Dana Gentry

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Blog Post Archive

D.A.’s potential conflicts explained: Thursday, July 12, 2012; District Attorney Steve Wolfson announced today he's avoiding the appearance of a conflict of interest by forwarding the case involving Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins to Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto. Why, we asked, isn't Wolfson concerned about the appearance of a conflict of interest in the case of Commissioner Steve Sisolak, who alleges he was extorted by his former girlfriend, her attorney and public relations man.
Federal judge takes senior status amid controversy: Monday, July 9, 2012; On the day U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson attained senior status, meaning he can reduce his caseload to one-quarter of what it was, get paid his regular salary and retain his staff, government prosecutors told Dawson they are not yet ready to opine on whether he is conflicted in the case of Steve Davidovici. He's the nightclub owner who pled guilty to a tax evasion scheme and was sentenced by Dawson to house arrest and probation, over objections from the government.
Judge's brother and son linked to nightclub owned by convicted club owner sentenced to house arrest: Thursday, July 5, 2012; Federal Judge Kent Dawson, who sentenced nightclub kingpin Steve Davidovici to house arrest while giving the doorman a year behind bars in a tax evasion scheme, has not one but two connections to one of Davidovici's former haunts.
Judge delays sentence for club owner after questions over relationship: Thursday, June 28, 2012; The federal judge who sentenced Pure nightclub owner Steve Davidovici to house arrest and probation yesterday for tax evasion is staying entry of the sentence.
Aspen notaries fined for 'losing' journals: Monday, June 4, 2012; Secretary of State Ross Miller fines former Aspen Financial notaries for "losing" journals. Aspen's Jeff Guinn asking court for protective order to keep journals confidential. Why, when they are already "lost"?
Group wants donated drug-hunting K9s back from state: Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011; Group of powerful Republican business types want donated drug-hunting K9s back from state following defection of K9 NHP troopers from assignment.
Perry sends letter to state troopers: Friday, Sept. 23, 2011; Department of Public Safety Director Chris Perry capitulates on merging Highway Patrol K-9 program with Metro, but warns defecting troopers to fulfill their assignments.
Toto, I don't think we're in Utah: Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010
Marijuana petition flawed: Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010
Dead baby’s mother tried to get pregnant: Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009; The tragedy surrounding the birth of Roshunda Abney’s baby raises so many distressing yet obvious questions. How did University Medical Center emergency room personnel ignore a patient’s wails?
Conan Pope’s pardon denied for killing father: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
Med Board Pres: Enough is Enough!: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009; The president of Nevada’s Board of Medical Examiners, Dr. Charles Held, is fighting back against what he calls “political rhetoric, inflammatory journalism, and outright untruths…” (I’ve posted the news release to the right.)
Gans-owned pharmacy markets sexual dysfunction drug: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
Fitting end to MA fiasco: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009; Like other medical assistants throughout the state Betty Guerra was to return to work this week. But unlike the others caught up in the fiasco resulting from the sudden effort by the Board of Medical Examiners to enforce a long-ignored statute that says who may administer drugs, Guerra faces 10 felony counts for injecting Botox and suturing.
Medical assistants may inject: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009
Med board to MAs: Put down your needles: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009
AG won't defend med board: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009; The Board of Medical Examiners will be represented by private attorney John Bailey when it goes to court today to defend the emergency regulation the board enacted earlier this month.
Med Board: Position consistent for years: Monday, Sept. 21, 2009; Board of Medical Examiners Executive Director Louis Ling has firm positions, two in fact, on whether medical assistants should be held accountable for injecting cosmetic fillers.
Tire Works owner on Radetich's 'lapse': Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009; The owner of Tire Works Total Car Care said today during a phone interview on Face to Face that she only called Nina Radetich after Channel 13 General Manager Jim Prather refused to take her call regarding the handling of a News 13 investigation of the company by Darcy Spears. Maybe that’s why Prather is defending what he calls his anchor’s “lapse of judgment.” Others in the news business have other words to describe Radetich’s recommendation of her pitchman boyfriend’s services to spin against her own newsroom’s story on the embattled Tire Works. Freelancer Steve Freiss wonders on tonight’s program how the station could possibly retain its credibility and its star anchor.
Board paralyzed by Botox: Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009; >Where’s the emergency in the Board of Medical Examiners’ emergency regulation to crack down on unlicensed medical assistants?
Blow up over Botox: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009; Judging by the voluminous options available to those seeking to inject Bovine botulinum into their wrinkles, Nevada could be the Botox capital of the country. Add to that laws and a regulatory scheme that are sorely lacking and you've got the makings of a nerve-paralyzing Nirvana, where medical assistants (a designation neither recognized nor regulated under Nevada law and only defined by the Nevada Administrative Code) openly break the law in any number of private settings, medical spas and doctors' offices - including the office of Dr. Benjamin Rodriguez, who was reappointed today by Governor Gibbons to another term on the State Board of Medical Examiners.
