YEAR 2007 IN REVIEW

Dorothy Gale was dazzled by how quickly people in the Land of Oz tended to come and go.

But Ozians have nothing on Nevada's top newsmakers for 2007.

Democratic and Republican politicians hungry for the presidency came again and again to court voters on the way to the state's 2008 caucuses.

Former football star O.J. Simpson came -- and brought a posse -- to reclaim his stuff from memorabilia dealers holed up in a room at Palace Station.

Much-arrested NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones came to Las Vegas, visited the Minxx strip club, and was arrested again -- this time for his role in a brawl that led to the shooting and paralysis of a bouncer.

As for the people and things that went, Review-Journal staffers had their definite and unscientific opinions about what deserved a place among the top 10 stories of the year as well.

Smoking was supposed to go, but bars and taverns engaged in a legal throw down with the state over several aspects of the ban. And four former Clark County commissioners went to federal prison for their roles in a long-running political corruption case involving bribes for favors.

Just missing the list was the case of Chester Arthur Stiles, who spurred a nationwide manhunt resulting in his arrest in connection with videotaped sex with a 2-year-old girl. The Southern Nevada Water Authority also proved itself a newsmaker for successfully tapping into other sources to sate a thirsty valley. Also just missing the final cut was Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., whose ascent to Senate majority leader was marked by a year of battles with President Bush over war spending, taxes, children's health insurance and political appointments.

But leave it to one politician to trump another. Gov. Jim Gibbons and his pending budget cuts overtook Reid's Washington antics for a place on the list, presented below in its entirety for readers seeking to tiptoe through the old year.

1: WHAT'S A CAUCUS?

It's a question that's a stumper for lots of Nevadans who, along with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, will have the earliest say on who the leading candidates will be in the 2008 presidential race. On Jan. 19, Nevada Democrats and Republicans will be asked to choose their favorites, which means front-runners made a point of stopping often in the Silver State during 2007.

Democratic New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has been a leader in state polls. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is running second.

On the Republican side, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are the candidates within reach of a caucus win.

Winning support during the early caucuses is so important to presidential campaigns that candidates are even willing to teach the average voter what they are. In Nevada, Clinton's presidential campaign launched "Caucus 101," complete with a Web site and a staffed hot line. Nevada's political parties have been sweeping the state, conducting mock caucuses to show partisans how it's done.

The expectations for Nevada's first-ever early caucuses are high. Succeed or fail, what happens is likely to earn a place on the Top 10 news stories of 2008.

2: JUICED AGAIN

O.J. Simpson called it getting his stuff back. Law enforcement called it armed robbery. The NFL hall of famer, Charles Ehrlich and Clarence Stewart each face 12 charges related to a Sept. 13 incident that took place in a room at Palace Station. Prosecutors say the trio took part in robbing two memorabilia dealers so Simpson could reclaim property he said had been stolen.

All three defendants have pleaded not guilty. The trial promises to be a long, drawn-out affair, with a witness list that includes notables from Simpson's earlier brush with the law when he was found not guilty in the slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Among the items Simpson was attempting to recover during his Las Vegas operation: the suit he wore when he was acquitted of murder charges in 1995.

3: TAKE BACKS

The Legislature giveth and the governor taketh away. What exactly Gov. Jim Gibbons plans to cut from state budgets won't be made public until 2008, but something's going to give as Nevada faces a financial shortfall brought on by lower than expected tax revenues.

Gibbons is expected to announce in January where he plans to make $440 million in budget reductions over the next 18 months.

Higher education hasn't taken the promise of cuts well, with Chancellor Jim Rogers strongly opposing a 4.5 percent reduction. K-12 education proponents are still reeling from the shock of being asked to trim $96 million from the public schools budget after Gibbons reversed his promise to protect them from the cuts.

Other items tagged for reductions include health and human services, roads and just about everything else the state funds. The only exceptions to the proposed cuts are the Nevada Supreme Court, child welfare and juvenile justice.

4: IF YOU BUILD IT, DO IT RIGHT

Renovations undertaken without required permits or inspections mushroomed into a major fiasco for Harrah's Entertainment during the last part of 2007. Properties owned by the world's largest gaming company have been under investigation by Clark County since September for numerous building code violations that could pose a hazard to public safety. The troubled remodeling took place at the Rio, Harrah's Las Vegas and Flamingo.

At the Rio, 1,535 guest rooms underwent remodeling outside the safety procedures required by law. At Harrah's, 667 guest rooms were improperly remodeled. A carpenter also told county fire department officials that he'd been ordered to cannibalize fire safety equipment on two floors of the Flamingo so other areas could pass a safety inspection.

In early 2007, the county cleared the Rio of alleged remodeling violations after a one-day review. The investigation was reopened after the Review-Journal began probing the allegations of whistle-blowers. The county has so far issued 18 misdemeanor criminal citations related to the problematic remodeling.

5: UP IN SMOKE

The Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007 became a matter for the courts when angry tavern and bar owners began squaring off with the Southern Nevada Health District. Under the act, bars that allow smoking can't serve food. And taverns that serve food are required to prohibit smoking.

Complaints came into the Health District by the hundreds from customers saying the will of the voters was being subverted because bar patrons continued to light up. But even if the spirit of the law was being ignored, bar operators said they were complying with its letter.

Tavern owners also assert that implementation of the law has resulted in an uneven application of fines and penalties.

The matter is now up for appeal with the Nevada Supreme Court.

6: POLITICAL CORRUPTION

In October, former Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny went to jail. She was the last of four disgraced former commissioners to begin serving federal prison time on charges related to accepting bribes for political favors. Dario Herrera, Lance Malone and Mary Kincaid-Chauncey preceded her in incarceration.

The stench of corruption isn't dissipating though. Developer Don Davidson has yet to be sentenced for convictions on felony counts related to attempting to bribe then-Las Vegas City Councilman Michael McDonald in 2002. McDonald, it was reported in 2007, is being investigated for tax fraud by federal authorities.

Two more former commissioners are fighting separate battles on the corruption front.

Lynette Boggs was indicted on two counts of filing false documents and two counts of perjury, all stemming from her failed bid for re-election in 2006.

Her one-time colleague Yvonne Atkinson Gates faced a police investigation into whether she received kickbacks from 2004 campaign funds she paid to her son, Brian Atkinson Turner, his wife and their company, Advibe Advertising. No charges have been filed in the case.

7: JUDGMENT DAY

Newly elected Clark County Judge Elizabeth Halverson rocked the bench when her bizarre behavior and professional missteps led to a temporary suspension from her duties.

Reports of staff mistreatment, sleeping during trials and illegal communication with jurors garnered the attention of the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline. The commission suspended her on July 25.

Halverson's appeal of the suspension failed in November, when the Supreme Court upheld the commission's action. Halverson may still face a formal hearing before the Judicial Discipline Commission.

The case has initiated a debate on how Nevada chooses its judges and whether a system of appointments would result in a stronger judiciary.

While on suspension, Halverson continues to collect her $130,000 annual salary while her courtroom is staffed by a substitute judge.

8: WHAT AILS UMC

Former University Medical Center CEO Lacy Thomas was fired in January by Clark County commissioners, but his tainted legacy has left the public hospital with a crippled reputation.

Thomas, now under investigation on allegations he funneled money to friends in Chicago through contracts that have required little or no work in return, left UMC foundering in red ink.

Also, county financial analysts found the hospital had hemorrhaged some $50 million between 2004-06.

Thomas had assured commissioners the hospital was financially stable, but didn't provide any documentation to support that.

County officials hope to hire a new hospital executive by spring.

9: PACMAN

NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones would have been better off going home after February's NBA All-Star game weekend. Instead, the Tennessee Titans cornerback went to the Minxx strip club, where authorities said he started a fight that preceded the shooting of three people.

One victim, bouncer Tommy Urbanski, was left paralyzed.

Jones faces no jail time. In December, he accepted a deal that gives him probation in exchange for testifying against the shooter, who has not yet been arrested.

Jones pleaded no contest to one count of conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct, a gross misdemeanor. The shooting is still under investigation.

10: RUNAWAY TRAIN

Nevada's worst-case-disaster scenario is a chlorine gas accident, according to UNLV's Institute for Security Studies.

On Aug. 29, the worst case almost happened in Clark County when a chlorine train tanker rolled free of the Arden yard and headed north at high speed through the heart of urban Las Vegas before it could be stopped.

Chlorine gas, a toxic inhalant, has the potential to kill between 74,000 to 91,000 people if released in a populous area, the institute said in a 2006 report.

Union Pacific railroad officials were called on the carpet by shaken local, state and federal politicians.

Emergency responders called for improved communications after the first reports of the runaway tanker were made by members of the public, not the railroad.

New protocols were enacted at Arden yard to prevent a repeat of the human error that led to the tanker's release.