RJ captures top honors at Nevada Press Awards

The Las Vegas Review-Journal raked in 20 first-place awards Saturday at the Nevada Press Association’s annual banquet honoring the best journalism in the state, including top nods for community service and freedom of the press.

The awards were presented at the CasaBlanca in Mesquite.

Reporter Colton Lochhead claimed the community service award for a series of stories that unveiled abuses and a lack of oversight within a Clark County program meant to help some of Southern Nevada’s most vulnerable residents — the old, alone and infirm. Lochhead’s investigation led to the formation of a Nevada Supreme Court commission and a multiagency law enforcement task force to oversee the county’s troubled guardianship program.

“This dogged investigation into how a government program intended to help residents in need went wrong left no stone unturned,” contest judges wrote. “Lochhead’s reporting shined light onto a dark corner of the community and led to reforms that will likely save countless families from the problems that arose with guardianships in Clark County.”

The RJ received the freedom of the press award “for the extent of its doggedness” covering “a stunning (and worrisome) number of issues and legal cases” involving government secrecy and the denial of access to public information, contest judges wrote.

“The Review-Journal’s victories in these two categories are especially gratifying because of the public impact of our work,” Managing Editor Glenn Cook said. “We take our watchdog role seriously. We fought government wrongs and made sure institutions were held accountable for their abuses and failures.

“The number of RJ wins in other categories perfectly reflects the caliber of talent in our newsroom,” Cook said.

RJ photographer Erik Verduzco won Photo of the Year for his photograph titled “Campaign baby,” which captured a man using his cellphone to snap a picture of an infant at a rally for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Other photography wins included best feature photo by Chase Stevens, best illustrated photo by Jeff Scheid and best sports photo by Stevens.

Rick Velotta won Best Business Story for his reporting on a rash of unusual flight incidents and emergency landings by Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air, Christopher Lawrence took first place in critical writing for “strong, colorful opinions,” and Matthew Crowley won the best nonstaff story.

Steve Sebelius was awarded first place for editorial writing. Judges credited Sebelius for “strong language and careful arguments that are well-thought-out with humor, logic and a biting tongue.”

The RJ’s sports desk received top honors in two categories. Steve Carp took first place for Best Sports Story for marking the 25th anniversary of the UNLV basketball team’s Final Four upset loss to Duke, and Ed Graney was named the state’s top sports columnist.

The newspaper’s website, reviewjournal.com, was named the state’s best news website. And its special publication, “One Sure Bet: Death in Las Vegas” was awarded first place in the special section category. The 35-page section examined the ways that Las Vegans put their unique stamp on death.

John L. Smith, a longtime columnist for the Review-Journal, was inducted to the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame.

The RJ’s holiday guide won first place in the special section category for advertising.

Former RJ reporter Bethany Barnes was named the state’s Outstanding Journalist, and former gaming reporter Howard Stutz took first place in Best Local Column. Kristen DeSilva won best platform writing for her online “Knowing Vegas” series. And former RJ staffer Steve Bornfeld took first place in both headline writing and feature writing. The RJ swept the headline writing and feature writing categories, with Crowley and George Riggle taking second and third, respectively, in headline writing, and John Przybys and Keith Rogers taking second and third in feature writing, respectively.

REVIEW-JOURNAL STAFF AWARDS

Best Feature Photo: First place, Chase Stevens

Best Illustrated Photo: First place, Jeff Scheid

Freedom of the Press: First place, Las Vegas Review-Journal staff

Best Special Section (Editorial): First place, Review-Journal staff, “One Sure Bet: Death in Las Vegas.”

Best Nonstaff Story: First place, Matthew Crowley

Best Breaking News Reporting: Second place, Las Vegas Review-Journal staff

Best Special Section or Campaign (Advertising): First place, advertising sales staff; second place, advertising sales staff

Best Business Story: First place, Richard N. Velotta

Best Website: First place, reviewjournal.com

General Excellence: Second place, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Best Sports Story: First place, Steve Carp

Best Explanatory Journalism: Third place, Jennifer Robison

Best Critical Writing: First place, Christopher Lawrence

Best Critical Writing: Third place, Heidi Knapp Rinella

Best Sports Column: First place, Ed Graney

Best Editorial Page: Second place, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Photo of the Year: Erik Verduzco, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Best Multiple Photo Essay: Third place, Chase Stevens

