Nevada Republican Party To Use Social Media To Report Feb. 4 Caucus Results

By Sean Whaley | 3:04 pm January 27th, 2012
Updated 3:05 pm January 27th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada state Republican Party officials today announced they expect all the major GOP candidates will visit the state ahead of the Feb. 4 first in the West caucus.

The Nevada GOP is also introducing social media into the process, using the Google and Twitter platforms to report the caucus results beginning about 5 p.m. that day from 16 of the state’s 17 counties.

Final results won’t be known until sometime after 7 p.m. however, because of the Clark County GOP decision to hold one at-large caucus to accommodate religious concerns by some in the Jewish and 7th Day Adventist faiths who cannot participate until after sundown.

Clark County (Continue reading…)

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Five Educators, Three From Nevada, Picked As Finalists For Nevada Public Education Chief

By Sean Whaley | 5:29 pm January 26th, 2012
Updated 6:25 pm January 26th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Five finalists for Nevada’s top public education job were submitted today to the state Board of Education.

The names of three finalists will be forwarded to Gov. Brian Sandoval for his final selection after interviews are conducted by the Board of Education next month.

The five finalists, picked from 15 applicants who sought the position of state superintendent of public instruction, are:

- René Cantú Jr., currently the executive director of the Latin Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation and former vice president of multicultural affairs at Nevada State College;

René Cantú Jr.

- James Guthrie, senior fellow and director of education policy (Continue reading…)

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President Obama Talks Up Natural Gas Development In Remarks Today In Las Vegas

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 11:41 am January 26th, 2012
Updated 11:55 am January 26th, 2012

President Barack Obama visited Las Vegas today on a swing through the West, talking up energy development to create jobs and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil.

In comments delivered at the United Parcel Service hub on East Arby Lane, President Obama said development of natural gas reserves would serve both these purposes.

The president jogged out to loud, enthused cheers from a clearly friendly crowd.

President Barack Obama.

“We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly a hundred years,” he said in his prepared remarks. “Developing it could power our cars, our homes, and our factories in a cleaner and cheaper way. And experts (Continue reading…)

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State Treasurer’s Office Moves Forward With New Nevada Capital Investment Program

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 2:04 pm January 25th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Treasurer Kate Marshall announced today that a request for proposals for a manger to oversee a new investment program using up to $50 million from the state Permanent School Fund has been issued by the Nevada Capital Investment Corporation (NCIC) Board of Directors.

Submissions for the Request for Proposal must be received by the state Treasurer’s Office by March 9. A committee will then review the submissions and provide the NCIC board its recommendations as to the top candidates. The NCIC will select the top vendor.

Nevada State Treasurer Kate Marshall.

The fund manager will be responsible for the development of an (Continue reading…)

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State Lawmaker Asks AG To Respond To Query About $6 Million In Outside Legal Fees In Freeway Dispute

By Sean Whaley | 11:08 am January 25th, 2012
Updated 12:07 pm January 25th, 2012

CARSON CITY – State Sen. Greg Brower, R-Reno, has asked Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto why an outside legal firm was retained to defend the state against a freeway construction dispute. Legal costs charged to the state will total $6 million by the end of an arbitration hearing set for next month.

The Jan. 12 letter asked Masto why her office retained, or advised the Nevada Department of Transportation to retain, an outside law firm to defend the state against a $40 million claim filed by Utah-based Ames Construction, which built the first phase of the 395 bypass in the capital that opened in February of 2006.

(Continue reading…)

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Lawmaker Review Of 45-Year-Old Nevada Public Education Funding Plan Hits Financial Roadblock

By Sean Whaley | 2:23 pm January 24th, 2012
Updated 2:30 pm January 24th, 2012

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.

Nevada public education funding formula study hits financial roadblock.

The panel decided to give the Clark County School District, which advocated for the review in the 2011 (Continue reading…)

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Nevada’s Jobless Rate Drops To 12.6 Percent In December, But Smaller Workforce Partly Responsible

By Sean Whaley | 12:20 pm January 23rd, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s unemployment rate fell by four-tenths of a percentage point to 12.6 percent in December, the second consecutive monthly decline that saw the number of jobless drop to 166,300, a state agency reported today.

A year ago, the rate, which is adjusted for seasonal fluctuations in the labor market, hit a record high of 14.9 percent.

“I am encouraged by the overall report of this month’s unemployment figures, with job growth slowly but surely returning to Nevada’s economy,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval. “This year, as we help businesses expand and recruit new businesses to Nevada, we will continue our focus on getting Nevada working again.”

(Continue reading…)

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School Choice Limited But Expanding In Nevada As National Event Highlights Need For More Options

By Sean Whaley | 9:41 am January 22nd, 2012
Updated 9:46 am January 22nd, 2012

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.

Successes include a strong charter school law that is helping make the semi-autonomous schools available to more Nevada students, expanding distance learning programs, home-schooling opportunities and the ability in the state’s largest school district for open enrollment, Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a Friday interview.

