Public safety

The July 4 holiday weekend at Lake Tahoe will look and feel different this year with basin firework shows canceled and social distancing safety practices required on beaches, campgrounds and along hiking trails. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Forest Service says it is hopeful the holiday period will be a great opportunity for people to get outside to celebrate Independence Day and all the wonders of Lake Tahoe.

Laws implementing a wide range of criminal justice reforms, establishing a state board responsible for regulating marijuana and creating a payday loan database finally take effect Wednesday, more than a year after the 2019 legislative session ended.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is preparing for the upcoming 4th of July celebration and would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day. Due to the volume of celebrants within the Stateline casino core at Lake Tahoe, Nevada Beach and Zephyr Cove areas during this event and throughout the weekend, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is reminding our residents and visitors to be safe and mindful of the laws surrounding their festivities.

Since launching a statewide testing initiative in May, the Nevada Department of Corrections has tested 10,329 offenders for COVID-19, or 83 percent of its total population of 12,368. Of those tested, only nine — or .08 percent of all offenders — have tested positive for the virus, one of the lowest rates in the nation.

A 21-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of two felony counts assault with a deadly weapon and two misdemeanor offenses, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office booking report.

Carson City native Lisa Schuette was elected to the Carson City Board of Supervisors for Ward 4 in the recent primary election, and she took the time to speak about her vision for Carson City and what she hopes to achieve as a Supervisor.

The Nevada Division of Emergency Management is pleased to name Cassandra Darrough as DEM's Tribal Coordinator, helping with emergency management support for Nevada’s 27 federally-recognized Tribal Nations in close collaboration with Nevada Indian Commission.

It’s been months of challenging circumstances for our community, businesses, families and schools, but I saw us beginning to emerge from the darkness. Then, without warning, the horrific death of George Floyd reignited the unresolved wounds of racism, police use of force, and unequal treatment of minorities in this country. The frustrated public demanded answers, change, and resolution, not later but now.

In a program similar to PG&E and other electric utilities in California, NV Energy announced last week that it will implement its own plan that would shut off power to reduce wildfire risk in the Lake Tahoe area in the event of weather-related events such as strong, gusty winds.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak notified state employees Thursday of proposed plans to address the projected Fiscal Year 2021 budget shortfall.

Preliminary estimates indicate approximately a $900 million General Fund shortfall, when combined with the Distributive School Account, the revenue shortfall increases up to $1.3 billion in Fiscal Year 2021. The estimated revenue shortfall represents a significant percentage of the state’s overall $4.5 billion operating appropriations for the fiscal year.

UPDATE 11:14AM: The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 p.m. Friday for the following areas: Southern Mono County, Southern Sierra Front including Alpine, Northern Mono, Southern Lyon, and Western Mineral Counties, West Humboldt Basin in Pershing County and Lahontan Basin including Churchill and Eastern Mineral counties. The Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for Mono County, Mineral and Southern Lyon counties, Hawthorne, Yerington, Smith Valley, Mina, Schurz, Fernley, Fallon, Lovelock, Silver Springs, Nixon, and Imlay. Carson City, and Carson Valley are not in the Wind Advisory area.
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Strong winds expected Friday has prompted the National Weather Service to issue high wind and fire weather watches for portions of Northern Nevada.

The Nevada Department of Public Safety commissioned the state's newest peace officers Wednesday at the Academy 88 graduation ceremony. The event was held in Carson City at the Legislative Plaza — Capitol Amphitheater, with limited guests in accordance with COVID-19 public health and safety guidelines.

Douglas County 9-1-1 Emergency Services is pleased to announce another enhancement to our next generation 9-1-1 service.

We have partnered with RapidSOS to bring enhanced 9-1-1 services to the residents and visitors of Douglas and Alpine Counties.

UPDATE Wednesday: Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve has lifted a curfew that began Tuesday. The city is working on putting into place a modified plan that would limit large gatherings to 50-plus people, a city spokesman said in a Tweet.
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Out of an abundance of caution for public safety, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve has issued citywide curfews beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 2. The curfew will be in effect nightly from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning and will continue until terminated by Mayor Schieve.

Late Spring is in full swing in the Tahoe Basin and Tahoe black bears are searching for food. Intentional or unintentional feeding of bears results in unwanted bear behaviors, increased human-bear conflicts, and public safety issues as well as fines and possible jail time for violators.

This is a year unprecedented for Carson City students. High school seniors, and our local high schools are getting creative with the ways they seek to honor their graduating students.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with the Carson City District Attorney, is releasing the photograph of Kahlil Deshaun Williams, born July 28, 1995. Williams, 24, remains in the Carson City Detention Facility on the charges of kidnapping, attempted sexual assault of a minor under 14, lewdness With a minor under 14, and false imprisonment. His bail remains at $250,000.

Ballots have been sent (or will be sent soon) to Carson City residents for the local upcoming elections. These are your candidates, who they are, and what they stand for.

A 24-year-old Carson City man was arrested at Mills Park Monday evening after allegedly kidnapping a child and attempting to sexually assault them, among other crimes.

According to the report, Kahlil Deshawn Williams was arrested after deputies were dispatched to a convenience store on Hot Springs Road for a kidnapping.

Lyon County officials have reviewed the Nevada United Roadmap to Recovery plan as introduced by the Governor on April 30, 2020. The Governor’s Office provided Lyon County with a questionnaire to determine the County’s ability to enter Phase 1 of the plan.

Minden, NV -Douglas County Board of County Commissioners will be conducting a Special meeting on April 29, 2020 regarding recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic impacts to local business in Douglas County.

The county is actively seeking public comment from residents in regards to economic impacts on local business in Douglas County.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — UPS announced the donation of 10,000 N95 respirator masks to the Nevada Department of Public Safety. UPS has procured a sufficient supply to meet internal needs for its employees, and is sharing its available masks to help protect healthcare providers and first responders in communities across the country.

MINDEN — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to debut its new upgraded, mobile-compatible website. The new website was scheduled to launch in March prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, and will serve as an online information resource even more now for the public to connect to the Sheriff’s Office.

This week is designated National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, honoring those in the field of emergency call-taking by recognizing them for their quick thinking actions as they navigate telephone lifeline responses between those needing help and those first fire and sheriff's office responders arriving on scene.

Hello fellow anglers. As many of you know, there is an important date coming up. April 25 was to be the opening trout season opener for many Sierra lakes, rivers and streams. This year because of the outbreak of Covid-19, the California Fish and Game Commission has proposed a new regulation that may temporarily suspend or delay the opener to protect public health.

Amid calls and emergency directives designed to “flatten the curve” and prepare Nevada’s beleaguered health care system for an expected surge in COVID-19 cases, state leaders are still preparing for the worst.

MINDEN — The Douglas County Roads Department installed six new road signs last week that will be activated with a radar detection system once some final preparation is done in the coming days. The new signs will provide drivers a higher level of visual guidance when approaching the curves and improves safety for all drivers.

On Thursday, April 2, 2020, the previously planned Carson City Board of Supervisor's meeting will continue as scheduled; however, during the mandated shut down, how the meeting will be held has been altered to suit the social distancing needed to keep all community members safe.

Seismic Network Manager Ken Smith was sitting on the couch in his northwest Reno home watching the evening news on March 20 when the earthquake hit.

MINDEN — In response to COVID-19 Douglas County officials continue to work closely with Carson City Health and Human Services and a regional Emergency Operations Center that has been set up in Carson City to ensure compliance with the Governor’s directive while working in partnership to keep Douglas County residents safe.