Nevada

Former Nevada official stands trial for murder of investigative journalist

Published

1 year ago

August 16, 2024

Former Nevada official stands trial for murder of investigative journalist

Washington —

As the trial into the murder of a Las Vegas investigative journalist got underway this week, defense attorney Robert Draskovich argued in court that “killing a journalist does not kill a story.”

The statement came on the opening day of the trial against Robert Telles. The 47-year-old former Clark County public administrator is accused of murder with a deadly weapon against a victim aged 60 or older.

The victim is Jeff German, a 69-year-old reporter at The Las Vegas Review-Journal, who was found stabbed to death outside his suburban Las Vegas, Nevada, home on September 3, 2022.

Telles has pleaded not guilty.

German had reported on alleged mismanagement in Telles’ office. When Telles later lost a reelection bid in 2022, he posted a letter online in which he attacked the Review-Journal for its coverage.

In court on Wednesday, prosecutors outlined what they have previously said is “overwhelming” evidence against Telles, including that the former public administrator had downloaded images of German’s house onto his work computer and had done research on German’s car. Prosecutors have also previously said that DNA matching that of Telles was found beneath German’s fingernails and on his hands.

“In the end, this case isn’t about politics. It’s not about alleged inappropriate relationships. It’s not about who’s a good boss or who’s a good supervisor or favoritism at work,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Pamela Weckerly said. “It’s just about murder.”

As part of the defense’s argument, Telles’ attorney said that his client did not have a motive to kill German because “killing a journalist does not kill a story.”

Multiple press freedom experts told VOA that line of reasoning stood out to them as shocking — including because it’s factually incorrect, they said.

“That’s absurd. It’s a little preposterous,” Kirstin McCudden, vice president of editorial for Freedom of the Press Foundation, told VOA. “Killing a journalist kills stories. It kills stories every day, all over the world, and it certainly has a chilling effect on any journalist who wants to hold powerful people to account.”

Other press freedom experts agreed.

“It makes no sense. Very often the death of a journalist is the death of a story. No one knows what additional reporting Jeff German could have done if he were still alive,” Clayton Weimers, the head of the U.S. bureau of Reporters Without Borders, told VOA in an email.

In the first week of the trial, three of German’s neighbors testified, including the man who first found German’s body. Other witnesses included detectives, a medical examiner and former associates of the defendant.

Based on surveillance footage, former Metropolitan Police Department homicide detective Cliff Mogg testified that he believed Telles’ vehicle, a maroon Yukon Denali, “was the one used in the commission of Jeffrey German’s murder.”

After German’s killing, police publicized images of the suspect walking on a sidewalk near the reporter’s home and the Denali car driving away.

Real estate agent Zackary Schilling, who helped sell homes through the public administrator’s office and first met Telles in 2020, testified that he recognized the suspect’s walk, his shoes and the vehicle.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner asked, “Who was the person you were thinking of?”

“I was thinking of Mr. Telles,” Schilling said. When asked about the suspect’s shoes, Schilling said, “They’re the cheap Nikes he always wore.”

Schilling also testified that he knew about the stories German had written about Telles and that he saw images published in the media of the suspect’s vehicle.

“It just came down my spine,” Schilling said. “I was like holy crap. I didn’t want to believe it, but the facts are the facts. That was Rob Telles’ car.”

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich asks a question on the fourth day of the murder trial for Robert Telles at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on Aug. 15, 2024.

The case is the first in U.S. history in which an elected official is accused of murdering an American journalist.

“Understanding that this is believed to be a crime about the work that he was doing is incredibly chilling and scary for journalists,” said McCudden, who is based in New York.

Journalist killings are rare in the United States. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, in New York, 17 journalists and media workers have been killed in the U.S. since the watchdog started keeping records in 1992. Of those, the CPJ has said it believes 15 cases — including German’s — were in relation to the journalist’s work.

And while impunity is high globally — journalist murders go unpunished in nearly 80% of cases around the world, according to the CPJ — pending a verdict in the German case, no journalist murder in the United States that has gone entirely unpunished since the group started keeping track.

Accountability in these cases is especially important because it sends the message that targeting journalists is unacceptable, according to Katherine Jacobsen, the U.S. and Canada program coordinator at the CPJ. Attacks against journalists can also have a chilling effect on other reporters, she said.

“Because of that public face that many journalists have, killing them does have a ripple effect throughout the community,” she told VOA.

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Nevada

Man struck, killed by work truck on I-15 ramp near Las Vegas Strip, police say

Published

4 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Man struck, killed by work truck on I-15 ramp near Las Vegas Strip, police say

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada State Police are responding to a deadly crash on northbound I-15 at Spring Mountain Road Friday morning.

According to the NHP crash page, the crash was reported at 8:32 a.m. on the northbound ramp leading to westbound lanes. State troopers say the crash involved a Chevrolet work truck that struck a man crossing the road.

Arriving medical crews transported the pedestrian to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.

All lanes and off-ramps in the area have since reopened as of 12 p.m.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

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Nevada

Las Vegas Rotary Club Supports Pickleball Fundraiser to Eradicate Polio

Published

16 hours ago

January 9, 2026

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Las Vegas Rotary Club Supports Pickleball Fundraiser to Eradicate Polio

Pickleball-Polio-Flyer-1 LAS VEGAS, NV- The Las Vegas Rotary Club, in conjunction with Rotary Clubs throughout Southern Nevada, will host a community pickleball fundraiser in support of End Polio Now, Rotary International’s global effort to eradicate polio. The event will take place on Saturday, February 7th, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Chicken N Pickle Henderson, located at 3381 St. Rose Parkway.

