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CARSON CITY — Nicolas Jacques, music teacher at Carson Middle School, was honored last night as the Carson City School District’s Educator of the Year. Additionally, James “Jim” Pike, special needs school bus driver for transportation, was recognized as the Education Support Professional (ESP) Employee of the Year for the district.

CARSON CITY — Jobs in the capital city increased by 3.3 percent over the year, while Reno continues to experience the best rate of growth at 5.8 percent, according to figures released Tuesday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

CARSON CITY — Employment in Nevada increased by 1,700 jobs over the month and is up 47,200 over the year, according to the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation’s March 2019 economic report.

CARSON CITY — Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit group based in Irvine, Calif. hosted a nationwide challenge “Speak Up” to all students, grades K-12, where they submitted viewpoints about key educational issues, particularly concerning digital learning and the use of technology to support future ready schools.

This is the sixth in a series of columns summarizing my Controller’s Annual Report (CAR) for fiscal year 2018 (FY18).

The first two columns showed that since FY06 state spending has grown faster than Nevada’s economy, thus imposing an ever-larger real burden on Nevada families and businesses, whose real per-capita incomes are lower now than in FY06. The next two analyses reviewed spending on health and social services and on K-12 education, the two largest budget items by far and the only major areas on which spending has grown faster than Nevada’s economy.

This is the fifth in a series of columns summarizing my Controller’s Annual Report (CAR) for fiscal year 2018 (FY18).

The first two columns showed that since FY06 state spending has grown faster than Nevada’s economy, thus imposing an ever-larger real burden on Nevada families and businesses, whose real per-capita incomes are lower now than in FY06. The other two analyses reviewed spending on health and social services and on K-12 education, the two largest budget items by far and the only major areas on which spending has grown faster than Nevada’s economy.

CARSON CITY — The Silver State experienced the fastest rate of job growth in the nation at 3.5 percent from February 2018 to February of this year, according to a report released Tuesday by the state's Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada State Board of Education on Monday welcomed Jhone Ebert, who was appointed by Gov. Steve Sisolak as the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

A series of storms will move into the Carson City region Monday through Thursday bringing periods of gusty winds, valley rain and Sierra snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Banner Churchill Community Hospital was one of only four hospitals in Nevada to earn a 4-star rating in quality and safety from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of the federal agency’s annual performance report.

The CMS’s hospital star rating provides patients with the important information they need to compare hospitals and make informed decisions about care. The 4-star rating for Banner Churchill was based on 100 rigorously tested measurements in quality and safety, such as patient experience, timeliness and effectiveness of care, complication rates and other factors.

The Nevada Highway Patrol conducted a sobriety checkpoint at Clear Acre Lane and Scottsdale Road from Saturday night into early Sunday morning, 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. During that time, troopers contacted 1,247 motorists that traveled through the checkpoint.

About 20 military veterans commit suicide every day in the United States, a number that has been holding steady in recent years.

The Nevada Highway Patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in the greater Reno area beginning Saturday evening. The checkpoint is from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Carson City’s Western Nevada College has been awarded the number three slot in the state RN Nursing Program ranks. WNC's program ranks 3 out of 12 accredited nursing schools in Nevada.

Carson City aded 500 news jobs for the first month of 2019, according to figures released Tuesday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Reno added 1,000 jobs over the month and Las Vegas, 3,400.

Nearly 40 teams representing organizations and businesses throughout western Nevada will take a jump into the chilly waters at Lake Tahoe on Saturday, March 30 for the annual Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics.

CARSON CITY — Education Leads Home, a national campaign focused on addressing the needs of 1.3 million homeless students enrolled in public schools, announced an award Tuesday of $20,000 to the state of Nevada to improve educational outcomes for students experiencing homelessness.

Students and educators at Carson High School will celebrate national Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month in an invitation-only event with a special visit from Nevada State Governor Steve Sisolak, Thursday, Feb. 7 at 8:45 a.m. in Senator Square at Carson High School. Event seating begins at 8:30 a.m. with the Governor’s address at 8:45 a.m.

NOTE: Thursday, Feb. 7 is parents only night. The Friday assemblies are for students only.
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Cell phones and social media are connecting us and impacting our lives in so many ways. Among all the positives, studies are now showing some damaging affects these social media and screen-time may have on the mental and physical health of children.

Super Bowl weekend will bring fans and friends together for parties at a time when the flu is rampant across several states, but there are ways to keep the flu sidelined from the party. The most recent information by the Center for Disease Control shows influenza activity remains high.

Job growth held steady in Carson City during the month of December, actually falling 100 jobs below seasonal expectations while Reno and Las Vegas continued to add jobs, according to figures released Wednesday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

A major winter storm will bring blizzard conditions and several feet of snow to Lake Tahoe and Sierra into Thursday night with heavy rain around the Carson City and lower valley regions, according to the National Weather Service.

This is the second in a series of columns summarizing my Controller’s Annual Report (CAR) for fiscal year 2018 (FY18). Based on the state’s official books and records, the CAR provides Nevada citizens, officials and others summaries of key facts, data, analysis and issues addressing Nevada’s fiscal condition and policy challenges.

With home prices rising in many areas of the country, many people are worried that we’re headed for a housing crash like the one we suffered in 2008.

But here’s the thing: it’s just not true. While it’s understandable that people would look at the current market, consider it a “housing bubble,” and assume it’s going to pop, the truth of the matter is the market today couldn’t be any more different than they were before the crash of 2008.

Let’s look at four reasons why we’re not headed for another housing crash:

1. Banks have tightened their lending practices

American founding father Benjamin Franklin is credited with having once said, "The first mistake made in politics is getting into it."

Here in Northern Nevada, the same could be said about jumping feet first into the debate over the Silver State's population of wild horses, an emotionally-charged, hot-button topic if there ever was one.

CARSON CITY — Four years ago Nevada entered into a compact to make a historic investment in education and, in return the state committed to holding itself accountable for results. An independent evaluation authorized by the 2017 Nevada Legislature recommended continued funding of all seven categorical education programs it reviewed, citing positive outcomes in each one.

Thanks to a negotiation between Waste Management and the Carson City Board of Supervisors, capital city residents will find a lowered rate for garbage collection, with additional carts for single stream recycling and green waste such as non-food organics and plant matter.

The greater Carson City area was greeted with snow on the ground Sunday morning, with more on the way overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

I'm a bit of a New Year's humbug. I really don't celebrate the holiday. I'm usually "sawing logs" between one year and the next by the time the ball drops on the West Coast.

Carson City educators, students and families have stood together for the last few weeks in efforts to benefit schools in fire-devastated areas of northern California. All individuals involved learned lessons in kindness as well as how small efforts collectively may produce great and impactful outcomes.