Kevin Vania's Journalism Coursework

by KEVIN VANIA

There are more than 162 million people living in Bangladesh. With a stable government under the parliamentary system and an average GDP growth rate of about 8 percent per year, it’s a wonder how millions of people in densely populated districts like Shariatpur can be without proper immediate healthcare.

“When I was 18 I saw a kid get hit by an auto rickshaw in Naria. He was seriously injured and I followed as his family rushed him to the hospital where they had some really awful healthcare,” said Kowsar Khan. “They just poured alcohol over his cuts. The kid was just screaming and they couldn’t do shit for him. That’s when I came to the realization of people really needing good healthcare.”

Khan is the president and director of an internationally recognized capital management company called Vincere Capital Inc. Vincere is the parent company of Duwell Medical Inc., a holding company Khan founded specializing in healthcare facilities in developing countries like Bangladesh.

Pioneers. Khan stands on top of the Duwell Medical site in Naria, Bangladesh. They are the only people in Naria Upazila to have used a crane for construction.

Duwell Medical is currently building the first satellite hospital in Naria, a sub-district of Shariatpur. With secured funding from several seed investors, the company has already constructed a four-story, 35,000-square-foot complex that will offer adequate healthcare to more than 400,000 people who live in the region. The development of a healthcare network will provide comprehensive medical care as patients will be able to receive medical treatment, health insurance, preventive care, pharmaceutical access, and even finance loans to cover costs.

Khan said nothing compares to Duwell Medical in the district. He explained that many of the government hospitals don’t even have X-ray machines and it can take up to six hours for most people in Naria to travel up the Padma River by boat or drive nearly 93 miles to reach proper medical facilities in Dhaka, the capital.

Vincere Capital, Duwell Medical, and Moneta Fund Inc. (an advanced financial technology company of which Khan is a major share holder) have a total estimated net worth of $15 million. Spending much of his time seeking out investors to invest in his businesses, it’s obvious Khan is a very busy man. Did I mention he is also a 21-year-old college student?

Young and Promising

Khan is a third year student at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) working toward a biochemistry major and business minor. He was also the head of the university’s Muslim Student Association for two years before he relinquished his duties to Tamana Mobaligh, the group’s current president.

“I used to be vice president,” said Mobaligh. “I think there should always be someone who is motivated to do something good with the MSA and Kowsar did a good job at that as president.”

Following his expected graduation in spring 2012, Khan plans to earn a Masters of Business Administration in Islamic banking and finance and start his own medical school along with other business ventures.

“Growing up I wanted to be a doctor,” said Khan. “But now I want to be everything.”

Khan’s go-getter attitude stems from his upbringing in a Bangali family  which influenced his natural propensity as a business savvy individual. He was born in Shariatpur, Bangladesh where his father served as a Shandurban National forest ranger before getting into development and retail business. When his father moved to Reno on a business visa in 1996, it was only six months later that Khan, his mother, two older sisters and older brother joined him in the U.S.

Khan now lives at home in Reno with his older brother Johnny who is also the startup investor and director of Duwell Medical. Although his parents have a comfortable home in Reno, they only spend half  their time there while the other half is spent at their home in Bangladesh where his father conducts most of his business.  Khan also spends his summers traveling for business.

His family is very Bangali oriented and rich in their culture. Although Khan has a fairly Americanized Bangla accent, he says they never speak English at home. His mother is a housewife who stays home and cooks almost exclusively traditional Bangali dishes for every meal.

“Food is huge,” said Khan. “My mom cooks the best meals. We always have rice and native food, my mom never cooks American food.”

Of all the things in Khan’s busy life, his most prized possession is his family. They’re always there for him and he trusts the support. It was his family that pushed him to start Duwell Medical when his aunt encouraged him to take action of the idea he had when he was 18.

It's business. Kahn sits at his computer in his office located in the back of his family owned and operated food and liquor store.

“Business just comes naturally,” said Khan. “When I was ten years old I was already helping my dad with his retail business.”

When he was 16 his father made him get a job at JCPenney where he learned some of the basic skills he still values to this day. The job taught him basic management, how big businesses work, how to interact with people/customer service, working as a team and meeting goals.

Over the years, Khan feels like he has come to a special realization of how business and certain aspects of life work, and he realizes what needs to be done. Khan takes a lot of pride in having the mindset of an achiever. He’s passionate about how the world is evolving, keeping up with it and placing himself within it.

“Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.” –Theodore Roosevelt

Since he’s 21, some business associates don’t always take Khan seriously. However, he frequently proves his doubters wrong because he is truly doing big things.

“A lot of people look at his age first thing. From the outside looking in I’d think the same,” said Andrew George, another young student entrepreneur at UNR who Khan likes to associate (partner?) with when it comes to any business venture. George has also invested in Duwell Medical as a shareholder.

“But Kowsar has the right mindset to make himself stand out. He knows how to touch upon people he’s talking to or doing business with in a friendly matter that is welcoming, yet somewhat aggressive,” said George. “He’s good to work with and he’s got a lot of charisma for sure. Kowsar definitely has good leadership in terms of a company.”

Earning his degree will certainly provide Khan credibility that will open new opportunities for him. But a degree isn’t about the paper credentials for Khan, it’s about the education. Khan wants knowledge he can apply to innovative thinking. Khan works every day to make a difference.

In regards to his work schedule Khan said, “It feels like all the time. I can’t even throw an average number at you, but it’s definitely full time.”

Between 15 credits of upper level classes, meeting with potential investors, giving presentations, Skyping with business partners, and studying, it’s surprising he finds time to go out on the weekends like any typical college student. He likes to ride his motorcycle, surf the web, listen to music, DJ, and meet new people. Khan is an ordinary student with a bright future. He’s got bigger expectations for his professional career than most, and rightfully so. Khan seems to have the right ideas with the knowledge and skills to accomplish them.

“I might consider my own family in 10 years,” chuckled Khan. “But I plan on owning multiple billion dollar companies and traveling the world.”

by KEVIN VANIA

“Somewhere between love and madness, there’s Bob,” read a line from professor Todd Felts’ ad slogan-based speech.

The Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) held its fourth annual J-Week, March 1-3. The event is dedicated to bringing journalists from all over the country to the UNR campus to allow students the opportunity to learn from professionals in the field. More importantly, J-Week is held to celebrate the strength of the journalism school and to honor the people involved in its success.

To honor one of its professors, the university’s Journalism Student Advisory Council (JSAC) held its first ever Reynolds Roast on Wednesday, March 2. The idea of the roast is to dedicate an evening to the “Man of the Year,” nominated by his or her peers, and to honor that guest by flinging insults and making jokes at his or her expense. It’s all in good fun and the jokes serve as a tribute. With that being said, the good-humored and good-natured subject of the first roast was none other than esteemed Assistant Professor, Bob Felten.

Felten won the nomination for Man of the Year by a landslide 43 percent of all votes between the 15 J-School professors on the ballot. It’s clear that Felten is a favorite among his students and colleagues, and those are exactly the people who got to do the roasting: people who know “Bob” personally.

Journalism professors Todd Felts, Diedre Pike, and his PR/ad students Cody Liska, Roger Post, and Nicole Dion were invited to roast Felten in appreciation of his contributions toward creating a positive learning environment.

According to Liska, “Bob is a friend, mentor, and colleague. Educators like Bob make the J-School feel like home to the students.”

Dinner and a show. A buffet-style dinner was catered by UNR's Blue and Silver Catering.

At the accessible price of three dollars for admission and dinner, the roast sold out in just minutes of opening the doors to the Great Room in the Joe Crowley Student Union. Nearly 75 guests attended the event, yet there were only eight tables with six table settings at each. That’s only planning for 48 guests. Even those who showed up ten minutes before the event’s scheduled 7:30 p.m. start were left without seats at a table.

Despite poor anticipation of turnout in planning, the event went smoothly and the atmosphere was welcoming. Before the Roast commenced there was a chatty lull about the room.

Guests sat at fancy looking table settings with clean white tablecloths, wine glass shaped water glasses with elegantly folded cloth napkins inside of them, and spirited shiny blue and silver centerpieces made of tinsel-like material. The university’s Blue and Silver Catering services laid out a buffet-style dinner spread of turkey with gravy, crisp salad and two types of dressing, roasted potatoes, zucchini, squash, and dinner rolls with cookies for dessert.

Roastmaster and J-School Senator, Jonathan Moore, wore a full, black and white tuxedo with a tail that almost made him more comical looking than his jokes were funny. Felten rose to the occasion and countered by wearing a tuxedo t-shirt.

The opening roasts by Felten’s two fellow professors were a bit neutral as they seemed to have played it safe in regards to their long-standing relationship with Bob. Technical difficulties in Pike’s closing remarks made it apparent that her speech hadn’t been fully rehearsed, and a lot of Felts’ lines went a little over the heads of many students as he noted they might not understand his prehistoric humor.

The energy in the room elevated when the student roasters came at Felten with cruder remarks that remained harmless. Characterized by bursts of laughter, their jokes were clever and their delivery was on point.

“Fact, Bob gives out fewer A’s than a dead Canadian,” said Liska during his roast.

The student roasters did an exceptional job at providing good humor and the time they spent work shopping and fine-tuning their jokes was evident. The sole efforts of the JSAC students made the event a success and it was especially entertaining for those who know Felten personally.

“You have to know Bob to understand most of the jokes,” said Liska after the show.

The roast shows where Felten stands in the minds of his close friends and it is clear that he is respected by his students and appreciated by the J-School community.

Thanks for nothing you scoundrels. Bob Felten shows his appreciation for the students and faculty members who attended his roast.

“I think I tend to bring out the worst in him. A couple of weeks ago I think I heard him tell a fart joke,” said Liska. “He’s grown on me like a wart.”

The JSAC managed to raise 130 dollars from the roast for future J-School events. Although the outcome of collecting money from every guest surely didn’t match up with the number of actual guests that attended (and therefore wasn’t the most effective evaluation tool), it is still a good fundraising event for the J-School and an even better way to bring students and faculty together.

“The event was held to bring the journalism school community together and to honor one of its best teachers,” said Moore. “I think attendance shows that it was successful in doing so.”

The unexpected turnout shows that the roast was a popular J-Week event and Moore hopes the roast will become an annual J-Week tradition.

It’s an event that appeals to students and faculty alike. The more people that were able to laugh at Felten, the more he was able to laugh at himself.

He said, “I am humbled by the outpouring of, well, whatever was outpoured.”

by KEVIN VANIA

It’s just after 6 p.m. on a Thursday evening and the curtains are drawn in the front living room of the normally vacant ranch house at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno. Tonight the room is full of mostly grey haired white men; likely your typical idea of the gun enthusiast. The old hardwood floor creaks as people shift back and forth, trying to get comfortable in the stiff metal folding chairs facing the front of the room. Maps and diagrams rest on easels at the front and Dale Doerr, a landscape architect and consultant from Lumos & Associates, is talking to the 25 something attendees about the county’s goals for the future development of the existing Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility; safety being number one.

This is the third public input meeting for the facility’s long-term plan and everyone present seems attentive and concerned. It’s an issue that matters to several groups of passionate individuals in the area.

Approximately $68,000 from the Ruby Pipeline allowed the discussion of a master plan without the use of general county funding.  The meeting is to discuss a long-term physical site plan for the facility rather than its operations and procedures.

Doerr introduces four different site designs with several orientation improvements and expansions that would increase the usability of the facility. Much of the physical design plans compliment the operational aspects by providing more shooting areas to circumvent shutting down one range to open another. It would solve many existing complications.

The regional shooting facility can get very busy during some parts of the year, and users sometimes find themselves waiting hours for a bay to shoot at. The facility sees 80 to 125 users a day during the peak season. Most local governmental agencies like the Air National Guard, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department, and the Reno Police Department use the facility to train. With the Palomino Valley Gun Club and the Western Pistol League also training alongside the public, there are many scheduling conflicts that limit the facility’s usability.

The original master plan for the regional shooting facility was designed in 1978 before the county operated it. According to Al Rogers, Assistant Director of the Department of Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space, county documents show construction finished in 1982. Small contributions have been invested since the facility was constructed and the Division of Wildlife has been a regular supporter. In 1997 the county also built several bay covers over shooting areas with National Rifle Association (NRA) grant money.

According to Rogers, the regional shooting facility generates about $80,000-$90,000 in yearly revenue while it costs $100,000-$120,000 to operate. Outside funding is needed to make improvements and the facility is currently eligible for new NRA grants. A revised master plan needs to be completed in time to meet grant deadlines.

So, Who Cares?

Not only is the regional shooting facility important to hunters and sport shooters, but also to the citizens of Washoe County in general. Reno’s gun culture is a reflection of the peoples’ right to bear arms. Citizens with a carry a concealed weapons permit can legally carry firearms in public and that’s just how it’s always been.

“It’s a freedom thing I think,” said Jim Leary, the “lone” range master at the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility.

While he’s been a shooter at the facility since the 80’s, Leary has been the only range master on duty at the regional shooting facility for the past three years. Born and raised in Reno, he feels the local gun culture is influenced by a sense of pride for its heritage. There’s a large hunting community in the state of Nevada and he believes that remnants of Nevada’s Old West history still bring the culture full circle.

“But from my point of view, shooting is a stress reliever,” Leary added. “It’s like some guy building ships in a bottle. That’s his enjoyment and shooting is mine. It’s important whatever makes you a better person, whatever makes you more relaxed. Society has a lot of stress going on and shooting is a great way for a person to vent and regain his sanity.”

With Freedom Comes Responsibility

In practicing the right to bear arms, gun owners need to protect their rights by demonstrating the ability to properly handle their firearms. Unsafe gun owners are just as much a risk to others as they are to themselves. It’s no wonder safety is the number one goal at the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility. Gun laws can only do so much to enforce gun safety and people need to have the proper knowledge and training to handle their firearms safely. Staying trained and proficient is the best way people can learn to be responsible gun owners.

The regional shooting facility is a place where gun owners can practice handling their firearms four days a week. It serves to provide the region a designated, safe and secure environment to discharge firearms. Having an NRA-structured facility where safety rules are uniformly enforced gives people the knowledge to be better and safer shooters. Without the regional shooting facility, people would be forced to go to other private ranges, unmanned facilities, or even find a rural area where they can shoot into the side of a hill.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) owns a majority of the land in Nevada. It’s legal to discharge firearms on BLM land, but most people don’t know the specific rules and regulations of where they can actually go out into the desert and shoot. According to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, it is legal to discharge any gun, pistol, rifle, shotgun or other firearm within uncongested areas of the county as long as it doesn’t cross any roads or highways. Shotguns, air rifles and B-B guns can only be discharged outside of 1,000 feet of any occupied dwelling while pistols and rifles must be outside of 5,000 feet. Oftentimes, people think they’re lawfully shooting outside of those restrictions when actually they’re not. People dirt biking or walking their dogs are at risk of serious injury.

Rogers thinks people should always look to find a safe alternative to shooting in the desert by looking into a designated facility. Whether they think they’ve checked to make sure no one is around, nobody can ever be sure as to whether or not the coast is clear. Unless posted, how does anyone really know whether or not they’re in a congested area of the county?

“At the end of the day when we close the line down, sometimes customers will ask where else they can go,” said range master Leary. “To give them an honest answer, I don’t really even know where they can legally shoot in the desert anymore.”

The Benefits Operate As a Public Service

Rogers believes there are a lot of people who just don’t like shooting in a structured environment and will go out into the desert no matter what, but the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility offers a safe and secure environment to help minimize the rogue shooting out in the desert.

With minimal fees and an aesthetically sound public range, the facility is an ideal place for rifle and pistol shooters to enjoy their freedoms. Shotgun enthusiasts may also have a place at the regional shooting facility in the near future. Based on direct public input gathered from a Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space survey, 76 percent of the 141 early survey responses indicate users would like to see the addition of a trap/skeet range. The county is even considering the addition of an archery range.

Having a designated regional shooting facility serves to protect Reno’s gun culture. It provides gun owners a safe place to learn about their firearms and get comfortable handling them safely. Without it, the 120 something users that use the facility every weekend would be out shooting in the desert. Shooting in an environment with minimal rules and regulations is bound to lead to irresponsible practices, which ultimately leads to governmental intervention on peoples’ gun rights.

Range master Leary said he would like to see the transformation of the regional shooting facility into a total sporting facility and the Department of Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space wants to continue providing a facility that people will use. Public input is the only way it can learn what the people want.

Leary does an important job for the county providing assistance, giving instructions, and doing whatever he can to maintain safety so that users can have a safe and fun day. At the end of every day, the range closes with a last call cease-fire at 3:45 p.m. for people to collect their targets down range.

It’s a job Leary said he enjoys. “I always like to say, ‘My day starts with a bang and ends with a bang.’”

by KEVIN VANIA

The California sun can be a bit deceiving in the Northern part of the state. While the sun shines bright with the guise of warmth, my body trembles under the chill of a cold winter afternoon. The thermometer at the bottom of the chairlift reads 32° F and it feels like it sounds, freezing. I’ve been few other places where I enjoyed such weather, but Northstar-at-Tahoe is a resort that makes it attractive.

Just 4 miles north of Lake Tahoe’s pristine waters, Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort runs its trails along the face of Mt. Pluto at the heart of North Lake Tahoe in Truckee, California. Northstar offers great skiing opportunities and a laid back environment to those who visit its world class slopes. It is an ideal environment to escape the day to day hassle of life’s demanding responsibilities. One might spend an entire day riding the 3,000 skiable acres on the mountain, ice skating at the outdoor skating rink in the charming Village at the base, or mingling with friends over a few drinks at TC’s Pub.

My first visit to Northstar wasn’t such an ideal one. A nasty little spill on my third run down the mountain landed me in the first-aid room at the Village with a broken arm. I didn’t get to fully experience even the slightest piece of the sweet pie the resort had to offer. Instead all I got was a little taste, and a shot of Demerol to wash it down.

Unloading. A couple snowboarders get off of the Big Springs Express Gondola at the base of the mountain. The gondola takes skiiers and riders to mid-mountain where many of the main chairlifts operate at Northstar.

Rachel Trusty, a visitor from San Ramon, had a similar incident a few years ago as well. She broke her ankle skiing at Northstar in the early season and the resort was so accommodating that they refunded her season pass. Although I didn’t have a season pass to be refunded after my accident, I’d still forgiven the mountain by the next winter season.

Now I live in Reno and I can go to Northstar whenever I have free time. It’s only a 30 minute drive across the Cal-Nevada border. The drive is a pleasant one too. Hills line both sides of the road as you travel west on I-80, winding through the central valley of the Sierra Nevada. During the winter the hills are dusted with snow and the landscape doesn’t look as dry as it does in the hot summers. Trees are scattered in intermittent patches along the knolls, many of which are fallen to past forest fires, and you can see the transition from desert to alpine forest as you near Truckee. Unlike Reno, Truckee is enveloped in winter pines that stay green all year round, affirming the sense that California is a place of natural beauty.

In the early snow season the berms on the sides of the road are already pushed several feet high on the drive through Truckee. I arrived at Northstar early enough this morning to snag an open spot in the lower end of the free parking lot outside of the Village. Even on those days when you may find the parking lots are full to the entrance off of the main road (which is about a mile away from the Village), a short shuttle ride puts you right at the Village.

Today was the first day I’ve snowboarded at Northstar this year. The resort opened a few weeks ago on November 9 and they’ve been making enough snow since to keep opening trails. I spent 6 hours snowboarding on the mountain and I built up an appetite. I could grab something quick like an authentic Belgium waffle from the Euro Snack kiosks that give the Village its sweet sugary smell, but instead I decide to sit down at the bar inside the Rubicon Pizza Company.

The chalk board at the entrance displays daily drink specials. $4 bottles of Downtown Brown or draught Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA. Cool reggae sounds of Half Pint play overhead and the bar has just one open stool. I sit down and order the Sierra Nevada and a personal Blanco pizza with creamy garlic sauce, sliced chicken breast, red onions, and crisp bacon with a delicious four cheese blend. My food comes in just minutes and I take my time savoring the gourmet meal.

Pizza and Beer. Rubicon Pizza Company is a warm place to grab a hot bite to eat after spending a day on the mountain.

Before I sat down at the bar I’d felt an awkward tourist vibe in the interactions between people in the Village. The strange tourist attitude where everyone sort of keeps to themselves unless they’re asking for directions to the nearest gift shop. As I eat, I discover the opposite. The people at the bar are talkative and friendly. They’re light spirited and interested in meeting new people. The festive atmosphere seems to bring this out in the guests at Northstar.

 “I really like the Village,” says Veronica Masterson, a visitor from Maui who is staying with her husband at the Ritz Carlton for a 4 day ski vacation. “It’s like a little mountain town, a winter wonderland.”

The festive atmosphere is what attracts many people to Northstar. Others like Tom Morrow, a successful veterinarian from Sacramento, come to Northstar because it’s where his family has been coming since he was a child. Morrow owns a fully furnished condo in the Village, 100 feet away from the Big Springs Express Gondola that takes skiers to mid-mountain in just minutes. He comes to Northstar about 2 weekends every month to hang out in the Village as a 3 to 4 day escape from work.

“I like that I can get out of my car in the private resident parking garage, go up to my place, visit the shops and restaurants in the Village and go skiing without ever needing to get back in my car until I’m ready to go back home,” says Morrow.

After nearly two hours of small talk at the bar, I pay my bill and head back out into the Village streets.

Walking through the Village, most of the buildings are 5 stories tall, enough to make you feel secluded within the village and immersed in the ski community. Most of the people carry skis and snowboards as they walk to and from the gondola, setting their gear at ski and board racks outside of the Village shops.

At the heart of the village a Zamboni circles the ice rink, resurfacing the ice, smoothing the harsh gouges skaters have carved into the ice with their skates. Children anxiously wait along the outside boards, eyeing the Zamboni in anticipation of its exit. When the Zamboni leaves, the children scurry out onto the ice, many of them falling down.

