A look back at 2024

January

A witness, who managed to evade the robbers in the COD Casino heist, testified to what he saw on July 14, 2023.

More than 38 citizen scientists filled Whit Hall at Genoa’s River Fork Ranch Preserve around dawn on a frosty New Year’s Eve morning.

A 1,228-acre ranch in southern Lyon County owned by the Park family has preserved, according to the Eastern Sierra Land Trust.

Single-digit temperatures and a double-digit increase in natural gas prices over the last year, add up to Carson Valley residents spending a lot of money keeping warm this winter.

Yvonne Wagstaff, who ran for office in 2020, was selected to replace School Board Trustee Tony Magnotta, who resigned the seat.

Charges were dismissed against two men accused of starting the Caldor Fire.

Republicans can have their caucus and vote in the presidential primary, Clerk-Treasurer Amy Burgans said.

A petition to alter Douglas County’s vacation home rentals was submitted to the Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer’s Office. for verification.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by 18 Douglas County property owners against the U.S. Forest Service over the 2021 Tamarack Fire.

February

Douglas County School Superintendent candidates Dennis Holmes and John Ramirez Jr. were finalists for the top job at the district.

A record 25 inches of snow fell over the weekend to set a new record. 

A petition to ban vacation home rentals was found to be insufficient, prompting an effort to ask county commissioners to overturn the finding and place it on the agenda.

School board trustees offered the superintendent’s job to former Stockton superintendent John Ramirez Jr. only to reject him and start over with a new search.

Former and future President Donald Trump swept the Douglas County Republican caucuses.

After disruption from months of utility work through Gardnerville, downtown businesses were bracing for the inevitable work on two miles of Main Street.

All 2,112.6 acres of the Buckeye Farms project north of Minden went on the market for $110.9 million.

Two Carson Valley brothers were among four people who died at a South Lake Tahoe home after a Super Bowl party where cocaine was laced with fentanyl.

March

China Spring Youth Camp faced a $1.2 million deficit, which could endanger its survival.

A zone change for the 1,020-unit Virginia Ranch Project eliminated 10.5 acres reserved for a school site in exchange for eight homes for teachers.

A full slate of school board candidates filed on the first day, including Yvonne Wagstaff, Marcus Zinke, Erinn Miller and Melinda Gneiting.

Federal officials conducted a public meeting for the Painted Rock Mine above Johnson Lane.

A man who drove a lifted pickup at speeds of up to 100 mph through the towns of Minden and Gardnerville was tracked down from a number to a paper temporary plate.

For a brief time it appeared that interim Douglas County Superintendent Jeannie Dwyer might get the job, but that was not to be.

Douglas County commissioners made it clear they didn’t have any interest in taking over the Topaz Ranch Estates General Improvement District.

About 130 people attended a public session to discuss the Painted Rock Mine, including 85-year-old Fritz Smokey, who said his cousin should get $1 million a month for the lease.

A long time Carson City provider said that issues with UnitedHealthcare’s billing long predated the cyber attack which affected the company and its subsidiaries in February.

A series of spring storms managed to bring Western Nevada up to “normal,” which was an improvement over what was in the works.

Former Douglas County Superintendent Keith Lewis took the reins of the Carson Valley Visitors Authority as its third director.

April

A federal lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee claimed Douglas County had 4 percent more active voters than it had residents eligible to vote.

Snow didn’t slow down the Carson Valley Active 20-30 Club’s annual Easter Egg Hunt. 

After four years receiving free meals, schools across Nevada will return to pre-pandemic policies at the completion of the school year.

An effort by school board trustees to settle a records lawsuit collapsed when the three trustees who weren’t named in the lawsuit voted against settling.

It was confirmed that attorney Joey Gilbert was hired to remove Superintendent Keith Lewis. Lewis resigned from the job.

A $6.6 million bid was OK’d for Miller Lane Parkway, setting off a conflict over the route with Park Ranch Holdings that would last the end of the year.

A memorial service was conducted at Minden Park for Don Stangle, Carson Valley’s first professional paramedic chief.

Hundreds of consumers connected with dozens of different businesses and organizations during the 26th annual Carson Valley Business Showcase.

Fourth-generation Genoan and longtime Town Historian Billie Jean Rightmire died Easter Sunday on the property where she grew up. She was 92.

May

A mom who worked in Minden and was killed in a wrong-way crash was the subject of an outpouring of support.

