Connect with us

Nevada

USPS to keep Northern Nevada mail sorting in Reno

Published

on

USPS to keep Northern Nevada mail sorting in Reno


The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday that it’s scrapping plans to move its Northern Nevada outgoing mail processing operations from Reno to Sacramento, California, easing concerns that such a move could delay mail — including mailed election ballots.

Instead, the agency is using a previously-allocated up to $13.4 million to modernize the postal office, which operations would’ve shrunk under the original proposal.

Changes are subject to approval by the Postal Regulatory Commission, which will next meet next month.

“This decision has been made possible due to the identification of enhanced efficiencies in proposed operational improvements, along with related refinements within the existing service standards,” according to a news release.

Advertisement

The announcement follows months of bipartisan lobbying from Nevada lawmakers, who on Tuesday expressed relief.

Gov. Joe Lombardo called it a “huge bipartisan victory” for the state.

The Republican governor said he was grateful to work with Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Mark Amodei to protect “Nevadans from misguided D.C. bureaucracy.”

Rosen, D-Nevada, led a congressional effort to reverse the unpopular decision.

“The announcement that this widely opposed transfer of local mail processing operations will no longer happen is a huge win for our seniors, veterans, and every person in Northern Nevada who depends on timely mail delivery,” said Rosen in a release. “I will always stand up to Washington on behalf of Nevada and make sure our voices are heard.”

Advertisement

In a statement, Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, classified the shift as “a win for our postal workers and all of our families in Northern Nevada.”

Rep. Mark Amodei added in a social media post: “I will continue to keep a close eye on the Reno Processing and Distribution Center to ensure the continuity of its operations and have requested a briefing with the Postal Service to ensure a strong oversight presence remains.”

The controversial plan to reroute mail through California alarmed lawmakers who expressed concern that the move would’ve delayed important mail to residents, including prescriptions and voting materials.

They painted a scenario in which mail-in ballots would get sent across the state line, and inclement weather in the fall and winter would delay their return to Nevada.

The scrapped proposal would’ve began next year, and the postal service originally projected “staffing impacts.”

Advertisement

Under the investment, the Reno office will transform into a local processing center for Northern Nevada, which will “handle mailing and shipping of packages, manual letters, and flats,” according to the postal service.

Furthermore, this could lead to “future need for additional staffing support.”

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.



Source link

Advertisement

Nevada

IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada

Published

on

IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada


A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.

Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.

What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.

The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.

Advertisement

So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.

I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.

Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.

Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Nevada

Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS

Published

on

Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS