Nevada News by Ben Breier

With political eyes and ears in Nevada focusing on the presidential election and close contests to determine who will represent Nevada in the House of Representatives, a couple of big stories aren't getting the attention they might normally receive.

The Nevada Tax Commission yesterday granted an extension to the tax amnesty plan of Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-Sparks), which the governor has touted as being more successful than originally planned.

"This program has far surpassed any expectations we had for it," Gibbons said in a statement. "With this strong show of willingness by taxpayers to come forward, I asked the Nevada Tax Commission to extend the emergency regulations to the full 120 days available by law. This will allow additional businesses to come forward and take advantage of this great opportunity.

In a statement released earlier today, Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-Sparks) took an opportunity to take a dig at state Democrats while addressing the state's 23-year high state unemployment figures at 7.1 percent.

"I find it troubling that some want to raise taxes, which would just increase the burden on businesses that are already struggling to meet payroll, and based on these new unemployment numbers, are sometimes failing to do so," Gibbons said.

An article by the Las Vegas Review Journal is citing a collection of polls as growing proof that the Nevada could be getting ready to go for Republican presidential nominee John McCain in November.

Three polls -- conducted by Rasmussen, Zogby, and InsiderAdvantage/Poll Position -- all declare McCain as leading Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama by varying margins.