FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 18, 2006 CONTACT: Steve George, Dir. of Communications (775) 684-5668

CARSON CITY – Gov. Kenny Guinn will meet with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt in Las Vegas on Thursday, January 19, to discuss problems that seniors in Nevada may be having with their Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage. Gov. Guinn will be joined by Nevada Department of Human Resources Director Mike Willden and other state officials, who will help bring Secretary Leavitt up to speed on problems being reported in Nevada by seniors who have had difficulty filling prescriptions and other related issues. Secretary Leavitt has been touring the nation meeting with state leaders to discuss Medicare-related issues.

Governor Guinn and Secretary Leavitt will be available for media interviews on:

Thursday, January 19

4:30PM

Grant Sawyer Building

Governor’s Office, 5th Floor

555 E. Washington St.

Las Vegas

It’s estimated that 28 to 30 million Americans will enroll for Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage within the first year of the program, making it the largest change to Medicare in its 40 year history. Since November 15th, a total of 24 million beneficiaries have enrolled. On average, more than one million prescriptions are filled through this program every day.

Office of the Governor
101 North Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701
Fax: 775-684-7198

Grant Sawyer State Office Building
555 East Washington, Suite 5100 Las Vegas, NV 89101
Fax: 702-486-2505

Jan. 14, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Parade, peace fest set to honor King
Tribute, speeches, candlelight vigil also planned
By LYNNETTE CURTIS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Cilck image for enlargement.

Las Vegas will honor the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a parade and other events over the next several days.

The 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade is set to begin at 10 a.m. today in downtown Las Vegas. It will start on Fourth Street at Hoover Avenue and continue north to Ogden Avenue.

The theme of the parade is "Living the Dream: Shaping Minds for Tomorrow."

The parade will have 100 entrants, including drill teams, bands and step teams, parade Chairman Eddie Taylor said.

It is expected to end around noon.

Other Martin Luther King Jr. Day events include:

• A cultural tribute will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday at the West Las Vegas Library Theater, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd. The event is free, but those who want to attend should call 507-3989 for reservations.

• Peace Fest 2006 will kick off at 11 a.m. Monday at the Clark County Community Resource Center, 2432 N. Martin Luther King Blvd. at Carey Avenue. The event includes African dance ensembles, spoken word performances and vendors. A candlelight vigil at the center's statue of King will begin at 3:30 p.m. Admission is free.

• Bruce Gordon, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will speak about King at 12:15 p.m. Thursday in the Moyer Student Union ballroom at UNLV as part of the university's King celebration. The event is free.

Dec. 16, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Ex-judge to serve on transportation board
REVIEW-JOURNAL

CARSON CITY -- Former Tennessee Judge Samuel A. Thompson was appointed Thursday by Gov. Kenny Guinn to serve on the Transportation Services Authority.

Thompson, 57, now of Las Vegas, will earn $97,103 a year on a job he will start Jan. 2.

The Transportation Services Authority licenses and regulates limousines, buses, tow companies and intrastate movers of household goods throughout Nevada, as well as taxicabs in counties other than Clark County. "I've spent most of my life in public service, and I'm very excited to be a part of Nevada state government," Thompson said.

He served eight years as a judge in Memphis, Tenn., and 25 years in Shelby County, Tenn., as juvenile court referee, correctional facility administrator and deputy sheriff.

"As a former judge, Sam has a wealth of experience with listening to facts and determining a just result," Guinn said. "His background will help the TSA arrive at decisions that are fair to all parties concerned."

Dec. 09, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

BENEFIT TO NEVADANS: House OKs sales tax break
Compromise bill must be debated
By SAMANTHA YOUNG
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

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WASHINGTON -- Nevadans could continue to reap an additional benefit from their income taxes next year after the House approved a bill Thursday that extends a deduction for state and local sales taxes for at least one more year.

The tax break was a noncontroversial element of a $56 billion tax cut bill the House passed 234-197. It prolongs a benefit that was aimed primarily at taxpayers in Nevada and seven other states that do not levy a state income tax.

"If it's extended, it's clearly a benefit to Nevada," said Richard Mason, an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, who teaches income tax law.

The sales tax deduction, a two-year trial that Congress passed in 2004, is slated to expire at the end of the year unless it is renewed.

The Senate passed legislation last month extending the tax break. With Thursday's vote, the House added its approval.

But, as debate over the $56 billion illustrated, lawmakers remain split on a major element that reduces tax rates on capital gains and dividends for an additional two years. It was not clear whether a compromise on the overall bill would be reached before Congress adjourns for the holidays.

