Legislature

Celebrate the holidays with a sleigh ride along the majestic shores of Lake Tahoe at Sand Harbor State Park. The unique handcrafted sleighs, drawn by mighty Belgian draft horses, accommodate four to six people and can be equipped with wheels to operate when there is no snow. Warm blankets and hot chocolate are provided, and caroling is encouraged.

The park restaurant will be open weekends for holiday drinks and snacks, with special meal and sleigh-ride packages available.

The trouncing Democrats took in November’s elections has opened fissures between their liberal wing, represented by New York Senator Charles Schumer, and their progressive wing, led by President Barack Obama.

Standing uneasily with a foot in each camp is Hillary Clinton. The tiff concerns Obamacare, and 20 years ago, she authored its forerunner, Hillarycare. Having lost both houses of Congress, the party of government (and Hillary) in 2016 may also lose the Presidency if it lacks a compelling message.

CARSON CITY, Nev.– A specialty Nevada license plate supporting safe bicycle and pedestrian programs is now available for purchase through the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.

The specialty plate displays a “Share the Road” message and bicycle and pedestrian image. The plates will cost an initial $61 and $30 for renewal. Proceeds of $25 per plate will provide grant money for non-profit and government organizations to plan and construct bicycle and pedestrian facilities, as well as support bicycle and pedestrian safety, education and other programs.

The Mile High Jazz Band and vocalists Cindee LeVal, Jakki Ford, June Joplin, and Scott LeVal, will be joined by Rita Geil and other award-winning poets and readers for an evening of big-band jazz and poetry on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., at Comma Coffee. General admission is $5 at the door, and free for age 18 and under.

Comma Coffee, 312 S. Carson Street, is across the street from the state legislature building in Carson City.

Here are final voting results as of 8:48 p.m.:

Carson City District Attorney
Mark Krueger: 6676 - 46.69%
Jason Woodbury: 7622 - 53.317%

Carson City Supervisor Ward 1
Karen Abowd: 8068 - 55.34%
Lisa Helget: 6510 - 44.66%

Carson City Supervisor Ward 2
Lori Bagwell: 7508 - 52.10%
John McKenna: 6903 - 47.90%

School Trustee District 1
Jim Bathgate: 5390 - 40.04%
Ron Swirczek: 8072 - 59.96%

School Trustee District 3
David W. Carter: 5647 - 42.97%
Stacie Wilke: 7495 - 57.03%

School Trustee District 4
Jeffrey Cherpeski: 4411 - 34.83%
Ryan Green: 8254 - 65.17%

Ballot Question Carson City 1:
Shall the Nevada Legislature amend the Carson City Charter to provide for nomination by ward only voting in ward-supervisor primary elections with an at-large general election run off between the two highest primary vote receivers in each ward?
Yes: 5443 - 36.1%
No: 9634 - 63.9%

The following races are not final:

Assembly District 40
Dave Cook (D): 5,196 - 30.81%
Philip “PK” O’Neill (R): 10,401 - 61.68%
John Wagner (IAP): 1,266 - 7.51%

State Senate District 16
John Everhart (IAP): 1,894 - 6.6%
Michael Kelley (DEM): 8,420 - 29.35%
Ben Kieckhefer (R): 18,378 - 64.05%

Statewide office results for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, U.S. House District 2, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Controller and other races and ballot questions can be found by clicking here.

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki invites fellow Nevadans to join him, Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Nevada 150 Commission for #NevadaSings, a state-wide simultaneous sing along of “Home Means Nevada.” On Thursday, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m., Nevadans will join together to demonstrate their state pride by singing a rendition of “Home Means Nevada” in an attempt to set the record for the most people in an American state to sing their state song at the same time.

Campaign follies? campaign ethics? WHAT campaign ethics?

We just shrug our shoulders, "that's politics; politicians lie." We chortle at the more outrageous excesses. The bigger the whopper, the more we are entertained. But alas, they keep doing it because it works.

I recently received an overly large mailer from PK O'Neill, a candidate for Assembly District 40. What he says is disturbing. He pontificates without solutions. He seems more concerned with cliches than real issues.

PK is not alone when making political claims. For another example, see Maizie Harris Jesse's letter “Candidates need to research lt.gov.job duties” in 17 October Nevada Appeal.

PK on the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS)

Pete Livermore, a longtime Carson City elected leader and business owner, died Monday at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. He was 73.

Livermore was a Nevada Assemblyman who decided this year that he would not seek re-election. He began in the Assembly District 40 on Feb. 7 2011. Before that, Livermore was a member of the Carson City Board of Supervisors, 1998-2010; was Mayor pro Tem, Carson City, 2004-2006.

Happy Friday, Carson City. Many people in our area have Facebook accounts, but not everyone, so I am pleased to bring you the event list that is featured on my Facebook page, I love Carson City.

Ballot Question number CC1, election of Carson City supervisors by ward in the primaries and at large in the general election.

Ballot Question 1, creating a Court of Appeals

The problem is that the Nevada Supreme Court is overwhelmed by appeals. But the proposed fix, detailed in Senate Bill 463 (2013), does not address the fact that the Court has no authority to decide which cases it will hear. Instead, Nevada must be just like everybody else, a “government of, by and for lawyers.”

Both problems have a simple, quintessentially conservative solution, proposed by Gary Schmidt, recently a candidate for State Senator from district 16 -- Tort Reform:

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki announced Wednesday one of the final Sesquicentennial initiatives and invited fellow Nevadans to join him, Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Nevada 150 Commission for NevadaSings, a statewide simultaneous sing-along of “Home Means Nevada.”

On Thursday, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m., Nevadans will join together to demonstrate their state pride by singing a rendition of “Home Means Nevada” in an attempt to set a record for the most people in an American state to sing their state song at the same time.

Nevada faces a critical shortage of mental health professionals. Hoping to generate discussion and money for mental health issues when Nevada lawmakers meet in 2015, the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities has issued a study: Mental Health Workforce: Shortages and Opportunities.

“Improving mental health services has become a top priority for Nevada’s Governor and Legislature,” said Victoria Carreón, Guinn Center director of Research and Policy.

Roof-top solar advocates are raising concerns about recommended changes to Nevada’s net metering policies that they say could discourage consumers from pursuing the alternative energy opportunities.

A draft order proposed by Public Utilities Commissioner David Noble recommends that the Nevada Legislature remove any statutory constraints on the commission’s authority to accurately assign net metering costs and benefits to the appropriate ratepayers.

Nordyke Ranch House in Lyon County, south of Yerington, was listed in the Nevada State Register of Historic Places on Sept. 12, 2014. As one of the few remaining buildings of the small ranching community of Nordyke, the ranch house stands as a visible reminder of Mason Valley’s agricultural development in the early 20th century.

The $5 billion Tesla battery factory deal sealed by Gov. Brian Sandoval and approved by a special session of the Legislature is a high-risk, high-reward project that could be a turning point for both the electric car company and Nevada as the state diversifies its economy and establishes itself as a leader in green energy.

But in the short term during the construction phase and with the planned hiring of 6,500 permanent workers, Tesla will put a strain on Northern Nevada where it will be built — from schools and roads to police and fire protection.

Directly across the street from the Nevada Legislature sits a small, painted-brick building.

To get there, lobbyists and lawmakers alike must run the gauntlet of a crosswalk across Highway 395, where cars may or may not stop for you.

Today, sitting in the sun outside the little brick building are two gleaming Tesla Model S sports cars.

You can follow live play-by-play coverage of the Nevada Legislature's consideration of the incentive package being offered to Tesla here.

The Nevada Legislature will be considering an unprecedented $1.3 billion tax incentive package for Tesla Motors this week. To focus attention on issues legislators should take into account while reviewing this proposal, the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities has released Development Incentives: A Guide for Nevada Legislators.

The plain news is that Tesla motors sealed a deal with Nevada to locate a major new plant in Reno. You'd think that would be good news, with major investment and thousands of permanent jobs for the area. People should be cheering. But it comes in exchange for major tax breaks. That’s the bad news. So, instead of cheering, some people are turning on the Governor and others. Some, like the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) are raising policy, legal and constitutional issues.

The Mile High Jazz Band with vocalists Sheryl Adams and Cindee LeVal will be joined by several poets and readers for an evening of big-band music and poetry on the theme "Light of Day." Each poem will be followed by a related big-band tune.

The event will be on Tuesday, September 9, 7:30-9:30 p.m., at Comma Coffee, 312 S. Carson Street, across the street from the state legislature building in Carson City. The event will be outdoors in the adjacent courtyard, weather permitting. Admission is $5 general and free for age 18 and under.

Tesla Motors has officially chosen Nevada as the location to build a $5 billion battery plant for its electric vehicle batteries.

“The gigafactory is an important step in advancing the cause of sustainable transportation and will enable the mass production of compelling electric vehicles for decades to come,” said CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk.

The tax incentive package assembled by Gov. Brian Sandoval to woo Tesla's gigafactory is unprecedented in size and scope for the state of Nevada and is one of the largest in the country.

The overall value to Tesla is estimated to be $1.25 billion over 20 years — a figure that is more than double the $500 million package CEO Elon Musk said would be required to draw the company. If the deal is approved by the Nevada Legislature, Tesla will operate in the state essentially tax free for 10 years.

Take a Super Full Moon lit hike next Monday and learn some of the backlit history of the Washoe Valley. This is an easy one mile round-trip hike north of Carson City to the gazebo on the Deadman’s Creek trail at the start of the third "Super Moon" of the year.

Words become pictures, framed art in their own right, as poetry and prose by beloved local writers are exhibited at the Nevada Arts Council’s OXS Gallery in Carson City. In “Words + Images: Broadsides from the Black Rock Press,” 34 one-sided printed pages show the work of noted authors, produced with handset type and relief plates. The exhibit runs Sept. 8 to Oct. 31.

CARSON CITY — A panel of lawmakers on Tuesday voted to draft legislation that would reduce the reliance on student test performance for a new teacher evaluation system from 50 percent to 40 percent.

Are you looking for a way to enjoy your Sunday afternoons? The Jazz & Beyond: Carson City Music Festival is offering free concerts in the Legislative Plaza between the State Capitol and the Legislature Building in Carson City on three Sundays: Aug. 3, Aug. 10, and Aug. 17, 2014.

The Jazz and Beyond Festival, Aug. 1-17 in Carson City, embraces numerous artists and highlights various venues in and around the Capital City and includes such genres as: Bluegrass, Blues, Middle-Eastern music and much more.

The styles of musical interpretations are as unique as the settings — offering exciting experience for all to enjoy. Last year, the festival featured 60 performances and over 100 performers. Event Promoters expect to once again exceed the expectations of attendees with an amazing lineup.

The Comstock History Center presents “One Is Silver, the Other Is Gold: Celebrating 25 Years of Nevada Folklife Apprenticeships” featuring 22 visual artists who have received grant support from the Nevada Arts Council as master or apprentice artists in a variety of folk traditions.

Each recognized master is encouraged to work with one or more dedicated apprentices so that their traditional art forms and personal contributions endure.