Editor’s note: Seven days. Never enough hours.

Stacks of paperwork at the office and piles of laundry at home. It’s a never-ending cycle, which makes it difficult to stay on top of the endless news nuggets flowing from the White House, state capital, local government and business community. We get it — and we’re in the news business.

Enter “About Last Week.” This is our way of bringing news-hungry but time-strapped readers up to speed on happenings that may have flown under the radar. Our promise: We’ll keep it brief.

Our hope: You’ll read (or skim) and keep checking back every Monday.

So, without further ado, here are some noteworthy things that happened in Nevada last week.

Marijuana tax collections ahead of schedule

While Nevada is only 66 percent through the fiscal year, it had already collected 83 percent of the marijuana tax revenue it was expected to bring in for the period.

The Nevada Department of Taxation announced that February was the biggest month for marijuana tax collection so far, with nearly $6 million coming in, although that month ranked third for total sales. Officials said $35.6 million of legal marijuana was sold in Nevada in February.

“The overall revenue picture is strong and, if it continues the path it is currently on, we can expect to see end-of-year revenue totals that substantially exceed expectations,” said tax department Director Bill Anderson.  

For the fiscal year that lasts through June, Nevada projected it would make $50.3 million off a 15 percent wholesale tax that applies to all marijuana and a 10 percent excise tax that only applies to recreational marijuana sales.

In addition, the state has also collected $9.5 million from marijuana-related fees, penalties and assessments.

The taxation department expects it will transfer $25 million to the state’s main education fund — the Distributive School Account — at the end of the fiscal year.

Through February, the state has also sent $26.37 million to the Rainy Day Fund, a reserve meant to help the state balance its budget during economic downturns.

— Michelle Rindels

Assembly Democrats endorse Ethiopian refugee for Las Vegas seat

The Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus has endorsed an immigrant from Ethiopia to replace Democratic Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams, who isn’t seeking re-election to her Las Vegas district.

Alexander Assefa came to the U.S. 18 years ago as a refugee, went to flight school and went on to earn a political science degree at Averett University in Danville, Virginia. He is a small business owner, active in his church and a board member at the ECDC African Community Center, where he helps with refugee resettlement.

"Alexander Assefa's personal experience as a small business owner brings a strong and unique perspective to the Assembly, and his background as both a refugee and immigrant advocating for underrepresented communities is exactly the type of diversity, passion, and resilience Nevadans deserve from their representatives,” Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson said in a statement.

Assefa is the chairman of the Clark County Democratic Party, Transport and Tourism Workers Caucus and has volunteered in every presidential election since 2004.

Other candidates in the race are LaDon Henry, a veteran and former welder who would be the first transgender man in the Legislature if elected, and Kathleen Lauckner. No Republicans are running for the seat.

The district is in central Las Vegas west of Interstate 15 and includes the Chinatown area.

— Michelle Rindels

Sandoval appoints MGM executive to Board of Regents

Gov. Brian Sandoval has appointed MGM executive Anthony Williams to replace Cedric Crear on the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents — the 13-member governing body of the state’s higher education system.

Sandoval made the announcement on Tuesday, nearly a month after Crear won a special election for a spot on the Las Vegas City Council.

“I am pleased to appoint Anthony Williams to the Board of Regents,” Sandoval said in a statement. “A U.S. Navy veteran, Anthony and his wife are raising their four boys in North Las Vegas, and I am confident Anthony’s perspective will be invaluable to the Board of Regents.”

Williams, according to a news release, is the vice president of engineering operations at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and previously worked at the Mirage, Luxor and Excalibur hotels and casinos. Williams will serve out the remainder of Crear’s term, which expires in 2018, and is not one of the five candidates who have filed to run for the seat.

“It is an honor to be the voice of the students throughout this great state as well as my community I have called home since the day I was born,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members and the entire NSHE team to make our higher education system the best it can be.”

— Riley Snyder