Private First Class Joshua M. Martino, 19 of Clearfield, Pennsylvana, died March 19th. He and six other Marines were killed during a training accident at Hawthorne Army Depot, in Nevada. Joshua had joined the Marines in July of 2012 and was set to marry his fiancee. Martino was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment,…

“The evening of March 18th, 2013, will forever be remembered as a moment of profound tragedy in Mineral County,” District Attorney Sean Rowe told those gathered for a memorial service. “You have given meaning to the phrase, ‘America’s Patriotic Home.’“ Hawthorne has held an important place in American military history since World War II when it…

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is conducting the probe into a fatal training accident at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada. The investigation has been ongoing since a 60mm mortar shell exploded in its tube Monday night during training, killing seven Marines and wounding eight more. Investigators are working to learn exactly how the Marines…

Mildred Joy Flemming arrived in Goldfield in 1906 with her mother, Anne Ellis, and stepfather, Herbert, from Colorado. She was only about 9 years old at the time, but her story has touched many. Joy was only 6 months old when her father, George Flemming, became trapped in an underground mine’s ‘live hole’ in Colorado. A live hole…

Many times I’ve been to the playa of the Black Rock Desert,  to enjoy some alone time, to pray, to think and explore.  In a small wash to the north-east of State Route 49, I found a group of small rocks and stones. Buried in the dried mud due to a past gully washer, I could tell two had…

The first known explorers from the United States to come through Modoc country were John Charles Fremont together with Kit Carson in 1843. In the early evening of May 9th, 1846, Fremont received a message brought to him by Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie, from President James Polk about a possible war with Mexico. Reviewing the messages, Fremont neglected the…

FOX Executive from Los Angeles, Gavin Smith has been missing since May 1st, 2012 and his brother Greg Smith lives in Reno and sister, Tara Smith Addeo lives in Minden. The family of the 57-year-old exec and former UCLA basketball player has offered a $20,000 reward for information about his whereabouts. Investigators say Smith had…

As quietly as possible, officers encircled the man they tracked over the last year. They could see his make shift camp site as they approached. “Gun!” one of the officers shouted. Another yelled, “Police! We have you surrounded!” Seconds later, the single report of a gunshot echoed over the rock-strewn landscape. The chase had concluded…

At first I wasn’t going to share this, and then I asked, “So why write at all?” It’s a re-discovery that re-opened my eyes: the power of simple prayer. Towards the end of 2012, I was down, nothing was going my way and it showed. Everyday, I found it hard to keep going. Tired of the…

“Big Bill,” was born in Ireland and served as a pilot in Great Britain’s Royal Flying Corps during World War I. By 1918, William Blanchfield was a pilot with the U.S. Air Mail Service, having immigrated and applied for U.S. citizenship. In 1921, Blanchfield was assigned the Reno-Elko run.  The Nevada State Journal describes one of his flights: “During…