Runway-crossing car creates hairy moment for governor

CARSON CITY — Gov. Brian Sandoval has flown the world touting Nevada on foreign trade missions, but it was right here in the capital that flying’s potential danger manifested itself.

As told by Nevada Appeal reporter Anne Knowles in a story last week, Sandoval was on a state Transportation Department aircraft when a car crossed the Carson City Airport runway as the plane was landing.

The incident, which happened last fall, came to light when the Carson City Airport Authority held a hearing May 9 over whether to fire airport manager Tim Rowe. The vote was 5-2 to keep Rowe on the job.

During the meeting, Knowles reported that Rowe was on vacation when the incident occurred; it was investigated upon his return three days later. She said Rowe could not determine who was driving the vehicle and so he did not report the incident.

When asked for comment, Sandoval spokeswoman Mari St. Martin said, “The governor assumed that any vehicle on the runway was approved by the regulating body, specifically either the local airport authority or the (Federal Aviation Administration). He was surprised there was a vehicle, but hasn’t thought about the incident since it occurred.”

— Sean Whaley

School District keeps credit rating

Moody’s Investors Service maintained a high credit rating for the Clark County School District but noted “continued uncertainty” about the district’s reorganization as a “credit challenge.”

In a credit opinion issued last week, the credit rating firm reassigned an A1 credit rating for the nation’s fifth-largest school district. The agency noted the district’s credit strengths include a “substantial” tax base that shows signs of a solid recovery, rapid payout of debt and a statutory debt service reserve.

However, Assembly Bill 394, which requires a reorganization of the district before the 2018-19 school year, poses a credit negative, according to Moody’s.

“Because the details of the reorganization and its implementation have yet to be developed, we are uncertain how it would impact the credit quality of the district’s outstanding debt, and future borrowings post-reorganization,” an analyst wrote.

The district plans to issue $4.1 billion in debt to fund new school construction and facility maintenance over the next decade.

— Neal Morton

A push to curb opioid abuse

U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy, R-Nev., spoke last week in Congress in support of a bill aimed at curbing opioid abuse.

The bill, which came from the Senate, is called the “Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016.” The House passed the bill, along with amendments that both chambers will examine.

“No one debates that these powerful medications can serve an important role in pain management, but we cannot ignore their ability to entrap innocent and unintended victims,” Hardy said from the House floor.

The legislation would work to improve training and resources for doctors and pharmacists, help federal agencies work better together and reduce excess unused medications kept by patients with short-term needs so the medication is available to others who need it and is kept away from children, Hardy said.

In Nevada, 545 people died from opioid abuse in 2014. The deaths from prescription painkillers are slightly down, however, the deaths related to heroin, a cheaper alternative to prescription painkillers, have more than doubled from 2009 to 2014, federal and state data show.

The health care costs of opioid abuse in Nevada are pegged at $238.2 million.

— Ben Botkin

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Find him on Twitter @seanw801. Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Find him on Twitter: @nealtmorton. Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1