Correction A story in last week's Mercury was wrong. Local attorney Glen Lerner secured a $45,000 settlement from Clark County for his client in a medical case, not $12,300. The Mercury regrets the mistake.

Thursday, October 23, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Quick and Dirty: A notebook of news and politics

Cold Coyote feet?

For the past four years, we've been hearing about developer Harvey Whittemore's plans to build the state's biggest-ever master-planned, multiple-golf course community of 50,000 homes in Coyote Springs Valley. Conservationists have worried over impacts to the valley's remote pristineness and desert tortoise and to water flows and endangered species in springs downstream. They've also never quite figured out how the land, once federally managed, came to be sold by a federal defense project contractor to Whittemore (instead of going back to the federal government).

Whittemore has stood firm--he's going to build his city. He's had a team putting together a habitat conservation plan for the property, which straddles Clark and Lincoln counties, and he has all his Clark County permits, says Whittemore's environmental consultant, Mike Ford. Ford defends Whittemore, saying he has "always been extraordinarily right-minded about this. He's been involved in the most environmentally sensitive development in the state, at Wingfield Springs" east of Reno. "So, we've had that as a model, forever."

But something's changed. This summer, Whittemore's business partner, David Loeb, died. "And when that happened, there were estate issues," says Ford. Plus, says Ford, Whittemore has been "entertaining some enormous offers from developers here in Las Vegas--major players--because they're running out of dirt."

Long story short: "For the first time in four years, Harvey is listening to options other than developing the property himself," says Ford.

Ford and University of Nevada, Reno biologist Dennis Murphy have seized the moment, and asked Whittemore if he'd entertain the option of selling his Coyote property back to the government. "Harvey's response was, `I might,'" says Ford. "But he does not want to give the impression he's giving up the option of developing the land. Nor does he want to entertain something controversial."

Lincoln County, for instance, could stir controversy. That county has worked hard to smooth the way for development by swinging water deals and pressuring the state Legislature.

Meanwhile, Ford says, there have been enthusiastic conversations among environmental groups about possibly nominating the property for purchase by the Bureau of Land Management using Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act funds set aside for buying and protecting environmentally sensitive lands. The BLM hasn't actively sought to buy the land, but Ford says when he talked to Nevada BLM director Bob Abbey, Abbey told him the agency would consider any property nominated, as long there's support for it.

"But nobody's holding a gun on either side," says Ford.--HW

LV writers touted

The Nevada Writers Hall of Fame held its annual ceremony in Reno recently, and three authors with ties to Las Vegas were the center of attention. The new inductees into the hall were John Irsfeld, longtime English professor at UNLV and author of numerous novels, and Dave Hickey, a UNLV art prof and writer who received a MacArthur genius grant. The Silver Pen award for outstanding writing went to Sally Denton for her "body of work," including American Massacre, about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and The Money and the Power, about Las Vegas.

The honors--a coup for some with longtime associations with Las Vegas--failed to appear in the local papers.--MG

Sacred isn't sacred

A constituent urged Rep. Jon Porter to oppose the bill on what are mistakenly called partial-birth abortions and received a letter in response. Porter thanked the constituent for writing and said, "Certainly, with issues as contentious as this, all opinions must be considered and respected." He then added that he opposes abortion "except in the cases of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother," meaning he seems to have decided not to consider any more opinions. Interestingly, though, he writes, "This stance does not demonstrate a belief that the rights of women are in any way secondary. It is merely a function of my belief that all human life is sacred." Well, at least it's good to know that he opposes the death penalty. After all, he must, since all human life is sacred, right? That doesn't quite explain his vote as a legislator to let condemned inmates die if they opposed any further appeals, though.--MG

Sound test

Back in 2002, residents living next to the River Mountains in Henderson, east of Boulder Highway, started hearing lots of helicopters passing over their houses. Some residents, like Diane Booker, vaguely attributed the activity to post-9/11 activity. But then Booker overheard city of Henderson workers talking one day in a fast-food restaurant about sound tests in her neighborhood. "And when I hear someone talking about my neighborhood, I turn my hearing aid way up," says Booker.

Turns out, plans were afoot to study the suitability of the Railroad Pass area and a dozen other sites on the edge of Las Vegas for a proposed new heliport--no, not for security patrols, but for the area's exclusive enclave of air tour operators who give tourists high-priced joy rides over the Grand Canyon and sometimes the Las Vegas Strip. The county is under legislative mandate to locate a new heliport outside the congested city.

