transparency

CARSON CITY – Nevada is one of four states to receive an “F” grade for student access and success in its higher education system from the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a report released this week.

CARSON CITY – Former Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley may not be a candidate for public office this year, but this apparent lack of political ambition has not stopped her from maintaining a campaign fund worth nearly half a million dollars.

CARSON CITY – In the Republican quest to regain control of the state Senate in the 2012 general election, two GOP candidates in a bitter primary traded accusations today in a televised debate.

Whether GOP establishment favorite Mari Nakashima St. Martin or challenger Brent Jones wins the June 12 primary, the fiercely contested primary presents another challenge for Republicans to return to dominance in the state Senate.

CARSON CITY – Sixty state lawmakers and legislative candidates who responded to a survey on government transparency largely favor new laws requiring the Legislature to follow the Open Meeting Law and mandating expanded reporting of spending on legislators by lobbyists.

CARSON CITY – The leader of the Assembly Republican Caucus today used a Tuesday reporting deadline for candidates running for election this year to announce several proposals to require more accountability and transparency in the financing of campaigns in Nevada.

Standard Deviation: The Digital Art of Michael HolcombOK…Let’s say sometime in the 19th century, George Boole, who created the algebra that’s the basis for digital logic and computer science, met the German biological illustrator Ernst Haeckel and they decided to make art. It might have looked very much like the work of Michael Holcomb, an artist whose images are on view at the McKinley Arts & Culture Center Gallery West, May 14th through June 22nd.

CARSON CITY – Assembly Speaker and 3^rd Congressional District candidate John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, declined today to say whether he supports the federal health care law now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Oceguera, who is termed out of office in the Assembly, said it is premature to comment on the law given the fact that it is awaiting a decision on its constitutionality by the nation’s high court.

KOLO8 News covers the "CRIME SCENE Flash MOB" protest in front of NV AG Catherine Cortez Masto's Carson City Office.

Protesters rallied with a 4 foot by 150 foot long "CRIME SCENE" banner!

Protesters each have their individual complaints against the Attorney General, NDOC, NHP, the Governor and Reno DA Dick Gammick.

http://youtu.be/YyG_i4MHHRY

CARSON CITY – The Legislative Commission voted today to let the residents of Laughlin decide in June on whether they will become Nevada’s next incorporated city.

CARSON CITY – Nevada barely earned a C grade for its efforts in providing online access to government spending data with a score of 70, according to the latest report: “Following the Money 2012”, released this week by a national group.

CARSON CITY – Starting with the annual campaign contribution and expense reports due Jan. 17, elected officials and candidates must now file their information electronically with the Secretary of State’s office.

State lawmakers say they have not heard of any major concerns with the new requirements from their colleagues.

Carson City has received national recognition as a “Top Ranked Digital City Government.”

Carson City finished 2nd in its size category, cities between 30,000 and 74,999, in a survey conducted by Center for Digital Government. The Center is a national research and advisory institute that focuses on information technology policies and best practices.

For the second consecutive year Carson City has been listed by e.Republic's Center for Digital Government and the Digital Community Program as being among the top U.S. metro areas to effectively use the internet and technology.

Tonight if you see your state senator and a lobbyist dining on Châteaubriand and drinking red wine in a fine Las Vegas restaurant, it's a safe bet they aren't going Dutch treat. The lobbyist will pick up the tab and no one ever will know he did.

With much fanfare in April, legislative leaders called for approval of a plan to make government more transparent to Nevadans. A few weeks later, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to require lobbyists to report their year-round expenditures on legislators.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Nevada Assembly Majority Leader Marcus Conklin announced that the new ‘Foreclosure Fraud Reform’ law will take effect on October 1, 2011.

CARSON CITY – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced Affordable Care Act grant awards of $3.96 million to Nevada to help fight what she calls unreasonable premium increases.

CARSON CITY – Fourth Estaters and members of the public interested in the esoteric world of political campaign contribution and expense reports should be salivating with the knowledge that as of Jan. 1, this information will finally be available in a usable format.
Secretary of State Ross Miller said that as a result of campaign finance reporting reforms he sought and the Legislature approved this past session, the contributions candidates receive and the expenditures they make on their campaigns will soon be much more transparent.

Nevada consumers and small businesses can now review and comment on rate hikes in their health insurance policies online.

The Legislative Commission today approved new fees for public record requests and a new expense report form for elections as well as appointed members to two dozen committees that meet during the interim.

By Mike Wolterbeek
A new invasive species has been identified at Lake Tahoe, and it’s likely to be the most aggressive fish to ply the waters of the mile-high lake.
“In our work to remove warm-water fish from Lake Tahoe, we’ve discovered smallmouth bass, a much more ferocious predator than other species known to have invaded the lake,” Sudeep Chandra, limnologist at the University of Nevada, Reno said. The removal work is being coordinated by the California Department of Fish and Game as part of the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program and funded in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Monday night's presentation of the new plan for the Carson City Center development to the Nugget Advisory Committee has put this much-criticized project back on track, even winning over some long-time opponents.

The new plan is different enough it needs a new name: Nugget Project 2.0.

CARSON CITY – Nevada state Democrats today called on Republican presidential candidates to disclose the names of their campaigns’ major fundraisers – known as bundlers – in the name of transparency.
President Barack Obama on July 15 released his list of major fundraisers, which he also did in 2008. The disclosure is not required by the Federal Elections Commission.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today agreed to eliminate 18 executive branch committees, councils and advisory panels as recommended by a task force, including the clearly outdated State Year 2000 Coordinating Council, among others.

CARSON CITY – Members of the state Transportation Board, including Gov. Brian Sandoval, voted today to extend their oversight of the activities of the Department of Transportation, a move that will require more frequent meetings and more timely review of contracts.

CARSON CITY – A case pitting a Las Vegas commercial flooring company against a local painters union will be heard in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals next week, and the decision could have far-reaching consequences for how labor groups can organize, the business owner involved in the dispute says.

Three years ago, an independent watchdog group ranked Nevada's campaign finance transparency laws 45th in the nation - an "F" rating underscored by high-profile campaign finance hijinks in the past...

Three years ago, an independent watchdog group ranked Nevada's campaign finance transparency laws 45th in the nation - an "F" rating underscored by high-profile campaign finance hijinks in the pas...

CARSON CITY – On deadline day for Gov. Brian Sandoval to act on the remaining bills from the 2011 legislative session, measures extending existing taxes for two more years, authorizing the creation of a toll road around Boulder City and banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving were all approved.

CARSON CITY – Nevada may finally see greater transparency and accountability in election campaigns due to three landmark bills that arrived on Gov. Sandoval’s desk this week.
Secretary of State Ross Miller unsuccessfully championed the reforms in the two previous legislative sessions. Miller said in testimony before the Legislature in recent months that lawmakers could no longer ignore glaring gaps in the law that were revealed by questionable practices in recent election cycles.