Washoe

The COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force met Thursday with seven counties flagged last week for having an elevated risk of transmission of the coronavirus. Based on data provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, six of the seven counties are still meeting at least two of the three criteria, signaling a sustained elevated risk of transmission.

A commemorative coin being minted in Carson City was unveiled Tuesday at the 24th annual Lake Tahoe Summit as one of the ways individuals can take part in the protection and restoration of Lake Tahoe.

A Red Flag Warning in effect Tuesday for the northern Sierra Front including Carson City, Douglas, Storey, Southern Washoe, Western Lyon and southern Lassen counties. Also, poor air quality has returned as winds have shifted, again bringing more drift smoke from California fires into the northern Nevada region.

Nevada’s decision to expand mail-in voting for the 2020 general election has become a partisan battleground, after President Donald Trump’s campaign sued to block the election changes put in place by the state’s Democratically-controlled Legislature in a summer special session.

With the anticipation of students and employees once again physically going back to school in Carson City this week, the Carson City School District has provided a guide for parents to use to perform health and wellness screenings of their students before they step on a school bus or enter a school campus each day.

UPDATE: The fire is under control, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center.
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UPDATE 11:07AM: Fire crews on scene have kept the fire from spreading and a helicopter has been called into help fight the fire, according to KOLO. No structures are threatened.
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UPDATE 8:40AM: Resources are on scene of a single tree fire in Washoe Valley west of Bowers Mansion. The #BowersFire is a-quarter of an acre in brush and timber and was caused by lightning in the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service. No structures were threatened, fire officials said.

A 42-year-old Carson City Jail inmate, who was admitted to the hospital on Thursday after suffering a medical emergency, died early Sunday morning, according to the Carson City Sheriff's Office.

With the threat of thunderstorms creating new fire starts, a Red Flag Warning has been issued Sunday evening into Monday morning by the National Weather Service for Carson City, the Lake Tahoe Basin and throughout the entire Northern Nevada region.

A COVID-19 mitigation task force on Thursday denied requests from the state’s two urban counties to reopen bars, expressing doubt about whether doing so would stem the tide of outbreaks tied to house parties and concern about a lack of buy-in from all local jurisdictions in Southern Nevada.

Western Nevada College is proud to announce that 93 students have qualified for the 2020 Summer Dean’s List.
To earn this recognition during the summer session, students attained a grade point average of 3.50 or higher and completed six units of classes or more.

UPDATE: The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a Dense Smoke Advisory for the greater Reno, Carson City and Carson Valley areas including Sparks, Verdi, Gardnerville and Virginia City. The advisory is in effect until 11 a.m. Thursday. Visibility is below 3 miles with unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups. The advisory says to expect periods of dense smoke and unhealthy air quality through Thursday morning. Winds may help improve air quality into Wednesday night before smoke returns to the area by early Thursday morning.

UPDATE FROM LYON COUNTY MANAGER 4:10PM: NV Energy has advised that the earlier reported outages will not occur. Lyon County had been informed by the local office of the outages and has retracted the information. Lyon County regrets any difficulties this may have caused, Jeff Page, Lyon County Manager.
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NV Energy is urging customers to conserve electricity Tuesday and Wednesday between 2 and 9 p.m. in order to help offset energy supply issues caused by record-breaking heat throughout the Western United States. The utility has advised Lyon County that residents can expect rolling brownouts or blackouts starting today into tomorrow due to high temperatures.

A Heat Advisory issued by the National Weather Service for the Carson City area and many valleys of western and west-central Nevada was extended through Wednesday night as the entire region experiences typical yet extremely hot August temperatures, dry conditions, afternoon thunderstorms and the ongoing threat of wildfires.

Scattered showers and fast moving thunderstorms have developed Monday afternoon around Carson City, Carson Valley in Douglas County and along some portions of the Sierra front.

UPDATE 4:50PM: A Dense Smoke Advisory issued by the National Weather Service for the greater Reno, Sparks, Virginia City and Carson Valley areas has been extended until 9 a.m. Monday morning. As of late Sunday afternoon, drift smoke was evident in Washoe Valley, Carson City as well as into Silver Springs and Dayton.
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The National Weather Service in Reno on Sunday issued a Dense Smoke Advisory for the valley areas of Reno into Carson City and Carson Valley due to the Loyalton Fire burning in the Tahoe National Forest in California.

A 31-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of second degree kidnapping, possession of drugs and other offenses, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office report.

Drier and much warmer air will work its way into Northern Nevada and the Carson City area Wednesday, bringing gusty winds and low humidity with it, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning for much of the region.

Gov. Steve Sisolak has appointed former lawmaker and legal aid center leader Barbara Buckley to lead a “strike force” focused on improving the processing of Nevada’s backlogged unemployment claims.

Lawmakers ended the second special session of the summer shortly after midnight on Wednesday after passing a heavily lobbied bill that shields many businesses from COVID-19-related lawsuits but ultimately exempted school districts, hospitals and other health care facilities from receiving the additional protections.

President Donald Trump’s campaign has sued Nevada over a contentious bill recently approved in the ongoing special session of the Nevada Legislature that expands mail-in voting for the 2020 general election, saying it would make voter fraud “inevitable.”

Months after ordering sweeping closures, Gov. Steve Sisolak on Monday unveiled what he said is a “natural evolution” in the state’s response to COVID-19 — a targeted approach that involves assessing county data each week and forming action plans that would go after the root cause.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak will hold a press conference today, Monday, at 5 p.m. to provide an update on Nevada’s COVID-19 response efforts. The press conference will be inside the Old Assembly Chamber of the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City.

Here is a picture of the comet. I took this July 25, 2020 from over by Washoe Lake. I had to keep working at it. First I had to make sure I had the right portion of the sky. The bottom two Big Dipper stars on the generally right side of photo are what points down somewhat towards the comet. 10-second exposure. I'm just an amateur photographer. It's very far away of course now. I could hardly find it - at first finding something else, but then I finally found the right blip. Oh Boy!

Hours after President Donald Trump threatened litigation over it through a tweet, members of the Nevada Senate voted on party lines to approve a bill that expands mail-in voting during times of emergency.

Afternoon winds will be a touch stronger Sunday and Monday around the Carson City region compared to the last few days, according to the National Weather Service, but not strong enough to warrant any watches or warnings at this time.

Nevada lawmakers are convening for a special session to address a long list of policy topics ahead of their regularly scheduled session early next year.

To help readers understand where bills stand in the sometimes chaotic world of the Legislature, The Nevada Independent is maintaining this viewer’s guide with brief overviews and status updates on the measures.

A 31-year-old woman suffering from mental health issues was arrested for trespassing after refusing to leave her mothers house.

According to the report, the mother called dispatch advising her daughter was at her residence refusing to leave, and that she has mental health issues. The mother stated she was afraid of her daughter.

School districts in the Northern Nevada area are putting plans in place for students to safely return to the 2020-21 school year.

A new directive by the state of Nevada requires school districts to submit three reopening plans for the upcoming school year. The three plans include one for complete in-person instruction, one for hybrid instruction and one for all-distance learning.

With casinos reopening statewide on June 4, gaming revenue showed signs of rebound for the month, including those establishments around Carson City, which were among the state's best climbers, according to figures released Wednesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

UPDATE 11:04AM: At approximately 9:21 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous report of a dead body in a vacant field at the corner of Silver Sage Drive and Stafford Way in South Carson City. Patrol deputies responded to the area and located the body of an adult male near the center of the field, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong in a news release.