State Briefly Sept. 23

Sharron Angle joins board of conservative group

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Former Nevada Senate hopeful Sharron Angle has been named to the board of a conservative group that calls itself "the Republican wing of the Republican party."

The National Federation of Republican Assemblies said Angle will service as a vice president of the Destin, Fla.-based group.

Group members say Angle will help them return the country to conservatives in the 2012 elections.

President Rod Martin said "failure means socialism."

Angle said in a statement that the group will help elect more candidates like her.

Angle is a former Nevada assemblywoman. She lost her Senate bid last year to Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Nevada governor names new judge to Vegas court

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has appointed a state worker to fill a vacancy on the Clark County District Court.

Sandoval announced Thursday that Carolyn Ellsworth will the vacancy left when Judge Jackie Glass resigned from the bench in Las Vegas to become host of a syndicated TV court program.

Ellsworth is the securities division administrator in the Nevada secretary of state's office.

She worked as an independent private practice lawyer from 2003 to 2007, mostly in employment law and general civil litigation.

She graduated from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and was admitted to the Nevada bar in 1980.

Group wants to put abortion issue on Nevada ballot

LAS VEGAS (AP) - An anti-abortion group is trying to get a measure on the ballot so Nevada voters can ban abortion.

The Nevada Prolife Coalition filed a petition filed with the Secretary of State's office defining a person as all stages of biological development before birth.

The Las Vegas Sun reported Thursday that the petition would prohibit "the intentional taking of a prenatal person's life."

To get the question on a statewide ballot, the group must gather more than 72,000 valid signatures from the state's three congressional districts.

A coalition of abortion rights groups is opposing the anti-abortion effort.

A similar effort last year to ban abortions in Nevada failed after a district judge ruled the petition language was too vague.

Gov. taps Hill for economic development post

(AP) - Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is naming former Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Chairman Steve Hill to be interim chief of a newly created state Office of Economic Development.

Sandoval is making the economic position a cabinet-level post.

Hill will be joined in the economic development office by Terri Janison. She's a former Clark County School Board president who became Sandoval's community relations chief earlier this year. She's also part of the search for a new state schools chief.

Sandoval also announced that Sonia Joya (HOY'-uh) is his new southern Nevada economic development director. She's a former aide to U.S. Sen. John Ensign, who resigned this year.

Hill is an executive at the Las Vegas-based concrete, sand and gravel supplier CalPortland.

He starts his state position Oct. 3.

Vegas resort to open Jimmy Buffet-themed casino

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A Las Vegas resort is opening a 15,000-square-foot casino inspired by the lyrics of singer Jimmy Buffett.

The Margaritaville Casino at the Flamingo is set to open Oct. 1.

The Flamingo on the Las Vegas Strip was already home to Buffet's Margaritaville restaurant.

Under the new renovation, the resort's casino floor got a Buffet-themed makeover, complete with indoor palm trees and tropical colors.

The casino will celebrate its grand opening by creating the world's largest margarita.

Guinness World Records officials are slated to watch as the casino mixes the 8,500 gallon beverage starting on Oct. 11.

The giant drink will hold more than 2,000 gallons of tequila.