A trio of ladies from the Dresslerville Elders Women’s Circle displayed examples of traditional Washoe basketmaking on the Genoa Courthouse Museum porch during Genoa Western Heritage Days.

For the third time the Douglas County School Board wrapped up a search for a new superintendent with six applicants. 

Hot Air for Hope was back for a second year with a demonstration at Balloon Nevada for home-schooled students.

A rare May winter storm brought a foot of snow to Ebbetts Pass, brightening the irrigation picture for summer.

For the third time in as many years, the Douglas High School softball team won the Class 5A North regional championship.

The third Carson Valley Days beard competition will be conducted in memory of Clifford Joy, who with his brother, Adam, was poisoned by cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Sixth-generation cowgirl Gwen Scossa designed the annual Carson Valley Days button.

Work on the major repaving of Highway 395 took a break for the Memorial Day holiday.

The Vietnam Moving Wall arrived at Eastside Memorial Park with a motorcycle escort. Ceremonies were conducted over the Memorial Day weekend.

A Boys & Girls Club site in Minden was named after donor Lois Wray.

The first day of early in-person voting in the Douglas County Primary Election saw 85 people cast a ballot using a voting machine.

June 

The Kids Fishing Derby made a big splash at Lampe Park with its return after four years. 

A judge confirmed the insufficiency of a petition to prohibit vacation home rentals from residential zoning in Douglas County.

Work on Main Street shifted into high gear after Carson Valley Days, with paving shifting lanes and closing side streets along two miles from Waterloo Lane to First Street in Minden.

All About Youth’s Tim Miller was the Carson Valley Active 20-30 Club’s Man of the Year. Carson Valley Lion Ron Santi was the grand marshal for the annual Carson Valley Days parade.

More than 300 members of the Douglas High School Class of 2024 graduated.

Douglas County School Board trustees offered the superintendency to Frankie Alvarado.

Nathan Tolbert will join Mark Gardner and Danny Tarkanian on the Douglas County Board of Commissioners as a result of the Republican Primary. 

Bently Nevada was named the first mechanical engineering landmark in Nevada by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

June was 6.5 degrees hotter than average and had two weeks where high temperatures were 90 degrees or hotter. 

July

An excessive heat watch was issued for Carson Valley with temperatures with temperatures of 101, 102 and 103 degrees over the weekend after July Fourth.

More than two dozen vehicles illegally parked near Zephyr Cove over the Fourth of July. 

A four-year contract was approved with new School Superintendent Frankie Alvarado by a 4-3 vote of the school board. The contract was the longest allowed by law.

One home was lost in a fire that burned 229 acres in Spring Valley, located in the Pine Nut Mountains. 

A finding of no significant impact and a decision record for the Painted Rock Mine was issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Land Management.

The body of a Reno man was found a day after he was last seen jumping into Topaz Lake. Rodney Mitchell, 51, was the subject of the search by local and state rescuers.

More than 100 people attended the dedication of a monument in Markleeville to charter Alpine County Historical Society member Nancy Thornburg as the historical society and county engaged in a lawsuit over a joint agreement.

August

Sheriff’s Deputy Mariah West’s “Rest Now, Warrior,” will go on display at the National Peace Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Round Hill Pines hosted the 2024 Lake Tahoe Summit. Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto sponsored the event that began in 1997.

Park Ranch Holdings sought a preliminary injunction to prevent the county from working on Muller Lane Parkway. The county had awarded a bid for a portion of the route north of Buckeye Road.

State officials announced that major construction on Main Street through Gardnerville was “substantially complete,” though there was still some work left to do.

Douglas County sued to remove Democratic candidate Jason Garrett Gibson from the ballot after stating in court that he changed his party to Natural Law in July. Gibson was taken into custody the next day because he’d failed to follow a Tahoe Township Justice court order.

Jacks Valley Ranch sold for $18 million, $3 million over the asking price.

The owners of the Quilt House announced they were closing up shop in Gardnerville after 25 years in business.

A hearing on map and zoning text amendments dealing with Barton Health’s construction of a hospital in Stateline were delayed. The project was placed on hold pending an environmental analysis.

An August cold front set new records for the coldest high temperatures at 65 and 72 degrees in Minden. Several spots saw low temperatures drop below freezing. 

Candy makers were hard at work making Genoa’s Famous Candy Dance Fudge in preparation for the annual event that supports the town.

September

While roadwork on Highway 395 through town was essentially done, a full closure of the highway to install animal crossings near Sonora Junction in California closed it to all traffic for two weeks.

