LAS VEGAS (AP):

An ailing former Los Angeles-area gang leader has been denied release from a Las Vegas jail ahead of his trial in the 1996 killing of music legend Tupac Shakur, despite a bid by a hip-hop music figure to underwrite his US$750,000 bond.

A Nevada judge rejected house arrest with electronic monitoring for Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, 61, saying she wasn’t satisfied with assurances that Davis and his would-be benefactor, Cash ‘Wack 100’ Jones, weren’t planning to reap profits from the sale of Davis’ life story.

A Nevada law prohibits convicted killers from profiting from their crime.

Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny said in her ruling issued Wednesday that a review of Jones’ financial records also did little to address her concerns that Jones might be a “’front’ or ‘middleman’ for the true bond poster”.

Davis has sought to be released since shortly after his arrest last September made him the only person ever charged with a crime in the killing, which has drawn intense interest and speculation for 27 years.

Prosecutors allege the gunfire in Las Vegas that killed Shakur stemmed from competition between east coast members of a Bloods gang sect and west coast groups of a Crips sect, including Davis, for dominance in a musical genre known at the time as “gangsta rap”.

Davis has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His trial is scheduled for November 4. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

After a 45-minute hearing Tuesday, Kierny said she was left with more questions than answers after Davis’ legal team tried to demonstrate the source of the funds.

Prosecutors have argued that Davis intends to benefit from retelling his story about the killing of Shakur and played a recording of a jailhouse phone call in which Jones describes to Davis a plan to produce “30 to 40 episodes” of a show based on his life story.

“It is an illegal benefit, profiting from this crime,” prosecutor Binu Palal told the judge. Palal didn’t respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday on the judge’s decision.

Jones, a music record executive who has managed hip-hop artistes including Johnathan ‘Blueface’ Porter and Jayceon ‘The Game’ Taylor, offered sworn testimony Tuesday by video from an unspecified place in California.

He said he paid 15 per cent of the bail amount, or US$112,500, as “a gift” from his business accounts to secure Davis’ release.

Davis’ attorney, Carl Arnold, didn’t respond to emails or phone calls left at his office Wednesday seeking comment. A spokesperson for Arnold didn’t immediately have comment when reached by email.

The judge said in Wednesday’s two-page order she wasn’t convinced the bail money was not being paid “out of profits from Mr Davis discussing the killing of the victim in this case.”

While Jones testified he was bonding out Davis because Davis was fighting cancer and “had been a pillar of the community”, previous interviews “suggested another motive”, Kierney wrote.

She said Jones indicated there were “stipulations” on the bond and “that Mr Davis would be signing a contract regarding the rights to his life story, ostensibly including the shooting of Mr Shakur.” She said that was supported by a recorded phone call at the jail when Jones “insisted that a contract be signed before the bond premium was paid”.

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The first presidential debate of the 2024 election season is happening tonight.

Presumptive nominees President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will take the stage to address the issues that voters care about, including the economy, health care and more.

Senior Political Reporter Steve Sebelius is joined by a panel of Nevada residents that includes Republican Suzette LaGrange, former state senator and independent Patty Farley, and Democrat Laura Martin to discuss what they hope to hear from the candidates.

Nevada voters weigh in on what they hope to hear from presidential debate

Electric vehicles are gaining ground in Nevada, with new cheaper models and federal incentives enticing drivers away from gasoline-dependent transportation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to soon issue updated pollution limits for new passenger cars and trucks that could slash billions of tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide pollution. 

And in Nevada, the push for widespread electric-car adoption by President Joe Biden could also be a boon for the state economy. 

EV advocates at a press conference Wednesday highlighted how electrification has created high-paying union jobs and billions in infrastructure investments.

Nevada has pulled in $15 billion in private investment in electric vehicle and battery production, creating more than 12,000 jobs, according to a recent analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental advocacy group.

Nevada ranks fifth in the country for new investments in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. The state also ranks fifth in terms of electric vehicle adoption per 1,000 vehicles, with about 45,000 registered electric cars on the road.

Investments in infrastructure for electric vehicles have been spurred by $27 billion in federal, states, and local investments nationally.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245 in Nevada has trained thousands of union workers to meet those new demands of electric vehicle infrastructure. Hunter Stern, assistant business manager of IBEW Local 1245, said large investments in charging stations in the state have already resulted in good-paying union jobs for Nevada residents.

In 2021, the Nevada Legislature passed a mandate requiring NV Energy to implement a plan to expand infrastructure for charging stations. The utility invested $100 million in an effort to build nearly two thousand electric vehicle chargers over three years.

“That’s now jobs for IBEW members,” Stern said, during the press conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center. “We hope to install more and more charging stations at facilities like the convention center. We’ve gotten charging stations in many of the casinos and hotels here in Las Vegas, and in Reno and Sparks, but we want more.”

A recent analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation found that the growth of charging infrastructure could create more than 160,000 jobs by 2032, while about 50% of those jobs will be electrical installation, maintenance and repair jobs.

“Those numbers are going to be skewed higher here in Nevada because of the commitment the state has already made, the plans that are being made, and the work that is coming,” Stern said.

Stern said IBEW Local 1245 in Nevada has trained more than 1,000 workers in the state to work on transportation electrification and has increased the training capacity at facilities in the state to train enough workers to meet demand. 

“The state adopted an aggressive, IBEW-endorsed EV charging infrastructure plan that has already met several of its targets. We are meeting the moment,” Stern continued.

Nevada is also on track to receive $38 million from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, funding that will pay for even more charging stations in the state.

Clark County Commissioner William McCurdy highlighted the county’s plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, a goal that will require electric vehicle buy-in, said McCurdy.

“It’s our job as elected officials to address extreme heat and attain air quality standards. Nearly a third of greenhouse gas pollution comes from the transportation sector, and zero emission clean cars will protect the health of Las Vegas and help clean our air,” McCurdy said.

“We’re doing everything we can to improve our electric vehicle infrastructure,” he continued.

Electric vehicles are also becoming more affordable in Nevada, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.

There are 37 EV models available in Nevada for less than the average new vehicle purchase price of $48,000, with 12 models available for less than $35,000, said David Kieve, president of Environmental Defense Fund Action, the political arm of the group. On average, Nevadans can save up to $27,900 on an electric vehicle compared to a gas-powered vehicle over 10 years, according to the group’s analysis.

Americans are being incentivized more than ever to purchase elective vehicles. Electric vehicle owners can receive as much as a $7,500 federal tax rebate on a new EV or $4,000 for a used one.

“If you’re not sure whether your next car, truck, or SUV should be electric, just ask one of the 45,000 people in the state who own them. Ask them whether they miss spending their hard-earned money at the gas pump, or on costly repairs,” Kieve said.