Storey County

UPDATE 3:30 pm: The Quad County Hazmat Team made entry into the structure utilizing Class A hazmat suits. This incident has been determined to not be of environmental concern. No injuries were reported during this incident. The property will be turned over to the property manager and a contracted hazardous material clean-up crew at approximately 5 pm tonight.
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The words of great poets come to life on stage across the state as more than 3,100 high school-aged students compete to represent their county at the 10th Annual Nevada Poetry Out Loud State Finals at the Siena Hotel in Reno on March 14, 2015 from noon to 3 p.m.

This warm winter weather makes weeds grow. A few weeks ago, I saw filaree blooming. Cheatgrass is growing, even with the drought. As these and other winter annual weeds grow and before the spring weeds get started, people are thinking of spraying. They want to kill weeds that have started and prevent any new weeds from germinating in the first place.

CARSON CITY, NEV. — USDA Rural Development Nevada has $14 million available to lend to rural communities for a variety of essential community projects, such as buildings, equipment or renovations. These low interest federal loans provide options for a community to finance projects over a longer term.

On Sunday afternoon Feb. 8 the Nevada Department of Transportation closed a two-mile stretch of Nevada Highway 342 in lower Gold Hill because of subsidence occurring adjacent to the steeply excavated Lucerne Pit, prompting a call for answers from angry residents of Gold Hill and Silver City.

Little to no rain in January doesn’t bode well for trees and shrubs this spring and summer. Unless you provide them with the water lacking from Mother Nature, you probably will see plants dying back on top or losing limbs and branches. This is particularly true for plants such as birches and roses or for those newly planted this past year.

I asked my husband this morning if a coconut was a fruit. This started a conversation about what is a fruit versus what is a vegetable. Tomatoes and string bean are fruits that everyone thinks of as vegetables. If you are a botanist, a fruit is a structure that holds the seeds of a plant.

The Carson 4-H Leader’s Council sponsored a pizza dinner prior to the ceremony. The Leader’s Council supports all of our 4-H clubs and holds events to raise funds for our scholarship program. They meet once a month to plan activities and deal with requests from clubs and the community.

A radon presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 27 at the Carson City Senior Center, 901 Beverly Drive, beginning at 6 p.m. Learn about radon and how many homes in the Carson City area have elevated levels.
Learn about testing and receive a free radon short-term test kit.

Thigmomorphogenesis – When I first saw this word, I thought it was a joke; but no, it’s a real response of plants to touch. I’m not referring to the “touchy-feely” idea of hugging or caressing plants.

Think instead of the active trapping mechanism of carnivorous plants or of the leaf response of the “sensitive plant” (Mimosa species). Some vine tendrils coil up when touched. However, thigmomorphogenesis refers to “more long-term changes in the appearance of a plant (‘-morpho-‘) in response to repeated touch (“thigmo-“) (Chalker-Scott, Washington State University).

Growing gourmet and medicinal mushrooms indoors is a fast-growing hobby. A colleague used to grow them in her bathtub. The North American Mycological Association says, “You too can grow mushrooms at home. It’s easier than you think.”

Carson City / Storey County 4-H Readying for Annual Fabric Sale

Carson City Area 4-H members are on the lookout for donations of fabric/sewing notions; clean, useable household items; sewing notions; crafting items; sewing machines, etc. Donations can be dropped off now through Jan. 31 at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, 2621 Northgate Lane, Suite 15, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you have large items to donate, please call 887-2252 in advance.

The annual Carson City / Storey County 4-H Fabulous Fabric and Rummage Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday February 14 and 15, 2015 at Fuji Park Exhibition Hall in Carson City.

The sale is a project of the Carson City/Storey County Leaders Council. All sale proceeds benefit the council’s scholarship fund.

A couple of years ago a friend introduced my husband and me to persimmons. The ‘Fuyu’ she gave us to eat was the flatter type of persimmon that can be eaten while still firm like an apple. It is a non-astringent type of persimmon, rather than the astringent type that needs to be “mushy and pudding-like” (Sunset Western Garden Book) to be ripe, or it will make your mouth pucker. My husband asked me if we could grow the firm persimmons here.

One of my dreams in my professional life was to introduce young people to the viability of a great career in horticulture. I have been fortunate to realize that goal through my involvement with The Greenhouse Project. However, awakening the passion for growing and working with plants in youth is only one wonderful aspect of this project. I also get to work with caring dedicated people, help beautify downtown Carson City and, best of all, help feed those in need.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Or, when speaking to gardeners that probably should be Hoe! Hoe! Hoe! What presents are you giving the gardeners in your life this holiday season? I started looking online for unusual gift ideas for gardeners and found some curious ones.

