Tony Cook

Story Archive

Indictment: Lots from campaigns, little to IRS: Former commissioner’s son, daughter-in-law charged in tax case; Saturday, March 15, 2008; Former Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates’ son was barely old enough to drink when his mother showered at least $356,166 in campaign money on him, his wife and the young couple’s advertising company.
Former commissioner's son, daughter-in-law indicted: Friday, March 14, 2008; Brian P. Atkinson-Turner, the son of former Clark County Commissioner, Yvonne Atkinson Gates, and his wife, Kathryn O’Gara, have been arrested on a federal tax evasion charges, U.S. Attorney Gregory A. Brower announced.
Hospital defends its $1 million deal: Some county officials critical of easy approval; Thursday, March 13, 2008; University Medical Center officials and some Clark County leaders continued Wednesday to defend a pricey hospital contract awarded last year to Dr. Dipak Desai, whose clinics are at the center of an unprecedented infectious disease crisis.
Pricey Desai dumped by hospital: Doctor agrees to cancel deal official said held UMC ‘hostage’; Wednesday, March 12, 2008; University Medical Center on Tuesday canceled its contract with Dr. Dipak Desai, whose clinic is at the center of the nation’s largest hepatitis C scare. But the history behind the lucrative contract — under which Desai and his company received nearly $1 million a year — leaves lingering questions.
Like it or not, condo project going up at mountain: Sunday, March 9, 2008; Mount Charleston residents fiercely protested a condominium project on Kyle Canyon Road during last week’s Clark County zoning meeting. County commissioners said they disliked the project, too. Then they voted to approve it.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice ...: Republic Services got commissioner to pay for free service — the first time; Friday, March 7, 2008; Republic Services charged a resident $30 for a service that’s supposed to be free, then tried to justify it by citing a law that doesn’t exist.
Like sewer rate plan? Depends: Proposal to raise rates in valley to pay for rural improvements would benefit some, hurt others; Wednesday, March 5, 2008; Clark County is considering an increase in sewer rates to help pay to replace deteriorating facilities in its rural areas — places such as Overton and Indian Springs.
Sexual abuse exams to resume at Children’s Advocacy Center: Tuesday, March 4, 2008; Clark County commissioners approved today the hiring of a new team of physicians to conduct sexual abuse exams at the Children's Advocacy Center next to the county's family court facility.
Struggling Boulder City Hospital to seek tax district status — and funding: Official says money is needed for emergency room upgrade, technology; Tuesday, March 4, 2008; The chief executive of the private Boulder City Hospital has grown weary of hearing demands for more — and better — services from his little hospital, the only one in town. Well, he says, if residents want more doctors, more fancy equipment and faster emergency room care, they are going to have to chip in.
Friends vouch for ousted UMC boss: Public officials among writers who plead for reduced bail for Thomas; Tuesday, March 4, 2008; When you’ve been indicted on public corruption charges, friends aren’t easy to find. But former University Medical Center boss Lacy Thomas proved last week he still has a few, gathering a handful of letters from friends who pleaded for his bail to be eliminated or reduced.
Group home a bad neighbor, some say: County will weigh whether it should be closed following complaints of residents behaving badly; Sunday, March 2, 2008; Neighbors tell all kinds of horror stories about Eagle Ridge Manor, a group home for the elderly and mentally ill tucked into a residential cul-de-sac in the northwest part of the valley.
Thomas pleads not guilty; trial date set: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008; Former University Medical Center boss Lacy Thomas pleaded not guilty to all counts during his arraignment on public corruption charges today in district court.
Garbage hauler’s been cleaning up on overﬁlled bins: Republic now agrees to prove spills before charging extra; Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008; Republic Services has been ignoring county law and improperly charging property managers a penalty fee for overfilled trash containers — a practice it says it will halt unless it has the photos to prove garbage was spilling from the bins.
Testimony: Thomas boldly cut iffy deals: Cronies in business just to bilk UMC, investigators say; Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008; During Lacy Thomas’ reign as chief executive of University Medical Center he created his own rules, brazenly awarded lucrative contracts to unqualified friends and ousted executives who dared to defy him, according to grand jury testimony.
Here’s your park back; we don’t want it: Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008; Clark County officials performed something of an Abbott and Costello routine at Tuesday’s county commission meeting.
At twice the price, UMC still saves $230,000: Two contractors will do the work of one, with no pay cut for the first; Friday, Feb. 22, 2008; A physicians group offers to do a job for $60,000 annually, but after getting the contract, realizes it can’t perform part of the work. So the hospital gives that job to a separate doctor for another $60,000 a year — without reducing the amount of the first contract.
County seeks a loyal lobbyist to call its own: Last time around, duo double-dipped with gaming giant, creating conflict; Monday, Feb. 18, 2008; Clark County’s most pressing candidate search right now is for a new University Medical Center chief executive, but it’s not the only position available.
UMC pick: What kind of success?: Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008; The central question: Who can best stem the hospital’s massive financial losses and restore public trust? Commissioners have to choose from among three vastly different candidates.
Retired rear admiral: Smallpox scare was a misunderstanding, false alarm: Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008; Here’s a job interview question that’s never fun to answer: Why did you create a smallpox scare on a crowded airplane?
Glitch puts grand jury on hold over UMC: Corruption case’s next date: Unknown; Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008; A logistical glitch Tuesday pushed back a Clark County grand jury’s decision on whether to indict former University Medical Center boss Lacy Thomas on corruption charges stemming from contracts he authorized at the public hospital.
In UMC corruption case, shoe to drop soon: Grand jury looks into how no-bid contracts were awarded at public hospital; Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008; A Clark County grand jury is likely to decide today whether former University Medical Center boss Lacy Thomas will face corruption charges stemming from no-bid contracts he authorized at the hospital.
Check cashing closer to homes: That’s what the county is thinking about allowing; Monday, Feb. 11, 2008; For many Clark County residents, check cashing joints are about as desirable as poison ivy.
At county, two bosses looking out for workers: Critic: Commissioners ‘Pavlovian’ for labor; Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008; Since Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani took office last year, she and Commissioner Tom Collins have been fierce advocates of organized labor, especially the county employees union.
Neighbors say group home poses problems: Monday, Feb. 4, 2008
Tax money buys tickets to special events, too: Official: Spending serves residents; Monday, Feb. 4, 2008; Turns out commissioners aren’t the only Clark County officials spending taxpayer money on special events.
Keen readers will recall the Sun’s recent stories about how commissioners and Las Vegas City Council members regularly host parties and sponsor other activities on the public dime. They say the spending is an important way to stay in touch with constituents and help the less fortunate.
Trail from UMC leads to suspect goods: New clues emerge as police investigate how the public hospital is bleeding money; Friday, Feb. 1, 2008; Metro Police turned up a storage unit full of what appeared to be University Medical Center equipment and new leads in their investigation of the public hospital’s facilities department when they served three search warrants Wednesday.
Boggs’ spending will get a second look: Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008; State agents said Wednesday they will investigate former Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs’ reported use of $15,900 in campaign funds to pay a criminal defense lawyer.
Boggs: I’ve paid $15,940; Lawyer: I’ve not been paid: Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008; Former Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs claimed in her recently filed campaign reports that she paid attorney Bill Terry $10,000, but Terry’s statements during a court hearing appear to contradict the filing.
Boggs did not hold office in 2007, but that didn’t stop her from raising and spending campaign money.
How many free jackets can a guy wear?: Commissioners, other officials report gifts; Monday, Jan. 28, 2008; Jackets ranked at the top of the list of gifts given to Clark County commissioners this year, followed by tickets to sporting events.
Partying away as taxpayers pay and pay: Vegas council members spend $190,000 on special events over 18 months; Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008; Proving that Las Vegas knows how to throw a party, City Council members spent more than $190,000 on special events during the past 18 months.
U.S. voters fired up — like Nevadans: Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008; It’s one thing to start a fire in the woods of New Hampshire or the cornfields of Iowa. It’s another to set the Mojave Desert ablaze, as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards did in Nevada last week.
