D.C.

The organization that sends local World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the monuments built in their honor will hold a car show Sunday in Carson City.

Honor Flight Nevada offers the free car show at Michael Hohl Motors at 3700 South Carson Street in Carson City from 9am to 2pm. It's $25 to get in and includes entry, a t-shirt, lunch and a dash plaque.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Honor Guard and Chaplain dedicated a new flag pole at the administrative complex on Wednesday. The ceremony kicked off a second presentation where three deputies were awarded the “Life Saving Medal” for assertive medical actions resulting in the saving of a life. Deputy Matt Putzer, John Hitch, and Chris Ramos all received medals for their service. The ceremony was concluded as Deputy Bill Richards was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

The average age when individuals begin engaging in prostitution is 13.  So far this year, more than 200 minors have been arrested for soliciting prostitution in Clark County alone.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee met this morning to continue a heated discussion regarding legislation that would change the way that the court system deals with minors who are arrested on prostitution charges.

The public is invited to a very special Carson City Chamber educational luncheon on Monday that should be of interest to every mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle and others concerned about drug use in our children beginning in the fourth grade.

Many well-meaning adults do not realize the drugs in their medicine cabinet may be the pathway to their child’s drug use.

By making the words of great poets literally come to life, more than 2,600 high school students across the state are competing to represent their county at the Eighth Annual Nevada Poetry Out Loud State Finals at Reno’s Whitney Peak Hotel, formerly CommRow, Saturday March 16, noon to 3 p.m.

A program of the Nevada Arts Council, Poetry Out Loud is a distinctive national arts education event that encourages students to learn about, memorize and finally present poetry --out loud. Nevada’s 2013 theme of “Powering Up Poetry,” is a nod to NV Energy, co-sponsor of the event.

The public is invited to a very special Carson City Chamber educational luncheon that should be of interest to every mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle and others concerned about drug use in our children beginning in Grade 4.

Many well-meaning adults do not realize the drugs in their medicine cabinet may be the pathway to their child’s drug use.

The Western Nevada College exhibit "Always Lost: A Meditation on War" continues to travel the country, now with a stop at Wisconsin's Mount Mary College.
Marilee Swirczek, Emeritus Professor of English at Western Nevada College notes the exhibit at the college and an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

A workshop on responding to bullying LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) teens will be offered for parents and Carson City community members on Jan. 15. The workshop will be led by Christopher Daniels, who is an educator with Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. It begins at 7 p.m. at the BRIC (Business Resource Innovation Center), 108 East Proctor Street, Carson City, Nev. The public is invited to attend.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-2) released the following statement regarding the "fiscal cliff' vote before Congress Tuesday.

The Carson City Chamber of Commerce and the Carson Nugget have teamed to bring U.S. Congressman and Carson City native Mark Amodei to the Carson Nugget on Wednesday, Jan. 9 to address residents and explain, or attempt to explain, what is going on in Washington, D.C. and why all the controversy.

The event begins with a networking session at 8:30 a.m. and Congressman Amodei will begin his address at 9 a.m.

The event is free and will include a continental breakfast courtesy of the Carson Nugget.

I wanted nothing to do with Western Nevada College’s Always Lost: A Meditation on War project when English professor Marilee Swirczek presented the idea in 2009 of personalizing the Iraq/Afghanistan Wars through literary work, combat photos, and a wall displaying the faces of U.S. military war dead since Sept. 11, 2001.

The Carson City School District was among 16 winners of federal grant money from the The U.S. Department of Education's 2012 Race to the Top-District competition.

The Carson City School District will receive a share of the $400 million grant, around and up to $10 million, to support locally developed plans to personalize and deepen student learning, directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student to succeed in college and their careers.

"This is wonderful news for Carson City's students, teachers and parents" said Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. "As someone whose life was transformed by teachers, I understand the importance of providing all Nevadans with the opportunity to receive a quality education. While I wish that other school districts in the state were also awarded this grant, I know these funds will help put Carson's students on a path towards success."

CARSON CITY - Unless legislators extend taxes scheduled to expire July 1, state government will operate with $343 million less money in 2014-15 than it is spending during the current two-year budget period.
And even that depends on how the folks in Washington, D.C., handle the federal government's fiscal crisis.

