May

With the new year, a new set of laws is once again taking effect.

Of the hundreds of bills the Legislature passed in 2019, nine finally became effective either in whole or in part on Friday with the start of the new year and as the next legislative session is set to begin in February.

The Nevada Mining Association has teamed up with the Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada for the first-ever “Mining In Today’s World” patch program.

It was an eventful year around the Carson City region notwithstanding the limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's some notable stories that were not pandemic related that happened in 2020.

Carson City Health and Human Services is reporting Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020 that there are 5 additional deaths due to COVID-19 in the Quad-County region. CCHHS is also reporting 129 new cases and 278 additional recoveries of COVID-19 in the Quad-County region.

CARSON CITY — According to finalized data from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) totaled 7,209 for the week ending December 26, down 589 claims, or 7.6%, compared to the previous week’s total of 7,798 claims.

Finally! That’s the word now heard on almost every newscast as we wrap up this tumultuous year. It’s the thought that precedes every thought when speaking of 2020.

Carson City Health and Human Services is reporting Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020 that there are 6 additional deaths due to COVID-19 in the Quad-County region. We are also reporting 99 new cases and 97 additional recoveries of COVID-19 in the Quad-County region. This brings the total number of cases to 9,090, with 4,449 recoveries and 114 deaths; 4,527 cases remain active.

Whether she is advising first-generation college students to better their lives through higher education or serving as a trustee for K-12 students in the Carson City School District, there are two common denominators in Lupe Ramirez’s education roles: The Western Nevada College Latino Leadership Academy founder and adviser will definitely make a difference and, without a doubt, she will stand out.

Reno native Dawn Wells, who starred as Mary Ann in the popular 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died Wednesday of causes related to COVID-19 in Los Angeles, according to her publicist. She was 82.

Between a global pandemic, protests over racial injustice and a highly contentious presidential election, firearm sales in Nevada spiked in 2020, with the first 10 months of gun sales already 57 percent greater than all gun sales made in 2019.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — With COVID-19 cases surging and a new wave of restrictions looming, challenges persist for small business owners as they continue to weather the pandemic according to data from the Q4 Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index. While the index score rose 12 points for the second straight quarter, overall optimism levels remain just over half of what they were in late 2019.

Carson City Health and Human Services is reporting Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020 that there are two additional deaths due to COVID-19 in the Quad-County region. CCHHS is also reporting 139 new cases and 40 additional recoveries of COVID-19 in the Quad-County region. This brings the total number of cases to 8,991, with 4,352 recoveries and 108 deaths; 4,531 cases remain active.

CARSON CITY— The state of Nevada issued a statement Tuesday on the widely reported compromise of SolarWinds Orion software along with advice and information for consumers.

The Nevada State Treasurer’s Office is asking Nevadans to ignore and delete any text messages received from unknown sources indicating the State Treasurer’s Office is holding their unclaimed property.

Carson City Health and Human Services is reporting Monday, Dec. 28, 2020 that there are 65 new cases and 92 additional recoveries of COVID-19 in the Quad-County region. This brings the total number of cases to 8,852, with 4,312 recoveries and 106 deaths; 4,434 cases remain active.

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation issued the following statement Monday regarding the Continued Assistance Act Unemployment Provisions.

The Carson City Fire Department will be conducting wildland fuels reduction prescribed burn operations beginning Tuesday, Dec. 29, in the Voltaire Canyon area throughout the week, weather permitting.

The Carson City region is experiencing light snow with slick conditions during the Monday morning commute. Highest snow totals based on webcams are near and south of US-50.

Carson City and Douglas County are again participating in a statewide Christmas tree recycling effort. As in previous years, Christmas trees can be placed curbside on your regular trash collection day or taken to one of several drop off locations.

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of Dec. 28 to Jan. 3, 2021. Closures are expected at the following locations due to road and utility work:

Is beekeeping on your bucket list? Need help getting started. A one-day workshop for beginning beekeepers will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2021, at the Catholic Center, 311 Virginia St, Yerington, Nev. The workshop is focused and designed for individuals with little or no beekeeping experience.

CHS Senior Abby Golik, after being told Senior Projects, a Carson High School graduation requirement, were temporarily cancelled, decided she wanted to do a Senior Project anyway.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors is seeking applications from persons interested in serving on the Redevelopment Authority Citizens Committee as well as the Culture and Tourism Authority.

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) announced that in order to conduct regular system updates, they are temporarily taking the Unemployment Insurance (UI) website, ui.nv.gov offline on Saturday, December 26th from 6 AM to midnight, a period of lower traffic. During this time, individuals will not be able to file claims or access the resource materials.

Federal funds made available through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency have been awarded to jurisdictions in the state of Nevada for Phase 38. The eligible spending period for Phase 38 is January 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021. The following is a list of the awards for northern Nevada jurisdictions (counties) including Carson City, Douglas, Lyon and Washoe.

Of the many lessons to be learned from 2020, not the least of which is that there's no such thing as a non-essential person.

To insist otherwise degrades the value of human dignity. Kind of like the way Henry F. Potter made George Bailey feel on Christmas Eve one year at the end of World War II.

The weather will transition to a more active pattern with periods of mountain snow, valley rain, and gusty winds later Friday through Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. A second colder system will be on its heels for early Monday and will provide chances for another round of snow.

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation provided an update Thursday to Nevadans about a federal stimulus bill and how the delay in the passage and enactment of the stimulus bill will adversely affect Nevadans.

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.

Hello fellow anglers and Merry Fishmas. I think we are all looking forward to the new year to begin. Jan. 1, 2021 will be a welcome sight, so we may begin a new year. At 6:32 a.m., Topaz Lake will officially open for the 2021 fishing season.