[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10932]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING LAURA MYERS

 Mr. HELLER. Mr. President, today, we honor the life and legacy 
of Laura Myers, whose passing signifies a great loss to Nevada. I send 
my condolences and prayers to her family and friends during this time 
of hardship. Laura was an incredible person, committed to bringing joy 
to those around her through humanitarian service and fair-and-balanced 
news to residents across Nevada. She truly represented the best of 
journalistic excellence. She will be sorely missed by the entire Nevada 
family.
  Laura was born on August 26, 1961, in Las Vegas. She spent the 
majority of her childhood in northern Nevada, where she received her 
education and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno. She began 
her journalism career with the Reno Gazette-Journal in 1984 and took 
her first step in political coverage, reporting the Nevada Legislature, 
in 1987. She was then hired in 1988 by the Associated Press to cover 
news in Carson City and later in the San Francisco and San Jose, CA, 
areas.
  Over the next 20 years, Laura pursued both her humanitarian and 
journalistic passion, leaving and returning to the AP several times and 
working with Habitat for Humanity in Uganda, Mongolia, and New York, 
alongside her day job throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Laura's first 
departure from the AP was in 1992 after she joined the Peace Corps, 
where she spent time working to help a remote village in Togo, West 
Africa. In 1995, Laura worked with the American Refugee Committee, 
managing logistics at a refugee camp in the Congo. Immediately after, 
she accepted another job offer from the AP with a position covering 
politics, foreign affairs, the military, and national security in 
Washington, DC.
  In 2003, Laura left the AP and fulfilled her passion for movies, 
studying at the New York Film Academy. Afterwards, in 2006, Laura spent 
10 months in North Africa and the Middle East as a management 
consultant for Arabic- and French-language newspapers. After filling 
another position with the AP in 2007, Laura worked for Food for All of 
Washington. From 1988 to 2008, her extraordinary hard work and good 
character maintained a good relationship with the AP, continuously 
preserving an opportunity to return. In 2009, after committing time to 
teaching English to adults in Egypt, Laura returned to Nevada and was 
hired as the Las Vegas Review-Journal's political reporter in 2010. Her 
final years were spent bringing unforgettable political coverage to the 
Las Vegas community.
  Throughout her 30 years in Nevada journalism, Laura strived to travel 
the world and achieve a greater understanding of her surroundings. She 
sought to transcribe and bring an accurate picture of her findings to 
her readers. Her insatiable appetite to uncover important news stories 
and bring Nevadans pertinent political information made her the 
incredible journalist that she was. She embodied the Battle Born spirit 
of determination, fearlessness, confidence, and resilience. She was a 
fierce competitor, bringing out the absolute best of Nevada journalism. 
I worked with Laura for many years and have seen firsthand her 
unwavering dedication to her trade. Our relationship operated under an 
open-door policy, and I am grateful for everything she has done.
  I extend my deepest sympathies to her family. We will always remember 
Laura for her invaluable contribution to the local community and for 
her compassion that touched so many lives around the globe. Her legacy 
of kindness, dedication, and true drive will echo on for years to come 
in Nevada journalism.
  Laura fought to bring Nevada only the most accurate journalism. Even 
in her final weeks, her dedication to those around her never faltered. 
I am honored to commend her for her hard work and invaluable 
contribution to the Silver State. Today, I join the Las Vegas community 
and citizens of the Silver State to celebrate the life of an upstanding 
Nevadan and friend, Laura Myers.

                          ____________________