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Look for Sunny skies ahead for the next several days, today’s high 64.
White Pine County Commissioner Hank Vogler has officially filed to run for reelection to Commission Seat One.
So far, Vogler is the only candidate to file for that seat. Meanwhile, three candidates have filed for Commission Seat Five. Jose Noriega filed Thursday as a Republican, joining Republican David Pratt and Democrat George Chachas in that race.
In other local filings, Lindsay Costello and Blase Griffin have filed for the White Pine County School Board, while Laurie Carson has filed for the White Pine County Hospital Board.
Candidate filing for the upcoming election continues through Friday at 5 p.m.
Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Director James Settelmeyer has announced he’s running for Nevada’s Second Congressional District seat, currently held by Congressman Mark Amodei.
Amodei announced in February he will retire after 15 years representing the largely Republican northern Nevada district.
Settelmeyer, a Carson City rancher and fourth-generation Nevadan, previously served in the Nevada Legislature, including time as Senate Republican leader before term limits ended his tenure in 2022. Governor Joe Lombardo appointed him to lead the state’s conservation department in 2023.
Settelmeyer says his campaign will focus on limited government, fiscal responsibility, and representing northern Nevada’s families, workers, and businesses in Washington.
Several Democrats have also entered the race, including former Reno Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez Thompson and investor Greg Kidd.
The White Pine County Commission is expected to tackle a potentially serious financial issue during its meeting Wednesday in Ely.
Along with routine agenda items such as fire district updates, natural resource discussions, grants, and advisory board appointments, commissioners will consider notifying the Nevada Department of Taxation that the county anticipates it may not be able to meet certain financial obligations. County officials say the concern is tied to ongoing staffing shortages and limited administrative capacity.
The agenda item is already drawing attention beyond the county. Nevada gubernatorial candidate Matthew Rian Winterhawk says he plans to attend the meeting in person and encourages residents to follow the discussion closely. Several Reno and Elko radio and television stations have written about the story and will likely have a presence at Wednesday’s meeting.
The Commission meeting has been moved from the Library to the courtroom in the old courthouse at 9am. KELY will broadcast the meeting live.
The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office responded to a variety of calls across the Ely area March 5th and 6th, including harassment complaints, fraud reports, and two arrests.
On March 5th, deputies arrested 47-year-old John W. Fielding of Ruth on a charge of arson following an investigation into a structure fire in the county. Deputies also handled several harassment reports in both the city and county, issuing warnings in two of those cases. Other calls included suspicious activity, a parking violation, and juveniles reported on the roof of a county school. No major issues were found in those incidents.
On March 6th, deputies conducted welfare checks in Ely, including one involving a child who was later transported to a healthcare facility for assistance. Deputies also investigated two separate online scams where residents reported sending money before realizing they had been defrauded.
Thirty-three-year-old Zakkary S. Gregersen of Ely was also arrested on an Ely Justice Court warrant. Other calls included reports of lost or found property and a suspicious person who turned out to be lost and was assisted by deputies.
The Ely City Council meets on Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Ely Volunteer Fire Hall, with several items on the agenda.
Council members will consider approving up to $5,000 in redevelopment funds to purchase fencing and signage for a proposed dog park at Broadbent Park. The council will also vote on accepting a State of Nevada water grant for the Morley Water Upgrades Project.
In new business, the council may approve a contract with Porter Group for federal government affairs consulting services through March of 2027 and consider a letter of support for the White Pine Chamber’s Travel Nevada Rural Marketing Grant application.
Council members will also vote on adding a sick leave donation policy to the City of Ely personnel manual.
It was a tough weekend on the diamond for the White Pine Bobcats baseball team.
White Pine was shut out 16 to nothing by River Valley on Friday, a sharp turnaround after scoring 17 runs in their previous game. The Bobcats followed that with another loss Saturday, falling to Palo Verde Valley 9 to 1.
The back-to-back defeats drop White Pine’s season record to one and four. River Valley improved to five and two with Friday’s win.
The Bobcats will look to regroup as the season continues, facing more tournament competition on the road.
The White Pine Ladycats softball team continues its dominant start to the season, improving to 7-and-0 after a string of big wins.
White Pine defeated Moapa Valley 17 to 5 on Friday, highlighted by Camden Johnson’s three-hit game with a home run and five RBI, while Paige Hayward went the distance in the circle.
The Ladycats followed that with a 14 to 4 win over Pahranagat Valley and then a 7 to 4 victory against Lincoln County on Saturday. Laila Trujillo pitched five strong innings against the Panthers, and Gracie Hall led the offense against Lincoln County with three RBI.
Every game for the Lady Bobcats this season has been decided by at least six runs as their winning streak reaches seven games.
Regular gas averaged $2.90 across White Pine County on Friday — by this morning, it's at $3.05, a 15-cent jump. The biggest movers were Golden Gate, both Shell locations on Aultman, Chevron, and Silver Sage, all up 20 cents. Shell Downtown had the smallest increase at just 5 cents.
Diesel took the bigger hit — the county average jumped 52 cents, from $4.33 to $4.85. Golden Gate, the two Aultman stations, and Silver Sage all rose 70 cents each.
Compared to the rest of Nevada and the nation, White Pine County is actually faring relatively well. The statewide Nevada average is nearly $4.00, Reno is around $4.26, and Las Vegas crossed $4.02 on Friday. The national AAA average this morning is $3.478 — up nearly 50 cents in a single week.
The driver behind all of it: the escalating U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict disrupting oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing crude past $107 a barrel. Analysts warn more increases could be coming this week.