Opinion

As Washington, D.C. faces another government shutdown, hunters, anglers and trappers across the country are facing a shutdown of their own. From Alaska to Florida, sportsmen and women are finding that the budgetary standoff in Congress is having a direct impact on their hunting or fishing season.

Even the wise, kind and responsible Disney nanny character would face a daunting task were she presented with the continuing public policy fiascos in our troubled town. Mary handled her unbridled charges with aplomb and urgency. Many of our elected and appointed officials need to employ these traits.

State Fair

It seems like a rare opportunity these days to be able to cast a vote in an election and feel good about your selection. Most of the time I wind up voting against the other person as a choice between the lesser of two evils. As a result, I believe most Americans are unhappy at one time or another about some facet of their government, whether local, state or national.

Among all the closed businesses and empty buildings around Carson there are a few places that are finally starting to bloom both figuratively and literally. North Carson was doubly hard hit by the recession and the freeway bypass that diverts traffic around the north end of town. There are dozens of vacant business properties on the North end of our city. So any improvement should be a welcome change in our cities fortunes or rather misfortune of the last five years.

Perhaps it wasn't advertised enough. I mean, it was on radio, in the paper, on the web, and of course on the marquee, but you know, people just don't see any of those things.

Perhaps it was the time for holding it. I mean, 5:30 to 7:00 PM in this town is dinner time, right?

Either way, the Carson City town-hall meeting, held by 11 heads or assistant heads of city departments, attracted a total of THREE DOZEN people -- two thirds of them consisting of the mayor, two supervisors, and city employees. ONE dozen were "normal citizens." Abnormal, if you ask me, because they showed up.

Last month, Carson Now posted two different opinion pieces by Brent Javanovich that leveled several serious charges at Carson City government officials.

There was a fantastic turn out for the 2 million biker ride to DC today. Last I checked over 880,000 motor cycle riders rode to Washington DC to honor the fallen on 9/11/01, this 12th anniversary of.

September 11th 2001: A day that not only changed American History but World History as we knew it. A day where everything literally stood still. Everyone was affected. No one was immune to it. The skies were clear of every flying object known to man. The streets around the nation were empty. Schools had full classrooms but as quiet as if no one was there. All you could hear was a TV in the background with the history making news that was unfolding. A stunned nation and world watched in horror, feeling helpless.

There is a lot of energy in the downtown corridor of Carson City. Great restaurants, shopping, and character. A number of decisions, coming soon, will have an impact on the desirability of Carson City’s downtown, the city as a visitor and business relocation destination, and ultimately property values. A large faction of citizens, seem to think parking is the issue with the vitality of our downtown. Over the course of this article I’d like to uncover whether that’s really the issue or not, and bring up some important points.

The District Attorney’s response to concerns about his indecision on the death penalty in the McCune murder prosecution is deeply disappointing.

The August 29, 2013 "opinion" questioning the District Attorney's decision-making in a pending death penalty case reveals a lack of understanding of the criminal justice system.

In the late summer of 1963 Susan and I were finishing our three-month Peace Corps training program at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. We had survived the mid-term "deselection process" (a Peace Corps term for the trainees who didn't make it--close to 50% of the students). We had endured weeks of intensive Turkish language instruction and instruction in TEFL (teaching English as a Foreign Language from some of the country's foremost experts. In addition to studying Turkish politics and culture, we wilted under the physical education requirements at 5:00 in the afternoon during a D.C.

The Carson City Parks and Recreation Department would like to thank the many employees of Carson City’s Home Depot store for their volunteer work project on August 22nd and 23rd. They arrived at 8:00 A.M. both days and their employees donated their own time to doing various park improvements to Korean War Veterans Memorial Park, located at East Fifth Street and Marsh Road.

Carson Now has removed this letter due to several questions about its authenticity and that Mr. Javanovich doesn't appear to have ever been a resident of Carson City. Carson Now has asked Mr. Javanovich a second time for authenticity of the letter in which we have not had a reply. If Mr. Javanovich steps forward with legal documents saying who he is, including a Nevada driver's license or state ID card, we will put the letter back online.

Some have shown an interest in having public input into the management of our animal control.

If you feel you have something to offer in this regard, you can contact
nvanfund@yahoo.com

We hope to hear from you.

It has been 17 years since President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore stood on the shores of Lake Tahoe and issued a challenge. They urged the frequently fractious perspectives in the region to come together in support of the restoration of Lake Tahoe.

(Editor's Note: The following is from Ken Beaton of Carson City about the death of his friend Bob Thomas, who died Saturday. Funeral arrangements are pending. Thomas was a retired high-tech industrialist who served on the Carson City School Board, Nevada Welfare Board and Carson City Airport Authority and was a state Assemblyman. He also wrote a column for the Nevada Appeal.)

