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HILLARY CLINTON-VEGAS
Object thrown at Hillary Clinton during speech
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A woman was taken into custody after throwing what she described as a shoe at Hillary Clinton during a Las Vegas speech.
The incident happened moments after Clinton took the stage Thursday at an Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries meeting at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.
Clinton ducked but did not appear to be hit by the object, and then joked about the incident.
Security ushered out a woman who said she threw a shoe but didn't identify herself to reporters or explain the action.
Authorities said the woman would be arrested.
The former U.S. secretary of state and Democratic senator from New York has been traveling the country giving paid speeches to industry organizations and appearing before key Democratic Party constituents.
HEALTH OVERHAUL-NEVADA
Board delays action on 2015 exchange fees
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A state board has delayed setting monthly policy fees to be charged next year for policies purchased over Nevada's health insurance exchange.
Board members agreed Thursday to postpone the action until they have a better idea of how many people have signed up and the demographics of those enrolled.
Setting the rates is directly tied to enrollment projections.
As more people sign up, the less they will need to be charged to cover exchange operating expenses.
But enrollment is hard to project. Last year officials set a target of 118,000. That number was cut to 50,000 after persistent problems with the system prevented many people from completing applications.
Because of those problems, Nevada authorized a special enrollment period through May 30 for people who were unable to finish their applications.
TUBERCULOSIS EXPOSURE-NEONATAL UNIT
OSHA cites Summerlin Hospital after TB exposure
LAS VEGAs (AP) — The Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing nearly $40,000 in fines against a Las Vegas hospital where employees were exposed to tuberculosis over the summer.
The agency issued six serious and two less-than-serious citations against Summerlin Hospital, saying the organization was slow to evaluate employees for tuberculosis and didn't reevaluate its written plans for keeping the disease under control.
Summerlin Hospital officials issued a statement saying they dispute the citations and plan to fight them vigorously.
OSHA says at least 20 employees tested positive for the disease after a mother and child with undetected TB were treated there.
Hundreds of babies, visitors and employees were tested for the lung disease after the mother and her child died and autopsies confirmed tuberculosis was the cause.
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL-FUNDING JEOPARDIZED
Rawson-Neal no longer in danger of losing Medicare
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal officials say Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas is meeting standards and is no longer in jeopardy of losing Medicare funding.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wrote a letter to state officials Wednesday saying it won't move forward with threats to cut funding this month.
The agency had issued a warning Jan. 9, saying the hospital wasn't meeting requirements related to its governing body, nursing services and Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement program. The letter said the hospital was also out of compliance with fire codes.
Federal agencies conducted a follow-up inspection on March 12 and determine the problems were addressed.
The news is a positive development for the mental hospital, which faced allegations of improperly discharging patients and sending them out of state without follow-up care.
NEVADA GOP
Nevada GOP heads into convention torn at core
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Republicans are gathering for their party convention in Las Vegas this weekend.
Party leaders are seeking to show unity to boost voter registration, raise money and elect more GOP candidates. The goals that have proved elusive in recent years for a state party that has become known for its volatility.
The attempt at cohesion amid the polarization between staunch conservatives and establishment Republicans — a split that also divides the party nationally — comes in the spotlight of midterm elections and an attempt to host the national convention in 2016.
Party leaders would rather not air their political laundry publicly, but such infighting is expected at state conventions — especially in Nevada.
The party may battle over its platform, debating taxes, primary endorsements, gay marriage and abortion.
OBIT-DINI
Joe Dini, longtime Nevada Assembly speaker, dies
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Former Nevada Assembly Speaker Joe Dini, who served a record eight times leading the lower chamber in the Nevada Legislature, has died.
Dini's death was announced Thursday during a meeting of the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee.
He was 85.
The Yerington Democrat was elected to the Assembly in 1967. He served through 2002 in a career that made him the longest serving assemblyman in state history.
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval praised Dini as a legend and one of Nevada's greatest statesmen.
FEINSTEIN-DROUGHT LEGISLATION
Feinstein tweaks drought bill to improve prospects
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she has dropped $300 million in emergency spending from drought-relief legislation to improve prospects for getting the bill passed.
Most parts of California are under extreme drought conditions. In February, Feinstein and other senators from the West introduced legislation designed to increase water supplies for farms and to provide them with emergency assistance. Feinstein said Thursday she had introduced a new version of that bill.
The House has passed drought legislation. Feinstein says her office is close to securing the 60 votes needed to overcome procedural hurdles in the Senate.
Instead of providing emergency funds for water-conservation projects and other drought-relief measures, the legislation would direct federal officials to work with the state to increase water supply without harming salmon populations.
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