Associated Press
NV Energy seeks $30 million in rate cuts in Nevada Oct. 1
RENO — Nevada’s largest utility has filed a request for more than $30 million in rate reductions for ratepayers beginning in October.
Under the request filed with the state Public Utilities Commission, ratepayers in northern Nevada would enjoy about a $24.1 million savings and those in southern Nevada about $6.7 million effective Oct. 1.
Utility President and CEO Doug Cannon says the proposed rate cuts are in addition to earlier rate reductions effective April 1 that will reduce the cost of monthly electric bills about $2.10 for northern Nevada customers using 760 kilowatt hours of power.
Southern Nevada residential electric customers using 1,092 kilowatt hours of electricity a month will see a decrease of $3.88 on their monthly bills.
That reduction is tied to the lower cost of fuel used to produce power at NV Energy’s generating stations. Fuel and purchased power costs are passed through dollar-for-dollar to customers with no profit to the utility.
NV Energy has about 1.4 million customers in Nevada. It’s a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
Snow returns to Reno-Sparks area and Sierra Nevada
RENO — After an unusually dry and warm February, snow has returned to the Reno-Sparks area and the Sierra Nevada.
The National Weather Service in Reno said the storm caused significant travel impacts over Interstate 80 and through the Sierra.
Chain controls were widespread in the Sierra and Lake Tahoe region.
Snow totals by Sunday morning ranged from about 1 foot of new snow at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe to 1 inch in Spanish Springs.
At the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, about 1.7 inches of snow was reported.
South Lake Tahoe reported 8 inches of snow by mid-morning Sunday.
Mormon crickets reported early this year in northern Nevada
RENO — Mormon crickets, the grasshopper-like insects that pose threats to crops and drivers. are hatching early this year in Northern Nevada.
KRVN-TV reports that the Nevada Department of Agriculture has confirmed some of the earliest hatchings of Mormon crickets in years, with the first reported Feb. 22 in Winnemucca, which is 148 miles (238 kilometers) northeast of Reno.
Mormon crickets pose a safety threat to drivers because they get squished and make roads slick. “”We’ve had accidents reported,” said Jeff Knight, entomologist with the Nevada Department of Agriculture.
Off the roads, outbreak levels of Mormon crickets can devastate farmers’ crops.
Knight recommends that home owners put up a fence that guides crickets around a home.
The crickets are named after Mormon pioneers whose forage and grain fields were devoured by the insects.
The crickets turn up in numerous states across the West, including Nevada, Utah, Idaho and Oregon.
UNR hosts 2nd annual Cybersecurity Conference
RENO — Local and regional industries are gathering at the University of Nevada, Reno to discuss how to face growing challenges in cybersecurity.
Security experts at UNR’s second annual Cybersecurity Conference on Monday planned to address ways to solve security issues and the effects it could have on economic development in Nevada.
Topics include vulnerability analysis, defense against ransomware, cybersecurity in critical infrastructure, interdisciplinary aspects in cybersecurity and security and privacy.
They keynote speaker is Mike Buglewicz, a program director for the U.S. Energy Department’s emergency communication network services division.
Shamik Sengupta, executive director of the University’s Cybersecurity Center, said last year’s event engaged the community and built up communication and partnerships.
“This second conference will continue to provide great insight for students and increase awareness among tomorrow’s leaders by involving them with the best cybersecurity thinkers in our region,” Sengupta said.
The event was scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Joe Crowley Student Union.
UNR to use red crosswalks, bull horns for pedestrian safety
RENO — Campus police are teaming up with students at the University of Nevada, Reno to use red paint and bull horns to alert distracted pedestrians to get off their cell phones and pay attention when crossing the street.
University Police Services and the Associated Students of the University of Nevada say they’ll kick off a new safety campaign Monday by painting red safety zones at crosswalks on Virginia Street from 10th to 15th streets.
White lettering in the zones will say: “Be safe! Look up from your phone in this zone.”
In addition to the crosswalk painting, campus police and student volunteers will be using bull horns to call out distracted pedestrians and encourage them to pay attention.
University Police Chief Todd Renwick says many people tend to blame drivers in vehicle-pedestrian accidents but pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility.
Renwick says getting students to look up from their phones while walking across campus is a real challenge. He says they need a warning that’s “literally in their face.”
He says the hope is if they’ll get the message when they see the sidewalk change color to red if they are looking down at their device.
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