Recent closures of a California oil refinery — and plans to shutter another in the near future — have some experts warning of potential fuel shortages and price spikes in Nevada and other Western states that depend on the Golden State. 

Remember the challenge of finding eggs during the bird flu outbreak, or when federal lawmakers were considering selling hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Nevada? It feels like eons ago, but in reality, it was just a few months! A LOT happened in Nevada this year, so as 2025 wraps up, join me in taking a few minutes to look back at some of the biggest stories of the year. 

If Santa ever wanted to relocate, Nevada is a strong contender — especially Las Vegas, dubbed by some as the epicenter of the “fun economy.” While we couldn’t reach Santa to ask if he’d consider relocating to the Silver State, The Nevada Independent spoke with state officials and experts who made the case for why St. Nick should consider Nevada his next home base.

Former state engineer Adam Sullivan, who was terminated amid a water rights struggle in an overtapped basin, said he “faced pressure” to change decisions.

Putting an end to more than a decade of inaction and indecision, Nevada lawmakers on Wednesday finalized a state regulation for controversial coyote killing competitions on a 7-5 vote.

In a rare move that could delay progress on NV Energy’s large-scale transmission line planned for the Highway 50 corridor, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has ordered its Nevada office to address some environmental groups’ protests against the project.

The departure is unexpected. The state engineer often serves under multiple governors, and the role requires expertise in complicated water laws.

Two lawsuits were filed in separate district courts in recent days, alleging that the commission's formula change is illegal.

An economic analysis released in November by the Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation shows that outdoor recreation across Nevada and the Tahoe Basin provided an estimated $24 billion in economic benefits in 2023 and jobs for more than 75,000 people. 

As a tiny seedling began sprouting in the forest along Mount Rose Highway west of Reno, the Vietnam War was ending under President Gerald Ford, the price of gas was 53 cents per gallon and the Kool-Aid man made his first television commercial appearance. Today, 50 years later, that seedling has grown into Silver Belle, a 53-foot-tall red fir that is the first Capitol Christmas tree to be harvested from Nevada.

Turkeys are synonymous with Thanksgiving, but if you’re looking to bag a bird in Nevada somewhere other than the grocery store or butcher shop, you need to plan ahead — really far ahead.

If all Washoe County permits are approved, small-scale explosions will be authorized to take place about 11 miles from the Black Rock Playa, site of the annual Burning Man celebration, and 6 miles from iconic Fly Geyser.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife Commission has passed a regulation establishing a season and hunting requirements for controversial coyote calling competitions.

The state’s senators and Democratic House members sent a letter on Monday asking the administration to promise not to restart nuclear explosions.

After I wrote about aquatic invasive mussels in Lake Mead, readers wrote in with a variety of questions and comments. Can they serve as a food source? Are boat inspections for the diminutive creatures a waste of money? Here, I address some of those reader topics.

For native ecosystems, water managers and recreationalists, aquatic invasive mussels are diminutive nightmares. And with recent nearby discoveries, they pose growing threats to Nevada’s waterways.

The massive, Las Vegas-sized Esmeralda 7 solar project planned for Esmeralda County is still viable but is moving forward with a different approach, the Department of Interior confirmed Tuesday to The Nevada Independent.

A massive solar project proposed to be built in rural Esmeralda County with a footprint roughly the size of Las Vegas appears to have been scrapped by the Bureau of Land Management.

Nevada state regulators have accused Elon Musk’s Boring Co. of violating environmental regulations nearly 800 times in the last two years as it digs a sprawling tunnel network beneath Las Vegas.

Three years after the federal government listed a tiny Nevada toad on the endangered species list, a geothermal company seeking to develop a project near the toad’s only known habitat in Northern Nevada is suing the government over the listing.