How it all turned out

From bad lawyers to bad governors to some good theater, we sure covered a lot in the last year. Here's how some of the bigger stories we covered came out.

"Medical Mafia made easy" March 20

The story: Howard Awand called himself a "medical consultant," but a better term might be rainmaker. Since about 2000, federal prosecutors say, Awand began paying a carefully cultivated network of doctors to refer injured patients to him. In turn, Awand would refer those injured patients to a select crew of lawyers, who would pay Awand a portion of their lawsuit settlements -- without the knowledge of clients. But Awand was more than a middleman, say prosecutors. They say, in some instances, Awand would also hook up these doctors and lawyers in personal-injury trials. The doctors would lie about patients' injuries to jack up settlements, and settlement money paid by insurance companies would rain down, from lawyers to Awand to the doctors. The government also alleges the doctors in Awand's network were shielded from malpractice lawsuits from the attorneys in Awand's network. Awand was indicted in February 2007; personal injury attorney Noel Gage, alleged to be one of his partners in the scam, was indicted in May 2007, too, on charges of money laundering, conspiracy, mail and wire fraud designed to deprive clients of their rights to honest services by their attorney.

The update: The Medical Mafia case has since looked like it's on life support. Gage's case ended in a mistrial and the presiding judge, U.S. District Judge Justin Quackenbush, dismissed the remaining charges because prosecutors refused to grant immunity to a defense witness.

But government attorneys are undeterred: In November, they appealed the case to the 9th Circuit, and, perhaps ironically, got what they wanted in the first place: An opportunity to try Awand and Gage together next year. If prosecutors are granted that retrial, they just might get to try the case in front of a judge other than Quackenbush, seen by many as very sympathetic to the defense.

ANDREW KIRALY

"Governor, it's time to go" April 3

The story: CityLife broke with a longstanding rule of journalistic practice -- always root for the story -- and opted for patriotism instead, urging gaffe machine Gov. Jim Gibbons to resign. Among our reasons: Lying, creating constitutional crisis, subverting campaign finance laws and totally mishandling the hepatitis C crisis that rocked Southern Nevada.

The update: In the days since, Gibbons has flipped-flopped on the Southern Nevada Water Authority's rural pipeline plan (at last report, he favors it). He had to turn in his concealed weapons permit briefly after an instructor signed off on a form saying the governor had qualified with certain weapons when he actually hadn't. (The governor is armed! Gulp!) Gibbons for a time was not living in the governor's mansion, the result of his high-profile divorce from first lady Dawn Gibbons, although state law says the governor must live in Carson City. He tried to bill widow Peggy Fossett for the costs of searching for her missing adventurer husband Steve Fossett, before it was even learned he'd died in a plane crash. Gibbons was spotted in the company of more than one otherwise married woman not his wife. He was caught having sent more than 850 text messages in a five-week period on a taxpayer financed state cell phone to one particular woman, during critical months when the 2007 Legislature was in session. He saw his job-approval poll numbers dip to just 21 percent. A Las Vegas Sun investigation found Gibbons is rarely in his office, and state department heads have trouble communicating with him. Perry Rogers, son of Gibbons critic and university Chancellor Jim Rogers, publicly called on the governor to resign on KVBC Channel 3. Gibbons persuaded Republican lawmakers to cut COLA increases in state employee salaries before a June special session, but then reversed himself. He was criticized by his predecessor, Kenny Guinn, whom many Nevadans are missing more than they ever imagined. Gibbons cancelled the security detail for his now-estranged wife when she's not attending to state business, and let his then-press secretary talk about how she'd be unprotected at certain times. He's fighting a lawsuit filed by the Reno Gazette-Journal seeking e-mails sent by him on his state computer and taxpayer-provided e-mail account, contending with the attorney general's help that they're not public information. And his approach to fixing the state's budget problems is summed in three little words: No new taxes. A looming $2.4 billion budget gap? No problem, says Gibbons. Some consolidations ought to fix it, plus no raises for state workers. For all these reasons, we still think Gibbons should resign, for the good of the state if not political journalists.

