Sep. 21, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

Home sales climb for year
Condo conversions contribute to jump
By HUBBLE SMITH
REVIEW-JOURNAL

New home building permits in Las Vegas have dropped nearly 15 percent from a year ago, but sales have increased 25 percent.

The jump is sales is driven by condo conversions, which don't require permits, a local housing expert said.

There were 3,711 escrow closings in .....
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Sunday, September 11, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WASHINGTON DIGEST: Congress approves $51.8 billion for relief from Katrina

Money will be used for evacuation and other hurricane-related expenses

STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- Congress last week approved an additional $51.8 billion in relief to Hurricane Katrina victims.

The Senate voted 97-0, while the House voted 420-11.

"This emergency supplemental is the next installment in the long road to establishing the industries and communities of the Gulf Coast," said Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La.

Approval came a week after Congress hurriedly passed an initial $10.5 billion in hurricane assistance.

The money will be used for evacuation, clean up, emergency repairs, flood control, medical care and other hurricane-related expenses, congressional leaders said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was targeted to receive $50 billion from the latest aid package, while $1.4 billion was to go to the Defense Department and $400 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Though the legislation passed by a wide margin, some lawmakers expressed worry that Katrina spending would strain the nation's budget while others called for an investigation into what Bush administration officials have acknowledged was an inadequate federal response to the hurricane.

"Our budget deficit, after we pass this bill, will be $670 billion this year," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. "That comes to over $2,000 per man, woman and child in this country this year alone. So we have two disasters."

Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., voted for the hurricane relief funds.

Reps. Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter, both R-Nev., also voted for the bill. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., did not vote.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

Judge Hardcastle asks to be reassigned
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Judge Gerald Hardcastle, who has been assigned to juvenile cases for nine of his nearly 13 years in Family Court, submitted a letter Tuesday requesting reassignment to the court's domestic calendar.

In a letter to Chief District Judge Kathy Hardcastle, his wife, and his fellow Family Court judges, Gerald Hardcastle asked that the change take effect Sept. 30.

He gave no explanation in the letter and declined to discuss the matter when contacted at home Tuesday evening.

Of the 12 Family Court judges, two are assigned to juvenile cases. Hardcastle hears abuse and neglect cases, while Judge William Voy hears cases involving juvenile delinquency.
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Aug. 20, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

Group cites access in LV
Survey ranks city No. 4 as vacation spot for disabled
By CHRIS JONES
GAMING WIRE

Jerry Iwamoto, 55, of Maui, Hawaii, waits Friday for an elevator inside the California Hotel. Iwamoto says he has multiple sclerosis but visits Las Vegas every year.
Photo by Clint Karlsen.

Las Vegas is one of the nation's most-popular destinations among disabled adult travelers, according to a national survey released this month.

Approximately 40 percent of the estimated 21 million blind, deaf or otherwise physically impaired Americans who traveled in 2003 or 2004 said they visited here. Only New York, Washington and Chicago ranked higher.

Advertisement

Laughlin also made this year's list with a 14 percent score, said the survey, which was sponsored by Open Doors Organization, a Chicago-based nonprofit that teaches businesses how to attract more disabled customers through improved accessibility, and the Travel Industry Association of America, a Washington-based trade group.
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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Furniture showcase opens in LV
World Market Center officials step up plans
By CHRIS JONES
GAMING WIRE

[[[People ride escalators Monday from the main entryway to the second floor of World Market Center.
Photo by Clint Karlsen.

A Las Vegas police officer directs traffic Monday on Grand Central Parkway in front of the World Market Center.
Photo by Clint Karlsen.]]]

Ads touting the debut of the World Market Center furniture mart promised this week's inaugural Las Vegas Market would be "the start of something big."

If Monday's returns were any indicator, it was that and much more. And it could be finished much sooner than anticipated.

