The Historic Westside Legacy Park, dedicated last month, combines art, history, a trail and communal space while honoring Black leaders prominent to the Las Vegas Valley and the state.

Loyd Sorensen, a rancher from Southern Utah, acquired the Secret Pass Ranch in the 1940s, eventually transferring it to his grandson, Jared, in the 1980s. Jared and his wife, Selena, are doing things differently.

Spurred by supply chain constraints, historically low interest rates, housing inventory shortages and migration changes influenced by the pandemic, Nevada's housing prices skyrocketed to record highs in 2021.

We told you many stories — more than 1,800 — with an ever-growing crew of reporters, interns, podcast and video producers and dedicated editors. In this article, we've highlighted some of our favorites.

The Nevada Independent photographers captured the rollercoaster emotions that came to define this year. As we bid goodbye to 2021, take a journey through their camera lenses.

In the past year, state lawmakers have passed bills giving members of the National Guard a sales tax holiday — a weekend on which they can skip paying the sales tax — and approved changes that make it easier for the military community and their family members to pursue higher education for free. 

“Pets are like family, and no one wants to have to make that sacrifice or that decision to split up their family in order to come into services,” Las Vegas Community Resources Manager Jocelyn Bluitt-Fisher said.

Each season, the celebration of Christmas has religious leaders and conservatives publicly complaining about the commercialization of the holiday and the growing lack of Christian sentiment.

Since she started dancing at the age of seven, Mya Dunlap has dreamed about playing the role of Clara in The Nutcracker. Now 17, the Reno High School senior was both excited and nervous to finally perform as the show’s central character in performances earlier this month.

“We were fighting two viruses — that of hatred and racism and then the actual coronavirus,” Elizabeth de Leon-Gamboa, a registered nurse originally from the Philippines, said.

Southern Nevada’s law enforcement agencies have spent years attempting to increase diversity in the force and better represent the community to address trust issues.

Latinos across Nevada gathered at churches this weekend to sing las mañanitas, a birthday song, to the Virgin of Guadalupe, who is a manifestation of the Virgin Mary.

A majority of the Mi Familia Vota Nevada team resigned on Thursday, saying they were unhappy with a lack of investment from the organization's "toxic" leadership.

Menorah lightings at the Fremont Street Experience, Reno City Plaza, the Las Vegas Strip and at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City are a chance to show pride over Jewish culture and sacred traditions, Harlig said.

Golden Owl Books, which opened in May, is not the only shop on wheels roaming Reno’s streets. More mobile businesses are cropping up each year.

The Build Back Better domestic spending bill championed by President Joe Biden would continue those monthly payments to families through 2022 and make the child tax credit permanently refundable.

The Magical Forest at Opportunity Village kicked off its 30th season Friday evening with a tree-lighting ceremony and the usual sparkling array of festive lights and decor.

A new Reno housing complex will pair five young women who transitioned out of foster care with five senior citizens in need of affordable housing.

As Reno navigates a housing crisis and rising income inequality, a community group is helping provide free laundry services to Reno's unsheltered populations.

When customers enter NoButcher, a vegan restaurant in Las Vegas, they encounter a long, communal table, which the owners have observed occupy a more diverse clientele over time.