5-7 News - County Commission outsources Accounts Payable for now

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Look for sunny skies over the next seven days with a high of 76 heading to near 90 by the weekend. 

The White Pine County Commission approved a temporary contract Wednesday with accounting firm Eide Bailly LLP to handle county accounts payable duties after officials were unable to hire a new accounts payable clerk.

The vote was unanimous, although some commissioners raised concerns about the cost.  Commissioner Tim Pauley in fact blamed the need for the contract on another elected official. 

 All but one member of the Finance department resigned following the commission’s firing of the former finance director.  

Commissioners also said they are awaiting completion of a background check for Reno Finance Director applicant Alicia Berkbigler after an earlier drug test was reportedly lost by a contractor. New Human Resources Director Michael Halsey has started work, while the search for an accounts payable clerk continues.

In other business, Golf Advisory Board member James Linney urged the commission to reconsider plans for a golf course director position and instead return to using a seasonal golf pro as an independent contractor.

Attention now turns to a court case involving the White Pine County Commission Chair.

An evidentiary hearing is scheduled in the 7th District Court, where County Treasurer Catherine Bakaric and Recorder Christina Shady have filed suit against Commission Chair Paula Carson.

The lawsuit alleges malfeasance and repeated violations of Nevada’s Open Meeting Law. Central to the case is the January firing of the county’s finance director, which plaintiffs claim was carried out to bypass public meeting requirements.

Additional allegations include unauthorized attempts to access county financial systems, approval of a consulting contract through emergency meetings, and withholding a taxpayer-funded payroll study.

Carson remains in her position as the case moves forward.

Read the Courty documents here.

Read about the supressed payroll study here

The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office handled a variety of calls Monday across Ely and White Pine County, including two arrests.

Deputies arrested 68-year-old Carl Lutze of Ely on a trespassing charge at a city apartment complex. In a separate case, 37-year-old Michael Mike of Ely was taken into custody on an Ely Justice Court warrant for child abuse, with bail set at 50-thousand dollars.

Deputies also investigated a hit-and-run crash involving a parked vehicle, a theft of building materials from a residence, and a welfare check involving possible self-harm.

Other incidents included reports of a drone flying over a mining claim and a suspicious person allegedly tampering with a Nevada Department of Transportation camera. No problems were found.

And finally, deputies safely returned a wandering duck to the county duck pond.

Bobcats Baseball and Ladycats Softball teams are in Las Vegas at the Meadows today in the first round of the 2a Southern League Tournament, with both teams taking on Lincoln County.  

5-6 News - County Commission Special meeting today

KELY News sponsored by Sahara Motors.   The Kawasaki KX450 is built out of the box with everything you need to dominate the track. Check it out today at Sahara Motors and let the Good Times Roll. 

5/100 of an inch of precipitation fell when the rain finally got to Yellend Field last night between 8 and 9 last night.  Look for fair skies over the next seven days with today’s high 67.  

The White Pine County Commission meets in special session at 9:00 this morning, facing both a hollowed-out front office and a looming legal battle.

Commissioners will review efforts to fill four key roles: the Finance Director, Human Resources Director, Accounts Payable Clerk, and Golf Course Director. With the finance department currently reliant on interim support from a private consultant, the board is expected to approve a temporary contract with Eide Bailly LLP. That deal—capped at $18,000—would bill the county between $170 and $396 per hour just to keep up with accounts payable.

Today’s meeting is a prelude to Friday’s hearing in 7th District Court. Treasurer Catherine Bakaric and Recorder Christina Shady are suing Commission Chair Paula Carson. The lawsuit alleges Carson bypassed public meeting laws to fire the previous finance director,  concealed a payroll study that showed county employees were paid well below market rates,  and sought unauthorized access to county financial systems.

KELY will carry the meeting live from the Library Conference Room starting at 9:00 a.m. For a deep dive into the court documents and the controversial payroll study, click the blue-linked text. 

The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office handled a busy day of calls in Ely on May 4th, including thefts, domestic disturbances, and ongoing investigations.

Deputies are investigating an attempted burglary at a local business and vandalism at a vacant apartment. A report of stolen documents from a motel room was also taken, while another theft involving fuel was resolved as a civil matter.

Multiple domestic disturbance calls were handled, including one involving an alleged battery. Other incidents were resolved on scene without further action.

Authorities also responded to a death at a residence, identifying the individual as Jeanine M. Locke of Ely. The death is believed to be from natural causes.

One arrest was made—41-year-old Ronald J. Taylor Jr., on an Ely Justice Court warrant, with bail set at $5,000.

White Pine High School swimmer Livi Weiland is making a strong showing at the 3A Southern Region swim meet.

After qualifying in six events, Weiland competed in prelims in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly—advancing to finals in both. She heads into Friday’s championship heats seeded third in each race.

Coaches say the 50 freestyle field is extremely tight, with the top eight swimmers separated by just fractions of a second.

In the 100 butterfly, Weiland overcame a delayed start but still delivered a strong performance to secure her spot.

The top four finishers in finals will advance to the state meet.

White Pine High School turned in a strong showing at the Class 2A East Region Boys Golf Championship Tuesday at Fallon Golf Course.

As a team, White Pine finished second overall with a score of 373, trailing only Oasis and securing a spot at the state tournament.

Individually, Travis Peterson led the way for White Pine, earning medalist runner-up honors with a 78—just one stroke off the top spot. Teammate Zayden McClintock also placed in the top five with a 91, helping anchor the team’s performance.

Additional contributions came from Hunter Baldwin, Ryker Gardner, Matt Ellis, and Circhton Swetich, rounding out a solid team effort against regional competition.

With the top teams and qualifying individuals advancing, White Pine will now look ahead to the state championship, carrying strong momentum after a second-place regional finish.

5-4 News - Commission to hire contractor to handle accounts payable

 KELY News sponsored by Sahara Motors.   The Kawasaki KX450 is built out of the box with everything you need to dominate the track. Check it out today at Sahara Motors and let the Good Times Roll. 

More clouds than sun today with scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms possible. Look for today’s high around 65. 

The White Pine County Commission will hold a special meeting Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the County Library Conference Room in Ely, with a live broadcast on KELY.

Commissioners will receive updates on several key vacancies, including Human Resources Director, Finance Director, Accounts Payable Clerk, and Golf Course Director.

The board is also expected to consider a contract with Eide Bailly LLP to provide temporary financial support while the accounts payable position remains unfilled. The agreement would cover processing and related services at hourly rates ranging from 170 to 396 dollars, with a total cost capped at 18-thousand dollars unless further approved.

The item comes as the county continues operating with interim financial leadership of Gina Rackley, a contract employee through her Rackley Financial Services LLC and is also running for mayor of Winnemucca, NV.  

KELY will broadcast the meeting live.

Wednesday’s special meeting precedes a Friday court date for an evidentiary hearing in the 7th District Court against Commission Chair Paula Carson by County Treasurer Catherine Bakaric and Recorder Christina Shady.  Carson is accused of of malfeasance and repeated violations of Nevada’s Open Meeting Law.

At issue is the January firing of the county’s finance director, which plaintiffs claim was an effort to bypass public meeting requirements. The complaint also alleges Carson sought unauthorized access to financial systems, approved a costly consulting contract through emergency meetings, and withheld a taxpayer-funded payroll study—first reported by KELY in February. Read the report at this link.  

Carson remains in her position as commission chair as the case proceeds. Court documents are available at this link. 

The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office handled a wide range of calls on Thursday and Friday, including an arrest, theft investigations, disturbances, and multiple assists to other agencies.

On Thursday, deputies arrested 34-year-old Sean C. Ganie of McGill on charges of luring a child using computer technology. Bail was set at 10-thousand dollars. Deputies also investigated a reported theft at a city residence, responded to several reckless driving complaints, and handled a disturbance involving loud music. Other calls included assisting an intoxicated pedestrian, helping a stranded motorist, and detaining two juveniles out past curfew.

On Friday, deputies located two missing juveniles who had left home overnight and returned them safely to a parent. Deputies also investigated a fraud case involving someone impersonating a peace officer, a report of suspicious drone activity in the county, and a domestic disturbance in a vehicle.

Additional calls included a rollover crash referred to Nevada State Police, a wanted subject who fled from deputies, and multiple parking and trespassing complaints in Ely.

The White Pine Bobcats baseball team delivered a pair of dominant wins over Lincoln County, rolling past the Lynx 18-to-2 and 10-to-nothing.

In the 18-2 win, Maddox Sedlacek struck out seven on the mound and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with six RBI. Jacob Derbidge added three runs, helping power the offense.

In the 10-0 shutout, Jacob Hall struck out 13 over five innings while allowing just two hits. He also went 3-for-3 at the plate. Derbidge stayed hot with three more RBI.

White Pine continues to pile up big wins this season, improving to 12-and-7, while Lincoln County drops to 6-11-and-1.

The two teams meet up again on 1pm Thursday at the Meadows in Las Vegas in the first round of the 2A Southern Championships. 

The White Pine Ladycats softball team picked up a pair of tight wins over Lincoln County Friday, edging the Lynx 10-to-9 and 9-to-8.

