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Trades high school marks first year: ‘Experience, that helps you a lot more’

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Trades high school marks first year: ‘Experience, that helps you a lot more’


Wyatt Foster is excited to get excavating training and do excavating work in the upcoming school year.

The incoming junior at Southern Nevada Trades High School, an east Las Vegas charter school that focuses on educating students to work in trades in the construction industry, spoke of his goals at Saturday’s open house at the school.

“College is nice, it helps you get jobs,” Foster said. “But experience, that helps you a lot more.”

Foster was joined by dozens of people, including Gov. Joe Lombardo and school faculty members, at the open house. The event was held to mark the end of the high school’s first school year and to showcase what the still-under construction facility offers for its close to 90 students and to highlight the fact enrollment is now open for grades 9, 10, and 11 for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.

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That relatively small student body is expected to grow next year to almost 200, with school officials hoping to teach up to 400 students once the building’s construction is finished, speakers said at Saturday’s open house, which also featured food trucks.

The school, at 1580 Bledsoe Lane, differentiates itself from other high schools by focusing on giving students experience, skills and the certificates they would need for their chosen career path, school officials said.

“What makes (this school) special is that we’re not only preparing them for college. We acknowledge that college is not for everyone. We want to give students skills so that they know if college is not the path they want to take, they can get good-paying jobs straight out of high school,” said Principal Candi Wadsworth.

While students receive a typical education in math, English and science, they also receive hands-on training in various trades as electives. The school has regular classrooms, but also boasts a construction workshop, where students can work on larger projects.

Wadsworth said that students will construct, from start to finish, a tiny home as their final project. Working on a tiny home will allow students to try different aspects of construction, like flooring, insulation, HVAC and electrical work, she said.

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“This structure used to be a church whose purpose was to teach and prepare the community spiritually,” said Brett Willis, the chair of the school’s board. “Now, this building has been given new life as a high school, ready to teach and train 400 students to go out into the community prepared for both college and career.”

Parents at the open house spoke of how the curriculum offered at the trades-oriented high school is a much better fit for their child.

“College is not for everyone. I know my child. I know that’s not his thing and I’m glad he has something else,” said Natasha Garcia, whose son is enrolled for the upcoming school year.

Lombardo, who met with students, parents and school administrators, said he hopes to see more similar trade schools opening up.

“Of course, I want more trades schools like this to open but that’s dependent on the private sector to make that leap,” Lombardo said. “The basis of a charter school is a private-public partnership, so we need private parties to take on the hurdle of funding it and maintaining it to the future.”

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Lombardo, spoke about signing into law the highly-contested Assembly Bill 400, which allowed cities to sponsor charter school development.

As a result of the bill, the City of North Las Vegas and the City of Henderson were approved to sponsor charter schools.

For parents like Garcia, the focus on real-world job experience is something that has, for the first time, ignited an eagerness to learn in her son.

“It’s not just learning about something, they’ll be doing something, hands-on. This is the first time I’ve seen him excited for school. I think its going to be the change that he needs. You know, you can’t force a love for school,” joked Garcia.

Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com.

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28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies

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28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies


A man serving time at the Southern Desert Correctional Center for felony reckless driving died last month, the Nevada Department of Corrections said Tuesday.

Shiloh Walker, 28, died at the Indian Springs facility on Nov. 24, a news release said. Cause of death was not listed.

Walker was serving a sentence of up to six years after a plea agreement was reached in 2022 following a DUI crash that happened May 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, according to online court records.

An autopsy was requested following Walker’s death, though results were not available as of Monday evening. Attempts to reach Walker’s family members have been unsuccessful, according to the department.

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Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.



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Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?

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Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?


After widespread condemnation last year, the U.S. Postal Service backed away from plans to move its Reno mail-processing operations to Sacramento — but did it stay true to what it told the public?

The question arose recently after letters sent from one Carson City address to another in Carson City were both postmarked in Sacramento.

Northern Nevadans did not want first class mail sent from one Northern Nevada address to another going first to California. They sent a unified message to the USPS all the way up to the postmaster general.

