As the state of Nevada continues to realize that diversification should have been started long ago, more of those in the know are now suggesting that the process has been slowed by a number of reasons.

 No longer can the Silver State count on gaming and construction to carry the load. When the economy tanked in 2008 after a sharp two-year rally, Nevada suddenly found itself hurting like never before.

All of a sudden, Nevada was at the top of all the bad lists ranging from unemployment to foreclosures. The decline happened quickly and left many of the most respected leaders shaking their heads.

This sort of thing was not supposed to happen in Nevada, a state that for many years has been known as one of second-chance.  For years, hundreds of thousands moved to the Silver State looking for opportunities in everything from mom-and-pop businesses to gaming.

Housing prices were spiraling upward and those purchasing their homes were certain that they could eventually sell their homes for giant profits. Retirement was perfect for those relocating to Silver State considering the affordable prices, the entertainment and the weather.

Throw in non-stop entertainment and recreation such as incredible golf courses and Southern Nevada was the place to be.

Midwesterners bailed out of places like Milwaukee and Chicago and the cold winters several years after Californians packed up their belongings to escape the earthquakes. The growth of Nevada – and especially Southern Nevada – made headlines all over the United States.

The ripple effect was felt from one end of Nevada to the other. When City Centre was completed on the Las Vegas Strip, construction workers started packing up their belongings and moving on.

Reno’s construction industry was hit even worse. At the same time, people started leaving their homes and pets behind retreating to other areas of the country with more jobs.

Texas became a great state for construction and Wyoming was a good relocation thanks to the growth in natural resources and the mining industries. Some of Nevada’s top construction and development companies cut back their staffs and headed out of town to make a living.

However, some of the state’s leaders are wondering if Nevada has done its fair share to attract new business. In particular, the automobile business and its lack of manufacturing plants have state leaders scratching their heads.

While some are saying major automobile companies such as Honda and Toyota will never open plants in Nevada, state leaders are wondering why.

“Won’t happen,” said the owner of one major automotive chain while adding that Nevada cannot match what other states are now offering. “Nevada cannot compete with states like Texas and Mississippi.”

States that also include like Georgia, Ohio and Indiana are outbidding Nevada with a long list of incentives, the executive said. Toyota just opened a plant in Mississippi after opening another in Texas; and Hyundai announced plans to open another plant in Indiana.

 All of the job growth in other states thanks to the automobile industry, but none of the same in Nevada. That’s the case even though Nevada ranks as one of the top-selling states in the country when talking about auto sales.

 That also remains the case even when general managers of car dealerships in Southern Nevada complain they can’t get enough cars to sell. In just about every case, executives from several dealerships complain that they’re losing deals every day of the week simply because they cannot meet the demands of buyers.

And those demands could be met if only Nevada was able to land automobile manufacturing plants closer go the hotbed of sales. Even with Las Vegas Motor Speedway sitting on 1,200 acres complete with an industrial park and several National Hot Rod Association and NASCAR events, there is no major automobile manufacturer in the area even though every possible element is included.

 From ideal testing venues such as Death Valley to Las Vegas Motor Speedway – not to mention an ideal tax structure and now affordable housing prices in a foreclosure-dominated real estate market – the automobile industry seems like a natural in Southern Nevada.

Nevada State Sen. Mike Schneider says there is reason why Nevada has failed to attract automobile manufacturing. He shares the opinion that the big boys of the industry won’t expand to Nevada.

“It’s because this state simply has no incentives to offer,” said Schneider, who for the past 20 years has served in the Nevada Legislature and will soon be termed out of his position. “We do not have corporate taxes that other states have. These corporations are looking for help from the state in the form of investment dollars up front that Nevada does not have. Because other states have the taxes, they also have development dollars to offer up front with both corporate and income taxes.

“As long as taxes are reasonable, businesses will come here. They need good schools, good roads and parks or they cannot get good employees. They are willing to pay taxes for those items. If that wasn’t the case, they would not go to states like Texas, California, Ohio and Michigan who have all those taxes. We really need help with development dollars up front. The companies will pay taxes down the road, but they need help up front.

“Our tax base is very fragile and it’s all based on the tourist economy. It’s hard to compete against other states right now. They’re looking for up front development dollars to put in infrastructure. Because of that, we don’t have that money to put in the developments.”

“Nevada cannot compete with states like Texas, Ohio, Georgia and Tennessee.”

Nevada needs to diversify quickly and in fact, it should have been doing so much sooner especially as it relates to the automobile industry.

By Doc Lane

Recent Mad Dog Blogs addressing Toyota and Honda and their interest in Nevada are accurate. As a former employee of both of these companies, I have seen first-hand how they were both caught up in the glitter and growth of Las Vegas never seeing the end of the rainbow.

 As times have changed, so have the opportunities. Now the big question is whether or not our state’s politicians are smart enough to do business with aggressive and demanding companies.

Toyota and Honda are both cash rich companies which control powerful lobbyists in Washington to keep their dominance of automobile production on a continual model of growth regardless of the cost.

Toyota executives flew in corporate Gulfstream Jets to Las Vegas through the period of 2003 to 2008 to plot locations for additional franchises for Toyota and Lexus. Honda was playing follow the leader.

Toyota executives and employees are taught Toyota corporate culture. The term “Kiazen” is a company motto meaning “Do a better job than you did yesterday” and “continual daily improvement.” The company does everything it can to do business with you, as long as the conditions and terms are favorable to them.

 Toyota closed the NUMMI plant in Fremont, Calif. last year. Despite the state of California giving every possible concession it could, the stone cold Toyota machine  replied by saying thank you and shutting the plant down.

 Good bye, California.

 In my opinion, Nevada has never had a governor or state senator in the last 35 years who could deal with the Japanese’s business machine. U.S. Sen. Harry Reid has seen small towns across America prosper because of the investment of the foreign car manufacturers who have invested in America.

 In the meantime, Nevada’s political forces have suited themselves to the gaming industry without any focus of the value of the Nevada tax structure to provide an economic boom to Nevada. Pursuing the automobile industry's invaluable manufacturing and distribution plants has not proven to be a priority.

The area near Tropical and the I-15 in the northern  Las Vegas valley is a prime location. It has a new rail head and huge automotive and vehicle storage facilities operating there now. It has access to the I-15 highway systems, and it is four hours to a port location in Long Beach Harbor in California. The area is connected to rail, roadways, and the high seas.

An automobile manufacturer could store massive amounts of parts here; and redistribute them throughout the Western Hemisphere with substaniational tax advantages which create net dollars for them, and huge economic windfall into the community.

Automobile manufacturers see the value of Las Vegas investing into the infrastructure which will benefit the living conditions of their employees.

Make no mistake that Toyota-Lexus builds a superior product. In the same breath, it provides for its assembly and manufacturing employees for the short and long term of their lives.

In return, Toyota-Lexus builds a quality product with the best tools and materials to deliver a top-notch product at a competitive price.

Nissan has a plant in Smyrna, Tenn. Smyrna is close to Nashville, and the upscale area of Franklin. I have been there. Nashville has an NFL team and a NHL hockey team.

 If you have ever been to Nashville, you know that it is no bigger than a medium size city; yet the disposable income from all of those who are part of the Nissan economy, support these types of sports, The malls are busy and the parking lots are full of Nissans, All of the town’s people show their appreciation by purchasing Nissans to help the communities and state of Tennessee.

This story is repeated in Texas, Mississippi, Indiana, South Carolina, and Kentucky. If Nevada had a business ambassador, he or she would be responsible for bringing commerce; long in waiting to Nevada – and especially Southern Nevada.

 The local casinos would again become a boom if Toyota or Honda commit to moving forward because of working people having disposable income for entrainment.

Las Vegas is a class of the world with hotels and casinos. Any manufacturer, who builds automobiles in volume, would ensure the financial stability for the state, and bring the casino industry and new customers that has been gone for five years.

The business community as a whole needs to embrace this opportunity if it becomes public. And if it does not, some political representative should go to every manufacturer and say, Come to Nevada.”

In the car business, we teach that if you don’t ask for business, you won’t get the business – and that remains true whether you’re talking about the local sporting goods business or an automobile manufacturing plant.

I trust that U.S. Sen., Harry Reid is listening. I also hope that Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is listening, too. We need a business ambassador who is beating on the doors of big-time automobile companies encouraging them to expand to Southern Nevada.

What time did you say the new business ambassador reports for work?

Time is wasting and Nevada’s coffers are in the worst shape ever. The Silver State is ready for the addition of a major automobile manufacturer and its many benefits like what has been found in several others states.

 Let’s hope Nevada’s politicians are listening.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Doc Lane is a veteran former automobile executive who has lived in Las Vegas for 30 years.

A recent blog written addressing the possibility of a major automobile manufacturer opening up shop in North Las Vegas has generated incredible attention.

While Toyota was mentioned by two sources as being interested in invading Southern Nevada for the creation of a manufacturing and distribution point, one other person who should know said at least one other big-time automobile manufacturer had been rumored to be studying the idea, too.

In either case, it makes good sense that some major automobile giant sets up shop in Nevada. In fact, the biggest question to this point has been why this hasn’t happened already considering the state’s user-friendly tax structure and its favorable weather elements that range from extreme cold to extreme heat.

In fact, when street hustling Richie Clyne assembled the money team of hotel casino owners Bill Bennett and Ralph Engelstad for the creation of Las Vegas Motor Speedway more than 20 years ago, the intent was multi-faceted (part of the development included an industrial park).

First off, Clyne wanted to land big-time auto racing such as NASCAR Winston Cup and National Hot Rod Association drag racing events. With no guarantees in the hands of anyone involved in the endeavor, the group announced plans to build a $200 million facility knowing full-well that money spent didn’t guarantee anyone of anything.

In a city of big-time ideas with many big-time flops, Las Vegas Motor Speedway became one of the all-time great additions to not only Southern Nevada but to the entire state. “King” Richard Petty hinted in a 1998 interview at LVMS that NASCAR had taken a hard look at the facility and in his mind, a Cup race was probably in the future for the facility.

Not long after Petty’s interview, it was announced that a 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup event was on the schedule and the dream team of Clyne, Engelstad and Bennett had fulfilled their promise that the track would not only be built, but also become home to a prestigious stock car race.

 A drag race facility was put on hold to make certain that the Cup race was (a) secured and (b) presented properly.

The drag race facility would be completed in the late 1990s when Bruton Smith of Speedway Motorsports Inc., purchased LVMS. The track now hosts two major NHRA races each year.

In the meantime, the legendary Carroll Shelby was one of the first manufacturers to sign a lease agreement with LVMS and Roush Racing has since joined the fold bringing two of the most respected names in the business to the facility.

During the worst recession since the Great Depression, LVMS has continued to attract sellout crowds for NASCAR Sprint Cup and NHRA dates while also maintaining a non-stop schedule of special events on everything from road courses to short track races.

However, more than 20 years after Engelstad, Bennett and Clyne put their heads together to create LVMS on 1,200 acres in the northwest Las Vegas Valley, one piece of the puzzle remains missing; that of a major automobile manufacturer being an integral part of the equation.

 With rumors swirling like the wind in Southern Nevada, land owners in North Las Vegas are busy calling to see if their investments might be increasing in value thanks to word that Southern Nevada is about to diversify its economy again. It all makes perfect sense that while the rumors might be new, the biggest question is why a major automobile manufacturer hasn’t broke ground before now.

Shelby is running full-speed ahead and Nevada remains what must be the friendliest business-related states in the country.

 So when it was stated recently by sources that Toyota had been researching the idea of building a facility in Southern Nevada, the missing element in the big picture seemed to be materializing. With land prices dropping dramatically in the past three years after record increases, the environment in Southern Nevada for a major automobile manufacturer became even more ideal.

Throw in the tragic circumstances related to the tsunami and earthquake in Japan in March of 2010 that killed thousands while also severely damaging major automobile manufacturing plants in Japan and the possibility of expansion into Southern Nevada seems even more likely.    

Most of those reportedly involved in researching Southern Nevada for possible automobile manufacturing are denying the rumor; apparently as all involved attempt to guard their interests. In fact, one source said Honda has already been looking to Southern Nevada for the past several years.

Someone – whether it be Toyota, Honda or yet another automobile manufacturer – needs to expand its efforts into Nevada – and hopefully someone with the state is extending his or her hand to make it all happen.

“Look, Nevada has everything,” said KJ Howe, a long-time automobile enthusiast who also served as race director for the Mint 400 off-road race from 1973-85. “The state has the ideal tax structure for a major automobile manufacturer; not to mention the best logistical elements for research and development.

“I mean, where else can you find the perfect testing grounds for new vehicles ranging from the snow in the winter to the heat of Death Valley in the summer? Everything is here and the fact that someone as intelligent as Carroll Shelby has been here for almost 20 years speaks for itself.

 “And to put it all quite bluntly, how in the world can Mississippi have a Toyota plant and Nevada not have one? I have serious questions about that one.”

Howe also pointed out that Porsche had its USA headquarters in Reno for many years. While he’s not certain why Porsche left the state, he also agrees that another big-time automobile manufacturer should be added.

 “It was too bad that Porsche left,” said Howe. “However, I am sure that the time is right to add someone else even if it’s a super luxury car builder. Once that happens, the ball will start rolling. Companies like Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen have operations in the United States but not in Nevada. So, why not come here? We have affordable housing and the rest especially now. The automobile manufacturing industry is a relatively clean industry anyway, and we should be welcoming it with open arms. With the advent of hybrids, this is a natural area for that.”

Nev. State Sen. Mike Schneider, a 47-year resident of Las Vegas, agrees.

“I keep trying to understand why this sort of thing hasn’t happened sooner,” said Schneider. “When you weigh the positives and the negatives, the positives far out-weigh the negatives, so I’m wondering why this state hasn’t followed through by landing someone like Toyota or Honda.

“The infrastructure is here; and so is the economic environment and the tax structure. For whatever reason, we have not done a very good job of landing a very big fish as it relates to the car business. We need to reach out to businesses overseas –especially automobile manufacturers in Japan.”

 Sources in North Las Vegas have confirmed that Toyota Motor Corp. has been reviewing sites for the construction of a manufacturing and distribution plant at two locations in the city.

The source said Toyota has been reviewing 80-100 acres of land at each location for the past several months.

One location is situated near Losee and Craig roads; while the other is reportedly being considered on Thomas and Mack Land near Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In both cases, Toyota is said to be interested in purchasing the land citing issues that were the result of the massive tsunami and earthquake that produced a wall of water after an 8.9 magnitude which struck about 250 miles northeast of Tokyo March 11.

The tsunami not only killed thousands but also swept away hundreds of homes while also damaging automotive plants that included those that manufacturer Toyota, Honda, Acura, Nissan and Subaru models.

“Toyota is reviewing the idea of moving into North Las Vegas for several reasons,” said the source. “First, Japan has suffered greatly because of the tsunami and new vehicle production has been slowed.

 “Also key to the idea of taking advantage of the land in North Las Vegas is that there are railroad spurs near both locations. There are buildings also buildings available for usage.”

“We’re on the phone with them at least once a week.”

 One Southern Nevada businessman said he was certain the rumor was true.

“We were paid $100,000 to survey the land,” he said. “Toyota is serious about this.”

Mad Dog serves as a judge during the chili cook off Nov. 26 in Mesquite, Nev.

Part of the fun of working as a freelance writer is the fact that no two assignments are the same.

And during the 2011 High Desert Robinson Regional & Mojave Desert Regional two-day chili cook off Nov. 25-26 at the CasaBlanca Resort in Mesquite, Nev., I was asked to be a judge.

Mind you, when it comes to hanging around a kitchen, boiling water is a tough assignment. I have mastered the chore of making coffee and I found the switch for the dishwasher, but that’s about as far as it goes.

My cooking skills are evident by the fact that if we didn’t have a microwave, I’d starve to death. Or, better yet, I’d head for Applebee’s not far from our home.

So when I was asked to be a judge for a prestigious event featuring some of the nation’s finest chili cooks, I cringed. I tried making chili 30 years ago and the result was so bad that the hungriest of animals might have taken three-day old leftovers instead of my specialty.

However, when it was explained that this particular assignment would last about 20 minutes, I accepted the challenge. To be honest, the decision was made once it was announced that we should clear our palates with a swallow of beer.

I mean, while I don’t claim to know a thing about cooking, mixing beer with chili seemed like one of those gigs nobody should ever turn away.

We were told that after the tasting, we should make notes about the chili. However, what worried me was that the guy in charge also said that past contestants have been known to chase down judges after reading the judging sheets.

When I tried to get out of the assignment while citing my total inexperience as it relates to either chili or Home Ec. 101, I was told “Listen, you know as much about this as people who have been doing it for 30 years. You have been tasting foods all your life.”

Yeh, but I have been watching rodeo competition since I was an infant 60 years ago, but getting on a Brahma Bull remains one of those things I’ll gladly leave off my Bucket List, too.

Anyway, I jumped into the challenge of judging the chili cook off thinking I’d get in the car and drive off like I had just robbed a bank when the last spoonful was tasted.

But the funny thing about this assignment was that I instantly gained a sense of respect for the people who traveled hundreds of miles from several states to compete in Mesquite, which is situated about 80 miles north of Las Vegas.

Frankly, more people who work as writers need to experience first-hand what they cover. In my case, riding in off-road races has resulted in wild crashes; and even a go-kart race run in conjunction with the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in 1981 went array when it was discovered while speeding down Fremont Street in Las Vegas that I had no brakes.

All those experiences behind me, I cautiously grabbed my first spoon and headed for my assignment inside the CasaBlanca Event Center. While attempting to look like I knew what I was doing, I carefully began tasting and taking notes.     

Funny thing was that in the first five tastings, I began to appreciate the Chiliheads, as they are called. The meat was tender, and the seasoning had that special touch.

Even the appearance of chili is important in cook offs like this one. In fact, a fella named Bob Plager of Littleton, Colo., includes prunes in his work to add a level of sweetness while also producing that pleasing look of the work.

I began to realize that making chili is actually a science. And as someone told me, once you taste chili made by the pros, you’ll never buy another can of the product from the grocery store again.

Some was better than the other, but all in all, the overall experience was not only enjoyable, but educational at the same time.

Even the weather and the elevation played into this particular competition. The weather was ideal and the fact that Mesquite is about 1,600 above sea level combined for the perfect scenario.

After the initial competition was completed, I retreated to my makeshift pressroom and began hacking away at my laptop. A short time later, I was asked to return and judge the final round.

I still don’t know how my judging talent rated, but I do know that the competition opened my eyes to a new world.

Interestingly, Chiliheads travel together; they compete against one another and if anyone needs help, they generally work with one another.

It’s a great gathering of good folks enjoying good times.

The road known Utah State Route 14 connecting Cedar City with Duck Creek, Utah has long been known for its treacherous conditions. Between boulders the sizes of houses and cars teetering on the hill to the drop of hundreds of feet north of the road, this has had all of the markings of a thriller show.

Truth be known, the route that carries all the way to the north-south arm of Highway 89 to the east has been interesting, to say the least.

Just the sight of the boulders near Mile Marker 6 has been enough to draw national attention. I mean, we’re living in a world of extremes ranging from athletic events such as Ultimate Fighting to weather conditions that have eliminated towns from the face of the earth.

And this particular road has it all ranging from snow storm blizzard conditions in the winter to harrowing other stories that will undoubtedly be told for decades. It definitely fits the “extreme” element in today’s society so much so that one person compared driving the area to running across a series of bowling allies during a busy tournament.

In one story, long-time Southern Utah resident Mel Aldrich tells how a boulder suddenly let go one day before landing on the hood of a vehicle and driving the engine into the pavement. And there are other stories such as vehicles going off the cliff before stopping hundreds of feet later.

What might be termed “the road to heaven” since it has led thousands to Duck Creek for decades, State Route 14 suffered its greatest setback recently when hundreds of feet of road was (a) covered with a major slide and or (b) literally removed from the map when a portion let go.

 The latest in a series of slides made news all over the country. For yet another time, we’re thankfully hearing that no one was hurt in what could have been an awful situation if the slide had occurred during the daylight hours when traffic might have been very heavy with travelers seeking an escape from other cities.

The final scene looks like one from an earthquake with much of the remaining road buckled. Even further west on the road is a portion that has continually been filled apparently because a spring underneath is causing continual collapse.

 The first thought was that apparently nobody was hurt when the slide occurred at about five in the morning on a recent Saturday.  At this point, officials have said no one was reported missing, so the assumption is that everyone escaped unharmed although the outcome most certainly could have been worse.

 First reports said the road would be closed for a few weeks. That report has been updated to include a long period of time with the latest estimates saying it will be at least next summer before State Route 14 is reopened.

However, everyone seems to be of the agreement that it will be awhile before the road is opened again. Just finding a contractor capable of correcting the damage is going to require time and considering the millions of dollars that will be needed, this is certainly more than another pot hole needing to be filled.

 However, while myself and many others have questioned whether or not we should have every invested in Southern Utah, there is an upside to the latest setback. You see, Zion National Park is a great alternative considering the scenery and going through Brian Head before enjoying the beauty of Parowan isn’t bad either.

Or if need, heading back to Las Vegas south of Highway 89 is OK since I love looking at the little towns headed back to St. George.

During our latest trip back to Las Vegas, we were informed that I-15 was closed south of St. George due to a truck crashing allowing hundreds of bees to escape, so we were forced to take the route through Santa Clara before descending into Mesquite.

That route back to Las Vegas brought back memories of outrunning the 18 wheelers when journeying to and from Dixie College in the late 1960s before the I-15 was completed through the narrows.

However, even during the evening hours, Santa Clara remains one of my all-time favorite little towns especially considering the many Halloween decorations that were prevalent Sunday night.

