washoevalley.org

We got this “heads up” from a neighbor:

“Early this morning while leaving for work there was a vehicle that appeared to be casing the neighborhood and paid particular interest to the mailboxes on the street. The sherrif’s department was notified and stated that they would send out an officer to check on the situation.

This is unsettling to me so I wanted to pass this on to others. I know that the peacefulness of the valley can often decieve and make us think that we are immune to these situations when in fact we really are part of a large metropolitan area and that we need to keep our guard up at all times.”

With the economy the way it is and more people falling on hard times there is more risk than ever that “big city” crime will move into rural areas. A friend of ours had his wallet stolen from his unlocked car up at Tahoe the other day in his previously “quite and friendly” neighborhood. Yeah, he was a dummy to do that anywhere but we can all be lulled in to carelessness the same way out in Washoe Valley.

Washoe County Neighborhood Watch Program

According to the Wall Street Journal, other Nevada locales are gearing up for another Mormon Cricket invasion due to the mild winter. Places like North Reno and ghosttowns such as Tuscarora are being creative in their defense strategies against the sea of 2 inch insects. Residents of Tuscarora, all 13 of them, claim that the crickets hate hard rock music and are arranging  semicircle of boomboxes around the town to play noxious tunes from morning to night.

Meanwhile, here in Washoe Valley, we saw a 2 inch scorpion roadkill today on our walk and are cursing the burr buttercup that is springing up all over that will soon be the bane of any dogs paws.

Reno Evening Gazette, October 30, 1880

A Grand Illumination.

Franktown was blazing last night. A procession with torches, banners and transparencies marched up and down. There were many ladies in the procession. Huge bonfires blazed at every corner. A unique feature was vast illumination on the mountainside west of town. A fire had been raging there for a week and it had left dots of flame scattered about all up and down the vast wall for some distance. The evening was dark and the grand illumination showed up splendidly and roused a great deal of admiration. It seemed as if the very mountains were endorsing Garfield and Arthur.

(editors note: James Garfield won the presidency in November and Chester Arthur was vice president. In July 1881, Garfield was assasinated and Arthur took over as president until 1885.)

The San Francisco Call, January 14, 1896

Carson Opium Smugglers

Officers Find Fifty Pounds of the Drug and a Counterfeit Mixture in a Cache

Carson, Nev. Jan. 13. United State District Attorney Jones to-day found fifty taels of opium buried in one of the stalls at the racetrack. Lee Brooks, who hid the drug there, recently left town and now is serving sentence in the Washoe County Jail for defrauding a Reno man out of $60.
A man named Jordan, who occupied a cell with Brooks in jail some time ago, was his confidante, and learned that Brooks had a quantity of opium buried in one of the stalls at the Carson racetrack.  Brooks wanted him, as soon as he was released from custody, to take the opium away so officers would not find it. Jordan, instead of doing as requested, immediately informed the Sheriff of Washoe County and he came over yesterday and told the United States District Attorney. Together they went to the track and found one case of opium, containing fifty boxes.
Some of it was a mixture of molasses, etc. with which Brooks and his partner, Harry Butts, are supposed to have duped unsuspecting Chinamen, presumably showing them good opium and then selling the mixture, which was similar to it in appearance. Three hundred pounds of the same mixture was recently found at Washoe Lake.

(editors note: a “tael” is a chinese unit of measurement, sometimes about 40 grams. Also, this article was transcribed exactly as it appeared in the paper.)

Just a note to let you know that we had two groups of “Valley Girls” win at the state level at U.S. History Day.  They have decided to go to the National competition in Washington DC.  There is a fund raiser on April 23 at the Postal Cafe. The girls are going to wait tables and all the tips will go funding the trip.  Also there is buckets at most of the store fronts on East Lake for donations.  They are looking for sponsors to help finance the trip. If you have any questions please contact me at 849-0862.  I also work at the Postal Cafe if you wanted to call  849-2722.  Trudy Gonzales

From Dr. Monte Sanford’s blog (see photo there):

“Currently in the western USA, another spectacular painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) migration is in full swing.  In late March, millions of these butterflies were passing through northern Mexico and southern Arizona on their way northward.  In the last week here in the Reno, Nevada, area we are witnessing massive movements.  For example, along a strectch of highway along the east side of Washoe Lake, I observed 384 individuals within 8 miles and about 20 min. The furthest these butterflies will make it will be into northern Canada.  And this fall, we should see these butterflies move through the area again in decent numbers.”

According to emails we’ve received, the South Valley’s Area Plan was passed by the County Commissioners at their last meeting on April 8th. Don’t know the particulars but we hear the Washoe Valley Working Group folks put on a great presentation. Word is that the Regional Planning Board will consider it again in May.

If anyone involved would like to send in some info on the status of the SVAP, we’d be glad to share it.

This News 4 article is mostly about driving safely in NDOT construction zones but mentions that “US 395 from Pagni Lane to Bowers Mansion Road: Resurface roadway beginning in July and completed in November.” Pagni Road is in the south end of Pleasant Valley and Bowers Mansion Road is, umm, right over, uh, dunno. Do they mean the driveway to Bowers Mansion or Old 395 where it leaves 395? I can’t find an actual “Bower’s Mansion Road”.

This RGJ article further confirms that our local pool will be closed this summer but the rest of Bower’s Mansion County Park will be open. The parks dept. is looking for groups or companies to “sponsor a park”.

From an email circling the valley:

“The NEW COOL RIVER BAND just had another great practice on this past Sunday up in the spectacular setting of the Virginia Highlands; – up by Virginia City and where the wild horses roam! We here in Reno – Tahoe – Virginia City and near to the wild open areas of Nevada are surrounded by something rather open, free, special and mystical…lest we forget.
The Gold Hill Hotel and Virginia City are still so representative of a time past: the Comstock in the 1800’s. – I am still amazed when I truly look around me: the Sierras, the Virginia Range, the roaming bands of wild horses, the high desert, the open terrain, etc..
After that we took our first promo pictures for our initial announcement regarding our dinner – show at The Gold Hill Hotel on May 12, 2009 – Tuesday up on the Comstock!
This flier will be posted on the Links / Tuesday at The Gold Hill Hotel site.  I really hope that my family and friends will join us for a great time and a lot of happy, uplifting music!”