More than two months after CityLife predicted they would, enterprising activists are openly challenging Nevada’s longstanding prohibition of medical marijuana dispensaries.

In recent weeks, a handful of California-style pot clinics has cropped up across the Las Vegas valley, offering patients who hold state-issued medical marijuana cards the chance to get their medicine from someone besides a drug dealer.

Amanda Pacheco, who opened the Organic Solutions dispensary on East Tropicana Avenue earlier this week, says she’s tired of waiting on myopic state lawmakers to codify a safe, sane legal mechanism by which desperate patients can get the medicine they need. (Under current state law medical marijuana patients here must either grow their own or find a benevolent caregiver willing to supply them for free.)

“The reason we set up shop is we saw a huge local need for a decent place for people to obtain their medication. Our patients are legitimately sick. The last thing they need is to go into some dark back alley to obtain the medicine they need,” she says.

Pacheco, who says she was inspired to open a dispensary after her father began legally using medical marijuana to treat a severe back injury, says neither local cops nor federal agents have harassed her – yet.

“So far, so good,” she says while wondering aloud whether law enforcement agents even know about her brand-new dispensary.

Whether the cops ever knock down her door, Pacheco says she feels she’s doing nothing wrong by helping card-carrying patients obtain access to this healing plant.

The real crime, she says, are oppressive state statutes that make little provision for patients to obtain cannabis here. “We are hoping Nevada will change its laws so we can be a regular retail establishment, but what we’re doing here – it’s not a crime,” she says.

To guard against possible prosecution, Pacheco set up Organic Solutions as a nonprofit and does not technically sell weed to patients (she does accept donations), but her actions do, in fact, run afoul of state law. Although allowing medical marijuana here since 2001, state statutes don’t permit anyone to buy, sell or trade the plant, its seeds or its flowers in exchange for money or anything of value – what the law calls “consideration.”

This crop of new local pot dispensaries seems to have slightly flummoxed local and federal law enforcement officials who seemed surprised to learn of their existence from a reporter.

Officers with Metro haven’t yet commented on whether they’ll shut down the growing number of local dispensaries. However, considering that until late October federal officials were actually the ones most aggressively pursuing dispensary owners, any eventual raids and subsequent prosecutions would likely come at the hands of federal officials.

Newly reinstated U.S. Attorney Dan Bogden says his office isn’t focusing its resources on those whose actions are in clear compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana. “However, the prosecution of criminal enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana for profit continues to be an enforcement policy of the United States Department of Justice and will remain so,” he says.

For the full story on Las Vegas’s new crop of local pot dispensaries – including how one of them actually managed to obtain a city of Las Vegas business license – don’t miss next week’s edition of Las Vegas CityLife.

The Tea Party faction of the Clark County Republican Party is going rogue. In a meeting last night at the Clak County Library, members of the Nevada Action Coalition – which is not officially recognized by the county GOP — plotted a strategy for the upcoming election.

This is the same group that seized power last year, after quietly building strength outside the official party structure. Their struggles didn’t end there. Apparently, the establishment Republicans, who support moderate politicians such as state Sen. Bill Raggio and gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval, can’t stomach the fundamentalist doctrine espoused by these upstarts. So they’re trying to dislodge them from the central committee, according to representatives of the coalition.

The coalition plans to create its own slate of candidates, which it will support with its own phone banks and its own door knockers. They won’t be sharing these resources with the GOP, unless the party nominates candidates with the proper right-wing bonafides.

This must be giving the GOP brass major heartburn. After all, they have an opportunity this year to replace U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, but it’s going to be much harder to do without a functional ground game in Clark County. The party may be strongest in the north and rurals, but its largest bloc of registered voters still lives in the south. Clark County has 242,219 registered Republicans, compared to Washoe’s 90,874.

You can bet the Dems will unite behind the unpopular Reid. If he wins, the Republicans may have no one to blame but each other.

After a decade of decline, the teen pregnancy rate crept back up in 2006, according to a report released today by the Guttmacher Institute, which conducts research on reproductive health. Nationally, the teen pregnancy rate rose by 3 percent. In 2005, the pregnancy hit its lowest point in more than 30 years, 69.5 pregnancies for every 1,000 women aged 15-19.

The statistics for the states — which are a year behind the national stats — rank Nevada second from the bottom in terms of teen pregnancy. In 2005, the state had 90 pregnancies for every 1,000 women between 15-19. Arizona had the highest rate with 93.

It’s always difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of a trend like this. But some are already pointing fingers at the Bush administration, which promoted abstinence-only sex education. A 2004 study by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) of programs receiving federal funding showed that several contained inaccurate information about contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases. Experts at the Guttmacher Institute have been anticipating this reversal since 2001, when Bush made abstinence a cornerstone of his domestic agenda. Declines in the teen pregnancy rate began to shrink soon after he took office.

Preliminary numbers from the Centers for Disease Control show an increase of 11 percent in the teen birth rate in 2006 for Nevada. The state, despite its high teen pregnancy rate, accepted funding for abstinence-only programs from the federal government. Obviously, that’s not working. Exposing kids to the highly sexualized atmosphere of Las Vegas, and then denying them scientifically accurate information about contraception is ridiculous at best and loathsome at worst. Give kids solid information that they can use — because condoms aren’t just for brothels anymore.

Ever wondered about that billboard on 15 South? The one for Dr. Life — a seventysomething physician with a hairline out of Curb Your Enthusiasm and a body out of Jersey Shore?

Well, it’s distantly linked to a company called Cenegenics that’s headquartered right here in Vegas, according to a piece in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine. Cenegenics is pioneering the field of “healthy aging,” which is the patient-friendly way of describing a practice devoted to extending the lifespans of health-obsessed boomers.

Important work, that. But not exactly scientifically proven. According to the story, there are enough patients willing to submit to aggressive laboratory testing, high, unsubsidized medical bills and unproven, self-administered hormone injections to justify a staff of 40 house physicians and branches in eight cities.

Pretty interesting reading. And a reminder that even in these troubled times, you can always sell dodgy medical treatment to guys who don’t want to give up their weekend pickup games. Vegas casinos take note: The next new development on the Strip doesn’t need a water feature, it needs a fountain of youth.

It seems like Southern Nevada is always awash in bad news — about our schools, our economy and our politicians. But as cursed locations go, we’ve got nothing on Haiti. The impoverished nation has endured more than its share of famine, corruption and natural disasters. And now there’s this.

If you belong to the mainstream — that is, have some human compassion, steer clear of Review-Journal comment threads and don’t believe the gospel of Pat Robertson — then you might wonder how you can help.

Our new media president is making it easy. Cell phone users can donate via text message. If you text the word Haiti to the number 90999, $10 will be donated to the American Red Cross, and the amount added to your phone bill.

Al Gibes at the R-J put together an exhaustive collection, which you can access here. Get those thumbs a-moving people. If it worked for Obama, maybe the advent of text messaging can finally bring some positive change to the people of Haiti.

Turn on your TV tomorrow, find TV Land (channel 41 on Cox Cable), and bask in the embarrassment. For 16 members of the 1989 Chaparral High graduating class, a reunion was a chance to embrace nostalgia … to the point of nausea.

High School Reunion exploits that nostalgia. But unlike those spontaneous moments of genuine adolescent awkwardness one experienced during those four character-building, long-but-short years, these people are forced into the reality-show setting of close-quarters living. You know the arrangements before we can tell you. The nerd is sandwiched in with the in-crowd; the jocks can have pillow talk in the sports-themed bedrooms. It may succeed in making you feel like a kid again, but it’s all a little too weird.

We got a peek at the first two episodes, and the show is standard reality-TV fare. The cast meets, personalities are introduced and viewers revel in how the former students have become adults. Given how the show sets up each cast member as a certain high-school stereotype, you’re all but forced to assume these are one-dimensional people, hoping there’s some sort of growth and revelation along the way. Here are a few of our favorite “characters”:

John: They call him the bully and the troublemaker, so naturally he has douchebag written all over him. Will there be any personal growth, and can he empathize with Eric, the kid whose life he ruined?

Cyndi: She went from nerd to hot stuff. After being thrown together with the popular “summer girls,” it’s her time to shine.

Eric: He’s out of the closet and accepts himself. John made high school a living hell for Eric, who is hoping his former nemesis has changed. Seeing that this is a reality TV show, look for heated arguments between him and John to highlight lingering resentments and possible sexual tension.

With a set-up like this, we don’t expect much reality, or evidence that these Las Vegans have grown up much since 1989. Of course, that’s not what most viewers want in a show like this and the producers know it. They also know High School Reunion may conjure up those warm, fuzzy feelings of a more care-free time. For adults in denial about being adults, here’s the show for you.

High School Reunion debuts at 10 p.m. Jan. 13 on Cox Cable 41.

Today marks a big change in the blog world, readers: We are closing down Various Things & Stuff and starting up an all-new blog, called SlashPolitics.com.

Don’t fret: You’ll still get all the blogging you’ve come to expect from us at Various Things & Stuff, although we will be losing the royal “we,” along with the cigar and sweet fedora. In exchange, you’ll get a lot more political news and headlines, both local and national, analysis, totally unscientific Internet polling and even videos.

SlashPolitics.com is up now, and we hope you’ll check it out, bookmark the page and return frequently for updates. (In the near future, we’ll find ways for you to subscribe so you can get an e-mail alert whenever we post.) As always, you can follow us on Twitter for breaking news, political updates and the occasional personal anecdote thrown in for good measure.

We’re excited about the new blog, and we hope you’ll be, too. So head there now!

The Response, a short film about a panel of military judges weighing the guilt or innocence of a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, has been selected as one of 10 short films to advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards. We featured this riveting movie in CityLife back in October, shortly after it had been screened and discussed by a panel of experts at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV.

The Las Vegas monorail is “a mess” in terms of its flagging ability to repay its debts. It seems overly optimistic ridership and revenue projections are the culprit, but there’s a lot more detail in this story by Dan Seymour in The Bond Buyer, a public finance newspaper.

Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele today called for U.S. Sen. Harry Reid to step over his references to then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama as “light-skinned” without a “Negro dialect.” The comments came on Fox News Sunday.

“I think he should,” said Steele. “There is a standard where Democrats think they can say these things and apologize when it comes from the mouth of their own. But if it comes from anyone else, it’s racism. It’s either racist or it’s not. And it’s inappropriate, absolutely. So if the standard is the one we saw with Trent Lott as leader at the time, then I think this absolutely falls in that category here. … Remember, this is the same leader who just a few weeks ago was talking about health care in the context of slavery. Clearly he is out of touch.”

Whether or not Reid should step down aside, Steele clearly has a point here. As we wondered on Saturday, if this had been uttered by Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell or House Minority Leader John Boehner, would Democrats have had the same reaction? Would the Rev. Al Sharpton be as willing to forgive? Somehow, we can’t picture that.

Then again, Steele was battling a racial slip-of-the-tongue problem of his own, having used the phrase “Honest Injun” recently in reference to the Republican Party’s platform. Steele rebuffed the notion that he ought to step aside from his job because of what he said.

“No, absolutely not,” he said. “Why should I Chris [Wallace]? I’m pushing the ball. I’m raising the money. I’m winning elections. I have got the base fired up.”

“If [the comment] is [offensive] I apologize for it,” he added. “I wasn’t intending to say a racial slur at all. The reality is that’s not the same as what we were talking about before.”

But wait: If the need to resign is mitigated by how well you’re doing in your job, would we not have to give Reid a break, given that he kept the Democratic caucus together on the health-care bill, albeit a bill watered down significantly from its original incarnation? And if the standard for guilt is whether one intended to use a racial slur, is it not possible that Reid is innocent, and that this is just another of the senator’s well-known gaffes?

In either case, we doubt that Steele will be the last person to call for Reid to quit, which is undoubtedly why he marshaled as much support as he could on Saturday, including from President Obama himself. Reid’s theory is clearly this: If the man who was the target of Reid’s remarks can forgive, why should anyone else hold a grudge?

Then again, we’ll bet this is not the last call for Reid’s resignation that we’ll see, and not just from the right. Las Vegas Gleaner Editor Hugh Jackson on Saturday said Reid should “take one for the team.”

UPDATE: Add Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn to the list of those calling for Reid to step down. Then again, Cornyn is the guy in charge of electing more Republicans to the Senate, so it’s somewhat self-serving, kind of like Jay Leno calling on David Letterman to quit. (Don’t do it, Dave!)

UPDATE 2: After Reid declared via a spokesman (hat tip to Jon Ralston) that he would not quit the race, his No. 1 primary opponent, Sue Lowden, lowered the boom. Her statement:

Nevadans do not need any more of Harry Reid’s “help” during these difficult times. Harry Reid uses his power for himself and his Washington liberal interests. Radical, left-wing interest groups have overlooked Reid’s pattern of insensitive remarks because they need him to do their bidding, rather than serve the interest of Nevadans.

