The Old Blog in the Desert

Crystal Davidson, who grew up in Emmett, Idaho, and later in Silver Springs, has long been haunted by traumatic childhood memories.

She recounted being sexually abused by her father at the age of five. Despite filing a report in 2003, the investigation hit a roadblock, leaving Davidson without the closure she deserved.

Davidson first reported the abuse to authorities when she was 16, recounting an incident in which she said her father entered the bathroom and began touching her inappropriately.

“I was so young, I didn’t even know it was wrong,” she recalled.

However, Crystal never heard anything further from law enforcement.

When she saw her father, John Hesselgesser, in a recent News 4 report regarding a child neglect case involving unsanitary conditions in her childhood home, it reignited her desire for answers.

Crystal obtained a copy of her 2003 report. The document showed that investigators had taken her signed statement but faced resistance from her father, who refused to cooperate.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) forwarded the case to the police in Emmett, Idaho, where Davidson’s family once lived, but it appears the case fell through the cracks. Despite records indicating that other agencies, including the Division of Child and Family Services, were aware of the complaint, Emmett Police say they have no record of receiving the report from Lyon County.

“Now it sounds like Emmett P.D. is saying they never received the report,” said Lyon County Sheriff Brad Pope.

More than two decades later, Davidson’s case was left unresolved, with no clear explanation of what happened.

“It really hurts to see that the people who are supposed to be helping, aren’t helping,” she said.

Although her father has refused to comment on the allegations, Lyon County Sheriff Brad Pope has committed to assisting in the investigation.

“If the suspect is found to have committed a crime, justice needs to be served,” Pope stated.

Recently, Emmett Police Chief Steve Kunka agreed to reopen the investigation.

“With the assistance of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office in making contact with all parties involved, we will collect as much information as we can and submit it to the Gem County Prosecutor for evaluation and potential charging,” Kunka said.

After 21 years, the case is again active, and Davidon expressed relief that she may finally get the answers she has long sought.

A crash on Route 318 has claimed the lives of four reining horses and left two people injured as they traveled to the High Roller Reining Classic horse show in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 4, when a truck-and-trailer rig carrying the horses was forced off the highway by another vehicle, according to Nicole Renick Johnson.

Johnson and her husband Adam were driving separate rigs, with a third vehicle driven by their two assistants. After making an overnight stop in Ely, the team was continuing their journey when the southbound rig carrying six horses veered off the road around 7:30 a.m., resulting in a fatal accident for most of the animals on board.

Johnson described the tragic loss, saying that four of the six horses did not survive the crash.

“Two are at the vet hospital,” she said. “Both of those horses will make it. One had minor cuts and wounds, and the other one had quite a bit of damage to the one side of his face, but he’s put together and both of them will be fine.”

The two assistants traveling in the rig escaped with only minor injuries. One sustained a fractured thumb, while the other suffered a sprained ankle.

“It was a terrible day, but at the end of the day, I’m glad that the two girls that were in that truck came out alive,” Johnson added. “Because I don’t know how they did it—it was definitely a miracle.”

Despite the loss, Nicole expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from the reining community.

“We’ll move on,” she said. “Everybody’s been so supportive, so we’ll get through it, and move on—and that’s all we can do.”

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and neither local nor state authorities have provided additional details about the other vehicle involved or the condition of its driver.

Ukraine operates as a covert CIA base and proxy for U.S. strategic interests, with the U.S. involvement in Ukraine beginning with the Nunn-Lugar Act in 1991.

U.S. activities in Ukraine escalated following the Nunn-Lugar Act, which aimed to address nuclear proliferation but facilitated deeper U.S. operations.

In 2005, Senators Barack Obama and Richard Lugar visited Ukraine to inspect former Soviet bio, chemical, and nuclear facilities. They were turned into “defensive research facilities,” paving the way for U.S. contractors to establish operations in Ukraine under the guise of “foreign aid.”

