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FReep this Poll! Nevada

RENO — The seven-year, no-holds-barred, legal battle between Washoe County and Lake Tahoe property owners will reach a crucial turning point today. Hanging in the balance isn't just the tens of millions in property tax dollars that the county doesn't want to refund to thousands of residents in the wealthy North Shore Communities of Incline Village and Crystal Bay. The scorched-earth legal attack, experts say, has revealed serious, fundamental problems with the state's property tax system, raising the specter it is unconstitutional and will have to be scrapped. The question before Washoe County District Court Judge Brent Adams, however, is...

The Republican who ousted the Democratic leader of the Senate in 2004 says Harry Reid finds himself in a similar predicament of representing a conservative-leaning state but leading a liberal party. Sen. John Thune made Senate history when he unseated Sen. Tom Daschle by exploiting the gap between Mr. Daschle’s interests in Washington and those of his home state of South Dakota. That’s exactly where Mr. Reid, the Senate majority leader, is now, he said. “In the case of Senator Daschle, he was leading a left-of-center caucus and representing a right-of-center state - it was very difficult to reconcile those...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign's future grew more unsettled Friday as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to offer his support or express confidence in the embattled Nevada Republican, following additional fallout from Mr. Ensign's affair with a staffer. Asked if Mr. Ensign could be an effective senator in light of ethical questions raised by the New York Times Friday, Mr. McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said only: "Sen. Ensign continues to serve. He's a member of the Finance Committee, been active in the discussions there."

Former Nevada state Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Lowden will announce her bid to challenge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today, immediately becoming the highest-profile candidate in an increasingly crowded field hoping to unseat the Nevada Democrat. "I feel strongly that it is time for Senator Reid to be accountable to the voters of Nevada," said Lowden in an interview with the Fix. "He has forgotten about the people who elected him to be there." Lowden also said she was "pleasantly surprised" by polling that showed her leading Reid since she hadn't been on a ballot of any kind in the...

Senator’s Aid to Mistress’s Husband Raises Ethics Flags ERIC LICHTBLAU and ERIC LIPTON Published: October 1, 2009 WASHINGTON — Early last year, Senator John Ensign contacted a small circle of political and corporate supporters back home in Nevada — a casino designer, an airline executive, the head of a utility and several political consultants — seeking work for a close friend and top Washington aide, Douglas Hampton. Senator John Ensign was having an affair with Cynthia Hampton, and he sought work for her husband. Mr. Ensign on Capitol Hill in July. “He’s a competent guy, and he’s looking to come...

The political advocacy group ACORN and a former supervisor were ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges that they illegally paid canvassers to register Nevada voters during last year's presidential campaign. Evidence heard during more than six hours of testimony left "a lot of issues that have to be answered" before trial, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace William Jansen said. He set arraignment for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and former regional supervisor Amy Busefink for Oct. 14 in Clark County District Court. "I think the statute is clear," Jansen said. "It's unlawful to provide compensation...

A judge has ruled that political advocacy group ACORN and a former employee will stand trial in District Court on felony charges they paid canvassers to collect voter registration cards last year. Arraignment was set for 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 14. Former ACORN Las Vegas field director Christopher Edwards testified Tuesday that he created a bonus incentive program called “Blackjack” or “21+” that awarded an extra $5 to any canvasser who collected at least 21 registration cards. His immediate supervisor, Amy Busefink, welcomed the idea and he bragged about its success on conference calls with his peers around the country,...

I have been reading about a fast-rail system from Anaheim, Calif., to Las Vegas for several decades, and I am convinced that this will not come about in my lifetime. It would be Third World mentality for the most technologically advanced country in the world to use 1960s bullet-train technology, as would be the case with the DesertXpress. And anyone who states that maglev is untried in this country without explaining why it works in another country (China) sounds uninformed. Twenty million miles logged by the Shanghai maglev seem like a good testament to the maglev system’s feasibility. As one...

AMARGOSA VALLEY, Nev. — In a rural corner of Nevada reeling from the recession, a bit of salvation seemed to arrive last year. A German developer, Solar Millennium, announced plans to build two large solar farms here that would harness the sun to generate electricity, creating hundreds of jobs. But then things got messy. The company revealed that its preferred method of cooling the power plants would consume 1.3 billion gallons of water a year, about 20 percent of this desert valley’s available water. Now Solar Millennium finds itself in the midst of a new-age version of a Western water...

