Carson City Nevada News - Carson Now - Your one stop for Carson City news

4-H Harvest Fall Fest happening October 23 in Carson City

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 15:48:42 +0000

UNR Extension - Carson/Storey County

Start off fall this year with 4-H and a festival! Join us on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 for a fall festival.

4-H clubs will be present with more information on individual clubs.

No fee is required to attend and all proceeds to directly towards Carson/Storey County 4-H clubs.

Carson City's Catmandu introduces their Cat of the Week: Koa

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 15:11:06 +0000

Linda Buchanan, Catmandu

There aren’t many cats around like Koa, Catmandu’s cat of the week.

Koa is a curly-tailed American Ringtail mix with very distinctive features and a super-sweet personality. A short-haired, neutered gray tabby; Koa has a muscular body and a tail that curls all the way over onto his back. He has gorgeous green eyes and a handsome and distinctive face.

Koa actually runs to you when you call his name. He adores pets and attention and will happily carry on conversations with you. It’s hard to get good pictures of him since he is always in motion trying to give you head butts or face nuzzles and solicit pets and scratches.

Although he is a little older at age 9, Koa is in great health and likely has many years of love and life left to spend with his new family. Most cats live to be 15-20 years old.

He was adopted from a California rescue as a kitten, and lived his whole life with members of the same family. When his owner moved into a new home that didn’t allow pets, Koa was left behind with the landlords. He eventually came to Catmandu where his quirky curly tail and winning personality made him a favorite of staff and volunteers.

Koa tolerates other cats in moderation and is used to living with cat-friendly dogs. He likes people of all ages and is pretty easy-going all the way around. Unless you are a mouse. Koa is a hunter extraordinaire and will quickly rid your home of any unwanted rodents.

He is not, however, an outdoor cat. While he likes the occasional breath of fresh air, Koa is an indoor cat that needs to be kept safe from the dangers of life outside. His preference is a nice lap with lots of pets; some fun play time and maybe a nap or two.

If you can open your heart and your home to this super-sweet and special guy, please complete a pre-adoption application on our website at CatmanduCC.org/adoptions and plan to meet him at Catmandu, 1829 Brown Street. We are open Friday through Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Adoptions close at 4. If you plan to adopt, please arrive early, no later the 3 pm. This will allow you time with the cats before adoptions close.

Catmandu is a cage-free cat sanctuary and rescue that is celebrating a decade of lifesaving in 2024. Since March of 2014, more than 2700 cats have passed through our doors and into a better life. Many, many other cats and kittens have been helped over the years through our various programs and efforts.
Catmandu is a non-profit organization that receives no government funding or assistance from national organizations. We rely on donations and the generosity of the community to continue our lifesaving efforts. If you are interested in donating or volunteering, please visit our website at CatmanduCC.org. Meow means thank you.

September is Preparedness Month in Carson City: Learn to stay safe in an emergency

Kelsey Penrose — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 23:23:27 +0000

Carson City Press Release

September is Preparedness Month, as recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Weather Service (NWS). Residents and visitors should consider themselves the first responders.

Every person should have a plan and exercise the plan. Know your evacuation routes, meet-up locations, or temporary evacuation points and who you may need to check in on and support. Take pictures of medications and have paper documentation in case there your devices do not have power.

The more prepared you are with a “go-bag” that contains your medications, chargers, batteries, and other personal items, the better your response will be.

Carson City is susceptible to earthquakes, wildfires, and floods, with fires and floods being our most common natural threats. We also have threats of human-caused disasters (terrorism and cyber) and technological disasters (mechanical failures). Understanding these threats and the hazards they present to us will help you be prepared.

The Carson City Fire Department, Emergency Management Division is promoting this Preparedness Month with KNVC 95.1 FM Radio interviews, social media campaigns, press releases, local workshops, and at the Board of Supervisors meeting, a Proclamation for Preparedness Month presented by Mayor Lori Bagwell, all to help our community be prepared.

For more information, please visit Ready.gov for general information and help with plans and go-bags. You can also visit our website at Carson.org/alerts for up-to-date links to important websites about weather, air quality, current fires, and current earthquake mapping. Be prepared, have a go-bag, and make a plan.

Carson City deputies arrest transient man for threatening elderly park drummer

admin — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 20:58:25 +0000

Staff Reports

A 37-year-old transient man was arrested at Mills Park Wednesday after allegedly threatening a park user for drumming on a park bench.

 According to the arrest report, a 77-year-old man was drumming on a park bench to help relieve tremors he was having in his hands. He said he had only been there for a moment when the transient man who was parked nearby began screaming at him to stop drumming.

He said the man then “became irate out of nowhere,” exited his car and approached “in an aggressive manner.”

