Longtime Assemblyman Bernie Anderson dies

Bernie Anderson, a longtime Nevada assemblyman and a retired teacher, has died.

The Sparks Democrat who served in the Assembly from 1991 through 2010 died Friday at the age of 71.

His family says he had been hospitalized in Reno since Dec. 26 for pulmonary problems. Services are pending.

During his time in the Legislature, Anderson served as chairman of the Assembly Judiciary Committee and was a staunch supporter of children and education. He taught was a teacher at Reed High School.

During the 2011 legislative session, he donned a tall, red and white hat and read “The Cat in the Hat” during a joint Senate and Assembly education committee meeting in honor of Reading Awareness Month.