The charming buildings and cobblestone walkways give off a warm ambiance, but all the stone keeps the Village frozen to its core. People seek comfort in the warmth of shops and around the fire pits that run all day long. The gas fire pits burn imitation logs to give an authentic feel to the place without leaving guests smelling like camp fire.

I sit down in a cushioned brown wicker chair around one of the many fire pits sheltered by maroon and beige draped cabanas around the ice rink. While the children blissfully skate in circles, their parents make trips to the cabana bar and let the kids do their thing. A lady walks up to the backpack sitting in the empty chair next to me and pulls out a bottle of wine, pouring the remaining vino into

Feel the heat. Fire pits around the Village at Northstar are perfects spots to warm up a little and socialize with other resort guests.

 two plastic cups.

“Mommy, it’s melting,” an excited little boy dressed in a black and red striped winter coat and a Spongebob Squarepants stocking cap says to his mother as he holds out a large chunk of ice in his bare little hands. “Mommy, it’s melting!”

His mother is Mary Costillo, a visitor from San Francisco who has come to Northstar with her family for a weekend of relaxation. Costillo doesn’t ski, but she’s come to the resort because of its friendly atmosphere and countless amenities. Her kids also love coming to Northstar for the sledding, ice skating, and especially the indoor swimming pool at the Ritz.

“I went fast,” says her son Nathan as he recalls sledding on the mountain earlier in the day.

To my right a group of 3 cheerful women, including Trusty, sit around the fire drinking Mojitos they bought at the cabana bar. They’re bundled up after 4 hours of skiing and content with chatting amongst themselves. Trusty and her friends like coming to Northstar for its familiarity and a variety of trails.

“They’ve got intermediate runs, more advanced runs, and even a backside for more of a backcountry skiing experience,” says Suzy Delahunt, also from San Ramon. “But I do like going to other resorts like Sierra for more of a small ski town feel. Northstar is a little more commercial than other resorts in the area. It’s ‘Disneyfied.’”

Disneyfied is the perfect way to describe the Village at Northstar. Everything is very clean, employees constantly picking up trash and reorganizing the outdoor furniture around the fire pits. The Village is seamless. It is an excellent place for parents to bring their children and the kids love it. The next fire pit over from where I am sitting is surrounded by kids roasting marshmellows under the supervision of their parents. They’re catching the marshmellows on fire more than actually roasting them. Still decked out in helmets, coats, snow pants, and gloves, the kids are completely oblivious to the reality that they’re parents are about end their day at this magical place.

Night lights. The Village streets are lit up at night. Trees wrapped in lights add to the festive environment.

It’s getting late and the trees scattered along the walkways tightly wrapped in white lights add to the seasonal glow of the Village at night. Free roaming weekenders wonder their way through the Village streets toward the parking lot, hesitant to leave such a picture perfect place.

While the idea of a ski community becoming somewhat commercialized may deter some people from visiting a certain resort, the “Disneyfied” feel to the Village at Northstar makes it seem special, like the way you felt when your parents took you to a theme park as a child.

An increase in daily lift ticket rates is a good reflection at how Northstar has become more commercialized while remaining an attractive place to visit.

“It’s $88 for an adult single day lift ticket now,” says Delahunt. “I remember it only being around $50 to go skiing here for a day. Now the only way to do it is to buy a season pass.”

Season passes at Northstar really are the way to go. Ranging around $300, a Northstar season pass pays for itself in about 4 visits. The season pass is affordable, especially at discount rates for early birds and college students. It is a great way for locals especially to enjoy the resort every season.

Sure Northstar might be Disneyfied, but that’s what’s so cool about it, because I can afford it. It’s as simple as loading up your car and driving to the resort. From there it’s all fun and worry free if you have the right attitude.

By KEVIN VANIA

The rising obesity rate in America’s young adults has marked childhood obesity an epidemic. The link to childhood obesity has brought schools to the frontlines as the first line of defense against the epidemic. Students have the opportunity to eat a large portion of their daily food intake and to be physically active at school.  With more than 95 percent of young people enrolled in schools, it seems to be an ideal setting for teaching young Americans how to live a healthy lifestyle. Therein remains the question if schools are really the biggest step in gaining control over this epidemic of childhood obesity.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey reports the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds overweight or obese in America has increased from 33.4 percent averaged for 1996-1998 to 42.5 percent for 2006-2008. That means that over 11 million young adults are overweight or obese and are putting themselves at risk.

Consequences of childhood and adolescent obesity range from psychosocial risks in which obese children are subject to social discrimination resulting in low self-esteem, to additional health risks like cardiovascular disease. Asthma, hepatic steatosis, sleep apnea, and even Type 2 diabetes can also be associated with increased weight. According to Sherry Gifford, a health and physical education specialist at Mannion Middle School in Las Vegas, toxins and chemical imbalances from poor diets can cause even psychological problems that end up getting kids put on medications that they shouldn’t be taking.

As can be noted from these consequences, childhood obesity carries past the school years and affects choices and opportunities in adulthood.

According to a new report released by Mission: Readiness, a non-profit group of more than 130 retired military leaders, more than 9 million young adults – 27 percent of all Americans age 17 to 24 – are too overweight to even join the military. Ted Eismeier, a spokesperson for Mission: Readiness, said that although a lot of recruiters are doing a great job at working with potential enlistees to get them in shape and help them change their lifestyles to join the military, the high rate of obesity is making it an almost impossible task.

“Many people are nowhere near the physical requirements for joining the military,” said Eismeier. “Obesity is affecting our ability to recruit a strong military.”

The people with Mission: Readiness have called on Congress to enact a robust child nutrition bill that would adopt the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) standards for what foods should be served and sold in schools and increase funding for developing child nutrition programs and improving the quality of meals served in schools. Eismeier said that they have proposed funding $1 billion per year for 10 years to increase quality by providing fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. Funding would support training staff to prepare the most nutritious meals as possible and it would guarantee they have the equipment to prepare those meals.

Many school districts have already implemented school wellness policies that meet IOM standards. School wellness policies that follow IOM standards regulate portion sizes with low fat, sugar, and sodium content in school meals, restrict foods of minimal nutritional value from being given away, sold, or used as incentives for students or during the school day, provide a list of healthy snacks to be sold in vending machines, and even designate time for daily physical activity. Some states like Nevada have even taken IOM standards a step further by doing things like taking the required 100% fruit juice and reducing the serving size to 8 ounces for less calories and sugar.

IOM standards that take junk food out of schools in exchange for healthy alternatives sound like they could be the answer to fighting childhood obesity. Many school districts however, have already adopted IOM standards into their school wellness policies and since the obesity rate has continued to rise, it doesn’t seem to be working.

Workers on the processing floor at the Washoe County School District Nutrition Services Center pack salad into 3"x3" trays. Thousands of meals are processed to be served to students every day.

There are holes in every department of education’s statewide school wellness policy. IOM standards don’t necessarily regulate the quality of the food served, and oftentimes students are not willing to eat it. There is often a stigma among students at middle school and high school levels about eating school lunches in the cafeteria. According to Gifford, “the middle school food is just horrid.” If students don’t want to eat school meals, then changes in school food guidelines don’t even have the chance to make a difference.

Suppose students do like the food served in schools; there are still instances where schools provide students with unhealthy foods of minimal nutritional value. The biggest problem with trying to implement a wellness policy is making sure that it is upheld.

“These are some great steps and the intentions are good,” said Rene Johnson, a nutritionist with the Washoe County School District’s Nutrition Services. “But more needs to be done to make sure guidelines are being followed.”

