It’s going to be a busy day here in the nondescript industrial building near McCarran Airport where we work, but we got up extra-early to slave over a hot stove in order to bring you some AM Quick Hits. Enjoy!

• The Tax and Spending Control initiative is headed for the November ballot, unless the state Supreme Court intervenes. Carson City Judge Bill Maddox found that although the initiative differed from the official version filed with the secretary of state, it could go forward anyway.

We’re not particularly happy about the message that sends to the public: File one version with the state, but circulate another version that has a mysterious “typo” that does something different. If you get enough signatures, a judge won’t want to “thwart the will of the voters” and will let your sneaky, altered version go forward.

That’s not to imply that the TASC people did that. Oh, no. We think their error was an honest mistake made because the damn thing had to be revised several times, at least once in response to a union lawsuit that challenged the200-word description that will appear — but not be read — on sample ballots.

• Oh, so you can’t drink in court now? Man, these judges and their little rules. The next thing you know, you won’t be able to smoke in a bar. What’s the world coming to?

• You know, Jack Abramoff is usually the one handing out money, but we think the Democrats should at least send this guy a fruit basket for all he’s done for them. In addition to ending the career of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the Abramoff tsunami of scandal has also taken out U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, who announced Monday he was quitting his re-election bid.

Thanks, Jack!

• The Las Vegas Sun reports the city of Las Vegas has installed 10 Purell hand sanitizers around City Hall, including one outside Mayor Oscar Goodman’s 10th floor office and one in the back room of the City Council’s chambers. (For some reason, the story isn’t on the newspaper’s website. Perhaps it was the misspelling of City Manager Doug Selby’s name?)

Presumably, the City Council will now have clean hands when voting on ordinances like that one that says you can’t feed homeless people. Too bad Purell doesn’t yet make a soul-cleanser.

• And finally today, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman faces the voters in Connecticut today, suffering as the underdog against a strong challenge by anti-war candidate Ned Lamont. Will Connecticut voters defy the Democratic establishment, including ex-President Bill Clinton, and vote Lamont? We’ll be watching those polls….