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When talking about nuclear waste in Nevada, separating the substance from the politics would have confounded Einstein. But after a couple of weeks of probing what exactly has gone on with the state and the DOE over a proposed waste shipment from Tennessee, here’s what I have concluded: ►Memos first disclosed at a Senate Energy Committee hearing two weeks ago by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and now posted on this site did not say what he said they do. He clearly implied the state had signed the...
UPDATE: I have also obtained a letter from Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to Gov. Brian Sandoval, attached to the other memos below. That missive, dated the day before the two met Tuesday, lays out the DOE's version of the timeline and points out what the state agreed to in December and claims Nevada has been kept informed every step of the way.   ---- After two weeks of pushing and prodding, I've finally obtained those memos Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz was talking about at that Senate hearing...
No, I'm not talking to you, Sheriff Gillespie. Horse-tripping/lassoing/roping, whatever you call it, won't go away. Exactly one week after I first wrote about it, the issue that has pitted Hispanic lawmakers against Clark County commissioners has returned. There are three -- count 'em -- items on the issue on next week's Clark County Commission agenda -- one new ordinance from Chris Giunchigliani (Item 63), one from Tom Collins (Item 64) and a proposal (Item 67) to suspend what they already...
The AFL-CIO will consider a resolution next week at its convention that would prohibit any Clark County commissioner who votes against the gas tax next month from getting labor's endorsement. The resolution, attached here, contains eight sections explaining why the tax plan makes sense and then concludes with: "Resolved, that the Nevada State AFL-CIO supports the implementation of the fuel tax indexing by the County Commission and will not endorse any Commissioner who votes against the...
UPDATE, 8/15/13, 1:15 PM: Seems as if the American Gaming Association sees an opportunity with this movie to make the case FOR federal legislation. Here's an email I obtained from AGA boss Geoff Freeman to his board:   AGA Board:   As you may be aware (and as referenced by Las Vegas political reporter Jon Ralston earlier today),  Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake are starring in a 20th Century Fox film about illegal Internet gaming scheduled to be released on October 4.  This film provides our...
I like Marilyn Kirkpatrick -- always have. Her no-nonsense style. Her work ethic. Her policy imperatives. But it must be said: This piece she wrote for The Las Vegas Sun this week is an exemplar of putting the best face on a disaster. I wasn't surprised to see Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Aaron Ford and Assemblyman Elliot Anderson praise the piece on Twitter. After all, it makes it seem as if a session where Democrats promised much and delivered little should make them proud. Let's not...
UPDATE NO. 2, 8/14/13: So they sent out the notice again today, with this at the top: «Please note that due to an overwhelming response, the location in Red Rock Casino Hotel Spa has been changed to The Veranda." I bet it's overwhelming. I think every Carson City lobbyist is on this list. And if they're not, they soon will be (Gov. Arm Twister and possibly returning senator Hutch will see to that). Could this be the first million-dollar event for lieutenant governor in state annals? Don't bet...
"Las Vegas gambler makes $100,000 bet on House Republicans" That's the headline on a Center for Public Integrity piece on Wednesday, a reference to Billy Walters, who has bundled a fortune to local and state officials through various corporations and now has taken advantage of federal laws with another. The center found that Walters, through an entity called T Star III LLC, gave the $100K to a Super PAC trying to keep the House in GOP control:   Walters is a well-known sports bettor who made $3...
At the National Clean Energy Summit last year, Senate Majority Harry Reid leveled a broadside at NV Energy, as he has done many times in his career. Reid lambasted the utility for not closing its Reid-Gardner coal plant, a fusillade that fit nicely into the majority leader's personal war on coal that began years earlier as he actually induced NV Energy to abandon plans for a facility in rural Nevada. That was then. That is the public posture. But privately, on Tuesday, during a break at this...
A national conservative group that spent $15 million in 2012 trying to defeat President Obama is doing robopolling in Nevada to assess the re-election prospects of Gov. Brian Sandoval and Rep. Joe Heck. I received the call this afternoon, and when I dialed the number, a machine told me I had reached Americans for Job Security, a dark money group that the New York Times listed as the ninth biggest outside spending group against the president in 2012. The first two questions were demographic,...

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