LAS VEGAS (KTNV — A Las Vegas Valley student will get to kick off the new school year with the field trip of a lifetime.

I spoke with local 8th grader Amelie, who is one of 75 first place awardees in a new nationwide scholastic contest called “America’s Field Trip.” She’s also the only first place winner from Nevada!

The contest asked students across the country to submit a video of them responding to the question, “What does America mean to you?” It challenged students to think critically about our nation’s journey to becoming a more perfect union.

In her video, Amelie spoke about the need to make public spaces and architecture more welcoming to people from all walks of life, and to encourage more face-to-face connection and conversation. She says people often feel empowered to say hateful things behind the shield of screens and that we need more in-person discussions with our peers to truly understand one another and to be able to empathize.

“If we’re all stuck in our houses being online, anonymous behind our usernames, we can’t really talk about our issues as well as if we’re in a park, maybe connecting over a conversation you can’t just log off of,” Amelie said.

What really stood out to me was when she told me that kids are definitely taking notice of the political polarization our country is dealing with. In fact, she said she’s seeing fellow students actually mimic the behavior of adults in this incredibly volatile political climate and election cycle.

“Do you think the same divisiveness we’re seeing in adults on both sides of the aisle is even trickling down to young people right now?” I asked Amelie.

“Yes of course, even in my school, there was political debate practically about what kids knew, and I noticed there were little spouts of things that might not exactly be too accurate going on in these conversations. And these conversations are ultimately what will shape our political standing,” Amelie responded.

She and the other contest winners were selected by a panel of current and former educators. It was actually an educator in Amelie’s life, Miss Rush, who encouraged her to enter the contest.

If your child may be interested, another America’s Field Trip contest for the 2024-2025 school year will begin around September. You can sign up for updates here.

For winning, Amelie will get to go on a field trip to Washington, D.C. That’ll include a visit to the National Archives, and she tells me she can’t wait to dig into our country’s history. It’s really the perfect place to reflect on what America means to her.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of winning the battleground state of Nevada have soared, according to recent polls.

On Saturday, at a rally at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Democratic presidential nominee promised to work to eliminate taxes on tips paid to hospitality and service industry employees.

“It is my promise to everyone here that when I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris said.

Her promise echoed one that her opponent, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, made at a Las Vegas rally in June.

As of August 11, a polling average by Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin had Harris ahead in Nevada, 45.1 percent to Trump’s 43.5 percent. The average of polls had Trump leading Harris, 43.9 percent to 42.5 percent, at the start of August.

According to 270towin.com, an average of five recent polls also showed Harris leading Trump in Nevada, 45.2 percent to 44.6 percent.

At his Las Vegas rally, the former president pledged that one of the first things he would do if he won the White House in November was to work to end the taxation of income service workers earn through tips. “For those hotel workers and people that get tips, you’re going to be very happy because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips, people making tips,” he said.

Newsweek has contacted the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment via email.

After Harris’ announcement on Saturday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that she “is starting to get hammered in the Polls” and “just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy.”

He added: “The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea—She has no ideas, she can only steal from me.”

The Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which dismissed Trump’s pledge as a “wild” campaign promise in June, announced its endorsement of Harris on Friday.

Harris “has consistently championed our union and hospitality workers,” Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, said in a statement.

He continued: “She stood by us as we negotiated and won the best union contract ever, and we trust her to continue the progress of the Biden/Harris administration by delivering real results that will prioritize and protect working families.”

The proposal to end taxes on tips has garnered significant public support, according to a recent poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek.

The survey, which was conducted on July 29 among 1,750 eligible voters in the U.S., found that 67 percent of Americans did not believe tips given to service workers should be taxed, while 19 percent believed they should be.

Support for the proposal crossed party lines, with 68 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats in favor of ending the taxation of tips.

Are you a hospitality or service worker in Nevada with thoughts on the proposal to eliminate taxes on tips? Email k.rahman@newsweek.com.

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR WESTERN NEVADA AND PORTIONS OF
FAR NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA...

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a Red Flag
Warning for gusty winds and low humidity, which is in effect from
noon to 8 PM PDT Monday. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in
effect.

* CHANGES...Upgraded the Fire Weather Watch to a Red Flag
Warning.

* Affected Area...Fire Weather Zone 278 Eastern Lassen County,
Fire Weather Zone 420 Northern Sierra Front including Carson
City, Douglas, Storey, Southern Washoe, Western Lyon, and Far
Southern Lassen Counties, Fire Weather Zone 421 Southern
Sierra Front including Alpine, Northern Mono, Southern Lyon,
and Western Mineral Counties, Fire Weather Zone 423 West
Humboldt Basin in Pershing County, Fire Weather Zone 429
Lahontan Basin including Churchill and Eastern Mineral
Counties and Fire Weather Zone 458 Northern Washoe County.

* Winds...Southwest to west 20 to 25 mph with gusts 30 to 35 mph.

* Humidity...Minimum values down to as low as 9 percent.

* Duration...3 to 6 hours.

* Impacts...The combination of gusty winds and low humidity can
cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first
responders can contain them.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Avoid outdoor activities that can cause a spark near dry
vegetation, such as yard work, target shooting, or campfires.
Follow local fire restrictions. Check weather.gov/reno for
updates and livingwithfire.info for preparedness tips.

&&

...LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM PDT MONDAY FOR
PYRAMID LAKE AND FOR TOPAZ LAKE, BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, MONO LAKE,
AND CROWLEY LAKE AND FOR WASHOE LAKE...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph and
waves up to 3 feet for Pyramid Lake and for Topaz Lake, Bridgeport
Reservoir, Mono Lake, and Crowley Lake and for Washoe Lake.

* WHERE...In California, Mono County. In Nevada, Western Nevada
Basin and Range including Pyramid Lake and Greater Reno-Carson
City-Minden Area.

* WHEN...From noon to 9 PM PDT Monday.

* IMPACTS...Small boats, kayaks and paddle boards will be prone to
capsizing and should remain off lake waters until conditions
improve.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Check lake conditions before heading out and be prepared for a
sudden increase in winds and wave heights. Consider postponing
boating activities on the lake until a day with less wind.

&&