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Biggest US holding pen planned for wild horses faces suit

Advocates for wild horses are accusing federal land managers of illegally approving plans for the largest U.S. holding facility outside of Winnemucca for thousands of mustangs captured on public rangeland in 10 Western states. Friends of Animals claimed in a lawsuit filed Aug. 15 that up to 4,000 horses could be held for months or years at a time in dusty, pens without shade or wind-breaks in Nevada’s high desert.

For first time, researchers can tell where in Nevada has the highest imprisonment rate

A new analysis shows which Nevada communities have the highest rate of residents in state prisons, and that certain reservations and neighborhoods such as Las Vegas’ Historic Westside — as well as some rural areas — have disproportionately high rates. The analysis was released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Prison Policy Initiative, which describes its mission as exposing “the broader harm of mass criminalization,” and was made possible because Nevada changed state law on how it counts prisoners. It showed what authors described as a pattern of over-policing of communities of color that in turn “seriously impacts the health and stability of the families and communities left behind.” Among the top takeaways:

Humboldt County Commission to discuss Grass Valley nitrate mitigation during special meeting

All residents of Grass Valley, including those in the Gold Country, Star City and Winnemucca Municipal Airport areas, are invited to attend a special meeting of the Humboldt County Commission focused on resolving longstanding water issues in the region. The meeting, which has been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Monday, August 29, will center on rising nitrate levels in the area and recommendations from a preliminary engineering report prepared through the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection’s State Revolving Loan Fund, which provides loans for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure construction projects to publicly- and privately -owned systems in Nevada. 

Carbon . . . a new source of income for grazers?

Whether you believe in “Climate Change” or not, there may be opportunities for livestock producers to take advantage of some of the programs being offered to help reduce carbon emissions.  Mike Estadt, was a colleague of mine from Ohio. He is presently an Extension Educator with Ohio State University Extension and the author of the following article.

Humboldt General Hospital welcomes Dr. Trenton Argyle

Humboldt General Hospital would like to welcome Dr. Trenton Argyle to their Family Medicine Residency Clinic as their new Family Medicine physician. 

Hard Work Pays Off

“Are we there yet?” or “How much further?” are common questions we hear at Nevada Outdoor School, when we have campers out on the trail exerting themselves.

Nevada outdoor school connects people with opportunities to serve, pay for college

Nevada Outdoor School (NOS) is a well-recognized organization amongst Nevada’s rural areas for their wide-reaching efforts to educate adults and children about respecting and preserving nature.

Republican speakers urge Nevadans to vote ‘red’ in the fall

Republican star power rocked the seventh annual Basque Fry on Saturday at the Corley Ranch south of Gardnerville with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and first-term South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem offering strong pitches to elect Republicans to the major statewide offices in the Silver State. Cruz grabbed the most attention as the day’s final speaker to the crowd estimated between 1,500 to 2,000. The second-term senator from Texas is supporting former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt in his candidacy for U.S. Senate and also ridiculed the Democrats with a number of quick-witted barbs. This marked the second time this year Cruz has stumped for Laxalt in Nevada. Cruz and Laxalt delivered speeches together in late April in Gardnerville, Fallon and Sparks.

GRAD IN THE NEWS: Dawson named to Eastern Oregon dean’s list

Winnemucca’s Gratian Dawson was one  of 570 Eastern Oregon University students that were named to the dean’s list for the 2022 spring term. 

PLEASANT CENTER MENU for March 23-29

Lunches are served each weekday at noon and soup and croutons is served at 11 a.m. the Pleasant Senior Center, 1480 Lay Street. Lunches are open to the public. Suggested minimum donation is $4 for seniors age 60 and older. Visitors must be 16 years or older. Their meal is $10.

How should Nevada hand count ballots? Nye County, state election officials disagree

As Nye County’s top new election official prepares to hand count tens of thousands of paper ballots cast in this year’s general election, the secretary of state’s office is seeking to standardize and regulate that process.  But the two sides are at odds. Last week, the secretary of state’s office hosted a workshop to solicit feedback on a proposed temporary regulation for hand counting that would require local election officials to follow certain procedures for tallying votes, submit plans for meeting numerous election deadlines and ensure hand-counting teams are not all of the same political party. “We strongly urge the secretary of state to not adopt these regulations,” Mark Kampf, who started as Nye County’s interim clerk earlier this month, said during the workshop.

Camp owners take aim at refuge diversion in Nye County water rights dispute

Four springs feed the Carson Slough, a wide meandering collection of marshy channels that run through the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nye County. In and beside these waters live rare plants and fish, including the Ash Meadows speckled dace and the Amargosa pupfish. Like so many species in the Great Basin, their habitat hinges on a small amount of water — and that water has been (and continues to be) contested, the subject of multiple legal proceedings. 

Feds cut Colorado River water allocations, affecting 7 western states

Facing critically low water levels at two large reservoirs and an extreme drought in the West, federal water managers announced Tuesday that Nevada, Arizona and Mexico will have less water to use in 2023. Those cuts are not likely to affect water use in Nevada in the short term. But Colorado River users, working under a federally imposed deadline set in June to negotiate unprecedented water reductions, failed to agree on new, additional cuts by Tuesday needed to preserve the stability of the region’s water system. 

Great Basin College targeting more consolidation with UNR, but not ‘merger’

UNR and Great Basin College — Nevada’s most rural college based primarily in Elko — could soon be closer than ever under a plan to consolidate more operations.

Teens leading mental health conversation aim to reach every high school

Lauren Edgeworth was 15 when COVID-19-related school closures and quarantine interrupted her routine of school, friends and volleyball. Loneliness soon set in. But she quickly learned to not underestimate the power of going for a walk.  “I was so used to playing volleyball three times a day, for more than half of my life, so when we got locked down, I stopped being active,” she said. “Personally, I always need to stay active. And that's my way of coping if I'm ever feeling overwhelmed or stressed.” Now she’s 17, starting her senior year Vegas and bracing herself for the stressful year ahead.