
Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, who filed Friday for divorce and for an order ousting the first lady from the governor's mansion, got a court ruling Monday sealing the files in the case and providing for a closed-door trial.
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Planned coal plant gives up its water source
By Phoebe Sweet, Las Vegas Sun
A canceled contract for water could signal trouble for a coal-fired power plant planned for the Mesquite area.
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For Nevada GOP, one spectacle too many
By Steve Friess, The Washington Post (registration)
LAS VEGAS - In this state known for quickie divorces, the slow, increasingly acrimonious dissolution of the governor's marriage is becoming a public spectacle nearly as absorbing a show on the Strip but far more politically significant.
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Judge agrees to keep Nevada governor's divorce file sealed
By Brendan Riley, The Associated Press, The Washington Post (registration)
CARSON CITY, Nev. - Gov. Jim Gibbons won a court ruling Monday sealing files in his divorce case and ordering a closed-door trial.
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No rehearing sought on utility refund
By The Associated Press, Nevada Appeal (Carson City)
The Nevada Tax Commission voted Monday to not seek a rehearing of a recent state Supreme Court ruling that canceled a $40 million tax refund to a utility because the commission's vote for the refund was taken in an illegal closed-door meeting.
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Divorce proceedings - First lady holds onto role
By Ed Vogel, Las Vegas Review-Journal (registration)
Dawn Gibbons will continue to perform all the functions befitting Nevada's first lady despite her pending divorce from Gov. Jim Gibbons, her lawyer said Monday.
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Given $50,000, he decides to run
By David McGrath Schwartz, Las Vegas Sun
Steve Nathan hadn?t thought about running for public office. Then some friends and business associates approached him about a state Senate seat.
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Ohio Dems talking impeachment after AG refuses to resign
By Julie Carr Smyth, The Associated Press, The Washington Post (registration)
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Risking impeachment, Ohio's attorney general on Monday refused demands from the governor and other fellow Democrats that he resign over a sexual harassment scandal in his office and an affair with a subordinate.
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Oh say, is that banner made in the U.S.A.?
By Kim Mendelsohn, Special to Stateline.org
Lawmakers in 10 states have taken steps to require that American flags bought with state funds be manufactured in this country. While not all the legislation has passed, one state’s new law even bans the sale of foreign-made American flags in that state.
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Fairness of death-penalty panels questioned
By John Gramlich, Stateline.org Staff Writer
Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views.
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WORTH NOTING: Voters' guide promotes phone sex
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer
An Oregon voters’ guide lists a very wrong number. California’s governor insults rural legislators. And Pennsylvania considers selling wine in vending machines. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in.
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Parents turn to states for autism help
By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org Staff Writer
(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs.

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With justices' OK, voter ID moves ahead
By Daniel C. Vock and John Gramlich, Stateline.org Staff Writers
A decision Monday (April 28) by the U.S. Supreme Court to let Indiana demand photo identification from voters paves the way for other states to do the same during November’s presidential election, experts say.
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More states offer choice in long-term care
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
More states are poised to offer a successful alternative to traditional Medicaid plans that allows elders and the disabled to avoid moving to a nursing facility by hiring friends, neighbors or family members to look after them in their own homes.
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Credit crunch hits states' college loans
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer

(Updated 11:55 a.m. EDT, April 23, 2008)

The credit crisis has led some state lending agencies to suspend their federal and private student loan programs, forcing thousands of students to search elsewhere for money to pay for college.

Partisan mix in R.I., Conn. poses challenges
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

The blue states of Connecticut and Rhode Island have had a long tradition of electing Republican governors. But in both states, the combination has led at times to difficult — even chaotic — policymaking.
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Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

For the past several election cycles, the Democrats have been on a roll in legislative elections. This year, the party is well-positioned to hold its majority of chambers — but greatly expanding Democratic control may not be in the cards.

Governors pitch ambitious programs
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.

'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

The national polls point to a tight presidential race in November. But Democrats have a bit more to cheer about than Republicans do, regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, according to the latest state-by-state electoral-vote projections by “Out There.”
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Legislators prod Congress on Medicaid, Real ID
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer
As some states tumble into what they fear is a recession, state lawmakers from across the country are pushing Congress for relief from impending federal rules that would force states to pick up more Medicaid costs and spend billions to make drivers’ licenses more secure.
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