By Andrew Doughman
CARSON CITY — The Legislature played host to a former director of the CIA yesterday, who came to voice support for a renewable energy bill.
James Woolsey, director of the CIA between 1993 and 1995, said the passage of the bill is a matter of national security.
Senate Bill 184 would establish a “feed-in tariff” program in Nevada, which would allow small-scale solar, wind, geothermal and other energy producers to “feed in” their energy to the grid.

By Andrew Doughman
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s rural Republican legislators are struggling to defend the governor’s budget that cuts their communities.
Democrats have been showcasing cuts to the rural counties in order to convince rural Republican legislators that a vote for tax increases is a vote to mitigate the harm to their districts.
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said that rural counties are already “cut to the bone,” and in many cases could lose all that they have left.

A donated old home across from the Carson Nugget became an ideal training and staging area for Carson City firefighters today.
The Carson Nugget provided fire personnel an opportunity they seldom get, which is to train inside a home that is already set to be destroyed. In the Nugget's case it was a old gray outbuilding located at the southeast corner of the casino’s property.
Over the next few days firefighters will be given the opportunity to work though training exercises that involve both smoke and fire, including stints like this afternoon's that involve life-saving measures.

Carson City leaders today will review the 2012 fiscal year budget, with overall spending down about 1 percent from 2011 figures.

Looking ahead to 2012, the Board of Supervisors will see a budget that serves 21 government funds with estimated expenditures of $80.5 million and 10 proprietary funds at $39.2 million, City Manager Larry Werner reports.