Embattled David Ashley, who took over the University of Nevada, Las Vegas three years ago, was demoted to the faculty on an 11-0 vote Friday after a marathon meeting of the Board of Regents that was intended as Ashley's official performance evaluation.

Higher education Chancellor Dan Klaich said the executive vice president and provost, Neal Smatresk, immediately became acting president, following protocol. Ashley, 58, will be paid his current salary, $246,000 a year, and is a tenured professor now.

From the Review Journal:

The public destruction of David Ashley's career ended Friday afternoon with an elevator ride, down three floors.

He had been removed as UNLV's president moments earlier by an overwhelming majority of the Board of Regents. He rode red-faced, and he looked devastated.

What's next? he was asked.

"I'm not sure," was all he said.

Ashley, who took over as president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas three years ago, was demoted to the faculty on an 11-0 vote after a marathon meeting of the board that was intended as Ashley's official performance evaluation. One position of the 13-member board is vacant, and Regent Michael Wixom did not vote.

The board's choices were thus: renew Ashley's contract, which expires next year; not renew it and keep him on as president for another year; not renew it and demote him; or fire him outright.

Higher education Chancellor Dan Klaich, who had recommended that the board not renew Ashley's contract, said the executive vice president and provost, Neal Smatresk, immediately became acting president, following protocol. Ashley, 58, will be paid his current salary, $246,000 a year, and is a tenured professor now.

Klaich said the search for an interim president will begin next week with consultations with the faculty, alumni and other groups. It is unclear when the search for a permanent president will begin.

Ashley endured more than six hours of mostly negative testimony Friday in a meeting open to the public. He was called ineffective, a "C-plus student," disengaged, the "smartest guy in the room" and a lousy schmoozer.

Perhaps that was his greatest weakness, it seemed, the fact that he's not much of a people person. Ashley is an engineer whom everyone acknowledged is brilliant in his field. But he received harsh criticism for not returning calls from important higher education officials, for skipping alumni events that he probably shouldn't have skipped, and for not being as visible on and off campus as he should have been.

Ashley acknowledged this weakness several times, and he pledged to fix it. He said it was an easy fix, a couple of phone calls, a better system for scheduling his engagements, better public relations for what he does do that no one seems to know about.

Promises weren't enough.

When board Chairman James Dean Leavitt finally called for a motion to renew the president's contract, the rotunda at Desert Research Institute went deafeningly quiet.

Seconds went by before Regent Jack Schofield spoke up and made the motion. It failed 10-1, Schofield the president's only supporter.

Regent Ron Knecht, "with regret," moved for this: the immediate removal of Ashley as president; that he be reassigned to the faculty, as per his contract; that arrangements be made to move Ashley's office; and that a transition plan be put into effect.

That's the motion that passed 11-0, which was immediately followed by Leavitt declaring the meeting over, which was followed by the red-faced elevator ride.

The meeting began on a much different note. Ashley showed up early, smiling. He joked with a faculty member who said her husband was vacationing in Europe.

"Wish I was with him," the president said.

The crowd was relatively small, about 75 people, mostly system or university employees.

The first person to testify was John Welty, president of California State University, Fresno. He wrote the official evaluation of Ashley's presidency. This evaluation already had been criticized by several regents and other higher ed officials for being incomplete.

Officials piled on more criticism Friday. Indeed, several regents eviscerated the evaluation.

Regent Cedric Crear, who chaired the board's evaluation committee, said it seemed the evaluation included only positive comments. When word got out that it was going to be a glowing evaluation, Crear said, people started calling him with complaints.

"Many, many, many, many people have come forward and alleged that what they said was not included in the evaluation," Crear said. "It was so many that it raised a flag to say, 'Hey. Is this accurate?' "

He criticized the evaluation's conclusion that Ashley was an "effective closer" when it came to fundraising, a contention that was also much criticized by others at the hearing.

"I haven't heard that from anyone," Crear said. "I've heard quite the opposite, frankly."

Welty, who had acknowledged that he and Ashley knew each other when they both served at California universities, defended himself, to a degree. He said he did his best, that the evaluation was a summary only, that he did not include every comment from the 59 people he interviewed over two days in April and May.

Regent Kevin Page jumped in. Page was a longtime member and a former president of the UNLV Alumni Association. He became a regent several months ago.

He wondered why the evaluation did not address concerns that then-Chancellor Jim Rogers, Ashley's boss, wrote about in a June memo to board members. In that memo, Rogers recommended that Ashley be fired for, among other things, failing to stop his wife from treating UNLV employees harshly, not attending necessary events and not developing connections with important people.