His “help” for Nevada has bankrupted our state and made a bad recession worse. Harry Reid is raising our taxes during the worst recession we’ve faced in a generation. He is saddling our nation with trillions of dollars of debt. He is using the tax dollars of hardworking Nevadans to bribe fellow senators on unpopular, unaffordable legislation in the Senate.

Harry Reid is running as the most powerful politician Nevada has ever had, yet under his failed leadership, Nevadans face the highest home foreclosure rate in the country. We face the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation. We continue to face record business and personal bankruptcies in Nevada. And now, Reid is trying to strip us of our private health care decisions and hand them over to Washington bureaucrats.

Harry Reid has spent the last year helping bail out financial institutions, big insurance companies, and sitting on his hands while the President was steering convention business away from Las Vegas. What has he really done for Nevada aside from making matters worse? Nothing.

Voters tell me everyday that they have had enough and that they can no longer afford more “help” from Senator Reid. Not only do I agree with them, but I will ensure that when I’m in Washington, “help” means always putting Nevada first.

Why do we think that somebody in Reid’s camp has already considered taking Lowden’s line and running with it? “Harry Reid is … the most powerful politician Nevada has ever had.” — Sue Lowden. We can see the fliers now!

In addition to criticizing U.S. Sen. Harry Reid for what it called “racially insensitive” comments about President Barack Obama, the National Republican Senatorial Committee dug up Reid’s remarks from 2002, after former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott was forced to step down, after it was revealed that Lott said the country would have avoided “all these problems” had Strom Thurmond’s 1948 pro-segregation Dixiecrat presidential bid been successful.

Reid was quoted thus by the Associated Press, back in 2002:

Sen. Harry Reid said Republican Senate leader Trent Lott’s decision to relinquish his post Friday came as no surprise.

“He had no alternative,” the Nevada Democrat and Senate minority leader said. “Senator Lott dug himself a hole and he didn’t dig it all in one setting. He dug it over the years. And he couldn’t figure out a way to get out of it.”

…

Asked if the episode would serve as a warning to weigh his own words carefully, Reid said: “You play how you practice.”

“If you tell ethnic jokes in the backroom, it’s that much easier to say ethnic things publicly. I’ve always practiced how I play.”

And if by that Republicans mean to indict Reid for harboring secret racist thoughts, it’s a failure, since there’s no evidence that Reid has ever told an ethnic joke in a back room. In fact, there’s no evidence that Reid has ever successfully told a joke of any kind, in any room. (When he tries, he usually ends up sending his critics into a paroxysm of overblown, misinformed and misdirected rage.)

But, if the Republicans mean to indict Reid for an overt consciousness about race, and the possible ways race can be manipulated in politics, that’s another matter. If we can draw nothing else from Reid’s comments about Obama, we can draw this: The 2008 presidential race was most definitely not a colorblind affair, at least as far as Reid was concerned. (Then again, how could it be? The entire country was transfixed by the election of the first black president in the history of a nation still scarred by the legacy of slavery.) To Reid, however, Obama’s race was a positive, inasmuch as the president didn’t look or sound too black, which apparently would have been a political liability. So, Barack Obama, good. Sidney Poitier or Chris Rock, bad?

It’s most definitely not something Reid wanted to have voters — especially black voters — wondering about him as he heads in to his final and toughest election ever.

It goes without saying that when your enemies are gunning for you, don’t hand them a loaded gun. Yet that’s precisely what U.S. Sen. Harry Reid may have inadvertently done, if the revelation in a new book is accurate. According to a story posted on The Atlantic website, Reid had this to say about then-fellow Sen. Barack Obama:

He [Reid] was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama — a “light-skinned” African American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,” as he said privately. Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama’s race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the Democratic nomination.

Not only is the language offensive, but the quote seems to portray Reid as thinking of Obama’s race only in political terms, with a healthy dose of contempt for the American voter thrown in for good measure. Voters would be more willing to accept a black candidate if he’s not-so-black in appearance or speaking? Ouch. Plus, it’s clear that Reid, 70, is unaware of the passing into history of the term “Negro.”

Reid didn’t deny he’d made the remarks, which come in a new book, Game Change, by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. Instead, he immediately apologized for them in a statement:

I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words. I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African-Americans, for my improper comments. I was a proud and enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama during the campaign and have worked as hard as I can to advance President Obama’s legislative agenda. Moreover, throughout my career, from efforts to integrate the Las Vegas Strip and the gaming industry to opposing racial judges and promoting diversity in the Senate, I have worked hard to advance issues important to the African American community.

