Monthly archive

Good morning, everyone. Will it be like when JFK was shot or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon? I will always remember where I was when I learned of the Tesla decision. I was having coffee at my favorite Summerlin Starbucks with Dina Titus aide Caitlin Teare when I got the text. Lawmakers had just been briefed on the news, and the Carson sieve was leaking. (Thank goodness.) I rudely interrupted the conversation with Teare, texted a few folks, made a call or two and confirmed and put it out at ...
Good morning, everyone. If this were happening in Boston, in New York City, in Los Angeles, in Seattle, it would be a major scandal. But when academic freedom is threatened on a university campus here, it is ignored by both newspapers (or close to it). So the gaming/business community directs what happens on campus and can indirectly pressure professors, and all the “newspaper” can muster is the weak sauce of its FIRST story about any of this on Wednesday. What kind of outlet ignores the study...
One of the best things about Nevada's 150th is an upcoming portrait of state luminaries in period garb by artist Steve Saylor. I got a sneak peek and was able to take two shots, as you will see below. That's Ron James, Sen. Dean Heller, Gov. Bob List (eyes closed), Gov. Bob Miller, first Lady Dawn Gibbons, first Lady Dema Guinn and Rep. Mark Amodei.   In this one, Sen. Paul Laxalt, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, John Wingfield, Carradine de Gasparilla, Gov./Sen. Richard Bryan and Gov....
Led by a former governor and lieutenant governor, as well as a Las Vegas Sands operative and three ex-state senators, conservatives are rallying next week in a pair of fundraisers to help attorney general hopeful Adam Laxalt. Ex-Gov. Bob List and former Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt will headline one event Tuesday at the latter's restaurant, The Bootlegger, while Las Vegas Councilman Bob Beers, one of those ex-senators, will host one at Mundo in downtown Las Vegas two days later. The List/Hunt event...
I have been saying for some time that the amount of money spent in the three state Senate districts that will determine the majority in 2015 will be astronomical. And at the end of August, the Senate Republicans ensured it will be even larger by setting up two new political action committees on the same day. Actually, both were set up on Aug. 28 by Jodi Stephens, the crack operative who runs the caucus. Stephens jokingly called herself an "interested citizen" in confirming she registered the...
Here's the report issued today on the Tesla deal by Moody's, which sees the deal as a benefit to governments but dlayed and/or mitigated by the abatements:   Credit implications of current events US Public Finance Nevada State and Local Governments Would Benefit from Planned Tesla Factory On Thursday, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval announced that the state had reached an agreement with  Tesla Motors (unrated) for the electric car manufacturer to build its lithium ion battery factory, known as ...
Barrick Gold of North America is hosting a meet and greet next week for lieutenant governor hopeful Mark Hutchison, who last year signed onto a $600 million tax increase proposal on the industry. The event is one of two for Team Hutchoval in DC next week, but both are now meet and greets and not fundraisers for Hutchison and Gov. Brian Sandoval because of Wednesday's special session to approve those Tesla abatements. State law prohibits lawmakers and the top two constitutional officers from...
The key state Senate districts continue to tilt GOP, as the Democrats have lost ground in all three southern areas for quite some time. You can see the details in the chart below, but it's clear that the GOP and its friends in Engage Nevada have focused their efforts in those three districts, although much of it is simply due to more Democrats being knocked off the books. Some observations from an insider who did the analysis: First, some overall observations.  Statewide registration increased...
If you are a lobbyist – and I don’t say this often – I feel sorry for you in the next 36 hours or so as lawmakers furiously dial for dollars before Gov. Brian Sandoval issues the proclamation for the special session, cutting them off for 15 days. The session could be done in half a day. But it won’t be. Some kind of logistical nightmare will arise or some kind of spotlight-grabbing move (WHY DOES ELON MUSK HATE THE SOUTH?) or some kind of maneuver by the newly formed Segerblom-Gustavson Party....

Pages