Critics of the USPS plan were especially worried about delays from mail having to go back and forth over the Sierra during winter.

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The Washoe County District Attorney’s office filed a lawsuit over the plan, the Washoe County Commission voted to oppose the plan, public comment was universally opposed, and Democratic and Republican elected officials from across the state joined to stop it.

Could it possibly have happened anyway? The answer is yes, temporarily, for a brief time.

How letters sent in Carson City came to be processed at Sacramento USPS facility

A reader told the Reno Gazette Journal they’d twice had letters internal to Carson City postmarked in Sacramento, so we asked USPS if the policy had changed.

“Mail processing for First Class mail that originates in Northern Nevada and is destined to Northern Nevada has not changed,” USPS spokesperson Sherry Patterson responded by email.

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“However,” she added, “without the specific mail piece and class of mail, we cannot determined if there is an issue.”

The reader then supplied a photo of the two envelopes postmarked Nov. 5 in Sacramento, and this was shared with USPS.

“Our processing machine in Reno was temporarily out of service while we awaited a replacement part,” Patterson said after viewing the postmarks to nail down the specific date the letters went through Sacramento.

“To ensure that mail was not delayed during this time, we implemented a contingency plan that involved routing certain mail to our Sacramento facility for cancellation and processing. This measure allows us to maintain service continuity and minimize disruptions for our customers. We understand that this may cause some confusion, and we are committed to ensuring that all mail is processed efficiently and accurately.”

Bottom line: Regarding first class mail that’s being sent to and from Northern Nevada addresses, it’s still USPS policy to process that in Reno at its Vassar Street facility, she said.

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The path these particular letters took, Patterson added, “is indeed an unusual occurrence.”

Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.



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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones

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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones


LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Loneliness has become a significant health issue for people everywhere, and the holiday season sometimes intensifies those feelings. For many, December looks like family gatherings, matching pajamas and bustling homes. But this time of year can also be very difficult for those who may be battling distance, work commitments or recent life changes.

Marc Valli, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, has lived in Las Vegas since 1988. He moved to Nevada to join a ministry and be closer to his wife’s parents.

WATCH| Shellye Leggett talks to an army vet who’s recently moved into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility

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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones

“I wanted to come and join ministry here. Also my wife’s parents lived here,” Valli said.

Valli’s wife Barbara, known to friends and family as Bobby, passed away in 2018 after 54 years of marriage.

“I’m still counting the years. We’ve been married 54 years,” he said.

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His children moved him into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility in June, making this his first holiday season in his new home.

“People are very nice, they treat you good,” Valli said.

Come Christmas Day, the facility’s common room will be filled with residents ready for holiday activities, but Valli hopes to get outside these walls to see his family that still lives nearby.

“I have grandkids. One goes to Cal Poly. He’s here right now, but he’s on vacation, and then I have two little granddaughters, one’s 11, one’s 7,” Valli said. “I don’t know if they’re gonna come for Christmas or I’m going there.”

Gus Farias, the executive director of Escalante at the Lakes Assisted Living, says many of his residents don’t have family nearby. Keeping their spirits high throughout the holidays is an important task.

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“We can tell when our residents are feeling down. There’s a lot of pressure during the holidays because some of our residents don’t have families that are nearby, but they have us,” Farias said.

The organisation A Mission for Michael released a study showing just how many people are expected to spend the holidays alone this year. Nevada ranked 43rd on the list of loneliest states, with more than 212,000 people expected to spend Christmas by themselves.

“It’s pretty surprising that there’s so many Nevadans that are gonna spend the holidays by themselves,” Farias said.

He says combating loneliness will take a community effort.

“When you’re at the grocery store or whatever, reach, look back and ask them, you know, wish them a merry Christmas or happy holidays and ask them how they passed their holidays in the past because we, we as a younger generation than our seniors, we can learn a lot from that,” Farias said.

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It’s an effort that Valli says makes the holidays a little brighter.

“Oh, it makes a big difference,” he said.





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