RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – The Reno Police Department released a progress report on an 8-year-old boy who was hit by a car in a Walmart parking lot earlier this week, according to Officer Hunter Mercurio.

“The child is going to be totally OK,” Mercurio said on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

After the incident, he had been transported to a local hospital with major injuries, police said.

The incident happened on Saturday, Jan. 17, about 1:20 p.m. at the 250 Vista Knoll Parkway store in Reno.

“The child was walking in between cars then went into the aisle and was struck by a moving car,” Mercurio said.

The Reno Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team has found that speed and impairment do not appear to be factors in this crash, the police said.

The driver is cooperating with investigators.

“Make sure to be aware of your surroundings when walking through parking lots with your family,” Mercurio said. “Drive slow and be attentive especially while in crowded parking lots.”

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call police at (775) 334-2677 or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900.

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The FBI has determined threats made to several Northern Nevada high schools Wednesday morning were a hoax.

So far, Storey County, Douglas County, Churchill County, and Carson City have reported investigating these threats. 

Classes at Virginia City High School were canceled for the day out of an abundance of caution, and due to police activity in the area. Classes are set to resume as normal tomorrow. 

Carson City High School temporarily put classes on hold this morning, before resuming when deemed safe.

Several of the school districts impacted are reporting increased security measures Wednesday, out of an abundance of caution.

The investigation into the origin of the threats is ongoing.

The Nevada Threat Analysis Center says it has been made aware of bomb threat emails targeting school districts in Nevada.

“The Nevada Threat Analysis Center is conducting analysis related to the threats and sharing information with appropriate law enforcement partners conducting the investigation into these incidents,” said the NTAC in a statement. “At this time, the Nevada Threat Analysis Center is not aware of any physical bomb or incendiary device at any school district, and the threats are believed to be a hoax.”

Money matters in politics, and Gov. Joe Lombardo has a lot of it.

Last week, Lombardo’s campaign announced that he raised about $4.5 million last year. That gives him more than $9 million in the bank. Combined with money in his PACs, his re-election campaign has more than $15 million.

Attorney General and Democrat gubernatorial front-runner Aaron Ford raised less than $2.3 million last year. His expenses topped $1.1 million. It looks like he replaced lobbyist-funded travel with donor-funded travel. His campaign spent lavishly on steakhouses, airfare and hotel stays.

Ford has less than $1.6 million in the bank. Combined with PAC money, he has a bit more than $2 million.

Now, talking about money may seem crass. In an ideal world, politics would be a contest of ideas. Candidates would share their governing philosophies and debate policy proposals. Voters would carefully weigh every candidate’s ideas and character.

But that’s not the world in which we live. Yes, there are people who care deeply about those things — and many of you read this column. But the voters who decide elections aren’t obsessively studying the issues. They’re busy. That’s why candidates speak in soundbites and negative campaigning is so effective.

Looking at money is important for two reasons. One, money spent well translates into votes. This is why both the Democrat National Committee and Turning Point Action are dumping resources into Nevada. Money allows you to identify and turn out your voters.

Money pays for political ads, which can drive up your opponent’s disapproval ratings and boost your approval numbers. No one likes to admit that negative ads work, but they do.

Remember all of the commercials from Democrats over the past two cycles claiming Republicans would ban abortion? Republicans have the presidency and majorities in the House and Senate. The murder of preborn children in Nevada remains legal. But the onslaught of ads helped several Nevada Democrats win re-election.

Ford is a gold mine of opposition research, too. Ford’s vacation tab tops $140,000. Spending time out of Nevada on special interest-funded junkets won’t win over swing voters. Then there’s the fact that Ford hired his old law firm to lead Nevada’s opioid litigation. It’s likely his old firm raked in around $200 million from those efforts.

Two, not raising enough money can lead to a doom spiral. Wealthy donors don’t like throwing their money away, even if doing so helps Ford rack up Marriott points. Without money, a campaign can flounder, which dries up future money — and so on.

Ford’s biggest advantage is that Democrat voters will probably be fired up to vote to express their opposition to President Donald Trump. The economy is also a major variable. If it’s doing poorly, voters will likely assign some of the blame to Lombardo.

Gasoline prices remain a major wildcard. Trump’s energy policies have lowered prices, but California’s refinery closures look likely to send Nevada gas prices skyrocketing.

Bottom line: Lombardo is a favorite, but there’s a lot of time left.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow
@victorjoecks on X.