This post is kind of late, considering the state Christmas tree was lit over a week ago. But, I have no excuses. I’m not too happy with the pictures because they came from my iPhone, but there was no way I was going to drag around the big camera while I also had both kids with me, so oh well. And actually, for a camera phone, in the dark, they’re not that terrible. Jens Peermann got some much better photos, so you can check those out too.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Long-time Nevada tax expert Carole Vilardo said says she does not see how the state can move Nevada’s public employee retirement system to a defined contribution plan in the upcoming legislative session.

By Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Chancellor Dan Klaich has announced the formation of a new lobbying team that will represent the Nevada System of Higher Education free of charge at the 2011 legislative session.
The team will be chaired by former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan and will include Alfredo Alonso, Michael Hillerby, Rose McKinney-James, Keith Lee, John Pappageorge and The Capitol Company.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Despite the need for drastic spending reductions to balance Nevada’s budget, the government program that provides health care to the poor continues to expand, consuming a growing share of the state’s scarce state revenues.

Carson Now and Casino Fandango are sponsoring the Carson Now Holiday Lights Contest. We are looking for the best holiday light displays in Carson City, and giving you a chance to vote on your favorites. The contest is open to private homes in Carson City, and the winning entry will receive a $100 gift certificate for dinner at Ti Amo Italian Grille inside Casino Fandango.

So if you see any cool displays of Christmas lights in your neighborhood, send them in. You can see all the entires and rules here: http://carsonnow.org/holidaylights

Click on the Facebook Recommend button to vote for this entry. View all entries here.

Click on the Facebook Recommend button to vote for this entry. View all entries here.

This is the winner of our Holiday Lights contest.

Healthy Communities has scheduled their winter and spring line up of special speakers on the 2nd Thursday of each month during their public meetings.

Each meeting also includes resource sharing, updates and discussion on issues of regional importance such as health and wellness, substance abuse prevention and recovery, education, job training, etc.

All emergency 911 calls for Douglas and Lyon counties are being re-routed into Carson City after a significant outage within the system.

Persons in those counties dialing 911 will be automatically connected to Carson dispatchers.

Douglas County sent out the following press release about the outage:

PINE NUTS by McAvoy Layne

About a month or so ago I received a call from Gary Cain of the Carson City Historical Society, asking if I might be interested in presenting "Christmas with Mark Twain" at the Bliss Mansion.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – The Nevada State Medical Association believes consumers should have access to clear and understandable information about the cost and coverage provided under health care insurance policies before they sign on the dotted line.

Carson Lanes Presents.. Live Music with the "3N1 Band". This talented trio will be playing your favorite Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Country and 80's music. No Cover and Smoke FREE. Happy Hour from 5-6pm (buy one, get one FREE).

CARSON CITY – The total number of active voters in Nevada increased by more than 30,000 following the Nov. 2 general election, the secretary of state’s office reports.
The increase is due largely to the thousands of registered voters designated as “inactive” who turned out to vote on Nov. 2, thereby changing their status to “active.”

There’s another new website to keep an eye on. The Carsonist is a site I found out about just the other night, when I met Jens Peermann who runs it. There’s a lot of interesting stuff there, mostly posts about events he goes to and galleries of his photography. He has a post up now about the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony that I went to the other night, with plenty of photos from the event.

photo © 2010 Rick Cooper | more info (via: Wylio)

So now it seems we will be able to shoot bears for sport in Nevada.

And as usual, both sides in this debate trotted out rationale that makes no sense.

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:
· Roop Street is closed from William Street to Stewart Street through the completion of the project.
· Long Street will be closed from Stewart Street to Marian Street. Traffic will be detoured via Stewart Street, Corbett Street, and Molly Drive.
· Beverly Street will be closed to through traffic at Roop Street.
· Traffic crossing Roop Street may do so at Corbett Street.

Carson City officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 16, to reopen N. Roop Street following the completion of the reconstruction/widening project.

The ceremony will take place on N. Roop Street between William Street and Corbett Street. City officials will be joined by representatives of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the private sector firms which participated in the design and construction of the road. Following the ceremony, the traffic control barriers will be removed, and the road will be opened to public travel.

Carson High School officials and authorities continue to investigate rumors that surfaced among students earlier today of a planned shooting to take place on campus.

The Carson High School campus was on locked down shortly after noon today because the rumors had come from multiple students, authorities said. Released from school at the end of the day, students described the situation as confusing and frightening because they weren't told why they were forced into their classrooms with the doors locked.

Carson City authorities responded to the 1600 block of East Long Street Thursday night after a 911 call was made reporting that a woman had been shot in the head.

Authorities do not appear to be actively searching for a suspect, however a crime lab was called to the scene. An on-duty sergeant, when contacted early Friday morning, said the incident was being investigated as a suicide.

At the end of today's Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting, city manager Larry Werner said that he has city staff working out answers to questions raised about the Nugget Project before forwarding it to the board.

Werner noted that questions about the location of the parking garage and hotel/conference center portions of the project were raised at the last citizens advisory committee meeting, and he wanted resolve those questions before sending it to the board.

NASA-funded astrobiology research has changed the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth, according to a news conference today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObkqIMPmaJw&feature=player_embedded
Researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of Mono Lake in California's Eastern Sierra off of Highway 395 have discovered the first known microorganism on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substitutes arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components. Click here and here for the story.

CARSON CITY – A national conservative think tank today launched a new website to give Spanish-speaking Americans access to its analyses and policy recommendations on the nation’s most pressing problems.
The Heritage Foundation launched Libertad.org, where the organization’s work on issues ranging from education reform to the new national health care law will be available in Spanish.

Catch the live video of the meeting here. You can see the full agenda here.