Reporters’ Notebook

AS FEDERAL AGENTS AND LOS ANGELES POLICE ON TUESDAY SEARCHED THE LAS VEGAS MEDICAL OFFICE OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S DOCTOR, a large truck from a shredding company pulled into the parking lot.

The truck prompted someone among the crowd of reporters to jokingly shout, "You were supposed to be here yesterday."

BRIAN HAYNES

OVERHEARD ON THE SCANNER: "They have a continual problem with a neighbor who sleeps nude and leaves his blinds open."

CLARK COUNTY'S HEAD SPOKESMAN, ERIK PAPPA, FONDLY RECALLS HOW JUDAS PRIEST'S LEAD SINGER INVITED HIM TO PLAY GOLF with the band some 20 years ago.

Pappa, who was covering the heavy metal band for Time magazine, declined Rob Halford's invitation because the scheduling didn't work.

Now, with Priest set to play a concert at the Palms on Saturday, Pappa thought about cashing in the 20th century rain check.

Alas, another scheduling snag arose.

It's just as well, Pappa said. "In August, I don't want to kill them with the heat."

SCOTT WYLAND

AS NYE COUNTY BROTHEL OWNER MAYNARD "JOE" RICHARDS WAITED WEDNESDAY TO BE SENTENCED ON FEDERAL CORRUPTION CHARGES, he told a reporter standing nearby that there were "no hard feelings."

Richards not only owns three brothels and a strip club, but he also has his own small weekly newspaper in Pahrump.

He knows how the media game works.

"You're just a reporter doing your job," Richards said with a smile. "If you were on trial, I'd be here covering it."

HENRY BREAN

THE KEY WITNESS IN THE CASE AGAINST RICHARDS WAS FORMER NYE COUNTY COMMISSIONER CANDICE TRUMMELL, who agreed to wear an FBI wire to record the brothel owner trying to bribe her.

According to Trummell, the investigation initially had a more high-profile target: former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, now the most famous resident of Pahrump.

Trummell said she feels bad about it now, because Fleiss never even hinted at anything illegal in any of the conversations Trummell recorded with her.

But when Fleiss learned about being targeted by Trummell and the feds, she just laughed it off.

"It's really hard for me to get mad about anything," she said. "I don't know. Maybe I've gotten soft in my old age."

HENRY BREAN

HAWAII HAS PASSED A NEW TAX ON ALL THE MONEY ITS RESIDENTS WIN IN LAS VEGAS, reports the Honolulu Advertiser. Win one hand of blackjack, lose the next, you still owe income tax on the first hand.

If by some miracle anyone actually reports their winnings accurately in the future, the state expects the new law to bring in $300,000 a year in new revenue.

This is brilliant, right? Kind of like not having your cake and not eating it, too.

Good luck with that, Aloha State.

RICHARD LAKE