Setting the record straight
mc-opinion
There is an old saying that claims, “What doesn’t get measured, doesn’t get done.”
Driving up to a meeting in Las Vegas, I started thinking about how life is symbolically a highway. The interstate was smooth. Then – all of a sudden, there was traffic jam – stop and go for a few miles, slowing me down.
Since I am a writer, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I like words and word games. A favorite at my home is crossword puzzles and today we are celebrating because it has been proclaimed National Crossword Solvers Day.
Last week Boulder City got an unusual Christmas present. With the addition of our new council members, we now have a City Council comprised of individuals entirely different than those in office just a year and a half ago. We’re known for historic preservation. But that’s historic turnover. It’s never happened here before.
I was entering my junior year at Boulder City High School when Lake Mead reached its top elevation of 1,225 feet in 1983. Water rushed over Hoover Dam’s fully extended spillway gates with such force that even an umbrella didn’t keep us dry from the downpour caused by its rebounding spray. Since then, the lake has dropped 185 feet, including a 170-foot decline over the last 22 years during the worst Colorado River system drought in recorded history.
I am wondering whether or not we should be paying attention to how our elections are being conducted in Nevada as to whether or not our votes are actually counted fairly. I suspect that the voting machines have a lot to do with the situation.
The last time Lake Mead was at 35 percent capacity, it was being filled in the 1930s. While ongoing drought and climate change have created an uncomfortable reality and stressed water supplies, the Southern Nevada Water Authority has been preparing for this for almost 20 years. Now, with a federal shortage declaration just weeks away, our community’s commitment to conserving our limited water resources takes on a new urgency as we strive to protect the vibrancy of the place that more than two million of us call home.
Holding and reading a newspaper is old school these days. However, Facebook, and other social media platforms, have given us the power of instant feedback. I said in a previous column that all feedback is good, even when it is negative.
In recent election years there have been very vocal attempts to disparage the name and reputation of Bruce Woodbury and his family.
The nation of Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East, commemorates Holocaust Day on April 8 this year. It is a grim reminder that over 6 million Jews perished at the hands of Nazi Germany and its confederates. The heroes of the Jewish resistance are also recognized and honored.
Sunday marked the start of the 80th annual observance of National Newspaper Week.
To say I was taken aback by the first presidential debate would be a severe understatement. While all three debaters left much to be desired, I was stunned that pollster Frank Luntz, who watched with a cadre of unsure voters, tweeted, “This debate has actually convinced some undecided voters to not vote at all.”
Democratic presidential candidates are helping put Boulder City on the map.
The sign on the counter read, “Please do not dig through our tip jar.” I was taken aback by that and spoke with the employee. I learned only a few customers rummaged through the tip jar, claiming they were coin collectors. I asked if anyone actually swapped a coin, and the employee sighed and replied, “Not to my knowledge.”
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