The Southern Nevada power provider was awarded the 2008 Excellence in Energy Star Promotion Award for its Energy Star lighting and appliance program.

This program concentrates on programs to promote energy conservation through the use of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

Nevada Power's efforts resulted in the purchase and installation of more than 2 million CFL lights, said Program Manager for Nevada Power John Hargrove.

The company partnered with local nonprofits, community organizations, retailers and casinos to distribute and ecncourage the use of CFLs.

Several casinos in Southern Nevada partnered with Nevada Power, distributing free CFL lights and information materials as prizes.

Station Casinos gave employees at all its properties a 12 pack of CFL lights during the holiday season.

Home builders have also been brought into the partnership. More than two dozen home builders signed up to replace incandescent light bulbs in model homes with CFL lights.

Nevada Power was chosen for the award from a field of more than 9,000 organizations that participate in the Energy Star program.

"Partners like Nevada Power are leading the way by showing Americans how they can protect our environment through energy efficiency," said Robert J. Meyers, principal deputy assistance administrator for the EPA's office of air and radiation. "By promoting Energy Star, they are making it easy for consumers to find energy-efficient products in the marketplace."

The new connection between Reno and Las Vegas will allow businesses to easily and securely connect offices and information systems with a dedicated SONET, Ethernet connection or IP transport service.

The new link will for the first time allow for the secure transport of sensitive information between offices without the purchase or lease of independent fiber optic networks.

"This agreement brings a competitive choice to businesses that need to communicate with locations in other key commerce hubs in the western U.S.," said Manny Martinez, vice president and general manager of Charter Nevada. "While customers have always been able to obtain fiber optic network services within the Charter Business and Cox Business footprints, they were limited to regional telephone companies to connection locations across the two footprints."

The companies decided to partner on this effort as a result of increased customer demand, said David Blau, vice president and general manager of Cox in Nevada.

The two companies expect it to be popular with businesses with multiple office locations that need to transport large amounts of sensitive data, such as banks, financial institutions, long distance carriers, Internet service providers, hospitals and insurance companies.

Gerrard is part of the Environmental Analysis Facility team at DRI, where she assembles and edits reports and publications, interacts with sponsors and other researchers on behalf of the Environmental Analysis Facility principle investigators, manages travel schedules, and maintains reports and meeting review deadlines.

"We are very proud of Jo, who is in a very high profile laboratory at DRI that includes handling support to researchers, who are conducting research in China to help preserve one of its national treasures, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses," said Stephen Wells, DRI President. "Jo not only oversees international travel but also stays on top of reports and makes sure deadlines are met."

Gerrard is also a published poet and short fiction writer and is in the process of obtaining her master's degree in English with an emphasis on writing at UNR.

The winner each year is chosen by a committee of peers at DRI.

Gerrard will receive a coveted reserved parking spot, a $500 gift card of her choice and recognition with her photo displayed in the DRI lobby and her name engraved on a permanent plaque.

The Court early this year mandated large-scale changes in the way legal representation is provided to indigent defendants in criminal cases, but postponed implementation of those changes while it sought additional changes from the Indigent Defense Commission, which had recommended the reforms.

Del Vecchio has been accused of several instances of misconduct including an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship with a staffer (also his ex-stepdaughter); sexually harassing staff, lawyers and fellow judges; and mismanaging his office.

The judge has denied the allegations.

Del Vecchio has until April 9 to file an answer to the formal statement of charges.

The Bar will accept nominations for positions on its governing body through April 12.

For more information and nomination forms log on to www.nvbar.org.

She previously worked as content manager for ProCaps Laboratories in Henderson.