Nevada

Nevada Gov. Lombardo seeks stiffer penalties for theft, faster election results

Published

2 months ago

January 16, 2025

Nevada Gov. Lombardo seeks stiffer penalties for theft, faster election results

Striking an optimistic tone and urging bipartisanship, Gov. Joe Lombardo delivered a State of the State address Wednesday night with proposals to finish vote counting on Election Day, make more thefts qualify as felonies, and get more homes and apartments built.

“The state of our state is steadily improving,” he said. “We are certainly headed in the right direction and the outlook is positive.”

“Combining the collective will of the 63 of you and me, we can build more than houses; we can convert Nevada’s promise into reality, a place where every family can thrive, every community can grow, and every dream can find a home,” Lombardo said, referencing the number of state Senate and Assembly members. “That’s the Nevada way.”

The Republican governor’s desire to work together this year comes as no surprise given that in 2023, the majority-Democrat Legislature called Lombardo’s bluff by passing bills the governor said he wouldn’t sign. He delivered a record 75 vetoes.

After November’s election, he still faces a Legislature where Democrats dominate but do not hold a supermajority, making his veto pen a real threat in negotiations. Bipartisanship will be required to get approval for significant bills.

His remarks were greeted with punctuations of applause from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle. Along with frequent water-bottle breaks, he got looser as he went along, smiling, addressing people in the gallery and going off-script to make a few jokes.

He announced a $12.7 billion budget that he said would make teacher pay raises permanent and extend them to charter school teachers.

The next legislative session starts Feb. 3 and officially lasts 120 days.

Nevada Gov. Lombardo’s top 5 proposals

Lombardo, a former Clark County sheriff, summarized five priorities he plans to push in the Legislature.

Before announcing them, he told the gallery of lawmakers at the Nevada Assembly, “I would ask that before some of you say ‘No,’ work with me, collaborate with my agency heads, ask questions, give input, offer alternatives and set aside partisan politics.”

• Nevada Housing Attainability Act: Lombardo said this proposal would streamline permits, reduce building fees and prioritize state funding that will support $1 billion in new “attainable” housing units across Nevada, rather than the buzzword of “affordable.”

He blamed Nevada’s housing crisis on the federal government’s reluctance to release some of its land — it controls more than 80% of the state — and said that he expects President-elect Donald Trump to help make that happen “but, while we press for federal action, we’re not waiting.”

Also highlighted was the recent approval of a $200 million public-private partnership to provide homeless services called the Campus for Hope.

• Nevada Healthcare Access Act: Lombardo noted that, “With some of the lowest provider-to-patient ratios in the nation, far too many Nevadans are left waiting for care or worse, going without it.”

To partly address this, he said, he would propose that by 2028, all health insurance plans in Nevada will be required to adopt standardized and digitized prior authorization plans, reducing delays for patients and providers.

He said he would double the state’s investment in graduate medical education and incentivize providers to set up in underserved areas. The plan would also create an Office of Mental Health to expand access to behavioral health services and improve coordination of care.

• Nevada Accountability in Education Act: Lombardo said he would revisit his efforts to expand school choice, after noting he’s unsatisfied with Nevada consistently ranking near the bottom nationally on education measurements.

“No child should be trapped in a failing school because of their ZIP code or held down because of how much their parents or grandparents earn,” he said.

He added his bill proposal would include “transportation support” to help families choose other schools for their children.

• Nevada Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act: This would reduce the amount of a theft that would trigger a felony charge and increase penalties for repeat offenders.

It would also prohibit the use of diversion courts for offenders who commit crimes against children or the elderly.

• Economic Development Policy Reform Act: Earlier in his remarks, Lombardo mentioned Nevada’s highest-in-the-nation unemployment rate of 5.7%. His economic plan would give tax credits to childcare facilities so that they could potentially charge lower rates and help more people enter the workforce.

• Creating More Government Effectiveness: He vowed to evaluate each of the state government’s more than 300 boards and commissions to see which ones have outlived their usefulness.

Democratic responses to Gov. Lombardo

Speaker of the Nevada Assembly, Democrat Steve Yeager, gave a recorded response to Lombardo’s State of the State.

“This past November, Nevada voters again overwhelmingly voted for Democrats to lead our state Legislature,” he said.

