Benjamin Payne

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Gamblers can once again try their luck in Nevada, as casinos across the state begin reopening Thursday under 50% maximum occupancy, but as KUNR's Benjamin Payne reports, workers are concerned about safety. 

Nevada is a big player in renewable energy. But while it ranks among the top five states for both solar and geothermal energy production, it lags well behind in wind energy production, where it falls 33rd. This fact surprised KUNR's Benjamin Payne, who last year moved to Reno from his native Illinois. Whereas that state boasts more than 50 wind farms, Nevada has only one. He decided to look into this gap, and figure out why wind makes up such a small sliver of Nevada’s energy mix.

Despite all the favorable conditions and high demand for solar power in Nevada, there are challenges.

There's the COVID-19 pandemic, which is likely to stall or even cancel some solar projects that are under development, according to federal energy projections. There's a more fundamental problem as well, though: the sun doesn't always shine. That's why more battery storage is needed to capture and store solar when the sun is up, so utilities have enough to deliver when the sun is down.

But one Nevada solar plant has found another solution. KUNR's Benjamin Payne has the story.

It’s hard enough to keep a fledgling new restaurant up and running in normal times. Imagine running one during a pandemic. That’s the reality for one Reno resident, whose business opened just as the coronavirus began spreading across the country. This entrepreneur is trying to make the best of bad times, with the help of some unexpected business partners.

Students graduating from the University of Nevada Reno this semester will be able to participate in commencement; it just won't happen this spring. UNR President Marc Johnson announced Friday that graduates will have two options on when they get to walk.

This December or spring of next year — UNR students graduating this spring can choose either one.

Coronavirus In Nevada Updates: Tuesday, March 31
 

9:18 p.m. | March 31, 2020 
By Danna O'Connor

Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents Chair Jason Geddes said the board will try to complete its searches for the next presidents of the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before the spring semester ends in mid-May.

The University of Nevada, Reno said it will issue partial refunds to all students who are being asked to move out of the residence halls. Friday's announcement comes after the university ordered all students to stay home, amid concerns over the novel coronavirus.