Silver Dollars & Wooden Nickels: Residential real estate is recovering

The Nevada Appeal’s Silver Dollars & Wooden Nickels feature recognizes achievements from the capital region and, then warranted, points out other acts that missed the mark.

SILVER DOLLAR: Carson City’s residential real estate market prices continued to improve in 2013, another sign that our region’s economy is recovering. According to Sierra Nevada Association of Realtors leader Kathy Tatro, the median price for existing housing in the capital was $144,000 in January 2013 and rose to $195,000 by November.

WOODEN NICKEL: Carson City’s number of traffic deaths rose to five last year from one the year before, a troubling pattern during a year in which numerous accidents were reported on U.S. Highway 50 East. A major repaving project is planned that should help; let’s hope this year is a safer one on a stretch of road that Sheriff Ken Furlong has called the most dangerous in Nevada.

SILVER DOLLAR: November’s gaming win in Nevada was up nearly 12 percent, to $875.97 million. Football betting fueled the increase, and with the playoffs here, it will be interesting to see what January’s numbers look like.

WOODEN NICKEL: Four people were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving on New Year’s Day. We’re glad the number wasn’t higher and that no one was hurt or killed, but we’d be happier if the number were zero and not four.

WOODEN NICKEL: An Incline Village woman has been issued a warning from game wardens for feeding a black bear. The warning comes as part of a law that took effect Oct. 1, and Jane Green is the first person cited under it. Feeding bears woos them from the wild, create an unsafe situation for both them and humans. Anyone who wants to report someone feeding a bear can call the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 800-992-3030.