On Oct. 8, Booker, president of the River Mountain Ranch Estates Homeowners Association, hosted a town hall meeting about the heliport. More than 200 people showed up. But not county Aviation Director Randy Walker. He'd declined Booker's invitation by letter, saying, "at this time it is premature to attend a homeowners association meeting." His letter said the public's concerns would be dealt with in the second of two studies. The first study consists of conferring with the six air tour operators in the valley to determine their "minimum needs." Bidness first.

Among those who attended Booker's powwow was longtime environmental activist Jeff van Ee. He accuses the county of sneaking around to firm up the possibilities while bypassing the public. "The Department of Aviation has a bunker mentality," he says.

The National Park Service, which actually receives the brunt of the air tours' noise and subsequent complaints from on-the-ground visitors to the Grand Canyon, also apparently wasn't invited to play in these reindeer games. On Oct. 14, the Park Service's Lake Mead superintendent, William Dickinson, wrote a letter to Walker, saying the Park Service had "recently learned" of the city's June 3 application with the Bureau of Reclamation to site a heliport in the Railroad Pass area of the River Mountains. Dickinson detailed why this is a bad idea: Namely, the heliport would impose on the River Mountains Loop Trail and a nominated scenic overlook, and the helicopters would be invading "the highest density bighorn sheep population in the United States," right there in the River Mountains. Dickinson said the same problems apply to another site being studied for the heliport, near the Three Kids Mine.

Even if a heliport site amenable to everyone is chosen, what if the tour operators refuse to move to it? That's possible, says van Ee. Well, officials are talking enticement--anything from tax exemptions for the operators to free transport from the Strip to the heliport.

"That's corporate welfare," says van Ee. And for what? "There are too many helicopters going into the Grand Canyon, and there is too much noise and pollution in the Las Vegas Valley."

The county has until the end of November to finish studying the potential heliport sites. And though you might not know it, public comments on the proposed sites must be submitted to the Clark County Department of Aviation by Nov. 14.

Hmm, sounds like some people need to conduct a little sound test of their conscience.--HW

Freedom cries

Saturday, Oct. 25, is the day to hoist your flag and march your still-free buns on down to Las Vegas City Hall, at Stewart Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, for a noon meeting on civil liberties. Actually, once you're at City Hall, you'll join others and keep marching to the Las Vegas Library at 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North. There, you'll encounter a public forum--similar to ones held the same day across the country--with speakers opposed "to the Bush administration's doctrine of perpetual war...and the unconstitutional and oppressive USA PATRIOT Act," as the local Coalition to Prevent the Erosion of Human Rights put it.

The forum starts at 1:30 p.m. Speakers include UNLV sociology professor Barbara Brents, KLAV 1230-AM radio host Doug Basham and law professor Mel Lipman. They'll explain new anti-terrorism laws and answer questions.--HW

Kucinich cell

Local backers of Dennis Kucinich for president are following the Howard Dean backers' route by hosting monthly "meet-ups" arranged through the MeetUp.com website. Nationally, the Kucinich meetings are the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.

Las Vegas Kucinich-ites have strayed from the program, however: Their meeting days are the third Wednesday and Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.

To find out more about the Kucinich meetings, call Tiffany Burton at 292-9776. You can also sign up at www.kucinich2004.meetup.com.

Friendship: $1,500

When it comes to bad luck days, William Applegate's is Oct. 15. Last week, Applegate was ordered to appear before a Solid Waste Management Authority hearing officer on charges of illegally dumping grass trimmings and palm fronds in a vacant lot across the street from his friend's house on Jensen Street after a "neighbor" reported Applegate's license plate to health district officials.

Pleading his case, unsuccessfully, Applegate said, "I was just helping a friend." He noted the district's pictures presented as evidence showed many other piles of trash and said that his friend had been dumping garden waste there with the property owner's permission for the past seven years.

"This is guilt by association," he grumbled. "Besides, the only reason I got caught is because wheelbarrows don't have license plates."

Despite his protests, the hearing officer upheld the district's recommended fine of $1,500 with the authority's legal counsel flatly saying, "You cannot dump on someone else's property even if the owner of that property gives you permission to dump on their property." Chalk one up for Republic Services.--FC
Correction
A story in last week's Mercury was wrong. Local attorney Glen Lerner secured a $45,000 settlement from Clark County for his client in a medical case, not $12,300. The Mercury regrets the mistake.