Nevada
Nevada lithium mine clears major hurdle despite conservationists’ worries for rare wildflower
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge in Nevada has ruled against conservationists who wanted to stop a lithium-boron mine they said would harm an endangered wildflower.
The ruling marks a major legal victory for the 11-square-mile (28.49 square-kilometer) Rhyolite Ridge Lithium/Boron Mine Project in Esmeralda County, located between Reno and Las Vegas. The land holds the largest lithium and boron deposit in the world outside of Turkey, said Bernard Rowe, managing director of Ioneer, the Australia-based company behind the project.
U.S. District Judge Cristina Silva ruled Friday that the federal government properly approved the project and sufficiently examined the impacts the project will have on the rare wildflower called Tiehm’s buckwheat, whose entire population grows within 10 acres (4.05 hectares) of land in the project area. Environmental groups behind the lawsuit say they may appeal.
Lithium is an essential component of electric vehicle batteries. Rhyolite Ridge would be Nevada’s third lithium mine, and one of few mines that will process the materials on site, Rowe said.
“Rhyolite Ridge will create hundreds of new American jobs, reduce reliance on foreign materials and processing, and provide a domestic source of two critical minerals,” Chad Yeftich, vice president of corporate development and external affairs at Ioneer, said in a statement.
Growing US manufacturing
Ioneer wants construction to start by the end of this year and production in 2029, though it is still looking for a financial partner after a major investor pulled out last year. Sibanye Stillwater said the project did not make financial sense. In January 2025, the Department of Energy finalized a nearly $1 billion loan for the project.
The $2 billion mine would have a life span of over 77 years and would produce enough lithium carbonate for around 400,000 electric vehicles per year, Rowe said. It will also produce boric acid, which is used in pest control, flame retardant, and medical and personal care.
Rhyolite Ridge was first approved under the Biden administration as an part of the former president’s clean energy agenda. The Trump administration has also supported lithium projects in Nevada as a way to bolster US manufacturing of critical minerals. The Interior Department declined to comment.
Protecting the wildflower
The Center for Biological Diversity, which has long fought to protect the wildflower and successfully pushed for its endangered species designation in 2022, is not finished in its fight, Great Basin Director Patrick Donnelly said.
His organization is considering appealing the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the case could have implications for other species and protected habitats on the Endangered Species Act.
“This can seem like a little remote flower in the middle of nowhere. But if we lose on Tiehm’s buckwheat, you know, what else are we facing with the whittling away of the Endangered Species Act?” Donnelly said.
Tiehm’s buckwheat is a wildflower a couple inches tall that grows in an area the size of seven football fields in the Silver Peak Range. In the spring, the plant produces green leaves and yellow flowers that look like pom-poms. When it blooms, it is the epicenter of a vibrant pollinator community, Donnelly said.
Silva, a Biden-nominated judge, found Ioneer’s mitigation efforts, which include fencing around the habitat and buffer zones between the mining activities and the buckwheat, were sufficient for the purposes of the Endangered Species Act. Silva wrote that of the buckwheat’s 1.4 square mile (3.63 square kilometers) of critical habitat, it will lose 4.9% due to the project.
Donnelly maintains the mining project will increase the risk of the wildflower going extinct, which would affect the ecosystem’s biodiversity. He cast doubt that fencing around the flower’s habitat will protect it.
“There’s been this kind of death by a thousand cuts for Tiehm’s buckwheat,” Donnelly said, adding that if it were to move forward, it would be the “death blow” for the wildflower.
Nevada
More than 270,000 Nevadans have participated in the primary elections
More than a quarter-million Nevadans had participated in the state’s primary elections as of Friday afternoon, a few hours before the two weeks of early voting concluded.
The 270,008 people who had voted in person or returned a mail ballot amounted to a roughly 11 percent participation rate out of the more than 2.4 million active and inactive registered voters in Nevada as of Monday.
At least 181,139 ballots had been returned statewide, and 86,869 people had voted in person since May 23.
Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, Nevada’s chief election official, said Friday that the early voting process had proceeded without hiccups, crediting county clerks and election workers.
“Everything has gone very smoothly,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Clerks have been preparing for this moment since the day after the 2024 election.”
Aguilar said he otherwise wished turnout was higher.
Nevadans who want to vote in person still have one final chance: on Election Day Tuesday.
Those who wish to mail back their ballots can do so through that day, although Aguilar recommends that they take them to drop boxes or polling locations instead, to ensure that they are counted.
For now, Nevada law allows returned mail ballots to be counted several days after Election Day. Ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted for up to four days, while mail returned without a legible postmark is accepted for up to three days.
