Coming Friday

- A report prepared by Meridian Business Advisors at the behest of the Smart Growth Coalition says the slower the county's growth rate the more money that will have to be raised in taxes and cut from county's services. The group is advocating a flexible 3 percent growth rate. Page A1

- The jury has the case of a 27-year-old Mammoth man accused of robbing the Minden Bank of America. Steven Simmons did not testify and no one spoke in his defense at his four-day trial for the 2005 robbery. Page A1

- An Indian Hills girl is suffering from a rare genetic disorder thatn could leave her blind by the time she is a teenager. Trisha Thompkins' parents are working to get their little girl to California where she can undergo surgery. Page A1

- Douglas Democrats will be hosting presidential candidate New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and presidential maybe Gen. Wesley Clark in Minden on Saturday. Page A1

- Former Carson Valley resident Curtis Patrick will speak at the Douglas County Republican Central Committee on his two-volume work about Ronald Reagan and his campaign for California governor. Page A2

- A Gardnerville woman faces felony child abuse counts. Sandy June Linn, 39, is in custody of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office with two counts of child abuse causing substantial bodily harm. Page A3

- A military policeman for the Nevada National Guard was arrested Thursday in connection with the sale of cocaine. Elliott Paul Liebowitz, 17, was arrested with his uniform in the car. Page A3

- Work to repair the water lines inside the Genoa Community Church is in progress after the first test of the town's agreement with the county for management services. Page A3

- Alpine residents were encouraged to get moving at the Alpine County Health Fair held on Jan. 20. Page A7

- The teen dances offered by Douglas County Parks & Recreation have become increasingly popular. At last Friday's event "hundreds of kids" attended, according to recreation coordinator Keris Meyers-Dahlkamp. Page B1

- Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School will be filled with the sound of music at 4 p.m. on Sunday when the Carson Valley Sinfonia performs. The free event is sponsored by Friends of the Carson Valley Youth Orchestra and the Carson Valley Violin School. Page B1

- The Carson Valley Inn Shannon Ballroom will be filled with information booths and fashions on Wednesday when the Douglas County Senior Center puts on its Senior Health Fair and fashion show. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Page B1

- The Douglas High School ski team took fifth at the slalom race at Heavenly Wednesday, a slight drop off from its previous weeks. Hillary Sapp led the girls' team with an eighth-place finish and Avery Carrig took 14th. Page C1

- The Tiger wrestling team lost just three matches on its way to a big 49-9 win over Wooster Wednesday night in Douglas' final home dual of the season. Seniors Nick Ceglia, DeCee Simpson, Ryan Pruitt, Jake Williams, Devin Barker and Sean Molina were honored before the start of the match. Page C1