He said the man threatened to take his drumsticks away and “shove them down his throat,” along with other profanities.

A woman nearby observed the situation and tried to tell the man to calm down, but he began screaming at her as well so she left, according to the report.

Deputies said the man was shaken up but relieved the situation did not turn physical before law enforcement arrived.

Deputies spoke with the man who they described as “easily excited,” who “gets angry very quickly and rants about various topics.”

They said he appeared pale with reddish eyes, was clearly living in his car and smelled as if he had not been bathing. They were concerned he was in a mental health crisis with untreated conditions.

Deputies took the man into custody for disturbing the peace. The man’s car was also unregistered, and was towed. The man asked for the items to be left inside the car instead of being taken into evidence, as he was ‘going to pay bail and collect the car as soon as possible.”

Bail: $1,137

— 46-year-old Cesar Armando Alvarado and 77-year-old Tiofilo Ibarra, both of Carson City, were arrested in the 4600 block of Goni for grand larceny, a felony charge, and Armando was additionally arrested for possessing fictitious registration.

According to the arrest report, deputies responded to a property on Goni in response to a possible commercial burglary in progress. A witness reported two male suspects loading a flatbed trailer with aluminum siding from a construction site.

Deputies arrived on scene and made contact with Alvarado and Ibarra who were still loading the trailer. They said Alvarado was “very sweaty and appeared to have been working quickly, or was nervous.”

He told deputies he was being paid by someone on Facebook to pick up the siding and deliver it to an address in Dayton. However, deputies told him that they did not believe his story, and he admitted to stealing the siding to build himself a shed.

Deputies said he apologized several times for what he was doing.

Ibarra told deputies he was friends with Alvarado, who was paying him for help in removing the siding.

The property owner was contacted who said there is approximately $900,000 worth of prefabricated building material on the lot, and he estimated over $100,000 of it to be missing.

However, deputies wrote in the arrest report, it is unknown if Alvarado and Ibarra were solely responsible for the entire theft amount.

The property owner said he would inventory what’s left on the lot and breakdown the cost of the material to provide an accurate estimate.

Bail for Alvarado: $25,112

Bail for Ibarra: $25,000

All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.

Carson City Supervisors move forward with Clear Creek water lease to Washoe Tribe sawmill, asking for higher rate

Kelsey Penrose — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 20:03:41 +0000

by Kelsey Penrose

Carson City Supervisors discussed moving forward with a contract with the Washoe Development Corporation (WDC) for the diversion and use of around 71 million gallons of surface water from Clear Creek each year for use in the Tahoe Forest Products (TFP) saw mill, but asked for the lease to return with a higher price paid to the city.

The saw mill has long been a point of contention for nearby neighbors, a majority of whom do not approve of the mill. However, because the mill is on Washoe tribe owned land, neither Douglas County nor Carson City governments or citizens have a say in what can or cannot go onto the property.

According to WDC's Wendy Loomis, the site spans a total of 168 acres, and initially, TFP asked for a much larger site. However, following multiple environmental and cultural studies, the tribe offered a much smaller site of 37 acres.

Currently, Loomis said, TFP is utilizing Douglas County municipal water through fire hydrants, which she said is "not a good method."

The water is used to water down the logs waiting to be turned into lumber, so they do not become a fire hazard. The water used to "sprinkle" the logs is then caught by plastic and directed into a retaining pond on the site where it can be drawn from again and reused.

Loomis said WDC has three objectives for its projects: first, it must protect mother earth, second, it must create workforce development, and third, it must create some type of sustainable revenue that comes back to the tribe.

TFP is using trees destroyed in recent wildfires to turn into usable lumber which, Loomis said, is a benefit to the environment.

"Even though the bark was damaged, the wood is very usable," Loomis said.

They also have contracts with NV Energy and Douglas County who previously had to send trees to Oregon to be processed after they were cleared.

However, neighbors of the mill refute the project is a benefit to the environment.

Neighbor Susan Smock said contrary to Loomis's claim, there is not plastic down "all over" the site, and the term "sprinkles" is incorrect as water is streamed constantly over the logs.

She said that the logs coming in are covered in fire retardant from the fires, and can be seen sitting in the piles.

She said Loomis told neighbors the site would be digging its own well, which it has not done.

"What we were promised isn't what we got."

Neighbor Dawn Wood said the saw mill has effected her "tremendously." She said the site was clear cut in two days, destroying natural vegetation and ecosystems in the process. She said the smell from the rotting logs that have "water pouring all over them day and night" is causing a smell that is "like living in an untreated fish tank."

Wood said she has never seen them lay plastic. She also said that TFP should not be able to use water from the fire hydrants because if there is a fire in the neighborhood, there will be no pressure to put it out.

