WEEK IN REVIEW: District judge off job but not off the payroll

Embattled Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Halverson is off the bench but not out of a job.

The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline on Wednesday gave two reasons for suspending the 49-year-old Halverson.

"First, she poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the public," said the order, signed by commission Vice Chairman Daveen Nave. "Second, she poses a substantial threat to the administration of justice."

The commission found that Halverson's inexperience with criminal law, her inexperience as a judge and her overall poor judgment were grounds for removing her from the bench. The suspension was effective at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Though she won't be working, Halverson will continue to collect her $130,000 annual pay pending a judicial disciplinary proceeding. The commission has the power to ban her from the bench.

Administrators at the Regional Justice Center said Thursday that they expect Halverson's suspension will last at least three months.

Senior District Judge Charles Thompson will take over Halverson's courtroom and chambers on Monday, and court administrators figure Thompson will be just the first of several senior judges who will handle her cases while she awaits the next decision from the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline.

MONDAY

State questions health care merger

Representatives of the Nevada attorney general's office and the Assembly expressed concerns about the $2.6 billion proposed merger between Sierra Health Services and UnitedHealth Group.

The attorney general's Bureau of Consumer Protection filed comments with the Nevada Division of Insurance asserting that UnitedHealth's acquisition of Sierra Health "may result in the most concentrated insurance market in the country."

The attorney general's office has not made a formal decision, but the bureau cited numbers that show the combined entity would hold a big share of some segments of the state's health-insurance business. The two companies, for example, cover 96 percent of Clark County residents enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.

TUESDAY

NBA dream survives scandal

After listening to NBA commissioner David Stern discuss a federal investigation regarding alleged betting on league games by a former referee, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said he thinks the city still will be considered for a franchise.

"I came away very positive from his comments," Goodman said after watching Stern's news conference. "He's in a tough spot. But I think he left the door open when he didn't want to juxtapose with the emotion of the investigation."

NBA officials were to meet Monday to discuss Las Vegas, but Stern canceled the meeting when news broke of the scandal involving former league referee Tim Donaghy.

WEDNESDAY

McDonald faces heat over taxes

The federal government is ratcheting up a tax fraud investigation of former Las Vegas City Councilman Michael McDonald, sources familiar with the case said.

Last week, subpoenas were delivered in relation to questionable tax returns filed by McDonald. It was unclear when the federal grand jury would convene to hear the government's case against McDonald.

McDonald and his lawyer, Richard Wright, declined to comment.

THURSDAY

Progress pleases school officials

The Clark County School District is doing a better job of meeting federal education benchmarks, but a handful of its schools are doing worse than ever.

For the second consecutive year, the district in the 2006-07 school year increased the number of schools that met federal No Child Left Behind Act standards. However, four schools are in jeopardy of state takeover and staff shake-ups for failing to meet federal targets for too many consecutive years.

School system officials were jubilant, announcing for the first time since inception of the law five years ago that the district as a whole met all federal guidelines.

"I hope to never hear that CCSD is a failing school district," Superintendent Walt Rulffes said.

FRIDAY

Union to vote on strike authorization

Culinary union workers at hotels that have not settled new collective bargaining agreements will vote Sept. 12 to give their negotiating committees the authorization to call a strike, representatives said.

The vote doesn't mean there will be a walkout by members of Culinary Workers Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165 at Strip and downtown hotels that have not reached new contracts six weeks from now.

But the vote does give the negotiating committees the ability to call a strike, which union members believe is another bargaining chip.

"This is a tool that we need to have in our contract talks and, hopefully, we'll never have to use it," said Vikki Gaskill, a cocktail server at The Mirage who is a member of the union's MGM Mirage negotiating committee.

COMPILED BY MICHAEL SQUIRES

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