Now, Ukraine functions as a covert CIA base and proxy for U.S. strategic interests, with manipulation and controversial operations by U.S. agencies, making Ukraine a strategic asset that began with the Nunn-Lugar Act of 1991 and has evolved through covert operations and political interventions. The U.S. started intensifying its involvement in Ukraine following the Nunn-Lugar Act, which aimed at nuclear non-proliferation but allegedly laid the groundwork for deeper U.S. operations.

In 2005, Senators Barack Obama and Richard Lugar visited Ukraine to inspect former Soviet bio, chemical, and nuclear facilities, which were then reportedly converted into “defensive research facilities.” The transition facilitated U.S. contractors’ establishment in Ukraine, operating under the pretense of “foreign aid.”

The CIA funded extremist groups, including Nazi militant factions, leading to the outbreak of civil conflict in Ukraine’s Donbas region in 2014. The period, marked by a significant geopolitical shift, saw the U.S. State Department, through figures such as Victoria Nuland, manipulating the political landscape to install pro-U.S. leaders.

The leaked phone call between Nuland and Geoffrey Pyatt, discussing the appointment of “their guy” Arseniy Yatsenyuk as Prime Minister, is evidence of this intervention.

Meanwhile, Ukraine was effectively taken over by the U.S. through a “Color Revolution” in 2014, turning the country into an unofficial U.S. territory and NATO member, something that Nuland is adept at creating. Russian President Vladimir Putin perceived it as a direct threat. He regarded U.S. efforts to integrate Ukraine into NATO and establish a proxy army along the Russian border as a significant security concern.

Finally, the U.S. continues to use Ukraine as a cover for illicit activities, including the development of bioweapons, human trafficking, and drug trafficking. U.S. financial and military support for Ukraine is a means to perpetuate these illegal operations and maintain a strategic foothold in the region.

Having finished work early, I was seated at the bar when he came shuffling in.

“What you drinking?” he asked.

“Water,” I answered.

“Wanna beer or maybe a shot? I’m having both,” he said.

“Not right now,” I said.

“Why you having both? That’s not your usual,” I stated.

“Jus’ bugged and wanna relax a bit.”

“What’s got you bugged?”

“That incident last Saturday at the saloon.”

“I don’t know what you’re referencing.”

“You didn’t hear?”

“Not a word.”

“A guy the cops had already cuffed and on the ground and the one that likes to carry the baton around, whacked the cuffed guy in the head at least three times.”

“No, shit?”

“No, shit.”

“He’s one of the cops I had a run in about three years ago. Pulled me over and before I know it, I’m on the ground, cuffed, with three cops tearing my truck apart.”

“Why did he pull you over in the first place?”

“He never did say. He just made me get out and whammo.”

“So what happened then?”

“When they didn’t find the drugs they thought they would, they let me go.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“What about the guy the cop beat?”

“They had to send an ambulance to the jail. I don’t know what happened from there. I suspect they didn’t take him to the hospital, though.”

We sat there silent for about a minute before he turned to me and asked, “You sure you don’t wanna have something harder?”

I looked into the bottom of my water glass and answered, “Yeah, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

He looked down the bar at the woman tending customers, “Two shot glasses, please, and a bottle of Jamison.”

She quickly poured two shots and set them down.

“You can leave the bottle,” he said as he gave her his credit card.

“I know there ain’t anything we can do about it because it’s a small town, and I know I don’t wanna get a beatdown, and I know you’re having your trouble with them and don’t want to get whacked in the head either, so the best we can do is sit here quietly and drink,” he said.

“Yeah,” I said.

After being rounded up and removed from a residential development property in south Reno last month, two dozen Virginia Range horses are up for adoption.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) facilitated the adoption following discussions with the Wild Horse Connection (WHC) and the governor’s office. The horses, trapped after Sunny Hills Ranchos, a California-based development company, fenced off the area, had their access to water cutoff.

Despite efforts by the WHC to relocate the horses, the deadline passed, prompting the developer to contact the NDA, which then conducted the roundup. After ensuring no legal claims to the horses existed and microchipping them to prevent their return to the wild, the NDA transferred the horses to the WHC’s custody.

The horses are being cared for by private owners until they find permanent homes.

Vance emphasized the importance of finding safe and suitable homes for the horses.

“We don’t want to see any of the horses go into the wrong homes,” Vance said. “We want to make sure that we have good placement for these horses going forward for the rest of their lives.”

To adopt or foster one of the horses, email corenna@wildhorseconnection.org.

The State of Nevada, Washoe County, and the City of Reno invested $5.7 million in a carbon emissions tracking project with NZero (formerly Ledger8760.)

Recent findings reveal that the project to provide real-time data to guide environmental decisions did not deliver on its promises, raising questions about whether the investment was a good deal for Nevada taxpayers.

The project, championed by former Governor Steve Sisolak, was part of his broader environmental strategy.

Under his leadership, the state sought to position itself at the forefront of climate action through innovative partnerships and investments in technology. Sisolak pushed for the NZero contract, intending to create a model for other states to follow in tracking and reducing carbon emissions.

“We wanted Nevada to be a leader in the fight against climate change,” Sisolak stated during the project’s launch. “This platform was supposed to give us the tools to make informed decisions and take meaningful action.”

However, its performance has fallen short of the stated goals. The carbon tracking platform struggled with significant delays in data reporting, often providing data months late instead of the promised real-time updates, undermining the state and local government’s ability to make timely decisions regarding carbon reduction strategies.

Robin Yochum, a former programs manager at the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy, expressed concerns about the project’s effectiveness.

“The data was often delayed by months, which undermined the ability to make timely decisions,” Yochum said. “We were expecting real-time tracking capabilities, but the reality fell short.”

The project also faced challenges securing real-time data from utility providers like NV Energy and Southwest Gas, further hindering the platform’s ability to deliver comprehensive insights. When NV Energy cut off the feed, the county lost access to its month-old data for nearly a year., while NZero continued to collect its $6,000 monthly fee for providing it.

“Without real-time utility data, the platform couldn’t provide the comprehensive insights we needed,” Yochum added. “It became clear that the investment wasn’t delivering the expected outcomes.”

As a result, the data provided by NZero had a slight impact on state and local carbon reduction efforts. While Washoe County and the City of Reno have used the data to implement a few projects, the State of Nevada has yet to use the information for efficiency upgrades.

“The $5.7 million could have been better spent on direct improvements to government infrastructure,” Yochum suggested. “Instead of a data platform that didn’t live up to its promises, we could have invested in tangible projects with immediate benefits.”

The decision to use NZero came under the Sisolak administration, and some critics argue that the former governor’s eagerness to advance the United Nation’s climate agenda may have led to a lack of thorough vetting. Documents reveal that the state and local governments rushed into hiring NZero without fully considering other competitors or the company’s ability to deliver on its promises.

“There was a rush to contract with NZero, and that led to a lack of due diligence,” a source close to the decision-making process said. “It’s clear now that more careful oversight was needed.”

The broader context of the carbon tracking industry, characterized by an absence of standardized methods and regulations, may have also contributed to the project’s underperformance.

Climate economist Danny Cullenward noted that this regulatory gap makes it difficult to hold companies like NZero accountable for their results.

“Without established standards, it’s difficult to hold these companies accountable,” Cullenward explained. “This lack of regulation creates a risk that public funds are not used effectively.”

The NZero project, once hailed as a pioneering effort in climate action, now serves as a cautionary tale about the challenges and risks of public-private partnerships in the environmental sector. While these partnerships can introduce innovation, they require rigorous oversight to ensure taxpayer funding gets spent effectively.

In this case, the lack of oversight and the rush to engage NZero led to concerns that the project was not a good deal for Nevada taxpayers.

“In hindsight, it’s clear that we should have been more cautious,” Yochum concluded. “This experience should serve as a lesson for future investments in climate initiatives.”

Meanwhile, the NZero board has replaced the company CEO with Josh Weber, one of the co-founders, and both Josh Griffin and Matt Griffin resigned earlier this year. The company has lost about a third of its employees.

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, exempting tips from federal income taxes is gaining support.

Americans have long been known for their generous tipping habits, with U.S. tipping culture extending to more occupations and involving higher amounts than most other countries. However, this culture may soon become even more pervasive, but it could have unintended consequences for consumers and workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw increased tipping as Americans sought to support service workers during difficult times. Tip jars that once collected spare change began to be replaced by digital touch screens suggesting higher tip amounts, even for small transactions. The result has been an expansion of tipping expectations, with more people feeling pressured to tip in situations where it was previously uncommon.

A Pew Research Center survey from November revealed that 72 percent of U.S. adults believe tipping in more places than five years ago is expected. A WalletHub survey from February echoes this, where three out of four respondents expressed the view that tipping has gotten out of control. The psychological burden of determining when and how much to tip has only added to the frustration.

The proposal to exempt tips from federal taxes could simplify payroll for employers and reduce the discrepancies between reported credit card tips and unreported cash tips. However, it might also encourage more businesses to introduce tipping, expanding it to new sectors.

While Vice President Kamala Harris has suggested that the tax exemption would apply specifically to service and hospitality workers, the pressure to extend this benefit to other low-paid workers could be significant.

Critics argue the proposal is about securing votes in states like Nevada rather than addressing broader income inequality. A more equitable solution might involve increasing the standard deduction or expanding the earned income tax credit rather than creating a tax loophole that benefits only a specific group of workers.

Should the proposal be implemented, the loss of federal revenue would need to be compensated, likely leading to financial challenges in the future. However, this potential downside is unlikely to receive much attention as candidates focus on winning over voters in the upcoming election.

Fenton “Wade” Jones, a registered sex offender, was arrested Saturday night, August 31, by the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) on multiple new sexual offense charges following an investigation triggered by information indicating that Jones was attempting to groom an underage girl.

Jones had been communicating with a 14-year-old girl, allegedly attempting to lure her into a romantic and potentially sexual relationship. He had arranged to meet the girl in Crescent Valley, a plan halted by local authorities.

Deputies arrested Jones while parked at a local business, where he admitted to communicating with the underage girl. Jones is currently at the White Pine County Detention Center.

The charges against him include Luring a Child with the Use of Computer Technology, Attempting to Use or Permit a Minor to Produce Pornography and Possession of Visual Pornography of a Person Under the Age of 16.

Given Jones’s familiarity with the underage girl and his willingness to engage with her despite knowing her age, the ECSO is seeking additional potential victims. Authorities ask anyone who may have had contact with Jones or believes someone they know could be a victim to come forward.

Information can be provided anonymously through the ESCO App or by email at seek@eurekacountynv.gov. The investigation remains ongoing, and those with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office at (775) 237-5330.

The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final Western Solar Plan could reshape Nevada’s landscape, designating nearly one-fifth of the state’s public lands for potential large-scale solar development.

Released on Thursday, August 29, the plan identifies approximately 18,000 square miles, or 11.8 million acres—about 17 percent of Nevada’s public lands—for five-megawatt solar projects or more. Only 15 percent of the state’s BLM-administered lands are available now for solar development.

While clean-energy advocates and solar developers have lauded the move, conservationists are voicing concerns about the environmental impact and the loss of public land access.

“This plan represents a huge opportunity for Nevada to lead in renewable energy,” said Ben Norris, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “By adding 11 million acres to the original proposal, BLM has clearly listened to the solar industry’s feedback.”

The final plan increases the total acreage available in Nevada but boosts the public land open to solar development across the Western United States from 22 million to 31 million acres. BLM’s projections suggest, however, that only a fraction of this land—up to 700,000 acres—might be needed by 2045 for utility-scale solar projects.

“The overabundance of potential sites provides flexibility for addressing local concerns while maximizing solar siting opportunities,” the BLM noted in its plan.

The agency has also expanded the criteria for suitable land, allowing development on slopes of up to 10 percent (previously 5 percent) and within 15 miles of transmission lines (an increase from 10 miles), while also lowering the required transmission line capacity from 100 kilovolts to 69 kilovolts.

Despite these adjustments, environmental groups worry about the potential consequences for Nevada’s unique ecosystems.

Kevin Emmerich, co-founder of Basin and Range Watch, expressed fears that large-scale solar development could undermine the BLM’s mission of multiple land use by prioritizing corporate interests over public access.

“Large-scale solar energy takes the ‘public’ out of public lands by turning over our treasures to one corporate interest,” Emmerich said in an email.

One area of particular concern is the Amargosa River watershed, where roughly 300,000 acres are now open for potential solar development, including lands near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge and Death Valley National Park.

Ashley Lee, board president of the Amargosa Conservancy, emphasized the importance of preserving this critical desert ecosystem.

“The Amargosa River watershed is an irreplaceable gem of the Mojave Desert, and we can’t let it be destroyed for industrial energy development,” Lee stated in an email.

The BLM’s new plan is an expansion of its original Western Solar Plan from 2012, which only covered Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The updated plan includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming.

As of June, the BLM had already permitted 62 solar projects in the Western United States, with 70 additional clean-energy projects under review.

The plan is now open for a 30-day protest period, allowing individuals and groups who have previously commented on the plan to raise further concerns. Once addressed, the BLM will finalize its decision and update its resource management plan.

The Washoe County Commission, led by Chairperson Alexis Hill, approved a block vote allocating nearly $3.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to twelve projects.

The decision, which included a $500,000 allocation to the Nevada Museum of Art to relocate the “Seven Magic Mountains” sculpture, has sparked backlash. The block vote passed with a 4-1 majority, with Republican Commissioners Jeanne Herman and Mike Clark raising concerns.

Although Clark objected to the block vote in principle, he ultimately voted in favor of it due to the funding request from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department. Herman was the sole vote against the block vote.

The “Seven Magic Mountains,” off I-15 near Las Vegas, is on land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), with a lease set to expire in 2026. The museum has indicated that the cost to relocate the artwork could exceed one million dollars.

After the vote, Clark asked the commission to reconsider the matter. He mentioned that although he supports the Nevada Museum of Art and frequently attends their events, he is unsure if allocating ARPA funds to the museum is the most effective use of funds.

“I’ve asked for the agenda item to come back to the commission, which I believe I can do since I voted in the affirmative,” Clark said. “I sent the email requesting the return of this agenda item – ARPA funds block vote to Commissioner Hill about thirty minutes ago and called DA Mary Kandaras to verbally convey my request. I believe we got hoodwinked, and all information was not provided to those of us on the dais. I’ve heard from over 100 residents who are riled up about this use of funds.”

The controversy deepened when Bethany Drysdale, a spokesperson for Washoe County, challenged the accuracy of reports suggesting Hill was responsible for bundling the ARPA projects together. Drysdale clarified that the ARPA projects were proposed by staff, not by any individual commissioner.

“The staff report was prepared by our Community Reinvestment Manager, and what was proposed in the staff report is what the board voted on. Chair Hill did not allocate any particular amount, nor is she responsible for bundling the grant projects together,” Drysdale explained.

However, Clark contested this account, stating that, according to his understanding and discussions with legal advisors, the final say on the agenda lies with the Chair.

“Anyone else who wants to try and say it is not so, is uninformed or trying to spread disinformation,” Clark asserted.

The board has not set a date to revisit the issue.