Horton said he did not believe the amount of water being used from the hydrant would have an affect on firefighting, unless there was a scenario of a "big commercial fire."

"If flow from one hydrant kills your flow, you've got a big humongous problem in your community," Horton said. "I don't know if the fire hydrant issue is relevant."

Bagwell said she was sorry for the neighbors, who are Douglas County residents, that they weren't able to have their voices heard during the initial approval of the project by the tribe. "I'm sorry you never had a public access to be put on the record, and I'm sorry we won't be able to solve some of your issues because it's not within our jurisdiction. But we care, we care about our neighbors."

Initially, the tribe asked the city for a ten-year contract as they would need to install infrastructure and pumps in order to divert water from the creek. However, the city negotiated it down to a five-year contract, with the option to agree to a second five-year contract if both parties agree.

According to Andy Hummel, utility manager for Carson City, the water is not currently usable to the city because there is no infrastructure to support it. To use it for drinking water, a treatment plant would need to be constructed nearby. The water has not been utilized by the city since the 1960s, when it was used to irrigate Fuji Park, which is now on municipal water.

"So even though we have the rights, it's not usable to us, because of the lack of infrastructure," Supervisor Lisa Schuette said.

Supervisor Maurice White claimed that the water is used to "flush wells" and it would be a mistake to lease the water, as it could provide an opportunity to clear out wells that are currently unusable due to nitrates.

However, as was pointed out by Supervisor Curt Horton who worked for public works for over 35 years, surface water has little effect on ground wells because it is very difficult to capture without infrastructure such as dams or retaining ponds.

Mayor Lori Bagwell asked if the nitrate well issue could be fixed within the next five years, the term of the agreement, and Hummel said no.

"Leasing water is a good idea - for the right price," Horton said. "There's nothing wrong with letting it run down the creek, but it's not going to cure or make a difference in the nitrate issue. Letting it go downstream, we're not getting nay benefit. This is an opportunity to make a little money."

However, Horton and other supervisors questioned if the price, proposed at $35,518 per year, or 50 cents per 1,000 gallons, was enough.

Mayor Lori Bagwell pointed out that tax payers are paying 75 cents per acre foot from Marlette Lake for drinking water, and said she would like to see the same price.

However, Hummel said, the reason behind the Marlette price is due to the extensive infrastructure needed to bring the water down, whereas the tribe would be funding the infrastructure cost to divert water from the creek.

Debbie Leonard, counsel for WDC, said the price was discussed and initially proposed by the city, not the tribe.

Giomi said leasing the water rights would have less of an environmental impact on the area, and the neighbors, than TFP digging their own well, which they are allowed to do with permission from the tribe. If they dug their own well, it could drain the aquifers of nearby residential wells, which neighbors are concerned about.

Bagwell asked Loomis why they had chose not to dig their own well.

Loomis said they decided not to because of the concerns from nearby residents, as well as potential environmental concerns to the aquifer.

Schuette said while there are issues residents are dealing with TFP, such as smell, hours of operation, trucks, etc., saying yes or no to leasing the water wouldn't have any effect on them.

Bagwell said the board would not approve the 50 cent lease, and would need a higher price. The city pays Minden 90 cents for the water brought into Carson City, and Bagwell said 75 cents to 90 cents was the "ballpark" they were searching for.

"If we're paying within that range, you'll be in that range, too," Bagwell said. "That's where we feel comfortable paying our own rate payers."

Bagwell asked for the resolution to return at the next meeting with a higher price. Loomis said she would need to discuss the cost with the tribe, as it would need to be beneficial to the tribe.

"We're not going to say 'okay we'll give you $5 per acre feet;' we need to make sure it's beneficial to both parties while also taking into consideration how it's going to impact the residences."

"And (90 cents) is something you guys will have to decide on," Giomi said.

The item will return before supervisors in two weeks.

Nevada Humane Society, Carson City’s Pet of the Week: Dream

Kelsey Penrose — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 14:38:23 +0000

Nevada Humane Society

This week's Pet of the Week is Dream. This beautiful boy is three years old and has a story of survival. He came to us in need of serious medical attention with deep wounds on his neck and cuts to his face and front legs.

With the immediate action of our clinic team, this guy was on the road to recovery. As the stress and pain of healing lessened, we started to see tail wags and a much more confident dog.

He was taking treats from our hands and this sweet guy knows sit! His healing journey was almost over with a final surgery, and now he is ready to find a happy home to call his own.

We've watched his personality shine through his trials and know someone is out there to help him continue on the road home.

After he first calmed down to our beautiful signing of "All I Have To Do Is Dream" by Everly Brothers, we knew then Dream had to be his name!

