Nevada
Meet the Nevada 4th grader who will light the Capitol Christmas tree in Washington D.C.
A fourth grader from Virginia City is representing Nevada on one of the biggest holiday stages in the country. Nine-year-old Grady Armstrong, a student at Hugh Gallagher Elementary School, was selected to light Silver Belle, the 2025 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree harvested from Nevada for the very first time.
Grady won the honor after taking first place in a statewide essay contest with more than 250 entries. His essay focused on Nevada’s public lands and national forests, and why they deserve to be protected and appreciated. He said he wanted the rest of the country to understand how special Nevada’s public land and national forests are, and he included examples about enjoying and caring for those spaces. The essay took him about three days to write, a stretch he jokingly described as involving blood, sweat and tears after spending long hours working on it. He said he wrote most of it himself.
This week marks Grady’s first trip to Washington, D.C. and his first time on an airplane. He said he was surprised to enjoy the takeoff and the turns in the air, describing the lightheaded feeling as one of his favorite parts of the flight.
Grady boards Southwest flight on his way to Washington D.C. (Armstrong family)
Once in the nation’s capital, he visited the Kennedy Center to watch the Nutcracker, the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument and caught a glimpse of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. He said mostly everything about Washington, D.C. has been a favorite so far, including the hotel, housekeeping staff, and the history he is seeing up close.
Grady and his two younger sisters at the Hall of Democracy (Armstrong family)
Nearly his entire family has traveled across the country to be there for his big moment, including his parents, two sisters, grandparents and other relatives arriving throughout the week. Grady said it means a lot to have so many loved ones celebrating with him.
He also shared how meaningful it feels to represent the small community of Virginia City and all of Nevada in front of the nation. When asked what he loves most about his home state, he said everything. He talked about exploring wildlife near his home in the Highlands with his family and described watching a colorful sparrow bathe in a rain puddle on their property. He said it reminded him of seeing birds in Washington, D.C., similar in some ways but in a very different setting.
The Armstrong family before watching the Nutcrack at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. (Armstrong family)
Grady’s connection to Silver Belle began long before he arrived in Washington. He was there the day the tree was harvested in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and later rode alongside it in the Nevada Day Parade. He said his favorite part of the journey so far has been seeing the tree harvested, watching it get decorated and then seeing it in person outside the Capitol. He also sent a special ornament with the tree, a wooden mountain bluebird, which is Nevada’s state bird.
Grady gives challenge coin to Washington D.C. firefighters, thanks them for their work (Armstrong family)
With the ceremony approaching, Grady said he feels mostly excited and only a little nervous. He thanked everyone back home for supporting him, especially classmates and community members who encouraged him to enter the contest. He shared a message about hard work, saying this experience shows that you can accomplish big things if you reach for the stars, repeating advice from his mom. He has already started collecting souvenirs to remember the trip, including challenge coins and autographs he plans to display in his room.
Grady will read his winning essay alongside Speaker Mike Johnson and light Silver Belle on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., marking a historic first as Nevada’s tree takes its place on the Capitol lawn.
You can read his full essay below:
Dear Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony,
Hi! My name is Grady Armstrong and I’m in the 4th grade at Hugh Gallagher Elementary School in Virginia City, Nevada. My Grandpa worked at Mount Rose area for nearly 50 years, and my Dad Brent Armstrong is a firefighter at Lake Tahoe. My mom, Rhianna Armstrong, is a teacher right here in Virginia City. They have shown me the love of the forest, nature, and the outdoors.
I want the country to know how special Nevada’s national forests and public lands are. These lands are full of wonder from big animals like elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and even moose, to small animals like fish, lizards, and birds. Hiking with my family, I have seen water bubble out of the earth in places that look super dry. These springs give life to so many plants and animals. Sometimes you can find arrowheads near the springs, a reminder of the life they gave tribes that lived off the land. We also love seeing ancient petroglyphs carved into rocks by people who lived here long ago.
My favorite wilderness areas are Mount Rose and Arc Dome. We’ve also visited the Sheldon Antelope Refuge and the Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary, where the night sky is so dark you can see millions of stars!
One of my favorite things to do is when our family takes what my mom and dad call “Nevada highways,” which are nothing more than dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. We’ve found ghost towns, abandoned mines, and the most amazing untouched landscapes.
You don’t need to go far to enjoy Nevada. Right from my school playground you can look east for hundreds of miles over the mountain ranges that make up the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Last month, we went to the top of Mt. Davidson and watched the sunset over the Sierras and, at the same time, howled at the full moon as it rose over the Nevada landscape.
Nevada is not just a desert. It’s full of life, history, and beauty. I think everyone in the country should know how important it is to enjoy and protect these amazing places.
Grady Armstrong
P.S. We went to the camel races too! I hope you enjoyed your visit.
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.
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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.
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