It’s a question few in the Senate will ask aloud but one that’s creeping into the chamber’s collective consciousness: What happens to Democrats if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid really does get knocked off in the 2010 midterm elections? Most of his fellow Democrats believe the Nevadan will pull out a win, avoiding the humiliation of ousted Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota in 2004. But privately, they’re looking ahead with some trepidation, imagining a Reid-less Senate that could be more chaotic and even more partisan that it is today. “You’ve got people who ask, ‘What does Harry actually...

LAS VEGAS -- Testimony has begun before a judge hearing allegations that the political advocacy group ACORN illegally paid canvassers to register voters in Nevada during last year's presidential campaign. The judge will decide after an evidentiary hearing whether to bind the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and former regional supervisor Amy Busefink over for trial on felony charges. They are accused of paying bonuses to canvassers who turned in at least 21 voter registration cards per day in the summer of 2008. Prosecutors said that violates state law banning voter signup quotas. Former ACORN organizer Christopher Edwards...

Chris Edwards, the former Las Vegas Director for ACORN has "flipped" for the Nevada AG's prosecution of ACORN in voter fraud case. Matthew Vadum of Capital Resource Center claims the Nevada AG has possession of ACORN Resource Manual which includes a registration incentive scheme called, "21" that paid cash bonuses.FOX News video of interview here and at link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFaIeMogWa4

Throughout my time in Washington, I have fought to bring federal funding back to Nevada to create jobs, strengthen our classrooms, build roads and infrastructure, diversify the economy, and provide valuable services for all Nevadans.  Some of these accomplishments include funding to construct interchanges on the Clark County Beltway and modernize the Reno Spaghetti Bowl (US 395/I-80); funding to provide equipment for our law enforcement officers; funding to protect Lake Tahoe and fight forest fires; funding to improve life in our rural communities; funding to strengthen our schools and universities; and funding to bring cutting edge research and manufacturing to...

News just on FOX: An Acorn Field Director has "flipped", is now working with Nevada Attorney General on case against ACORN. Nevada Acorn offices raided, field manuals on how to commit Voter Registration Fraud seized.

Blame it on Sam Marber. I have had a fascination with trains since I was a small boy growing up in a very tiny Las Vegas, a town that traced its roots to the need for a place to provide water for the trains moving from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. Yep, water was plentiful in those days — at least for the trains. Sam was an older boy who lived across the street. His garage rarely had a car in it, at least not so any of us noticed. What it did have was a train setup that...

EDITORIAL: Reid blocks ACORN probe Tracking abuse by political allies could be 'distracting' ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- is stinking up Washington. -snipACORN receives and spends taxpayer money -- lots of it -- and had carried the imprimatur of official partnerships with the IRS, the Census Bureau ... the kind of "cred" that in the political world comes only from "who you know." Yes, ACORN has friends in high places -- friends who are still stonewalling attempts to trace where all that tax money went ... perhaps because they know who still has cookie...

RENO, Nev. -- As Senate majority leader, Harry Reid stands with President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as part of a triumvirate that rules Washington. But back home in Nevada, the Democratic lawmaker is just another incumbent with a bull's-eye on his back. Mr. Reid, 69 years old, is facing mounting criticism in his home state and is trailing in the polls against two Republican challengers for his Senate seat: former University of Nevada at Las Vegas basketball star Danny Tarkanian and Nevada Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Lowden. According to an independent Mason-Dixon poll Aug. 23, Mr. Reid...

Highly successful rally in Searchlight, NV for the Un-Elect Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi cause. Huge turn out on 9/26/09.

In 1991, facing obvious limits to growth from meager water resources, Las Vegas power brokers decided to bring the drama of high stakes gambling from the casinos to the board room of the Southern Nevada Water Authority headed by the Bernie Madoff of Western water, Pat Mulroy. The strategy was even proudly Ballyhooed in public. Las Vegas would just keep building beyond the capacity of its Colorado River allocation and dare other states or the federal government to stop them. At the time, a spokesman for Nevada's Colorado River Commission even announced, "The federal government will never let Nevada go...