Approximately 53,000 furniture buyers and representatives of more than 1,200 exhibiting companies filed through the center's 1.3 million-square-foot tower in downtown Las Vegas, most getting their first look inside a projected $2 billion development nearly five years in the making.

Before many could leave a stifling-hot registration pavilion, a trio of World Market Center developers basked in the late-morning shade discussing their project's newly accelerated building schedule.

"Groundbreaking on Phase 3 is just eight months away," Jack Kashani, who founded World Market Center with partner Shawn Samson, said of the $415 million, 2 million-square-foot expansion. "We've been meeting with people who want (to lease) entire floors."

At a news conference a few hours later, Kashani dropped another bombshell when he said the project's backers hope to complete World Market Center in its entirety -- which means 10.7 million more square feet spread over seven new buildings -- "in the next seven years." It had been scheduled for completion in 2015. "We've built what the industry asked us to," Kashani said.

"And we'll continue to do it," chimed Ronald Wackrow, executive vice president with The Related Lodging Group, whose company is co-developing World Market Center.

Such confidence was rampant for a debut Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman called "a defining moment for Las Vegas."

Flanked by his requisite pair of feather-clad showgirls, Goodman added World Market Center's opening diversified the local economy overnight by complementing its world-renown casino, retail, dining and entertainment amenities.

As VIPs posed and congratulated one another, furniture buyers and exhibitors quietly engaged in their elaborate game of show and sell, just as they have at past furniture marts in other U.S. cities. Many said this market stood out from its predecessors, citing everything from its concentrated exhibitors to the excitement of doing business in a popular destination such as Las Vegas.

Gregory Waylock, owner of Fort Worth, Texas-based Bailey Street Trading Co., saw a steady stream of buyers at his 2,900-square-foot space on World Market Center's fourth floor. He, too, expects the Las Vegas Market to grow in stature in the short-term future.

"This is the biggest thing to happen to the furniture industry in at least 10 years," said Waylock, who added an industrywide buzz has surrounded Las Vegas since the latest major market in High Point, N.C., concluded in mid-April.

To capitalize on that anticipation, Bailey Street held back several of its latest products from the High Point show in order to debut them here.

"We just had a feeling Las Vegas would be a great place for a furniture market," Waylock said of the city's anticipated buyer presence. "We got here at 8:15 (a.m.) and we were writing orders by 8:30. If we could double our space, we would."

Arcadia, Wis.-based Ashley Furniture Industries brought nearly 400 salespeople to town this week. When space grew tight inside its 19,500-square-foot showroom, dozens of yellow-clad sales representatives lined the sixth-floor hallways awaiting a chance to get back in to show products to would-be customers.

Still, buyers interviewed Monday were largely pleased with their industry's newest showcase.

Eddie and Jill Dwinell drove to World Market Center to scope out products for Inside Ideas, a 24,000-square-foot furniture store they own in Farmington, N.M. Before lunch was served, they were inclined to abandon competing furniture showcases they previously attended in San Francisco and High Point.

"This will probably be it," Eddie Dwinell said of his preferred market. "There are more places to stay, places to eat. It's much better" in Las Vegas.

Nancy Willis, a furniture buyer with Tahlequah, Okla.-based Baker Furniture, also praised World Market Center's variety of products in a central location.

"I think there's more to offer here," said Willis, who previously favored a regional furniture market in Tupelo, Miss.

Monday's debut was not without kinks including typical new building maladies such as broken escalators and poor wireless Internet availability.

But traffic congestion many expected on nearby roadways never materialized as attendees largely made use of shuttle buses or parked in a temporary lot on the northeast corner of Bonneville Avenue and Grand Central Parkway.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

Activist proposes Mexican Chamber of Commerce
By JULIET V. CASEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Fernando Romero, a home loan consultant and community activist, on Tuesday shared his vision for a Mexican Chamber of Commerce with about 35 Mexican business owners and community activist.

