Sparks

CARSON CITY – With education reform a top priority of Gov. Brian Sandoval, the new alignment of the state Board of Education – with four seats up for grabs on the November ballot – is taking on more importance than ever before.

One of the four seats, District 2 which mirrors the new Nevada 2^nd Congressional District from Reno and Carson City east across rural Nevada, has attracted five candidates, two of whom are serving now on the 10-member elected board. The race is nonpartisan.

Services for legendary radio commentator Travus T. Hipp will be held this Saturday, May 26, in Silver City. Hipp died early Friday morning, May 18, at his Silver City home. He was 75, as old as the Golden Gate Bridge in his beloved San Francisco.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 26, in Silver City. Gathering, gnoshing and remembering will begin at the Silver City Community Center, 385 High Street, at 10:00 a.m. Food and refreshments will be provided. Those who wish may bring more.

Carson City Sheriff's deputies have arrested the following persons for felony or gross misdemeanor allegations:

• Garrett William Dayton Bowden, 20, a janitor from Carson City, for a gross misdemeanor statutory sexual seduction warrant in his name. Bail is set at $2,500.
• Cynthia St. John, 38, a manager from Sparks, for third-offense DUI. St. John was also arrested for misdemeanor allegations of failure to maintain a single lane and improper turning. Bail is set at $10,000.

TEDx an online education series and offshoot of the popular TED Talks programs, will happen at South Lake Tahoe this fall, those associated with the program confirmed Tuesday.
The conference was approved by TED administration and will likely be held at the new Viking Theatre at South Tahoe High School's Tahoe Arts and Design Academy.

The weather was perfect and the track was smooth and fast for Fernley 95A Speedway’s third race of the season. More than 70 cars were on hand for the five racing divisions on the 3/8 mile clay oval, with an additional nine Outlaw Karts racing on the small infield track.

In today's economically stressed environment, it would be quite the political feat to enact any kind of tax increase.

But the backers of the Carson City Center Project, aka Nugget Project, are going to have to hope they can pull off a miracle two-fer.

Carson City Sheriff's deputies arrested the following individuals for felony allegations over this weekend:

• Tyrell Liddicoat, 24, a Carson City man, just prior to 10 p.m. Saturday. Liddicoat was arrested for attempted burglary at the 600 block of Sonoma Street. Bail has been set at $25,000.

SPARKS — An impassioned motion to revoke credentials for more than 300 delegates who arrived after the meeting began. Heated questions about the presence of guests and whether they were voting. An angry motion to remove the convention chairman. And that was just for starters.

More than 1,600 county delegates today gathered at the Nevada Republican Party convention in Sparks in a meeting that fluctuated between contentiousness and relative calm as the hours rolled on.

Fernley 95A Speedway Season Opens
By Roger Diez

Fernley 95A Speedway opened its 2012 season on Saturday, April 14 with a full racing program on the 3/8 mile clay oval. The track is under new management headed up by Vuki Wilson and Matt Ramthun with the slogan “A Racers’ Track Run by Racers”. Six racing divisions were on hand, plus a contingent of Box Stock Outlaw Karts driven by kids 5-10 years old.

Nevada Department of Public Safety - Division of Parole and Probation officers arrested Andrew Kay at his home in Washoe Valley, Nevada on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 for Probation Violation. The arrest of Kay resulted in the seizure of multiple weapons.

On May 11, 2011, Andrew Kay was placed on probation supervision for 14 felony and two gross misdemeanor convictions; Conspiracy to Commit a Crime, Burglary (two counts), Grand Larceny, Malicious Destruction of Property (five counts) and Possession of Stolen Property (five counts).

Here are the most recent fish plants in Western Nevada by Nevada Department of Wildlife:

April 2: Sparks Marina in Sparks: 3,448 rainbow trout: 10.4 inches.
April 2: Sparks Marina in Sparks: 1,501 brown trout: 10.2 inches.
April 3: Boulder Reservoir in Washoe County: 1,199 rainbows: 10.6 inches.
April 3: Liberty Pond in Churchill County: 524 rainbows: 10.2 inches.
April 4: Truckee River in Washoe County: 4,810 rainbows: 8.8 inches.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California, Lake Tahoe, the Sierra and Southern Oregon. This report is for the week of April 11-17, 2012.

Katie C. Stumph, 93, passed away April 5, 2012 in Sparks, NV. Katie was born October 30, 1918 in Shell Lake, WI to Henry and Olga Baumgartner. Katie had been a resident of Carson City, NV since...

Carson City Sheriff's deputies arrested the following individuals for felony allegations:

• Charity Michael Rife, 35, a Sparks woman, was transferred to the Carson City Detention Facility from the Northern Nevada Correctional Facility on the following warrants out of Carson City: obtaining and using a false ID to avoid imprisonment; theft; burglary (two counts; uttering forged instruments (three counts); and theft from $250 - $2,500 (two counts). Bail is set at $50,000.

Carson City Sheriff's deputies made the following arrests for felonies from Monday afternoon:

• Lindsay Ann Hammers, 23, a fast food employee from Carson City, for a probation and parole violation. Hammers was also arrested on allegations of misdemeanor cell phone use while driving and a misdemeanor failure to appear warrant in her name. No bail has been set.
• Cheryl Bettencourt, 53, a Carson City resident, for burglary and a misdemeanor petit larceny allegation. Bail is set at $25,250 plus administrative fees.

