Nevada State Prison

'Tis the Season, Carson City! Holiday cheer is in the wind, and we have plenty of wind right now. This weekend is jam-packed with food and toy drives, concerts, and Santa-sightings, so bundle up and have a fun time enjoying our great city.

Describing Abe Curry as the “father of Carson City” only hints at the many roles the pioneer played in the establishment of Nevada’s capital. On Friday, Dec. 12, the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society will host a presentation by Glen Whorton on the life of Curry, the man who shaped much of what Carson City has become today.

A good friend of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce passed away Monday of a heart attack. Pete Livermore was a community icon and did much for the community we know today. He was the “father of youth sports” and worked diligently to make certain the children of Carson City played on the best fields money could buy.

Pete Livermore, a longtime Carson City elected leader and business owner, died Monday at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. He was 73.

Livermore was a Nevada Assemblyman who decided this year that he would not seek re-election. He began in the Assembly District 40 on Feb. 7 2011. Before that, Livermore was a member of the Carson City Board of Supervisors, 1998-2010; was Mayor pro Tem, Carson City, 2004-2006.

Using the model of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preserve Nevada has released its biannual “Most Endangered Places list” with the Nevada State Prison, Governor John Jones House, Jack's Bar and the First Presbyterian Church among threatened Carson City landmarks.

In honor of Nevada’s Sesquicentennial celebration, the non-profit dedicated to the preservation of Nevada’s cultural, historical, and archeological heritage, has selected more than 150 locations across the state to promote. Each site was identified as a preservation success, loss, or endangered location.

The IRS has conferred nonprofit status on the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society, a significant step in the group’s effort to save the historic structure. The first donation to NSPPS under its designation as a public charity was made this week by Carson City Assemblyman Pete Livermore.

Livermore’s legislation in 2013 set the stage for planning by state agencies on the 152-year-old prison’s future as a historic site and museum, as well as possible uses for other buildings on the property.

Four Nevada legislative candidates who hope to represent Carson City took to the microphone Wednesday night at the Carson City Chamber of Commerce candidate forum.

Each touted their qualifications, noting their conservative credentials and their commitment as Republicans to tackle a legislative body dominated by southern Nevada Democrats.

Carson City Supervisor Karen Abowd gives a recap on the actions taken by the Board of Supervisors at its April 17, 2014 meeting.

At the meeting Supervisors again approved an ordinance allowing for a 1/8-cent sales tax for public infrastructure projects including:

It's back and better than ever: the 2014 edition of the Escape From Prison Hill trail half marathon and 10K races!The Escape from Prison Hill Half Marathon and 10K in Carson City, Nevada, is happening on Saturday, April 19. The Escape from Prison Hill Half Marathon is a challenging trail run with great views of the Sierra Nevada, Nevada valleys, and the Nevada State Prison! The 10K packs the same views and less-challenging terrain in a shorter distance. 

There is a lot of misinformation circulating regarding Carson City’s possible future involvement with the Empire Ranch Golf Course. I have heard and read many inaccurate statements regarding what actions, if any, the city might take in regards to the course. I want to help clear that up, and address the facts as I understand them.

Let's ignore the 80/800 group of businesses in Carson City, for the moment, and consider meeting the 20/20 group in a compromise over the sales tax increase to pay for their proposed ten million dollar corridor improvements. Why not have them put up half the money of $5 Million ($250K each) and the city can match their investment for the remaining half? Let's all compromise and meet them halfway. If they are willing to put up their money, where our taxes are to be spent, then let hear it for compromise.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The story behind the giant footprints found at Nevada State Prison will be told Feb. 20 by paleontologist Gene Hattori.

Hattori, curator of anthropology and state paleontologist at Nevada State Museum, will be the featured speaker in the third lecture of a Nevada Sesquicentennial series sponsored by the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society.
His talk, “Fossils at Nevada State Prison,” will begin at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in the Silver Oak Executive Conference Center, 1251 Country Club Drive, Carson City. It is free and open to the public.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — How was your first day in prison? That’s what E.K. McDaniel and Glen Whorton will describe at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at the Carson Nugget.

Of course, McDaniel and Whorton were able to go home after their first day — because they worked for the Department of Corrections. And both had many days after that to learn the unique job of working on the inside.
Their talk on "My First Day in Prison" is free and open to the public.

Care Flight was called to an accident Sunday night involving a pedestrian at the intersection of Koontz and Edmonds in Carson City.

One escape from Nevada State Prison fits the category of “great.” Most of the others, not so much. Glen Whorton, former director of the Nevada Department of Corrections, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Silver Oak Executive Conference Center in Carson City on “Great and not so great escapes from Nevada State Prison.”

His talk is free and open to the public. It is the first in a monthly series of presentations by the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society on the history of the 151-year-old prison.

CARSON CITY — A bloody palm print, footprints of monster men, the nation's first legal lethal gas chamber — all of this and more are at the heart of the Nevada State Prison story.

