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We broke the old record high yesterday from 1990 with a high of 62 degrees, and we may do it again today with fair skies and a high forecast of 64 degrees.
White Pine County Commissioners once again took no action on how to handle the failed duck pond project at yesterday's meeting.
The Commission failed to vote on awarding the bid and instead voted to have staff bring back the contract in January, but to include information on how much money would have to be paid back to SNPLMA if the County just abandoned the project. The motion passed 4-1 with Commission Chair Janet Van Camp voting against delaying the awarding, saying,
“I just think time is of the essence. We know Reck Brothers' reputation and their quality of work. There's a chance that if we delay, that they won't do this at all. Nobody will put in for another bid. They'll move on with their work they have over the spring and summer. And we'll be rehashing this again next year. And the public is going to throw a fit because this is important to our community and it's been sitting here just boiling away for four or five years.”
Commissioner Hank Vogler moved to push everything back to January following a conversation with the funding agency SNPLMA, but it failed for lack of a second. Chairperson Janet Van Camp moved to award the contract to Reck Brothers, but that motion also died for lack of a second.
Following the failed motions, Commissioner Vogler justified kicking the consideration back another 30 days despite the Commission knowing this would have to be dealt with for more than a year, saying
"The Fake News will come out and say we’re against the Duck Pond. Well, we’re not. We just want to make sure that the county is going to have something, a product at the end of the day - nobody is naive enough to think that it’s going to last 99 years, but at least get us twenty or thirty years out of it. That’s all we’re asking, and I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”
The commission did vote to create a Cherry Creek Citizens Advisory Board, agreed to refocus the scope of the Fairgrounds Event Center project away from the event center, and proposed to SNPLMA that it request funding for repairs to the grandstands, concession stand upgrades, lighting upgrades, and lower park improvements. The commission also approved shifting the county’s main checking account from Wells Fargo to Nevada State Bank, a Zions Bank subsidiary.
When asked why no local banks were considered, Treasurer Catherine Bakaric explained that the State must certify any financial institution the county uses, and none of the local banks have received that approval.
The Ely City Council meets tonight at 5 at the Ely Volunteer Fire Hall, with a 5:30 public hearing on C&B Auto Parts’ request to abandon about 1,800 square feet of right-of-way on High Street. The council will take up a water-use and deed agreement with White Pine County, a request to waive around ninety dollars in utility penalties for a Cherry Creek property, and a start date and short-term COBRA coverage for new building official Chris Flannery.
Members will also consider board appointments, joining the Butte Valley Exploration Project’s environmental review, a property swap with the county, and extending the Nevada Northern Railway Foundation’s development agreement to 2027. The agenda includes the annual financial audit and updates from the Chamber of Commerce and the Porter Group. The meeting is open both in person and online.
Lehman Caves at Great Basin National Park will close for the winter as the National Park Service replaces its outdated lighting system. The current setup dates back to 1977, with some components installed as far back as 1941. Crews will remove five miles of old wiring and install modern lighting and new emergency phones. Demolition began in November, and construction will continue through the winter.
The Lehman Caves Visitor Center will also close during the project, though the Great Basin Visitor Center in Baker will stay open. Cave tours are expected to resume in spring 2026. The rest of the park remains open for hiking and winter activities.
A new Democratic strategy memo outlines a push to flip seats in the Nevada Assembly in 2026. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee added the Assembly to its updated target map this week, noting that Democrats outperformed expectations in key 2025 districts by an average of 4.5 points. The Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus says repeating that margin next year could produce the party’s biggest gains at the statehouse level in twenty years. The DLCC’s map now targets 42 legislative chambers nationwide, including Nevada’s.
Nevada is launching a major new push to help essential workers buy homes. The Nevada Housing Division has opened the Worker Advantage Program, created under Governor Joe Lombardo’s Housing Access and Attainability Act. Backed by $18 million, it’s expected to help about 900 households purchase a primary residence on a first-come, first-served basis.
Eligible buyers in healthcare, education, public safety, or construction can receive $20,000 in down-payment assistance, which can also be used to buy down interest rates. The aid comes as a 30-year, no-interest second mortgage, with income limits and a six-month Nevada residency requirement. Homes priced up to just over $806,000 qualify.
White Pine County deputies handled a range of calls Monday, including an accidental 911 hang-up, several school-related bullying and harassment complaints, and a vehicle leaking oil on a county road. A suspicious vehicle on a state highway was tagged for removal, and a lost firearm in a wilderness area was reported. Welfare checks in two separate cases found everyone involved to be safe, and a city home burglary remains under investigation.
Booked into the White Pine county Jail:
- Joseph E. Creaghe/ Arrested by the Ely Shoshone Tribal Police/ Ely Municipal Court warrant/ Bail $805.00
- Zacur D. Jenkins/ Driving under the influence of alcohol/ Open container/ Bail $1,239.00
White Pine County deputies handled a series of calls Tuesday, beginning with a report of a runaway juvenile, which was turned over to Ely Shoshone Tribal Police. A disabled vehicle and a reckless semi on state highways were referred to Nevada State Police, and an injured dog on a state route was sent to Animal Control.
In the city, deputies responded to a civil dispute involving a tenant who refused to vacate a rental, and to a report of someone yelling for help on a doorbell camera, though the person was gone when deputies arrived. A welfare check on children living in a trailer with possible water issues found the family safe.
The School Resource Officer is investigating another bullying complaint. Deputies also handled a deer-collision crash report and a harassment case in the county. A reported sex crime remains under investigation.
The Las Vegas Ballpark is warming up for the 2026 season and looking for singers to belt out the National Anthem. The Aviators are inviting soloists and groups of all ages to send in A Cappella auditions, either as a YouTube link or an audio file, to anthem@aviatorslv.com.
Applicants should include their name, phone number, email, and note whether they’ve performed at the ballpark before—though even returning performers must submit a new recording. Submissions are due by noon on Friday, December 26, with finalists invited to in-person auditions January 20 and 21 at the ballpark.
The Ladycats Basketball team hosts Lund on Thursday, while the Bobcats head to the West Wendover weekend tournament for games on Friday and Saturday against Battle Mountain, Wendover, and West Wendover.