unemployment

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – When it comes to the budget problems looming for many states over the next two years, a report released this week by the National Conference of State Legislatures makes one point very clear: Nevada is No. 1, and not in a good way.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Despite the need for drastic spending reductions to balance Nevada’s budget, the government program that provides health care to the poor continues to expand, consuming a growing share of the state’s scarce state revenues.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A panel of private sector fiscal experts today projected the Nevada state general fund will have about $5.3 billion in tax revenues to spend on government services for the next two years.
The Nevada Economic Forum spent the day making projections for gaming, sales, business and other major tax revenues for use by Gov.-elect Brian Sandoval and the Legislature in crafting a balanced budget for the two years beginning July 1, 2011.

With the big distribution day for the holidays on Thursday, Dec. 16, the Dayton Food Pantry will operate that day only from the Dayton Community Center at 170 Pike Street from noon to 5 p.m.

With unemployment in Lyon County at nearly 20 percent, donations are especially welcome this holiday season, explained Freida Carbery, director for the Pantry.

On the other days of December, the Food Pantry will be open for emergency food needs as usual, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 4 Enterprise Way and Highway 50 (east of Smith’s Grocery) Monday through Friday.

Accentuating the good concerning United States of America Jobless claims is possible, depending on how you look at the statistics. The number of people filing for unemployment rose last week. However, the number was lower than analysts forecasted. Individuals are getting employed, however insufficient to make up for the ones getting fired, a stasis that is reflected in the unemployment rate, which has been stuck at 9.6 percent and shows no signs of imminent movement.

With 300 jobs added to the labor force, the unemployment rate in Carson City fell to 12.5 percent in October from 13.3 percent in September, according to a report released today by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

Carson City area employers added 300 jobs in October, and are down just 500 or 1.7 percent from the same month a year ago, the report states.

"We are delighted. It is always a good sign when new businesses come in such as Kohl's and Big Lots and hire people," said Ronni Hannaman, executive director of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce. "The retail community has pulled us out of some of the hiring doldrums."

Dear Editor:

On November 18th, the extension of unemployment benefits (H.R. 6419) was defeated in the House on a roll call vote. Why? Because Republicans voted against it by a 143 to 21 margin. Even though one of those 21 votes in favor was cast by our congressman, Dean Heller, it was not enough to prevent the cutoff of jobless benefits for five million workers in the dead of winter.

U.S. Congressman Dean Heller, R-Carson City, today came out in support of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Continuation Act (H.R. 6419) which would extend unemployment benefits for an additional three months.

With an unemployment rate of nearly 20 percent in Lyon County, the Dayton Food Pantry has seen a big jump in requests for Thanksgiving food baskets and is asking the community for help.

Food Pantry Director Freida Carbery reports that while many individuals and groups have donated turkeys and trimmings, there are already 100 families in need on the Pantry list, and only 40 turkeys in the freezer. The Pantry's list of those in need doesn’t even include the numbers of families she expects to receive from the local schools this week.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Newly elected state Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, has requested the drafting of legislation to repeal Nevada’s minimum wage law.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Veteran Republican state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, won’t be minority leader in the upcoming 2011 session, withdrawing his name from consideration for the leadership post today after getting GOP criticism for backing Sen. Harry Reid in the Tuesday general election.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s “actual� unemployment rate in the third quarter of 2010 increased to 22.3 percent from 21.5 percent in the second quarter, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
RENO – Secretary of State Ross Miller said today there have been no complaints filed with his office about suspicious voter activity despite email rumors and media accounts that at least some electronic voting machines are pre-programmed to support U.S. Senate candidate Harry Reid, D-NV.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – The question of how well the Gibbons administration has done in quickly and efficiently deploying Nevada’s share of stimulus dollars is difficult to quantify.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., is defending his decision to seek stimulus money on behalf of constituents and Nevada government entities despite voting against the massive funding measure in February 2009.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
A much-anticipated face-to-face debate between U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and his GOP opponent Sharron Angle on Thursday displayed stark contrasts between the two candidates but provoked little in the way of controversy.

By Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada is projected to lose more than 50,000 residents by 2014 because of the ongoing state economic slump, state Demographer Jeff Hardcastle said today.
The short term projections are bleak under either of two models developed by Hardcastle to forecast Nevada’s population growth through 2030.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – The neighborhoods of this capital city and the Washoe Valley just to the north are ground zero for one of the most fiercely contested state legislative races in Nevada this year.
Potentially at stake is the makeup of the 42-member Assembly and whether Democrats can sustain their dominance of the lower house with a 28-member, veto-proof majority.

CARSON CITY – Members of the Republican Assembly Caucus today called on state Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek to delay implementation of a new prevailing wage rate in Nevada until the Legislature has an opportunity to review the methodology.
The caucus is concerned a flawed process resulted in the new prevailing wage rate that took effect Oct. 1. There is a 30-day period to file an objection.

With Nevada's unemployment rate the highest in the nation, obtaining unemployment benefits and extended benefits when laid off has become cumbersome for many. People seeking answers regarding their unemployment benefits can attend a meeting tonight, 6:30 p.m. at the Carson City Public Library, 900 N Roop Street.

Do you need answers regarding your unemployment benefits or the lack there of? A committee has been formed to work on getting these answers. The people of this state need and deserve answers regarding their unemployment. We have weekly that will begin Wednesday at the Carson City Library beginning at 6:30 p.m.. You may call or e-mail for more information and for meeting time and place. There is strength in numbers. Please join us.

cncu@live.com

775-267-7820

CARSON CITY – Catherine Cortez Masto points to a number of accomplishments in her first term as attorney general, from reducing methamphetamine production in Nevada to cracking down on mortgage fraud, all while having to live with major budget cuts and fewer staff.

The sacrifices of military families and veterans — past, present and future — are recognized and valued in Lyon County.



That message was delivered in many ways during a “Military Community Covenant” signing ceremony last week during Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey’s September meeting.

Community leaders from throughout Lyon County were on hand to sign a “community covenant” that promises Lyon County communities and State and local groups will work together to increase support to the area’s military families and veterans.

After being delayed, unemployment benefits for 86,000 Nevada recipients were restored this morning after a computer glitch held up payments for several weeks. Here's a comprehensive story from KOLO Channel 8 about how the glitch affected some struggling to make ends meet in a state with the highest unemployment rate in the country.

It’s hardly a surprise to those living in Nevada that the unemployment rate is high, 14 percent more or less depending on who’s counting. The state is in a hole because of poor tax structure, decreased tourist visits and encroaching California Indian casinos, among other things.

And all the experts are predicting a slow growth and return to the basic 3 or 4 percent unemployment.
The Obama Adminnistration in Washington says we’re on the track to recovery and if we can just control the lunacy that is the New York Stock Exchange and others we’ll be all right.

Yeah.

RENO – Several Nevada business leaders took the opportunity of the upcoming Labor Day holiday to speak out today against federal legislation they say will kill jobs in Nevada at a time when the unemployed total more than 20 percent.

There is an interesting discussion going on over at the Nevada Appeal site concerning the Nugget Project.

The story begins two week ago when Guy Farmer wrote a rather harsh column that slammed the Nugget Project. In response, last week there was a guest column by Michael Douglass criticizing Farmer's take on the subject.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada budget guru Guy Hobbs said Wednesday expanding the sales tax to encompass services is “not a bad place to start� in the effort to broaden the state’s tax base.
“Sixty percent of our economy is services, not a bad place to start,� he said. “A lot of those services are discretionary services, certainly not a bad place to start.�

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s worst in the nation 14.3 percent unemployment rate for July does not even begin to tell the real story of the state’s dismal job situation, a state agency reported today.

While Nevada's unemployment rose to 14.3 percent in July, Carson City's unemployment figures improved slightly, dropping to 13.2 percent from 13.3 percent in June. Click here to read about the state's new unemployment figures.