It's down the Orwellian memory hole for the old speeches and writings of U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, who was forced to admit last week he'd plagiarized a right-wing diatribe against hippies, Birkenstock-wearers, and tree huggers from a not-terribly-creative-but-nonetheless-copyrighted rant written by the Alabama state auditor.

Visitors to the "speeches" section of Gibbons' Web site were greeted with a blank page Sunday. Ditto for the congressman's "monthly column."

Could it be that Gibbons' staffers were anxiously reviewing every line of his writings, hoping and praying they didn't come across any familiar lines? After all, another plagiarism incident could seriously wound Gibbons' heretofore bulletproof candidacy for Nevada governor in 2006.

Chief of Staff Amy Spanbauer dismissed that notion, and blamed technical issues, not anything more sinister. "We are trying to make our site printer-friendly and some content had to come down as a result. We hope to have all issues resolved soon," she wrote in response to an e-mailed question.

Yet a check of the Gibbons Web site revealed every other link, from press releases, to congressional testimony, to "hot and current issues," to the congressman's own biography, was working fine. There wasn't a problem printing those documents.

And, by clicking on the "cached" version of Gibbons' Web site on Google, I was able to find all of Gibbons' old speeches. Not only did they display properly on my computer, but I was able to print out perfect copies, too. (No, I didn't come across, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," or, "Ask not what you can do for your country." At least not yet.)

Perhaps by "printer-friendly," Spanbauer meant that if nosy columnists tried to use a "printer" to check up on Gibbons, they'd be able to write only "friendly" stories?

There may only be about 8,000 of them in Nevada, but minimum wage earners almost hit the lottery Monday.

The U.S. Senate ended up narrowly rejecting a bill by U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy that would have raised the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour, a hefty increase over the current $5.15 per hour.

But under an initiative approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2004 -- which must be approved again in 2006 -- Nevada's minimum wage could have increased even more.

The initiative would peg Nevada's minimum wage to $1 per hour higher than the federal minimum for employers who don't provide health care. Assuming the initiative was law, that would have boosted Nevada's minimum to $8.25 per hour.

(Employers who do provide health care could still pay the minimum.)

But even that is just a start. The initiative also provides for annual increases in the minimum wage to match the cost of living. The minimum would go up at the rate of the Consumer Price Index, although those increases would be capped at a 3 percent maximum per year.

State Sen. Barbara Cegavske is working for KVBC-TV, Channel 3, as a "consultant" on education and legislative matters, at a hefty retainer of $3,000 per month?

And Channel 3 is owned by interim university Chancellor Jim Rogers?

And Cegavske says she'll continue to vote on university matters, having made proper disclosure?

Stevie Wonder could see the conflict through a thick fog, to say nothing of the irony: First, the Bush administration pays friendly journalists. Now, journalists are paying lawmakers for their insights on the legislative process.

What will Channel 3's retainer buy? Will they get the inside scoop on Republican caucus meetings? Will they discover the really ugly sausage-making details behind the bills? And if they really wanted legislative insight, why not make the offer to an old pro such as state Sen. Bill Raggio? (True, he's not as good a friend of Rogers' wife, Beverly.)

Unfortunately, Cegavske's background isn't in journalism, and she can't give Channel 3 the advice it really needs. Like stop doing "news" stories based on your prime-time lineup.

Just because NBC has a show called "Medium" doesn't mean you have to go and interview the medium. Ditto for doing stories on happenings in a local "ER," or the events on "Fear Factor" or "The Apprentice." Rule of thumb: Prime-time TV shows aren't news.

And ditch the happy talk, especially on the morning show. I'm sure you're all very nice and interesting people, but I tune in for news, weather and traffic. (Actually, that's not true; I tune in to CNN or Fox News, depending on whether I want to be informed or amused.)

And, for journalism's sake, ditch the contract with Cegavske. It's plainly, obviously wrong, and there's an honest alternative to getting insights on the legislative process. It used to be called reporting.