The things people do to trees sometimes horrify me. Topped trees or those with hacked instead of pruned limbs; trees planted under power lines; and trees left without water in long ago removed lawns are a few of my pet peeves. Improper staking is another.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my body demanding that I change my overly athletic approach to gardening. The following are some great ideas that readers sent me on gardening smarter.

Patty suggests Flexilla lightweight garden hoses because they are easier to drag around and coil up more easily than most hoses. Another helpful suggestion was to use a lightweight plastic snow shovel with a long handle as a dustpan for raking and sweeping to reduce bending.

Delicious, odiferous garlic is a staple in many a cook’s kitchen. This cousin of the onion, shallot and leek has been in use for over 7,000 years for both culinary and medicinal purposes. If you are a fan of garlic, you may want to plant a crop now through the end of November for early summer harvest. Fall-planted garlic produces bigger, better bulbs than garlic planted in late winter or spring.

Testing is The Only Way to Know. Since you can't see, smell or taste radon, testing is the only way to find out if you have a radon problem. Homeowners can measure radon concentrations in their homes themselves using inexpensive and easy to use test kits, or professional, certified testers can test a home.

Certified testers may charge $150 to $250 for the test, but results can be made available within 48 hours. When testing for a real estate transaction, it is recommended a qualified (certified) tester be used.

Nevada certified radon testers

I’m an amateur entomologist. I am thrilled when someone brings in an interesting insect or arachnid (spiders, mites, scorpions, etc.). Today a client brought me a critter I had never seen, a red velvet mite (RVM). Regular readers of my articles know I have written about spider mites, which are the size of dust particles.

This large Pinon Pine has made a precarious home for itself wedged in a crack on a huge boulder on Mt. McClellan. Mt. McClellan is the large mountain visible from anywhere in Carson City.

The Pinon Pine was Nevada's original state tree. Today our state tree in Nevada is the Bristlecone Pine. Mt. McClellan is located just north of Carson City, and Carson is visible in the background of the photo.

To reach the peak, it's about a 6 mile trip up a very rough and unmaintained dirt road that begins at Goni Road in North Carson City.

The Comstock Foundation for History and Culture is pleased to announce receiving the 2014 Business of the Year for Storey County from the Northern Nevada Development Authority.

The annual Carson City / Storey County 4-H Fabulous Fabric and Rummage Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday Feb. 14-15, 2015 at Fuji Park Exhibit Hall in Carson City. The sale is a project of the Carson City/Storey County Leaders Council. All sale proceeds benefit the council’s scholarship fund.

Northern Nevada Development Authority is excited to host the 2014 Pioneer Awards Dinner recognizing outstanding businesses and individuals throughout the Sierra Region of Northern Nevada on Thursday at the Carson Nugget.

NNDA will recognize Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell as the special honoree and 2014 Pioneer of the Year for the continual difference he makes in Carson City and the Sierra Region. Also attending will be United States Congressman Mark Amodei as a special guest and presenter and John Tyson as our Master of Ceremony.

In a recent “letter” published in CarsonNow.org Pamela Abercrombie decried the negative reaction of Silver City and Gold Hill residents to the Comstock Foundation’s fund-raising gambit offering prints of the “Nine Cheers for the Silver State” painting to subscribers. In characterizing critics of the painting as “this handful of local residents,” she echoes a favorite tactic of Corrado de Gasperis, Comstock Mining’s CEO who frequently diminishes the legitimate concerns of residents by portraying CMI critics as “a few disgruntled residents” or the like.

Autumn has come gently this year with hot weather continuing into October. The leaves are finally turning color. At University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners are often asked why leaves change color. Is the cold responsible?

The latest edition of Capital Crossfire features Chris Bayer, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates, and Tonia Porata, a volunteer for CASA.

CASA of Carson City advocates volunteer to "speak up" for children in First Judicial District of Nevada child welfare cases in Carson City and Storey County. Children enter these cases when Nevada's Division of Child and Family Services has determined it is unsafe for the child to remain at home due to abuse or neglect.

Energy sipping LED lights, along with an abundance of skylights and motion sensors that automatically switch off the lights when they aren't needed — referred to in the energy industry as "daylight harvesting" — are expected to reduce annual energy costs by about $110,700 at one of the newest warehouses in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center east of Sparks.

More than $4.4 million in federal funding will enable Western Nevada College to offer students more services to meet the skilled labor demands of today’s businesses. WNC in Carson City was selected as Nevada’s lead community college in the nation-wide $450 million job-driven training grants, as part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training program.

Administered by the Department of Labor, Nevada’s four community colleges will receive a total of $9,921,831 from October 1 through September 30, 2018.