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TONIGHT'S RALSTON REPORTS: ACLU vs. Rawson-Neal and NPRI vs. CCEA.
DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY 2014: 510
DAYS UNTIL THE TEEN CAN AFFECT THE POLITICAL WORLD: 30
Good morning, everyone. The big push for immigration reform is on, as you can see from some items below and from who is in DC this week, as locals try to get Sen. Dean Heller and Reps. Mark Amodei and Joe Heck on board (tougher for two congressmen than senator, I’d say). Among those...
Good morning, everyone. Not surprisingly, the Reno Gazette-Journal had the best obit/remembrance of Barbara Vucanovich, complete with written and photographic treatments. Nicely done. Yes, she was 91 and lived a long, fruitful life. But I still feel the sadness of the passing of an era and of a woman who was so charmingly blunt in a world of plastic poseurs.
Vucanovich could have been in the first major race I ever covered in Nevada politics – the 1986 U.S. Senate race for Paul Laxalt's seat...
Good morning, everyone. I know you are wondering the same thing I am this morning: Does the NSA read the Morning Flash? And without a subscription? And why hasn’t the NSA been better at being first with the trivia answers? Yes, I am puzzled, too.
As we enter the Season of Speculation, which normal people call “summer,” I have to be honest: I really don’t want to talk about the Legislature anymore. I could whine a bit about the dashed high hopes, on everything from tax policy to transparency....
Good morning, everyone. I miss Carson City already. OK, that woke you up, I bet. I look forward to reading all the wrap-up pieces on Sunday, as well as the “newspaper’s”s unscientific poll of lobbyists and legislators about the best and the worst. (I will expose ballot-stuffing!) Now begins the slowest part of the two-year cycle, which will last until Labor Day when the Sisolak-Flores ticket is unveiled to save the Democrats---
I am going to try to recover from the end of Session ’13 by taking...
Good morning, everyone. Here is my rule of thumb on what to believe from lawmakers and others involved in a Legislature in the hours, days, even weeks following sine die: Nothing. People are tired and dazed and often angry/frustrated. People will say they will never run again or will run for something else. Maybe. But let’s wait a bit – until the fall, at least.
One other truism I have learned as all sessions end ugly: No one really cares how they culminate except those who are there, and even...
Good morning, everyone. Late night last night, with both houses working into Day 120 on Day 119. Hence, the lateness of theMorning Flash and its brevity. Look for updates all day long on the final day here.
The absence these last few days of state Sen. Joyce Woodhouse has changed the dynamic here, despite the classy pronouncements from Republicans. All of the budget bills are fine – although please watch how all of the Republicans who voted for them will not all vote for the money to pay for...
Good morning, everyone. I got excited for a moment Thursday during a chat with Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick when she told me they were aiming to be done by Sunday, one day before the constitutionally mandated close of the Legislature. But then she clarified: They plan to get the major bills out of the way by Sunday so they can just do clean-up stuff on the last day. I see. Not that I would take that to the bank – the motto of this session will not be “Promises Made, Promises Kept.” But if it...
Good morning, everyone. Sorry this is a bit late as I am trying to recover from a Third House hangover. Or perhaps it’s guilt for all of the terrible, terrible things we said last night to skewer the poor Gang of 63. Guilt? Ha. Sorry, I am still in a joking mood.
Woke up wondering what Warren Buffett will buy next. We are, as everyone knows, a cheap date. One wag suggested his next purchase should be the Las Vegas Sun. Buffett is on anewspaper-buying spree, so maybe it’s not so far-fetched. But...
Good morning, everyone. As lobbyists scurry in the hallways to assure last-minute favors for their clients and four new leaders confront the messy business of closing the session, I keep hearing two words repeated over and over: Term limits. It’s not a new meme, but folks up here are talking about the toll they have taken on the process. And it will continue as experience evacuates and newbie’s descend. Has it helped the process? Don’t get me started.
One thing to look for in the closing days...
Good morning, everyone. Sending a bit late from 30,000 feet. With less than a week to go, it all seems like a blur now, doesn’t it? The Democratic leaders promising the world. Brooks. Brooks. Brooks. NV Energy’s gambit. The SJR 13 miracle in the Senate. Mining. Mining. Mining. The Democrats disappoint. Gaming wins. And the end is near----
Lots of interesting stuff Sunday for premium subscribers. Grades for Gov. Brian Sandoval are high despite lack of engagement. Expected veto count ranges from...