Best Sports Photo: First place, Chase Stevens

Best Headline Writing: First place, Steve Bornfeld; second place, Matthew Crowley; third place, George Riggle

Best Entertainment Writing: Second place, Christopher Lawrence; third Place, Carol Cling

Community Service: First place, Colton Lochhead

Best Platform Writing: First place, Kristen DeSilva

Best Feature Writing: First place, Steve Bornfeld; second place, John Przybys; third place, Keith Rogers

Outstanding Journalist: Bethany Barnes, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Best Editorial Writing: First place, Steve Sebelius

Best Local Nonstaff Column: Second place, Jane Ann Morrison

Best Local Column: First place, Howard Stutz

Best Digital Storytelling: Third place, Rachel Aston

Full Article & Source:
RJ captures top honors at Nevada Press Awards

Steve Miller: Jared Shafer's Clark County Family Court Lackeys Removed From All Guardianship Cases

The Goose that laid the golden eggs is cooked!

After years of court sanctioned bilking of wealthy senior citizens and disabled persons, the biggest shake up in Clark County District Court history has just forced the immediate removal of two well-known jurists who were allegedly doing the bidding of veteran for-hire private guardian Jared E. Shafer and his protégés.

Charles Hoskin

In the wake of the court house shake up, the Nevada Legislature on May 23, 2015, voted to change the arcane laws that allowed Clark County Family Court Judge Charles Hoskin and his appointed "Hearing Master" Jon Norheim to blanket approve the actions of unscrupulous private for-hire guardians who for over a decade preyed on the fortunes of hapless seniors and disabled people in Southern Nevada while their out of state families protested in vain. (Remember the court video of Norheim closing his court to the public upon orders of a private for-hire guardian who is not an officer of the court. That guardian, Jared Shafer, did not want the public to know that he could not account for $500.000.00 missing from one of his wards.)

Too often, the "ward's" wishes to move to another state to be with family are ignored by the court so the estate can continue paying the guardian's outrageous fees until the ward dies, and sometimes for years thereafter with the court's approval (see: Grave Robbery Under Color Of Law! The story of the late Leanne Peccole).

Jon Norheim

One of the Nevada laws that Hoskin and Norheim relied upon limited those who could become fiduciaries of the estates of Nevada "wards" of the court to only those persons who physically resided within Nevada thus prohibiting out of state children of well-to-do elderly persons from overseeing the fortunes of their own parents. This bad law opened the way for unscrupulous for-hire guardians to be appointed by Hoskin and Norheim to fleece elderly widows or widowers. As of last Saturday, the Nevada Legislature voted to change that law and allow out of state relatives to govern the assets of incapacitated loved ones living in Nevada.

Another law was enacted to require all for-hire guardians to be licensed and bonded - a first for Nevada. Most decisions made by Hoskin and Norheim were based on the amount of wealth the surviving spouse had, not their actual needs (poor people are not provided private professional guardians). After the passing of a parent, out of state relatives would soon learn that their surviving mother or father was secretly made a ward of the court during their grief, and that a stranger was the best choice to be given full power of attorney by Hoskin or Norheim to manage their loved one's estate without allowing input from family members living outside Nevada. In some cases, family members who actually live in Nevada were disapproved if their loved one was extremely wealthy. The appointed for-hire guardian would tell Hoskin or Norheim during a hearing that the local relative was an "exploiter" or "unfit," often falsely accusing the relative of drug addiction or being a compulsive gambler. In all cases researched by INSIDE VEGAS, Hoskin or Norheim took the side of the for-hire guardian, and the fleecing continued. '

The out of state family is told that someone called authorities to report that their parent or relative was in need of help, and a for-hire guardian was "temporarily" appointed by the Family Court to look after the physical needs and assets of the loved one. Within months, sometimes weeks, the temporary status is changed to permanent by Hoskin or Norheim when its determined that there are no relatives living in Nevada who can care for the "ward" allowing life's savings to be drained through double charges, excessive fees, and outright thievery by the appointed "guardian," and assets can be liquidated without anyone's approval (see cashed checks below, and review this website for documentation.

This legal, but immoral practice was finally exposed by Nevada media, and the scam's effect on Las Vegas' second most lucrative business - retirement - is only now being realized, i. e., who would want to retire to Sun City Anthem in Henderson, or Sun City Summerlin in Las Vegas if they knew that local Family Courts would collude with certain private "guardians" to take the retiree for everything they're worth before their children could receive their inheritance?

