Nevada

Nevada HS State Champion Valentino Montegrande Commits To Rollins College (2024)

Published

2 years ago

June 23, 2024

Nevada HS State Champion Valentino Montegrande Commits To Rollins College (2024)

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Valentino Montegrande of Henderson, Nevada, has announced his commitment to further his education and swimming career at Rollins College. Montegrande is a recent graduate of Bishop Gorman High School, and will arrive in Winter Park this upcoming fall for the 2024-2025 season.

“I am incredibly grateful to announce my commitment to pursue my athletic and academic future at Rollins College! This opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of my parents and Prada and Chanel. I also would like to thank Coach Michael and Coach Bob for always pushing me past my limits. As well as, Coach Walker for making all of this a reality. Above all, I thank God for blessing me with talent, perseverance, and opportunities that have led me to this chapter in my life! Go Tars!!”

Montegrande, a butterfly specialist, trains and competes year-round with the Sandpipers of Nevada under coach Michael Kinross. He’s a Futures qualifier in both the 100 and 200 fly, and currently owns best times of 50.20 and 1:51.40 which he set at Speedo Sectionals this past December.

Last summer Montegrande capped off his long course season at the Western Zone Senior Championships, where he advanced to finals in both fly events. In the 100m, he notched a personal best time of 58.43 en route to a 20th place finish, while in the 200m he stopped the clock at 2:11.87 for 21st overall. He also earned a second swim in the 100m back, where he clocked a personal best of 1:01.98 to take 41st.

More recently, Montegrande represented his high school at the Nevada High School State Championship (5A). He took home the state title in the 100 fly, where he logged a 50.36 to clear the field by nearly two seconds. He was also 4th in the 100 back (52.47) and delivered lead-off splits of 24.17 and 21.92 in the 200 medley & 200 freestyle relays, respectively.

Top SCY Times

100 back – 51.92
50 free – 21.85
100 fly – 50.20
200 fly – 1:51.40

Rollins College, currently led by head coach Walker Thaning, is a Division II program in the Sunshine State Conference. Thaning is new to the position, as he recently took over after former head coach Julianne Lehner stepped away mid-season. This season, the men’s team took 4th at the 2024 Sunshine State Conference Championship with a total of 428 points.

Montegrande’s current best time in the 200 fly would have earned him a spot in the B-final at this year’s meet, putting him in position to be an immediate scorer. Rollins’ Luke Dinges took home the title in the 200 fly, as he clocked a 1:44.92 to win the event by over a second.

Montegrande joins Sam Pugh and Corbin Songer in Rollins’ incoming class next fall.

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Nevada

North Las Vegas man charged with killing girlfriend dies while in Nevada prison

Published

2 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

North Las Vegas man charged with killing girlfriend dies while in Nevada prison

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A North Las Vegas man awaiting trial for allegedly killing his girlfriend during a fight is dead, according to Nevada prison officials.

Markeem Benson, 30, died at High Desert State Prison near Indian Springs on Monday, Dec. 22, the Nevada Department of Corrections said in a statement.

An autopsy has been requested, according to the department.

Benson was serving time for an attempted robbery conviction from 2024, for which he was originally sentenced to probation with a suspended prison sentence.

He was also charged with the murder of 33-year-old Renise “Nene” Wolfe.

Renise Wolfe is pictured in this undated photo. Police allege Markeem Benson shot and killed Wolfe in a North Las Vegas apartment. (Photo provided)

North Las Vegas Police arrested him in December last year. According to an arrest report, Benson’s father called 911 saying Benson wanted to turn himself in for murder.

The father told detectives that Benson called him saying, “I killed her; I think I killed her” and “told him something to the effect of ‘she’ came at him with a gun, there was some kind of ‘tussle,’ and then the gun went off,” the report states.

An grand jury indicted him for murder and possession of a gun by a prohibited person. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following the indictment, his probation was revoked in March, and he was incarcerated at High Desert State Prison to serve a term of two to five years.

A jury trial was scheduled to begin in April next year for Wolfe’s murder. Instead, prosecutors have asked for a hearing on Dec. 30 in light of Benson’s death, per court records.

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Nevada

28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies

Published

14 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies

A man serving time at the Southern Desert Correctional Center for felony reckless driving died last month, the Nevada Department of Corrections said Tuesday.

Shiloh Walker, 28, died at the Indian Springs facility on Nov. 24, a news release said. Cause of death was not listed.

Walker was serving a sentence of up to six years after a plea agreement was reached in 2022 following a DUI crash that happened May 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, according to online court records.

An autopsy was requested following Walker’s death, though results were not available as of Monday evening. Attempts to reach Walker’s family members have been unsuccessful, according to the department.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.

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Nevada

Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?

After widespread condemnation last year, the U.S. Postal Service backed away from plans to move its Reno mail-processing operations to Sacramento — but did it stay true to what it told the public?

The question arose recently after letters sent from one Carson City address to another in Carson City were both postmarked in Sacramento.

Northern Nevadans did not want first class mail sent from one Northern Nevada address to another going first to California. They sent a unified message to the USPS all the way up to the postmaster general.

Critics of the USPS plan were especially worried about delays from mail having to go back and forth over the Sierra during winter.

The Washoe County District Attorney’s office filed a lawsuit over the plan, the Washoe County Commission voted to oppose the plan, public comment was universally opposed, and Democratic and Republican elected officials from across the state joined to stop it.

Could it possibly have happened anyway? The answer is yes, temporarily, for a brief time.

How letters sent in Carson City came to be processed at Sacramento USPS facility

A reader told the Reno Gazette Journal they’d twice had letters internal to Carson City postmarked in Sacramento, so we asked USPS if the policy had changed.

“Mail processing for First Class mail that originates in Northern Nevada and is destined to Northern Nevada has not changed,” USPS spokesperson Sherry Patterson responded by email.

“However,” she added, “without the specific mail piece and class of mail, we cannot determined if there is an issue.”

The reader then supplied a photo of the two envelopes postmarked Nov. 5 in Sacramento, and this was shared with USPS.

“Our processing machine in Reno was temporarily out of service while we awaited a replacement part,” Patterson said after viewing the postmarks to nail down the specific date the letters went through Sacramento.

“To ensure that mail was not delayed during this time, we implemented a contingency plan that involved routing certain mail to our Sacramento facility for cancellation and processing. This measure allows us to maintain service continuity and minimize disruptions for our customers. We understand that this may cause some confusion, and we are committed to ensuring that all mail is processed efficiently and accurately.”

Bottom line: Regarding first class mail that’s being sent to and from Northern Nevada addresses, it’s still USPS policy to process that in Reno at its Vassar Street facility, she said.

The path these particular letters took, Patterson added, “is indeed an unusual occurrence.”

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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