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Nevada Assembly candidates look at top issues

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Nevada Assembly candidates look at top issues


SPRING CREEK – Meeting candidates supplied completely different views of what could be the largest situation they might sort out if elected to serve within the Nevada Legislature as they confronted off at a candidate discussion board Tuesday night time, however all stated they had been able to signify rural Nevada.

“The financial system. Positively the financial system,” stated Bert Gurr, a longtime Realtor who’s working as a Republican and added a second key situation – water.

He stated water considerations might be main because the state and communities reminiscent of Spring Creek face shortages, and it’s “nearly inconceivable” to acquire water for housing developments, not simply in Elko County however the remainder of District 33. He stated the “financial system will endure due to it.”

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The Metropolis of Elko has out there water, however that’s just for the town, Gurr stated.

The opposite Republican in search of the Meeting District 33 seat now held by John Ellison, R-Elko, is Nicole Sirotek, a affected person advocate and registered nurse. She stated the largest situation “because the narrative shifts” with the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic is the “continued assault on the center class. I’ve handled individuals who have to decide on between fuel within the tank or meals on the desk.”

Individuals are additionally studying…

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She stated she is seeing a “steady assault on the center class. We’ve had wasteful spending, extra taxation, and we’ve forgotten what commerce faculties are.”

“We’ve to work collaboratively and successfully with out sacrificing our values. We’ve to guard the center class. The center class is the spine of this nation,” she stated.

The one Democrat working for Meeting, John “Doc” Garrard, stated the highest situation “in a single phrase is kids. The youth on this neighborhood must be taken care of, and the aged locally must be taken care of. If we don’t defend each ends of the spectrum, what good does it do to handle the center?”

Garrard stated “we have to begin appearing like a village.” In talking about his work as a paramedic, he stated, “I don’t test your pockets to see the way you vote. I don’t take a look at your face to see what coloration you’re. I don’t see what language you converse. I converse 5.”

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The district that one of many three will signify is 500 miles lengthy and roughly 250 miles extensive, stated Gurr, who advised the talk viewers that “we as Republicans face many, many challenges” within the Nevada Legislature and the meeting consultant from the thirty third district might be just one voice amongst 41 others within the meeting.

He stated that within the 2021 session, Republicans supplied 126 payments; 60 had been heard and 33 handed, and he agreed with Sirotek that the meeting consultant might want to work collaboratively with the others within the Legislature.

Wanting on the query of the right way to defend the gold mines which can be a serious financial driver in rural Nevada, Garrard stated he needs to see extra of the mining income keep within the communities fairly than return to firm headquarters in international international locations.

“I would like slightly little bit of that trickle from gold to return again to us,” stated Garrard, including that he’s “not attempting to take jobs from anyone” however suggesting a system reminiscent of in Alaska the place oil revenues are shared with residents.

Barrick Gold Corp., which operates Nevada Gold Mines in a three way partnership with Newmont Corp., is predicated in Toronto, however Newmont is predicated in Denver. Kinross Gold Corp., proprietor of the Bald Mountain and Spherical Mountain mines in rural Nevada, is also Canadian primarily based, whereas KGHM that owns the Robinson Mine close to Ely is predicated in Poland.

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Different mining corporations with pursuits in rural Nevada are primarily based within the U.S., reminiscent of Coeur Mining, Chicago; SSR Mining, Denver; and Hecla Mining, Idaho; whereas First Majestic Silver is Canadian.

Gurr stated the gold mines present cash and jobs, and “the mines have been taxed and taxed,” together with in the latest legislative session when mining corporations agreed to an excise tax for schooling in lieu of makes an attempt to lift the web proceeds of minerals tax from 5% upward and even substitute a gross proceeds tax.

The brand new tax goes to the state coffers designated for schooling, and Gurr stated there must be readability to make sure the cash is used the best way it’s deliberate.

He additionally urged the Nevada Board of Training isn’t wanted anymore, and he stated he doesn’t need extra taxes on agriculture.

Sirotek stated “taxation is extreme” and “an excessive amount of tax will cripple any trade,” which she stated might result in corporations packing their luggage and leaving Nevada. Mines already are taking extra from paychecks for medical protection than they did up to now, she stated.

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Sirotek urged simpler polices for the state, together with the prevention of wasteful spending, and warned that lawmakers “shouldn’t slaughter the golden goose.”

