West
Nevada airport addresses security concerns after man steals plane, flies to California
A Nevada airport is giving advice to pilots and tenants after an Idaho man allegedly burglarized several aircraft and stole one, going for a joyride to California.
The 2020 Kitfox fixed-wing single-engine type aircraft was allegedly taken by Damian Zukaitis, 40, sometime after 2 p.m. Saturday from North Las Vegas Airport, police told FOX5 Las Vegas.
The man allegedly flew the plane over 100 miles, before landing it in a field outside Barstow. The owner told FOX5 that beer bottles, cans and part of a marijuana cigarette were found inside the cockpit of the severely damaged plane.
The incident has several pilots at the airport taking precautions to protect their property.
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The stolen 2020 Kitfox fixed-wing single-engine type aircraft was found in a desert field near Barstow, California. (FOX5 Las Vegas)
“I do think the threat is gone now. It’s a good time to assess what needs to happen for security,” longtime pilot and aviation attorney Jeff Lustick told FOX5. “We’re all working together to have increased vigilance.”
Lustick would like more surveillance, security officers or fencing at the airport.
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View of the hangars at the North Las Vegas Airport, where pilots are on security alert. (FOX5 Las Vegas)
“The safety and security of our tenants, pilots and passengers is always a top priority and we consistently review procedures and practices. We work closely with the North Las Vegas Police Department who provide law enforcement at the airport. Additionally, we have a contracted private security company that patrols after hours,” the airport said in a statement to the local station.
The airport spokesperson encouraged pilots and tenants to lock and properly tie down aircraft, as well as lock hangars.
North Las Vegas officials said Zukaitis could also be behind attempted airplane burglaries in the three previous days before his arrest, The Associated Press reported.
Plane’s owner says it was found severely damaged, with beer bottles and part of a joint inside. (FOX5 Las Vegas)
The aircraft was valued at about $80,000, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Police are still investigating the motive, as well as where the suspect was headed. A pilot with the same name is listed in FAA records as a student, FOX5 reported.
The plane’s owner said a binder was found with instructions on landing at an airport in Corona, California.
Zukaitis faces charges of possession of a stolen airplane and taking stolen property across state lines from the incident. He will be extradited back to Nevada from San Bernardino County to face a judge in North Las Vegas Justice Court, police told FOX5.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The branding of the WAC, New Mexico State’s longtime home from 2005-23, has officially ceased to exist
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The Western Athletic Conference is officially no more. Well, at least the name isn’t.
The WAC rebranded as the United Athletic Conference on Wednesday, July 1, which was originally the name of a football-only alliance between the WAC and the Atlantic Sun Conference. Membership losses over the 2020s led the WAC to adopt UAC branding and join its three remaining members with the ASUN’s five football-playing members and Little Rock to form an all-sports conference that keeps the WAC’s historical continuity.
The WAC hits home for New Mexico State. The Aggies were members of the conference from 2005-23 and were one of the WAC’s longest-tenured schools.
With the WAC name officially in the ashes of history, here are some of the Aggies’ best moments while in the conference.
Basketball dominance
NM State dominated the WAC with seven regular-season WAC titles, 10 WAC Tournaments and 14 double-digit win seasons in WAC play.
Perhaps NM State’s best season in the WAC was in 2018-19. The Aggies dropped their first conference game, but won the next 15 before going 3-0 in the WAC Tournament, including a blowout 89-57 win over Grand Canyon for a program-record 30th win. NM State went 16-0 in WAC play the next season before it ended thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aggies produced five WAC Players of the Year, including four across 2014-18 in Daniel Mullings, Pascal Siakam, Ian Baker and Jemarrio Jones. Teddy Allen won it in 2022.
Women’s basketball also had a dominant stretch. The Aggies won four out of five WAC regular-season and tournament championships from 2015-19, including three in a row from 2015-17 that all included double-digit victories in the WAC Tournament final. Brooke Salas’ 29 points in the 2019 final secured a 76-73 double-overtime win over UTRGV.
Baseball rallies in 2022
The 2018 baseball team won 40 games and the WAC Tournament, but the 2022 team’s story was a Cinderella run.
The Aggies had the worst record in the WAC Tournament at 20-32. NM State finished sixth in the West Division, but gained entry thanks to second-place California Baptist and fourth-place Dixie State (now Utah Tech) being ineligible due to their Division I transitions.
