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Much history has been written about the Reno Elks Lodge and its home. The Lodge has served the community for more than a century and at one time included members from Goldfield and Tonopah.

Tonopah eventually organized and chartered Mizpah Club, while Goldfield opened the Montezuma Club. The Goldfield Lodge burned down on September 29, 1923.

One of the most notable documents regarding the Reno Elks was published by Edward H. Mitchell of San Francisco. Post cards bearing Mitchell’s name as publisher have been used, collected and studied since the end of the nineteenth century.

Mitchell, who died in 1932, published very early cards, known as colored vignettes, which were printed in Germany. One of the earliest is card #143 — The Elks Home, Reno Nevada.

I have a number 143 colored vignette.

Reno Lodge No. 597 was chartered June 30, 1900. The July 1 issue of the Reno Gazette from that same year reports the Lodge consisted of 45 men, “among the best citizens of the State of Nevada.”

Nearly four years later members dedicated their new Home at 50 North Sierra Street on April 23, 1904. It was located across the street from the present day Riverside Movie Theater in downtown.

Between the years of 1904 and 1957, the Home was flooded twice by the Truckee River and survived a small fire. But on February 5, 1957, the building burned down.

Lodge Secretary Cliff Kumle is credited with evacuating 74 members, with only minor injuries being reported. Mr. Kumle, who was born in California on June 6, 1895, passed away in Yuba County in September 16, 1973 and is buried in the B.P.O.E section of the Brownville Cemetery of the county.

From March 1957 until the current Home was completed in 1960, the Lodge met at the Mapes Hotel and the Holiday Hotel Casino, now the Sienna. The current Lodge can be found on Kumle Lane across the street from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center

Returning to postcard #143, the backside holds a note from a woman named Mrs. Cuyler in Reno to a Hattie or Hallie Simpson (or Simfson) in Los Angeles. Complete with mistakes, it reads: “Miss Hattie (or Hallie,) Meney thanks fore  the flowers and I am so proud of them and they all look as if they will grow. I will write you a good, long letter real soon  and tell you all the news. Ther may be a young man call on you soon. I gave him your address and asked him to call and see you. By-by Love for now this time as ever. Mrs. Cuyler”

The relationship between the two women remains unknown as the card was mailed on October 26, 1910 at 8:30 a.m. from Reno. As for the address of 636 South Griffin Avenue, Los Angeles,California — it no longer exists.

It all comes back to one of my most important beliefs: No scrap of paper is too small to hold a piece of valuable historical information.

My shift had jus’ ended at the radio station and I was getting ready to head home. I was standing by my pick-up when I saw movement from the corner of my eye.

Looking to my left, I observed a medium-sized dog walking across the parking lot. It appeared to be hairless under the street lamp that lights up the parking lot.

 Undeterred and always willing to pet any old dog, I whistled to the animal. The four-legged critter made a course correction, ambling towards me as I called out, “Come here.”

Jus’ as it came within range for me to pet it, the damned thing growled. It was a noise I had never heard come from a dog before and I retracted my hand before it did something to my fingers. 

As quickly as I could, I unlocked my truck, got in and slammed the door closed behind me. That’s also when I realized my night vision wasn’t a good as it had been.

What I thought was a dog, was really a mangy, hairless raccoon.

As I recall, my bride came by the station to bring me a sub sandwich from her store. I was already having a bad night as I had stumbled over my words several times as I opened up the microphone.

Eventually, the missus left, royally pissed off at me. When I got home after midnight, I had to apologize to her for my poor behavior.

There were three things I learned that evening: visiting in the studio should be kept to a minimum; flubbing a word or two doesn’t break anything; and I’m not really all that important even if my ego says otherwise.

Yup, I said it…

A bill to stop paying higher salaries to Nevada teachers with advanced degrees and to switch to a pay-for-performance model is raising concerns among many teachers. Governor Brian Sandoval has proposed doing away with advanced degree increases, and establishing a pay scale entirely based on performance.