Reps. Jon Porter and Jim Gibbons, both R-Nev., voted for the Republican-authored tax cut bill, with both touting the sales tax benefit as a reason.

"This provision keeps hard-earned tax dollars in our state, providing an economic stimulus and tax fairness," Gibbons said.

Porter said it was "only fair" that Nevadans are allowed to write off sales taxes since residents of other states can write off their state income taxes.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., voted against the bill despite the sales tax break. She said the measure was too targeted to help wealthy Americans while adding $50 billion to the federal deficit.

"Unfortunately there's a decent provision in a god-awful piece of legislation," Berkley said. "There is nothing more fiscally irresponsible that what we are doing today."

The sales tax deduction was calculated to cost the Treasury $2.1 billion over five years. But leaders from states that would benefit the most framed the issue as a matter of equity.

They argued that residents of income-taxing states such as California, Arizona and New York were able to deduct their state income taxes on their federal returns, giving them a lower tax bill.

Without a corresponding tax break, "Nevadans were paying more federal taxes on the same income," Mason said.

There were federal write-offs for sales tax up to 1986, when they were repealed by President Reagan and lawmakers at the time as part of a tax simplification effort. The sales tax deduction was resurrected in 2004 as a temporary benefit that its supporters now are trying to cement.

The sales tax benefit is most likely to impact Nevada taxpayers who itemize their tax returns, Mason said. Those are people who want to ensure a refund check after spending on mortgage interest, large medical expenses or donations to charity, he said.

Taxpayers can deduct either an amount calculated by the Internal Revenue Service based on family size and income, or a larger amount if they have saved receipts.

For Nevadans, the IRS-calculated deduction ranges from $304 to $1,970, according to published 2004 tax year tables. The deduction is on the Schedule A form, line 5b.

Some experts say that allowing taxpayers to deduct sales taxes is not good tax policy.

Daniel Mitchell, a chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, suggested Congress do away with all state and local tax deductions, including the state income tax and property tax. A presidential panel last month recommended a similar approach to simplify the tax code.

"There's no question the law has been discriminatory to states like Nevada," Mitchell said. "There's two ways of dealing with it, extend the sales tax or get rid of all deductions."

Mitchell said state deductions often prompt local politicians to raise taxes. For example, a $100 increase in state income taxes would be cushioned by the federal offset and equate to an $80 tax increase, he said.

Dec. 01, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

NEON THURSDAY: NFR kickoff event at Fremont Street

If you've spent all your money on rodeo tickets, fear not. Tonight's official kickoff party for the National Finals Rodeo won't cost you a dime.

Head downtown to the Fremont Street Experience, where country stars Neal McCoy and Joe Diffie will perform a free concert.

Opening bands start at 6 p.m.

MIKE KALIL

Nov. 17, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

MISS AMERICA: Famed pageant coming to Strip
Aladdin lands one-year contract for Jan. 21 event
By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

After 84 years of crowning beauties on the Boardwalk, the Miss America pageant is moving to Las Vegas, organizers announced Wednesday.

It will be the first time the contest has been staged outside Atlantic City.

The Aladdin hotel-casino will play host to the pageant, scheduled to air Jan. 21 on cable channel Country Music Television, organizers told The Associated Press.

"What we wanted to do is find a new host city that has all glitz and glamour Miss America is known for," said Art McMaster, chief executive of the Miss America Organization, the nonprofit charitable group that runs the annual event. "Obviously, Las Vegas is right at the top of this list."

The pageant has been dogged by financial troubles and slipping viewership in recent years. It was dropped by ABC last year, leaving Miss America without a network TV contract for the first time since 1954.

Paul Villadoli, vice president of programming for Nashville, Tenn.-based Country Music Television, said Las Vegas was chosen because of its energy and its record of putting on first-class productions.

"There's a lot of excitement in the city, and we hope to infuse that into the pageant," he said. "Las Vegas echoes our vision to attract a broader and younger audience."

McMaster pulled the event from Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall in August, citing high production costs, and said it would be held in January instead of on its traditional post-Labor Day date. Then pageant officials went looking for a host city that would pay for the right to hold the annual competition.

McMaster said more than two dozen cities had courted the pageant, with Nashville among those considered.

In the end, the Aladdin's 7,000-seat theater offered the "elegance" he was looking for, McMaster said.

Organizers would not discuss terms of the deal, which was completed this week, but said it was a one-year contract only.

