Nevada

A public health game changer: University of Nevada Brings athletic trainers to high schools | Fall 2025 Issue | Nevada Silver and Blue

Published

2 months ago

October 11, 2025

A public health game changer: University of Nevada Brings athletic trainers to high schools | Fall 2025 Issue | Nevada Silver and Blue

High school freshman Nicholas Murray was minutes away from advancing to the finals when his wrestling opponent grabbed his foot and twisted. In seconds, championship-bound Murray went from varsity wrestler to multiple months on crutches and knee surgery for a torn meniscus and partial ligament tears.

And this wasn’t the last injury for the multi-sport athlete, who competed year-round in football, wrestling and track. Beyond typical injuries like shin splints and sprains, Murray sustained a spinal injury during a football game that temporarily paralyzed his lower body.

“We didn’t have athletic trainers on the sidelines,” he said. “I wasn’t spine-boarded. I didn’t get the right care. And I’ve carried the long-term effects ever since.”

Those experiences shaped his decision to enter the field of kinesiology and dedicate his work to injury prevention and public health. “I want to make sure the next generation of elementary and high school student-athletes don’t have to go through what I did,” he said.

Launching the innovATE project

As fall sports return, Murray is leading the charge to change that as School of Public Health associate professor and kinesiology graduate program director. Backed by the University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute’s innovATE project — “AT” for athletic trainer &nmash; the School of Public Health is placing a certified athletic trainer at Wooster High School to support student-athletes. The program launched this fall, and Neuromechanics Athletics Trainer Zoe Haddox ’21 (community health sciences) is already bringing her expertise to the sidelines. As the project and public support grow, the School plans to expand the program to other Washoe County campuses.

Neuromechanics Athletics Trainer Zoe Haddox ’21 and Kinesiology Graduate Program Director Nicholas Murray support student-athletes through the innovATe project. Credit: Brin Reynolds ’12, ’15 MBA

“This isn’t just about sports,” said Murray, who is principal investigator on the project. “It’s about keeping student-athletes healthy and active by having qualified medical professionals available to provide care, guidance and support for them, their teammates and families.”

The innovATE project provides funding to underserved schools to hire athletic trainers, a critical but often missing piece in student sports safety. According to Murray, fewer than 1% of high school athletes go on to play at the collegiate level, yet millions participate in youth sports each year without dedicated medical support. Athletic trainers are educated to recognize and respond to concussions, fractures and other serious injuries. They also help manage return-to-play and return-to-class decisions, monitor long-term recovery and support overall student health.

Expanding access to athletic training for high school sports

For Murray, who is also the current director of the University of Nevada, Reno’s Neuromechanics Laboratory, the mission is personal. “Every kid deserves to play safely,” he said. “We want this to be the start of a bigger movement that helps make full-time, salaried athletic trainers standard at every Nevada high school.”

Christianne Eason, president of sport safety and education for the Korey Stringer Institute, praised the University’s long-term vision and statewide impact. “What impressed us most about the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health’s application was the sustainability plan. Dr. Murray is building strong partnerships with local school districts and showed a deep understanding of the community’s needs in northern Nevada.”

“By placing athletic trainers in schools, we’re not only protecting young athletes, we’re investing in the health, safety, and potential of an entire generation. The innovATE project will be expanding access to care where it’s needed most. It’s a powerful reminder that public health extends beyond academia and into the everyday lives of our communities,” said Dean of the School of Public Health Muge Akpinar-Elci.

Eason notes, “It’s about more than just taping ankles. Athletic trainers help prevent injuries before they happen, provide care and rehabilitation, and are prepared to respond to emergencies. They serve as a critical link between students, coaches, parents and the broader health care system” In underserved communities, trainers often become the first point of medical contact, not just for athletes but for entire families.

“This is what public health looks like,” Murray said. “It’s meeting people where they are — on the field, on the court and in the community.”

Source link

Nevada

Nevada nonprofit, BCP challenging PUCN over NV Energy’s daily demand charge

Published

34 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Nevada nonprofit, BCP challenging PUCN over NV Energy’s daily demand charge

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Nevada nonprofit organization and the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection are challenging the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada in court after the organization approved new NV Energy policies.

Vote Solar is a nonprofit advocacy group that focuses on state policies affecting solar and clean energy solutions.

WATCH | Darcy Spears breaks down challenge against PUCN

Nevada nonprofit, BCP challenging PUCN over NV Energy’s daily demand charge

According to their petition for judicial review, they are questioning the PUCN’s decision to approve two separate policies:

A new daily demand charge for residential and small business customers in Southern Nevada
A new 15-minute net metering policy for rooftop solar customers in Northern Nevada

In the petition, Vote Solar officials claim the PUCN’s final decisions are:

In violation of constitutional or statutory provisions
In excess of the statutory authority of the Commission
Made upon unlawful procedure
Affected by other error of law
Clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative and substantial evidence on the record
Arbitrary or capricious or characterized by abuse of discretion

“The PUCN’s decision is a major step backward for Nevada’s clean energy future,” said Chauntille Roberts, Regional Director at Vote Solar. “Nevada deserves energy policies that protect consumers, expand access to solar, and move our state forward—not backward.”

