Nevada’s rainy-day fund at $340 million, highest balance amid pandemic
By Kaleb Roedel
Nevada’s rainy day fund is getting close to rebounding back to its pre-pandemic balance. Nearly two years ago, the state completely drained its $401 million rainy day fund in response to the pandemic’s impacts on the economy.
Now, the fund is back to 85% of its pre-pandemic balance, according to state officials. Recent transfers from the state general fund have boosted the state’s rainy day fund to $340 million, the highest it’s been during the pandemic.
Officials said a healthy rainy day fund helps protect the state’s finances during emergencies. It can also lower the costs of borrowing during rising inflation and interest rates.
US plans more wild horse roundups this year than ever before
By The Associated Press
The U.S. government plans to capture more wild horses on federal lands this year than ever before. The Bureau of Land Management plans to permanently remove at least 19,000 horses and burros this year, about 70% more than the previous high a year ago.
The plan is drawing sharp criticism from mustang advocates who hoped the Biden administration would curtail the annual roundups. Critics say it’s a continuation of a decades-old policy that kowtows to ranchers who don’t want horses competing with their livestock for limited forage on public land. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says the roundups are an important part of the process of bringing the horse herds into balance with the range.
Bill axes 'belief' exemption to school COVID-19 vaccination
By The Associated Press
A proposed California law would eliminate a personal belief exemption in school-based COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
Democratic Sen. Richard Pan introduced the Keep Schools Open and Safe Act on Monday in Los Angeles. Pan, a pediatrician, says the law is needed to ensure that children are educated. The legislation would build on a 2015 law that eliminated the personal belief exemption for all other childhood vaccinations required for schoolchildren.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in October announced the nation’s first coronavirus vaccine mandate for schoolchildren. Pan’s proposal also follows legislation proposed Friday that would allow California children age 12 and up to be vaccinated without their parents’ consent.
Report: Nevada has nation's top solar energy economy
By Bert Johnson, Mountain West News Bureau
Nevada leads the country based on the number of jobs in the solar industry compared to the state’s economy. That’s according to online research firm Stacker, which also ranks Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico in the top ten.
John Scire teaches energy policy at the University of Nevada, Reno. He said positive incentives, like federal tax rebates, are helping drive solar development, but the government could help even more by adopting negative incentives.
"[The] number one negative incentive would be simply to put a carbon tax on emissions," he said.
Scire said the region benefits from its sunny weather, but it also has lots of federal land, where solar plants can be developed.
The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection recently found the state was on track to miss its goal of net-zero emissions by the year 2050, but Scire expects gains in solar energy and other renewables, like geothermal, to help turn things around in coming years.
Nevada prisons experiencing mounting staffing shortages amid pandemic
By KUNR staff
Nevada prisons are being hit hard by the pandemic, and it's causing staffing shortages across the state. According to the Nevada Appeal, the Nevada Department of Corrections has a staff vacancy rate of 23%, which is nearly double what it was pre-pandemic.
Earlier this week, corrections officers told the Nevada Board of Prison Commissioners that the department must raise pay and benefits in order to keep their staff. So far, the board has not taken any action.
Family: Vegas police to pay $2.35M in jail restraint death
By The Associated Press
The family of a tourist who died in Las Vegas after being strapped to a restraint chair in jail following his arrest on a trespassing charge has agreed to a $2.35 million settlement of a federal wrongful death case.
Sarah Grady, attorney for relatives of Nicholas Farah, said Monday they agreed to drop their lawsuit against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, jailers and a police officer involved in Farah’s detention and death in March 2019. Police said at the time that Farah became unconscious after several jail guards pressed his body forward toward his knees while officers replaced one set of wrist handcuffs with another.
