Governor

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak will hold a press conference today, Monday, at 5 p.m. to provide an update on Nevada’s COVID-19 response efforts. The press conference will be inside the Old Assembly Chamber of the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City.

Nevada lawmakers are convening for a special session to address a long list of policy topics ahead of their regularly scheduled session early next year.

To help readers understand where bills stand in the sometimes chaotic world of the Legislature, The Nevada Independent is maintaining this viewer’s guide with brief overviews and status updates on the measures.

In line with his announcement made on Monday, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced he signed Emergency Directive 029 extending previously issued directives that were set to expire on July 31, 2020.

Gov. Steve Sisolak has formally called on legislators to convene in Carson City for a second special session of the summer focused on a wide range of policy issues.

The governor issued an official proclamation on Thursday evening calling for the special session to begin Friday, with language requesting the session wrap up by midnight on Friday, Aug. 7.

School districts in the Northern Nevada area are putting plans in place for students to safely return to the 2020-21 school year.

A new directive by the state of Nevada requires school districts to submit three reopening plans for the upcoming school year. The three plans include one for complete in-person instruction, one for hybrid instruction and one for all-distance learning.

Bonnie Bulla, who was appointed to Department 3 of the Nevada Court of Appeals by Governor Steve Sisolak in February 2019, and is running to retain that seat in the November general election, will be the featured speaker at Monday's virtual Democratic luncheon. She is opposed by Susan Bush, a Las Vegas attorney in private practice.

Small businesses struggling to pay rent during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may soon have a lifeline: a new state-run, federally funded commercial rent assistance grant program that will pay up to $10,000 to help prevent evictions.

The Carson City School Board voted Tuesday in favor of the reopening plan proposed by the school district with a 4-3 vote, which includes pushing the starting date to Aug 24, with a few alterations from the original plan.

CARSON CITY — Nevada motorists who have been unable to make an appointment at DMV offices before their expiration date will benefit from two new initiatives announced by the Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday.

Gov. Steve Sisolak is rolling back orders to close bars in three rural counties but keeping closure orders in place in Las Vegas and Reno, while signaling a new emphasis on interventions that are narrowly tailored to noncompliant businesses and hotspot regions rather than entire industries.

CARSON CITY — Undeterred by nation’s prevailing real-world biological hazard of coronavirus, the Nevada National Guard’s 92nd Civil Support Team was declared fully trained and validated by U.S. Army North evaluators at the conclusion of the “Quenching Steel” exercise July 23 here in the Silver State’s capital. The results of the evaluation were released July 24.

Governor Steve Sisolak will hold a press conference today to provide an update on Nevada’s COVID-19 response efforts.

CARSON CITY — On Monday, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed into law the final bills of the 31st Special Session of the Nevada Legislature.

Lawmakers finalized hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to state agencies on Sunday, adjusting a budget that is set to lose a quarter of the revenue previously projected because of the pandemic and wrapping up a protracted session marked by false starts and delays.

CARSON CITY — Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak released the following statement Sunday regarding the second special session of the Nevada Legislature:

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Monday released a detailed look at federal funding that has flowed into Nevada so far to help battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered all counties in California to close indoor restaurants, bars, movie theaters and wineries as the state combats a surge in coronavirus cases. A list of 30 counties has further restrictions.

A local parent has started a petition to open Carson City schools in August and will present the petition at the Tuesday, July 14 meeting of the Carson City School District Board of Trustees.

Yesterday evening, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced bars, pubs, taverns, distilleries, breweries, and wineries that don’t serve food in certain Nevada counties must close effective 11:59 p.m. today to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the State.

Today, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the elevated disease transmission criteria for determining whether a county must revert back to Phase 1 for bars, in addition to the seven counties that meet that criteria.

Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered the first major rollback of the state’s business reopening plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic by ordering bar closures in counties with spiking caseloads and limiting restaurant dining to parties of no more than six people.

More than a hundred teachers, parents and community members took to Carson Street in Carson City on Wednesday to protest proposed budget cuts to education.

CARSON CITY — By executive order, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered the flags of the United States and the State of Nevada to be flown at half-staff at the State Capitol and state public buildings and grounds from sunrise until sunset on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 as a mark of solemn respect and in remembrance of Nevada Highway Patrol Sgt. Ben Jenkins, whose funeral is being held today in Elko.

Nevada lawmakers will convene on Wednesday morning for the first time since mid-2019 for what is expected to be a painful special session cutting $1.2 billion out of the state’s budget.

While it was a question as to whether the Farmer’s Market this year would be able to go on in the world of COVID-19, now it is showing that its safety standards are outdoing grocery stores, making it the safest place to shop for produce in Carson City.

Gov. Steve Sisolak has released a proposal ahead of a special legislative session slated to begin Wednesday in Carson City that would slash and shift hundreds of millions of dollars from agency budgets and other programs to close an estimated $1.2 billion shortfall caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Today, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak issued a statement in regards to reported compliance numbers from the Division of Industrial Relations Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Of the 204 businesses observed by the State on July 2, 49 percent complied with the face covering requirements. Fifty percent of bars and restaurant bar areas visited by officials were found to be in compliance, with the remaining establishments including automobile sales and maintenance, gyms, hair and nail establishments, and tattoo shops demonstrating a 61 percent rate of compliance.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Wednesday that he is planning to begin a special session in Carson City to address the State’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget on Wednesday, July 8. The planned date of the session was determined after coordinating with legislative leadership.

There’s been a lot of confusion and discussion since Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak mandated that everyone must wear a face covering while in public, and one of the points of confusion was which agency is handling reports of non-compliant businesses.

The Brewery Arts Center in Carson City is continuing to monitor the latest developments about COVID-19. To comply with the mandate of Governor Sisolak, we are canceling the 2020 Levitt concert series to help lessen the spread of the virus. It is imperative that we act according to the directives of the government, public health authorities, and medical professionals.

UPDATE: As of 1 p.m., Storey County Commissioners announced that the 4th of July fireworks are cancelled. The cruise will continue as planned.Click here for the update.

While the annual Fourth of July firework shows began to be cancelled throughout the Silver State in May, Virginia City has opted for a social distancing celebration.