USDA

The Carson Ranger District on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is pleased to announce the return of the popular Forest Ranger-led snowshoe walks. The walks start this Saturday, Jan. 21, and will be offered every Saturday through March 18.

A “Stuff a Police Car with Food Donations” event was held at Smith’s Grocery in Dayton on Jan. 7 for the Dayton Food Pantry.

Alie Trier, Dayton Food Pantry manager, said “I was amazed by all the cases of tuna and soup and other food donated — more than $4,500 worth of food, plus $612 in cash, was donated. We’re grateful for the hard work of Pantry volunteers and the Lyon Sheriff’s Department and the VIPs (Volunteers in Policing), and for the generosity of Smith’s Grocery Store, and residents of the Dayton area. Together, they made this event very successful.”

With a variety of winter weather conditions occurring across Nevada and Eastern California, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest would like to remind visitors to be extra careful while recreating this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and throughout winter.

The Bridgeport Winter Recreation Area on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest's Bridgeport Ranger District is now open for snowmobiling as of Dec. 23. Currently, the snow depth is approximately 24 inches deep throughout most of the BWRA, which meets the minimum requirement of 24 inches that is needed to open the area.

Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukah all fall within three days of each other this year. As friends and families gather together this season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service has four food safety tips to ensure a healthy and safe holiday.

Join dietitian Kim Mason, AmeriCorps members, and Dayton Food Pantry Director Alie Trier for a healthy cooking demonstration, followed by dinner, on Monday, Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dayton Valley Community Center, 170 Pike Street in Dayton.

Dayton, Nevada – Healthy Communities Coalition’s Dayton Food Pantry, located on Enterprise Way and Highway 50 in Dayton, will remain open during its normal hours of 10a.m. - 4p.m. Monday through Thursday during the holidays.

The distribution of USDA Commodities will continue as normal on the 3rd Saturday of each month at Sutro Elementary from noon to 3pm.

Manager Alie Trier notes that volunteers of all ages are warmly welcomed.

For more information, please call Alie at (775) 246-7834.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development invested more than $188 million in federal fiscal year 2016 (October-September) to support housing, community facilities, water systems and businesses in rural Nevada.

Nearly all of Nevada is eligible for the very popular home loan programs, with the exception of metropolitan Carson City, Washoe and Clark counties.

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service resumed prescribed fire operations this week and will continue operations next week as conditions allow. Operations may take place in multiple locations around Lake Tahoe including Glenbrook, Cave Rock, Round Hill, Lower Kingsbury Grade, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Paradise and Meyers.

The last day to purchase a U.S. Forest Service fuelwood permit for the Lake Tahoe Basin is Friday, Nov. 18 and the last day to cut wood is Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016.

Silver Springs, Nevada – At the Governor’s Points of Light Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas on September 29th, 2016, Lieutenant Governor Mark Hutchinson presented Kathy McIntosh with a statewide award recognizing her exemplary work as Volunteer Manager at the Silver Stage Food Pantry in Silver Springs.

Silver Springs, Nevada – A news feature on Remote Area Medical’s recent visit to Northern Nevada by Peter Krogh Andersen of Denmark was published this week. The article is written in Danish, but even if you don’t read that language, the videos and pictures convey the life-changing things that happen when RAM brings its free, mobile clinic to a town.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will offer Christmas tree cutting permits beginning Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Permits are $10 each with a limit of two permits per family.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will soon begin the process of closing recreational facilities around the Lake Tahoe Basin for the winter season.

Just like that, the season has changed. Keep a coat handy, Carson City, anything can happen now. Beach weather or blizzard: September keeps us on our toes. Battleborn Harley on Research Way is hosting one heck of a Street Vibrations party: live music, demos, and vendors galore. Swing a club for the Western Nevada College Foundation at Silver Oak Golf Course. Southbound Train arrives at Living the Good Life for an outdoor show, followed by a night of dancing. Uncle Funkle is always a fun time: find them at the Carson Nugget this weekend.

