Nevada spends about one-third of its general fund on public health programs like Medicaid and mental health services. But, in order to address a massive budget shortfall created by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers must cut around $233 million from public health services. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck looks into how this will impact Medicaid… [Read More]
ICE detainees are three-quarters of infected inmates at Nye County Detention Center
Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees make up 23 of the 30 COVID-19 cases reported in the Nye County Detention Center this week, an ICE spokesperson has confirmed. The cluster means the jail – which houses county inmates and immigration detainees – has more cases among inmates than have been reported in the entire state prison… [Read More]
Washoe County law enforcement officials discuss reforms after results of study
Top law enforcement officials in Washoe County spoke during a town hall on Monday, June 22, about some of the steps their agencies are looking at to improve community policing as the national discussion on law enforcement reform continues to unfold. The discussion was centered on a 2018 study examining policing in Washoe County, including… [Read More]
Washoe County School District announces proposals for the reopening of schools
During a nine hour marathon of a school board meeting, the Washoe County School District approved plans for the reopening of schools in the fall. Those proposals now head to the Nevada Department of Education for final approval. KUNR’s Stephanie Serrano breaks down the details. The school board voted to start the 2020-2021 school year… [Read More]
Sisolak: Poor compliance with mask mandate may cause crackdown
Gov. Steve Sisolak said Friday that more than half of Nevada businesses surveyed Thursday by the state were not complying with a mandatory mask directive, and he threatened stronger action next week if the numbers do not change. “As I have expressed before, I have growing concerns with our current COVID-19 data trends,” Sisolak said in a… [Read More]
What we know after months of distance learning in Washoe
Governor Steve Sisolak announced a directive this week that allows school districts, along with charter and private schools, to reopen for summer school immediately, with specific restrictions. Under the guidance, districts will decide for themselves how to reopen their facilities. With the pandemic still underway, it remains unclear how big a role distance learning will… [Read More]
New jobs arrive in northern Nevada amid pandemic
Three new companies are coming to Northern Nevada and will eventually hire for more than 300 jobs. PlusPlus, YOGO, and Affinity Development Group (ADG) are arriving in Northern Nevada. PlusPlus is a peer learning platform for larger companies, YOGO creates eco-friendly yoga mats, and ADG offers customer relationship management programs. Among the three, YOGO will… [Read More]
Reno Police Department updates use of force policy
The Reno Police Department (RPD) has announced some changes to its use of force policy in response to community input. The changes are in light of protests against police brutality, both locally and nationally, following the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis who was killed while in police custody after a white… [Read More]
DACA survives: Nevada immigrants celebrate largely unexpected victory at Supreme Court
Nevada elected officials and immigrant advocates celebrated on Thursday when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the DACA program that offers relief to people brought to the country illegally as children, with justices describing the Trump administration’s decision to rescind it as “arbitrary and capricious.” The 5-4 ruling — somewhat unexpected for immigrants rights… [Read More]
DACA cannot be immediately terminated: U.S. Supreme Court
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on Thursday that the Trump Administration cannot immediately end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. The verdict, delivered by Chief Justice John Roberts, ensures that the nearly 700,000 DACA recipients around the country cannot be deported. According to the chief… [Read More]