Asking the governor not to break his veto record from the previous session, he urged that Lombardo work with Democrats while also emphasizing differences with Republicans.

Democratic legislators, he said, will:

Strongly reject any Republican efforts to restrict abortion rights.
Oppose any proposal that would make it harder to vote — despite lopsided support for a voter ID law in November.
Prioritize “common sense gun violence prevention measures because guns are all too often used in violent crime.”

In response to Lombardo’s crime proposal, Yeager said, “We must not backtrack to the failed ‘tough on crime’ legislation of the 1990s that was expensive, wasteful and ineffective without making us any safer.”

Democratic groups also released statements criticizing Lombardo.

Nevada State Democratic Party executive director Hilary Barrett sent out a lengthy, detailed memo criticizing Lombardo’s first two years in office.

“When it comes to housing, health care, education and public safety, Nevadans are measurably worse off due to the actions of Lombardo and his commitment to prioritizing powerful special interests and his own political self-interest,” she said.

Laura Martin, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said corporate landlords are artificially inflating housing costs and that the governor’s proposal to use federal land for more housing will make things worse.

“Lombardo’s plan that promotes urban sprawl as a solution to the housing crisis will only exacerbate the existing climate crisis, when we should be prioritizing infill,” she said.

“We should be investing in the future of Nevada by making sure our aging communities and schools are climate resilient, not with another stadium, movie studio, or mass deportations.”

Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.

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Nevada

Tahoe town ranked best in state. See where Niche says is a great place to live in Nevada

Published

4 hours ago

March 28, 2025

Press Room

Tahoe town ranked best in state. See where Niche says is a great place to live in Nevada

Niche has named its 2025 Best Cities to Live in the U.S. The website also ranked the Silver State’s best communities.

Niche uses data from various sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, Centers for Disease Control and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine the best places to live in the United States.

Niche graded each place on 12 categories: public schools, housing, good for families, jobs, cost of living, outdoor activities, crime and safety, nightlife, diversity, weather, health and fitness, and commute.

Here’s a look at the best communities in Nevada and the nation.

What are the best communities in Northern Nevada?

Incline Village
Kingsbury
Mogul
South Lake Tahoe
Reno
Sparks
Gardnerville
Carson City
Spanish Springs
Minden

What are the best communities in Nevada overall?

Incline Village
Green Valley Ranch (a neighborhood in Henderson)
Kingsbury
MacDonald Ranch (a neighborhood in Henderson)
Enterprise (suburb of Las Vegas)
Summerlin
Green Valley South (a neighborhood in Henderson)
Anthem (a neighborhood in Henderson)
Sovana (a neighborhood in Las Vegas)
Henderson

What are the best places to live in the country?

The top 10 “Best Cities” in America, according to Niche:

Naperville, Illinois
The Woodlands, Texas
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Arlington, Virginia
Irvine, California
Plano, Texas
Columbia, Maryland
Overland Park, Kansas
Bellevue, Washington
Berkeley, California

Is Reno a good place to live?

Niche gave Reno a “B” grade based on 12 categories. Reno received the highest ratings from Niche in the Weather and Outdoor Activities categories where the Biggest Little City earned A-plusses. The ratings in Diversity and Commute followed close behind (A’s) as well as Health and Fitness, and Nightlife (Reno earned A-minus in both categories).

The Biggest Little City received B’s in the Public Schools and Good for Families categories and a B-minus in Jobs. Reno’s lowest scores were in Housing, Cost of Living, and Crime. Reno received a C-minus in all these categories.

Is Incline Village a good place to live?

Niche rated Incline Village as the best place to live not only in the Reno area, but Nevada as well. Incline Village received A ratings in Public Schools, Good for Families, Health and Fitness, and Outdoor Activities, followed closely by an A-minus rating in Jobs. Incline received B-plusses in Nightlife, Weather, Diversity and Commute.

Similar to Reno, Incline’s lowest ratings were in Housing (C) and Cost of Living (C-minus).

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Nevada

Genting says Nevada authorities have signed off settlement terms for Las Vegas complaint

Published

17 hours ago

March 28, 2025

Press Room

Genting says Nevada authorities have signed off settlement terms for Las Vegas complaint

KUALA LUMPUR (March 28): Genting Bhd (KL:GENTING) said on Friday the Nevada Gaming Commission has accepted the terms of a settlement in relation to a complaint against its Las Vegas resort.

