Christmas

Dear Friends: On a cold Christmas Eve in 1914, German, French, and British Soldiers hunkered down in the muddy trenches that had become their home during World War I. Between those trenches was a war-torn expanse of ground that was simply referred to as “no-man’s land.”

UPDATE: Heading into the Christmas holiday weekend, the weather pattern for the Carson City region is expected to change beginning Christmas Day with periods of rain, snow and gusty winds into early next week, according to the National Weather Service.

This December, dozens of Bently Nevada employees came together once more to support local families in need through the Adopt a Family Program.

Carson City-based DeBug Computer faced a Christmas challenge. Every year, the company hosts a Photos with Santa event with proceeds going to a local non-profit. The DeBug team huddled with Santa to discuss how to reach the children safely during the coronavirus pandemic. They decided to ask children, with their parents’ consent and supervision, to email a letter to Santa@debugcomputer.net.

This time of year I always think about Cappy. In charge of Ski Incline in the early days, Cappy Cook was a hail-fellow-well-met, on and off the slopes. He played in the Rose Bowl for Stanford in '52, ran a packing outfit in Yosemite, coached our Junior National Ski Team, and his handshake would leave me crippled for days, so of course I never ventured to give him a hug.

Carson Now reader Luis Tello says everyone is invited to drive on through and take pictures of their magical homage to Christmas, complete with multiple lighted decorations, holiday themed cartoon characters, dancing reindeer, a light show and more.

"People are more than welcome to stop by, take pictures and have fun. Let's enjoy the Holidays and forget about all these hard times. Everyone needs this more than ever. Merry Christmas!" says Luis.

This holiday season, The Salvation Army’s Del Oro Division, which covers Northern Nevada and Northern California, has raised $800,000 less with its iconic Red Kettle Campaign compared to last year. In 2019, the nonprofit brought in $2.4 million to support Christmas assistance and fund programs throughout the year. So far this year, The Salvation Army has brought in just over $1.6 million. With just two days left in the campaign, the nonprofit is asking those in the community who are able, to please give and support their neighbors in need.

When retired Carson City Sheriff's Office Sgt. Scott McDaniel learned about the late Sunday shooting of a Douglas County Sheriff's sergeant, he was compelled to design, build and put up a Christmas decoration that celebrates his fellow Nevada law enforcement officers.

I think we can all agree that the best holiday gift of all is love. And what better way to share the love than by having Santa deliver a new bundle of love right to your doorstep on Christmas?

Carson Now reader Christy Jo Moore submitted these photos and a Christmas message welcoming locals to visit their Christmas light show and music extravaganza on Apollo Drive in Carson City.

Members of Carson City Soroptimist helped Santa fulfill the Christmas lists of local homebound seniors. A big thank you to elves Cynthia Bunt and the FIG Insurance Agency for serving as Santa's workshop, and to Mary Luster for coordinating member efforts and getting the bags full of goodies to the Carson City Senior Center for delivery to homes in time for Christmas.

RENO — Christmas week through New Year’s, Reno-Tahoe International Airport will see the highest passenger numbers since COVID significantly impacted air travel in March, and the airport will be working diligently to provide the safest, most sanitary travel experience possible.

A cold front is expected to bring light snow showers and wind beginning late Monday night that may impact the Tuesday morning commute, according to the National Weather Service.

The virtual Reno TubaChristmas 2020 video is available for viewing here via Youtube. The video features tuba, euphonium, and baritone horn players of all ages from Northern Nevada and from California, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Kansas, New York, and Sweden.

This week's Senator Square features guest writers Ananda Campbell and Bridget Gordon-Johnson who explain Monday homeroom academic strategies. Campbell is a CHS Library Media Specialist and Carson City School District Library Coordinator. Gordon is a CHS counselor. This is their report:

Meals on Wheels Carson City received a generous $7,000 grant from the Caesars Foundation to help feed homebound seniors in our local community.

