LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A special ceremony at Allegiant Stadium recognized Nevada’s Youth of the Year ambassador finalists on Saturday.

Several dignitaries attended the event as a panel of judges listened to speeches from the finalists.

They shared their leadership skills and personal growth within Boys & Girls Clubs around the Silver State.

Youth of the Year is a national competition to honor exemplary teen Club members.

Luna N. was named Southern Nevada’s Youth of the Year ambassador earlier this year.

Nevada has one of the lowest property tax rates in the country. That’s an achievement to celebrate, not a problem to fix.

WalletHub recently released a report on property tax rates throughout the country. It found that Nevada’s effective tax rate on property was 0.47 percent. It put the median home price in Nevada at around $435,000. At that 0.47 percent rate, the average annual taxes on a home that price would be just more than $2,000. The only states with lower rates are Hawaii at 0.27 percent and Alabama at 0.38 percent.

Most of Nevada’s neighbors also rank quite well. Arizona comes in fourth. Idaho is seventh, and Utah was ranked 10th. Thanks to California’s Proposition 13 — passed in 1978 to rein in the worst instincts of state politicians — even the Golden State ranks 17th in the country. Oregon ranks 27th.

No one likes paying property taxes, but Nevada’s low rates help families and those on fixed incomes afford their homes. Imagine living in New Jersey. It ranks last with an effective tax rate of 2.11 percent. The median home value in that state is around $455,000. That’s slightly higher than Nevada. But a New Jersey resident with a home of that value can expect to pay more than $9,500 annually in property taxes.

Yes, you read that correctly. A New Jersey resident who owns a median-priced home has to pay the government nearly $10,000 a year. That sounds more like renting from the government than homeownership.

Nevada’s property tax system, however, is subject to regular attacks in the Legislature. Last year, Assembly Democrats overwhelmingly voted for a constitutional amendment to increase property taxes on resold homes. The proposal died after not receiving a vote in the Senate. In 2021, the Nevada Association of Counties proposed a different bill to boost future property tax revenues. It didn’t receive a vote.

It’s true that Nevada’s property tax system is complicated. Determining how much someone pays involves terms such as “taxable value,” “depreciation” and “tax caps.” But the primary motivation of those wishing to change the system doesn’t appear to be simplicity. They clearly want more property tax dollars for governments to spend. Rather than raising taxes, they should promote the construction of more housing, which would drive additional property tax collections.

You don’t have to be able to articulate all the details to realize that Nevada’s property tax system works well. Property owners know there is a limit on how much their taxes can increase. The property tax caps provide government entities a stable source of funding. They even limit how much property tax collections will fall if housing prices drop.

Nevada is on top of a good list. Lawmakers should keep it that way.

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Governor’s Office has announced the arrest of Mychelle Lay, a Las Vegas woman allegedly involved in the “theft of personal identifying information and trafficking of… SNAP benefits.”

Multiple cases were marked as suspicious by caseworkers with the Nevada Division of Social Services (DSS), and brought to the attention of the Nevada Attorney General’s Office. It was at this time, officials said, that they learned Nevada State Police (NSP) were also tracking these activities.

In June, 2025, NSP officers with the Parole and Probation Division held a home contact on Lay, a probationer. They discovered fraudulent activity evidence at that time.

During their investigation, NSP learned that Lay had set up a fake business in December, 2024, that was approved for SNAP/EBT transactions and began to operate in January, 2025.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars were processed through this scheme between January and September, 2025, according to financial records. The precise number of individual profiles in connection with the “business” is still unknown.

In addition to SNAP fraud, NSP’s investigation revealed “a potential fraud connected to Medicaid enrollment.” Officials are working to learn more about this activity.

The Nevada DSS (administrators of SNAP benefits and processors of Medicaid eligibility) shared that they are working closely with law enforcement’s investigation. The Office of the Inspector General and their Social Security Administration department, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General are also assisting in this case.

According to the report, Lay was booked into the Clark County Jail with the following charges:

• 1 count of theft over $100,000
• 1 count of fraudulent acts — public assistance
• 1 count of multiple fraudulent transactions through an enterprise or occupation
• 11 counts of obtaining or using the ID of another

During the time NSP conducted their home contact, Lay was being supervised for possession of a controlled substance and for obtaining and using the personal identifying information of another.

This investigation is still ongoing. If you believe you might be a victim of identity theft, contact the Division of Social Services by visiting a local office, email welfare@dds.nv.gov, or call 702-486-1646 (Southern Nevada) or 775-684-7200 (Northern Nevada).