Politics and Policy

A district court judge in Carson City has ruled a controversial ballot initiative aimed at banning sanctuary cities in Nevada too confusing to move onto a statewide vote. Reno Public Radio’s Paul Boger reports.

Starting this week, a new law aimed at curbing Nevada’s growing opioid crisis will require doctors to educate patients about the risks of using the drugs. It will also limit how much medication can be given for each prescription.

Unanimously passed by lawmakers and signed by the Governor earlier this year, the Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Act went into effect January 1.

Essentially, the law will now require doctors to highlight the inherent risks associated with taking prescription opioids like oxycodone, codeine and morphine.

The legislation for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, is still in a state of uncertainty.

Our reporter Natalie Van Hoozer sat down with our news director Michelle Billman to provide some updates.  

Here are seven things to know.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a sweeping $1.5 Trillion plan to overhaul the nation’s tax code. The Republican backed-bill is supposed to provide middle-class families across the country with tax breaks, while at the same time creating more jobs by lowering the tax burden on corporations. But what kind of impact will the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act have on Nevada?

Some Reno business owners, like Mark McKinnon, are getting letters telling them that they are in violation of city ordinances because they are not using the company Waste Management to haul their trash and recycling. Our contributor Bob Conrad of ThisisReno has been reporting on this situation and gave the latest update to our News Director Michelle Billman.

The actions mark an effort to solidify Waste Management’s exclusivity as the area’s waste hauler.

Escuche y lea la historia en español. 

The heated national debate on immigration often brings up the question of why undocumented immigrants didn’t enter the U.S. legally.

Our reporter Natalie Van Hoozer has been researching this topic, and she’s finding that it’s not that simple. She sat down with our News Director Michelle Billman to break down the visa process. 

Here are six things to know.

Reno assemblywoman Amber Joiner, a Democrat, is choosing not to run for reelection in 2018. Joiner was appointed to her seat in Assembly District 24 in 2014, and since then has served for two regular sessions and two special sessions.

But in an email to The Nevada Independent, Joiner says the financial burden of campaigning and serving is unsustainable.

Last November, Nevada voters approved Question 1, an initiative that requires all private firearm sales and transfers to undergo background checks, including those at gun shows.

But a video taken less than a week after the Las Vegas massacre shows gun sellers at a Reno gun show selling firearms without the required background checks.

Reno could soon join the growing list of more than 100 cities around the nation that have pursued similar lawsuits.