Legislature

Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties sponsors Stand Tall teams in four high schools and one middle school in the Lyon County School District.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Legislature set a fast pace in its first week, beginning with a historic moment in the Assembly, political puffery in the Senate and committee hearings out of the starting block.

Holy moly, water everywhere. It’s not a bad idea to stay close to Carson City tonight. There's live music with Brother Dan at Living the Good Life, comedienne Kat Simmons at the Carson Nugget, or the documentary on Bill Cunningham at the Nevada State Museum that may be enough to tempt you out. Please be careful, drive safely, and keep an umbrella handy. Keep your fingers crossed this storm passes quickly – a full moon and lunar eclipse at sunset are visible to those without cloudy skies.

FRIDAY:

I just keep telling myself that the spring flowers will be amazing this year, but honestly, I’m growing weary of all this rain. Several of our hiking and bike trails have been affected, the sports fields are a muddy mess, and we are still in danger of more flooding.

As the Nevada Legislature resumes session this week, Carson City District Attorney Jason Woodbury and other officials are looking for clarification how to implement the legalization of recreational marijuana, which was approved by Nevada voters in November’s election.

The week is moving along and we are getting closer to Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget to make reservations for dinner with your sweetheart. If your loved one is an art lover, take a look inside the new Wild Horse Gallery at the Carson Mall: their grand opening is this evening. Artist Eric Holland is featured at the Rinckel Mansion and will be present for a reception tonight. Grab your thinking cap and your smartest friends for Geeks Who Drink trivia at Westside Pour House. Vocalist Jakki Ford is the guest vocalist for the jazz jam at Living the Good Life.

WEDNESDAY:

The 79th regular session of the biennial Nevada Legislature began Monday morning, drawing dozens of lawmakers, their staff and a crowd of lobbyists to Carson City for the next 120 days to vote on bills and craft a budget for the state's 2017-19 biennium.

It’s going to be a great Tuesday, Carson City. Parks and Recreation sponsors their weekly ‘Easy Walk’ along Kings Canyon Trail. Although, if the rain continues to fall, the walk will take place at our new Multi-Purpose Athletic Center. Capital City Art Initiative celebrates the artists of Western Nevada College this evening, and then welcomes Phyllis Shafer for an illustrated discussion of her work. The Carson City Classic Cinema Club shows off a young Elizabeth Taylor tonight in the 1954 romantic drama ‘The Last Time I Saw Paris.’

TUESDAY:

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Reno artist Lisa Kurt named her artwork display at the Nevada Legislature building “a subtle story.” In her acrylics and mixed media, she features people, animals and creatures in mysterious settings, incorporation nature and the unexpected. Containing traces of nostalgia and melancholy, her work focuses on themes of childhood, nature, stories, allegory and dreams.

Welcome to an everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know and things-you-didn’t-even-know-you-needed-to-know primer on the Legislature, the never-boring 120-day bill-making stint energized by 63 state lawmakers, hundreds of staffers, more than 1,000 lobbyists, and lots of citizen witnesses and advocates. And the governor.

A hearty welcome to the members of the 2017 Legislature and their staff. You have a busy 120 days ahead of you, but don’t forget to enjoy what Carson City has to offer you while you’re here. I hope you remembered to bring an umbrella; this week will be rainy.

Carson City Assemblyman Al Kramer has requested five bills for the upcoming Legislature including two that deal with issues at Clear Creek.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has said he is dedicated to transforming the Silver State into a leader for providing services to United States military veterans.

About a dozen military veterans and their families were honored Wednesday afternoon at Sierra Place Senior Living in Carson City by the state of Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NVDS) and the Municipality of Carson City.

Recently, we’ve discussed overall state spending and revenues, and in coming weeks we’ll review the spending and performance in major areas such as education and health and social services. So, it’s timely and appropriate to answer the question: How has the controller’s office done at managing its own spending and delivering services to Nevadans?

The 2015 Nevada Legislature passed Gov. Brian Sandoval’s sweeping education reform package that included 25 bills and an investment of $343 million to prepare students to meet the demands of the new Nevada economy.

Here is the 2017 State of the State presented by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.

The Mile High Jazz Band is canceling its performance tonight (Jan. 10) due to weather conditions affecting several of the performers. However, a combo consisting of several members of the Millennium Bugs and a number of guest performers will perform starting at 7:30 p.m., at Comma Coffee, 312 S. Carson Street, across the street from the state legislature building in Carson City.

Carrying on its mission to create a healthier community, Partnership Carson City distributed about $1 million last year to community agencies and disposed of unused or expired prescription drugs during two annual drug roundups.

Swing into the New Year with the Mile High Jazz Band at "Cool Jazz in January," a big-band event with vocalists Jakki Ford and Cindee LeVal, at Comma Coffee on Tuesday, January 10, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Comma Coffee, 312 S. Carson Street, is across the street from the state legislature building in Carson City. General admission is $5 at the door; free for age 18 and under.

Carson City bicycle and pedestrian advocates were recently recognized by the Nevada Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board at its 14th annual awards program.

Donna Inversin of Muscle Powered and Jeremy Vican of Carson Valley Trails Association were selected as advocacy and advocates of the year; Carson City Visitor Bureau Executive Director Joel Dunn was picked in the division of Trails Association Event Planning Promotion for his work organizing Epic Rides and Cortney Bloomer, organizer of Western Nevada Safe Routes to School, was honored with a Special Achievement award for her work.

Start the day making something beautiful. The Muscle Powered Trash Mob descends upon our new downtown for some clean-up and coffee. Kids will enjoy the Tales and Wags program at the Library where they get to read to therapy dogs and acquire a new book in the process. It’s a Carson/Douglas Army/Navy rivalry as the JROTC programs hit the field at Carson High for a game of flag football. Keep reading and you’re sure to find something that sounds fun.

SATURDAY:

Many people in Carson City have had an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful pedestrian and bicycle friendly downtown corridor since it officially opened Oct. 28. With its wide sidewalks and bike lanes, downtown Carson City is something we all can be very proud of. Let’s show everyone that we love our new downtown corridor by doing our part and keeping it clean.

Charlie Abowd’s mother was more than a savvy restaurateur. She was a game changer.

He credits her with setting standards that his restaurant, Cafe at Adele’s, has become renowned for in Carson City.

Come out on Election Night for an evening of big-band music with vocalist Jakki Ford at Comma Coffee on Tuesday, November 8, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Comma Coffee, 312 S. Carson Street, is across the street from the state legislature building in Carson City. General admission is $5 at the door; free for age 18 and under.

Last week we discussed the state ballot measure that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Nevada. We have mixed views on that issue, but there are three other important state ballot questions we oppose.

Question 1 would require background checks for almost all gun sales or transfers. That might sound harmless enough or maybe even beneficial to some folks. But it’s quite the opposite.

Roads and highways play a vital role in a community's ability to function safely and efficiently. A healthy transportation system has the added benefit of encouraging economic growth and a financially strong community.

Carson City has been struggling to maintain its roadway system for decades and in numerous public meetings held this year under the auspices of the Transportation Resource Advisory Forum for Carson City (TRAFCC) it was apparent that without new sources of revenue, the community will fall only further behind on maintaining our streets in a serviceable condition.

I attended all the pre-election forums at the BAC performance hall, and found myself a little bit confused by Republican Assembly candidate Al Kramer's position on background checks for non-FFL firearm purchases. At the forum, I thought I heard Al say he supported universal background checks, by which I assume he meant that he'd be willing to vote for such a bill were he elected as our Assemblyman.

Every two years, the Cato Institute in Washington, DC ranks the recent changes in state fiscal policies to give readers an understanding of the trends prevailing in each state. Last week, Cato released its newest Fiscal Report Card, and Nevada fares poorly.

Of the 50 states plus Washington, DC, Nevada ranks 47th due to its unfavorable shifts in tax rates and spending in the last legislative session.
Study author Chris Edwards notes that large unfunded liabilities for public-employee pensions and ballooning Medicaid costs are putting upward pressure on state budgets.

Trick-or-treating in the Nevada state capital will occur on Halloween night — Monday, October 31 — this year, according to the Carson City Manager’s Office.