Judge allows brothel to reopen
Love Ranch can operate as Hof fights license revocation
Less than a month after Nye County officials closed Dennis Hof ’s Love Ranch brothel, a federal judge on Monday gave the brothel boss and Republican Assembly candidate his license back — for now.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Boulware’s ruling comes after a fight between Hof and
Nye County commissioners, who revoked his brothel license three weeks ago after he failed to pay county fees and file a renewal application on time.
Over the past year, Nye County lawmakers have battled with Hof over building code violations and illegal signs. The Nye County Liquor and Licensing Board voted 3-2 on Aug. 7 to revoke Hof ’s license after he failed to file his
HOF
Prior to this year students were allowed to bring backpacks to school — but had to switch them out for the more compact sling bags at their locker for the same reason.
Still, some parents are lamenting the new policy.
Brook Hurd, whose special-needs daughter received an exemption from the ban, said lugging heavy items in a sling bag will cause the ropes to dig into students’ arms.
“It’s really just a weird choice for an alternative, since backpacks are designed to be ergonomic and easier to carry large weight,” he said.
But Domonique Jackson, who has two children at the school, said safety is the top priority.
“I want to make sure my kids’ teachers feel like there’s nothing impeding them from doing the job they need to do in the classroom,” she said.
Other schools adopt policy
It’s unclear how many schools have a backpack ban, as the district does not keep track of such decisions made by individual schools.
Monaco Middle School also banned backpacks this year, mainly for safety and discipline reasons.
New Principal Keith France, who is overseeing the academically struggling school as it enters the school district’s Turnaround Zone program, said he interviewed his school organizational team, students and teachers to find out some of the biggest hurdles in the classroom.
Backpacks were on the list. He said students were often digging into them for their cellphones or other distracting items — and some students even used their backpacks for fighting.
He also noted that students only have three classes and one elective class since the school switched to block scheduling this year, meaning they have fewer books to carry.
“I talked to the SOT team and the whole staff as a whole and was like, ‘Well, then, why do we need backpacks?’” he said. “We don’t need lockers. Why do we need backpacks if they’re not carrying anything that’s instructional with them?”
Only students with gym class can bring backpacks to Monaco and must leave them in gym lockers the rest of the day.
Both schools provide exceptions for students with special needs who may need to carry certain items with them throughout the day. They also allow small clutches or pencil bags for personal items.
Parental concerns
Amber Rice, who has three children at Monaco, said her children have nothing to carry their things in.
“College students have backpacks, you know what I’m saying?” she said. “So just because there’s those few that don’t use the backpacks accordingly, or the correct way, doesn’t mean you should punish the whole student body.”
Her son has special needs and is allowed to bring a backpack, although he prefers a binder.
But if you try to put too much stuff into a zippered binder, Rice said, it’s going to pop.
Taguba, the eighth-grader at Canarelli, said many students don’t understand the new rule, but he argues it’s all about safety.
“It might not be easier, but at least it keeps us students safe,” he said.
“It ensures us, it ensures parents that their children can have a safety learning environment in our school.”
Contact Amelia Pak-harvey at apak-harvey@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-4630. Follow @ Ameliapakharvey on Twitter.