severe

Another round of precipitation is forecast to arrive in Northwestern Nevada starting Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno reports, and last at least through Saturday with a chance of rain or snow showers.

Severe weather, high winds, heavy rain, snow and flooding are causing multiple outages throughout northern Nevada including Carson City, Douglas County and Lake Tahoe.

With localized drainage flooding happening in many areas around the capital city region today, the Carson River near Carson City is rising and expected to reach peak flood stage Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

With heavy rain arriving and local flooding looking likely, Carson City Public Works crews were out in full force Sunday morning clearing streets of debris and slushy snow piling around drainages.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has declared a state of emergency due to the severe weather system developing in Northern Nevada and the consequent danger to life and damage to property, said Carson City Deputy Emergency Manager Stacey Belt.

UPDATE: A press release Thursday stated that the Nevada National Guard postponed drill because of anticipated severe inclement weather. Only Nevada Army Guard units will postpone drill this month. The 152nd Airlift Wing of the Nevada Air Guard will conduct monthly drill as scheduled.
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CARSON CITY — The Nevada National Guard drill set for all northern Nevada armories, bases and facilities Saturday and Sunday Jan. 7-8 is postponed and will be rescheduled due to anticipated severe inclement weather.

UPDATE 11:20 a.m.- Westbound Highway 50 is back open after this morning's closure due to a semi truck being stuck at the bottom of Spooner Summit.

Currently there are no controls on the road except for chains or snow tires once at the intersection with SR28.

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Traffic is being diverted at the intersection of Highway 50 and U.S. 395 in Carson City due to a semi truck being stuck, as well as severe winter road conditions on Spooner Summit.

Kingsbury Grade is also closed indefinitely, due to needed repairs for a sinkhole that has developed in the roadway.

Law enforcement is preparing for the annual New Year's Eve party held at Stateline, an outdoor gathering that at one time saw 50,000 people in the streets.

As I contemplate the topic of this week’s Animal Files Column, I struggle. The reason is because the story that I am going to share is based off secondhand information. I don’t know whether it’s true or false. The ethical part of me doesn’t want to put misinformation out there. The other part of me knows that this story is spreading like wildfire on social media and that people are already forming their own opinions.

UPDATE 4PM: The following is from Kimberly Wade, communications manager for Nevada Humane Society regarding the dog that was found severely injured Saturday on Highway 50 East:

Northern Nevada HotSpot owner Cassidy Davis originally envisioned this weekend’s Christmas Shopping Extravaganza event at the Fuji Park Exhibition Hall in South Carson City as promoting the concept of shop local, buy local.

An active partnership with the Eagle Valley Children’s Home in North Carson City is helping the student leadership class at Pioneer High School learn about the challenges of living with disabilities. In fact, a recent visit motivated these local teens to get more involved to better understand the trials and difficulties people with severe disabilities go through on a daily basis.

As we head toward Halloween on Monday we think about all the scary creatures often associated with the celebration. It’s easy to come up with scary thoughts about things that go bump in the dark, and unfortunately, a lot of people think of bats as that bump in the dark. You might be surprised, however, to learn that nearly everything you thought about bats is incorrect and they are actually extremely important to the success of Nevada’s ecosystems.

Thank you all who have voted for new representation for Supervisor, Ward 2. If you haven’t yet voted I hope you will carefully consider your options. I will bring a diverse blue collar point of view that will help our Board of Supervisors make better decisions.

I understand our City’s issues. We are not meeting our obligation to provide the basic life and safety services our residents expect and deserve. Our Sheriff and Fire Chief have issued statements expressing their concerns. Various department leaders have remarked about insufficient budgeting.

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.

UPDATE 7:14PM: The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center (SFIDC) is now reporting the Little Valley to be 55 percent contained, having burned 3,400 acres and destroyed 22 homes and 17 outbuildings since early Friday morning.
More than 660 firefighting personnel remain on scene, the SFIDC reports.
More rain is forecast Sunday night into Monday morning, which should further help firefighting efforts to achieve full containment of the Little Valley Fire.
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UPDATE 3:52PM: From South Lake Tahoe, Highway 89 continues to be closed from just beyond the Spring Creek Tract to the Vikingsholm parking lot gate (north side of Emerald Bay) because of the Emerald Fire, which is still 90 percent contained.
As of 3 p.m. Sunday, evacuations have been lifted for Cathedral Road, Springs Creek Tract, Camp Shelly, Camp Concord and Mount Tallac Road.
Cascade Lake and Cascade Properties are currently open to residents only.
In Washoe Valley, Franktown Road continues to be closed below the 6190 street address, because of the Little Valley Fire, which remains at 20 percent contained.
Although Old U.S. Highway 395A has been opened, Washoe County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) is asking the public to stay out of the area due to fire traffic, localized flooding from heavy rains and unstable ground from the burn areas.
Interstate 580 is open in both directions to traffic.
Public safety officials said at a 1 p.m. briefing that a re-entry plan has been established, but it will require coordination with fire management personnel, law enforcement, and utility companies before the area can be re-populated safely.
The re-entry plan called for some residents to be allowed back in Monday or Tuesday to survey their properities only. Officials are hopeful re-entry can begin Wednesday.
WCSO will contact displaced residents directly in order to visit their homes.
Fuji Park in Carson City remain open for evacuated residents with large livestock.

