The R-C Morning Report

Douglas County commissioners approved a 2-percent compounded growth cap on Thursday after an on-and-off nine hour hearing. A compromise on banking and borrowing was written by county attorneys as commissioners dealt with other business and at about 7 p.m. the board voted 4-1 to approve the deal. Under the ordinance approved by commissioners the Sustainable Growth Initiative would be repealed. The 280-home limit was based on 2 percent of the county's population in 2000.

The Carson Valley Days art show opens this morning at 10 a.m. and the carnival in Lampe Park kicks off at 2 p.m. The annual parade will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. and will close Highway 395 through Minden and Gardnerville at 8 a.m., so be prepared to get into town early if you plan on watching the parade.

The weather will stabilize this weekend with the high hitting around 80 and the lows down to the 40s. It will be pretty still today, but the afternoon breezes will pick up again on Saturday and Sunday. Summer temperatures in the 90s will return the middle of next week.

I had a talk Wednesday with Michael Hurick, the emergency services director of the Northern Nevada chapter of the Red Cross. Michael was presented with a problem on Tuesday when Marine Corps base housing was evacuated during the Larson fire. He had 70 people he had to house and feed and the Topaz Lodge's restaurant was still out of action from an earlier fire. He said the Carson Valley Inn helped by making sandwiches, but that getting dinner and breakfast 40 miles to Topaz was a logistical headache. But people did get fed, Michael said he served 122 meals during the evacuation. The Northern Nevada chapter of the Red Cross covers the third largest geographical region in the country. It responds to fires, floods and other disasters from here to Elko and south to Tonopah. Michael said people can help by undergoing volunteer training or donating money. Visit www.nevada.redcross.org for more information.