"Mexico is within close proximity to us with 170 chambers of commerce throughout that republic," Romero said. "We hope to work with Mexico to bring more business to Nevada. We don't want to be exclusively for Mexican-owned business, but for anyone who wants to join us and network with us."

Ethnic Data Services, a company that identifies Hispanic registered voters, homeowners and business owners for political campaigns, tallied at least 2,200 Hispanic-owned businesses in Las Vegas.

But some at the meeting at a downtown Mexican restaurant questioned whether Romero's move to start a separate chamber is really about helping Mexican-owned businesses or about a conflict he might have had as a member of the existing Latin Chamber of Commerce.

Romero said the Latin Chamber, on whose board he served for more than a decade, hasn't been effective in reaching out to Mexican businesses and doesn't have their specific interest in mind.

Romero also defended his idea against the competing concept of Alan Torres, president of Durango Association of Nevada, who wants a chamber that functions as a limited liability corporation, rather than a nonprofit.

Romero's idea also has met with criticism from the Latin Chamber of Commerce, a 25-year-old institution that bills its mission as one to "develop, advance and promote Hispanic business and to enhance economic, political, social, educational and cultural interests of Hispanics in Nevada."

"I think it's a very wrong thing to do," said Otto Merida, executive director of the Latin Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas. "Why do we want to divide the Hispanic community by targeting just Mexicans? The connotation is that we're not a united community moving together on issues related to social and economic concerns."

But Romero doesn't believe his idea will be divisive.

"This isn't to slam any of the other ethnic chambers," he said. "We want to fill a void."

Jun. 19, 2005
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal

INSIDE GAMING: Rooms at Wynn LV cheaper on Internet

Expedia.com, the Internet discount travel site, began listing Wynn Las Vegas rooms for the first time last week. Expedia listed rooms at Wynn for $199. Wall Streeters said it was an effective way to boost demand from free and independent travelers over the hot summer months and should not erode room rates. Most analysts are projecting an average daily room rate at Wynn Las Vegas of $245 over the summer and say the resort should yield a 20 percent return by summer's end, though we're told most investors have more modest expectations. .....
........................................

During the course of my administration, I have worked hard to restore programs and to raise funding levels in the area of human services following a series of severe recessionary cuts in the early 1990s. Since 1998, the State of Nevada has made great gains for human services, with average funding levels increasing about 15 percent per year since then to the present. My proposed human services budget represents the largest investment that the State of Nevada has ever made in this area, totaling more than $4.7 billion in the 2006-2007 biennium. This budget is some $814 million more than the current biennium, and some $316 million of this budget is new general fund dollars.

The Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services stands to see a 39 percent increase in overall spending, up from $376 million to $512 million, when the budget for the 2005-2007 biennium is compared to the budget of the 2003-2005 biennium. In terms of state general fund spending, the increase will be 46 percent, up from $244 million to $358 million. Funding initiatives include: the new psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas, scheduled to open in May 2006; staffing to operate 217 psychiatric beds, which is an increase of 86 beds from current capacity; funding to address mental health caseload growth; increases for medication clinics, residential support, outpatient counseling and day training programs. There are also many enhancements to improve services to help Nevada’s families and children: establishment of a first-ever Suicide Prevention Office; expanded services for people with disabilities including personal assistance services, independent living and traumatic brain injury; funding to cover waiting lists for Early Childhood Services; a redesign and expansion of children’s behavioral services; reduced foster care case management workloads; a new automated system for Child Care; and, expansion for both the Nevada Check-Up and Senior Rx programs.

The list above is only a sample of the state’s commitment to human resources. During my time as Governor, I’ve always felt that we must make human services and health care more readily available, that we must grow and improve our mental health facilities, and that we must prepare for the needs of our growing population. We have increased funding for some of the most vulnerable citizens in our state so that we can anticipate and stay ahead of the cost of delivering such expected services in the future. This is a fiscally responsible investment, one that improves our human services offerings, keeps our families healthy, and our state strong.

