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IN THIS ISSUE

Happy New Year!

From All Of Us, Especially To You

by Johnny Gunn

It’s been celebrated some say since about 2,000 B.C., which makes for a very long time, but it’s only recently that January 1 was considered the start of the new year.  In Mesopotamia, some 4,000 years ago, if you’re counting, New Year’s day began at about the time of the spring or Vernal Equinox, that is, mid March.  The Greeks and Romans, Egyptians and Phoenicians, Persians and Jews have all messed around with the celebration of a new year, creating new calendars, adding months, redefining words to suit their specific needs, but when it all comes down to the situation at hand, on December 31, at the stroke of midnight, the new year begins with a toast and merriment because we all know it has to be better than it’s been.

The months of the current calendar don’t make much sense if you try to read them in their proper contest.  For instance, September should be the seventh month, Septem being Latin for seven.  October, November, and December then should be eight, nine, and ten.  What on earth is going on?  The earliest Roman calendar had just ten months, there was no January or February, and the new year was celebrated in March.

Then came old Numa Pontilius, the second king of Rome, who in 700 B.C. added those two months to a calendar and new year celebrations moved to January.  It was Julius Caesar who brought us the first solar calendar (not withstanding the Mayan calendars of which no one in the “old” world knew about), and January 1 settled in as the first day of a new year.  Of course that had to change.  It was the Council of Tours that decided January 1 new year celebrations were way too pagan, and it was decreed that the celebration was abolished.  Read full story

Top News Story:

Rulings On Coal All Over The Road

Some Question Bush’s Midnight Rulings

by Johnny Gunn

In a last ditch attempt to get massive coal fired power plants on line before the end of the current administration, officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  have ruled that greenhouse gas output cannot be considered during application hearings.  This is in direct opposition to an effort by the Environmental Appeals Board to make such information a part of the application.  Stephen L. Johnson, administrator for the EPA is going against a board within his own agency, as well as recent court rulings.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the EPA could regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under current law.  It is expected that when the Barack Obama administration takes over, that the EPA along with other agencies involved in air pollution and climate change will make stronger rules dealing with greenhouse gases.  According to the Johnson memorandum, EPA is now on record as saying carbon dioxide is not a pollutant that can be regulated when approving power plants.  He called this a “sound policy consideration.”

On December 24, the New York Times, in an editorial, called Johnson “Dr. No,”  and said the Supreme Court “plainly empowered the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases.”  The Times is under the impression that the fight against air standards is being led by current Vice President Dick Cheney and that Mr. Johnson is just a puppet for Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush.

At about the same time as the EPA’s memorandum was released, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that it has approved land use for the LS Power 1500 megawatt coal fired power plant in Ely, White Pine County.  That plant is one of two that are being planned for the area, the other to be built by NV Energy, formerly Sierra Pacific Resources.  The issue is not finalized however as LS Power must await the final environmental impact statement from EPA.  The LS Power facility is expected to cost at least $1 billion and is just one of three such plants being planned in eastern Nevada.  The third is in Lincoln County to be built by Sithe Power. Read full story

Krolicki Indicted By Grand Jury

Arraignment During Holiday Period

Nevada Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki has been indicted on several felony charges stemming from his time as elected State Treasurer.  The charges include mishandling of state funds and falsifying accounts in Nevada’s College Fund.  Krolicki’s former chief of staff in the treasurer’s office, Kathryn Besser were to be arraigned on December 30.

The indictment pointed out that there no money missing from accounts, rather that the money and funds were mishandled and accounts were adjusted to falsify how the money was used.  An audit was conducted following the last general election when a new treasurer took over and Krolicki became Lt. Governor.  The legislature was informed of alleged mishandling, the state ethics commission was informed, but it took a grand jury in Las Vegas to bring the matter to a head.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, brought the matter before the grand jury.  Krolicki, a Republican, claims the entire situation is politically motivated since he announced he was considering running against U.S. Senator Harry Reid, a democrat, in 2010.  The charges are serious and call for prison terms if Krolicki is found guilty.  Read full story

Gibbons Skirts Law --  Reasons Unclear

Changes In Agencies May Be Behind Appointment

Regardless of the political ramifications of any agency appointment made by a governor in Nevada, there are rules and laws that are supposed to dictate how the appointment takes place.  Governor Jim Gibbons appointed Kirk Montero as Director of the Nevada Commission on Tourism toward the end of December, and did not follow that law.  At the time of the appointment, the tourism agency and Nevada’s economic development agency were in discussion over the possibility of merging the agencies, which would actually eliminate an agency head.  Are the two connected?  And was there a real need to appoint someone in the middle of long holiday period when many agencies were working with very short staffs?

