Category Archives: Carson City

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Small Cat needs a home

I’ve written about Small Cat before. She was the loverly mascot at Comma Coffee in Carson City who, because of the complaint of One Person, was forced to leave her palace and moved in with June. I am sure that June has provided her with every comfort, but things aren’t working out as well as she’d hoped.

June’s latest email:

I trust that most of you know the story, or at least are vaguely familiar with the plight of “Small Cat” once resident of Comma Coffee.  Ever since the “anonymous” complainer, in November 2008, Small Cat has been living at my house.  After almost 5 years living at Comma Coffee among couches and customers, it was a bit rocky at first but she eventually made the adjustment. However, I think she really needs to live in a home where she is the only cat.  Small Cat still does not get along with one of my cats, making for feline disharmony in my home.   I have always believed that Small Cat needs a home to herself. She is a very affectionate, beautiful, well behaved, indoor/outdoor kitty.  I believe she is of the Main Coon variety.
If you, or someone you know, could provide her a loving home please let me know. 
 june@commacoffee.com

Thank you so much,
June

I’ve been in this kind of situation before where no matter how much time passes, the kitteh roomies just don’t get along. I’m passing this along just in case one of my Nevada peeps can help out. Small Cat really is a sweetie.

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Small Cat Update #3

From June’s email:

smallcatFirst, I want to thank everyone for your support of Small Cat.  Even though we were not granted the Variance, we can be well pleased with our efforts, preparation, presentation, and overwhelming support.  All of which speaks volumes of love to me.  They may have won this round, but winning doesn’t make you right, or even good.  And they don’t have a 100th of what we have a Comma. They will never even understand what we have here.  I have been overwhelmed from day one of Small Cat’s exile, by the support and kind words from 1000′s of people.  My heart is so full because of all of you.  9 years ago, when I decided to create this crazy place called Comma, I imagined a place that was full of love and community, a place where people felt welcome, at home, loved, and enjoyed a sense of ownership. A place that spoke to the human condition of connection and acceptance.  You all have blessed me in ways I can not find words for, by getting it!  By understanding and embracing the true spirit of Comma Coffee, which is community, love, acceptance, personal freedom and expression, tolerance, family.  Thank you. 

Thank you! thank you! thank you!

I am not done with this issue of Small Cat. She represents personal freedom and liberty that is vanishing before our very eyes.  I believe the next step is the Legislature and I already have several people working on it.  However, I am tired from a busy session year, lots of extra tension and attention, so I am going to rest a spell to enjoy my amazing family, the last few weeks with my dear employees before they scatter to the four winds off to college, my home, garden, wonderful pond, and the magnificent natural world that surrounds us. If you have ideas, advice, knowledge of the process, or want to volunteer your services, please drop me an email, and I will get on it mid August. Thank you so much.

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Back to smoky restaurants?

I don’t care what they say, smoking “sections” in restaurants are a joke, and if this passes in the lege, we may be going back to the days of getting a side of cigarette smoke with your pancakes and eggs. Friday is my unpaid “furlough” day, so I’ll be in Carson City.

From my inbox:

On Monday, March 23rd, the Nevada Legislature introduced Senate Bill (SB) 372, which would completely dismantle the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act (NCIAA) – a voter approved smoking ban passed by ballot initiative in November 2006- and return Nevada’s laws on smoking in indoor public places to a level worse than before enactment of the law. The Nevada Constitution states that the Legislature cannot amend the law in any way until three years after its passage; however SB 372 would make these changes effective on December 9th, 2009. While the Nevada Tobacco Prevention Coalition (NTPC) has concerns as to whether the Legislature has the legal authority to take action this session, and has contacted legal counsel for that purpose, we still must be active in opposing SB 372. SB 372 attempts to make the following changes:

1) Allow separated smoking areas in most public places, like grocery stores and restaurants;
2) Allow smoking in bars that serve food, where smoking is currently not allowed;
3) Remove the ability of city and county governments to pass stronger smoking laws;
4) Remove the ability of county health districts and city and county police from enforcing the law; and
5) Allow smoking in convention center facilities during certain conventions or conferences.

