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Federal Layoffs Strike Nevada: Great Basin National Park Rangers among the cuts

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Federal Layoffs Strike Nevada: Great Basin National Park Rangers among the cuts


BAKER (NV) — Recent layoffs at Great Basin National Park have raised concerns within the small town of Baker. Located about 290 miles north of Las Vegas, it is the gateway community to our state’s only national park.

The park is known for its unique features including Nevada’s only glacier, some of the world’s oldest trees and a notable cave network. The park receives approximately 140,000 visitors per year and about 50,000 people visit Lehman Caves annually.

Breaking Down the Downsize:

As of Feb. 14th, Great Basin has five fewer employees to run operations that oversee the park’s unique features than it did just over a week ago.

Two former rangers shared their experiences with me anonymously, describing their termination as shocking and painful. They reported the notice was via email— they had just one hour to vacate and would receive no severance.

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“When I gave up my badge, it felt like I was ripping on a piece of my heart,” said one of the individuals, “[It’s] a state of shock, a state of disbelief, really, that this is what people wanted.”

I felt hurt. Yeah, working here, this is my first job in the Park Service, and it’s something that I dreamed about as a kid.

This comes as the White House — in partnership with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — works to downsize a handful of federal agencies.

1,000 National Park Service probationary employees have been reportedly laid off at this point, although there are indications summer seasonal hiring is still on tap. For federal positions, new hires or the newly promoted typically have a 12-month probationary period.

The move left one former ranger with questions:

“Who is Elon Musk? Who is he to do this? Who does he answer to, where are his checks and balances? And what can we, and by we, I mean our representatives and we the people, what can we do to ensure that this is not an overreach, that it’s not unconstitutional?”

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“We had an overall reduction of about 20 percent of staff. For the visitor services, that number was 50 percent and for custodial services, that was 50 percent. So the immediate impact is that we had to cancel a number of cave tours that weekend immediately following,” they continued.

A Ripple Effect:

“I just worry about that, the public safety angle. In general, there is no professional fire department out here. There is no professional ambulance service. It’s volunteer, and now the valley is left with one EMT who cannot operate the ambulance on their own,” said the former ranger.

One Baker business owner I spoke with said she’s concerned that the cuts will impact the broader community.

“This is really an amazing community of rangers. This is where they chose to live and chose to work, and now, through a stroke of a pen, they don’t have that,” said Liz Woolsey, who runs the Bristlecone General Store and Stargazer Inn.

Businesses that are here in Baker certainly rely on tourism and travelers, so we are unsure what that’s going to look like this season. So that’s an unknown and that’s unsettling when your business really relies on that.

Park advocates say the permanent staff cuts may force national parks to cut operating hours and could impact public safety and resource protection.

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Nye County Sheriff urges caution after deadly month on rural Nevada roads

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Nye County Sheriff urges caution after deadly month on rural Nevada roads


A string of deadly crashes in and around Pahrump has prompted Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill to push for more safety measures along dark, sidewalk-free roads.

“The worst penalty is death, if you consider that,” McGill said.

The recent deaths include a single-vehicle rollover on State Route 160 during the morning hours of the last Wednesday in January that killed one person and injured another.

Then, into February, two pedestrians were killed in less than three days.

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The first was a 7 p.m. crash on Quarter Horse Avenue. Investigators believe a 2006 Jeep Liberty was driving on the street when it hit a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

A few days later, this last Saturday, state troopers responded to a crash just after sundown at Charleston Park Avenue. A sedan hit a pedestrian, who was also pronounced dead at the scene.

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Nevada State Police investigators are still investigating both pedestrian cases before more details are released.

McGill said the recent crashes were enough to spur action.

“When the third one came out, I was sitting at home and watching TV. I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We got to do something about this,’” McGill said.

McGill is responding with a reflective vest giveaway, pointing to limited infrastructure as a possible factor. He noted a lack of street lights off State Route 160 and no sidewalks inside the community.

“The only light that you have is the ambient light from houses and cars so it is really dark,” McGill said.

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John Treanor of AAA Nevada said poor visibility can quickly turn dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.

“It is very easy to be confronted with a situation that you cannot see coming because the visibility might be bad,” Treanor said.

Treanor encouraged pedestrians to carry lights and drivers to be prepared if they end up outside their vehicles in dark conditions.

“Having lights on you. Even carrying a flashlight allows something where a driver can see it,” Treanor said. “If you are a driver, make sure you have the right stuff in your car, in case you do get in a situation where you are on the side of the road and now you are in dark. Make sure you have a kit with some reflectors, some lights. Anything the trunk of your car in case you need it.”

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McGill said vigilance is important even in daylight.

“Any time of the day, you have got to be vigilant. You have to keep aware of your surroundings if you are a walker or on a bicycle or if you are the driver,” he said.

Authorities also urged caution as more people may pull off roads in rocky areas along the route toward Death Valley National Park during springtime blooms, increasing the need for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert.

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Mansion on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe Swiftly Sells for $46 Million

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Mansion on the Nevada Side of Lake Tahoe Swiftly Sells for  Million


A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market. 

The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.

Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com. 

Mansion Global Boutique: Book Lovers Rejoice: 8 Must-Haves To Build Your Perfect Reading Nook

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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show. 

The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show. 

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There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information. 

MORE: Visited by Kings and Larger Than Manhattan, Giant Scottish Estate Asks £67 Million

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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal. 

The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market. 



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Green Valley edges Liberty in Class 5A softball — PHOTOS

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Green Valley edges Liberty in Class 5A softball — PHOTOS