The non-competitive, social event is chaired by Janice Lencke, president of the Las Vegas Rotary Club, on behalf of Rotary District 5300, which serves Southern Nevada and parts of California. The event invites players of all experience levels to come together for an afternoon of pickleball, fellowship and charitable giving, with proceeds benefiting Rotary’s polio eradication efforts.

“The Rotary Clubs of Southern Nevada, together with District 5300, are uniting to host this event to raise awareness and move one step closer to writing the final chapter in polio’s story—an ending marked by eradication,” said Janice Lencke. “Let’s finish what we started and #EndPolio for good.”

Rotary International is a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which was launched in 1988. Since that time, Rotary’s advocacy, fundraising and volunteer efforts have helped reduce polio cases worldwide by more than 99.9 percent, bringing the world closer than ever to eliminating the disease entirely. Polio eradication remains Rotary’s primary humanitarian focus and one of its most sustained global commitments.

General admission tickets include pickleball court access, lunch and sodas, one alcoholic drink ticket, a commemorative photo, one raffle ticket and free parking. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for businesses and individuals who want to support the cause.

District 5300 is promoting the event throughout Southern Nevada, with additional outreach across California to encourage regional participation in similar events.

ABOUT ROTARY INTERNATIONAL AND THE LAS VEGAS ROTARY CLUB

Rotary International is a worldwide fellowship and service organization with 1.2 million members in 200 countries, with 32,000 clubs. Established in 1923 as part of Rotary International, the Las Vegas Rotary Club is the first and largest Rotary Club in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Rotary Club meets for lunch and fellowship every Thursday at Lawry’s The Prime Rib. To learn more about the Club and service projects, visit https://lasvegasrotary.com.

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Nevada

Travel Nevada Presents The Neon in Nature Series, Featuring Artwork by DARIUSTWIN, at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, January 15 – April 6, 2026

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

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Travel Nevada Presents The Neon in Nature Series, Featuring Artwork by DARIUSTWIN, at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, January 15 – April 6, 2026

Nevada Division of Tourism

Unique exhibition marks DARIUSTWIN’s first museum show in the U.S.

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Travel Nevada is proud to present The Neon in Nature Series, which features artwork by light painting photographer and animator Darren Pearson (better known as DARIUSTWIN)at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, beginning January 15, 2026. The exhibition is DARIUSTWIN’s first U.S. museum show. To celebrate the exhibition opening, Travel Nevada will pay admission fees for the first 200 guests to arrive directly at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

Created exclusively in Nevada, The Neon in Nature Series captures just some of the stunning landscapes and striking night skies that you’ll find in Nevada when you get a little out there – all juxtaposed with DARIUSTWIN’s signature light paintings infused with and inspired by Nevada character (and characters). The exhibition will inspire museum guests to visit the Nevada ghost towns, state parks, historical landmarks, and more that take center stage in this unique, vibrant, and whimsical exhibition.

“Nevada’s diverse surroundings and dark night skies provided an ideal backdrop to compose this series,” said DARIUSTWIN. “I’m grateful to the Travel Nevada team for commissioning the work and to the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, for housing my very first museum exhibition in the country. I’m hopeful that it will encourage museum guests to travel throughout Nevada, which I found was so rich in history and ripe with adventure opportunities.”

“When the Travel Nevada team first saw DARIUSTWIN’s work, we immediately knew that a partnership with him would inspire people to get a little out there in the state. The Neon in Nature Series is a creative take on what makes Nevada special,” said Rafael Villanueva, chief executive officer of Travel Nevada. “Additionally, we’re thrilled that this exhibition will be housed in the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. We share a mission with the museum to enhance the quality of life for Nevada’s visitors and residents, and what better place to host The Neon in Nature series than a city whose history is intertwined with neon?”

The Neon in Nature Series, Presented by Travel Nevada will be on view at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas through April 6, 2026.

“The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is delighted to host this art- and Nevada-focused installation by DARIUSTWIN,” said Hollis J. Gillespie, director of the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. “The Neon in Nature Series exemplifies our mission of educating the public about the history and natural history of the state, and it does so in an electrifying way. We look forward to sharing it with our visitors.”

EDITORS:  Select high-resolution images from The Neon in Nature Series, Presented by Travel Nevada are available here. Photo credit for all images: “Photo courtesy of Travel Nevada/DARIUSTWIN. ©️ 2024 DARIUSTWIN.”

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About Travel Nevada

The heart of Nevada shines through Travel Nevada, an organization focused on sharing the experiences, landmarks and living legends that make the Silver State a one-of-a-kind destination. Through community collaborations and strategic partnerships, we aim to connect with both locals and visitors alike, showcasing the sometimes-surprising, always-exciting treasures that keep people coming to Nevada. It’s theirs to explore-and ours to safekeep, from preserving our wild-at-heart way of life to our wide-open spaces. For more information, visit TravelNevada.com.

About the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas

Founded in 1982, the mission of the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, serves to educate a diverse public about the history and natural history of Nevada. The museum collects, preserves, exhibits, and disseminates material that contributes to an understanding and appreciation of the state. For more information, visit https://www.lasvegasnvmuseum.org/

About DARIUSTWIN

Darren Pearson, known as DARIUSTWIN, is a light painting photographer and animator whose glowing creations have illuminated landscapes around the world. Using long-exposure photography and custom crafted LED lights, Darren “paints” with light in real time, creating skeletal figures, dinosaurs, aliens, and fantastical characters that exist for only a moment before disappearing into the night. His work has been featured by National Geographic, Intel, Honda, and Apple, among others.

Based in Southern California, Darren has been creating light paintings for more than a decade, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, one exposure at a time. See more at dariustwin.com and follow @dariustwin.

Contact:
Tracie Barnthouse, Chief Communications Officer
tbarnthouse@travelnevada.com; 775-624-0618

SOURCE: Nevada Division of Tourism

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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