Silver Dollars and Wooden Nickels: Congratulations to college graduates

The Nevada Appeal’s Silver Dollars & Wooden Nickels feature recognizes achievements from the capital region and, when warranted, points out other acts that missed the mark.

SILVER DOLLAR: Congratulations to Western Nevada College, University of Nevada, Reno, and other college graduates. Celebrate your successes safely with your families, and be proud of your accomplishments. However, don’t become complacent. Continue to chase your dreams.

SILVER DOLLAR: To Karen and Charlie Abowd for giving back to the community they have called home for 32 years. The Abowds, for their work to help feel the needy, were honored by the Ron Wood Family Resource Center as Community Leaders of the Year on Saturday. Karen, a member of the Carson City Board of Supervisors, was instrumental in getting the Greenhouse Project going at Carson High School. The project is expected to produced 4,500 pounds of food to help local food pantries. Charlie, operator of Adele’s Restaurant, said he grew up with the mantra to give until it hurts, then give some more.

“I’m not building an empire,” he said. “I don’t want to be a burden to anyone, but in the end, I just want to be even.”

The Abowds are the epitome of community leaders.

SILVER DOLLAR: To Gov. Brian Sandoval and California Gov. Jerry Brown and the lawmakers who worked to come to an agreement on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency that makes both sides happy.

The measure containing amended language not only pulls back Nevada’s threat to withdraw from the bi-state compact, but agrees that both states will work to implement new regional compact rules developed over the past 18 months and partner into the future on protecting Lake Tahoe — while also committing to include economic conditions in developing and adopting rules at the lake.

Senate Bill 229 was approved by the Assembly Government Affairs Committee on Thursday and was headed for a floor vote in the Assembly as of press time. After a floor vote in the Assembly, the measure will return to the senate for adoption of the amendments, then go to Sandoval’s desk.