The word last leaves a bad taste in my mouth. One exception is after an intense workout our aerobics instructor says, “This is the last exercise before we stretch and leave for the day.”

Driving a vehicle is very interesting and often an adventure in Carson City. I have found that when driving in our fair city, you must be on your toes at all times and be ready to react to whoever is approaching from any direction.

In my less-than-humble opinion, Carson City has more than its fair share of dumb, stupid, indifferent, inattentive, careless, reckless and rude drivers; and I seem to encounter many of them when driving around town.

Here are some examples of what I have experienced around Carson City – Do any of these sound familiar to you?

Carson Now has removed this letter due to several questions about its authenticity and that Mr. Javanovich doesn't appear to have ever been a resident of Carson City. Carson Now has asked Mr. Javanovich a second time for authenticity of the letter in which we have not had a reply. If Mr. Javanovich steps forward with legal documents saying who he is, including a Nevada driver's license or state ID card, we will put the letter back online.

The claim that "...since the usurping of control over public land by federal agencies... " is incorrect. Federal control over Federal lands began with the creation of the state of Nevada. The legislation is clear: land not in private hands was retained by the Federal government.

-Michael Greedy, Carson City

I attended a meeting of the Sagebrush Ecosystem Council July 30 (my third) in Carson City. Like a lot of things that go on in government, few readers will have heard of the council.

It was set up late last year by Gov. Sandoval in an effort to forestall the feds' putting the sage grouse on the endangered species list, a measure that would declare large swaths of Nevada off limits to business and recreation.

The Legislature earmarked $304 million to fund the council.

Board of Regents members Ron Knecht and Allison Stephens talk about education in the Silver State.

Thank you Mark Robison for your Reno Gazette Journal July 7th Fact checker article concerning the lack of truthfulness (4 of 10) of a letter to the editor by Mr. Fred Voltz about Nevada's bear hunting program.

Although my opinion on Nevada's bear hunting program has not been finalized, my opinion on Voltz’s candor and misrepresentation of the facts is confirmed.

We are entitled to have opinions about facts, but not to our own facts that are based upon our own opinions.

Recently, I was quite amazed when I was introduced to the Sierra Nevada Forum, a group of local people who organize assemblies to inform the citizens of Carson City about important current issues. The amazing part is that the group finds experts in each field who respond to questions from the Forum and audience and are held firmly to fact-based responses.

Editor: Correction to Mr. Duane Heiny letter where he states that perhaps my nay vote against the Eagle Valley Golf Course had been influenced by the long-running effort spear headed by owners of the other two golf courses in Carson City to close Eagle Valley, and that they are both building contractors. This is absolutely not true.

The reason I voted against the lease is simple. The Board, as the governing body of Carson City, must always make sure that the public can bid on all city projects. I believe it is mandatory and I stated so at the Board meeting.

The Nevada legislature's Assembly Committee on the Judiciary is set to meet tomorrow, Saturday June 1 at 8AM to discuss and possibly vote on Senate Bill 221. Please call and write to express your opposition to this bill.

The full text of the bill can be found on
https://nelis.leg.state.nv.us/77th2013/App#/77th2013/Bill/Overview/SB221

Assembly Judiciary Committee:
Jason.Frierson@asm.state.nv.us 775-684-8537
James.Ohrenschall@asm.state.nv.us
Richard.Carrillo@asm.state.nv.us
Lesley.Cohen@asm.state.nv.us
Olivia.Diaz@asm.state.nv.us
Marilyn.DonderoLoop@asm.state.nv.us

From the story posted in Carson Now regarding the Carson Middle School Lockdown:
"This event acts as a reminder to parents that when incidents like this occur, the first law enforcement priority is the safety of the students and faculty inside the school. The second critical priority is to get information out to the parents (and public) on how to expect safe reunification with their children.”

by MICHAEL M. MARCOTTE

Nevada Media Alliance Managing Editor Alex Pompliano in Carson City, NV

I fly the flag every day. The kids even bought a solar powered spot light so we can leave it out at night. I do it in honor for the time, before the renewed Muslim war against the world and before the “patriot” act, when people here and abroad knew that the American flag stood for liberty and liberation from tyranny.

But now…?

Now I look at the stars through teary eyes as each star is morphing into a swastika or a hammer-and-sickle — or is it a crescent moon?

AB 312 which is now currently before the Senate Government Affairs Commission, and was submitted by Republican Assemblyman and former member of the Carson City Board of Supervisors, Pete Livermore, strikes at the very heart of our democracy.

It is a despicable piece of legislation motivated more by vindictiveness on his part towards the citizens of Carson City, coupled in part by his ineffectiveness as a state legislator.