GROW

The New Year has always been the perfect time to reflect and look ahead with a fresh perspective. As the primary wellness provider for the South Lake Tahoe area, I would like to address questions you may have about the future of healthcare and what Barton Health has planned for 2012 and beyond.

The year of 2011 was anything but quiet for the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG).
Pesky bears, a roaming gray wolf, significant poaching arrests, tsunami relief work and dramatic wildlife rescues were among the stories that captured the public’s attention.
DFG also welcomed new Director Charlton H. Bonham, who was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in August.

RENO, Nev. – An online graduate certificate in renewable energy that provides an opportunity to study the policies and practices in the diverse fields of renewable energy is being offered at the University of Nevada, Reno beginning in the spring 2012 semester.

“With an emphasis on renewable energy by the Governor’s Task Force on Economic Development, this should be a popular program,” Nancy LaTourrette, of the University’s College of Engineering, said. “The program provides a breadth of understanding of the different aspects of renewable energy in a traditional semester-long time frame.”

UPDATE 6:30PM: Fire officials have reduced the amount of acres having burned on the east side of Carson City. Tonight officials report 300 acres have been consumed so far in the Laurel Fire burning on BLM land off of Deer Run Road. While no structures are threatened at this time, there is no estimate of containment.

Each year, as my last article for that year, I present my Annual Don Q Awards for a number of different reasons: Outstanding, good, not so good, bad, serious, funny, dumb, head-scratching, are-you-kidding, etc.
Those annual awards are presented to all kinds of people or places or things for what has occurred throughout the year. It’s an interesting way to end the year, so here are my 2011 winners:

Every parent should recognize the childish antics of House Republicans on the payroll tax cut extension controversy.

When my nine-year-old doesn't want to do something, a familiar pattern emerges.

First comes the outright refusal. "No, I don't want to," she will say. It's almost always the most truthful part of the whole exchange.

When she sees that doesn't work, then she backpedals to find some other reason to support her position. "I can't do it now because I'm doing (something else)."

For the lucky 7,500 people who scored tickets on the V&T Railway's Polar Express this year, you are in for a fantastic treat. My wife Tracy and I took our daughter Mira last night, and everyone had a great time.

When I read last month that the Nevada Appeal planned to start charging readers to access their web content, a tune began playing in my head: "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

Since the first step of their paywall (as we in the industry refer to paid access systems) was erected on Wednesday, traffic for Carson Now shot up 50 percent. I expect that to grow even more when the first free trial period ends and they begin asking readers for their credit cards.

This is a story that has been flying under the radar for a few months now, told to me in confidential discussions with city officials. But it looks like a newspaper in Twin Falls, Idaho has put the story out in the open, since that community is also vying to land the facility.

"Chobani, a New York-based manufacturer of Greek yogurt, has visited Twin Falls as well as Carson City, Nev., in recent months in its efforts to find a spot for a facility near the West Coast," according to the story.

FALLON, Nev.—Lattin Farms, home of the Nevada corn maze, will be hosting their annual Scarecrow Factory at Lattin Farms on October 22, 2011.

The Scarecrow Factory is one of the most popular family events on the farm. The cost to participate in the event is $5.00. All proceeds will benefit Goats R Us and 4-H Club.

C-A-L Ranch Stores, an expanding ranch and home store chain, will open a new store in Carson City in April 2012. The new store will be located in the existing Safeway building on Carson Street, north of the Carson Shopping Center. Safeway announced on Monday that it was closing the store, which had been in operation for 38 years.

CARSON CITY – Supporters of a plan by the Southern Nevada Water Authority to pump more  than 125,00-acre feet of groundwater from rural areas of the state to slake the thirst of urban residents said today the project is critical to keeping the state’s economic engine running.

Living in Northern Nevada over this past month, we’ve been the sad witnesses to how tragedy can affect the lives of so many. The horrible shooting at the Carson IHOP that left 4 dead and injured 7, followed by the fatal accident at the air races that took the lives of 11 people and injured more than 70, is a sad and real reminder of how short our time on this earth can be. Left behind are spouses, children, grandchildren and other friends. Along with the unexpected death of their loved one, often comes with a loss of income and other unexpected expenses.

CARSON CITY – A new federal program is bringing $13.8 million to Nevada to lend to small businesses to spur job growth, Gov. Brian Sandoval announced earlier this week.
The funds provided to Nevada’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) by the Small Business Jobs Act are expected to help create private sector jobs and spur more than $138 million in additional lending to small businesses in Nevada, Sandoval said.

