It’s not easy to make public health decisions without access to good data. And epidemiologists and public health workers for Native American communities say they’re often in the dark because state and federal agencies restrict their access to the latest numbers. The 2010 reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act gave tribal epidemiology centers public health authority and requires the federal Department of Health and Human Services to grant them access to and use of data and other protected health information that’s regularly distributed to state and local officials. But tribal epidemiology center workers have told government investigators that’s not often the case.
It’s deja vu all over again when it comes to Question 1 on the 2024 ballot, as voters once more have a chance to remove the constitutional status of the elected Board of Regents who oversee higher education in the state. Voters rejected a similar effort on the 2020 ballot, but what’s different this time (if anything) and what would Question 1 actually do if passed? Summary of what it does: Question 1 would remove all references to the Board of Regents from the Nevada Constitution, nullifying its constitutionally established status. Instead, it would authorize the Legislature to “review, reform and improve the programs and operations” of public universities and require biennial audits of public higher education institutions.
Both of Nevada’s senators voted in favor of a long-stalled package to expand the child tax credit, but the proposal was ultimately killed by Senate Republicans. A rare victory for bipartisanship, the tax package — negotiated between Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) and House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) — passed the House in February with more than 350 votes — including those of all four House Nevadans — among the 435 representatives.
When Vice President Kamala Harris was installed as the Democratic nominee, the map of states that will decide the election remained the same — theoretically. Team Biden believed his best — and perhaps only — path to victory would be to win the blue wall states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, plus Nebraska’s second congressional district. It was a narrow path to exactly 270 electoral votes. And while the Biden campaign had still put immense resources into its Nevada field operation, polling persistently showed Trump winning, to the point that the former president had stopped considering it as a swing state.
A Carson City judge denied a motion by former President Donald Trump’s campaign and state Republicans to stop counting mail ballots that lack a clear postmark and are received three days after Election Day. Carson City District Court Judge James Russell denied the request for a preliminary injunction, a spokesperson for the Nevada Attorney General’s Office confirmed to The Nevada Independent.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the 2024 class of USDA 1890 National Scholars, awarding scholarships to over 90 students. This initiative, aimed at developing a diverse new generation of food and agriculture professionals, is a collaboration between the USDA and the 19 historically Black land-grant universities established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890.
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced a nearly $105 million taxpayer investment as part of the President’s Investing in America agenda for 67 water conservation and efficiency projects that will enhance drought resilience across the nation.
RENO — With some big game hunting seasons starting and many approaching, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) is raising awareness about a quarantine order to prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal neurologic disease found in the deer family, into Nevada.
The Nevada Promise Scholarship is offering a fantastic opportunity for students to pursue higher education at Great Basin College with minimal out-of-pocket costs.
The Public Utilities Commission is seeking to end its policy of having NV Energy’s Southern Nevada customers, who earn less than their northern counterparts, pay for the costs of preparing for natural disasters, primarily fires at Lake Tahoe. NV Energy’s Natural Disaster Protection Plan (NDPP), submitted every three years, is the result of a legislative mandate passed in 2019 to mitigate the impacts of fires in areas with the highest threat. The legislation, sponsored by former Sen. Chris Brooks, was signed into law by then-Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) made his first visit to Nevada on Tuesday since becoming the Republican nominee for vice president, attacking Vice President Kamala Harris’ immigration record and arguing the new Democratic frontrunner was responsible for rising costs. Vance’s two-city swing started off with a speech in Henderson and included a speech in Reno later in the day. Speaking to a crowd of hundreds at Liberty High School in Henderson, he accused Harris of being culpable for record-setting border crossings, a “cover-up” of President Joe Biden’s health and an economy that has suffered from high inflation. He also said electing his running mate — former President Donald Trump — is the only way America will regain its strength domestically and internationally.
The case against the six Nevada Republicans who submitted an invalid slate of electoral votes for former President Donald Trump in 2020 is moving up to the Nevada Supreme Court, after Attorney General Aaron Ford on Friday appealed a Clark County judge’s dismissal of the charges brought by his office.
Last week, a coalition of election officials, businesses, and civic engagement, religious and veterans groups made a national push to encourage hundreds of thousands of Americans to serve as poll workers in November’s presidential election. Poll worker demand is high. With concerns over the harassment and threats election officials face, and with the traditional bench of poll workers growing older, hundreds of counties around the country are in desperate need of people who are willing to serve their communities.
WASHINGTON — Legislation aimed at protecting children online sailed through the U.S. Senate Tuesday, marking what could be the first update since the late 1990s for companies who interact with minors on the internet. Senators approved the package of two bills in a 91-3 vote, a rare bipartisan landslide in the tightly divided body, despite loud and fervent opposition from civil liberties and LGBTQ organizations that say the measures would hand the government power to subjectively censor content.
Attorneys overseeing minor guardianship cases face months-long waits before seeing judges and often have petitions where caregivers are seeking temporary guardianship denied, rulings that can effectively deny children of financial support and even health care. There are “large missing chunks of law” when it comes to helping children during guardianship cases, Marina Dalia-Hunt, a minor guardianship attorney with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, told lawmakers during a legislative Interim Judiciary Committee meeting last week..