race

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – The neighborhoods of this capital city and the Washoe Valley just to the north are ground zero for one of the most fiercely contested state legislative races in Nevada this year.
Potentially at stake is the makeup of the 42-member Assembly and whether Democrats can sustain their dominance of the lower house with a 28-member, veto-proof majority.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
Taxes, the state budget and a looming revenue shortfall in 2011 took center stage Thursday in the second debate between the two major party candidates for Nevada governor.

CARSON CITY – State Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, today announced he is supporting Democrat Harry Reid in his U.S. Senate race against GOP challenger Sharron Angle.

LAKE TAHOE — The 2011 Amgen Tour of California, the largest cycling event in America, will start at Lake Tahoe, officials announced today.

Lake Tahoe’s first-ever involvement in the race will feature more than a lap and a half around the Lake beginning at the California/Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe with the Stage 1 finish at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in North Lake Tahoe. North Lake Tahoe also hosts the Stage 2 start at Squaw Valley USA, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

CARSON CITY – State Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio said today he will make an endorsement in the neck-and-neck U.S. Senate race within the next few days.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – With the Nevada campaign season kicking into high gear in the four weeks remaining before election day, candidates and their supporters are also starting to focus on what could mean the difference between victory and defeat: voter turnout.

The Heavenly Ski and Snowboard Foundation at Lake Tahoe has opened registration for the 2010-2011 Alpine, Freestyle and Snowboard Programs. With a variety of options from the One-Day Program to the Full-Time Competitive Program, the Foundation has something for all ages and levels of skiers and riders. Registration packets are available online, at the HSSF building, or by calling the HSSF administration office.

The chief justice of Texas’ Supreme Court said at a forum last week that he supported a ballot measure before Nevada voters to change the way judges are chosen. A legal scholar from Vanderbilt University argued against the measure at the same forum, held at the Boyd School of Law on the campus of UNLV.
Both brought unique perspectives. Texas is a state that elects its judges who collect campaign donations from those who may appear before them creating bright-line conflicts-of-interest.

CARSON CITY – Catherine Cortez Masto points to a number of accomplishments in her first term as attorney general, from reducing methamphetamine production in Nevada to cracking down on mortgage fraud, all while having to live with major budget cuts and fewer staff.

By Nevada News Bureau staff
Republican Congressional candidate Joe Heck said today he expects the race between him and incumbent Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., to be decided by no more than 2 percentage points in the November general election.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Long-time Nevada resident Art Cooke says he is now officially a disenfranchised voter.
After voting in every primary and general election in Carson City for a decade, Cooke sold his Bodie Drive home and became a full-time recreational vehicle resident upon retirement five years ago. Cooke and his wife Rita spend time out-of-state every year, wintering in Yuma, Ariz. and visiting other states in their luxury recreational vehicle.

Former Republican Senate candidate John Chachas said today he is now residing in Nevada and that he “may run� for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., in 2012.
“I may run,� he said in an interview with Jon Ralston on the Face To Face television program.

The yet-to-be-completed plans for the Carson City Center aka Nugget Project may not be voted on by the Carson City Board of Supervisors until after the beginning of the new year, according to City Manager Larry Werner.

Werner said there will be a status update presented to the citizens committee on Sept. 27. Another committee meeting will be scheduled once the plans are finalized, Werner said. The presentation of the full plans had already been delayed twice before, adding two months to the original timeline.

By Nevada News Bureau staff
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s active voter rolls increased by 7,882 registrations in August, with Democrats picking up just over 2,600 new voters compared to just over 2,000 for Republicans.
Democrats now have 461,461 active registered voters just about two months before the Nov. 2 general election compared to 402,960 for the GOP, a 58,501 edge for Democrats and a slight increase from July.

With several serious traffic accidents that have occurred on Highway 50 at Mound House, the Nevada Highway Patrol announced today that it will begin an enhanced enforcement program starting Monday, Sept. 6.

