Makers

CARSON CITY – A new study by the Pew Center on the States identifies Nevada as one of 16 states that did not publish a document between 2007 and 2011 that evaluated the effective of tax incentives.

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CARSON CITY – Nearly 1,000 state and local government workers, many of them firefighters and police, make over $200,000 a year when all pay and benefits are counted, according to a 2011 pay analysis published today by the Nevada Policy Research Institute.

North Lake Tahoe is gearing up to host the 37th Annual Mountain Travel Symposium, one of the world’s premier ski industry wholesale conferences, April 15-21 at the Resort at Squaw Creek in Olympic Valley, Calif. This is the second time North Lake Tahoe has been the designated conference host, having held the event with its 1,200 attendees back in 2006.

CARSON CITY – Nevada ranks at the top of states for its low overall tax liability paid by mature businesses, but only 38^th for new firms due in part to a lack of incentives, according to a new comprehensive study by the Tax Foundation.

CARSON CITY – Long-time political consultant and former state lawmaker Pete Ernaut said today that efforts to use the ballot box to set tax policy could handcuff the ability of the governor and Legislature to make critical decisions on the future of the state.

RENO – Gov. Brian Sandoval used the University of Nevada, Reno today as a backdrop to unveil his economic development plan, and he challenged the business community and all partners to work to create 50,000 new jobs by the end of 2014.

CARSON CITY – As Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Board of Education move ahead with the selection of a new state schools chief to push forward with education reform, a new report gives another reason for urgency: Nevada has received a D grade for its science standards from a national group.

CARSON CITY – A panel of lawmakers today began a review of the state’s 45-year-old formula for funding public education with an eye towards addressing the needs of the state’s urban districts as they work to educate special education students, English-language learners and children in poverty.

The panel is still searching for funding for a study to help in the review, however. The failure to find private funding for a study could jeopardize any meaningful review in this interim, lawmakers were told.

CARSON CITY – As National School Choice Week gets under way today state officials say Nevada school children have more opportunities than ever before to choose a school that works best for them.

But one element of choice, a school voucher program, remains an unrealized and divisive issue for the state’s policy makers.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) this month formally approved the Nevada Firearms Coalition (NFC) as its new, officially sanctioned state association in Nevada.
The group is a registered nonprofit Nevada corporation and according to its website is dedicated “to the ownership and safe use of firearms for self-defense, competition, recreation and hunting.”

For the first time in 10 years, states cut taxes more than they increased them, according to a preliminary report released last week by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
But voters should not draw hasty conclusions about what this means for states’ fiscal health. Most states continued to face substantial budget shortfalls during their 2011 legislative sessions, even though some states saw revenue collections increase.

CARSON CITY – As Nevada policy makers get set to examine the state’s public employee pension plan in advance of the 2013 legislative session, a new report from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence offers some timely advice on how other government agencies have accomplished the difficult task.

CARSON CITY – So how much are Nevada taxpayers shelling out to educate children attending the state’s 17 public school districts this year?
And if the answer is not easy to ascertain, is it time to consider revising the 44-year old Nevada Plan, the admittedly complex formula used by the Legislature every two years to fund public education?

The sci-fi horror film "Apollo 18," currently playing at the Casino Fandango multiplex in Carson City and elsewhere, is a strange bird of a movie. The premise is that while NASA claimed to have scrubbed Apollo 18, it was actually rescheduled as a secret mission to plant Soviet ICBM detectors on the Moon. Three astronauts were selected and briefed and launched.

CARSON CITY – Nevada has the 18th lowest taxpayer burden to cover unfunded public employee pension and health care costs among the states, but policy makers are still failing to adequately address the shortfall, a national organization reported in a new comprehensive analysis.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval and legislative leaders from both parties announced a budget agreement today that will see tax increases and restorations of funding to public and higher education in exchange for significant policy reforms in education and collective bargaining.
The agreement came on the 115th day of the session, and virtually guarantees that lawmakers will adjourn the 2011 session by Monday as the constitution requires.

Well, it is crunch time. This is in normal years when the Legislature gets into gear and starts churning out legislation to carry Nevada through the next two years. This looks like little will be a...

By Sean Whaley
CARSON CITY – Legislative Democrats went ahead today with their own funding plan for public education, establishing a level of spending that puts the budget at significant odds with GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval and his opposition to new taxes.
The votes by Democrats have upped the ante in the budget dispute with Republicans, creating a hole estimated at $700 million by state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.

By Lisa Davis
Carson City Sheriff’s Office was selected by the Nevada DARE Officer Association (NDOA) as an “Agency of Choice” and will host the Nevada State DARE Officer Conference May 2-5, 2011. DARE Officers representing law enforcement agencies from across the state will be participating in a variety of training activities that will enhance classroom skills, update DARE lessons, and to discuss current prevention issues. The event is sponsored by Northern Nevada Coin, Fandango, and Carson Station, with additional funding through Justice Assistance Grant.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – The author of a new analysis of Nevada’s collective bargaining law says the complex rules have worked to the benefit of teachers’ unions rather than students, making reforms essential to improve the state’s public education system.

(Press release) Thunder Canyon, a private golf and country club located in Washoe Valley, has been named the 2011 Nevada Golf Course of the Year by the Nevada Golf Course Owners Association (NvGCOA). In addition to this honor, Thunder Canyon was chosen as one of three finalists for the Golf Course of the Year Award by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA).

"The Eagle," an action period film of roughly 180 A.D., currently playing at the Fandango Galaxy multiplex in Carson City, is that rarity of a Roman legions movies that has no love interest, and barely any women in the cast. There's also a lot of flashy scenes that have nothing to add to the story as well as a lot of ankle-height shots showing troops or horses or somebody moving along. Honest.

From Washington, D.C. to Incline Village, Maureen McCarthy has worked to learn from and protect the environment. Now, her environmental interests have brought her to the Tahoe Science Consortium as the organization’s new executive director.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s budget process is broken and needs fundamental change to bring about reasonable spending and improved performance in public education and the delivery of other government services, a free market think tank says in a new report.

The family-aimed film "Gulliver's Travels," now playing at the Fandango's Galaxy multiplex in Carson City, has very little to do with the book (or books) Johnathan Swift wrote in satire on the English government in the 18th century. Gone is the wit, the clever writing, the book that many of us read in high school or English Lit 103.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada policy makers remain divided over the need to make a fundamental change to the public employees’ retirement system following the release last week of a report showing significant costs to move to a defined contribution plan.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – The chairman of a panel created by the Legislature to assess Nevada’s long-term future had some bleak words today for lawmakers unless action is taken to develop a skilled workforce and improve public education.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Long-time Nevada tax expert Carole Vilardo said says she does not see how the state can move Nevada’s public employee retirement system to a defined contribution plan in the upcoming legislative session.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Despite the need for drastic spending reductions to balance Nevada’s budget, the government program that provides health care to the poor continues to expand, consuming a growing share of the state’s scarce state revenues.