News

Former Northern Nevada resident Alyson Meidell Jenkins reports that she and her family are safe but shaken after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's eastern coast, causing a devastating tsunami that killed at least 10,000 and widespread damage.

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Follow it Live: Go to our Live Updates page for video feeds and coverage.

A Call to Readers: Let us know if you have friends or family living in Japan, Hawaii, or along the West Coast. E-mail jeff@carsonnow.org or post to our Facebook page.

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Japan's advanced earthquake early-warning system, with more than 1,000 seismographs scattered over the country alerted the public of an imminent earthquake via television, Internet and text-messages. At 2:46 local time, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake arrived, the largest that Japan has seen in one hundred years, just off the eastern coast of Sendai, Honshu.

Check out the live video and coverage on our Live Updates page.

Former Nevada Governor and RNC Committeeman Bob List said late this afternoon that he is not ready to either privately or publicly endorse a candidate to replace soon-to-be departed state GOP chairman Mark Amodei until Governor Sandoval chimes in with his preferred choice.
“Governor Sandoval is the leader of the state party,” said List. “I will wait to hear who he thinks can best fill Chairman Amodei’s shoes before saying anything more on this matter.”

CARSON CITY – It was not a friendly crowd for Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki as he spoke of economic development at Western Nevada College.
The bleachers in Sarah Winnemucca Hall were packed with students and staff concerned about Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed $162 million reduction in state support for Nevada’s colleges and universities.

Two men and a woman are reportedly in custody after Carson City authorities were called to a fire in the hills above Deer Run Road. The fire, said to involve copper wiring, was doused at about 3:30 this afternoon.

An investigation is underway and NV Energy has been contacted. One of those in custody was reportedly injured in the fire and was treated by paramedics. Investigators have reportedly found gasoline and bolt cutters near the origin of the fire, according to police scanner reports.

According to Nevada News Bureau, Republican Mark Amodei will announce soon that he is running for the Congressional District 2 seat currently held by Rep. Dean Heller.

The speculation is that Heller will make a run for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Ensign, who announced earlier this week he would not seek reelection to avoid an ugly campaign after his well-publicized sex scandal.

CARSON CITY – Freshman Assemblyman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, watched as one of his first bills was introduced on the floor of the Assembly Tuesday.
Hansen’s bill would establish a state grants coordinator to help Nevada apply for and win more federal grants.
A few hours later, Sen. David Parks, D-Las Vegas, stood at a lectern flanked by the American flag and the flag of the State of Nevada, and told a gathering of reporters about his bill.

The always fun game of political musical chairs has begun following this morning’s news (brought to you right here) that Congressman Dean Heller has told multiple sources he will indeed be running to become Nevada’s next junior Senator.
Two sources confirm that former state senator and current Republican state party chairman, Mark Amodei, will resign and announce a run for NV-2 once Dean Heller formally announces for Senate, which is expected to occur as early as next week.

CARSON CITY – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a first-of-its-kind economic study today identifying stalled energy projects – including 10 in Nevada – that are costing billions of dollars in lost gross domestic product.
The study says the delays are costing the state’s economy $66.9 billion in GDP and that 86,700 jobs a year could be created in Nevada during the construction phase of the projects.

(This article is from Around Carson, at http://aroundcarson.com/2011/03/10/olive_garden_construction/) Winter is normally not a huge construction season around Carson City, but we’ve been surprised by a pretty mild winter this year. ...

Two reliable sources have confirmed that Congressman Dean Heller said this week he is definitely committed to running in the U.S. Senate race. Heller’s office would not confirm the news this morning when contacted.

CARSON CITY – Lobbyists, legislators and journalists expected to hear about a bill that would increase energy bills for Nevadans when they arrived at a legislative hearing.
Assemblyman Randy Kirner, R-Reno, sat down before the committee, ready to present his bill that would levy a fee on anyone paying an electric bill. That fee would help new businesses pay their energy bills. He designed the bill to attract manufacturing businesses to Nevada with reduced energy costs.

Nevada unemployment figures released today for January show the state at 14.2 percent, dropping from a December 2010 high of 14.9 percent. Unemployment figures show Carson City fell to 13.6 percent from 14 percent in December, reports KTVN Channel 2 Reno.

Casinos in Carson City and Carson Valley saw a 10.57 percent increase in "win" revenue for the month of January, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reports this morning.

The Carson City region, which includes Gardnerville and Minden, took in revenues of just over $8 million, up from $7,016,253 from January 2010.

Casinos at South Shore Lake Tahoe saw a 7.85 percent decline in gaming "winnings" over January 2010. North Tahoe had an increase gaming win of slightly over 1 percent.

