By Rolando Larraz
From the granny who claims to be a campaign manager when she is only a runner for a real campaign manager, to those who come to us trying to impress us with promises to bring thousands of dollars to us because “the Tribune is worth it,” to those others who try to sell our newspaper behind our back when the only thing they all have in common is to grab what we have worked so hard for, read on.
They don’t want to build their own newspaper, they want to take mine because they do not know how much hard work a news business, radio or newspaper is.
As soon as they realize that they cannot control me, or the modus operandi of the twenty-two-year-old paper that I and several others of us sacrificed for, they attack the newsp per by saying that no one reads it, that the newspaper has no value, and that no one ever heard of the Las Vegas Tribune, but I guess that those emails, texts, and letters to the editor and any other way people respond to our articles in favor of or against our opinions, our viewpoints or our editorials come out of nowhere.
Those with a small mentality, who may want to but cannot even start their own newspaper, are ignorant and do not know how to build or create their own enterprise.
When I bought the Vegas Times from Ron Maco, I turned the advertising publication into a Las Vegas Times newspaper and when I did not agree with the lifestyle of the two individuals who were supposed to be running the business, I went to my office and told Don Snook, who has been my production manager for many years, that I was changing the name of the Las Vegas Times to the Las Vegas Tribune.
I had already registered the name, filed for a fictitious name and applied for a business license because I was operating from my own place; that Wednesday morning the new Las Vegas Tribune was delivered to every casino and convenience store in Clark County.
I did not have to argue with anyone, I did not have to steal the publication from anyone and I did not have to put anyone down by talking bad about them or any publication.
Back then I was more in control because I did not have to deal with computers and I have never been afraid of hard work; when the delivery people did not show up to work I changed my suit for a pair of jeans and delivered my own newspaper to those places as well as delivering the new Las Vegas Tribune to the courthouse, the city hall and the county and state buildings.
I never worried about the content of any other publication; in fact when another newspaper was forced to close, for whatever reason, the Las Vegas Tribune wrote about it and emphasized the need for a difference of opinion and a voice other than our own.
When I started the Mesquite Tribune and the North Las Vegas News I did that without asking anyone for permission or without insulting anyone or arguing with anyone, or putting down anyone or any publication; I did it with my money and my efforts and my sacrifice.
Telling me that no one reads the Las Vegas Tribune and that the Las Vegas Tribune is not worth twenty dollars doesn’t hurt my feelings and does not insult me in any kind of way.
I started this newspaper twenty-two years ago to do what I do best: expose corruption for me to read it myself and to bring to the attention of someone else besides myself the arrogance of the court system and the police corruption because I was a victim of that judicial arrogance and that police corruption.
I mention police officers’ names and detectives’ badge numbers and no one has said one word and no one has sued this newspaper because they know that I write the truth and nothing but the truth.
I do not hold grudges against anyone. I just write the truth, what happened and how it happened and they cannot deny it.
The day that Judge Valerie Adair was a guest on my radio show and I mentioned on the air that when she was a Clark County Deputy District Attorney she took the money that corrupt Metro officers stole from my sister’s office without a reason, she did not expect that, but I told the truth.
When Detective Rod Mathis was arrested by FBI agents from the neighboring state of Utah, I was very happy and when he killed himself in an auto accident I could not hide my satisfaction and wrote about it in my newspaper.
When I learned that Detective Roy Chandler’s wife was sick I could not hide my satisfaction and wrote it in my newspaper.
When I started the Las Vegas Tribune I was already retired, but when I experienced the corruption of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, I put my money where my mouth was; and the day that those who have been part of the corruption — like David Kallas, Mike Bunker, Max Huggins Sr. and all the others — go to prison or die, I will celebrate and I will publish my happiness in my newspaper.
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column.
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