repair

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Amid constrained federal transportation funding, the Nevada Department of Transportation’s dedicated bridge inspection and rehabilitation program has led Nevada bridges to be named the nation’s best.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association’s recently-released analysis of 2014 national bridge inventory data (www.artba.org ) details the $115 billion backlog of bridge preservation investment needed to repair and modernize the nation’s more than 61,000 structurally deficient bridges.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill to permanently repair the formula for reimbursing Medicare physicians, marking a rare bipartisan achievement and sending the issue next to the Senate....

The Nevada Rural Housing Authority is hosting a free Homebuyer’s Expo on Saturday, April 18, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Bonanza Room at the Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, Sparks.

The Expo is designed to educate prospective homeowners on the process of purchasing a home and ways to prepare for homeownership down the road. There will be presenters from NRHA, USDA Rural Development, Financial Guidance Center, lenders and more.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid will undergo another round of surgery Wednesday to repair his eye following exercise-related injuries ......

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid will undergo another round of surgery Wednesday to repair his eye following exercise-related injuries ......

Douglas County Emergency Management received notification from State Emergency Management officials that the flash floods events in July and August 2014 did not qualify for state or federal assistance.

enate Democratic leader Harry Reid is back on the Senate floor speaking about legislation, a week after surgery to remove a blood clot in his right eye and repair bones in his face. The 75-year-old Reid walked without assistance to ......

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of Jan. 12-18, 2015. On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the northbound left turn lane at Carson Street and Hot Springs Road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There will be restricted lanes on East Fifth Street between Linda Kay Court and Parkland Avenue from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Two-way traffic will be maintained. Please use caution.

As I have done for many years, my last article of the year, each year, is to present the Don Q Awards for a number of different reasons. Those reasons include such assorted things as: Outstanding, memorable, good, not so good, questionable, bad, serious, funny, dumb, head-scratching, are-you-kidding, etc.

These awards are presented to all kinds of people or places or things for what has occurred throughout the year.
It’s a fun way to end the year for yours truly.

So, without further ado, here are the 2014 Don Q Award winners:
Best Birthday Present:

UPDATE: A 74-year-old woman has been arrested and faces felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly driving drunk and ramming her car into Northern Nevada Coin late Thursday afternoon in Minden, a Douglas County sheriff's sergeant said.

Cheryl Smith, 74, of Minden was booked into Douglas County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, assault with a deadly weapon and felony destruction of property. Bail was posted Friday morning at $31,509.

Four new heating, ventilating and air conditioning, furnaces and four programmable thermostats with sensors were installed at a reduced cost at Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern Nevada, a Reno non-profit that serves as a “home-away-from-home” for families with children in area hospitals.

Sierra Air, Inc., Carrier Corporation and Sigler Wholesale Distributors coordinated the procurement, transportation and installation of the energy-efficient components, providing approximately $23,209 of cost savings in equipment, material and labor.

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of Nov. 24-30, 2014. Beginning Monday through Wednesday there will be lane closures on Calaveras Drive just east of Bulette Drive due to utility work. Flagger-controlled traffic will be in effect.

There will be work primarily in the shoulder E. Fifth Street from Roop Street to Saliman Road from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Monday through Wednesday. Elaine Street will remain closed to through traffic from Monday through Sunday. Please follow marked detour.

More than $161 million was invested in rural Nevada in 2014 by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency to support housing, business and community facilities. Since 2009, the rural agency has provided more than $987 million to strengthen rural Nevada’s families and communities.

I recently received an overly large mailer from PK O'Neill, a candidate for Assembly District 40. What he says is disturbing. He pontificates without solutions. He seems more concerned with cliches than real issues.

PK is not alone when making political claims. For another example, see Maizie Harris Jesse's letter “Candidates need to research lt.gov.job duties” in 17 October Nevada Appeal.

PK on the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS)

Ballot Question 1, creating a Court of Appeals

The problem is that the Nevada Supreme Court is overwhelmed by appeals. But the proposed fix, detailed in Senate Bill 463 (2013), does not address the fact that the Court has no authority to decide which cases it will hear. Instead, Nevada must be just like everybody else, a “government of, by and for lawyers.”

Both problems have a simple, quintessentially conservative solution, proposed by Gary Schmidt, recently a candidate for State Senator from district 16 -- Tort Reform:

Just south of Silver Springs is Buckland’s Station, an old two story house built in 1870 by Samuel Buckland from the dismantled materials from Fort Churchill. This site was once a Pony Express stop, supply center for early pioneers and nearby Fort Churchill, and a former hotel. Today it’s a quiet old building in a park setting under the cottonwoods along the Carson River. I had a free afternoon recently, and decided to make the station my trailhead for an exploration loop around the mountains.

The King Fire that started Sept. 13 in El Dorado County east of Pollock Pines was fully contained as of Thursday, according to Cal Fire. The human-caused fire destroyed 12 homes, consumed 97,717 acres and sent dense smoke east through Lake Tahoe and into Carson City and Carson Valley.

After a grueling month for firefighters and local communities, U.S. Forest Service Supervisor Laurence Crabtree made the announcement.

West Nile Virus has been found in additional areas of Carson City, the Nevada Department of Agriculture said Friday. It has confirmed the presence in tested wetlands, ditches and other small bodies of water done early September, primarily along the I-580 freeway.

Bicycling has become a very popular form of transportation, exercise and sport. We have seen a sharp increase in riders around the Carson City area and have observed both good and bad bicycle operators.

Many laws are in effect to protect bicyclists as they travel down the road but if you are a rider, there are some laws that apply to you as well. A cyclist is required to ride on the right side of the roadway so as to flow with traffic.

The presence of West Nile Virus has been confirmed in Carson City, the Nevada Department of Agriculture announced Monday. Officials tested wetlands, ditches and other small bodies of water during the first week of September and of the samples collected so far the virus is present in one of the test sites.

The site was in a rural, eastern area of Carson City, along the Carson River, said Dustin Boothe, division manager and epidemiologist for the Carson City Health and Human Services.

About 5 miles away on the distant horizon, we could see black dots on the amazingly pure white, snow-covered, barren ground, 130 miles east of Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk), Northwest Territories, Canada.
Our guide Chuck Gruben of Tuk said there they are, let's get going.
This hunt was to be my first-ever musk ox hunt, my second-ever guided hunt.
It was something that I wanted to do for a long time.
I was sitting home one night and thought what the heck, I should go.
My wife agreed, so the necessary arrangements went into high gear.

The Builders Association of Western Nevada Women’s Council, which serves Carson City, Douglas and Lyon counties, continues its Helping Hands program this year by giving single female homeowners some help with upgrades and repairs to the homes they own.

Helping Hand signups continue with an August 29 application deadline.

Visitors to the Lake Tahoe Summit on Tuesday, August 19 will notice new gateway signs along three Nevada highways leading into the Lake Tahoe Watershed. Installed near Daggett Summit on Nevada State Route 207, Spooner Summit on U.S. Highway 50 and on Nevada State Route 431 the Mount Rose Highway, the decorative gateway signs read, “Entering the Lake Tahoe Watershed — Help Protect It!”

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners have requested a State of Emergency due to the cumulative series of flash floods that have taken place since July 20, 2014, in Douglas County. The cumulative series of floods has now exceeded the county’s resources, and the declaration will allow for help with repairing public infrastructure such as County Maintained roads, culverts, and drainage.

It was a typical Friday. I was between appointments at the corner of Goni and College Parkway when, out of nowhere, my vehicle lost power. There was no warning, no flickering lights, just “boom, boom, out go the lights” as the song goes.

Stuck in the turning lane, there was only one thing I could do, take action. I called my insurance company which offers free towing. While on hold with them, I texted and got my 5:30 p.m. appointment handled. Once I was assured the tow truck was on its way, I paused. Everything happened so fast.

Douglas County Commissioners and Douglas County Emergency Management’s decision not to file a disaster declaration has come under question, been criticized, and created opportunities for much public comment and debate. The recent flash flood event in north eastern portion of the Johnson Lane, Central Johnson Lane, and Fish Springs areas of the county was a significant event that many would think would warrant a disaster declaration.

CARSON CITY - Eight Airmen from the Nevada Air National Guard joined 160 people from seven nations Monday to provide humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Tonga as part of Operation Pacific Angel-Tonga.

The mission will continue until July 26. Tonga is Nevada National Guard's partner in the National Guard's State Partnership Program, the Department of Defense program that links a state's National Guard with the armed forces or equivalent of a partner country in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship.

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of June 30 through July 6. 2014. Snyder Avenue bridge is now open. The following lane closures will occur due to utility work:

Bike to Work Week starts May 12th! Many cyclists around the country will be taking to the streets next week to use their bicycles for their daily transportation needs. While many of us are pretty comfortable riding bikes for recreational use, we tend to do these activities in ideal locations away from traffic where there isn’t much to think about besides having a good time. Bicycle commuting and other urban errands, though, will most likely take us through areas that are out of our normal comfort zone.

After being told last season that she may never play softball again, Cara McCarthy continues to defy the odds in her softball career.

The Western Nevada College infielder and Bishop Manogue High School graduate announced on Saturday that she’ll continue her education and softball career at Nyack College, an NCAA Division II school in Nyack, N.Y.

“I was in talks with two different schools, both in New York. I was trying to go back East because that is where I’m from,” McCarthy said.