Nobody, however, is saying Reid is a racist. (The charge was raised after Reid objected to the seating of now-U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, but Reid had reasons aplenty to object to that appointment at the time.) What people may be saying after this revelation is that Reid is a cynic, acutely conscious of race and willing to use it as a political advantage when he can.

The timing of the revelations is bad, too: Next week, political operative Donna Brazile is scheduled to be in town for an event sponsored by African-Americans for Reid, one of several interest-specific caucuses formed to support the senator. We’re told today that the Brazile event is still on.

The Reid camp spin is that, while the senator expressed himself poorly, he was ultimately right: The nation was ready for a black president, and Obama did have impressive oratorical skills. There’s no denying either point. (Reid’s private and early backing of Obama while staying neutral publicly until the primary for the supposed benefit of other would-be presidents in his Senate caucus, including Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Hillary Clinton, is another matter.)

But there’s also no denying that, in matters of race, the way a person expresses himself is as important as what he’s saying. And that, perhaps ironically, goes double for those who offer themselves as members of a party supportive of equal rights.

The question now is, will this revelation kill the Reid campaign, or simply be added to the long list of things Reid has said that he undoubtedly wishes he could erase from the public record? We’ll bet he stays in the race, but we’ll also bet he will see that material again. And again. And again.

UPDATE: As if to prove us right, Reid opponent Danny Tarkanian wins the first-to-slam sweepstakes, putting out a statement moments ago attacking Reid for his remarks and comparing him to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who called Obama “tanned” shortly after Obama’s election.

Here’s the statement:

A few weeks ago, Harry Reid compared his health care opponents to slavery defenders. Now he’s talking about our president’s ‘light skin’ and ‘Negro dialect.’ He disgraces himself almost monthly with some disparaging remark about his constituents, political opponents or now the president.

I notice he’s apologized already for these remarks, but we’re still waiting for his apology to the majority of Nevadans who oppose his health care plan.

Harry Reid isn’t just America’s most vulnerable senator — as he demonstrated daily, he’s also its most embarrassing.

UPDATE 2: The Republican National Senatorial Committee wasn’t too far behind Tarkanian. Here’s the group’s take, via Communications Director Brian Walsh:

For those who hope to one day live in a color-blind nation it appears Harry Reid is more than a few steps behind them. Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a long history of embarrassing and controversial remarks by the senior Senator from Nevada. He always shares exactly what’s on his mind with little regard to perception or consequences, and it’s one of the reasons he is the most vulnerable incumbent Senator in either party facing re-election.

Nevada deserves better from its leaders and this November, voters in the Silver State will have an opportunity to elect a new senator who will put their views and values first and foremost. In the meantime, we hope Reid’s fellow Democrats in the Senate and on the campaign trail will stand up and rightly condemn these racially insensitive remarks by their elected leader.

Ouch, baby. Just in case reporters didn’t get it before, they will now, sure to ask Senate candidates elsewhere, “Do you repudiate Harry Reid’s remarks about President Obama?” This has the consequence of reinforcing the central perception that Reid is apt to speak without thinking (most kind interpretation) or that he harbors racist thoughts (least kind interpretation) without a pause to focus on Reid’s actual remarks or his attempt to explain them.

UPDATE 3: Reid called President Obama to apologize for his remarks, and Obama has accepted that apology, according to the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza. “I accepted Harry’s apology without question because I’ve known him for years, I’ve seen the passionate leadership he’s shown on issues of social justice and I know what’s in his heart,” said Obama. “As far as I am concerned, the book is closed.” Yes, Mr. President, but as far as the Republicans are concerned, Reid is an open book, and it’s not How to Win Friends and Influence People.

UPDATE 4: State Sen. Steven Horsford added his voice to the controversy today, too. Here’s what he had to say:

While I am disappointed in Senator Reid’s comment and choice of words, I accept his apology. I have known Senator Reid for many years and he has consistently been supportive of advancing the interests of the African-American community as he has for all Nevadans and all Americans.

I have known Harry Reid for many years — he is a good man.  I know Senator Reid’s character and I know, now more than ever, why his leadership is needed in Washington.   No one is more qualified to ensure the President is successful in helping this country recover from this economic recession.

