September 25, 2018

Nevada's newest state park opens near Yerington

Saying, "welcome to a slice of Nevada heaven," Gov Brian Sandoval on Wednesday christened Nevada's newest state park, the Walker River Recreation Area outside of Yerington.

The park is being built on the 12,000 acres of land that was formerly three historic ranches, the Pitchfork, Rafter 7 and Flying M. They were purchased by the Walker River Conservancy that then deeded the land to the state, a gift Sandoval said was worth about $8 million.

The park includes 28 miles of the picturesque Walker River that will now be open to kayakers, canoes and fishermen who have long regarded that stretch of the river one of the best trout streams in Nevada.

Jeff Bryant of the conservancy said they actually paid "upward of $30 million" for the land but wanted it mostly for the water rights held by those ranches. The conservancy's goal, according to Parks Director Eric Johnson, is to use that water to restore the water quality in Walker Lake to a level that can support native cutthroat trout.

Read more: https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/government/nevadas-newest-state-park-opens-near-yerington/#

September 25, 2018

Nevada U.S. Senate candidates schedule debate

Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and Democrat U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen have finally agreed to a debate on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas.

But the two are still wrangling over details of a possible debate in Reno as the race for Heller's Senate seat heats up heading into the November election.

The debate on Oct. 19 will be aired statewide on CBS affiliates and Univision.

"After President Trump called her out last week for refusing to debate Dean Heller, today Jacky Rosen finally accepted a debate in Las Vegas on Oct. 19," the Heller campaign stated in a released statement.

Read more: https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/government/nevada-u-s-senate-candidates-schedule-debate/

September 25, 2018

With little fanfare, union-backed group spends big on Senate, congressional races

A left-leaning political nonprofit with ties to organized labor has reported spending more than six figures in campaign expenses this month boosting two Nevada Democrats.

A recently created organization called “Working People Rising” has spent more than $223,000 in support of Senate candidate Jacky Rosen and congressional candidate Steven Horsford through the month of September alone, according to data from the Federal Election Commission collected by ProPublica. It also has reported spending nearly $11,000 on flyers and canvassing services opposing Rosen’s opponent, Republican Sen. Dean Heller.

So far, more than $183,000 of the organization’s spending has gone towards canvassing services to the UNITE HERE TIP Campaign Committee, a political arm of the parent union of the state’s powerful Culinary Workers Local 226 union. It’s also spent more than $25,000 on flyers.

Because it is registered as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, the organization is not required to disclose its donors — but a spokeswoman for the state’s AFL-CIO said it was formed as part of the national union’s planned election spending in Nevada.

Read more: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/with-little-fanfare-union-backed-group-spends-big-on-senate-congressional-races

September 25, 2018

Hatch slams Democrats for 'character assassination' of Kavanaugh

SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Orrin Hatch slammed Democrats Monday for "partisan games and transparent attempts at character assassination" against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

"No innuendo has been too low, no insinuation too dirty. Everything is an excuse for delay, no matter how unsubstantiated," the Utah Republican said in a statement, calling for a vote on Kavanaugh after he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday.

The retiring senator, who participated in the confirmations of every member of the high court during his 42 years in office, called the new allegation that has surfaced against Kavanaugh a continuation of "a smear campaign."

The New Yorker reported Sunday that during the 1983-84 academic year, Kavanaugh's first year at Yale University, a female classmate said he exposed himself at a dormitory party.

Read more: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900033396/hatch-slams-democrats-for-character-assassination-of-kavanaugh.html

September 25, 2018

Romney and Wilson split on Utah's medical marijuana initiative, Medicaid expansion and the future of

Romney and Wilson split on Utah’s medical marijuana initiative, Medicaid expansion and the future of U.S. health care


No matter who wins Utah’s U.S. Senate race in November, the Beehive State will have an advocate in Washington, D.C., for moving marijuana off the list of Schedule 1 controlled substances, a designation that cannabis now shares with heroin, LSD and ecstasy.

Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Jenny Wilson told The Salt Lake Tribune that reclassification of marijuana is needed to facilitate research and use of cannabis products as a medical treatment.

“Let’s take this off the category one designation and let it be evaluated through a normal FDA-type process,” Romney said, referring to the Food and Drug Administration.

Wilson said it’s “ridiculous” that cannabis remains on the Schedule 1 list, and faulted Utah’s senators and representatives for failing to take action.

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/09/24/romney-wilson-split-utahs/

September 25, 2018

Mia Love tells Fox News that Democrats target her because 'I am a black female Republican' and they

Mia Love tells Fox News that Democrats target her because ‘I am a black female Republican’ and they want to control everything


Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, told national Fox News on Monday that Democrats are targeting her because “they do not like the fact that I am a black female Republican.”

She said that on Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade Show. He asked her if Democrats are targeting her “because you’re African American, you’re Republican and you’re successful?”

Love responded, “All of the above. All of the above. Absolutely, all of the above,” and added, “They do not like the fact that I am a black female Republican.”

Love said Democrats also do not like that she is trying to help people improve their economic situation.

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/09/24/mia-love-says-dems-target/

September 25, 2018

Beto O'Rourke's latest fundraising goal: bring in another $5 million this week

WASHINGTON — Following Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Beto O'Rourke's debate Friday, O'Rourke's campaign is asking donors to raise $5 million before the end of the month.

"Obviously, this goal is very steep. It's steeper than any other goal we've set before," O'Rourke campaign manager Jody Casey wrote in a fundraising email.

If the campaign meets the lofty goal, it would be a clear signal that O'Rourke could be reporting huge fundraising numbers for the third quarter of the year. The cutoff for third-quarter fundraising is Sunday.

Politico recently reported that O'Rourke raised more than $9 million just online in August, based on federal filings.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2018/09/24/beto-orourkes-latest-fundraising-goal-bring-another5-million-week

Link to donate from Beto's campaign site:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/beto-homepage?refcode=header-homepage&_ga=2.201398937.965608776.1537877802-2035500458.1537877802

September 25, 2018

Black Student Alliance at University of New Mexico condemns sorority for racial remarks

The Black Student Alliance (BSA) of the University of New Mexico released a statement Wednesday condemning members of the Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) sorority for using “racial remarks” during a workshop for incoming Greek Life members.

The workshop was part of Monday’s 2018 Greek New Member Summit, an event that educates incoming Greek Life members on various topics, with the incident occurring during a portion of the event covering mental health.

According to the statement, the comments were made when Dr. Stephanie McIver, director of counseling at Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), was making a presentation about the services available at SHAC.

Nick Morgan, an ASUNM senator, is a member of Black Student Alliance and attended the event on Monday night as a member of his fraternity. He said that the members of the sorority began talking once McIver started presenting.

Read more: http://www.dailylobo.com/article/2018/09/unm-sorority-kkg-racial-remarks

September 25, 2018

Engineering graduate from UT, A&M donates $20 million to both schools

The University of Texas and Texas A&M University have both received $20 million donations for mechanical engineering from J. Mike Walker, a graduate of both institutions. In honor of him, each school has named its department of mechanical engineering after Walker.

UT and A&M described the dual gifts by the former chairman, president and CEO of Houston-based Dril-Quip Inc., a maker of offshore drilling and production equipment, as “a rare occurrence and an extraordinary act of philanthropy.”

Walker earned a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M and a master’s in the field at UT.

“My experiences at these two universities certainly helped me grow as an engineer,” Walker said, “but they also taught me how to be a leader — how to collaborate on big ideas, persevere through tough challenges and bounce back from failure. My education shaped who I am today, and I want to make that same opportunity available to as many students as I can.”

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/local/engineering-graduate-from-donates-million-both-schools/etVYEozJwf9LNCKqEo2u7K/

September 25, 2018

Why A 'Hollowing Out' Of Democracy Could Happen If Brazil Elects Jair Bolsonaro

To our immediate south, President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador is set to take office in Mexico in December. Amlo, they call him, rose to prominence by promising to crack down on corruption, despite fears that his ideas about privatization and law enforcement might come with considerable dangers. Now, political observers are raising concerns about the rise of retired military Capt. Jair Bolsonaroa, a seven-term congressman from Rio de Janeiro, who courts the rich and the military as much as he courts controversy. He has said things like he’d prefer a dead son to a gay one, or that he wouldn’t rape a congresswoman because she was ugly. Bolsonaro is leading the polls in the race for Brazil’s presidency, and the vote is just two weeks away.

Kurt Weyland, professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin says concerns about Bolsonaro are justified. That’s because he says in Latin America, populist leaders often use their authority to gradually “hollow out” democracy from the inside. During that process, they can concentrate power, dismantle checks and balances, put pressure on the opposition and fight to bring more hegemony over public opinion. Based on what he’s heard from Bolsonaro so far, Brazil could be on that path should Bolsonaro be elected.

Weyland says Bolsonaro’s deep connections and support from the military could help him weaken democracy in Brazil. However, he says a total military coup and dictatorship, which happened in 1964, is unlikely.

“What is much more likely is this gradual hollowing out of democracy … that we saw from a populist era in Venezuela, in Ecuador and in Bolivia in recent years,” Weyland says.

Read more: http://www.texasstandard.org/stories/why-a-hollowing-out-of-democracy-could-happen-if-brazil-elects-jair-bolsonaro/