Addressing a query on gun violence and weapons in class, Gurr stated the Elko County College District has skilled officers on the faculties, and fogeys want schooling on weapons, however he doesn’t need to see the state “mandate something to locals.”

He stated that “everyone’s acquired to be concerned. It doesn’t make sense to have the state working our enterprise.”

“Weapons are machines. Are you going to handle weapons or violence? We want handle our youth. We have to give attention to violence, not weapons,” said Garrard, who stated he’s retired army. “I’m not in opposition to weapons. They’re no completely different than a monkey wrench.”

Sirotek, who volunteered as a nurse in New York Metropolis through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, stated gun security must be the mother and father’ job, and “we don’t want implementation of firearm coverage, we’d like extra accountable gun house owners. It’s not weapons that kill anybody; it’s an individual.”

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On the query of the right way to handle growing old infrastructure, Sirotek harassed the necessity to work collaboratively with different lawmakers to search out the cash as a result of “now we have to take a chunk of the pie from elsewhere.”

Gurr stated “our infrastructure is growing old. Spring Creek’s is growing old. Infrastructure is a giant, massive situation,” and funds on the state degree must be checked out “instantly.”

He stated U.S. Freeway 93 is unhealthy, and he not too long ago drove U.S. Freeway 95, and “that’s unhealthy.”

Garrard referred to as consideration to the necessity for a van to move veterans.

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Why there's new hope for Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep to make a comeback

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Why there's new hope for Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep to make a comeback


Scientists say the population of endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep appears to have stabilized after suffering devastating losses during the record-breaking winter of 2022-2023.

Tom Stephenson, who leads the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, said the number of ewes, or female sheep, counted this summer is about the same as the previous summer.

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Plus, he said, the abundant summer forage helped produce a “good crop” of new lambs — almost 100. And at least some ewes, which are critical for population growth, were spotted in herds that researchers previously feared might have been wiped out.

“Very small numbers,” Stephenson said of those herds. “Nevertheless, even if these populations hang on with a small number of animals, there’s a chance they can rebuild.”

Stephenson estimates the current total population of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep at between 380 and 400 animals.

Tom Stephenson heads the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program.

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Bernd Zeugswetter

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An average winter is good for bighorn

Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are well-adapted to snowy winters at high altitudes, Stephenson said. But several above-average snow years over the past decade have seriously hampered the species’ recovery.

In the summer of 2023, researchers found that half of the bighorn sheep that were being tracked had died in the previous winter. Most were victims of avalanches, starvation, or mountain lions.

Even with new lambs born that summer, the population dropped by 40%.

But this past winter, the snowpack was average, which “for bighorn sheep isn’t bad,” Stephenson said. “They’re well adapted to a good amount of snow.”

Still, overall the population of Sierra Nevada bighorn is about half what it was at the peak of the recovery program, in 2016.

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How did Sierra Nevada bighorn become endangered?

Before European settlers arrived in the 1700s and 1800s, thousands of bighorn sheep are thought to have occupied the Sierra Nevada, from the Yosemite region south to Mount Whitney and the high slopes of Sequoia National Park.

Domestic sheep brought by Europeans passed on disease to the native bighorns, which had no immunity. By the mid-1990s, there were only about 100 Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep left.

Conservationists ramped up efforts to save the species, and they were listed as endangered by the state and federal government in 1999.

A lone bighorn sheep, a ewe with short horns, walks up a rocky outcropping.

A ewe from the Wheeler Ridge herd southwest of Bishop.

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How the bighorn could recover

Two major factors affecting the Sierra Nevada bighorn recovery are climate and predation by mountain lions. As the climate changes, the Sierra Nevada is expected to experience less snow, on average, but also more intense storms.

Both extremes are problematic for the sheep: too much snow means it’s harder for the animals to find food and more likely they’ll get trapped in avalanches, or move to lower elevations where they’re more vulnerable to becoming a mountain lion’s meal.

Too little snow produces less fodder in the summer to feed new lambs and fatten up their parents to withstand the next winter.

Rather than fret about the unpredictable weather, Stephenson said he’s more focused on the other threat — mountain lions. “When it comes to lion management, we do have an ability to influence that,” he said.

In the early years of the recovery program, mountain lions known to target bighorn sheep were regularly euthanized. That approach became politically unpopular — mountain lions are beloved in California — and the program has since shifted toward relocating lions that prey on bighorns to areas outside of the recovery zones.

