Novel Coronavirus

After Days Of Demonstrations, Denver Says It Will Give Free COVID-19 Tests To Protesters

By • Jun 2, 2020

Weekend protests drew crowds across the country including in the Mountain West, from hundreds in Boise and Reno to thousands in Denver. Some city leaders now worry such gatherings could lead to new outbreaks of COVID-19.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced Sunday that the city will be offering free tests to demonstrators. 

Mountain West In Memoriam: Luis Frias

By • Jun 1, 2020
A family portrait with a man and his two daughters, one to each of his sides. They are hugging and smiling.
Courtesy of Luisa Frias

The Mountain West News Bureau is talking to friends and relatives of those who lost their lives to COVID-19.

Luis Frias was an international dancer who took his two daughters wherever he performed on tour. His eldest, Luisa, remembers playing on the beach in Australia and watching packed stadiums from the Superdome in New Orleans to Madison Square Garden.

Nevada’s Renewable Energy Sector Faces Some Clouds And — Perhaps Soon — Sunny Days

By Trina Kleist • May 31, 2020
Two men wearing hard hats are lifting a rectangular panel onto a roof outside.
Tessa Hartman / Simple Power Solar

After more than a decade of growth, Nevada’s fast-growing renewable energy sector faces storm clouds. Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has cost the sector thousands of jobs, is delaying projects large and small, and in many areas is killing sales. But Nevada enjoys the sunniest skies in the nation, the momentum of a decade-long boom in projects and a state government pushing for more. Officials said Nevada will weather the current turbulence and meet its new standard to source half its electricity from renewables by 2030. And already, some local solar panel installers report a rebound in activity.

Deployment Of Nevada National Guard For COVID-19 Relief Extended

By • May 29, 2020
Soldiers of the Nevada National Guard don personal protective equipment to help with drive-through COVID-19 testing.
Nevada National Guard

Coverage of novel coronavirus is supported by the Mick Hitchcock, Ph.D., Project for Visualizing Science, a science reporting project from the Reynolds School of Journalism.

The deployment of the Nevada National Guard is being extended until mid-August to help with COVID-19 relief efforts. 

Moody's Report Highlights Importance Of 'Rainy Day' Funds, Like Wyoming's

By • May 29, 2020
A state-by-state chart showing the various preparedness levels for each state government.
Moody's Analytics

Forty-two states are not prepared for a pandemic-induced recession. That’s the finding of a recent analysis from Moody’s Analytics. In the Mountain West, the prognosis isn’t as bad as it might seem at first.

For Some In Rural Communities Spared By COVID-19, Sacrifices Stir Resentment

By • May 28, 2020

This story was powered by America Amplified, a public radio initiative.

If you want a hearty breakfast in the small town of Thompson Falls, Montana, Minnie's Montana Cafe has you covered.

 


Sisolak Indica Que Sin Ayuda Federal, Recortes En Presupuesto Afectarían Educación K-12

By Riley Snyder • May 28, 2020
El Gobernador de Nevada Steve Sisolak durante una conferencia de prensa en Las Vegas.
Jeff Scheid / The Nevada Independent

El Gobernador de Nevada Steve Sisolak indicó que crear nuevos impuestos no es la respuesta para el déficit presupuestario masivo de Nevada, y que sin ayuda federal para los gobiernos estatales, los recortes probablemente afectarían la educación de los grados K-12.

Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: May 27 Through June 2

By , , , , & • May 27, 2020
An illustration of an ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.
Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

8:24 p.m. | June 2, 2020

More Than 176,000 COVID-19 Tests Performed Statewide
By Lucia Starbuck

Delayed By COVID-19, Census Bureau Plays Catch-Up In Rural And Tribal Areas

By • May 27, 2020
A graphic showing the U.S. Constitution and a Census questionnaire.
U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Census Bureau had just begun field operations when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now, as the agency is preparing to restart, it’s focusing on rural and tribal communities.

Governor Steve Sisolak Announces Phase 2 Plan To Reopen Nevada

By • May 27, 2020
An aerial view of the Las Vegas Strip at night.
Thomas Hawk / Flickr Creative Commons

Governor Steve Sisolak announced Nevada’s path to phase 2 of reopening, which will begin on Friday, May 29. KUNR’s Stephanie Serrano breaks down the details with News Director Michelle Billman.

