Joe Schoenmann
Story Archive
- Sworn in as new DA, Wolfson promises to hit the ground running
- Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012
- During a brief ceremony this morning, defense attorney and former Las Vegas Councilman Steve Wolfson was sworn in as the new Clark County District Attorney, taking over for David Roger.
- Occupy Las Vegas encampment to end, but backers say the movement won't
- Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012
- The corners of tents, held fast to the asphalt with concrete blocks, have frayed in the desert wind. A too-thin woman, her skin tanned and weathered, asks if she can have the last cupcake.
- Sheriff: Metro Police evaluating cameras to be worn by officers
- Friday, Feb. 17, 2012
- When Southern Nevada’s largest police force finally takes video cameras into the field, Metro Police won’t be using the kind of squad-car cameras that recorded a Henderson officer repeatedly kicking a restrained motorist in the head.
- Henderson police chief asked to resign in wake of motorist beating
- Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012
- Henderson Police Chief Jutta Chambers has been asked to step down, City Hall sources said today. The request came from the departing city manager, Mark Calhoun, who sources said was pressured to make the request by members of the Henderson City Council.
- Oversight committee members, union officials spar over dashboard cameras
- Officials to explore whether installing equipment must be part of contract negotiations
- Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012
- It was only because a Highway Patrol cruiser was equipped with a camera that the public learned that a Henderson motorist in diabetic shock had been held down and kicked by police officers.
- Surprise links, negotiated deals addressed by commissioners
- Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012
- Largely unnoticed last week was Commissioner Steve Sisolak’s abstention from a vote because of connections between a proposed construction project and a lawsuit filed against him by his ex-girlfriend.
- Rise and fall of the Charity Queen: A look at how Kathleen Boutin Vermillion gained fame
- Friday, Feb. 10, 2012
- Kathleen Vermillion didn’t gain notoriety in the typical Las Vegas way. She didn’t build a casino or miles of housing tracts or run a TV law practice. She earned her recognition by calling attention to the plight of the valley’s homeless young people through a charity she founded more than 10 years ago.
- Vermillion drops lawsuit against Sisolak, county
- Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012
- Former Henderson City Councilwoman Kathleen Vermillion has dropped her defamation lawsuit against her ex-boyfriend, County Commissioner Steve Sisolak and Clark County, according to court records.
- Man kicked by officer says he still respects law enforcement
- Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012
- Despite being repeatedly kicked by an officer during a traffic stop, Adam Greene wants his children to respect law enforcement. Greene said his four children are unaware of what happened in the incident captured on police video.
- Vermillion hospitalized after suicide attempt, sources say
- Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012
- Sources say Kathleen Vermillion’s 15-year-old daughter saved her life after finding her in medical distress about midnight Friday and calling 911 for help.
- Motorist kicked by Henderson cop to get settlement
- City Council agrees to $158,000 settlement
- Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012
- A motorist who was pulled over after driving erratically and was methodically kicked in the head by a Henderson Police officer will receive a $158,000 settlement.
- Service employees union OKs divisive contract
- Monday, Feb. 6, 2012
- By more than 80 percent, Clark County's union of service employees ratified last week a new two-year contract that preserves longevity pay but eliminates merit pay increases over the next two years.
- What do software companies, waivers and lawyers have in common? There may be new ones appearing on the Las Vegas scene
- Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012
- A software company poised to win contract from Clark County, Jim Rhodes may be granted zoning waiver, Rory Reid makes appearances at government center and Kathleen Vermillion hires a new lawyer.
- Projected: Romney wins Nevada GOP caucuses
- Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012
- Mitt Romney will win the Nevada GOP caucuses, the Las Vegas Sun projects. Even with incomplete statewide results, official figures from just over 40 percent of precincts, as well as exit polling and caucus results observed by Sun reporters, give Romney an insurmountable lead in Nevada and another victory as his bid for the Republican nomination continues to gather momentum.
- FBI is asked to join investigation of Vermillion and her former charity
- Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012
- The Nevada attorney general’s office has asked the FBI to assist in its investigation of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, whose founder was let go by the charity’s board last week. Sources close to the charity said the FBI was asked to join, in part, because the charity receives grants from local and federal agencies.
- Commissioners want money back from Vermillion charity
- Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012
- Clark County wants its money back from an organization that helps homeless teens get off the street.
- SEIU members vote on contract this week — and they could say no
- Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012
- More than a few members of the union representing county service workers are unhappy with terms of a proposed two-year contract that eliminates pay raises over the next two years but preserves longevity pay for new hires.
