Working + The Economy
Painter disabled in fall at stadium stung by contractors’ message of ‘zero injuries’
A 150-foot boom lift that toppled during construction of Allegiant Stadium in August 2020, plunging the painter in the basket to the ground 100 feet below, malfunctioned twice in the three days preceding the accident, according to a Nevada OSHA report obtained by the Current. Christopher Casarez, a 52-year-old painter, has undergone three surgeries for […]
Nevada public sector workforce shrank during the pandemic
Nevada’s non-education public sector workforce is down 5.2% compared to pre-pandemic, according to a new analysis by Pew Charitable Trusts. Comparing employment data from July 2021 with July 2019, Pew found that 14 states recorded declines of more than 5% in their state and local governments, excluding education jobs. Almost a dozen states reported larger […]
EPA confirms climate impacts are more adverse for racial minorities in the Southwest
The worst effects of climate change are disproportionately falling on “underserved communities who are least able to prepare for, and recover from, heat waves, poor air quality, flooding, and other impacts,” according to an Environmental Protection Agency report released last week. The peer-reviewed report forecasts how the impacts of climate change will be distributed across […]
Dormant for years, mining oversight committee is getting resurrected
A dormant committee originally created to ask tough questions about Nevada’s lucrative mining industry may soon be revived. Gov. Steve Sisolak announced in a press release Tuesday that “progress has been made toward completing appointments” to the Mining Oversight and Accountability Commission. The seven-member commission was created by the Nevada State Legislature in 2011, but […]
Hawthorne’s only dentist wants to retire, underscoring state’s rural health shortage
For almost four decades, Dr. Bruce Dow has filled cavities, pulled teeth and provided other essential dental health care in his hometown of Hawthorne, Nevada. As his wife, Michelle Dow, describes it: “real, down-to-earth dentistry.” The Dows are now looking to retire. But they are aware the dentist’s departure is likely to leave a tremendous […]
Slavery was the ultimate labor distortion – empowering workers would be a form of reparations
The conversation about reparations for slavery entered a new stage earlier in 2021, with the U.S. House Judiciary Committee voting for the creation of a commission to address the matter. The bill, H.R. 40, has been introduced every Congress since 1989 by Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and John Conyers, until his death in 2019. But […]
School Board greenlights road to CCSD employee vaccine mandate
The Clark County School Board took a step toward mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for its approximately 42,000 employees. But don’t ask for the details. The resolution approved by the trustees 5-1 at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday after a nearly eight-hour emergency meeting gives Clark County School District and Superintendent Jesus Jara the greenlight to draft a […]
Casinos want to pay for California’s social ills. Why not Nevada’s?
Four casino companies with big footprints in Nevada want on-line sports betting rights in California, and they’re willing to pay a ten percent gaming tax that would assist indigenous people, fund homeless services, and mental health treatment in the Golden State. The proposed ballot measure, the California Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support Act, […]
OSHA teams with Mexican Consulate to prevent labor abuses in NV construction
The U.S. Department of Labor announced Monday it’s partnering with the Consulate General of Mexico in Las Vegas to protect Mexican nationals working in the Nevada construction industry from health and safety abuses. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) representatives and members of the consulate are planning to provide Spanish-language training resources about whistleblower protections […]
USDA OKs NV’s extension of additional SNAP benefits for children
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 […]
Autonomous vehicles can deliver pizzas in TX. Will they deliver jobs to NV?
An autonomous vehicle company is planning to build a manufacturing facility and test track in Southern Nevada, marking one of the latest efforts by the state to diversify the economy beyond travel and tourism. Flanked by federal and state lawmakers, the Silicon Valley-based robotics company Nuro held a press event Thursday to announce its plans […]
Vegas restaurants launch co-op to compete with food delivery services
Tired of what they describe as the predatory business practices of Silicon Valley tech giants, a group of local restaurants have banded together to launch their own co-op food delivery service. It’s called LoCo Las Vegas. “This is a local solution to a local problem,” says Kristen Corral, owner of Tacotarian, who helped found the […]