Silver Dollars & Wooden Nickels: Silver to Legislature for funding scholarship

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: Kudos to Gov. Brian Sandoval and the 2011 Nevada Legislature for putting your heads down, finishing on time and sparing us a special session. Also kudos for adding $10 million to the Gov. Guinn Memorial Scholarship. The additional funding will ensure that the scholarship will remain viable through 2015. The scholarship, which covers about 56 percent of a student's state university tuition costs, is funded by the Treasurer's Unclaimed Property Division and the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

Millennium Scholars have to earn at least a 3.25 high school grade point average to qualify for the program, which provides about $25 million in scholarships every year.

WOODEN NICKEL: What is wrong with our politicians? It seems almost monthly that one of them is standing in front of a large group of reporters saying they made a "terrible mistake." We - the citizens of this country - are continually let down by our elected officials and their transgressions. As public figures your actions are not above the law, and your every move, tweet or sneeze will continue to be scrutinized. At this rate we will need to start having all candidates for federal office complete a psychiatric exam and consider the results along with their stance on the issues before deciding how to vote.

SILVER DOLLAR: The true sign that summer is here isn't the weather, it is the opening of the farmers markets. The markets offer almost everything you could ask for that is fresh and in season and it is regionally grown. Both markets are very family friendly, so take the family and create a meal from ingredients available at the markets.

The Wednesday Pony Express Pavilion market and Saturday's 3rd & Curry Street market both opened this week. The Pony Express market is open from 3-7 p.m. while the Saturday downtown market is open from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.