- Sources: Unaware of being taped, Vermillion's PR adviser says unkind things about her
- Friday, Jan. 27, 2012
- Kathy Vermillion’s public relations adviser described his client as scary, out of control and determined to destroy the reputation of her ex-boyfriend, Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak, according to persons who have heard a tape Sisolak secretly recorded of the meeting.
- Obama: 'We are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas'
- President's speech in Las Vegas highlights nation's energy potential
- Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
- President Barack Obama proposed major energy policy initiatives in Las Vegas this morning, including a plan to open 38 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil exploration and development of natural gas resources in the United States. Flanked by two massive natural gas tankers at a United Parcel Service facility south of McCarran International Airport, Obama told some 200 people that the United States sits over enough natural gas that, if developed, it could provide a relatively carbon-clean energy source for 100 years.
- Teen’s disparaging remarks about Sisolak were false, her father says
- Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012
- Less than a week after Kathleen Vermillion's 15-year-old daughter was videotaped calling Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak “creepy,” and a lawsuit alleged that Sisolak had "improper and secretive” intentions toward her, the teenager says she was lying, her father said Wednesday.
- Vermillion may step aside as embattled head of homeless youth organization
- Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012
- Kathleen Vermillion said she would likely step aside as the head of the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth rather than allow scandal to sink the organization.
- Closure to come for DA candidates, family of police shooting victim
- Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012
- Answers to questions about the pending selection of a new district attorney, approval of a developer's request for road use and a Metro settlement with the family of a police shooting victim.
- How do you prove defamation? An expert answers
- Friday, Jan. 20, 2012
- Former Henderson City Councilwoman Kathleen Vermillion has filed a lawsuit, claiming defamation and/or invasion of privacy by her ex-boyfriend, County Commissioner Steve Sisolak. The high-profile allegations have some asking how difficult or easy it is to prove such cases.
- Phones back on at Zappos after security breach
- Friday, Jan. 20, 2012
- Almost a week after Zappos.com shut down its phone lines in the wake of its computer system being hacked, the clothing and shoes retailer has turned on its phones again.
- In suit, Vermillion claims Sisolak defamed her after breaking off relationship
- Friday, Jan. 20, 2012
- Former Henderson city councilwoman Kathleen Vermillion is suing Clark County and Commissioner Steve Sisolak, claiming Sisolak defamed her after ending their alleged romantic relationship.
- County, SEIU reach deal: Merit pay cut, longevity stays
- Friday, Jan. 20, 2012
- A proposed two-year contract between Clark County and its unionized service employees appears to provide better benefits to future employees at the expense of raises for the union’s current 5,000 workers.
- Dog bite brings urgency to study of animal ban on Las Vegas Strip
- Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012
- The committee examining problems on the state’s most famous thoroughfare will expedite its evaluation of a ban on pets on the Strip, after a California man was bit by a dog on a Strip pedestrian overpass last week.
- Commissioner: I don't want people jailed for feeding birds
- Board says no to proposal that would have criminalized act
- Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012
- Clark County commissioners voted down a proposal to criminalize the feeding of pigeons.
- Candidates for district attorney make their case
- Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012
- County commissioners asked pointed questions of three candidates for district attorney, learning that the three finalists — Drew Christensen, John Hunt and Steve Wolfson — would, in one regard, operate very differently than former District Attorney David Roger, who quit late last year with three years left on his term.
- Creatures and candidates focus of meeting
- Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
- A Sun story last week about the three finalists for the job of Clark County district attorney prompted some citizens and county officials to air their support for one candidate in particular.
- Governor, city officials discuss revitalization of East Fremont Street
- Friday, Jan. 13, 2012
- It wasn’t something you see every day, or perhaps at any time in the past 20 years: a Nevada governor on East Fremont Street.
- David Roger's testy relationship with commissioners looms over DA choice
- The three finalists — Wolfson, Christensen and Hunt — offer varied strengths, experience
- Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012
- The importance of the Clark County district attorney’s job was underscored last year as the county faced one of the thorniest debates in years over the process to examine fatal police shootings. District Attorney David Roger resigned this month with three years remaining on his four-year term. He has taken a job with the police union.
- Developers vs. neighbors, once again
- Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012
- To neighbors of a proposed housing development, last week’s County Commission meeting must have seemed like the bad old/good old days — bad for residents facing neighborhood-changing developments, good for developers who want to make those changes and some money.