That was the grim but expected news that came out of Friday's meeting of the Economic Forum, the group of five business leaders who by law determine how much tax revenue state government will have to spend during the two-year period that starts in July.

CARSON CITY – A Nevada family of four with a median income of $65,212 will see a nearly 5 percent tax hike next year if a collection of tax breaks are not renewed by Congress as it deals with the so-called “fiscal cliff”, according to a new report by the Tax Foundation.

The 4.92 percent tax increase as a percentage of the median income ranks Nevada 29^th among the states in the higher rates they would pay, the study determined.

Nancy Ann Cotsonis, loving mother and grandmother, succumbed to her illness on October 17, 2012. She was born June 30, 1945, in Wash. D.C. Nancy was the eldest of six children (herself, Patricia, ...

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on Wednesday announced the designation of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad McKeen Motor Car #70 based in Carson City as one of 27 national historic landmarks.
Calling the McKeen Motor Car #70, Virginia & Truckee Railway Motor Car #22, "the best surviving example of the first commercially viable application of internal combustion power in a self-propelled railroad car" the designation possess exceptional value and quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States, Salazar said.

There is a problem with some American sports fans. We all need to realize that there will be a loser in every game no matter what sport you watch. The loser of course takes more of the spotlight when the games mean a lot more than just a regular season game.

Yesterday, the Saint Louis Cardinals made one of the greatest comebacks in sports' history by beating the Washington Nationals in a decisive, winner-take-all, Game 5. The Nationals got off to a fantastic start by jumping out to a 6-0 lead. The Cardinals never gave in, and slowly chipped away at the Nationals’ lead.

"A trip of a lifetime" and "Hard to explain" were some of the ways veterans described their trip to the nation's capital as they landed in Reno Sunday afternoon.
Honor Flight Nevada returned 33 veterans to Reno after taking them to Washington D.C.to view their respective memorials.
Honor Flights have transported veterans to the nation’s capital since 2005. Honor Flight is a non profit organization dedicated to helping veterans visit their respective memorials, including the National World War II Memorial.

High school teachers and students are invited to get involved in Nevada Poetry Out Loud, the dynamic poetry program that is structured similarly to the National Spelling Bee, but focuses on literary heritage through memorization and performance of classic and contemporary poetry. Registration for The Eighth Annual Nevada Poetry Out Loud competition is open to all Nevada public, private, charter, parochial and alternative schools and home school associations through Dec. 1.

The local PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chapter is again sponsoring Candidate’s Night this Thursday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. The event will be held at in Carson City at the Business Resource Innovation Center, 108 East Proctor Street, Carson City from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

CARSON CITY – It took all of about ten minutes for Sen. Dean Heller and Rep Shelley Berkley to mix it up in their first debate in the U.S. Senate race Thursday, criticizing each other on campaign issues ranging from ethics to Medicare to big oil subsidies.

The hour-long debate on KNPB-TV in Reno was the first chance for many voters to see the two candidates spar on the issues, most of which have already been the focus of campaign attacks in the race to date.

The Vietnam War was fought between 1959 and 1975. The history of which is still being written, as is the legacy of the Vietnam Veteran.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War.

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, will visit Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe on Monday as part of a tour visiting health care facilities in California and Nevada. The visit coincides with the FCC's Rural Healthcare Pilot Program, in which Barton Health received funding.
More information on the visit is forthcoming. Check back later today at www.SouthTahoeNow.com. Here is a bio on Genachowski found on the FCC's website.

Wilbur Lane came into the world July 4, 1921 and is one of a handful of remaining World War II veterans who served on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, which entered the war Dec.7, 1941 when her planes found the Japanese squadrons attacking Pearl Harbor.
“It was the most decorated ship of WWII, called The Galloping Ghost because (the Japanese) couldn’t find us,” Lane said from his home in Dayton. “Every time they bombed us, they’d announce it on the radio in Japan.”

Event at Obama for America Campaign Office, March 15, at the Carson City Democratic Central Committee Headquarters
at 502 E. John Street (& Roop St.) behind Bank of America

On Thursday at Noon, Occupy Carson City demonstrators, MoveOn.org members and homeowners in crisis will rally at the local Obama for America (OFA) office in Carson City, NV to demand that government-controlled mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac provide relief to ten million underwater homeowners by adjusting their mortgages to reflect the true value of their home.