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But the process of getting permission to relocate a mountain lion can be cumbersome, Stephenson said. “If we could take those actions as soon as we see a threat, that would be a huge benefit to the [bighorn] population,” he said.





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Nevada’s Alford becomes second coach at NCAA D-I level to win 100+ games with four different programs

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Nevada’s Alford becomes second coach at NCAA D-I level to win 100+ games with four different programs


RENO, Nev. (Nevada Athletics) – The Wolf Pack showed signs of great progression in their 85-59 win over the Santa Clara Broncos.

The Wolf Pack remain undefeated as coach Steve Alford collects his 100th win during his tenure at Nevada. Alford is among a special group with Lefty Drisell in collecting 100 wins at four different institutions. He has earned 100 wins at Iowa, New Mexico, UCLA, and now Nevada.

The Wolf Pack led the game through the first half, shooting 63 percent from the field on 27 attempts and 62.5 percent from three-point range on eight attempts. The current Santa Clara team is known for its high number of attempts from three, but the Wolf Pack held them to an impressive 12.5 percent from three-point range on eight attempts, which is a season-low in attempts and scoring for the Broncos this season.

Mahi led the Santa Clara Broncos with 22 points. 2 rebounds, and 2 steals on 75 percent shooting from the field. The Wolf Pack had four starters in double figures for points at the end of the game as they cruised to the win.

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All scorers were led by Coleman, who finished with 21 points and four assists on six of seven from the field and 100 percent from the three-point line on three attempts.

Love had an impressive game, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 100 percent from the field on five attempts.

Davidson had yet another double-figure game, collecting 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 5 of 7 from the field and shooting 100 percent from the three-point line on two attempts.

DuSell also had a double-figure performance, finishing with 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds.

With the dominating win, the Wolf Pack will now play in their MTE event, the Shriner Children’s Charleston Classic, in Charleston, South Carolina. Their first game is against the Vanderbilt Commodores on November 21st at 4:30 p.m. PST. The Wolf Pack will look to secure some quality quad 1 wins ahead of the rest of the non-conference schedule.

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Strike by workers at casino near Las Vegas Strip enters second day

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Strike by workers at casino near Las Vegas Strip enters second day


A walkout by hundreds of hospitality workers at a casino near the Las Vegas Strip entered its second day with union members willing to undergo the financial hardships of being out of work as they wait for a new contract.

The work stoppage launched Friday at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is the first open-ended strike in 22 years for the Culinary Workers Union, the largest labor union in Nevada, with about 60,000 members. Union members were on the picket line again Saturday.

Workers at the casino also walked off the job for 48 hours earlier this year as negotiations escalated, hoping to pressure Virgin Hotels to agree to a new five-year deal with increased wages and better benefits.

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The strike comes a year after casinos up and down the Strip narrowly avoided tens of thousands of hospitality workers walking off the job on the weekend the city was set to host its first Formula One race on the famous boulevard. But agreements were reached just before the union’s deadline for a strike, giving workers a roughly 32% salary increase over the life of the contract, including a 10% bump in pay in the first year.

After the breakthrough deals last November, the Culinary Union quickly reached similar agreements for the rest of its members at major hotel-casinos on the Strip, downtown and at off-Strip properties — except for Virgin Hotels. The contracts on the Strip alone cover more than 40,000 workers.

While the union pays striking workers $500 per week for picketing shifts for at least five days, union members at the picket line Friday said that they were expecting financial pain while being out of work.

Lee McNamara, a lead dining room cook, said he took a second job for about eight months to save money in anticipation of the strike.

“A strike is hurtful to everybody, but it was a last resort for us,” McNamara said. “We didn’t have anything else we could do. The company wasn’t coming our way, and they weren’t seeing it our way and they haven’t really budged much.”

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Diana Monjaraz, who works in housekeeping, expects hard times until a new contract comes.

“You have to suffer a little bit to win sometimes,” Monjaraz said. “You don’t get things handed to you right away.”

Both the union and Virgin Hotels said negotiations stalled because of disagreements over pay.

“Workers overwhelmingly have chosen a strong Culinary Union contract that guarantees their benefits as the way they want to be protected,” said Bethany Khan, a spokesperson for the union. “Hundreds of workers are on strike themselves to win these protections.”

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas said it was committed to protecting the jobs of workers by ensuring the continued operation of the property. It also said the union “has bargained in bad faith — repeatedly refusing to engage in meaningful negotiations with Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.” Culinary Union members last went on strike in 2002 for 10 days at the Golden Gate hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas.

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