SB 372 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing on Friday, April 3rd at 8:30 am. The hearing will be held in Room 2149 at the Legislative Building in Carson City and be videoconferenced to Room 4412 of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas. NTPC strongly encourages all smoke-free advocates to call or write Senate Judiciary Committee members to adamantly express their opposition to the Legislature’s attempt to overturn a voter-passed law prior to the hearing and to be in attendance on April 3rd. Below is the Senate Judiciary Committee members’ contact information:

When talking or writing to legislators, be sure to say you oppose SB 372 and also bring up the following points:
1) The Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act was passed by a majority of Nevada voters. The law would overturn the will of the people.
2) According to the US Surgeon General, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Banning smoking indoors is the only proven way to protect non-smokers from the deadly chemicals found in secondhand smoke.
3) This law is less protective than the laws we had before the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act passed. In fact, SB 372 would reverse all progress in the state and roll back our smoking laws to those we had in the 1990s.

In addition to calling or writing to your legislators, you can also submit your opposition to SB 372 via the Nevada Legislature website at https://www.leg.state.nv.us/75th2009/opinions/Poll/?FID=287069&CFTOKEN=58072077.

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A mystery – Nathan Israel Frank

Do you know this man?

A body found on the side of Spooner Summit on Aug. 10 has been identified, but officials are no closer to finding the man’s next of kin.

An autopsy revealed that Nathan Israel Frank, 79, died in his sleep of natural causes at least two days before a motorist spotted his remains in a ravine on the northbound side of Highway 50 West, halfway between Carson City and Spooner Summit.

According to Alan Glover, administrator and clerk recorder for Carson City, all he knows about Frank is his name, date of birth and date of death. After that the leads have dried up. (Nevada Appeal)

It appears this man has been a loner and a “hobo” for the majority of his life. If he has any family it appears he long ago lost contact with them.

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Lyon County Dems are holding a Mock Caucus

From the Lyon County Democratic Party:

WHAT THE HECK IS A CAUCUS?

Have you heard about the caucus, but it still seems confusing to you?
Or maybe you don’t have a clue what it’s about…
Come join us at our first Mock Caucus and you’ll get a chance to experience first-hand how a caucus works. The Nevada Democratic Party is sponsoring a series of “mockuses” in rural Nevada and they are coming to Fernley on Thursday, June 7th.
Hosts: Jim and Teresa Williams
Address: 1060 Rimfield Drive, Fernley
Time: 6:30 PM

SPECIAL GUESTS:
Jill Derby, Nevada State Democratic Party Chair
Jean Hessburg, Statewide Caucus Campaign Director
Jayson Sime, Nevada Caucus Director

If you have already volunteered to be a Temporary Caucus Chair, or would like more information about the caucus, we really encourage you to attend this event.
It will give you a good feel for what will happen on January 19, 2008.

Feel free to bring friends and family.

On Edit: The Carson City Dems are doing the same thing on Thursday morning. Details:

Thursday, June 7th, 11:30 am
Buffet at Grandma Hattie’s
2811 S. Carson Street

The Nevada State Democratic Party is sponsoring an information and mock caucus meeting. Jean Hessberg, who ran the 2004 Iowa presidential caucuses, will be helping organize our efforts to make the January 19th the best and most well attended precinct caucus meetings. She will be leading this meeting and should have some valuable insights into what will be happening leading up to January and the running of the caucuses themselves. There will be some new wrinkles and some familiar ones. Let us prove that the DNC was right to select Nevada to represent the Intermountain West in the early stages of the primary process.

There will be some media coverage so a good turnout would be welcomed.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED

Please contact headquarters at 841-3367 or e-mail carsoncitydems@sbcglobal.net

The Douglas Dems will be holding a Mock Caucus at Whittell High School in Zephyr Cove on Friday. I’ll get more information to you shortly.

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My report on today’s festivities

Well, I guess so far I’m the only local blogger reporting on the Presidential Forum Watch Party over at the Nevada Appeal. Kirk Caraway was there too, so we’ll wait and see what he posts. I was there in “official” capacity (read: working) and today was the culmination of a lot of work on the part of a lot of people. When we found out the tickets to the actual forum were controlled by AFSCME and that issues with regards to campaign finance dictated how they were going to disperse tickets (to their members and local dignitaries – defined as elected officials and central committee executive boards only) the Democratic Party wanted to put something together for our folks. Hence the Watch Party.

Frankly, I think we got the better deal. We got to watch the forum and also have six out of eight candidates stop by, speak, shake our hands, and get up close and personal with a lot of Democrats. This is the sort of thing I’d hoped that our early caucus status would create. It was great! My goal today was that our activists would have a good time (everything I heard today indicated that they did). And on a personal note I wanted to get all the candidates to autograph my Dean’s List (as in Governor Dean) poster that I won in a raffle at last month’s Douglas County dinner.

Jill Derby did a marvelous job as our emcee. Senator Reid greeted us at about 11am, Governor Richardson arrived just about then, spoke to the group and did a LOT of schmoozing before heading over to the Community Center. Shook his hand and got him to sign my poster. One down, ?? to go (even as the forum began we had only a handful of candidate commitments to appear – things were in flux due to the forum, the media, etc).

Walking back into the volunteers’ break room I almost knocked over Congressman Dennis Kucinich. He was just finishing up signing my poster. Shook his hand. He spoke to the crowd and my thought that for such a small guy he has quite a presence. (and no, he did not do that “no strings” thing with us). Elizabeth, his wife, is beautiful and gracious. After schmoozing a bit with the group he headed over to the community center. (Two down)

The forum was fed to us on eight plasma teevees, and we heard from Senator Dodd and Senator Clinton.

Then Chris Dodd arrived and spoke to us. After speaking he headed into the audience and spent quite a bit of time talking to them and the press. Shook his hand and introduced myself as one of Governor Dean’s 50 State Strategy people. And he signed my poster (three down). He got out just before…

…Hillary Clinton arrived. Shook her hand. She spoke to the group, and worked the rope line, signing people’s Nevada Appeal special editions and other items. Just before she left, one of her staffers got her to sign my poster (four!). I’ve read elsewhere that the local press and some bloggers felt that she avoided them. That might have been because she was actually spending time with Democrats – visiting over at the legislature, taking a trip through Comma Coffee (one of our attendees told us she had been over there meeting people and shaking hands), meeting with Democratic women, speaking at the forum. And then she came over to visit with us before heading off to Las Vegas for a 5pm speaking engagement. (Photo: Chad Lundquist/Nevada Appeal)

Back to the televised forum. I was running around checking with volunteers and keeping an eye open for problems, talking to attendees, etc.

We were getting down to the end of the forum and still no Vilsack or Biden. Frantic cell phone calls to their campaigns and text messages to and fro. Jill, ever the trooper, encouraged the crowd to stick around after Mike Gravel finished speaking because we had more candidates heading our way.

Governor Vilsack appeared and spoke to the group. He was much more low key than the previous candidates, but the audience was paying close attention. These people are our serious base Democrats and they are taking their responsibilities to choose their best candidate seriously. When he was leaving Jill introduced me and Brian Hutchinson to him, and I got him to sign my poster. (five for five!)

Finally…Joe Biden arrived through the front door. Shook his hand and he asked me who I was. Very nice smile he has, and he looks you in the eye. Senator Biden spoke to the group mainly about labor and middle class issues. Really spent a lot of time with the crowd, then he signed my poster (six!) and took a group picture with our volunteers.

If you are keeping track, we got six of the eight candidates to our little soiree. I think there were several that were disappointed that John Edwards didn’t stop by.

So…what do I think? I think we have a fantastic field of candidates. And more than that, we have a great group of Democrats in northern Nevada. And our volunteers? They ROCK.