Nevada
Better Know a Swing State: Nevada
Besides the gaming cities of Las Vegas and Reno, folks here may not know much about the Sagebrush State, so, if you’re encouraging folks there to vote for Harris/Walz, want to visit or are just curious, here are a few nuggets from my travels.
Great Basin National Park is awesome, with impressive cave tours, dark skies filled with stars, beautiful mountain views, and best of all the ancient Bristlecone Pine trees above on Wheeler Summit. The Great Basin is actually a huge geologic and heritage area encompassing virtually all of Nevada and parts of several neighboring states. The roads are long and lonely, hiking over 10,000’ is strenuous, but the park is worth the effort!
I visit national park units, but Valley of Fire State Park deserves a mention here too. Less than an hour’s drive from Vegas, you can find Arch Rock, Balancing Rock & Fire Wave, which is made of beautiful layered pink and beige sandstone.
The Old Spanish Trail, California & Mormon Pioneer Trails and the Pony Express all have stops here you can visit. There are also fossil sites and Native American spiritual sites. And much of Lake Mead NRA is on the Nevada side of the Colorado River, with good kayaking above and below the Hoover Dam.
Fun facts: the Silver State also created great fortunes from the Comstock Lode near Virginia City, including the Citizen Kane Hearst and the Stanford families. It’s also called the Battle Born State, as it rushed to join the Union during the Civil War. And the actual state name comes from the Spanish meaning ‘snowy’, referring to the mountains seen by Spanish explorers in winter.
While the wide-open spaces may seem empty, to me the long highways are liberating, especially when the speed limit is 80. I love taking in the views, stopping in quirky towns, having a sarsaparilla at an old cowboy saloon, or wandering nervously around one of the many ghost towns.
Hope some background when writing postcards or making calls to Nevadans helps Kamala Harris & Tim Walz win the jackpot of Nevada’s six electoral votes this election! Thanks for reading!
Nevada
Nevada Family Law Group’s Caston addresses separation risks after deadly Smith’s dispute
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A domestic dispute led to a deadly shooting at a Smith’s in the valley this past Tuesday, and the man accused of the killings is now facing multiple felony charges.
Alejandro Estrada, who is charged with the two deaths at the store, is being held without bail. He faces 11 felony charges, including two counts of murder.
Court records show one of the victims, Amanda Frias Rosas, was involved in an ongoing child support case with Estrada.
Marilyn Caston, a junior partner at Nevada Family Law Group, discussed challenges that can arise for separated couples.
Nevada
Vegas casino pulls plug on prediction market conference amid Nevada crackdown
A Las Vegas casino abruptly pulled the plug on a prediction market conference over fears the event could draw scrutiny from Nevada gambling regulators, according to a report.
Predict 2026 had been slated for the Aria on the Strip before the MGM-operated resort canceled the booking just days after signing the agreement.
‘The [Aria] is issuing this notice in light of Nevada’s current regulatory and enforcement position regarding prediction markets,’ a lawyer for the resort wrote in a termination letter cited by Barron’s.
The dispute highlights escalating tensions between state gambling regulators and prediction market firms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which let people bet on the outcomes of all kinds of events.
Nevada regulators have taken an especially aggressive stance toward the fast-growing sector, arguing that some sports-event contracts resemble unlicensed wagering that bypasses state gaming rules and taxes.
Last October, the Nevada Gaming Control Board warned casino license holders that maintaining ties to prediction market operators could factor into whether they remain eligible for gaming licenses.
“If a Nevada licensee chooses to offer Sports and Other Event Contracts in Nevada or decides to partner with other entities offering Sports and Other Event Contracts in the state, the Board will consider these developments as it evaluates the suitability of the entity to maintain a Nevada gaming license,” regulators said in the guidance cited by Barron’s.
While Predict 2026 was not sponsored by any prediction market company, Aria’s legal notice indicated that regulators had become increasingly sensitive even to indirect promotion of the industry.
The Aria, which opened in 2009 and is operated by MGM Resorts after being sold to Blackstone in 2021, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The showdown highlights the widening divide between traditional casino operators and the new entrants into the prediction market space.
Legacy gaming giants such as MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have largely stayed away from prediction markets even as companies including DraftKings have launched competing platforms to challenge businesses like Kalshi.
Prediction market operators insist that their event contracts are federally regulated financial instruments overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, allowing them to operate nationwide for users over 18.
Some state gaming regulators, however, have argued that sports-related contracts closely resemble sports betting and should fall under state gambling laws.
Nevada officials have already taken direct legal action against Kalshi.
The Nevada Gaming Commission sued the company over its sports event contracts, and the platform was briefly barred from operating in the state earlier this year, according to Barron’s.
The Post has sought comment from Polymarket, Aria and the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Nevada
Best Nevada high schools for athletes? One study has revealed a top 25
Nevada has a rich history of producing athletic legends.
A large part of that is the continued success of the numerous high schools across the state. Going back decades, the state has seen a rise from some programs being local giants to some going big on the national scale, such as MLB star Bryce Harper.
Which high schools in Nevada are considered the best for athletes today?
According to a study conducted by Niche, which accounts for survey feedback from students and parents—accounting for “reviews of athletics, number of state championships, student participation in athletics, and the number of sports offered at the school”—and data from the U.S. Department of Education, these are the top 25.
25. GV Christian School (Henderson)
Total number of sports: 11
24. Shadow Ridge High School (Las Vegas)
Total number of sports: 23
23. Douglas County High School (Minden)
Total number of sports: 15
22. Galena High School (Reno)
Total number of sports: 21
21. Albert M. Lowry High School (Winnemucca)
Total number of sports: 15
20. Spring Creek High School
Total number of sports: 9
19. Elko High School
Total number of sports: 10
18. Centennial High School (Las Vegas)
Total number of sports: 23
17. Pershing County High School (Lovelock)
Total number of sports: 12
16. Yerington High School
Total number of sports: 11
15. Indian Springs High School
Total number of sports: 7
14. Moapa Valley High School (Overton)
Total number of sports: 23
13. Robert McQueen High School (Reno)
Total number of sports: 15
12. Spanish Springs High School (Sparks)
Total number of sports: 14
11. Fernley High School
Total number of sports: 9
10. Democracy Prep at Agassi High (Las Vegas)
Total number of sports: 9
9. Reno High School
Total number of sports: 16
8. Incline High School (Incline Village)
Total number of sports: 21
7. Liberty High School (Henderson)
Total number of sports: 23
6. Sage Ridge School (Reno)
Total number of sports: 15
5. Churchill County High School
Total number of sports: 30
4. Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School (Las Vegas)
Total number of sports: 21
3. Sports Leadership & Management of Nevada (Henderson)
Total number of sports: 13
2. Bishop Manogue Catholic High School (Reno)
Total number of sports: 24
1. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Total number of sports: 14
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