Additionally, 336 cookie tin gifts were donated from Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe to deliver just in time for Christmas!

Carson City is pleased to offer Christmas Tree Recycling in cooperation with Capital Sanitation/Waste Management, Inc.

As in previous years, Christmas trees can be placed curbside on your regular trash collection day or taken to one of the drop off locations. Trees will be chipped in the springtime and used as mulch. This program continues to be a huge success.

Please remove all decorations, lights, tinsel and bases prior to recycling; if the tree is longer than six feet, cut the tree into pieces.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is joining forces with other Nevada law enforcement agencies during this 2020 holiday season to enforce impaired driving laws and keep impaired drivers off of Nevada roadways. Officers will be out in force from Dec. 21 through Jan. 4, 2021.

Nevada continues to reel from the effects of the most recent surge of Coronavirus. And although COVID-19 positivity test results and hospitalizations have fluctuated this past month, they continue to be high across the state.

Pick out your favorite ugly holiday sweater for Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space's first ever ugly sweater hike. The hike will take place on Saturday, Dec. 19 at Empire Ranch.

Feeling blue during the Holidays? You are not alone. The First United Methodist Church in Carson City welcomes all community members to a Blue Christmas service, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m.

Editor’s Note: Margarita Portillo-Hernandez is a school social worker and safe school professional at Eagle Valley Middle School in Carson City. The following is her report:

This year has been extremely challenging and with the impact of Covid; many of our families are struggling to ensure they can celebrate Christmas. However, generous community members have come together determined to help these families have a Christmas celebration not even Covid can stop.

Sierra Lutheran High School and Fellowship of Christian Athletes raised over $2,000 to fund the delivery of 75 Christmas trees to the active personnel serving at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Coleville, Calif., last week.

In our region, as well as in many areas across the country, there have been massive spikes in COVID-19 transmissions over the past few months. Even as restaurants and bars were reopened, daily positive cases were generally staying within single digits inside the Quad-County region.

However, between October and December, both test positivity rates as well as overall cases — and deaths — have seen a massive increase. Local health organizations are now not only fighting against the disease, but against misinformation campaigns as well.

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities around the Carson City region. Several fundraisers, including the annual “Share Your Christmas” Food Drive will be available throughout the Carson City, Minden and Reno areas on Friday. You can visit the North Pole safely as part of a drive-thru Santa's Village experience at V&T Railway in Carson City, beginning Friday into the weekend. A living nativity scene will be featured at First United Methodist Church on Saturday and Sunday. Combined with train rides in Virginia City, the state capital will be buzzing with excitement. Read on for more information.

KTVN will host its annual Share Your Christmas Drive-By Food Drive this Friday, Dec. 11 with food drop-off locations in Carson City, Minden and Reno beginning at 6 a.m. and running until 6 p.m.

The Sertoma Coat Drive is in full operation for its fourth year of collecting and distributing clothing to the people in the community who are without warm outerwear. With 19 blue barrels in Carson Valley and 7 in Carson City, everyone who wants to donate new and gently used coats, blankets, and warm outerwear is finding a donation spot.

Carson City Elks Lodge No. 2177 held a raffle drawing recently for a wooden American Flag. Proceeds from the raffle benefitted Holiday With a Hero, which is a local program that buys gifts for children and delivered by our first responders.

The Carson City Sheriff's Office Reserve, which has hosted an annual Christmas Eve program for decades with pre-arranged visits by Santa and elves to local homes, has been canceled and replaced instead with a virtual message greeting for families. The reason for the change this year is due to COVID-19 concerns.

A 28-year-old Carson City woman was arrested in the 2800 block of U.S. Highway 50 E. for suspicion of domestic battery after pushing her boyfriend after he allegedly crashed her car, something she said he did on purpose because she was going to break up with him, according to a sheriff's office booking report. The boyfriend was also arrested by the Nevada Highway Patrol for suspicion of DUI.