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KUNR Today: Washoe County Reopening Plan, Anti-Doxxing Bill Up For Consideration

An image of Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen
David Calvert
/
The Nevada Independent
Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen inside the Legislature on Monday, March 15, 2021 in Carson City, Nev. Nguyen introduced AB296, which would criminalize "doxxing."

Here are your local news headlines for the morning of Friday, Apr. 9, 2021.

Washoe Commission Approves New COVID-19 Reopening Plan
By Paul Boger

Washoe County commissioners are looking to loosen COVID-19 restrictions starting May 1.

The new plan will allow restaurants to serve groups as large as 10 people and eliminates social distancing requirements for outdoor events, as well as private gatherings. It also removes a 75% county vaccination rate requirement before full reopening. Instead, the hospitalization rate will determine further restrictions.

The commission approved an amended version of the county's reopening plan on a four-to-one vote Thursday. The updated plan will now head to the state COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force and Governor Steve Sisolak for final approval.

Nevada’s Test Positivity Rate Continues To Tick Up
By Paul Boger

Nevada's two-week test positivity rate is slowly creeping back up.

The positivity rate, which tracks how many COVID-19 tests in the state return positive, increased to 4.7% Thursday, according to data posted to the state’s coronavirus website.

The rate was in steady decline for nearly three months, reaching as low as 4% before starting to tick back up this week. The World Health Organization recommends a positivity rate of less than 5% as a way to control community spread of the virus.

Currently, the state is averaging about 200 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths daily. More than one-third of the state's population 16 and older are now fully vaccinated.

Clark County Sheriff Eyeing Run For Governor
By Paul Boger

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo says he's considering a run for governor of Nevada. While the two-term sheriff has not made a final decision, he says he's "kicking the tires" and would run as a Republican.

Lombardo is one of three current or former elected officials widely considered to be weighing a run in the Republican primary, along with Congressman Mark Amodei and former Lieutenant Governor Mark Hutchison.

Nevada Lawmakers Consider Bill To Criminalize Doxxing
By Paul Boger

Lawmakers in Nevada are taking up a measure that would make it a crime to publicly release sensitive personal information about others without their consent, otherwise known as doxxing.

AB296 would make it a felony if someone is hurt or killed by the release of potentially harmful sensitive information such as a home or work address. In all other cases, maliciously doxxing someone would result in a misdemeanor.

For Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen of Las Vegas, the measure is needed due to the recent rise in violence against people of color.

"It is time that we have this kind of legislation on our books so people that are suffering or are targeted have an avenue to be able to seek financial compensation, at least, at a bare minimum."

If adopted, Nevada could be one of the first states in the country with anti-doxxing laws.

Housing Prices Surpass $500,000 In Reno
By Paul Boger

The median price for an existing single-family home in the city of Reno topped out at $514,000 in March.

The latest report from the Reno-Sparks Association of Realtors shows housing prices in the Biggest Little City have increased by roughly 20% over the last year. The median price for an existing home in Sparks also reached a new high in March, at nearly $450,000.

Realtors attribute the steep increase in housing prices to a lack of inventory.

Washoe Sheriff’s Office Cracking Down On Unlawful Target Shooting
By Paul Boger

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office will start citing non-compliant target shooters. The Sheriff’s Office will step up patrols this weekend due to the lack of winter precipitation and possible early fire season.

All outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to be mindful of target shooting and regulations pertaining to shooting in Northern Nevada’s open space. That includes bringing a fire extinguisher, choosing locations with little vegetation, using soft targets, and parking vehicles away from dry grass.

Paul Boger is a former reporter at KUNR Public Radio.
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