UPDATE 5: And the Rev. Al Sharpton:

I have learned of certain unfortunate comments made by Senator Reid regarding President Barack Obama and have spoken with Senator Reid about those comments. While there is no question that Senator Reid did not select the best word choice in this instance, these comments should not distract America from its continued focus on securing health care or creating jobs for its people. Nor should they detract from the unquestionable leadership role Senator Reid has played on these issues or in the area of civil rights. Senator Reid’s door has always been open on hearing from the civil rights community on these issues and I look forward to continue to work with Senator Reid wherever possible to improve the lives of Americans everywhere.

(Notice Sharpton, like Reid, does not address the thoughts behind the poor word choice; that is the real issue here, no matter how much the Reid camp wishes it were otherwise. But having Sharpton in your corner on this is not at all a bad thing. Rev. Jackson, what have you to say…?)

UPDATE 6: And this, from House Majority Whip James Clyburn, who just happens to be a Democrat and black:

Senator Reid should be judged by his record which includes his efforts to promote diversity in the Senate, respond to issues of importance to the African-American community and advance President Obama’s agenda.

I am one of ‘those who wish to one day live in a color-blind nation,’ but the fact is that none of us do today. Senator Reid’s apology for his private assessment of President Obama’s candidacy should be accepted and our time and energy should be devoted to helping him overcome current obstacles to job creation, health care reform and energy independence.

We hate to be the cynical ones here, but we wonder if, perhaps, the speaker had been, say, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell or House Minority Leader John Boehner, would Sharpton and Clyburn be so conciliatory?

UPDATE 7: Well, that tears it. Reid-hater and Review-Journal Publisher Sherm Frederick just posted an update on his blog in which he vouches for Reid as not being a racist. Guess that makes it unanimous?

On Monday, Environment Nevada was supposed to hold a press conference at the Historic Fifth Street School. That site, in the words of an exceptionally understated press release, “encountered some complications,” in the form of an 81-round gunfight that ended with the death of disgruntled Social Security recipient Johnny Lee Wicks.

So the non-profit rescheduled, and yesterday released a report card that awarded high marks to U.S. Reps Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus. Those two voted for Mother Earth on every single major issue, giving them scores of 100. That’s high enough for the honor roll, the Dean’s List, or at least a gold star. U.S. Rep. Dean Heller, on the other hand, scored a dismal 27.

The report card graded senators as well, assigning a big ol’ goose egg to John Ensign and a barely respectable 71 to Harry Reid. The grades were calculated based on 15 votes in the House and seven in the Senate on issues such as offshore drilling, wilderness protection, clean energy incentives, public transit and the regulation of carbon emissions.

Environmental issues are local issues in Southern Nevada, with its water shortages, fragile desert and inexplicable appeal to the nuclear waste industry. So the commendation is probably good for both representatives from Southern Nevada. The director of Environment Nevada will be presenting both women with plaques to honor their achievements. And since the ceremony was moved, neither, hopefully, will have to use it as a shield.

Readers, your humble correspondent is heading back to broadcast television!

We’ve been hired to join the highly respected I-Team at KLAS Channel 8, to cover — what else?! — Nevada politics. We’ll be appearing on Channel 8’s 6 p.m. newscast twice each week to discuss political news, as well as covering Nevada’s sure-to-be-riveting 2010 elections in June and November. To be frank, we’re honored (and a little nervous) about joining respected I-Team journalists George Knapp, Colleen McCarty and Jonathan Humbert. After all, the last time we appeared regularly on TV, “high definition” was just a concept; now, it’s a graphic reality!

For our print and new media fans, don’t worry: We’ll continue to Tweet and blog all sorts of political news, as well as to edit CityLife and pen our weekly “Coffee & Outrage” column. And even more changes may be in the works soon. Bottom line: Red Bull. Lots and lots of Red Bull. And makeup. Nobody wants to be exposed to us — especially in high-def! — without makeup.

We’re excited for the opportunity, and extremely grateful to the powers-that-be at Channel 8 to get an opportunity to tell compelling political stories in a new medium, and to work with the most respected news team in Las Vegas. And we hope you readers will tune in. That way, we can say, “as always, thanks for reading … and watching!”

Those lucky few readers who follow us on Twitter learned earlier today that U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., has announced he’ll retire instead of seeking re-election in November, further imperiling U.S. Sen. Harry Reid’s slippery grasp on the 60-vote majority. But Reid was gracious in his response.

“Byron Dorgan is a friend and has been a strong voice for North Dakotans during his 30 years of service in Congress. I respect his decision to pursue other interests and wish him and his family the best in the future.”

Of course, that was edited down from Reid’s original response, uttered when Dorgan first called to tell him the news: “Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!”