Nobody asked, but Las Vegas Valley thrives on good, bad, ugly
Nobody asked me, but ...
I still think downtown's National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement should have been named the House of Whacks. ...
Speaking of the Mob Museum, who are madder these days, the hoodlums whose faces are on the walls of the place or the thugs whose mugs were left off? My money is on the latter. ...
On Presidents Day, we honor the lives and historic contributions of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln with sales on sheets and pillowcases. The Father of Our Country and Honest Abe would be so proud. ...
Government officials pay tribute to the importance of those two great American leaders by doing no work. ...
The Smith Center will change the way locals and visitors perceive downtown. It should put a little spring in the step of every resident in the valley. It's really something to be proud of. ...
And I'm not just saying that because they put my name on the building. ...
Former state Sen. Bob Beers has decided to enter the race for the Ward 2 City Council seat vacated by new District Attorney Steve Wolfson. If he wins, it means we'll have Beers at City Hall. After a dozen years of Martinis with the Mayor, anything is possible. ...
Multibillionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn accuses partner Kazuo Okada of making improper payments for foreign officials after former FBI Director Louis Freeh's investigation found $110,000 in suspicious payments and gifts to Philippine gaming regulators. No investigation has yet determined anything suspicious about an American casino man agreeing to contribute $135 million to Macau University. ...
Even bigger casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson is said to be willing to hand a Newt Gingrich Super PAC another $10 million to jump start his lethargic presidential campaign. Some call that
$10 million scandalous; Adelson calls it chump change. ...
Anyone who wonders why Muhammad Ali is called "The Greatest" need only acknowledge that he agreed to turn his 70th birthday into a huge fundraiser for Larry Ruvo's Keep Memory Alive in support of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Millions were raised. Ali wins by knockout without laying a glove on anyone.
Who has a harder time getting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on the phone these days: Sharron Angle, or Harvey Whittemore? ...
Seldom has a Nevada governor taken fewer political risks and gotten better press than Brian Sandoval. Jim Gibbons must be crying in his beer. ...
Longtime cop-turned-Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen must be embarrassed by the recent chaos in the offices of the police chief and the city manager. Maybe some day he will step up and use his bully pulpit to help Henderson break free of its growing reputation as a politically incestuous Mayberry. ...
State Sen. Elizabeth Halseth has announced her resignation from the Legislature. She cited mean, partisan media coverage as one reason for her decision to leave. Maybe someone forgot to tell the amateur that politics is a contact sport. ...
Sheriff Doug Gillespie says he's considering putting cameras on his officers to improve their performance. I suggest we do the same thing with local elected officials. ...
City Councilman Bob Coffin made some salient points last week before voting against funding the reopening of F Street, but his tale of legislative intrigue was overrated. After three decades in Carson City, he knows well how the sausage is ground. ...
Residents who lost their homes to foreclosure after waiting many months for help from the government must be pretty pleased with Nevada's recent settlement. I hear some families will receive enough for a new tent. ...
Speaking of tents, Occupy Las Vegas is folding its own after generating little more than headlines recently. ...
Nobody asked me, but ... this column is dedicated to the memory of the late newsprint pugilist Jimmy Cannon, who would have called me out for copying his signature line.
John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Email him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.
