CARSON CITY — The Nevada Department of Education announced Thursday that high school graduation rates increased for the Class of 2024 compared with the previous year. The statewide graduation rate was 81.6% — up from 81.4% for the Class of 2023. In total, 31,978 students graduated this year.
The 2024 presidential election featured sky-high turnout, approaching the historic levels of the 2020 contest and contradicting long-held conventional political wisdom that Republicans struggle to win races in which many people vote. According to Associated Press elections data, more than 153 million ballots were cast in this year's race between Republican Donald Trump, now the president-elect, and Democrat Kamala Harris, the vice president, with hundreds of thousands of more still being tallied in slower-counting states such as California. When those ballots are fully tabulated, the number of votes will come even closer to the 158 million in the 2020 presidential contest, which was the highest turnout election since women were given the right to vote more than a century ago.
The remote ranching community of Wells, at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Highway 93 in the state’s northeastern Elko County, offers examples of the culture of self-reliance, lack of mental health providers and limited privacy that can often hinder discussions of mental health and outreach for help in rural areas. Reagan Brandt, 16, a cheerleader and Future Farmers of America (FFA) member, said when her parents grew up, they didn’t learn about mental health issues or how to navigate them.
Kade Lesbo was a left-handed pitcher with good control and a strong makeup. His junior varsity baseball coach described him as a mentally tough kid with a positive, uplifting attitude, who never seemed to get rattled. He loved the Seattle Mariners, riding dirt bikes, hunting, fishing and camping.
As we move into the holiday season, NV Energy is reminding customers to remain vigilant and be on the lookout for scams – which tend to increase during the holiday season. Common scam practices include phone calls that appear to come from NV Energy where the caller demands immediate payment and threatens disconnection.
RENO, Nev. — The results of the 2024 Nevada Small Business Challenges Survey are in, shedding light on the pressing issues faced by both established and new businesses across the state. With 889 respondents, this year’s survey provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges Nevada’s small businesses face as they navigate a rapidly evolving economic landscape. Since the survey was first distributed to businesses throughout the Silver State in 2022, the Nevada Small Business Development Center is now able to distinguish data trends and understand the shifting landscape of emerging and sustained challenges.
More than two-thirds of public land in Nevada is owned by the federal government, giving the U.S. Department of the Interior — the government agency that oversees the nation’s natural and cultural resources — an outsized influence in the state. Likewise, the head of the agency has massive influence over the fate of mining operations, conservation efforts, renewable energy development, and oil and gas leasing in Nevada.
Earlier this year, a conservative group in Nevada filed allegations with county election officials that more than 30,000 Nevadans had appeared to move and might no longer be eligible to vote in the jurisdiction where they were registered. However, many of the challenges were never considered after guidance from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Lands bills for Clark and Washoe counties passed out of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday, clearing a key procedural hurdle as the time for full Senate passage dwindles. The two bills, which would expand the amount of land available for development in each county and add permanent conservation protections for millions of acres of wilderness, were each introduced this year.
CARSON CITY — As colder weather approaches, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is reminding residents that firewood cutting permits are required for gathering firewood on public lands in the Carson City District. Permits are now available online and at several local locations for individuals wishing to collect firewood for personal use.
ELKO —The Elko District, Wells Field Office has issued a Decision Record (DR) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the O’Neil Project Planning Area Final Environmental Assessment (FEA) for the treatments on 208,000 acres to improve and protect Greater sage-grouse (GRSG) habitat in Northeastern Nevada.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — An ecstatic George Russell had just won the Formula 1 race Saturday night when he exclaimed in his radio, “Vegas!” He was ready to start celebrating in America's party capital, saying he would skip his flight back to his home in the United Kingdom to make the most of his Las Vegas Grand Prix victory. “I'm definitely not getting on that flight,” Russell said in the post-race podium interview with actor Terry Crews and the Bellagio fountains in the background. “I'm going to enjoy this evening.”
Republican President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he wants Chris Wright, a Colorado oil and gas executive, to serve the new administration as Department of Energy secretary. Wright will also be a member of the Council of National Energy, the formation of which was announced Friday. Details on the council are scarce, but it’s widely viewed as a further indication that the Trump administration intends to boost domestic fossil fuel and other energy production.
The federal government is asking a judge to rule that it has the power to impose staffing requirements on nursing homes that collect billions of federal tax dollars through Medicaid and Medicare. The request was made recently in the form of a motion for summary judgment in a lawsuit filed by the nursing home industry. That lawsuit challenges the legality of newly imposed regulations that mandate minimum staffing levels in the Medicaid-certified care facilities that now provide care for 1.2 million elderly and disabled Americans.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada Democrats will maintain their power in the statehouse but have fallen short of securing a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers that would have stripped Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo of his veto power when they convene early next year. Democrats lost their razor-thin supermajority of 28 seats in the state Assembly after Republicans successfully flipped a competitive district on the southern edge of Las Vegas.