By Jackie Valley and Megan Messerly The Nevada Independent Local health district officials announced Sunday that two more Nevadans have tested presumptively positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the number of COVID-19 cases in the Silver State to four, and asked residents to reconsider upcoming travel plans. One of them, a man in his 30s, was identified by … [Read more...]
Officials Say Risk for Coronavirus in Washoe County Remains Low
The death toll of the novel coronavirus that started in Wuhan, China, has risen to more than 900 people out of the 41,000 or so who’ve been affected. The deadly disease claimed 97 lives as of February 9, and an American who was in Wuhan at the time also died, but the virus hasn’t made its way to Nevada as of yet. The coronavirus has also spread to other parts of the world, … [Read more...]
Nevada News Briefs
Woman could get Life for Killing Involving Custody Dispute RENO — A 40-year-old woman convicted of killing a man involved in a child custody dispute with her could be sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison when sentenced April 9 in state District Court in Reno. A jury on Jan. 31 convicted Katherine Fletcher of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the … [Read more...]
Report Shows Overloaded Family Courts in Clark and Washoe Counties, Proposes Idea for Improvement
By Mark Hernandez The Nevada Independent Family courts in Nevada’s two largest counties have overcrowded facilities, higher workloads than similarly sized jurisdictions and a need for more domestic violence training, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Center for Juvenile Justice. The report from the center, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, … [Read more...]
Volunteers Remove Trash Along Truckee River
Although the weather was a bit sketchy last weekend, that didn’t prevent 750 volunteers in Washoe County from visiting 22 sites along the Truckee River to remove 77,853 lbs. of green waste, stencil in storm drains, pull invasive weeds, and remove 20,510 pounds of trash. More than 2,600 bulbs were also planted to help regenerate and restore the habitat around the river and in … [Read more...]
Washoe County Enlists Consultants to Overhaul Services for People Experiencing Homelessness
By Mark Hernandez The Nevada Independent Northern Nevada community leaders have enlisted an outside consultant to help them address homelessness and explore a “housing first” model to replace current policies that require people to have a level of sobriety and meet other requirements before they get permanent residences. Elected officials who are members of the … [Read more...]
Armed guards to be added at downtown Reno homeless shelter
Associated Press RENO — Armed security guards soon will staff the homeless shelter in downtown Reno following a recent uptick in violence at the facility that also serves Sparks and Washoe County. One guard will police the shelter seven days a week from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., with a second guard added from 3 to 11 p.m., Reno city spokesman Jon Humbert told … [Read more...]
Storms Keep Local Red Cross Busy
From snow, to rain and floods, to more snow, Sparks has seen it all in recent weeks from Mother Nature, and that has kept the Red Cross busy. After Washoe County was declared in a state of emergency earlier this month, the Red Cross provided 289 overnight shelter stays, served 4220 meals and 19,405 snacks, distributed over 26,000 bottles of water, and given out 41 clean up … [Read more...]