White House

CARSON CITY – As GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval prepares to deliver remarks in Tampa at the Republican National Convention tomorrow, the three GOP members of Nevada’s Congressional delegation are staying close to home.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, who is facing a tough election battle against Rep. Shelley Berkley, will still be following the convention from afar, however.

RENO – Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney went on the attack against President Obama today in a speech to attendees of the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention here, criticizing him for national security leaks, weak foreign policy and a failure to seize on political opportunities in such countries as Iran.

Romney, speaking to the same group that Obama addressed on Monday, spent his 27-minute talk focusing on his foreign policy views and the need to maintain a strong military presence.

Services for legendary radio commentator Travus T. Hipp will be held this Saturday, May 26, in Silver City. Hipp died early Friday morning, May 18, at his Silver City home. He was 75, as old as the Golden Gate Bridge in his beloved San Francisco.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 26, in Silver City. Gathering, gnoshing and remembering will begin at the Silver City Community Center, 385 High Street, at 10:00 a.m. Food and refreshments will be provided. Those who wish may bring more.

RENO – President Barack Obama made a brief stopover here today, visiting with a couple who refinanced their home through a White House initiative helping underwater homeowners who have government-backed loans.

After meeting with Paul and Valerie Keller, Obama urged Congress to expand the Home Affordable Refinancing Program (HARP) to other mortgages as well.

SPARKS — An impassioned motion to revoke credentials for more than 300 delegates who arrived after the meeting began. Heated questions about the presence of guests and whether they were voting. An angry motion to remove the convention chairman. And that was just for starters.

More than 1,600 county delegates today gathered at the Nevada Republican Party convention in Sparks in a meeting that fluctuated between contentiousness and relative calm as the hours rolled on.

CARSON CITY – A new report questions the value of tax incentives and regulations approved by many states around the country, including Nevada, to create “green jobs,” noting that subsidies used for such programs can take away revenue for other needs such as public education.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today named James Guthrie, currently the senior fellow and director of education policy studies at the George W. Bush Institute in Dallas, Texas, as Nevada’s new public schools chief.

CARSON CITY – About 500 Republicans in the capital city participated in the First in the West GOP caucus today, hearing from candidate representatives and learning the rules as early returns suggested favorite Mitt Romney would win the contest handily.

Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich were battling for second place.

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., the new representative for the 2^nd Congressional District, urged caucus goers to support the GOP nominee whoever it might be if they truly want change in Washington, DC.

RENO – Former Sparks resident and George W. Bush presidential adviser Karl Rove predicted today the both houses of Congress will go Republican in the November general election, but said the presidential election is up in the air even with President Barack Obama’s low approval ratings.

LAS VEGAS – President Obama will today announce he is expanding a federal aid program to allow more homeowners to refinance their mortgages at today’s low interest rates, said White House officials this morning.

When he visits Las Vegas on Oct. 24, President Barack Obama will continue his nationwide tour urging Congress to pass the Americans Jobs Act, his $450 billion plan to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
“Pass this jobs bill, and there will be funding to save the jobs of up to 13,000 North Carolina teachers, cops, and firefighters,” Obama said earlier this month to thousands of supporters at North Carolina State University.

Gov. Brian Sandoval on Tuesday endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry's candidacy for president."Our nation needs a leader in the White House who understands the role of government and our economy," Sandov...

Gov. Brian Sandoval Tuesday endorsed Texas Governor Rick Perry's candidacy for President."Our nation needs a leader in the White House who understands the role of government and our economy," he sa...

NORTH LAS VEGAS — Gov. Mitt Romney on Tuesday presented a detailed economic plan he said would generate 11.5 million new jobs, lead to 4 percent annual growth, and turn America into a “job machine.”
Romney made a point of saying he would be speaking without a teleprompter before addressing a crowd of over 300 at McCandless International Trucks in North Las Vegas, a city struggling due to high unemployment rates and municipal budget troubles.

CARSON CITY — Gov. Brian Sandoval today praised a federal appeals court ruling that struck down the so-called “individual mandate” in federal health care legislation.

CARSON CITY – Nevada state Democrats today called on Republican presidential candidates to disclose the names of their campaigns’ major fundraisers – known as bundlers – in the name of transparency.
President Barack Obama on July 15 released his list of major fundraisers, which he also did in 2008. The disclosure is not required by the Federal Elections Commission.

CARSON CITY – Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., announced today he will back a spending reduction plan put forth by House Speaker John Boehner because it proposes a balanced budget amendment that will protect the United States’ AAA credit rating.
A vote on the plan scheduled for today was delayed, however.

Editor's note: This is a letter to the editor submitted to the Nevada Appeal last month that they chose not to run.

Dear Editor,

Is it the policy of the Nevada Appeal to print demonstrably false attacks on the editorial page? I'm referring to the letter to the editor on June 25 that claims, "There is incontrovertible proof that an ineligible usurper sits in the White House."

It's been a couple of weeks since I wrote about our local GOP candidate for Congress Mark Amodei and his politically opportunistic attempt to shed his moderate past and prove he's just as crazy as the other Tea Party people by declaring he would vote against raising the debt ceiling.

RENO - Republican Ron Paul said Thursday that his criticism of U.S. fiscal policy and opposition to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are much more popular views today than they were during his unsucces...

DJ Eagle Bear Vanas, a motivational speaker and storyteller who is also an Odawa Indian, will talk at Western Nevada College Carson City campus on Saturday, April 30, 10:30 a.m.
He will present "Success.....It's in our Blood," at Sarah Winnemucca Hall, Aspen Building, in a free event that is open to both students and the community.

Courtesy of GrandViewOutdoors.com
Abetted by last summer's record flooding, Asian carp are continuing their advance up the Big Sioux and other Missouri River tributaries, as researchers and wildlife officials gear up to deal with the invasion.
"They're here, so the big question is, how many are we going to get?'' said Brian Graeb, an assistant professor in South Dakota State University's wildlife and fisheries department.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today he had productive meetings in Washington, DC, including talks with federal officials about clearing the way for permits to be approved so mining companies can expand and hire more workers.
Sandoval said there are several permits awaiting action that mining officials have told him could lead to the creation of 1,000 high-paying jobs in rural Nevada.
Creating jobs in Nevada is Sandoval’s top priority as governor. Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation and ranks first in home foreclosures as well.

At least 24 million people in the U.S. struggle with addiction to alcohol and other drugs. The good news is that millions in recovery stand as evidence that there is hope – people can stop using, reconnect with family, and go on to productive, happy lives. The Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey is one group promoting the fact that recovery is possible, prevention works and treatment is effective.

Rarely has a Nevada senatorial race received the nationwide attention this year’s has. Of course, there’s the old pro versus the new pro — Harry Reid and Sharron Angle. Both have been around the barn a number of times, she in the Nevada Legislature and Harry in all kinds of jobs, most currently, of course, Senate majority leader.

Seems a lot of Nevadans are unhappy with Harry, mostly because he is now an insider, carrying out President Obama’s programs as any majority leader would be forced to do if it’s his party in the White House.

The Obama Internet policy is taking a bit of a different turn besides calling for increased internet connection accessibility. Currently, the Obama administration and law enforcement and security agencies are pushing for new regulations of the Internet and the telecommunications industry. If these new laws pass, it will grant the government greater access for surveillance purposes. Washington already has accessibility to a broad array of communications for monitoring purposes, and this will expand that access.

With veiled threats to the governors of Nevada and several other states last month by a far-right militia group, the amount of anti-government fervor may be boiling over nationally, but all is peaceful today in Carson City as more than a thousand have gathered at the Capitol to protest President Barack Obama, Sen. Harry Reid and health care.

Oh, and taxes. But there were far more anti-Obama and Harry Reid signs and a few Hitler ones than anything remotely about the IRS, today being the filing deadline for federal income taxes.

It was about midnight and tensions at the White House ran high on that January evening. House and Senate leaders had been haggling for days to merge their two health care bills. The heady momentum of passing President Barack Obama’s top domestic priority in both chambers had given way to the touchy task of reconciling two very different pieces of legislation. Their window for passing health care was closing: Republican Scott Brown was gaining ground on the Democratic candidate for the Massachusetts Senate seat long held by Ted Kennedy. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid began to speak.

On The Census
By Karl Neathammer

One of the reasons I ran for President was because I believed so strongly that the voices of everyday Americans, hardworking folks doing everything they can to stay afloat, just weren’t being heard ov