Silver Dollars & Wooden Nickels: Dear winter, please stay in the mountains

The Nevada Appeal's "Silver Dollar" and "Wooden Nickel" feature recognizes positive achievements from the capital region and, when warranted, points out others that missed the mark.

SILVER DOLLAR: To winners of the Carson school district's annual American Citizen essay contest: In first-second-third order, they are elementary students Alexandra Siple, Sara Knight and Eli Miller; middle schoolers Samantha Lowe, Carena Doyle and Gabrielle Palazzolo; and high school students Camilla Dudley, Ben Drozdoff and Jacob Olson. Congratulations, kids.

WOODEN NICKEL: To the recent trend of stores opening on "Black Friday" at ungodly hours. We shouldn't have to get up at 3 a.m. for a bargain flat-screen. Would it be so bad to wait for a more reasonable

9 a.m. to start selling half-priced laptops or Egyptian cotton sheet sets? Would six fewer hours of holiday shopping time really hurt? Tell you what, retailers, we'll meet you half way. Open at 6 a.m. instead of 3, and we'll consider that laptop.

SILVER DOLLAR: To the Homeland Security department, for dropping the ineffective and oft-ridiculed color coded terror warnings. At first, knowing we were in "code orange" caused anxiety. Soon enough it just became meaningless, and then the butt of jokes. Did anyone change their behavior when the warning went from yellow to orange? We doubt it. Good intentioned at the time, but the time is right to let it go.

WOODEN NICKEL: To winter. We hate driving in snow, walking in snow, shopping in snow, shoveling snow. But we hate the cold even more. This arctic blast can keep on moving, don't let the screen door hit'cha. And, folks, please remember to bring your pets inside, and make sure water bowls aren't frozen. A house pet's fur coat is not adequate protection when temperatures get below freezing.

SILVER DOLLAR: To the hundreds of Carson City residents and businesses who contributed food and labor to make sure all our neighbors had enough to eat on Thanksgiving. We wish we could name each and every one of you. Please know your generosity is appreciated.