I wrote my first editorial on this subject in April 2002, for a local weekly newspaper. The editorial was republished by an Internet magazine on May 31, 2006.

The National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse (NASGA) also began reporting Clark County guardian abuse cases in April of 2006. The organization's president, Elaine Renoire, has closely followed the exploitation of Las Vegas victims Marcy Dudeck and Guadalupe Olvera.

INSIDE VEGAS began exposing this racket February 25, 2013, on AmericanMafia.com in a story entitled "GUADALUPE OLVERA'S WAR." Several more columns followed until I was able to expose the modus operandi of the scheme in "Las Vegas' Death Watch - The chain of events start at Sun City Anthem and end in private guardian Jared E. Shafer's pocket" published March 17, 2014, on AmericanMafia.com. In the column, I explained how a cartel of local attorneys, judges and guardians would single out wealthy elderly couples who had no relatives in Nevada, and after the death of a spouse, collude to drain their estates.

Up until that point, no one in Las Vegas media would ever believe such a horrible thing was happening right under our eyes to our most vulnerable citizens. I persisted writing, hoping the stories would gain traction before more people were injured.

The next to tell this sordid story was The Vegas Voice, a hard copy publication with a vast circulation to local senior citizens and retirees. On August 18, 2014, the paper began running a hard hitting series exposing the ill-deeds and names of corrupt for-hire guardians. But the paper went one step further. Publisher Dan Roberts and Political Editor Rana Goodman flew to the state capitol in Carson City to lobby for changes in the guardianship laws, specifically that out of state relatives could handle the finances of loved ones living in Nevada, and that all private for-hire guardians be licensed and bonded. They also circulated a petition gathering over 3,500 signatures. The paper soon received a letter from attorneys Gardener Jolly and Bruce Woodbury threatening a libel (SLAPP) lawsuit if they continued writing about their client, for-hire guardian April Parks. However, The Vegas Voice stories continued unfettered until Parks' double billing and lack of accountability was confirmed by KTNV Contact 13.

Then on March 6, 2015, KTNV TV Contact 13 News producer Kean Bauman and investigative reporter Darcy Spears aired "Valley man wrestles with guardianship system," which told of 25 year old cerebral palsy victim Jason Hanson, and how for-hire guardian Jared Shafer allegedly took him for everything he had.

INSIDE VEGAS videographer Mike Christ had interviewed Jason in April, 2014, for my March 3, INSIDE VEGAS column. Here is a LINK to Mike's heart rendering video: "Special Administrator Jared E. Shafer takes house and inheritance from 24 year old man with cerebral palsy."

April 11, 2015, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada's largest newspaper, began a series of front page stories written by investigative reporter Colton Lochhead. The first story was "Clark County’s private guardians may protect — or just steal and abuse."  In the same RJ edition was the story of Guadalupe Olvera; "Escape was only option for an old soldier trapped in guardian system," telling about the 95 year old World War 2 hero's exploitation by Jared E. Shafer, and his escape from Shafer's abusive custody.

Then on April 17, 2015, another of Colton Lochhead's stories appeared on the RJ's front page entitled "Chief judge vows to improve guardianship process." On April 21, the front page article by Lochhead headlined; "Clark County Commissioners want reform of ‘appalling’ guardianship program," followed April 26, with an Editorial; "Guarding the guardians," and the May 5, story by Lochhead; "There's now a hotline to call with guardianship complaints," that stated, "Cases highlighted in the Review-Journal showed a lack of oversight by the courts that allowed people who were wards of the county to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars to their private professional guardians. In those cases, the court failed to enforce state laws, such as the requirement to file a yearly accounting of money spent on behalf of wards, and ignored the wishes of wards and their families."

 Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak responded by scheduling a special hearing to discuss the guardianship problem. At that hearing held on April 21, LVMPD  Lt. James Weiskopf told the Commission "And the complaints we get from the citizens is that Judge Hoskin will rubber stamp it and say Norheim made appropriate decisions, or Judge Hoskin doesn't hear the family's complaint."  ...

Full Article and Source:
Jared Shafer's Clark County Family Court Lackeys Removed From All Guardianship Cases

Judges should enforce Nevada’s existing guardianship law, reform proponent says

Judge David Hardy

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

A proposal to double the frequency at which guardians must file financial paperwork wouldn’t fix Nevada’s systemic problems, according to a key proponent for guardianship reform.

State law requires guardians — tasked with managing the finances of those deemed mentally incompetent — to file accountings of their wards’ assets and spending once a year. An amendment to SB 262 would make them file those documents twice annually.

Washoe County Chief Judge David Hardy, who advocates for tighter restrictions on guardians, said Thursday he does not agree with the proposed change while testifying in support of the bill in a meeting of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. Wards would end up having to pay for the extra work, Hardy said, which can easily cost about $3,000 each time.

Filing the accounting paperwork once a year is more than adequate, Hardy said. The judges who oversee guardianships just need to make sure that’s being done.

A Review-Journal series in April showed some guardians didn’t bother filing the required paperwork. Some drained hundreds of thousands of dollars from wards’ accounts.

SB 262, sponsored by Sen. Becky Harris, R-Las Vegas, also calls for a change to the state law that requires guardians to be Nevada residents. Including Harris, 13 legislators are sponsoring the bill. Several more lawmakers asked to be added as co-sponsors during Thursday’s meeting.

Full Article & Source:
Judges should enforce Nevada’s existing guardianship law, reform proponent says

See Also:
Guardianship problems are widely reported but seldom fixed

Courts, Lawmakers Working on Protection for Weakest Citizens

Clark County Nevada Now Has a Guardianship Hotline

By COLTON LOCHHEAD
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Clark County now has a hotline to help manage calls about problems with the guardianship system.  That number is 702-671-4614.

Another option is sending an email to guardianshipcompliance@clarkcountycourts.us.

Chief Judge David Barker

The county’s chief judge said so many concerns have been raised that the hotline will help streamline the complaint process.

“Our fundamental responsibility is to promote citizens’ trust and confidence in the guardianship process,” Chief Judge David Barker said Tuesday at a Clark County Commission meeting.

Long-running problems with the system that handles about 8,500 cases each year were laid out in a series of Review-Journal articles published in April.

A guardian is appointed after someone is deemed mentally incompetent and declared a ward of the county. In most cases, that guardian is a family member, friend or county social worker. In many cases, especially where the person has substantial wealth, a private professional guardian can be appointed.

Cases highlighted in the Review-Journal showed a lack of oversight by the courts that allowed people who were wards of the county to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars to their private professional guardians. In those cases, the court failed to enforce state laws, such as the requirement to file a yearly accounting of money spent on behalf of wards, and ignored the wishes of wards and their families.

Barker requested funding for both a compliance officer position and an investigator that he hopes will add better monitoring to individual guardianship cases.

County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak said after the meeting the county will have to determine if they can afford to fund both positions.“I think the county staff was supportive of the compliance officer,” Sisolak said. “But I have no idea about the investigator.”

Barker said during the meeting he has reached out to national experts as well as Washoe County Chief Judge David Hardy, a proponent for guardianship reform, for insight and ideas for a panel aimed at addressing guardianship problems statewide.

Clark County in April called for a Blue Ribbon Panel to analyze guardianship problems locally. Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice James Hardesty said Friday he will push for a statewide committee.

Barker also reiterated his desire to improve the process by further formalizing the complaint process, standardizing forms and procedures, and implementing a guardianship monitoring system.“In cooperation with this commission, the judicial branch is actively addressing the guardianship issues raised and will pursue the best avenues and resources to develop solutions and improve the handling of guardianship cases.”

Sisolak said the county will look to see if they have the ability to fund the positions Hardy was requesting.

Source:
There's Now a Hotline to Call With Guardianship Complaints

See Also:
Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Wants Statewide Review of Guardianships

Nevada Supreme Court chief justice wants statewide review of guardianship



Nevada Supreme Court Justice James W. Hardesty

By COLTON LOCHHEAD

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Nevada’s top judge wants to dig into problems plaguing the guardianship system far beyond the Las Vegas Valley.

The Clark County Commission recommended April 21 that a local blue ribbon panel examine issues that have left some of its most vulnerable constituents destitute. But Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice James Hardesty said the issue is affecting more than just the state’s most populous county.

“I think this is an issue that would be of statewide concern,” Hardesty told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday.

Instead of a local panel, Hardesty wants to convene a committee that will include people from across the state to examine the program.

Clark County Manager Don Burnette said Friday in an email to county commissioners that he recommends going with Hardesty’s proposal rather than convening a local blue ribbon panel. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Long-running problems with the program that handles about 8,500 cases each year were laid out in a series of Review-Journal articles published in April.

A guardian is appointed after someone is deemed mentally incompetent and declared a ward of the county. In most cases, that guardian is a family member, friend or county social worker. In many cases, especially where the person has substantial wealth, a private professional guardian can be appointed.

Cases highlighted in the Review-Journal showed a lack of oversight by the courts that allowed people who were wards of the county to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars to their private professional guardians. In those cases, the court failed to enforce state laws, such as the requirement to file a yearly accounting of money spent on behalf of wards, and ignored the wishes of wards and their families.

Hardesty said after several recent talks with the chief judges in Nevada’s two urban counties, Clark and Washoe, he decided to push for the statewide committee to solve the inherent issues surrounding it.

The proposed statewide panel would need to look at the entire guardianship process, Hardesty said. Some of the main concerns, he said, include ensuring the courts properly monitor guardians to ensure better supervision and enforcement of annual accountings, and providing proper court representation for wards during the process.

“That is our responsibility to implement those statutes and provide for those processes that assure accountability to the parties involved in those proceedings,” Hardesty said.

Hardesty said the statewide panel would include guardians, county personnel, elder and ward rights advocates, among others. It would dig into the problem and make recommendations for reforms of the system.

Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, who initially pushed for the local panel two weeks ago, said the Supreme Court’s involvement will make it easier to fix problems. Commissioners were assured they’ll be included in discussions.

“They’ll be able to access resources that we couldn’t otherwise,” Sisolak said. “I look forward to getting to work.”

Hardesty said he will file the administrative docket required to start his panel next week. The Supreme Court then would begin discussions about the panel around the first week of June, Hardesty said.

Commissioners will discuss the development Tuesday at their regular meeting at 9 a.m. at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.

Full Article & Source:
Nevada Supreme Court chief justice wants statewide review of guardianship

See Also:
County Commission Probing "Frightening" Abuses in Guardianship System

Editorial: County Guardianship System a Disgrace

To the editor:

I am in a state of shock after reading the article on Clark County’s private guardianship system (“The power to help, the power to abuse,” April 12 Review-Journal). I loved Nevada for its sunshine and care of elders. I bragged about this state for retirees. Little did I know what was going on behind closed doors. Disgusting.To think so many people here have known about the guardianship system for years and kept their mouths shut about the corruption. It took one woman to bring this all to the front and demand it be told, and finally the newspaper brought it out, too.

To find not even background checks are required to become a guardian? How crazy can you get to let this take place?  I thought I was safe and tried to prepare with a will and a trust to keep my children in the know, only to find out none of this would be any good because they live out of state.

I am 82 years old, on oxygen and could trip and fall, and land myself in the hospital, then find myself taken over by a guardian, and there would be nothing my children could do to control it. The county-appointed guardian could spend my money and sell my house. This keeps sounding crazier by the minute.

Now the county gives garbage excuses — they didn’t know and complaints weren’t followed up on. Did county officials not have the guts to suggest we might change the laws? Was there payoff to the people who helped to implement this? The only suggestion I could give to seniors is to move out of state.

~SHIRLEY L. THOMPSONHENDERSON

Source:
Letters:  County Guardianship System a Disgrace

Editorial: Guarding the Guardians

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Clark County commissioners were in rare form Tuesday, expressing shock — Shock! — and outrage — Outrage! — over abuses carried out by court-appointed guardians. Last week, the Review-Journal reported the miserable oversight failures of the system that’s supposed to protect the estates of thousands of elderly and mentally incapacitated residents, and in their first meeting since those reports, commissioners were eager to blame anyone but themselves.

“Why has this been a best-kept secret?” Commissioner Lawrence Weekly asked.

It hasn’t. Those who’ve seen loved ones ripped off and who’ve struggled to save them from court-appointed cons have been hollering for help for years. Commissioner Tom Collins admitted as much in Tuesday’s meeting, when he recalled how he personally intervened on behalf of a friend whose grandmother couldn’t be freed from a guardianship. He said he called and called, but it took him seven months to get the job done.

“It was because of my title of county commissioner,” Mr. Collins said at the meeting. “If I was just Joe Blow out there at sea, I would not have gotten the time of day.”

Exactly. So why didn’t Mr. Collins do anything about it? Why didn’t he use the power of his office to hold the entire system accountable? Why did he wait until Tuesday to suggest firing Guardianship Commissioner Jon Norheim?

The District Court operation has allowed people to be stripped of hundreds of thousands of dollars while not enforcing guardian reporting requirements and ignoring wards and their families.

