Nevada
Progress made against massive California-Nevada wildfire but flames threaten iconic Joshua trees
MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. — (AP) — Firefighters aided by rain fought to contain a massive blaze that swept through the California desert into Nevada and is threatening the region’s famous spiky Joshua trees.
The York Fire that erupted last Friday is California’s largest wildfire this year. As of Wednesday night it had burned through nearly 147 square miles (380.4 square kilometers) of land and was 34% contained, fire officials said.
Humid monsoonal weather conditions Tuesday afternoon brought brief but heavy rain, especially on the south end of the fire, and kept its spread to a minimum, fire officials said. Wednesday saw the rain easing and temperatures rising but fire officials said crews were able to continue mopping up the blaze and reinforcing containment lines on the fire’s edges. The National Weather Service forecast dry, sunny weather with a high of up to 99 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 Celsius) on Thursday.
Photos showed flames engulfing the twisting, spiky forms of Joshua trees, although authorities said it wouldn’t be clear how many had burned until the fire is surrounded and surveys can be made.
The 400 or so firefighters battling the blaze have had to balance their efforts with concerns about disrupting the fragile ecosystem in California’s Mojave National Preserve.
Crews used a “light hand on the land,” clearing and carving fire lines without the use of bulldozers in order to reduce the impact in the ecologically-sensitive region, which is home to some 200 rare plants.
“You bring a bunch of bulldozers in there, you may or may not stop the fire, but you’ll put a scar on the landscape that’ll last generations,” said Tim Chavez, an assistant chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The blaze ignited near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the vast wildland preserve, crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley.
The fire started on private lands within the preserve, but the cause remains under investigation. Less than 3% of the land in the 2,500-square mile (6,475-square kilometer) preserve is privately owned.
While it’s one of the largest national parks outside of Alaska and Hawaii, the vast majority of the Mojave National Preserve’s 880,000 visitors last year were just passing through on their way between Southern California and Las Vegas.
The desert landscape is varied — from mountains and canyons, to sand dunes and mesas, to Joshua tree forests and volcanic cinder cones — and features about 10,000 threatened desert tortoises within its boundaries.
Some of the preserve’s plants can take centuries to recover from destruction. The pinyon-juniper woodlands alone could take roughly 200 to 300 years to return, while the blackbrush scrub and Joshua trees — which grow only in the Mojave Desert — are unlikely to regrow after this catastrophic blaze, said Ileene Anderson, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity.
The 2020 Dome Fire in a different part of the national preserve destroyed an estimated 1 million Joshua trees.
But fire itself isn’t the only worry. On federal lands, with few people and little property at risk, firefighters sometimes forgo certain equipment like bulldozers, chainsaws and aircraft.
“You don’t disturb any more soil than you absolutely have to; you don’t cut trees unless they absolutely have to come down,” said Chavez, speaking about the tactics in general.
When there are ecological and cultural sensitivities at stake, firefighters negotiate with federal officials to determine what equipment can and cannot be used.
“It’s not just going out there and throwing everything we’ve got at it,” Chavez said.
In Nevada, the fire has entered the state’s newest national monument, Avi Kwa Ame, said Lee Beyer, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service. But Beyer said the number of acres burned within the boundaries of the vast monument in southern Nevada wasn’t yet known.
President Joe Biden established the monument in March, permanently protecting the desert mountain region considered sacred by some tribes. The area stretches more than 500,000 acres (202,300 hectares) and includes Spirit Mountain, a peak northwest of Laughlin called Avi Kwa Ame (ah-VEE’ kwa-meh) by the Fort Mojave Tribe and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
On Wednesday, firefighters continued to make progress on the Bonny Fire, a 3.6 square mile (9 square kilometer) wildfire that broke out nearly a week ago in California’s Riverside County and is now 80% contained.
___
Dazio reported from Los Angeles, and Yamat reported from Las Vegas. AP writer Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, Calif. contributed to this report.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Nevada
Nevada governor to deliver address ahead of legislative session
CARSON CITY — Gov. Joe Lombardo will give his 2025 State of the State Address at 6 p.m. today in Nevada’s capital, where he will share his goals and priorities ahead of the upcoming legislative session.
“I look forward to sharing the progress my administration has made since my inaugural address, and I’m excited to outline my common-sense vision for our state ahead of the upcoming legislative session,” Lombardo said in a statement, highlighting efforts to keep taxes low, balance the state budget and bring investments to education and the workforce.
“As we look ahead, I’m eager to build on our progress in education, economic development, healthcare, housing, and public safety,” he said.
Every biennium, two weeks ahead of the legislative session, the governor delivers a State of the State Address that outlines his agenda and provides a framework for what lawmakers can expect over the course of the 120-day session.
In last November’s election, Lombardo successfully fended off a possible Democratic supermajority in both chambers that would have allowed Democrats to override any of his vetoes, greatly reducing his power. While Democrats still hold majorities in both the Assembly and Senate and can set their own agenda, any bill they pass must ultimately be signed into law by Lombardo, who is accustomed to wielding his veto power — having vetoed a record 75 bills in the 2023 session.