STEVE SEBELIUS

"Solar's Hard Sell" May 15

The story: Bless their little green hearts, all America's solar energy activists want is for voters to pay more attention to their cause, and for Congress to extend solar investment a series of federal tax breaks, so their fledgling industry can avoid premature extinction. Today's solar power options, they say, are far advanced from where their efforts began years ago. But in their fight for equity, activists in solar power and other renewable forms of energy must still weather the "atomic balm" of a reawakened nuclear industry as well as coal companies still trying to convince people that their energy has suddenly become clean.

With a massive solar power array at Nellis Air Force Base, Spanish company Acciona's solar power plant dubbed Nevada Solar One in Boulder City and Las Vegas company Ausra gearing up to double the world's manufacturing capacity of solar mirrors, a locally robust solar power industry here could lead a greening nation. Such a push would also put Nevada on the map for something besides pricey slot machines, cut-rate hookers and a governor who's not exactly known as an environmentalist.

The update: It took months of work, but Congress finally passed renewable energy tax credits, when the U.S. House of Representatives gave them a new lease on life, adding them to the $700 billion bailout plan which became law Oct. 3. Officials increasingly say solar will be one component of a larger renewable plan that involves wind, geothermal and biomass energy.

Whether Nevada will share in the new spring of green development remains to be seen. Our chances certainly aren't helped by a utility company with far fewer renewable energy projects in development than in most parts of the West, a governor who lies about Nevada's chances to cash in on renewables and our very own Harry Reid, who despite his bluster and grandstanding on the environment, has struggled to push through tax credits and other economic sweeteners for green power industries since he took over the U.S. Senate two years ago.

Reid has recently said he intends to push for legislation that would allow green energy companies to receive eight years of tax credits in one year, but considering his lackluster performance on the issue thus far, it's anyone's guess whether Harry's plans will ever pass.

Other states such as Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado are already far ahead in generating renewable power and building the infrastructure needed to deliver it to market. For example, on Dec. 18 California regulators OK'ed the construction of a $1.9 billion power transmission line that could bring renewable power to as many as 650,000 households. This announcement came just days after Gov. Jim Gibbons said Nevada is at least a year ahead of other states in developing renewable energy. Maybe Bob Cooper, who heads up our state's Wind Working Group, said it best when he recently told us, "Nevada is about the only state west of the Mississippi that hasn't announced a major project. Nevada is the hole in the donut."

JASON WHITED

"The physics of Fremont" May 15

The story: August 2007 brought the official unveiling of Fremont East Entertainment District, a downtown wasteland the city decided to take back via vigorous promotion and meaty business incentives to anyone who wanted to set up shop and be a part of the revitalization effort. Last May, CityLife reported on how promising things looked for the six-square-block vicinity whose property owners, nightclub managers and champions at the Office of Business Development all expressed solidarity in their goal of helping the district grow to a "critical mass" that would attract more businesses and the customers to keep them alive. With Beauty Bar, Griffin, Downtown Cocktail Room and other nightspots already there as a foundation, many expected the area to catch on, maybe sooner than later.

The update: If a stalling national economy can wreak this much havoc on everything else, you might imagine what it's doing to the already slow process of fleshing out Fremont East. But you might imagine wrong. Office of Business Development Director Scott Adams tells CityLife plans for the steady development of the district are still on schedule despite the downturn -- in fact, a little better than on schedule.

"We've seen a little bit of an uptick, actually," he says. "With the credit crisis, it looks like small businesses are the ones who are getting it more easily, while it's harder for the bigger businesses and casinos. ... If anything, we're seeing a renewed interest down here."

Adams goes on mention several present and near-future additions to the area, including special event and banquet host Venue of Vegas, soon-opening Wet Ultralounge at Neonopolis and Don't Tell Mama, a Vegas version of New York City's fabulous little variety club and piano bar that's slated to start operating in early January. What's more, it looks like Tamares Group really is going ahead with its plan to open the Las Vegas Museum of Contemporary Art in that big, languishing space at 601 East Fremont St. -- an admirable but risky move for a downtown not known for adoring the galleries it already has.

On the downside, The Hive -- that much awaited alt-rock venue meant for the corner of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard -- doesn't look any closer to getting online than it did earlier this year due to ongoing financing woes.

"I don't know where they're at with all this," says Adams. "I haven't heard from them in quite a while."

That's bad news, but if things keep moving at this rate, those giant neon martini and dancing girl signs looming over Fremont East may soon be sort of justified.