As Barack Obama’s second Presidential term winds down, what can one say about his signature domestic initiative, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare or ACA)?

Passed in 2010 by a Democrat Congress without a single Republican vote, it promised to improve health care, cut costs and assure everyone is protected by insurance. Also, numerous times, unequivocally on the public record, Obama assured us: If you like your health insurance, you can keep it; if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.

None of those goals and assurances was realized. All failed.

In many ways Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton could be considered much alike. Those two would dispute that opinion vigorously. But the American voting public might be interested in the following:

1. Both have low scores with the American public concerning trust and honesty when it comes to many polls.

The three bear cubs from Yosemite that arrived in South Lake Tahoe after their mother was killed on July 4 now have company. Two new cubs have arrived, one from Santa Maria and one from Azusa, Calif.

All five bear cubs are being housed at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care until January or February, once they are big enough to go back into the wild.

Unprofitable companies often eventually go out of business. Tesla Motors is very unprofitable.

The electric-car maker scored a big win in 2014 when Gov. Brian Sandoval and Nevada lawmakers passed a $1.3 billion subsidy package to entice Tesla to build in Storey County a huge battery manufacturing facility that’s a key part of its business. The package also forgave sales taxes for 20 years, property and payroll taxes for ten years, and provided discounted electricity rates.

Team USA did what they do best in the Olympics....dominate in almost every facet of the games. Swimming, gymnastics, track, field, basketball, and pretty much anything else.

The United States had one of the greatest Olympic Games ever in decades. Dominating not only the overall medal count, but in every color as well.

An investigation team from the Coast Guard is continuing their investigation into Tuesday's fire on board the Tahoe Queen, which suffered severe damage while it was docked at the pier at the Zephyr Cove Marina on Lake Tahoe's south shore.

In Nevada most drivers age 65 and old must renew their driver’s license every four years and some special rules apply. Senior drivers who usually renew their license in person will be asked to do a basic vision test to ensure they are able to safely operate a motor vehicle.

In the world premiere of Constant Coogan's "Bury Me Alive" music video, fans are immediately met with the soaring melodies and stunning vocals that Constant Coogan has become so well known for since the release of their July 1st album of the same name. The video is a true work of art, featuring talent from the dance students at Western Nevada Musical Theatre Company.

Millions of people visit our region each year, and the shoreline is where most of them go to enjoy the beauty and the cold, famously clear water of Lake Tahoe.

The shoreline is also where a challenging mix of planning issues converge: Protecting the environment and our lake’s awe-inspiring scenery, managing recreation access, and respecting private property rights.

Severe cuteness alert! Nevada Humane Society is waiving adoption fees on all adult cats for three days only, this weekend, July 15 through 17. You can adopt an adult cat for free — choose from young cats, old cats, skinny cats, fat cats, cute cats or ugly cats! There are spotted cats, striped cats, white cats and black cats. They all need to find a home — YOUR home! Standard adoption policies apply.

Few people really understand the world that David Haynes lives in.

There's his family, his treatment team, and now Francisco Rodriguez, owner of the Tazmanian Boxing Club in Carson City.

The number of dead trees in the Sierra Nevada are now at historic levels and have fueled the risk of catastrophic wildfires according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The agency announced Wednesday that it has identified an additional 26 million dead trees in California since October 2015, bringing the total to at least 66 million dead trees in the state. The most recent additions are located in six counties across 760,000 acres in the Southern Nevada region.

Three years ago, anyone who told me that there was hope and a light at the end of the tunnel would get silently scoffed at.

At that time, I had plunged so deep into personal despair and anguish that it was like sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

The latest generation of state-of-the-art liver cancer treatment is now available to patients at Carson Tahoe Health.

Michelle Joy, Chief Operating Officer, announced Tuesday that Carson Tahoe Health in Carson City, Nev., has unveiled TheraSphere, a leading-edge technology approved by the Food and Drug Administration.