BUSINESS NEWS

SBA FUNDING PROPOSALS

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is inviting funding proposals from non-profit organizations, state, local and tribal government agencies, and institutions of higher learning to provide “Boots to Business” entrepreneurship training to service members, military spouses, and veterans.

The funding competition, offered by SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD), will enable delivery of the global Boots to Business program. The program provides entrepreneurial education and training to military service members and spouses (including members of the Reserve and National Guard) via the U.S. Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP).

“More than 50,000 active duty service members and military spouses have completed Boots to Business and are leading the charge to create the next great generation of veteran entrepreneurs,” said Barbara Carson, Associate Administrator, SBA Office of Veterans Business Development. “I look forward to working with SBA grant awardees to introduce service members and military spouses to the vocation of small business ownership.”

Eligible, interested parties should submit their proposal for Program Announcement No.B2B-2017-01 at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=291244 by Feb. 17.

For more information, contact John Lira at john.lira@sba.gov.

SBA anticipates awarding between one and four cooperative agreements from this grant announcement. A maximum of $2.5 million in funding is available annually for up to five years. The initial award is for 12 months. At the end of the initial grant period, SBA has the option to continue the grant annually, up to an additional four years.

MINE RECLAMATION AWARDS

The Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Awards for 2016 were presented at the annual Nevada Mining Association Convention in South Lake Tahoe.

These awards are presented to companies who have made exceptional accomplishments in the restoration and preservation of Nevada’s environment. The awardees were as follows:

• Newmont Mining Corporation, which was given one award in two categories: “Overall Mine Reclamation” and “Wildlife Habitat Enhancement” for the Bootstrap/Tara/Capstone Waste Rock Disposal Facility in Eureka County;

• Rye Patch Mining US, Inc., which was given an award in the category of “Reclamation Design and Planning” for their work on the Standard Mine North Waste Rock Storage Facility; and,

• Jerritt Canyon Gold, LLC, which was given an award in the category of “Innovative Reclamation and Closure in an Alpine Environment” for their work on the Gracie, Snow and Marlboro Canyon waste-rock dumps, and the initial-construction phase of the Marlboro Canyon Bioreactor.

KICK START ACCOUNT

The Nevada State Treasurer is urging parents of the 2016 kindergarten class to claim their child’s Kick Start account now to be eligible for a $200 incentive.

Previous kindergarten classes, beginning in 2013, could also become eligible for financial incentives or other benefits the program may provide in the future, so all Kick Start participants are encouraged to claim their accounts through the new online process.

Since 2013, Nevada College Kick Start Accounts have been established with an initial deposit of $50 for all kindergarten students attending public schools in Nevada. Class of 2016 kindergarten families who link a Kick Start to a qualified Nevada 529 College Savings Account may be eligible to receive an additional $200 contribution to their Kick Start account. Incentives are being offered on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is exhausted or June 30, 2017, whichever occurs first.

“We continue to enhance the College Kick Start program and plan to offer incentives and other benefits to all participants in the near future,” said Nevada State Treasurer Dan Schwartz. “To be eligible for these enhancements, families must claim their child’s Kick Start account. Claiming accounts also sends children a strong message that they are college-bound.”

To claim the account, visit the new portal at: vistashare.com/p/nv/kickstart. Registering on the portal also allows families to easily open and/or link an existing Nevada 529 college savings plan to the Kick Start account.

To activate a Kick Start Account, families will need their child’s Kick Start ID number, which can be found on the welcome letter or a Kick Start Summary they would have received in the mail.

If you have any questions or need help locating your child’s Kick Start ID number, please go to collegekickstart.nv.gov.

No taxpayer dollars are spent to fund the accounts. For more information on Kick Start, visit nv529.org.

DISCOVER SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES

When a fly buzzes around someone’s head, they might shoo it away. If it is particularly annoying they might even swat at it.

Michael Dickenson is not most people, he is a bioengineer and neuroscientist who has studied the aerodynamic feats of fruit flies for decades, specifically their sensory processing and flight control abilities, to better understand the inner workings of complex systems.

Dickinson’s work endeavors to understand the complex biology of flies, the inner workings of their brains, the way fluids flow in their vascular systems, and the way their bodies are constructed. He is focused on understanding the how and why that drives flies.

The community, students and faculty are invited to hear about Dickinson’s celebrated research in his free Discover Science Lecture Series presentation at the University of Nevada, Reno campus Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.

Dickinson’s audiences are fascinated by his illumination of the essential aspects of insect behavior, physiology and evolution. He is professor of biology and bioengineer­ing at the California Institute of Technology and has won numerous awards, including the Larry Sandler Award from the Genetics Society of America and the Bartholemew Award for Comparative Physiology from the American Society of Zoologists.

Dickinson’s lecture will be held in the Redfield Auditorium in the Davidson Mathematics and Science Center on the University campus. Free parking for the event can be found at the top level of the Brian J. Whalen Parking Complex on North Virginia Street, next to the new E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center. Admission is free. For information, call 775-784-4591 or visit their website at www.unr.edu/dsls.

RCAC INDIVIDUAL WELL PROGRAM

Private well owners in Churchill County, Nevada are eligible to participate in Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s (RCAC) Individual Well Program, which provides free private well assessments for those not regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

An estimated 43 million people in the U.S. rely on private water wells as their sole drinking water source, according to a U.S. Geological Survey. A well assessment can identify potential threats to individual wells that may impact drinking water quality and safety. Assessments include possible contamination sources, visual inspection, well construction and water source evaluation. In addition, RCAC’s professional staff will perform sanitary surveys, water quality surveys and test for nitrites.

During 2017, RCAC staff will perform well assessments for well owners in Nevada within Nye and Churchill counties.

RCAC also will offer three well owner workshops in Arizona, California and Nevada. For updates on the workshop schedule, to request an assessment or find out more about the program visit http://www.rcac.org/environmental/individual-well-program/.