DAVE SURRATT

"Personal injuries" May 22

The story: Perhaps you've seen the commercial that shows Adam Kutner walking through a wasteland of destroyed automobiles. Certain former employees must find it ironic, because they allege the high-profile personal injury attorney's office is an emotional car wreck -- rife with sexist and racist slurs, emotional abuse and threats of physical violence from the lawyer. Since 2005, at least six former female employees of Kutner's have filed lawsuits alleging abuse. In court documents, Kutner denies the allegations and counters that the women are conspiring to cash in on outrageous accusations. He has sued at least three of his accusers, charging them with stealing trade secrets, secretly recording his conversations and sabotaging his business. Some of his accusers have filed demands for a jury trial, hoping the prospect of taking this bitter fight public will pressure Kutner into a settlement and admitting his misdeeds.

The update: Justice seems to be coming slowly for Kutner's alleged victims. After months of legal maneuvering and negotiation, Vikki Ralev, a former legal administrator for Kutner, settled her case in August; Ralev did not return calls for comment.

Meanwhile, the abuse cases of former employees Lanette Begley and Barbara Balatbat are still grinding through courts (Begley said she couldn't comment on her case). "He adamantly and vehemently denies all material allegations against him, and he'll continue to use the legal process to protect his good name," says Patricia Lee, an attorney with, Hutchison & Steffen, the law firm representing Kutner.

But perhaps most curiously, Kutner's lawsuit against Omar Habbas -- a competitor who Kutner alleges masterminded these harassment lawsuits as a form of sabotage -- has been settled.

"The case has been resolved amicably and mutually," Lee says, but declines to elaborate.

A.K.

"The most hated cabbie in the world" July 17

The story: Here's a real taxicab confession: Being a cabbie is no way to get rich. Former driver Randy Hynes saw his paycheck plummet during his years behind the wheel. He says that in 2004, he took home $39,000. From October 2007 to March 2008, he says he's only made $11,000. His Centennial Hills home was in foreclosure and he was neck-deep in credit card debt. He was flirting with bankruptcy. Hynes fingers limousine drivers as the culprit -- specifically, their illicit practice of taking spontaneous fares at hotels, which violates the state administrative code. Hynes didn't take it lying down, however. He sued a swath of hotel-casinos and limo companies, hoping to put an end to their corrupt practice. He also started up a nonprofit professional association, the United Taxicab Drivers (www.theblueu.com) to advocate for cabbies who are facing dwindling paychecks -- whether it's through unscrupulous limo drivers or the willingness of the Taxicab Authority to give out new taxi medallions to cab companies like candy.

The update: Hynes' shotgun lawsuit was handily dismissed, but he's undeterred. With his complaints to the Taxicab Authority and the Nevada Transportation Administration falling on deaf ears, Hynes is taking his case to Carson City. He says he's registered as a lobbyist, and he's hoping to see a pro-taxi bill passed in the next Legislature. Specifically, he's pushing for a state law that would tell the Taxicab Authority to also consider the impact to the livelihoods of drivers when issuing new medallions, and not the just the needs of passengers. "There are too many cabs on the road," says Hynes. "A lot of drivers aren't even making minimum wage." Honk if you like justice.

A.K.

"Tarnished Treasure" July 24

The story: Gold Butte is 350,000 acres of sensitive wilderness, ancient petroglyphs and cultural sites. The vast natural area just south of Mesquite is designated an "area of critical environmental concern," but that doesn't mean much. The problem: No one's minding the store. The area's got one ranger and a small but dedicated handful of conservation activists watching over the place. They love it. Problem is, it's also loved by all the wrong people, too -- illegal off-roaders, treasure-hunters and paintball enthusiasts. While areas such as Red Rock and Sloan Canyon national conservation areas enjoy beefed-up protection, Gold Butte, despite being larger and richer, seems to have been left in the cold. Conservationists want to change that, and get the area designated a national conservation area, too. Those suspicious of wilderness advocates, however, contend that it's just a land grab dressed in eco-talk.

The update: Conservationists got their wish -- sort of. In September, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley introduced a bill that would designate Gold Butte as a national conservation area, protecting Gold Butte's wilderness while also allowing recreation -- everything except the off-roading that's scarred many a pristine hill in the area. However, with Congress adjourned, the bill has since died, and it now falls to Berkley -- or, ahem, some other new congresswoman whose district actually includes Gold Butte -- to reintroduce the bill. Congressional sources say it's pretty much a lock that the bill we emerge once more, it's just a question of who'll lead the charge this time.

