BARBWIRE by ANDREW BARBANO Pirate Laureate of the High Desert Outback of the American Dream

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Sahara Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada (21 November 1972) — In what would be his only northern Nevada match, Muhammad Ali squares off against world Light-Heavyweight Champion Bob Foster for the North American Boxing Federation heavyweight title. The referee is future Washoe County DA and District Judge Mills Bee Lane in his first championship fight. Former Golden-Glover Lane (20-1) achieved his own world fame, officiating at dozens more championship bouts. He starred in his own nationally-syndicated television show, Judge Mills Lane, for three years. Ali knocked out Foster in the eighth round but not before Foster became the first opponent to open a cut on the prettiest one's face. For many years thereafter, Lane gave away copies of TV reporter and now-retired attorney David Kladney's above photo. Barbwire Exclusive The Day Muhammad Ali and Sir David Frost faced off in Reno Barbwire by Barbano / Sparks Tribune 9-5-2013

Rent control, damage control and butt control
Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the Tuesday 6-14-2016 Sparks Tribune / Updated 6-16-2016

Democrats for Trump

The vaunted Barbwire investigative team has spared every expense in getting to the bottom of a burning issue: Donald Trump's running mate.

His Wonderfulness needs a Latina VP who will both broaden the base (remember those words) and bring eye candy to the ticket.

So who's a base-broadening babe? Spanish-speaking star and stone fox? Class with nice ass?

The logical choice would be superstar Sofia Vergara. But not only is she making too much money as the highest-paid actress on TV, she was born in Colombia and thus hits the wall.

Sarah Palin's got a nice body, but she can't speak proper English, let alone Spanish. So who's a Latina star with a terrific tushy?

JLO!

Jennifer Lopez is the only choice worthy of The Donald's gaze.

Hey, it only has to make sense to him and nobody knows how that works anyway.

You gotta love the bumper sticker potential: T-Rump and J-LO.

RENT CONTROL. Some Sparks senior citizens are getting hit with hundreds of dollars in monthly rent increases plus airline-style additions for previous inclusions like washer/dryers.

Hey, not everybody needs clean clothes, right? Don't want to sign a new apartment lease? Your rent goes up another hundred while you're looking.

Things got so bad during the late 1970s boom that senior citizen activist Barbara Bennett went before the Reno City Council unsuccessfully asking for a "rent justification" ordinance.

So Bennett ran for mayor. They laughed. She won. They stopped.

Stay tuned.

ADIOS. Helen Chávez, widow of labor legend César Chávez, passed away last week at 88. We will remember her at next year's César Chávez Day celebration.

GEORGE "BATTLING" NELSON has a long history with César Chávez and the United Farm Workers union. More than 50 years ago, the Sparks resident stood with the greatest labor leader of the 20th Century, United Auto Workers President Walter Reuther, at the dedication of UFW headquarters in Delano, Calif.

Reuther provided stable funding for the new UFW from his giant union. Without it, the UFW might not have survived.

For his distinguished record of labor activism, which included delegations to Russia and Japan, Nelson was inducted into the César Chávez Nevada Labor Hall of Fame in 2013.

I was present last week when the UAW presented the ailing Nelson with the Walter Reuther lifetime achievement award.

RIGHTING WRONGS. Lifelong boxing aficionado Nelson labored long on the centennial celebration of the legendary 1910 Fight of the Century.

The bout's Reno location at E. 4th and Toano has state historical signage. Homeowner Tim Elam built a monument commemorating Jack Johnson's training facility at Mayberry and Sherwood.

Nelson has worked for years to complete the triangle of fight sites. Last week, the Reno Parks Commission moved forward on a marker at the Moana soccer field, site of boxer Jim Jeffries' training camp.

Muhammad Ali said that he modeled his ring style after Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight champion.

Like Ali, Johnson was persecuted and prosecuted. President Obama has long had a posthumous pardon on his desk for approval. Battling Nelson gathered thousands of petition signatures in support.

Ali's memorial service last Friday came on the 70th anniversary of Johnson's death.