CARSON CITY – It isn’t just fraud, but waste and abuse of Medicaid funds that state officials are taking aim at as the cost of the health insurance program for children, seniors and the disabled continues to climb.
Charles Duarte, administrator of the state Division of Health Care Financing and Policy, which oversees the Medicaid program, said efforts to identify fraud, waste and abuse have been stepped up since 2005 when only two staff in his office were dedicated to these important tasks.

CARSON CITY – Medicaid fraud is a growing problem here and around the country, and two different Nevada agencies are tasked with investigating cases and returning ill-gotten taxpayer dollars to the program.

This month the YBP board has planned a very special luncheon and tour for you.

You will have the opportunity to tour one of Carson City's most productive manufacturing facilities and learn the fascinating story of how one simple idea turned into an international company and how the company has been able to grow even during these tough economic times.

Carson City's manufacturing sector is a major employer for the region and sits silently in the airport area. Come and find out about the impact and importance of our manufacturing community!

Here is the fishing report for the week of Sept. 21-28. This report covers rivers, streams and lakes in Nevada, the Sierra, Northern California and Southern Oregon.

CARSON CITY – Nevadans are more pessimistic now about the state of the economy than they have been since early 2010, according to the most recent poll commissioned by the Retail Association of Nevada.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval and legislative leaders today announced their appointments to the new Economic Development Board, which will focus on job creation and economic diversification.

League to Save Lake Tahoe Executive Director Rochelle Nason has resigned today, effective October 2011, after nearly 20 years of working to protect and restore Lake Tahoe.

League Program Director Carl Young will serve as interim executive director, with Nason serving as a senior advisor, until a new executive director has been selected.

Nevada could take in $16 million less in tax dollars this year due to online sales, according to a new report by the Retail Association of Nevada (RAN).
Sales tax currently accounts for 28.3 percent of the state’s general fund revenue while gaming taxes bring in 23.6 percent. Nevada ranks 11th in the nation in terms of sales tax reliance, according to a Congressional Research Service report, while the state’s maximum sales tax rate, 8.1 percent in Clark County, ranks 20th.

From reader KB: These pictures were taken this morning a little after 8 am. There were ten buzzards in the dead tree, "The Buzzards' Barrio." Picture 1, the three pigeons were discussing if they wanted to be buzzards when they grow up. All ten buzzards have their funeral director's license in Nevada, ha ha.

More than 13,000 marijuana plants were destroyed last week after Mono County authorities found several grow sites in the Sweetwater Mountains.The plants had a potential street value of $67 million,...

Job, jobs, jobs. We are told that is what we need to fix our ailing economy.

With an unemployment rate above 9 percent, we do need more jobs. But there's a better chance of getting Sarah Palin to pose naked for a PETA anti-fur ad than there is of getting any kind of job-creating bill through a Congress held hostage by deficit-obsessed Tea Party Republicans.

Here's a list of coming Jazz! Carson City events schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday. For details and maps, see jazzcarsoncity.com.

Tuesday
Jazz from 6 to 8 p.m. at Carson Plaza Senior Living, 2120 E. Long St., features performances by Judith Ames and friends. Song stylist Judith Ames has been singing jazz and Latin tunes in multiple languages around the area for the past six years. She will be joined by two fabulous musicians - Rocky Tatarelli, on tenor sax, and Paul January on keys.

RENO - The Nevada Wolf Pack football family continues to grow.The Wolf Pack announced Wednesday that two new off-the-field administrative positions have been added to the football program. Jon Hask...

CARSON CITY – If a $490,000 grant to plant trees in Clark County public places as part of a federal job-creating stimulus project should be measured by the “greening” of Southern Nevada, then the effort might be considered a modest success.
Thirteen different government and nonprofit entities applied for 1,814 trees for planting at 35 different public areas in Southern Nevada through the grant. A total of 1,541 trees have been provided to the agencies and groups for planting, mostly at schools and parks around the Vegas valley.

CARSON CITY — With our current long daylight hours, hot weather, gusty afternoon winds, low humidity and vegetation rapidly drying out, you need to be aware of the ever-increasing fire danger surrounding us.
Our countryside is tinder dry, and it would only take a moment of carelessness, sparks from target shooting, illegal fireworks, a hot vehicle muffler on a dirt road, an abandoned campfire or a tossed cigarette to create a roaring inferno.

ALPINE LAKE, CALIF:
It will be planted this week by the California Department of Fish and Game.

ANGEL LAKE, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports: The road is open, but there is still a LOT of snow around the lake. The lake is about 80% ice covered with some fishable water. Unfortunately, there is enough snow on the ice, you can't tell what is safe and what isn't. With this week's warm temps and some wind, next weekend may be a different story.

BISHOP AREA, CALIF: