campaign

CARSON CITY – Despite citing the need to reform Nevada’s public employee pension plan, Gov. Brian Sandoval did not introduce a bill seeking changes to the retirement system by a deadline Monday.
Even so, Heidi Gansert, Sandoval’s chief of staff, said the administration will “be a part of the conversation” as other measures addressing potential reforms to the Public Employees’ Retirement System are considered in the 2011 legislative session.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Ask people living near the strip in Las Vegas who their state senator is and, if they know, they might say Sen. Mark Manendo or Sen. David Parks.
They would both be right on both counts. Parks and Manendo represent one of the state’s two dual districts, which each have two senators.
They are a relic from a past era, and Parks says there is a “strong likelihood” they will soon be a thing of the past.

Bullying is no longer about the strong picking on the weak in the school yard. Most bullying occurs when adults are not present. We need to break the code of silence. Join us for our Anti-Bullying Campaign Event. The event includes Guest Speakers, Free Treats, Music, Pony Rides, Bounce House and more! This will be the perfect opportunity for everyone to come together and become educated on what can be done to prevent bullying! Let's Empower Ourselves, Stand up, Speak out... End Bullying. FREE "Bully's Suck! I'm Nobody's Victim" T-SHIRTS WHILE SUPPIES LAST!

Elizabeth Crum / Nevada News Bureau
Deep sighs of relief were heard all over Nevada when Senator John Ensign announced his decision not to run for reelection. Today the indictment of former Ensign staffer Doug Hampton will once again put many of the Silver State’s political players* on edge.

By Elizabeth Crum / Nevada News Bureau
Mississippi’s sixty-third governor today visited Nevada, a state which has been called “the Mississippi of the west”* because of its largely unskilled workforce and poor public education system.

By Elizabeth Crum / Nevada News Bureau
Nearly 600 days before the general election and wearing a bright purple suit while proving she is no shrinking violet, Sharron Angle today cheerfully fielded tough questions from nine journalists for nearly an hour.
The sole (so far) candidate for Nevada’s second congressional district held the first press conference of her campaign in a small conference room at the Best Western hotel across from the Reno, NV airport.

By Elizabeth Crum / Nevada News Bureau
During a brief interview with Congressman Dean Heller a few moments ago, Heller laughingly called his U.S. Senate run “the worst kept secret in Nevada” and said that for the past many months his team “had anticipated we would be running against Ensign in the primary.”

During a brief interview with Congressman Dean Heller a few moments ago, Heller laughingly called his U.S. Senate run “the worst kept secret in Nevada” and said that for the past many months his team “had anticipated we would be running against Ensign in the primary.”

By Elizabeth Crum / Nevada News Bureau
At 8:12 a.m. this morning, Rep. Dean Heller finally sent an email to his supporters announcing the U.S. Senate run I confirmed here last week.

Heller has a pretty new campaign website, and here is the text of the email:

Friend,

At 8:12 a.m. this morning, Rep. Dean Heller finally sent an email to his supporters announcing the U.S. Senate run I confirmed here last week.
Heller has a pretty new campaign website, and here is the text of the email:
Friend,
Your past support has meant a lot me and for this reason I wanted you to be among the first to know that I am running for the United States Senate.

According to Nevada News Bureau, Republican Mark Amodei will announce soon that he is running for the Congressional District 2 seat currently held by Rep. Dean Heller.

The speculation is that Heller will make a run for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Ensign, who announced earlier this week he would not seek reelection to avoid an ugly campaign after his well-publicized sex scandal.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – State Controller Kim Wallin is seeking new authority from the Nevada Legislature to collect from those who owe the state money.

In the spring of 2010, McCall Realty promised $20,000 in donations to be shared across five non-profit agencies benefitting the youth of South Shore. Included among the organizations is the South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center, dedicated to improving the emotional, social, and economic condition of women and families in our community through prevention, intervention and treatment programs and services that address domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and basic needs.

