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LAS VEGAS — Six-hundred or so of the state’s Democratic party faithful this morning attended their annual state convention at the Bally’s Hotel conference center in Las Vegas. Five-hundred sixty-two delegates were credentialed but about two dozen vendors lined both sides of the room and guests were also welcomed.

CARSON CITY – Two Democrats seeking to succeed Steven Horsford in the 4th Senate district in Clark County disagreed today in a televised debate on a business margin tax sought by teachers to fund public education.

CARSON CITY – Five candidates, including one current board member, are seeking the State Board of Education seat in District 3 in Clark County in the June 12 primary.

The top two vote-getters in the nonpartisan race will move on to the general election in November. The board, reconstituted in the 2011 legislative session, has four elected seats. Another three will be appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval and legislative leadership.

Food for Thought announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program at Terrace Park in Carson City. Terrace Park is adjacent to Empire Elementary School. Lunch will be served to all children aged 2 to 18 who come to the park free of charge. Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, gender or disability, and there be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

CARSON CITY – Washoe County Republican and Democratic Party leaders may disagree on who the best choice is for president, but they agree on one point – Washoe is the “battleground” county in the battleground state that is Nevada.

Clark County is expected to go big for Democrats and President Obama, while Nevada’s rural counties are expected to go strong for Mitt Romney. But Washoe County, where Republicans lead in voter registration by 3,700, has gone for both parties in past elections.

CARSON CITY – In the Republican quest to regain control of the state Senate in the 2012 general election, two GOP candidates in a bitter primary traded accusations today in a televised debate.

Whether GOP establishment favorite Mari Nakashima St. Martin or challenger Brent Jones wins the June 12 primary, the fiercely contested primary presents another challenge for Republicans to return to dominance in the state Senate.

CARSON CITY – Board of Regents candidate Ron Knecht confirmed today he was let go from his state job with the Public Utilities Commission in March, saying no cause was given despite his request for an explanation.

“I can’t tell you a lot,” he said. “I’m no longer working there.”

CARSON CITY – With education reform a top priority of Gov. Brian Sandoval, the new alignment of the state Board of Education – with four seats up for grabs on the November ballot – is taking on more importance than ever before.

One of the four seats, District 2 which mirrors the new Nevada 2^nd Congressional District from Reno and Carson City east across rural Nevada, has attracted five candidates, two of whom are serving now on the 10-member elected board. The race is nonpartisan.

CARSON CITY – Long-time Republican political consultant Sig Rogich said today the 2013 Nevada Legislature has to take a serious look at collective bargaining reforms so that situations like the impending layoff of hundreds of Clark County teachers can be avoided in the future.

CARSON CITY – Political Action Committees formed by state lawmakers to help their candidates win seats in the Legislature are off to a slow start in fundraising, according to campaign finance reports filed this week with Secretary of State’s office.

Many of the lawmaker-created PACs reported no contributions in the first campaign contribution and expense report filed Tuesday and reflecting financial activity from Jan. 1 through May 18 of 2012.

CARSON CITY – Republican candidates have big leads in fundraising in four of five seats considered critical to control of the state Senate in the 2013 legislative session, with a slight monetary advantage in the fifth, according to campaign contribution reports filed this week.

Both Democrat and Republican caucus leaders are fighting hard to win the seats to control the 21-member house where Democrats now lead 11-10.

CARSON CITY – A proposal by Assemblyman Pat Hickey, R-Reno, to move Nevada’s primary election back to September to shorten the campaign season didn’t get out of the starting gate in 2011.

The Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections Committee held one hearing on Assembly Bill 157, which had cosponsors from both major political parties. But it also saw serious opposition from state election officials and never came up for a vote.

CARSON CITY – Three of the Republicans seeking the right to challenge state Democratic Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford for Nevada’s new 4^th Congressional District seat sought to establish their conservative credentials in a televised debate today.

CARSON CITY – While Mitt Romney and Barack Obama were campaigning elsewhere today, Nevada Democrats and Republicans took up the battle for the presidency on their behalf.

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., held a telephone conference call to talk up Romney’s credentials as a “turnaround specialist” who will get the country back on track. He also criticized Obama for failing to get spending or the national deficit under control as he promised early on in his presidency.

The weather was perfect and the track was smooth and fast for Fernley 95A Speedway’s third race of the season. More than 70 cars were on hand for the five racing divisions on the 3/8 mile clay oval, with an additional nine Outlaw Karts racing on the small infield track.

CARSON CITY – Assembly Speaker and 3^rd Congressional District candidate John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, declined today to say whether he supports the federal health care law now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Oceguera, who is termed out of office in the Assembly, said it is premature to comment on the law given the fact that it is awaiting a decision on its constitutionality by the nation’s high court.

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.

As you might expect from the view of the mountains down here in Carson, the snow is melting off fast up there.  Here’s the latest update from Flume Trail Bikes:

Fernley 95A Speedway’s second race of the year saw 80 cars take to the 3/8 mile clay oval, with an additional nine Outlaw Karts racing on the small infield track. Spectator attendance was good, particularly in the popular tailgate section behind Turn One.