McMaster said it was too soon to tell whether Miss America would settle down in Las Vegas.

"We're not ruling anything out, but ... Miss America belongs to all of America," he said.

Organizers noted that the move to Sin City will necessitate some changes.

Fans probably have seen the last of the Miss America parade, in which all 52 contestants rode down the Boardwalk in convertibles with more than 100,000 spectators looking on.

And Miss America's victory dip in the ocean, in which the winner frolics in the surf for photographers, will be impossible in landlocked Las Vegas.

"We're not going to have the same traditions as we had in Atlantic City," Villadolid said. "We're anxious to come up with some new, exciting events."

Lee Meriwether, Miss America 1955, called it a "heart tug" to see the pageant leave New Jersey. But she said she's optimistic that a new venue will draw new fans and sponsors for the scholarship fund.

She said she never liked the dip in the ocean much, anyway. "It was such a tease, I thought. That's really the only time Miss America appears in a swim suit during her reign. You go out in the suit for the frolic, and that's the last time you wear it, honey," she said.

Oct. 24, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

Republicans pick Adams to succeed Forsythe as state chairman
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Paul Adams unanimously was selected the new chairman of the state Republican Party over the weekend during meetings in Sparks.

Adams, 51, of Las Vegas, was approved to fill the role previously held by Earlene Forsythe. Forsythe, of Reno, stepped down from the position, and Adams was selected by acclamation.

Adams, an Army veteran and business consultant, has lived in Las Vegas for five years. Previously he worked as a lawyer with business start-ups in California's Silicon Valley.

"I'll be focusing on building the party," Adams said Sunday. "I'll be focusing on voter identification and getting voters to the polls and, of course, raising the money that makes that possible."

The meeting of the state's GOP featured a dinner Saturday at which all three of the party's gubernatorial candidates spoke to attendees about their vision for the state. State Sen. Bob Beers, U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons and Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt offered their positions on a variety of topics, Adams said.

"They each talked about what was important to them without any mudslinging," Adams said. "We're very united as we go into the election knowing that any of our three candidates are better than any of the Democrats."

State Sen. Dina Titus and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson are running as Democrats.

The event, at John Ascauga's Nugget, was closed to the media.

With Adams, the Republicans selected three other officers during the meetings.

Paul Willis of Pahrump was named vice-chairman, Caroline Mering of Battle Mountain was selected secretary, and Basil Raffa of Las Vegas was named treasurer.

Oct. 16, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

Free speech expert to host forum
REVIEW-JOURNAL

A national expert on the First Amendment will host a town meeting Tuesday to hear what Las Vegans think about their news media.

The free discussion -- titled "The news media: Watchdog or rabid dog?" -- features Gene Policinski, executive director of the First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tenn.

The public is invited to attend the meeting, which runs from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Paradise Community Center, 4775 McLeod Drive, north of Tropicana Avenue.

Policinski has 27 years of daily journalism experience, including stints covering Congress and as Washington editor for USA Today.

He said terrorism, the war in Iraq, news sources and content will all be fair game for discussion.

President's Radio Address*1

In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "Even in the deepest darkness, we can see the light of hope, and the light shows us the way forward. We will honor the memory of those we have lost; we will comfort the victims of Katrina; and we will make the Gulf Coast more vibrant than ever. In all that lies before us, may God watch over the United States of America."*2

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References

*1. The White House. 'A press release of President George Bush,' "A search of 'President George Bush' on the Google.com," (September 10, 2005), Mountainview, California: Google.com.
*2. Ibid.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

[[[PHOTO: MAYOR CELEBRATES NEW CLUB]]]

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who calls himself the happiest mayor in the universe, dresses up to celebrate the opening of Celebrity, a gay show bar downtown. Goodman was joined on stage by singer Mark Smith, right, at the club at 201 N. Third St. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Saturday, August 20, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK: Reid has medical problem
Senator experienced ministroke earlier this week, his staff announces
By ED VOGEL and SAMANTHA YOUNG
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Harry Reid
Senate minority leader canceled all public appearances until further notice

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., experienced lightheadedness Tuesday evening and was diagnosed by doctors as having experienced a transient ischemic attack, often a sign that a serious stroke could occur later, according to a statement issued Friday by his staff.

Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said the 65-year-old senator feels fine. "There are no complications or any restrictions on his activities," she said in a statement.

She added that Reid's physicians have advised him to take advantage of the summer congressional recess and take "some downtime." Reid, a senator since 1987, is Senate minority leader and often is the national spokesman for the Democratic Party.
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