One way or another, visiting Southern Utah can be beautiful, frightening or at least challenging. From avoiding swarms of bees to outrunning avalanches en route to Duck Creek, we always return home talking about our latest adventure.

The real estate market in Southern Utah collapsed after our investment in 2006 and the gold at the end of the rainbow has been replaced by the worst recession since the Great Depression. But would I change anything had I to do it all over again?

 Nope, even with all the challenges, it’s been a great experience.

Several months ago, I wrote about a frightening experience as it related to a mix up with Bank of America. In looking at a home equity loan we have with the corporate giant, a mysterious $175 fee suddenly appeared on a statement.

I immediately headed for or BofA branch in Southwest Las Vegas and thankfully, found help from the wonderful employees there. After several phone calls, it was determined that someone with the bank’s legal department had mistakenly started foreclosure proceedings against us even though we have never been late on a house payment.

We were apparently caught up in the Robo world of the banking industry’s frenzy of foreclosures. Someone stamped an approval on the paperwork and we were apparently expected to start packing and heading for the streets.

The help at the BofA branch led to the removal of the fee; and hopefully the threat of foreclosure. However, I never did receive any kind of formal notice (a) apologizing for the mix up and (b) assuring me that this sort of thing would never happen again.

More importantly, I wanted to know the name of the attorney responsible for the error although that was not possible even though the folks at the local branch tried hard to identify the violator.

You see, the layer of big-shots between the folks in the branches and the top of Bank of America is immense. The people in the upper layer wouldn’t know how to spell PR let alone provide it.

A simple letter of apology for nearly generating a heart attack on this 60 year-old freelance writer would have been sufficient. Or better yet, how about a friendly phone call; or maybe even an email?

Granted the $175 was removed thanks only because of the help of the fine staff at our branch. But between the branch workers and the top of BofA is a hierarchy of legal beagles who won’t ever need heart surgery because they don’t have any hearts to begin with.

So now, B of A has launched another bad PR move with a five dollar fee that we’re all going to have to pay for using out debit card when the bank itself has encouraged us to stay away from writing checks.

Now, five bucks isn’t a big deal, but considering that this country is in the worst recession since the Great Depression, the move is not only insulting but one of the dumbest moves in the history of banking – next only to starting foreclosure proceedings against people whose credit score is very good.

While visiting my branch Friday, I witnessed a poor employee getting yelled by a customer who was irate about the new fee. To the employee’s credit, she stood there listening while also trying to settle her down.

I felt sorry for the BofA employee because like us, she was the victim of a dumb move by the bosses of the banking industry. While someone in a three-piece suit and slicked-back hair made the ultimate decision to levy a fee on all of us, the poor teller of the bank was the one who took the heat.

While our credit score remains high and the foreclosure supposedly is no longer a threat in our house, my friend Ron Ragona says I might have goofed.

“Hell, you should have let them foreclose on you,” said Ragona, a Cedar City, Utah real estate agent. “That would have been a great story.”

Come to think of it, I think Ragona may have been right. If nothing else, maybe at least I would have had the chance to meet the individual(s) who almost had us thrown in the streets. Those who know me also know that I have never been afraid of a good challenge and the rush of media from all over the world would have brought untold attention to an industry rife with greed.

Or if nothing else, maybe I could have landed a job as a PR guy with an industry that needs good publicists more than ever before.

Las Vegas has its share of good and bad points and its vices can definitely destroy its people.

Known as Sin City, there may be more vices in Vegas than any other city in the world. If it’s not drugs and booze, there are so many other issues that can take a person down.

If you have a weakness for gambling, you can go broke in no time especially considering that neighborhood casinos are also within a short distance everywhere. Throw in the fact that Las Vegas has more foreclosures than any other city in the country and just driving through a neighborhood can be a depressing experience.

The in-your-face nudity in Las Vegas gets old; and so do the giant billboards promising “women to your room” with only a phone call. Values are often suspect, to say the least, primarily because greed many times seems to be a dominating factor.

But Vegas is also a very good city and has given thousands a chance when no opportunity was available elsewhere. For every person who has come to town with big ideas only to leave in the back of a bus, there are also many others who came with very little only to end up successful.

However, one of the more interesting elements in Vegas is that the city has a multitude of churches. In fact, the city reportedly has more churches per capita than any other city in the country; although some dispute the fact by arguing that the many storefront houses of worship should not count in the listing.

Every day I meet people who have moved to Las Vegas from other parts of the country. Las Vegas is the melting spot of the world and what makes it so fascinating is that for the most part, people seem to get along just fine here; although it is also interesting that you have to work hard to get to know your neighbors since you can live in a subdivision for years without knowing the couple next door.

You have to reach out to your neighbors because so many of them don’t trust others here. Once barriers are knocked down you’ll find that this city is really not that much different than any other.

Yet one other necessary ingredient to surviving Las Vegas is the fact that you need a church to call your home away from home. It doesn’t matter where you go; but you need a church to not only experience a sense of sanity for an hour or two a week while also having a safe haven that also serves as a great place to meet good people.

Every day I meet people who have moved to Las Vegas; and every day I suggest to those moving here to find a church. It doesn’t matter what the denomination or the location.

Just find a church to rest your soul and rejuvenate your mental state with positive thoughts. This suggestion comes from a man who could not even list the Ten Commandments.

Believe it or not, I actually learned about the importance of a church while working in the auto racing business. It was in the mid-1990s while working at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when I saw a notice on the wall of the media center announcing a church service for anyone who wanted to attend.

I thought to myself that attending a church service even at a race track would be good for me and after receiving encouragement from Indy Racing League media center director Bill York; I wandered off to get my shot of faith and hope.

When I suggested the possibility, the good-hearted York quickly responded with “Mike, go get some.”

I walked out the door for about 20 feet and turned left into the chapel service.

The church service was conducted in a maintenance room at LVMS and the place was packed with drivers who were only minutes away from danger in open wheel race cars that would run more than 200 mph. One driver who was in the room was Roberto Guerrero, whose pre-race ritual included meditation – something that can be reached during a church service.

Right there in the room intended for brooms, mops and various other utensils were grown men whose game plan included a church service that was their own form of a main event.

Tough guys who faced danger every week bowed their heads and prayed in what was a very humble gathering.

Then, there was the time I attended another service at Phoenix International Raceway prior to a NASCAR truck race. One face I’ll never forget at the session was that of Ron Hornaday, a long-time standout in stock car racing who was among the many who sat in chairs in the middle of the parking lot.

The setting was pretty simple, but the message was strong. There were no attempts to impress the attendees with high ceilings or high-dollar pews. We gathered together and that was all that mattered.

We sat in folding chairs in the dirt listening to a pastor deliver the word. And I would be willing to bet that the majority of drivers in the main event felt that it was important to bow their heads and pray prior to putting their lives on the line.

So if auto racing drivers feel it’s important enough to gather in the desert or in a maintenance room for a few minutes of worship, that’s good enough for me, too.

In fact, Motor Racing Outreach is a huge part of NASCAR and the children of drivers and pit crew members of the MRO sang the National Anthem prior to the Saturday’s race in Bristol. The MRO is both sincere and inspiring complete with a great message and good, meaningful people who are better because of their belief in faith.

 Like auto racing, Vegas is fast-paced with its share of bumps in the road and dangerous challenges in just about every turn.

 You have to work harder to survive Las Vegas – or anywhere, for that matter -- the simple answer is to find a church.

 Any church.

 No matter where you live.

 My father spent the majority of his adult life working as a mechanic. Now 83, he still advises that if you want mechanical advice for a vehicle, don’t go near a tire store.

“Tire stores are for buying tires,” said my dad, whose real name is Rudy although we many years ago nicknamed him “Oil Can” for his years analyzing problems on everything from vehicles to Caterpillar heavy equipment.

So when I visited my favorite tire store in Las Vegas seeking a rebalance of one of the tires that I had purchased there, I was reminded of my dad’s advice when the attendant informed my wife that serious repairs were needed on our 2001 Toyota Tacoma pickup.

Granted, the pickup has 108,000 miles on it; and yes, it is our only vehicle.

However, the pickup is well cared for by friends at Findlay Kia in Las Vegas. If the folks there tell me we need work, I take their word for the advice and agree to have the work done.

So when the tire store told us recently that we needed $1,600 in repairs rather than a simple rebalance of a wheel, I studied the estimate. According to the paper work, we needed a new rack and pinion along with an assortment of other work for the total.

I immediately sought a second opinion from our favorite mechanics at Findlay Kia. Service Manager Bob Williams assured me in a frantic phone call that the estimate had to be wrong and advised me to head to the dealership where I’d meet with our mechanic – a great guy named Mike Roe – would know if I actually needed the work.

Thank God I got a second opinion.

After about 30 minutes, Roe said “You don’t need a rack and pinion and I know that because we would have caught it the last time you were here (which was about two weeks prior).

Your two tires might need to be replaced sometime because there is a little cuppage, but we’ll rotate the wheels and you’ll be fine.”

About 45 minutes later, Roe brought the truck to the front of the store, gave me the keys and sent me on my way. A day later, we headed for Southern Utah for about a 400-mile round trip and the truck sailed across the desert highway on a brutally hot day.

The truck ran just fine although it was evident there was still a tiny vibration now in the back and not in the front since the affected tires had been moved to the rear. True, I’m going to need a couple of tires sometime, but a couple of hundreds bucks will easily handle the situation.

But it was no big deal and I was not being expected to pay $1,600 for work that wasn’t necessary in the first place. Vegas has a bad reputation for a multitude of reasons anyway, and apparently past news reports about certain tire stores taking advantage of people wasn’t all wrong.

I won’t mention the one that wanted to stick me with a big repair bill, but I can guarantee you I won’t be back to buy the tires from the particular store any time in the future.

 I have the feeling that Oil Can was right. Most tire stores are for selling tires and not for providing vehicle repairs.

I’m starting to think that every tire store has mechanics who rub their hands together when a customer shows up for tires knowing that the customer is usually open game for repairs that can cost thousands of dollars.

In my case, it’s a good thing I have honest people watching after my vehicle. However, others are not so lucky and I can just imagine the untold unneeded repair bills levied especially during a miserable economy.

It goes without saying that anyone who works for someone else is worried about now. Cutbacks are running rampant as the economy spirals downward and our retirement funds disappear like water during a drought.

And about now, there is a special breed of know-it-alls that raise their heads during bad times about like real estate agents surface during good times.

They are called efficiency experts, those well-dressed individuals who carry expensive brief cases and show up to put the fear of God in every business where they suddenly appear.

Efficiency experts resemble vultures circling wounded or sick animals in the middle of a field waiting to strike and remove the prey. You may have worked for decades in one place when all of a sudden, a stranger with a sharp pencil and a convincing voice shows up and is instantly worshiped by management as an expert.

Mind you, in many cases the efficiency expert actually has good advice, although we all kind of wonder why it takes a new guy on the block to disclose a weakness that has been evident for days, weeks or even years before.

I mean, why did the boss have to actually hire someone to outline a weakness recognized by everyone from the janitors to the CEO? Just when we’re supposed to be cutting corners, management spends big-time bucks for someone who not only doesn’t know his or her way around the building but could not possibly understand the strengths and weaknesses of the inner workings.

So, as frightened employees sit in their cubicles, they begin to fear that they are in the cross hairs. Or better yet, we all wonder just what it is about an efficiency expert that makes him or her knowledgeable about a topic he or she hasn’t been involved with until only the past few days.

About the time you get settled into your desk, there is that new face sitting in the boss’s office reviewing paper work and obviously studying the employee base. You start to feel like a rookie on a pro football team and cuts are about to be made.

Paranoia begins to set in and just when you should be concentrating on that deal you need to close, you start worrying about the fact your shirt may be wrinkled or your hair might be out of place. You don’t know the efficiency expert, so you don’t know what that individual is watching, what he is saying or what is expected of you.

But you know the hammer is ready to fall while also realizing that reaching your full productivity is stymied by an economy so ill that politicians are saying we are on the brink of another depression.

You have personal issues in your life that need to be addressed and now the efficiency expert is circling the office with a move so slow and smooth that you’d swear you’re hearing the music from the movie “Jaws” in the background.

Just when you start to relax, the efficiency expert is back on the grounds again. You see this same individual walking down the hallway, so you instantly duck into one of the backrooms or exit out a side door.

The government is bailing out the financial system in this country and you begin to wonder who is going to help you when times get even tougher. You’re an honest, hard-working soul who is simply trying to make ends meet, and it’s difficult to understand why the big boys take the money and go on expensive junkets while you are not sure you could even get unemployment benefits were you to get terminated.

Oh well, maybe I’m ready for another job change anyway. And while we’re discussing the future, I think it’s time to become an efficiency expert so that I can see first-hand just what these people do.

 By Ron Futrell

 The NFL lockout will end soon and regular season games will not be lost. Book it.

After all the talk about TV deals, cash for players, percentages for owners and how much to pay retired players is hashed out, the biggest issue could be timing.

The first Sunday of the regular season falls on the 10^th anniversary of 9/11.

Do not underestimate the power of that date.

Let’s take the negative side first. Imagine empty stadiums on the 10^th anniversary of the most horrific attack on American soil by foreign terrorists. Now---I’m in no way comparing the two here, just setting the stage for what the mindset of the American people will be on that day. While we honor those who died in the attacks and the talk is about “never again,” the fact that selfish billionaire owners and millionaire players could not work out a contract will create more animosity towards the NFL than they could imagine.

“What, we can’t rebuild the Twin Towers and we can’t work out a deal to play football, what’s wrong with this country?”

This will be the mindset of the average fan, and they would be right.

Now, let’s take the positive side. Let’s imagine football stadiums filled on that Sunday and NFL teams market properly and plan their pre-game ceremonies to build a patriotic bond between the fans and the future on this day of remembrance. The league has already told its teams that they will be wearing special 9/11 patches on that opening Sunday to remember what happened. There is nothing wrong with the league taking advantage of the timing here and working to create an atmosphere of optimism for America and for the future. Sports does this very well, and this will be another opportunity for the American passion of football to do it in a way that only it can.

"We will use the national platform to remember and reflect upon those who lost their lives and honor families who lost loved ones," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said via e-mail. "We also will salute the American spirit, the early responders on 9/11 and everyday heroes.

"We designed the schedule in a manner that would enable us to help appropriately commemorate, on a national level, September 11th and what it represents to Americans."

Let’s think back for a moment on what happened nearly 10 years ago. September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday morning. It is etched forever in our memories.

NFL games were postponed the Sunday following 9/11 but made up the first weekend in January. Because of the nature of the sport, it would’ve been difficult for teams to properly prepare for a Sunday game. But when the NFL returned to play, it gave appropriate recognition to what had happened. Every player in the league had a patch on his jersey to honor those who died on 9/11. The Jets and Giants wore special patches on their uniforms to honor firefighters from New York City. This is the first time the league has ever done something like this, and the 10^th anniversary will be the second time.

When it’s all said and done, cooler heads will prevail in the NFL. During intense negotiations somebody will mention that opening Sunday---and what needs to happen to help America heal. Yes, sports can do that, and the NFL has a great opportunity to help America do that. It would be nice to have a full pre-season as well, but in the long run, we won’t remember the 2011 pre-season if they play it or not.

But we will find moments we could treasure forever if the stadiums are filled on that opening Sunday. The players and owners have to know that---and they do.

Editor’s Note:

Ron Futrell is a journalist with more than 30 years experience in writing and on-air in TV news. He is currently Chief Marketing Officer with JO SportsCo and deals with numerous NFL teams selling their game worn items. Follow on Twitter @RonFutrell

By Ron Futrell

This came as a major shock to those who knew him.

One of the strongest players the Rebel basketball program has ever know collapses on the court of a heart attack and dies while playing a pick-up game in his hometown near Pittsburgh, PA. 

Armon Gilliam (or Armen after he began play in the NBA) was the kindest, nicest Rebel basketball player I ever knew. It's as simple as that. His play on the court was the exact opposite. While never a dirty player, he was a fighter under the basket and it earned him the nickname "The Hammer."

Well deserved, but he was anything but "The Hammer" in his personal life.

While covering the Rebels in the late 80's we were in a hotel lobby in Salt Lake City. I heard an unusually beautiful melody coming from a piano across the room. I walked over and was surprised to see Armon there playing away like he owned the room. Quickly I asked our cameraman to grab his gear and shoot this amazing video. I had a feature story here that nobody else would have. The Hammer -- hammering out a tune for the small crowd in the lobby. 

Armon sheepishly stopped playing and then asked me kindly if I would not shoot any video of him playing the piano. I was a bit surprised by his reaction, but he wanted to keep his piano playing personal. I understood. I lost a feature story, but saw a side of the big man that made me respect him even more. 

One day before practice I saw Armon drive up in an old station wagon in what I believe a Buick. This was another shocker for me. In a time when Rebel basketball players were known for driving some pretty nice cars---Armon had his old station wagon that he may have driven himself from Pennsylvania to Las Vegas. It looked like he had---a few times. It made a statement about the man who led the Rebels to 3 NCAA appearances in his three seasons at UNLV and a Final Four in 1987. He was at UNLV to work, get the job done and wasn't much for the flash that the program relished---still he was a perfect fit. 

On the court, nobody worked harder. Tim Grgurich was always there, tirelessly in his efforts to turn Armon from a state champion wrestler to the ultimate college power forward. Armon had the best teacher and as a student, he learned quickly. 

Armon was the second player chosen in the 1988 draft by the Phoenix Suns and he spent nine solid years in the NBA. 

That Final Four in New Orleans was a special treat. I recall talking with Armon and Gary Graham, two northeast guys, to head with me for a live shot in front of the New Orleans Superdome. We had set up a special crawfish boil there and they were willing to enjoy it with us. They were not prepared for how spicy it was, but Armon was always the trooper and made it through the interview while his mouth was burning from the corn. He was always gracious and forever the gentleman.

Armon Gilliam---47 years old and left an impact forever on those who knew him. A great Rebel, a kind hearted man.  

Editor's Note: Ron Futrell is a long time Las Vegan and a former sportscaster at KTNV TV-13 who covered the UNLV basketball team when Armen Gilliam starred for the team.

The SCORE International off-road racing web site says it all with a post stating that the group’s next event will be Sept. 9-11 in Baja Mexico at a venue to be determined.

Formerly scheduled for August in Primm south of Las Vegas, the move of the Primm 300 to Mexico was apparently the result of high fees required for the event in Southern Nevada along with restrictions placed on SCORE because of the desert tortoise.

 However, there is a much deeper lesson to be learned in the move to Mexico in that off-road racing in the United States is under pressure big-time following the tragedy which killed eight and injured at least 12 northeast of Los Angeles last year.

Legendary race promoter Sal Fish, who has been presenting races in Mexico for decades, simply washed his hands of the issues in Primm and moved yet another race to Mexico which opens its arms to the sport.

 SCORE now has a five-race series and four of the events are in Mexico. The other – the Laughlin Desert Challenge in January – is the only event held in the United States.

The loss of a major racing event in Southern Nevada is a huge blow considering that SCORE generally attracts at least 200 vehicles and crews generating good amounts of revenue. In the case of Primm, the move to Mexico is a big loss to yet another small town struggling to survive in a miserable economy.

The Bureau of Land Management which overseas off-road racing events has been under attack since the crash in Southern California and every off-road promoting group now faces stricter guidelines as it relates to insurance and the rest.

In the case of Fish, enough was enough before he pulled the plug and headed for Baja long considered a great place to gather for both the scenery and the competition. The Primm event reportedly included greatly increased fees and Fish simply wiped his hands and headed south.

As off-road racing promoters continue to grapple with increased fees; along with environmental and safety concerns, Southern Nevada will continue to see events like SCORE’s Primm 300 moving on to other venues.

Primm becomes the second small Southern Nevada town to lose an off-road event after many years. Caliente, a charming little town situated about 180 miles north of Las Vegas, lost the Dusty Times 250 after more than two decades when the Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts lost the permit to the event to a Utah promoter which is reportedly moving the event to another Nevada town.

Then, too, SNORE is facing its own problems with the BLM following the running of the Mint 400 earlier this year. The club was forced to move its annual Midnight Special event to the Moapa Indian Reservation July 20-31 after first planning to run it in Jean.

In any case, the exit of Sal Fish and SCORE from Southern Nevada off-road racing – with the exception of the Laughlin Desert Challenge each January -- is not only a huge loss but also a sign of the times when it comes to discussing the future of the sport which has been a part of the area for more than 50 years.

And for those who feel that Mexico is unsafe, at least one freelance writer and former resident of Southern Utah disagrees.

“It’s safer in Baja than Southern Nevada, to be honest,” said Ed Kociela, a veteran journalist who moved to Baja several months ago. “The ace is over more rugged terrain and a much better gig than Primm. But that stereotype about Baja is just so much BS. Try Mexico near the Texas border.

“Violence? Ever been to South Central Los Angeles? Would you not go to Disneyland because of the criminal activity in the inner city? We feel safer in Baja than in North Las Vegas. Sorry, Baja is a peaceful, wonderful place filled with cordial, nice people. The only time I feel uncomfortable is when I see the drunken “ugly Americans” throwing money, attitude and disrespect around Cabo or San Jose; or start rattling off about how wonderful the Americans are without realizing Mexico and Canada are part of America, too. Some people just don’t’ have a clue.”

Considering Kociela’s comments, Sal Fish may not have had such a tough decision to make after all. With the heavy handed BLM cracking down on everything from off-road racers to wild horses, sounds to me like Fish just might have the right idea in the first place.

In the words of one prominent off-road executive, “It won’t be long before all off-road racing events are in Mexico.”

During the building boom of 2006 and 2007, Southern Nevada was growing at a breakneck pace.

Seemingly, nothing could fail, and thousands were moving to the area each month. The bright lights of the city, its fast pace and an abundance of jobs worked like a giant magnet as Las Vegas led the country with an incredible 5,000-6,000 new residents a month.

Southern Nevada had a chance to set standards as it relates to the home building industry. In every possible pocket, land was being purchased for record amounts of money with those plunking down the money certain to profit from the moves.

But even the novices could see a very strange phenomena taking place in the desert. The so-called experts of the homebuilding industry were headed down the road while failing to see an abrupt end to a booming market.

In a mad rush to make money as quickly as possible, many builders violated obvious unwritten rules of their industry.

First, some builders cramped homes together many times within a matter of 6-8 feet of one another. Next-door neighbors would undoubtedly hear one another sneeze and God forbid a house should catch fire considering the domino-effect could lead to other structures catching fire.

 It was obvious that builders were grinding out their work attempting to capitalize monetarily as quickly as possible. All good things come to an end, and many home builders had to know this as they continued their mad rush of ravaging the earth in Southern Nevada.

Some builders pushed the fact that homes had elevators, for god’s sakes. In the same breath, did any of them tell you moving into these three-story homes was nearly impossible because furniture would not fit the narrow entryways?

Some areas are disturbting considering the endless lines of  row houses. Big name builders some of which have been in Southern Nevada for many years devised marketing plans selling their product lines as “space saving” were in actuality sending their profits out of town in nothing less than a “I could care less” attitude.

Throw in the fact that many homes built during the boom had little or no back yards – and some marketing geniuses had the audacity to buy advertising touting standard amenities that were nothing less than a tiny footprint creating unhealthy environments.

I mean, talk about deceptive advertising. Give me a break. You mean to tell me that it’s healthy to have no back yard and be only a few feet from your neighbors?

More times than not, inferior building practices in Southern Nevada are practiced by giants of the industry. In other words, Corporate America.

In the field of journalism, those who have participated in the business pride themselves on by-line stories they can keep forever. We feel good about the fact that we can revisit our works years later and still are proud.

Too bad many builders don’t feel the same about their work years after they have left the land they have pillaged. New-home tracts turning into eyesores don’t seem to bother some of these people. But the modern day builders don't seem to care and it's so sad.

For companies allegedly concerned about good public relations, many of these businesses have failed miserably not only in Southern Nevada but also in other markets that were red hot several years ago.

Southern Nevada enjoyed personality and personal touch more than 20 years ago. Then, Lewis Homes – started many years ago by the husband and wife team of Ralph and Goldie Lewis -- sold to KB Homes and the personality of the homebuilding industry disappeared forever.

More corporate builders followed offering lower prices based on the fact that they could buy more and pass on the savings onto the buyer. All the wizards of the home building industry did was drive Las Vegas to become the foreclosure capital of the world while sending profits back to their corporate headquarters.

On a related note, when the corporate giants of the homebuilding industry invaded Southern Nevada, they touted how they were all going to support the community. In almost the same breath, most of those same builders refused to participate in the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association’s Homer Awards, which for years had been the Emmy Awards of the industry locally for many years.

Some corporate builders like Lennar, KB Homes,Pulte, Dunhill and Richmond American, to name a few are members, are members of the Souther Nevada Home Builders, but the days of Hank Chism, Eric Horn, Bob Bellinger, Al and Mart Collins and the rest are gone. Of the top ten builders in the first quarter, several corporate builders are members although most of the little builders are gone. In other words, the personalities of the building business are gone replaced with the bigger companies and a big-time lack of personal touch.

However, equally important are the governmental leaders of Southern Nevada who rubber-stamped housing communities without first thinking about the consequences. Lot sizes combined with the fact many homes were close to major roadways should have been reason enough for at least one representative to stand up and speak up.

 I’ll take the old days of Vegas any time over what the area has now. When Corporate America moved into Southern Nevada --whether you’re talking about home building, casinos or the car businesses -- things changed.

 And not for the better either.

Nobody asked me but:

-- In speaking with a member of the North Las Vegas City Council the other day, it seems that the City Manager is contemplating a move to another city right when the city is in the biggest economic disaster in its history. The spokesperson said that if the city manager does leave, there’s a feeling that North Las Vegas will seek out the services of KSNV owner Jim Rogers, whose been known to offer his services for little or no charge over the years.

-- Speaking of North Las Vegas, the city’s regional park coined as the Central Park of the West seems to be at a standstill. The ground was once the home of the best $19 round of golf anywhere before the Stimson family sold out. The sale of the property remains a huge question mark.

--- The closing of the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas represents yet another nail in the coffin of Las Vegas Boulevard North now the home of one unfinished hotel (the Fontainebleau, one closed hotel (the Sahara), one long forgotten water park (Wet N Wild) and a closed retail complex once purchased by Donald Trump’s ex-wife for a high-rise complex that never took place.

--- Hearing that substantial sums of foreign money have invaded the Southern Nevada foreclosure market for both residential and commercial properties. Real estate agents are reportedly closely guarding the identity of their clients worrying that the money will move to other representatives.

--- Southern Utah, long believed to be one of the best real estate investment areas in the country, was the victim of a huge snowstorm in late December. We’re hearing that the Pineapple Express moved into Southern Utah warming the mountains before the combination of heavy snow and a freeze literally caused trees to freeze and fall either at the root ball or snap in the center. Some areas of Southern Utah look like they have been hit by a tornado.

--- Southern Nevada AM radio stations have chosen not to have much in the way of locally-oriented talk shows choosing rather to utilize the services of national talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the rest. I still say it’s a huge mistake to largely ignore the issues of Southern Nevada which is a hotbed of news every day of the year.

--- I can’t help but wonder why so many people continue to think Las Vegas is an easy market. We often say that many big shots come to town driving a Cadillac only to leave in the back of a Greyhound.

--- I still say one of the greatest additions to Las Vegas was the creation of Las Vegas Motor Speedway which opened with an Indy Racing League event Sept. 16, 1996. The facility situated in the northeast portion of Las Vegas now hosts a pair of National Hot Rod Association events and we keep hearing that the super speedway will eventually become the site of the second Cup race.

--- Can anyone tell me why any homebuilder in his or her right mind would place an air conditioning unit on the top of a house?

Legendary sports writer Jimmy Cannon used to write a column entitled “Nobody asked me but….” I loved the idea back when I was a sports writer at the Las Vegas Review-Journal and still like the idea.

With that, nobody asked me, but……

--- Now that David Rice has been named head basketball coach at UNLV, there seems to be the feeling that Rice’s brother, Grant, will oblige by sending top names from Bishop Gorman to the UNLV program. On paper, it all sounds good, but then again so did the idea of players from Findlay Prep automatically signing to play for UNLV.

 --- Gossip reporter Alicia Jacobs has departed the scene at KSNV TV-3 leaving the next question of “So, what took so long?”

 --- Has anyone other than me ever wondered why in most cases bar codes are placed at the bottom of everything from six packs of beer to 50-pound bags of dog food? If only George Carlin were alive today to address what is undoubtedly one of the most mind-boggling practices in the retail business.

 --- I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We don’t need no damned homeowners association to keep our neighborhood lively, cordial and well-kept – all that without dues, nasty memos posted on the front door, slick-dressed attorneys to give advice and the rest.

 --- One of the greatest stories in the automobile business is the resurgence and rebirth of Hyundai.

 --- Near and dear to my heart is the success of an epilepsy support group run by Dr. Samir Bangalore and his nurse Lisa Frazier at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas. The group has grown tremendously in the past couple of years so much so that the annual conference each summer is drawing attention from people all over the country.

 --- Thanks to the Bureau of Land Management, pre-running a race course has been outlawed at least in Southern Nevada. That said, you have to admire top competitors like BJ Baldwin and Roger Norman who have jumped to work on course marking crews apparently so that they can get a sneak peek. Considering that both have done well in the Mint 400 after first serving on the course-marking crew, I have to think their involvement is valuable.

--- Considering that the economy in Nevada is the worst in the state’s history, the creation of Las Vegas Motor Speedway by Richie Clyne back in 1994 remains one of the most brilliant development stories ever in Southern Nevada considering the immense economic impact the track has had with major NASCAR and NHRA events that started back in 1998.

 --- I have yet to meet a veteran of the U.S. Military who is in favor of our involvement in the Middle East – and I have talked to hundreds of them in the past couple of years. Ranging from a former Marine who was on the front line during the invasion of Iraq to soldiers who have served in the confines of bases, no one is in favor of our expensive involvement in an endless war – and yet we’re more entrenched than ever before. That said, I’m wondering why veterans have never been queried as to their feelings about the war in the Middle East especially considering that (a) there are surveys on just about everything and (b) it would seem to me that the opinions of veterans should be considered valuable.

 --- Situated about 80 miles north of Las Vegas, Mesquite is considered a true treasure complete with incredible golf courses; hotels and casinos; and a following of special events including the Mesquite Amateur Golf Tournament; the World Arm Wrestling Championships which drew more than 1,400 competitors from 40 countries; Mesquite Motor Mania, a haven for gear heads each year with hundreds of show cars; and the recently completed 21^st annual Rural Roundup gathering and it’s easy to see why the think tank in Mesquite works as hard if not harder than any promotional arm in the country.

 --- While I can’t help but admire Las Vegas’ ability to reinvent itself, for the life of me I cannot understand why someone has not been able to stop the cancer of porn peddlers on the Las Vegas Strip. The practice is not only offensive to visitors but also leaves trash all over the place while remaining one of the worst PR disasters in a city that deserves better. As someone once told me, “If Ralph Lamb was still sheriff, he’d pick them up, throw them all in a bus and leave them at Stateline – no questions asked.”

 As battles continue in Carson City over several issues, one never-ending topic includes that of homeowner associations. On April 8, the Las Vegas media told another story about a homeowners association where misuse of funds has reportedly left at least one building in disrepair.

Several years ago, virtually every builder in Southern Nevada was selling homes quicker than he or she could build them. With the purchase of a home came the like-it-or-not inclusion of a homeowners association.

The HOA was expected to make certain that the neighborhood would not depreciate since (a) homeowners agreed to live by specific rules and (b) properties would be maintained to certain standards.

 Within HOA communities, front yards would always look respectable and houses were expected to remain in pristine condition with paint colors that matched the rest of the neighborhood.

It all sounded good on the surface and for a few bucks a month, the homeowner was supposed to free of the worries centered around car mechanics leaving their vehicles on jacks in front of the house with unsightly grease stains in the driveway.

And besides, homeowner associations gave the residents a chance to become sincere parts of neighborhood by serving on friendly boards. Gatherings would undoubtedly feature residents chatting cordially over cups of coffee while discussing how much better things were with an association.

When neighborhoods began to decay due to wear and tear, associations would simply pull money from the dues that were paid, gather the neighbors together and repair or freshen up everything from block walls to entry gates and common areas.

 It was the perfect solution especially in Southern Nevada where next door neighbors seldom know one another. Surely, the theory of having a homeowner association was to encourage folks to mingle and be neighbor-like especially in a city like Las Vegas where turnover is so common that Sara Lee would be part of the board.

The problem arose when members of the board -- the same people living in the neighborhood – lost sight of the reason for an HOA. Rather than provide friendly reminders in communities built to preserve property values, power freaks encouraged by expensive and egotistical attorneys began attacking their neighbors with nasty letters tacked to the front door complete with threats of fines.

And in each case, the attorney recommending the decision to attack neighbors was including a hefty invoice with each of his or her edicts. A hundred bucks for the recommendation was considered chump change and by the time legal beagles their accountants added up the charges every year, the attorneys were making a fortune and the homeowner associations were going broke.

And when the economy went in the tank in 2008 and Las Vegas became the foreclosure capital of the country, the dues-paying residents of HOAs suddenly began moving out of their homes which had collapsed in value. The money stream also dried up and homeowner associations once healthy with cash are now looking at eyesores that include vacant homes and filthy community swimming pools; while wondering how they’re going to pay for the maintenance needed to keep the neighborhoods from looking like ghettos.

You see, many homeowners associations are going broke during these tough times. The expense of having a homeowners association exceeds the revenue now being generated in most cases simply because so many homes are vacant.

In many cases, the promise of paradise has turned into full-blown nightmares complete with not only empty houses but also poorly-maintained entryways; not to mention community swimming pools in need of repairs.

We have a home which is not included in a homeowners association. Originally constructed by US Home, one of the selling points was that it did not have an HOA.

However, when we need to clean up the neighborhood, several of us get together and discuss the issue at hand. We find who’s available, set a time and go to work.

And if it appears that a particular home needs help, we might ask the homeowner if he or she could use a little help. No one receives a tacky letter with a threat of fines if the property fails to meet so-called community standards.

If someone decides to change the landscaping in our neighborhood, he or she doesn’t need to go in front of a board for approval. If they want to paint their home, they do so without seeking permission – and of the many homes that have been repainted, none have ended up with offensive or embarrassing colors or inferior work.

For the most part, our neighborhood looks good – and there are no dues, no monthly meetings and no reminders that a garbage can has been left on the curb or that a basketball hoop needs to be removed from the street.

Everything seems to work fine. In fact, we commonly tease one another saying that if garbage cans aren’t removed; or if yards are not mowed to specifications, we’ll have to report such-and-such to the attorney for the homeowners association for possible punishment.

We all laugh about our invisible homeowners association knowing that in fact, we don’t need a real HOA in the first place – and we don’t need some slick looking attorney providing recommendations and the bills that go along with them.

 Funny thing is that while our subdivision looks fine, the ones surrounding us don’t look quite as good – and they are all governed by a homeowners association.

Lon Kruger’s departure after seven years as UNLV basketball coach has stunned the Runnin’ Rebel basketball program and left Southern Nevada reeling.

A prize catch for the UNLV athletic program and a class guy, Kruger took the money and ran. He spent seven years bringing respectability to UNLV while keeping NCAA investigators off the backs of the school.

Kruger and his wife, Barbara, loved Las Vegas and in fact, they both successfully battled serious health problems in Southern Nevada. They took Southern Nevada to another level not just in athletics but also in the medical field considering that both received first-class help right in Southern Nevada.

We all thought Lon and Barbara Kruger would be in Las Vegas for many more years. In fact, they reportedly were in the process of having a custom home built in Southern Highlands.

But a combination of a great offer from the University of Oklahoma and a disastrous series of budget cuts meant that even the UNLV basketball program is not immune from the cuts that are taking this state to its knees.

UNLV and Nevada were beaten by Oklahoma and a Sooner athletic program that is well-funded. It’s all business in college athletics no matter who’s affected by the decision whether you’re talking about players, recruits or coaching staffs.

The UNLV administration has a choice. The school can give up and do nothing or it can immediately name a replacement. A budget crisis now causing students and instructors to leave UNLV is certainly not good and Kruger’s departure only adds to an absolute nightmare.

The two top choices to replace Kruger immediately are a pair of classy individuals including BYU assistant David Rice and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Reggie Theus.

Both Rice and Theus have ties to Las Vegas. Theus was part of the Runnin’ Rebels team that went to the NCAA Final Four in 1977 while Rice was a member of UNLV’s 1989-90 team that won the NCAA national title.

I have not talked to either Theus or Rice lately, but I’d bet that both of them are knocking down the doors to get back to UNLV. In fact, the two of them working together to resurrect the program following Kruger’s shocking decision make sense in every aspect of the equation.

Theus stands out in my mind as a perfect replacement for Kruger. He actually wanted the UNLV job when Kruger was named.

Theus left New Mexico State to accept the job with the Kings. He brought New Mexico State out of the dark ages before making the jump to the NBA.

Theus has always been considered a Vegas kind of guy with talent for the NBA. In fact, he left UNLV early after the 1977-78 season to join the Chicago Bulls as a first-round draft pick in a career that also included stops at Kansas City, New Jersey, Atlanta and Orlando lasting until 1991.

As a sports writer who covered the Runnin’ Rebels from 1977-79, I will never forget the words of UNLV assistant coach Ralph Readout saying that Theus leaving early for the NBA “just ripped the heart and soul out of our program.” However, while Theus left early, he never severed ties with the city he loves.

Like Kruger, Theus looked at Las Vegas as a great opportunity as a player and also like Kruger, he rightfully looked at the game of basketball as business first. Opportunity knocked and Theus bolted for the NBA just as Kruger did when he accepted the job with Oklahoma.

Theus reminds me a lot of Kruger. Both of them are highly-respected individuals who fell in love with Las Vegas only to leave it when another opportunity presented itself.

My own experience with Theus dates back to the 1977 NCAA Final Four at the Omni in Atlanta, Ga. The Running Rebels headed for the Final Four sporting an incredible scoring average of 110 points before the creation of the three-point line.

After taking the lead over North Carolina in the first half, the Rebels’ climb ended when star player Larry Moffett suffered an injury in the second half and the Tar Heals captured an 84-83 victory.

I dreaded going into the locker room when the buzzer sounded. When I arrived, no one including UNLV Head Coach Jerry Tarkanian wanted to talk and I couldn’t blame them. However, a story about the loss to North Carolina without quotes from the losing team was unacceptable.

Theus saw me standing there and agreed to speak about a devastating loss for a team that came into the tournament with a 29-3 record. He spoke calmly and intelligently dissecting what happens when a team like the Tar Heels gets the lead and goes into a delay.

In short, the Dean Smith-coached North Carolina team took the air out of the ball with what was known as the Four Corners Offense. With no shot clock to offset the tactic, UNLV was sent to the consolation game against North Carolina State.

However, while Theus was the team spokesman in the locker room after the loss to North Carolina, it was how he handled himself during another challenge that also stands out in my mind.

At the time of the climb, the NCAA was dogging UNLV. When the media came calling, Theus was quick to defend the school – and he hasn’t stopped talking about Las Vegas since the day he hit his first 20-foot jump shot.

More than 30 years later with Theus working as an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA, I have to think that he would like to return to Las Vegas. The new coach needs to bleed UNLV colors, he needs to be able to recruit and he needs to be enthusiastic.

Considering that he was a prep super star in Inglewood, Calif. before being recruited by UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian, Theus certainly knows his way around Southern California where high school talent has long proven to be a hotbed for the UNLV basketball program.

And as far as enthusiasm is concerned, I recall a phone conversation I had with Theus after UNLV had lost to UNR. Theus was sick that the Rebels had lost to UNR almost as though he was on the team.

However, even more important is the fact that Theus loves Las Vegas. He’s a Vegas kind of guy who now has both college and professional coaching experience so while the two factors were keys when Theus tried to get the job before, that’s certainly not the case anymore.

A few boosters at UNLV said earlier that the one drawback for Theus is that he achieved his college degree on-line. Supposedly, getting a degree on-line doesn’t meet the requirements of the scholarly-types at UNLV – and if that’s the case, someone needs to get grip.

The more I think about it, the combination of Reggie Theus as head coach and David Rice as an assistant the more I like the combination.

Think about it for a minute.

Reggie Theus has proven himself as a head college basketball coach at New Mexico State and David Rice has proven himself as an assistant at BYU.

Need we go any further?

 The 10th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas was obviously a wonderful event especially considering how many that it has helped over the years.

However, several of us arrived Thursday afternoon at about 3 only to discover that no one was at the front gate to accept our $10 entrance fee. We were all ushered to the parking spots but when we walked from our cars to the gate, we were told that the cashiers had gone home and we could not enter because there was no one to take our money.

While Jordan should be applauded for a great tournament at one of the true treasures of golf courses, I have to wonder how much money was lost because at least one person wasn't there to collect our money while allowing us a chance to tour Shadow Creek.

Not sure how much money was lost, but it had to be no less than $500 at the very least all because people didn't think it was important enough to stick around. In checking with someone at the course at about 4:45, there was still plenty of action that many with money n their hands would have been happy to see.

We all wandered back to our cars discouraged that we couldn't see at least a part of the long list of celebrities not to mention a golf course that is recognized all over the world.

Somebody goofed big time on this one and while I don't know for sure how much money never made it to Michael Jordan's golf tournament to help others, it's safe to say that at the very least several hundred dollars were left out on Thursday afternoon.

 With increased restrictions being enforced by the Bureau of Land Management, it appears that competitors are working the system to get an advantage in the running of off-road races.

Take for example the running of the Mint 400 Saturday northeast of Las Vegas where no pre-running is being allowed.

 The Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts (SNORE) called for help marking the course last weekend and according to several sources, drivers who never would have come to the course marking in the past are now making efforts to help simply to get a look at the course they’re not allowed to pre-run.

According to those familiar with the race and course marking, all that’s required to participate in the gathering prior to the race is to have a street legal vehicle. In other words, grab a license plate off your trailer, throw it on your off-road truck and you’re good-to-go.

With regards to this year’s race, sources said that sponsors wanting their drivers to get a sneak peak at the course encouraged the involvement of their drivers to participate in the course marking.

 The move by today’s modern-day drivers to get a sneak preview of the treacherous and challenging Mint 400 course is a smart move, in the eyes of many. In fact, running the Mint 400 without first seeing the course is a good way to get yourself wrecked quickly.

In years past, pre-running was not only allowed but encouraged. However, the BLM has put the hammer down on the practice for the Mint 400, so the savvy drivers are traveling long distances to help mark the course and familiarize themselves with one of the toughest off-road races in the world.

One thing is for sure; that being that locals are heavily-involved in the course marking and not because they’re so much interested in being a part of the tedious task of pre-race responsibilities.

And if competitors feel in any way that their rivals are getting an advantage come race day, you can bet they’ll be in the desert the week in advance to be on the course-marking crew although they might not even get out of the cab of their truck.

“We had one big-time driver come out who had never been to a course-marking,” said one source. “He was so out of place that he actually stapled his hand with the staple gun.

 “But he wasn’t about to miss out on a chance to see the course.”

 It will be very interesting to see if some of the other manufacturers and/or drivers cry foul citing unfair advantage.

 Stay tuned. We’re going to stay on top of the course-marking practice which is already being questioned by many current and former off-road racers and promoters.

As senior vice president of communications for the National Mining Association in Washington, D.C., Carol Raulston issued an ultimatum to the state of Nevada Tuesday during an interview with KLAS TV-8.

In short, Raulston said if the state decides to tax or issue specific fees, the mining industry will pick up and leave.

That simple. Barrick Gold of North America and Newmont Gold and the rest are going to pack up their earth movers and leave Nevada hanging during the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression.

I know for a fact that Raulston wasn’t speaking for most residents of Southern Nevada who make their living in the mining industry. One long-time resident of Round Mountain immediately responded with “She made a mistake saying what she did” and I could hear the mouth of one executive hit the floor some 267 miles away.

And as a former journalist who has been working as a freelance publicist for more than two decades, I could not believe Raulston would issue the ultimatum especially considering the fact that the mining industry (a) has enjoyed a good ride for more than 100 years without paying it fair share of taxes and (b) is essentially telling Nevada to go to hell after taking billions of dollars out of the state.\

Kind of reminds me of several other corporate types in various lines of business who have moved into Nevada promising to be a good neighbor. Guys with slicked back hair, three piece suits and nice cars have done this for years before retreating to their real homes without paying their fair share of taxes or helping Nevada in any way.

Raulston didn’t temper her statement by saying something as humane as “Look, Nevada is almost three billion dollars in the hole; education is dead last in the nation; and first in foreclosures and its unemployment leads the country. We want to help this state climb out of is financial disaster.”

Instead, she essentially said “We don’t give a damned. We’ll walk out of Nevada our heavy equipment in tow and move on to a Third World country. You can all go to hell as far as the National Mining Industry is concerned.”

Nevada State Senator Mike Schneider was particularly disturbed by Raulston’s comments.

“There is a war going on between the mining industry and some of the legislators,” said Schneider only minutes after emerging from a day filled with budget cutting issues in a state mired in debt. “I would have thought that she would have sided more with Nevada by wanting to show sincere concern for what we’re going through right now. This is not easy up here and in fact, we’re going through the worst session ever.”

Schneider added “The mining industry has done a lot for Nevada but it has also enjoyed some great benefits. You would think that a representative of the National Mining Industry would have more compassion for a state that has generated billions of dollars in revenue while enjoying a sweetheart deal.

“While I don’t like being blunt, all I can say is don’t let the door hit you on the way out. We’re not interested in being given an ultimatum by anyone right now. Many different businesses are likely going to have to step up this session, so what makes the mining industry any different?”

In other words, the state of Nevada has had enough of the carpetbaggers who (a) pay little or no taxes and (b) offer little or no help when the state is last on the lists of good and first on the lists of bad.

To hell with the kids who are struggling and even more, to hell with the teachers trying to hold education together with bailing wire and scotch tape.

OK, I don’t claim to know much about mining although I do know something about public relations and I also know that I have several family members who make a good living working in the business – and not one of them thinks Raulston was right in saying what she did.

And at least one person immediately said Raulston does not speak for the mining industry in Nevada. The response by Nevadans was so immediate that I could just see every resident of this state feeling as though they shoved off a cliff in the middle of a blizzard.

Also, I tried to contact Tim Crowley of the Nevada Mining Association and he didn’t call back. While I don’t know for sure, Crowley had to cringe when he heard what Raulston said.

If Raulston has never taken a Dale Carnegie class, I suggest that she sign up for one immediately. She obviously has no idea whatsoever how to temper a situation without alienating every member of the Nevada legislature at the same time.

It’s one thing to tell legislators behind closed doors that the mining industry will leave you high and dry, but it’s yet another thing to say it with a camera and microphone nearby.

My recent Mad Dog Blog comparing the loss of a home to foreclosure to that of a house fire was much closer to home than I realized.

We already lost one home to a fire in January of 2002 and because of an apparent error on the part of Bank of America, we almost got to discover what it was like to lose our current home to a foreclosure.

Mind you, we have never been late on our mortgage payment since purchasing this home in the fall of 2002.

Not once. In fact, we must be one of the best customers ever for Bank of America.

But when a $175 fee was mistakenly added to our home equity line, I immediately addressed the issue with my local Bank of America branch in Las Vegas. They, too, could not figure out why the fee had been charged and directed me to a process in which I could fight the matter.

A few days later, I received a letter from Bank of America saying the fee was issued by the collections department of the bank. That, too, made no sense considering our promptness of making payments on time.

When the kindly gentleman from Bank of America informed me that many homeowners associations force homeowners into foreclosure with unfair fines, I told him that wasn’t the case with us because we don’t have a homeowner association.

I could just hear the fella on the other end of the line scratching his head. There could not have been a cleaner story than ours.

Come to find out we had mistakenly been named in a foreclosure process by an attorney with Bank of America who charged the fee for starting the proceedings to throw us in the street.

Mind you, the attorney somehow got the wrong information, billed us for his so-called service and I was ordered to pay the fee.

Wrong. I’m not paying his fee and further more, I want the name of the attorney who (a) never forewarned us that he had wrongly started the procedure and (b) apparently pocketed money at my expense simply by billing Bank of America.

What a way to make a living. Kind of reminds me of cops who sit in speed traps waiting for some poor soul he can stop and fill the governmental coffers with hundreds of dollars in fines although the practices borders on highway robbery – no pun intended.

Problem is that I don’t lie down and die and the attorney has attacked the wrong person (my nickname just happens to be Mad Dog). As my father once told me, once I get my teeth in the backside of the offender, I don’t let up until I get justice.

Admittedly, I like attorneys about as much as I like bankers. Neither of the professions needs to be concerned about heart surgery because most of the participants in either of the fields don’t have a heart to begin with.

And don’t get me started on brain surgery because I have had that, too. And at last look, I don’t recall many bankers or attorneys needing brain surgery primarily because they haven’t got one to begin with.

When a former banker told me several months ago that he cringed when some of his fellow bankers laughed at people losing their homes and being forced to the streets, I cringed. Now I’m beginning to think that the bankers and the attorneys are all working together during the worst recession since the Great Depression lining their own pockets while the rest of us live on the ragged edge.

Had I not disputed the $175 fee, Lord only knows where we could have ended up.

And you can bet that the attorney who started the procedure could not have cared less.
 

Experience tells me that losing a home to foreclosure is worse than losing one to a house fire

In January of 2002, we suffered a horrific loss when our 3,800 square-foot two story home in Las Vegas caught fire. The house was apparently the victim of an electrical fire that had been burning all night long before finally finding its way into the attic.

We had no idea that the house was literally on fire all night long and didn’t know about the fire until two hours after leaving for work when a call came telling us that our home was fully engulfed.

When reality set in and we finally realized that our safe haven was gone, there was a sense of shock, to say the least. The fact that you no longer have somewhere to go at the end of the day is the most unbelievably helpless feeling I have ever experienced.

I mean, we didn’t even have toothbrushes or a change of clothes at the end of the day. We were just thankful that our Schnauzer and our cockatiel had been saved. Other than that, we were literally in the streets.

However, when it was announced last week that Bank of America was foreclosing on nearly 9,000 homes in Las Vegas, I started to compare the loss of a home to a fire to the loss of a home by foreclosure of a home.

After a fire, you have an insurance company to bail you out of a jackpot. In our case, a very nice young man from Allstate named John West showed up with a check for $2,000 offering his apologies for our downfall. I will never forget John walking up to me in front of our house, putting out his hand and offering his apologies for our disaster.

I mean, could anyone have a worse job in America than some young man greeting a family that had just lost everything by no fault of their own? All of a sudden, a group of people went off to work and school first thing in the morning only to end up homeless at the end of the day.

And you want to be an insurance adjuster? I got to thinking that a cemetery plot salesman would be more enjoyable primarily because in most cases, those buying the plots were doing so in advance of a tragedy.

But while a house fire is certainly tough to deal with, I still think that losing a home by foreclosure would have to be worse. At least when a house fire hits, the damage physically and emotionally is quick and to the point.

You grab what’s left of your life and take up residency in a hotel or motel until the insurance company can find some sort of long-term residency.

But a foreclosure is kind of like a distant forest fire. You know it’s headed your way, but you don’t know for sure when the ultimate tidal wave is going to hit. While you attempt to get some rest, you also know that you must be ready to run at the first warning.

I still believe that many unfortunate people bought during the boom and didn’t think the housing market would bust. People were simply doing what they thought was right by providing shelter to their loved ones while capitalizing on the chance to establish a nest egg.

Now reality has set in again and many people are homeless after giving up on throwing good money against bad for a product that continues to decline in value. And while I hate to say it, I still think the banking industry is sitting in its board rooms without the slightest of concern about the American family.

Rather than working with those who bought during the boom, bankers are forcing them out of their homes without the slightest regard. Undertakers aren’t as coldblooded as the banking industry.

Proof of that is that in many cases the banking industry could not care less. As one former banker told me one time, the guys in the three-piece suits and the slicked-back hair are cashing in at the expense of those who actually once believed that investing in real estate was the right thing to do even during the boom.

These guys sit in board rooms laughing about the misfortunes of thousands of American families. I know because ex-bankers have told me so.

I detest bankers and what they have done to this country; and I feel sorry for those thousands of families who have lost their homes. The richer are getting richer and the poor are becoming even poorer –and bankers simply don’t give a damned.

It’s not the way it was supposed to be. And now that I know a little about losing a house because of a fire, I feel worse for many of those who are losing their safe haven due to foreclosure.

You see, there is no insurance company to protect you once you have lost your house to foreclosure.
 

Billy Walters was interviewed by Lara Logan Sunday on CBS 60 Minutes last Sunday. The interview brought back memories of a truly fascinating story as it related to a Las Vegas high school and its journalism class.

Several years ago, I was asked to help the journalism class at Sierra Vista High School in the southwest portion of Las Vegas. Considering that I spent a big part of my life in the profession before going out on my own to become a freelance writer in 1989, I jumped at the opportunity.

I actually started as a sports writer at the Las Vegas Sun in 1967. Only 15 at the time, I worked for $1.25 an hour covering high school athletics, and had the time of my life.

From there, I went on to work at the Las Vegas Review-Journal where I stayed until deciding to form The Idea Company concentrating on freelance work.

I haven’t done badly at all although I do miss day-to-day journalism. When the opportunity arose to help the class at Sierra Vista, I jumped at the opportunity.

On my first day at the school, I noticed a long line of cars on a road headed into the school. A motorcycle cop had the drivers stopped apparently because a blockade had been placed on the road.

As I looked across the desert, I wondered why in the world the road was blocked and immediately asked the journalism instructor Alison Gray to get me a reporter and a photographer.

In a matter of seconds, I was accompanied to the site of the traffic blockage by the school’s editor Alexis Burke who brought a notepad and a camera. We slowly approached the cop asking if we could speak to him about the fact that the road had been blocked.

“Don’t ask me,” the cop responded. “I have better things to do than this, and it certainly doesn’t make any sense. I have given one ticket, and that was only because the driver refused to give me his license.

“This doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Alexis shot a photo of the cop talking to one of the drivers and we headed back to the Sierra Vista journalism class where we proceeded to write the story. The story was run as the banner on the top of the Sierra Vista newspaper.

Once the paper had been printed, I took it to various media outlets including the Las Vegas Review-Journal whose reporter discovered that the road was actually on the land of a proposed golf course being spearheaded by noted Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters.

The next day, Las Vegas television stations were all over Sierra Vista High School talking to representatives who had given up the fight long before. Not long after that, the road was reopened, and the school finally enjoyed another ingress and egress thanks to the fact that Alexis had uncovered an injustice.

Better yet, Alexis’s story resulted in a first place in the Las Vegas Review-Journal journalism contest. The fact that a high school journalism class made a difference created a magnificent story in itself.

Walters met his match in Southwest Las Vegas, and the land he controlled became the home of a storage facility. In the meantime, Sierra Vista has enjoyed better traffic flow thanks to the fact that its journalism class stepped up to confront Walters and his proposed golf course.

It’s one of those stories that will be talked about for years to come especially considering that while an administration could not reverse a wrong, a high school journalism class did.
 

 Now that I have reached the age of 60, and I admit that I’m getting skeptical in my so-called “old age.” When you live in Las Vegas, it’s easy to become caustic simply because so many people with a story have an ulterior motive.

 It takes time to finally discover that not all is as it appears. Behind so many stories is someone trying to benefit.

 That said, I am sick and tired of polls and surveys simply because so many of them are published for the sole purpose of reaching a particular goal. In other words, many polls are not real, and instead are disseminated simply to benefit someone else.

 For instance, St. Louis was recently named the most dangerous city in the country. And Las Vegas has been named the worst in the country for everything from foreclosures to unemployment. Granted, Las Vegas has its issues and so does St. Louis and so does every other city in the nation.

 But where do these “experts” get their information? Are the statistics real, or are they simply generated by some person with ulterior motives? Is the individual in the background actually selling burglar alarms or security doors?

 Then there was the press release addressing problems with the water quality in Nevada. Come to find out the information was mounted by a water purification company.

 The whole thing reminds me of the copper industry back in the 1990s when plastic pipe started to become popular in the homebuilding industry. The copper industry started a nationwide advertising campaign claiming that plastic would pop causing major issues inside a home.

 Truth of the matter was that the copper industry spent millions of dollars on a national radio and television campaign while instilling fear throughout the country as homeowners with plastic piping suddenly began to worry.

 The marketing tactics did worry many homeowners who had plastic plumbing although an even bigger mess resulted when it was determined that copper could have a shorter lifespan due to electrolysis.

And who could ever forget the fire sprinkler issue that raised its ugly head back in the 1990s. After some digging, it was discovered that the ordinance in Las Vegas was being propelled by Southern Nevada fire fighters some of whom were actually interested in installing the product as a side job.

Yours truly was involved in rescinding the law and now the law has surfaced again. While I can't say for sure that firefighters are involved this time, I cannot help but recall that time back in 1994 when every home in Southern Nevada more than 1,000 feet from a water purveyor was required to have fire sprinklers -- at a cost of $2 a foot when Mesa, Ariz. was charging only 75 cents a foot for the same product.

 Just this week, it was announced that AT&T had the worst cell phone service in the country. While Consumer Reports mounted the information, I can’t help but wonder if a competitor of AT&T is somehow involved in the survey.

 According to polls, Harry Reid was supposed to have lost his Nevada U.S. Senate seat to Sharron Angle – and that didn’t happen – and I’m finally starting to realize that just about every poll in the country has some nitwit in the background spreading fear and misinformation while padding his or her pockets at the same time.

 Then, there is something called “push polling” which provides leading questions regarding a topic. Specific questions are asked knowing that the answers provided will provide a desired result.

 Frankly, I’m sick and tired of (a) surveys and (b) news departments that are gullible enough to accept information as being reliable when, in fact, the information is many times nothing less than self-serving.

After receiving a call last year from my former editor Monica Caruso, I decided it was time to go back to school studying the world of public relations. While I have been a freelance writer and publicist for more than 20 years, I figured the experience would be a good one.

In the first class at UNLV, our instructor Art Greene made a very strong statement when he said that federal agencies unleash their own marketing and public relations tactics by distributing press releases announcing that charges have been made against people.

In utilizing the press releases, agencies gain the advantage over the accused during what can be long drawn-out trials that break people emotionally and economically.

It’s almost like a football team striking quickly with a pair of touchdowns before the opponent has time to regroup. The sudden deficit becomes so immense that the opponent simply gives up and tires after spending so much time trying to recover.

Several of us in Greene’s class were fascinated in his look at how the field of public relations can be used to win a case. By distributing the press release early in the game, the plaintiff grabs the early lead because (a) public opinion is usually swayed in favor of the plaintiff and (b) the accused generally does not respond to charges primarily because he or she is scared to death.

In addition, attorneys generally recommend that the accused remain quiet even when the individual being attacked is innocent.

I was reminded about Greene’s statement recently when a journalist in Southern Nevada told me that an agency in Las Vegas distributed three press releases within a matter of weeks stating how that particular agency had opened investigations of three local businesses.

In two of the press releases, the EOC was announcing settlements with the accused; while in the other case the agency added it had sued another business.

In each case, the businesses were being named in press releases written by a publicist working for the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. Businesses that had settled included the garbage company and the cab company.

The distribution of the press releases sparked interest primarily because they came in such quick succession. To a degree, it appeared the EOC was beating its chest by (a) announcing a settlement in two of the cases and (b) filing a suit against the other.

Most times those people needing to gain exposure have to pay for the time by advertising. But that’s not the case with governmental agencies which simply distribute press releases thereby drawing response from reporters who are simply doing their jobs.

However, what really bothered me about the EOC press releases was their quick succession. It was almost as though a governmental agency was trying to justify its existence.

Frankly, the more I see of the public relations business, the more I’m bothered by it primarily because I’m not sure those disseminating the press releases truly understand the effect they can have on people.

Case in point came last year when long-time KTNV Channel 13 sports director and news anchor Ron Futrell was arrested after reportedly leaving the scene of an accident near the Spaghetti Bowl in Las Vegas. After returning to the scene of the accident and finding that the other car was gone, Futrell proceeded to his home.

In retrospect, Futrell agrees he should have called the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department or the Nevada Highway Patrol informing them of the minor traffic accident. Adding that he had hit his head on the side window of his vehicle, he chose instead to go home and regain his senses.

Not long after arriving home, a Nevada Highway Patrol officer showed up at the Futrell door where the veteran Las Vegas celebrity was handcuffed and later booked. A mug shot was taken and a press release was distributed by someone with the Nevada Highway Patrol.

When the mug shot was taken, Futrell had a goofy smile on his face apparently since he was joking with the jailers about the fact that the slippers given him were way too tight. However, the look on Futrell’s face almost looked as though he was high on something.

Considering Futrell’s many years in Las Vegas, the press release and the mug were eagerly included in every possible news outlet in Southern Nevada. Before long, bloggers picked up on the news and Futrell’s downfall was evident everywhere.

If you were the writer of the press release, you were a hero. If you were Futrell and his family, you were devastated.

KTNV, a Journal Broadcasting Group-affiliated station, immediately fired Futrell thereby fueling the belief that he was guilty as charged.

The real problem arose when Futrell was exonerated of all charges. However, the damage had already been done and Futrell was out of work thanks in part to (a) a press release written by someone from the Nevada Highway Patrol and (b) KTNV, which chose to fire him rather than let the judicial system determine whether he was guilty or innocent.

I was reminded of Futrell’s final outcome when hearing about the recent press releases that had been distributed to the local media. In the cases of the car dealer, the garbage company and the cab company, (a) are any or all of the accused innocent of all charges? and (b) who is responsible for the damage should a court of law determine that the charges have no merit?

The writer of the press release generally enjoys no responsibility in a piece that is later proven wrong. However, the way lawyers operate, I’m not so sure that public relations professionals are immune from lawsuits naming them specifically for damages.

As someone who has made a good living writing press release for more than 20 years, I’d be worried sick if I was the one writing the press release accusing someone of a crime that would later be proven false. Job or no job and no matter what money is involved in the process, I would feel a sense of responsibility considering that I had a part in ending someone’s career.

Might just be me, I guess, but the public relations business -- especially as it relates to governmental agencies -- needs to be cautious. There are some in journalism who are starting to feel used because they, too, feel responsible when it comes to the careers that might be derailed by a press release.

The more I see of public relations people, the more I think Art Greene is right. Press releases are many times used as a form of attack rather than serving as informational; and the devastating end-result is an issue that needs to be addressed by the professionals in the business.

Hello Operator, is this North Las Vegas City Hall? Would you get me in touch with Shari Buck?

In case you don’t know, Shari is the mayor of North Las Vegas and I really want to talk with her. See, I’m actually a former North Towner who went to school at Rancho High clear back in the 1960s.

Fact is that we moved out of North Las Vegas in 1968 and now I’m starting to think we all goofed. See, I had the chance to check out the payroll for North Las Vegas the other day and so help me, this place has become a Golden Parachute for every Tom, Dick, Harry and Harriett in search of a peachy payday.

Operator, have you ever noticed the three-piece suits and flashy gowns the employees of North Las Vegas wear? I mean, these people walk past you every day and I’ll bet you never had a clue that you’re working for minimum wage and everyone around you makes a hundred grand a year no matter what they’re doing.
 

When everyone gets to their posh office, take a cruise through the parking lot and I would almost bet you everyone is driving a new Mercedes or even a Porsche. Hell, the wheels on some of the cars driven by employees in North Las Vegas cost more than most cars, for god’s sakes.

Operator, get your hands on the payroll sheet of North Las Vegas. Times are tough nowadays, but if you work for the City of North Las Vegas, you’re living the high life. Look, you may be working for the only governmental agency in the country where the janitor makes more money that an NBA first-round draft choice.

OK, let me tell you about some of those on the North Las Vegas roster of superstar payees. But this may take a while because the City of North Las Vegas has more wealthy employees than Wall Street. The national debt is chump change compared to payroll in North Las Vegas.
It doesn’t make any difference what you do when you’re employed by North Las Vegas. For instance, if you’re a firefighter in North Las Vegas, the banks have got to love the monthly automatic deposit since the influx of money could offset the national deficit.

Hey, it’s public knowledge that North Town’s city government is facing tough times economically. That’s nothing unusual since every city in the country is in the same shape but I have to believe that one of those efficiency experts armed with a sharp pencil could rectify the situation.

Times are darned difficult now for most freelance writers like me and when I saw that a jailer makes $125,000 a year, I almost threw my lap top out the back door and into the backyard of the nearest foreclosure.

Even more mind-boggling is the fact that the majority of the high-paid members of the North Las Vegas Golden Parachute Club won’t accept a pay cut while many other lesser-paid employees are being laid off. I mean, they’re talking about laying off a whole bunch of cops in North Las Vegas real soon and that’s real bad.

Trouble is that the city bought a whole bunch of new cop cars and before long, there won't be any cops to drive them.

Operator, I mean, the reason there are no heart surgeons in North Las Vegas is because so many people don’t have a heart.

The list of high-paid city workers was so long that I didn’t have time to absorb the entire thing, but I have to believe the only problem in North Las Vegas is the payroll. I mean if this place has a bathroom attendant at city hall, I’ll guarantee you the guy has a pinky ring worth more than city hall itself.

Operator, I seem to remember Ms. Buck promising to correct the foreclosure situation in North Las Vegas when she ran for office, but you might tell her she’s got an even bigger problem as it relates to payroll. I could be wrong, but I don’t think the combined costs of fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is as much as the payroll for North Las Vegas.

In the meantime, if Ms. Buck isn’t available, connect me with the human resources department. Surely, I can do better working for the Golden Parachute of North Las Vegas than hustling the streets as a freelance writer.

I always wanted one of those government gigs anyway and at the looks of things, I never should have left North Las Vegas in the first place. I checked out the City of North Las Vegas web site and discovered there were no job openings and that doesn’t surprise me since nobody wants to leave the Golden Parachute of North Town.

While we’re on the topic, Operator, some of these people who pass by your desk every day may be a little late once in a while. If they seem like they’re in a rush when they pass by, they’re not being rude.

However, just try to understand that many of these folks travel a long way to get to work since their custom homes are usually in the “burbs” of Southern Nevada and not in North Las Vegas itself.

I am told that as little as 30 percent of those employed by North Las Vegas actually live in North Town.

Traffic can be a real drag in the morning especially when your mansion is across town.

And by the way, go demand a pay raise. Whatever you’re making, I guarantee you’re underpaid compared to some of those you see passing by your desk every day.

The sprinkler ordinance has surfaced again in Southern Nevada as officials claim that the sprinklers are needed more than ever on new housing primarily because of cutbacks in local fire departments. The lobbying efforts in the sprinkler business are strong and intended to drum up more work during a recession; and there is a feeling that the move is also intended to add sprinklers as a retrofit in existing properties.

As lobbyists representing special interests continue to push fire sprinklers (I can’t help but wonder how involved fire fighters are in the process), I can’t help but wonder how many potential home buyers will be removed from the marketplace because of the added costs.

In fact, the sprinkler ordinance is about to become mandatory; not just in Southern Nevada but throughout the nation.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, fire sprinkler mandates will be required in all one and two-story family homes and townhomes that build to the code as of Jan. 1, 2011.

Not everyone in convinced the mandate is anything more than special interest groups trying to take advantage of people. Count the North Las Vegas City Council among those who have bucked the mandate.

The council in North Las Vegas City Council voted against the ordinance and the mandate Wednesday, Sept. 15 during its regular meeting.

“Knowing what I know about sprinkler systems, they only work below the sprinkler,” said North Las Vegas Councilman Robert Eliason. “I have a personal friend who had a structural fire in his own home and sprinklers would not have made a difference because the fire was in the attic.

“Once they try to force the mandate down our throats for new homes, I know they are going to go after existing homes, too. They’ll want us to retrofit, and nobody can afford that. Government can only go so far, and common sense has to be applied somewhere. We did not approve the mandate and as far as we’re concerned, the issue is non-existent now.”

Eliason said there is an annual maintenance fee that people don’t know about. He added that some insurance companies will not cover damage from fire sprinkler systems.

So while the North Las Vegas City Council made an unprecedented move by thumbing its nose at the mandate, now we’ll see who else follows suit.

The mandates will generate a huge financial boon for the fire sprinkler manufacturing industry and in fact, would have generated $5.8 billion in revenue for the business when the housing industry erupted with 1.65 million new homes in 2005.

As the housing industry continues to be throttled by foreclosures, the fire sprinkler industry is getting ready to add more expense to the construction of a new home. Consider that there were 95,000 foreclosures nationwide in September, the requirement of adding fire sprinklers seems not only wrong but almost immoral at the same time.

As evidenced by research provided by the National Fire Protection Association, 890 fatalities could be avoided each year if every one hat at least one working fire alarm. The American Fire Sprinkler Association and the National Fire Sprinkler Association – industry trade groups – provide training although all of us are now wondering just how many qualified to install and maintain sprinkler systems.

Builders worried about the added costs are also questioning the potential for pipes installed in attics to freeze in colder climates. If sprinklers discharge accidentally, the damage can be substantial.

In this particular case, I can speak from experience.

When we decided to have our own custom home built in Southwest Las Vegas in 1994, the adventure was supposed to be one we would never forget. However, while we knew we would have challenges during the process, little did we know that one of them would lead me to create a media campaign fighting the decision of the Clark County Commission.

Just after purchasing a half-acre of land, all eight of us building homes discovered we were about to get slapped with a very expensive element to our structures than no one had thought about in the past.

The Clark County Commission voted 6-1 requiring fire sprinklers in all homes more than 1,000 feet from a water purveyor thereby adding a significant cost to the building of a home.

I immediately called the commission to find out if there was anything that I could do to correct what was an obvious oversight. Because of my many years in journalism, I could not help but wonder who in the world wanted to require the installation of sprinklers.

I called the news desks of every media outlet in the city knowing full-well that I had discovered an excellent story – and I was right in the middle of it. Once the story was published in newspapers and shown in television, my phone began to ring constantly as I began to discover the inner workings of the new law.

Within hours, I received several calls enlightening me as to why I was suddenly facing this unexpected expense. You see, the law had been encouraged by local fire fighters many of whom were involved in the installation of the product as a side light.

And the cost was $2 a foot in Southern Nevada although the same installation as 75 cents a foot in Mesa, Ariz. Worse yet, there did not seem to be any follow up work available should there be problems with the sprinklers.

I immediately called radio station KDWN, an AM outlet where I could buy blocks of time to tell my story. I found a sponsor for about four shows, called experts in the community and went to work conducting interviews with representatives on both sides of the issue.

Radio works very well when it’s used properly as evidenced by the response I received once the show started.

Each time I went on the air at KDWN, the phone lines lit up instantly especially when it was discovered that the issue was being fueled by local firefighters who immediately began receiving their own criticism for lining up side gigs with the new law.

People were fired-up about the new law; the way it was passed so suddenly; and the fact that local fire fighters – long known for their high salaries and side jobs – were benefitting. In fact things became so heated (no pun intended) I ran out of time taking the calls during each show.

For a novice who had just entered the radio business, people could not believe that I generated so much interest in such a short period of time. The fact that I was a former journalist and someone who was directly being affected by the sprinkler ordinance played big roles in the phone lines lighting up so quickly.

Not long after the shows had been aired, I requested another hearing in front of the Clark County Commission. This time the commission voted 7-0 in my favor and in the 16 years since the decision was made, I have wondered how much has been saved by builders and homeowners because the sprinkler ordinance was defeated.

Gone was the worry about how we were going to pay for the sprinklers; not to mention the concern over maintenance of the installation (the cost of the sprinklers and the lack of qualified workers to maintain them was a major worry).

We went on to build a 3,800 square-foot custom home in the southwest Las Vegas Valley without the $7,600 charge to install sprinklers. As luck would have it, our house caught fire in January of 2002 and during my trip west on I-215, I could not help but wonder if the sprinklers would have helped as I saw the horrifying sight of smoke rolling north.

However, in our particular case, the sprinklers would not have helped primarily because the fire originated between the floors. We would later learn that the fire had been burning all night long and finally erupted into a devastating disaster once the flames found their way to an open spot where it would move to the upper level of our home.

And now, we’re headed right back into a situation fueled by special interest groups. The fire sprinkler industry has provided a great sales job convincing passage of a new mandate while also generating jobs for special interest groups.

Nevada State Senator Mike Schneider, who spoke out against the sprinkler ordinance during radio shows in 1994, said fire sprinklers are considered beneficial for apartments or multi-level condos, but he questioned their need on single-family homes.

“The risk of fire on neighbors is significantly less with single family homes,” said Schneider. “To me, requiring fire sprinklers in single-family detached homes is over kill. I just want to know what the cost benefit is for fire sprinklers. If you finance that amount over 30 years, how much of a cost benefit is that? To offset the cost of paying for the sprinklers, are the homeowners going to receive an offset in the cost of their homeowners fire insurance?”

That said, I’m not convinced that fire sprinklers are the way to go either.

Sounds like I need to get back on the radio again.

KSNV TV-3, an NBC television affiliate in Las Vegas, has lost two talented members of its news staff while adding another in the past week.

Reporter Steve Crupi, who first worked with ABC affiliate KTNV TV-13 and has been involved in Southern Nevada television journalism for 17 years, left Channel 3 recently.

On Friday, Maria Silva left KSNV after working as a weekend anchor and a general assignment reporter.

Also, Marie Mortera returned to the KSNV after going to Los Angeles where she worked as a reporter for a television station there.

 Editor's Note: Cedar City, Utah resident Tom Biller is a retired BLM ranger who offered some very interesting insight with regards to the BLM's handling of events.

 I really enjoyed reading your recent article on the OHV fatalities the occurred at the race in the California Desert District of BLM. You showed good insight into what occurs at some of those races. I retired from BLM as a Ranger a few years ago.

During my 13 years with that bunch I worked at numerous races, and
experienced many other activities around the West, including assignments at Primm and Glamis Trying to keep the drunks back from the race course and OHV riders from killing each other is a full-time job! Now I'm hearing that there was only one BLM Ranger patrolling that ill-fated race when the accident took place. BLM management was probably trying to save a few dollars!!

Working for BLM I saw first hand how the managers, mostly products of the "Peter Principle", dealt with similar situations --- first they dove for cover, then attempted to deflect blame, finally, they'd form a committee to study the problem.

The results of the "study", numerous pages of BS, were relegated to a
dusty file cabinet, resulting in no observable changes to the program. Any comments to management by Rangers, who usually have a pretty good idea of what is taking place on the ground, are ignored or reacted to with hostility.

Over the last couple of decades BLM has developed a negative bias towards law enforcement Rangers. This has lead to a reduction in Ranger positions, less active patrolling, resulting in increased lawlessness and damage to our natural resources.

A few years ago the State of California published a warning that,
due to this lawlessness by a fringe group of the OHV crowd, it was dangerous to camp or ride ATV's in the Imperial Sand Dunes Rec Area. I wonder if we'll see the same type of warnings put out by other states in the Western USA?

To get a local perspective, call the Cedar City District BLM office and ask them how many Rangers they have on staff to patrol the 3 counties they have the responsibility to manage and protect.

When I was working as the Cedar City District Ranger I covered Washington, Iron, Beaver, and part of Kane Counties.

The last I heard there in NO ranger assigned to that area. I hope this gives you a little more background on what is going on out in your public lands.
 

As the sport of off-road racing continues to struggle with a tragedy which killed eight and injured at least 12 others northeast of Los Angeles a few weeks ago, it is very possible that the sport may have to analyze itself as it relates to the competitors.

You see, it may be time for the sport to look deep into its rulebook relating to who is allowed to compete in a sport. Evidence of that is how easy it can be enter an event without first having to experience the sport.

Evidence of the flaw in the sport is that for the right money, an individual can either rent or purchase a vehicle for a single race. The practice is commonplace especially during a bad economy as competitors have found that renting is certainly much cheaper than investing in the purchase of a vehicle.

But the mere fact that virtually anyone can climb into a high-powered race vehicle with little or no experience is not only dangerous but frightening, too.

In fact even co-drivers can be dangerous additions to an off-road race vehicle as evidenced by what happened during one Mint 400 more than 30 years ago with legendary Indy 500 champion Parnelli Jones at the wheel.

As the story goes, Jones’s truck lost the rear springs early in the Mint 400 north of Las Vegas, so the suspension provided no cushion whatsoever. The constant beating finally led the co-driver to tell Jones that he thought he was suffering a heart attack.

No problem. Jones simply pulled off the track near hundreds of fans; opened the passenger door to the truck and left the co-driver lying in the desert with fans quick to supply water.

On one hand, the Parnelli Jones story is comical. However, it also illustrates the tenacity and toughness needed by both drivers and co-drivers in the sport of off-road racing which requires talent and a high level of physical fitness.

While the driver of the ill-fated truck in the Mojave Desert Racing event is undoubtedly suffering tremendously following the accident north of Los Angeles, there are countless others thankful that they weren’t the ones behind the wheel.

When you combine unruly fans with an element of alcohol and an out-of-control race vehicle where crowd control is weak at best, adding an inexperienced driver who just happened to rent the ride and you have an accident that could be repeated over and over again primarily because off-road racing is way to lax when it comes to requiring experience.

In the case of the Southern California accident, the driver was experienced. However, you can bet that the same race may have had several other drivers with little or no experience when it comes to understanding the terrain of the desert and the challenges it can present.

I speak from experience based on a press pre-run event from downtown Las Vegas to Reno.

While following professional off-road racers Walker Evans and Rod Hall somewhere south of Beatty, I thought I should turn on the gas considering that the two pros were pulling away from me and my co-rider Bobby Keyser who was an executive with Coors of Las Vegas.

Problem was that Evans and Hall had made a hard right-hand turn which I didn’t notice because of the dust in front of us. I went straight and suddenly discovered that Evans and Hall had made a right turn for good reason.

Our brand new Nissan truck went airborne before landing on its nose. I can still hear Keyser screaming obscenities as we hit nose-first even though it was more than 30 years ago. In fact every time I see Keyser he reminds me that I almost got both of us killed.

Simply put, I had no experience related to competing in an off-road racing event and didn’t understand the consequences. Luckily, we survived the hard landing although the Nissan truck was badly damaged.

Truth be known, I had no business trying to keep up with Hall and Evans. Had something happened to us, I would have never forgiven myself. But when you are involved in off-road racing, you stick your foot to the floor and hope nothing bad happens.

In our case, thank God nobody died and nobody got hurt, but I still think about the foolish judgment on my part more than 30 years ago. I can’t help but think about Brett Sloppy, the young man whose out-of-control truck killed eight and injured at least 12 in mid-August.

The potential for disaster is far-reaching in the sport of off-road racing. In Mexico, fans actually dig ditches across the track hoping to derail a vehicle, steal parts and leave the competitors in danger. It’s actually a form of terrorism.

The Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts, known as SNORE for more than 40 years, had its own issue a few years ago when two chase trucks collided during the Dusty Times 250 north of Las Vegas leaving one person dead and others injured.

This time it wasn’t fans along the course who were threatened. It was team members one leaving the pits and the other heading to the pits.

I was in the timing trailer when the accident took place and officials cringed hearing that someone had died. As the PR person for the event, I, too, felt the cloud which hung over the event.

SNORE had an injury to a fan at a closed course event at the old Las Vegas Speedrome, but never had the club faced such a tragic situation as the one on that day in Caliente north of Las Vegas.

Nobody wins when an accident takes place especially when people are killed or injured. Whether it is a press pre-run event from Las Vegas to Reno or an off-road event northeast of Los Angeles or north of Las Vegas, the consequences can be devastating.
 

The tragic accident involving a race truck competing in an off-road race in Southern California is about to have a ripple effect on anything to do with horsepower and the usage of public lands.

Eight people were killed when an off-road truck crashed into a crowd during a Mojave Desert Racing Association event northeast of Los Angeles. Twelve others were injured and the driver of the race truck is undoubtedly scarred for the rest of his life by a tragic development that took place in a split second in the California desert.

Truth be known, those who have been involved in off-road racing events have known for years that the sport of off-road racing was destined to experience a tragedy like the one which made national news last week.

As a former sports writer who has covered several off-road racing events in the past 30 years, I, too, have wondered how the sport has been able to escape unscathed until now.

You see, fans –- especially those consuming alcohol and living in an “XTreme” world -- have been cheating death for decades. While promoters of off-road racing have tried hard to separate race fans from race drivers and race vehicles, those close to the sport knew a terrible outcome was just around the corner.

For instance, while covering the Mint 400 Desert Race in the 1970s, I recall one event when a fan driving a brand new Chevrolet Suburban while fueled with alcohol decided to cross railroad tracks in the Nevada desert.

The bad news was that the Suburban became high-centered on the rail road tracks and a Union Pacific train just happened to be headed toward the scene. The conductor on the train had no time to stop and instead plowed into the Suburban drop kicking the vehicle off the track upon impact.

The good news was that the driver of the Suburban was able to escape before the impact. The bad news was that the driver reportedly won a lawsuit over the railroad company although the owner of the Suburban was obviously wrong for putting himself in the situation to begin with.

Off-road racing has been chaotic since the day it was invented. The late Mickey Thompson – an off-road racer himself – invented stadium racing knowing that desert racing could not go on forever since fans and race machinery don’t mix and because of that, a tragedy such as the recent one near Los Angeles was bound to happen.

You see, while it has been stated that alcohol was not a factor in the deaths of the MDR event, it must be pointed out that while the driver of the off-road truck was clean of any mind-altering drugs or alcohol, some of the fans probably were not.

Race fans love good racing and they love their alcohol while attending desert racing events. As hard as off-road promoters try to keep fans in restricted areas, it is many times virtually impossible to keep stupid fans out of harm’s way when it comes to desert racing.

Race fans have been killed at events like drag races where tires and wheels have come loose and struck innocent bystanders. With no barriers between fans and race machinery, off-road racing could escape a tragedy for only so long.

The Bureau of Land Management which issues permits for such events is now faced with the reality that an event it permitted was the scene of multiple deaths and injuries. You can bet the BLM is going to become more restrictive whether talking about an off-road race in California or Nevada; or a rock crawling event in Utah.

Then, too, the BLM is going to start restricting or governing snowmobiling or quads or motorcycles or off-road race vehicles simply because the agency wants no part of what happened recently in the California desert. In fact off-road racing could be eliminated all together at least in the open desert.

If you own anything that is used on BLM land, get ready for restrictions no matter where you live. The BLM is reportedly going to review any event scheduled for federal lands.

It was only a matter of time and now anything related to the usage of federal lands is in jeopardy.

Las Vegas has its share of not only interesting but off-the-wall lifestyles.

The anything-goes, freewheeling concept is unique and weird at the same time. Hunter Thompson’s fascinating book “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” chronicled the strange and almost mind-boggling way of life.

Thompson portrayed a city where the sober and sane are out of place. People racing motor homes in off-road races and human beings stoned for days at a time fit well in Las Vegas.

What’s normal in Vegas is unwelcome elsewhere.

Bars are open all hours and slot machines are in virtually every convenience store on every corner of the city. The 24-hour lifestyle literally kills people, and morticians await the next stiff like traffic cops awaiting another accident.

Driving the streets of this city has become tantamount to dodging land mines. Aggressive drivers hyped-up on mind-altering drugs or alcohol make Las Vegas an around-the-clock demolition derby. The most frightening day of a parent’s life is the day his or her son or daughter starts driving.

The “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” marketing campaign utilized in television commercials portray a side of life where there are no laws or morality. Billboards commonly show scantily-clad women.

Las Vegas is a town of heathens and disbelievers, a place where know-it-alls are a dime-a-dozen.

To anyone with values, Las Vegas makes no sense -- or at least that’s the way it seems.

People with big ideas attempt to rebound in the city of second chance. They are many times carrying baggage, hurt feelings and credit problems which many times lead collection agencies to their front doors.

It’s a place where winners become losers and losers become winners.

Las Vegas is a city with an abundance of jobs, but a great percentage of them pay minimum wage salary.

You can make a living here, so much so that this may be called the “City of the Golden Handcuffs.”

Once you’re here, it‘s easy to get stuck. There are no day trips in Southern Nevada because it takes a day to get somewhere else.

It’s an addictive atmosphere where during the boom times, 6,000 a month arrived, 3,000 a month left. With Las Vegas now rated No. 1 in the nation for foreclosures and unemployment (more than 14 percent more now), the population is now in decline and so are the tax revenues.

It’s the city of swinging doors so much so that neighbors seldom know one another.

If you’re interested in living three feet from your neighbor in a three-story house once priced at $300,000 stacked on top of a garage that is a few feet from the street, become a Las Vegan.

While the health care industry is undoubtedly improving in Las Vegas, there was a time when the sick headed for McCarran International Airport for a trip to a Scripps, Mayo or UCLA medical centers.

If it’s gangs you admire, head for the tattoo parlor and become one of them. If you like being a part of a city rated first in teen pregnancy and near the bottom in education or health care, you’ll love this place.

When it comes to graduation rates, 80.4 percent graduate from high school on a national basis, while 78.5 percent graduate in Las Vegas.

On a national basis, 25.2 percent of people 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree. In Las Vegas, 18.2 percent of those 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree.

Bring your big ideas because Vegas welcomes people who think this place is easy. Big shots hit town in a Cadillac and leave in the back of a Greyhound.

Las Vegas Review-Journal Sports Editor Joe Hawk once warned a new resident and high-ranking executive, “You’re a nice guy. But just remember, this town turns nice guys into jerks.”

He couldn’t have said it better.

Just remember not to let the door hit you when you leave.

The weather is unbearable in the summer. Development has created heat-absorbing stucco and cement so temperatures many times don’t drop below 100 degrees until well past midnight. Air conditioners run so long that power bills drive people into the poor house.

But while Las Vegas has no hurricanes and it snows once a decade, it has virtually no change of seasons. In fact, Vegas has the most boring climate and weather of any city in the country.

In the words of KSNV TV-3 weatherman Kevin Janison, “It’s pretty much the same all the time.”

