Gov. Brian Sandoval Names James Guthrie Of The George W. Bush Institute As New State School Chief

By Sean Whaley | 1:57 pm March 12th, 2012
Updated 1:57 pm March 12th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today named James Guthrie, currently the senior fellow and director of education policy studies at the George W. Bush Institute in Dallas, Texas, as Nevada’s new public schools chief.

Guthrie, who will be based in Las Vegas, will begin his job as state superintendent of public instruction on April. 2. He succeeds current Superintendent Keith Rheault, who is retiring.

Sandoval selected Guthrie from three names forwarded to him by the state Board of Education. The board interviewed five candidates last month. Guthrie received unanimous support from the board.

James Guthrie.

Sandoval’s appointment of Guthrie is a first for (Continue reading…)

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Nevada’s Unemployment Rate Falls To 12.7 Percent In January But Jobs Picture Remains Mixed

By Sean Whaley | 12:28 pm March 12th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s jobless rate fell from a revised 13 percent in December to 12.7 percent in January, down from 13.8 percent a year ago and a peak of 14 percent in October 2010. The number of unemployed Nevadans remained relatively flat at 174,700, but is down 16,300 from the same month last year.

“Nevada continues to show signs of economic recovery, with slow but steady growth in many important areas” Gov. Brian Sandoval said in commenting on the report released by the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR). “I continue to be encouraged by the job creation in key sectors as we work (Continue reading…)

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Democrat State Sen. John Lee Calls For Legislative Commission Vote On Laughlin Incorporation

By Sean Whaley | 3:46 pm March 9th, 2012
Updated 3:47 pm March 9th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada state Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, has added his voice to the chorus asking the Legislative Commission to take up the issue of whether the residents of Laughlin should have a chance to vote on incorporation.

In his letter sent to the Legislative Commission this week, Lee also said he supports the right of Laughlin residents to vote on the question in June.

In the letter, Lee said the panel is legally obligated to make a determination as to whether the incorporation of Laughlin is fiscally feasible.

State Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas.

“As you undertake your statutory mandate I urge you (Continue reading…)

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Regulation Requiring Many Home-Based Businesses To Pay Business License Fee Approved By Legislative Panel

By Sean Whaley | 5:47 pm March 8th, 2012
Updated 5:47 pm March 8th, 2012

CARSON CITY – A regulation requiring thousands of home-based businesses to pay a $200 annual fee won approval today from a legislative panel.

Secretary of State Ross Miller has been trying to get the regulation approved for several months, but has seen the regulation stymied by strong opposition from some Nevada residents and Republican lawmakers who argued the regulation exceeded his authority.

The regulation affects home-based businesses operating as limited liability companies and corporations that earn less than $27,000. It does not apply to individuals operating businesses out of their homes.

Secretary of State Ross Miller.

The Legislative Commission’s Subcommittee to Review Regulations, made up of four Democrats (Continue reading…)

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Chinese New Year Brings Huge Win To Nevada Gaming Industry In January

By Sean Whaley | 1:53 pm March 8th, 2012
Updated 1:54 pm March 8th, 2012

CARSON CITY – It was the month the Nevada gaming industry and state political leaders were waiting for: the casino industry won more than $1 billion from gamblers in January, a double-digit rise fueled by a nearly 30 percent increase on the Las Vegas Strip.

The reason:  The Chinese New Year came in January instead of February this year. The celebration, which brings high rollers into Nevada’s casinos, ran from Jan. 23 to 29.

Photo by Mai-Linh Đoàn via Wikimedia Commons.

Nevada casinos brought in $1.04 billion in January compared to January 2011, an 18.4 percent increase even though much of the northern part of the state (Continue reading…)

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Lawmaker Review Of 45-Year-Old Nevada Public Education Funding Plan To Proceed With Funding

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 10:50 am March 2nd, 2012
Updated 8:54 am March 8th, 2012

(Updated with donors who paid $125,00 in total for the review.)

CARSON CITY – A panel of lawmakers today moved forward with a review of the state’s 45-year-old formula for funding public education after receiving $125,000 from the Clark County School District to pay for a study.

The New Method for Funding Public Schools interim study was authorized by the 2011 Legislature to look at the “Nevada Plan” the current funding formula adopted in 1967.

But it was contingent upon funding from the Clark County School District, which is seeking the review. The district wants lawmakers to consider revising the formula to assist urban districts with the costs of (Continue reading…)

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Trio Of GOP Lawmakers Ask Democrat Sen. Steven Horsford To Allow Vote On Laughlin Incorporation

By Sean Whaley | 6:14 pm March 7th, 2012
Updated 6:14 pm March 7th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Three Republican state senators, all members of the Legislative Commission, have asked Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, to call a meeting of the panel as soon as possible to vote on the feasibility of the incorporation of Laughlin.

In a letter dated Feb. 28, Sens. Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas, Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, and James Settelmeyer, R-Gardnerville, asked Horsford to allow a vote of the commission on whether the residents of Laughlin should be able to vote in June on whether to become Nevada’s newest city.

Consideration of the determination of feasibility of incorporation for Laughlin had been scheduled for a Feb. 15 meeting (Continue reading…)

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Some Nevada Welfare Recipients Have Fun on Taxpayer Dime But Most Spending Appropriate

By Sean Whaley | 7:26 am March 7th, 2012
Updated 7:27 am March 7th, 2012

CARSON CITY – There are a few withdrawals in vacation destinations like New Orleans and Hawaii. There are a few from such tourist locations as Angel Stadium in Anaheim, SeaWorld San Diego and Pier 39 in San Francisco.

