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Morning clouds will give way to sunny skies later today, look for a high today of 55 with a chance of rain and snow on Monday.
The White Pine County Commission’s 40-minute emergency meeting yesterday seemed like everything was pre-determined, as the commissioners only voted and had no discussion on any item. District Attorney Melissa Brown updated the record on what her department had done prior to the meeting, despite Commission Chair Paula Carson trying to shut her down.
Commissioners hired former Humboldt County comptroller and treasurer Gina Rackley through her consulting firm to handle payroll, accounts payable, cash balancing, and other essential financial duties at a rate of $ 175 per hour. But Rackley told the board this would just be a stop-gap measure and she couldn’t and wouldn’t do everything the former Finance Director would. That would include audit and budget work that are nearly due or past due.
The commission appointed Deputy District Attorney Ross Smillie and Chief Deputy District Attorney Kinzie Hilton as authorized second signatories on county financial matters to ensure continuity and compliance with state law. Additional discussion includes notifying the State Department of Taxation of the county’s financial action plan. Chair Carson said after reading the agenda item, the county was not declaring financial hardship, but pushed back on Deputy District Attorney Ross Smillie that the agenda item indicated that was an option and asked if she wanted to exclude that from the motion to approve. Carson’s insistence that there were no issues and that the county had every intention of paying all bills despite no mechanism yet in place to pay future bills saw pushback from District Attorney Brown with, “Intentions don’t go into gas tanks.” The Commission has yet to address publicly what lead to the actions that led to the January 28th decision to dismiss the Finance Director Kathy Workman, but a citizen, Kerri Pintar, indicates that she is beginning a push to recall the four commissioners. Pintar’s comments were met by laughter from Commissioner Tim Pauley, who smirked or openly laughed at nearly every comment made during the meeting.
The Commission has another meeting scheduled for Wednesday at 9am in the Library Conference Room.
The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office reported multiple incidents and arrests on February fourth, including a series of vehicle burglaries in Ely and surrounding areas. Several residents reported cars being broken into overnight, with investigations ongoing.
Deputies also investigated a child abuse report involving a student at a local school, as well as a reported sex crime at a city workplace. Both cases remain under active investigation.
Traffic incidents included a crash involving an elk on a state highway, several city accidents, and reports of reckless driving referred to Nevada State Police. Deputies made multiple arrests, including Lacoby Zamora of Ely on a domestic battery charge and Jason Williams of Ruth on an Ely Justice Court warrant.
Governor Joe Lombardo has announced the approval of more than 64 million dollars to expand attainable housing across Nevada, with funding that could directly benefit White Pine County. As part of the Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act, the state approved 750-thousand dollars for the Rural Nevada Development Corporation to support homebuyer assistance in rural communities, including White Pine County. RNDC CEO Mary Kerner tells us the grant is for middle-income purchasers.
The funding is designed to help low- and moderate-income residents overcome barriers to homeownership through down payment and closing cost assistance. State officials say the overall investment will support hundreds of new homes statewide while expanding access to affordable housing in rural areas that often struggle to attract development.
The governor’s office says the funding reflects a continued push to address housing shortages and improve opportunities for working families across Nevada.
The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office is joining law enforcement agencies statewide for Nevada’s Joining Forces Impaired Drivers and Riders Campaign, running from February sixth through February twenty-second. The effort increases high-visibility patrols aimed at removing impaired drivers from the road and educating the public about the dangers of driving under the influence.
Sheriff’s officials remind motorists that calling a sober friend or using a rideshare is far less costly than a DUI arrest, which can result in jail time, fines, and loss of a driver’s license. The campaign is funded by the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety as part of the state’s Zero Fatalities initiative.
In High School Sports, Boys' Wrestling will head to Tonopah for the Southern Regional tournament this weekend. Basketball teams will finish its regular season this weekend in Vegas.
A Las Vegas bettor has already won big before Super Bowl Sixty even kicks off. Todd Dewey at the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes this morning that by hedging early-season Seattle Seahawks futures with nearly two million dollars in wagers on the New England Patriots, the unidentified gambler has guaranteed a profit of at least three-point-four million dollars — and as much as four-point-nine million — no matter who wins Sunday’s game. Sportsbook executives say the bettor placed dozens of long-shot Seahawks bets before the season began, then locked in the payout this week. In short, one fan will be celebrating long before the confetti falls.