Jodi Hocking, founder of the nonprofit inmate advocacy group Return Strong, helped present a bill that would create an Office of the Ombudsman — impartial and independent of the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) — that would manage grievances filed by prisoners that adversely affect the health, safety, welfare and rights of those in custody. The office would be under the administration of the attorney general. 

“I understand the LVPPA’s disappointment with this fiscal note,” Yurek told The Nevada Independent in a statement Friday. “I had asked them to not bring a lawsuit like this during session, but again, I understand their frustration.”

Over the past two years, Ford has announced settlement victories against major opioid companies totaling more than $391 million, with Tuesday’s announcement bringing that total to $543 million.

Ford said he would continue to assist the federal Department of Justice in its investigation into the matter.

Judge Jessica Peterson’s order, issued Thursday, states that Nevada Republican Party Executive Director Alida Benson failed to clear the burden of proof for the anti-SLAPP motion, a law that allows defendants in defamation cases to avoid extensive litigation in cases where a lawsuit might otherwise silence their speech.

The shortfall would leave the state unable to fund compensation claims for crime victims, legislative fiscal staff told lawmakers, adding that it could even mean the state is unable to qualify for additional federal funding used to support victims.

The agency’s plan is to reduce the number of operating conservation camps to six for the upcoming two-year budget cycle, closing the camps operating in Ely, Tonopah and Hawthorne.

Health care providers, including a group called Your Nevada Doctors, have sought to preempt the proposal through an advertising campaign and website arguing that lifting the cap would drive up liability insurance costs and cause doctors to leave the state.

During a joint hearing of the bills Monday, Cannizzaro and Ford cited “alarming” statistics showing the significant rise in fentanyl-related overdose deaths since 2020 and pitched the two measures as companion pieces that would work in tandem.

Jauregui, a survivor of the October 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas, noted that six of the nine deadliest mass shootings in the United States since 2018 were committed by people under the age of 21.

Washoe County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously accepted the resignation of Public Defender John Arrascada, taking his recommendation to appoint his chief deputy, Evelyn Grosenick, as interim public defender until a permanent replacement is chosen.

After winning re-election in 2020, Assefa resigned the following January — just weeks before the start of the 2021 legislative session — alleging he was “mistaken” about the state’s residency requirements to run for legislative office.

At the core of Stiglich’s speech was SB58, a bill that would create a unique Judicial Fund in the state budget, mirroring a similar Legislative Fund (aptly named for funding the Legislature) from which funds don’t revert back to the state’s General Fund once legislative sessions are over. 

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department lobbyist Beth Schmidt testified in opposition, stating the department could go from sealing 1,600 records a year to upwards of 48,000 a year under the proposal. She said although the agency wants to work with Miller, department officials have concerns about meeting the automatic sealing threshold.

A lawsuit over the 2021 Nevada law that targeted one of the nation’s largest ghost gun kit and part manufacturers is finally nearing a legal conclusion.

The Nevada prison system, facing an anticipated increase in the inmate population and dealing with aging infrastructure, is confronting a severe staffing shortage that presents a danger to guards, prisoners and the community, its new director told lawmakers. 

U.S. District Court Judge Miranda M. Du largely upheld the federal government’s permit for the Thacker Pass lithium mine, a focal point in efforts to increase lithium production.

Parties came to an agreement on Friday evening entitling employees to nearly $3.7 million in compensation after what workers said was years of unpaid overtime and unfair treatment.

Reno is welcoming its first female police chief to the force — a longtime member of the Stockton Police Department.

Dzurenda was appointed to lead the agency by former Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval in May 2016, and led until his departure under Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in August, 2019.