- Pit bulls sold illegally out of constable's home
- Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012
- Handwritten signs outside a Reno Avenue home last week advertised pit bulls for sale — $100 each. About 4 months old, the dogs appeared content as two men at the house showed them to potential buyers.
- County offers $50,000 to settle case of missing body organs
- Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012
- The case of the missing viscera may cost Clark County $50,000, or more, depending on the decision of a London family whose dead relative was returned from Las Vegas without his internal organs.
- Constables say system 'out of control'
- Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012
- Constables from Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City this morning said the reputations of all constables had been sullied in the last year by the behavior of the Las Vegas Township constable’s office.
- Proposed county ban on feeding pigeons lauded, lamented
- Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012
- A proposal to outlaw the feeding of pigeons in unincorporated Clark County had the passions of pigeon lovers and haters on display at this morning's Clark County Commission meeting.
- Ordinance would ban panhandlers from taking pets on Strip
- Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012
- Panhandlers aren’t blind to the effect a sad-faced puppy or little kitten has on a passer-by. People see a homeless person with one of those animals, and they might be more likely to pony up some cash. (Yes, some people are more sympathetic to animals than their owners.) But enough is enough, says Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani. Today she will introduce an ordinance to the commission that would restrict animals on public and private sidewalks and pedestrian bridges on Las Vegas Boulevard from Sahara Avenue to Sunset Road.
- Video of Las Vegas constables draws ire of county officials
- Friday, Dec. 30, 2011
- A video producer thought there was enough drama and action with the job to produce a TV series test pilot featuring interviews and ride-along scenes with deputy constables in the Las Vegas Township Constable’s Office.
- Sloan Channel issue 'bugs' nearby homeowners
- Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011
- Water released into the Sloan Channel from the new wastewater treatment plant in North Las Vegas is making life a little more difficult for those who live near the concrete-lined channel. Fungus gnats and chronomid midges, both of which live near rotting vegetation and damp areas, are growing in numbers along the channel, where they had never been seen before.
- For sale: $77K in Metro Police yearbooks
- Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011
- Class rings, proms, the big homecoming dance and, of course, yearbooks. Some people wish they could relive cherished high school moments.
At Metro, they manage to do a bit of that with periodic yearbook sales. Those sales, however, aren’t going so well this year. - Lee’s Runway Liquor must start construction by Dec. 30 or risk default
- Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011
- Developers have yet to break ground on McCarran International Airport’s first liquor store, more than a year after winning approval from county commissioners.
- Deal to bring Zappos to downtown Las Vegas is complete
- Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011
- The deal to bring Zappos to downtown Las Vegas is done. The deal to lease the building to the online shoes and clothing retailer is complete a year after announcing that Resort Gaming Group would purchase Las Vegas City Hall.
- County Commission rejects higher recreation fees for high-schoolers
- Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011
Clark County commissioners rejected a plan to impose new fees on high schoolers who want to swim in county pools or use county fitness centers.
- County approves land sale for Chinese company's 'eco-city'
- Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011
- Clark County commissioners approved today the sale of 9,000 acres near Laughlin to a Chinese energy company, which plans to build a massive solar energy array and manufacturing facility on the site. In approving the project, commissioners set benchmarks that ENN Mojave Energy must reach in the coming years or the land and will return to the county.
- Airport spokeswoman leaving her post
- Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011
- Longtime airport spokeswoman Elaine Sanchez is leaving her job to spend more time with her four children.
- County to sign off on land sale for solar power complex in Laughlin
- Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011
- The sale of 9,000 acres of county land near Laughlin, which is likely to be approved by the Clark County Commission today, represents a small step toward development of a massive solar power complex by its Chinese backers.
- Man's tale of courage, perseverance inspired fellow Las Vegans
- Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011
- Carlos Ramirez stood before the Clark County Commission two years ago, bit down hard on his pride, and asked for help. Health issues had gotten in the way and he’d fallen behind on his property taxes. What could he do to save his house in downtown Las Vegas? Ramirez’s quiet request caught commissioners’ attention. And the attention of others.
- Proposed county ordinance would prohibit feeding ‘flying rats’
- Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011
- It may soon be illegal to feed that bane of urban life, the despoiler of sidewalks, benches and eaves. An ordinance to prohibit the intentional feeding of pigeons — the proposed ordinance refers to them as “flying rats” — in unincorporated Clark County will be introduced Tuesday.
- Health officials can't pinpoint source of Las Vegas marathon illnesses
- Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011
- Despite survey responses from more than 1,000 people, health officials can’t yet pinpoint the source of an outbreak of diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and other symptoms reported after the Dec. 4 Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon.