RENO – Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich told a cheering crowd here today that he is the only GOP candidate with the knowledge and experience to get the U.S. back on track after what will be four years of failed policies by President Barack Obama.

Gingrich, a former speaker of the House, is in Nevada ahead of Saturday’s First in the West Republican caucus.

Newt Gingrich is kicking off his Nevada campaign on Wednesday, one day after Florida's primary election. Gingrich and his wife, Callista, are expected to visit Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas.

We are trying to confirm the details on when and where the former speaker will be in Carson City.
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CARSON CITY – State Sen. Greg Brower, R-Reno, has asked Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto why an outside legal firm was retained to defend the state against a freeway construction dispute. Legal costs charged to the state will total $6 million by the end of an arbitration hearing set for next month.

On January 7, 2012, Janet Sylvia MacDonald died peacefully surrounded by her family after battling Parkinson’s disease.

Born Janet Sylvia MacDonald May 6, 1941 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Jan moved to Nevada in 1959. As a single mother with a young son, she attended the University of Nevada, Reno during the day and worked evenings to support her family. It was during this time that Jan danced and performed with famous Bertha the Elephant in the main showroom at John Asquaga’s Nugget.

Nevada's unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 12.6 percent in December, bringing the total number of unemployed in the state to 166,300. This is the second consecutive month that the unemployment rate has declined. A year ago, the rate hit a record high of 14.9 percent.

But Carson City's rate rose from 11.9 percent to 12.2 percent. Reno and Las Vegas also saw the same .3 percent increase in the jobless rate as well.

CARSON CITY – A conservative Nevada think tank today announced the second case taken on by its Center for Justice and Constitutional Litigation (CJCL), this one aimed at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for allegedly flooding a Pahrump church camp through negligent and illegal work on two streams.

A Las Vegas attorney will launch a legal and political effort this week aimed at establishing and funding a parallel state budget, beyond the reach of the Legislature and governor.

Kermitt Waters seeks to place on the November ballot a proposed constitutional amendment calling for a sweeping overhaul of Nevada%u2019s tax system %u2014 abolishing property taxes on single-family homes among other things while identifying and allocating new tax revenue.
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CARSON CITY – A panel of key gaming figures and state officials will begin meeting next month to consider the impact of Internet gaming and other technological advances on Nevada’s major industry.

Gov. Brian Sandoval announced his five appointments to the Gaming Policy Committee yesterday. The full 11-member committee has not met since 1984. Sandoval will serve as chairman.

CARSON CITY – Several major events in Las Vegas, including the final table at the World Series of Poker, combined with a healthy baccarat win, pushed Nevada gaming revenues up 7.1 percent in November, the Gaming Control Board reported today.

CARSON CITY – A legal firm retained by the state Department of Transportation to defend against a contractor dispute over construction of a section of the Carson City bypass has racked up $6 million in fees so far and the costs could still go higher.

Gov. Brian Sandoval today expressed concern about the amount of legal fees in the case involving a $40 million claim by Utah-based Ames Construction, which built the first phase of the U.S. 395 bypass in the capital that opened in February of 2006.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s major casinos saw total revenues increase to $22 billion last fiscal year, but the 256 properties reported a net loss of just under $4 billion, the Gaming Control Board reported today.

It was the third year of losses in a row. The only other loss since records have been kept came in 2002.

The report, called the Nevada Gaming Abstract, analyzes those casino properties grossing $1 million or more in gaming revenue for the year ending June 30, 2011.

CARSON CITY – Republican state Senator Michael Roberson said today he expects the GOP to retake control of the Senate in the 2012 general election, citing the quality of candidates recruited for two key Clark County races.

His optimism was countered by Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, who said he is confident Democrats will maintain control of the Senate come Nov. 7.

Taxable sales in Nevada jumped 12.1 percent in October compared with the same month last year, with big gains reported in the construction, auto, clothing, and bar and restaurant sectors, the Nevada Department of Taxation reported Tuesday.

Sales rose 9.3 percent in Clark County and 14.9 percent in Washoe County, Nevada's two population centers that include Las Vegas and Reno, respectively. Elsewhere, total sales were up 1.5 percent in Carson City, and 46.2 percent in Elko, 6.4 percent in Douglas, 32.9 percent in Churchill and 22.2 percent in Storey counties.
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The ill will that defined the ugly U.S. Senate race between Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and tea party Republican Sharron Angle is resurfacing in Nevada just in time for Christmas.

