SILVER DOLLARS AND WOODEN NICKELS: Doggone it, we love these K9s

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

SILVER DOLLAR: The Carson City Sheriff’s Office put its K9s through training last week, demonstrating just how special these animals are. These versatile dogs can take on most any criminal and sniff out most any drug — but are also gentle enough to be around children.

SILVER DOLLAR: Full disclosure, the Appeal is owned by Swift Communications which administers the Bessie Minor Swift Foundation grants, but its the two local organizations who received the grants who deserve recognition in Mark Twain Elementary School and Capital City Initiatives. Mark Twain received a grant of nearly $2,300 for its project involving literacy and music while Capital City Initiatives, which works to lift people out of poverty, received a $2,000 grant

SILVER DOLLAR: To one of Carson City’s representatives of the Greatest Generation, Robert Curtis, who recently participated in the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. Curtis’ time in the military spanned three wars — World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He was an Army machine gunner as a teenager in World War II, went on to join the Air Force and eventually earned a doctorate.

WOODEN NICKELS: To New Hampshire-based Measured Progress responsible for administering Common Core testing in Nevada. Regardless of your stance on Common Core, to say Measured Progress has botched the administration of the testing and caused difficulty for Nevada schools would be an understatement.