USDA rural

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development is pleased to announce Jim Park has been selected to serve as the Acting State Director in Nevada.

CARSON CITY — Western Nevada College and the University of Nevada Reno Extension are among recent federal grant recipients to receive financial packages to make distance learning upgrades and aid in the expansion of educational services in 14 rural counties.

CARSON CITY — USDA Rural Development Nevada State Director Phil Cowee announced Tuesday a $344,000 loan to Storey County to cover the costs of replacing water storage tanks in Virginia City, one of the last phases in $23 million worth of water and sewer improvement projects in the historic mining town.

Virginia City’s popularity as a “must-see” destination has never waned, and with the local tourist agency's focus on bringing more events to the Comstock, visitor numbers are certainly expected to grow.

One thing the historic mining town wasn’t prepared for, however, was a strain on one very-important utility.

Smart Strategies Workshop for Homeownership, Repairs & Radon, at Adams Hub Studio, 111 W. Proctor Street in Carson City, from 9 a.m. to noon (A collaborative effort with Nevada Rural Housing Authority’s Home At Last Program, USDA Rural Development and the Nevada Radon Education Program).

The free workshop includes information about downpayment assistance, affordable home loans, home repair and weatherization programs, radon risk and mitigation, along raffles, refreshments and free radon test kits.

Pre-register at https://nvhomeowrkshop.eventbrite.com

CARSON CITY — USDA Rural Development State Director Phil Cowee announced Tuesday that residents in 15 of Nevada’s rural and frontier counties will gain access to healthcare through recently approved federal broadband grants.

VIRGINIA CITY — Storey County broke ground Wednesday on a $2.1 million water project to replace a water line originally built in the 1870s. Over 1,450 feet of new water main will be constructed to connect Virginia City to the 5-mile Reservoir.

The USDA will provide more than $5 million in a combination of loan and grant funds to construct a wastewater transmission line from the Pine View Estates development south of Gardnerville to the Minden-Gardnerville Sanitation District, said Anne Hazlett Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development, in an announced Monday.

On International Overdose Awareness Day, Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced Friday that USDA has formalized an innovative agreement in which a nonprofit organization will purchase homes from the Department and convert them to transitional housing for people recovering from opioid misuse.

The annual "Feds Feed Families" Food drive begins today, Friday Aug. 3 and continues through Sept. 15. Donated food will benefit hungry families in Carson City through the Ron Wood Family Resource Center and Friends in Service Helping (FISH).

CARSON CITY — On an unseasonably mild winter day in Carson City, Randy Gaa wheeled his bike up to the motel where Richard Dilley resides. Gaa, founder of the new Meals on Two Wheels program, towed a wire trailer with an insulated box containing lunch for Dilley.

Greater Commercial Lending (GCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greater Nevada Credit Union (GNCU), has named Lisa Siesennop as its Senior Government Lending Relationship Manager.

Siesennop is responsible for providing oversight and direction of the government-guaranteed commercial lending department, developing business activity, specializing in USDA and SBA government loans, and maintaining and developing relationships with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offices, brokers, packagers, finance partners, and other economic development associates.

The Sixth Annual Feds Feed Families Food Drive to benefit the hungry in Carson City brought in 2,722 pounds of food in August, including 1,346 pounds of fresh produce at the Third Street Farmer's Market. All donations benefitted families and individuals served by the Ron Wood Family Resource Center and Friends In Service Helping, also known as FISH.

Applications for the grant are due Friday, June 30, at 4:30 p.m. at the USDA Rural Development Office in Carson City, 1390 S. Curry St., Carson City, ...

YERINGTON — Lyon County's seat celebrated Earth Day on Wednesday with a volunteer fair at its fire station, tree planting, painting the town's animal shelter and the announcement the community has been approved for $36 million in federal funding for water and sewer improvements.

The Silver State Fair Housing Council awarded its SSFHC HEART Award on Wednesday to Nevada Rural Housing Authority Deputy Director Bill Brewer.

The workshop will be held at USDA Rural Development, located at 1390 S. Curry St., in Carson City, and will run from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m..

The Nevada Rural Housing Authority (NRHA) officially introduced a new suite addition to its office space — located at 3695 Desatoya Drive in East Carson City — Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house event for the public.

The Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties will have 3 guest speakers for their February breakfast meeting. The meeting is on Thurs February 9th at 9am at the Silver Springs Community Center.

Speakers include Lori Nichols from Foster Care Recruitment, and Sally Hazard from the Fernley office for the Advanced Foster Care Program. They will explain the pressing need for foster homes in the Lyon and Storey County region, and offer ways to help increase the number of foster parents.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development invested more than $188 million in federal fiscal year 2016 (October-September) to support housing, community facilities, water systems and businesses in rural Nevada.

Nearly all of Nevada is eligible for the very popular home loan programs, with the exception of metropolitan Carson City, Washoe and Clark counties.

Silver Springs, Nevada – A news feature on Remote Area Medical’s recent visit to Northern Nevada by Peter Krogh Andersen of Denmark was published this week. The article is written in Danish, but even if you don’t read that language, the videos and pictures convey the life-changing things that happen when RAM brings its free, mobile clinic to a town.

Just like that, the season has changed. Keep a coat handy, Carson City, anything can happen now. Beach weather or blizzard: September keeps us on our toes. Battleborn Harley on Research Way is hosting one heck of a Street Vibrations party: live music, demos, and vendors galore. Swing a club for the Western Nevada College Foundation at Silver Oak Golf Course. Southbound Train arrives at Living the Good Life for an outdoor show, followed by a night of dancing. Uncle Funkle is always a fun time: find them at the Carson Nugget this weekend.

FRIDAY:

Please join USDA Rural Development Nevada State Director Sarah Adler in welcoming our new Guaranteed Home Loan Program staff members Ticia Weare and Debbie Parra at an Open House on Friday, September 23, at the Carson City State Office, 1390 S. Curry Street from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

(Carson City, NV) -- The Second Annual Building a Stronger Nevada Economic Development Conference will explore the ideas, programs and products that are defining the new Nevada economy from Sept. 20-22, 2016 at the at the University of Nevada, Reno's Joe Crowley Student Union.

The multi-track conference is presented by the Western Nevada Development District, University of Nevada, Reno College of Business, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Center for Business & Economic Research, USDA Rural Development and Nevada Industry Excellence.

USDA Rural Development is holding energy workshops to help farmers and rural small business owners learn about how to use the Rural Energy for America Program grant to reduce energy costs.

Grant funding is available for up to 25 percent of the cost to purchase and build alternative energy systems (solar, wind, hydro power, etc.) or to enhance energy efficiency with new lighting, windows or more efficient HVAC systems.

Aqua Metals, Inc., which is commercializing a non-polluting electrochemical lead recycling technology called AquaRefining, announced Friday a $10 million loan from Green Bank in conjunction with a 90 percent loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Agency for the development of its first AquaRefinery.

The entrance of companies like Tesla and Switch into Nevada means great things for the local economy. What they also mean are raising housing prices, as more and more people move into the Silver State, creating a housing shortage. This is good news for existing homeowners, but concerning for first-time homebuyers.

According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, “In January 2012, the median price for a home in northern Nevada was around $135,000. More than two and a half years later, home values have jumped by about 85 percent.”

More than $177 million has been invested through the USDA into rural Nevada communities in the past year, assisting more than 700 families in either helping them buy homes or to make improvements to their properties, and investing more than $28 million for community water and sewer system repairs, officials said Friday.

Housing prices are rising throughout Nevada, which means rental prices are going up as well. As the housing supply continues to try to catch up with demand, this upward trend promises to continue.