And Friends of Gold Butte President Nancy Hall will be ready. "We've built so much awareness, so we're going to work off that," she says. "After the first of the year, we're going to hit the street and start talking to the congressional delegation to get this bill reintroduced."

A.K.

The music venue closure epidemic all year long

The story: Thanks to the struggling economy, a number of local music venues, including new players in the scene, including Rox (Industrial Road), Squiggy's, Sin City Saloon and most notably, Jillian's have closed, displacing bands and fans of local music, while other havens of local music are readjusting their priorities.

The update: With the economic crisis beginning to take a heavy toll on arts and entertainment, music venues continue to struggle to survive. Take the closure of the Neonopolis-based Jillian's in November which, as the final bastion of Vegas' all-ages music scene, sent shockwaves through the music scene. In the Review-Journal, Neonopolis mall developer Rohit Joshi said that the closure of the venue came as a result of a high-interest client looking at taking over the space sometime in 2009. In the meantime, promoters for Smash Magazine, the main booking agency for the 500-person venue, have moved several shows to other venues, including the House of Blues, Arts District-area gallery The Box Office and on-Strip mega-arcade Gameworks.

Rox (5285 Dean Martin Drive,) while struggling as a rock 'n' roll club, had quietly engaged in a re-model and redesign. It shut its doors as Rox and reopened as Epic, a "locals-catered" nightlife spot. Squiggy's was becoming the solid point for local punk until a dispute between owners and operators in October closed the place.

"Venues are closing due to the economy changing, suddenly resulting in less tourists and less disposable income by locals," says Indie Krush owner and music promoter Jason Sturtsman. The key to staving off extinction, Sturtsman says, is simple: Remain competitive, innovative and most important, treat the locals like royalty.

Fortunately, there are several new part-time music venues such as Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel, Canvas Cafe in Henderson and the Box Office around, bending norms and changing attitudes toward music.

Still, the newest thing to happen to local music may be the resourcefulness of nontraditional music venues such as coffeehouse ReJAVAnate or Canvas Cafe, both of which see music as secondary to their primary businesses, but that still host everything from hip hop, to rock, to avant garde electronica. There's also the comeback of Gameworks, which had hosted concerts until late 2006, or once-scuttled music venue The Alley, now relocated to 4370 Losee Road in North Las Vegas.

AARON THOMPSON

"Fear from above" Sept. 12

The story: In the days and weeks following two fatal, late-August plane crashes in North Las Vegas, scores of nearby residents were wracked with worry and wailing about how such accidents could have happened in the first place. Who's to blame? they ask. Sadly, no quick fixes or easy scapegoats exist -- especially not at an urban airport as busy as the one in North Las Vegas. But a CityLife investigation found at least 43 aircraft crashes in and around North Las Vegas have killed at least 22 in the past 15 years.

Our probe also found that since 1992, Federal Aviation Administration officials have disciplined at least four avionics or maintenance shops operating at the airport for offenses ranging from not following federal maintenance guidelines to improper drug testing procedures.

Despite its relatively small size, statistics rank the North Las Vegas Airport as the second busiest in the state and one of the busiest in the nation, with 219,693 flights last year (by comparison, McCarran International Airport has seen 352,553 operations just through the end of July). With operations there only expected to increase, many North Las Vegans told CityLife they wonder how many more of them will have to die before something - anything - is done to save lives in and around their bustling airport.

The update: In true ass-backwards fashion, Clark County Aviation Director Randall Walker and his fans on the county commission have vowed to pursue a legal remedy that is both unprecedented and amazingly arrogant in its approach.

Their plan is to lobby Nevada's congressional delegation to craft a bill that would "specifically state what aeronautical activity may be conducted at each airport within the Clark County Airport System."

This effort will likely go nowhere. Why? Because according to a slew of federal aviation experts and officials, the FAA isn't in the business of ceding its authority to local officials who demand action a full two decades after private pilots began falling from their skies. In fact, the FAA tells CityLife it can't recall when its ever given any local officials, anywhere, the power to control airfield operations. A national command center is essential for our nation's air travel/transport system to function at all. If you think airport delays and crashes are problems now, imagine how many more there would be if you had, say, 50 or 100 local dictators controlling the types and number of private and commercial aircraft allowed to take off and land at airfields around the country.

