Defense wraps up closing arguments in marijuana court hearing; no decision from judge yet

In the wake of three mass shootings in California, Texas and Ohio, the House Judiciary Committee announced that it will return early from the August recess to vote on three gun control bills, including a measure introduced by Rep. Dina Titus that would ban high-capacity magazines.

The Clark County School District has proposed a two-year agreement with employee bargaining groups that it calls the “most significant increase in compensation and benefits” in more than a decade, but the teachers’ union has signaled dissatisfaction with it.

For the first time starting in 2020, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will be required to forgo a portion of their Colorado River supply under a short-term drought plan signed earlier this year. The decision to implement those cuts came on Thursday after federal water managers released a study that serves as a key benchmark for Southwest states.

Clark County District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez said her ruling would be based on whether the department exceeded the scope of its powers and if the state acted arbitrarily and capriciously in implementing a voter-approved ballot question legalizing recreational marijuana. She will also be looking at how ownership diversity and dispensary floor plans factored into application scores. 

The administration proposes making changes that would remove legal protections against discrimination for women with a history of pregnancy termination and LGBTQ individuals, citing litigation on religious freedom laws and whether the legally accepted definition of “sex” includes “gender identity.” The federal government says the changes would save $3.6 billion over five years.

According to documents shared with The Nevada Independent, attorneys in the Clark County public defender’s office have drafted a plan to begin filing motions in criminal cases seeking similar treatment offered to Nicholas by Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson’s office.

Opportunity Scholarships receive funding when businesses donate to approved scholarship organizations, which then offer awards to individual students that can be worth more than $8,000 a year. As enacted in 2015, the amount of tax credits authorized each year grows by 10 percent. But AB458 caps the size of the program at existing levels, largely preventing new enrollees or accommodating inflation in tuition.

This week's edition of Indy Environment looks at a decision by utility regulators to join other states in adopting a climate change framework. The newsletter also looks at what to watch for as federal water managers release a much-awaited forecast Thursday afternoon on the Colorado River.