So, what’s new?

• Nor’Town City Council will add some fees to Code Enforcement violations to help fill the budget gap. (Sun) Residents will no doubt be surprised to hear that there is still such a thing as a Code Enforcement Officer, given the last sighting dates from the mid-1960′s.
• Nor’Town City Council takes another shot at getting the state to pay for libraries. (RJ)
• Nor’Town Council officially marks 1/3rd completion of the first phase of North Fifth Street. (Sun) Not familiar with North Fifth? Well try this: Drive north from Alexander to Craig on North Fifth and your axle will remember for you. And if you keep going far enough you’ll find an empty piece of ground called Goett’s Lament. Others call it Little Switzerland cuz it’s owned pretty much by Credit Suisse. Oh, okay. Nobody calls it that.
• The endangered Moapa Dace seems to finally met its end in the recent fire at Moapa Springs. Spokesfolks for the Center for Biological Diversity are claiming that even if flame retardant hasn’t wiped out the Ice Age fish, plans to pump the aquifer will probably finish them off. (KLAS) The fish, affectionately called “guppies” by ever-sensitive Clark County Commission Tom Collins may have bigger worries. Apparently the commissioner ran through the creek containing the critters several times in his SUV just in case he missed any. (RJ)
• Nor’Townie State Senator Steven Horsford is shutting down what looked like a sweet deal for folks who wanted to get more up close and personal with him. He sent out a fund-raising letter offering all sorts of goodies if you would just throw some money at his political action committee, unimaginatively named Victory 2010. For $25,000 you got dinner with Horsford and other state senate committee chairs. (NNB,My4News) No telling what you would get for larger amounts, but it seems to me it should at least involve some hookers and a vat of Jello. At bare minimum.
• The City’s Park and Recreation Advisory Board is not officially in rebellion over possible budget cuts to Parks, claims chair. (VN)
• However, City Council thinks that $31,200 for their car allowances is well worth the staffer let go to pay for them. (RJ)
• New boss of the Norftown Chamber of Commerce, Michael Varney, is wondering, after the Chamber loses half of its 600 members to the recession, whether Nor’Town’s glass is half empty, or half full. (RJ,LVBN) No news yet if he would like to stomp on the endangered Bear Poppy, like his predecessor.
• City nearly kills with kindness. (KLAS)

Freiss's remark appeared in his blog Vegas Happens Here where he was commenting on a move by the owners of the Palazzo to change a sports bar into a sports book.

Freiss denied that the chicken wing remark was meant to make fun of blacks. Rather, it was intended to make fun of denizens of sports bars:

In an e-mail response to the Sun asking about his remarks, Friess
said: "I would never have considered chicken wings to be viewed as a
black food and did not write it in order to evoke that sense. Chicken
wings are a staple of every sports bars I've ever been in, which is why
I made reference to them."

He also said, "Some may view it as inappropriate to view 40/40 Club
as a black-oriented business. Those people would be deliberately
ignorant." (Sun)

In a recent update, Friess suggests that the fracas was partially some payback from a Sun reporter who had been the subject of some embarrassing posts by Freiss. (VHH)

Which, if true, raises the question, why did Horsford get in the middle of the fight?

A. This
is a valid concern for the residents of North Las Vegas.  It is also a
matter which might be best addressed by the North Las Vegas City
Council.  I echo the concerns of my constituents and there should be an
appropriate balance which is maintained when it comes to building these
high density projects. Single family home owners should not feel like
their quality of life is being compromised by developers who want to
push growth by any means.

Q. North Las Vegans and others in
the northern valley are worried about the noise and possible shooting
mishaps which may result from the construction of the new Clark County
Shooting Park. If elected, what would you do to ensure that people
living near the park will remain safe and their neighborhoods
reasonably quiet?

A. The
decision to build has already been made at the Federal level.  But I
also believe that before a project like this is built, there should be
an evaluation done on its impact.  Perhaps local officials and project
developers can agree to reduce the proposed size of this project. 
While I agree that there should be a safe, regulated alternative to
residents who want to engage in recreational shooting, we need
to acknowledge the potential problems that come with this facility
and try to minimize them as best we can.

Q. Many North Las Vegans are concerned about the proposed construction of
a large road system in the northern valley called the Sheep Mountain
Parkway. Do you favor or oppose the construction of this parkway and
why?

