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Part 1 of 2 on Five Key State Senate Races
CARSON CITY – Over the past several legislative sessions the state Senate Republican caucus has shown a willingness to work across the aisle with Democrats, with some GOP lawmakers voting more than once for tax increases as a way to balance the budget.

Check out the live video and discussion below. Hot topics include the request for $75,000 to proceed with planning for the Nugget Project, and requests by local businesses and organizations for redevelopment money. The agenda is here.

With its theme "100 Years of Aviation" Nevada Day Inc., has announced famed aviator Dick Rutan as this year's Grand Marshal for the Nevada Day Parade.

Three people face multiple criminal charges after a fight early Tuesday morning in the 2000 block of Hawaii Circle in Carson City.
Officers were dispatched to the home for a report of domestic battery in progress with a possible weapon involved. An anonymous person alerted dispatch of a fight involving several people.

As deputies arrived there were two men standing in the front lawn and a woman standing in the doorway of the home. The men have been identified as Steven Barnes, 48, and Joshua Emborsky, 21. The woman was identified as Elysia Varney, 19.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong and the city are being sued for $10,000 by a former deputy sheriff who is alleging defamation, invasion of privacy, false light and emotional distress. Download the PDF of the lawsuit here.

The plaintiff, Paula Andrews, was the subject of an internal investigation involving falsifying documents and grand larceny in December 2008. According to the lawsuit, the investigation concluded the allegations were unfounded. Nevertheless, the plaintiff was later "constructively discharged."

CARSON CITY – A member of the citizen’s panel appointed by lawmakers to chart Nevada’s future for the next 20 years expressed concern today about whether the process to be followed to complete the effort conforms to meet the requirements of the state Open Meeting Law.

The Downtown Coin Club staged its first coin show over the weekend at the Carson Nugget.

The event drew 675 adults, plus a number of kids who were rewarded with a Wheat cent album, and were allowed to begin filling it by picking through a pile of 5,000 of the coins.

Ron Roberts from the Nevada State Museum gave each kid who picked out Foreign coins a trip around the globe, showing them the country and telling them the denomination.

A screening of the public television documentary "Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure" will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday May, 20 in the Carson City Library Auditorium, 900 N. Roop St, Carson City. The event will be hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers – Capital Branch.

The screening will be followed by a community discussion with Mark Brethauer P.E., a Senior Project Manager with Carson City Public Works. The event is free and open to the public.

While the Carson City Board of Supervisors are on track to ante up $75,000 this week to move the Nugget Project to the next phase, I'm finding that the more I dig into the details, the more the numbers don't seem to add up.

Specifically, I'm looking into part of the project that calls for getting three state agencies to lease space in this proposed 177,000 square foot development in downtown Carson City. I use the word "proposed" in a very loose sense here, since it's likely to change once P3 Development begins the real process of feasibility planning for this project. In fact, as I am writing this, there's a new story out from Northern Nevada Business Weekly quoting the developer that the office portion would be 175,000 square feet, with an additional 50,000 square feet of retail space, to go along with the 60,000 square feet for the library/business incubator/digital media lab portion of the project.

A 20-year-old Carson City man who jumped on a teenager at the Carson City Community Center on Thursday night has been identified as Jory McCulley, according to a Carson City jail deputy.
McCulley has been charged with eluding police, endangering a person/property, speeding 21 mph over the speed limit and reckless driving, the deputy said. His bail has been set at $10,000 bondable.

Legislators this week voiced objections to the passage of Senate Bill 5 during the 2010 special session, which lifted the sunset on a temporary sales tax increase that was passed by voters in 2002.

RENO – One Democrat running for lieutenant governor criticized the GOP incumbent for being invisible in the job, and all three Democrat candidates appearing at a debate Wednesday evening took jabs at each other as the June 8 primary election day draws near.

An unemployed Carson City man was arrested Tuesday on a Tri-Net warrant charging possession and sale of drugs, according to a deputy report.
The man, Marco Antonio Mendez, 34, was an inmate in the Carson City Jail who had recently been transported from the Northern Nevada Correctional Center.
The warrant was a complaint filed from the deputy district attorney alleging the sale of a schedule I controlled substance, drug trafficking of between four and 14 grams and drug trafficking of substances 28 grams or more. All charges are felonies. Bail has been set at $100,000.

Food for Thought, a program that helps feed homeless children in the Carson City region, will hold a fundraiser, Coconuts for Kids, on May 22 at the Governor's Mansion from 4 to 7 p.m.
The Hawaiian-themed fundraiser will have hula dancers, authentic island food and an auction. All are welcome to the event.

A 49-year-old unemployed Carson City man faces a felony burglary charge after allegedly breaking into St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Saliman Road this morning, drinking a gallon of wine from the church's refrigerator and then passing out in the pew.
An officer was dispatched to the church at around 8:17 a.m. in reference to a commercial burglary where the suspect was still inside, according to an arrest report. Upon arrival, Carson City deputies found the suspect, Kenneth Carlson, asleep in the church between the pews.

A committee designed to look at outsourcing Carson City School District's food service program has tentatively selected Aramark as a provider, district officials told board members tonight. Under terms of a possible contract, district food workers would not lose their jobs.
A contract between Aramark and the district could be presented to the school board by the end of the month.
Three proposals have been on the table, including food service companies Sodexo and Chartwells. The school district will begin a series of negotiations with Aramark to establish a contract.

A Carson City father and two sons are in jail facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly beating a man who was apparently in an argument with a family member in which a cell phone was broken.
The incident was reported on Monday at 9:20 p.m., when a deputy was dispatched to the 300 block of David Street for a report of three men kicking in the door of an apartment.

Executives from P3 Development were introduced to the members of the Carson Nugget Redevelopment Advisory Committee tonight, saying they were looking forward to working as partners with Carson City and the Nugget.

For a play-by-play of the meeting, check out the live blog here.

Two known Carson City gang members have been arrested after allegedly beating a man who had tried to defend his sister from a rash of annoying phone calls made to her while she was working.

In statements made by the victim and his sister, the problem began on Friday when one of the 18th Street gang members, identified as Jaimi Ponce, 19, kept calling a fast-food restaurant, wanting to speak with the woman. When the victim, who also worked at the restaurant told the man to stop calling, Ponce began yelling at him on the phone, according to the arrest report.

The developer chosen for the Carson Nugget Redevelopment Project will be on hand tonight to answer questions about the project.

Rick Oshinski, CEO of Sacramento-based P3 Development, will appear before the Carson Nugget Development Advisory Committee tonight in the Community Center's Sierra Room.

Carson Now plans to show live video of the meeting, as well as hosting a discussion forum.

Many questions are sure to arise, concerning the details on the project and its scope, as well as the developer and how the company was chosen.

As I've been talking to people about this project, I've collected a number of questions, that I put together below.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors yesterday voted to proceed with investigating the lease or purchase of the Fireside building (or another similar structure) for the purpose of creating a business resource center. (You can replay the live blog of the meeting here.)

The Nevada Department of Transportation has received an award for archeological preservation of the Old Stewart Indian Cemetery. 
An Exemplary Human Environment Initiative award to NDOT was presented by the Federal Highway Administration for partnering efforts to enhance and preserve the historic cemetery as part of the Carson City Freeway project.

Of the 27 businesses that front the Plaza 50 in Carson City, home of the anchor store Sak N' Save, many of its merchants are now left to gauge how their own operations will change after learning the grocery store will close its doors for good on May 30.

But the show will go on for many of the merchants, who vow to put their best face on an otherwise bad situation. Much like the recession has been thus far in the capital city, the collective wisdom remains "hope for the best."

CARSON CITY — According to data released by the Nevada Secretary of State yesterday, the number of total registered Democrats only rose by 58 in April, fewer than the number of new registered members of Nevada’s largest third party, the Independent American Party, which has 374 more registered voters. This is also well under the 710 new nonpartisan voters and 1,268 new Republican voters.

CARSON CITY – In a letter sent today to the Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee, the state Treasurer’s Office said the Millennium Scholarship will run out of money in 2011 unless action is taken to preserve the program.

The Carson City Redevelopment Authority Citizen Committee will discuss five funding requests from the agency's revolving fund, totaling more than $125,444.

The meeting is tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Sierra Room at the Community Center. We will have live video coverage of the meeting.

James and Jea Gotchy, owners of Lily’s China Bistro at 1280 S. Carson Street, are asking for funding assistance of $40,180.

Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation is seeking funding assistance of $37,364 to support a property improvement project at 303 Fleischmann Way.

Two Carson Valley men face several charges, including felony offering of a controlled substance, following a sting set up by authorities on Craigslist to lure people to an underage party at a Carson City hotel.

An advertisement had been placed on Craigslist by Carson City sheriff's deputies that called for drinks at a party given by an 18-year-old. According to the arrest report, two 18-year-old decoys had been communicating with one of the suspects, who said that he would bring marijuana to the party.

A 28-year-old California man was arrested and faces felony fraud charges after he allegedly passed two phony $100 bills in exchange for a motorcycle for sale on Craigslist.

Deputies were dispatched to the Jack in the Box on South Carson Street on Saturday. The victim told officers that he had placed a motorcycle for sale on Craigslist and was contacted by the suspect who said he would buy the bike for $200.

A meeting took place at the Jack in the Box and the suspect gave the victim the fake bills and the bike was exchanged, according to the arrest report.

CARSON CITY – Nevada GOP state treasurer candidate Steve Martin and Democrat incumbent Treasurer Kate Marshall engaged in a war of words this week over her management of the office for which she is seeking a second term.

Lake Tahoe-based McCall Realty (www.mccalltahoe.com) will donate all its profits through 2010 to five area children’s non-profit organizations: Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), South Lake Tahoe Police Activities League (PAL), South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center, and Tahoe Youth and Family Services.