Charlene Hamilton

The big historic day is almost here. History will be made in Reno on Friday, April 17th at 6:05 pm, when the first pitch will bethrown at the Aces' state-of-the-art stadium and playing field. The Aces, Reno's Triple A baseball team, will be playing their first home game to a sold out crowd! The Aces will be playing against the Salt Lake Bees. Friday's game will begin a series of eight games to be played on the home field. The Reno Aces are the region's first Tripe-A team. The team is part of the Pacific Coast League. The Pacific Coast League is made of up of 16 major league teams.

The Aces Ballpark features 6,500 seats and every one of them will have a cheering fan in them on Friday and Saturday. Both games have been sold out! This is a great start for our new team and the $50 million stadium investment. The Aces not only bring an exciting baseball season to Northern Nevada, but it is expected that the team and the Aces Ballpark will help to bring further revitalization to the downtown Reno area. You can take a peek at the Aces Ballpark via the city's webcam.

The Aces will be playing 72 home games this season. There will be several special promotional games with great giveaways and fireworks. There will even be bobble-heads given out at three of the games. Opening night fans will receive an Opening Day Pin. In addition to the planned Fourth of July and Memorial Day spectacular fireworks displays, thirteen more of the Aces games will feature fireworks as well. Check out the special game giveaways here: 2009 Reno Aces Promotional Schedule.

You can keep up with all the news and game results on the news page of the Aces' Official Website.

Charlene Hamilton, your Reno Real Estate expert!

Related Info:
Reno Aces Game Schedule (PDF)
Reno Aces Official Site

The Animal Ark is located just a few minutes outside of downtown Reno. Here, you can enjoy an up close and personal view of the Reno-Tahoe area's wildlife. The Animal Ark is not a zoo. Instead, it can be compared to the legendary Noah's Ark, a refugee for animals. The Animal Ark is a 38-acre wildlife sanctuary and nature center. The Animal Ark founders, Diana and Aaron Hiibel, care for local wild animals that can no longer survive in their natural environment. Among the animals who receive perpetual sanctuary at Animal Ark are desert tortoises, a barn owl, foxes, wolves and a mountain lion named Milagro.

Animal Ark not only provides a home and loving care to these special animals, it also provides educational opportunities and opportunities for members of the Reno-Tahoe community to become involved. Animal Ark is a non-profit organization which relies on the efforts of community volunteers, donations and visitors to support its' endeavors. Animal Ark provides education to Washoe County students regarding Reno-Tahoe's wildlife and their habitats. Animal Ark works hand-in-hand with the Washoe County School Board Science Curriculum, providing six full years of native wildlife education.

The Animal Ark reopened for the season on April 1. They are opened Thursday though Sunday weekly. Some weekends, they hold special showings, such as the upcoming Fading Spots Cheetah Dash on April 26. On May 3, you can watch tigers, cheetahs, bears and wolves open their very own pinata at the Piñatas & Predators event

The Animal Ark began when Diana and Aaron adopted wild animals as pets. They soon found out that that decision was not a wise one for themselves or the animals. Although they adopted their animals for the wrong reason, Diana and Aaron did not give up on their dream. They just changed their perception. They learned how to protect wildlife which could no longer survive in their natural environment. Diana and Aaron are those rare individuals that start with a little personal dream and make that dream a vision which enriches the lives of all those they touch, human or animal.

Charlene Hamilton, Reno Real Estate

Visit the Animal Ark website: http://www.animalark.org/
Animal Ark Event Calendar: http://www.animalark.org/calendar_news.html

The Reno Tahoe International Airport will be receiving funds from the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The airport will receive an approximate $2.2 million in stimulus funds which will be used for Phase 12 of the airport's reconstruction project. Heidi Berthold, Reno Tahoe International Airport spokeswoman, reports that the funds should create anywhere from 80 to 100 new jobs. New jobs will be created for contractors, suppliers and vendors. Work is expected to begin this summer on the ramp area apron. The apron is the area where airplanes pull up to the terminals for passengers to board and exit the planes. The project will take about two years to complete.

The Reno-Tahoe International Airport serves approximately 14,000 travelers every day. The airport has been servicing the Reno and Lake Tahoe area for over 81 years! Boeing Transport built the airport in 1929 as Hubbard Field. The airport was purchased by the City of Reno in 1953. In 1994, the airport was renamed the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The airport facility covers over 1,450 acres, with 23 passenger gates and over 140 passenger planes landing daily. With that much air traffic, you can see why the funds for improving and repairing the 20 year old apron will be much appreciated by airport management and passengers alike.

Charlene Hamilton, Your Reno Real Estate Agent

According to the latest report from RealtyTrac, the rate of distressed properties for Reno-Sparks and Wahsoe County went up sharply in January and February. In January, the Reno-Sparks metro area and Washoe County entered the top ten and, in February, they moved to the eighth position for metro areas with the highest foreclosure filing rate. Clark County is in the first position. There are three components to the ranking: an increase in Notice Of Defaults, an increase in Notice of Trustee Sale and the number of foreclosed homes on the market.

In response to this increase, Washoe County has posted a Foreclosure Prevention Seminar on their website for homeowners who are facing foreclosure. The 30-minute video presentation offers advice and information on homeowner rights, time frames and options. The presentation will also be aired on the Washoe TV Channel. To watch the Foreclosure Prevention workshop on your television, you will find broadcast times on the Washoe Channel webpage.

The direct link to watch the video online is http://www.washoecounty.us/mgrsoff/wctv_online.html. If you are accessing the information on the Washoe County website, it is www.washoecounty.us. Select the Washoe County Television, which is located mid-bottom of the page. On the Washoe Channel page, click on the Video-On-Demand link. Go to the Search Archives section and type in Foreclosure Help. There are four videos availaible: Foreclosure Prevention Workshop - English, a Spanish verision, a Seniors video and a video on Nevada Foreclosure laws.

President Obama announced the government's action plan for foreclosure prevention earlier in the month. The plan offers options to help distressed homeowners and homeowners who are not deliquent in payments but need help with lowering their house payments. In addition, the federal goverment launched a website which offers online tools for homewoners. The tools will help homeowners determine if they are eligible for the Making Home Affordable refinance and loan modification programs.

Charlene Hamilton, Reno Real Estate

Some of the firefighters from the Sparks' Fire Department will be honoring Saint Patrick by celebrating Saint Baldrick's Day and taking it all off, their hair that is. There are many ways to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in Reno and Sparks. Several of the Sparks' firefighters have chosen to not only wear green but will also be shaving their heads to help raise money to support research for children with cancer. You don't have to shave your heard to show your support. You can cheer these fine firefighters as they shed their locks at the Coconut Bowl at Wild Island (a family adventure park) and donating to this worthy cause. If you are unable to attend the Saint Baldrick affair, you can still contribute online.

St. Baldrick's Day Event
Coconut Bowl at Wild Island
March 17, 2009
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Sparks Fire Department Website
Contact: Bill Finley (Division Chief/Administration)
Phone: 353-1618
Saint Baldrick Foundation Video (http://www.stbaldricks.org/about_us/)