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Aging Boulder City Hospital dares to dream of progress during downturn
Found: 1 Day 3 Hours 12 Minutes ago
Las Vegas Sun - Tom Maher wanders around the 67-bed Boulder City Hospital, some of its tile floors unchanged since 1973.Hallways are bumpy from rewiring to accommodate high-tech equipment. The five emergency room beds are separated only by thin blue curtains, providing little sense of privacy.Patients sometimes struggle to navigate walkers in tiny rooms, some of which lack bathrooms.?We have some great equipment,? says Maher, the hospital?s chief executive. ?We just need the space.?That will be up to the residents of Boulder City.And, with the economy sinking faster than the water line at Lake Mead, this may be about the worst possible time to ask for help.An advisory question on November?s ballot will ask Boulder City residents to pay additional property taxes to start refurbishing the 35-year-old hospital, the only one in town. The proposed tax of 15 cents per $100 of assessed property value would cost $105 a year for the owner of a home worth $200,000. (Property owners pay taxes on 35 percent of the assessed value.)If voters approve the measure, the Legislature would then have to sign off on the deal.The special tax district would raise $750,000 annually for the hospital, which Maher says needs as much as $10 million in improvements.The money would be used to help improve the hospital?s bond rating, allowing it to finance improvements, while helping offset about $550,000 in annual loses.This is a quaint hospital, a place that brings to mind the days of black-bag-toting doctors. Yet it?s facing modern challenges. About 10 percent of the patients who come to the emergency room are uninsured. Handicapped by its size, it struggles in reimbursement negotiations with huge insurance companies. And it is facing the rising costs of employee benefits and liability insurance.The nonprofit hospital is overseen by a local board of directors. But it?s Maher, 47,a California native with a shaved head and soul patch, looking not unlike Howie Mandel, who has to face an increasingly tough audience.For the past six months, Maher, who lives in Henderson, has been pitching the tax plan at city forums, library meetings and social clubs, trying to maintain his passion as the economy worsens and his audiences grow less sympathetic.He?s getting some push-back from residents who claim the hospital doesn?t need the money. And then they attack him personally for not living in town.Maher is more accustomed to boardroom civility than rough-and-tumble engagements with townspeople.But this is a pocketbook issue in a town with a disproportionate number of residents on fixed incomes. More than one-third of the 15,000 people living in Boulder City are senior citizens, compared with 22 percent in Clark County.Another 21 percent of Boulder City residents are ages 55 to 64, many living in homes that have been passed down through generations.Joe Roche, a resident who runs a Las Vegas recycling company, has become the ring leader for the opposition.?There?s no indication at all that people in the community are going to vote for a tax on themselves,? Roche says. ?I think Tom Maher has a disconnect with the people who he talks to in these venues. There?s been a resounding no in all these meetings.?Opponents ? including some residents who are regular critics of city government ? question the hospital?s financial records, saying they should be able to find ways to cut costs or increase revenue.The increasingly vitriolic opposition is wearing Maher down.He keeps trying to persuade the public that the hospital is part community service, more like the police department than the grocery store. Not everyone buys it.Boulder City?s hospital tax district would be run by Clark County commissioners, although the hospital board would oversee day-to-day operations. It would be first hospital tax district in the county, although there are eight formerly private hospitals in the state, mostly in Northern Nevada, that are now partially publicly funded.Even if residents agree to tax themselves, the hospital still may not see a nickel of it. The state Legislature would have to approve the tax ? no sure thing since the T-word is reviled by politicians.As a backup plan, the hospital wants to put the same question on the 2010 ballot.If taxpayers don?t approve it then, the hospital will stop performing emergency surgeries and close the intensive care unit, Maher says.That would be the beginning of the end....
Split up district? They disagree
Found: 1 Day 3 Hours 12 Minutes ago
Las Vegas Sun - The crowd of cars in the parking lot of Bob Miller Middle School the night of a political forum last week suggested the event would be well attended.But the gymnasium?s bleachers were sparsely populated, the crowd about the size of the Green Valley school?s average social studies class (32 students).So, what was with all the cars?Overflow parking for a local soccer tournament, explained Miller Principal Tam Larnerd, who organized the forum.The forum focused on races within the school?s attendance zone boundaries: Associate Superintendent Edward Goldman and school volunteer Deanna Wright for the Clark County School Board District A seat; Jon Ozark and Ellen Spiegel for the District 21 Assembly race; and incumbent state Sen. Joe Heck, the District 5 Republican. His Democratic challenger, recently retired district administrator Shirley Breeden, did not attend.Most of the audience was either family of the candidates, School District employees or both (Goldman?s wife works in the district?s outreach program for homeless students).The five candidates appeared undaunted by the small turnout, and made full use of the opportunity to share their views on tax policy and education issues such as school safety.When asked what would be at the top of his ?to do? list if elected, Goldman said he would want to ?straighten out this math problem,? referring to the staggeringly high failure rate last year by students on a new in-house assessment. He would also want the board to look at the prototype designs for new school construction, with an eye toward student safety.Goldman also said he was in favor of breaking up the nation?s fifth-largest district along geographic lines, which would give the city of Henderson control of its own schools.Heck also supported deconsolidation.?Don?t look at this as a cost-saving issue but as an accountability issue,? Heck said.But Wright said she wasn?t convinced a breakup would be the best move, particularly for schools in less affluent areas. And figuring out who would foot the bill for facilities might also be problematic given the tough economic times, Wright said.Communities would have to come up with ?an enormous outlay of dollars for buildings,? Wright said. ?That?s not an option right now.??????Skip Rapoport, the father of two district graduates, rarely misses an education-related event, be it a town-hall meeting on budget cuts or the bi-weekly School Board meetings.So naturally he was one of the voters at Miller for Tuesday?s forum.He was particularly eager to hear from Breeden, who has kept a fairly low profile for someone seeking public office. But with Breeden a no-show, and Rapoport said he will likely end up voting for Heck by default.That doesn?t mean he?s firmly in Heck?s camp, however. Rapoport said he isn?t convinced that Heck had made supporting public education a priority in the 2007 legislative session, or that he would do so when lawmakers return to Carson City in February.?Had Shirley Breeden debated him and I like what she said, I probably would vote for her, and not him,? Rapoport said.?????Nearly two months into the academic year, the School District will showcase its new and replacement campuses at the annual ?Celebration of Progress.?Sponsored by the architectural firms that built the schools, the event will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Cashman Center. People the schools were named after will be on hand, as well as architects showing off scale models of the finished products.The School District opened 10 campuses this year. Nine schools ? three new and three replacement elementary schools and replacement campuses for Roy Martin Middle School, Desert Oasis High School and the East Career &Technical Academy ? were finished in time for the first day of school Aug. 25. The start of classes was delayed three weeks at Jesse D. Scott Elementary in North Las Vegas while off-site drainage, utilities and road work were finished....
Clark County students get early taste of politics
Found: 1 Day 3 Hours 14 Minutes ago
Las Vegas Sun - Screams of 2,500 students resonated through the Henderson Pavilion and out to the parking lot Friday as Clark County teens and preteens voiced their opinions on kid-friendly issues.Should all schools provide music and art education? Is school safety more important than student privacy in the case of student lockers? Should the U.S. end its use of the penny? Should students in kindergarten through grade 12 go to year-round schools?These were the issues the students racked their brains over, listening to Nevada politicians wrangle with Foothill High School debate team members for the KidsVention: Democracy in Action event.Fifth-graders and seventh-graders from around Clark County were invited to the event, which lasted the morning and allowed students to listen to both sides of four issues and vote on what should happen."We patterned it after a political convention without partisan politics," state Sen. Joyce Woodhouse, co-chairwoman for KidsVention, said.In the end, the students came back saying schools should provide students with music and art education, student privacy should take precedence over school safety, the penny should stay and year-round schooling should go."I think it's awesome how they give us a choice," Paula Perez, 12, of Bob Miller Middle School, said. "Adults usually don't listen to us, so this was a neat change.""It's pretty cool we're allowed to vote here, because we're not old enough yet," Savanah Zamora, 12, of Charles Silvestri Junior High School, said."It's interesting to be here," Madison Nilson, 10, of Dorothy Eisenberg Elementary