Criminal Justice | October 1 | State Government
Legislative gun law changes inspired by October 1 have seen middling adoption over last nine months; advocates urge patience
October 1st, 2020 - 2:00am
Public records obtained by The Nevada Independent indicate that more than 2,400 background checks on private party transactions have been conducted between the law’s effective date in January and Sept. 1. But the state Department of Public Safety — which manages the state’s background check system — only reported four issuances of “red flag” Extreme Risk Protection Orders over the last nine months.
Environment
Indy Environment: Cave samples could offer a glimpse into a 'worst case' scenario for climate change. A UNLV researcher says it should be a call to action.
October 1st, 2020 - 8:00am
This week's Indy Environment newsletter looks at a paper that recreates a 13,000-year climate history for the Great Basin and presents a potential worst-case scenario for what climate change could look like.
Education | Election 2020
Election Preview: Two spots are still up for grabs on the state Board of Education
September 30th, 2020 - 2:00am
Two candidates won their seats on the state’s education board outright in June, but narrow primary battles mean four others are still fighting for two spots, including one incumbent who is concerned that parent frustrations about distance learning may hurt his chances of retaining a seat he has held since 2013.
Environment
PHOTOS: To help with wildfire mitigation, state looks to new tactic: 300 goats
September 30th, 2020 - 12:35pm
On Tuesday, the herd of one-to-three year old Spanish goats from High Desert Graziers in rural Smith Valley began their “firefighting” work of chewing up sagebrush, bitterbrush, manzanita and cheatgrass on a 100 acre plot of private property off of Highway 50. The area, in the mountains and hills between Carson City and Lake Tahoe, is considered to be at extreme risk of wildfire.
Coronavirus | Economy & Business | State Government
Sisolak lifts 50-person limit on gatherings, allowing live entertainment and large events to proceed with restrictions
September 29th, 2020 - 4:08pm
Updated September 29th, 2020 - 5:03pm
Gov. Steve Sisolak, at a press conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, said the state’s decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations since a peak in midsummer warranted an increase in the 50-person maximum of gatherings, which has been in place since May. The new directive will take effect at midnight on Thursday.
Coronavirus | Economy & Business
Two months in, strike force says it’s making progress on unemployment claim backlog, pegs hope on assist from welfare workers
September 29th, 2020 - 2:00am
Strike force director Barbara Buckley and newly minted Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) Administrator Elisa Cafferata said they’ve reliably estimated there was a backlog of about 80,000 legitimate unemployment claims when they took the reins Aug. 1. As of last week, they’d resolved 18,161 of them.
Immigration
Advocates demand residency for TPS holders, stop in Las Vegas during national campaign
September 29th, 2020 - 2:00am
The "On the Road to Justice" bus tour from the advocacy group National TPS Alliance took off from Los Angeles last Monday and will travel across the country until Nov. 13 to call for permanent residency for TPS holders, highlight the work of immigrants during the pandemic and encourage eligible voters to go to the polls on Nov. 3.
Economy & Business | State Government
State approves $20 million for small businesses after struggling to give away commercial rent assistance
September 28th, 2020 - 2:00am
Federal coronavirus relief funds must be spent by the end of the calendar year, and commercial rental help is not the only program with a relatively low disbursement rate. Less than 10 percent of the $70 million Nevada applied to tenant rental assistance has been distributed about halfway through the program’s existence.