"None of that is addressed," Page said.

Page said he, too, had been contacted by many people who said their complaints about Ashley were not in the evaluation.

"It was way too many people," Page said. "It wasn't one or two that fell through the cracks."

More criticism of and questions about the evaluation followed: Regent Bill Cobb, Regent Mark Alden, Regent Robert Blakely, Regent Ray Rawson, Knecht. It went on and on, for more than a half hour.

Several students spoke up for Ashley, saying he was responsive to their concerns and that he worked well with them.

But representatives from the Alumni Association were harsh. Jim Radigan, a past president, said Ashley did not do a good job in developing relationships with important alums.

"He either doesn't care or doesn't value it as a priority on his list," he said.

Current association president Jeff Knight recommended that Ashley be replaced.

"For the amount of money we pay our president, I think we need to get a better return on our investment," he said.

Later on, Ashley said it was the first time he had heard that his relationship with the association was not good.

Ashley was also criticized, particularly by Knecht, for a controversial hate crimes policy at UNLV.

Several faculty senate members spoke, some in mild support, some not. A survey taken in November and December of the faculty seemed to indicate support for Ashley, with 72 percent in some way supporting the renewal of his contract.

But current senate chair John Filler said that's not true anymore. He said he hadn't received a single call or e-mail urging him to speak in support of Ashley. He recommended that Ashley be replaced.

Soon, talk turned to Ashley's wife, Bonnie, though regents were cautioned by their lawyers that they couldn't talk about her too much, in too many specifics, because she was not there and had not been properly served notice that she would be the subject of discussion. The system's lawyer said a process server tried to notify her, but she never answered the door at her home. She later e-mailed the lawyer to say she would sign no form acknowledging the receipt of such notice.

So everyone was careful, tiptoeing around the issue, calling it "the spousal issue," without mentioning Bonnie Ashley often.

Rogers, who retired as chancellor June 30, was more subdued than he usually is. He detailed his case against Ashley, focusing much of his attention on the spousal issue.

Bonnie Ashley has been criticized by Rogers and others for treating some of her husband's senior staffers harshly. David Ashley has been criticized for not doing anything about it.

Ashley has frequently said his wife's alleged behavior should have nothing to do with his job performance, and he said it again Friday.

"I don't believe my evaluation is the evaluation of my spouse," he said.

Rogers called Welty's evaluation "a whitewash," and said it did not reflect reality.

In the end, Rogers said, he tried to talk Ashley into quitting. Ashley acknowledged this, too, though he disagreed on the specifics of how those conversations went. Rogers said he told Ashley quitting would save his reputation, but that Ashley refused to consider it.

A final issue came up before the vote: Ashley's lobbying of the Legislature this past session on behalf of UNLV, apparently against the wishes of the board, Rogers and Klaich. The philosophy since Rogers took over in 2004 is that the system always works together as a team.

Rawson, himself a longtime senator until 2004, said Ashley's reputation with the other college presidents around the state fell after the legislative session because of how he handled lobbying.

Klaich ended the day, for the most part, by recommending that the board replace Ashley. He said he had been through two previous, very public dismissals of UNLV presidents, but this one was far different.

In those past controversies, he said, he had been inundated with phone calls lobbying for or against the president.

This time? Nobody seemed to care.

"I've heard nothing here," he said, "and I think that silence is deafening."

The historic Boulder Dam Hotel, which since 1933 has been home to celebrities, royalty and bums, will close Saturday until further notice.

The board of the Boulder City Museum and Historical Association, which owns the hotel, restaurant and Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum at the site, voted Wednesday night to close the operation because it has run out of money.

At the same meeting, board President Bill Ferrence resigned effective Saturday. Ferrence is also manager of the Boulder Dam Credit Union, which holds two mortgages on the hotel of $940,000.

The hotel opened in 1933, while Hoover Dam was still under construction.

During its heyday in the 1930s and ’40s, it hosted Shirley Temple, the Maharajah of Indore, India, and Cornelius Vanderbilt and his new bride.

In the 1970s, after decades of neglect, it became a flophouse, then had several owners try but fail to restore it.

The Boulder Dam Hotel Association was formed in 1993 to raise money to renovate the hotel, which reopened in 2003. The historical association became sole owner in 2005.

The board, in a statement, said if it is able to raise $250,000 by Sept. 10, it will be able to reopen the hotel.