Walker & Co. could likely much better serve the residents of North Las Vegas, and honor the memory of their dead, if they lobbied the FAA to take a look at the allegedly problem maintenance shops at the airport - and whether they had anything to do with the recent spate of fatal aircraft crashes.

J.W.

"Slaves to their art" Sept.25

The story: You can take the man out of the theater, but you can't take the theater out of the man. In September, we reported on the success of Onyx Theater, a cozy, 100-seat auditorium nestled inside the Rack leather and fetishwear shop at Commercial Center where Artistic Director John Beane and his Insurgo Theater Movement have been in residency since early 2007.

The update: While the progressive-minded troupe is still there as of this writing, it won't be for much longer. According to both Beane and Rack owner Michael Morse, business concerns and aesthetic differences between them have led to Beane's decision to move Insurgo somewhere else, although the question of where remains up in the air. After a couple more 2008-2009 season productions at Onyx, he says his company will go nomadic until it finds a permanent home in town. Possible interim venues include the Aruba Hotel and Spa's Thunderbird Lounge and the Las Vegas Hilton, neither of which is seeing a glut of action in their performance spaces these days.

"These are just the very beginnings of conversations," says Beane. "But we're definitely going ahead with the season and staying on schedule."

Morse says the Onyx, which he built himself in 2006 in response to what he saw as a lackluster community theater scene, will keep hosting its regular weekly and monthly events -- "Improv Vegas" workshops, stand-up showcase "Short Bus Comics," sketch comedy show "Feed the Monkey" and others -- as well as productions by a few other local companies that have used his space in the past. In other words, business as usual, but without Insurgo in the mix.

"I think it'll be fine," says Morse. "We still have all this other stuff going on, and I want to keep [Onyx] alive as long as possible."

When it comes to drawing big audiences for 2009 productions, Morse is frank about the strategy he has in mind, citing the success of Insurgo's hyper-sexed, nudity-laden July production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. "That theater was packed. Why? Because people are nasty," he laughs. "I'd like to explore the seedy underbelly a bit more."

D.S.

"End of the road" Oct. 2

The story: Back in September, the Nevada Department of Transportation surprised West Las Vegans by closing the F Street underpass connecting the neighborhood to downtown. Turns out the City Council approved a plan in 2006 to link F and D streets and fill the tunnel under the freeway with dirt. Unfortunately that plan hadn't crossed the desks of those trying to revitalize the beleaguered but historically significant neighborhood. More than 70 angry Westsiders, led by the Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce, crashed a meeting of the Downtown Redevelopment Agency, declared the street closure an act of institutional racism and demanded its reopening.

The update: The neighbors held a series of meetings with the Nevada Department of Transportation representatives and Councilman Ricki Barlow. The state says reversing course would cost taxpayers $30 million, but the Westsiders aren't backing down. Led by author/historian Trish Geran, the movement to reopen F Street has raised enough money to hire an attorney -- Matt Callister, himself a former Las Vegas councilman -- and file an emergency injunction to stop construction.

It's a matchup to rival David and Goliath, but the neighbors have history on their side. The settlement of West Las Vegas dates to segregation, when African-American casino workers and military men first moved to the neighborhood -- the only one that would have them. Infrastructure in the form of paved streets, sidewalks and electricity was painfully slow in arriving. Almost as soon as the neighborhood caught up, Interstate 15, "The Iron Curtain" to Westsiders, descended and threatened to knock it back into the Dark Ages.

In 1968, West Side residents marched on City Hall, fighting a plan that would close D, F and H Streets. And they won. The streets stayed open.

Geran and her supporters think F Street is another front in the war against institutional racism. But it's more than that. It's also about the neighborhood's economic survival, which could depend on access to downtown and Union Plaza. Did the council close F Street to keep minorities and lower-income locals out of those fancy new developments?

"There is a lot of concern that this is just the beginning of something bigger the city has planned for this community," says Sam Wright, a historian and former city planner.

It might be the beginning of something bigger for the community too. Geran says a protest march is in the works for early January. That's right, Westside residents are taking it to the streets -- at least to the few that are still open.

AMY KINGSLEY