Apr 18 - 24, 1999 edition

by Vin Suprynowicz

It's baa-aack!

Most any Nevadan who has come close to a television screen in the past decade is probably familiar with (if not already sick to death of) the four modern horror-film monsters -- all well-known for their improbable tendency to come back from the dead, even after our heroine has bludgeoned them, electrocuted them, stabbed them full of knitting needles, or hacked off major parts of their anatomy: 1) Michael Myers, the escaped mental patient in the numbingly recycled series of "Halloween" films;
2) Jason, the hockey-masked drowning victim who kept resurfacing in all those "Friday the 13th" sequels, demonstrating that if you're away at camp and you want to live, celibacy is the best policy;
3) Freddie Krueger, the character most in need of a good manicure in the series of Heather Langencamp nightmares   [more]

Choosing from a cornucopia of government abuses

There are some weeks when a columnist feels like the fat lady frozen before the dessert buffet, the only palpable sign that she's not a costumed mannequin being the occasional lurches, instantly countermanded, as her synapses attempt to propel her toward first one, then another section of her chocolate and whipped cream Elysium.
Shall we review all the worthy books that have poured across the desk recently, from Jim Bovard's almost depressingly well-documented "Freedom in Chains: The Rise of the State and the Demise of the Citizen" (a seminal book; $26.95 from St. Martin's Press) to Clay Conrad's "Jury Nullification: The Evolution of a Doctrine" (a much needed analysis of a vital   [more]

The commentary of

Are the Tests Flawed? Or Is Mediocrity the New Standard?

The education ostriches are at it again. Test results show the decline in academic achievement continues, in spite of massive amounts of tax dollars pumped into our increasingly ineffective public school system. And the establishment's reactions show they still live with their heads in the sand. In case you missed it, a high percentage of Nevada's high school seniors are failing to pass the now mandated "proficiency exam," a basic skills test. To pass, you only have to get 61% in math and for reading, 70%. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but when I was  [more]

LV R-J
Legislature tightens noose

By Ken Ward

Choice in education is one of the biggest casualties at the 1999 Legislature. Private school vouchers are dead and charter school expansion is on the ropes. Meantime, the Nevada State Education Association is ramming through its agenda.   [more]

RJ Editorial
Clark County
water grab

Much good should come from the memo of understanding in which the Las Vegas Valley Water District would return to rural counties much of the water it applied for in 1989.

More News

Mayor hopefuls missed elections

Feds okay Nevada power firms' merger

Union bosses fight workers comp plan

Lobbyists spend only $13 Gs so far

Electric
America

Important reporting from the
Las Vegas Review-Journal

New water deal
forced on Reid

Reverses 10-year stand, agrees to pay Fallonites
fair price for water rights

CARSON CITY -- Two Assembly members and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid announced Friday they have reached an agreement that obligates the state and federal government to buy $13 million in water rights on land owned by Fallon area farmers.

Senate OKs new
charter school bill

CARSON CITY -- A bill making it easier for parents and educators to create and operate charter schools was unanimously approved Thursday by the Senate.

You can die on
a cop's 'hunch''

When John Perrin was stopped by Las Vegas police Monday night in southwest Las Vegas, he was not a suspect in any pressing law enforcement investigation. Instead, he was stopped because an officer deemed he was "acting nervous."

No LV copy ever paid
for an on-duty death

Gibbons heads
for Kosovo

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., a skeptic of the Clinton administration's policy on Kosovo, leaves today for the war torn region with other lawmakers to assess the needs of U.S. troops.

Enrollments don't
match budgets

While the University of Nevada, Reno receives funding for 162 students who didn't show up for class, UNLV struggles to teach nearly 800 more students than the campus expected.

Frankie Sue fights
mortgage reform

CARSON CITY -- Victims of the Harley L. Harmon Mortgage Co. debacle may be victimized again -- this time by the state's lack of money to overhaul laws regulating mortgage companies.

Anti-handbill signs
land county in court

Clark County officials have refused to remove signs that tell handbill distributors their activity is prohibited in the resort district, prompting the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada to take the issue to federal court.

Bill to limit
gov's hiring dies

CARSON CITY -- A bill that would have limited Gov. Kenny Guinn's power to appoint the chiefs of state agencies is going nowhere this legislative session.

Nevada high court
chips at shield law

The Nevada Supreme Court has ordered a reporter to give testimony about an interview with a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper in connection with a 1996 accident on Lake Mead Boulevard that killed five people.

Mortgage bill
faces Guinn veto

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn likely will veto a bill that would place more regulations on mortgage investment companies because it contains new fees, his top aide said Thursday.

Fifth shot at test
set for seniors

High school seniors struggling with the state proficiency exam may get one more chance to pass before graduation.

Reid: No net land
loss for Nevada

RENO -- Ongoing friction over federal ownership of much of the West is surfacing again in a dispute over the expansion of Fallon Naval Air Station in Nevada.

Senators OK
art tax break

CARSON CITY -- A bill allowing Bellagio to charge admission to its $300 million art collection and still be eligible for a $15 million sales tax break passed the Senate on a 14-7 vote Friday despite arguments from an opponent that the measure favored only one wealthy individual.

Honest dealing
called too costly

CARSON CITY -- Critics say a bill that would boost payments to Nevadans fighting government takeovers of their property could cost development agencies millions of dollars.

Senators approve
phone deregulation

The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Friday voted to open the door for more extensive competition in the telephone industry.