In fact, being a weatherman in Las Vegas could be the most boring job of all. If you can predict clear skies and windy conditions, you’ll be right most of the time.

And if you can add a prediction of wind into your forecast, you’re a superstar. Hell, there’s nothing to it.

Through all of this, though, Las Vegas is also a city of spiritual believers. In the past, Las Vegas has been touted the city for having more churches than any other city in the country.

Pastors and priests move here to open churches, perform marriages, care for the sick or counsel the weak. They have 24-hour calling cards so they can save marriages and save lives 24/7.

And for God’s sakes, why would any man or woman who carries a deep religious belief want to move to Las Vegas?

Religion and Las Vegas just don’t seem to mesh.

But they do – even in a place many refer to as “the gates of hell.”

When everything caves in, it’s the priests, pastors and rabbis who provide the faith and keep the dignity. They’re the ones who never rest, because there’s always some poor soul who needs a kind word or a prayer.

One minute, you’re a hero. The next minute, you’re a zero. You need help, and Southern Nevadan’s church leaders are there to pick you up by the bootstraps.

On one side is the evil, the devil taunting you to overindulge in alcohol, gambling and the rest of the Devil’s Den.

On the other side is a city of believers, people who would sincerely do anything for you.
 

We take you to the Utah Legislature in 1994. Times are good, President Bill Clinton is leading the nation and some of the smart minds of Utah are seeing good times ahead.

The Speaker of the House opens the session greeting everyone and thanking the group for its dedication to the state. This particular gathering will be long and most involved will have to burn the midnight oil.

Virtually everyone who has made the trip to Salt Lake City is leaving behind them a small business or a various concerns related to family or friends. Not just anyone can be a lawmaker and for the money, it’s hard to understand why anyone would want to be a politician in the first place.

However, this particular session is going to be productive particularly since someone has it in mind to take advantage of Utah’s beautiful scenery and the people who visit the state. With the Winter Olympics coming to Salt Lake City in 2002, potential investors will most certainly follow.

Some 14 years later, the United States would fall into the worst recession in the country’s history. Considering the legislature’s keen ability to foresee the future, there is a plan in mind to bring money into the state by tapping the wallets of investors who are interested in purchasing land and/or second homes.

Even more interesting is that the plan would also give full-time residents of the state a 45 percent exemption on property taxes while requiring the owners of second homes to pay 100 percent. The legislation not only dives into the pockets of out-of-state property owners, but also those living in Utah.

From Park City in the north to Duck Creek and St. George in the south, permanent residents are welcoming visitors with open arms.

The idea is brilliant especially considering the thousands of investors who journey to Utah from surrounding states such as Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and California, to name a few. The key, however, is to get the legislation passed quietly without letting investors know that they will be paying twice the amount charged to permanent residents of the state.

No problem. The state’s real estate agents will undoubtedly help hide the fact when selling land or second homes throughout the state. And besides, if anyone complains, those objecting can simply let their properties go into foreclosure generating yet another avenue for sales.

Mum’s the word. Full disclosure be damned, tax rates might be reviewed with clients but there won’t be a word discussed about the tax inequity when the real estate market explodes in 2005-2008. This is the perfect taxation without representation.

Why, there will be thousands visiting the state of Utah in search of second homes and raw land and many of those visitors will gladly plunk down big dollars for the right to enjoy the state.

Nobody will ever discover this huge tax inequity that is unless a full-time resident happens to tell a visitor. But I mean, how many times have you ever heard of residents discussing their tax rate, for God’s sakes?

This will become one of the most brilliant economic moves ever by a state legislature. Foreigners (that’s what they call visitors in Utah) from all over the United States will flock to Utah and visitors from other countries will fall in love with their new found second home.

After all, the summers in Utah produce fabulous scenery and the winters are to-die for considering the fact that the state is a definite Winter Wonderland. For desert rats living in Southern Nevada, this is a slam dunk since the real estate market will provide massive profits along with incredible change-of-scenery only few miles away.

Across every border in Utah there will be constant traffic consisting “foreigners” carrying check books and cash. Especially on Friday and Sunday afternoons, the Utah Highway Patrol will just inside each border waiting to write speeding tickets which will also generate big-time dollars for the state’s coffers.

On Jan. 1, 1995, the new law goes into affect. Permanent residents of the state of Utah can now officially expect a 45 percent deduction on their property taxes as the owners of second homes and land pay full-pop; even though the latter category of folks uses the services on a part-time basis.

Nobody will ever discover the legislation passed on New Years Day in 1995. Not even astute attorneys who purchase second homes and property in Utah will ever find out.

It was the best-kept secret in politics and measuring the monetary elements of the bill, it’s also a very profitable measure for the state of Utah.

Brilliant work, ladies and gentlemen of the Utah Legislature in 1994. Take a bow for your efforts.    

 Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted via email at mhenle@aol.com or through his web site www.mikehenle.com.

  Editor's Note: The law addressing the taxation of primary residences in Utah was adopted in the 1994 Utah Legislature. It was passed into law Jan. 1, 1995.

  In the meantime, the owners of second homes are paying 100 percent.

Utah Code
Title 59 Revenue and Taxation
Chapter 2 Property Tax Act
Section 103 Rate of assessment of property -- Residential property.

59-2-103. Rate of assessment of property -- Residential property.
(1) All tangible taxable property located within the state shall be assessed and taxed at a uniform and equal rate on the basis of its fair market value, as valued on January 1, unless otherwise provided by law.
(2) Subject to Subsections (3) and (4), beginning on January 1, 1995, the fair market value of residential property located within the state shall be reduced by 45%, representing a residential exemption allowed under Utah Constitution Article XIII, Section 2.
(3) No more than one acre of land per residential unit may qualify for the residential exemption.
(4) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (4)(b)(ii), beginning on January 1, 2005, the residential exemption in Subsection (2) is limited to one primary residence per household.
(b) An owner of multiple residential properties located within the state is allowed a residential exemption under Subsection (2) for:
(i) subject to Subsection (4)(a), the primary residence of the owner; and
(ii) each residential property that is the primary residence of a tenant.
Amended by Chapter 90, 2004 General Session
Amended by Chapter 281, 2004 General Session
 

Editor's Note: The following is a rebuttal written by Cedar City resident Burke Wilkerson to a column I wrote recently about the tax inequity in Utah as it relates to those of us who are the owners of second homes in the state.

Read it and weep especially realizing that out-of-state property owners in Utah are being taken advantage of and people like Wilkerson apparently feel that's just fine. For the record, I have another column coming out next week.

 
Mike Henle's article titled "So. Nevadans tired of carrying the load in So. Utah" published in the Cedar City Neighborhoods section of the Daily News for the week of April 28, is missing a few important facts.

In short, Mr. Henle's article stated that Southern Nevadans are being gouged by the State of Utah because they are required to pay real property taxes on 100 percent of the value of their second homes on Cedar Mountain, while Utah residents are only required to pay property taxes on 45 percent of the value of their primary residences. (I'm assuming prior to construction these disgruntled Southern Nevada second homeowners were aware they would be required to pay property taxes on 100 percent of the value of their homes, and determined that it was still a prudent decision to invest on Cedar Mountain?).

The first obvious fact that Mr. Henle failed to discuss is the important distinction between a second home and a primary residence. An individual owning property in Utah that is deemed to be their primary residence is generally considered to be a resident of the state, and is therefore also subject to personal income tax - taxes Southern Nevada second homeowners are not required to pay.

I'm confident the Utah State Tax Commission would be happy to collect personal income taxes on the higher Southern Nevada incomes being earned by those second homeowners that choose to file for permanent, full-time residency in Utah to avoid being gouged on real property taxes as suggested in Mr. Henle's article.

Additionally, a resident must must also pay property taxes on their automobiles and other personal property licensed in Utah. Again, taxes not paid by Southern Nevada second homeowners.

Another fact that Mr. Henle overlooked is that residents of Utah also presumably spend the majority of their disposable income in their respective local communities, which translates into the payment of sales taxes not being paid nearly to the same extent by Southern Nevadans. Other than weekend fuel purchases at local gas stations and occasional purchases of forgotten grocery items, I doubt a material amount of sales tax is being collected from Southern
Nevada second home owners.

In summary, although Southern Nevadans owning second homes on Cedar Mountain may not enjoy the benefits of the services and necessities provided by taxes collected by the State of Utah as frequently as residents, the equalizing fact is they also do not pay an equal portion of the whole.

Burke Wilkerson
Cedar City

The spoken word can be not only be hurtful, but long-lasting. I actually learned that back in the early-1980s while working as a sports writer and desk man at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

While traveling to work one morning, I waited under the freeway for the light to turn green. I turned to my left and looked up under the freeway to see what looked like a sign of life. As my route remained continual every morning, I’d see more signs of life under the freeway.

First, there was a box and then there were clothes lying on the cement. Then, on one particular morning, I saw a man collecting his thoughts and wiping his face. I was stunned to finally realize that someone was living under the freeway.

When I got to the office, I visited with long-time reporter Ed Vogel before starting to clear the wire. As reporters do so often, we first exchanged pleasantries before I brought up the man living under I-15.

I arrived at the same location under the freeway the next morning to see Vogel at the bottom of a hill under the freeway. He had a card in his hand and was heading up the hill to meet with the mystery man whose makeshift home was under the freeway of one of America’s busiest roadways.

I was surprised to see Vogel and actually wanted to watch him climb that hill to meet with the man. However, I had to get to work considering that we had a 9 a.m. deadline to get the paper completed.

Vogel, considered the ultimate dedicated reporter, had taken our conversation to heart. What he found was a very intelligent man who was happy to be living under a freeway.

Vogel would discover that the man’s box contained books and the essentials of life to survive. After awakening in the early-morning hour, the man would gather his few belongings, walk to the freeway and hitch a ride to a shelter where he would shower and brush his teeth.

Later in the day, the man would find his way back to that spot under the freeway where he would climb that hill to his home on the ledge under the freeway. The next day, the man would walk back to the roadway where he’d find his way back to the shelter for a shower.

While Vogel’s findings were certainly interesting, what really stuck in my mind was the fact that the man said he had been told when he was young that he’d never amount to anything. That statement apparently hounded him especially because it was repeated to him over and over again.

The man was both intelligent and hurt beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Rather than go off the deep end by drinking himself to death, he simply led a very simple life where his belongings fit in a box.

Under the freeway, there was no threat of hurtful people only the noise of the traffic overhead. The cement ledge served as a perfect resting place.

No power bills and no having to report to work every day. For him, life was safer and easier living under a freeway where the roar of cars running overhead was less hassle than the hurtful words thrust at him over the years.

Living under a freeway was alright for someone who had been reminded repeatedly that he was a nobody. However, he was happy with his books, his lifestyle and the people he would meet en route to the shelter.

Talented Southern Nevada journalist Matt O’Brien detailed in his book “Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas” how countless lost souls live in underground flood channels throughout Las Vegas. His highly-acclaimed book illustrates that with all the success stories in Las Vegas, there is also an underbelly of shattered souls living in horrible environments.

What Vogel might have done decades ago is show that the problem of lost souls is nothing new. When his story was published, the authorities immediately headed for that area underneath I-15. The man was told to leave and I have often wondered what happened to him.

 I actually felt bad about the end result since the man wasn’t hurting anyone while living under the freeway. However, the authorities felt otherwise and wasted no time sending him down the road – literally.

 However, while Vogel’s story was truly interesting, I think what has remained in my mind for more than 30 years is that the guy living under the freeway was the victim of harsh words thrown his way. While the continual noise of living under a freeway had to be a challenge, the atmosphere was fine since it afforded the man a sanctuary away from hurtful people.

 In fact, when I’m at the same location under the freeway on Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas, I always look up under the freeway thinking about the guy who called that spot home some 30 years ago.

A recent column written by yours truly about a huge property tax inequity in Southern Utah struck a nerve, to say the least.

However, as I discovered shortly after the original column was published, the rule of taxation on second homes is actually Utah-wide.

For the record, it has been determined that (a) the owners of second homes in Utah are paying double the taxes of those who have declared primary residency; and (b) more than 90 percent seemed to agree that the setup is wrong, unconstitutional and actually discriminatory.

As stated on the web site for the Kane County Assessors office, permanent residents receive a 45 percent exemption on their property taxes while the rest of us pay the entire amount. Thus, the owners of second homes pay nearly double what permanent residents pay even though they use the services far less.

It just seems that in order to balance the taxes, permanent residents should pay 22.5 percent more while the rest of us should pay 22.5 percent less. That way, everyone is equal.

In the case of Southern Utah, at least 90 percent of those affected by the goofy setup are from Las Vegas. When you throw in the fact that the entire state enforces the inequity, it’s easy to see why a tax payer revolt could outdraw the Olympics, for Lord’s sakes.

Many owners of second homes are actually residents of Cedar City and St. George. Like the rest of us, they’re getting their pockets ripped out, too, in a sneaky agreement that has apparently been enforced for decades.

From Park City to Duck Creek to St. George and Pine Valley, there are property owners going broke after first falling in love with the state of Utah. Most are not happy once they discover they use the property only part of the time only to pay full-time property taxes while full-time residents get a 45 percent exemption.

As miffed as anyone about the current property taxes in Southern Utah, I have been shaking my head for a week trying to understand the logic related to other stories that have been brought to my attention.

I mean, I had major brain surgery in December of 1994 and the headaches I’m getting while trying to understand Utah’s property taxes remind me of that day when I awoke feeling as though someone had taken a sledge hammer to the side of my skull.

But wait, there’s more.

One very unique property valuation issue surfaced when I received an email from Cedar City CPA Bruce Hughes – a transplanted Californian who has lived in Cedar City for 17 years -- has been fighting the Iron County Assessor’s office for five years.

Hughes purchased 3 ½ acres south of Cedar City about 16 years ago. Everything was fine until prairie dogs decided to claim his land as home after being forced out of their original habitat by the construction of a drainage ditch to handle flood waters.

In short, Hughes’s land cannot be touched now because prairie dogs are federally protected, so he is handcuffed. His land is not worth much, but the county still wants to jab him with full-fare property taxes.

Then there is Ken Freeman, who lives in a small home with six acres along Highway 14 along with a small cabin in Engelstad Estates headed to Kolob. The taxes on his cabin are higher than what he’s paying for his primary residence. Again, Freeman admits that he has never disputed the taxes although like so many others now, he probably will in the future.

Believe me, there were countless others who had stories to tell, too.

In fairness, various county assessors will usually cooperate and lower the taxes if the owner takes the time to fight the issue.

However, since every county in Utah knows that the most owners of second homes and/or investment properties (a) usually don’t have time to fight the system and (b) have no idea they’re paying double anyway, this entire thing has become a great big cash cow for ever property assessor in the state.

That leads me to the rules of full disclosure in real estate. My agents never informed me that I’d be paying twice the taxes as full-time residents, and neither did my banker or escrow people. By the time this is all said and done, there are going to be nine gazillion real estate agents all over the state of Utah coming up with more excuses than a home for unwed mothers.
 

There is a groundswell of Southern Nevadans who are irritated over property taxes they are being charged on land and second homes in Southern Utah. As property values decline and taxes increase, it appears that the people of the Silver State are being taken to the cleaners.

You see, we have discovered that full-time residents are granted a 45 percent primary residential exemption in Utah while the rest of us pay the full rate – and more.The entire scenario hardly sounds fair and in fact, seems downright unconstitutional especially considering the dedication of Southern Nevadans who have brought boatloads of money into Utah buying property. Silver State types (not to mention anyone else who is a part-time resident of Southern Utah) have felt for years that they’re getting gouged by property taxes.

Some protested their high tax assessments and many won. However, key is the fact that most Southern Nevadans don’t have time to wage a battle. With meetings usually conducted during the middle of the week, few have been able to find time.

One man who did fight won twice. Interestingly, his neighbor with the same size lot and similar size cabin is paying much more primarily because he could not find time to dispute the taxes.

The squeaky wheel generally gets the grease in Southern Utah. I discovered that when I disputed a $2,000 fee charged to hook up my power. After taking the dispute to the Utah Public Service Commission, I won unanimously and the judge ordered Garkane Energy to send back my two grand.

It was a victory, for sure, but it was a hassle getting to the finish line. Most thought I would lose and I found great self satisfaction in knowing that there indeed was justice in the system.

But I’m really starting to get discouraged now especially since I discovered the most recent tax setup. In fact, I’m thinking about having a sign mounted on the southern tip of Utah saying “Attention Nevadans: You just got stung by the Beehive State.”

Even though Southern Nevadans probably comprise a great percentage of the land owners in Southern Utah, they undoubtedly use the services the least while paying the most. The entire setup hardly seems equitable especially considering that Southern Nevadans undoubtedly comprise a great percentage of land and cabin owners in Southern Utah.

Southern Utah has become the great getaway for many of us although many are undoubtedly starting to wonder if the investment was worth the heartache. In fact, several of the Southern Nevada-types are actually talking about a class action lawsuit against the state of Utah.

When you consider that at least 90 percent of the land owners on Cedar Mountain are from Las Vegas, it probably wouldn’t take long to fund an attorney especially considering many of the folks from Vegas have been known to have a buck or two. Add to all of these the sneakiness of how the tax structure was handled and I foresee a major revolt on behalf of out of state land owners who are suddenly discovering that they’re paying full bore while others are paying far less.    

 In reaching out to people who know more than I do about offsetting the high taxes, we have come up with solutions to the deficit ranging from turning our place into everything from a bed and breakfast to a bordello. Our informal focus groups have been interesting, to say the least.

Former Las Vegas resident George Vasconi who now lives in Parowan advises that we could all file for permanent residency before the next elections and vote everyone out of office. Call it a true example of a hostile takeover.

Vasconi pointed said he discovered his taxes would be double if he was a part-time resident. He immediately switched to full-time residency saving thousands of dollars.

We have all learned that Sept. 15 is the deadline for filing valuation appeals to the Board of Equalization. You can bet there will be a flood of protests filed this year and in fact, I’m hearing that Southern Nevadans are planning their own Tea Party gathering much like the one which invaded Searchlight, Nev. several weeks ago.

Stay tuned. This is going to get very interesting.

Captain Paul Hallenbeck

The revolving door continues at KTNV TV-13 in Las Vegas after it was learned that talented helicopter pilot and journalist Captain Paul Hollenbeck is no longer on the team.

 Hollenbeck and his ‘copter were parked the week of Jan. 4, and the timing could not have been worse. On the first day without Hollenbeck, the station was also without coverage from the air during a shooting at the U.S. Federal Court House in downtown Las Vegas. Be it economic reasons or whatever, KTNV’s latest move like many others have left its followers, fellow employees and competitors scratching their heads.

Surely, there must be another reason for KTNV missing the coverage of the siege at the court house. Hollenbeck has not missed a day since 2003, and apparently a breakdown in both communications and the ending of the two-year contract were the reasons.

We can only imagine the looks on those in the newsroom at the Journal Broadcasting Company affiliate when news broke that a crazed gunman entered the court house and unloaded on employees with a shotgun.

For some very odd reason, Las Vegas has become a graveyard of talented journalists especially lately. Usually, the talent picks itself up, tries to understand the sudden loss of employment and moves on to open arms in another market which appreciates good journalists.

Even more important with KTNV’s decision is the fact that Hollenbeck has a sparkling history and in fact, you would think the station would count its lucky stars to have the former Los Angeles cop whose resume’ has included flying combat missions for the Air Force in Vietnam.

As a captain in the Air Force, Hollenbeck was in Vietnam before there was a war. When he switched to covering news in Los Angeles in 1988, he was the go-to guy covering events like the Rodney King riots along with the North Hollywood Bank shooting giving invaluable live reports in the process.

As KTNV has continued to lag behind the competition in Southern Nevada, it has been Capitan Paul who has given the station hope. When the rest of the station’s news was sub-par at best, viewers still waited through the nonsense for Hollenbeck’s reports.

You see, what has made Hollenbeck so valuable to a news team is that he’s both a journalist and a helicopter pilot. Corporate bean counters should understand that Hollenbeck’s double duty means his combination eliminates the need for both a pilot and a reporter because he handles both chores.

And if it’s an issue with money – and in this case, I’m sure it is – how about getting a sponsor for the side of the helicopter? I’d start with Taco Bell, In-N-Out Burger or for that matter, attorneys Ed Bernstein or Glenn Lerner whose marketing budgets are sizeable, to say the least.

In a tight economy, that’s a big cha-ching. From traffic accidents to shootings at a court house and the rest, Captain Paul was to a news team what Bart Starr was to the Green Bay Packers. In today’s competitive news business, sending someone as talented as Hollenbeck to the sidelines makes one wonder if things are so bad at KTNV that the doors are about to close, for god’s sakes.

Even more interesting is the fact that the new vendor which was to supply another helicopter apparently ruled that at 67 years of age, Captain Paul was one year too old to fly their helicopters. I mean, are we kidding that the one year difference offsets his more than 40 years of experience?

You see, if it’s a talking head you want, any young kid can fill the bill for the most part. But when you’re talking about a helicopter pilot who joined your team after first working a hot spot like Los Angeles, that’s another story.

Ron Futrell, who spent 25 years before being wrongfully terminated by the station in 2008, measured Hollenbeck’s value with a classic quote.

“Captain Paul, a former police officer, knew what was happening on the ground because he had been there,” analyzed Futrell. “He could analyze fires, accident and shootouts with first-hand knowledge. No other chopper reporter could do that.”

In fact, KTNV has hired another pilot to replace Hollenbeck although the new pilot will do so for far less money (here we go again tripping over dollars to get to pennies, or however the phrase goes).

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do now,” said Hollenbeck, who was born in Yuma, Ariz., before growing up in Los Angeles. “I have an off-ramp spotted and I think I’ll hang out there with a cardboard sign.”
Just me, but I think if I was one of the other television stations, I would have my staff invite Hollenbeck to be a guest on my own helicopter news team. From a marketing standpoint, I think it would most definitely draw attention as every station attempts to secure ratings.

