Economy

The Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees accepted a $5 million donation Tuesday from longtime Tahoe resident Lisa Maloff, in memory of her husband, Robert Maloff, according to the South Lake Tahoe community college website and LTCC officials.

The donation will be used to construct a University Center that will make four-year degrees a reality on the South Shore. This is the largest single donation ever given to LTCC, rivaling those that have been given to much larger colleges in California and around the country.

This is in reference to
1. http://carsonnow.org/reader-content/11/01/2014/amodei-and-minimum-wage
2. http://carsonnow.org/reader-content/10/28/2014/dave-cook-demonstrates-ex...
3. http://carsonnow.org/reader-content/10/25/2014/letter-one-year-obamacare...

These recent articles are a faithful representations of the Party Line. Of course that party line is dead wrong, but at least the writer does a good job presenting it.

When Rep. Mark Amodei voted against raising the federal minimum wage (H R 803, March 15, 2013), I had to wonder what he was thinking. Anyone who understands even a little bit about the economic history of this country knows that voting to keep the minimum wage where it is now is a vote to keep millions of Americans in poverty and dependent upon welfare just to survive.

The Comstock Foundation for History and Culture has established a paramount goal of “enabling a sustainable network economy and culture by preserving and elevating the uniqueness of the Comstock Lode experience.”

The Foundation was created to subordinate to the needs of the district, some critically urgent if not already in an emergency state. The Foundation is only a small cog in a larger network of people and organizations that love this territory and where collaboration, not conflict, provides the hope of a lasting legacy of the great past.

Editor:
This Board of Supervisors’ campaign is one of the nastiest that I can recall in our town history. I cannot speak enough for supporting the existing board and the hope that they bring to our City for growth and inspiration to improve our economy and make Carson City a destination place.

In the 25 years that I have been involved in the downtown dynamics, this is the only Board of Supervisors that is moving forward with a vision to better our City. Twenty-five years folks, it is time for a change!

As a resident of Silver City, I am a proud board member of the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture. Born and raised in Carson City, I spent much of my youth on the Comstock. I focused much of my studies on Nevada and western history obtaining my undergraduate degree in history from the University of Nevada, Reno.

I was honored when asked to serve on the Foundation’s board and it has been incredibly rewarding to work with the Foundation during this exciting time for the Comstock Historic District.

My wife and I were on the fence about whether or not to purchase the downtown building at 716 North Carson, previously known as Washington Street Station. After all, the building was more than half empty and had not attracted a new tenant in five years.

A bank had repossessed the building two years previously and had been unable to sell it even as it gradually cut the initial listing price almost in half. And to top things off, the building had extensive water damage throughout caused by a leaky roof, and the few tenants it did have were unhappy with conditions.

When I’m asked about Obamacare, I use it as an opportunity to show how much difference progressive change can make. Open enrollment began one year ago, on October 1st, 2013. The websites had a rocky rollout, but 10.3 million Americans who had no health insurance a year ago now have coverage.

September brought the reality of wildfires to the forefront in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The King Fire came within 8 air miles of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit boundary, and as we all anxiously awaited its containment, the Cascade Fire broke out in the Desolation Wilderness.

Ballot Question 1, creating a Court of Appeals

The problem is that the Nevada Supreme Court is overwhelmed by appeals. But the proposed fix, detailed in Senate Bill 463 (2013), does not address the fact that the Court has no authority to decide which cases it will hear. Instead, Nevada must be just like everybody else, a “government of, by and for lawyers.”

Both problems have a simple, quintessentially conservative solution, proposed by Gary Schmidt, recently a candidate for State Senator from district 16 -- Tort Reform:

Carson City's unemployment fell to 7.1 percent in September, down from August’s 7.5 percent and 2.4 percent over the stretch of a year, according to figures released Friday from the Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Statewide the unemployment rate fell to a seasonally adjusted 7.3 percent in September, the lowest it has been since July 2008.

A photograph illustrating transportation efforts on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe has been selected as a winner in a national photo competition by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Nevada Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Julie Duewel’s photo showing Lake Tahoe’s Stateline to Stateline Bikeway won the “Road Less Traveled” category of the Faces of Transportation competition. The photo was taken during a June dedication ceremony for the second segment of the Nevada Stateline to Stateline Bikeway.

The inaugural Nevada Governor’s Conference on Agriculture will be Nov. 13 at the Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa in Reno, the Nevada Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

“I am pleased to announce the very first Nevada Governor’s Conference on Agriculture,” said Gov. Brian Sandoval. “Agriculture is one of Nevada’s leading industries, contributing more than $3 billion to the state’s economy. This includes our rich and diverse agricultural industries, from ranching and farming to all the associated businesses that keep these industries vibrant.”

Since October 2004 National Cyber Security Awareness Month, administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, reminds citizens of the importance of protecting not only individual identities, finances and privacy but also our country’s national security, critical infrastructure and economy. Cyber security is a responsibility shared by all — the public sector, the private sector, and the general public.

The Nevada State Demographer’s Office at the University of Nevada, Reno has released its most recent population projections for Nevada and its individual counties, projecting through 2033.

