WEEK IN REVIEW: Top news
A Disrict Court judge didn't spare Onion the dog from euthanasia on Friday.
District Judge Joanna Kishner ruled that dog lovers had no legal standing to intervene on behalf of the mastiff-Rhodesian Ridgeback mix that killed 1-year-old Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan last month.
Henderson animal control officials agreed to delay putting the dog down until the judge signs her order. That usually takes a few days, and both sides must read and agree to the order's contents.
In the meantime, Onion's lawyers said they would appeal the ruling to the Nevada Supreme Court in hopes of sparing the dog.
Before the hearing, about a half dozen people stood outside the Regional Justice Center in support of saving Onion.
The scheduled euthanasia was initially halted by a court challenge filed by a New York-based group. Onion's supporters believe he is not vicious and should be spared so he can live out his life at a dog sanctuary in Colorado.
Monday
Switching on the sun
Interior Scretary Ken Salazar flipped the ceremonial switch on the nation's first large-scale solar power plant to be built on public land.
The Silver State North Project near Primm actually went on line in late April. It is designed to deliver more than 50 megawatts of electricity to customers in Nevada.
Salazar visited the plant eight months ago to tout the job-generating power of renewable energy. At the time, the project employed about 350 construction workers, but the finished array requires only two people to run it.
Tuesday
Funding for teachers
The new state schools superintendent, James Guthrie, said he is seeking federal permission to allow the Clark County School District to use millions of dollars in existing No Child Left Behind funds earmarked for tutoring to reduce the number of teacher layoffs this fall.
Federal rules prohibit the funds from being used on anything but supplemental education service, meaning it can't cover teacher salaries. But under the proposal, $15 million to $17 million of the tutoring money would be used instead to rehire teachers for the regular school days.
Wednesday
(Almost) Safe Haven
She wasn't quite a Safe Haven baby, but she is safe.
A healthy newborn baby girl with her umbilical cord and placenta still attached was found outside Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center early Tuesday.
Although the drop-off did not technically fall within the scope of Nevada's Safe Haven law, which requires a parent to physically hand the child to authorities, child welfare officials considered it a positive result nonetheless.
Thursday
The same-sex shuffle
Sen. Harry Reid said he would vote to legalize same-sex marriage if it were put on the ballot in Nevada, saying he was persuaded by family members for whom "marriage equality" is accepted in today's world.
Reid's position, conveyed by a nod of his head to reporters, signaled an evolution for the state's Democratic leader, who voted a decade ago for a constitutional amendment in Nevada to ban gay marriage.
Friday
Obama stops in Reno
President Barack Obama made a short stop in Reno to talk about the economy after a day spent raising millions of dollars for his campaign and riding a media wave on his newly declared support for same-sex marriage.
Obama plugged housing policies to help homeowners avoid foreclosure during a visit lasting no more than a few hours. Nevada ranks second in the nation in foreclosed homes and has the highest unemployment in the country.
Numbers
5 games
The length of the suspension for Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels, who welcomed Las Vegas baseball phenom Bryce Harper to the big leagues by beaning him.
17
How many hours it took Nevada Republicans to choose delegates to the national convention at a gathering in Sparks last weekend dominated by Ron Paul supporters.
1/2 inch
How much the Sierra Nevada mountain range is growing in elevation every 10 years or so, according to researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno.
$1 million
Liability insurance amount Google must carry when it begins testing driverless cars on Nevada roads. The state just approved a first-of-its-kind license for the robo-cars.
Quotes
“In talking with my children and grandchildren, it has become clear to me they take marriage equality as a given. I have no doubt that their view will carry the future.”
Sen. Harry Reid, in a statement issued Wednesday after President Barack Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage. Reid later nodded yes when asked at a press conference if he would vote to legalize same-sex marriage in Nevada.
“People you wouldn’t hurt if they were your neighbors you will fight to the death over a glass of water.”
Pat Mulroy, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, talking about water conflict in “Last Call at the Oasis,” a new documentary about threats to the world’s fresh water supply. The film opened in Las Vegas on Friday.
“This is not a day when you want to be driving around in an air quality truck.”
Jack Bingham, compliance officer for the Clark County Department of Air Quality, who was out working Thursday as the Las Vegas Valley was shrouded in a thick brown cloud, prompting an air pollution alert. Experts believe the haze blew in from a dust storm that hit Tucson, Ariz.
Multimedia
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