Permanently benched

Normally, it’s three strikes and you’re out. In the case of Conrad Hafen, it took four strikes that we’re aware of, but at least he won’t be back at the plate.

The Review-Journal’s David Ferrara reported that Mr. Hafen, a former Las Vegas justice of the peace, will never again serve as a judge in Nevada, according to the state’s Commission on Judicial Discipline. Mr. Hafen also agreed to public censure and admitted that he violated judicial canons, according to the resolution posted online Monday as the result of four complaints filed with the commission.

The disciplinary action stemmed primarily from an incident last May in which Mr. Hafen ordered deputy public defender Zohra Bakhtary handcuffed in court. Mr. Ferrara reported that Ms. Bakhtary was left to sit silently in the courtroom for about three minutes while her client was sent to jail for six months on a larceny charge. The judge’s high-handed action drew criticism from groups of defense attorneys.

But it took that fourth strike to finally root out the judge. Mr. Ferrara noted that in December 2014, Mr. Hafen failed to file an order of contempt against a defendant given 50 days in jail for disruption in the courtroom. A year later, Mr. Hafen failed to file a similar order for a man sent to jail for 10 days while he tried to represent himself at trial, and in April 2016, he sentenced a woman to 25 days after she “started screaming and yelling” at the judge, and he again failed to file a contempt order.

The commission’s strong response was proper. Even better, though, was that voters had already handled the matter when they booted Mr. Hafen from the bench in his re-election bid last June.

There is a 25-year body of evidence to support that changing high school to later start times will improve a multitude of important scholastic metrics. Research reveals benefits in attendance rates, grade-point average and test scores while causing decreases in depression and drop-out rates.

Biological rhythms shift in puberty and adolescents can not easily fall asleep at 8 p.m. to achieve the 8½ to 9½ hours of sleep needed in order to attend school starting at 7 a.m. Teens are not being lazy — there are innate biological factors in play. Drowsiness and fatigue lead to increased car accidents, irritability and poor attention and focus.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and the American Psychological Association all support later school start times. Ignoring what we have learned over the past quarter century and continuing to have early start times for high schools is, in my opinion, educational malpractice.

I urge our legislators and educators to do what is right for our young people and change to more appropriate start times.

State Sen. Yvanna Cancela, D-Las Vegas, has submitted Senate Bill 223 to make Nevada a sanctuary state where illegals may hide and be taken care of by taxpayers. Upon doing a bit of research on state Sen. Cancela, she appears to be no more then a hack for the ACLU and the unions.

As if we don’t have enough crime and problems, state Sen. Cancela wants to import more. Obviously the senator does not believe in supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States and obeying the laws of the land.

State Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, has introduced Senate Bill 165 that would define obesity as a chronic disease and would require some school districts to track obesity levels (Tuesday Review-Journal). State Sen. Denis is correct that there are a lot of obese kids — and even more obese adults — living and working in Las Vegas. And it is true that being overweight places kids and adults at increased risk for a variety of diseases. But is fat-shaming these overweight kids and their families good public health policy, the proper role of our limited school resources, or any business of teachers, school nurses, principals, administrators or schools districts?

People who are fat, even young kids, know they are fat. They can step on a bathroom scale or look in the mirror if they need further confirmation. And we — as a state — can tax sugary drinks, french fries and potato chips. We can require military-style basic training after school for fat kids, bring in the kids and their parents for mandatory meetings with school nurses who will show them stateapproved, age-appropriate videos of the medical effects of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

We can even refuse to promote obese kids to the next grade level if they fail to attain a healthy bodymass index.

But the reality is that the educational establishment goes hat-in-hand to the Legislature every other year for more money. They always have and always will. The establishment can never get quite enough money to “do their jobs.” Yes, ancient school buildings need continuous repairs. Yes, new schools need to be constructed. Yes, all kids need iPads — or the equivalent — and connectivity. Yes, teachers often pay for supplies out of their own pockets and many are underpaid and over-worked. But the overarching reality is that the kids aren’t learning. Year after year, our public schools are ranked last or next to last in the nation.

So, state Sen. Denis, rather than wasting precious resources on fat shaming, why don’t you do something that will help our kids learn to read and write?

The Las Vegas Monorail Company needs to rethink the direction of the monorail extension. Rather than expand to the Mandalay Bay, the system should go to McCarran International Airport instead.

Extending the monorail to the airport — where the tourists can see it as an attraction and another way to get to and from the Strip — would be the best option to gain ridership.