This year, however, the Division of Aging Services, which administers the program in cooperation with county assessor's offices throughout the state, has received an additional 3,000 applications for relief. Applicants must be Nevada residents 62 or older and meet the financial need requirements.

The delay has caused rampant speculation, some of which has been fueled by a lack of accurate information provided by the state to county assessor's offices.

"There have been delays, and we've received quite a few calls from seniors that are understandably upset," Clark County Assessor Mark Schofield said. "They are livid because this has not happened before."

In Carson City, an official told me, "The state literally ran out of money," but more informed sources say that's simply inaccurate.

Here's what I've been able to find: 2,374 checks for senior applicants living below the poverty line in Clark County have already been mailed, Schofield noted. The remaining checks will be cut shortly after a Nov. 20 meeting of the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee meeting, state program supervisor Earleen Heinz said. The current target date for delivery is Dec. 15.

With increased demand on the program's budget, the December checks will be smaller than in years past.

Money from the program has been an integral part of the budgets of thousands of elderly Nevadans living on fixed incomes.

Schofield, a former administrator of the program for the county before becoming assessor, said he knows seniors who use the checks to pay for basics such as medication and food.

"I can tell you, it's very important to the seniors that qualify," Schofield said. "Even if it's $300 or $400, it's very important to them."

The state has an information line (1-866-212-7600), but Heinz observed that the volume of calls and limited staffing make her department unable to return all requests for a response.

SONG BIRD: Las Vegas lounge lore is filled with talented singers, and Dianne Elliott Baker ranked among the best in the business. Baker, who died Sept. 9 at 67, was a staple from the Strip to Laughlin and throughout the Midwest.

Check out some of the stops she made and gigs she played in a career that began when the San Bernardino native was just 17.

She played the old Thunderbird and Milton Prell's Aladdin. She was on stage with Rip Taylor in "Funny Farm." She held the spotlight in every jazz club and lounge in Las Vegas.

She was a regular at Cleopatra's Barge at Caesars Palace and opened Jay Sarno's Circus Circus with her "Animal Crackers" outfit. From "Nudes on Ice" to the "Playmate Review," she was the singer who blended jazz and pop while audiences gawked at the girls. She also was lead vocalist with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra.

Perhaps Dianne didn't hit the big time, but she did what she loved best: sing and entertain.

"She had a wonderful career," her husband, Norman Baker, says, adding that he'll miss his songbird every day.

HARASSMENT LAWSUIT: Here's one to watch down at U.S. District Court. Former Consolidated Realty employee Michele Mosey is suing her former bosses and co-workers for sexual harassment after approxmately three months on the job. Through attorney Barry Levinson, Mosey alleges a crew of glorified frat boys from Consolidated taunted and harassed her into quitting her job.

ON THE BOULEVARD: Resident Billie Fuhrman says she was elated to know O.J. Simpson was convicted of all charges in his recent armed robbery and kidnapping trial. If her name sounds familiar, that's because she's the 85-year-old mother of Simpson murder trial witness and best-selling author Mark Fuhrman. ... Clarence Stewart attorney Brent Bryson figures to benefit from the high profile that accompanied his zealous representation of O.J. Simpson's lesser-known co-defendant. Bryson entered the case later and worked alongside Robert Lucherini. ... Final question: Did a juror actually admit in a television interview that Simpson deserved to be convicted because of his involvement in a double murder?

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295.