The law is such that the commission on tourism would ask for nominations to fill the post of director, and then whittle the list down to three, offer the three to the governor who would in turn pick the new director.  The commission gave no list to Gibbons, and Gibbons’ response to the quick pick leaves many questions unanswered.  The governor said it was important to the fill the tourism post, but that post has been empty since September’s resignation of Tim Maland.

The current tourism commission came into office in July when Gibbons appointed the five members.  At the time of the appointment, Gibbons said, “Each of  these people has demonstrated a commitment to Nevada, both by investing in  the state’s tourism infrastructure and through a personal dedication to  making this state a better place.”  The Governor continued, “I’m excited each has  agreed to serve the state and promote tourism during such a crucial time  for Nevada.”

Gibbons may not be quite so excited today since the Commission has said the appointment by Gibbons of Mr. Montero is not being accepted by them.  Read full story

Former Elko Cop To Face Sex Crime Charges

Aaron Hughes Also Charged With Grand Larceny

First charged with attempting to steal off road vehicles and equipment from the Jerritt Canyon mine in Elko County, former Elko police captain Aaron Hughes has not been charged with having sexual relations with a 17 year old female, and creating child pornography.  Elko authorities have moved Hughes to a facility outside the county and are holding him on $500,000 cash bail.  Read full story

Unemployment Climbs As Economy Worsens

Cities Being Hit By High Interest On Bonds

Sales Tax Collection Falls Once Again

by Johnny Gunn

As we move into 2009, Nevada’s economy remains shaky at best with tourism and general business coupled to the decline in construction activity.  In November, the unemployment rate in the Silver State climbed to eight percent, the highest it has been since the mid 1980s, while nationally, the unemployment rate stood at 6.7 percent.  In southern Nevada, with its rate of 7.9 percent unemployed, there is one or two bright spots.

Sales tax collection figures for October were released on December 30, and there was no bright spot involved.  Statewide, taxable sales fell 6.2 percent from one year ago.  October is often looked on as the beginning of the holiday shopping period.  In Clark County, taxable sales were off by 6.8 percent, and in Washoe County, taxable sales were off an astounding 13.9 percent.  Motor vehicle and auto parts sales along with furniture and home furnishings sales led the state in sales failures.  Auto sales were off 31.3 percent while home furnishings were off 34 percent.

CityCenter plans to begin hiring on January 5, and will expect to have at least 12,000 employees on board when the hiring is finished.  For all the details, go to http://www.citycentercareers.com. Operated by MGM Mirage, the resort and properties will cost about $9.2 billion when completed.  There are properties associated with CityCenter that are also planning on hiring workers as spring approaches.

Washoe County’s unemployment rate stood at 7.8 percent and was announced at about the same time as officials of the Silver Club in Sparks announced it would be closing its doors on January 10.  The club has been for sale for some time, and the latest information available has it that a potential buyer could not get proper financing because of the current world wide economic recession.  Read full story

Major Nevada Aerospace Company Expands

Sierra Nevada Corporation Acquires SpaceDev Inc.

Several Other Companies Expanding In Northern Nevada: EDAWN

by Johnny Gunn

As pointed out recently by Julie Ardito at the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), “Despite the volatility of Wall Street and economic uncertainty, (northern Nevada) concludes 2008 with signs of business growth and expansion.  According to its second quarter business report for October to December, EDAWN has assisted six companies moving to or expanding in the area.”  One major development deals with one of Nevada’s leading high tech companies.