Shawn Hartzell captured both his heat race and the A main in the Pure Stock division. Travis Barr won the other heat race and came home second in the A main, followed by Al Bishop, Bracee Langevin, and Mark Serchio, Jr.

Fernley 95A Speedway Season Opens
By Roger Diez

Fernley 95A Speedway opened its 2012 season on Saturday, April 14 with a full racing program on the 3/8 mile clay oval. The track is under new management headed up by Vuki Wilson and Matt Ramthun with the slogan “A Racers’ Track Run by Racers”. Six racing divisions were on hand, plus a contingent of Box Stock Outlaw Karts driven by kids 5-10 years old.

The Carson High School Safe Grad Committee is hosting it's second annual Safe Grad 5K Walk-Run to raise funds for this year's and future Safe Grad Celebration for graduating seniors. It will take place this Saturday, April 14th starting just behind the Firkin and Fox. Pre-registration through Friday, April 13th with forms available @ the CarsonSafeGrad12 Facebook page ($30,drop forms @ Dennis Brinson's Allstate Insurance:Curry & William St.) and Race day registration beginning @ 8:00 a.m. ($35). Students (w/id) register for only $20! Come out and support this important community event.

If there is such thing as an Easter Bunny naughty list, I’m pretty sure that David Reutimann will find his Easter basket full of rotten eggs tomorrow morning. He is definitely on Hendrick Motorsports’ bad list after ruining an almost certain 200th win and a probable 1-2-3 finish for the organization. Reutimann was limping around to try and stay in the top 35 in points when his car died at the end of the front straightaway, bringing out the caution. A wreck on the restart took out leaders Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon and damaged Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car.

CARSON CITY – While Democrats registered more voters in March than Republicans, a GOP official noted this week that the party has made gains in four state Senate districts that are key to who will control the house in the 2013 legislative session.

A spokesman for Senate Democrats questioned the importance of the GOP analysis, however, noting that Democrats registered more voters than Republicans in two of the seats from February to March.

Local race fans will soon get a taste of live racing, as two dirt tracks, a road course, and a drag strip all begin their seasons this month. Next Saturday night the quarter mile dirt oval at Fallon’s Rattlesnake Raceway will open their season, with Hobby Stock, Pro Stock, GenX, Rat Mod, Super Four, and 360 Sprint divisions in action, as well as four divisions of Outlaw Karts. General admission is $10, with $5 tickets for seniors, kids less than 64” tall, and kids under 5 years old free.

The two biggest topics in the racing world this past week have NASCAR fans fired up. The first event was the surprise reversal of the penalties levied against Hendrick Motorsports and the 48 team at Daytona. While Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook reversed the ruling of the three-member appeals panel on points and suspension penalties, he let the $100,000 fine for crew chief Chad Knaus stand. He modified the suspensions for Knaus and car chief Ron Malec to probation.

CARSON CITY – State Sen. Greg Brower, R-Reno, today criticized his Democrat challenger for “quitting” on her constituents when she resigned her Senate seat and then filed to run against him. Brower is running for election to a full four-year term in what is now Washoe District 15 after the state’s legislative districts were redrawn following the 2010 census. Leslie, who was in the middle of a four-year term in what is now Senate District 13, formerly Washoe Senate 1, resigned when she moved into District 15. She then filed for election to the Senate 15 seat.

CARSON CITY – After months of prognostications and political maneuvering, Nevada’s 2012 election season crystallized today as the state’s two-week filing period for public office came to a close.

Next up: A June 12 primary followed by the Nov. 6 general election, which will see a lengthy ballot topped by the presidential race, a competitive U.S. Senate race and four congressional contests.

Also at stake is control of the state Legislature, particularly the state Senate, where Democrats have a razor thin 11-10 majority.

CARSON CITY, NEVADA-Carson City Library will present the official book launch of Nevada State Prison, published by Arcadia Publishing and to be released on Monday, March 26th, at 6:00 p.m. The authors of this book include Jennifer E. Riddle, an archaeologist; Sena M. Loyd, a research librarian; and Stacy L. Branham and Curt Thomas, officers of the Nevada State Prison.

CARSON CITY – There was a flurry of candidates filing for office and some political maneuvering today as Nevada’s 2012 election season officially got under way.

Over 90 candidates filed for a variety of offices in Clark County.

Another 17 filed with the Secretary of State’s office and others filed in their respective counties around the state.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month
1st Annual 5K/10K Walk Run
April 21, 2012
Race Day Registration at 7:00am Race Starts at 8:00am
Join us Saturday, April 21, at Riverview Park for a 5K or 10K walk/run to raise awareness for Sexual Assault. All proceeds benefit the local Sexual Assault Response Advocates Program. This Program aids victims of sexual assault and helps provide the assistance that is needed.
Cost: Before March 24th -$35.00
Before April 20th-$40.00
Race Day-$45.00
High School Students- $15.00
Kids under 12-$15.00