Nasty divorce sparks coverage of first lady’s anti-drug campaign

Gov. Jim Gibbons and wife Dawn Gibbons are locked in an increasingly nasty divorce, but there's a bright side:

Reporters and television camera crews suddenly can't resist attending the first lady's public school campus crusade against the societal scourge of methamphetamine.

Such was the case Thursday afternoon at Hollingsworth Elementary at 1776 E. Ogden Ave., when the first lady, state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, and other officials assembled before a group of fifth-graders in the school library to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 10,000 Kids/Crystal Darkness anti-meth program.

Afterward, the press questions focused on the divorce case, not the drug program. Just a day earlier, the first lady's attorney, Cal Dunlap, filed a bruising motion calling for the divorce proceedings to be unsealed, essentially so that anyone interested could know the governor has been having an affair with the wife of a Reno podiatrist. Gov. Gibbons filed for divorce May 2. His request that the filings and proceedings be sealed was swiftly granted under Nevada law, which allows either party in a divorce to receive a level of courthouse confidentiality.

Dawn Gibbons apologized for not being able to openly discuss the pending divorce on the advice of counsel, then proceeded to hint at the challenges she's experiencing, and her belief that she needs to be strong for herself and for other women in her situation. She also said that, no matter her future association with the governor, she'd continue to campaign against methamphetamine use and on behalf of autism treatment and research.

WHITNEY SCHOOL: Readers of this column know about the good work going on at Whitney Elementary School in east Las Vegas, where Principal Sherrie Gahn and her staff not only educate but also feed and care for hundreds of students from poor families.

The school continues to generate community support. The recent $25,000 contribution from longtime locals Sandy and Robert Ellis is just one shining example.

The Ellis family isn't finished helping.

This week Robert was overheard to say, "We're going to give them $25,000 more at Christmas."

Most of Whitney's 560 students live below the poverty level, and approximately half are considered homeless. Networking within the community, school officials provide students with food on a daily basis.

KICKING 'BUKET:' From the Los Angeles Times this week comes a tale of graphic street celebrity in the form of a crafty graffiti tagger who goes by the spray-paint moniker "Buket."

Now Buket has been identified as 24-year-old Las Vegas convention planner Cyrus Yazdani. He's accused of causing more than $150,000 in property damage in the Los Angeles area alone.

Yazdani has also become a bit of a YouTube celebrity after videos of the artist/vandal in action were posted on the Web site and generated more than 170,000 hits.

Some call it art. The cops call it evidence.

But look at it this way: If each video viewer contributes just $1, Buket will be able to pay restitution.

Yazdani stands accused of defacing freeway overpasses, walls and transit buses in the Los Angeles area and is believed to have caused as much as $150,000 in damage in other parts of California.

According to the article, Yazdani holds an art degree from San Jose State University and is a professional graphic artist. Who knows, maybe he'll argue he's just trying to build his resume and has really large business cards.

Any more exposure and Buket will get an agent and his own reality TV show.

FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE: You've heard of wine tastings and beer tastings, but this side of Tokyo you don't often come across a sake-tasting event. With proceeds to benefit the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, a $40 ticket to Sake Fever will give you access to samples of more than 150 sakes in a poolside setting at The Palms. The event starts at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Now under construction downtown, the Ruvo Institute will be devoted to treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other brain maladies.

ON THE BOULEVARD: With Nevada's economy burning and Gov. Gibbons presumably distracted by his pending divorce, who is willing to handicap the future of the fledgling Spending And Government Efficiency (SAGE) Committee?

As long as no smart aleck starts calling it the "Someone's Adultery Got Exposed" Committee, folks probably will still want to be associated with it.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295.