The R-C Morning Report

Polls open at 7 a.m. in Douglas County for the primary election. Twelve hours from now they will close and the stage will be set for the five-month general election battle. Unlike early voting, residents seeking to casa ballot today will have to go to their precinct polling place listed on their sample ballot. Didn't get a sample ballot, go to http://cltr.co.douglas.nv.us/elections/electioncenterhome.shtm and download one for yourself.

If elections were the only thing going on today would be dull as dishwater, but there's plenty more happening in the news world. Douglas County Planning Commissioners meet at 1 p.m. in the old courthouse at 1616 Eighth St. On their agenda is an ordinance to restrict nonrestricted gaming licenses to properties with 100 or more hotel rooms.

Douglas County School Board trustees are scheduled to determine the fate of Sierra Crest Academy and a new English curriculum, SpringBoard, today. Sierra Crest is up at 5:15 p.m. and Spring Board is at 6:05 p.m., though I would expect the Sierra Crest issue to last more than 50 minutes. The meeting is at the Douglas High School Media Center.

And then the Pony Express is riding through. The rider is expected in Woodfords at 4 p.m. and at Genoa at 6:30 p.m. They'll spend the night in Nevada's first permanent settlement, and then start for Carson City in the morning.

We'll see mostly sunny skies today with highs in the low 80s and winds 5-15 mph, with gusts of up to 25 mph. The temperatures will take a 20-degree drop on Wednesday, which will slow down the snowmelt a tad. Since June 2, 27 inches of snow have melted off at Ebbett's Pass, leaving 20 inches of snow up there. That puts Ebbett's at 84 percent of average for this time of year. Blue Lakes, however, is at 145 percent of average. The Tahoe basin went from twice its average snowpack to 65 percent in a week.