36 years ago this month

The Scorpion Press, conceived over martinis in Hollywood's Brown Derby, will be launched in mid-February at -- where else? -- Joe's Cotton Pickin' Saloon in Pahrump Valley.

"Why not?" asked Elaine Mills, one of the founders of the new enterprise. "If we are going to be a western publishing house in southern Nevada, what better place than Joe's Cotton Pickin' Saloon?" Scorpion's first production will appear in August, a 100-page softcover book by Las Vegas outdoor writer Florine Lawlor titled "Back Roads of Las Vegas."

Indications are that Nye County's property evaluations increased from $27 million in 1970 to about $30 million in 1971, according to Assessor Leo Funk. Most of the increase apparently came from Pahrump Valley, where considerable subdividing and speculative interest has made land prices soar.

Not all property owners approved of their increased valuation. About 50 petitions were filed with the County Board of Equalization, asking for their taxes to be reduced.

30 years ago this week

The Starlite Motel on Highway 160 in Pahrump Valley is scheduled to open in early February. The 10-unit motel is complete and construction is under way for other features of the facility, including a tennis court, shuffleboard layout, barbecue grills, a putting green and a 20-unit camper land.

Owner Ray Wulfenstein said, "We are all set for the motel. We just need a final approval or two and we'll be in business."

The units are carpeted and handsomely furnished. They will include television and in some, kitchenettes. The motel is located next to Wulfenstein's do-it-yourself car wash.

The two sites under consideration for construction of the fire department's projected new substation in the south end of the Valley were discussed at the town board meeting.

Of the two, Kellogg at Homestead and Dandelion at Homestead, the Kellogg location had more support from the community.

Discussion of town budget proposals for 1978 were also presented. Included in the $108,000 budget total is $9,000 for the fire department, $9,600 for the library, the remaining money is for town services, including $12,600 for salaries.

20 years ago this week

Preferred Equities Corp. was sold to Mego Corp. this week and will become a publicly held company. Jerome Cohen is the president of the new ownership group that includes several men from the East. No personnel changes are planned and no changes in the land sales programs at the various Calvada subdivisions in Pahrump Valley are planned.

Mego Corp. reports Preferred Equities is the corporation's main asset now. PEC is involved in land sales in Pahrump Valley, as well as time share sales in Las Vegas, Reno and Hawaii.

The new Pahrump Valley jail is to be located east of Highway 160 on Basin Road.

Commissioners confirmed that the new jail would not go on the property where the present jail is located, close to the park and library. "There is not much we can say about the actions which could be taken by future boards, but, I can assure you that this board will not put a jail there," according to Commissioner Bob Revert.

The county is looking into the possibility of having a well drilled to serve the Basin Road site, as extending water lines to the site was originally estimated to cost $29,000. Now it looks as though the project will cost $18,000.

A 5 percent pay raise for all county employees has been pre-figured into the 1988-89 county budgets, according to County Administrator Jan Wellman.

The increase would cost $231,208, or if town employees were included, $279,046.

Wellman commented about earlier discussions with the Nye County Law Enforcement Association. "We have a very hostile sheriff's association this year," he said, adding that the NCLEA has asked for a 10-year, 4 percent pay raise plan. Wellman also said he feels the sheriff's department is over-staffed.

10 years ago this week

Three county commissioners borrowed a page from President Richard Nixon's 1972 campaign slogan of "four more years" when Pahrump Commissioner Cameron McRae proposed to hold a public hearing to discuss reapportionment of the commission districts.

Unlike Nixon, however, the "four more years" had more to do with waiting on the census bureau to force the county to give Pahrump equal representation, than an extended stay in the White House.

None of the commissioner's dispute the fact the majority of the county's population resides in Pahrump; Bob Davis of Tonopah did say he's not comfortable with the hard population numbers and the proposed district boundaries.

Members of the Pahrump Community Hospital District Board won't attempt to lure a new operator for the Arcon Pahrump Center for Healthcare until they've had a chance to look over Arcon's plans for pulling out of the facility.

That isn't stopping several companies, including two Las Vegas hospitals, from casing the joint. Representatives from Valley and Sunrise hospitals were present at the hospital board meeting. They were there mainly to listen to the proceedings.

Any lingering doubt over whether Arcon might be convinced to stay in Pahrump quickly evaporated when company officials told the hospital board that they would be submitting a "termination plan" to board members immediately.

Arcon Vice President Jone' Koford said efforts to improve the profitability of the Arcon Pahrump Center for Health care have fallen short.

"The financials have not changed," she said. "We have improved operations significantly but not enough. We will work through this transition as smoothly as possible, but we can't continue to subsidize the losses at this facility."

Arcon reportedly is losing as much as $100,000 a month at APCH.

The Trojans will take on the top team in their Southern Nevada Class 3-A conference at Pahrump Valley High School.

The Pahrump Valley High boy's basketball team (11-10, 2-4) will host Moapa Valley (5-0) in league play. The Trojans almost handed the Pirates their first league loss Jan. 16 in Overton. Pahrump led Moapa by 10 in the second half but turned the ball over several times in the fourth quarter en route to a 64-58 loss.

"We can beat them," said PVHS coach Paul Brecht, "They give us so much trouble because they're so much bigger than we are."