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.
Pitching can be the ultimate difference during a double-elimination Nevada high school baseball state tournament.
So after Bishop Gorman ace Hudson Ciulla threw an efficient 67 pitches in the Gaels’ opening win of the tournament on Thursday, he knew the team could call his number again in the championship round Saturday.
Gorman coach Matt Stoner did just that, and Ciulla made the most of his second outing.
After four strong innings from starter Noah Ramos, Ciulla pitched a perfect final three innings to help Bishop Gorman secure a 5-3 win over Bishop Manogue to win the Class 5A state championship Saturday at Las Vegas High School.
“It’s awesome, it’s a weight off our shoulders,” said Ciulla, a senior right-hander. “It’s been something we’ve been dreaming of my whole life, winning state, especially as a senior. To go out on top, it couldn’t be a better feeling.”
It’s the 10th baseball state title for Gorman. Since the Gaels (32-6) had not lost in the double-elimination tournament entering Saturday, Manogue (30-10) would have needed to beat the Gaels twice on Saturday to claim the title.
“It’s what they talked about doing all year and they went out and did it,” Stoner said. “The team really loved each other and it was special. It was just the togetherness. They wanted it from Day 1 of fall ball. They talked about it, and I said, ‘You talk about it, you got to do it.’”
Gorman’s strong pitching
Manogue gave itself a chance through Saturday. The Miners kept up with Gorman by managing enough runs and limiting the Gaels’ bats. But things changed when Ciulla entered the game in the fifth with Gorman holding a 4-3 lead.
The Gonzaga commit had five innings and 83 pitches to work with before hitting the tournament limit, but Ciulla breezed through the Miners lineup. He struck out seven of the nine batters he faced and did not allow a base runner.
Ramos, who has dealt with forearm tightness throughout the entire season, pitched the Gaels to a win in the region title game on May 9, and got the Gaels to the fifth inning.
“When we pitch and play defense, we can play with anybody,” Stoner said. “Noah Ramos did an incredible job, he’s been battling the injury bug all year and he came in and got us to the fifth inning, which is what we wanted.
“And then, there’s nothing to say about Hudson Ciulla. He’s been amazing this week, he’s been amazing all year for us. He just came in and dominated and that’s what he does. He was exceptional today.”
‘Went through the fire’
Gorman fell behind early when Nate Lemieux hit a two-run homer in the top of the first to give the Miners the lead. The Gaels evened the score in the bottom of the inning on a Chase Wilk RBI double and DaMari Hall following Wilk with an RBI infield single.
“I have so much faith in this team that I knew we were going to come back,” said Wilk, a senior Minnesota commit. “Just doing whatever I can to help the team, that’s my mindset. … That belief just carries me through my play and all of us.”
Wilk and Hall delivered again in the third. With the bases loaded, Wilk recorded a long single after a Manogue outfielder dropped a fly ball. Then Hall had a sacrifice fly to give the Gaels a 4-3 lead.
“We went through the fire,” said Hall, a Washington State football commit. “Last season was tough, we played a lot of good competition this year, including this game. We’ve been down a lot this year, but there’s never a doubt that our bats are going to get going, our pitchers are going to throw strikes and we’re going to be out on top.”
Hall scored an insurance run in the sixth on a Soren Savarda sacrifice fly. Hall finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two stolen bases, and Wilk was 2-for-3.
“You sit up there and you don’t worry about (the seniors such as Wilk and Hall),” Stoner said. “You know that they are going to do something to help us win. They both stepped up. They have a calming sense about them. I think we were trying too hard on offense (today), we were trying to make it happen instead of doing it. But I’m really proud of them.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A domestic dispute led to a deadly shooting at a Smith’s in the valley this past Tuesday, and the man accused of the killings is now facing multiple felony charges.
Alejandro Estrada, who is charged with the two deaths at the store, is being held without bail. He faces 11 felony charges, including two counts of murder.
Court records show one of the victims, Amanda Frias Rosas, was involved in an ongoing child support case with Estrada.
Marilyn Caston, a junior partner at Nevada Family Law Group, discussed challenges that can arise for separated couples.
A Las Vegas casino abruptly pulled the plug on a prediction market conference over fears the event could draw scrutiny from Nevada gambling regulators, according to a report.
Predict 2026 had been slated for the Aria on the Strip before the MGM-operated resort canceled the booking just days after signing the agreement.
‘The [Aria] is issuing this notice in light of Nevada’s current regulatory and enforcement position regarding prediction markets,’ a lawyer for the resort wrote in a termination letter cited by Barron’s.
The dispute highlights escalating tensions between state gambling regulators and prediction market firms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which let people bet on the outcomes of all kinds of events.
Nevada regulators have taken an especially aggressive stance toward the fast-growing sector, arguing that some sports-event contracts resemble unlicensed wagering that bypasses state gaming rules and taxes.
Last October, the Nevada Gaming Control Board warned casino license holders that maintaining ties to prediction market operators could factor into whether they remain eligible for gaming licenses.
“If a Nevada licensee chooses to offer Sports and Other Event Contracts in Nevada or decides to partner with other entities offering Sports and Other Event Contracts in the state, the Board will consider these developments as it evaluates the suitability of the entity to maintain a Nevada gaming license,” regulators said in the guidance cited by Barron’s.
While Predict 2026 was not sponsored by any prediction market company, Aria’s legal notice indicated that regulators had become increasingly sensitive even to indirect promotion of the industry.
The Aria, which opened in 2009 and is operated by MGM Resorts after being sold to Blackstone in 2021, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The showdown highlights the widening divide between traditional casino operators and the new entrants into the prediction market space.
Legacy gaming giants such as MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have largely stayed away from prediction markets even as companies including DraftKings have launched competing platforms to challenge businesses like Kalshi.
Prediction market operators insist that their event contracts are federally regulated financial instruments overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, allowing them to operate nationwide for users over 18.
Some state gaming regulators, however, have argued that sports-related contracts closely resemble sports betting and should fall under state gambling laws.
Nevada officials have already taken direct legal action against Kalshi.
The Nevada Gaming Commission sued the company over its sports event contracts, and the platform was briefly barred from operating in the state earlier this year, according to Barron’s.
The Post has sought comment from Polymarket, Aria and the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
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