As her tenure as state party chairwoman comes to a close, Sue Lowden (R) says she is "emboldened" by the reaction to her likely challenge to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Lowden will leave the Nevada Republican Party on Wednesday in order to make the race against the Senate majority leader. In an interview with The Hill on Friday, Lowden said she would bring business experience to the Senate at a time when her state blames the federal government and the Obama administration for its precarious economic condition. "Being part of our business community down here in Las Vegas and Laughlin...

ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- is stinking up Washington. And this is far more significant than if a suspiciously large number of operatives for a purely "private" outfit had been found systematically bending and breaking the law, because ACORN receives and spends taxpayer money -- lots of it -- and had carried the imprimatur of official partnerships with the IRS, the Census Bureau ... the kind of "cred" that in the political world comes only from "who you know." Yes, ACORN has friends in high places -- friends who are still stonewalling attempts to...

BULLHEAD CITY - An “Un-Elect Harry Reid Rally” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of the Searchlight, Nev. Community Center. Reid, 69, serves as majority leader of the Democratic Party-controlled U.S. Senate. He was first elected senator in 1986 and is up for re-election next year. The rally is being held in Searchlight because Reid was born and raised there. He maintains a legal residence in the historic mining town on U.S. Route 95, located roughly halfway between Laughlin and Las Vegas. The event is organized by the Lake Havasu City-based Committee on...

ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- is stinking up Washington. And this is far more significant than if a suspiciously large number of operatives for a purely "private" outfit had been found systematically bending and breaking the law, because ACORN receives and spends taxpayer money -- lots of it -- and had carried the imprimatur of official partnerships with the IRS, the Census Bureau ... the kind of "cred" that in the political world comes only from "who you know."

LOVEBIRDS Steven and Kathryn share a well-organised home in bustling Las Vegas. They have a neat, if compact kitchen, a furnished living area, and a bedroom complete with double bed, wardrobe and bookshelf featuring a wide selection including a Frank Sinatra biography and Spanish phrase book. And they make their money in some of the biggest casinos in the world. But their life is far from the ordinary. Because, along with hundreds of others, the couple are part of a secret community living in the dark and dirty underground flood tunnels below the famous strip. Rather than working in the...

They had one of those Tea Parties in Ely, Nevada recently, and tea-partier laureate Lloyd Marcus, accompanied by some lady rebels in a kick-line, performed a version of "New York, New York" with some new lyrics. "Start spreading the news... we're taking back America/In 2010," he croons. "This socialist nightmare/must come to an end/Cause we're gonna vote them out/In 2010/I wanna wake up in an America where I can speak as I please..." Then he takes it to the bridge: "I wanna find my freedom restored/ACORN is out/No Obama something something something... My Obama blues/Will soon melt away..." Maybe he...

Policymaking: If the stimulus isn't working, perhaps it's because it was largely written by a collection of leftist interest groups called the Apollo Alliance that counts among its directors a co-founder of the Weather Underground.The Labor Department reported Friday that 42 states lost more jobs than they gained in August, and that 14 plus Washington, D.C., reported unemployment rates of 10% or more. Michigan's rate rose to 15.2%, highest in the nation. Nevada, represented by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, is second with 13.2%. California, home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is tied for fourth with Oregon at 12.2%. Clearly,...

"In the heat of the 2008 Democratic primary campaign, when members of candidate Barack Obama's staff began to fret about the potential for illegal attempts to intimidate voters on Election Day in Nevada, the campaign's general counsel calmly told everyone on a staff conference call to settle down. Don't worry, attorney Robert Bauer is said to have counseled. If necessary, the campaign will simply call the local authorities and have the opposition forces arrested."

Michigan led the unemployment across the nation in August with 15.2% followed by Nevada 13.2% rate and California 12.2%. The sharp decline in auto sales has devastated manufacturing jobs in the Midwest.

Unemployment continues to set records in Nevada and Las Vegas, and experts forecast higher joblessness in coming months even as the city's biggest resort begins hiring Monday. Unemployment has spiked nearly a percentage point statewide, jumping from 12.5 percent in July to 13.2 percent in August, the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said Friday. August's statewide unemployment rate was nearly triple the level at the recession's beginning in December 2007, when joblessness clocked in at 5.2 percent. [Snip] Officially, 183,000 Nevadans were out of work and actively hunting for jobs in August. In Las Vegas, 135,100 residents were...

