Nevada
USPS moves ahead on plan to move Nevada mail to CA, despite opposition
The United States Postal Service announced on Tuesday it is moving forward with a plan to downsize and relocate its outgoing mail processing operations from Reno to Sacramento, much to the ire of Nevada elected officials.
Nevada elected officials on both sides of the aisle pushed back and fought to block the plan when it was introduced last month. Officials said they worry could delay Northern Nevadans from receiving important mail, including prescriptions, as well as impact Nevada’s election process that rely heavily on on-time mail service.
Sen. Jacky Rosen said she is outraged by the decision.
“Let me be absolutely clear: This fight is not over,” the Democratic senator said in a Tuesday statement. “As a member of the committee with jurisdiction over the Postal Service, I will continue to fight against this ill-advised decision and explore all available options to prevent it from being implemented.”
‘Faster and more reliable delivery’
The Postal Service said in its Tuesday announcement that the decision follows a thorough business review and solicitation of public feedback.
Southern Nevada mail is handled in Las Vegas and will not be impacted by the change in Reno, according to Rod Spurgeon, strategic communications specialist for the Postal Service.
As part of a $40 billion investment strategy to upgrade and improve mail processing, the Reno facility will remain open as a local processing center, but outgoing operations will be transferred to a processing and distribution center in West Sacramento, according to the Postal Service.
The Postal Service will invest up to $13.4 million into the Reno facility for expanded and streamlined mail processing and distribution capabilities as part of the Postal Service’s 10-year Delivering for America plan that aims to make the Postal Service more efficient.
Consolidating operations will allow the Reno processing center to be “co-located” with a sorting and delivery center, which will allow the Postal Service to provide faster and more reliable delivery over a larger area, according to the Postal Service.
Funds will be used to update workplace amenities like new lighting and renovated restrooms, according to the Postal Service.
The Postal Service’s Delivering for America plan also aims to achieve a break-even in operating performance over a 10-year period. In fiscal 2023, the Postal Service reported a $6.5 billion loss.
Election concerns
Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said in March that the Postal Service is one of the critical pieces of the puzzle in Nevada’s elections systems, since mail ballots are sent out to every voter unless they opt out of them, and it’s become an increasingly more popular way to vote in the Silver State.
In Washoe, Nevada’s second-largest county, more than 85 percent of voters participated in the February presidential primary with a mail ballot.
Officials and political candidates on both sides of the aisle worry that sending mail ballots from Nevada to California before they are sent back to Northern Nevada — which can face inclement weather in the fall and especially winter — could cause delays in results and could lead to ballots not being counted.
Nevada state law allows for mail ballots to be postmarked on Election Day and must be received by election departments by 5 p.m. on the fourth day after Election Day.
“It’s unfortunate when federal decision makers don’t understand or acknowledge the unique challenges of a local community,” Aguilar said in a statement Tuesday.
The federal government gives the states the responsibility to manage its elections, but it interferes with functions vital to the process, Aguilar said. He hopes the USPS will reconsider its decision and invest into existing Northern Nevada operations.
“The Secretary of State’s Office will continue to focus on running some of the most secure, accessible and safe elections in the country,” Aguilar said.
Another concern from officials were layoffs of Northern Nevadans who work at the facility, however the Postal Service also announced on Tuesday there will be no “career layoffs” as part of the initiative.
Any reduction in the number of pre-career employees will be made in accordance with collective bargaining agreements, according to the Postal Service.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.
Nevada
Boys volleyball playoff preview: 5A state title up for grabs
Class 5A boys volleyball teams enter the state tournament with a fair amount of knowledge about their opponents.
Most of the top teams have played each other at least once, whether going through the rigors of league play or facing off in tournaments.
And if those regular-season results revealed anything, it’s that the 5A state title is truly up for grabs.
The boys volleyball playoffs begin Monday with 4A state first-round matchups. The 5A and 3A playoffs begin with state quarterfinals Tuesday.
Here’s a breakdown of how the playoffs shape up:
Class 5A
League champions: Green Valley (Desert), Coronado (Mountain)
The favorite: Coronado
Coronado emerged as the league champion out of the challenging Mountain League on a tiebreaker over Palo Verde. Outside hitters Dexter Brimhall and Dane Galvin and middle blocker Jayden Bell lead a balanced attack.
The Cougars haven’t lost to a Nevada team since a four-set defeat to Palo Verde on March 26. They avenged the loss with a four-set win April 17.
Dark horse: Palo Verde
Palo Verde was the runner-up in last year’s title game, losing to Shadow Ridge in five sets. The Panthers have beaten most of the other 5A playoff teams.
Palo Verde could face a semifinal matchup with Green Valley, which beat the Panthers in a two-set sweep in a tournament March 30.
Potential first-round upset: No. 3M Arbor View over No. 2D Shadow Ridge
Arbor View finished third in the Mountain League and has to start the playoffs on the road. The Aggies swept Shadow Ridge, the two-time defending 5A state champion, on March 28 and ended the regular season with a sweep of Desert League champion Green Valley on April 30.
Class 4A
League champions: Mojave (Desert), Del Sol (Mountain), Basic (Sky)
The favorite: Mojave
The Rattlers dropped just six sets as they rolled to a 12-0 Desert League record to claim the league title and No. 1 seed with a first-round bye. By being at the top of the bracket, Mojave would avoid Del Sol or Basic until the state title match.
Dark horse: Bishop Gorman
Gorman lost a five-set thriller to Basic in its regular-season finale, which dropped the Gaels to the No. 2 seed and out of a first-round bye. The Gaels have a few of the state’s top outside hitters. Drew Dennis is third in the state with 453 kills, and TJ Woodson is third with a .370 hitting percentage.
Potential first-round upset: No. 4S Cimarron-Memorial over No. 2D Tech
Cimarron-Memorial defeated Tech twice in tournament play, in a two-set sweep March 2 and three sets April 13. The Spartans finished fourth in the more challenging Sky League, and one of their best wins was a five-set win over Basic on March 28.
Class 3A
League champions: Virgin Valley (Desert), Boulder City (Mountain)
The favorite: Boulder City
The Eagles look poised to win their third straight 3A title. Boulder City dropped one set in league play, and its only losses have been to 5A, 4A and out-of-state opponents. Travis Hess leads the state with a .515 hitting percentage and is third with 88 blocks.
Dark horse: Coral Academy
Coral Academy is the only team to win a set against Boulder City and would not have to face the Eagles until the title match.
Potential first-round upset: None
Boulder City, Virgin Valley, Coral Academy and Valley should all roll in their quarterfinals.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
Boys volleyball playoff schedule
State tournaments
All games at 6 p.m. at higher seed
Class 5A
Tuesday
State quarterfinals
No. 4M Desert Oasis at No. 1D Green Valley
No. 3D Centennial at No. 2M Palo Verde
No. 4D Sierra Vista at No. 1M Coronado
No. 3M Arbor View at No. 2D Shadow Ridge
Class 4A
Monday
State first round
No. 3M Las Vegas High at No. 3S Sky Pointe
No. 4D Legacy at No. 2S Bishop Gorman
No. 4M Chaparral at No. 3D Durango
No. 4S Cimarron-Memorial at No. 2D Tech
Wednesday
State quarterfinals
Las Vegas-Sky Pointe winner at No. 1D Mojave
Legacy-Bishop Gorman winner at No. 2M Spring Valley
Chaparral-Durango winner at No. 1S Basic
Cimarron-Memorial-Tech winner at No. 1M Del Sol
Class 3A
Tuesday
State quarterfinals
No. 4M Western at No. 1D Virgin Valley
No. 3D Moapa Valley at No. 2M Coral Academy
No. 4D Mater East at No. 1M Boulder City
No. 3M Canyon Springs at No. 2D Valley
Nevada
Sierra Nevada records snowiest day of the season from brief but potent California storm
TRUCKEE, Calif. — A weekend spring storm that drenched the San Francisco Bay area and closed Northern California mountain highways also set a single-day snowfall record for the season on Sunday in the Sierra Nevada.
The wet weather system had mostly moved out of the state by Sunday morning, but officials warned that roads would remain slick after around two feet (60 centimeters) of snow fell in some areas of the Sierra.
“Did anyone have the snowiest day of the 2023/2024 season being in May on their winter bingo card?” the University of California, Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab asked on the social platform X.
The 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) of snowfall on Sunday beat the second snowiest day of the season — March 3rd — by 2.6 inches (6.6 centimeters), according to the lab.
Treacherous driving conditions on Saturday forced the closure of several highways near Lake Tahoe, including Interstate 80 over the Donner Summit.
Flood advisories were issued for parts of the Bay Area, where up to an inch (2.5 centimeters) of rain fell while temperatures dipped into the low 40s (around 5 degrees Celsius), the National Weather Service said. Wind gusts reaching 40 mph (64 kph) were reported Saturday near San Francisco.
The storm brought light rain and gusty winds to Southern California.
Drier and warmer conditions were expected throughout the week.
Nevada
Nature: Big horn sheep in Nevada
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