Web Adaptations: Jayden Perez

Many people think of maternity wards as places of celebration, where families and friends gather to welcome newborns into the world. But over the last year, that's changed. Yarleny Roa-Dugan is a labor and delivery nurse in Las Vegas, and she shares her experience working during the pandemic in this audio diary.

Normally, a new legislative session is cause for celebration. Families and spouses crowd the floors as they watch their lawmaker take the oath of office. Halls are filled with the excited buzz of lawmakers, lobbyists, press and members of the public chatting and catching up. But this year, Nevada's 81st Legislative Session has moved mostly online. That's raised questions about transparency. KUNR's Paul Boger has this report.

KUNR Film Critic Robin Holabird says the new movie Nomadland rates as one of the best ever filmed in Nevada.

Week One of Nevada's 81st legislative session is in the books. And while it may be off to a slow start, lawmakers are digging into bills. KUNR Morning Edition host Noah Glick checked in with political editor Paul Boger for an update from Carson City.

Long-term care facilities have been some of the hardest hit during the pandemic. And now, the COVID-19 vaccine is providing long-awaited relief. As KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck reports, some staff and residents in Reno got their first shot this week.

The Washoe County school board recently entertained the idea of cutting the district's gifted and talented program. With Nevada's tax revenues continuing to languish because of the pandemic, the state's public education system is facing a serious budget crunch. To get a sense of how the legislative session may impact Northern Nevada's largest school district, KUNR's Paul Boger spoke with Lindsay Anderson, the district's government affairs director, at a recent school board meeting.

Nevada's 81st regular legislative session convened in Carson City Monday. Over the next 120 days, lawmakers will craft and debate hundreds of bills and draft a state budget for the next two years. While that process can be tricky by itself, the legislative session is bringing a whole new set of challenges. KUNR Morning Edition host Noah Glick checks in with political editor Paul Boger to discuss what that might mean for the state.

Testing for COVID-19 can be scary. Whether or not the test comes back positive, factors such as the wait and uncertainty can have significant impacts.

KUNR Youth Media reporter Isabella Wolf explains what the process and wait were like to receive a COVID-19 test.

One Night in Miami theorizes what happened when four famous men got together in a small hotel room after the world heavyweight boxing championship. Instead of partying like crazy, they got into serious discussions about racism in America. One of the men, Cassius Clay, planned to upend expectations by announcing a change of faith and name. Under leadership and guidance by another guy in the room — Malcolm X — Clay aimed towards a different role as Muhammad Ali, the newly crowned heavyweight champion of the world. Malcolm hoped the two other men in the room — football player Jim Brown and singer Sam Cooke — would join the movement and use their influence to forcefully demand racial parity.

Health officials say that a majority of Nevadans would need the COVID-19 vaccine for the population to receive herd immunity. That’s when enough people are immunized to slow the spread of infection. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck has this explainer.

A new housing community meant to transition unsheltered people to permanent housing is being hailed as a one-of-a-kind venture.

Avery Thunder is a member of KUNR’s Youth Media program. In this interview, Avery talks to her mom, Tamara Soong, and asks her what it was like being raised in Carson City as a biracial child coming of age in a small town.

The movie News of the World delivers a revisionist Western. The term “revisionist” used to mean a project that felt grittier than Roy Rogers singing cowboy songs, but now it refers to politically correct attitudes that defy traditional classics like The Searchers. That John Wayne/John Ford epic spent decades on lists as the greatest western movie ever made, with gorgeous location shots of Monument Valley standing tall while the epitome of a hero put his own needs aside as he searches for a little girl kidnapped by Comanches.

In the evolving genre of movies about avenging rape, Promising Young Woman offers an original approach.  Forget macho Charles Bronson's gun-toting from Death Wish. Forget Uma Thurman’s martial arts kicks in the two Kill Bills. Forget graphic violence a la I Spit on Your Grave. With sly psychology, actress Carrie Mulligan’s title character turns the genre around in writer-director Emerald Fennell’s promising new movie.

Reno native Dawn Wells, an actress most known for her role in Gilligan’s Island, died from COVID-19 last week in southern California. KUNR film reviewer Robin Holabird shares some memories of Dawn, who kept Reno close to her heart.

After solving the mysteries of talking toys, cars and fish, the Disney-Pixar group finds answers to soul-searching questions in its newest release. Soul checks in on the meaning of life, as its main character sidesteps death and falls into the wrong space as an inadvertent mentor. Perfect for kids, right?

After a turbulent year, 2020 is coming to a close. Now, many are looking forward to 2021 with the new challenges and opportunities it might bring. Local high school junior Avery Thunder reflects on 2020 and comments on what the new year might look like in an audio diary for KUNR’s Youth Media program.

Having finally visited one of my bucket list destinations during a 2020 COVID-safe road trip this summer, I come to the movie Ammonite with an extra degree of enthusiasm.