Nevada
Nevada Republicans cast state's 6 electoral votes
RENO, Nev. (KOLO) –
Earlier today up at UNR, 6 Electors from Nevada’s Republican Party took to the stage to cast their vote for Donald Trump and JD Vance.
This is the first time in 20 years where the silver state’s electors have gone to a Republican.
“I think Nevada should celebrate its elections process,” says Cisco Aguilar, Nevada Secretary of State. “It should celebrate a record number of Nevadans voted in this election. They made their voice heard on a national level.”
The six electors, Brian Hardy, Robert Tyree, Kathryn Njus, Bruce Parks, Jesse Law, and Michael McDonald were selected as electors last May.
As a swing state these votes could have been crucial if the electoral race for president had been closer. As it stands at the end of the day when all electoral votes are cast, Trump will have 312 votes to Kamala Harris 226 votes.
“It is a beautiful day,” says Michael McDonald. “Very honored to be an elector and obviously I’ve been with Donald Trump since 2016. This is a great time for me.”
Before casting his votes, McDonald and the rest of the electors took an oath to uphold the state and U.S. Constitution.
As he said, he has been with the president-elect since 2016.
In 2020 he was one of Nevada’s alleged fake electors who allegedly submitted fictitious votes to federal authorities.
Asked how this year compares to four years ago?
“I have no comment on that,” said McDonald. “Today is about President Trump and J.D Vance.”
Last week Nevada’s Attorney General filed forgery charges against McDonald and the man sitting next to him today, Jesse Law, Clark County’s Republican Chairman another alleged fake elector.
The forgery case comes after Aaron Ford’s case against the six alleged fake electors was filed in Clark County. A Clark County judge says that case was in the wrong jurisdiction.
The forgery case was filed in Carson District Court last week and alleges the group presented itself as Nevada’s true electors. A.G. Ford says the case is “pre-emptive” as the original case was facing a statute of limitations.
The original case alleged “offering a false instrument for filing” and ‘uttering a forged instrument.” against the six alleged fake electors.
It is now before the Nevada Supreme Court where Ford is challenging the jurisdiction decision.
What does McDonald think about the new forgery charges?
“I got no comment. Today is about President Trump,” said McDonald.
McDonald’s attorney has called the filing a “political move.”
The ceremony was held at the University of Nevada Reno for two reasons. First the school is celebrating its 150th birthday.
Second, Nevada was second this year in the country with the most youth votes and this school saw record turnout.
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Nevada
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.
Nevada
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.
Nevada
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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