-------------------------------------------
Reference

*1. About Governor Kenny Guinn (concise one by the Editor of this flier):

Kenny Guinn, 67, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physical Education from Fresno State University and later obtained a doctorate in Education from Utah State University in Logan.

In 1994, Guinn was recruited by the University of Nevada Board of Regents to serve as interim president of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Kenny spent his boyhood in the small, Central Valley town of Exeter, California where he met Dema, his wife of 47 years. Kenny Guinn believes in families.

Dr. Kenny C. Guinn is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI). He is now the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A. at his second term.

[Continues to the next flier at 052105-3167.]
The following imfomation are kept just as our draft of some notes (not for publication):

Jas,
Jacquie (Balodis) asked me to forward this to you and everyone since she was having computer problem this morning, not sure whether it reached everyone.

Julie

>Date: Sat, 21 May 2005 08:44:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jacquie Balodis [dr_jbalodis@yahoo.com]
Subject: [SPAM] Re: [SPAM] Fwd: RE: Resolution Special Meeting, Concerned ARCC Members
To: "Julie C. Hereford" [jch@alltec-us.com]

> Frances:
I and perhaps others will not be attending an illegally called meeting today for the following reasons, ................................

---------------------------------------------
Julie, there is no secret meeting or agenda. Otherwise, why would everyone (those with accessible e-mail addresses) be invited to this meeting? Everyone was informed of the meeting that resulted in a resolution being passed to summon the president to call/attend a meeting re financial affairs of the ARCC. I even asked the secretary to help disseminate this info to everyone whose e-mails or phone # I do not have access to. Members who did not choose to attend were not threatened for not attending. They have their own rights to attend or not to attend a meeting. As for the last meeting held by the president, I was not able to attend because: 1) It was such a short notice I could not back out of a family commitment. 2) for a meeting of this serious nature, every member must be given enough time in advance to calendar this schedule. We do not live for ARCC alone. We have other obligations, too. As for minutes of meetings, I do not remember receiving any. It would be nice to receive one I do not understand why you are dragging my other organization to this messy problem of ARCC. F.A.C.E.S. of Las Vegas has nothing to do with the ARCC mess. But let me tell you F.A.C.E.S. of Las Vegas is LEGITIMATE. We were able to open a bank account with Wells Fargo because the association was registered and it has an IRS ID#. The fact of the matter is F.A.C.E.S. of Las Vegas is none of your business. You are sticking your nose to an association that you do not know why and how it was organized. I will refer this issue to the general members of F.A.C.E.S. of Las Vegas to take appropriate actions to your very inappropriate reference to this association that you do not know anything about. Remember, little learning is dangerous. You should focus your attention to the problems of ARCC instead of minding other associations' business such as Mike Vaswani's assn. the F.A.C.E.S. of Las Vegas and others. I had so much respect for you before this unthinkable e-mail. I am very disappointed in you in this regard.
Frances .

---------------------------------------------
Frances:

Thanks for taking the time to communicate within
the context of the "By-Law", hence, I would like
to response with questions as a "Concerned Member"

>RE: The purpose of this meeting is to have the
>financial affairs of ARCC clarified by the
>president.

JH: The President of ARCC called a meeting on
5/9/05, the financial affairs were addressed,
"Concerned Members" chose not to come to the
meeting. 2 days later, the minutes for that
meeting was distributed via email by the
Secretary. The President received no response
nor inquiries regarding to the preliminary audit
reports presented at the meeting.

>RE: This meeting was based on the resolution
>passed by concerned members of the ARCC
>(formerly the AARCN) and based on the moral and
>civic obligation of members present.

JH: The "Concerned Members of ARCC" have been
used during the last few weeks. It seems that
"The Concerned Members" now are attempt to help
the Treasurer to cover up her Non-performance and
the "Missing Fund" by calling unauthorized
meetings. I would recommend that the "Concerned
Members" to do the following:

1. Put out a list of names for these "CONCERNED
MEMBERS". And, the itemized concerns as the
standard meeting notice would.

