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In 2010, McCall Realty of South Lake Tahoe pledged to donate $20,000 of annual profits to five non-profit organizations benefitting the youth of South Shore. Owner Thane McCall is fulfilling that promise by delivering final contributions to the South Lake Tahoe Police Activities League (PAL), which will use the funds for after-school programs including a boxing club, bike club, recreation outing group and various sports teams.

Courtesy of GrandViewOutdoors.com
On a sunny afternoon, 15 workers are waist deep in a half-acre pond, tromping through 46-degree water and dragging a 120-foot net to catch several hundred small fish.

The fingerling yellow perch are being pulled from the water to be part of studies of the small fish, which is being introduced as an alternate commercial species in Alabama.

By the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
This is a reminder that amateur and professional elk callers from across the United States will converge on Reno for the RMEF/Leupold World Elk Calling Championships, March 4-5, 2011.
Preliminary rounds begin March 4 at 9:00 a.m., and championship rounds begin March 5 at 9:00 a.m., at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center.
The championships are a centerpiece of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s annual Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo.

The CARD Nevada Autism Conference is hosted by the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), one of the world’s largest and most experienced organizations effectively treating children with autism, Asperger’s syndrome and related disorders.

The Carson City School District board meets tonight at 7 p.m. and will take up, among other things, a settlement agreement reached Feb. 8 with the U.S Department of Justice regarding policies of its English Language Learner programs. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William Street. Click here to watch it live, here for the agenda, and here for a story on the settlement agreement that was reached.

A settlement agreement with the U.S Department of Justice over the handling of its English Language Learner program will be discussed Tuesday when the Carson City School District board meets.

The Carson City Symphony, directed by David Bugli, will present a concert, "French Passion," on Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Carson City Community Center.
The concert features guest violinist Andrew Sords in a performance of Eduoard Lalo's "Symphonie espagnole." This all-French program, suitable for people of all ages, also includes Georges Bizet's "L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1" and Gabriel Faure's "Dolly Suite."
Pre-concert entertainment begins at 3 p.m. in the lobby and a Meet-the-Soloist preview begins at 3:15 p.m. in the Sierra Room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uLECuGK07U

Several people at yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting mentioned the generosity of Mae Adams for donating land to Carson City for the proposed Knowledge and Discovery Center and public plaza, the centerpiece of the City Center/Nugget Project.

I've heard some critics complain about this donation, which does little to bolster their case. Despite the unorthodox lease deal, it really is a donation we should be thankful to have the option of using for a new library.

But this donation does come with one very large and expensive string attached.

After a marathon meeting today, the Carson City Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to allow staff to begin negotiations on agreements to develop the City Center/Nugget Project.

But the project may face hurdles getting final approval, as two of those voting yes expressed concerns about the project.

Catch this show at Brewery Arts Center:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_59bZOQnng

This may be the biggest agenda for a Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting in a very long time. The three big items will be a proposed 14 percent property tax rate increase, the $4.5 million first phase of the Multi-Purpose Athletic Complex (MAC), then followed up by the Carson City Center/Nugget Project after lunch. (The full agenda is here)

If you don't have the free time to spend the entire day in the Sierra Room at the Community Center (and limited seating may be an issue), you can keep track of the fun with our live video feed right here. We'll also be liveblogging the meeting via Twitter, as there is sure to be a lot to comment on, so we invite people to join in.

As a warm-up for the Nugget Project discussion, here is a story from the Appeal about that issue, that lists a lot of commentary from locals about the project.

Update: The meeting is in recess until 2, when they take up the Nugget Project.

I received a call from the Builders Association of Western Nevada this afternoon about a big property tax increase the Carson City Board of Supervisors is going to vote on tomorrow.

The funny thing is, I read through the agenda last week and didn't see it. But it was easy to miss. It is number 15 on the agenda, and the language used gives very little clue as to what it is (the document is attached below).

With falling and blowing snow throughout Northern Nevada earlier today, troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol were kept busy by responding to several calls for service this morning, Trooper Chuck Allen reports.

In a six-hour timeframe between 4 am to 10 am, 19 motor vehicle accidents were investigated, 17 slides-offs or spin-outs were reported and the Department of Public Safety-Communications Center fielded 298 phone calls.

Here is the Fishing Report for the week of Feb. 16-23:

ALMANOR LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530) 365-7500 www.shastacascade.com reported:
Current water surface temperatures are at 35.5 degrees with water clarity at 7.5 feet. It has been sunny all week as forecasted. With the afternoon highs moving into mid to low 50s, and more sunshine is on the way, with the next possibility of some rain near mid week.

By The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is bringing the world elk calling championships, along with the annual convention and expo called “Elk Camp,” back to the Reno/Sparks Convention Center, March 3-6, 2011.


This year marks the 27th annual RMEF Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo—the organization’s largest annual fundraiser for its conservation programs.


