Andrew Mendez

Democratic hopefuls have made attempts to reach out to Spanish-speaking communities, but voters in Northern Nevada have said candidates are not doing enough to reach them before the caucus.

In the past few weeks, most of the candidates have boosted their efforts to reach Latinx voters, by dropping campaign ads in Spanish ahead of Nevada’s caucus.

Coming into the 2020 Nevada Democratic caucus, many LGBTQ+ voters say they want to see presidential candidates who will speak out about the community's unique issues. 

It’s a Friday night and about 15 people chime in as Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” comes on. They are at Our Center in Reno, the only LGBTQ+ community center for Northern Nevada, which is decorated with flashing colored lights for a regular event called "Queer Karaoke." 

The Washoe County School District has a shortage of teacher aides and assistants in special education programs. The district is looking to fill 100 open positions.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas recently hosted the 2020 Native American Presidential Forum where some Democratic hopefuls addressed indigenous communities and their concerns. 

Four presidential hopefuls participated, including Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Tom Steyer and Tulsi Gabbard.  Steyer appeared in person while the others sent in prerecorded messages or appeared on video chat.

Representatives from various tribes across the country asked the candidates questions on topics ranging from climate change to economic development for Native communities. 

The Nevada Democratic Party is hosting a series of interactive sessions where voters can get a better understanding of how to caucus.

Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden campaigned across Nevada over the weekend. At his stop in Sparks, Biden focused heavily on foreign policy amidst America’s ongoing tensions with Iran. KUNR’s Andrew Mendez reports. 

The former vice president rallied with more than 500 voters at Sparks High School, according to campaign officials. 

Biden criticized Donald Trump, saying the president has not kept his promise to end wars in the Middle East, where tensions have grown in light of Trump’s recent order of an airstrike that killed Iran’s top military leader.

This semester, the University of Nevada, Reno has seen a rise in the number of hateful acts on campus. Our bilingual student reporter, Andrew Mendez, sat down with Eloisa Gordon-Mora, UNR’s Diversity and Inclusion Officer, to see how that has affected the campus environment.

Last semester, the University of Nevada, Reno had multiple reported cases of swastikas being found around campus, in addition to white supremacist flyers. Our bilingual student reporter Andrew Mendez sat down with Atty Garfinkle-Berry, the director of Hillel of Northern Nevada to get an understanding of how these acts affect the Jewish community.

This fall, the University of Nevada, Reno has been confronted with numerous acts of white supremacy, hate and bias on campus. Different incidents have occurred across multiple buildings, including Wolf Pack Tower, a residence hall located in downtown Reno. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck and Andrew Mendez visited the tower to see how students and staff are doing.

KUNR's bilingual student reporter Andrew Mendez has been looking into the unique obstacles Latinx students may face when they enter college. Along with reporting on the hurdles, he's been researching potential solutions on the local level. He joined our news director Michelle Billman to share his findings.

Nearly one in five students at the University of Nevada, Reno identifies as Latinx. Latinx is a gender-neutral term for Latino. Often, these students are first generation or "first gen" college students and face a unique set of challenges when it comes to retainment and support. KUNR’s Andrew Mendez explores. 

Update: Wednesday, Sep. 18 11:28 a.m.  Since this story first aired, Marc Johnson, president of the University of Nevada, Reno sent an email to the campus community Tuesday addressing concerns related to white supremacist activity on campus. "Faculty, staff and students must stand guard against the hateful rhetoric and propaganda that would lead us to believe that our community is fractured. Our power is in standing together," Johnson said in the email.

Editor’s note (9-27-19): Since this article was published, the University of Nevada, Reno has provided new language abour the Latinx dorm wing. According to UNR: “This living learning community is open to all qualified students with an interest in Latinx culture and history and/or identify as Latinx.” The audio and text for t