KKFT News

At least one person has tested positive for COVID-19 at Winnemucca Elementary School in Reno. A message was sent to parents Tuesday evening to inform them of the situation. The Washoe County Health District is conducting contact tracing and the school will continue enhanced cleaning per CDC guidelines. The message did not indicate whether it was a student or staff member that tested positive for the virus. Rollan Melton Elementary also notified parents Tuesday evening of a positive COVID-19 case. While it was not made clear whether the person was a student or staff member, all kindergartners are being asked to quarantine as a result.

A dramatic surge in confirmed coronavirus cases in the Reno-Sparks area prompted the Nevada coronavirus task force to call an emergency meeting with the Washoe County Health District to address the county’s plan to manage the outbreak. The number of reported active cases in the northern Nevada county topped 2,000 for the first time on Tuesday, a 52% increase over the past two weeks. Active cases stood at 1,329 on Oct. 13.

A GoFundMe has raised more than enough money to cover fines slapped against Douglas County and the airport hangar that hosted a Make America Great Again Rally, featuring President Trump, that violated state coronavirus rules on gatherings. ABS Aviation and Douglas County saw fines combined of more than $5,500. The fundraiser was started by Douglas County resident Blayne Osborn, who says he attended the event on September 12th. It was also featured on the Monica Jaye Show on KKFT

The campaign trail is heating up with less than a week now until Election Day.

Vice President Mike Pence is slated to appear at Reno Tahoe Airport Thursday at 5 p.m. State coronavirus rules require all gatherings over 250 persons to have plans submitted for approval. The state says it received no such plan for this event.

The president’s son spoke to a large, socially distanced crowd in Reno. At the Make America Great Again rally Tuesday at the Atlantis Casino, Eric Trump called Nevada an incredibly important state-one he felt confident his father would win

Democrat Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris also appeared in Reno. She spoke at the Robert Hawkins Amphitheater, saying Nevadans will help determine the outcome of this election. Tuesday marked her first stop in Reno this year.

A boil water order is in effect in Silver City following a water main break. It happened Tuesday afternoon on 1st Street. Water was shut down for a time while repairs were made.

Nevada joins a multi-state pact in the west that will independently review the safety and efficacy of the COVId-19 vaccine. Governor Steve Sisolak says this way Nevadans can feel confident knowing the vaccine has the stamp of approval from experts across western states. California, Oregon, and Washington are also part of the pact. Front-line health care workers will be first to receive whatever amount of vaccine the Silver State gets.

Meantime, taking a look at the COVID-19 picture in Washoe County. We added 189 cases Tuesday and no new deaths. The death toll stands at 195. The area also saw 57 recoveries.

A Reno man is convicted of sex trafficking after a week-long trial. 28-year-old Kevin Belcher was found guilty of sex trafficking a child. Investigators say they found explicit materials marketing minors for prostitution and say Belcher also had sex with his underage victims.

A Sparks man is arrested after a violent fight with his girlfriend. Washoe County deputies say Salvador Solis-Sandoval repeatedly struck his girlfriend in the face with a gun while in a vehicle. She suffered severe facial injuries and had to be hospitalized. He faces a host of felonies including domestic battery with a deadly weapon.

The state’s COVID-19 task force will hear plans later this week on how Washoe County intends to get its rising COVID-19 numbers down. Washoe County has shattered records since and Sunday marked the fifth week in a row where the county saw a positivity rate of 9 percent. The county must present its plans to the COVID-19 task force at an emergency meeting Thursday.

A woman is dead in a bit of freak accident that happened near Wooster High School the 2000 block of Villanova Drive Monday. Police say the woman’s vehicle began to roll back as she exited. She was found under the front left tire; she was pronounced dead at the scene.