Here are your local news headlines for the morning of Wednesday, Apr. 28, 2021.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak Announces Initiative To Support Nevadans In Recovery In The Workplace
By Lucia Starbuck
State leaders have created an initiative meant to help Nevadans in recovery from substance abuse maintain gainful employment.
The Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative is designed to equip employers with resources to support employees in recovery and end stigmas within the workplace. Speaking in observance of Nevada’s Recovery Advocacy Day 2021, Gov. Steve Sisolak said helping people in recovery will benefit the entire state.
“This initiative strengthens Nevada’s communities by bringing those on the margins of society into stable and productive roles. When people are able to work, their contribution impacts their families, their neighborhoods and the entire state,” Sisolak said.
For Sean O’Donnell, the executive director of Foundation for Recovery, the initiative could also encourage employees who are struggling to ask for help.
“I wish that when I was looking for employment after treatment, these types of opportunities would have existed. I never felt comfortable being open in the workplace about my recovery status. I’d always felt ashamed and thought that it was something in my past that no one needed to know about,” O’Donnell said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported81,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. from May 2019 to May 2020, the highest number recorded in a one-year period.
Lucia Starbuck is a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.
Nevada’s Gaming Revenue Shows Signs Of Recovery Statewide
By Lucia Starbuck
Nevada’s gaming revenue has clawed its way back to pre-pandemic levels. Statewide, casinos reportedly took in more than $1 billion in March, the highest total since February 2020. Northern Nevada casinos, in particular, reported significant improvement in revenues compared to this time last year.
Washoe County School District To Spend Up To $3 Million For Summer School
By KUNR Staff
The Washoe County School District is gearing up for a massive summer school program.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reportsthe district plans to spend up to $3 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds on the program. Summer school is available for free to all K-12 students in Washoe County.
Classes will run from late June to mid-July, for about half a day, three days a week. The enrollment deadline is May 7. Learn more here.
Carson City School District To Keep Current School Schedule
By Lucia Starbuck
The Carson City School Board has voted to stick to its existing schedulefor the rest of the school year. The board considered bringing students back full-time but decided against it. District leaders say overhauling the schedule for the last month of the school year was not worth the upheaval it would cause.
Pre-K through eighth-grade students attend classes in-person four days a week, while high school students are on a hybrid schedule. Students may receive special consideration if they need in-person instruction for social or emotional reasons, or if they need credit recovery for graduation or advancement.
Restaurant Hiring Up, But Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels
By Stephanie Serrano, Mountain West News Bureau
As the economy reopens, a number of states across the region are still seeing low employment numbers in eating and drinking establishments.
Sankar Mukhopadhyay teaches economics at the University of Nevada, Reno. He said this is potentially due to two reasons: low compensation and risk. Service industry employees rely on tips to receive an adequate income.
“Indoor dining is still somewhat discouraged and a lot of people are not yet comfortable with indoor dining. If there are not a lot of people going to restaurants, then I guess they will not be making a lot of money on tips,” he said.
Mukhopadhyay said if the region doesn’t get a handle on COVID-19 cases, wages may have to go up. But eventually, he believes the industry will bounce back to pre-pandemic times.
U.S. Court Says 'Ghost Gun' Plans Can Be Posted Online
By The Associated Press
A federal appeals court in San Francisco has ruled that plans for 3D-printed, self-assembled “ghost guns” can be posted online without U.S. State Department approval. The San Francisco Chronicle says the 2-1 decision was made Tuesday by the 9th U.S. District Court of Appeals. The court overruled an injunction issued by a federal judge last year. Authorities have concerns about the increasing popularity of ghost guns, which generally lack serial numbers that can be used to trace them. A ghost gun was used in last week's shootings in San Diego that killed one person and wounded four.
