Researchers have already established that Nevada’s prison population is 7 percent higher than it was a decade ago even though prison rates nationwide are dropping, and even though violent crime is down 24 percent and property crime is down 25 percent in Nevada in the past decade.

Ford discussed his plans to try enacting a stalled voter-approved gun background check law — which could involve a lawsuit in federal court — and to defend the state’s marijuana industry against any potential federal crackdown. He also said it was likely the state could get involved in various legal challenges throughout the country, including defending the Affordable Care Act from a Texas-backed lawsuit that Laxalt declined to engage with.

Classes had barely begun Wednesday morning at Eldorado High School when four teenage boys found themselves lined up in front of Metro Police vehicles as officers conducted an investigation. The initiative — dubbed “Safe Zone” — involved a partnership between Metro Police and Clark County School District Police.

The Campaign Legal Center reached a deal with state and Clark County election officials amid confusion about how convicted felons needed to prove they had their voting rights restored. The agreement allows people to sign an affidavit about their restored voting rights while registering or at the polling place, rather than dig up proof of their eligibility to complete the process.

Nevada voters will weigh in this election on Marsy's Law, a measure that seeks to strengthen the rights of victims but faces opposition from those who say it could infringe on the rights of the accused. See more in our video explainer.

The longer stays, coupled with a 6 percent increase in overall admissions, are contributing to a prison population that’s 7 percent higher than a decade ago and growing while nationwide state prison rates are dropping.

Although not as severe as states including Florida, Nevada’s laws restricting ex-felons’ rights to vote are among the harsher rules in the country. As of 2016, there were nearly 90,000 people in Nevada who couldn’t vote because of a conviction — about 4 percent of the voting age population and a critical figure considering Nevada’s status as a battleground state with close races.

“That's the biggest misconception and the No. 1 thing that we're facing is just that folks believe that, ‘I have a felony, I can't ever vote again,’” said Aaron Esparza, and organizer for the Restore Your Vote campaign. “But here in Nevada, once you finish your time, you can restore your voting rights. There's different pathways.”

In a letter sent to the attorney general’s office on Oct. 4, attorney Gus Flangas demanded that the office more quickly respond to records requests filed by his client, former Mineral County Sheriff Stewart Handte, related to correspondence between Laxalt’s campaign and office, any messages between Laxalt and Antinoro, and records related to attempts to contact a woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by the Storey County Sheriff.

The two candidates who fielded questions are probably not known to most Nevadans — Clark County District Court Judge Elissa Cadish and Court of Appeals Justice Jerry Tao, who are running for an open spot on the Nevada Supreme Court. At the candidate forum moderated by outgoing Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison and hosted by the Las Vegas chapter of the Federalist Society, the two judges answered questions on judicial philosophy and approach to law in the race for a position that is often drowned out by other contests on the ballot but that still holds immense dominion over the lives of Nevadans.

Rather than categorizing them according to their projected risk of reoffending, they’ll be categorized according to the original crime they were convicted of — a process that will reshuffle thousands of them and lead to many having their names, addresses and pictures on a web-based sex offender registry for the first time.

California police are investigating Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro for his possible involvement in the 2015 rape of a woman in a Lodi hotel. Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt informed California police and the FBI of the accusation centering around a deposition made as part of an ongoing lawsuit against Antinoro by a former deputy, according to emails obtained in a public records request by The Nevada Independent.

Ruby Flores González was scheduled to give birth on Saturday, but the baby’s father was expected to miss the big moment — Jorge Franco is in the Henderson Detention Center and is at risk of being deported for unpaid traffic tickets.

Only a month into the new academic year, police have investigated seven gun-related incidents at Clark County School District campuses — prompting a deeper look into the burgeoning problem.

A former deputy to an embattled rural Nevada sheriff has filed a lawsuit in federal court against her former boss, accusing him of discrimination and violating equal employment laws. Melanie Keener, a former deputy to Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro, filed the civil lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday against the county and Antinoro after receiving a “right to sue” letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in June.

Leslie Turner’s son was four months old when she was jailed for a week and a half over unpaid traffic tickets and a broken taillight. She’d been breastfeeding, and the time apart caused her breast milk to go dry. She’s now an activist for the Mass Liberation Project at the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, where she — among other things — teaches people how to fix their own taillights so they don’t end up in her position.

The Republican Attorneys General Association has filed a lawsuit against Las Vegas police over thwarted attempts to obtain body camera footage that involves Democratic candidate for attorney general, Aaron Ford. The lawsuit, which was filed against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday, alleges that Metro repeatedly—and improperly—refused to turn over body camera footage of Ford, the Democratic state Senate majority leader, related to an incident with a Metro officer and a minor child on Nov. 13, 2017.

Nevada officials have filed an emergency request with the state Supreme Court seeking to block a lower court’s decision to release the identity of the attending physician scheduled to oversee the delayed execution of Scott Raymond Dozier. In an emergency motion filed Wednesday, the attorney general’s office, representing the Nevada Department of Corrections, is seeking to block a Tuesday decision by District Court Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez.