Washington Business and Technology Institute - Election and Public Service

PPAA18 ***** 1:28 p. m., Monday, June 7, 2004 ***** #First Edition
Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI)
http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti
Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark Denton and Valorie Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058
*It's our pleasure to pay a tribute to the above officials who dedicate to the civic and community service spects of our organization in an honorary or adjunct capacity.
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Graduates' pride, tears reflect Las Vegas dreams better than statistics
By JANE ANN MORRISON*1
Monday, June 07, 2004
Copyright @ Las Vegas Review-Journal
JANE ANN MORRISON: Graduates' pride, tears reflect Las Vegas dreams better than statistics
If this was part of last week's New York Times series about Las Vegas, Amber Reynolds and Nikki Cohen would be living in Budget Suites, smoking crack, barely able to read, unlikely to find a decent job, maybe considering jobs as topless dancers.*2
Instead, the two young women bucked the dismal Nevada statistics that gave the newspaper the basis for its series "American Dreamers: The Lure of Las Vegas."
Amber and Nikki graduated Friday from the Las Vegas Academy, a magnet school for international studies and the performing and visual arts.
Both were born and reared in Las Vegas.
Both are going to college.
Both have stable home lives.
Both have a life plan.
Amber is going to the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., on a music scholarship with a pre-law minor. She hopes to be a concert pianist. She's a cross-country runner.
Nikki is going to the University of Nevada, Reno to study biochemistry as part of a pre-med program. She wants to be a doctor. She speaks Japanese.
They both had grade point averages of 3.8 or above from a school that demanded more in terms of time and effort than most Las Vegas schools.
The two are intelligent, lovely and focused, the antithesis of the young Las Vegans portrayed so dismally in The New York Times.
Amber and Nikki were lab partners in a class at the Las Vegas Academy and shared another class even before they were born.
Their parents, Teri and Michael Reynolds, and Ruth Cohen, a single mother by choice, took prenatal child birthing classes together. Michael Reynolds was an Internal Revenue Service agent at the time; his wife, Teri, works at the Riviera as head of the payroll department. Ruth Cohen was and still is an assistant U.S. attorney. They chose to work, live and raise their children here, despite the unique cultural values that make child-rearing a challenge.
Frankly, attending Amber's and Nikki's commencement ceremony, and remembering my own in 1967, had a depressing side as well as an uplifting side.
I left high school knowing I would go to college, but having no idea what I wanted to do in life. Maybe get a degree in political science and join the Foreign Service? Maybe do something with my writing skills? These young women appeared to have it more together at this stage of their lives than I had.
Nikki and Amber probably will change or at least tweak their plans along the way, as most of us do, for better or worse.
But on Friday night, they were Las Vegas' true American Dreamers, the Las Vegas Academy's Class of 2004. Through their music, their dance and their video presentation, the 277 graduating students proved themselves among the city's best.
Even the way they chose to cross the stage when their names were announced said something about each one.
Some were clowns, perhaps destined for "Saturday Night Live." Some were straightforward. Others skipped and waved.
Amber and Nikki each strode forward with purpose when it was their turn and smiled as if their lives would always be joyful.
The final two students brought the other students to their feet clapping and cheering.
The younger brother of Kristina Fannin accepted her diploma.
Kristina had died of cancer just days earlier. She had attended a previous awards event, pulling her oxygen tank and wearing a wig to cover the effects of her illness. She just couldn't last long enough to make Friday's commencement ceremony at Cashman Field.
The last student prepared to cross the stage was Nicholas Wyatt, who waited at the right edge of the stage in a wheelchair. His body twisted by cerebral palsy, he struggled to make the walk that had been so effortless for everyone else.
He used a walker and had some help, and it took a while. But throughout that while, his classmates and the audience yelled their support for Nicholas, an international studies student.
Tears fell as he struggled. His own, mine and many others.
Parents watching couldn't help but be grateful that their own children were alive and well.
The New York Times wasn't there. I count myself lucky that I was.*3
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References
*1. Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday on Las Vegas Review-Journal. E-mail her at jane@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0275.
*2. Morrison, Jane Ann. 'Graduates' pride, tears reflect Las Vegas dreams better than statistics,' "NEVADA and the west--- Las Vegas Review-Journal," (June 7, 2004), Las Vegas Nevada: reviewjournal.com of LVRJ. This article is post here through the courtesy of Las Vegas Review-Journal.
*3. Ibid.

