Cuts at the state level also prompted the Clark County School District to solicit input from parents, students and educators (see Tuesday, below).

And on Wednesday, more than 100 Culinary union members disrupted the Las Vegas City Council meeting to protest plans to build a new City Hall downtown. Union officials argue it is irresponsible to move ahead with the project while city departments are facing -- you guessed it -- cuts.

MONDAY

OFF THE BENCH

The Judicial Discipline Commission removed District Judge Elizabeth Halverson from the bench and barred her from ever serving as a Nevada judge again.

In its decision, the commission cited Halverson's "antics," "willful misconduct" and "bizarre" relationship with her staff since her election in 2006.

TUESDAY

DISTRICT GETS EARFUL

Parents, students and educators decried plans to cut $120 million from the Clark County School District budget next year.

In often emotional and defiant testimony at a public input session organized by the district, audience members argued that valley schools are already woefully underfunded and cannot afford more cuts.

Roughly 600 people attended the meeting, and a second session the next night drew 750 more.

WEDNESDAY

CASA TO BE SCRAPPED

North Las Vegas officials accelerated plans to tear down the crumbling Casa Rosa public housing complex, where residents have long complained about serious maintenance problems.

The city's Housing Authority is scrambling to move 21 families out of housing units soiled by water and sewer leaks. Next the city will have to come up with $1.9 million to relocate the remaining 55 families and demolish the complex.

THURSDAY

REID: YUCCA WILL BLEED

Sen. Harry Reid said the election of Barack Obama as president will kill off plans to store highly radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain.

The newly re-elected Senate majority leader said he has talked to President-elect Obama about the Yucca Mountain Project several times since the election. Based on those discussions, Reid expects the project to "bleed real hard" in the next year before being halted altogether.

FRIDAY

D.C. SHUFFLE BEGINS

A changing of the guard is under way in Washington, where Rep.-elect Dina Titus was helping make party leadership decisions and working out of a small cubicle until she's assigned an office. Meanwhile, outgoing Rep. Jon Porter was already packing up.

If Congress is called back into session in the first week of December to deal with the auto bailout and other economic issues, it may be Porter working out of the cubicle.