Since Nevada’s most recent statewide school wellness policy was adopted July 1, 2006, Nutrition Services has struggled to ensure that policies are met. There are a limited amount of people from Nutrition Services that can go out and check to make sure schools are meeting guidelines under the wellness policy. Schools are on an honor system and sometimes schools will disregard the wellness policy. Snacks are still going into vending machines that aren’t supposed to be there and teachers are even breaking policies by doing things like throwing pizza parties and giving out candy as rewards for students who do well.

There is usually no disciplinary action taken against schools that break the wellness policy. Johnson thinks this is a big part of the problem.

Although there are several revisions that can be made in schools, there are changes to be made in other aspects of the community in order to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity.

According to Johnson, it is just as important for parents to teach their children the values of healthy living at home. Parents need to teach their children the importance of good nutrition combined with regular exercise so they are able to make good choices at and away from home.

“Weight management requires exercise whether their getting it at home or in schools,” said Johnson. “Kids are going home and sitting in front of the Xbox or whatever they’re using, and they’re playing video games all night. And we know that’s happening. I can’t let the parents off the hook here. A lot of the education starts at home.”

Gifford says the students she sees at school who appear to be the most active are the kids whose parents seem to be the most involved. Making sure children have the opportunity to participate in sports and other physical activities is one of the best things parents can do to make sure their children are getting the exercise they need. Feeding children quality home-cooked meals is another important thing parents can do to help their children by instilling lifelong healthy eating habits.

If children aren’t used to making healthy choices at home, then they’re most likely not going to know how to make healthy choices at school or in other public situations. Schools can only do so much to address the epidemic of childhood obesity. Parents are the other part of the solution. Together, parents and schools are the biggest influences on a child’s path to adulthood. The community needs to work together to stop this epidemic and prepare America’s children for the future.

“It’s not just at school. It starts at home,” said Gifford.

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By KEVIN VANIA

It’s a quiet 6 a.m. tee time at the Washoe Golf Course as golfers tee off while a man hand-waters the greens at another hole. After their first drives of the day, the golfers proceed to enjoy their morning game, just as they do every Monday morning. Unnoticeably, the man casually watering the greens at their usual morning tee time is most likely responsible for the reason why they are there. The man’s name is Bob Miller and the reason the golfers are at the Washoe Golf Course is because Miller is good at what he does.

Golfers want an easy-to-walk course in a good location with quality greens, trees and shade, and they want a course that is fun and challenging. Ultimately, they want value for their money. In order to keep people coming back, the course has to maintain its value. As the golf course superintendent of the Washoe Golf Course, Bob Miller is responsible for sustaining that value through upkeep and maintenance of the 18-hole championship course.

Miller enjoys working outdoors in a healthy environment and with his background and experience in golf and turf management, the Washoe Golf Course’s 100 acres of turf is in good hands.

“Bob took over a golf course that was in very poor shape and within two years he turned it completely around,” says Barney Bell, director of golf at the Washoe Golf Course.

Miller has been the golf course superintendent of the Washoe Golf Course for six years, but his experience goes far beyond his current job.

He grew up in Thousand Oaks, Calif. where he was always exposed to sports and being outdoors. These aspects have always been important to Miller. Even with young thoughts of becoming a sports writer, he always imagined being at an outdoor stadium watching the game.  He couldn’t stand the idea of a job that would require him be pent up in an office.

Since his stepfather got him a job at the Simi Hills Golf Course in Simi Hills, Calif. at the age of 17, Miller has been working outdoors doing what he enjoys.

After his time at Simi Hills, Miller moved up to Lake Tahoe Country Club and worked at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. After ten years at Edgewood, Miller decided he needed to get serious in the business and go back to school. He went to the College of the Desert in Palm Springs where he graduated with a Turf Management degree and an associate in Science. After college, Miller got a superintendent job at the Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore before moving up to the Silver Oaks Golf Course in Carson City. At the age of 49, Miller is married with two daughters, and is happily working as the superintendent of the Washoe Golf Course.

“I like getting here first thing in the morning and seeing the sunrise,” says Miller. “I like being outside, I like being around a sport, and I like having an impact on that sport.”

Miller has worked six nationally televised golf tournaments. The biggest tournament was the U.S. Senior Open when he worked at Edgewood Tahoe in 1985. Preparing the Northern Nevada Amateur Golf Tournament was also another big event for Miller. He says that putting in a lot of extra effort is what makes an event so memorable.

Miller manages a full-time crew that consists of merely two maintenance workers, one mechanic, and an assistant superintendent. He also manages a seasonal staff of 8-10 people from April to October.

Making sure to provide a safe work environment for his employees is one of Miller’s top priorities. He does a lot of quality control in making sure that his crew is interacting with golfers properly. They need to be cordial and polite to the golfers, but to avoid disturbing the game, interaction should be minimal.

Miller and his crew work within a budget of roughly $650,000. During a typical summer workday, Miller and his assistant superintendent meet at the course’s pro shop around 5 a.m. to discuss what needs to get done that day. They give out assignments to the maintenance crew and try to get everyone out of the shop at a reasonable time. Miller often does spraying, hand watering, and supplemental watering in the mornings. He visually inspects the greens and watches his crew for quality control and helps out where they need it. After a morning break, he gives out more assignments and generally spends the rest of his day fixing irrigation.

Bob Miller measures green speed using a stimpmeter. The average ball speed that Miller aims for at Washoe Golf course is 9.

Irrigation is the most time consuming responsibility Miller has. Paying attention to soil moisture and choosing how much water to put down is the hardest decision he has to make on a daily basis. The course has to be green and it has to be playable. “That’s the big difference between a golf course and a park,” says Miller.

Washoe Golf Course has approximately 1,500 sprinkler heads that all need to be specifically adjusted according to the condition of their locations. During the summer, the sprinklers will typically go through 700-800 thousand gallons of water a night. The water supply comes from Steamboat Ditch from May to October and during the rest of the year it is pumped from a well by Virginia Lake. The well only pumps a couple hundred gallons a minute and the course doesn’t always have enough water to meet the demand of keeping the greens ideal. Miller and his crew work hard to maintain the balance of the greens.

During the winter, Miller and his crew occasionally do snow removal, but most of his time is spent catching up on paperwork. It is important for Miller to monitor for disease and pest management during the summers, so he also takes classes and researches diseases in the winter. A lot of people at the course take time off, but not Miller.

“Bob kept the course through winter very well,” says Barney Bell. “His operation really affects the golf course more than any other operation.”

Miller knows his stuff and the Washoe Golf Course is evidence of that. It is early spring and the course is already a healthy looking shade of green. Most people that aren’t experienced golfers don’t usually recognize how much work a man like Bob Miller puts into maintaining the value of a golf course. Although it may seem like his effort and dedication goes unnoticed, Miller doesn’t see himself as an unsung hero.

Washoe Golf Course Superintendent Bob Miller talks about his job:

“I get a lot of compliments,” he says. “Let’s just say I get credit from the people that it’s nice to hear from.”

Although Miller does a great  job, he says that the course is just hanging in there right now. In times of economic hardship, the course isn’t thriving like it was in the 70’s and the 80’s.

The contract for the owner of the pro shop will be up at the end of 2011 and the bid for management of the entire Washoe Golf Course will be out next summer. Miller’s assistant superintendent will be out of a job and although Miller has job security based on his seniority, he’s not sure where he’ll end up.

“I don’t really see myself here at this course when that time comes,” says Miller. “There might be big companies bidding on the course though. Maybe I’ll want to work for them.”