By The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Amateur and professional elk callers from across the United States will converge on Reno for the RMEF/Leupold World Elk Calling Championships, March 4-5, 2011.


Preliminary rounds begin March 4 at 9:00 a.m., and championship rounds begin March 5 at 9:00 a.m., at the Reno/Sparks Convention Center.
The championships are a centerpiece of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s annual Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Business leaders from several large technology companies said today that Nevada lacks the skilled workforce necessary for them to locate in Nevada over the long-term.

Monday is Family Day at Carson Lanes. Bowling is just $1.50 per game, and Shoe Rental is $1.00. Alley's Diner also has $1.00 menu items. Arcade and Billiards also available. It's 80's night in the lounge with 80's music and videos. Also, new this week were trying out Beer Pong in the lounge (must be 21). Carson Lanes Retail Center is 100% Smoke FREE. Bring the whole family!! See us on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/f1mejp

I’ve been reading the BurnCards site for a while. It’s one of a thriving community of blogs that have sprung up around Reno. I don’t write about Reno much on this site, because there’s plenty of people doing that, but this article by Ken Manz really caught my eye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOTDn2A7hcY

For more than a year, the lack of firm details about the Nugget Project has been a major source of frustration to those trying to get their heads around this undertaking.

Without real numbers or plans, those arguing for or against struggled with hitting the moving target that is this project.

But that target just got a whole lot more stationary, as Carson City Manager Larry Werner released a 100+ page feasibility report (attached below) for the Board of Supervisors to use this week when a decision is made on whether to move forward with the project.

Carson City leaders will learn next week whether the proposed Carson City Center, also known as the Nugget Project, is financially viable and may vote on whether to move forward with development agreements.

Thursday's meeting of the Board of Supervisors is a culmination of many months of studies, public meetings, workshops and a citizen's advisory committee. Supervisors will hear the results and recommendations of the project at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17 in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center, 851 East William Street.

A midnight candy room with collections of sweet and salty treats for late-night creative sessions. A handcrafted ice bar buffet atop the mountain accessible only by snowshoe or ski followed by overnight camping in a snow cave. A chef escorting guests to the local organic grocer to assure specific dietary needs are met. What’s that, gluten free? No problem. Kosher? Got it nailed.
 

Organizers of the the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, the largest cycling event in North America, announced today the Stage 1 and Stage 2 race routes for Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe’s first-ever involvement in the race as the official Overall Start is Sunday, May 15 and begins at South Lake Tahoe at 6,300 feet, the highest start elevation in the six-year history of the competition. Stage 1 wraps up in North Lake Tahoe at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, with the Stage 2 Start taking place nearby at Squaw Valley USA on Monday, May 16.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noZSi7ccd08

Two guest speakers will be featured this month at the second Silver Springs social for families with military members and veterans.

The social will be held on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 11 a.m. at the Silver Springs Senior/Community Center, 2945 Fort Churchill Road in Silver Springs. The gathering is for Silver Springs and Stagecoach families of veterans, enlisted and reserve members, and for reserve, active duty, and veterans. It is open to anyone from Silver Springs and Stagecoach with a family member who is or has been in the military. Children are very welcome!

Story by Grand View Outdoors.com

Federal wildlife officials said Tuesday they have counted a total of 50 endangered Mexican wolves on the Arizona-New Mexico border, up from 42 wolves a year earlier.

The Fish and Wildlife Service's southwest regional director, Benjamin Tuggle, said the figure from last month's annual survey includes 29 wolves in Arizona and 21 in New Mexico.

Researchers determined there are two pairs of breeding wolves.

By the California Department of Fish and Game
Southern sea otters recently passed two grim milestones, report wildlife officials, demonstrating that the threatened marine mammal is not faring well in California waters.

According to a preliminary summary, 2010 broke the record for the number of southern sea otter carcasses recovered in one year, with a total of 304.

Here is the greater Northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe, Cascade and Northern California fishing report through Feb. 16, 2011.

BLUE LAKES AREA, CALIF:
Dave Kirby of the Woodfords Station (866) 694-2930 www.woodfordsstation.com reported: The road is closed for the winter.

CAPLES LAKE, CALIF:
John Voss of the Caples Lake Resort (209) 258-8888

This Saturday, Feb. 12, is the opening day of the 2011 fishing seasons for the following waters in Lyon County:

— The Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds, near Wabuska.
— Applicable open waters (Bass Pond, Beaver Slough, Crappie Pond, Hinkson Slough, North Pond and the Walker River), all on the Mason Valley Wildlife Management Area (MVWMA), near Yerington.

All of the waters listed above will close on Sept. 30. If you are interested in fishing at any of those waters on Opening Day, here is some miscellaneous information:

Fort Churchill Cooling Ponds:

Click here for live coverage of the Carson City School District board and click here for the agenda. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center.

Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey is offering a special presentation on youth violence prevention planning during its February gathering.