Here in the home of the politically audacious, Rory Reid has tested the bounds of boldness and possibly crossed into the land of the unethical. (Whether or not the campaign contribution law Rory thwarted should be on the books - many think it should not – is a topic for another day.)

CARSON CITY – Secretary of State Ross Miller made his pitch for campaign finance reform before an Assembly committee today, saying that while his two bills are extensive and complex at 155 pages combined, the many provisions are necessary because, “we are behind the curve.”
Miller, in testimony before the Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections Committee, said Nevada should provide increased transparency to voters about the campaign contributions and expenses of the candidates for public office.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today elaborated on the details of a bill he is proposing to establish a school voucher system in Nevada.
The proposal would allow parents to receive a state-funded, per pupil subsidy to opt out of public schools in favor of private schools, including religious schools.
The stipend, or voucher, would help families pay expenses at the private schools.

The Nevada State Health Division in Carson City announced Hugh Gallagher Elementary School in Virginia City as the winner of a logo contest for its statewide hand washing campaign, “Hey Nevada, Wash Your Hands!”

The winning logo will serve as part of the campaign’s identity, and will be incorporated into various campaign media. The second place entry was a tie between Yerington Elementary School and L.S. Bruner Elementary in North Las Vegas.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
A national movement to guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states combined gained steam today with the financial support of a billionaire businessman who has committed resources to enacting the concept across the country, including Nevada.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Freshman Republican state Sen. Michael Roberson got a lot of people’s attention last week when he engaged in a brief but spirited line of questioning at a Judiciary Committee hearing with mining industry lobbyists.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Secretary of State Ross Miller says the time is ripe to get a substantial campaign finance reform package through the Legislature, and with Gov. Brian Sandoval and lawmakers of both parties in agreement on the need for change, he may be right.

CARSON CITY – Mention government transparency and “Twitter” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
A communication technology that gives users 140 characters to share where they just had lunch or “Tweet” trivia about the weather and celebrities doesn’t immediately scream “politics” either.
But Nevada state legislators, lobbyists and journalists are finding more and more use in Twitter because the platform allows information gathering and governing at high speed.

RENO — Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said she is “taking the pulse” of Reno this week as she considers a bid for Republican Sen. John Ensign’s seat in the 2012 election.
She told Sam Shad and Ray Hagar on Nevada NewsMakers today that she is raising campaign money, but she said the money is for her re-election bid in Congress. For now.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Third-graders who cannot read at a third-grade level would not advance to fourth grade under a proposal from Gov. Brian Sandoval.
The assertion rests on common-sense logic, and Sandoval has been promoting his idea since he was on the campaign trail.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
One year later, the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case are plain to see.
On Jan. 21, 2010, the court ruled that corporate and union donations to political candidates cannot be limited under the First Amendment.
The impact?

Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey is joining over 350 members of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network to share the message that women of childbearing age should talk with a health care provider about which medications are safe to take while pregnant.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, and this year’s campaign focuses on medication use before, during, and after pregnancy.

Here is another example of why paying companies to do business in your city is problematic. Now that Carson City handed out more generous incentives to retailers in Southgate Center than it had to others in the past, it's now faced with other businesses who want their incentives, too.

The city attorneys for the city of Sparks have a unique audience for an upcoming case: the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court agreed last Friday to decide if states can forbid elected officials from voting when they may have a conflict of interest. The case involves a Sparks city councilman, Michael A. Carrigan, who is represented by the city.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval wasted no time getting to work after being sworn into office today, signing an executive order freezing many proposed administrative regulations as evidence that Nevada is a business friendly state.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada policy makers remain divided over the need to make a fundamental change to the public employees’ retirement system following the release last week of a report showing significant costs to move to a defined contribution plan.

The Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau was awarded $14,000 in grants last week from the Nevada Commission on Tourism for three different marketing efforts, providing support for the destination’s Divine Nine Golf Co-operative, its own website and video production and advertising materials for the Virginia & Truckee Railway.