Nevada
COMMENTARY: Dam proposal would protect rural Nevada
The Hoover Dam is a lifeline to rural communities throughout the American Southwest. More than 1 million people in Nevada, Arizona and California rely on the clean energy that the dam produces. Public power utilities — that are not-for-profit community-owned — such as our organizations depend on the Hoover Dam to bring affordable and reliable energy to our rural Nevada communities.
Unfortunately, widespread drought on the Colorado River has had a dramatic impact on the dam’s ability to produce electricity. Energy generation by the dam has been reduced by 40 percent since pre-drought levels. When there is a reduction in the supply of hydropower generated from the dam, small rural public power utilities such as ours are forced to go to the market to purchase other energy sources, which are typically more expensive and less reliable. This has serious implications for rural Nevada ratepayers as energy prices are driven up and grid reliability is threatened.
While these challenges are significant, there are common-sense solutions that can help mitigate them. Unfortunately, the very resources that could help alleviate these challenges have been tied up in federal bureaucratic red tape.
In 2000, the federal government began collecting fees from hydropower users, putting the money into an account for dam employees’ retirement benefits. But when those benefits found other funding sources, the money was left unused. We are not talking about pocket change — right now there’s $50 million in funds for operations, maintenance and improvement projects to strengthen the Hoover Dam. These funds should be invested to strengthen the dam to safeguard Nevada’s hydropower. Instead, the money is just sitting in some account going unused because the Bureau of Reclamation can’t legally access it.
Fortunately, there is a solution, and we are grateful to Nevada’s congressional delegation for coming together to push for legislation to solve this. The Help Hoover Dam Act was introduced by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Susie Lee and co-sponsored by Reps. Mark Amodei, Dina Titus, Steven Horsford and Sen. Jacky Rosen. If passed, this will allow the Bureau of Reclamation to invest that $50 million back into improving the dam.
These improvements modernize the dam so it can better withstand drought conditions and disasters, safeguarding the production of hydroelectric power, all while saving our taxpayer dollars.
Without access to affordable hydropower, utilities would have to purchase more power from the open market, which can spike to unaffordable costs on peak days. Rural Nevada communities simply can’t afford those price hikes.
The act puts funding that has already been allocated by the federal government to work, keeping hard-earned money in the pockets of rural communities, and secures our energy supply to prevent catastrophic failure in the event of a storm or natural disaster.
We urge Congress to join Nevada’s federal delegation and pass the Help Hoover Dam Act to invest in the future of the Hoover Dam’s hydropower that millions of rural Americans rely on, many of whom are our fellow Nevadans.
Lisa Levine is the executive director of the Nevada Rural Electric Association. This essay was also signed by Joe Stubitz, utilities director in Boulder City; Dane Bradfield, general manager of Lincoln County Power District No. 1; MeLisa Garcia, general manager and CEO of Overton Power District No. 5; and Robby Hamlin, CEO of the Valley Electric Association.
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
-
Sports2 minutes agoLamar Jackson absent from Ravens OTA as new coach Jesse Minter downplays voluntary practice skip
-
Technology8 minutes agoTurning 65? Month-by-month plan to protect yourself
-
Business14 minutes agoVolvo to pay $197 million after hidden pollution device found in California truck engines
-
Entertainment20 minutes agoWhy the ‘Harry Potter’ series is recasting a major role ahead of Season 2
-
Lifestyle26 minutes ago10 minutes backstage with Bilal at Blue Note
-
Politics32 minutes agoIn growing fight, Steyer’s campaign says pro-Becerra influencers didn’t disclose pay
-
Sports44 minutes agoHigh school softball: Southern Section Tuesday playoff scores and upcoming schedule
-
World56 minutes agoJones, Jackson move to Republican primary run-off in Georgia governor race
