Reporters’ Notebook

AFTER HIS 16-YEAR-OLD SON WAS IMPLICATED in a street race that resulted in a fatal crash in Henderson, District Judge Donald Mosley issued a statement through local public relations firm Fierro Communications in which he states, "My heart goes out to the William's family."

The problem: No one named Williams was involved.

The name of the 15-year-old girl who died was Olivia Hyten. The public relations firm apparently got the name wrong when it put out the release.

HENRY BREAN

EDWARD MARSHALL TOOK ON THE LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL last week over the graffiti that keeps appearing on his property near Charleston Boulevard and Interstate 15. He thought it was unfair that he was being fined for not cleaning it up because he was the victim of a crime.

There's one solution, the aged Marshall eventually said, noting that he earned an expert marksman distinction in the Army.

"It would take very little to end this, but I'd go to prison, and someone would go to the cemetery," he said.

Mayor Oscar Goodman, who once quipped that taggers should have their thumbs amputated, then issued instructions to the city attorney.

"Research whether I can give Mr. Marshall immunity so he can whack a graffiti person," he said.

ALAN CHOATE

BIRDS CHIRP AND WATER GURGLES along a peaceful stretch of the Las Vegas Wash at the Clark County Wetlands Park near the eastern stretch of Tropicana Avenue. But the area wasn't always so tranquil.

During an event at the wash on Monday, Southern Nevada Water Authority program manager Gerry Hester said he and his team had been shot at by squatters before. "And just around the corner from here somebody turned their pit bulls loose on us."

HENRY BREAN

DISTRICT JUDGE JENNIFER TOGLIATTI got a little testy on Wednesday as she, once again, heard defense attorneys explain scheduling problems in the case of Chester Stiles, the man accused of videotaping himself sexually assaulting a young girl.

They were trying to schedule an upcoming court appearance, and Deputy Public Defender Stacey Roundtree told Togliatti that her co-counsel, Amy Coffee, wasn't in court because she was sick from food poisoning.

Togliatti's advice: "Don't eat with Mrs. Coffee."

DAVID KIHARA

UNDER CHANCELLOR JIM ROGERS' THEORY OF TAXATION, a state doesn't need zero taxes to attract business; it only needs the lowest taxes. He gave a hypothetical that went like this: Suppose a business is considering a move to either Nevada or Nebraska. This hypothetical version of Nebraska has a 12 percent tax, Nevada no tax. That's silly, he said. Why not have a 6 percent tax? It's still half what the business would pay in Hypothetical Nebraska.

Besides, he said, "Who the hell wants to live in Nebraska?"

RICHARD LAKE