Ratepayers shouldn’t foot bill, DA says: Question is whether Clark County will risk legal battle with Republic; Monday, Jan. 21, 2008; As Clark County and garbage company Republic Services near an agreement with federal authorities on how to close the old Sunrise Landfill, a big question remains unanswered: Who will pay for the work?
Audit: After-school program invited theft: Monday, Jan. 21, 2008; You probably wouldn’t expect your gym teacher to be a financial expert. So maybe it’s unfair to expect the folks at Clark County’s Parks and Recreation Department to have a strong grasp on its finances.
Clinton campaign and at-large caucus sites – Part Two: Friday, Jan. 18, 2008
Clinton camp confused over at-large caucus sites: Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008
Obama’s victory-in-courts lap: Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008
Fewer children at Child Haven -- and that's good news: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008
It’s Culinary vs. everyone else in labor spat: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008; Long-simmering tensions between Nevada’s largest union, Culinary Workers Local 226, and other state labor organizations have spilled over to presidential politics and are now playing a role in Saturday’s Democratic caucus.
Doing right by former workers would cost taxpayers $130,000: Monday, Jan. 14, 2008; This week is dominated by Nevada’s Jan. 19 caucus, and because most commissioners are active in one presidential campaign or another, it’s probably a good thing that fewer items are scheduled for their Tuesday meeting than we’ve ever seen here at Week in Review.
But that doesn’t mean the wheels of county government stop turning. In fact, Commissioner Tom Collins is hard at work on an interesting proposal this week.
SEIU rises above chaos for Obama: Union squabbles up to last-minute endorsement; Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008; The Service Employees International Union Nevada endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday night, a tortured decision after a series of fumbles and internal strife that continued to the end. The chaotic selection process and deep division within the union’s ranks will likely diminish the endorsement’s weight. The decision came after a teleconference among 34 of the union’s 44-member executive board Tuesday.
Rory Reid’s gamble on Clinton turns riskier: For campaign honcho, Jan. 19 can pay off or burn; Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008; It seemed a safe bet when mild-mannered Clark County commissioner Rory Reid came out -- in his first high-profile role on a national stage -- for Sen. Hillary Clinton nearly a year ago. But since then, it’s become apparent just how risky the move was for Reid.
Owners of racy news racks get a breather while they sue: County can’t charge us more because it doesn’t like what we sell, owners say; Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008; Operators of news racks stuffed with erotic publications on the Strip made good on their threat to sue Clark County when they filed a lawsuit Dec. 26. Merry Christmas, commissioners!
DA will go after former UMC boss: Prosecutor to begin long process of presenting corruption case Jan. 15; Friday, Jan. 4, 2008; After an investigation that began over a year ago, Clark County District Attorney David Roger plans to take the case against former University Medical Center boss Lacy Thomas to a grand jury this month.
WEEK IN REVIEW: CLARK COUNTY: Monday, Dec. 24, 2007; Out-of-towners inevitably ask the question when you pick them up at McCarran International Airport.
At mobile home park, half a rent increase better than whole: Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007; The residents of Cactus Ridge Mobile Home Community are getting relief from steep rent increases, even if the park's owner is making no guarantees about its future.
In parking fight with Wynn, this round goes to Adelson: Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007; In parking fight with Wynn, this round goes to Adelson
WEEK IN REVIEW: CLARK COUNTY: Monday, Dec. 17, 2007; Anyone who is rich and owns casinos in Macau will tell you: Hangars for all your private jets are at a premium these days.
In race, downtown arena plan falls back: Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007; Anschutz Entertainment Group/Harrah's Entertainment: Developer with experience building arenas across U.S. and abroad says plans are on track for fall 2010 opening.
LOOKING IN ON: CLARK COUNTY: Monday, Dec. 10, 2007; After learning several weeks ago that Republic Services had treated Clark County's landfill attorney to several pricey meals, we wanted to see whether the garbage company was including such expenses in the amount it says it has spent to clean up and close the old Sunrise Landfill.
Suddenly, rules on tax money look good: Monday, Dec. 10, 2007; Clark County Commissioners Chip Maxfield and Bruce Woodbury are calling for formal guidelines regarding how commissioners can spend their discretionary office funds.