News
As utilities spend billions on transmission, support builds for independent monitoring
An aging electric grid, fossil fuel power plant retirements and a massive renewable electricity buildout are all contributing to a boom in transmission and distribution wire projects by electric utilities across the country. In 2020, investor-owned electric utilities spent $25 billion on transmission, up from $23.7 billion in 2019, figures that the Edison Electric Institute, […]
Proposal to allow city-based school districts gets one step closer to reality
A proposed law that would open the door for breaking up the Clark County School District met a key state deadline Wednesday, with backers saying they submitted more than 220,000 signatures to qualify a statutory initiative for consideration by the state legislature in 2023 or voters in 2024. Community Schools Initiative is proposing changing Nevada […]
Nye County chaos cut into Yomba Shoshone voting access
Disorganization and miscommunication in Nye County following the appointment of election denier Mark Kampf as the county’s top election clerk resulted in a botched and chaotic election week for the Yomba Shoshone Tribe. It wasn’t until the Friday before Election Day that Kampf agreed to establish a polling location on the tribe’s reservation, despite an […]
Student loan repayment pause extended by White House amid legal battles over relief plan
WASHINGTON — The Department of Education announced on Tuesday it is extending the pandemic-era pause on federal student loan repayments until June 30 while legal challenges to the administration’s student debt relief program are fought over in the courts. The agency said if the student debt relief program has not been put in place by […]
Legislation aims to expand SBA loans for social equity in the pot industry
The Fair Access for Cannabis Small Business Act was introduced by Democratic U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen would expand programs and loans by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to the cannabis industry operating in states where it is legalized. “The unfair barriers to basic federal support and resources have hurt our state’s legally-operating cannabis small businesses,” […]
NDOC closes Warm Springs Correctional Center amid staffing shortages
Amid staffing shortages, prison officials announced the Nevada Department of Corrections is closing Warm Springs Corrections Center in Carson City and consolidating remaining staff to work at other facilities. The Nevada state prison system averages around 50% staffing vacancy rates at three northern Nevada prisons including Warm Springs, Northern Nevada Correctional Center and Lovelock Correctional […]
To end youth homelessness, groups say ‘we have no choice but to make policy changes’
Tayvon Jenkins was 12 years old when he and his family began experiencing homelessness on and off. The now 26-year-old Jenkins explained during the annual Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) summit Nov. 17 that he thought his situation was typical. “I thought all my friends were always hungry, like me,” he said. “I thought […]
SNHD adds new harm reduction vending machine to help those struggling with substance use
The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) Tuesday opened a new vending machine to curb public health concerns around substance use, including the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C and deaths by overdose. The newest vending machine, located at the SNHD’s main public health center at 280 S. Decatur Blvd., is one of seven throughout the […]
State out $97 million after software switch fails
The effort to replace Nevada’s aging human resource and finance system was supposed to cost $75 million after ten years. Now, three years into the effort, the price tag already exceeds $97 million and the state has little to nothing to show for it. Earlier this year, the state fired Labyrinth Solutions, Inc.(LSI), the contractor […]
Two communities find a cure for medical debt: pandemic stimulus funds
Local governments in Ohio and Illinois are using American Rescue Plan Act money to relieve residents struggling with medical debt by partnering with an organization that buys debt and wipes the slate clean for debtors. It’s a strategy advocates say could be duplicated across the country to help erase a multibillion-dollar problem. On Nov. 9, […]
5 new regents to enter chancellor-less, budget-bruised higher ed system
This year’s elections brought five new regents to Nevada’s higher education ecosystem. When the newly elected are seated, they will have no shortage of issues to address, including finding a permanent chancellor and restoring pandemic budget cuts. The 13-member nonpartisan board oversees the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), which consists of four community colleges, […]
Nevada news associations call for ‘transparency and a civil relationship with media’ from elected officials
In a joint statement Thursday, The Nevada Press Association, the Nevada Broadcasters Association, the Society of Professional Journalists Las Vegas, and the Nevada Open Government Coalition said the following: With the 2022 campaign cycle coming to an end, the Nevada Press Association, the Society of Professional Journalists Las Vegas, the Nevada Open Government Coalition and […]