Hard-Hit Navajo Nation May Have Passed Its COVID-19 Peak

By • May 27, 2020

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a virtual town hall Tuesday that the reservation hit its peak number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and emergency room visits a few weeks early thanks to social distancing and mask-wearing.

 


Intertribal Council Of Nevada To Discuss Pandemic Resources With Governor

By Brian Bahouth • May 26, 2020
The Nevada Indian Commission

On Thursday, Governor Sisolak will meet with the Intertribal Council of Nevada to discuss issues related to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Our contributor Brian Bahouth with the Sierra Nevada Ally reports.

California Houses Of Worship, In-Store Retailers Can Reopen

By • May 25, 2020

California churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship can reopen, the California Department of Public Health announced on Monday. Additionally, in-store retailers are allowed to resume business throughout the state.

The changes are part of Gov. Gavin Newsom's latest round of modifications to the state's stay-at-home order that is intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

What The Job Market Will Look Like For College Graduates

By • May 25, 2020
A blank job application on a table with a pen to the side.
Flazingo.com / Flickr Creative Commons

As college students earn their degrees this spring, they are now facing staggering unemployment rates due to the pandemic. In April, Nevada’s unemployment rate was the highest in the nation at 28.2 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. KUNR's Jayden Perez talked with students and staff at the University of Nevada, Reno, about how they are grappling with the drastic changes to the workforce that are still unfolding.

Memorial Day Honor Flights Canceled Because Of Coronavirus Crisis

By editor • May 25, 2020

Thousands of people who had planned to visit war memorials in Washington, D.C., this holiday weekend were forced to cancel this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. That includes veterans traveling with the nonprofit network Honor Flight, which recently suspended all trips at least until this fall.

"Our veterans that travel with us are still living, so their day is Veterans Day not Memorial Day," says Honor Flight CEO Meredith Rosenbeck. "But they go to honor their friends and comrades, those who have fallen."

Utah Aims To Test 10,000 Residents In Ambitious COVID-19 Study

By • May 24, 2020

Researchers in Utah are in the process of testing about 10,000 people for COVID-19 and antibodies against the virus that causes it.

“People have talked about how we see the tip of the iceberg with the formalized testing that we have,” said Dr. Stephen Alder, a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah and one of the project’s leaders. “We're trying to look at, ‘All right, how much of the iceberg is underwater?’ This is a good way to do that.”

Despite Pandemic, State Incentives Help Boost Nevada’s ‘Electric Highway’

By Trina Kleist • May 24, 2020
A woman standing behind a podium that reads NV Energy. Behind her is a green EV charging station with two cords and reads Terrible's.
Courtesy NV Energy

While sales of electric vehicles globally are expected to decline this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the installation of charging stations in Nevada is expected to continue growing, pushed by $15 million in utility incentives and support from the state.

Cierre De Escuelas Por COVID-19 Trae Nuevos Retos Para Familias De Niños Con Autismo

By Michelle Rindels & Luz Gray • May 23, 2020
Una mujer y dos niños caminan con un cartel que dice “Azul Blue, unidos por el autismo”.
Daniel Clark / The Nevada Independent

Read in English.

Para los niños con autismo, las rutinas son de vital importancia.

Es por eso que los cambios ocasionados por la pandemia son particularmente graves para padres como Olivia Espinoza, cuyo hijo de 15 años tiene autismo severo y es no verbal. Ha sido difícil explicarle al adolescente por qué no puede hacer sus actividades normales o salir de casa.

COVID-19, School Shutdown Brings New Layer Of Challenges For Families Of Kids With Autism

By Michelle Rindels & Luz Gray • May 23, 2020
A woman and two children walking with a sign for Azul Blue United By Autism.
Daniel Clark / The Nevada Independent

Lee en español.

For children with autism, routines can be sacrosanct. 

The disruptions brought on by the pandemic are particularly acute for parents such as Olivia Espinoza, whose 15-year-old son has severe autism and is non-verbal. It’s been difficult to communicate to him why he can’t do his normal activities or leave the house.

Empleados Del Sindicato De Trabajadores Culinarios Quieren Transparencia De Los Casino

By • May 22, 2020
Dos mujeres sacan la cabeza de un coche de plata con un cartel que dice "Vegas Open Up Safely Workers Lives Depend of it".
FOTO CORTESÍA DEL SINDICATO DE TRABAJADORES CULINARIOS

Read in English.

El sindicato que representa a miles de trabajadores de casinos en Nevada dice que la industria necesita ser transparente en cómo pretende reabrir.

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