Republicans convinced that Reid stole the election from Angle lined up during public hearings in Carson City and Las Vegas on Friday to protest a series of proposed election regulation changes expected to take effect next week. Many of the changes are minor, but that didn't stop Republicans from accusing Secretary of State Ross Miller of using his position to benefit fellow Democrats.
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For many people, the dawn of a new year can mean a fresh start, a clean slate. For the politicians running to represent Nevada in the U.S. Senate, the view close to the new year is a nearly level battlefield judging from the latest measure of public sentiment.

Republican Sen. Dean Heller and Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley are all but tied in their bid for the federal office. Berkley holds a 44.4 percent to 43.2 percent lead in the poll of registered voters conducted for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and 8NewsNow.
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CARSON CITY – Nevada’s unemployment rate fell in November for the first time since May, to a seasonally-adjusted 13 percent, a state agency reported today. The rate is down nearly two percentage points from the same time last year, pushing the estimate of jobless Nevadans down to 171,800 from 198,200.
The rate dropped four-tenths of a percentage point from October’s 13.4 percent rate.

The Nevada State Museum and Reno Coin Club are bringing to life a bit of Carson City history with a special weekend coin minting session.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Nevada State Museum on North Carson Street. Part of the museum operated as mint following the silver rush of the late 1800s.

Many Nevadans have become jaded to tales of corruption emanating from Las Vegas. But this in-depth story from Bloomberg Businessweek reaches new highs in how low scam artists can go in Sin City.

It all starts with a little old lady from Minnesota who wondered why people who didn't live in her condo complex would want to serve as a volunteer on the home owner association's board. From there the tale goes from fixing board elections to broken kneecaps. ...

Four Carson Senators made the Las Vegas Review-Journal's 4A all-state football team, including three who were named to the first team.

Running back Dylan Sawyers, kicker Austin Pacheco and linebacker Chance Quilling were named to the first team, while defensive lineman Logan Peternell made the second team.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Sierra Front Field Office (SFFO) has made available for public review and comment the Nevada Broadband Telemedicine Initiative Environmental Assessment (EA).
The fiber optic cable project would connect, maintain and operate a statewide telemedicine network and would serve a minimum of 36 hospitals and medical facilities, with additional capacity available to serve public safety entities, educational institutions, and Tribal governments.
The comment period will close January 4, 2012.

Voting boundaries that will influence Nevada politics for the next decade are a done deal after months of posturing and punts, with political power shifting to populous Las Vegas at the expense of rural areas.

Democrats, who have a 65,000 voter registration edge statewide, also have an advantage in the maps that redraw Nevada's 21 Senate and 42 Assembly districts, and carve out a fourth a Congressional seat...

Reading the newspaper this morning is like deja vu. First, there is the story about Carson City being recognized as a top ranked digital city, which we published last month. Then there is the report about the Gardnerville man who was shot by a Douglas County Sheriff's deputy next to his own grave site, an apparent act of "suicide by cop." There's also the story about the fundraiser at J's Bistro to benefit the Dayton Food Pantry that we had yesterday. It reminds me of that line from the movie "All The President's Men" where they talked about a new feature for the paper, yesterday's weather forecast, "for those who got drunk and slept all day."

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In politics, Judge Todd Russell finalized the state's redistricting case, refusing to add language allowing current office holders from using the words “incumbent” or “re-elect” in their campaigns if their districts had changed. None of the parties in the case objected to the new political boundaries, which closes this chapter of political wrangling.

Secretary of State Ross Miller filed a suit to force conservative advocacy group Citizen Outreach to register with the state and file contribution and expense reports. Miller cited that the group ran ads targeting Assembly Speaker John Oceguera during the 2010 election, which means the group must comply with laws governing political activities.

Although Citizen Outreach has not responded to the suit, its president Chuck Muth has a column today attacking Assembly Minority Leader Pete Goicoechea for not being conservative enough. Goicoechea, a Republican from Eureka, announced that he will run for state senate.

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In other news from behind the wall, Lisa Hoeppner will represent Carson City in the upcoming Mrs. Nevada-America Pageant in Las Vegas, Local's BBQ has closed its doors, and there is a club for table tennis fans in town.

Have a great Friday!

CARSON CITY – A draft environmental statement addressing the future of the former Nevada Test Site appears to be setting the stage for the transportation of mixed hazardous and low-level radioactive waste to the site through heavily populated areas of Las Vegas, the state

A trio of consumers got an early start in telling the state Public Utilities Commission that the installation of smart meters by Nevada Power Co. would result in higher electric rates for customers and especially hurt the elderly.

“With smart meters, rates will go up,’’ said Rana Goodman in an appearance before the commission Wednesday in Las Vegas.

The testimony came in advance of a workshop by the PUC on Dec. 6 in Carson City on the smart meter issues.