Film buffs will recall the terror with which the young Vito Corleone’s friends talked of The Black Hand, an invisible but palpable organization whose wrath was universally feared.

Far be it from me to suggest Godfather Harry Reid helms a criminal enterprise as Don Fanucci did in “The Godfather: Part II.” But recent events only reconfirm that the Senate majority leader’s unseen hand controls all within the Democratic Party with a ruthlessness and efficiency that La Cosa Nostra would envy, striking terror into all Democrats within his domain.

Nevada ranks last in "opportunity index," that measures factors like education, crime rate and health care to determine how much opportunity people have for economic success. But Carson City does better in than the state average in high school graduation rate, number of doctors and crime rate. In other words, we suck less than Las Vegas. Hooray!

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Fliers that were recently distributed around town offering to paint your house numbers on the curb also showed the logos for the Carson City Sheriff and Fire departments, which made it look like the departments endorsed this business, which they don't according to Sheriff Kenny Furlong. The person who put out the fliers also didn't have a solicitor's license.

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Carson girls basketball lose their season opener to Reno High 71-49. Eliza Matley had 19 points for Carson.

Here is this week's fishing report from Nov. 30 through Dec. 6, 2011. This report covers rivers, streams and lakes in Nevada, the Sierra, Northern California and Southern Oregon.

Donations are lagging for this year's Holiday with a Hero shopping spree for children in need, and organizers are urgently seeking help. Even though the number of homeless kids has doubled, donations are falling short of where they have been in years past.

There is a bank account set up for donations at Bank of the West, 2976 N. Carson St. Carson City, Account #025761072, Tax ID #80-0763632. Make checks payable to Holiday with a Hero. You can also mail donations to Holiday with a Hero, P.O. Box 2790, Carson City, NV 89702. Donations can also be brought to the Carson City Sheriff's Office, 911 E. Musser St. by Dec. 9.

For more information, contact Carson City Sheriff's Detective Daniel Gonzales at dgonzales@carson.org or Detective Dena Lacy at dlacy@carson.org .