The decision to close came after the historical association failed in an appeal to the city’s Redevelopment Agency on Monday for a $135,000 cash infusion that would have kept the hotel, restaurant and museum afloat through next June. The measure, which was changed to a $40,000 loan to start, failed on a 2-2 vote of the City Council, which doubles as the RDA board.

Mayor Roger Tobler and Councilman Cam Walker supported the measure. Councilman Travis Chandler and Councilwoman Linda Strickland opposed it.

Councilman Duncan McCoy, who supported the plan, was advised to abstain because of his past involvement as a member of the association’s board.

The board statement said that because of lost revenue from bookings that would have to be canceled, the cost of reopening will be greater than that of keeping the hotel open.

The hotel’s 23 employees will be laid off after their shifts Saturday, which is the end of a pay period, new President Darryl Martin said.

Roseanne Shoaff, who manages the hotel with her husband, Roger, will stay on at a reduced rate to help close the books, Martin said. The Shoaffs, who live in an apartment at the hotel, will have to move, he said.

The Boulder City Art Guild Gallery and other stores and tenants in the hotel will be given 30 days to move, he said. The hotel building will remain open to allow customers access to those businesses.

No hotel guests were booked for Saturday night, said board member Val Olsen, who is an employee of the Boulder City News. The museum’s archive, which is kept in the basement, will stay there for now.

Former museum curator Dennis McBride, who now is a collections specialist for the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas, spoke to the board before its decision, offering the state museum’s resources and help.

He noted that the state museum is moving into a new, 78,000-square-foot building.

“If you are looking for direct gifts, nobody has any money,” McBride said. “But we still have resources you do not. It will take creative thought and effort on both sides.”

The association board will meet next week to begin discussing what to do with the archive, Martin said.

The board plans to apply to the Credit Union for a loan modification, he said. He noted the difficulty of Ferrence’s position as manager of the Credit Union holding the hotel’s loans, which prompted his resignation.

“Bill Ferrence has worked so hard to get the hotel where it is headed. He and his wife, Cheryl, have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it,” he said.

Olsen and fellow board member Bret Runion, who provided the board’s statement to the media, said the board would appeal to the community to keep the hotel open.

“We know from past experience that the people of Boulder City have stepped up,” Runion said. “We have put out an image of success for so long, it appeared we were doing so well that we didn’t need help.”

They noted that the hotel was purchased and renovated primarily to house the museum and archive, which had previously occupied the back of a store.

“We’ve invested $3 million in this structure,” Runion said. “The community has stepped up in the past and will continue to do so.”

Mayor Oscar Goodman's beloved "Mob" Museum has hit a snag. 

According to the RJ:

A judge issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday blocking the planned Mob Museum project from going forward and set a Friday hearing to consider a lawsuit saying the city of Las Vegas awarded the bid to an unqualified contractor.

The hearing is set for 9 a.m. Friday in District Court.

On July 1, the Las Vegas City Council awarded an $11.5 million contract to APCO Construction to remodel the historic federal courthouse downtown, which is to house what's officially known as the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement.

It did so over the protests of second-place bidder Flagship Construction Co., which said APCO wasn't qualified and that the city had improperly thrown out an earlier set of bids that Flagship had won.

Attorneys for Flagship filed the lawsuit Tuesday and asked for a speedy hearing.

"The opportunity for the court to intervene is short," wrote attorney Leslie Godfrey in an affidavit. Without an injunction preventing the city from going forward with the project, he said, "Flagship and the public will suffer irreparable injury ... specifically, the city will execute a contract with APCO to complete the project."

In an e-mail, city spokesman David Riggleman said the city will defend its decision at the hearing.

"The city will be fully prepared at that time to argue that APCO Construction is the correct lowest responsive and responsible bidder," he wrote.

The contract called for removing hazardous materials, a seismic retrofit, interior remodeling and historic restoration. The museum had been slated to open next year.

From the Review-Journal:

According to Norm!, Michael Jackson lived at the Palms Hotel from last Thanksgiving through February while he worked with Akon and will.i.am (of the Black Eyed Peas) on a new album.  It would have been Jackson's first album since 2001.

They had been working on the album for over two years, much of it recorded at the recording studio in the Palms Hotel.

Elsewhere aroung town, fans gathered to pay their last respects to the "King of Pop".

The theater was dark and the mood wasn't any brighter.

Clutching handkerchiefs and tubs of popcorn, dozens of wet-eyed Michael Jackson die-hards gathered in auditorium 7 at Rave Motion Pictures on Tuesday to watch the memorial services for the pop icon on the big screen.