In the meantime, Journal Broadcasting spent millions constructing a new building to house its news team. The problem now is that everyone is starting to wonder why the impressive architecture is without the necessary ingredients that include a prominent helicopter pilot who just happens to be a quality journalist.

                  Nevada State Senator Mike Schneider decided several years ago to address the countless issues related to homeowners associations. Knowing that he had faced the problems himself with investment properties situated within HOAs, Schneider became the voice of reason as it relates to the endless problems dealing with the governing bodies.

                  When Schneider was the guest of radio personality Ron Futrell recently on KDWN (720 AM), he addressed the issue of rolling shutters in Nevada. Considering that he has authored two bills about rolling shutters both of which were passed into law, the native of Nebraska certainly understands the purpose of the product used to lower power bills and protect residents against break-ins.

            However, while the two laws are now official and should eliminate problems related to approvals from home owner associations, the conflicts continue as evidenced by the story of Jim and Wanda Jaranowski.

The Jaranowskis own a condominium at Elan in northwest Las Vegas. The couple sought to have the rolling shutters installed following the passage of SB216 during the 2009 Nevada legislature. The bill addressed the approval of rolling shutters on common interest communities, so the application process seemed like a slam-dunk.

However, the simple process turned into yet another conflict when the Jaranowskis were not only denied the right to have the rolling shutters installed by Nevada Rolling Shutters but also required by the home owners association to include a non-refundable $2,500 deposit with the application.

During questioning by Futrell, Schneider said the denial and the required deposit was ridiculous. However, it was what the veteran senator said next that should send chills down the back of every HOA in the country.

Futrell, a respected former television journalist, suggested that the required deposit might be a way for the home owner association to pad its bank account especially as dues decrease in the wake of foreclosures. However, while Schneider said he doubted the requirement to be true, he was certain about the next steps that will be taken.

Schneider, incensed over the denial and the requirement of a deposit, stated that he had already called for an opinion from the State of Nevada legal.  He then said he would take the issue to the Attorney General’s office along with the Supreme Court, if necessary.

In other words, enough is enough. If the home owners association which has decided to deny the Jaranowski couple its right to have rolling shutters wants to continue playing games, Schneider is ready to take the issue right up the legal ladder.

The problem with so many home owners associations is that the bodies of power make decisions without respecting the issue and the laws passed. In this particular case, two laws have been passed in Nevada allowing the installation of the rolling shutters; however, some board members have failed to realize that a law is a law.

This particular issue is going to get very interesting especially as crime increases and power bills soar. Denying an application especially after laws have been enacted is not only silly but creating another battle down the road that is going to not only prove embarrassing but costly for any cash-strapped HOA at the same time.

Skirting the law by discouraging residents from having rolling shutters by requiring a stout deposit is underhanded and it is wrong. Worse yet, should anything happen to a home or the residents in a community where rolling shutters were denied could result in a massive lawsuit.

This is going to get interesting and you can bet that Schneider is not backing down.

(Editor’s Note: Mike Henle has represented and covered the rolling shutter industry since 1995. The Jaranowskis are now filing a complaint with the Nevada Ombudsman’s office.)

            The current problems related to the economy stretch further than the offices of accountants, bookkeepers and the prognosticators who predict the future of our lives.

            During these tough times and even before our current challenges, I constantly wonder about the mental state of some parents.

            Bad news developed in Southern Nevada last year when a woman driving a pickup thought it best for five kids to ride in the bed of the truck. For some unknown reason, a 7-year-old boy either jumped or fell from the back of the truck and died.

            A little boy is dead while many of us try to understand why an adult would make such a dumb decision of putting a group of young kids in danger.

            But the behavior of adults goes even further in so many areas of life and many times is the result of mind-altering drugs taken by people who should know better.

            I mean, putting your own life in jeopardy is bad enough, but an adult putting the lives of kids in danger absolutely boggles my mind.

            Innocent kids supposedly having the time of their lives unknowing of the dangers created by their parents is a sad reality every day in this country. If it’s not simple common sense that it is putting kids in danger, it’s the choices made by grown men and women whose self-centered attitudes are scarring kids for the rest of their lives.

            Kids should be enjoying the times of their lives, but many are suffering through no fault of their own. They are facing one challenge after another while their parents force them into a survival mode long before anyone should face such a situation.

            Rather than playing kickball or attending birthday parties with friends, many kids are simply trying to find their next meal. They are living in the backs of cars or even in the desert bundled up in worn-out blankets while their parents sicken society with outlandish behaviors that will undoubtedly damage society for decades.

            And way too many times, the reason for kids suffering is because so-called upstanding members of our community could not care less about those they have brought into society. Instead of making sure the kids have clothes to wear and food to eat not to mention a wholesome home environment, adults are slowly killing themselves with drugs while kids watch loved ones commit suicide.

            Rather than make sure the kids have the ingredients necessary to create memories that will live forever, the parents are replacing food in the cupboards with drugs for personal usage.

            It doesn’t matter where we live because parents are behaving like this all over the country.  It's horrifying to think that good, honest and innocent kids are growing up in environments dominated by drugs and alcohol is nothing less than frightening.

            Look around you whether it’s in the big cities or the small ones. Chances are there is a meth lab somewhere nearby and even greater chances that kids are being force-fed an environment that is not only nightmarish but simply wrong at the same time.

            If you are a judge who has to hear cases of child neglect and abuse, it breaks your heart. And if you are a case worker who has seen infants who are victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome, your heart bleeds every time you head for work.

            If you think the state of today’s world is scary, try looking at what’s facing this country in the next generation. It’s not a pretty forecast and you can blame the parents for the outlook because many of them have chosen to concentrate on drugs and alcohol rather than the kids they have brought into the world.

            Those who don’t believe we have severe problems need look no further than your local Child Haven and see the faces of young kids who have been dumped in favor of drugs. If you need to be humbled, take a couple of hours out of your day and visit kids who have been victimized by ignorant parents.

            It will break your heart, I assure you.

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month and the period strikes very close to home.

I don’t have epilepsy now, but I did have it until I was almost 44 years of age. When I was nine months old in 1951, a nasty mosquito infected with the encephalitis virus bit me. Not long after the bite, I started to sleep more often and while my parents were concerned, they felt that a baby sleeping more was simply a part of being an infant.

However, serious concern set in one evening when their baby suddenly started having convulsions right in the middle of a friendly card game. I’m told I quit breathing and only quick emergency work by one of the family friends kept me from dying.

The next thing anyone knew, I was in a coma and would remain in that state for a week. The encephalitis virus had infected the brain and I would remain hospitalized in Intensive Care.

When I awoke from the coma, it was thought that the concern had subsided. I bounced back and my grandmother quickly told my parents that radiant smile of mine was proof enough that I had fully recovered.

As far as anyone knew, the encephalitis had not left any lasting effects. Life was good until at the age of about seven, I recall a very strange sensation of fear rushing through my body. The episode made no sense especially considering that it lasted only a few minutes.

The problem was that I had just what would be the first of thousands of epileptic seizures. While the first seizure was evident by a slight drooping of the face along with a blank stare that lasted for a few moments, the truth was that I was about to begin a mysterious journey that would last for decades.

For the most part, I was able to hide the seizures until I awoke one evening with a terrific headache. The next thing I knew, the seizure had advanced into a full-blown grand mal seizure in which the body stiffened and jerked uncontrollably. I would awaken to see several family members alongside the bed explaining that I needed to go to the hospital immediately.

The seizures would continue creating concern that one would eventually kill me. Worse yet, there was the awful fear that I would have a seizure while driving a car. The thought of hurting someone else as the result of having a seizure was a fear I would carry with me.

No medicine helped and in fact, I was allergic to just about every prescription. Every medication carried with it a side effect. I was frustrated and scared.

Then, in December of 1994, doctors at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, Calif. determined they could remove the epilepsy from my life by removing a five-centimeter piece of my right temporal lobe in a very delicate brain surgery procedure. The surgery worked and I haven’t had a seizure since the day before the surgery.

Even better yet, I no longer need medications to regulate my life. I am free of epilepsy and there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t take at least a short minute to realize how lucky I am.

However, there are a reported two million people affected with epilepsy. I think I know what every one of them is going through since I have traveled that bumpy road, too. In fact, every time I hear that someone crashed a vehicle because of a “medical incident,” I think back about my own close calls.

National Epilepsy Awareness Month is a crucial period in which special attention is brought to the forefront of a mysterious disorder that can strike without warning.

The great strides to conquer the disorder are all-important and the month of November is a huge example of the progress that has been made to conquer the disorder.

Perhaps one of the greatest advances has been in Las Vegas where the Nevada Neurosciences Institute at Sunrise Health has made incredible progress. With neurologist Dr. Samir Bangalore and neurosurgeon Dr. Stuart Kaplan leading the charge, three surgeries to correct epilepsy have been conducted in the past few months.

Considering that I still remember vividly returning from Scripps on Dec. 13, 1994 only to discover that we had lost all of my medications, I know first-hand how terrified I was returning home knowing that Las Vegas was essentially a city weak in many medical elements including epilepsy.

That has all changed in Southern Nevada, an area where great improvements are being made in the medical community.

Thank God. From someone who knows personally, helping people who are suffering from epilepsy is vitally important. In Southern Nevada, those living with the disorder no longer need to leave town for help.

Mike Henle is a Las Vegas freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.”
 

It didn’t take Jeff Gillan long to find another job following the demise of Las Vegas One’s News ONE at 9 earlier in the week.

Gillan, the highly-respected anchor who spearheaded News One at 9 to a pair of Emmy Awards, has landed with KVBC TV-3. He was named assistant news director and will begin with KVBC Nov. 9.

Gillan, a 23-year veteran of the news business, joins the station as assistant news director beginning Nov. 9. He will be working with his former boss Bob Stoldal, who was named KVBC’s executive vice president in August.

“I am absolutely thrilled with this opportunity,” said Gillan. “I’m joining a newsroom of professionals, and Channel 3 is dedicated to doing important journalism. That’s why I’m joining the team.”
 

Sunbelt Communications Company recently promoted its second long-time KVBC TV-3 employee to a general manager position when it named Shelley Goings to the position at KPVI in Pocatello, Idaho.

Goings, who moved to Las Vegas in 1969, has worked for KVBC for 18 years. She leaves the station as Sunbelt Director of Human Resources and Benefits.

Earlier this year, Sunbelt named former KVBC general sales manager Joanne Nasby general manager of KYMA in Yuma, Ariz.

Nasby had been with KVBC for nearly 26 years before being promoted to her new position.

*** *** ***

Former KTNV TV-13 weekend sports anchor Bryan Salmond is still staying busy in Southern Nevada while looking for work.

Salmond, whose contract was not extended at KTNV, is still doing a boxing show at KLAV on Tuesday nights from 7-8 p.m. In addition, he’s working with former Las Vegas disc jockey Rick Rosen on a sports book radio podcast on www.junkie.com from the Mandalay Bay.

Finally, Salmond is also play-by-play/color man for Tuff-N-Uff Fighting Championship, a Mixed Martial Arts promotion. He is also speaking with a station in Arizona.

*** *** ***

Dale Wyman, who was the director of creative services and production at KVBC TV-3 before being the victim of cutbacks at the station, is now interim creative services director at KCRA TV-3 and KQCA MY58 in Sacramento. He had been with KVBC for more than 22 years.

KCRA is the 20th largest television market in the country.

The 48 year-old Wyman is the third former member of a Las Vegas television station to leave for Sacramento. Earlier, Amanda Sanchez (weather) and Ben Deci (reporter) departed KTNV TV-13 before landing in Sacramento.

Sanchez is now a weather anchor/reporter with KOVR TV-13 while Deci joined KTXL Fox 40.

*** *** ***

Las Vegas ONE announced it has ceased immediately News ONE at 9 p.m. due to the decline in the economy. The show was a result of a partnership between Greenpun Media Group and KLAS TV-8.

The loss also means that four employees are also out of work including Jeff Gillan, Carol Wilkinson, Daniel Gutierrez, and Vincent Cano. The four will be provided a severance package along with letters of reference.

News ONE at 9 p.m. earned a pair of Emmy Awards under Gillan’s work as anchor. The program’s combination of sports, news and features was also highlighted by in-depth interviews conducted by the highly-respected Gillan.
 

A battle among television stations in Las Vegas complete with a complaint filed with the FCC by Jim Rogers of Valley Broadcasting has already sparked a huge feud and you can bet this is only the beginning of a long war.

In the complaint, the feisty Rogers, owner of KVBC TV-3 in Las Vegas, went after KVVU TV-5, KLAS TV-8 and KTNV TV-13 charging that the competition sold time while using reporters to conduct interviews in an alleged agreement to keep the advertiser – United Automotive – happy.

In other words, the accused stations allegedly crossed the lines of journalistic ethics by guaranteeing news coverage as part of the agreement with Arrowhead Advertising. Such an accusation is the ultimate kick in the teeth to journalists.

During the broadcasts, a 30-second commercial was aired featuring a
“reporter” and a member of United Automotive detailing the liquidation process while also telling of steep discounts. The problem was that the commercial did not have a disclaimer at the bottom of the spot to show that the so-called interview was actually a paid-for commercial and not a live interview.

The fact that the commercial was aired many times during a news broadcast undoubtedly confused some viewers who may have thought that the commercial was actually a news report.
The practice of mixing the news and advertising violates FCC regulations and thereby sends chills down the spine of every employee involved. The fact that the advertising buy also reportedly required news coverage complicated matters even worse since such an agreement is frowned upon.

However, as a former journalist who spent more than 20 years on the print side of the business, I have to say that the liquidation of the automobiles is a big enough story without an outsider demanding coverage. And in this case, newsrooms all over the city were tripping over one another to get the story.

Arrowhead Advertising made the commercial buys. If the company did request news coverage as part of the buy, it sure didn’t need to in the first place.

Sales executives are expected to support the station by selling the time and collecting the money. They are also expected to stay on their side of the building especially during something as critical as the liquidation of automobile businesses.

When Rogers filed the suit against KLAS TV-8, KVVU TV-5 and KTNV TV-13, he was immediately met by opposition especially from KLAS TV-8 which responded to the charges without missing a breath.

In fact, Channel 8 has several former KVBC employees on its staff both in news and sales.

When the Rogers salvo was made public, you can bet his former employees were more than mildly peeved.

There are no signs of white flags being waived in this battle. In fact, the best is yet to come.

****

Lorraine Blanco has left KVVU TV-5 after reaching the end of her contract. A highly-respected reporter and weekend anchor, she worked with the Fox affiliate for six years.

According to news director Adam Bradshaw, Blanco will probably land in Salt Lake City or Miami. Even in a tight market, it’s not likely she will be out of work for long.

A graduate of UCLA with a degree in Communications, Blanco is a native of the Bay Area. She was first being employed at KABC in Los Angeles and WHBF in the Quad Cities.

****

KTNV TV-13, which has a short staff accentuated by a limited amount of people working on the news desk, lost a seemingly good member of the team recently when assignment desk editor Lance Pry left suddenly.

A former radio disc jockey at KOMP 92.3, Pry said KTNV's unwillingness to take action in the Nina Radetich controversy has damaged the station’s credibility.

In the meantime, the station is frantically looking for someone to fill the void since it has been barely getting by with only two employees.

My list of professions I dislike just increased with the addition of bankers, who now can proudly align themselves with car salesmen, security guards and members of the George Bush administration.

You see, the well-dressed and smooth-talking bankers who took us up the ladder 2-3 years ago during a surging real estate market are now in the cockpit of an economic downturn so drastic that it’s taking down everyone from the wealthy to the poor souls struggling from one paycheck to another.

In short, it was our friends the bankers who were involved in driving up prices by creating a frenzy not to mention a distinct element of greed shared by most of us. We were led to believe that nothing could possibly fail and the bankers lined up customers while diving into savings accounts and accepting money that should have been kept for rainy days.

And now I have proof that the same bankers are taking our money again only this time it’s during the worst economic downturn in recent history. In fact, I’m getting so upset with these fine-looking executives that I’m to the point of disliking anyone with three-piece suits and lizard skin shoes that just happen to be driving a new Rolls Royce.

Measure this:

A cabin across the street from us in Duck Creek, Utah recently sold for $500,000 as the buyer gladly plunked down cash in the purchase. Everyone ranging from the seller to the buyer and the lender walked away happy with the transaction.

Then a few weeks later, a cabin similar in size sold out of foreclosure for $312,000 taking everyone in Duck Creek down at the same time. The owner of the property – a bank – gladly obliged the ecstatic buyer in a panic sale that will be used in “comps” while also driving down values for months to come.

It was an example of real estate nightmare in an industry reeling backwards so quickly now that 90 percent of the real estate industry has retreated to jobs as waiters, cocktail waitresses, bartenders and greeters at Wal-Mart.

What really bothers me about the banking industry (and the appraisers, for that matter) is that its members back-pedaled quicker than an entire city during a flood. Not only has the banking business started to sell off properties at bargain-basement prices just to save its own backside but it has also ignored foreclosed properties leaving them to look like eyesores while driving down the value of the property and everything around it at the same time.

In Nevada, the legislature passed into a law new regulations requiring the banking business to take action – and spend a little of its own money – to protect neighbors of foreclosed properties (hint, hint to the Utah legislature).

The mere fact that it took Nevada lawmakers to pass legislation like this is evidence that the banking business has just plain given up even with regards to basic responsibilities. We’re all starting to feel like customers on a cruise liner which has entered stormy waters only to see the captain and his crew jump ship.

Look, everyone is scared right now and never before has there been such a time of need with regards to people we have counted upon. That said I simply don’t understand why the banking industry has decided to throw us all under the bus before backing over us in what seems like the ultimate punishment.

It’s kind of like being in need while in deep water and in need a life raft. In this case, the bankers are throwing us all 100-pound lead weights just so we’ll drown a little quicker.

OK, it’s a buyer’s market for sure and I’d rather be trying to capitalize on the low-dollar deals now, for sure. But in the meantime, let’s not hasten this demise any worse than it has thanks, in part, to both the bankers and the appraisers.

If only these people would be patient and try holding out for a little more, they’d make more money while maintaining credibility at the same time. As it is now, those of us who believed in these guys are going to either/or (a) file a class action lawsuit or (b) be forced to call a bankruptcy attorney in the near future.

I’m starting to think that surgeons concentrating on the heart and the brain need not worry about hanging around bankers anymore.

You see, there is no work in either of the medical fields as it relates to the heart or the brain since nobody in the banking business seems to have one anyway.

As the dust begins to settle over the situation with the Nina Radetich controversy at KTNV TV-13, I sense that every other media outlet in Las Vegas is circling like a vulture.On one hand, competing media outlets are following the story of Radetich recommending boyfriend Jack Finn to provide damage control for Tire Works, which just happened to be the subject of an investigative story by Channel 13.

On the other hand, we might just have competing media outlets eager to take an advertiser’s money while also attempting to stay within the bounds of journalist integrity.

With regards to the Radetich situation, management at Channel 13 might actually believe that no ethical violation occurred although the higher-ups have to be the only ones with that opinion. Or yet another possibility could be that someone else at the station played a role in encouraging Radetich to counsel Tire Works owner Roshie Weightman just as the news department was about to unleash a critical report alleging wrongdoing.

In any case, there has been an ethical issue (or two) involved in a story that could be discussed in every high school and college journalism class in the country. The mere fact that the controversy surfaced in the first place is mind boggling, because the rules of journalism are spelled out quite well.

However, something tells me that we haven’t heard the end of this particular situation, since Tire Works spends considerable money and has proven a very valuable client in the past. Every advertising account rep has his or her hand out right now as everyone tries to survive the worst economic setback in the history of Las Vegas.

So if I were a fly on the wall of the other media outlets, I would listen carefully during these tough economic times. While I don’t know what Tire Works spends, I do know that if I was the general sales manager of another media outlet, I would love to have the money spent previously at KTNV TV-13 no matter what demands might be made as it relates to rates, etc.

And now that questions regarding the ethics of journalism have surfaced at KTNV, should we be concerned about the other stations? In other words, would the other stations cross the line to lure the advertising money their way now that everyone is suffering financially and advertising budgets have been cut dramatically?

Will another media outlet promise positive stories in conjunction with an advertising contract? Or at the very least, would another media outlet promise that the sales department will work closely with the news department so that there are no hurt feelings in the future?

At this point, every sales staff in the city is facing drastically reduced sales revenues. Cuts have been made on everything from editors to reporters and videographers not to mention producers and members of the all-important sales staffs.

And in the meantime, Finn has left NV Energy and KTNV is steadfastly supporting Radetich even though things have gone so bad that signs saying “Nina Lies” were seen hanging from freeway overpasses Tuesday.

It is ugly out there, even in a city many thought was actually recession-proof. The bottom fell out last October and many of the so-called experts don’t expect a turnaround for another two years.

So how far will journalists and sales departments go to survive? Will there be so-called “puff” stories about local businesses simply to attract future advertising? In this world of trying to survive, there’s no telling.

Stay tuned.

*****

Talented anchor and reporter Mitch Truswell, who left KVBC TV-3 after getting caught in budget cuts at the NBC station in Las Vegas, is now working as a freelance reporter at ABC15 KNXV in Phoenix.

Truswell, who joined KVBC in 2003 after working in Phoenix for six years, said he will be with the station at least through November.

If ever there was an example of one station’s loss being another’s gain, this is it. Truswell is not only an excellent journalist but also a very dedicated individual who was known for being involved in the community while working for KVBC.

