36 years ago this month

A crowd of about 400 heard Gov. Mike O'Callaghan praise Paiute Chief Tecopa as a leader of vision and courage during dedication of a state memorial at the Tecopa gravesite in Pahrump Valley.

Fifteen acres, including the site of the grave and memorial, were deeded to Nye County by Preferred Equities, developers of Calvada Valley.

The Nye County commissioners accepted the land, saying it would be developed into Tecopa Park.

During O'Callaghan's recent visit to Pahrump, he also visited children at school. He visited each grade and found the sixth graders to be a lively bunch. They asked about licensing motorcyclists and if the governor had seen the movie "Evel Kneivel."

He had not.

30 years ago this week

Christmas is coming a month early for Pahrump Valley homeowners through insurance reductions resulting from improved fire protection rating for the area.

Insurance rates for homes of masonry construction served by fire hydrants may be reduced by as much as 42 percent, while frame homes similarly situated could enjoy cuts of 37 percent.

Even homes which are not served by fire mains, which include most of the present houses in the Valley, will save about $65 a year.

The opening bell for the new 10-classroom Pahrump Valley middle school is scheduled to ring at 8 a.m. Monday morning. "It's a beautiful new facility, with spacious rooms. It is a fine building," said Principal Don Worden.

He emphasized the delay in opening was not due to building defects but because of delayed material shipments. The school is located just south of the high school.

20 years ago this week

The U.S. Senate approved the bill this week that many believe virtually guarantees that Yucca Mountain will become the nation's first high-level nuclear waste repository.

The bill calls for selection of a preferred site by January 1989, less than 14 months away. The measure now goes to the House, where a similar bill is being prepared.

Exceptions are that the House will also support the concept in which only one site is studied at a time, rather than three. If the first site studied is found suitable, no further studies would be required.

Former Nevada Supreme Court Justice David Zenoff has been appointed to hear Nye County's suit challenging the legitimacy of Bullfrog County.

Judge William Beko, who's Fifth District Court covers Nye County, from which the 144-square-mile Bullfrog County was created, was challenged peremptorily by the Legislative Commission of Nevada, which is representing Bullfrog in its suit.

No reason for peremptory challenge is required. Beko earlier drew statewide attention to some glaring legal omissions in the bill that created Bullfrog County.

A reported 22 stockholders in the Chicken Ranch brothel in Pahrump Valley are being interviewed by the Nye County Sheriff's Office as part of the re-licensing of all brothels in Nye County. Undersheriff Mark Zane told the licensing board that all eight existing brothels are being reviewed, with the Chicken Ranch being the most complicated because of the many people involved in the corporation.

10 years ago this week

Now that his land deal with the Bureau of Land Management has been approved, Rupert Bragg-Smith said he hopes to have his advanced driving school up and going in Pahrump by February of next year.

Bragg-Smith has been negotiating with the BLM for more than a year to purchase 350 acres on the south end of Pahrump near Wheeler Pass Road. Although he lost a lot of money -- he estimates close to $600,000 -- from delays caused by the Las Vegas Motor Speedway challenge for the purchase of the land, he is ready to proceed with the multi-million dollar project.

Close to half of Pahrump Valley High School's junior varsity football players were freshmen this season. However, the Trojans (3-5) still held their own against teams made up mostly of sophomores and juniors.

Pahrump started its year 2-0 with wins over Tonopah and The Meadows, and then added a win over Boulder City late in the season. "Beating Boulder City was the highlight of our season because of their tradition," first year PVHS JV coach Mitch Lunde said.

For most people, the time between Dec. 1 and Jan. 16 is only a matter of 47 days. But for those who were planning to divide land by parcel map before Jan. 16, it represents hundreds of thousands of lost dollars. The Regional Planning Commission two weeks ago voted unanimously to go another round with the county commissioners in an attempt to extend the inception of the land division moratorium.

Despite a well-planned presentation by the Nye County School District, most people who spoke at Tuesday's public hearing about a proposed $1,600 impact fee urged the Nye County commissioners to vote against it. District officials warned that if the impact fee is not enacted, Pahrump students could lose extracurricular activities such as sports, art and music classes.

One board member even theorized that the school district's buses may stop running. The district was once again criticized for its spending practices.

Although many residents acknowledged the need for money was present, few thought an impact fee was a fair solution to the problem.