Move over, Bill Ayers. This week, Republican activists have a new Public Enemy #1. It’s ACORN, the once-obscure community-organizing group that boasts of having registered 1.3 million new voters. Republican officials and advisers to Sen. John McCain have accused ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) of rampant voter-registration fraud. Indeed, officials in states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Indiana and Connecticut now are looking into accusations that ACORN workers turned in thousands of fraudulent or duplicate voter-registration applications. (The Dallas Cowboys magically filled out voter registration forms in Nevada, for example.) So what exactly is...

LINK ONLY! http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aXkFNFPR0gsY

The push to raise Nevada's taxes in 2011 has already started, and NPRI is going to be there to give you the facts every step of the way. On Monday, Geoffrey Lawrence and I are going to be live blogging the meeting of the subcommittee that will conduct a review of Nevada's revenue structure — that's legislative speak for "subcommittee to try and figure out the best way to raise your taxes." The meeting starts at 9 a.m., and since it's a government meeting it could go all day. But we'll be sticking it out to the very end so...

A class-action lawsuit recently filed by the undocumented employees of a local cleaning company underscores that workers who are in the country illegally have many of the same workplace rights that U.S. citizens have. That’s particularly important in Nevada because illegal immigrants make up an estimated 12.2 percent of the state’s workforce, according to a 2008 Pew Hispanic Center study. But the idea that undocumented workers have rights is also controversial. Members of the “What part of illegal don’t you understand?” lobby have consistently expressed indignation about workers in such cases receiving anything but a deportation order. Nevada Labor Commissioner...

WASHINGTON - No sooner than the Senate Finance Committee's chairman released his long-awaited health care bill today than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said it's not good enough for Nevada. Reid is concerned about the cash-poor state's inability to boost Medicaid spending as would be required under the bill. “While this draft bill is a good starting point, it needs improvement before it will work for Nevada," Reid said in a statement. "During this time of economic crisis, our state cannot afford to shoulder the second highest increase in Medicaid funding." Reid said he received assurance from the chairman, Sen....

RENO, NV - This is the 46th year of the air races, drawing fans from all over the world, and bringing millions of dollars to the local economy. The Air Races have been run since 1964 and are held at Reno Stead Airport just north of Reno. The US Navy "Blue Angels" return to Reno this year, their first visit since 2000. Race aircraft in the Unlimited Class reach speeds of over 500 mph - by far the fastest-moving machines in motorsports. The event also includes a world-class air show featuring the US Navy "Blue Angels" flying the F-18 Hornet....

Las Vegas, NV (AHN) - A resort hotel in Las Vegas' CityCenter development project has become the world's largest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold Certified building. CityCenter, which is being developed by MGM Mirage and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World, said Monday the ARIA's resort hotel tower, convention center and theater as well as the Vdara Hotel received the LEED@ certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council.The 4,004-room ARIA resort hotel, the core of the 18-million-square-foot development, will open in December. The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for...

Has anyone noticed how quiet Harry Reid has been on pushing ObamaCare? Reid has let Max Baucus (D-MT) take the public lead in pushing for health-care reform and has limited himself mostly to general statements of support for industry reform. Rasmussen’s new polling in Nevada shows why. Reid trails both of his potential Republican challengers, and has gone under water on favorability in his state: In what is currently a difficult political climate for Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid trails two potential Republican challengers seeking to unseat him as he faces reelection next year in Nevada. The first Rasmussen...

In what is currently a difficult political climate for Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid trails two potential Republican challengers seeking to unseat him as he faces reelection next year in Nevada. The first Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of the 2010 race shows Sue Lowden beating Reid by 10 percentage points, 50% to 40%. Lowden is chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party and the preferred candidate of the Republican party establishment. GOP hopeful Danny Tarkanian beats Reid by seven points, 50% to 43%. Tarkanian is a former basketball player for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the son of...

This editorial from Investor's Business Daily is worth the read.And, this part is worth a fleeting note: Part of it has to do with Reid's rise to Senate minority leader and then majority leader in 2006. His constituents increasingly feel left behind. Sherman Frederick, publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, wrote in 2006: " 'Sen. Reid;s undoing came early in his last term when he became a big shot in the Democratic Party and quickly morphed into someone Nevada voters did not recognize - his political girlfreind in the House, uber-liberal Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California.' "

Congressman Heller sent this letter to President Obama on September 8, 2009 offering options to help bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats on health care reform: September 8, 2009 The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C., 20006 Dear Mr. President: Yesterday, you said those critical of your healthcare plan were "trying to scare the American people and preserve the status quo." You rhetorically asked critics "what's your answer? What's your solution?" and asserted that "the truth is, they don't have one. It's do nothing." (Speech before the AFL-CIO, Cincinnati,...

Politics: The senator who called the president a liar and never apologized may have worn out his welcome in his home state. Harry Reid may be riding the liberal agenda into political oblivion.In 2004, Republicans defeated Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle largely on the theme that he neglected his home state in favor of national party interests. The GOP is hoping that in 2010 lightning will strike a second time, and Nevada polls indicate it may be more than wishful thinking. In 1998, Reid beat John Ensign by a hair-thin 428 votes. Ensign would go on to win Nevada's other...

Politics: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich may have played the race card in a cynical attempt to save his political skin, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and others are no less cynical or offensive in their actions.The controversy over Blago's appointment of renowned empty suit and former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat could have been avoided had Illinois Democrats obeyed their initial impulse and passed legislation calling for a special election. Illinois' senior senator, Dick Durbin, among others, was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the idea, but now is among those...

Transparency and taxes are a study in contrasts. No one is against transparency (publicly), but few, if any, elected officials actively work toward making Nevada's government more open to the public. Few politicians support taxes (publicly), but when Nevada legislators get together behind closed doors, that's all they seem to talk about. Consider, for instance, the 2009 Legislative Session, when Nevada legislators passed a series of tax increases amounting to a record-setting billion dollars in hikes. Many citizens know few — if any — of the details behind those tax increases, because legislative leaders of both parties conducted the negotiations...

Courtesy DannyTarkanian.org Related Articles * Make politicians prove they support the Second Amendment I introduced my traditional WarOnGuns Political Candidate Questionnaire to Gun Rights Examiner readers in July. In August, we saw Republican congressional candidate Chris Bunch give us the unequivocal answers we were looking for. That race has been decided, and David Harmer (who incidentally, has a scholarly understanding of the Second Amendment) secured the spot on the November ticket. That was not unexpected, the demographics of California's Tenth Congressional District being what they are, and Mr. Harmer has an uphill fight against the odds on his hands. I'll...

Republican State Senator Mark Amodei says he will run against Nevada Democratic Senator Harry Reid. Amodei made the announcement Wednesday morning at the World Market Center in downtown Las Vegas. Amodei graduated from the University of Reno, served in the army, and was voted "Outstanding Freshman Legislator" in 1997.

Republican State Sen. Mark Amodei kicked off his campaign for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Harry Reid today, telling reporters that he’ll run a positive campaign in the crowded primary, but that plenty of people in Nevada want to get rid of the incumbent. “When you look at where Nevada is right now, I think we’re at a financial crossroads. We do not need the status quo,” said Amodei, who is from Carson City. “The focus really needs to be on Nevada right now.”

Joliet, Illinois (CNN) – Organizers of the Tea Party Express bus tour arriving in Washington later this week planned their route to go though Democratic congressional districts they consider vulnerable. "What we did was take a map of the United States and then we went head and pin pointed the members of congress that merited our attention and then we looked at those that might be politically vulnerable," said Joe Wierzbicki, a strategist with the conservative PAC Our Country Deserves Better, who are organizing the cross country Tea Party Express tour. Topping the group's target list in the Senate is...

2010 Preview: The Hottest Races in the Senate for DemocratsHolly Bailey Election Day 2010 is still more than a year away—423 days to be exact. But it’s never too early to begin looking at what will be the hottest races to watch. Over the next two days, your Gagglers will look at a handful of must-watch Senate races, a list that will no doubt evolve over the next year as the battle for Congress begins. **SNIP** California: Is Barbara Boxer seriously in trouble? One of the more outspoken liberal members of the Senate, Boxer seemed like a shoo-in for a...

Luck runs out on Vegas boom Construction slows, tourism plummets, discounts pervade. Can the city keep believing that if it builds, visitors will come? Michael A. Hiltzik and Ashley Powers Los Angeles Times Staff Writers September 6, 2009 The Currans of Granada Hills have been taking family vacations on the Las Vegas Strip for years. They weren't about to pass it up just because Jeff Curran's business selling upscale cookware is down sharply. But this summer it would be a smart Vegas vacation. A year ago they plunked down $100 each for tickets to the Blue Man Group show at...