Carson schools making the top

The Nevada Appeal's Silver Dollars & Wooden Nickels feature recognizes positive achievements from the capital region and, when warranted, points out others that missed the mark. SILVER DOLLAR: A great big silver dollar for Carson City School District for getting a $10 million Race for the Top grant, one of only 16 in the nation to be chosen.Carson beat out both Washoe and Clark counties in the race for the grant.Winners were among 372 applications received in November. The news didn’t come too soon for the cash-strapped district which is facing a nearly $6 million cash deficit. While the federal funds are earmarked for specific purposes, it will allow the district to hire a dozen staff members, which will ease layoffs in the proposed budget.WOODEN NICKEL: A wooden nickel to whoever fired two bullets through Justice of the Peace John Tatro’s front door early Tuesday morning.Keeping the wheels of justice turning is hard enough these days without those who maintain balance coming under fire. We hope that the person responsible is quickly captured and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.SILVER DOLLAR: Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki gave silver dollars to Pearl Harbor survivors of the USS Nevada, but today we hand one of our figurative silver dollars and a salute to Mr. Roland Peachee, a 96-year-old Carson City resident, who served aboard the USS Rigel on Dec. 7, 1941. There aren’t so many Pearl Harbor survivors left in these parts nowadays, and we’re happy to be able to celebrate every one.Thanks for your service Ship’s Cook 1st Class Peachee.