The 2014 Nevada State Swimming Championships are returning to northern Nevada following a two-year rotation in southern Nevada. The championship meet is scheduled to begin on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014, and continues through Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, at the Carson Aquatic Facility in Carson City.

This week's guest on It's Your City is Nicole Goehring, recycling coordinator for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. She provides an update on statewide and local recycling figures and places where residents can take their items.

NevadaRecycles, a program through NDEP, is committed to reducing waste and increasing recycling opportunities. Its mission is to preserve and enhance the environment of the state in order to protect public health, sustain healthy ecosystems, and contribute to a vibrant economy. It was established in 1992.

Entrepreneurs Assembly and Adams Hub for Innovation are pleased to announce a collaborative partnership to create, educate and encourage entrepreneurs via a comprehensive business start-up training program and mentoring initiative to launch this October in Carson City.

Both organizations are united in their missions to help develop, nurture and strengthen the entrepreneurial community in the greater Carson City area.

Reducing the amount of Nevada small business closures is the goal of a new monthly workshop designed to educate business owners on how to assess their venture prior to licensing and launch. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, about half of all new establishments survive five years or more and about one-third survive 10 years or more.

Fulcrum BioEnergy’s Sierra BioFuels Plant that is being built in Storey County received a $70 million grant boost from the Department of Defense’s Advanced Drop-in Biofuels Production Project, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid announced Friday.

The grant award follows the Sept. 4 announcement by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the National Clean Energy Summit that the Department of Agriculture had finalized a $105 million loan guarantee for the Sierra BioFuels plant.

Carson City's unemployment rate fell slightly to 7.5 percent in August along with Nevada's overall unemployment rate which also dipped to 7.6 percent, the lowest since August 2008 and down 2.2 points from a year ago, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation reports Friday.

The $5 billion Tesla battery factory deal sealed by Gov. Brian Sandoval and approved by a special session of the Legislature is a high-risk, high-reward project that could be a turning point for both the electric car company and Nevada as the state diversifies its economy and establishes itself as a leader in green energy.

But in the short term during the construction phase and with the planned hiring of 6,500 permanent workers, Tesla will put a strain on Northern Nevada where it will be built — from schools and roads to police and fire protection.

As an incentive for Telsa and other companies to build in the Reno – Tahoe Industrial Center on USA Parkway and benefit Nevada, Interstate 11 should be built from Yerrington to tie into the Reno – Tahoe Industrial Center and to I-80. This should be presented to Telsa now.

Interstate 11 should be built parallel to US Highway 95 from Las Vegas to Tonapah on a straight line from Tonaph to Yerrington. Also I- 580 should be extended from Carson City to Yerrington which would give a direct route to Carson City and Reno.

The choice in the Tesla deal is not between socking the corporation with higher or lower taxes; the choice is between getting nothing from them if the don't come, or getting all the increased sales tax revenue as their employees spend their money HERE. THAT is a win for everybody.

But conventional thinking always degenerates into the predatory socialist politics of greed, and sees everything only in terms of windfalls, favors or corruption. What's the loot, who gets what, who wins, who loses.

The plain news is that Tesla motors sealed a deal with Nevada to locate a major new plant in Reno. You'd think that would be good news, with major investment and thousands of permanent jobs for the area. People should be cheering. But it comes in exchange for major tax breaks. That’s the bad news. So, instead of cheering, some people are turning on the Governor and others. Some, like the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) are raising policy, legal and constitutional issues.

Nevada's private space industry has been making headlines in recent months as private companies continue to blaze the trail with new partnerships with NASA and other leading private space-based initiatives. But now, Nevada's students are about to be the next in line to take a bold step into the unknown.

July’s unemployment rate in Carson City was 7.9 percent, unchanged from June, according to figures released Friday from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Statewide, the rate held steady for the month at 7.7 percent, but is still 2.2 percentage points lower than July 2013. Las Vegas’ unemployment rate edged up to 8.2 percent. However, the unemployment rates in both Carson City and Reno remained at their June levels. Reno’s July unemployment reading was 7.3 percent.

Douglas County Commissioners and Douglas County Emergency Management’s decision not to file a disaster declaration has come under question, been criticized, and created opportunities for much public comment and debate. The recent flash flood event in north eastern portion of the Johnson Lane, Central Johnson Lane, and Fish Springs areas of the county was a significant event that many would think would warrant a disaster declaration.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A package of Northern Nevada lands bills — six introduced by Rep. Mark Amodei (NV-2) and one by Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-4) unanimously passed the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday.

The bipartisan support clears the way for the legislation to be brought to the House floor in September as a non-controversial suspension bill, according to a news release from Amodei's office.

The compromise agreement was made possible after adjustments to the legislation were made to a version passed in January.

A railroad mystery, Nevada history, a dog and a ghost are the central figures in a new book by author Jan Pierson, set to visit the Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 9 and 10. The author will sign copies of her book “Ghost Girl in Car No. 9,” the fifth in her series “The Ghostowners,” in the museum store.