Another positive are the career (Continue reading…)

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Democrats Caucus In Capital To Support President Obama For A Second Term

By Sean Whaley | 5:03 pm January 21st, 2012
Updated 5:04 pm January 21st, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nearly 250 capital city Democrats took time out today to participate in the party caucus, supporting President Barack Obama in a process that held no surprises for the party faithful.

The caucus at the Carson City Middle School was one of 118 held around Nevada today as the state Democrat Party gears up for the 2012 election.

Carson Democrat caucus leader Marty McGarry reviews the process for participants. / Photo: Nevada News Bureau.

Unlike 2008, when the Democrat nominee was still undecided at the time of the caucus, the nonbinding ballot had two options: the president or uncommitted. Obama was getting strong support among participants.

The Nevada (Continue reading…)

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Reno Assemblyman Named GOP Caucus Leader In Unanimous Vote

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 2:08 pm January 19th, 2012
Updated 4:43 pm January 19th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Reno Republican Assemblyman Pat Hickey was unanimously elected today to be the new GOP Assembly Caucus Leader.

The former minority Leader, Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, stepped down because of his intention to run for the Nevada State Senate in District 19.

Assembly Republicans currently hold 16 seats in the 42-member Assembly, while Democrats control 26 seats. Hickey said he is optimistic the caucus can improve on those numbers in November.

Hickey, who represents District 25 in Reno, returned to the Assembly in 2010 after an absence of several years.

Assemblyman Pat Hickey during the 2011 legislative session. / Nevada News Bureau file photo.

“As a caucus, we (Continue reading…)

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Nevada Charter School Law Strengthened In 2011, National Group Says

By Sean Whaley | 4:13 pm January 18th, 2012
Updated 4:55 pm January 18th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s charter school law was strengthened in 2011, seeing its ranking among the states moving to 20th from 23rd as a result, a national group reported this week.

Nevada’s overall score improved from 97 points to 111 out of a potential of 208 points in the report issued Tuesday by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Keith Rheault, state superintendent of public instruction, said the primary reason for the improved ranking was the 2011 Legislature’s adoption of Senate Bill 212, which created a new entity to focus exclusively on reviewing and approving charter schools in Nevada.

The State Charter School Authority makes Nevada (Continue reading…)

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Nevada Ranks 30th In Animal Protection, National Organization Says In New Report

By Sean Whaley | 2:17 pm January 17th, 2012
Updated 3:19 pm January 17th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada ranked 30th among the states in how it protects animals in 2011, scoring only 25 points out of a possible 66, The Humane Society of the United States said in a national report released today.

Ranking first with 46 points was California, followed by New Jersey and Oregon with 40 points. In last place was South Dakota with eight points, with Idaho second to last with nine points.

Courtesy of The Humane Society of the United States

Nevada improved its score from 2010, but the organization noted that the state’s laws regarding the possession of dangerous wild animals are weak. Nevada ranked 30th (Continue reading…)

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Nevada Secretary Of State Launches Aurora, A Searchable Database For Campaign Finance Information

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 2:05 pm January 17th, 2012
Updated 2:59 pm January 17th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada voters can now be better informed than ever before with the Wednesday launch of Aurora, a user-friendly, searchable database for all campaign and public officer finance disclosures, Secretary of State Ross Miller said today.

Aurora, which can be accessed directly through the Secretary of State’s homepage, will provide a new level of insight into who is funding campaigns, and how those funds are being spent, he said.

“We named it Aurora because it provides illumination as to how campaigns and our elected representatives are funded,” Miller said. “A healthy, vital democracy requires well-informed voters, and Aurora offers voters the opportunity to get more information more quickly, (Continue reading…)

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Nevada Think Tank Announces New Case Aimed at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

By Sean Whaley | 11:00 am January 16th, 2012
Updated 1:03 pm January 16th, 2012

CARSON CITY – A conservative Nevada think tank today announced the second case taken on by its Center for Justice and Constitutional Litigation (CJCL), this one aimed at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for allegedly flooding a Pahrump church camp through negligent and illegal work on two streams.

The action is being taken on behalf of Victor Fuentes, a 1991 escapee from Cuba who in 2004 formed a church with his wife Annette in Las Vegas called The Ministerio Roco Solida Church, or Solid Rock Church.

“I’m very disappointed with the federal government right now because, coming from Cuba, I know what an overrun country by the (Continue reading…)

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Jobless Claimants Who Had Problems Filing For Benefits Urged To Re-file

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 2:18 pm January 12th, 2012
Updated 2:19 pm January 12th, 2012

CARSON CITY – A computer glitch that caused some jobless benefit recipients to have their claims mistakenly rejected this week has been fixed, and claimants who had problems are encouraged to re-file using the state’s website.

Claimants should go online to file their claims as soon as possible, said Frank Woodbeck, director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR). The telephone claims center will still accept claims, but due to the already high call volume, claimants may experience longer than usual hold times, he said.

DETR Director Frank Woodbeck.

“Staff worked during the night to correct the problem that may cause (Continue reading…)

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