Senior Follies
A look back at some of the news items during the second half of 2015.
July
1: A total of 233 pieces of Senate and Assembly legislation are taking effect, including all the measures that implement the 2016-2017 budget and most of the governor’s education reform package.
7: Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong is being honored by D.A.R.E. America and the Drug Enforcement Agency as the 2015 DEA/D.A.R.E. Law Enforcement Executive of the Year.
11: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick visited Carson City to feature at the Governor’s Dinner at the Governor’s Mansion.
12: After 29 years with the Corrections Department, Gregory Smith, the last warden at Nevada State Prison, retired.
15: Carson City School District officials begin grappling with a bill holding school staff and administration more accountable when it comes to anti-bullying efforts, one piece of legislation passed during this year’s session.
17: Sexual assault exams for rape victims to help them and law enforcement will be done again in Carson City beginning this autumn.
18: Jeb Bush made it clear in a visit to Carson City he doesn’t think anti-immigrant rhetoric being pushed by Donald Trump is going to put a Republican in the White House next year.
21: New York Times bestselling young adult author Ellen Hopkins created Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit that houses at-risk youth to get them off the streets and into college.
23: Gordon Johnston, owner of the True Value Hardware store on U.S. Highway 50 East in Carson City, announced he’ll close his stores in late August.
24: Nevada’s state engineer told farmers from Mason and Smith valleys they face water cuts next year if drought conditions continue.
25: Carson Station is officially becoming Max Casino with the installation of a new sign.
28: The Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center honored one of its late doctors, Dr. Jack Davis, in a ceremony dedicating the physician’s lounge in his name.
31: The Nevada Fair hit Carson City, starting off the four-day event with a special appearance from the Reno Aces mascot, Archie.
August
1: Calling it a “proud moment for the entire community,” Mayor Robert Crowell signed his initials into a steel plate to signify USNS Carson City’s keel has been truly and fairly laid in Mobile, Ala.
4: Sierra Lutheran High School is taking the next step in growing into a full-scale high school, as Miles Construction starts construction on a multi-purpose athletics field at the school.
7: Despite concerns about the six-year duration of the deal, the Carson City Board of Supervisors approved a new pay and benefits contract with its non-public safety employees.
8: Six Carson City Sheriff’s Office Reserve Deputies — Alan Sharp; Daniel Reece; Randy Watkins; Jeremy Garcia; Cole Sonnemann; and Michael Jerauld — graduated the academy.
16: After responding to a physical domestic violence call, Carson City Deputy Carl Howell was killed in the line of duty.
18: The first day back to school went off without a hitch for Carson City kids, and students looked prepared for the new school year, said Carson City Superintendent Richard Stokes.
22: Business came to a screeching halt in Carson Valley as residents and shopkeepers stepped outside to watch the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds streak across the sky.
25: Cameron St. Hilaire, a 15-year-old Carson City boy, drowned at Lake Tahoe.
27: Authorization for a complete makeover of the former downtown Citibank building came without dissent from Carson City’s Planning Commission.
30: After being neglected for years during the recession, Nevada’s Capitol is getting nearly $1 million worth of much-needed repairs and upgrades.
September
1: All the gasoline stations surveyed in Carson City by GasBuddy.com posted pump prices of less than $3 per gallon.
2: Marco Rubio told a crowd of about 200 at the Carson City Community Center all of America’s problems can be solved and the American Dream restored if the country rejects the path both parties have taken it down in recent years.
8: Nearly 100 people gathered at the Carson City IHOP to run and remember the lives lost during the IHOP shooting four years ago on Sept. 6.
9: The Nevada Board of Education approved two contracts totaling $5.8 million to implement the Nevada School Performance Framework and provide College and Career Readiness Assessments to all of Nevada’s high school juniors.
13: Carson City’s Sage Donnelly, 15, nailed the blunt nasty to finish off a dominating performance in winning a world title at the International Canoe Federation Junior Women’s Freestyle Kayak World Championships at Ottawa River, Canada.
15: Nearly 100 NDOT employees gathered at the department’s headquarters to honor Ron Raiche Jr., who was struck and killed by a truck while making repairs to Intestate 80 west of Battle Mountain.
16: Snowpack in California’s Sierra Nevada in 2015 is at its lowest level in the past 500 years, according to a new report led by University of Arizona researchers.
18: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kenutcky, said he thinks his call for smaller and less intrusive federal government that returns most powers to the state is beginning to resonate with voters when he visited Carson City’s Gold Dust West.