There are about 1,600 withdrawals in more than 35 states and the territory of Guam. And there are about 100 withdrawals at liquor stores and quite a few at Nevada casinos or slot parlors.

Three Nevada TANF withdrawals occurred on Hawaii's Big Island. / Photo: DBKing via Wikimedia Commons.

But a review of more than 65,000-plus debit card withdrawals by recipients of Nevada’s Temporary Assistance for Needy (Continue reading…)

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Nevada Political Season Gets Under Way Today With Dozens Of Candidates Filing For Office

By Sean Whaley | 6:21 pm March 5th, 2012
Updated 6:22 pm March 5th, 2012

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.

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who faces a strong challenge from Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., filed in Carson City for election to a full term in the Senate. He was appointed to the position in May by Gov. Brian Sandoval. Berkley is expected to file next week.

U.S. Sen. (Continue reading…)

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Clark County Sheriff Calls For Reassessment Of Federal Formula Used For Homeland Security Funding

By Sean Whaley | 4:05 pm March 2nd, 2012
Updated 4:05 pm March 2nd, 2012

CARSON CITY – Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said today it is time to ask federal officials to reassess the “threat matrix” used to allocate funding to states and cities for homeland security efforts given the drastic funding cuts facing Nevada in 2012.

“In my opinion you can’t approach the funding and dealing with these risks with the same threat matrix,” Gillespie said during a meeting of the Homeland Security Commission. “And that’s basically what we’re faced with, folks. That’s the threat matrix that’s out there that we never get to see. I’ve yet to see truly how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says Detroit is so much (Continue reading…)

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Conservative Nevada Think Tank Publishes Sourcebook For Policymakers And Public

By Sean Whaley | 2:00 am March 1st, 2012
Updated 5:24 pm February 29th, 2012

CARSON CITY – A conservative Nevada think tank today published a guide for policymakers and the public on issues ranging from the state spending to public education to tax policy.

The 88-page sourcebook, called “Solutions 2013” is a compilation of research and policy recommendations from the Nevada Policy Research Institute addressing 39 different subject areas.

The publication comes 11 months before the Nevada Legislature will convene in 2013 to consider a host of critical issues, and just as the 2012 election season gets officially under way with candidate filing set to begin Monday.

“This collection dispels many popular misconceptions about Nevada, while highlighting new approaches to policy making,” said (Continue reading…)

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New Study Finds Low Tax Burden For Mature Nevada Businesses But Higher Costs For New Firms

By Sean Whaley | 12:11 pm February 29th, 2012
Updated 12:11 pm February 29th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada ranks at the top of states for its low overall tax liability paid by mature businesses, but only 38th for new firms due in part to a lack of incentives, according to a new comprehensive study by the Tax Foundation.

The first of its kind 50-state apples-to-apples analysis, released today in a report called “Location Matters,” a comparative analysis of state tax costs on business, could provide guidance to Gov. Brian Sandoval and lawmakers as they seek to diversify Nevada’s economy and grow jobs.

The study looked at Las Vegas and Reno.

Tax Foundation report, "Location Matters."

Nevada continues to lead the nation in (Continue reading…)

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Statewide Taxable Sales Up Modest 3.8% In December But Near Double-Digits In Las Vegas

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 6:46 pm February 27th, 2012
Updated 8:43 am February 28th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s taxable sales rose 3.8 percent in December 2011 over December 2010, a modest rise that was outpaced in Clark County which saw a 9.5 percent gain in the important indicator of consumer health.

A major decline in taxable sales in Elko County in December was largely responsible for the overall smaller statewide increase.

Statewide taxable sales totaled $4.2 billion in December, with the biggest increases coming in bars and restaurants, up 8.8 percent; clothing and accessory stores, up 12.9 percent; motor vehicle dealers, up 15.3 percent; and merchant wholesalers-durable goods, up 14.2 percent.

Bar and restaurant sales were up 8.8% in (Continue reading…)

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Nevada Political Consultant Warns Against Setting Tax Policy At The Ballot Box

By Sean Whaley | 3:46 pm February 27th, 2012
Updated 3:46 pm February 27th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Long-time political consultant and former state lawmaker Pete Ernaut said today that efforts to use the ballot box to set tax policy could handcuff the ability of the governor and Legislature to make critical decisions on the future of the state.

“It should be warning to everybody because this is something that could very rapidly turn into the next iteration of the California ballot, where we have 10, 12, 13 ballot measures on a number of issues and you wake up one day and really you’ve taken the power away from the Legislature or the governor to make any decisions,” he said.

Political (Continue reading…)

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Outpouring Of Appreciation And Respect From Nevadans For Legacy Of Late Sen. Bill Raggio

By Nevada News Bureau Staff | 3:12 pm February 24th, 2012
Updated 3:30 pm February 24th, 2012

CARSON CITY – Here is a selection of comments made by Nevada public officials today following the announcement of the death of former state Sen. Bill Raggio:

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller: “I am deeply saddened by the death of Bill Raggio. There are no words to describe his dedication to the state of Nevada and I wish to express my deepest condolences and prayers for his wife Dale, and his family. Bill was a true statesman who dedicated his life to making Nevada a better place to live. His legacy will be remembered for generations to come.”

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid: “He always fought for Nevada and his invaluable contributions and service (Continue reading…)

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