Here are your local news headlines for the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.
Blizzard Conditions Making For Treacherous Travel
A blizzard warning is in effect for the Sierra Nevada mountain range, including the Lake Tahoe Basin southward to Mono County. Blizzard warnings are only issued for the most severe types of snowstorms.
Meteorologist Mark Deutschendorf is with the National Weather Service in Reno. He said to expect cold temperatures, heavy snowfall and strong winds.
“In previous blizzards and storms like this, typically all the main highways are closed. And anyone who's stuck out on the highway when the snow piles up is unlikely to find a way out for possibly days,” Deutschendorf said. “Even trying to walk outside of the car for a short distance can be very dangerous.”
He said that all travel should be avoided.
Nevada COVID-19 New Cases Declining?
By Paul Boger
Health officials in Nevada confirmed less than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the second day in a row Tuesday.
The newest data from the state marks the first time since early November Nevada has recorded fewer than 1,000 new daily cases. While health officials are hesitant to call it a trend, it is part of the state's overall decline in COVID-19 metrics.
That includes the two-week rolling average of new daily cases, which has now dropped to about 1,200. Two weeks ago, that number was closer to 1,700.
The test positivity rate has also seen critical declines in recent days, dropping by a 0.5 percentage point from the previous day to 18.9 percent.
Despite the improvement, the state reported 59 additional COVID-19-related deaths Tuesday. Nearly 4,100 Nevadans have died since the start of the pandemic.
Locally, recoveries continue to outpace new cases in Washoe County, 391-56. The Washoe County Health District reported three additional COVID-19-related deaths Tuesday.
Nevada Projects Population Growth Won't Add Costs To Budget
By The Associated Press
Nevada expects its population to grow by roughly 160,000 people by 2023, but the governor's budget for the upcoming two years doesn’t project expenses rising as a result. Gov. Steve Sisolak’s budget outlines $8.7 billion in general fund spending, which is $187 million less than he proposed before the last two-year cycle in 2019. It assumes that the number of people in public schools, in state prisons and enrolled in Medicaid will remain relatively static. The coronavirus pandemic has complicated budget planning in states in terms of both projected costs and how much tax revenue they expect to collect.
New Head Of Nevada's Unemployment
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has named Elisa Cafferata as the permanent director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
Cafferata was appointed acting director of the department last summer.
In a statement, Sisolak said Cafferata has proven her commitment to the department and will work to address DETR’s backlog of unemployment claims.
Welfare Division Requests More Staff To Help With 'Overwhelming' Number Of Applications For Public Assistance
By Tabitha Mueller, The Nevada Independent
Officials in charge of Nevada's welfare services say they need more staff because requests for aid have become “overwhelming.”
As the pandemic wreaked havoc on Nevada's gaming and tourism-based economy, an unprecedented number of applications requesting food stamps, health insurance and direct cash aid began to flow through the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services.
Nevada Eyes 50% Limit On Income Of Inmates For Restitution
By The Associated Press
Nevada officials have directed the Department of Corrections to draft a new regulation that would set a 50% limit on the amount of funds the state can take from prisoners and use for victim restitution. The board had decided in October to suspend a policy that allowed officials to take up to 80% of funds inmates received from their families or friends and repurpose it for victims. The policy had been challenged by advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice. ACLU of Nevada Policy Director Holly Welborn says a potential reduction to a 50% cap is still too much.
Colorado Lawmaker Potentially Tied To Right-Wing Militia Group
By Robyn Vincent, Mountain West News Bureau
A recent video depicts Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's potential ties to the Three Percenters, a far-right militia movement.
Mark Pitcavage is an extremism expert with the Anti-Defamation League. He explained their name references a false narrative about the American Revolution.
“That only three percent of the American population at the time fought against the British, but they won liberty for everybody,” Pitcavage said of the false assertion. “And people argue that American patriots today need to step forward and become a modern three percent.”
Only in this case, Pitcavage said, it's not British tyranny they oppose. It's the so-called tyranny of the U.S. federal government.
That focus shifted with the election of Donald Trump. Pitcavage said Trump is the first major-party nominee that militia groups supported. So they began targeting other perceived enemies.
“Immigrants and Antifa, George Soros, congressional Democrats, what have you,” Pitcavage said.
Pitcavage said Boebert’s potential ties to the Three Percenters isn’t surprising given her allegiance to Trump and her vocal gun rights advocacy.
California Seizes Control Over Struggling Vaccine Delivery
By The Associated Press
California is changing up the way it is delivering coronavirus vaccines and moving to a more centralized system that should streamline appointment sign-up, notification and eligibility for nearly 40 million residents. But few details were released Tuesday, and counties, which have been leading the vaccine effort, say they need more information. A private third-party administrator will work with a new statewide secretary to decide where the state’s supply of vaccine should go. California has been criticized for vaccinating so few people even amid a national vaccine shortage that appears to be the main bottleneck. At the same time, residents are frustrated by eligibility rules that vary by county and by hospital system.
