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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:

On Friday, December 18, 2020, the Carson City Democrats delivered $686 to Joyce Buckingham, coordinator at Ron Wood Family Center for the Carson City Toys for Tots program.

In recognition of the fact that many families in our community, especially those with children, are struggling in this holiday period, the Carson City Democrats conducted a blazingly fast appeal to its members to support a cash drive for the Toys For Tots program.

For the week ending December 12, initial claims for Unemployment Insurance (UI) totaled 9,027, up 244 claims, or 2.8 percent, compared to the previous week’s total of 8,783 claims, according to finalized data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR).

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 facing the same problems other growing communities throughout the nation are: a lack of affordable housing which in turn is causing a gap in the workforce for important careers that require technical training.

Nonprofits greenUP! and Friends In Service Helping (FISH) are coming together around the topic of food waste and food insecurity this holiday season. It is estimated that a staggering 30-40 percent of all food produced in our country winds up in the landfill.

One solution for reducing waste is to donate extra food to feed the hungry: despite the high volumes of wasted food, over 13 million Americans lack regular access to a meal.

In our state, it is estimated by the Department of Health and Human Services that one in eight Nevadans does not know where their next meal is coming from.

While this year’s safe and sober celebrations may look different, Partnership Carson City, in collaboration with Carson City Sheriff's Office School Resource Officers, is encouraging students to celebrate safety and responsibly this New Year’s Eve by offering gift cards as a token of appreciation.

Clint Koble, Executive Director of the Department of Agriculture's Nevada Rural Development Council in the Obama administration, will be the featured speaker at next Monday's Democratic tele-luncheon. The topic of his presentation will be “Rebuilding Rural America” — a set of policy proposals he developed based on a lifetime in public life and on his own experience as a product of rural America, having been born and raised on a farm in North Dakota.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Real estate leader Garrett Lepire has been appointed the Carson City office Branch Manager for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale Properties.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation announced Thursday it has started borrowing money from the federal government to help ensure Nevada residents who are eligible for regular unemployment benefits continue to receive payments without interruption during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Youth Theatre Carson City is thrilled to announce its upcoming production of Macy’s "Yes Virginia: The Movie Musical," which will be available to view On-Demand from Dec. 18-31.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance with locating a runaway juvenile believed to be in the Carson City area.

The Brewery Arts Center has teamed up with local arts enthusiast Michael Tedesco once again to organize Carson City’s "Unsilent Night." The event is an original composition by Phil Kline, written specifically to be heard outdoors in the month of December.

As the risk for COVID-19 transmission continues to increase, Carson City Health and Human Services is encouraging residents to avoid attending or hosting holiday celebrations with those outside of your household and utilizing lower risk activities to celebrate the holiday with those outside of your household.

Senior Shania West decided early that she wanted to graduate as a Pioneer Panther, and chose to attend Pioneer High School for all four years. She thought that it would be a good fit for her and she has no regrets. And, now with those years nearly behind her, Shania is looking forward to achieving her goal of going to college.

Jonah Toral, Nathan Parsons, and Bita Jazani were awarded the fifth annual Rosemary Nebesky Memorial Scholarships by the Carson City Symphony Association this month. The scholarship was established by John and Jennifer Webley of Santa Rosa, Calif., in memory Rosemary Nebesky, who loved music, loved children, and had been a friend and board member of the Carson City Symphony Association.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced on Sunday that he is extending current coronavirus health and safety restrictions for another month and putting in place a new moratorium on evictions through the end of March.

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.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance with locating a runaway juvenile. On December 6, 2020 Paris Burton (13) left her residence in Carson City. Paris’s whereabouts are unknown.

On Friday, the Greenhouse Project held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new outdoor classroom which will be used to host both students from Carson High School as well as community classes on gardening and agriculture.

An outside investigator found no policy violations but room for improved communication after reviewing events surrounding a rural Nevada library’s draft diversity statement that drew the county sheriff’s ire and sparked protests and national media attention.

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.

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 Carson City Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division is asking for the public's help in identifying subjects involved in a case being investigated involving shots fired at a residence early Thursday morning.

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.

Two Carson City leaders have teamed up to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and provide information on how families can protect themselves and others during the holidays.

In addition to being available by phone and online, the Carson City Library and staff remain committed to delivering its services to the local community through a variety of avenues. While currently closed to the public, the library is completing upgrades and installations to enable vulnerable populations to continue to safely access library collections.

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.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public and Behavioral Health is expanding the capabilities of the COVID Trace app by launching Exposure Notification Express through a partnership with Apple and Google.

Do you know of a woman in our Carson City community who is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls and should be recognized for her efforts? Soroptimist International of Carson City is accepting sponsorship submissions for our 2021 “Women Helping Women” honorees.