The management and red ink problems at University Medical Center have reverberated up to Carson City, where several legislators are said to be ready to call for hearings into the troubled public hospital.

UMC lost $29 million from July to December, and the latest in a series of analyses estimates the hospital will lose twice as much in the coming years if major changes aren't instituted.

UMC is Southern Nevada's only public hospital. Beyond its questionable management practices, cozy contracts, increased operating expenses, and dramatically diminished cash flow and collections, it's also receiving unprecedented competition for paying patients being courted by an ever-increasing number of shiny, new for-profit medical centers.

Will someone at the Legislature suggest breaking up the county hospital, turning it over to a nonprofit and narrowing its medical mission?

CLINTON COUNTRY: To the surprise of no one who has been watching the Democratic presidential candidate jockeying in Nevada, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's camp continues to show why she's a favorite in the Silver State despite the fact the '08 caucus is nearly a year away.

First, Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid sided with Clinton as her Nevada chairman.

Then, former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa signed on as Northern Nevada chairwoman.

Now, political veteran Robby Mook has agreed to serve as the campaign's state director.

If they were being candid, several of Clinton's Democratic challengers would have to admit they currently have little more than an Internet presence in Nevada.

BALD BRITNEY?: Former Sunset Strip lead singer Lena Peril is the new Christina Aguilera impersonator at the Stratosphere's American Superstars Show.

Let's just hope the show's Britney Spears impersonator doesn't shave her head in solidarity with the suddenly weirded-out pop tart.

Nobody wants that much realism.

IN PASSING: Democrats never had a better friend than rabble-rouser John Moran, who died recently at age 73. John was one of my favorite storytellers, and he had a keen understanding of bare-knuckle politics from New York to Las Vegas.

And what a life.

The Brooklyn native was a U.S. Marine, a Miami Beach hotelman, a Democratic operative for everyone from U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy to New York Govs. Hugh Carey and Mario Cuomo. He also served as a public relations director for Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones and Shirley MacLaine, and he was pals with newspaper icons Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill.

SENIOR DIMENSIONS: Here's a brand of basketball you can root for without fear of being involved in the ongoing Las Vegas/NBA soap opera. UNLV's Runnin' Rebels continue to win over skeptical local basketball fans with their best season in 15 years. The team takes on Colorado State on Saturday on Senior Night at the Thomas & Mack Center. With free T-shirts and posters for early-arriving fans, five seniors will be recognized in a 5:30 p.m. pre-game program.

ON THE BOULEVARD: The Legislature is wisely considering making post-fight CAT scans mandatory for Nevada boxers. The question is: Who should pay for the machine? ... John Chang was recently added to the Blackjack Hall of Fame, Anthony Curtis' Las Vegas Advisor reports. Chang was a team leader of the infamous MIT blackjack crew that waxed casinos for millions and is the subject of Ben Mezrich's bestseller "Bringing Down the House" and an upcoming movie.

BOULEVARD II: More stories of loss coming in the increasingly troubling Southwest Exchange scandal. With more than $80 million in investor assets in the balance, this one figures to rank among the more notorious tales in a community that spews multimillion-dollar rip-offs with alarming regularity. ... Former Crazy Horse Too topless club owner Rick Rizzolo is ready for his yearlong stay at a California federal prison after his tax conviction, but he's still catching heat from his nemesis, former City Councilman Steve Miller. Miller is posting Rizzolo's federal prisoner number on the Internet.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0295.