As a former journalist who has made his living as a freelance writer for nearly 20 years, I am torn about the current controversy surrounding KTNV TV-13 anchor Nina Radetich.

On Sept. 12, Las Vegas Sun writer Abigail Goldman broke a huge story detailing how Radetich goofed – big time. Assuming that the story is correct, Las Vegas again has egg on its face although now someone reporting the news is making the news.

It seems that Channel 13 was working on an investigative story about alleged violations by Tire Works when Radetich supposedly advised Tire Works owner Roshie Weightman that damage control was available simply by calling Jack Finn, who just happens to be Radetich’s boyfriend.

 Finn, an employee of NV Energy, is a former TV journalist who moved on to work in politics before landing his latest gig which now allows him time to work as a consultant.

 However, the key element to all of this was (a) that someone within the newsroom at KTNV was willing to offer advice to Weightman and (b) that the counseling would be done by Radetich’s boyfriend.

Finn and Radetich reportedly have a combined income of more than $300,000 annually and why either of them would jeopardize such a healthy economic situation is mind-boggling.    The board rooms of both KTNV and Nv Energy have got to be filled with discontent and confusion as company executives try to figure out what to do with high-ranking employees whose careers and credibility are in the tank.

I like Nina Radetich and have even pitched stories to her. I don’t know Finn personally but if the buzz is true, the pair has some serious issues to deal with in the very near future considering that their alleged actions are now being reported on web sites and chat rooms all over the nation.

The executives of KTNV have never been known for using their heads anyway as evidenced by the way they have handled past PR nightmares. They fired long-time sportscaster Ron Futrell after a traffic accident in which Futrell was exonerated of all wrongdoings – and Futrell responded by winning a settlement that would have been even higher had he waited until he was cleared of all charges.

This entire situation is more than just slightly perplexing especially during these tough economic times. Milwaukee-based Journal Broadcast Group, which owns KTNV, is screaming at the Las Vegas station for not generating enough money and the station itself continues to implode after first reaching top rankings with its morning news show three years ago.

Just when the station reached the top of the ratings, KTNV’s brass fired comical weatherman Mark Pfister, sent Futrell packing and demoted fellow anchor Ricky
Cheese.

The newsroom at KTNV has more long faces than an unemployment line and it fascinates me to see those same employees with smiles as they report the news. Behind those smiling faces are troubled and frightened folks who now might feel that Iraq is safer that KTNV. I mean, foot soldiers in Iraq have better morale than anyone now affiliated with KTNV.

 Now, those who remain in the KTNV newsroom not to mention every other department are both embarrassed and scared to death. Sports caster Bryan Salmond is no longer with the station which now has no weekend sports segment; and anyone else with any dignity and dedication enters the station every day wondering if they will have a job by the end of the shift.

 Through all of this, members of the sales staff are being back-charged because many clients are not paying their advertising bills and employees are terrified that the memo from corporate will inform them they have been terminated.

If you’re a reporter at KTNV, you can’t possibly look people in the face and expect them to believe in your product now.

And if you’re in the sales department of the station, your next commission check could be even worse than the last. Along that line, I am wondering if anyone in the sales department had anything to do with getting Nina Radetich involved in an effort to settle down an upset client.

It didn’t have to be this way either. Unfortunately, everyone involved in this debacle didn’t think about the ramifications when they made bad decisions. Lord only knows when – or if – this thing will ever right side itself in the future.

 However, as shocking and sad as the situation has become at KTNV, don’t for a minute think this is the first – or the last – time that a key member of a local media outlet has used his or her clout while teaming with a spouse to pad the family check book.

This may be the tip of the iceberg. In the words of another long-time local journalist, the polygamists of Southern Utah aren’t as incestuous as people in Las Vegas.

When I decided at the age of 39 in late 1989 to spread my wings and leave the newspaper business, the move was nothing less than frightening, to say the least. With three kids at home, we really weren’t in any position to change careers.
However, I determined that change was good, so I jumped head-first into the world of self employment. It was time to start doing my own thing although I knew nothing about billing, collections, paying taxes and the rest.
Several months after beginning my new venture, someone suggested I take a Dale Carnegie course explaining that the education was invaluable and while the economic struggles weren’t addressed, dealing with people was a major element offered by he instructors.
I took the class and nearly 20 years later, I still feel it was the best money I could have spent at the time. Every session was an educational experience and the interaction with fellow students was fascinating as we all worked through everyday challenges.
In short we all learned how to deal with people challenges while also discovering how to set goals and live up to them at the same time. The experience was not only educational but a great way to network at the same time.
We discovered that every one of us had the same issues with our lives. In addition, learning to work through specific challenges was actually a very rewarding experience especially when newfound friends assisted in figuring out solutions to a specific concern.
The Dale Carnegie course was all about dealing with ourselves and the people around us. It was about communicating properly and reacting to others with more of an understanding nature so that everyone wins in the end.
Which brings me to the actions of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose recent outburst in Africa reminded me that she, too, desperately needs a Dale Carnegie course to help her understand how best to deal with people.
Clinton erupted at a student in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when asked for her husband Bill Clinton’s opinion on the role China is playing in the Congo. Mrs. Clinton immediately informed the questioner “I’m not going to be channeling my husband.”
Clinton compounded the problem adding “My husband is not Secretary of State. I am.”
In other words, she was telling the individual asking the question “Don’t ask stupid questions. I mean, don’t you realize I’m an important person with little time for such trivial questions?”
Clinton’s actions were embarrassing not only to herself but the Democratic Party, the nation she represents and those in the audience. Her aides are scrambling to make sense of how she treated the person presenting the question although the best PR person on earth will need a week and umpteen towels to wipe the egg off her face.
You can bet the media will be relentless in chasing this particular story primarily because it’s a slam dunk issue in which someone who is supposed to be an ambassador made a fool of herself. Columns addressing her actions will be written for months and bloggers will undoubtedly have a field day.
In the meantime, I have a suggestion for Clinton’s advisors who continue to address her outburst while trying to make sense of her actions.
Get Hillary Clinton into a Dale Carnegie course immediately. She will learn how to address questions without embarrassing people and as her advisor, you’ll spend far less time trying to explain her actions and instead spend your days doing something constructive.
Believe me, she will thank you forever. And in fact, I’ll bet Bill Clinton will, too.
 

With life being in absolute turmoil right now for the most part, I think I have found the great outlet.
For the past year or so, I have spent a good four nights a week participating in dance classes at our home in Southern Nevada. In my case, I attend Delgado Dance Studio, which I discovered one day when leaving a local gym.
I had passed the studio countless times before finally deciding to stop by and visit. For the most part, my dancing has consisted of a little two-stepping done to Country Music, and my participation on a dance floor has been quite slim.
However, what I discovered was a fascinating exercise frequented by others who like myself, want to find an avenue that has no resemblance to the train wrecks of bad news, unsettling times and the rest.
What I discovered was a new life where happy faces are the norm and the exercise is not only good for me physically but also mentally, too.
Over the past few months, my exposure to the dance world has expanded to include the Cha Cha, the Rumba, the Salsa and even a little Meregue. I didn’t know a thing about any of them the day I walked in the door for the first time and now I’m intrigued in Dancing With the Stars primarily because I now have a new appreciation for those who participate.
Mind you, I had a hard time putting one foot in front of the other when I started, but that hasn’t kept me from having the time of my life at dance classes – and that’s saying something for a 58-year-old guy with two bad feet.
Dancing is hard work but for the most part, you can take your time to learn the steps in whatever dance we’re learning. In addition, when you attend a dance class, you can usually rest assured that you’re not alone in your endeavor because most in your class are like you – just searching for a different world where there are smiling faces and good times.
As one person told me, “You know, when I attend dance classes, I know that I can leave my problems at the doorstep for that short period of time. I may have to pick them back up when I leave, but for that time while I’m dancing, I am free of my concerns.”
Bingo. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
In fact, as I look back at my own life, my only regret is that I didn’t learn about the dance world sooner. Truth be known, considering that health issues forced me into life-threatening surgery in late 1994, I’m now convinced that a good dance class mixed with a little Yoga would have helped expedite my recovery.
You see, dancing allows you to take one step at a time – literally. If you’re a slow learner who easily gets intimidated, you can take your town.
And if you’re someone like one of the stalwarts on Dancing With the Stars, get your dancing shoes on and go for it. There’s a unique world of dance floors out there complete with interesting people willing to participate in everything from the Chicken Dance to the Cha Cha and the rest.
Dance class kind of reminds of me of church. While I might feel as though I don’t have the energy to attend, I’m always happy that I went when I head home.

It is my belief that we find our best people during tough economic times. When things are good, the so-called experts are everywhere flashing phony smiles and offering cheap advice.
So as we continue to struggle with every conceivable element related to the economy nowadays, there is a select group of people who deserve a salute considering their tenacity.
In particular, Saturn of St. George general manager Travis Bostwick and Mesquite, Nev. casino mogul Randy Black come to mind as individuals who are struggling but refusing to give up at the same time.
In Bostwick, we have a 40-year-old native of St. George, Utah whose voice can be heard all over radio stations when so many others in his profession are throwing in the towel. During the Easter Weekend, I must have heard him pitching his dealership no less than 10 times a day.
He is believable even though rumors out of General Motors have been dire to say the least. Even with a high level of bad public relations messages, Bostwick has been pushing full-speed ahead telling anyone who will listen that he’s going to be here and his product remains a good purchase especially with incentive plans that have been offered during the past few weeks.
Consistency is king in business nowadays. Bostwick probably isn’t selling as many cars as he was a couple of years ago, but his delivery is proof positive that he’s not taking down his tent.
Proof is Bostwick’s radio commercials during a time when so many automobile executives have cut or eliminated their advertising budgets. If you’re driving anywhere near Southern Utah, the Travis Bostwick messages illustrating his continued belief in Saturn are both convincing and effective.
And with the recent announcement that auto racing icon Roger Penske was purchasing Saturn, things are sure to get even better for all Saturn dealerships. However, it takes a special person to survive the down times long enough to enjoy the benefits, and Bostwick’s tenacity is paying off again now that Penske has put his belief in the Saturn line.
Like Bostwick, Randy Black possesses an interesting pitch that never seems to die even when the television or radio commercials have subsided. The owner of the Casa Blanca and Virgin River hotel casinos in Mesquite, Black is a tireless worker who has participated in a long line of competitive ventures ranging from real estate to homebuilding and even off-road racing.
In fact, the former resident of Kingman, Ariz. once explained off-road racing provided the ultimate challenge with a pair of possible outcomes.
“When you’re running an off-road car, you put your foot flat on the floor and one of two things happen,” Black once said.
“You either win or you die.”
AJ Foyt and Richard Petty could not have said it any better. And while it’s been many years since he got all he could out of an off-road car, his philosophy remains the same only with a different set of logistical challenges.
In both Bostwick and Black, you will find a couple of characters who face frightening double-jumps every day. They may apply the brake simply to slow down and regroup, but neither one of them will ever be seen getting out of the car and throwing their helmet in disgust.
They don’t know how to quit even when so many others around them are doing just that. They smile when things are good and they keep the faith when things are not so good.
The key to both Bostwick and Black is that they don’t go to the extreme in either situation. They keep telling the world that their products are available while also presenting incentives encouraging their customers to believe in their pitches.
While Bostwick keeps selling Saturns in St. George, Black tells anyone who will listen that Mesquite is the ideal getaway with inexpensive rooms complemented by gorgeous golf courses, skeet shooting, and even better, a chance to chill out with a world-famous massage.
Frankly, I get tired of people who complain when things get tough. It’s more difficult to find the good when things are bad and only lazy people choose to cry about everything from the economy to the weather and the traffic.
In the meantime, I’ll gladly adopt Bostwick, Black and Rudy Ruettiger as my motivators since they’re true examples of individuals who refuse to give up. Bostwick and Black have competed in at least one element automobiles and Ruettiger once sold Cadillacs before vaulting his career as a motivational speaker.
Ruettiger made the Notre Dame football team even though he stands only 5-foot-6. To say he has drive is an understatement.
Whether they’re driving it or selling it, competitive and successful people usually have some sort of a tie to the automobile.
No, it’s not easy right now, that’s for sure. But I have more respect for those who refuse to give up than I do for those who hunker down.
And if you have a group of worn-out souls looking for a boost, just remember that Bostwick, Black and Ruettiger have been successful simply because they refuse to take their foot off the gas even when they are facing a massive double jump.

 Every time I pay my last respects at a funeral, I tend to wonder about the statement that the deceased “is now in a better place.” However, I think I have finally figured why people say that the individual who has died is on to better things.

 From someone who has cheated death on several occasions, I remember well having seizures in my continued bout with epilepsy dating back to the time I was about seven years of age.

The epilepsy has been removed from my life thanks to the work of doctors at Scripps Green Hospital, where at the age of 43, right-side temporal lobectomy brain surgery Dec. 6, 1994 not only ended the seizures but probably saved my life at the same time.

 One day before the surgery, I would have four seizures. The next day, my doctors that included brain surgeon Dr. Thomas Waltz and neurologist Dr. Andy Aung removed a sizeable chunk of my brain to end a long battle.

With the space I now have on the right side of my head, I joke that I am literally an airhead.  An MRI earlier this year showed a significant gap behind my right eye.

However, while I am well now, I often think back about the seizures I experienced for decades. They would strike unexpectedly and in some cases, I would awaken confused, tired and frightened at the experience.

In some cases, epileptic seizures can result in death. However, when an epileptic has a seizure, there generally is no pain considering that the person sometimes passes out only to awaken some time later.

 My own life could have been ended quickly, although in each case I would recover to face another day. And after thinking about the many years with epilepsy, it finally struck me that dying would not have been a big deal considering the fact that it happened so quickly.

Truth be known, awakening was the hard part knowing that surviving the next day would provide the biggest challenge of all. Facing the reality of one issue after another is actually our greatest test.

Slumping to the ground wasn’t a big deal, although it did create an embarrassment factor that was tough to live with. While recovering from the seizure, there was a level of relief along with an element of mystery knowing this sort of thing could happen anywhere, anytime.

Personally, I am glad I survived my own health issues.  However, the fact remains that I have begun to realize that today’s woes ranging from a sagging economy to simply paying bills is not easy.

And on several occasions, I was a candidate to move on to “a better place.” I no longer would have had to worry about the long list of challenges that seem to get even greater as we get older.

I could have been a simple memory, but instead I arose to face another day. Surely, there is a reason.

When Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore died from complications related to an ATV crash, Matthews told a crowd at the Staples Center in Las Angeles, “It’s always easier to leave than be left.”

I mean, dying would have been a painless step -- no big deal. It’s the surviving part that can be a real drag and I’m starting to realize why many say the Golden Years can make epilepsy-related headaches seem minor.

 In an instant, it could have all been over. One more mention in an obituary notice.

However, there was apparently more on the board for me to do before getting to a better place. It wasn’t time to give up yet even though checking out would have been much easier.

 And I’ll take the extra time on earth. Besides, I have never been one to give up.
 

With all that I like about Southern Utah, I have come to realize a couple of things that really bug me.
First is the polygamy issue. I mean, it’s a very complex topic, for sure, but from a personal standpoint I cannot understand why any man would subject himself to having more than one woman under the same roof going through the change at the same time.
Something tells me a swan dive off the Bixby Bridge south of Carmel, Calif., would be more appealing.
That brings me to a more serious note this one regarding people who let their dogs ride in the bed of a pickup truck. In the past 10 days, I have heard from two people voicing concerns about this and one was from someone with Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab where the hundreds of rescued pets include 22 pit bulls that were victims of NFL quarterback Michael Vick and his dog-fighting ring.
Knowing how our spoiled-rotten Schnauzer named Blitz rides in the cab of our pickup while being spoon-fed filet mignon (I’m still amazed he doesn’t have his own seat belt), seeing other dogs clinging to the side of a truck as the driver heads down the street like Cha Cha Muldowney in a Top Fuel dragster absolutely floors me.
So help me, I guarantee you that when I stop for gas anywhere in Southern Utah, there’s going to be at least one guy in a pickup with a dog in the bed of the truck complete with a gun rack in the rear window. And that same guy wearing a cowboy hat will strut like he’s Tom Crews walking up to receive an Oscar Award.
I mean, it almost seems like some sort of a status symbol when someone throws their dog in the back of a pickup for a ride. I guess you could say a dog in Southern Utah is almost Gucci-like and putting that same dog in the back of a pickup is about like a gang member having a pair of dice hanging from the rear view mirror.
I’m not sure of how many dogs have been injured or killed after being thrown out of the back of a truck, but I have to believe the numbers are rising.
In fact, while heading down Highway 89 the other day, I kept hearing a dog barking. But this was really interesting since the dog wasn’t even in the bed of the truck but on a platform behind the tailgate. The driver was going so fast I almost dislocated my neck trying to catch the scene of the northbound truck as I was heading south.
I wanted to make a U-turn and chase the guy down before asking some hard questions. But with the luck I have, I probably would have been busted by one of those small-town cops who sit alongside the roadway waiting for speeders to complement the coffers.
Truth-be-known, the cop undoubtedly would have been related to the driver of the pickup. I started to think this whole thing was nothing but a setup, so I adjusted the dislocated vertebrae in my spine and headed on down the road.
Even more interesting was that I was only a couple of miles from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. That’s certainly ironic considering that the sight of a dog in the back of a pickup truck not only brings cringes to animal lovers at BFAS but is tantamount to plopping your nine month old son on the hood of your car while darting in and out of high-speed traffic on I-15.
I dunno. The scenery in Southern Utah is awesome and 99 percent of the people are wonderful. But something tells me the next Utah legislature needs a new bill introduced dealing with cowboys who throw their dogs in the back of their trucks before assuming the role of Harry Hot Rod.
Dogs deserve better, believe me.

Mike Henle is a Las Vegas-based freelance writer and the author of “Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted via email at mhenle@aol.com or through his web site www.mikehenle.com.

Las Vegas television stations are losing talented personnel as key personalities leave willingly and without choice.
At KTNV TV-13, weather forecaster Amanda Sanchez is leaving the station to become meteorologist at the CBS affiliate in Sacramento.
The loss of Sanchez comes at a bad time for KTNV, which is in the middle of a crippling hiring freeze. However, the move is especially beneficial for Sanchez, who is from Reno and will now be closer to her family.
In the meantime, talented reporter and anchor Mitch Truswell will soon leave KVBC TV-3 where has been a proven member of the news staff serving in various roles including that of the station’s investigative reporter.
Truswell’s departure comes in the middle of budget cuts at KVBC which is an NBC affiliate. He joined the station as a morning and noon anchor in 2003 after working in Phoenix for six years and leaves as the station a victim of budget cuts.
Since joining KVBC, Truswell has been heavily involved in the community where he has been on the Board of Directors for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Southern Nevada.

 

Long-time Las Vegas Motor Speedway marketing executive Ricky May has resigned to return to North Carolina.
May’s replacement at LVMS will be Mike Mossholder, who most recently worked as VP of the sales department at Churchill Downs Inc. in Louisville since September 2008.
Mossholder, who begins at LVMS in late July, also worked in marketing with the Miami Dolphins.
May, a long-time friend of LVMS Vice President and General Manager Chris Powell, came to LVMS about 10 years ago. He was named vice president of sales and marketing in May 2001 and has overseen the track’s marketing, advertising, sales and promotions.
Prior to moving to Las Vegas, May worked in the sports marketing industry after graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1980. He worked with the athletic department at the University of Louisville as assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions before venturing into motorsports with Valvoline Oil Co., where he served s director of sports marketing with drivers such as Al Unser Jr. and Mark Martin.
 

Not everyone thinks the line is good for Las Vegas. Some like former sheriff Bill Young among others think the marketing line draws low-class individuals who actually do more harm to the city than anything else.

It's almost as though a good, solid soul can come to Vegas and while flying to Southern Nevada, he or she suudenly adopts the belief that being weird is good in Vegas. When the person gets here, anything goes. It's a mental thing, for sure, but does this create a monster that is bigger than anyone realized?

Young, who is now the head of security for Station Casinos, bristles when speaking about the line. In fact, he's so insistent that the line has done more harm than good that you can actually see the concern in his eyes.

In fact, for those who really don't like what Vegas has become -- a city rife with shucksters and husslers, "Las Vegas: What Happens Here Stays Here"  almost seems to invite the illicit types to a city which seemingly welcomes such low lives with open arms.

And then, too, there are still others who think the line was popular elsewhere when illicit or immoral activities were the norm. Nothing new about the line, some will say, especially considering that it actually wasn't created in Las Vegas in the first place.

In particular, politicians say the line actually started in Carson City during the legislative sessions. And with so many politicians now coming forth to admit extra marital affairs nationwide, it almost seems that the line might just fit well in every political session in the country.

Just when you start to have faith in a particular individual or process, something embarrassing is exposed and you immediately begin wiping the egg yoff our face for having so much belief in that particular individual. When John Ensign raced home to admit to his extra marital affair with a staffer, we learn that the staffer's husband was apparently wanting money to keep his mouth shut.

And as is the case with so many national stories, Ensign's has a tie to Vegas. No matter what the story line, it's almost as though every controversy has legs to Southern Nevada.

I mean, it's like one vicious circle. I know of people who have actually moved away from Vegas primarily because they don't trust people there anymore. Add to all of this the fact that so many Clark County Commissioners have been indicted that a special wing named in their honor makes sense, you begin to wonder if  "Las Vegas: What  Happens Here Stays Here" has created long-lasting damage that may never be corrected.

The "Las Vegas: What Happens Here Stays Here" was intended to be unique and different -- and it has been just that. But on the same hand, has the line actually done more harm than anything else?

Said one person, "I got tired of people saying hello and shaking my hand only because they wanted to get into my pocket and not because they were really interested in being my friend."

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