The settlement’s agreement, signed with the Nevada Gaming Control Board last week and includes a fine of US$10.5 million (RM46.41 million), was approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission at a hearing on Thursday, according to Genting in a bourse filing on Friday.

“The board of directors of Genting wishes to announce that the stipulation for settlement and order has been approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission at its hearing on March 27,” the filing read.

Reports out of the US place the settlement as the second largest fine imposed in Nevada’s gaming history.

Under the stipulation for settlement and order, Resort World Las Vegas will not admit or deny allegations in the complaint filed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board in August 2024.

Resort World Las Vegas will keep its gaming licence that now comes with conditions including having greater scrutiny on its anti-money laundering programme and practices.

Compliance with the programme would also have to be reviewed by an independent internal audit team two years after the approved settlement agreement. If results of the review are unsatisfactory, the regulator will direct an “outside independent person or entity” to conduct an additional review.

In the 2024 complaint, Resort World Las Vegas was accused of failing to prevent individuals with suspected ties to illegal gambling from engaging in gaming activities on its premises.

Prior to the settlement, Resort World Las Vegas worked with the Nevada Gaming Control Board to resolve the issue, and took steps to improve its compliance and governance, including leadership changes.

This included appointing industry veteran Jim Murren as the chairman and an independent board member of Resort World Las Vegas, while Alex Dixon was named chief executive officer. Other appointed board members included former Nevada Gaming Control Board chairman AG Burnett.

At the noon break on Friday, shares of Genting settled seven sen or 2.11% lower at RM3.25, valuing the group at RM12.6 billion.

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Nevada

Nevada startups compete for major investment at AngelNV finale

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2025

Press Room

Nevada startups compete for major investment at AngelNV finale

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Nevada’s startup scene is heating up as seven Silver State companies prepare to pitch their businesses in hopes of securing a major investment at this year’s AngelNV finale. The event, hosted by StartUpNV, is set to take place in Las Vegas Saturday, March 29, offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to win at least $200,000—with total investments reaching up to $1 million.

But beyond the funding, AngelNV is about diversifying Nevada’s economy, says Jeff Saling, Executive Director of StartUpNV.

“When we do have a slowdown and people stop traveling, Nevada won’t feel like we’ve been punched in the solar plexus because we have another part of the economy that keeps on trucking,” Saling explains.

AngelNV is a program under StartUpNV, a nonprofit dedicated to economic development in Nevada. The competition follows a Shark Tank-style format, where accredited investors contribute $5,000 each to form a fund, which is then awarded to Nevada-based startups.

Saling says investors look for key indicators of success when choosing which company to back.

“We want to know how big the market is, how big the pain in that market is, and how they know that pain exists. Then, of course, we want to know their business model and how they plan to sell their product.”

While tech and AI startups are common in these competitions, Saling is particularly interested in one company this year: Cranel, a health and wellness brand tackling a major but often overlooked medical issue—urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Cranel was founded by Christine Jurzenski and Erica Schultz, who both have firsthand experience with chronic UTIs. They saw a gap in the market, noting that over 90% of UTI-related products were developed or run by men—despite the fact that women are disproportionately affected by UTIs.

“It’s coming from us—we started this because we needed it,” Jurzenski says.

Unlike traditional UTI products, which often contain sugary drinks and red dye #40, Cranel’s formula prioritizes clean ingredients and holistic benefits. In addition to treating UTIs, their product supports muscle relaxation and gut health, helping to break the cycle of repeated antibiotic use.

The company has grown from zero to $3 million in revenue in just three years, but they’re now facing a challenge: keeping up with demand. This is something they hope the prize money can fix.

“We’re selling out faster than we can make it, so a lot of the money will go toward inventory,” Schultz explains.

Their ultimate goal? To turn Cranel into a $100 million brand and a household name. And customers are already seeing additional benefits.

“All these other use cases really emerged from our customers. They were writing in saying this is the only thing that helped my gut health or helped my bacterial vaginosis. We also found out the Michigan State soccer team was taking Cranel for muscle recovery after games,” Jurzenski adds.

Now in its fifth year, AngelNV continues to grow, attracting more investors and offering larger funding opportunities than ever before. The competition provides Nevada startups with crucial resources, exposure, and a chance to scale their businesses.

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