Entertainment

Basque Premier Patxi Lopez government presented an award on Monday night to the state for contributions to the preservation of the Basque culture, during a ceremony at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Patxi Lopez presented the ''Lagun Onari'' award, the most prestigious honor given for significant contributions to the Basque Country''s history and culture.

Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki accepted the award on behalf of the state.

During the ceremony, Lopez Alvarez and UNR President Milton Glick signed an agreement to continue the collaboration between the Basque government and UNR''s Center for Basque Studies to support the continuation of its research and the dissemination of its findings.

The center grew from a Basque studies program started by William Douglass in 1967 at the Desert Research Institute, said Sandra Ott, the center''s other co-director.

It was renamed the Center for Basque Studies in 2001, she said, and is in UNR''s Knowledge Center.

In addition to research, the center offers a minor in Basque studies, a tutorial Ph.D in the subject and houses the largest collection of Basque books and journals in the Western Hemisphere.