Nevada

Nevada toughens penalties for election worker intimidation

Published

1 year ago

May 31, 2023

Nevada toughens penalties for election worker intimidation

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) on Tuesday signed into law legislation that makes it a felony to harass, threaten or intimidate election workers with the intent of influencing election outcomes or of retaliating against election workers for doing their jobs.

The new legislation comes following the 2020 presidential election which saw an uptick in reported threats of violence against election workers and as false claims of election fraud spurred violence.

Nevada follows other states who have recently passed similar laws to protect election officials, including Maine, Vermont, Washington, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

The law, which passed unanimously in the Democratic-controlled State Legislature, makes it a crime punishable by up to four years in prison “for any person to use or threaten or attempt to use any force, intimidation, coercion, violence, restraint or undue influence with the intent to: (1) interfere with the performance of the duties of any elections official relating to an election; or (2) retaliate against any elections official for performing duties relating to an election.”

Lombardo was joined at the bill signing ceremony by first-term Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar (D-Nev.), who made it a campaign promise in 2022 to protect election workers.

“I want election workers to know that the secretary of state’s office has their back,” Aguilar said at the ceremony.

More than half of Nevada’s top election officials resigned in the time between the 2020 election and the 2022 election, with many citing election threats and some citing burnout, the AP reported.

The law, which takes effect immediately, also makes it a crime to publish personal or identifying information about election officials without their consent.

Previously, the law prohibited the Governor, Lt. Governor, Governor-elect, Lt. Governor-elect and members of the legislature from soliciting or accepting money for political purposes. The new law also prohibits the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, the State Controller and the Attorney General from doing so.

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Nevada

45 from Nevada deploying to help in Hurricane Helene aftermath

Published

8 hours ago

September 28, 2024

Press Room

45 from Nevada deploying to help in Hurricane Helene aftermath

About 45 Southern Nevadans are headed to assist with recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Nevada Task Force-1 is one of 28 Federal Emergency Management Administration teams that have been activated to assist efforts in the storm area. The team left Las Vegas about noon Friday.

At least 40 people were killed overnight after Helene came ashore late Thursday east of Tallahassee, Florida, and ripped through several states.

“Currently they have been assigned to report to Atlanta, but this can change,” Clark County Deputy Fire Chief Billy Samuels said in an email. “The anticipated travel time is approximately 30 hours. Typically, these missions are for 14 days, but can be shorter or longer depending upon the need of the communities and the incident.”

The capabilities of the team consists of search, recovery, rescue, heavy rigging, water operations, rescue K-9s, intelligence gathering and whatever else the community needs, Samuels said.

Team members come from the Clark County Fire Department, Las Vegas Fire Department, North Las Vegas Fire Department, Boulder City Fire Department, and Henderson Fire Department, but the team also includes private civilians.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nevada

Southern Nevada team heading to Atlanta for hurricane response

Published

17 hours ago

September 27, 2024

Press Room

Southern Nevada team heading to Atlanta for hurricane response

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Friday, Nevada Task Force One was notified of possible deployment to assist in Hurricane Helene.

Program Manager Kenyon Leavitt received an alert notification around 3 a.m. Around 8 a.m., it was upgraded to a Type III activation. According to Clark County, that consists of 45 personnel.

Friday, Nevada Task Force One was notified of possible deployment to assist in Hurricane Helene.(Clark County)

NV-TF1 is one of 28 FEMA teams. It includes personnel from the Clark County Fire Department, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, North Las Vegas Fire Department, Boulder City Fire Department, Henderson Fire Department, and private civilians.

The county says they are headed to Atlanta. It will take the team about 30 hours to travel and the mission could last for 14 days.

The capabilities of this team consist of: Search, Recovery, Rescue, Heavy Rigging, Water Operations, Rescue K’9s, Intelligence Gathering, etc., and whatever else the community needs.

“We would like to thank all the supporting members on helping get this team out the door,” Clark County says. “We will periodically update Southern Nevada with how their efforts are going.”

Southern Nevada’s Red Cross team is also deploying two volunteers to Hurricane Helene.

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Nevada

In August, Nevada sportsbooks generated $25 million in sports betting revenue, a YoY increase

Published

1 day ago

September 27, 2024

Press Room

In August, Nevada sportsbooks generated million in sports betting revenue, a YoY increase

On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission reported $25 million in sports betting revenue. That was a notable year-over-year increase for operators in the state. Compared to their numbers from August 2023, the revenue was up 38.2%. That comfortably outpaced a 5.8% rise in the handle to $455.8 million.

Revenue was down 3% from their figures in July despite a 21.3% upswing in their betting handle. In August, the $4.86 billion handle was down 3.9% compared to their figures in the first eight months of 2023. However, the $289.9 million is up 15.5%. Their 6.4% hold in 2024 is over one percentage point higher. Nevada’s year-to-date totals for state taxes are $19.6 million, roughly $2.6 million ahead of their pace last year.

Where did Nevada sportsbooks see the most wagers in August?

August has Week 0 of college football, NFL pre-season, MLB, and other various sporting events to bet on. While it’s not as busy as the fall, Nevada still saw increased revenue last month. Operators collected more than $8.7 million in revenue in August from football. That was a 72.9% increase from their figures in 2023. Additionally, Nevada’s $84.6 million handle was up 62.2% last year. That also beat their previous record of $72.3 million in August 2019.

The “catch-all” category took a jump in revenue for August 2024. This includes golf, tennis, soccer, boxing, MMA, and auto racing. Nevada sportsbooks collected $7.6 million in revenue, a 64% YoY increase. Their betting handle from the “catch-all” category in August was $112.3 million.

This helped Nevada sportsbooks offset a negative shift in baseball wagering last month. Their revenue for baseball in August was 1.8% higher at $9.7 million. However, the betting action from April – August has decreased compared to 2023. Nevada’s $1.14 billion handle in that fourth-month span is down 15.4% YoY. Their $$61.5 million in revenue is also 10% lower.

How did mobile sportsbooks fare in Nevada?

Despite $14.8 million in revenue from mobile sportsbooks in August, Nevada’s 4.7% hold on $313 million worth of wagers is their lowest in 2024. Digital wagering accounted for 61.4% of the total revenue. That is on pace to be the highest percentage since the NCGB first published those figures in 2020. Retail sportsbooks had a 7.1% win rate in August, enough for $10.2 million in wagers from $142.8 million in wagers.

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