Good News

Normally at this time of year I would be reminding folks to water trees if we haven’t had significant precipitation. Watering now would be an exercise in futility. I’m writing this after 24 inches of snow fell at our house, then three to five inches of rain, followed by another inch of snow, with no end in sight.

A month after the November 2018 election, I wrote an analysis of the results of recent statewide elections. From total statewide voter turnout data, I came to one clear conclusion: 2014 was the outlier year and the most recent results were quite in line with the long-term trends in Nevada.

For those weary from all the snow around Carson City so far this month, about the only good news to share is that your weekend is here and there's plenty to do indoors if winter recreation isn't your thing.

From workshops to live music, a skate demo at The WheelHouse and even a special "Caturday Night Out" at the Carson Nugget to help homeless felines in the area, there are places to go around Carson City where you can keep warm, stay dry and have fun!

Well, Carson City, here we are at the end of another work week. And if you love to play in the snow on weekends, then there's good news on its way.

A chance for more white stuff is in the forecast for our area starting later Friday afternoon through Sunday.

When thinking about investments and retirement goals, many people think about owning rental properties. After all, they pay for themselves, right? They can be excellent additions to a savings and investment portfolio, but there are also risks. Here are the things to consider.

First off, the good news
If you are considering purchasing a rental property, just about all of your expenses are tax deductible (unless you rent to family members). Your mortgage loan interest, property taxes, and maintenance expenses are all allowable deductions. Your accountant may find other deductions for you as well, such as a 27-year depreciation rule.

UPDATED WITH VIDEO LINK: Here is the State of the City address delivered Wednesday by Carson City Mayor Robert "Bob" Crowell. The annual presentation highlights activity and successes within city government in 2018 and goals put forward to accomplish this year.

This is the second in a series of columns summarizing my Controller’s Annual Report (CAR) for fiscal year 2018 (FY18). Based on the state’s official books and records, the CAR provides Nevada citizens, officials and others summaries of key facts, data, analysis and issues addressing Nevada’s fiscal condition and policy challenges.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – A routine review process by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium identified a question where student performance didn’t appear in line with expectation. A deeper analysis by the Smarter Balanced staff resulted in the removal of the question from 8th grade math. The result is all students that answered the question saw their performance increase. Moreover there was no material change to any school ratings.

Good day Carson City and Happy Thanksgiving. Today is Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018. With the arrival of this festival day of feast, family, friendship and thanks, Mother Nature delivered valley rain and Sierra snow overnight. Gusty winds are expected later this afternoon. This morning appears to be in between weather systems, which is good news for those headed to the Governor's Mansion for the annual Turkey Trot. It may be soggy, but not heavy on the rain side.

We are pruning pine, incense cedar and spruce trees now. Some have branches hanging in the way of the driveway or gates. Others have dead or dying branches. We had delayed pruning until after a hard freeze to reduce the possibility for beetle attacks.

Courtesy of a grant from the Lake Tahoe-based Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation, homeless pets in Northern Nevada, including right here in Carson City, can find their forever homes with waived adoption fees.

Former Nevada Wolf Pack golfer Kaleb Gorbahn of Reno shot a 3-under 69 for an 8-under 280 total to grab second place behind field leader Lorens Chan in the final round of Stage One Web.com Tour Qualifying held at Dayton Valley Golf Club.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Division of Insurance has posted the approved 2019 health insurance rates for all plans in the Individual Health Insurance Market.

Good morning Carson City, today is Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. We may get a chance to see something we haven't in a while: Rain showers. The National Weather Service says there's a 30 percent chance today and 70 percent chance Wednesday. Good news for our rather parched city. Among today's featured events are a morning walk and evening hike, a Pony Express celebration in Silver Springs, a viewing of the Hitchcock classic "Rear Window" and more.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14. It is estimated that about 1,180 children under the age of 15 will die from cancer in 2018.

It was a full house on Thursday evening in the Bristlecone room at Carson Tahoe Health in Carson City. The subject matter, dementia, affects many who care for aging family members. While the world is still searching for a cure, the good news is dementia research has hit record levels of funding and support in our country.

Housing should not be a privilege afforded only by those who can pay for it.

Shelter actually meets the physiological need for warmth as well as the emotional need for safety and security, per renowned American psychologist Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid.

Today's column features good news and bad news. The bad news is Labor Day is now behind us and we must re-adjust to a regular two-day weekend again. But therein lies the good news. Another weekend has arrived, and you'll find plenty of ways to enjoy your time off.

Because of the historic inventory shortage, competition for homes has been steep, and prices have been rising sharply in markets across the country as a result.
But according to a recent report, it looks like that’s (finally) starting to change, spelling good news for buyers.

According to recent data from Zillow, 14% of all listings in the United States had a price cut in June 2018, and since the start of the year, the share of listings in the US that had a price cut increased by 1.2 percentage points—the largest January-to-June increase since Zillow started collecting data.

Primary and secondary education (K-12) has been the second fastest growing category of Nevada state spending over the past decade, rising from $1.24-billion in fiscal year 2006 (FY06) to $2.22-billion in FY17. It grew 33 percent faster than the incomes of Nevada families and businesses.

Western Nevada College is offering a new opportunity to study a foreign language for the upcoming fall semester.
Japanese 111, a four-credit language course, will be available to students on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 6:45 p.m. on the Carson City campus.

The housing inventory crisis—which, according to Realtor.com’s recent Housing Shortage Report, is the worst inventory shortage in the United States in over two decades—hasn’t been an easy time for people on the market for a new home. The low inventory and the intense competition for available homes has driven up prices in markets across the country, making it difficult for potential buyers to find and buy property.

Has your air conditioner ever failed on a hot summer day? It’s a struggle no homeowner wants to deal with. When you own a home it’s important to budget annually for repairs that might be needed and anticipate when things might need to be replaced. If you take care of your home, your appliances and fixtures should last longer. This means keeping them clean, performing regular maintenance and preventing unnecessary wear. Even the most well-kept homes will need repairs at some point and it helps to know how long you should expect your items to last.

Advanced tickets for the 2018 Taste of Downtown, one of Carson City's largest signature outdoor events of the year, are now on sale.

Bob Parkerson started smoking cigarettes when he was 15 years old. So, four years ago when his cardiologist recommended he quit, Parkerson, then 72, was skeptical he’d be able to.

Carson City Manager Nick Marano announced Thursday at the Board of Supervisors meeting that he would not renew his contract, which will expire June 2, and has accepted a position in the private sector.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month nationwide and throughout Nevada. In Carson City, volunteers recently planted hundreds of blue and silver pinwheels on the front lawn of the Nevada Legislature to bring awareness to child abuse across the Silver State.

A comprehensive housing study released Wednesday by the Nevada Rural Housing Authority breaks down Carson City's housing shortage as it stands today, but several new developments either underway or being planned in Carson City should put a dent into the demand, said NRHA Deputy Director Bill Brewer.

Shed antler season has begun around the West with one Carson City outdoorsman having found the antlers of a very large buck known locally as the "King of Carson."

While Carson City Library staff members are celebrating being a finalist for the nation’s most prestigious library award, they are also taking note of how they got here.