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By KEVIN VANIA

Washoe County’s park landscapes are showing signs of deterioration, facility infrastructure is falling and the County Commission is proposing to close the Sun Valley and Bowers Mansion outdoor community swimming pools for the fiscal year 2010/11. While still operating under a significant number of cuts from previous years, the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department is having difficulties planning for another five percent budget reduction come July 1.

Making cuts on top of existing cuts is a challenge.

“When you’ve just had to cut 36 percent this last year, it’s kind of hard to cut another five percent,” says Al Rogers, assistant director of Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space .

The stated goal of the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department is to provide open, safe, and clean parks. These attributes that Washoe County citizens expect to find in their regional parks are becoming increasingly difficult for the county to provide as it will struggle to operate with more than a 60 percent hole in the parks department’s budget that has developed over the past three years.

The next fiscal year’s cutback of $260,000 from the Regional Parks and Open Space initial funding level of $5.2 million should prove to be a leading obstacle in working toward the preservation of the county’s outdoor areas. This cut specifically reduces the operating budget. The Regional Parks and Open Space department receives an average of $2-5 million of grant support each year, but even that additional support doesn’t go far enough to cover the entire spectrum of responsibilities assumed between the development, preservation, and maintenance of parks and open space.

The Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space Commission Director, Doug Doolittle, announces reductions at monthly commission meetings which are posted to the public on the county’s website. The list of reductions has grown significantly over the past few years.

Several community swimming pools have already been closed, concert programs and staffing at certain facility reservations have been eliminated, and days of operation at the May Museum and Great Basin Adventure have been reduced. Specific to park upkeep, park maintenance (mowing, fertilization, weed control and tree care) and funding for paving projects has been reduced, staff are doubling up in vehicles because the number of service trucks has been cut in half, more park gates are being left open to reduce staff needed for daily locking and unlocking, and infrastructure program funding has been eliminated. There are only six park rangers for the entire County and the direct assistance the rangers have is minimal. The list of reductions goes on.

Andy Mink has been with the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department for 20 years. Mink was a district ranger for several years and has recently been promoted to a district manager

According to Rogers, the Regional Parks and Open Space department had 82 full-time employees and nearly 150 seasonal employees prior to budget cuts. Now the department has eliminated virtually all of its seasonal employees and is down to 49 full-time employees with hours still being cut. Staff members are taking early retirement incentives in avoidance of layoffs and their positions are not being filled. The department has decided to cut anything that costs over its staff’s base salary. The Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department is trying to be more efficient with the staff it has.

Most recently, a district manager, a heavy equipment manager, and two Parks Administration employees took early retirement incentives with a job freeze on their positions. The Parks Commission closed the short-handed Parks Administration office on Fridays, reducing its availability to the public for planning reservations to four days a week.

“It is easy to reinstate a park that has been closed, but the people power that it takes to run the park is the hardest to replace,” says Bob Harmon, who now works part time as the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department’s public information officer. “It takes experienced staff members who are familiar with the parks in order to run them efficiently. Having an inexperienced staff could end up costing the county lots of money.”

The Sun Valley and Bowers Mansion outdoor community swimming pools are projected to be closed this summer, however, money saved by eliminating the costs of operating both pools might not be enough to compensate for a five percent budget reduction. Depending on how the Parks and Open Space department is able to manage its budget, they might have to reduce even more programs as the year goes on.

A budget plan for the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department will be given to the Board of County Commissioners on April 5, and the final budget will be due by June 1.

Aside from the immediate reductions proposed for the next fiscal year, both Rogers and Harmon agree that it is also the long term effects of budget cuts that people will begin to notice this summer.

“You won’t see as much green and tidiness because of the cuts that have already been made in maintenance,” says Rogers.

Things will deteriorate in landscape and buildings. The department is using less fertilizer, days for mowing have been cut in half, and little things like cleaning gutters, painting curbs, and making repairs aren’t getting done as often. Buildings at park facilities are feeling the wear-and-tear of maintenance cuts and infrastructure is falling. Rogers explains that an important objective for the Parks and Open Space department is to work on soliciting grants to help put monies into the day-to-day maintenance and working to strengthen infrastructure.

The Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department is still using a busted recycling can at a pavilion in Rancho San Rafael park. Replacing even some of the simplest things is becoming a challenge to the county department.

Because of the ongoing effects of Nevada’s budget crisis, people like Harmon don’t expect a positive change in the county’s budget in the near future.

According to Harmon however, citizens are lucky that the county has always been ahead of the crisis. He says that Washoe County’s finance department has done an adequate job at projecting the county’s revenues, looking at its expenses, and making cuts accordingly.

“The crisis isn’t personal and it isn’t a reflection of value,” says Harmon. He understands that cuts are made where they need to be made.

The entire Washoe County budget faces a $24.7 million deficit for the fiscal year 2010/11. Cuts in Regional Parks and Open Space are important in order to make room in the budget for other county services.

Public input is important to the Washoe County Commission, and it has a large influence on the allocation of the county’s budget. According to the 2009 Washoe County citizen survey in which respondents were asked to indicate how much of a priority 15 different Washoe County services should have when determining funding allocations for Washoe County. Regional parks and recreation fell 12^th in budget priority. Since the beginning of fiscal year 2008/09, culture and recreation in Washoe County has taken the biggest budget cuts, year after year. However, when respondents in the same Washoe County citizen survey were asked to rate the 15 Washoe County services, regional parks and recreation ranked the highest in satisfaction with the service provided.

Although there are less staff members working with limited resources to try and manage the same parks and open space, rankings show that they have done an exceptional job in dedicating their time in keeping up the community’s expectations of the county’s regional parks.

According to Harmon, the increasing level of volunteerism is one of the best things to happen to the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department as a result of budget cuts. More and more members of the community are coming forward to help maintain the county’s parks. Retired folks are volunteering hours of their time to pruning, cleaning, and maintaining parks, neighbors are volunteering to keep parks safe and clean by assuming the responsibility of opening and closing park gates during summer hours, and volunteer organizations are growing to contribute their efforts towards maintaining and developing Washoe County’s parks and open space.

The economy’s hold on the county budget is forcing unrelenting reductions, yet notably with the help of volunteers, the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department is typically coping with the limited resources it has.

“What would you rather have: Cattlemen’s Steakhouse or Arby’s?” Harmon asks. “You’d rather have Cattlemen’s Steakhouse of course. But you go for Arby’s because that’s all you can afford. You can even argue that the steakhouse has more nutritional value, but you just can’t afford it.”

Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space will have to continue to make do without the things it can no longer afford.

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By KEVIN VANIA

A trailhead for Ballardini Ranch will begin construction this summer. The trailhead will provide hikers, equestrians, and bikers with access to a multi-use, non-motorized trail system at one of the last remaining big ranches in Washoe County.

Ballardini Ranch is a 1,109 acre area of open space comprised of land at the base of the Truckee Meadows and up into the Eastern Sierra. According to Eric Crump, the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department’s south district superintendent, the landscape of Ballardini Ranch consists of unique features and retains cultural significance. The area used to be a functioning ranch and there is a thin stream that runs through the entire property that is part of a 100-year floodplain.

Ballardini Ranch is a part of Nevada's cultural history. The open space is a quiet reminder of Washoe County's roots in ranching.

“The landscape is more arid than other county owned open spaces because the stream doesn’t run all year long, just mostly in the spring,” says Crump. “It doesn’t have a big pine canopy but it offers great views. It’s neat in the sense that it’s not flat. I think it’s going to provide some pretty good spring and fall opportunities.”

Crump also believes that Ballardini Ranch is one of the warmer regional open spaces because of its location at the base of the Sierra.

As the result of a 2006 settlement between land developer Evans Creek, LLC and Washoe County, the county acquired 121 acres of the total Ballardini Ranch land. Without a trailhead, Washoe County citizens who do not own private land neighboring Ballardini Ranch do not have access to this open space. Fences and private drives create a boundary between the end of Lone Tree Lane, and the county land.

“Right now there are not a lot of people using this land. Most people are waiting until there is a developed trail system,” says Crump. “I think the public deserves a trailhead and access to the public land.”

A trailhead will provide access to a trail system that spreads across the county owned acres of Ballardini Ranch. The trail system will feature six-foot wide multi-use trails with a small loop made of decomposed granite surfacing and a larger loop with natural surfacing. The Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department is hoping to have connectivity between the county’s western boarder of the property by creating a spur off of the larger loop that connects to 115 acres of federal forest service land.

The Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department used funds from the county’s WC-1 bond to contract with Design Workshop and create several different design concepts for the trailhead. The initial design concepts were presented to the public at a public workshop on September 9, 2009. While taking facility features and parking into account, the main focus of the workshop was cost effectiveness and the concern of efficient traffic circulation. 31 attendees signed in at the workshop and chose a loop design as the preferred design option for a trailhead. The main benefit of the chosen layout is that it minimizes traffic movement due to a one way loop.

A second public workshop was held on October 14, 2009 in which 13 attendees signed in to review two new design concepts based on the loop design chosen in the first public workshop. The public chose the first design concept of the two that were presented at the second public workshop as the final layout for the trailhead.

Features of the final trailhead layout include:

• 20’ wide access road
• 20’ clear one-way parking access loop
• 2 stream crossings
• 16 parking spaces (2 accessible)
• 6 equestrian spaces
• 1 two-stall comfort station
• 3 picnic tables
• Interpretive panel with trail map, “KNOW BEFORE YOU GO” and ranching history information
• Equestrian hitching posts
• Access entry gate and egress control- traffic control spike strip for exit.
• Future potential overflow parking (7 spaces)

Nearly 1/3 of the total Ballardini Ranch is reserved for open space and the 2006 settlement agreement holds some restrictions as to what can be developed on the county property and where it can be developed.

The agreement only permits Washoe County to develop the trailhead on a small portion of the eastern quarter of its 121 acres. With development of the trailhead being restricted to a specific area, the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department had challenges in managing the project’s projected expenses.  The trailhead will have to have retaining walls and stream crossings because its layout is basically on land centered between the drainage of the area’s 100 year floodplain. The desired layout for the trailhead mainly conflicts with the department’s goal of making the project as cost effective as possible because it proposes the two stream crossings that are going to be expensive.

According to Crump, cost management wasn’t going to be easy for the department in any case. “From the department standpoint they had to live within the means of the settlement agreement. There’s not a whole lot of easy access to the property no matter where you’re coming from,” he says.

The Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department wants to make a connection to Lone Tree Lane on the end of an existing private drive so that an easement off of the private drive will become the Ballardini Trailhead. The easement is set down in a canyon so that it doesn’t interrupt the views of adjacent property owners looking from the east to the west.

Public input did not just come from the public workshops held in September and October. Members of the Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space department met individually with several of the property owners adjacent to the county land. According to Crump, many of the neighbors were a part of the process and were able to express their concerns.

“That’s why they ended up with a trailhead that wasn’t on top of the hill,” says Crump.

While many property owners near Ballardini Ranch appear to be supportive of the trailhead, some neighboring property owners like Dane Meier are worried about some of the drawbacks. Although Meier agrees that the trailhead is good in the sense that it will allow the rest of the public to enjoy the open space, he is also concerned that it will impede the tranquility he has enjoyed at his remote residence for so many years.

“The trailhead is going to put a lot more traffic through the area,” says Meier. “Even without a trailhead or even without a trail system, we’ve always used the land anyway.”

If the Ballardini Trailhead achieves its anticipated use, traffic will increase along Lone Tree Lane, but Washoe County citizens will finally have a designated place to park with access to Ballardini Ranch.

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by KEVIN VANIA

The Reno-Tahoe International Airport Authority spent 22 months constructing the airport’s $63 million Airport Baggage Check-in (ABC) project. The ABC project is designed to create a swifter and more efficient travel experience for passengers checking into their flights. With the completion of the ABC project, all airlines except Southwest will begin operating out of the newly remodeled ticket lobby on Wednesday, December 9.

During such a time of nationwide economic hardship, most people begin to wonder how or why the Airport Authority could spend such a large amount of money on what seems to be a simple and even unnecessary project. Upon hearing the name of the project, Airport Baggage Check-in (ABC), it sounds like the airport spent $63 million on a few conveyor belts and ticket counters. However, such public speculations have been extinguished by the informative announcements given at the public celebration for the unveiling of the ABC project last Tuesday.

President/CEO for the Reno-Tahoe International Airport Authority, Krys T. Bart welcomed the public at the celebration and introduced the ABC project, reassuring everyone that not only was the project necessary in order to enhance the airport’s efficiency, but it is indeed the public community who benefits most from almost every aspect of the project.  The awareness of the needs of the Reno community was apparent at the celebration even as they collected over 2 carts of nonperishable food items for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada

Most notably, Bart explained that customer service is the highest priority held by the Reno-Tahoe International Airport Authority. In the wake of 9/11, heightened security measures caused 35% of the old ticket lobby space to be taken up by large baggage screening machines and the TSA personnel to operate them. In order to check in their baggage, travelers had to wait in line to check-in at the ticket counter, then pick up their bags and wait in another line to have their baggage screened by the TSA, then possibly even wait in another line to have their baggage manually inspected by the TSA if it was found to be suspicious.

Here is part of Krys Bart’s speech:

“I’ve found those little TSA notifications that my bag had been inspected even after I had already checked it in,” says Joel Resnik, a traveling RedBox video game representative. “In all honesty, when that happens, I feel violated.”

With old screening equipment creating less space and more lines to wait in, the old ticket lobby was simply too congested for the airport to provide the best customer service possible. The ABC project will end this cumbersome check in process.

Old screening machines have been replaced by new, software automated screening machines that are integrated into a behind the scenes baggage handling system by Glidepath. This system includes approximately 1.13 miles of conveyor belt, 441 photo eyes, 104 circuit breakers, and more than 500 motors. The amount of high-tech automation integrated into the baggage handling system will even reduce the need for the TSA to manually inspect baggage, according to Danette Bewley, the Senior Program Manager for the Reno-Tahoe International Airport Authority. Such an advanced baggage handling system had to be kept closed to the public during its construction because it involves Sensitive Security Information (SSI) that is crucial to airport security.

The new ticket lobby for the ABC project. Although it is fresh looking and pleasantly spacious, travelers will be glad to be spending less time in the ticket lobby at check-in.

With the new machines and TSA personnel being moved behind the scenes, travelers will be able to enjoy the new, fresh looking and more spacious Tahoe-themed ticket lobby. Flat screen monitors that clearly display flight information will help travelers easily find their booked airlines. Upon checking in at the ticket counters, ticket agents will simply take their baggage and place it on the conveyor belt behind the ticket counters. With a more open ticket lobby and less lines to wait in, the new, one-step check-in process will provide adequate customer service that coincides with the Airport Authority’s priorities and meets  the highest standards of today’s travel industry.

