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STORM AREA 51 EVENTS-THE LATEST
The Latest: Stage being set for event near Area 51 in Nevada
HIKO, Nev. (AP) — A stage is literally being set for Earthling visitors who are beginning to descend on the Nevada desert for "Storm Area 51" events galvanized by an internet hoax.
Alon Burton and his band Wily Savage wrestled a tarp Thursday over a wooden frame covering a stage near a motel in the tiny town of Rachel. Burton says bands will play until midnight.
Hundreds have arrived in the desert after a Facebook post inviting people to "see them aliens" got widespread attention and gave rise to festivals this week.
Area 51's secrecy has long fueled fascination about UFOs and conspiracy theories. The military has warned people not to approach the protected site.
The motel is booked and camping fees have gone into effect on the property. Several dozen campers in trucks and trailers staked space for free on federal land nearby.
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STOLEN WEAPONS-SHOT SHOW
Prison for gun trade show worker who stole 65 firearms
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former Las Vegas trade show worker who pleading guilty to stealing three machine guns and more than 60 other firearms at the U.S. gun industry's biggest annual convention in January has been sentenced to two years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II also ordered 27-year-old Jamikko Foster Thursday to complete 1,000 hours of community service and two years' probation following his release.
Foster admitted he stole silencers, handguns, rifles, machine guns and dozens of suppressors while he was working in Las Vegas at the National Shooting Sports Foundation's 2019 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade show known as the "SHOT" show.
Federal agents recovered all but two of the 65 stolen weapons during a search of Foster's residence in February.
A co-defendant, 28-year-old Eduardo Limon, also pleaded guilty. He's scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 24.
NURSES PICKET-RENO HOSPITAL
Nurses picket in union contract dispute at Reno hospital
(Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com)
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Registered nurses are doing informational picketing at Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno as they negotiate a new contract meant to boost working conditions and nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.
The Reno Gazette Journal reports members of the National Nurses United union picketed for about two hours Wednesday.
Longtime Saint Mary's nurse Tamara Erickson says they were prepared to reach an agreement during scheduled contract negotiations on Sept. 4, but the hospital owned by California-based Prime Healthcare threatened to take the nurse staffing provisions off the table.
Saint Mary's spokeswoman Amber Norris says they are committed to bargaining in good faith to reach an agreement in the best interests of the hospital, its employees and those they serve.
Saint Mary's is the second-largest health care provider in the Reno area and the city's oldest continuously operating hospital.
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PET STORE-MISTREATMENT CHARGES
Pet store owners plead innocent to Reno animal mistreatment
RENO, Nev. (AP) — The owners of two pet stores in Reno and Sparks have pleaded not guilty to several charges of mistreating animals.
Lawyers for Michael Schneider and Leilani Tau-Schneider also filed a motion Wednesday seeking to dismiss the charges or reduce them from felonies to misdemeanors.
Both are accused of practicing veterinary medicine without a license. Tau-Schneider also faces one count of torturing and/or killing an animal.
The two own Puppies Plus on South Virginia Street in Reno and Puppy Love off Sparks Boulevard in Sparks.
Attorney Richard Cornell told the Reno Gazette Journal they deny that many of the alleged incidents ever occurred.
Tau-Schneider maintains the torture charge is based on hearsay from a former employee that cannot be submitted in court.
Washoe County District Attorney spokeswoman Michelle Bays says the state remains confident in its evidence against the two.
TAHOE FUND-SANDOVAL
Ex-Gov. Sandoval joins Tahoe Fund's special advisory panel
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. (AP) — Former Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has joined a new advisory council for a nonprofit conservation group that funds environmental projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Tahoe Fund leaders announced this week the former Republican governor has agreed to serve on its Council of Special Advisors.
Former Tahoe Fund board chairman Tim Cashman says Sandoval has been a champion of Lake Tahoe for many years. He says they're thrilled he's joined their effort to build a sustainable future for the lake.
Sandoval says he's a long-time fan of the Tahoe Fund and looking forward to a chance to bring his experience to the table.
The group founded in 2010 raises private money to fill funding gaps created by a continued decline in public money for environmental projects at the lake.
RENO MAYOR-HOUSING PLAN
Reno mayor announces plan to jump start housing construction
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve (SHEE'-vee) has announced an ambitious plan to jump start the construction of 1,000 homes in 120 days.
Schieve said Wednesday the pilot program would help combat the city's housing crisis by deferring fees the city charges for such things as sewer hookups and road infrastructure until the back end of the project.
The deferrals would be provided as loans worth $8,400 per unit to be repaid under a predetermined agreement with the city.
Eligible developers must have already completed construction of at least one multi-family housing project worth at least $10 million.
They also must plan to build a minimum of 30 townhouses, apartments or condominiums in designated "opportunity zones" and begin construction within 18 months of execution of the city agreement.
Schieve intends to present the plan to the city council Oct. 2.
AP-US-CALIFORNIA-TROUT
Rare California trout species returns to native habitat
LOS ANGELES (AP) — For the first time in nearly a century, a California trout species will swim in a mountain creek that is its native habitat — a milestone that conservationists hope will lead to a thriving population and removal of its threatened status.
About 30 Paiute cutthroat trout will be plucked Wednesday from Coyote Valley Creek in the eastern Sierra Nevada and hauled in cans strapped to pack mules about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) west into Long Valley.
State and federal researchers will be on hand as the fish are dumped into a stretch of Silver King Creek at around 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) elevation, where the shimmering species glided through the cold water for thousands of years before starting to disappear in the 1920s.
The homecoming is the culmination of decades of restoration and conservation work.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT-CITY OF RENO
City of Reno settling sex harassment suit for $300,000
(Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com)
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A lawyer for two women who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the city of Reno says they have agreed to settle the case for $300,000.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports the settlement was reached late last week but must be approved by the city council during a public meeting Sept. 23.
The suit filed in 2017 claimed former City Manager Andrew Clinger created a hostile work environment.
His former assistant, Maureen McKissick, said she suffered reprisals after she accused Clinger of having an inappropriate relationship with another female manager.
Ex-city communications director Deanna Gescheider said Clinger rubbed her thigh during a management meeting and wanted her to destroy suggestive messages he sent her.
Attorney Mark Mausert says they were very brave to stand up in defense of a woman's right to be free from sexual harassment in the workplace.
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