nature

There’s nothing better than fresh air to restore the mind, body and soul, and in these troublesome days when we must wear masks just about everywhere, it is nice to be able to breathe in fresh air as we exercise our bodies and clear our troubled minds.

After three attempts of seeing this rare comet, last night I was rewarded with this stunning capture.

Renters who fell behind on payments during the pandemic should be able to apply this week for a new state program that will disburse $50 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to ease housing and business woes.

The Chamber's Leadership class graduated yesterday afternoon. It's been quite the year for this Class of 2020, but they were able to complete two projects in the midst of all this uncertainty.

Yesterday's graduation was held at the trailhead of the Foothill Trail.

Yesterday evening, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced bars, pubs, taverns, distilleries, breweries, and wineries that don’t serve food in certain Nevada counties must close effective 11:59 p.m. today to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the State.

Today, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the elevated disease transmission criteria for determining whether a county must revert back to Phase 1 for bars, in addition to the seven counties that meet that criteria.

The 31st annual American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe next week will still bring over 70 celebrities to the greens of Edgewood Tahoe, but this year spectators will be absent from both the beach and the course.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Wednesday that he is planning to begin a special session in Carson City to address the State’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget on Wednesday, July 8. The planned date of the session was determined after coordinating with legislative leadership.

The AYSO Carson City Youth Soccer Region 140 organization is bringing excitement back to the state capitol.

Registration for the upcoming fall season is open for kids ages 3-18. Early bird registration ends July 15 and can be made online or in-person at Yogurt Beach, located at 3228 N. Carson St. in Carson City. In-person registration will be held Wednesday, July 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Look under your fruit trees. You might see dozens of tiny fruit on the ground. Don’t worry; it’s the June drop. Since trees often set more fruit than they can support, each June they shed an abundance of underdeveloped fruit.

A Carson City code enforcement check on property that was to be condemned led to the discovery Wednesday of an underground bunker, marijuana grow operation and the arrest of a 68-year-old man.

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities around the Carson City region. Several events have instituted safety measures set by the state and Center for Disease Control to keep participants safe during these times.

Election Day was June 9 in Nevada, but due to the nature of this year's mail-in election, ballots were still being received for a week following Election Day.

However, all ballots must have been received by Tuesday, June 16 to be counted, and those that arrived must have been postmarked by June 9.

While final official results will be announced by the Secretary of State's Office on June 19, here is an update:

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center released findings Wednesday from its annual Lake Tahoe Clarity Report, which showed In 2019 the lake's famed clarity decreased nearly 8 feet from the previous year’s dramatic 10-foot improvement. The average annual value in 2019 was 62.7 feet. The lowest value was recorded in 2017, when clarity was 60 feet.

Due to the nature of the 2020 Nevada voting procedure, which included a large number of mail-in ballots, these results are not final until June 16th. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by today, June 9, 2020, to be counted. The clerk's office must receive the postmarked ballots by June 16, 2020 when the results will be finalized.

UPDATE 11:40 p.m.: The Secretary of State's Office updated their election results, stating the first results should now be posted at midnight. The last update stated results were anticipated at 10 p.m.

At 7 p.m., the polls closed throughout Nevada, and as of 9 p.m. results have begun to be announced. This story will be updated as new results come in.

Hello fellow anglers, welcome to Memorial weekend. As many of you know, Inyo County is closed to fishing until June 1st. But on May 22 the Mono County Board of Supervisors wrote a letter to the CDFW director Charles H Bonham, requesting the reopening of fishing season earlier then their previous request. As of May 23rd, Mono County is now open for the 2020 fishing season, right along Alpine County that opened on May 15th.

For those that will be getting out, Alpine County is open for fishing throughout the county.

Since I started walking instead of running I'm enchanted by the simplest things. I guess trading "runner's high" for "walker's enchantment," is not such a bad trade.

In the spirit of our summer mural wall, the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City has assembled a “Thank you” wall facing King Street and invites the community to come by with a Sharpie or paints and write a message to anyone who has helped during this time.

MINDEN — A Colorado man, reported missing in February of this year, has been identified as the deceased person found last month by a hiker northwest of Jack Wright Pass in Douglas County.

Yes, we all love the nice weather. However, with the sun and lovely temperatures come weeds, the plants we all love to hate. For a weed is simply a plant out of place, or better yet, a plant you wish was any place other than your place!

Pioneer High School’s Sydney Miller is an example of a student who has added ambition with opportunity to create her success.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced an “active transition” in the next 15 days toward reopening a moribund economy, giving the clearest guidelines yet as to how the shuttered state will take steps to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective Monday, May 4, the Lyon County Sheriff's Office will return to normal work status in the operations of records and administration services, according to a news release Thursday from Sheriff Frank Hunewill.

About 75 percent of suspected child abuse and neglect reports in Nevada are made by mandated reporters. In March 2020, Nevada saw a 14 percent decrease in suspected child abuse and neglect reports which includes a 46 percent decrease in reports made by educational personnel.

If there’s one thing that could be considered a positive during the mandated quarantine, it’s that nature is becoming a lot happier. From the return of dolphins in Venice, to the return of wildlife in Yosemite, and a lack of air pollution all around, Earth Day this year is certain to be a memorable one.

Each spring, the Carson City Chamber Leadership Institute Class is fully immersed in their class project. This time last year, the Class of 2019 was as busy as bees preparing the land behind the Carson Tahoe Cancer Center to build the city’s first bee hotel hoping to attract bees to pollinate The Greenhouse Project plants.

The Carson City Library will host a community read of My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir for Capital City Reads, Carson City Library’s annual city-wide book club.

Capital City Reads takes place every April as a celebration of National Library Week, bringing people together through reading and discussion.

This year’s program starts with National Library Week on April 19 and will run through May 16.

An unidentified box with a wire sticking out of it was discovered Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Community on Lompa Lane, prompting the Carson City Sheriff's Office to contact the Tahoe Douglas Bomb Squad due to the suspicion nature of the package.

With confirmed Nevada cases of the coronavirus rising above 2,000 this week, state officials continue grappling with how to coordinate their response. The coronavirus crisis cuts across agency silos, straining not only the health system but social services and the supply chain.

Cecilia Gonzalez made her first call to Nevada’s unemployment office last Friday at 7:59 a.m., hoping that she might snag an open line the minute the agency opened to resolve a sticking point in her claim about her work history and eligibility.

Editor’s Note: Richard Stokes is the Carson City School District Superintendent.
Dear Friends, I wanted to send my very best wishes to each of you for a peaceful and safe Spring Break. During the past three weeks, I have marveled at the professional services and selfless acts of kindness you have delivered during one of the most incredible events of my career.