The measure reflects a growing nationwide movement toward performance pay, and is based on research that shows an advanced degree seldom leads to increased student achievement at the elementary school level, and only sometimes increases it in high school classrooms. But many teachers describe the measure as part of a ploy to replace more expensive teachers with cheaper ones, and say the proposed change discredits the value of lifelong learning.

Nevada’s teacher pay scales, like most, place a premium on higher education. The idea of merit pay — it’s a foreign concept — to the elitist.

The Del Norte High School Band was selling chocolate bars as a way to raise funds for one event or another. I must have purchased at least one of the candy bars.

While I don’t remember having done so, I have the proof. After all these years, a wrapper from one of those chocolate bars turned up, seemingly out of nowhere.

It also proves my wife’s belief that I am truly a pack-rat. This is a rumor I’ve tried hard to dispel, but have had no success at for some time.

I wonder if KFC would honor the coupon deal offered on the wrapper?

Connie Craig-Horn, a friend I grew up with in Klamath and now who lives in Red Bluff, sent me a message saying her cousin Kenneth Allen Romine passed away yesterday, May 25, 2011. Kenny, Connie and I all grew up in Klamath.

Kenny, as he was known to us, was born August 12, 1961 and living in Crescent City at the time of his passing. He attended Margaret Keating School and graduated from Del Norte High School in 1979.

Kenny was 49 years old.

Nevada lawmakers adjourned after wrapping up a four-month session. In the end, both sides got a little of what they wanted, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling and late-session negotiations that led to a $6.2 billion general fund budget and the extension of $620 million in temporary taxes that were set to expire.

Democrats who hold a slim majority in the Senate and Assembly lacked the clout to push their agenda for tax reforms and higher education spending. Meanwhile Republicans were encouraged by Governor Brian Sandoval, who campaigned on a no-new-tax platform — but who failed to live-up to his campaign promise.

Lawmakers also sent a message to California: the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has to change its ways or the state may withdraw from the 1969 compact. SB271 lays out a series of conditions the agency has to meet to keep the state from walking away.

The TRPA must update its regional development plan by 2015 and revise voting requirements so Nevada has a greater voice in the area. Failure will give the state the option to sever ties with the agency which is charged with overseeing environmental protections and development in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The bond with TRPA should have been trashed instead of the organization being given conditions to meet. The largely political body hasn’t lived up to its mission statement in its 42 years of existence.

Plus — the battle over a $2.2 billion K-through-12 school budget and a bunch of new policy reforms is finally over. Legislators wrapped up policy reforms and finalized a budget that sets per-pupil state funding about $400 higher than predicted in January.

During last-minute action, lawmakers pushed through final pieces of an education reform package. The bill which reorganizes the state Board of Education and gives the governor the authority to appoint the state superintendent now heads for Governor Brian Sandoval’s desk.

Administrators now head back to the bargaining table to see if they can score union concessions to implement recommended salary and benefit reductions. Those benefit and salary cuts amount to about 7 percent overall.

What is beyond understanding is why a return to the bargaining table — no one elected the union’s over Nevada’s lawmakers. If they can continue taxes that were due to expire, a ban on cell-phone and GPS use in your vehicle and undo the voter mandated 2006 Nevada Clean Air Act — then lawmakers certainly can trump anything a union has to say about wages.

Lastly — here’s what passed as “job creation” in the Nevada Legislature this session: Self-driving cars. Nicknamed the “Google Car Bill,” it will allow the Internet search engine to legally test drive remote-controlled vehicles throughout the state.

If Sandoval signs the bill, Nevada will become the first state to allow cars that drive themselves. Supporters say it could lead to more high-tech industry and jobs.

Big-effing-whoop!

Thankfully, the legislature convenes every two years and lasts only four-month when it does.

It was a stupid thing to have done. Adam and I were playing with matches, lighting spider-webs on fire.

We burned down a shed and part of a fence. And we came pretty damned close to torching two homes.

It was the first and only time I got four whippings in one afternoon.

Nevada has entered the anti-cell phone nanny-state after lawmakers in the Assembly approved a measure banning cell phone calling or texting while driving beginning July 1. The vote was 24-17 without debate on Senate Bill 140.

Disgusting!

Under the bill, drivers will be allowed to make calls if they use a “hands-free” system while keeping both hands on the steering wheel. A driver cause violating the law could be fined $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense and a possible six-month suspension of their driver’s license for a third offense.

So much for personal responsibility and that rugged sense of individualism Nevada was known for at one time.

There are exemptions, however to SB 140. Emergency personnel and law enforcement officers will be allowed to use a cell phone while on duty, and motorists would be permitted to place cell phone calls to report or request assistance for a medical emergency, a safety hazard or criminal activity.

As a former risk manager, I have to ask: Are they going to create cell phone safety courses for police, fire and ambulance personnel and how much will this cost Nevada taxpayers?

Strangely — language pertaining to this question is absent from SB 140.
Lauren Weinstein of People for Internet Responsibility says banning the use of cell phone while driving makes politicians feel good about themselves. However, he adds, there are no studies that show hand-held cell phones are any more or less distracting than “hands free” devices.

How long will it be before Nevada lawmakers decide it’s a good idea to ban the children sitting in the backseat — after all, they can be a distraction and cannot be rendered “hands-free,” much to the wish of some parents.

In recent years, school district’s everywhere have gone into the politically correct zone by applying disciplinary measures to everybody involved. There seems to be few opportunities for both parents and students to appeal the rules which are written on paper — but set in stone.

And sometimes, you have to wonder, who the real bully is in these cases.

For example, Elko County school trustees have turned down a father’s appeal to lift a disciplinary sanction and let his class president daughter speak at her senior class graduation at Spring Creek High School. The board’s decision upholds Superintendent Jeff Zander’s original decision.
   
Savannah Amberson’s father, Ward Amberson, argues his daughter didn’t start the lunchroom fight in April at the high school. He maintains she’s being punished for being a victim.

“I’m not saying my daughter is perfect,” he says, “but she was defending herself after another student threw a punch at her face.”

I agree with him completely — there is a difference between fighting and defending yourself.

Amberson says his daughter is an honor student who has been involved in leadership for four years. Savannah will attend Boise State University in the fall on an academic scholarship.

I had the same problem when it came to Kyle defending himself, but the outcome was much different from Mr. Amberson’s results.

He was in second grade when a sixth grader started picking on him — knocking him to the ground and pushing him around. I told Kyle that he had my permission to defend himself and that’s exactly what he did.

Kyle had been enrolled in Karate class at the time and he used it only after being trapped against a fence on the school ground. He not only slugged the bully in the gut and face, he flipped the kid over his back and threatened to stomp on him if he got up.

Unfortunately, that’s all the teacher on duty saw and he wa immediately sent to the principal’s office and sent home. From there the principal decided he should have a few days off from school for his actions.

I disagreed.

The following Monday, I went to the principal’s office to discuss the situation with her. She told me over and over that the school had a none-violence policy that Kyle had violated.

I asked her to suspend, or whatever she called it, the other kid too then — but she refused.

Then I asked her if I might demonstrate for her the difference between fighting and defending one’s self. Much to my surprise she agreed.

The second her said yes though , I jumped on her desk and started kicking everything off of it and onto her. She eventually reached out and grabbed my leg to stop me.

I stopped at that moment and hopped down from her desk.

She was visibly shaking and cowered in the corner in her big leather chair. I calmly started picking stuff up off the floor and neatly placing it back on her now-bare desk.

“I think using your definition of violence, you need to be expelled,” I said to her, “after all you reached out and grabbed my leg to stop me from doing what I was doing.”

“No,” she replied, “I was defending myself!”

“My point exactly,” I returned.

Yeah, I could have been arrested for doing what I had done — but I did ask for her permission before I demonstrated my point. Kyle was allowed to return to school and she restored his clean record.