The Social Security Board of Trustees recently released its annual report on the long-term financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. The combined asset reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds are projected to become depleted in 2033, unchanged from last year, with 77 percent of benefits still payable at that time. The DI Trust Fund will become depleted in 2016, also unchanged from last year's estimate, with 81 percent of benefits still payable.
MICHAEL MICHAELSEN • Special to the SunA blown tire on a motorcycle trailer caused an accident which stopped traffic in the eastbound lane of I-80 near the Rose Creek exit on Wednesday, July 30 at about 3 p.m. According to Sargeant Tony Roth of the Nevada Highway Patrol, Douglas and Linda Thomason of Avery, Calif., were riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and towing a trailing unit when a tire blew on the trailer, causing it to fishtail. The driver then lost control of the motorcycle. The Thomasons suffered broken bones and were flown to Renown Regional Medical Center. The motorcycle was moderately damaged, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.
The Winnemucca City Council meets Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m. at City Hall. City officials will discuss and possibly take action on the following agenda items.
WASHINGTON - The White House Rural Council recently announced the creation of the new U.S. Rural Infrastructure Opportunity Fund through which private entities can invest in job-creating rural infrastructure projects across the country. An initial $10 billion has been committed to the fund with greater investment expected to follow. Target investments will include hospitals, schools and other educational facilities, rural water and wastewater systems, energy projects, broadband expansion, local and regional food systems, and other rural infrastructure.
RENO - University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering workshops Aug. 5 - 7 in Elko, Winnemucca and Fallon for Nevada livestock producers to help them cope with drought.
CARSON CITY - The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) recently announced the launch of two new Nevada-specific websites to help schools protect students from sexual assaults on college campuses. The websites, www.preventsexualviolenceNV.org and www.stepupstopviolence.org, define sexual assault and consent and offer approaches for individuals, students, and community members to safely intervene when observing a potentially high-risk situation.
RENO - An ancient forest of mature pine trees, standing upright under 100 feet of water in a small lake in the Tahoe Basin, helps scientists as they study how changing climate can affect mountain environments and the communities in them. The trees, discovered and studied by a University of Nevada, Reno, researcher, are remnants of a 200-year-long medieval drought.
Google will pay the City of Winnemucca $500 per month to use a site at the Winnemucca Municpal Airport to launch their stratospheric balloons. Olivia Hatalsky and Paul Acosta, representatives of Google's Project Loon, discussed the license agreement with city council members at their meeting on Aug. 5.
• The introduction of an ordinance prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries within the city will be postponed until after the Regional Planning Commission meets on Sept. 11. The RPC is expected to make a recommendation to the council, and the ordinance will eventually define the zoning prohibitions of medical marijuana dispensaries within the City of Winnemucca.
The office of Dr. Sharon McIntyre, MD is now closed.
LAS VEGAS - Attorney Daniel G. Bogden and other federal law enforcement representatives last week held meetings with leaders and representatives of 21 northern Nevada Indian tribes, and conducted tours of their reservations, announced United States Attorney Daniel G. Bogden.
JOYCE SHEEN • The Humboldt SunLowry High School graduate Samantha Burns (center) will be heading to college at Washington State University with the help of a $2,500 scholarship from her employers at Taco Bell. Burns will be in a pre-vet major program at the university. Local Taco Bell franchise owner Mike Scarr (right) and manager Nelson Canizalez (left) both praised Burns for her work ethic and attitude and said how pleased they were to see her awarded one of five $2,500 scholarships that Taco Bell is giving out this year to encourage their teenaged employees to make a commitment to graduate from high school and attend college. Burns was part of the newly-trained crew that opened the Winnemucca Taco Bell 1.5 years ago. She'll continue to work for Taco Bell in Pullman, Wash., while she goes to college there.
The Northern Nevada Racing Association (NNRA) held its third drag race of the season on July 25 and 26. The Fifties Fever Street Drags draws racers from across northern Nevada - Winnemucca, Reno, Carson City, Minden, Lovelock, Battle Mountain, Elko, and Spring Creek. Additionally, racers from California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho also joined in the fun. The NNRA is a drag racing club in Winnemucca, and will host four major racing events in 2014. The Street Drags are held annually during the community's Fifties Fever Celebration. They are hosted by the NNRA and held on Traders Way in Winnemucca and included four separate classes of cars. Special thanks to Warren Havens of Wicked Metal Works for presenting trophies to our winners. The trophies were built and donated by Andy Latham of Golconda, Nev., and Warren donated time and materials to powder coat each of them.
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator Anne Alonzo announced over the weekend that USDA's National Farmers Market Directory now lists 8,268 markets, an increase of 76 percent since 2008. The data reflects continued demand and growth of farmers markets in every region of the country. Alonzo also announced that AMS is developing three new local food directories that will expand USDA's support for local and regional foods by providing easy access to the most current information about the local food market.
