Partnerships

The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health launched two new Nevada-specific websites Tuesday to help schools protect students from sexual assaults on college campuses.

The websites, www.preventsexualviolenceNV.org and www.stepupstopviolence.org, define sexual assault and consent and offer approaches for individuals, students, and community members to safely intervene when observing a potentially high-risk situation.

CARSON CITY - Eight Airmen from the Nevada Air National Guard joined 160 people from seven nations Monday to provide humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Tonga as part of Operation Pacific Angel-Tonga.

The mission will continue until July 26. Tonga is Nevada National Guard's partner in the National Guard's State Partnership Program, the Department of Defense program that links a state's National Guard with the armed forces or equivalent of a partner country in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship.

Carson City Ward 4 Supervisor Jim Shirk gives an update on the latest city government news, provides an update on board action from its June 5, 2014 meeting and looks ahead when supervisors meet again.

Douglas County advocate and activist JoEtta Brown of Gardnerville was elected executive vice president of the Alliance for Retired Americans at the recent Alliance for Retired Americans national membership convention in Las Vegas.

Preparations underway for third annual Legends of the West Bike and Car Fest in Carson City over Father's Day weekend.

The motorcycle and car festival will be June 13-14, 2014 with events, contests, live entertainment, a show and shine, breakfast, raffles and awards. The show brings thousands of motorcycle and car enthusiasts to Carson City for the event.

I had an opportunity to interview Democratic candidate for Governor of Nevada, John P. Rutledge. He has been a supporter of the Downtown 20/20 organization, and has long been devoted to seeing our great and beautiful city grow and prosper.

Mr. Rutledge is a real estate and business Lawyer at Rutledge Law Center, which is headquartered in Carson City, and is active around our state.

I first asked him what he wanted people to know about him and his campaign, and here is what he had to say.

A seamless transition between outgoing Douglas County Manager Steve Mokrohisky and newly appointed Interim County Manager Larry Werner is now underway after the Douglas County Board of Commissioners approved a six month contract with Werner at its Thursday meeting.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board approved a $10 fee hike Thursday for its watercraft inspection, invasive species decontamination program, reduced marina funding for the programs and agreed to close an inspection facility at Homewood, officials said.

The fee hike was one of the changes to the watercraft inspection program recommended by the multi-agency Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinating Committee following a reduction in the federal funding that has helped support the program since it began in 2009, according to a news release.

Employers and job seekers have been connecting this winter and spring through a number of initiatives including job fairs in Carson City, Lake Tahoe, an April 4 event planned in Douglas County and most recently through Nevada JobConnect.

A weeklong job quest campaign in Carson City received 1,047 job openings in a variety of industries from entry level to executive level jobs, well above the goal of 500 job openings set by the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, said DETR Director Frank Woodbeck.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with approaching Larry Werner, retired Carson City Manager and resident of Douglas County, as a possible Interim County Manager. The Interim County Manager will serve over the next several months during the recruitment process for a new County Manager.

The Board discussed several options for interim management at its meeting at Lake Tahoe on Thursday, March 20, 2014, including appointment of qualified individuals from within and outside the organization.

In an effort to put more Nevadans back to work, Nevada JobConnect will host a special campaign in Carson City, Douglas County, and Lyon County to get more employers to list their job openings with the state’s One-Stop Employment Centers.

Nevada JobConnect and the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) Employment Security Division are inviting employers to participate in its second Job Quest campaign being held in Carson City from March 10, 2014 to March 15, 2014.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit hosted a group of students from the Gifted and Academically Talented Education program from the Carson City School District Wednesday at the Fuji Park Pavilion.

Twenty-seven 6th and 7th grade students from Eagle Valley and Carson Middle Schools spent the day with the K9 Unit learning how the dogs work in drug detection, patrol work, and tracking. Demonstrations were done with the dogs and their handlers giving the students first hand experience at just what the teams are capable of.

On Monday morning, Sheriff Kenny Furlong walked across the court house parking lot and filed for re-election of the position he’s held for the last 11 years. Kenny and Undersheriff Steve Albertsen expressed their enthusiasm, not only for the community wide accomplishments that have been witnessed, but also for the positive direction that Carson City appears to be headed.

In an emotionally-charged issue that brought out passionate pleas for and against, Carson City supervisors agreed to a 1/8th-cent sales tax to fund several infrastructure projects.

The final vote was 4 to 1, with Supervisor Jim Shirk dissenting. John McKenna, who was seen as the swing vote, agreed in the end which allowed for a required two-thirds majority.

The Brewery Arts Center, known as the capital city's epicenter for the arts since 1977, has developed a survey for Carson City residents to take that will help BAC board members determined future needs and what locals expect from their arts center.

The survey is only 22 questions and accessible through the live link here and will remain live until the end of February.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Bootstraps Program has received the 2013 Partners in Conservation Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior, one of only 20 programs across the nation to receive this award for achievements in conservation of natural resources that include collaborative activity among a diverse range of entities.

The Brewery Arts Center, Carson City’s premiere epicenter for the arts since 1977 has partnered with the Carson Nugget as well as various vineyards and vendors to present Winter Wine and All That Jazz, an evening of wine tasting, music, dancing, a live art demonstration, silent auction and raffles.

This annual fundraiser will be held on Saturday, January 18 at the Carson Nugget from 7pm to 10pm. Tickets are $30 per person and are available for purchase at www.breweryarts.org. For more info call the Brewery Arts Center office at 775-883-1976

RENO, Nev. – The FAA has selected the State of Nevada as one of six states designated as a center for the development of unmanned aerial vehicles and outdoor testing of unmanned autonomous systems, Nevada Gov.

More than 160 Carson City elementary school children, many identified as homeless, living in shelters or with parents and family members in motel rooms, were treated as the heroes they are early Tuesday morning.

With a loud chant of "Santa" the jolly bearded man in the red suit arrived at the parking lot of Walmart on Market Street by way of a CareFlight air ambulance to deliver tidings of great joy to 168 Carson City school children by giving them a chance to shop for themselves and meet up with adults they can now consider trusted friends.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office has been informed that this year’s National Night Out, held in Mills Park in August, has been awarded 5th place among communities nationwide of populations between 50,000 and 99,999.

Carson City placed just behind Maple Grove, MN, Terre Haute, IN, Brooklyn Park MN, and Suffolk, Va. This award is Carson City’s eleventh consecutive year of receiving national recognition, each year climbing higher on the placement list of top rated community events.

On December 12, 2013 in coordinated efforts with the Carson City School Board and Board of Supervisors, the Library Trustees unanimously adopted Level Up, a strategic plan for learning 2014 – 2019, the library’s next five year plan.

“An educated, skilled citizenry will secure our future. The integration of the strategic plans and the exciting partnerships/collaborations demonstrate that collectively, community leadership gets it. We welcome the challenge and look forward to the possibilities,” said Library Trustee Chairwoman Sandy Foley.

DeBug Computer’s Carson City office will take photos of children with Santa Claus and make prints for parents this Saturday in exchange for a donation to help local homeless children have a Christmas with gifts through the 9th annual Holiday with a Hero project.

UPDATE: The Carson City Board of Supervisors will meet jointly with the Carson City School Board beginning at 6 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Nov. 13. From the Community Center’s Sierra Room, located at 851 E. William St., the 12 elected officials will discuss the school district’s strategic plan, Empower Carson City, and meaningful linkages to the City’s initiatives related to education and lifelong learning.

Douglas County has re-launched last year’s popular budget challenge again, inviting citizens to an online conversation that will harness their input on the County budget.

Residents can participate in one of the budgeting exercises centered on the question, “How would you spend $500 to fund what is most important to you in Douglas County?”

Residents will also have the opportunity to make general comments about the budget process, upload photos or videos to illustrate their concerns or suggestions and put a value on the priorities they think are most important.

Western Nevada College President Carol Lucey announced that she is retiring from her post Wednesday, following more than 14 years at the helm of the Carson City and Northern Nevada-based college system. The announcement followed an earlier notice to the college community in the summer in which she relayed her intention to retire at some point during the 2013-14 academic year.

Pursuant to Board of Regents Policy, Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Klaich has designated WNC Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Chet Burton as the Officer in Charge for WNC.

CARSON CITY — Western Nevada College’s Tech Prep Consortium has been recognized nationally for its Career Pathways program.

The National Association for Career Pathways Leadership selected WNC for the 2013 Rigorous Programs of Study National Award for exceeding what other states offer students in career and technical programs. The award recognizes the college’s collaboration with industry and hard work by faculty and staff to provide the essential curriculum and instruction in technology-automated systems, construction, machine tool technology and welding.

UPDATE: Carson City supervisors unanimously approved $75,000 out of its contingency fund to spend on a fair at Fuji Park next summer as part of the Nevada Sesquicentennial festivities.

Supervisors agreed that the money from the contingency fund would be reimbursed back to the city by Nevada Day 2014. The fair will be held July 30 through Aug. 3.

With news this week that Western Nevada College is the recipient of a $1.5 million grant, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, announced two other grants for area colleges, Truckee Meadows Community College and Great Basin College.

The grants are part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program, which was authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus bill. WNC's portion of the grant is $1,567,530. TMCC received a grant of $ 3,201,968 and Great Basin College, $4,009,331.

CARSON CITY — Western Nevada College students will have more opportunities to prepare for skilled technical jobs in the coming years, following Wednesday's announcement of a $1,567,530 grant workforce training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. It is part of $474.5 million in grants to community colleges and universities around the country for the development and expansion of innovative training programs.

Carson City neighbors by the thousands gathered Tuesday evening at Mills Park for the 11th annual National Night Out.

The themes for the evening were community and neighborhood partnership and outreach. Judging by attendance, it was one of the largest gatherings thus far for the annual summer event, hosted by the Carson City Sheriff's Office.

"The turnout is one of the biggest I've seen," said DARE officer Lisa Davis, a coordinator of the event. "It says a lot about our citizens who have come together for a cause we all want: A safe and healthy community."