News

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – If there is one thing near and dear to the hearts of many Nevadans, it is the pronunciation of the name of their state.
For most Nevadans, it is pronounced Ne-vaaa-da. The middle syllable rhymes with glad. It is not pronounced Ne-vah-da. And many Nevadans don’t mind letting people know when they err.

Sam Santillo will not be principal at Carson Middle School this year, after his arrest for DUI, and is "voluntarily being re-assigned to complete a variety of administrative tasks for the district,” according to a press release sent out by the Carson City School District.

The Nevada Appeal has the story about his job change. And here is our story and discussion about his DUI arrest, that also included driving with an open container and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada could find a way out of its $3 billion revenue shortfall next year without raising taxes, but only if the Legislature looks at restructuring the way the state and local governments provide and pay for services, the state’s top fiscal officer said yesterday.

Patricia Potter, former Carson City educator and former chair of the Carson-Tahoe Hospital Board of Trustees, died at her Carson City home at 4:40 a.m. on Thursday, August 5, 2010. She was 80.

"I was saddened to learn of Pat's passing," said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

"She was a good teacher and a good friend to many Nevadans," Reid added.

"Pat was a strong advocate for change and fought for a better Nevada as chair of the Carson City Democratic Central Committee. My thoughts go out to Pat's family and friends during this difficult time," Reid stated.

Here is the Carson City road construction report for today, Monday, through Sunday, Aug. 15. With the next phase of the freeway project by the Nevada Department of Transporation, the following closures are planned:

— Valley View Drive has been permanently closed between Edmonds Drive and Line Drive.

— Koontz Lane will be closed between Raglan Circle and Edmonds Drive until January 2011.

The Roop Street widening project is continuing and is expected to be completed by the end of 2010. The following impacts are expected this week:

By Taylor Flynn / Tahoe Mountain News

While the Carson City area was spared the brunt of significant rainfall on Sunday, other places such as Lake Tahoe and Virginia City were not. Heavy rain and quarter-size hail pummeled parts of South Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay on Sunday afternoon as the National Weather Service tracked a large thunderstorm in the area issuing a severe weather warning around 4 p.m. and advising boaters to get off the lake.
   

The V&T engine derailed last night at about 6:30 near Gold Hill after a series of heavy rains produced micro-mudslides, many of which may have flowed onto the V&T Railroad tracks.

A flash flood watch has been issued today for the Carson City, Carson Valley, Lake Tahoe and Reno areas, according to the National Weather Service and www.carsonweather.com.

The watch will be from 1 p.m. through this evening. Scattered thunderstorms with very little movement may produce heavy rain today for the Carson City region. According to the Reno-based weather service, the strongest storms may produce rainfall rates of over one inch per hour with a strong potential for flash flooding.

by Scott Schrantz Source: http://aroundcarson.com/2010/08/07/house_fire_on_curry_street

The Washington Post has published a long-awaited – and controversial – investigation called “Top Secret America” that details the vast patchwork of government contractors and intelligence operations that were spawned in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Post uncovered an operation “so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.”

CARSON CITY – More than 20,000 Nevadans have received extended benefit payments since President Obama signed into law legislation extending the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program on July 22, a state agency reported today.
The process for about 20,000 more eligible Nevadans should be completed by next week, said Cindy Jones, deputy director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR).

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – State governments across the country are facing budget deficits and a tough economy right now, but failure to get a handle on long-term liabilities, from unfunded pensions to subsidized health care for retired workers, could jeopardize any recovery, a fiscal expert said today.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons and representatives of 19 other states today filed a response challenging the federal government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the federal health care law.

Clifford Eugene Marshall Jr., 46, was arrested Thursday afternoon at 2nd and Allouette streets for felony battery with strangulation and bodily harm.

According to the arrest report, a deputy responding to a report of a fight in progress saw Marshall hit another man while the man was trying to get up off the ground. The deputy said he recognized both subjects from an incident a week ago. After talking to witnesses at the scene and examining injuries on the man Marshall hit, he placed Marshall under arrest. His bail was set at $15,000.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – State Budget Director Andrew Clinger yesterday painted a bleak picture of Nevada’s next two-year spending plan, saying under current tax and spending levels every single program and agency except for education would have to be eliminated to balance the budget.

A financial services bill working its way through the U.S. Senate contains a $400,000 earmark that appears to be destined for the business incubator that is part of the planned Carson City Center/Nugget Project.

It appears that the report on the City Center/Nugget Project slated to be presented at the end of this month will be delayed another 30 days.

According to an email from City Manager Larry Werner, the city and P3 Development need more time to look at issues "related to parking garages, ownership, land use issues, utilities and a myriad of other questions."

Benefits for 70,000 Nevada employees will be slashed to help make up for an $111 million shortfall, according to the Associated Press tonight. The action was taken today by the state's Public Employees’ Benefit Program board.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Members of the Nevada Homeland Security Commission expressed concern today that the state does not appear to have a coordinated effort or designated person to deal with the ever-growing threat of cybercrime.

Terry Wayne Spence, 56, and Jeffery Dwayne Bainbridge, 45, were arrested Wednesday evening at their hotel room in the 600 block of Stewart Street in Carson City for possession of methamphetamine.

Here is some video of Tuesday's fire on Curry Street:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z59oUL1VY6E

Last week we reported that the governor's office sent a letter to Nugget Project consultant Mark Lewis taking issue with certain parts of the feasibility study for moving three state agencies into the Carson City Center/Nugget Project.

The one big item missing in that story was the Meridian Business Advisors feasibility study itself, which we now have a copy of.

CARSON CITY – Nevada officials are racing the clock to get their full share of federal foreclosure relief dollars.
Some states and local governments elsewhere around the country are at risk of losing millions in foreclosure relief funds. But officials with the state of Nevada and local government entities who are managing the programs say they are on track to obligate their full allotments by September deadlines.
Even so, several Nevada officials said the funds are only a drop in the bucket to address Nevada’s foreclosure crisis.

Here are more photos from Tuesday's Carson City National Night Out held at Mills Park. The event ended tonight at 8 with a finale of sirens. Several thousand visited the three-hour program designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
Check back with us for more photo information.

Hundreds of families making up, perhaps, several thousand people, gathered Tuesday night at Mills Park in Carson City to attend the region's largest public safety event, the 27th annual National Night Out.

CARSON CITY – Nevada families with school-age children will spend $174 million for back-to-school supplies this month if spending trends track with national estimates, the Retail Association of Nevada reported today.

Update: A home and trailer were heavily damaged by a fire on South Curry Street in Carson City today.

Residents Kathleen Stevens and her daughter Elizabeth Nix were able to escape without injury. Firefighters rescued their dog, Thor.

"The dog is my soulmate," Nix said. "I don't know what I would do without him."

Fire crews are still on the scene, and no cause has been determined yet. The fire broke out shortly after noon. The home is located next to the Ormsby House.

A 23-year-old Carson City man faces a felony child abuse and a gross domestic battery charge after admitting to abusing a 20-month-old toddler.
David Phillip Gawdun, who lives in the 1700 block of Russell Way, is being held on $43,132 bond in the Carson City Jail after he was arrested on Saturday. In an interview, he has admitted to slapping the girl and other instances of child abuse on the toddler and the girl's 3-year-old brother.

Here is the Carson City road construction report for Aug. 2-8. As always, plan ahead and be prepared for some minor delays. As a result of the next phase of the Nevada Department of Transportation freeway project, the following closures will occur:

— Valley View Drive has been permanently closed between Edmonds Drive and Line Drive.

—Koontz Lane will be closed between Raglan Circle and Edmonds Drive until January 2011.

The Roop Street widening project is continuing and is expected to be completed by the end of 2010. The following impacts are expected this week:

Two Care Flight helicopters were summoned to the Carson City Airport this afternoon on two separate medical events including a car accident involving a child.

The car accident in the Northgate Lane area of Carson City was reported at 1:37 this afternoon. In a separate call, at 1:38, an air ambulance was needed for an overdose patient, Sheriff Ken Furlong said.

Reports are that a 10-year-old girl was injured in the car accident, Furlong said. The extent of the child's injuries are unknown, Furlong added.