2. The moral & civic obligation of members
present - Shouldn't a standard Treasurer's report
be categorized under the moral & civic
obligations? For a Treasurer refuse to submit a
formal report and avoid the meeting call by the
President & Secretary for financial review, one
can hardly stand behind such a character and
waving the flag of "Moral" & "Ethics". Have you
and other concerned members consult with legal or
financial authorities for the consequences of
such a conduct, and where will that take all the
concerned members to? This is not an "Ideology"
issue, this is an "EMBEZZLEMENT" criminal act!
The Treasurer also is holding the check book and
the membership folder without a " legitimate
reason". For all the "Concerned Members" to
support such a behavior, one can only interpret
it to be "Politically Motivated". And the
"Political Motivation referenced here is
obviously a personal one. It is "NOT" a concern
for the Asian community nor for the Republican
Party.

>RE: This resolution on May 6, 2005 and request
>for a meeting were forwarded to the president.

JH: And the President's requests for specifics,
such as the detailed agenda, and the authority of
the person who was calling the meeting had been
ignored. This shows a non-cooperative attitude
and no sincere interests for the TRUTH & FACT
FINDING. The secret agenda is to put ARCC's
future in jeopardy. So that each "CONCERNED
MEMBERS" can preserve their own organization's*
importance in this community.

* Frances Ridgley - President of F.A.C.E.S.
(Filipino American California Expatriates Society
of Las Vegas. Status of State registration and
IRS Tax ID # unknown
* Jasmine Guo - President of Taiwan Association.
Status of State Registration and IRS Tax ID#
unknown.
* Dolly De Leon - Fired Secretary of ARCC due to non performance.
* Elena Brady - President of AARCN - Claim to be
the State Coalition without a legal registration
with the Secretary of the State, IRS Tax ID # for
AARCN is in question.
* Mike Vaswani - Asian American Group - Event
Coordination Business. Status of State
Registration and IRS Tax ID# unknown.

>RE: Furthermore, the meeting tomorrow is based
>on the constitution and by-laws, (AARCN By-laws,
>adopted by the ARCC) specifically Article VI,
>Sections A and B, Article VIII - Sections C, F,
>and G, Article XIII Sections A. and B.

JH: The only few references I can find in
Article VI relating to the financial crisis
created by the Treasurer are:

RE: Section A-1 (d): Treasurer. The Treasurer
shall be "responsible" for having custody of all
funds of the Coalition, keeping records and
preparing statements; maintaining and operating
bank account(s); provide financial records and
statements to the President and Executive Board;
and perform "all" such other functions as may be
delegated to the office.

JH: Please advise to which part the AARC's
current Treasurer followed and performed????

RE: Section B-5: Special meeetings of the
Executive Board may be called by the President or
upon the request of "four members" of the board.

JH: For the two meetings called by you, there
have been no mention of which four board members,
nor specific purposes.

>RE: I would like to point out that the
>Treasurer's Report is not just to the president;
>it has to be presented to the executive board in
>the presence of the general membership. The
>treasurer gave her report at the meeting held
>after the induction ball. All the executive
>board members and some members except the vice
>president heard the report. The treasurer
>asked several times what to do with checks
>addressed to AARCN. The president emphatically
>told the treasurer that both of them must go to
>the bank the following day to deposit the monies
>and checks. What happened next is what we need
>to know not by hearsay but directly from the
>treasurer and the president.