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PPAA18 ***** 2:39 p. m., Friday, June 4, 2004 ***** #First Edition
Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI)
http://communitylink.reviewjournal.com/lvrj/wbti
Advisory Board: Governor Kenny Guinn, Chairman; U. S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, Vice Chairmen; U. S. Representatives James Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Executive Directors.
U. S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao
Chairperson
Dr. Tony T. Lei
President
District Judges Mark Denton and Valorie Vega
Vice Presidents
Dr. William N. Thompson
Director of Public Administration Institution
Dr. E. Lee Bernick and Dr. G. Keong Leong
Deans of Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Dr. Sue Fawn Chung
Director of Culture Institution
Justice of the Supreme Court William Maupin, Attorney General Brian Sandoval, and District Judge Stewart Bell, Honorary Chairmen of Clark County District Attorney and Police Civil Commission (CCDAPCC)
District Attorney David Roger and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young
Chairmen of CCDAPCC
(702) 255-9058
*It's our pleasure to pay a tribute to the above officials who dedicate to the civic and community service spects of our organization in an honorary or adjunct capacity.
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U. S. Senator Harry Reid's "WHIP ROUND UP" on June 4, 2004
By the Office of the Assistant Democratic Leader of the U. S. Senate*1
Reid for Nevada
Reid Backs New Benefits for Aerial Firefighters
Senator Harry Reid is working to provide federal benefits to aerial firefighters who are killed or disabled in the line of duty. The Aerial Firefighter Relief Act of 2003 would make pilots and crews eligible for the benefits if they suffer death or disability while battling a blaze on a contract basis for a public agency.*2
Reid Hosts Meeting for Drought Management
Senator Harry Reid, Senator John Ensign and the Southern Nevada Water Authority hosted a forum called Western Water Vision. Federal and local leaders gathered at the River Mountains water treatment facility in Henderson, where they discussed strategies to conserve and maximize the water resources in southern Nevada.
Reid Meets With Superintendents from Every Nevada County
U.S. Senator Harry Reid invited all 17 Nevada school superintendents to join him for a discussion about the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act. Senator Reid has worked to ensure that Nevada's communities and school systems have the resources they need to meet the requirements of the law.
Working with Nevadans
Alvin McLane, a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) volunteer from Reno, met with Senators Reid and Ensign. Mr. McLane was honored as the recipient of the BLM's "Making A Difference" award. This award reflects his exceptional work on behalf of public lands in America as well as his commitment to preserve Nevada's cultural sites.
Senator Reid met with Clark County Manager Thom Reilly and Dan Musgrove to discuss plans for the new Clark County Shooting Range and other issues.
Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign congratulate Shankari Rajagopal, an eighth-grader at Churchill County Junior High School who represented Nevada in the 77th National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. this week. Shankari survived into the fifth round of the competition, finishing among the top 37 out of 265 contestants.
Week in Review
Work on Defense Bill Continues - The Senate continued debate on the Defense Authorization Bill this week, but progress was limited to a handful of amendments. One amendment that was approved 95-0 establishes a $25 billion emergency fund for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some 200 amendments remain pending on the bill, though many of these are placeholders. Debate is expected to continue throughout next week, with a number of contentious amendments expected on a wide range of issues including low-yield nuclear weapons, the war in Iraq and the prisoner abuse scandal.
Amendment on Nuclear Waste Fails - The Senate defeated an amendment that would have blocked the Department of Energy from reclassifying high level nuclear waste at the Savannah River Site as low-level waste. The department would be able to reclassify the waste under a provision of the Defense authorization bill. The amendment by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), which would have deleted that provision, failed on a 48-48 vote.
Senator Reid Named Conferee on Transportation Bill - Senator Reid has been appointed as a Senate conferee on the sweeping measure to reauthorize surface transportation projects for the next six years. The Senate version of the bill authorizes $318 billion in funding, while the House version calls for $284 billion. In remarks on the Senate floor this week, Senator Reid urged House leaders to begin negotiations immediately so the two chambers can reach a compromise as soon as possible.
INSIDER'S CALENDAR
The Senate will convene Monday, June 7, at 1:30 p.m. with a period of morning business until 2:30 p.m. At that time the Senate will resume consideration of the Department of Defense Authorization bill.
No roll call votes will occur on Monday. The next vote will occur on Tuesday morning in relation to a Kennedy-Feinstein amendment regarding "bunker buster" weapons.
Consideration of the DOD Authorization bill is expected to consume most of the week. Under a previous consent agreement, upon the disposition of the defense bill, the Senate will move to consideration of the Class Action bill.
Reid's Words
My recent meeting with the school superintendents from every county in Nevada was one of the most informative sessions I have ever attended. I learned about the challenges they face as they teach our children, and struggle to fulfill the unfunded mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act.*3
http://reid.senate.gov Fax: (202) 228-7362 Phone: (202) 224 - 2158
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References
*1. Harry Reid is the Senator and Assistant Democratic Leader of the U. S. Senate.
*2. Office of the Assistant Democratic Leader. 'WHIP ROUND UP,' "An e-mail to Dr. Tony Lei from the Office of U. S. Senator Harry Reid," (June 4, 2004), Washington, D. C.: Office of the Assistant Democratic Leader Harry Reid.
*3. Ibid.

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