At its regular meeting on March 19, the Winnemucca City Council (with all members present):
Mining lithium in Humboldt County has been a hot topic, especially as Lithium Americas has just secured conditional approval of a loan for their multi-billion-dollar project, and another company, HiTech Minerals, has requested a letter of support from the Humboldt County Board of Commissioners to the Department of Energy (DOE) for their funding application.
What better way to challenge one’s outdoor skills than an archery, trap shooting and pole casting competition? Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) is hosting the first annual Outdoor Skills Challenge, a recreational triathlon of sorts, on April 6 at the Winnemucca Trap Range.
Humboldt County is set to receive just over $2.5 million in multiple payments from litigation against opioid prescribers, manufacturers and distributors to be spent locally from now through 2038. The litigation is being carried out nationwide against those found to be major proponents in the opioid epidemic by a bipartisan alliance of attorney generals from around the United States. At their regular meeting on March 4, the Humboldt County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a request from the Family Support Center to use $276,120 of the funds Humboldt County has received so far to go towards addiction and mental health services.
With 400 children in the rural foster care system, Humboldt County is among those in dire need of more foster homes, with only four total to support displaced children. Virtual training provided by the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) for potential foster families is taking place March 19, March 21, March 26 and March 28, 5:30-8 p.m. on the Microsoft Teams application in order to introduce new, streamlined parent training in Nevada’s 15 rural counties.
The U.S. government offered Canada-based Lithium Americas a financial lifeline Thursday to develop a Nevada lithium deposit that contains the largest-proven lithium reserves in North America. Citing a need to secure a domestic supply of lithium for electric car batteries, the Biden administration agreed to provide a $2.26 billion conditional loan for the construction of a lithium carbonate processing plant at Thacker Pass in Humboldt County, Nevada. It’s the largest federal investment in a lithium mine to date.
March 2, Suzanne Montero was presented with the 2024 “Ranch Hand of the Year” award before the kickoff of the 35th annual Ranch Hand Rodeo. The event was held Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3, at the Winnemucca Event Center. Suzanne and her family run a Red Angus cow/calf operation at Leonard Creek Ranch, located 90 miles north of Winnemucca. As she puts it: “I live in the middle of nowhere on a wonderful hidden paradise away from cell phone service and people. I like to call it God's country.”
Some mountain biking trails may only be suitable for more experienced riders, but a pump track — a circular, paved bike park with turns, berms, and other features — is designed to be used by anyone. At its regular meeting on March 5, the Winnemucca City Council approved a proposal for the design and construction of a pump track at the recreation complex in east Winnemucca, near Lowry High School.
The Community Health Fair is a great opportunity to engage with local health services and utilize free resources that can help anyone move towards a healthier lifestyle. On March 16, the Community Health Fair will be held in the East Hall of the Winnemucca Convention Center from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and will have a wide array of medical and health vendors that provide important services.
The Winnemucca Grammar School (WGS) just finished the third season with WGS Lego robotics competition teams. The two teams are part of the FIRST and FIRST Nevada organizations. This year’s teams included 6-8 fourth graders who were all new to the FIRST Lego League (FLL). These students were chosen based on letters of interest they submitted in third grade.
At its apex from 1997 to 1999, student enrollment for the HCSD was at approximately 4,000 students; today, it is approximately 3,200 students, and with a pupil-centered funding plan, less students means less money for the district from the state to pay teachers, provide programming and more. At the regular meeting of the Humboldt County District (HCSD) School Board of Trustees on Feb. 27, the Board identified possible methods to recruit and retain teachers and address staffing based on student enrollment although no formal actions will be taken on any matter until more final budgeting is conducted.
During Lowry High School’s upcoming band performance on March 13 at 7 p.m. former Lowry band student Kelly Dugger will be conducting the concert as the students perform her composed works. The concert is free, although donations are accepted and greatly appreciated, and will take place in the old gym at Lowry.
WINNEMUCCA — Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) received $50,000 from Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) to support their FY24 youth focused programs serving ages 4–17 across rural northern Nevada. Programs include school-based Nature in My World programs for K-8th graders, Nature in the Park programs for ages 4–7 and Nature Explorers summer camps for ages 8–17.
Humboldt General Hospital (HGH) CEO, Robyn Dunckhorst, made a significant impact at the Rural Health Policy Institute held from Feb. 13-15 in Washington, D.C. This prestigious event, organized by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), brought together hundreds of rural advocates from across the United States to champion rural healthcare. Dunckhorst was one of two rural CEOs from Nevada to meet with our federal legislators from Nevada to shed light on current concerns affecting rural healthcare nationally and within our state.
Seven of 14 section leaders were chosen from Lowry High during the 2024 All-State Band Festival earlier this month.