Western states hit with more cuts to Colorado River water
By The Associated Press
For the second year in a row, Arizona and Nevada will face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River as the West endures more drought. Federal officials made the announcement Tuesday. The cuts planned for next year will force states to make critical decisions about where to reduce consumption and whether to prioritize growing cities or agricultural areas. Mexico will also face cuts. But the seven states that rely on the river could soon face even deeper cuts that the government has said are needed to prevent reservoirs from falling so low they cannot be pumped.
Nevada and California legislators discuss climate solutions at Lake Tahoe Summit
By Shelby Herbert
A group of Nevada and California legislators came together Tuesday at the 26th annual Lake Tahoe Summit to discuss ways to improve the environment of the Tahoe Basin. As the summit took place, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, which pledges $750 billion to further climate agenda items. Gina McCarthy serves as the first White House national climate advisor and gave the keynote address.
“This is what you do when you want to lead,” McCarthy said. “We are talking about tackling our super pollutants, like methane and HFCs. These things are manageable, they’re doable, and they’re going to allow us to move forward as a country."
HFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons, are industrial gasses with an environmental impact that can be thousands of times greater than that of carbon dioxide. University of California, Davis, research confirms that climate change has increased Lake Tahoe's surface temperature by more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit over the last century. Warmer temperatures threaten water clarity and render the lake vulnerable to invasive species.
Shelby Herbert is a reporter for KUNR and the Hitchcock Project for Visualizing Science, which is part of the Reynolds School of Journalism.
Elko High to keep ‘Indians’ mascot with approval from local Shoshone council, school board
By Jose Davila IV
Elko High School will keep its ‘Indians’ mascot after approval from a local Western Shoshone council and the county school board. The approvals come after the passage of a state bill last year, which looked to outlaw racially discriminatory identifiers. The bill, however, provided exemptions for schools that entered into formal agreements with a local tribe permitting the use of the identifier.
In this case, the tribal council of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone and the Elko County School District agreed to keep the name. They also agree to incorporate teaching about the historical treatment of Native Americans into the district’s history curriculum. Elko High is the only high school in Nevada with the mascot.
Jose Davila IV is a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.
Survey finds Americans’ perceptions of school quality decline, polarization grows
By Jose Davila IV
A recent national opinion survey found that Americans’ perceptions of school quality have declined, and their support for homeschooling has risen. Also, support for higher teacher salaries is at an all-time survey high, while education issues are becoming more partisan. Harvard education journal, Education Next, runs the annual survey on schooling. Researchers conducted the study in May with a sample of over 1,700 adults. This is the 16th straight year the survey has been published.
Carson Tahoe Health announces new president and CEO
By Maria Palma
Carson Tahoe Health has announced a new president and CEO. Michelle Joy has been appointed by the Carson Tahoe Health System's Board of Directors to step in following Alan Garrett's retirement. With nearly 25 years of health care management experience, Joy recently served as the organization’s vice president and chief operating officer. Carson Tahoe Health is a not-for-profit health care system serving a community of more than 250,000 people.
As a note of disclosure, Carson Tahoe Health is a financial supporter of KUNR Public Radio.