FRIDAY:

Please join USDA Rural Development Nevada State Director Sarah Adler in welcoming our new Guaranteed Home Loan Program staff members Ticia Weare and Debbie Parra at an Open House on Friday, September 23, at the Carson City State Office, 1390 S. Curry Street from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

There was a lot of laughter and many hugs at a luncheon in Silver Springs as Bruce Barlow of Walmart presented a check for $70,000 to benefit the Dayton and Silver Stage Food Pantries.

Each summer, pantry volunteers, staff and participants host a lunchtime tour with key Walmart representatives to show their appreciation.

President Barack Obama was cheered enthusiastically Wednesday at the 20th Lake Tahoe Summit, an annual gathering of federal and state leaders from California and Nevada who are dedicated to protecting the Sierra's crown jewel.

"I've never been here," President Obama told the crowd Wednesday at Harvey's Outdoor Arena in Stateline. "Its not that I didn't want to come, but nobody invited me."

The President quipped he's sure to return, "though my transportation won't be as nice."

Dayton, Nevada – Alie Trier, Dayton Food Pantry director, was delighted with the results of a recent “Stuff a Police Car with Food Donations” event at Smith’s Grocery in Dayton. She exclaimed “Everyone was awesome!”

Volunteers in Policing, Lyon County Sheriff's Department, Smith's Grocery Store, donors, and community volunteers contributed to the event that resulted in the collection of $480 in cash plus over $700 worth of food items for the Dayton Food Pantry in just 4 hours on July 9th, 2016 at Smith's Grocery.

Notice of Intent to File Application

The Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties anticipates filing a loan application with the USDA-Rural Development Community Facilities Programs for the purpose of financing a property purchase located at 209 Dayton Valley Road, Dayton Nevada to meet the present and future needs of the non-profit food bank and garden nursery demands of the Lyon and Storey County service areas in the Dayton region.

School may be out for kids in Nevada, but the need for healthy meals never ends. Nearly 4,000 students in Carson City are eligible for free and reduced lunch, making up more than 51 percent of the student population.

We just completed National Pollinator Week, a designation that recognizes all that pollinators do for our food supply, environment and economy. Last year the Obama administration released a “National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators” led by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Grocery Outlet launched its 6th annual Independence From Hunger Food Drive on Friday, a campaign where customers can donate food throughout July to local community service groups and food banks.

In Carson City, Grocery Outlet has teamed up with Friends In Service Helping, also known as FISH, and will be collecting donations now through the end of July that will go directly to FISH.

The Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Nevada Division of Forestry have announced the implementation of fire restrictions for all state and federally owned lands. In addition, the Carson City Fire Department has now implemented fire restrictions on city and privately owned lands within Carson City.

The Fourth of July holiday period is the busiest time of year in the Lake Tahoe Basin. For those visiting during the holiday and attending one of the firework displays over the lake, expect extremely crowded conditions and excess traffic.

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program, also known as RSVP, has free farmers market coupons for Carson City low-income seniors through the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

The good, old summer time appears to have started early in the Eagle Valley.

Not only has Mother Nature bucked the seasonal calendar by introducing mid-summer temperatures approaching 100 degrees, but the 3rd and Curry Farmer's Market welcomes its 2016 season Saturday in downtown Carson City.

The opening dates for recreational facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin have been announced, with the first ones set to open April 30.

Kiva Picnic area, Baldwin and Nevada beaches, Big Meadow trailhead, the McKinney Rubicon Off-Highway Vehicle area and Sawmill Pond, Eagle Falls, Chimney Beach and Secret Harbor parking areas will open April 30, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

When the Flocchini family, owners of Sierra Meat and Seafood Company in Reno, purchased The Sausage Factory last May from long-time owner Joe Tonino, they sought to build upon an already good product.

The only thing that changed at the time was the name. And, as it turns out, not much else has changed since.