They clapped along to the beat as Jennifer Hudson thundered through Jackson's stirring "Will You Be There," they chanted their hero's name in unison -- "Michael! Michael! Michael!" -- they laughed when Brooke Shields recalled an incident where she and Jackson once snuck into Liz Taylor's bedroom to get a peek of her wedding dress the day before the ceremonies.

Some snapped pictures, the flash of their cameras briefly illuminating the shadowy room, others clutched loved ones in their arms.

But mostly, they cried.

"It was very emotional," said Mary Rios, a newfound Jackson fan who spoke in soft tones. "You couldn't help but cry."

The sentiment ran high throughout the ceremony, with the mood ranging from celebratory outbursts to such complete and total silence you could hear yourself breathe.

For those who grew up with Jackson's music, it was an especially powerful moment.

"I wrote letters to him," said Angelo Mayfield, a lifelong Jackson fan with forearms smothered in tattoos. "I just kind of had to come and say goodbye. It's unbelievable to think that he's gone."

Jackson devotees flocked to the theater to be around fellow fans and mourners, turning the auditorium into something of a group therapy session.

"I'd rather be around the fans paying homage to Michael than being at home paying homage to Michael by myself," said Craig Forbus, 49, who saw Jackson perform with the Jackson 5 in the early '70s.

"It brought everybody together," added Michelle Berkowitz, a mom with two children in tow.

"It was beautiful," said her 13-year-old son, Adam.

On the Strip, Mary Ouellette snapped a picture of Jackson's image on the Planet Hollywood big screen, then wiped a tear away.

"I hope everyone remembers him for the nice person he was, not the negativity," said Ouellette, who's from Albany, N.Y. "You can't grow up famous and be completely normal. It's impossible -- I'd love for people to step into his shoes."

Ouellette said she became a fan of Jackson when he broke onto the scene as a member of the Jackson 5.

They were born in the same year, she said, and it became fun for her to watch his progress.

"He was just a great entertainer. Always," she said.

Her opinions were echoed by 15-year-old Allison Cox, a Palo Verde High School sophomore who was born after almost all the King of Pop's biggest hits were released.

The Las Vegas teen attended the memorial service for Jackson in Los Angeles and watched a live feed from the Nokia Theatre, near the Staples Center.

"Before the event, I wasn't a huge fan of Michael Jackson. I liked some songs, but being with the big fans showed how great he was," Cox said. "It was moving how they showed he was such a great guy and how he tried to change everyone's lives."

Makeshift memorials were also set up at Madame Tussauds at The Venetian, where Jackson's wax likeness was displayed in the entrance, and a vacant house on Palomino Lane near Rancho Drive, once occupied by the pop superstar.

Stuffed animals, cards, notes and flowers were piled on the fence of the house.

"I remember the girls would just line up out here, trying to see Michael," said neighbor Dell Bartolome, after taking a picture next to the memorial.

Susan Mucha, also a neighbor, said "even old people" loved Jackson.

"Show me someone who didn't try the moon walk, at least once," she said with a laugh.

As we reported here a few weeks ago, due to the budget cuts by the State Legislature, the Governor and the Department of Cultural Affairs in Carson City, beginning today, all state sponsored museums will have curtailed hours of operation.

The staffs of these museums were the only state employees to be hit with a 20% pay cut.  They were not furloughed from their jobs as other state employees were.  They are now part-time workers, working only 32 hours a week. 

There is no sunset clause on this legislation so these changes could stay in affect for the next two years until the Legislature meets again.

What does this mean for those of us who think that museums are a vital cultural link to our communities?

Well, the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas used to be open seven days a week, excluding Thanksgiving Day and Christmas day from 9:00 am - 5:00 am.  The staff there worked forty hours a week, five days a week and were there Monday through Friday to help patrons with research and to answer questions.

At least four times a year, there were educational programs that took place in the evenings.

That all ended with the cutbacks.

Beginning today, the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas will only be open Wednesdays-Saturdays, from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.  There will be no evening educational or cultural programming.

These changes affect schools and their bus tours for children, our ability to do educational and cultural programming with the Museum and anyone who is doing research on the history of Nevada, Southern Nevada, Clark County and/or Las Vegas.

It is our understanding that the board members of the Department of Cultural Affairs in Carson City did not take any pay cuts or have their hours curtailed.  They passed that misery on to the staffs of the state sponsored museums and those of us who patronize museums in Nevada.

Thanks guys.