School, said. "I was impressed with the debaters. They made me think."This is the first time the event was held in Henderson. It's been around for about 10 years, Woodhouse said, and organizers wanted it to be larger this year because of interest in the presidential election. The pavilion seats 2,500.One new element this year was having politicians debate the high school students. Participating were Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani debating student J.T. Hudson over schools providing music and art education; state Sen. Warren Hardy debating student Hilary Williams about school lockers; state Assemblyman Lynn Stewart debating student Aarin Kevorkian about the penny; and state Sen. Steven Horsford debating student Marina Herrera about year-round schools."Say it with me, 'Pool not School!'" Herrera chanted, rousing the crowd to chant with her.Many of the students were primed for the event, discussing each of the issues in class and, in some cases, setting up their own debates. While some had their mind set before arriving at the pavilion, others said the event changed what they originally thought."I voted opposite here of what I did at school," Hanna Brunty, 11, of Nate Mack Elementary School, said.One example she gave was of lockers. Originally, she thought privacy should be more important, but changed her mind after listening to the debates."People can get hurt," she said.The locker issue was a much-debated issue among the students. Some thought it was important to know they were safe, while others felt it was more important to have their privacy."If someone told (the administrators) they saw something, I'm OK with them looking," Destiny Sampley, 12, of Jack and Terry Mannion Middle School, said. "As long as it's not just random searches.""I'd probably vote for it as long as they're looking for something like beer, something that's really bad for you," Lena Ekman, 10, of Eisenberg, said."I'm against locker privacy," Savanah, of Silvestri, said. "I want to be safe at school."After most of the debates had ended and the event was drawing to a close, students were already thinking about their future as voters. Encouraging the desire to vote was what event organizers were hoping for.Henderson City Clerk Monica Simmons said she thought the day would stick with the students."Sometimes they don't really appreciate it until later down the road and a light bulb will go off," she said. "Also, these young kids can really influence their parents' involvement. If they understand the process, maybe they can share it with their parents, family or friends ... It helps them understand what creates a healthy nation and a healthy community."While a few students said they weren't interested in voting or hadn't decided, many said they were excited to turn 18 and have the ability to make their voice heard."I think it's just the American way," Alec Rogers, 12, of Miller, said."I really want to vote," Milana Marinzulich, 10, of Charles and Phyllis Frias Elementary School, said. "We deserve the chance to be able to choose."Her classmate, Madison Mayer, agreed."If I don't vote, I'm letting other people make my decisions," Madison said.The event also instilled a newfound confidence in many of the students, some of whom dove into the topics with a fervor they didn't feel comfortable expressing in their classes, students said."It makes me feel important and confident in my choices," Shane Geer, 10, of Frias Elementary, said....
OJ Simpson seeks new trial after Vegas conviction
Found: 1 Day 9 Hours 3 Minutes ago
Nevada Examiner News - O.J. Simpson's lawyers cited judicial errors and insufficient evidence Friday in seeking a new trial after the former football star was convicted of kidnapping and robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a casino hotel room. "Simpson should be granted a new trial,"Simpson attorney Gabriel Grasso wrote in a motion faulting Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass's decisions during jury selection, her limitations on cross-examination of witnesses during trial and her instructions to jurors before deliberations. ...
Simpson Seeks New Trial
Found: 1 Day 10 Hours 3 Minutes ago
FOX 5 Nerws - O.J. Simpson cites judicial errors and insufficient evidence in seeking a new trial after he was convicted of kidnapping and robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint....
Gibbons Creates Housing Task Force
Found: 1 Day 10 Hours 26 Minutes ago
FOX 5 Nerws - Gov. Jim Gibbons announces the creation of the Housing Recovery Act Implementation Task Force....
Three to bid on Lyon County jail project
Found: 1 Day 14 Hours 6 Minutes ago
Nevada Appeal - Three companies that submitted their qualifications to Lyon County are vying to become the builder of the new or reconstructed Lyon County jail....
OJ Simpson seeks new trial in Las Vegas
Found: 1 Day 14 Hours 9 Minutes ago
KRNV 4 News - Associated Press - October 10, 2008 5:45 PM ET LAS VEGAS (AP) - O.J. Simpson is citing judicial errors and insufficient evidence in seeking a new trial after he was convicted of kidnapping and......
Nevada to grow 49%; WPC 19%
Found: 1 Day 17 Hours 35 Minutes ago
The Ely Times - CARSON CITY -- Nevada might be in the midst of a recession, but the state's population will continue to grow, expanding by more than 1.3 million people over the next 20 years, the state demographer predicted Monday....
Meter request sparks discussion about integrity
Found: 1 Day 18 Hours 10 Minutes ago
Desert Valley Times - A request to allow use of a privately-owned three-inch hydrant meter morphed into a discussion involving integrity and water district policy....
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