Nevada’s leading aerospace company, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), announced in mid December its acquisition of another major space exploration company, SpaceDev, Inc.  SNC, headquartered in Sparks, is a high tech company involved in space exploration, defense and military communications and surveillance, micro-satellite, and advanced electronics.  The company began in 1963 and was acquired by Eren and Faith Ozmen in 1994.  Eren Ozmen is the President and Chief Financial Officer while Faith Ozmen is Chief Executive Officer.  For a view of SNC, go to http://www.sncorp.com.

SpaceDev  is an entrepreneurial space systems company that develops high performance, innovative components and systems that are changing how we get to, explore, and use space. The company’s products range from spacecraft actuators that power the Mars rovers, to hybrid rocket technologies that powered the first commercial astronaut to space, and from microsatellites controlled by the Internet to Dream Chaser™, a winged and piloted orbital commercial spacecraft. The SpaceDev web site can be viewed at http://www.spacedev.com.  Read full story

Nevada Growth Slowed By Economic Disaster

Silver State In Line For New Congressional Seat

by Johnny Gunn

The election losses suffered by the Republican party in 2008 may come back and bite that big elephant one more time if numbers released by the federal Census Bureau are accurate.  The Silver State may be in line for its fourth congressional seat and that would entail massive redistricting, and those in power do the maps.  Both houses of the legislature are filled with a majority of democrats, two of the three current congressional seats are held by democrats, and there is massive turmoil within the ranks of the republican party, not just at party level, but even within members of the legislature.   Questions of conservatism versus centrism, fiscal constraint versus compromise, rage at the heart of the conflict and they are sure to have an affect on redistricting.

According to figures released by the Bureau, Nevada is no longer the fastest growing state in the country, falling to eighth place, but still showing an increase of 1.8 percent over the last year.  Nevada’s neighbor, Utah, is now leading the nation in growth, but the number of new residents in the Silver State appear to make the case for a fourth congressional district.  Reapportionment along with a disastrous economy is sure to be among the hot topics in Carson City beginning in February, as another voice in Washington is not a bad idea.

Nevada’s unparalleled growth over the last 25 years has led to many of the ecological problems faced by the state today.  There are water problems in every corner of the state with those finding themselves in short supply attempting to take from the those that seem to have plenty.  Growth has been slowed by the economy more than anything else, but when the economy revitalizes itself, answers to the shortage of water will have to be addressed, probably at the state level since many of the problems spread across county and other jurisdictional lines.  Read full story

Train Wreck Reminder Of Railroad Fallibility

Potential For Nuclear Disaster Unseen By Federal Government

A freight train derailed along the banks of the Humboldt River in eastern Nevada just after Christmas, clogging a tunnel and causing a bridge to collapse into the river.  In all, 13 rail cars were involved in the crash that is still under investigation.  The wreck took place west of Carlin and brings to mind that this line, the main east-west intercontinental line operated by Union Pacific is scheduled to carry a considerable amount of high level nuclear waste headed for the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste underground facility if the repository is licensed.

The bridge that collapsed is alleged to be more than one century old as is most of the infrastructure on today’s major transportation routes, whether highway or railway.  Major high way bridges have collapsed recently, railroad derailing happens regularly, often due to a combination of slack maintenance and old equipment and structures.  Putting millions of people at risk of high level nuclear waste by using ancient infrastructure does not seem to be a prudent effort on the part of the federal government.

Just ten days before the train wreck, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto held a news conference attended by other state officials and outlined many of the state’s objections to the Yucca Mountain project, including transportation.  The Department of Energy (DOE), in the last days of the Bush administration, is pressing congress and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to get Yucca approved before the Obama administration takes over.  A license application is currently being considered by the NRC, and Nevada is challenging many points in the application. Read full interview

It wasn’t the first cowboy poetry gathering when that first group got together in the bitter cold of eastern Nevada 25 years ago, but it certainly has become, as the sponsors are saying, “the quintessential even honoring the western cowboy.”  It was 1985 when the Western Folklife Center produced the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko for the first time, and it became a keystone as hundreds of cowboy poetry gatherings have since taken hold across the west.  Western traditions are solid, not just in the west, but in reality all over the world.  The western American cowboy is seen as filled with all of the good that so many seem to have lost during the last several generations, and as such, is held to a high degree of social acceptance.