CARSON CITY – Superintendents have asked legislators to open up collective bargaining laws.
They asked for more flexibility with the money the state gives them. Currently, school districts bargain with teachers and teachers’ unions for funds.
That means that the governor’s proposal to cut teacher pay 5 percent is not a foregone conclusion.
Districts still have to negotiate with teachers to ensure a 5 percent cut happens.

Sheriff Kenny Furlong talks about traffic, drugs and other challenges facing his department.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbTN8wzTl2M

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – State Controller Kim Wallin is seeking new authority from the Nevada Legislature to collect from those who owe the state money.

By Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong
Reported crimes in Carson City hit its lowest point during February since the Sheriff’s Office began collecting and analyzing the trends. There were 112 incidences of major crimes, such as homicide, rape, robbery, burglary and theft. There were 122 less severe crimes reported in the community for the same period. In total, the 234 reported crimes is 22 percent less than any monthly rate previously reported since collection began. The previous low for any month was 294 incidences.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Democratic legislative leaders today questioned a comment from the Sandoval administration that two job creation bills they are pursuing will be vetoed for creating a hole in the governor’s recommended state general fund budget.

CARSON CITY – Speaker Pro Tempore Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, wants better reporting on state contracts with consultants.
She said an audit last December proved that lax reporting requirements had allowed many consultants to profit from taxpayers as they escaped legislative scrutiny.
She asked the auditing staff how she could improve oversight of consultants. They recommended removing references to consultants in favor of defining “contract” broadly. So that is what Smith wrote into her bill.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports today that two people are dead in an airplane crash near Hampton, Georgia. The plane, used for skydiving, was registered to Desert Sand Aircraft Leasing out of Carson City. The victims have not yet been identified. Click here to read the story.

It appears the airplane is not based out of Carson City but rather the corporation is, and is registered to a South Carson Street address.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Assemblyman Kelly Kite, R-Minden, learned he may have broken a law yesterday during a Commerce and Labor committee hearing.
The committee was debating a bill about the interstate sale of rifles and shotguns. Current law bans the interstate sale of those guns in states that do not have a border with Nevada.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Assemblyman Pat Hickey, R-Reno, says he is interested in changing the state’s tax structure.
He wrote in a weekly newsletter he might consider broadening the state’s tax base, an idea that he has talked about with UNR economics professor Elliott Parker.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval is seeking significant changes to Nevada’s public employee pension plan in the 2011 legislative session to reduce the ongoing and long-term financial cost of the benefit to the state and taxpayers.
But if he wants fundamental change, he might look to the state university system’s retirement plan for faculty.

The Carson City School District board tonight will take up proposed traditional and non-traditional calendars for next year, as well as consider a resolution that would oppose Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval's plan to take debt service from school district emergency repair funds.

Carson City authorities responded tonight to a shooting where a 31-year-old man took a gunshot wound to the knee. The shooting happened at around 7 this evening near Mills Park and there are apparently no suspects.

Authorities have confiscated a 45-caliber semi-automatic gun that was found inside the man's vehicle, said Sheriff Ken Furlong.

The victim, whose name has not being released, was apparently having a problem with someone else and felt it was necessary to carry a gun. No one else was inside the vehicle. The man was discovered by friends, Furlong said.

RENO — While unemployment has been a frequent topic of discussion during the recession, underemployment and its effects have not, even though the number of underemployed workers has also increased.

A study published online last week in the Journal of Management, “‘I Have a Job, But…’ A Review of Underemployment,” by University of Nevada, Reno Assistant Professor Frances M. McKee-Ryan and University of Alabama Assistant Professor Jaron Harvey brings attention to the topic and its potentially detrimental effects to individuals, organizations and society.

CARSON CITY – A state lawmaker testified today that the federal government’s unfunded mandates on issues such as clean air, clean water and flood zones are imposing costs on Nevada taxpayers without authority or justification.

RENO – When the bottom fell out of the construction industry, some lucky ones kept working.
CC Myers, a California company, has benefited from a portion of a $393 million contract to extend Interstate 580 between Reno and Carson City. They are building the 120-foot-tall bridge spanning Galena Creek.
Work there has continued apace as vehicles zooming through the valley below have increasingly carried unemployed Nevadans.

These subjects were arrested over the weekend by Carson City Sheriff's deputies:

—Christopher Glen Hammond, 35, was arrested Saturday evening in the 1900 block of Long Street for misdemeanor DUI, failure to maintain lane, open container and gross misdemeanor child endangerment.