Whittell High School students participated in their first fire science class taught by Tahoe-Douglas firefighters.

With less than six weeks to go until voters started casting ballots, election workers were learning how to use the new check-in process.

The construction on Douglas County’s new judicial center was the topic of discussion at the 32nd annual Critical Issues Conference.

After an audit and cleanup of the voter rolls, the number of inactive voters in Douglas County nearly doubled from 2,416 to 4,757.

Douglas High School students prepared to celebrate their Fall Fest as part of Homecoming. 

East Fork Fire Chief Tod Carlini announced he would retire on Feb. 7, 2025, after serving 28 years with the district and 24 years as chief.

Carson Valley Sertoma celebrated the first day of autumn with Oktoberfest in Gardnerville’s Heritage Park.

An article claiming homes in the Gardnerville Ranchos were the sixth most expensive in the country failed to account that the Census micropolitan area included Lake Tahoe, and definitely skewed results upwards.

October

The first Lake Tahoe Bear Fest had bear dogs and bear swag but no bears, which was just as well. 

Douglas County commissioners agreed 3-2 they wouldn’t implement an ordinance banning truck traffic on Johnson Lane and would drop a challenge to the finding of no significant impact despite protests from residents of the north Carson Valley community.

The 2023-24 water year ended on Sept. 30 hitting average nearly right on the bubble. It’s exceedingly rare for a year to actually hit the average of 9.34 inches. Thanks to a wet spring Minden recorded 9.33 inches.

Ballots for the 2024 Douglas County General Election started arriving in mailboxes.

District Judge Tom Gregory ruled that four school board trustees withheld records from plaintiffs in a lawsuit and are liable for court costs.

Two first-time voters were among the almost 700 people who turned out to cast a ballot on the first day of in-person early voting. UNR students and Douglas High graduates Antonio Fuentes and Sabrina Settelmeyer.

A private helicopter slid into the East Fork of the Carson River after the pilot engaged in a day of angling.

Main Street Director Jen Tune estimated that the impact of paving on Gardnerville’s main drag was worse than the pandemic shutdowns.

November

Former Douglas High School Principal Marty Swisher was recognized by the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce as Citizen of the Year.

School Board candidates Erinn Miller and Melinda Gneiting won their races, shifting a majority of trustees on the board come Jan. 1.

The Wray Family Clubhouse welcomed students to the new Minden Boys & Girls Club on Ironwood Drive.

While a public safety outage watch was canceled for the area between Genoa and Clear Creek, there would be a handful of deliberate outages in response to windy conditions over the course of the month.

Douglas High’s Block D Turkey Drive gathered a little more than two tons of food and goods. The drive has been conducted for more than 20 years.

More than 630 players turned out for Kiwanis Turkey Bingo and 640 Turkey Trotters ran on Thanksgiving Day.

Gardnerville Town Board members approved a 35-percent garbage rate hike. The rate increased from $32.83 to $40.19 and will take effect July 1, 2025.

December

Gardnerville resident ‘Motorcycle Mary’ McGee rode into the sunset the day before the release of a documentary about the racing pioneer.

After a district court ruling rejecting an effort to prevent Douglas County from building Muller Lane Parkway, county officials said they plan to move forward with construction.

Fireworks from Gardnerville’s 19th annual Christmas Kickoff were the starting pistol for Carson Valley’s holiday celebrations.

Retiring East Fork Fire Chief Tod Carlini was the grand marshal for the annual Parade of Lights.

Carson Valley Health opened its new 54,000 square foot expansion after three years. The project cost around $55 million and a new emergency room.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake north of Yerington was felt across Carson Valley. People as far away as San Francisco reporting feeling the temblor.

School District legal counsel Joey Gilbert announced he was resigning from a post. Gilbert’s hiring in July 2023 was controversial.

Douglas County commissioners approved an ordinance prohibiting trucks from several internal Johnson Lane streets starting Feb. 1, 2025.

Trustees for the East Fork Fire Protection District appointed new Fire Chief Alan Ernst. 

A Johnson Lane man faces a murder charge in the killing of a woman. They were both found with head injuries inside the home in what authorities say they believe was an attempted murder-suicide.

Five people were injured after a ski lift chair reportedly collided with another at Heavenly Ski Resort. At least three fell from the Comet Express lift.

As many as 10 people were hurt in three auto collisions across the region with slick roadways blamed for two that occurred within minutes of one another. A third collision in Carson Valley on Christmas resulted in three being transported for treatment.