IN ITS TUESDAY EDITION, THE NEVADA APPEAL IN CARSON CITY RAN A STORY ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE REVIEW-JOURNAL about the addition of Southern Nevada to the rest of the state. The change was made by legislative decree 140 years ago this week. Before that, what is now the southern tip of the state -- including all of present-day Clark County -- was actually part of the Arizona Territory.
Judging from the following reader comments posted on the Appeal's Web site, some people in Northern Nevada apparently miss those good old days:
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• "It's time to give Clark County back to Arizona. California would probably be a better fit now. Either way, we benefit to kick them out."
• "Please give it back to Arizona."
• "Better yet, make a deal with Arni (California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger). We'll give them Clark County, if they'll give us Inyo, Mono and Alpine counties in exchange."
HENRY BREAN
A MUNDANE MUNICIPAL ZONING MEETING ISN'T THE MOST OBVIOUS VENUE FOR A VISIT FROM A MILLIONAIRE BACHELOR known to party with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. But that's where Palms owner George Maloof found himself Wednesday morning, asking Clark County commissioners to delay approval of another developer's plans to build a high-rise behind the Palms. Maloof's attorney told commissioners that the casino mogul first received plans for the condominium tower the day before at 4 p.m. and needed more time to review them. Hadn't the prior evening been sufficient time for Maloof to review the plans, commissioners wondered. "I don't know what Mr. Maloof did from 4 p.m. last night to this morning," Commissioner Susan Brager said, prompting Commissioner Rory Reid to chime in: "If you need to know that, you just need to read Norm!"
MIKE KALIL
SO CLARK COUNTY JUDGES ARE DISCUSSING A NO-TOLERANCE WEAPONS POLICY, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DRUGS?
On Tuesday, Orlando Liorens-Gonzalez was sentenced to 18 to 48 months in prison for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.
Authorities caught the 40-year-old Cuban trying to bring 7.27 grams of cocaine, wrapped into 14 different baggies for distributive convenience, into Henderson Justice Court.
"I've never quite seen anything like this," District Judge Michelle Leavitt told the court as she sentenced him. "Just wanted to see if the bailiffs were paying attention?"
On Sept. 5, Liorens-Gonzalez entered the courthouse and emptied his pockets into the basket to pass through the metal detector. As he waited for his property to emerge from the X-ray machine, a bailiff taking a cursory glance at the basket noticed a plastic bag containing a white powder.
"It's hard reading the criminal mind sometimes," said prosecutor David Rickert.
K.C. HOWARD
DURING THE ANNUAL SURVEY OF BALD EAGLES IN LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, A 30 MPH WIND BLEW WHITE-CAPS up the lake's Overton arm, making it difficult for observers in a park ranger's boat to scan the shoreline with binoculars.
It was not only a sloppy day to be out on the water, it was frustrating to try to identify something as tall as an eagle standing in front of the sandstone cliffs.
"Head toward that peak, that white area," biologist Jef Jaeger shouted to the skipper. "There's something black on it. We need to take a look at it."
As Ranger Chris Raynolds turned the wheel so that the boat churned toward the cliffs, the image grew larger in Jaeger's binocs.
"Rubber boot!" he hollered. "What I was looking at turns out to be a rubber boot."
KEITH ROGERS
THEY SAY DIVORCE IS HARDEST ON THE CHILDREN, BUT DON'T TELL THAT TO NEAMIAH THE MOLUCCAN COCKATOO. Local exotic animal handler Stephen Webb said that when he adopted Neamiah from a couple in the midst of a nasty divorce, the salmon pink bird had ripped out a lot of its feathers from stress.
Then there was the cursing.
"He learned some bad language," Webb said. "Mostly the F word, and several sentences."
HENRY BREAN
Other lessons learned during a visit to Stephen Webb's private LIFES Safari animal refuge and exhibition business in Las Vegas:
• Of all the wild African cats, servals are the most efficient hunters.
• A kinkajou looks more like a cross between a monkey and a Chihuahua but is actually related to the raccoon. It has a long pink tongue, a prehensile tail and a thick, yellow-brown coat that helps earn it the nickname "honey bear."
• Mountain lions purr.
• Apparently, two-toed sloths move slowly and carry a big stink. Webb said he can't keep his pet sloths inside his house because their scat smells so bad. "It's just toxic," he said.
HENRY BREAN
JIM ROGERS WAS BACK TO HIS OLD SELF TUESDAY, the day after he returned to his post as university system chancellor.
The millionaire businessman was in good spirits at a monthly luncheon at McCormick & Schmick's to discuss diversity issues.
As he stood in a buffet line, Rogers spent a few moments studying system spokesman John Kuhlman's leather bomber-style jacket, which was obviously weathered and seemed to be shredding in a few places.
"John, do you need me to give you a hundred bucks to buy a new jacket?" Rogers asked Kuhlman.
"I like this jacket," Kuhlman responded sheepishly.
LAWRENCE MOWER
THOMAS PITARO, THE HIGH-PROFILE DEFENSE ATTORNEY WHO RECENTLY HAD EYE SURGERY, held up a large magnifying glass to examine his schedule outside a courtroom Tuesday morning.
"I'm either Inspector Clouseau or Sherlock Holmes, depending on which side you're on," he said.
