Latino voter turnout expected to increase in Nevada
By Gustavo Sagrero
Latino voter turnout in Nevada is expected to increase by 5.8% from the last midterm elections, according to NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, which used Census data for its projection.
Latinos make up nearly 20% of the state’s voting-age citizens and about 16% of actual voters. There’s been a big increase in the number of Latinos living in Nevada over the last two midterms, but the percentage of those voting has remained steady. The projection does not factor in changes like Nevada’s permanent expansion last year of mail-in ballots to all registered voters.
Big Tech attacks become rallying cry for GOP candidates
By The Associated Press
Republicans are pushing an anti-Big Tech message in the midterm campaigns as they look to tap into the resentment toward large technology companies that increasingly courses through their party. For voters confronting everything from inflation to gun violence, it’s unclear whether concerns about the role of large technology companies will resonate broadly. But it does feed a sense of animosity among some of the GOP’s most loyal voters.
In Nevada, Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt knocks “censorship of speech” as “one of the most onerous threats to our free democracy.” In Ohio, Senate Republican nominee JD Vance has warned Big Tech companies are going to “destroy our nation.”
New study reveals Colorado River drought history
By Alex Hager, KUNC for theMountain West News Bureau
A new study tracked nearly 2,000 years of climate conditions in the Colorado River, and researchers found intense drought in the second century. Scientists looked at tree rings, lakes, bogs and caves to learn about water availability, pushing our understanding of climate patterns 800 years further into the past.
The research revealed the region’s worst drought on record – a two-decade stretch where the Colorado River was at 68% of its average flow. For comparison, the historic drought we’re in now has left the river at 84% of average flow.
The study’s authors from the federal government and the University of Arizona said historical data can give today’s water managers a better idea of just how much water levels in the river basin can vary and inform their planning for dry times in the future.
Primary sends mixed signals in heavily Democratic California
By The Associated Press
California is a Democratic fortress, but Tuesday’s primary election may have revealed some cracks. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other top-tier Democrats emerged safely from contested statewide races in which they’ll be strongly favored this fall. The Legislature appears likely to stay firmly in Democratic control. But the ouster of San Francisco’s top prosecutor in a recall could foreshadow problems for Los Angeles’ progressive district attorney. The strong performance of billionaire Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso in the LA mayor’s race points to fallout from crime and homelessness that could influence other races. And a string of closely matched U.S. House contests anchored in Orange County and the Central Valley will figure in control of Congress.
PG&E pleads not guilty in deadly 2020 California wildfire
By The Associated Press
A California utility company has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges it faces after its equipment was blamed for starting a Northern California wildfire that killed four people and destroyed hundreds of homes in 2020. The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office says Pacific Gas & Electric was arraigned Thursday at a court in Redding on 31 criminal counts and enhancements, including four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
A preliminary hearing in the case was set for next year. The wind-whipped Zogg Fire began on Sept. 27, 2020, and raged through rugged terrain and small communities west of Redding. Last year, state fire investigators concluded the fire was sparked by a tree that fell onto a PG&E distribution line.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
The photo included in this story is licensed under Flickr Creative Commons.
