Nov. 29, 2023, R-C Letters to the Editor

Thanks for Heavenly Holiday Faire support

Editor:

The 2023 Heavenly Holiday Faire was a huge success due to the sponsors, volunteers and shoppers.

Special thanks goes to our sponsors: Lake Tahoe Epic Curling, Nevada State Train Museum, Carson City, Raley’s, Neil Hill - A Sign Shop, The Record-Courier, Dave Anderson, Joyce’s Jewelry, Carson Valley Quilt Guild, Nailology by Brandy Embree and the Carson Valley United Methodist Church Member Donors

The Carson Valley United Methodist Church, Women of Faith will be able to donate more than $14,000 to local, national and international charities that support women and children. Local charities include: Abbey’s Crossing, Alpine Kids, Austin House, Awaken, Inc., Backpack Buddies, Boys & Girls Club-Carson Valley, Carson Valley Community Food Closet, China Springs Youth Camp, City of Refuge, Earth Angels, Family Support Council, Kids & Horses, Partnership of Community Resources, Project Santa Claus, Project School Days, Suicide Prevention Network, Xquisite, and church outreach-community needs.

It takes many people to make such a large event successful and function smoothly. We would like to thank the UWF members, CVUMC Volunteers, crafters, bakers and candy makers, kitchen team and the committee chairs.

Bake Sale Co-Chairs Penny Puente and Maxane Hylton

Cinnamon Buns Kim Kruse, Lynn Lenox

Raffle Baskets Co-Chairs Jan Pohlmann, Linda Kozak

CandyLand Co-Chairs Ann Santos, Lois Wylie, Glenda McClelland

Kid’s Market Co-Chairs Linda Malconian, Sue Moxley

Timeless Treasures Chair Marsha Gallegos, Alison Grey and Barbara Gustafson

Crafts Co-Chairs Nancy Raymond Debbie Hampill and  Kevin Heckart

Jewelry Nancy Raymond

Lunch Chair Suzi Schell Wennhold and Kitchen Volunteers

Publicity Chair Sharon Hoelscher Day

Flyer Design Darla Brown

Silent Auction Co-Chairs Nancy Deis and Hoelscher Day

Treasurer Susan Hamarlund

UWF President Ann Robar

Thanks also to Office Manager Len Frueh and Pastor Latu Paeu for their help and support.

Thank you to all who made the 2023 Heavenly Holiday Faire a success. Mark your calendar now for Nov. 2, 2024, for the next Heavenly Holiday Faire in Gardnerville.

Beverly Griffith-Williams

Sharon Calvert

Overall Heavenly Holiday Faire Co-Chairs

Gardnerville

Primary-caucus debacle a manufactured crisis

Editor:

In a Nov. 11 Nevada Appeal column, the Nevada GOP’s Jim DeGraffenreid defends the confusion resulting from Nevada having two separate GOP presidential contests, both a primary and a caucus election, only two days apart next February.

Adding to the confusion: the caucus and primary will feature different candidates. Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis supporters will be outraged when they receive a mail ballot without their names on it.

State law dictates there will be a presidential primary on Feb. 6, but Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald insisted on holding a presidential caucus instead on Feb. 8.

The Nevada GOP sued to block the primary but lost in court. So both primary and caucus elections will be held.

DeGraffenreid observes the primary is just a meaningless “beauty contest,” but that’s only because the Nevada GOP is adopting rules making it so.

 Nevada was one of only 13 states that still used a presidential caucus before this cycle.

Nevada GOP leaders are longtime, ardent Trump supporters.

A tightly controlled caucus with limited participation advantages Trump. A primary with vastly more voters involved would result in a less certain outcome.

DeGraffenreid makes the preposterous claim that a caucus would have a higher turnout than a primary.

A Republican voter wishing to participate in a caucus will have to show up in person 5 p.m.  Feb. 8 at locations not yet determined.

Republican voters who participate in the primary will be able to vote at any time on Feb. 6 at any regular polling location. They’ll also to be able to vote early or by mail.

It’s certain that the primary election process would result in many more voters than a caucus—it’s far easier to participate. 

Proof: The last three Nevada GOP presidential caucuses (2008, 2012 and 2016) averaged 51,000 voters. The last GOP presidential primary back in 1996 had 146,000 votes cast. 

In 2024, at least three times more Republican voters would be expected to vote in a primary election as opposed to attending a party caucus.

But we won’t know because the Nevada GOP adopted a rule that any presidential candidate who put their name on the primary ballot would be prohibited from participating in the party caucus and ineligible to be awarded any national convention delegates.

Some candidates opted to go on the primary ballot (including Nikki Haley); others chose the party caucus (including Trump and DeSantis). No candidate can compete in both. 

What’s certain — the winner of the primary on Feb. 6 will be different from the caucus winner on Feb. 8. It’s a debacle.

Nevada GOP-run presidential caucuses have proven failures. 

In 2012, Nevada GOP caucus results came two days late with the Nevada Republican Party taking the blame for a shambolic handling of the vote. 

With a mere 33,000 caucus voters participating, results could not be timely announced.

Nevada political pundit, Jon Ralston, said the caucus problems were caused by Nevada’s Republican Party being “completely incompetent.” Will the 2024 caucus be different?

Ironically, as a result of the 2012 fiasco, Chairman McDonald favored switching to a primary in 2016. 

This year he sued the state championing a caucus — attempting to rig the outcome for Trump.

In 2020, McDonald canceled the caucus to benefit Trump.

What hasn’t changed since 2012 is Nevada’s GOP leadership ineptitude. 

They’ve created the primary-caucus chaos for Republican voters next February.

Jim Hartman

Genoa