LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Las Vegas entertainment fans will have several big dates to circle this spring, from a high-profile gala honoring Lisa Vanderpump to major concerts and award shows on the Strip.

Vanderpump is set to be honored as the next Nevada Ballet Theatre Woman of the Year at the April 11 Black and White Gala at Encore Las Vegas. Vanderpump gained fame through Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules. She is also an entrepreneur, with her Vanderpump Hotel taking over the Cromwell on the Strip this year. Vanderpump is active in many charity causes and has a background in the arts. “I was born into the acting thing and dancing was a big part of that education,” Vanderpump said.

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The Jonas Brothers are scheduled to play Dolby Live on May 20, 22 and 23. The group most recently headlined the theater in 2023, and the family also runs Nelly’s Southern Kitchen at MGM Grand.

MGM Grand Garden Arena will also host two award shows on consecutive weekends in May: the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 17 and the American Music Awards on Memorial Day, May 25. It is the first time two major award shows have performed on consecutive weekends at MGM Grand.

Over 1,000 candidates have filed to run for political seats across the Silver State at the federal, state and local level as of midday Friday, according to the Secretary of State.

Friday is the last day of the two-week candidate filing period for non-judicial seats. When the candidate lists are finalized, the races for the 2026 midterms will be set.

The top northern Nevada races of the 2026 cycle are likely to be Joe Lombardo’s gubernatorial reelection bid, the open race for Rep. Mark Amodei’s seat in Congress and the open race for Reno Mayor.

Below is a list of the declared candidates for some of the key races, which will be updated throughout the day as more candidates apply to run. To see the full list of candidates for all judicial and non-judicial seats across Nevada, visit the Secretary of State’s website.

Governor of Nevada

Political observers expect Gov. Lombardo to coast through the Republican primary in his reelection bid with no major candidates running against the incumbent. On the Democratic side, five candidates had filed as of midday Friday, including Nevada attorney general Aaron Ford and Washoe County commissioner Alexis Hill.

• Aaron D. Ford (D)
• Alexis Hill (D)
• Allen Rheinhart (no party)
• Barak Zilberberg (R)
• Danielle Ford (no party)
• Donald J. “Donald Jr.” Beaudry Jr. (R)
• Emile Bouari (D)
• Emilio R. Rodriguez (no party)
• Irina Hansen (R)
• John T. Scott (no party)
• Jordan Koteras (no party)
• Jose M. Zelaya (R)
• Joseph Lombardo (R)
• Matthew R. Winterhawk (R)
• Kameron M. Hawkins (R)
• Miqehl Bayfield (D)
• Sunshine Arterburn (D)
• Max Beck (no party)

2nd Congressional District

Rep. Amodei’s surprise retirement announcement earlier this year touched off a frenzy of speculation and rumors in the political world, but the list of declared candidates is now coming in to focus. As of midday Friday, 24 candidates had applied for the seat, which covers all of northern Nevada:

• Andrea Lowe (R)
• Bruce Grego (R)
• Fred J. Simon, Jr. (R)
• Gamaliel Z. “Gamy” Enriquez (D)
• George Forbush (R)
• James A. Settelmeyer (R)
• Jennifer Billat (R)
• Jerry Olsen (R)
• Jesse J. Watts (R)
• Johnny E. Kerns (D)
• Josh Hebert (D)
• Kathy Durham (D)
• Lynn Chapman (Independent American Party)
• Mark Jolle (D)
• Matthew Fonken (D)
• Michael “Mike” Smith (R)
• Monica Jaye Stabbert (R)
• Morgan Wadsworth (D)
• Rick Shepherd (R)
• Sherman Tylawsky (R)
• Teresa F. Benitez-Thompson (D)
• Tom Doyle (R)
• Robert, G “Greg” Kidd (D)
• Douglas “Doug” Miller (R)
• William “Bill” Conrad (R)
• Gerold L. Gorman (D)
• David Flippo (R)

Reno Mayor

Mayor Hillary Schieve is termed out and cannot run for another 4-year term leading the Biggest Little City. As of Friday morning, 9 candidates had filed for the open seat, including a former lieutenant governor and two current council members. Below is the full list of candidates for the nonpartisan seat:

• Corinthia M. Yancey
• Devon T. Reese
• George “Eddie” Lorton
• Greg “Nutt” Nuttle
• Jesse O. Razo
• John Wayne Zink
• Kate Marshall
• Kathleen Taylor
• Tim Ross

Sparks Mayor

Ed Lawson, who has led the City of Sparks as its mayor since his appointment in 2020, is running for a second full term leading the Rail City. So far, three candidates and Lawson have filed to run for the mayoral seat, including current councilwoman Charlene Bybee. Below is the full list of candidates for the nonpartisan seat:

• Charlene Bybee
• Ed Lawson (incumbent)
• Wendi M. Rawson
• Diana L. Mackey

Washoe County Sheriff

As of Friday morning, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam was the only candidate to apply for the seat. If no one else files before the Friday deadline, Balaam will win re-election automatically.

Washoe County District Attorney

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks has filed for re-election, but will face an opponent for the first time in his political career.

Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan is seeking to unseat Hicks. So far, Hicks and Duncan are the only two candidates in the race. If no one else files to run before the deadline, the pair will automatically advance to the general election.

Reno City Attorney

Reno city attorney Karl Hall confirmed to News 4-Fox 11 Thursday that he was not filing for reelection. Hall has been in the seat since his first election victory in 2014.

So far, attorney and professor Zee Bogale is the only candidate who has filed to run for the city attorney’s office. If no one else files for the race, Bogale will win the city attorney seat by default.

