Author

Reporter | Jeniffer was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada where she attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before graduating in 2017 with a B.A in Journalism and Media Studies. While at UNLV she was a senior staff writer for the student newspaper, the UNLV Scarlet and Gray Free Press, and a news reporter for KUNV 91.5 FM, covering everything from the Route 91 shooting to UNLV housing. She has also contributed to the UNLV News Center and worked as a production engineer for several KUNV broadcasts before joining the Nevada Current. She’s an Aries.
UNLV regains top spot for diversity in annual rankings
By: Jeniffer Solis - September 13, 2021
U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 edition of its “Best Colleges” rankings once again names the University of Nevada, Las Vegas among the most diverse universities in the country. The publication’s annual rankings also found UNLV making gains in social mobility. cracking the top 100. In the report released Monday, UNLV was placed in a […]
Medicaid vaccination rate lags as state struggles to reach low-income communities
By: Jeniffer Solis - September 3, 2021
Low-income Nevadans enrolled in Medicaid have been vaccinated at far lower rates than the overall population, according to health officials in the state. In Nevada about 32% of Medicaid enrollees 12 or older have received at least one dose as of August 31, compared to about 58% of the general population — despite months of […]
USDA OKs NV’s extension of additional SNAP benefits for children
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 31, 2021
Nevada has received federal approval for its plan to distribute three additional rounds of emergency food benefits for nearly 400,000 children in the state starting Sept. 17. “USDA reviews these plans to ensure there is an effective process for getting the right benefits to all eligible children,” said Julie Yee, a spokeswoman for the United […]
Tribes seek pause on development of lithium mine
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 28, 2021
A U.S. federal judge heard arguments against a planned lithium mine from attorneys for Native American tribes on Friday who say the mine would cause irreparable harm to sacred native lands. The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Burns Paiute Tribe and the People of Red Mountain were granted permission to join a lawsuit seeking to block Lithium […]
Green Card applicants must now be vaxxed against COVID-19
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 27, 2021
Immigrants in the U.S. applying for legal permanent residence must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 under a new policy beginning Oct. 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, the agency announced it has classified COVID-19 as a “Class A inadmissible condition,” alongside other diseases preventable through vaccination like tuberculosis and […]
With virtually everyone against it, NDOT scraps option to run I-11 through Lake Mead Rec Area
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 26, 2021
For years the Nevada Department of Transportation has proposed building a new highway system for the Interstate 11 Corridor that would run through the City of Henderson and protected public lands, including Rainbow Gardens and the Lake Mead Recreation Area. Those plans, known as the “eastern alternative corridor,” have now been abandoned after ongoing public […]
The IPCC report has a chapter on the Southwest, and it’s brutal
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 20, 2021
Drought, wildfires, declining water supplies, threats to human health made even more dangerous by urban design flaws and socioeconomic inequities — the climate crisis has already hit the Southwest hard. And it’s only going to get worse. That’s the message in the chapter on the U.S. Southwest in the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel […]
Nevada higher ed students must be vaxed by Nov. 1 to enroll for spring
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 20, 2021
Students attending a university, community college, or state college in Nevada will need to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 by November 1 to enroll for classes in the spring 2022 semester, under an emergency regulation approved by the Nevada Board of Health in a unanimous vote Friday. But the board rejected requests from faculty to […]
‘There is no climate plan for the Colorado River’
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 17, 2021
As drought and climate change threatens the Colorado River, the federal government officially declared the first-ever water shortage in the Colorado River Basin on Monday, leading to mandatory water cuts for Nevada in 2022. Under the cuts, Nevada will lose about 7% of its allocation, or 21,000 acre-feet of water, through at least early next […]
Officials schedule emergency meeting on Covid vaccine mandate for college students
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 16, 2021
After calls from Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) faculty and staff last week to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for college students “as soon as possible,” health officials have scheduled an emergency meeting to consider the decision this Friday. The Nevada Board of Health will hold an emergency meeting Aug. 20 at 9 a.m. to consider […]
NSHE faculty urge health officials to require Covid shot by start of fall semester
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 11, 2021
Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) faculty and staff Tuesday urged state health officials to mandate a Covid-19 vaccine requirement for college students “as soon as possible,” calling further delay a “failure.” But the state Board of Health declined to take any action to expedite consideration of a vaccine mandate at its emergency meeting Tuesday, […]
Sisolak urges Nevadans get vaccinated, considers mandate for college students
By: Jeniffer Solis - August 5, 2021
Gov. Steve Sisolak on Thursday announced new steps the state is taking to slow the spread of Covid-19, including considering requiring vaccines for college students, but he stopped short of implementing new restrictions or mandates. “I don’t want to look at more restrictions,” Sisolak said. “What I want to do is explain to people why […]