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Look for skies to clear this afternoon with the high today of 55 degrees.
White Pine County is facing significant financial uncertainty following the dismissal of the County Finance Director on Wednesday.
The White Pine County Commission on Monday voted to advertise for a new Finance Director and Assistant Finance Director following Wednesday’s dismissal of Kathy Workman and the Friday resignation of Deputy Finance Director Courtney Thornal. The Commission was rebuked by County Treasurer Catherine Bakaric, warning that if the commission did not take action to reverse their actions and rehire Workman and Thornal, she would proceed with actions of her own. State Assemblyman Bert Gurr attended the meeting virtually and told me after the meeting that he was keeping an eye on the situation and ready to take any action he could in support of White Pine County residents.
The White Pine Care Center may be closing. A notice posted at the facility over the weekend says the center is no longer accepting new patients and plans to close on March 30.
The notice, attributed to owner-licensee Jose Kutty Jose, cites financial difficulties and the lack of a lease agreement with the landlord as reasons for the closure.
Public records show the property owner, Adventist Holdings, LLC, owes more than forty-seven thousand dollars in property taxes to White Pine County. The facility has also faced regulatory issues in recent years, including nearly forty thousand dollars in Medicare fines in 2023. The most recent inspection report, from May of last year, documented significant deficiencies. (Click for link to report)
The closure is not uncommon as the American Health Care Association reports that nursing homes have shut down at an alarming rate, driven by economic pressures and workforce shortages, with the recent federal mandate only threatening to exacerbate the situation. (Click for link to report)
The 2024 Access to Care report notes that at least 774 facilities closed their doors between February 2020 and July 2024, displacing over 28,000 residents.
The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office reports multiple calls for service in its January 29th blotter.
Deputies responded to a shoplifting report at a local business, but the suspect had left before officers arrived. An injured deer was also removed from a county roadway.
In the city, deputies investigated a dog bite involving a loose dog at a county park, and handled several juvenile complaints involving pocket bikes and a dirt bike. One juvenile was contacted and issued a warning.
Deputies also investigated reports of reckless driving on both city streets and a state highway, with one case referred to Nevada State Police and another resulting in a warning. Additional calls included a parking complaint, a suspicious person going door to door, and a report of a possibly intoxicated driver, though no issues were found.