Nevada
Jon Wilner: Are UNLV and Nevada a package deal in Pac-12 expansion? Depends on who you ask
UNLV would not be “structurally” tied to Nevada in the event the Pac-12 offers membership to the Rebels during the second wave of its expansion phase, according to a member of the Nevada Board of Regents whose comments contradict the public sentiment following a major shakeup in college sports on the West Coast.
Immediately after the announcement last week that four Mountain West schools would join the Pac-12 starting in the summer of 2026, speculation surfaced that UNLV would have a difficult time leaving behind its sister campus in Reno.
One member of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents went so far as to say it would be “very difficult” for the campuses to separate if the Pac-12 comes calling for the Rebels.
But Heather Brown, who was elected to the board in November 2022 and represents District 6, told the Hotline on Tuesday that UNLV and Nevada would not be an all-or-nothing deal.
“If (UNLV) were approached by a conference and it makes sense,” Brown said, “my understanding is they would have to get board approval. But there’s nothing we would have to untether. There is no package. Nobody talks about them as a package … There is nothing structurally that ties them together.”
A source who has spent decades working with officials in the Nevada System of Higher Education said there has “never been a discussion about them being in the same league” and that several regents were dumbfounded by the narrative that the Rebels would be held back by Nevada.
The Las Vegas and Reno campuses have spent most of their athletic histories in different conferences, with a recent 12-year overlap in the Mountain West. (UNLV was a founding member of the conference in 1999; Nevada joined in 2012.)
Comments by regent Byron Brooks added to the belief that separating the two campuses would be tricky for the Pac-12.
“It would be very difficult for UNLV to make a move into another conference without UNR because that should be a package deal,” Brooks told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week following the Pac-12’s decision to add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State.
“And then the financial obligations that these campuses have in moving from one conference to another … I’m not sure that UNLV and UNR are in a place to spend that kind of money to move into another conference.”
But Brown, who grew up in Las Vegas and attended UNLV, took exception to Brooks’ position.
“One of the regents was quoted publicly,” she said. “He lacked an understanding of the historical context. They have only spent 12 years in the same conference.”
She believes Pac-12 expansion could provide the Las Vegas and Reno campuses “the opportunity to go down the path that makes the most sense for their futures. They serve different communities and should act accordingly.”
The Pac-12 isn’t finished expanding — at least two more schools must be added by the summer of 2026 to remain in compliance with NCAA rules.
Washington State, Oregon State, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould and the four new members are considering an array of options, including schools in the American Athletic Conference (Memphis, Tulane and UTSA) and other members of the Mountain West.
They also have not ruled out schools that don’t play football, like Gonzaga.
The intra-state political situation in Nevada wasn’t the only reason the Pac-12 declined to offer UNLV an invitation during its first expansion wave. But the conference chose to act with “an abundance of caution” with regard to the Rebels, according to an industry source, in part to avoid a messy situation similar to what recently happened in California.
When UCLA announced its departure to the Big Ten in the summer of 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom voiced his disapproval of the secretive process. The University of California Board of Regents then spent five months debating whether the Bruins should be allowed to leave Cal behind.
Eventually, the regents let UCLA make the move but required the Bruins to make a $10 million annual “contribution” to Cal for at least three years.
However, there are several critical differences in the state education systems:
• Under California law, the governor sits on the UC board and appoints the regents. The governor of Nevada does not serve on the board or appoint the regents; they are independently elected.
• Nevada’s Board of Regents is “nestled into the state constitution,” Brown explained, which effectively makes the board a fourth branch of government independent of the governor.
Asked if Gov. Joe Lombardo, who attended UNLV, would attempt to block the Rebels from leaving Nevada behind, Brown said: “I don’t think he would, and I don’t think he could. Not even the attorney general has authority over the board.”
Lombardo’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Brown is not ready to support a move to the Pac-12 if the invitation arrives in the upcoming weeks.
The financial component is critical because UNLV has no means of paying a buyout that could approach $30 million when all the penalties are assessed, Brown said.
And she would want to weigh the move against UNLV’s options.
But if joining the Pac-12 makes sense in all respects, including the financial component, Brown said, “I think the board would support it.”
HopeLink of Southern Nevada is hosting its first-ever “Dink for HopeLink” Pickleball Tournament. This is the organization’s main fundraiser of the year Join them for some friendly competition while helping raise money to PREVENT homelessness in Southern Nevada.
HopeLink of Southern Nevada is a non-profit family resource center providing much needed assistance to PREVENT families, individuals and vulnerable seniors from facing homelessness.
‘Dink for HopeLink’ is happening at CHICKEN N’ PICKLE June 28th, 2026 from 1:30pm – 5pm.
Nevada County is pleased to announce that Dr. Brian Evans has been selected to serve as Nevada County’s next Public Health Officer.
“Dr. Evans brings a long history of leadership in healthcare in Nevada County to the Health Officer position,” said Public Health Director Toby Guevin. “His expertise and knowledge of local health needs and providers across the county will be invaluable as we work to strengthen the health of our community. I also want to thank Dr. Cooke for her dedicated service as Health Officer for the past four years, guiding us through numerous challenges coming out of COVID 19.”
Dr. Evans was selected through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, which drew from a pool of highly qualified candidates nationwide. His start date is planned for July 1, 2026, pending approval by the Board of Supervisors at their June 16 meeting.
“I’m honored to step into the role of Public Health Officer for Nevada County,” said Dr. Evans. “This is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships across the community, focusing on prevention, preparedness, and improving health outcomes. I look forward to supporting a science based public health team that is responsive, transparent, and grounded in the needs of our residents.”
Dr. Evans is a physician with more than two decades of clinical and leadership experience. Since 2022, he has served as Chief Medical Officer for Tahoe Forest Health, overseeing clinical quality, patient safety, emergency preparedness, communicable disease response, and regulatory compliance across two critical access hospitals and a broad network of services. He has served as both CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, and served as CEO at Mercy Folsom and Chief Medical Officer at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento.
A board-certified emergency physician, Dr. Evans practiced for 15 years in Grass Valley after completing residency at UC Davis. He holds an MD from UCLA, an MBA from CSU Sacramento, and a BS in Biology from UC Davis. Dr. Evans lives in Nevada County with his wife, Jennifer, and has two adult daughters.
California law requires each county to appoint a licensed physician as Health Officer. The Health Officer is responsible for carrying out provisions of the State Health and Safety Code and serves as the physician of record for all Public Health clinical services. The Health Officer reports to the Public Health Director.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Nevada DMV Compliance Enforcement Division is cracking down on stolen luxury cars being openly sold on social media, with criminals listing them using code words and asking as little as a tenth of the normal price.
In one case, a 2021 Hellcat TRX was advertised for $12,000. The vehicle normally sells for at least $100,000.
In an ad for the high-end truck on Facebook, the first word of the description said “lien.”
“It’s pretty blatant. I mean, it’s like advertising drugs for sale online on a public website,” said JD Decker, chief of Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division.
Decker said the word is code for stolen.
“You won’t be able to register it or title it in your name… therefore the discounted price,” Decker said.
Investigation leads to recovery
Decker’s team tracked down the truck in the city of Las Vegas.
“We found the vehicle had been stolen locally and then wrapped to hide the color and mask the vehicle,” Decker said.
There were other signs the vehicle was stolen. The person pulled out the module from under the dash and started it by hot wire, touching the wires together. The VIN was not centered and was not a stamped manufactured VIN. The VIN also had 16 digits instead of the standard 17. A fake temporary tag was also used.
The team got a warrant to arrest the seller, though they say he fled the state.
“That subject had his first court appearance and had an attorney appear on his behalf. We know he operated between a couple different states. He had previous charges in a couple different states,” Decker said.
Decker said these openly stolen cars advertised for sale are known as striker vehicles.
“When you’re selling a striker vehicle to someone who knows it’s stolen, you really don’t have to make much effort to hide the fact that it’s stolen because that’s kind of assumed in the transaction,” Decker said.
There are also websites that will advertise and sell striker vehicles. According to Decker, the negotiation takes place on offshore encrypted websites that aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
If you ever have doubts about a vehicle you want to buy, have the seller meet you at the DMV’s VIN inspection station.
“We’d be happy to do that. It’s free. There’s generally no waiting. And if the vehicle comes from out of state, it’s going to require a VIN inspection at DMV anyway,” Decker said.
Decker said his team is constantly on social media looking for stolen vehicles for sale, especially high-end vehicles. He said the ongoing problem with fake tags contributes to this problem. FOX5 has previously reported on that problem
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