Northern Nevada Briefly

Controller says no duplicate in stimulus roles

(AP) - The Nevada controller's office says there will be no duplication of reporting by it or the governor's office when it hires a stimulus coordinator next month.

Assistant Controller Mark Taylor says Gov. Jim Gibbons, by his executive order in August, took control of the $2.2 billion in federal stimulus money Nevada is expected to receive and is "100 percent responsible" for filing required reporting documents by Oct. 10.

Charles Harvey, former assistant Clark County assessor, was appointed by Gibbons as state American Recovery and Reinvestment Act director.

Taylor says the controller's office will provide more of an "auditing" function.

He says Controller Kim Wallin expects to name a coordinator in her office by mid-October.

Sparks considering 30-acre annexation possibility

SPARKS (AP) - The city of Sparks is considering whether to pursue an annexation request for about 30 acres along the Interstate 80 corridor.

The city weighed the request by developers on Aug. 21 then revisited it this week.

The request would be for about 30 acres west of the USA Parkway interchange. The land would be zoned industrial and some say it is ripe for development. Nearby land already is being set aside for a proposed solar farm.

Sparks planning commission officials aren't currently recommending annexation based on a lack of services to the site. But that could change.

The council has agreed not to take a vote to give developers more time to meet the city's requirements.

Nevada leads nation in uninsured children

(AP) - A new Census report ranks Nevada highest in the nation for the percentage of children who don't have health insurance.

A Reno newspaper says the report released Tuesday shows one out of five Nevada children lack health coverage.

The same report says that for the 75 percent of adult Nevadans covered by employer-sponsored health insurance, premiums for family coverage have risen 97 percent since 1999, while wages on average have increased 43 percent.

This year is the first time the Census Bureau's American Community survey has included data on health insurance.