JH: The 5/9/05 meeting was call for the Special
General Membership meeting to have all members to
attend the financial reviews with the presence of
ARCC's attorney, the President pick the
Attorney's office as meeting location, which is
in the same building of the Wells Fargo bank, so
that any extra fund still in Treasurer's
possession can be deposited right away after the
review, clarification and resolution. The report
Treasurer gave out on 4/29 was a handwritten
notes without names for the check, without
accounting of the tickets, without guests
registrations, without any cash receipts for the
cash fund received. If the "Concerned Members"
accept that as an appropriate form of financial
statement and record for an event of $7 - 8,000
receipt with over 200 guests, I am really going
to wonder how this coalition can ever be taken
seriously by others. It is self defeating in the
context of our mission statement. We are not
qualified to help other Asians to get into the
main stream when we don't know what is better.
This should be a legitimate concern, but I am not
hearing or seeing it being addressed!!!!

>RE: The person who paid for the induction
>place, the DJ, etc. has not been reimbursed.

JH: Whose responsibility is this? When the
Treasurer refuse to turn over the check book or
contact the President for writing a check. The
Treasurer deposited just enough fund (in checks)
to cover the gala expenses and kept the rest of
fund (in cash) in her possession for 4 weeks as
of now. Until the Treasurer stepping forward
with the check book and the rest of the funds.
Nobody can do anything. If the concerned members
really care, they should attend the meeting
called by the President, not by "Resigned"
Executive Director. Furthermore, since the
Treasurer did not deposit the membership check
from yourself (F. Ridgley), and the Treasurer has
also refused to turn over the membership folder
to the President over many requests, we can not
even verify your membership registration. As for
the membership folder, it was given to the Vice
President by the President. The Vice President
did not perform the duty as a guardian to the
membership folder as the President delegated to
him. He lost the guardianship of the folder to
the Treasurer who should only make copies of the
membership application for her accounting
function, should not "WITHHELD" the membership
folder as a poker chip for the game she is trying
to play.

>RE: I believe, and I strongly feel that many
>of you share the belief, that the leadership of
>any organization, be it a coalition, a charter
>or precinct organization, has the moral
>responsibility to bring members together, to
>inspire and motivate them,

JH: I am in total agreement with this statement,
except when a new leader try to do the right
things (i.e. follow the law, rules and
regulations), and the members supported
unanimously in the meeting and turn around
disputed and denied the motions they made. The
"Concerned Members" are not playing by the rule
such as:

a) Calling its own meeting not in accordance to the By-Law of ARCC;
b) Refuse to attend the authorized meetings call by the
Secretary/President;
c) Cover up and in cooperation with the Treasurer
for her refusal of submitting a formal
Treasurer's report and holding fund illegally.
d) Circling false statements and rumors in order to cover up the wrong
doings.
e) Showing the community the true shortcomings
of the Asians which is to operate outside of the
"American" system.

These "Concerned Members" all have its own
agenda with its own political motivations, no
leader can motivate this type of member. They are
not team players, they are game players. ARCC's
missions only have 5 or 6 goals, it may take 10
years to get one goal down, but we have no
deadline to get to the goal line, we will take
time to do the right thing in an American way.
Isn't this is why we call ourselves Asian
Republicans? Truth will prevail! Patience is
Virture!!!

>RE: not to pull members apart or encourage
>pettiness or threaten members of legal
>innuendos. Otherwise, there is no leadership.

JH: I believe the pettiness rides on the
"TREASURER HIDING BEHIND THE CONCERNED MEMBERS".
I also believe that all the "CONCERNED MEMBERS"
are well aware that in this country when one does
thing illegally, one will face legal consequence.
It is not a threat! It is part of the ARCC
Mission Statement - TO PRESERVE POSITIVE ASIAN
AMERICAN CULTURE, VALUE AND TRADITIONS.

>Together we can make the difference.

The difference the "Concerned Members" is making
is to confirm to the community that the Asians
think and act differently. They show their
arrogance to the rules and laws and think they
are above the law.

In the end, as every one is so worked up about
taking sides, I would like to take this
opportunity to declare my position - My loyalty
sides with the Truth and the Laws & Order.

Julie Hereford
Auditing Committee Person
Concerned Member
Asian Republican of Clark County