Find out about these nuggets of history by attending a free lecture entitled "Nevada State Prison: A History" on Thursday, August 15, at 6 p.m. Jennifer E. Riddle, Sena M. Loyd, and Stacy L. Branham, co-authors along with Curt Thomas of the recently published book, "Nevada State Prison," will be making the presentation.

Assemblyman Pete Livermore, Carson City Mayor Robert Crowell and members of the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society assembled late Tuesday afternoon to witness Gov. Brian Sandoval sign off on the recommendation to study the feasibility of turning the historic prison into a visitor's museum/attraction.

The use of solitary confinement in Nevada prisons could come under closer scrutiny if a senate bill regulating use of the practice passes the state legislature.

Senate Bill 107 would limit the use of solitary confinement on Nevada inmates, removing the ability to use isolation as a punishment and limiting the amount of time spent in solitary confinement. According to Nevada Department of Corrections information, Nevada has more than 300 inmates in ‘maximum’ custody, which is about two percent of the state’s prison population.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting today beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Sierra Room of the Community Center, 851 East William. Go here for the agenda and here to watch it live.

City government financial support for public art and a bid to preserve the Nevada State Prison both won backing from Carson City’s Cultural Commission Tuesday.

The 150-year-old Nevada State Prison in Carson CIty has been gathering cobwebs since it closed Jan. 4. And in a state without funds for anything new, its destiny might be a wrecking ball.
But there is a glimmer of hope that the capital city icon can be saved.

The murder trial of Morris Rockwood Preston and Joseph William Smith was among the most controversial events in early 20th century Nevada and made national news. The courtroom drama pitted labor union radicals against the Goldfield corporate establishment led by powerful mine owner George Wingfield. Preston would be nominated for president of the United States in 1908 while incarcerated in the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada State Prison Preservation Society is now accepting memberships from people who want to be among the early pioneers of an effort to create a museum and tours of the state’s oldest prison.
Anyone interested in joining NSPPS is encouraged to attend a general-membership meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 7 in the Ormsby Room of the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, 911 E. Musser St., Carson City.

After 150 years, the Nevada State Prison is now a ghost town. By the time Nevada became a territory in 1861 the need for a place to house those who broke the law was glaringly apparent and it fell to the first territorial legislature was to establish a state prison.
Abraham Curry, father of Carson City, owned and operated the Warm Springs Hotel on land located east of the capital city and readily provided a meeting place for the new governing body.

Gov. Brian Sandoval will speak at a decommissioning ceremony at Nevada State Prison at 11 a.m. today.

The Nevada State Prison operated for 150 years until the last inmates were moved out in January due to the state's budget constraints.

The public is invited to the event, and urged to bring cameras.

CARSON CITY, NEVADA-Carson City Library will present the official book launch of Nevada State Prison, published by Arcadia Publishing and to be released on Monday, March 26th, at 6:00 p.m. The authors of this book include Jennifer E. Riddle, an archaeologist; Sena M. Loyd, a research librarian; and Stacy L. Branham and Curt Thomas, officers of the Nevada State Prison.

The state's Interim Finance Committee questioned Corrections Director Greg Cox over contradictory plans for running the license plate shop at the Nevada State Prison once the facility closes down. The original plan was for the shop to stay where it is and be run by minimum security inmates. But Cox had also been looking at moving the plant to either the Northern Nevada Correctional Center on the south side of Carson City, or to High Desert State Prison near Las Vegas. He said they didn't currently have the money to make that move.

The IFC also got the final $521,904 bill for the special election to fill Nevada's Second Congressional District seat after Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed Dean Heller to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Ensign.

The IFC also approved funding for 20 of the 30 new positions for the Department of Motor Vehicles approved by the 2011 Legislature. The new positions are supposed to help cut the wait time at DMV offices, which have increased since 85 positions were eliminated due to budget cuts.

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A coalition of organizations is urging the Attorney General's office to reject a multi-state settlement with the banking industry over allegations of widespread falsifying loan documents and other wrongdoing in the wake of the mortgage foreclosure crisis. New York and California have already signaled that they will not sign onto the agreement, and the Attorneys General of Nevada and California recently announced that they will work together to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by the banks.

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The Carson City Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with the Nevada Small Business Development Center at UNR to work together to operate the city's Business Resource Innovation Center, under the leadership of its new director Michael Salogga.

The state Board of Prison Commissioners meets today in Carson City, and on their agenda is a report on the progress in closing of Nevada State Prison.

This local landmark dates back to the 1860s, but the old facility was put on the chopping block by lawmakers earlier this year. Gov. Brian Sandoval wanted to close it by October, but the legislature extended its last days until April. Inmates and staff have been moved to other institutions, and as of last week, there were only 139 inmates left, down from 700.

Probation was revoked Monday for a 30-year-old Carson City woman with multiple violations including failure to make restitution for credit card fraud totaling $2,400.

District Judge Michael Gibbons ordered Tibbi Z. Way to serve 32 months in Nevada State Prison, and gave her credit for 92 days in custody.

Historic Nevada State Prison is now down to just over a quarter of the number of inmates it held at its peak population as prison officials continue the process of closing it for good.Corrections s...