Super Bowl Sunday, the television event that literally qualifies as a worldwide event, was a bust for some local Pahrumpians as the town's television woes (at least for the "bunny-eared" or antennae-using residents) continued to worsen.

The ever-undefeatable winter snow and wind caused a power outage at Mt. Potosi, where several television and radio repeaters that service cable- and satellite-less Pahrumpians with talk-box entertainment from Vegas are located.

The result was a number of disgruntled residents who couldn't watch the Giants win a last-minute victory over the 18-0 New England Patriots from the comfort of their own homes.

And to make matters worse, tuning into the game the old-fashioned way (i.e. the radio) wasn't a viable alternative either since the repeaters also help Pahrumpians rock or groove to Las Vegas stations.

There are third-party backup generators, but according to the Valley Electric Association press release the "generators are not in commission, possibly due to weather."

The Mt. Potosi power outage reportedly occurred at approximately 9 p.m., but earlier in the day another VEA pole in the area broke also because of wind and snow.

The pole is an area inaccessible to vehicles, which forced VEA line crews to trek to the pole on foot and furnish repairs completely by hand.

A helicopter was scheduled to bring in a replacement pole Tuesday morning, weather permitting.

The power outage snatched television and radio away from residents who were lucky enough to still be within a line of sight of the Mt. Potosi repeaters, meaning their bunny ear antennaes still worked.

Many other residents who can not afford cable or satellite, or alternately who live in areas where cable or satellite are not available, have found themselves without television entertainment for months now after a windstorm knocked over the emergency communications tower last October.

Although the sheriff's office and the Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue Service all regained communication capability by using separate repeater systems on opposite sides of town, the temporary fix did little for residents who lived on the north side of town and watched Las Vegas television through the repeaters housed near the tower (also destroyed in the storm).

The Pahrump Town Board is scheduled to discuss the issue at its next meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 12.

Library

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The Pahrump Community Library is located at 701 East Street, and is hosting the following events in February:

Computer classes are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and include introduction to computers, beyond basics, Internet and email and genealogy. Times vary and sign-up must be in person at the library. No sign-ups by phone. Classes are free and space is limited.

The Pahrump Community Library offers home bound delivery service for anyone who is unable to visit the library.

Call 727-5930 ext. 12 for more information.

Call 727-5930 for more information.

Free tax aide service

IRS trained counselors will be offering their services at the Bob Ruud Community Center, Room B, Basin Road and Highway 160.

The goal is to provide free tax preparation and e-filing to young, low-income taxpayers and working seniors who may qualify for the earned income tax credit and may not be receiving it.

The volunteers will be available Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., during the tax season through April 20.

Appointments are necessary.

Call 727-4258 or email fordpayne@juno.com for an appointment and more information.