A Tale of Two Parties: Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009; In mid-May Henderson police responded to a noise disturbance at the Hardwood Suites, an extended-stay hotel on Eastern. Inside one suite they found 21 Coronado high school students “chaperoned” by the mother of one of the teens and the mother’s boyfriend. A police spokesman says the mom, Cindy McCormick, admitted to buying booze for the party. McCormick, who was pregnant, was not drinking. Henderson police charged McCormick and her boyfriend with 21 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and threw the two in jail.
Gans owned pharmacy: Monday, Aug. 24, 2009; Danny Gans’ friends and family maintained that the late entertainer had little use personally for prescription drugs, though his death in May was from an overdose of Dilaudid, (the generic is Hydromorphone) a painkiller. The source of the drug that killed Gans has not been identified.
Greetings from Metro: Friday, Aug. 14, 2009; Certified letters almost always hearken bad news - in my case, usually something I've neglected with the potential for devastating consequences. So imagine my delight to find a certified letter in my Channel 8 mailbox that has languished there for more than a month. And imagine my relief to find it was only from the police.
Stripper 101?: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009; UNLV's acting president says he wants the permanent gig. Dr. Neal Smatresk moved up the ladder from provost to president following the unceremonious dumping of former president David Ashley.
Heller: Ensign Should Talk: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009; Congressman Dean Heller says the revelation of U.S. Sen. John Ensign's affair played into his decision not to seek U.S. Senator Harry Reid's seat, but Heller says news of the tryst was not the deciding factor. What was?
Justice or Juice: Thursday, July 30, 2009; We hear all the time from litigants who feel they've been wronged in court that the judge and opposing party must have shared some undisclosed connection. The concern regarding relationships often has merit, especially in a small town like ours, where judges, attorneys and litigants are likely to have crossed paths. But whether the association colors a judge's rulings is an entirely different matter. Judicial ethics require judges to put those relationships on the record before rendering any decisions so that litigants are fully informed and able to assess their options.
Topless Pool, No Party: Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wooing Hampton: Wednesday, July 8, 2009; Doug Hampton, the man whose wife had an affair with U.S. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), has been the hottest "get" in news circles (with the exception of his wife, Cindy) since Ensign admitted the affair at a brief news conference last month. Well, we got him and you can watch the first of our exclusive two-part interview tonight on Las Vegas ONE, Cox Cable channel 19. The Sun will post the program to its website Wednesday, too, for those who don't have cable.
Peer review needs overhaul: Monday, July 6, 2009; Cries of cronyism have long emanated from critics of Nevada's Board of Medical Examiners. In fact, the board's regular members were found to be so closely tied to Dr. Dipak Desai that Gov. Gibbons appointed special members to adjudicate the cases involving Desai's endoscopy clinics. Now, those presumably independent physicians have unanimously sided with restoring privileges to Dr. Eladio Carrera, one of Desai's partners. In exchange, Carrera promises to help make the case against Desai and others.
F Street Fiasco: Wednesday, June 10, 2009; The lawsuit against the City of Las Vegas and the state of Nevada will not be withdrawn now that lawmakers are forcing the city and state to reopen F Street, a primary access between downtown Las Vegas and the predominantly African-American "Westside."
Brave New Cyberworld: Thursday, June 4, 2009; First Amendment champion Dominic Gentile - out to tamp free speech? As Jon asks at the beginning of today's program, "Are we in some parallel universe?"
Congress fails to trigger gun control debate: Thursday, May 21, 2009; Jon is off covering every hiccup at the Legislature so hosting duties fell to me this morning. While Jon possesses a tremendous ability to keep his own feelings on a topic in check, I am sometimes challenged to do so, as was the case today.
Our apologies, Mr. Trowbridge: Friday, May 15, 2009
Former Gov. Guinn's son sued: Friday, April 17, 2009; Hard money brokers provide quick, no-fuss financing at double-digit interest rates to developers who can't get or don't want to get loans from banks. In good times borrowers make their payments and investors collect high-yield returns. In bad times borrowers default and lenders get left with property that may sell for a fraction of the previously appraised valued.
Step forward and back for juvenile justice: Thursday, April 2, 2009; Juvenile justice advocates are applauding what they see as a step forward by the Nevada Legislature, which is considering a bill that would raise the threshold age from 14 to 16 to certify a minor as an adult for criminal proceedings. But, as is too often the tradition in the Legislature, lawmakers are considering a counterproductive (and cost-saving) measure to close half the beds at the valley's only facility for more violent juvenile offenders.