NHP will place additional resources to Mound House for this directed enforcement assignment "in order to curtail this disturbing trend," according to an NHP press statement.

There is a unique situation on the Carson City Board of Supervisors this year, with two of its members facing each other in the race for the District 40 Assembly seat.

Since either Democrat Robin Williamson or Republican Pete Livermore is almost guaranteed to win (there is always the extremely remote possibility of a third-party or write-in candidate winning), one of them will likely be leaving the board early.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A plan released today by Democrat governor candidate Rory Reid on how to balance the Nevada state budget without raising taxes received some praise from a free market think tank even though many questions remain, including whether the proposal includes an overly optimistic prediction of future tax revenue growth.

By Nevada News Bureau staff
CARSON CITY – Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said today he believes the race between U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and GOP challenger Sharron Angle will come down to 5,000 votes.

Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong sent Carson Now his response to Guimont's comment that was posted after a gang-related shooting incident two weeks ago. Carson Now contacted Guimont and verified that the comment did in fact come from him.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s worst in the nation 14.3 percent unemployment rate for July does not even begin to tell the real story of the state’s dismal job situation, a state agency reported today.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley Thursday defended the right of mosque supporters to build their facility near Ground Zero in New York City, saying she supports religious freedom for all.

CARSON CITY – Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, today criticized a fund-raising “pay to play� letter sent out recently by Majority Leader Steven Horsford, saying it borders on an ethics violation.
“I have always avoided that kind of a fundraiser,� he said. “I think it is inappropriate. The perception is that to have access to a leader or chairman you have to pay. I think that sends a terrible message.�

CARSON CITY – Nevada officials are racing the clock to get their full share of federal foreclosure relief dollars.
Some states and local governments elsewhere around the country are at risk of losing millions in foreclosure relief funds. But officials with the state of Nevada and local government entities who are managing the programs say they are on track to obligate their full allotments by September deadlines.
Even so, several Nevada officials said the funds are only a drop in the bucket to address Nevada’s foreclosure crisis.

By Sean Whaley, Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Former Nevada governor and state Republican Committeeman Bob List yesterday called on Sen. Harry Reid to stop running a television ad claiming to have saved a school teacher’s job with federal stimulus funds.

CARSON CITY –  The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada today asked the FBI’s Las Vegas field office to turn over records related to the agency’s collection and use of race and ethnicity data in local communities.

CARSON CITY – Nevada failed to make the cut today in its quest to win as much as $175 million in competitive federal funds to improve student achievement, but the details of why won’t be known until next month.
The failure to make the cut occurred even though Gov. Jim Gibbons created a blue ribbon panel to oversee the application process and the state hired a consultant to help finalize Nevada’s grant application.

LAKE TAHOE — Get ready for jazz, Celtic, mystery, comedy, bluegrass, percussion and a whole lot more at the Lake Tahoe Valhalla Arts, Music and Theatre Festival. The Festival takes place at the historic Tahoe Tallac site, a 74-acre setting currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a 1800’s favorite getaway for Northern California’s elite members of society.  But you don’t have to be an elite member of society to enjoy the variety of affordable and sometimes even free events at the Valhalla Festival.

Move Saves Atlantis Approximately $6K/Month

CARSON CITY, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Until recently, Reno’s Atlantis Casino Resort Spa leased secure warehouse space for storing administrative documents and gaming receipts. When it came time to destroy outdated documents, they hired a shredding service to come in about once a month to perform secure document destruction. In an ongoing effort to save costs and increase efficiency, the casino looked at other options and services.

Move Saves Atlantis Approximately $6K/Month

CARSON CITY, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Until recently, Reno’s Atlantis Casino Resort Spa leased secure warehouse space for storing administrative documents and gaming receipts. When it came time to destroy outdated documents, they hired a shredding service to come in about once a month to perform secure document destruction. In an ongoing effort to save costs and increase efficiency, the casino looked at other options and services.