The ABC project has benefitted the public community since its first phase of construction began in February 2008. By creating jobs with such a large construction project, the ABC project has actually poured money back into the economy. Local contractors and construction workers benefitted financially from the project, as well as the businesses that supplied the contractors with construction materials.

“The project sort of keeps our local economy afloat,” says Bewley.

Q & D construction was the contractor for the ABC project and over 83 local subcontractors, consultants, and suppliers worked on the project. 74% of the workers are from the region. At the height of the project, there were about 200 hundred workers and the Airport Authority spent about $30,000 a day for nearly 1.5 years, according to Bewley.

Heidi Berthold, the Public Affairs Coordinator for the Reno-Tahoe International Airport Authority, reiterated the fact that the Airport Authority did not need to request any state or city funds to finance the $63 million ABC project, nor did it incur any debt.

The Airport Authority saved $51 million in revenue collected from the airlines for each passenger traveling through Reno-International. $4.50 of every ticket sold by the airlines is given to the airport in check form at the end of each month as a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). The other $12 million in funding was generously given to the airport by the TSA, as well as an additional $9 million for screening equipment for the new system.

Bewley explained that the Airport Authority took special precautions in order to reduce the costs of the ABC project. Costs and progress was carefully monitored through weekly, and often, daily meetings. Bewley even hired specialists to pre-test the baggage handling system for certification to ensure that the system would pass in order for the Airport Authority to avoid the extra costs of a 30-day re-certification testing period.

While the ABC project primarily benefits the public community, even airport, TSA, and airline employees share excitement in anticipation of the project’s official opening. Many employees at the airport like Margie Zoucha, a ticket agent at U.S. Airways, are going to enjoy the new ticket lobby and baggage system after being stuck out in the temporary ticket lobby for 22 months.

“It’s going to be nice and warm,” says Zoucha. “That, and the looks are the best part!”

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by KEVIN VANIA

In response to the state’s economic downturn, the Nevada Legislature chose to eliminate the annual transfer of $7.6 million from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund to the Governor Guinn Millennium scholarship for Fiscal Year 2009. It also reduced the $7.6 million transfer amount to $3.8 million each for fiscal years 2010 and 2011. With these recent cuts, students might fear that the scholarship will soon be revoked due to problems of funding.

There are several rumors about the Millennium scholarship circulating around high schools and college campuses throughout Nevada. From rumors of students no longer being allowed to regain their scholarship once after losing eligibility, to rumors of students recently being required to maintain different GPA’s than students of previous years, there is uncertainty about what is actually true about the Millennium scholarship.

Executive Director of the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship Program for the State Treasurer’s office, Reba Coombs says, “When I was in Las Vegas this weekend I even had people tell me they were surprised to see me because they thought the Millennium scholarship no longer existed!”

Coombs and her staff are responsible for the financial administration of the Millennium scholarship program. Coombs explained that money from the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) that 46 U.S. states signed from tobacco companies in 1998, is fairly consistent with its yearly payment averaging $35 million to $46 million per year for Nevada. The Legislature had to the chance to securitize the MSA, which means selling the rights to future MSA payments to investors for an upfront payment. Since the Legislature chose not to securitize the MSA, 40% percent of that money ($17million-$18million per year) continues to go toward the Millennium scholarship. Although funding from the MSA continues to support the funding for the Millennium scholarship, Coombs admits that the scholarship is still at risk of being cut off.

Locked in chains. Even the Golden West Motor Lodge on Virginia Street in downtown Reno is locked up behind fences. Nevada's poor economy has its grip on the city of Reno.

“To be honest, there was a lot of talk about taking away the scholarship to help balance the state’s budget with the money from the MSA,” says Coombs.

It is hard for Coombs to determine how much the cuts in funding will affect today’s students, but she can say that it did reduce the length of how long the scholarship will keep going. Coombs explained that in every Legislative session, the Legislature does something different in regards to Millennium scholarship funding. She says that although they essentially removed $20 million from funding to the Millennium scholarship after the Legislation’s 2008 session, there is still enough money that the scholarship is projected to last until 2019.

Funding has changed for 2009 but the only change to scholarship policies that might directly affect students is the new core curriculum requirement. As explained by the Board of Regents’ Millennium scholarship guidelines, the new policy states that “a student who graduates from a Nevada high school in Spring 2009 and thereafter must successfully complete the following curriculum in high school to be eligible for the Millennium Scholarship:”

High School Courses Units

English 4

Math (including Algebra II) 4

Natural Science 3

Social Science and History 3

TOTAL 14

This change in policy of eligibility will only affect students that are just graduating from high school. However, the new curriculum requirements probably won’t have much of an effect on the number of high school students who will gain eligibility.

Bryli Friberg is a senior at Spanish Springs high school who plans to graduate in the spring. She doesn’t see the curriculum requirements as a threat to students who are planning to take advantage of the Millennium scholarship after they graduate in the fall of 2010.

In regards to the change, Friberg says, “It probably won’t have much of an effect because students are already taking the required classes. Even to apply to certain colleges you have to have taken around the same classes they’re applying to the scholarship policy. Anyone who is expecting to go to college has already planned on taking the curriculum that they’re requiring us to take.”

Michelle Finney works in the Career Center at McQueen high school and believes that the newly required core curriculum is a great change. In agreement with the Board of Regents, Finney believes that students are going to have to be able to pass the required classes in high school in order to be ready for college. She is surprised that the GPA requirements aren’t also higher and anticipates that students might be required to maintain a higher GPA in the future.

In order to currently maintain eligibility for the Millennium Scholarship, students must maintain a 2.60 GPA for each semester of their first year of enrollment, and a 2.75 GPA for each subsequent semester after the first year of enrollment. At each institution enrolled, students must satisfactorily complete the minimum number of credits (6 at a Nevada State Higher Education community college or 12 at another eligible institution such as UNR) in each fall and spring semester in which the students are enrolled. If a student becomes ineligible for the scholarship, they may regain eligibility if they re-fulfill the eligibility requirements. All Millennium Scholars will be able to regain their scholarship only one time after losing eligibility. If a student loses eligibility a second time, the student will no longer be eligible to recieve Millennium Scholarship funds.

Ben Ernsperger is a junior at the University of Nevada, Reno, who lost his eligibility for the Millennium scholarship for the second time during his third semester at the University. Ernsperger wasn’t unable to maintain the GPA requirements and is now attending UNR without any sort of financial aid. He believes that the poor economy of the state is only going to cause an increase in eligibility requirements and make it harder for future students to gain and maintain eligibility. 

Here is an interview with Ben Ernsperger:

The scholarship coordinator at UNR, Suzanne Bach, encourages students like Ernsperger who have problems maintaining their GPA to take advantage of tutoring services on campus where they can receive academic assistance. She explained that after a first loss of eligibility, students may use any Millennium scholarship funds that they might not have used during an earlier semester to help with later semesters. Bach also encourages students who have completely lost their eligibility for the Millennium scholarship to fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) in order to help pay for school.

Attempting to obtain other methods of financial aid will eventually become the only option for students once the Governor Guinn Millennium scholarship runs out. Until that time, people like Coombs and the rest of the Treasury staff will continue to request that the Legislature adopt budgetary changes that will increase the longevity of the program, as they continue to explore new and creative ways to extend the life of the valuable program.

“I believe the Millennium scholarship should be based on merit and if you can be a good student then you should receive it,” says Coombs. ”We want to keep this program around and help students become as educated as possible.”

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