Commissioners have vowed to get the travesty straightened out. And the Legislature is considering reforms to improve guardian credentials and allow involvement of out-of-state relatives. Hallelujah.

But better oversight of guardians starts with the elected stewards entrusted by voters. It starts with the County Commission.

Source:
Editorial:  Guarding the Guardians

Clark County Nevada Commissioners Want Reform of "Appalling" Guardianship Program

By COLTON LOCHHEAD
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Calling Clark County’s court-appointed guardianship operation “appalling” and “frightening,” county commissioners on Tuesday called for a sweeping overhaul of the system.

While no formal decisions were made, commissioners called for a blue ribbon panel to examine the shortcomings and gaps in the system that leave elder and mentally incapacitated residents vulnerable to Private Professional Guardians looking to profit off their infirmity.

Long-running problems with the program that oversees about 8,500 cases each year were laid bare in a series of Las Vegas Review-Journal articles published April 12 and 13.

Cases highlighted by the Review-Journal showed a lack of oversight by the courts that allowed vulnerable people to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars to their Private Professional Guardians while wards of the county. In those cases, the court failed to enforce current state laws, such as the requirement file a yearly accounting of money spent on behalf of wards, and ignored the wishes of wards and their families.

Two commissioners called for immediately ousting Guardianship Commissioner Jon Norheim, the county employee who oversees the troubled operation for the District Court.

“Maybe we need to remove Norheim,” Commissioner Tom Collins said during the meeting. Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani echoed those comments minutes later, saying “I would get rid of him now, and put into effect some individuals who will work with the families.”

“There appears to be no oversight,” Commission Chair Steve Sisolak added.

Sisolak said each commissioner received dozens of phone calls in the wake of the Review-Journal reports from people claiming to be victims of guardianship abuse.

“These families are in the middle of nightmares,” he said. “If there’s truth to some of these allegations being made, someone deserves to be in prison.”

In a written statement to the Review-Journal, Norheim said he is “fully and completely committed to transparency with respect to responding to these concerns. I welcome a full and complete review of the record and welcome any suggestions to improve the system and my performance.”


District Court Chief Judge
David Barker

For over an hour Tuesday District Court Chief Judge David Barker answered dozens of pointed questions from commissioners about the guardianship process. Barker said that getting a compliance officer for the court who could investigate abuse complaints would go a long way toward fixing problems.

Sisolak said the entire system needs an immediate overhaul, and asked the county manager to recommend by May 5 the membership of the blue ribbon panel.

“You’re talking about people who are the most vulnerable, and they’re being made victims,” Sisolak said. “Something needs to have happened yesterday, as far as I’m concerned.”

The issue made Collins recall a personal experience in dealing with guardianship.
Collins said he helped a friend whose grandmother was trapped in the system. He made several phone calls to the court trying to figure out why she was in guardianship and why the grandson couldn’t be guardian. It took seven months to finally get her out of the guardian’s hands, Collins said.

But had he not been an elected official, Collins said, things likely would have gone differently.

“It was because my title of County Commissioner,” he said. “If I was just Joe Blow out there at sea, I would not have gotten the time of day.”

Commissioner Lawrence Weekly said the inquiry needs to determine why widespread complaints from the families to court officials have fallen for so long on deaf ears at the court.

“Why has this been a best-kept secret?” Weekly asked.

In addition to the County Commission’s action, state lawmakers on Tuesday approved two guardian reform bills.

Senate Bill 262, which would make it easier for people who live in other states to become guardians of family members in Nevada, passed the Senate Tuesday without debate or an opposing vote, and now goes to the Assembly for consideration.

Assembly Bill 325, which sponsor Assemblyman Mike Sprinkle, D-Sparks, said would move Nevada toward professional licensing for those engaged in the business of serving as a private professional guardian, won approval in the Assembly on Tuesday and now goes to the Senate. Guardians now only have to pass a written certification test to be approved by the court.

The vote was 30 to 12 in favor, with all the no votes coming from Republicans.

Source:
Clark County Commissioners Want Reform of Appalling Guardianship Program

See Also:
Watch the video of the hearing.  Scroll to:  00:38:31 to 02:10:21 and then to 02:52.03

Courts, Lawmakers Working on Protection for its Weakest Citizens

Guardianship Problems are Widely Reported but Seldom Fixed

Escape Was Only Option for Old Soldier Trapped in Guardian System

Clark County's Private Guardians May Protect - or Just Steal and Abuse