BACK HOME. Another César Chávez Hall of Famer, former Nevada Assemblymember Bob Price, D-North Las Vegas, is finally back home in Sparks after being bedridden for more than six months with illness contracted while hospitalized for surgery. Nancy Price encourages visits to cheer up the great warrior and longtime Rail City resident.

Bob turned 80 on May 23. I was honored to attend a small family party. His longtime colleague, former Sen. Joe Neal, D-N. Las Vegas, called in with birthday best wishes.

Bob Price served almost three decades in the lower house. Bob and Nancy retired to Sparks years ago. He has been a member of Las Vegas IBEW Local 357/AFL-CIO for more than half a century. He helped build the showroom at the Las Vegas Hilton which was opened by Elvis Presley in 1969. Bob has the King's autograph on his old lunchbox to prove it. He chaired the Assembly Taxation Committee for many sessions and became legendary for his advocacy on behalf of the little guys.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

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TOMORROW'S NEWS TODAY: FEEL UP YOUR FIRE METER. The Reno Gazette-Journal did big spreads on three consecutive Sundays (Sept. 14, Sept. 21 and Sept. 28, 2014) on NV Energy smart meter fires. Welcome aboard. Barbwire readers were two years ahead on the fire meter issue. (Touch a Smart Meter, Go to Jail — 11 October 2012)

FIRE METER UPDATES: THE NEVADA FIRE MARSHALL'S INVESTIGATION concluded "don't worry, be happy." I'm still worried and will continue fondling NVE's precious equipment —> If your smart meter feels very hot, not just from sunshine, call 911.

In its Sunday 21 Dec. 2014 front page headline major story, the Reno Gazette-Journal published results of the NVEnergy-commissioned "don't worry, be happy" echo study. On 1-27-2015, the RGJ published an analysis based on veteran reporter Anjeanette Damon's review of more than 1,000 pages of documents. Barbwire bottom line: NVE handles this like auto manufacturers handle defects —> It's cheaper to pay legal settlements after people are injured or killed than to fix the problem.

Don'tcha worry 'bout a thing! If you can't trust your power company, whom can you trust?

Smoking guns: Rooftop solar assassination — NevadaLabor.com Energy War Room

DIDN'T THEY MAKE A MOVIE CALLED "THE INCREDIBLES"? On 2-6-2015, the RGJ reported that the Public Utilities Commission has ordered NVE to hire an independent laboratory to review the material.

UPDATE: The report said all is well. I still recommend feeling up your fire meter on a regular basis.

ANTE INTO THE GAME: Support the new season of Barbwire.TV by putting your money where my mouth is. A thousand thanks to those who keep sending show suggestions.

  Stay tuned.

  I encourage you to donate to the cause at Barbwire.TV/ The medium that shapes public opinion needs at least one refuge where it is not filtered through the distorted green eye shades of prissy corporate accountants for whom profit is the only priority; where self-censorship is the journalist's normal work environment and where all sins of omission are tacitly encouraged and forgiven with the wave of a balance sheet. This is important. We've got a lot of work to do.

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Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

Andrew Barbano is a 47-year Nevadan, chair of the Nevada César Chávez Committee, producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration, first vice-president and political action chair of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, labor/consumer/civil rights advocate, member of Communications Workers of America Local 9413/AFL-CIO and editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org and DoctorLawyerWatch.com/ As always, his opinions are strictly his own. Check local listings for other Nevada cable systems. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Sparks Tribune since 1988.

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Copyright © 1982-2016 Andrew Barbano

Andrew Barbano is a 47-year Nevadan, editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org; and former chair of the City of Reno's Citizens Cable Compliance Committee. He is producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration and serves as first vice-president, political action chair and webmaster of the Reno-Sparks NAACP. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us.

Barbwire by Barbano moved to Nevada's Daily Sparks Tribune on Aug. 12, 1988, and has originated in them parts ever since.
Whom to blame: How a hall-of-famer's hunch birthed the Barbwire in August of 1987
Tempus fugit.

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