Nevada regulators have fined three people who played a role in offering peptide injections last year at a Las Vegas anti-aging conference where two women became critically ill following treatment.

Last month, the Nevada Pharmacy Board levied $10,000 fines against a doctor and a pharmacist who are licensed in California but who don’t have permission to practice in Nevada. It imposed a $5,000 fine against a third man who describes himself as an “integrative health coach” but who doesn’t appear to be a licensed health care practitioner.

The pharmacy board also imposed a $10,000 fine against a Texas-based private membership association, which authorities accused of mailing the peptides to Nevada. The group, Forgotten Formula, claims a constitutional right to conduct private transactions with its members and contends those transactions occur “outside the scope” of state commercial regulations.

The citations stem from an incident in July at the Revolution Against Aging and Death Festival, which is put on by an Arizona-based organization that promises pathways to an “unlimited lifespan.” Dr. Kent Holtorf, whose anti-aging medical practice is based in El Segundo, California, operated a booth at the festival offering alternative health therapies, including peptide injections. Peptides are short amino acid chains that have exploded in popularity thanks to claims they can fight aging and chronic disease. 

The board alleged that Forgotten Formula mailed the peptides to the casino resort hosting RAADFest, marking the package “to the attention of Dr. Kent Holtorf.” That shipment constituted “unlicensed wholesaling of drugs,” according to the board’s citation.

A trustee of Forgotten Formula told ProPublica his association was not present at the festival and did not provide peptides to be offered for public use.

After being injected with peptides at Holtorf’s booth, two women left the conference in ambulances, so ill they had to be intubated to assist them in breathing. They have since recovered. 

The pharmacy board was unable to determine why the women became ill — including whether the injections were contaminated or the women reacted to the peptides themselves. Investigators were unable to test the serums.

“We were not able to obtain the product, although attempts were made,” said David Wuest, the board’s executive secretary.

Although the Food and Drug Administration has approved many peptide-based medications to treat serious diseases such as diabetes and cancer, peptide therapies used for anti-aging and regenerative health are largely unregulated. (Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been a strong proponent of peptides.) The FDA allows compounding pharmacies to dispense some peptides, but has listed 19 of some of the most popular peptides as posing “significant safety risks.” Compounding pharmacies are prohibited from dispensing those on the list. As a result, many unsafe peptides are sold on a booming gray market, including directly to consumers by entities in the U.S. and abroad that are skirting FDA rules.

The injections administered to both women at the Las Vegas convention included at least one peptide that the FDA warns poses a safety risk, according to the pharmacy board’s citations. Kennedy said recently that the FDA plans to reclassify 14 of the peptides currently listed as unsafe, which could allow compounding pharmacies to begin dispensing them. 

Holtorf, who did not respond to repeated attempts to contact him, was fined for practicing in Nevada without a state license. Han Bao Nguyen, the pharmacist accused of mixing the peptides for both women and administering the serums to one of them, also was cited for the same violation. Nguyen works at Holtorf’s practice, according to its website. He did not respond to requests for comment.

Michael McNeal, the “integrative health coach” and director of education at Integrative Peptides, a company founded by Holtorf, was accused of prescribing or recommending a peptide cocktail to one of the women. Wuest said McNeal does not appear to hold any health care licenses. McNeal did not respond to requests for comment.

In July, Holtorf told ProPublica he didn’t believe the peptides caused the women’s illnesses, saying he’d asked an artificial intelligence app to analyze the incident. He wouldn’t share what the app had concluded was the cause. He also apologized for the situation and said he was “reassessing everything we are doing” to keep patients safe.

Wuest said the board notified the California boards that license Holtorf and Nguyen of the fines so they may consider additional discipline. The FDA also has been notified, he said.

Michael Blake Fiveash is co-founder and first trustee of Forgotten Formula, which the board accused of unlicensed wholesaling of pharmaceuticals. He said pharmacy board regulations, while necessary for regulating public commerce, don’t apply to his association because it offers services only to members who have signed a contract. He said such member-to-member activity is protected by the First and 14th amendments. In a letter to ProPublica, he said Holtorf, whose peptide company is listed as a partner on Forgotten Formula’s website, was operating at RAADFest under his public medical practice, not as an association member. Nor were the women who became ill members of the association, Fiveash said.

“Dr. Holtorf’s booth at RAADFest was a public commercial activity,” Fiveash said in a letter. The Forgotten Formula Private Member Association “did not supply materials for public commercial use or public distribution. If Dr. Holtorf utilized any materials in his public professional practice, that would represent his individual choice to apply private member resources to his separate public professional activities, which is beyond FFPMA’s control or responsibility.”

Fiveash did not directly answer questions about whether the association mailed the peptides to Holtorf. He also shared a video of testimonials from Forgotten Formula members, including children and adults, suffering serious illnesses such as cancer, Lyme disease, diabetes and cirrhosis who said they were helped by the association’s products. 

He challenged the premise that the women became ill from the peptides. “Without comprehensive toxicology, full medical histories, and analysis of all substances and treatments administered that day, attributing causation to peptides is speculation masquerading as reporting,” he said. “Any adverse event is concerning, and we hope both patients have fully recovered.”

Laura Tucker, the pharmacy board’s lawyer, said this is the board’s first encounter with a private membership association making such legal claims, but emphasized that mailing drugs to the state without a Nevada license is against state law. She added that any of the parties can appeal their citations to the board.

“Of course anyone is free to make any sort of legal argument they would like to try to make in front of the board,” she said.