Let’s hear from Dream himself:

"I'm looking for a family to show me the love after all I've been through. I'm a survivor who is looking to experience new things with my family and work up to full speed. The team at NHS has slowly helped me take longer walks, play, and I can try playing in water when I'm fully healed. You'll fall in love with my friendly personality and sweet smile. I can make your Dream a reality! Come meet me today!"

We're also so excited to have started Pick of the Pack this year to help dogs like Dream. This is our largest fundraiser of the year and tickets enter you to win $15,000 or a BRAND NEW Toyota Corolla donated by Carson City Toyota. Tickets are available at both campus locations and online at https://nevadahumanesociety.org/pickofthepack/.

Fourth suspect arrested in Stagecoach Armed Robbery

admin — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 14:13:36 +0000

Lyon County Press Release

On August 19, 2024 the Lyon County Sheriff's Office Investigations Division, Major Crimes Unit identified 27 year old Reno, NV resident Thomas James Wilson as one of the two outstanding suspects in the armed robbery in Stagecoach, NV that occurred on August 17, 2024.

See our previous reporting on the incident here.

On August 27, 2024 an arrest warrant was issued for Wilson, charging him with Robbery with use of a Deadly Weapon, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and being a prior convicted felon in possession of a Deadly Weapon.

On September 2, 2024 Wilson was located and arrested in Reno, NV by the Nevada State Police, Parole and Probation Division, with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service. Wilson was booked into the Washoe County Jail and is currently awaiting extradition to Lyon County.

Anyone who has information regarding the above investigation may contact the Lyon County Sheriff's Office Investigations Division by email at detective@lyon-county.org or by phone at 775-
463-6600, reference Case Number 24LY03293.

Carson City Sheriff: Man arrested for attempted murder

Jeff Munson — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 01:54:01 +0000

Carson City Sheriff's Office

On Wednesday, at around 2:10 a.m., Carson City Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a male who arrived at the Carson Tahoe Hospital after being shot in the leg. Deputies located the crime scene in the 3400 block of Champion Drive in East Carson City.

The investigation continued through the night and into the day to identify Fernando Luna-Ortiz, 41, as the suspect in the shooting.

Luna is believed to have fled on foot, northbound on Mayflower Drive, immediately after the shooting, which occurred between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Luna was later located during a traffic stop and arrested at the intersection of Bel Aire and Mayflower at 10:33 a.m.

Investigators from the Carson City Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada Division of Investigation executed search warrants in the 3500 block of Otha Lane and 3400 block of Champion Drive. The crime scene was processed, and the firearm used in the shooting was recovered.

Luna is being held at the Carson City Jail on the following charges and bail:

1) Attempted Murder with a Deadly Weapon
2) Battery with a Deadly Weapon
3) Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm
4) Discharging a Firearm within City Limits
Luna is being held on $250,000 bond.

Additionally, the public is being asked to check their home surveillance cameras for the time of the shooting. Anyone with footage or further information on the incident is asked to call the Carson City Sheriff’s Office or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900 or secretwitness.com.

Registration underway for Carson City Early Childhood Partnership & Business Symposium

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 00:04:08 +0000

By Tiffany Olivas

The Carson Douglas Early Childhood Advisory Council is proud to invite community members to our first Carson City Early Childhood Partnership and Business Symposium.

Did you know that from birth to age 5, a child's brain develops more than any other time of life? It's true! While genetics may help, a young child's experiences in these important years can affect a child's brain development and can impact their future success.

The event will feature speakers discussing early childhood brain development, the latest data on Nevada's children, how to become a family-friendly employer, and the importance of fostering partnerships with early childhood programs to enhance the well-being of our community.

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 12 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Use this link here to register. Please note that space is limited so registration is required.

Funding for this event is provided by the Administration for Children and Families, ARP Discretionary Grant, through the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, Child Care Development Program to The Children’s Cabinet.

Carson City Emblem Club hosts 'Fantasy Fair' sale Friday and Saturday

Jeff Munson — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 23:28:52 +0000

By Carol Park

Carson City Emblem Club No. 507 will host its Fantasy Fair sale this Friday and Saturday at the Elks Lodge, 515 N. Nevada St.

The fair will be Friday, Sept. 6 from 2 to 6 p.m., and again Saturday, Sept. 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Featured will be gently used, upscale men's and women's dressy clothing, formals semi formals, business attire, jewelry, other accessories, dressy shoes/boots, small household or decorative items, art, picture frames, glassware, crystal, vases, serving pieces, seasonal decor, books, cookbooks and collectibles.

All proceeds will benefit Western Nevada Nursing Scholarships, Support animal welfare, Tinytoes Foundation (a foundation that assist parents of medically complex children).