A. I
support looking at alternative means to deal with our demanding
transportation needs.  This would also include looking at partnerships
between private and public sectors that will bring about alternative
solutions to what is being proposed.

Q. During the last view years, there have been a number of shootings at
schools and elsewhere involving children. What would you do, if
elected, to reduce the number of shootings at our schools and in our
neighborhoods?

A. I
am very compassionate about the issue of school safety.  I recently
held a statewide town hall meeting with high school students.  We had a
chance to learn first hand what students experience everyday while in
school and their surrounding neighborhoods. I acknowledge that it will
take the collaboration of law enforcement, school officials, students,
along with their families to identify solutions that keep our schools
safe.  Education and the safety of our children are both important
areas that I have committed to working on as an elected official.  At
the state level I will continue to work with others to create the
appropriate policies and support the right programs which decrease the
incidence of violence in our schools.

Q. What would you do to deal with the budget shortfalls at your level of
government (state, county, city)? What would you do to guarantee, as
Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley has promised, that they will never
happen again?

A. I
can guarantee that state legislators will be committed to working in a
bi-partisan manner to address the budget shortfalls.  I will work to
help create a fiscal process which is transparent and will not land us
in this type of crisis again.

Q. Do you support the construction of a Tule Springs Ice Age Park (http://tulespringslv.com)? Why or why not?

A. I
support projects that will help preserve as much of our natural habitat
as we can.  Projects such as these can be great resources to our
schools, families, and visitors as they are educational. Preserving the
13,000 acres at Tule Springs and making it accessible as an Ice Age
Park would be a benefit to our community. 

Q. What will be your most important priority if elected? What steps would you take to attain that priority?

A. Dealing
with the budget shortfalls would be my most important priority to start
as solutions here impact all other areas of need we have in this
state.  As Senate Leader my priorities will focus on many other matters
(i.e. healthcare, education, the economy/jobs) and I will use my
leadership role to work with my colleagues in the legislature as we
identify viable solutions for all.

More Info: http://www.stevenhorsford.com.

Marilyn Kirkpatrick: marilyn@marilynkirkpatrick.com
Ruben Kihuen: http://www.rubenforassembly.com/contact.php
John Lee: John@leefornevada.com
Kelvin Atkinson: http://www.atkinson4nevada.com

• So, slap some new paint on the Sliver Nugget and have the taxpayers buy the City Council a shiny new building, and you now what you get? "Downtown redevelopment." (Sun)
• Remember that guy who wanted to pull all the park cops out of the parks over Memorial weekend? Except, of course, the future site of the shooting park, cuz it gets nasty up there. Well, he's gone. (RJ)
• Steven Horsford, or "Horsford" as Barrack calls him, is basking in the glow of Obama's recent nabbing of the Democratic presidential nomination. (Sun)
• Shelley Berkley, meanwhile, an ardent Clinton supporter, waits longingly by the phone for Obama to call. (RJ)
• But, but, where's Ruben Kihuen? On myspace. Do you think he'll be able to get the culinary union to become a myspace friend?

  "The first-term assemblyman and first immigrant elected to the Nevada
  Legislature endorsed Clinton and took her on a tour of his
  Culinary-heavy district. He told her members were ignoring the Obama
  endorsement and supporting her, in front of the assembled national
  press corps. It was seen as an attempt to drive a stake through the
  heart of the union.

  "Kihuen was elected with much help from the Culinary political
  organization, though he told the Sun the union’s help has been
  overstated.

  "In any case, union officials are still fuming, according to sources familiar with their thinking.

  "Kihuen, who didn’t return a phone call Friday, was offered a chance
  to apologize and make amends at a meeting, but either declined or
  failed to do so adequately, according to a source familiar with the
  meeting but not associated with either party." (Sun)

• "Troubled" Nor'Town Housing Authority gives up. One reason HUD doesn't like them? Cuz they're basically the City Council: '[HUD] further criticized the agency for
  the make-up of its board. Four out of the five board members, including
  its chairman, William Robinson, also serve as North Las Vegas City
  Council members." (RJ) There must be a swell mayoral race slogan in there somewhere! "Vote for {select one: Stephanie Smith, William Robinson}! He/She Killed the Housing Authority!"