Connect with us

Nevada

EDITORIAL: Green grift costs Nevada taxpayers millions

Published

on

EDITORIAL: Green grift costs Nevada taxpayers millions


NZero just joined Solyndra in the green energy hall of shame.

In 2021, Nevada elected officials heralded NZero, which was then named Ledger8760. The company said it would help governments track their carbon emissions in real time. Reno and Washoe County officials and even then-Gov. Steve Sisolak held a news conference to announce their partnership with the company.

“This is how we fight climate change and protect our state,” Gov. Sisolak said.

“We get to be the city, the county and the state that lead the way into a new day and a new era,” Bob Lucey, then chair of the Washoe County Commission.

Advertisement

Nope. Instead, they became the latest — but surely not the last — politicians duped by well-connected lobbyists selling green-tinged snake oil. As a recent ProPublica investigation exposed, the company didn’t deliver what it promised despite scoring government contracts worth $5.7 million.

“Their software didn’t do what they said it was going to do,” Robin Yochum, a former programs manager at the Governor’s Office of Energy, told ProPublica.

One problem was that NZero struggled to get information from utilities, such as NV Energy and Southwest Gas. The information it did provide was dated. These are the types of hurdles officials should have ironed out before handing the company lucrative contracts.

“I did not recall the program providing us with any more detailed information above what we already generate ourselves,” the energy manager for state public works wrote in a 2023 email.

But NZero had a secret weapon. Among its founders were powerful lobbyists, such as Josh Griffin. Its leadership included lobbyists who successfully worked for Uber, Tesla and the NFL’s Raiders.

Advertisement

With relationships like that, the results hardly mattered. Yvanna Cancela, then-working as Mr. Sisolak’s chief of staff, investigated ways to get the company a “$5 million contract without a competitive process,” ProPublica reported. When Ms. Yochum objected, she said she was told, ‘We have to do this. The governor’s office wants to do it, we are going to do it.’ ”

It gets worse. It’s unlikely real-time emissions data is the best use of funding. In 2009, the state came up with a list of 2,000 energy efficiency projects. More than a decade later, many of them haven’t been funded and completed.

If politicians want to reduce carbon emissions, that’s where they should have put the funding that went to NZero.

But as this story shows, the greenest thing about green energy is often the money raked in by the politically well connected.

Advertisement



Source link

Nevada

Nevada high school football head coach steps down

Published

on

Nevada high school football head coach steps down


Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.

Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.

“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”

During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.

Advertisement

Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.

More about Mojave High School

Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.

For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Nevada

IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada

Published

on

IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada


A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.

Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.

What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.

The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.

Advertisement

So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.

I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.

Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.

Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Nevada

Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS

Published

on

Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS