2020 results denier to oversee voting in rural Nevada county
By The Associated Press
County commissioners in rural Nevada have appointed a new top election official who has denied that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election and promises to implement plans to count every single vote by hand, in place of electronic vote tabulating machines.
Mark Kampf’s first day as interim Nye County clerk is Friday. He has vowed to lead a shift away from electronic voting machines and to hand-counting all paper ballots in the rural county. Longtime Nye County Clerk Sam Merlino resigned after conspiracies about her office and election processes became too much for her. In brief remarks on Tuesday, Kampf also alluded to a “parallel tabulation process” that will run alongside the hand count.
Ex-Reno school counselor gets up to life for child porn
By The Associated Press
A former Reno school counselor has been sentenced to up to life in prison on a child pornography charge after prosecutors say he paid nearly $20,000 to teenagers he persuaded via social media to send him photos. 28-year-old Tyler Ball-Imsdahl pleaded guilty earlier to one count of production of child pornography. He was sentenced Monday and will be eligible for parole in five years.
Prosecutors say Ball-Imsdahl pretended on social media to be a female teenager in order to obtain photos from multiple teenage boys. He was a counselor at Desert Skies Middle School in Sun Valley before he was placed on administrative leave following his arrest in July 2021.
Fire victims seek over $85 million for Tamarack Fire damages
By The Associated Press
People who lost their homes and property in last summer’s Tamarack Fire in northern Nevada and California have filed a claim against the U.S. Forest Service seeking more than $85 million. Attorney Bill Jeanney said the filing was the first step to filing a lawsuit against the agency. The U.S. Forest Service initially decided to hold off on offering assistance on the Tamarack Fire as it struggled with limited resources and perceived the fire as contained to a small area in early July 2021. But soon, the fire spread rapidly, scorching nearly 109 square miles along the Nevada-California border.
Northern Nevada HOPES receives $1 million donation from local pediatrician
By Maria Palma
The nonprofit community health center Northern Nevada HOPES has received a $1 million donation from a local pediatrician. Dr. Barry Frank and his family have been donors to the organization for many years.
The funds will mainly be used to expand the organization’s Gender and Sexual Healthcare Clinic, which offers services to the LGBTQ+ community in Reno. The services include voice coaching, gender-affirming surgery, hair removal and legal help.
In a statement this week, HOPES said they will continue to be a safe and accepting place for all individuals seeking gender-affirming care.
Clark County horse facility under quarantine, agriculture department urging others to be tested
By Lucretia Cunningham
Horses in a Clark County facility are in quarantine after one tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA) Wednesday. The Nevada Department of Agriculture is encouraging anyone who attended an event with their horses in Washoe County in June, to have them tested. EIA is a disease transmitted in equine species that can cause symptoms including fever, weakness and low red blood cell count. The department says EIA cannot be transmitted to humans and there is no risk to the public’s health.
RTC seeks community input on Arlington Avenue bridges project
ByMaria Palma
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County is seeking additional input from the community, as it continues the process of replacing the Arlington Avenue bridges over the Truckee River. Thursday, RTC is hosting a public meeting where community members can learn about bridge design updates, and provide input on project landscape and aesthetics.
The total cost of the project is $28 million, which is being partially covered through a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The project will replace the bridges over the river, improve safety and multimodal access to the park area, and meet flood-capacity requirements. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2025. Find more information for their next meeting here.
Mammoth Lakes and Mono have a new website for emergencies
By Gustavo Sagrero
Mono County and the Town of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. have a new website for residents in the area to learn how to navigate emergencies, including wildfires. Register for emergency alerts on the site, which has an interactive evacuation map, among other resources. Learn more here.