Ahead of the governor’s address, the Nevada State Democratic Party launched an ad titled “Expensive,” accusing Lombardo of raising costs for families due to his 2023 vetoes. The party pointed to housing bills that would have capped rent increases for seniors and would have established a new summary eviction procedure for tenants, as well as bills that would have guaranteed school meals to public school students and lowered the price of Medicare-negotiated prescription drugs.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com and McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah and @mckenna_ross_ on X.
Nevada
Nevada gets past Air Force, 68-62, for second straight conference win; San Jose State is up next
None of the Mountain West Conference games are going to be easy and Air Force proved that to Nevada on Tuesday night.
The Falcons took Nevada to the wire before the Pack recovered and came away with a 68-62 win in front of 7,430 fans at Lawlor Events Center on Tuesday.
Tre Coleman led Nevada with 18 points and nine rebounds and Kobe Sanders had 11 points as the Wolf Pack improved to 2-0 in the Mountain West, 10-7 overall. Coleman also had four assists and Sanders had five.
The six-point margin at the end was Nevada’s largest lead of the game.
Next, Nevada hosts San Jose State, at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Spartans upset New Mexico, 71-70, on Tuesday.
There were 10 lead changes and seven ties. Air Force led, 60-59, with 3 minutes, 21 seconds left.
Kobe Sanders hit a bucket to give Nevada a 61-60 lead with 2:36 remaining, then Daniel Foster hit a 3-pointer to give the Pack some breathing room.
Ethan Taylor led the Falcons (3-14, 0-6) with 22 points and Kyle Marshall added 12.
Nevada coach Steve Alford said he liked his team’s fight. saying they won the last four minutes of the first half, 12-4 and the last four minutes of the second half, 12-2.
Key Stats
Nevada was dismal from the free throw line, connecting on 10-of-23. including four straight in the final minute.
The Pack missed the front end of four free throws, which Alford said actually made them 10-of-27 from the stripe.
“If we make our foul shots, then this game is a different look,” Alford said. “It’s really an odd deal because we started out the year so well (on free throws) and now we’ve got to be one of the worst fouls shooting teams in the league. It was an ugly game because of our foul shooting.”
Nevada had 30 points in the paint, to 18 for the Falcons.
Nick Davidson was 0-for-5 from the free throw line and he stayed well after the game Tuesday night shooting free throw after free throw. He had nine points and four assists in the game.
Air Force hit 10-of-27 from 3-point rahge and Nevad awas 6-of-014 from the arc.
Daniel Foster
Foster started and played 29 minutes, scoring five points on 2-of-4 from the field.
Alford said Foster does what the coaches want him to do.
“Daniel has a incredibly competitive mind. He wants to win and he knows he can influence wins without scoring. He guards like crazy. He rebounds. He gets loose balls,” Alford said. “And now we’re asking him to play some point (guard) to help Kobe out.”
First Half
Air Force led 35-33 at the break after the Wolf Pack tied it at 33 . The Pack trailed by 11 (31-20) with 5:06 left in the half.
Nevada made just 2-of-8 free throws in the first half, including three misses on front ends of one-and-ones. The Pack was 3-of-9 from the arc. Air Force made 5-of-6 free throws and 6-of-12 from 3-pont range.
The Series
Nevada leads the overall series with Air Force 18-3 and has won five straight in the series.
Up Next
San Jose State plays Nevada at Lawlor Events Center at 3 p.m. Saturday.
The Spartans (9-10, 2-5) beat New Mexico 71-70 on Tuesday night.
Nevada’s Remaining Schedule
- Jan. 18, San José State at Nevada, 3 p.m. (TV: KNSN, Radio: 95.5 FM)
- Jan. 22, Nevada at Utah State, 6 p.m. (TV: FS1, Radio: 95.5 FM)
- Jan. 25, Nevada at San Diego State, 7 p.m. (TV: CBS SN, Radio: 95.5 FM)
- Jan. 29, Nevada at Boise State, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 1, UNLV at Nevada, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 4, Nevada at Air Force, 6 p.m.
- Feb. 10, Fresno State at Nevada, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 14, Nevada at San Jose State, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 18, Nevada at Colorado State, 6 p.m.
- Feb. 22, Boise State at Nevada, 3 p.m.
- Feb. 25, Wyoming at Nevada, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 28, Nevada at UNLV, 8 p.m.
- March 4, New Mexico at Nevada, 6 p.m.
- March 8, Nevada at San Diego State, 7:30 p.m.
Nevada
Las Vegas man reported missing in Nevada County found safe
NEVADA COUNTY – Search crews were out in the Hoyt’s Crossing area of Nevada County, looking for a missing Las Vegas man who was reportedly last seen in that area over the weekend.
The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said 29-year-old Michael McIntosh was last seen at Hoyt’s Crossing on Sunday.
As of Tuesday, search crews with the sheriff’s office along with California Highway Patrol were looking for him. A helicopter and crews on foot were involved in the search effort.
McIntosh was last seen wearing a blue flannel shirt, tan, pants, and no shoes. He was voluntarily missing, the sheriff’s office noted.
Late Tuesday morning, the sheriff’s office announced that McIntosh had been found safe. No other details have been released.
Hoyt’s Crossing is along the South Yuba River, about a half mile upstream of the South Yuba River Bridge.
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