Reporter’s Notebook

During jury selection for the Aryan Warriors trial, U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson asked potential jurors if they had ever been the victim of a violent crime. One timid man slowly raised his hand.

"I don't know if this would be considered a violent crime, but I was robbed at gunpoint," he said.

Silence in the courtroom was followed by laughter.

"Uh, I'd say that's pretty close," Dawson said.

ADRIENNE PACKER

HENDERSON CITY ATTORNEY SHAUNA HUGHES is retiring after 26 years on the job. She was honored at Tuesday night's City Council meeting, which was her last.

Councilman Steve Kirk tried to put Hughes' career in a context Southern Nevada residents might understand.

"The mark of a good city attorney is her record," Kirk said. "She's had no elected officials go to jail."

HENRY BREAN

DURING HER farewell ceremony, Hughes recalled the time when she was pregnant and started having sharp back pains in the middle of a city meeting.

She said Councilman Andy Hafen explained to her what was really happening: Her back pains were contractions; she was about to have a baby.

Her reaction was pure city attorney.

"I told him, 'Whatever you do, don't call the paramedics, because I'm in contract negotiations with them right now. I don't want to be put in that position.'"

HENRY BREAN

ANYONE WHO HAS GOTTEN UP TO SPEAK at a School Board meeting knows what it's like to get cut off by the buzzer, which is typically set to a 3-minute timer to keep speakers from going on too long.

Elected officials, however, are not subject to the same time limit. They prattle on as long as they want without fear of getting gonged.

But a gremlin in the system delivered some payback when the buzzer went off while Clark County School Board Trustee Sheila Moulton was speaking at a recent meeting.

"Well, my, my," said a startled Moulton. "What goes around, comes around."

The audience laughed in appreciation.

JAMES HAUG

Commissioner Tom Collins publicly praised Commissioner Lawrence Weekly for the way he handled a wedgie at the Helldorado parade.

Actually, Collins meant the Segway scooter that Weekly rode in the parade.

"A wedgie is an entirely different thing," Commissioner Rory Reid said, setting the record straight.

SCOTT WYLAND

WHEN COLLINS showed up at Monday's budget hearing for the Las Vegas Valley Water District, he was decked out in his full Helldorado outfit, which was even more cowboy than his usual cowboy attire.

He seemed to be in a spur-jangling mood, too.

Taking a quick look at all the water district officials on hand for the hearing, Collins declared, "Well, there ain't no water pumping today. Everybody's here."

HENRY BREAN