Responding to last week’s devastation in Japan, Charter Communications will waive all charges for direct dial long-distance calls to Japan from residential and business Charter Phone customers through April 30.

The free offer will be retroactive for calls placed to Japan from March 11, according to a statement from its Reno office.

If you know the plot of the movie "127 Hours," then you might get this cartoon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c74ULv2qKXs

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in identifying two suspects who cashed fraudulent checks at the Carson Valley Inn last month.

The pair entered the cashier's cage at the casino on Feb. 24 and cashed fraudulent checks for an undisclosed amount of money. The incident was reported to the sheriff's office on March 11, according to Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Halsey.

The suspects are believed to be part of a group of suspects who have recently cashed counterfeit paychecks at several Northern Nevada area casino, he said.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – When it comes to redistricting this year, the line from the Assembly Republicans goes like this: the “fair” process is unfair.
They say the process resulted in gerrymandering in 2001, when the boundaries of political districts were last redrawn.

CARSON CITY – Nevada and Georgia tied as the two states with the highest entrepreneurial activity rates in the country, according to the “Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity,” a leading indicator of new business creation in the United States.
The annual index shows that Nevada and Georgia both had 510 per 100,000 adults creating businesses each month. They were followed by California at 470 per 100,000, Louisiana at 460 and Colorado at 450.

(This article is from Around Carson, at http://aroundcarson.com/2011/03/16/more_olive_garden/)
Things got really exciting at the Olive garden construction site this week. A whole bunch of pre-built walls were lifted into place by cranes, and within a day it looked like an actual building!

If you are a trout fisherman and are fairly new to our area, you may not be aware that some of our best Lahontan Cutthroat Trout fishing is at Pyramid Lake in the month of March.

Pyramid Lake (which is roughly the same surface size as Lake Tahoe) is about 30 miles north of Reno-Sparks, and it contains Lahontan Cutthroat Trout that routinely run into “Double Digits” in weight.

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Go here for this week's full fishing report and here for more outdoor stories.

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The lake is the terminus of the Truckee River which begins at Lake Tahoe.
Pyramid Lake is approximately 15 miles long, 11 miles wide and measures 350 feet deep at its deepest point.

CARSON CITY – Nevada is getting shortchanged from the federal government when it comes to addressing contamination from the underground nuclear weapons testing era, with the Nevada Test Site getting only a small amount of funding for cleanup efforts, a state lawmaker said today.

From RalstonFlash a few minutes ago:
Message to everyone else (Are you listening, Sharron?):  Stay out.

Sandoval: “I have a great deal of respect for Congressman Heller and think he will make a tremendous United States Senator. He has proven to be a tireless advocate for new job creation, smaller government and honest, ethical public service. It is with pride that I offer my full support and endorsement.”
 

Many women in rural Nevada have never had a mammogram. Fear, lack of funds, transportation conflicts, or no insurance are the main reasons women have not protected their health with this breast cancer screening process. Yet, we know that early detection of breast cancer saves lives.

The Mammovan will be visiting two Carson City locations on March 21-22 and will offer mammograms to geographically isolated and uninsured women. Through the kind support of several organizations, mammograms will be available by appointment, for age and income eligible, at no charge.

By Elizabeth Crum / Nevada News Bureau
Politico reports that Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki has formally endorsed Rep. Dean Heller and will “take time” to consider a run for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District. Quote:

By Elizabeth Crum / Nevada News Bureau
During a brief interview with Congressman Dean Heller a few moments ago, Heller laughingly called his U.S. Senate run “the worst kept secret in Nevada” and said that for the past many months his team “had anticipated we would be running against Ensign in the primary.”

The Nevada Student Alliance is a coalition of students from every institution in the Nevada System of Higher Education. Along with K-12 representatives, the alliance representatives and more than 1,000 college and university students will gather at the state’s legislature to advocate for the preservation of education in Nevada. Buses from multiple institutions will arrive in Carson City for the 10 a.m. rally on Monday, March 21.

By Elizabeth Crum / Nevada News Bureau
At 8:12 a.m. this morning, Rep. Dean Heller finally sent an email to his supporters announcing the U.S. Senate run I confirmed here last week.

Heller has a pretty new campaign website, and here is the text of the email:

Friend,

Jessica Cedillos from United Latino Community talks about that group's efforts to help Carson City's hispanic community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GVR1XAzxx0

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford has requested emergency legislation to conduct a performance audit of the revenue collection functions of the Department of Taxation following questions last week about the thoroughness of the agency’s review of mining tax payments.

A Carson City woman faces felony drug charges after allegedly hiding methamphetamine inside her rectum.

Samantha Nelson, 19, was arrested after being stopped on Saturday at Fourth and Carson streets. A passenger in the vehicle, Ryan Musto, 22, was also arrested and faces a felony drug charge as well as providing false identification to authorities. Bail was set at $20,000.

Carson Now writer and veteran journalist Sam Bauman will discuss his newest novel "Confessions of a Paper Pimp" at 6:30 p.m. March 21 at the Carson City Library. He will also be signing copies of the novel as well as copies of his earlier book "Then God Is Forgiven." The session is free.

The new book ranges from newspaper work in Ohio to flying over Asia as an Air Force pilot to travels around Europe and winding up with the protagonist facing pornography charges while working for a men's magazine.

A report this morning of a single vehicle accident in the westbound lane near the top of Spooner Summit on Highway 50 has Carson City deputies and paramedics responding.

The accident was reported at about 7:40 a.m. A vehicle apparently flipped with the driver being able to get themselves out. The driver is reportedly uninjured. Officers report black ice on the road. Traffic has slowed as emergency personnel from both Carson City and Douglas County respond.

"The Verdict: We should go...David's company has asked us to fly to Hong Kong...we are leaving later this afternoon."

That is the latest Facebook wall post from a former Northern Nevada resident and her family living in Japan who have made plans to leave the beleagured country in the wake of the earthquakes and tsunami that left the island nation devastated.

Alyson Meidell Jenkins, 33, along with many other Americans, have made plans to leave Japan immediately.

(This article is from AroundCarson.com.)
I was cruising through west Carson when I came across an old friend…Stickman!

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Teachers who are pursuing a master’s degree will not receive any extra pay for it under Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed budget.

Those currently enrolled teachers may have entered their programs envisioning a pay bump upon graduation. But they made a bet, and the governor’s proposed budget would leave them on the losing side of what has long been regarded as a safe gamble.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – While much of the economic news about Nevada is gloom and doom, a new report prepared for Secretary of State Ross Miller shows new business filings in the last quarter of 2010 turned positive for the first time since mid-2006.

The turnaround suggests the worst of the economic slowdown may be behind us, according to the report.

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
When the Nevada State Board of Wildlife Commissioners met recently in Las Vegas, its members tackled a packed agenda that included the establishment of big game hunting seasons for 2011 and 2012, including the state’s first black bear hunt and proposed changes to the state’s waterfowl hunt zones.

On Sunday, March 13, lane closures will occur a the intersection of N. Stewart Street and E. William Street, but the intersection will remain open to traffic. The northbound lanes approaching the intersection will be changed so that vehicles continuing north on N. Stewart Street will use the right lane instead of the left lane. Additional traffic signal modifications will be completed by Wednesday, March 16. Please use caution when traveling through this area.

It appears there was an explosion at a Japanese nuclear power plant that was damaged by yesterday's earthquake and tsunami. See our Live Updates page for more information and live video.

Most athletes suffer from lower back pain at some time in their sports career. Posture during training and competition can be a major cause of that pain. One of the sources I use for reference attributes sixty percent of all sports injuries to errors in training.

A trio who allegedly stole scrap copper from a Washoe County construction site and brought it to Carson City to strip and burn it of its insulation, face felony theft charges.

Aaron Clack, Melissa Clack, and Josh Stevens, all from Carson City, were arrested Thursday in the Deer Run Road area after black smoke was reported coming from inside a brick structure. The case is being handled by the Department of Alternative Sentencing. Aaron Clack also faces an additional drug charge, authorities said.

Former Northern Nevada resident Alyson Meidell Jenkins reports that she and her family are safe but shaken after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's eastern coast, causing a devastating tsunami that killed at least 10,000 and widespread damage.

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Follow it Live: Go to our Live Updates page for video feeds and coverage.

A Call to Readers: Let us know if you have friends or family living in Japan, Hawaii, or along the West Coast. E-mail jeff@carsonnow.org or post to our Facebook page.

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Japan's advanced earthquake early-warning system, with more than 1,000 seismographs scattered over the country alerted the public of an imminent earthquake via television, Internet and text-messages. At 2:46 local time, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake arrived, the largest that Japan has seen in one hundred years, just off the eastern coast of Sendai, Honshu.

The afternoon rain produced a rainbow over the eastern part of Carson City. Looks like the pot of gold is somewhere near Eagle Valley Golf Course.