A Supreme Court ruling — which is expected to come down after the primaries — could lead to the reversal of laws in Nevada and about a dozen other states that allow the counting of mail ballots received days after Election Day.
If the higher court rules against Mississippi, whose law was challenged by the Republican National Committee and the Mississippi Libertarian Party, the change could go into effect as early as November’s midterm elections.
“As opposed to any of the president’s executive orders, we can’t challenge a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court or file a lawsuit against it,” Aguilar said in late May. “We have to accept it.”
About 57,000 Clark County residents had voted early and in person as of Friday afternoon, state data showed. Almost 108,000 had returned their mail ballots.
Aguilar said that he’s been encouraging clerks to push voters whose mail ballots require signature verification, a process known as curing, to get it done as soon as possible.
Clark County had flagged at least 1,621 ballots that needed curing as of Friday afternoon. At least 543 of those voters had since verified their signatures.
There is a plethora of nonpartisan and partisan local, state and federal races on the ballot. Some can be won outright this month. For others, like congressional and the governor’s races, voters will have a chance to dwindle the field that will then face off in November.
Nevada offers same-day, in-person registration for inactive voters, which requires a state identification card. Registered voters can track their ballots at myballot.nv.gov and update their contact information at vote.nv.gov.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
Nevada
Missing person alert canceled after North Las Vegas man found dead
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Update| A missing person alert issued in North Las Vegas has been canceled after the person was found dead.
The North Las Vegas Police Department said the missing person alert has been canceled and that the person has been identified as a man found deceased on Wednesday.
Original| North Las Vegas police are asking for the public’s help to find a missing endangered man who walked away from his home early Wednesday and did not return.
Raul Soriano was last seen Wednesday, June 3, at about 3 a.m. at his residence in the 2600 block of West Lake Mead Boulevard.
Police said he left home in an unknown direction to go to the store and never came back.
Soriano is a 75-year-old Asian man who is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds. He has short white hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a T-shirt, black pants and a black hat.
Police said Soriano walks slowly with a noticeable limp. He was not wearing his dentures and has no teeth. Police said he has diabetes and requires medication.
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Anyone with information about Soriano’s whereabouts is asked to contact the North Las Vegas Police Department at 702-633-9111.
Nevada
State Fair of Nevada returns to Reno. Here’s what to know
The State Fair of Nevada returns to Reno June 11-13 with livestock shows, youth competitions, entertainment, carnival rides and new attractions.
“We are excited to welcome families and communities from across Nevada back to the official State Fair of Nevada,” said Nevada Department of Agriculture Director J.J. Goicoechea in a news release. “After 16 years, a Nevada tradition is finally returning, something many families have waited years to experience again.”
The fair will take place at the Nevada State Fairgrounds, including the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center and Reno Rodeo Arena.
Here’s what to know about the upcoming event.
What’s planned for the State Fair of Nevada
The fair will feature several events: the Nevada Junior Livestock Show and Sale, University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s 4-H Expo, a Made in Nevada Farmers’ Market and Next Generation Junior Bull Riding.
Organizers have also announced an opening-night concert featuring country artist Caleb Montgomery, a drone show, local vendors, food and art displays, carnival rides and other entertainment.
The Traeger Smoke Show, a public barbecue competition, is scheduled for Saturday, June 13. Participants will prepare smoked and grilled dishes for judging, with the winner receiving a Woodridge Elite Traeger Smoker. Registration information is available at statefair.nv.gov/contests-shows.
Why the State Fair of Nevada is returning to Reno
Assembly Bill 333, passed during the 2025 legislative session, restored the Nevada State Fairgrounds, originally endowed to the Department of Agriculture in 1867, back under the agency’s control.
The new law also reaffirmed that the director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture determines the official state fair, clearing the path for the event’s return.
The State Fair ran from 1874 until 2010. The Fair Board voted to dissolve it amid financial problems, ending a 136-year run.
How much do State Fair of Nevada tickets cost?
Opening-day tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for children 12 and younger. The tickets include admission to the fair and the opening-night concert featuring Caleb Montgomery.
General admission on June 12 and June 13 costs $10 for adults and $7 for children 12 and younger each day.
Fairgoers can also purchase all-inclusive wristbands for $50 for adults and $30 for children 12 and younger. The wristbands include admission all three days, the opening-night concert and Next Generation Junior Bull Riding.
The June 12 bull riding event is also available as a separate add-on to general admission tickets for $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger.
A Picon Punch tasting event for attendees 21 and older is available as an add-on June 12, with tickets ranging from $15 to $25.
Carnival rides require separate tickets.
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