24: The Carson City Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a body, described as that of an older male, floating in the water at the Baily Fishing Pond in Fuji Park.
29: Demand encouraged United Federal Credit Union to locate in Carson City, Mayor Robert Crowell said at a ground-breaking ceremony for a new branch.
October
3: The old Nevada State Prison on Fifth Street has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
6: Manager Matt Williams, of Carson City, was fired by the Washington Nationals after a season in which the team went from World Series favorite to failing to make the playoffs.
10: Local law enforcement took down a suspected drug house that was allegedly running heroin sales across the street from Empire Elementary School.
13: Carson City Sheriff’s Office Reserve Commander Tom Crawford was awarded the Governor’s Points of Light Volunteer Manager of the Year award.
17: An Empire Ranch Golf Course loan went through in a bankruptcy case and GSR Investments, LLC, has received more than $1.2 million.
20: Mark Hounsell, a 42-year-old former Douglas County deputy sheriff, and his wife, Jeanne, 34, were killed in a vehicle rollover east of Fallon.
22: The Interim Fiance Committee approved $128,555 for the Treasurer’s Office to continue preparing for the start of the Educational Savings Account program set for Jan. 1.
24: Ground was broken for a teen center at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada, beginning an addition on which teens helped with the design.
28: Gov. Brian Sandoval and members of the Nevada 150 commission dedicated the permanent Sesquicentennial Exhibit at the state Capitol.
29: A medical marijuana production facility for Carson City, which is the fourth planned here, won special use permit approval from the Planning Commission.
November
1: From running and drilling contests to onlookers kicked back in camping chairs at the parade, Nevada Day fans reveled in sun-bathed fun to celebrate the state’s 151st birthday.
3: Carson City is the fifth best place in the nation to retire, Livability.com said, citing the city’s 300 days of sunshine on average each year, low humidity, mild temperatures and area amenities for outdoor recreation.
6: Acceptance of a $375,000 federal grant by Carson City’s Board of Supervisors to help fund school resource officers came, but with cautionary comments.
8: A settlement Nevada negotiated with pharmaceutical companies is bringing nearly $8 million to women’s health research in the state, including for studies on premature birth, Alzheimer’s and breast cancer.
11: Nearly 80 veterans were honored at Seeliger Elementary School’s annual Veterans Day assembly. The veterans who attended were family or friends of the students at the school.
13: Mike’s Pharmacy on N. Curry St. closed its doors for good after a long tenure of doing business in Carson City.
14: A chemical fire at PCC Structurals, 2727 Lockheed Way, kept Carson City fire crews at the manufacturing facility well into the night.
14: The Carson High boys soccer team beat Wooster 2-1 to win the state title.
20: Boats and utility trailers will be added to an ordinance restricting long-term parking of recreational vehicles (RVs) on Carson City streets.
20: The Carson football team advanced to its third straight regional finals, losing to Reed 56-28.
24: In a roundtable discussion with Nevada newspaper reporters, Hillary Rodham Clinton took on key western states issues including the drought, ownership of public lands and the 1872 mining law.
25: The owners of Carson City Harley-Davidson dealership are being sued for more than $4 million by Harley-Davidson Credit Corp, according to court documents.
27: Hundreds gathered at the Carson City Nugget to honor a 58-year tradition: the free Thanksgiving feast.
December
4: The National Guard’s 92nd Civil Support Team has moved to Carson City to help assist local agencies with any natural or man-made disasters, such as hazardous materials or weapons of mass destruction.
5: Coffee cups, Santa hats and warm mittens and scarves took over the Capitol Grounds as hundreds gathered for the annual Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights in downtown Carson City.
9: The Carson City Deputy Carl Howell Freeway was dedicated by the Nevada Department of Transportation.
11: The Airbus Perlan Mission 2, a record-breaking, innovative experiment, will be at the Minden-Tahoe Airport in the new Dennis Tito Perlan Hangar, where it will be testing and preparing to set new altitude records.
15: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, one many Republicans running for his party’s presidential nomination, made a quick two-day campaign swing to Carson City, Fallon and Reno.
16: Eagle Valley Middle School Principal Lee Conley was awarded the Administrator of the Year Award by the Nevada Association of School Boards.
17: Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson made an appearance in Carson City to discuss his political platform in a “Meet Ben Carson” rally.
19: The Senate finished its work on the Faraday Future tax package; it also passed Senate Bill 1, the Assembly bill and two water infrastructure bills.
20: Taylor Weddell, a Carson High School senior, helped unite the community to try to break the world record of the largest Christmas tree made of people.