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County hospital CEO: "UMC is not being sold. UMC is not being privatized. No one will lose their job or benefits."
Here's what CEO Brian Brannman, whose facility is under assault from within and without, sent to his employees and had posted throughout the county hospital today -- an obvious attempt to reassure and quell percolating rumors:
Big change in Nevada journalism: The Nevada News Bureau will shut down
The Nevada News Bureau, which has provided a reliable source of news outside of the state's newspapers, will close this Friday. Very sad news for the industry here as NNB broke stories and kept other reporters on their toes. Here's the announcement from Publisher Elizabeth Crum:
Reid, "true champion" of NRA, is key on upcoming gun control debate
UPDATED BELOW WITH REID'S SENATE FLOOR REMARKS As some of his colleagues called for gun control measures, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will have to reconcile his past fealty to gun rights interests in the state with growing demands for action.
Only in Nevada: State GOP chairman lobbies for Democratic special interest
In 2003, despite being deemed an ethics transgressor by a state tribunal and despite federal authorities sniffing around him, Michael McDonald still had a friend in the Culinary union. "Michael has been a strong supporter of unions and working families," Culinary political director Glen Arnodo told the Review-Journal shortly before McDonald lost his re-election bid. Nine years later, having metamorphosed into the chairman of the state Republican Party, McDonald still has a friend in the Culinary.
R.I.P., Doris Femenella
When you cover politics for a long time, you meet all kinds of activists, some more memorable than others. I will never forget Doris Femenella, one of the kindest, sweetest people I had the good frotune to meet and married to her firebrand of a husband, Bob. I met them when I first started covering politics in Nevada 26 years ago, and we immediately took a liking to each other.
Governing: Sandoval "not currently vulnerable"
In an assessment of the 2014 outlook for chief executives, Governing magazine finds 22 of 38 "not currently vulnerable." Among those is our own Gov. Sunny, with this assessment from reporter Lou Jacobson:
Caption contest: Harry Heller in their yarmulkes
So the picture below is of Nevada's two senators taking part in a Chanukah celebration in Washington, DC. The photo just cries out for a caption. Please help! The comments await. A couple of suggestions from one wag: "Harry - I did this with Sheldon last night" "Harry - I bet you really miss Shelley right about now. Shalom!"
Mo and Mario meet in DC
Mo Denis, who will be leading the Nevada Senate in less than two months, and his first cousin, Marco Rubio, who may be the de facto minority leader of the U.S. Senate next year, met today in the latter's DC office. Maybe Denis gave Rubio advice on how to deal with hair loss.
Heller's "evolution" on same-day registration intact
Dean Heller 1.0 was this anti-Establishment secretary of state, proposing what he called "Election Day registration" to increase voter participation. Dean Heller 2.0 was the super-conseravtive congressman and appointed U.S. senator, whose spokesman said ugly partisan politics prompted a Heller evolution that changed his position to opposing same-day registration. Dean Heller 3.0 is the newly minted full-term senator, who is considering tax increases and immigration reform, but not....same-day registration.
Reid on Miller's voter ID plan: Haven't looked, but don't want to curtail voting
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wouldn't take a specific position on fellow Democrat and Secretary of State Ross Miller's voter ID (visual verification!) plan, but he did sound a word of caution -- or so it sounded to me.