RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Nevada is facing pressure to ban smoking in casinos. That’s according to a new poll showing 60% of residents support ending indoor smoking in gaming facilities. Now, advocacy groups are seeking change for patrons and employees.

At the end of 2006, the Nevada Indoor Clean Air Act went into effect, banning smoking inside to protect employees from secondhand smoke in the workplace.  However, this law specifically excludes casinos, meaning 100 thousand workers in the state aren’t protected under NICAA. Nicole Chacon, with the Smoke Free Coalition explains that this loophole makes it so casino employees have to choose between their health and a paycheck.

“We have so many workers who don’t get a choice. They have to earn a living, they have to pay for their health insurance, and put food on the table. They have all the same bills that we have and while we are covered in our work places, they are not,” Chacon said.

Chacon would like to see all of Nevada’s workers protected. Workers like Paula Larson-Schusster, who has been a casino dealer for the last 30 years.

“We’re actually considered smokers on our insurance even though we don’t smoke,” Larson-Schusster said.

Larson-Schusster’s experience has made her want to become an anti-smoking advocate. She now serves as president for United Auto Workers, who represent about 3,000 casino workers at resorts like MGM, Caesars, and the Wynn.

“I’ve had smoke blown in my face, cigars blown in my face, and people need to realize a dealers table is a half circle and the dealer is in the center of that circle. So when people are smoking you have five or more people blowing smoke directly in your face day after day,” Larson-Schusster said.

The secondhand smoke has caused Larson-Schusster’s asthma to flare up consistently while she has also had to watch her coworkers suffer from heart attacks and bronchitis. Having had enough, she says, we need to get with the times.

“When I was a child, I rode a bike without a helmet. You wouldn’t let your child do that today, so why should we be exposed to the toxic chemicals that we now know is in second hand smoke,” Larson-Schusster said.

Casinos have been pushing back saying that smoke-free casinos would hurt revenue and cost jobs. However, some research shows that smoke-free casinos generate more revenue and outperform competitors that allow smoking.

“I had a couple from Canada and they commented they wouldn’t be coming back because, in their country, they aren’t allowed to smoke in casinos and they hated it,” Larson-Schusster said.

The polls says Nevada voters also favor elected officials who support making casinos smokefree indoors. A majority (55%) would have a more favorable opinion of their legislators representing them in Carson City if they voted to make all workplaces smokefree indoors.

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American Battery Technology Company’s 137,000-square-foot plant in Reno, Nevada is processing over 50 million pounds of material per year. | Janaka Dharmasena/Shutterstock

A company that processes lithium-ion batteries, including those sourced from consumer devices, has scaled up recycling capacity at its facility in Reno, Nevada, and is on track to process more than 44 million pounds of battery materials per year.

American Battery Technology Company on May 13 announced it surpassed its initial capacity projection for its first facility, a 137,000-square-foot plant located in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. The facility was designed with an estimated 44 million pounds per year capacity, but it has recently been operating at 115% of that, or over 50 million pounds per year.

The company deconstructs batteries and uses hydrometallurgy to recover metals and metal mixtures from any type of lithium-ion battery. “Our process is agnostic to battery form factor,” a company spokesperson told E-Scrap News. 

The materials recovered include aluminum, copper, steel, lithium and black mass intermediate materials. The company can also refine these recovered metals into usable components for new battery manufacturing, including nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate, manganese sulfate and lithium hydroxide.

ABTC was also recently selected to receive up to $60 million in federal tax credits, financial support that will be used to “support the construction of a significantly larger additional battery recycling facility to process material from new strategic suppliers,” the company stated in a press release.

The publicly-traded company reported its most recent quarterly financial results on May 15, disclosing that as of March 31 it had $6 million in cash on hand.

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The high school baseball season has come to an end. Some teams added to their baseball legacies this year, while others began to start their own.

The best of Nevada high school baseball is cemented in the state’s record book.

The record book is monitored and updated yearly by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association. Here are five records that will (probably) never be broken:

Most consecutive victories: 35, Bishop Gorman (2009)

Bishop Gorman ripped off 35 straight victories after starting the season 1-3. The Gaels lost to Cimarron-Memorial in the double-elimination playoffs, but defeated Cimarron-Memorial in the state tournament to clinch the title. It was Bishop Gorman’s fourth championship during a run of seven straight state titles.

The Gaels’ 2009 team is littered throughout the record book. The team is also the state record-holder for most hits (572), most runs scored (561) and highest batting average (.463) in a season.

Coach with most state titles: 12, Rodger Fairless

Fairless was part of dominant runs at two different schools. He led Valley to six state titles and compiled a 244-40-1 record from 1980 to 1989.

Fairless then won six straight titles from 1993 to 1998 during a seven-year run at Green Valley. He finished with a 204-28 record with the Gators. Pahranagat Valley’s Brad Loveday is the closest coach to Fairless with seven titles.

Most career home runs: 67, Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman (2009-12)

Big leaguer Joey Gallo showed in high school he was a top home run hitter. Gallo set the state record for career home runs during a dominant stretch at Bishop Gorman.

Gallo hit 25 during the 2011 season. It’s the second-most home runs ever hit in a single campaign, behind the 29 Chris Aguila hit for McQueen in 1997.

Galena’s Steven Lerud had the previous career record home-run record with 60.

Gallo didn’t stop when he left Bishop Gorman. He has 201 MLB home runs as of May 20.

Most career triples: 27, Brandon Pletsch, Rancho (2008-11)

Pletsch played a key role in Rancho teams that finished state runner-up in 2010 and as a state semifinalist in 2011.

Pletsch hit 13 triples in 2009, which is tied for the state record for most triples in a season. Laughlin’s Matt Morgan is second in career triples with 21.

Most RBIs in a season: 80, Gallo, Bishop Gorman (2012)

After a strong season at the plate in 2011, Gallo followed it up by setting the state record for most RBIs in a season. Gallo hit .509 and added 21 home runs as the Gaels won their seventh straight state title.

Gallo is tied with Bishop Gorman teammate Johnny Field for the second-most RBIs in a season as well with 78. Gallo set that mark in 2011.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.