Briefs from the Nevada Independent
Washoe County superintendent finalist withdraws
A former Florida superintendent with ties to the Clark County School District, Christopher Bernier, has withdrawn himself as a finalist in the Washoe County School District’s superintendent search. The district didn’t specify why Bernier decided to drop out.
As a result, the district’s search firm added Chief Student and Family Supports Officer Paul LaMarca to the list of finalists. LaMarca is the third internal candidate among five finalists under consideration for the job.
According to his résumé, LaMarca has been with the district since 2007. He previously worked at the Nevada Department of Education and the University of Nevada, Reno.
The Washoe County School Board will interview the five finalists at a special meeting Friday. The board is expected to make its selection by mid-May, with the new superintendent starting July 1.
Increased parking, development proposed for Lake Tahoe beach
Zephyr Shoals, a popular and mostly undeveloped beach on Lake Tahoe’s southeast shore, could expand into an area with “glamping” and food trucks.
Earlier this month at a community open house, concessionaire Aramark Destinations presented a proposal that would add amenities including 39 walk-in campsites, restrooms, 150 additional day use parking stalls, 20 sites for so-called “glamping” (upscale camping with modern amenities) and an event pavilion.
Last year, Aramark was awarded a 20-year special use permit to operate the adjacent Zephyr Cove Resort and to manage Zephyr Shoals. The Shoals was trashed last Fourth of July by visitors who left more than 6,300 pounds of trash at the site. The area is far from permanent trash cans, dumpsters or toilets.
No formal proposal has been submitted to the U.S. Forest Service’s Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and development is likely several years away, according to a spokesperson.
Clark, Washoe elections officials give update on unhoused voters
Around 3,400 unhoused Clark County residents are registered to vote, while roughly 400 unhoused Washoe County residents were registered to vote for the presidential primary, elections officials told lawmakers on Friday.
Clark County typically has more than 6,000 unhoused people, registrar Lorena Portillo said. Around 150 of the roughly 2,000 unhoused registered voters participated in the 2022 general election.
In Washoe County, 382 unhoused residents were registered to vote in 2022, and around 10 percent voted, interim registrar Cari-Ann Burgess said. In the February presidential primary, 12 of the roughly 400 unhoused registered voters participated.
Counties’ registration forms don’t allow people to identify as unhoused, but officials said they consider someone unhoused if their registration form lists a shelter or the four street corners where they typically reside. In the latter case, election materials are sent to the post office closest to the street corners listed.
State plans aerial spraying for Mormon crickets
Nevada is seeking approval and funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to aerially spray more than 222,000 acres in response to the 220 Mormon cricket sightings reported so far this year.
Mormon crickets generally hatch in early spring and are typically gone by early August. They can cause severe agricultural damage and create unsafe driving conditions.
The first cricket was reported to the Nevada Department of Agriculture on Feb. 29 in Elko County; crickets have also been spotted in Washoe, Pershing, Churchill, Humboldt, Lander, Eureka and White Pine counties. Reported numbers are about average, according to a spokesperson for the state.
The state is also seeking to bait the crickets. Bait and sprays can only be applied during specific weather conditions and areas can only be treated once per year.
If approved, ground treatments are expected to begin April 22 and aerial treatments should begin in May.
NV Energy surpasses state renewable energy requirements
NV Energy now draws nearly 40 percent of its energy from renewable sources, according to filings made with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.
In 2019, the Nevada Legislature passed SB358, requiring the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to increase each year, rising to 50 percent renewable power by 2030. RPS works like a credit system and isn’t an exact measurement of renewable power production.
The utility reported an overall RPS of 39.7 percent, surpassing the state-mandated requirement of 29 percent for 2023.
New projects that helped the utility increase renewable power production included contracting for 200 megawatts from the new Arrow Canyon Solar and Storage facility and bringing online its Reid Gardner Battery Energy Storage System, which replaced a former coal plant.
Nevada’s ‘green bank’ receives $156 million for statewide solar
The Nevada Clean Energy Fund has been awarded $156 million in federal money for statewide solar projects, the nonprofit group announced Monday.
The five-year grant will fund a combined several thousand solar installations on single-family homes and affordable housing developments, as well as fund community solar projects and education and workforce development, according to CEO Kirsten Stasio.
The clean energy fund was established by Nevada lawmakers in 2017 as the state’s green bank to help finance clean energy projects. The nonprofit officially launched in 2022.
Earlier this year, the fund brought in a $7.7 million federal grant to deploy 25 electric school buses across Nevada. It is also partnering with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy to administer $1 million in funds for small and medium-sized disadvantaged businesses and a $1.8 million block grant to help residents and local governments make cost-saving energy upgrades.
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