Winter Storms Bound for Sierra, Lake Tahoe this Week
RENO — The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a series of winter weather advisories and watches up and down the Sierra’s eastern front as a series of storms make their way into the region.
A winter weather advisory went into effect at 4 p.m. Monday for parts of California along the Nevada line north of Reno. It began at 7 p.m. Monday in the Lake Tahoe area where as much of 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow was possible at the highest elevations with winds gusting up to 100 mph over the Sierra ridge tops.
The advisory was in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday at Tahoe and areas to the south, followed by a winter storm watch late Wednesday night through Thursday evening for most of the central and northern Sierra.
For the two storms combined, up to 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow is possible at the top of mountain passes with up to 14 inches (40 cm) at Lake Tahoe and Truckee, California.
Reno Man Hit, Killed by Freight Train near Downtown
RENO — Police are investigating the death of man who was struck by a freight train on the edge of downtown Reno.
The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner identified the victim Monday as 52-year-old Chris Nolte. An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death.
Police say Nolte was hit on the tracks near Sutro and 4th streets at about 4 a.m. Monday. Investigators don’t know why he was on the tracks. Sutro Street was closed until about 7 a.m.
Union Pacific says no one on the train was hurt. The incident remains under investigation.
1 Dead in Single-Family Home Fire in Dayton; 2 Others Escape
DAYTON — One person was killed in a fire in a single-family home on the outskirts of Carson City early Saturday morning, Lyon County authorities said.
County Manager Jeffery Page said two other people were able to get out of the residence in Dayton, which is 11 miles (17 kilometers) northwest of Carson City.
One firefighter was injured but released after treatment, Page said.
He said multiple fire departments helped fight the fire and that it’s cause is under investigation.
Flu Death Total Increases After 5 More Confirmed in Nevada
LAS VEGAS — There were five new flu-related fatalities in the past week in Nevada, increasing the total to 11, health officials said.
Four of the deaths were in people 65 and older and there was one death of a child under the age of 5, Southern Nevada Health District officials reported Friday.
“That’s fairly typical,” district medical investigator Vit Kraushaar told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “The people who are at most risk of complication from the flu are at the extremes of the age groups,” along with people with certain chronic medical conditions, he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there have been at least 2,900 deaths from the flu nationwide so far this season, health officials said.
“Our local trends are reflected across the country,” with the number of cases up but not the number of deaths, Kraushaar said.
There have been 634 cases of influenza that led to hospitalization through Jan. 4 in Clark County compared to the 11 deaths and 260 hospitalizations in the same time period last year, district officials said.
Anyone 6 months of age or older is encouraged to get a flu vaccine every season, officials said.
Symptoms can include coughs, chest pain and fevers, officials said.
Man Steals Car, Drags Deputy in Pahrump Casino Parking Lot
PAHRUMP — The Nye County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a suspect who allegedly stole a car and dragged a deputy in Pahrump.
Authorities say the deputy was dragged in the parking lot of the Gold Town Casino on Saturday.
Deputies stopped the vehicle for a traffic offense and then learned it was stolen.
As the deputies were trying to take the suspect into custody, the driver took off and ran into a sheriff’s office motorcycle that wound up with the deputy being dragged and suffering minor injuries.
Deputies pursued the vehicle for several minutes before it drove down Highway 160 on a sidewalk, drove over the rocks in front of the casino and came to a stop in the parking lot.
The suspect then left the vehicle and fled on foot before being apprehended.
He was taken to a hospital and is expected to be booked into jail later.
The name of the suspect hasn’t been released yet.
New Vegas School to be Named after Deceased State Legislator
LAS VEGAS — The naming of a new Las Vegas elementary school set to open in the fall will be the latest honor for Tyrone Thompson, a Democratic Nevada state assemblyman from North Las Vegas who died May 4 at age 51.
The Clark County School Board voted unanimously Thursday night to approve naming the school after Thompson, a longtime advocate for education and programs for children.
Thompson represented a swath of North Las Vegas in Clark County.
Thompson joined the Assembly in 2013, and he served as chair of the education committee during the 2017 and 2019 sessions.
He was in his third term when he died unexpectedly after falling ill.
Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered flags at the State Capitol and state public buildings and grounds lowered to half-staff to honor Thompson on May 7.
The College of Southern Nevada in November named the student union of its North Las Vegas campus after him.
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