The Attorney General Office’s Bureau of Consumer Protection has filed a separate petition for judicial review.

“The demand charge rate structure (if permitted to be implemented), the 15-minute NEM netting methodology, and the approved affiliate charges result in rates that are unjust, unreasonable, and unlawful in contravention of NRS 704.040, and undermine the Commission’s fundamental duty under NRS 704.001 to provide utility ratepayers with just and reasonable rates,” the filing states in part.

The filing also states commissioners approved $2.7 million worth of affiliate charges that ratepayers would cover.

“The Commission’s decision concerning affiliate charges is belied by the record as the evidence in this docket demonstrates that NPC failed to provide any evidence, let alone substantial evidence, sufficient to support the recovery of an aggregate of $2.7 million,” the filing states. “Not only is the $2.7 million in affiliate charges unsupported by actual charges, it is also unreasonable and an unsupported monetary number, resulting in the Commission’s decision being arbitrary and capricious.”

No future court hearings have been scheduled for that case, as of Friday morning.

Channel 13 has reached out to NV Energy and the PUCN to see if they would like to comment on the petition.

NV Energy sent the following statement to us.

“NV Energy believes the changes that were approved and reaffirmed by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada are consistent with state law, and we will be following this filing closely.
The demand charge more accurately captures the cost of energy delivery. It also helps to fix inequities between rooftop solar and non-rooftop solar customers. Because of the current billing structure, rooftop solar customers pay less than non-rooftop solar customers for the cost of service, shifting costs to non-rooftop solar customers.
Between 2018 and 2024, the total cost shift born by non-rooftop solar customers in Southern Nevada is $424 million. The total subsidy in Southern Nevada in 2025 is expected to grow by an additional $80 million, based on expected growth for the rest of the year.
The recently approved demand charge helps fix the inequities caused by the current system, and helps ensure that customer bills more accurately reflect the cost it takes to provide them with service.”

NV Energy Spokesperson

As of the time this article was published, we have not heard back from the PUCN.

In September, the PUCN approved the new rate model, which has sparked controversy among many Southern Nevadans who claim this will make their energy bills continue to go up.

“It’s painful. I just wanted to express concern as a private citizen that corporate America is going to do what it’s going to do to maintain profits and dividends,” Las Vegas local Joel Tauber told us in October.

“Why can a monopoly, a utility monopoly, dictate how I live in my residence,” retiree Jody Rodarmal told us in September. “If you believe there’s not going to be any increase, then why go to a new style of billing?”

SEPTEMBER 2025: NV Energy’s new billing structure sparks concern among Las Vegas residents

NV Energy’s new billing structure sparks concern among Las Vegas residents

How would the daily demand charge work?

According to NV Energy, the daily demand charge will be calculated by taking the highest amount of energy used in a 15-minute period each day and multiplying it by the current kilowatt-per-hour rate.

That charge will then be added to your bill. For the average customer, NV Energy estimates this will amount to roughly $20 per month.

WATCH: Ryan Ketcham explains NV Energy’s new daily demand charge

NV Energy is adding a ‘daily demand charge’ to power bills. What does that mean for consumers?

In past statements to Channel 13, NV Energy officials have stressed the rate increase requests are intended to recoup the costs of projects it undertakes to shore up the power grid.

However, there have been questions about that over the last year after scandals involving overcharging customers and trying to pass on the costs of things like luxury hotels, travel, and liquor to ratepayers, including a $1.2 million tab at Red Rock Resort.

According to NV Energy, Nevada customers already pay a lower average rate than the rest of the country. Through June 2025, the company says its rates were 22% lower than the U.S. average and 60% lower than in California.

Do you have a concern or question about something happening in the valley? Email Darcy.Spears@ktnv.com.

Source link

Nevada

DOJ sues Nevada for allegedly withholding voter registration information

Published

13 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

DOJ sues Nevada for allegedly withholding voter registration information

The Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against Nevada on Friday, alleging that the state failed to provide statewide voter registration lists when requested, according to a news release.

Colorado, Hawaii, and Massachusetts were also sued, bringing the total to 18 states now facing lawsuits from the Justice Department. The department’s Civil Rights Division filed the complaints.

Francisco Aguilar, Nevada secretary of state, was charged with violating the Civil Rights Act after he responded on Aug. 21 to a letter from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying there was no basis for her request for certain voter information, asserting privacy concerns, according to the lawsuit.

According to the complaint, Aguilar provided a link to the state’s computerized voter registration list. However, the version shared contained incomplete fields, including registrants’ full names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

Aguilar’s Aug. 21 letter said his office would follow up, but the attorney general never received the list containing all the requested fields, the lawsuit said.

According to the news release, Congress assigns the attorney general primary responsibility for enforcing the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, both enacted to ensure that states maintain accurate and effective voter registration systems.

The attorney general also has authority under the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to request, review, and analyze statewide voter registration lists, according to the release.

“States have the statutory duty to preserve and protect their constituents from vote dilution,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in the release. “At this Department of Justice, we will not permit states to jeopardize the integrity and effectiveness of elections by refusing to abide by our federal elections laws. If states will not fulfill their duty to protect the integrity of the ballot, we will.”

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.

Source link