CARSON CITY – Here is a selection of comments made by Nevada public officials today following the announcement of the death of former state Sen. Bill Raggio:

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller: “I am deeply saddened by the death of Bill Raggio. There are no words to describe his dedication to the state of Nevada and I wish to express my deepest condolences and prayers for his wife Dale, and his family. Bill was a true statesman who dedicated his life to making Nevada a better place to live. His legacy will be remembered for generations to come.”

Wayne Williams Griffin Jr., 54 of Silver Springs, passed away on February 15, 2012, Autumn Funerals & Cremations. 775-888-6800.Harmon William Ward, 91 of Carson City, passed away on February 17, 20...

CARSON CITY – Two Nevadans and a scholar from Texas made the final cut today for the job of state superintendent of public instruction.

René Cantú Jr., Caroline McIntosh and James Guthrie were selected from among five finalists by the state Board of Education to forward to Gov. Brian Sandoval for him to select the new state public schools chief. Sandoval is expected to announce his choice sometime next month.

Rick Santorum — “Prenatal testing, particularly amniocentesis, I’m not talking about general prenatal care...We’re talking about specifically prenatal testing, and specifically amniocentesis, which is a procedure that actually creates a risk of having a miscarriage when you have it, and is done for the purposes of identifying maladies in the womb. And which in many cases, in fact most cases, physicians recommend, particularly if there’s a problem, recommend abortion.

Bill Raggio, who is considered by many to be the most powerful force in Nevada politics over the last 30 years, has died while on vacation in Australia Thursday evening. He was 85.

Jon Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun broke the news.

Raggio was first elected to the Nevada State Senate in 1972. He resigned from the seat he held for 38 years after supporting Democrat Harry Reid in 2010 over Republican Sharron Angle.

Raggio ruled the Nevada State Senate as the GOP leader and chairman of the Finance Committee. It's safe to say that few bills passed the Nevada Legislature in the last 30 years without his approval.

Raggio's legislative biography is here.

RGJ has posted a profile with photo gallery on Raggio's life.

Best quote: "You show me someone who doesn't have detractors, and I'll show you someone who hasn't done a damn thing in their lives."

Watch out, there's another Heller in politics. Emmy Heller was just declared the winner of the vote for student body president at Carson High School. Her father Sen. Dean Heller has held elective office since before Emmy, 17, was born, and helped her craft her positions and talking points. But Emmy said the experience of running for election was so stressful that she doesn't want to pursue politics as a career.

****

F.I.S.H. (Friends In Service Helping) has launched a campaign to refinance the mortgage on their building and free up extra funds to help the needy of Carson City. The group currently owes $1.7 million on the property on North Carson Street, which is valued at $1.6 million in today's market. Their interest rate is 7.75 percent, well above what can be obtained through refinancing. Executive Director Jim Peckham hopes to raise enough money to obtain a $1.2 million loan at 4 percent, which means they would have an extra $8,000 a month to serve the homeless and others in need.

****

The owner of Cactus Jack's casino in downtown Carson City was hit with a $15,000 fine by the Nevada Gaming Commission for using unauthorized poker chips in poker tournaments. Guess the house doesn't always win.

Carla Trynchuk plays violin for the Strings in the Schools group Thursday afternoon at Carson High School. Trynchuk will be the featured soloist this Sunday at the Carson City Symphony's Russian Treasures concert. For more information, see http://ccsymphony.com

Carson City Sheriff's deputies arrested Kirkland Wayne Abel, 40, an HVAC installer from Carson City, at about 4:30 this morning at the 900 block of East Fifth Street. Abel was arrested for felony allegations of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamines), as well as two misdemeanor allegations of possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana. Abel allegedly got into an argument with his wife when he discovered that his thermostat had been changed from 65 degrees to 66 degrees. Bail is set at $5,100 plus administrative fees.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra through Feb. 28:

John Cattoni, 88, passed away in Gardnerville, Nevada, February 18, 2012. Capitol City Cremation & Burial is in charge of arrangements. 775-882-1766Copyright 2012 -. All rights reserved. This mater...