In game one, Laila Trujillo struck out seven in a complete-game effort, while Layla Ruesch and Addie Costello each homered to lead the offense.

Game two saw Gracie Hall go a perfect 4-for-4 with three doubles and three RBI, as White Pine held off another late push from Lincoln County.

The Ladycats have now won six straight on the road, improving to 15-and-6 on the season, while the Lynx fall to 14-and-14 after three consecutive losses—all by a single run.

The Ladycats and the Lady Lynx go at it again in the first round of the 2A Southern Championships Thursday at 3:30pm at the Meadows in Las Vegas.  

In other sports, the Swim Team Swimming is on the way this morning to Regional Preliminaries at the Pavilion Center Pool in Las Vegas, and the Boys Golf Team will leave this evening for the 2A East Regional Tournament in Fallon.  Best of luck and prayers for all the Bobcats and Ladycats! 

5/1 News - Special county Commission Meeting to outsource Accounts Payable

 KELY News sponsored by Sahara Motors.   The Kawasaki KX450 is built out of the box with everything you need to dominate the track. Check it out today at Sahara Motors and let the Good Times Roll. 

 Look for mostly fair skies and warmer weather today with a high around 63.

The White Pine County Commission will hold a special meeting Wednesday, May 6th at 9 a.m. in the White Pine County Library Conference Room in Ely. 

Commissioners are expected to consider hiring outside accounting firm Eide Bailly LLP to provide temporary financial support while the county’s Accounts Payable Clerk position remains vacant.  Eide Bailly LLP is an American mid-tier public accounting and ancillary professional services firm headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, with fifty locations worldwide including in Elko, Las Vegas, and Reno.  The proposed contract would cover accounts payable processing and related services, at a rate of $170.00 to $396.00 per hour, billed in quarter-hour increments, with costs not to exceed 18-thousand dollars unless approved by the board.  The current Interim Finance Director, Gina Rackley, is also a contract employee through her Rackley Financial Services LLC and is also running for mayor of Winnemucca, NV.  

In addition, county officials are scheduled to provide an update on several vacant positions, including Human Resources Director, Finance Director, Accounts Payable Clerk, and Golf Course Director. 

KELY will broadcast the meeting live. 

The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office stayed busy on Tuesday and Wednesday with fraud reports, accidents, disturbances, and multiple assists to Nevada State Police.

Deputies handled welfare checks, investigated property damage, responded to landlord-tenant disputes, and warned several people for fireworks and juvenile motorcycle activity in a park. Reports of gunshots in a county township were determined to be fireworks. Officers also checked an abandoned vehicle near Ely’s water tower, finding it had simply run out of gas.

Nevada State Police made one booking. Michael Watts was arrested on charges including DUI, child endangerment, possession of a firearm while under the influence, expired registration, and child restraint violations. Bail was set at 17-thousand-690 dollars.

The Bureau of Land Management has issued a statewide fire prevention order for Nevada that takes effect Friday.

Under the new restrictions, several fire-related activities will be prohibited on BLM-managed lands to reduce wildfire danger. Those bans include possessing or using fireworks, pyrotechnic devices, or incendiary materials. Explosives, including binary explosive targets, are also prohibited.

The order further bans firing tracer, incendiary, or steel-core ammunition, along with operating combustion engines that do not have a properly installed and working spark arrestor.

BLM officials say the temporary restrictions are aimed at preventing human-caused wildfires during Nevada’s fire season.

4-30 News - City tries to ease construction traffic pain

 KELY News sponsored by Sahara Motors.   The Kawasaki KX450 is built out of the box with everything you need to dominate the track. Check it out today at Sahara Motors and let the Good Times Roll. 

 Look for mostly fair skies and warmer weather today with a chance of isolated afternoon showers.  Today’s high around 61.

The City of Ely says traffic changes began yesterday to help ease congestion during ongoing construction projects.

As of yesterday, Clark Street will become a two-way street from 1st Street through 10th Street. The temporary change is intended to improve traffic flow during continued work on Aultman Street and the Duck Pond project.

Drivers are asked to use caution and be respectful as crews and motorists adjust to the new traffic pattern.

Questions can be directed to the City Public Works Department.

An 18-year-old California woman was killed in a rollover crash last week in White Pine County.

The Nevada Highway Patrol says troopers responded on Friday to State Route 487 near mile marker 7, just north of Baker. Investigators say a Ford Expedition left the roadway, crossed the center line, then overturned after the driver overcorrected.

Authorities say passenger Katherine Truong of San Jose, California, was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol’s Major Incident Reconstruction Team.