Carson City District Attorney Neil Rombardo met with Senator Harry Reid, Senator Dean Heller, Representative Shelly Berkeley, and Representative Joe Heck on Capitol Hill today to urge continued support of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Fight Crime and Invest in Kids, an anti-crime organization dedicated to early childhood crime prevention.

In partnership with Gold Dust West, we’re going to stir the pot this year with our brand new luncheon series where you will hear from interesting personalities who will enlighten you on a variety of subjects to make you better informed.

UPDATE 510PM: Fire burns more than 3,000 acres with zero containment; 4,000 evacuated; no count on home and structure losses.

At 4:40 pm this afternoon, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, under his constitutional and statutory authority, made a state declaration of emergency which qualifies local governments for federal assistance associated with this event. The National Guard is on standby at the request of Sandoval and Washoe County. California has also provided fire assistance as part of a Governor to Governor agreement with Jerry Brown. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been and are being affected by this fire,” Sandoval said. “Declaring a state of emergency ensures that every resource from the local, state and federal level is available to assist. The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Department of Public Safety have also engaged with local responders.” Additionally, Nevada has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG). As a result, Nevada is eligible for up to 75 percent funding assistance for eligible costs. The request was made by the Nevada Division of Forestry on behalf of Washoe County at the onset of the fire.

More below the fold.

Update 11:53 a.m.: Congressmen Mark Amodei (NV-2) and Joe Heck (NV-3) released the following joint statement regarding the Caughlin Ranch fire:
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this disaster. We are in contact with the Governor’s office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, D.C. to offer guidance and assistance in providing resources to address the emergency. We are coordinating efforts to ensure the Prepositioned Equipment Program (PEP) located in Las Vegas is prepared to deploy and assist with controlling the fire if needed. Anyone wishing to make financial contributions to help the victims of this disaster may do so through the Red Cross."

Update 10 a.m: The State of Nevada, Washoe County and the City of Reno have declared a state of emergency. More than 9,500 people have been evacuated, according to City of Reno spokesman Chris Good. The 400-plus-acre fire is still zero percent contained. As of now, Galena High School is the evacuation point. If that fills up, Damonte Ranch High School will be the next evacuation point. Go here for the latest from UNR's Nevada Sagebrush and here from MyNews4.com.

Update 8:15: Fire now officially named Caughlin Fire.

Update 7:11 a.m.: KRNV is on the air talking with Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez who is saying they have lost about 20 homes so far, and the strong winds are a big problem. He also said the winds are so strong that there is no way to get air attacks on this fire.

An Emergency 211 number is being set up to provide better information for Reno residents.

A wind-driven wildfire has burned more than 400 acres and has consumed at least six homes in the Caughlin Ranch area in southwest Reno this morning. The Pine Haven fire broke out around 12:30 this morning and thousands have been told to evacuate. Residents are being evacuated to Reno High School, the designated area for evacuations. Fire agencies from the Carson City and Carson Valley areas are responding as are from the Lake Tahoe area. Power is out to at least 1,000 homes in the area, according to NV Energy.
Flames are threatening homes near Manzanita Lane and Dant Boulevard, and police officers were going to residences to evacuate residents. An officer went to the house of a panicking Kathy Harrah. The officer told her to take a deep breath and said "you are fairly safe," as she and her two sons, John and Kody, grabbed items and put them into their truck. "I have been watching the fire all night. I didn't know it was going to get this bad," she told the Reno Gazette-Journal before ordering her son to rip a computer out of a wall. The area was thick with smoke that hung over over Manzanita. Flames in the canyon below Manzanita shot up dozens of feet in the air as they hit brush. Go here and here for story.

Videos of the fire

Map of fire area

Occupy Wall Street began their two-week march from Nov. 9-23 to Washington, D.C. to tell Congress' Deficit Super Committee that the Occupy movement is against any extension of the Bush tax cuts. An extension of those cuts, which are due to expire in 2012, as well as reducing the tax rate on the highest bracket from 35 percent to 28 percent is being suggested as part of possible negotiations in creating the deficit reduction package which has a deadline of Nov. 23.