Homeowners

Did you know that wood-burning stove heaters are a significant source of harmful air pollution? Not only are these heating units among the most popular in Northern Nevada, they’re also one of the least cost-efficient heating options for homeowners.

RENO — With much of the State of Nevada listed as in extreme drought, Nevadans are facing forecasts for a mild winter, with little precipitation since the rainy season started. With these designations, southern Nevadans are facing a mild and dry winter and northern Nevadans are looking at an uncertain forecast. All could face water restrictions, crop or pasture loss and, with exceptional drought, water shortage emergencies.

Local non-profit GREENevada announced Thursday the winners of the 2020 Golden Pinecone Sustainability Awards, a prestigious annual event recognizing local individuals and organizations working towards a more sustainable Nevada.

From sunny days and warm temperatures to anticipated overnight freezing ahead, fall weather will arrive over the next few days around the Carson City region, prompting a freeze watch by the National Weather Service and a warning for gardeners to bring in the tomato plants and other fall vegetables that haven't been harvested.

Recently, I received a photo of a stink bug that I suspected was the invasive brown marmorated stink bug. However, the insect seemed to be more charcoal gray than the typical brown color. Insects can look very different not only at different stages of development but also when found in different areas.

In what has now become a year-and-a-half long fight between ranchers and homeowners in Carson Valley, an appeal will be heard in late August for a proposed slaughterhouse in Centerville, a ranching community south of Gardnerville, which had been unanimously denied by Douglas County Commissioners in Nov. 2019.

Watching the news on the Numbers Fire south of Gardnerville reminds us how important it is to create and maintain defensible space around your home. The fire burned 18,380 acres in the week it took to get it contained. Have you taken responsibility to make your home/landscape defensible and survivable?

Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe is reopening over the Memorial Day weekend and having a four-day locals-emphasis celebration after being closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event has been scaled back from previous years as city and state officials grapple with phase 2 reopening, which allows second-home property owners living outside the area to return to the California side of South Lake Tahoe, but not allowing for non-essential travel and visitors.

Even with the stay-at-home order in place, businesses, families and youth can engage in a number of educational activities online to enhance their daily lives and help themselves, and others, through these challenging days. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, University of Nevada, Reno Extension faculty, staff and volunteers have been hard at work to bring educational workshops, programs and resources useful during this time, into Nevadans’ homes.

Gov. Steve Sisolak has announced a moratorium on evictions for both residential and commercial tenants for the duration of the state of emergency, providing relief for renters who, in many cases, are facing the first of the month without a job and are under orders to try to stay at home for their own health.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada Treasurer Zach Conine says actions at the federal level have now protected some 85 percent of homeowners from ...

Kadee Mason, an American Family Insurance agency owner in Carson City, Nev., has been recognized for providing an outstanding customer experience under the American Star Excellence in Customer Experience Certification Program.

The Andersen Ranch Estates project was discussed at length — almost four hours in fact — at Thursday’s Carson City Board of Supervisor’s meeting, before being approved by the board on a 4-1 vote.

The US Census defines cost-burdened households as a household that spends at least 35 percent of their monthly income on household costs (including their mortgage, utility bills, property taxes, and other costs associated with homeownership). In other words, cost-burdened households are households that may feel a significant financial strain (or burden) as a result of owning their home.

CARSON CITY — Did you know that wood-burning stoves are a significant source of harmful air pollution? The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, working with the University of Nevada, Reno’s Business Environmental Program, are excited to offer instant rebates to Carson City and Douglas County residents who replace their old wood-burning stoves through Nevada’s wintertime clean-heating rebate program.

In 2003, I wrote an article on making a home firesafe. I started with this “The raging fires in California are a terrible reminder of the wildfire risk of living in the urban-wildland interface.” Now, 16 years later, that initial sentence bears repeating. With climate change, global warming we are seeing hotter, more intense, faster spreading wildfires than ever before. Fuels such as brush, grasses and trees are tinder dry everywhere, including Northern Nevada.

Just a few years ago the Board put into effect a method of how to select a City Manager. This procedure was discarded at a later Board meeting as the Mayor said: “I will ask Nancy if she wants the job”. There are numerous city employees and potential outside qualified candidates that were not given an opportunity to apply for this position.

What is even more bizarre, is that the Mayor did not ask Stacy Giomi if he wanted the job, as he had previously applied for this very position.

CARSON CITY — With Aug. 11 almost here, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada hopes this date on the calendar, 8/11, will serve as a natural reminder for residents to call 811 prior to any digging project to have underground utility lines marked.

According to multiple Carson City residents, a bear was spotted on Tuesday evening near the 5th Street overpass.

Fire season is upon us, and while the high temperatures may have come a little late this year, the wet winter and cool temperatures also created a perfect growing situation for fast acting fuels such as cheat grass.

Last year, our community watched with sadness and horror at the Camp Fire and Butte Fire that destroyed our western neighbor communities in California. Those fires, it has now been revealed, were caused by PG&E power lines combined with quick acting, dry fuels.

The question we've wondered is "can this tragedy happen here?" Especially after last fire season, with a number of local fires being related in some way to NV Energy power lines.

Governor Sisolak has proclaimed May is Electrical Safety month in Nevada, and The Happy Outlet is celebrating by sharing vital — yet often-unknown — information about electrical safety in the home.

From leaving the house for showings and open houses to having to keep the place spotless at all times, having a home on the market can be a nerve-wracking endeavor. Once you’ve made the decision to sell, you want to know that you won’t be in this anxiety-filled limbo forever. You want to hand over those keys, collect your check and move on — literally!

So, without lowering your asking price, what can you do to sell your home in a hurry? The following are 11 strategies that will help your property sell quickly without your wallet taking a heavy hit.

1. Declutter.

My friend Marie was told recently it was illegal to harvest rainwater in Nevada. She was referring to putting large barrels under gutter downspouts to catch and store water running off a roof. Many people have done this for years, but actually it was illegal in Nevada until 2017.

When it comes to buying real estate, you want to make sure the property you purchase is the right fit for your needs. For some buyers, purchasing a home that needs some work is the ideal situation. For others, getting a turnkey home that’s move-in ready is the only option they’ll consider. And for still others, both seem like reasonable options.

As part of an ongoing campaign supported by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN), this year’s Fix a Leak Week encourages Nevadans to help put a stop to the more than one trillion gallons of water wasted nationally from household leaks each year.

Blockchains Communications LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Blockchains, LLC, can move forward with building a proposed 102-mile fiber optic ring that spans Innovation Park, Reno and Carson City.

It was alleged today that Carson City's Waste Management has policies that are causing a trash build-up on Telegraph Square, but Waste Management Representative Kendra Kostelecky says that simply is not the case.

"For commercial businesses, we will come and take your trash every day of the week if that’s what you want,” said Kostelecky. “And we absolutely will provide businesses with as many bins as they want. We’re a business, we don’t have any policy that states we would only provide one bin to restaurants. In fact, we have many businesses that we do pick-ups for multiple times a week.”

Saturday is recognized nationwide as National Ghost Hunting Day as well as Nevada Public Lands Day statewide. Odd as it may seem, the two can be combined at haunts around Nevada.

This Saturday, northern Nevadans can learn what it takes to become a homeowner as the Nevada Rural Housing Authority will host a seminar that gives potential home buyers the tools needed to navigate the buying process.

CARSON CITY — The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada this week approved new regulations related to state “Call Before You Dig” requirements for residential and commercial excavation projects.