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Behind the Bar: We’re so back

Welcome to our first edition of Behind the Bar for the 83rd legislative session. The newsletter will have a slightly different format this year but still provide you with essential updates on the Legislature twice a week (possibly more).

Longtime Nevada lobbyist Neena Laxalt remembered for mentorship in male-dominated industry

Colleagues say she shaped the lobbying corps by taking younger lobbyists under her wing, coordinating coffee meetings and celebrating their successes.

Lombardo raised $3.2M in 2024, setting fundraising record 2 years ahead of re-election bid

Gov. Joe Lombardo raised more than $3.2 million in 2024 and has more than $5.5 million in cash on hand as the Republican governor gears up for his second legislative session and a high-profile re-election campaign.

Supreme Court turns back Utah's push to wrest control of public land from the federal government

It marks the latest roadblock for states in a running feud with the U.S. government over who should control huge swaths of the West and the enormous oil and gas, timber, and other resources they contain.

Caseworkers coax homeless people out of Las Vegas’ tunnels for treatment

Outreach workers who travel into the tunnels said they have noticed an uptick in the number of people living underground as housing costs have skyrocketed and local officials have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to homelessness.

Indy Education: New trustees take their place on Nevada school boards

Last Monday, new trustees Emily Stevens, Lydia Dominguez, Tameka Henry and Lorena Biassotti took their seats on the Clark County School Board. It’s higher than the turnover the school board saw four years ago when it welcomed three new members.

‘Waiting list to nowhere’: Homelessness surveys trap Black men on the streets

Vulnerability questionnaires, created to determine how likely a person is to get sick and die while homeless, are being singled out for systematically placing homeless white people at the front of the line for housing, ahead of their Black peers.

With outside firms reluctant to shoulder wildfire risks, NV Energy wants to insure itself

Between 2016 and 2020, it is estimated utility infrastructure caused nearly one-fifth of all wildfires. Major utilities found responsible for some of them, such as California’s PG&E, were forced to file for bankruptcy after being unable to pay for damages caused by the fires, an outcome NV Energy is looking to avoid. Now, the utility is now asking state energy regulators to approve a $500 million wildfire self-insurance policy to protect it in case its equipment sparks a blaze.

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The Daily Indy

Sent each morning with a quote of the day, notes from the editors, our latest stories, information about upcoming events and featured social media posts.

Behind the Bar

Stay up to date on what you need to know out of the 2025 Nevada Legislature from our team of reporters based in Carson City.

Indy Environment

Written by land and water reporter Daniel Rothberg, this weekly newsletter is a roundup of environmental goings-on in Nevada and the West.

Indy Gaming

Howard Stutz’s weekly dive into what’s innovative and interesting in Nevada’s gaming, sports and hospitality industries and how it’s shaping the rest of the world.

DC Download

Gabby Birenbaum’s Saturday newsletter brings you the latest news on Nevadans in Washington and how federal policy affects Nevada.

Indy Education

A recap of the top education stories from the week, profiles of interesting staff and students, plus details of family-friendly events and resources throughout the state.

D.C. Download: Why all Nevada Democrats voted to advance House GOP immigration bill

Policy changes pertaining to undocumented immigrants — be they congressional or executive — have the potential to upend Nevada, which has the highest percentage of undocumented workers in its workforce of any state.

Audit: Unpaid bills stacked up from state veterans home without clear collection process

Much of the debt stemmed from coverage gaps as residents did not qualify or lost eligibility for Medicaid to help cover the costs of the nursing home.

Lieutenant governor’s new task force continues debate over transgender student athletes

A new task force announced Monday by Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony (R) will support a bill barring transgender athletes from women’s sports and block them from competing against cisgender female athletes.

What a Trump presidency means for Biden-approved federal spending in Nevada

Despite the laws authorizing the spending passing in 2021 and 2022, the slow speed of the federal bureaucracy and the lengthy planning processes around grants mean that many projects have yet to begin implementation before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office later this month.

Warner Bros. and Birtcher Development drop partnership in bid to expand Nevada film tax credits

It’s not yet clear how the dissolution of the partnership will affect the two separate efforts to expand Nevada’s film tax credit program.

Indy Gaming: A look at the three Trump political appointees with Nevada gaming ties

How will Tilman Fertitta balance his duties as an ambassador with his ownership of the Golden Nugget casinos? Also, sports betting faces congressional scrutiny.

Elon Musk’s Boring Company is tunneling beneath Las Vegas with little oversight

Because the Vegas Loop is privately operated and receives no federal funding, it is exempt from the kinds of exhaustive governmental vetting and environmental analyses demanded by the other cities that Elon Musk's company sought to host the project.

A view of the resorts on Las Vegas Boulevard and surrounding area from The Strat SkyPod on May 18, 2023.

Man who exploded Tesla Cybertruck outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI, police say

The highly decorated soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI including ChatGPT to help plan the attack, Las Vegas police said Tuesday.

From left, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas), Gov. Joe Lombardo and Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D-North Las Vegas) during a bill signing ceremony for SB503, the K-12 education funding bill, inside the Capitol in Carson City on May 31, 2023. (David Calvert/The Nevada Independent).

Analysis: How did Nevada use its $2.7 billion in American Rescue Plan funds?

The state prioritized spending on housing, health care, education and building back up state operations post-pandemic, according to a Nevada Independent analysis of the more than 400 allocations of ARP money.

Biden moves to bar oil, gas and geothermal development in a Nevada mountain range for 20 years

President Joe Biden's administration said Monday it is taking steps to bar oil, gas and geothermal development for 20 years in northeastern Nevada's Ruby Mountains.

Indy Education: How one Sparks school is getting banner results from students with special needs

Florence Drake Elementary School in Sparks is focused on building strong relationships with the school community that have helped staff identify and address what students and their families need to succeed, said the school's principal.

Dams in quake-prone Nevada are vulnerable. Near Tahoe, the state is shoring one up.

Recent earthquakes were also a reminder to officials of the state’s seismic history and the need to beef up some of the hundreds of dams across Nevada, most constructed in the days before statewide engineering standards and made of dirt and other natural materials.