How do PACs affect your elections?
PACs and super PACs are major forces behind campaign finances in the U.S., and many actively influence elections to align with specific interests.
An ex Las Vegas councilwoman, former assembly member and current Nevada judge has been federally charged in connection with an alleged charity fraud scheme in which prosecutors say she pocketed more than $70,000 in donations intended to honor fallen officers.
Michele Fiore, 53, is charged with four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, The U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.
According to the indictment handed down on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Fiore, who lives in the town of Pahrump, “solicited donations to build a statue honoring Las Vegas police officers” killed in the line of duty as a then-Las Vegas city councilwoman.
Pahrump is a small town not far from the California state line, at the southernmost tip of Nye County where Fiore is a justice of the peace.
Fiore is “a conservative firebrand and fervent gun-rights advocate who published a calendar of herself pictured with various high-powered firearms”, the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. As an assemblywoman in 2015 she introduced a campus carry bill that would have allowed concealed carry permit holders to have guns on college campuses, at K-12 schools and at day care facilities.
Fiore allegedly promised donors “100% of the contributions” would be used to create the statue, the indictment alleges.
But prosecutors said Fiore did not use the tens of thousands of dollars in charitable donations for the statue of the fallen officer and instead converted the money to her personal use.
“The donations were used to pay her political fundraising bills and rent and were transferred to family members, including to pay for her daughter’s wedding,” officials wrote in the release.
Federal court papers obtained by USA TODAY show Fiore is represented by Las Vegas-based attorney George P. Kelesis and was slated to enter a plea on the charges Friday.
USA TODAY has reached out to Kelesis.
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The FBI Las Vegas Field Office is investigating the case which remained open Thursday, officials said.
If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each criminal felony count.
Contributing: Jeffrey Meehan with the Reno Gazette Journal.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market.
The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.
Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com.
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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show.
The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show.
There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information.
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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal.
The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market.
Updated February 26, 2026 – 8:28 pm
click to expand photos
Green Valley’s softball team claimed an 8-6 win at Liberty on Thursday on the first day of high school spring sports competition in Nevada.
Green Valley next hosts Silverado at 3 p.m. Friday. Liberty plays at Bishop Gorman at 3 p.m. Friday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A deadly crash involving a semi tractor-trailer and a tow truck has closed US-95 in both directions at mile marker 73 in Nye County, the Nevada Highway Patrol said Thursday.
NHP responded to the crash at approximately 2:16 a.m. on Feb. 26, 2026.
Details about the crash were not immediately available, but both drivers were confirmed dead at the scene.
Both northbound and southbound travel lanes on US-95 at mile marker 73 remain closed as of the initial report. The closure is located approximately 13 miles north of Beatty, Nevada.
Drivers headed northbound are advised to take US-93 through Alamo, Nevada, then Highway 318 to Highway 375, then Highway 6 westbound into Tonopah, Nevada.
Drivers headed southbound out of Tonopah are advised to take US-6 eastbound to Highway 375, then Highway 318, then US-93 into Alamo, Nevada.
NHP said additional information will be released following the preliminary investigation.
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