If you are a trout fisherman and are new to our area, you may not be aware that some of our best Lahontan Cutthroat Trout fishing is at Pyramid Lake in the month of March.
Pyramid Lake (which is roughly the same surface size as Lake Tahoe) is about 30 miles north of Reno-Sparks, and it contains Lahontan Cutthroat Trout that run into “Double Digits” in weight.
The lake is the terminus of the Truckee River which begins at Lake Tahoe.
Pyramid Lake is approximately 15 miles long, 11 miles wide and measures about 350 feet deep at its deepest point.

Carson City Sheriff's deputies arrested Joseph Anthony Rodgers, 21, a Sparks resident, at 6 p.m. Wednesday evening at the 1900 block of North Carson Street. Rodgers was arrested for felony allegations of possession of a stolen vehicle and a probation and parole violation. He was also arrested on a misdemeanor allegation of violation of a protection order. No bail has been set because of the probation violation.

Deputies also made the following misdemeanor arrests:

• A 27-year-old Dayton woman for two contempt of court warrants in her name.

Here is this week's fishing report covering rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California, the Sierra and Southern Oregon. This report is for the week of March 21-27.

Here are the recent fish plants in Western Nevada by the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

CARSON CITY – It was the month the Nevada gaming industry and state political leaders were waiting for: the casino industry won more than $1 billion from gamblers in January, a double-digit rise fueled by a nearly 30 percent increase on the Las Vegas Strip.

The reason:  The Chinese New Year came in January instead of February this year. The celebration, which brings high rollers into Nevada’s casinos, ran from Jan. 23 to 29.

Members of the Special Enforcement Team for the Carson City Sheriff's Office arrested Brandi L. Petty, 31, a Carson City home care specialist, just prior to 5 p.m. Saturday. Petty was arrested near the 1000 block of East Second Street as the result of an ongoing investigation.

Deputies approached the residence with the intent to serve the warrant and discovered two video cameras, one disguised as a birdhouse. Knocking several times on the front door yielded no result, so the officers proceded to enter the residence through the back door. A search yielded drugs and paraphernalia.

RENO – Former Sparks resident and George W. Bush presidential adviser Karl Rove predicted today the both houses of Congress will go Republican in the November general election, but said the presidential election is up in the air even with President Barack Obama’s low approval ratings.

Carson City Sheriff's deputies arrested Cody Thompson, 20, an unemployed Carson City man, at 9 a.m. Monday near the intersection of Northridge Drive and Table Rock Drive. Thompson was arrested for the felonies of possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, a gross misdemeanor of possession of a dangerous weapon, and misdemeanors of possession of a hypodermic device, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to maintain a single lane, violation of a suspended sentence, and not having a valid drivers' license. Bail is set at $35,150 plus administrative fees.

Freshly fallen snow and cold temperatures made for challenging driving conditions this morning and caused several fender benders on Interstate 80 between the E. McCarran Blvd and Waltham Way interchanges, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Daniel Lee Boesen, born in Sparks, Nev. on August 8, 1950, to Pearl and Leo Theodore 'Ted' Boesen Sr, passed away on January 3, 2012. He is preceded in death by father, Leo Theodore 'Ted' Boesen Jr...

RENO, Nev. – Kate McGee has joined 88.7 FM KUNR – Reno Public Radio – as a broadcast journalist, coming to northern Nevada from the East Coast. She recently graduated from Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y., with a dual bachelor's degree in American studies and history. She started her public radio career at Fordham’s WFUV Radio as a reporter, anchor and producer, where she covered everything from Mayor Mike Bloomberg to stickball tournaments.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s major casinos saw total revenues increase to $22 billion last fiscal year, but the 256 properties reported a net loss of just under $4 billion, the Gaming Control Board reported today.

It was the third year of losses in a row. The only other loss since records have been kept came in 2002.

The report, called the Nevada Gaming Abstract, analyzes those casino properties grossing $1 million or more in gaming revenue for the year ending June 30, 2011.

JAN 4 - (RENO, NV) – A four month investigation by the Northern Nevada Drug Task Force (NNDTF) has led to the arrest of 8 individuals accused of operating a drug trafficking organization responsible for the regular distribution of methamphetamine in Northern Nevada.

In August of 2011, NNDTF Task Force Officers and Agents initiated an investigation into a mid-level group of suspected methamphetamine dealers suspected of delivering and distributing multiple pounds of methamphetamine throughout the Reno/Sparks area on a monthly basis.

UPDATE: From the Douglas County Sheriff's Office: Fleeing felon Victor Mora Jr. was captured Wednesday night, at the Carson City Inn Motel in Carson City. Mora Jr. was captured by Douglas County Investigator Investigator Nadine Chrzanowski after receiving an anonymous tip regarding his whereabouts.
Mora Jr. is currently in custody at the DCSO Minden Jail, booked on an arrest warrant for lewdness with a minor.
Bail is set at $50,000.
Chrzanowski expresses her appreciation for assistance received from the Carson City Sheriff’s Office in assisting in the arrest.

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The 21-year-old Walnut Creek, Calif. man who was struck and killed by a California Highway Patrol vehicle early Sunday morning on Highway 50 near Stateline at Lake Tahoe has been identified as Alex M. Moore, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.