July

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Tax Commission today agreed to undertake a review of the exemptions granted mining companies to ensure the proper amount of taxes are being paid by the industry to the state and county governments.
The request for the review came from Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, acting in the capacity as a private citizen, using a state law to request the commission to undertake an emergency rule-making process.

The Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey hosts special speakers during public meetings held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 9am at the Silver Springs Community Center at 2945 Ft. Churchill Road. Each meeting also includes resource sharing, updates and discussion on issues of regional importance such as health and wellness, substance abuse prevention and recovery, education, workforce development, etc. On May 12, the featured speakers will be from the Tobacco Cessation Helpline.

The Silver City Community Partners, formerly known as the Silver City Task Force, has announced a full summer schedule of community events and programs. The tightknit community of Silver City works together to offer a free summer youth program, monthly community dinners, cultural events, a volunteer library, cooking lessons, and a community garden.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY — Gov. Brian Sandoval has created a task force charged with reviewing executive branch advisory bodies.
The governor has asked three former state senators to identify, evaluate and recommend whether groups created by former governors or state agencies should continue.

The Second part of the two part lecture on America's effort to put a man on the Moon. In this presentation Mike Thomas addresses the epic story of the Apollo Eleven Mission, which landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon in July, 1969. This is a "don't miss" program, especially for the younger generation who may not be familiar with this historic event.The lecture is on May 14, from 6:30 to pm. Information: 775-445-3240

Nevada's minimum wage and daily overtime requirements that will take affect this summer will go unchanged from last year, according to bulletins released today by Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek.

Again, effective July 1, rates will remain $7.25 per hour for employees whom qualifying health benefits have been made available to them by the employer; and $8.25 per hour for all other employees.

This article is from AroundCarson.com

Every summer Minden throws a series of concerts in Minden Park, under the bandstand. It’s a good excuse for the community to get together, have a picnic, and listen to some music.

By the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Anglers can look forward to another promising steelhead season on the Columbia River and its tributaries this year, based on a forecast released recently by a team of state, federal and tribal biologists.

From a region with a crystal-blue famed lake to a state of 10,000 of them, non-stop daily service to Minneapolis, Minn., from Reno-Tahoe International Airport will begin July 1, airport officials announced today.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A two-hour review by the full Senate today of Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed two-year, $5.8 billion general fund budget spent a lot of time on what his spending plan could mean well into the future.

By the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has set the 2011 sport halibut seasons for the Oregon Coast.

Oregon halibut anglers will enjoy slightly more fishing opportunity in 2011 thanks to a 12 percent increase in the harvest quota set by the International Pacific Halibut Commission, according to Gway Rogers-Kirchner, ODFW marine fishery manager.

Courtesy of GrandViewOutdoors.com
A caribou herd shared by Alaska and northwest Canada has rebounded after a near one-third decline, according to a photo census announced by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

State biologists said the Porcupine Caribou Herd has grown to an estimated 169,000 animals.

"People on both sides of the Alaska-Canada border are pleased,'' said Jason Caikoski, an assistant area biologist.

Courtesy of www.GrandViewOutdoors.com
On a July evening a few years ago, a massive bull moose wallowed belly-deep in a small stream in the canoe country north of Ely. Facing the other direction, he had no idea a canoe was silently slipping up behind him. He kept dipping for the stems of water lilies and chewing them in the rich evening light.

We approached so closely that the 17-year-old in the bow of the canoe began backpaddling. He looked over his shoulder and shot me a silent glance that told me we were too close to that moose.
He probably was right.

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
Sometime in mid-March the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) will release the last load of rainbow trout for the agency’s annual stocking season at Lake Mead and Lake Mohave.

But unlike years past, the release of these final truckloads of fish will mark more than the end of a trout stocking season.

They will mark the end of an era, the end of NDOW trout stocking efforts along the Lower Colorado River.

By Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong
Reported crimes in Carson City hit its lowest point during February since the Sheriff’s Office began collecting and analyzing the trends. There were 112 incidences of major crimes, such as homicide, rape, robbery, burglary and theft. There were 122 less severe crimes reported in the community for the same period. In total, the 234 reported crimes is 22 percent less than any monthly rate previously reported since collection began. The previous low for any month was 294 incidences.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval is seeking significant changes to Nevada’s public employee pension plan in the 2011 legislative session to reduce the ongoing and long-term financial cost of the benefit to the state and taxpayers.
But if he wants fundamental change, he might look to the state university system’s retirement plan for faculty.

CARSON CITY – A Republican state senator has proposed his own idea for job creation: A break on the modified business tax for new employees hired by employers after July 1, 2011.
Sen. James Settelmeyer, R-Gardnerville, said Senate Bill 199 would exempt new employees hired by Nevada businesses from the tax as an incentive to add workers to their payrolls. Co-sponsors include five other Republican lawmakers. The measure was introduced Monday.

Recent indicators show tourism at Lake Tahoe South Shore is improving, according to the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.

December occupancy was up three percent compared to last year (Smith Travel Research). The No. 1 ski destination in the U.S. (Rand McNally 2011; TripAdvisor 2010) has seen a rise of 1.7 percent through Reno-Tahoe International Airport since July; 14 percent more skiers and snowboarders on the slopes, increased bookings over holiday weekends, and advance reservations for summer.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval will propose a change to the retirement system for new state employees that would reduce their current pension benefits by one half and cut the long-term liability for taxpayers by the same amount, his chief of staff said today.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors this week will consider whether to hire a special deputy district attorney to represent the public works department after a construction firm contracted to do $1.9 million in work has claimed overriding costs of $1.7 million.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada residents bear the second lowest state and local tax burden of any state at 7.5 percent, behind only Alaska at 6.3 percent, according to a new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation.

The UC Davis’s Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) in partnership with the Tahoe Expedition Academy (TEA) will host the sixth annual Science Expo on March 16.

The fair features interactive experiments and demonstrations for children from the third to sixth grade, ages 8 to 12 and their families. The event is free and will run from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Incline Village. Ice cream will be provided by Susie Scoops of Incline Village and UC Davis TERC.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – State senator Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, has had enough of percentages.
Just the numbers, please, was his basic request at a Senate Finance committee meeting this past week as various state agencies delivered their budget reports.

CARSON CITY – State Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, told a Senate panel today the Legislature should move forward with repealing the state’s minimum wage law.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Legislators have done this week what the cynical among us would never have expected: they got right to work.
The chatter in the hallways at 401 S Carson Street has revolved around the fast pace legislators seem to be setting during their first week in session. Legislators are already listening to testimony about bills. Legislative leaders are already rolling out big jobs bills.

By the California Department of Fish and Game
From nuisance black bears and increasing salmon numbers to automated license sales and poaching arrests, 2010 was a busy year for the California Department of Fish and Game.

A popular new reality show airing on the National Geographic Channel, “Wild Justice,” is capturing some of the department’s doings, but far more happens behind the scenes.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY — The director of Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles had a surprising announcement for Nevada’s motorists yesterday.
Bruce Breslow, the DMV’s new director, said that the department has had no effective way to tell who has insurance and who doesn’t.

Carl Kuhl, a state Parole and Probation employee of six years, has created a plan that he claims will eliminate Nevada's budget deficit within two years.

In a news release issued on Tuesday, Kuhl said his plan not only will reduce the budget deficit but also help repair Nevada's economy at the same time. It is a pretty big claim, he admits, coming from an Accounting Assistant I, an entry level position.

Carson City and Carson Valley casinos saw a 2.57 percent increase in gaming win in November, the state gaming control board reports this morning. Statewide gaming numbers, however, decreased by nearly 5.9 percent over last year.

Elsewhere nearby, Washoe County saw sharp declines, with Reno gaming numbers dropping by nearly 21 percent and Sparks by nearly 15 percent, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reports.

At Lake Tahoe, Stateline casinos saw a 5.25 percent decrease in gaming win in November, with North Tahoe casinos seeing a 7.7 percent decrease.

Plans to install solar panels at five Carson City schools can proceed on schedule, a district court judge ruled today.

Carson City District Court Sr. Judge Deborah Agosti said it was her opinion that the Carson City School District acted within the scope of the law when it came to a joint bid opportunity with the city of Sparks to install the panels.

On Monday the Northern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council filed a petition in Carson City District Court to stop progress on the nearly $11 million project.