The Aggies caught fire and went 4-0. NM State defeated Southwest Division winner Sam Houston 3-1, clobbered UTRGV 10-0 in seven innings, took down Sacramento State 7-3 and vanquished fellow No. 4 seed Abilene Christian 7-3 in the championship game.
Winning WAC titles at home
Softball won six regular-season WAC titles and four WAC Tournaments from 2011-21.
Three of those tournament titles came when NM State hosted it in 2015, 2017 and 2018. The Aggies earned three run-rule wins to win in 2015 and faced Seattle three times in 2017. The Aggies fell 6-4 in the second round before bouncing back into the winners bracket to beat the Redhawks 15-14 and 10-0 for another title.
NM State defeated Grand Canyon and UMKC in run-rule fashion in 2018 and faced GCU again in the final. Kelsey Horton’s three RBIs fueled a 9-7 win. She secured back-to-back WAC Player of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018.
A great 2015
The Aggies had one of their best years in 2015. NM State won five regular-season WAC titles and eight WAC tournaments in that calendar year.
Men’s basketball and women’s basketball each won WAC regular-season and tournament titles, and Brianna Freeman was named the WAC Player of the Year in women’s basketball. Volleyball swept the WAC regular-season and tournament titles and never lost a conference game. Gwen Murphy won WAC Player of the Year, and Mike Jordan earned WAC Coach of the Year.
Softball went 47-16 and swept the WAC regular-season and tournament championships in one of the program’s best seasons. Staci Rodriguez won WAC Player of the Year, and the Aggies broke 12 school records on offense.
Men’s and women’s golf both won WAC championships, and men’s tennis swept the WAC regular-season and tournament titles. Women’s tennis also won the WAC Tournament for the program’s first-ever conference title.
Other notable moments
- Soccer won its first WAC Tournament title in 2022 after taking down top-seeded Seattle 1-0 in the final.
- NM State won the 2023 WAC outdoor track and field title. Jhana Downie won conference titles in the 200 and 400 meters, Joseph Rath won WAC Coach of the Year and Terice Steen set a school record in the 400m hurdles (58.36).
- Volleyball won three more WAC regular-season titles in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Megan Hart was named 2019 WAC Player of the Year.
- Women’s golf won seven WAC championships from 2014-22. Pun Chanachai was a standout, winning WAC Player of the Year and WAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2017.
- Swimming and diving stayed in the WAC for two more years after 2023 and were a competitive program, finishing second at the WAC Championships seven times between 2010-25.
Oregon lawmakers have a new roadmap for tackling racism as a public health issue, and it’s packed with more than 100 recommendations for the 2027 legislative session.
According to KGW8, the Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office released the four-year report this week, built on input from more than 200 Oregonians of color and developed alongside the Oregon Health Authority. It digs into how Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color face unequal access to stable jobs, education, health care, and housing — the everyday conditions that shape locals’ lives.
“This is an opportunity for state government to earn trust with communities of color who have been historically excluded,” said executive director of the Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office, Jeff Selby, per the outlet. “The report process is a model for community engagement, as we all work together toward meaningful outcomes in community.”
State Rep. Travis Nelson said the findings have already shaped legislation, with several bills signed into law over the past two sessions covering topics like culturally specific health services and school staffing diversity. One concrete example: After residents flagged that Spanish-speaking applicants were passing the DMV’s written driving test at a rate of roughly 21%, versus 51% for English speakers, organizers connected the DMV with community groups to address the gap.
The report dates back to 2021, when Oregon lawmakers formally declared racism a public health crisis. “Racism in Oregon has left a legacy of trauma from one generation to the next, impacting Oregon tribes, Black and indigenous communities and people of color through a cumulative effect,” a section of the declaration reads.
A separate report from the Commonwealth Fund found Oregon has more severe racial and ethnic health disparities than its neighbors in the West, with Native American, Black, and Hispanic residents lagging behind white and Asian American residents on access, quality, and outcomes. Researchers warned that federal changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act since 2025 could make those gaps worse, not better.
The Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office says the goal now is turning research into real policy before lawmakers reconvene — and building trust with communities that have historically been left out of the process.
The full report can be seen here.
The move gives the Aggies “instant credibility” on the recruiting trail, Bronco Mendenhall says.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Old Main building at Utah State University in Logan on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.
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