The cultural value of the western historic way of life, of ranches and cowboys, of horses and cattle, of long days and nights in the saddle, talking and singing to cattle, yourself, your horse, all come together in a week’s glare of the klieg lights, January 24-31.  In 2000, the U.S. Senate recognized the cultural value of the tradition and the even responsible for its renaissance when it passed a resolution naming the Elko Gathering the “National” Cowboy Poetry Gathering.  The web site alone will keep you busy for a while:  http://www.westernfolklife.org/site1/index.php/National-Cowboy-Poetry-Gathering-Information/NP-Highlights.html.

After a quarter of a century of fun, history, and amazing poetry, expansion has been the working word and continues this year.  In celebration, the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno has partnered with the Western Folklife Center in Elko to develop a joint exhibition entitles Between Grass and Sky, a broad range of artworks, from paintings and sculptures to intricately crafted gear.  The exhibitions will be mounted in both locations, now through January 31.  Read full story

The edition of 12-15-08 went to the web master on 12-13-08 and carried an article on the horrible start to winter 2008-09, and figures indicating there was no snow on the ground in the Sierra Nevada, and little expectations of snow soon.  Of course, on the evening of 12-14-08 a major winter storm blew into the Sierra Nevada and was strong enough to extend itself all the way south.  Read full story

A Lesson In Civics

Following Voting Disaster

Separation Of Powers Integral

To Our Political System

by Johnny Gunn

Two separate instances have taken place within weeks of each other that seem to prove once again that younger people in this country are not getting an education on how things work, and why.  One would be enough to send a civics teacher from the 1950s into a full blown tizzy, and other is just as bad on its own.

During the recent election, it has been alleged that more than 30 people in Fernley were not given an opportunity to vote for the city council seat in their district because of a foul up in the City Clerk’s office.  The City Clerk is saying, in effect, “gee, that’s too bad.”  This is not how our government is designed to work.  The bigger problem is, the winner of that election only had a three vote plurality.  This is a constitutional disgrace, and that election demands to be redone.  Both candidates should be standing on the court house steps screaming their lungs out, and the disenfranchised voters should be standing with them.

At this time the Secretary of State’s office is demanding answers to the situation and Lyon County officials are simply not talking.  Elections in this country hold a special place in our lives, they are not to be messed with, altered, or problems ignored.  For a county clerk today to not understand the value of the vote is tantamount to complete failure, total ignorance of American values.  One of the most precious commodities of our free system of government is our ability to choose our leaders at the polls, and when a group is accidentally left out of the picture, the problem should be immediately corrected.  No questions should even be asked;  apologies should spoken loudly and a revote to take place immediately.  Read full column

Opinion:

A Letter For Peace

By Bob Bennett

A little over 37 years ago, responding to a call about an officer involved shooting, my older brother found our father unconscious, bleeding from eleven holes in his body, shot by robbers fleeing a store he had been shopping at.  I can only imagine the rage and psychological trauma he went through that night, but I’m sure it was shared by fellow officers in law enforcement, and the community at large.  I was 3,000 miles away, and didn’t find out until the next day.

I was upset, torn and confused, some seven years later, at our father’s funeral, he having died of other causes, when it was hinted to me that officers may have been involved in the death of the suspected robbers, years apart.  I would have much preferred they received a fair trial and served the appropriate sentence.  Perhaps it was one of the things tearing him apart during the last years of his life.  My experiences with him were always fair and even handed, as was his reputation in the community.  He once spent forty five minutes, slowly talking a teenager, who was threatening to shoot his parents, into handing over his rifle.  Another time, I was with him when some kid, perhaps a few years older than myself, came up to him, and asked to be arrested.  He had held up a liquor store the night before, and word on the street was that the cops were looking for him.  He said he was afraid of what other cops might do when they caught him, but he knew my father would do the right thing.

A few days before Christmas, I traded lawyer barbs with a small business owner I know, and he gave me a copy of the latest edition of the California Bar Journal.  The next day I read it and composed the letter, below, to the new President of the California Bar Association.  Things in that state spill over and affect us here.  Much healing needs to take place, not only in Nevada, but across the nation, and the rest of the world, as well.  In a way, it is an unlikely prayer for peace, restraint, and appropriate behavior; an attempt by me to take an appropriate step with something which has been tearing me apart for many years.  I know that others, many in far worse position than me, are also being torn by similar concerns.  Read full column

Digital TV

by Hal Swift

After all the fun and excitement of the New Year's celebratin' at Shorty's Place, things are startin' to get back to normal.  The usual crowd is gathered there, drinkin' sasparilla or buttermilk, like usual.  Shorty's got most of the broken chairs and tables fixed or replaced, and the TV set over the bar is on a channel that's showin' professional wrestlin'. 

After this big bald-headed wrestler jumps up in the air and comes down in a settin' position on his much smaller opponent’s head, the announcer says they're gonna take a break until after the paramedics leave.

During the break, a local announcer--a feller named Brent--says, "At midnight on February 17, 2009, federal law requires all full-power television broadcast stations to stop broadcasting in analog format and broadcast only in digital format."

Waco's niece, Sioux, has the TV clicker and hits the mute button.  "We don't need to hear that," she says.  "Everybody knows about 'the big switch' the government is pullin' on us."

Sheriff Freddie Marks says, "Hey, Shorty!  Are you going to get one of those converter boxes so we can keep on watchin' television in here on that broken down TV set of yours?"

Shorty says, "Aw, I don't know.  I may just go and get a brand new one of them digital sets, y'know?  S'tedda messin' around with them converter boxes."

Dave P. Fisher, famous cowboy poet and story-teller says, "Say, Freddie, I hear you and deputy Anson McBean arrested somebody who's been selling phony converter boxes around here."

The sheriff says, "Yeah, it was that scofflaw, Squinty Scarpini.  He was selling kids' stolen lunch boxes, with some knobs he put on 'em, and telling folks they were what they needed to convert their TVs from analog to digital."

Sioux says, "Didn't you arrest Squinty for something else, not too long ago?"

The sheriff says, "Yep.  Deputy McBean caught 'im red-handed, so to speak, tippin' cows." Read full column

Nevada’s nickname, “Battle Born,” dates back to the Civil War. Thanks to the research of State Archives Manager Jeff Kintop, we know that constitutional delegate, and future Nevada Congressman, Thomas Fitch noted on July 6, 1864 that "Our state will be battle-born..." 

People refer to Battle Born as the state’s motto, a common misnomer.  In fact, the second state constitutional convention adopted the motto “All For Our Country” which can be found on the Nevada State Seal.

Another once common belief is that Nevada was not legally admitted as a state in the nation.  The story goes that there were not enough people living in the Nevada Territory to justify statehood and a member in the House of Representatives. 

However, the issue was not an obstacle to Nevada becoming a state.  The constitutional question dates to the 1890s.   The Battle Born state was in the midst of a major mining depression, people were leaving the area in droves, and sparsely populated Nevada had a new nickname, “the great rotten borough,” because the mining and railroad corporations so dominated political and economic life.  Read full column

Losing a friend --- Nevada State Archivist Guy Rocha has announced that he is retiring from state service.  This will be a major loss to the Silver State in that Rocha is one of those historians that simply does not leave stones unturned in his search for the truth, and although he can be a bit strong in his approach, he is rarely wrong in his findings.

The heritage and history of Nevada has been altered more than once during Rocha’s 28 year term as he has found numerous errors in what we think we know about our history and background.  The “first” this or that isn’t always “first”, he has found, and has included in a list of Myths about the state that are published in various publications around the state including The Nevada Observer.

With a combination of contemplated fiscal reductions in the archivist’s office and serious eye problems, Rocha will be leaving office February 2.  We’ll miss you around here, Guy Rocha.  Stay warm and well.

•••

Federal prison on its way --- One more hurdle has been cleared as Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) plans to open a federal penitentiary in Pahrump, in southern Nye County.  County Commissioners gave a unanimous approval, and there are only a couple more steps that must be taken before construction begins.  The federal Office of Federal Detention picked Pahrump for the center.

Apparently the Pahrump facility is a Detention Center, not a Federal Prison.  During the commission meeting the two were discussed like this.  A prison holds inmates convicted in court.  A detention center holds inmates who are detained but not yet convicted or sentenced.  Read full column