This story from RGJ.com discusses how the City of Reno is having problems paying off bonds for their railroad trench, due to a decline in sales taxes. Something to think about when considering financing projects based on volatile income streams like sales taxes.

Carla Wilson talks about Procenium Players' new show, "Eat, Drink and Be Murdered," playing at the Gold Dust West beginning this weekend:

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

A Carson City woman faces two felony charges after being arrested on a confirmed warrant.
The woman, Leza L. Bulman, was arrested Wednesday at her home in the 200 block of Corbett. She faces a warrant charge of exploiting an elderly person and embezzlement of a person over the age of 60. Both are felonies. Bail was set at $3,000.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s Colorado River Commission is one of the state agencies cited in a recent legislative audit as paying some of the highest salaries to former state employees working as contractors, the Nevada News Bureau has learned.
Information obtained as a result of a public records request shows two former state employees, James Davenport and Sara Price, both attorneys, have collectively earned over half a million dollars in salaries as contractors for the agency over the past three and a half years.

"The Tourist," currently screening at the Fandango Galaxy multiplex in Carson City, is rich in scenery (Paris and Venice, how could you go wrong?), in female beauty (Angelina Jolie, again how could you go wrong?) and the usual befuddled but caring male (Johnny Depp).

It is not rich in a plot that makes a lot of sense, but it's a thriller so does that matter? I guess not if you're content to sit and let events wash over you and Jolie is good at that.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval delivered the bad news in an email to state employees today: His budget will propose a 5 percent across-the-board salary reduction for state employees instead of continuing with a furlough program.
“We must also continue the suspension of merit pay and longevity pay,” he said in the letter.

Here is another example of why paying companies to do business in your city is problematic. Now that Carson City handed out more generous incentives to retailers in Southgate Center than it had to others in the past, it's now faced with other businesses who want their incentives, too.

The board of the Carson City School District will meet at 7 p.m. tonight in the Sierra Room of the community center. Two new board members will be sworn in tonight; they are Barbara Myers and Ron Swirczek. Click here to watch the meeting live and here to read the agenda.

Carl Kuhl, a state Parole and Probation employee of six years, has created a plan that he claims will eliminate Nevada's budget deficit within two years.

In a news release issued on Tuesday, Kuhl said his plan not only will reduce the budget deficit but also help repair Nevada's economy at the same time. It is a pretty big claim, he admits, coming from an Accounting Assistant I, an entry level position.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today his security has returned to normal levels after it was determined the tragic Saturday shooting of an Arizona congresswoman was an isolated incident.

"Season of the Witch," currently playing at the Casino Fandango Galaxy multiplex in Carson City, is a movie that can't decide if it's a thriller fantasy or a buddy picture or a tour through muddled 14th century history. Maybe it's none of the above but instead just a mess.

It starts out with three alleged witches hanged and drowned (talk about overkill!), one of which comes back to do in the priest who condemned the three.

Dear Editor: Once again the Dayton community has come together and made a difference for so many families during the holidays.

The Dayton toy drive received applications for over 650 kids this year and we were quite concerned that there would not be enough to go around. Fortunately a large, eager, group of volunteers came together who were quick to get down to business and get the donations and interest pouring in. It wasn’t long before businesses, as well as community organizations and individuals were giving.

Carson City and Carson Valley casinos saw a 2.57 percent increase in gaming win in November, the state gaming control board reports this morning. Statewide gaming numbers, however, decreased by nearly 5.9 percent over last year.

Elsewhere nearby, Washoe County saw sharp declines, with Reno gaming numbers dropping by nearly 21 percent and Sparks by nearly 15 percent, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reports.

At Lake Tahoe, Stateline casinos saw a 5.25 percent decrease in gaming win in November, with North Tahoe casinos seeing a 7.7 percent decrease.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
Democratic legislators this year are again lining up bills that would outlaw texting while driving and, in some cases, ban hand-held phone use while driving.
They’re continuing efforts in the 2009 session from Sen. Shirley Breeden, D-Henderson, whose text-banning bill died in committee. She’s sponsoring a similar bill this year.

CARSON CITY – If it is any consolation to cash-strapped state workers, Nevada’s lawmakers will see no pay hike this session and a smaller daily per diem allowance as well.
The 21 members of the state Senate and 42 members of the Assembly will be paid $146.29 a day for the first 60 days of the session starting Feb. 7, the same amount as paid in 2009 to most lawmakers. Some state senators in mid-term earned slightly less.

In an apparent move to increase the transparency of his administration, Gov. Brian Sandoval released today the annual salaries of his staff. His 17 staff positions, one of which is vacant, consume about $1 million of the governor’s executive budget.
His highest paid employee, Chief of Staff Heidi Gansert, will earn $124,988 this year. The lowest paid, Celia Magana, is an administrative assistant in Las Vegas earning $29,984.

A prisoner in the Carson City Jail was arrested Sunday for allegedly being in possession of heroin, methamphetamine and prescription drugs.

According to the arrest report, jail staff received a tip that Audrey Cherie Peebles had heroin and had used it earlier that afternoon. Staff then did a shakedown of all the prisoners in that unit, and found Peebles to be in possession of a ziplock bag with what appeared to be three full and two used balloons of heroin, a small amount of methamphetamine and two pills of suboxone.

Dee Freewert talks about the First Lego League competition for area children to learn about engineering by building robots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdkfeg1QQic

Jan 7, 6:34 PM (ET)

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Six girls have been arrested after students were invited on Facebook to take part in "Attack a Teacher Day" at two middle schools.

One girl was accused of inviting about 100 students on the social networking website to participate in the event Friday, and the other five were accused of responding with online threats against specific teachers, Carson Middle School Principal Dan Sadler said.

Details are sketchy. It was reported at one time that Giffords had died, but news outlets have pulled back from that. A hospital spokesperson said she is alive and in surgery. Reports are that 12 people were shot, including a federal judge and members of Giffords' staff, and that six have died. The gunman is reportedly in custody.

We all know the long saga of the Carson City Freeway. In planning for over 50 years, under construction for nearly 10, the freeway has become one of the big punch lines around town as one of those projects that it seems like we’ll never see the tail end of. They’ve been dribbling out freeway segments to us slowly, opening the stretch from Lakeview to Hwy 50 in Spring 2006 and the segment from Hwy 50 to Fairview in Fall 2009.

It's "big-band jazz times two" when the Mile High Jazz Band presents the eighth annual Mile High-Carson High Jazz Extravaganza, on Friday, January 21, 2011, 8:00 p.m., at the Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall, 511 W. King Street, Carson City. The concert, sponsored by the Brewery Arts Center and the Mile High Jazz Band Association, is a benefit for the Carson High Jazz Band programs.

The Carson City Big 5 sporting goods store is getting ready to move. For years they’ve been at the north end of Carson City, but now they’re moving south, apart of the general exodus out of North Carson.

Read the rest at http://aroundcarson.com

(Press release) On January 5, 2011 Carson City Sheriff’s Office received a national award for “Outstanding Citizen Participation” for the 2010 National Night Out special event hosted in August. National Night Out heightens crime and drug prevention awareness, community safety and, as in the case of Carson City, strengthens police-community partnerships. This award is the latest in the list of recognitions Carson City Sheriff’s Office received for the 2010 event including Congressional Awards from Congressman Dean Heller and a Letter of Commendation from Senator John Ensign.