At LV debate, Clinton fires back at her rivals

Sen. Hillary Clinton's rivals once again came out swinging at Thursday night's Democratic debate, but this time, Clinton swung back.

The New York senator didn't waste any time in a Democratic presidential candidates' debate that clearly was set up to be all about her.

On the first question, after Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois made a case that Clinton doesn't give "straight answers to tough questions," she fired back.

"He talks a lot about stepping up and taking responsibility and taking strong positions," Clinton said. "But when it came time to step up and decide whether or not he would support universal health care coverage, he chose not to do that."

Next it was former Sen. John Edwards' turn.

"She says she will bring change to Washington, while she continues to defend a system that does not work, that is broken, that is rigged and is corrupt -- corrupted against the interests of most Americans and corrupted for a very small, very powerful, very well-financed group," Edwards said.

Clinton claimed she had been "personally attacked" and accused Edwards of "throwing mud ... right out of the Republican playbook."

Hyped as the single most anticipated night of the presidential campaign thus far, Thursday marked the first time a presidential debate was held in Nevada.

Later that evening, the Democratic presidential candidates spent seven minutes each telling a crowd of Clark County Democrats in a Paris Las Vegas ballroom why they should occupy the White House in 2009.

Obama and Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, received loud applause from their supporters, but Clinton dominated the room.

Winning over the crowd, many of whom will serve as precinct captains for the Nevada presidential caucuses, was seen as key to a strong showing on Jan. 19.

MONDAY

Culinary union, workers reach deal

Hours before workers were scheduled to walk off the job, Mission Industries struck a tentative agreement with the Culinary union on a new contract for the company's nearly 1,560 laundry workers.

The contract deal ended the threat of what could have been the first Culinary strike in Las Vegas in five years.

Culinary Local 226 released a statement applauding the deal, saying the laundry workers will now have "a great health plan and a voice on the job."

The major sticking point in the negotiations had been that the union wanted the company to put its workers under the Culinary health plan.

TUESDAY

Gibbons: Some programs exempt

Gov. Jim Gibbons said he will exempt child welfare and juvenile justice programs from $285 million in proposed state budget cuts.

"I thought it was understood they would be spared from cuts," Gibbons said when asked whether children's programs still faced the ax.

"Education (kindergarten through 12th grade), public safety, corrections and children's programs will not be cut. We will have to make steeper cuts in other state agencies."

If Gibbons made that commitment to legislators and local government leaders during budget talks last week, Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid missed it. During the meeting, Reid unsuccessfully pressed Gibbons for a promise to preserve the $3.6 million in county child welfare and juvenile justice budgets up for cuts.

WEDNESDAY

Simpson, two others to be tried

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joe Bonaventure on Wednesday ordered O.J. Simpson and his two codefendants, Clarence Stewart and Charles Ehrlich, to face trial on kidnapping, robbery with a deadly weapon and other charges in the Sept. 13 sports memorabilia heist at Palace Station.

In his decision, the judge acknowledged credibility issues with key witnesses and potential legal issues with the charges, yet found probable cause that the defendants had committed the crime.

"The ultimate determination of the credibility of witnesses should be left to a jury," he said.

THURSDAY

MGM's Lanni calls for tax solution

MGM Mirage Chairman and CEO Terry Lanni said Nevada's economy is in disarray because the tax structure, which relies heavily on gaming and sales taxes, is broken.

Speaking to the Nevada Development Authority's annual luncheon, he repeated his recent call for Nevada to adopt a broad-based business tax.

"We must fix the recurring chaos created by this flawed system," Lanni said. "The time came long ago for the establishment of a business tax paid by every large business that benefits from operating in this state."

FRIDAY

Three can't preside over weddings

Three ministers who married people at the nowshuttered Las Vegas Garden of Love wedding chapel can no longer preside over weddings in Nevada.

Clark County Clerk Shirley Parraguirre revoked permission for the three men because they had falsely filled out marriage certificates.

"The wedding industry is a huge industry," Parraguirre told Wendell Cuasito, the last of the ministers to face revocation.

"To be fair to the public out there, and all these people who are coming in to get married, I don't feel I have any choice but to go ahead and revoke you, effective today," she said.

Cuasito, Phillip Williams and Jesus Diaz can appeal the decision to District Court.

COMPILED BY MICHAEL SQUIRES

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