CARSON CITY – A new campaign aimed at helping truck drivers and truck stop employees become more aware of how to identify and alert authorities to instances of underage children being forced into acts of prostitution was announced today by two Nevada organizations.

CARSON CITY – Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said today he is not optimistic that Congress will make any substantive progress on a balanced budget or deficit reduction this year given the focus on the presidential election.

But Amodei, in town on a brief recess, said he is hopeful that progress can be made on Nevada-related public lands bills he is sponsoring as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee.

The action-Satanic film "Ghost Rider, Spirit of Vengeance," currently booming away at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City, stars Nicholas Gage as Johnny Blaze, motorcycle stunt rider with a hangup that puts him in seclusion until summoned again to ride his motorcycle blazing with fire and to don his alter ego at Ghost Rider, with the burning skull.

Right off, this is a lousy movie from the making sense point of view and it is the latest in Gage's series of flops. But he keeps trying and his grimaces are standard stock from the past.

The Carson City Library will show the Academy Award nominated film, “The Tree of Life”, on Friday, February 24th, at 6:30 p.m. This film is directed by Terrence Malik, and stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood and into his adulthood. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.

Girl Scouts is celebrating their 100th year anniversary and the Carson City Girl Scouts are putting on a Birthday Bash! The bash is on Monday, March 12th at the Carson Mall from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. This event is for all current and former Girl Scouts and active or retired military personnel.

Alexia Patricia Bishop, 4-1/2 months, of Carson City, passed away February 17, 2012. Fitzhenry's Funeral Home is trusted with arrangements. 775-882-2644Copyright 2012 -. All rights reserved. This m...

UPDATE 10:30PM: Plans to raise the speed limit within South Lake Tahoe along Highway 50 were presented to the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Tuesday.

Carson City Sheriff's deputies arrested several individuals for serious crimes over President's Day weekend. Among those are:

• Manuel Ricardo Pinuelas, 39, a self-employed Carson City resident, at about 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon at the 4000 block of Emerson Drive. Pinuelas was arrested for a felony embezzelment and unlawful use of a credit card warrant in his name. Bail is set at $5,000.

Workers inside the old Safeway building on North Carson Street are busy ripping up the old flooring and getting the space ready for its new tenant, C-A-L Ranch Store.

A new sign went up in front of the building this weekend, and store manager Gus Mohr said he is crossing his finger to have the new store open by May 1.

"This week we have guys coming in to do the demolition work," Mohr said, looking out at the empty interior of the building.

Mohr managed the C-A-L Ranch Store in Spanish Fork, Utah for 11 years before moving to Carson City to open this new store.

CARSON CITY – A national nonprofit organization seeking fundamental reforms to state budgeting today sent a letter to the nation’s governors urging them to follow General Motors’ lead and freeze defined benefit pensions for all public employees.

Sochi, Russia is next on the list for orthopedic surgeon, Terrence Orr's medical volunteerism. As a physician with Tahoe Orthopedic & Sports Medicine, he will be previewing the future site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games as part of his role as Head Team Physician for the United States Men's Alpine Ski Team — a position he has held since 1999.

An evening to benefit The Greenhouse Project takes place Wednesday, Feb. 22, beginning at 6 p.m. at Café at Adele’s.
The event is limited to 80 attendees. Each will receive a glass of wine and tastings from the three new menus offered by Charlie Abowd, chef and owner of the establishment.
“We’re showcasing selections from the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus,” said Karen Abowd, project president. “This is an opportunity for the community to see the changes we’ve made at Café at Adele’s, to enjoy an evening of fantastic food and support the work of The Greenhouse Project.”

Carolyn Parisi-Cross, 68, was born September 26, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York to John and Marie Parisi. The angels took her to be with her family on February 15, 2012. Carolyn was an Air Force Vet...