Kincaid-Chauncey Regrets Lap Dances: Monday, March 23, 2009; Aside from sending young servicemen for comped drinks and lap dances at one of Mike Galardi's topless joints, former Clark County commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey remains unrepentant for the acts that landed her in a federal prison for two years. And it's Kincaid-Chauncey's moral objection to the clubs, not the realization she garnered special treatment for her grandson and his friends, that has her regretting that act.
Metro Sued over SCOPE: Thursday, March 5, 2009
Sheriff goes Face to Face: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009; On tonight's program Metro Sheriff Doug Gillespie defends the SWAT operation that resulted in the shooting of three officers. Gillespie was on his way to a ceremony to honor the officers, who thankfully suffered relatively minor injuries.
Henderson cops mum on lawsuit: Monday, Feb. 23, 2009; The attorney representing the family of a woman gunned down by Henderson police during a traffic stop says the coroner's inquest which cleared police may help the family's case.
Cops clam up: Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009; New information in the controversial SWAT raid of a Seven Hills home is raising more questions about the manner in which Metro executed the narcotics search warrant that resulted in the resident firing shots at officers.
Police Tactics Questioned: Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009; Viewers tonight will hear a minute from the 9-1-1 call Seven Hills resident Belinda Saavedra placed in late December as police stormed her home.
Pension Envy: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009; That's how police union lobbyist Dave Kallas summed up the effort by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce to bring government salaries and benefits in line with the private sector. Studies by the Chamber reveal Nevada's average government worker makes $47,450 a year while a private sector employee is paid an average of $37,040 a year, and the state's public retirement benefits rank among the most generous in the nation. Nevada, it should be noted, also employs fewer government workers per capita than other states.
Colorblind: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009; Desegregation arrived in Las Vegas shortly after my birth. A protest march planned for the spring of 1960 on the Las Vegas Strip threatened to shine a harsh spotlight on the fledgling Entertainment Capital of the World. Hank Greenspun brokered a deal that derailed the march and heralded desegregation. The Las Vegas of my youth, at least on my side of the tracks, was colorblind.
Chancellor: Regular folk snookered: Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008; Like other journalists I was skeptical when Media Mogul Rogers decided to become Chancellor Rogers. Would he preach from the bully pulpit of Channel 3 and its sister stations? Admittedly, as a loyal Channel 8 news viewer, my perception of Channel 3 news comes more from the promos I see during prime time than from actual newscasts. With the exception of a few Channel 3 specials on the plight of education (that looked tailor-made for the boss) Rogers seems more inclined to spread the gospel from the set of Face to Face than from his own programs.
A Supreme Ruling: Monday, Dec. 1, 2008; What's the point of taking great care to elect judges if lawmakers, in an attempt to pander to shell-shocked voters, tie the hands of the judiciary with laws that rob the bench of its discretion? That was the case during the tough-on-crime, truth-in-sentencing days of the '90s. Empowered by catchy mantras like "adult time for adult crime," legislatures throughout the country passed laws requiring blanket treatment of juveniles charged with certain violent offenses.
Michael Mosley released to "shared" custody: Monday, Nov. 24, 2008; Sixteen-year-old Michael Mosley, in juvenile detention since his arrest more than a week ago at the scene of the accident that killed 15-year-old Olivia Hyten, will be released on house arrest pending the completion of the investigation. Asked by Judge William Voy where the child will be residing, Judge Donald Mosley stated that he and the boy's mother Terry Mosley share 50/50 custody.
Mosley: Can't Control Son: Monday, Nov. 24, 2008; Judge Donald Mosley, in an interview with my Channel 8 colleague Jonathan Humbert, essentially admitted he is powerless to control his 16-year-old son Michael. Michael was arrested at the scene of the fatal crash that killed 15-year-old Olivia Hyten. Henderson police say Michael was not cited in connection with the accident but rather for DUI.
Abuse of Power: Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008; The next time you get pulled over by the cops, chances are they'll run your name through a computer system called SCOPE. It's a record of your personal information - birthdate, social security number, criminal history - and it's confidential, available to only a few select agencies. So why would members of the Metropolitan Police Department, the people we depend on to fight crime, take risks that may actually perpetuate identity theft?
Judging Mosley: Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008; Judge Donald Mosley says his 16-year-old son Michael will not run from whatever responsibility he may have in a crash that killed 15-year-old Olivia Hyten. But Judge Mosley's statements at his son's arraignment raise the question of whether the judge is running from his responsibility for allowing his son to drive, despite a restriction allowing the teen only drive to and from school.