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Rural Nevada sheriff probes potential hate crime after Black man says he was racially harassed

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Rural Nevada sheriff probes potential hate crime after Black man says he was racially harassed


RENO, Nev. (AP) — A rural Nevada sheriff is investigating a potential hate crime after a Black man who was collecting signatures for a ballot measure recorded a confrontation with another man he said directed a racial slur at him and said “they have a hanging tree” for people like him.

“I’m still shaking every time I think about it,” Ricky Johnson told The Associated Press by phone Monday as he boarded a plane in northern Nevada back to his home in Houston, Texas.

Johnson posted part of the video of the Aug. 2 incident in Virginia City, Nevada, on social media, and the comments drew swift condemnation from local and state officials. Sponsors of the 10-day Hot August Nights class car event that was being held at the time said it revoked the registrations of those identified in the video confronting Johnson.

Storey County Undersheriff Eric Kern said Monday the office has completed interviews with Johnson and potential suspects and delivered the case to the district attorney for a decision on any charges.

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“As far as a hate crime, it could be an element,” Kern told AP. “There is an enhancement we are looking at.”

Johnson, who can’t be seen on the video he posted to TikTok, said a white man called him a racial epithet and referenced the “hanging tree” before he started recording the encounter. In the recording, Johnson asks the man to repeat what he said.

A loud, profanity-filled argument on both sides followed before a woman told Johnson he was on her property and he repeatedly asks her not to touch him as they move the conversation into the street, the video shows.

Kern said Johnson provided the video to investigators. He said no one, whether suspect or victim, has been uncooperative in the investigation.

In a statement over the weekend, the sheriff’s office said it doesn’t condone racism, inequality or hate speech and wants to ensure the public it’s doing a thorough investigation.

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“But I want to say that in general, in Virginia City, this is not something that happens here,” Kern said. “It’s really a sad thing but it’s an isolated incident. It’s has caused a lot of negative impacts on all sides because people are getting a negative opinion. People are calling businesses.”

Storey County District Attorney Anne Langer didn’t respond to an email request for comment Monday. A spokeswoman for her office referred calls to County Manager Austin Osborne. Osborne’s office said he wasn’t available.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is Black, offered his support Monday to the Storey County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation of what he said was a “hateful, racist incident” in one of Nevada’s most storied towns.

Virginia City attracts tens of thousands of tourists who walk its wood-planked sidewalks filled with old saloons and stores in the Virginia Range just east of the Sierra, about 30 minutes outside of Reno.

It was Nevada’s largest city in the mid-1800s when the discovery of the Comstock Lode brought thousands of silver miners there. Samuel Clemens got his start in the newspaper business and adopted his pen name, Mark Twain, there at the Territorial Enterprise.

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Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo posted on social media saying he was concerned and disappointed by the incident.

“Racism and hate have no place in Nevada — this behavior must be condemned in the strongest terms possible,” he wrote on X.

The Virginia City Tourism Commission denounced the “hateful and racist” behavior as “abhorrent and inexcusable.”

Johnson was working for Advanced Micro Targeting Inc., a Texas-based company that provides voter outreach and get-out-the-vote services, to collect signatures for a proposed Nevada state ballot initiative aimed at capping fees that attorneys collect from clients in personal injury cases.

Johnson said he’s been the target of racial slurs before but the Virginia City incident was different.

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“To be actually in the middle of that and you have no way out. you feel like you’re being surrounded by all these people. I felt closed in,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer Ken Ritter contributed to this report from Las Vegas.



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Vanderbilt Commodores Face Unbeaten Nevada in Charleston Classic Opener

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Vanderbilt Commodores Face Unbeaten Nevada in Charleston Classic Opener


The Vanderbilt Commodores kick off their Charleston Classic tournament on Thursday night, facing the unbeaten Nevada Wolfpack in a clash of contrasting styles.

Both teams are 4-0 and looking to make an early-season statement.

Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. EST at TD Arena, and the game will air on ESPNU.

For Vanderbilt, this marks the first test of the year after an impressive start in Memorial Gymnasium.

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The Commodores are coming off a 94-81 victory over the Jackson State Tigers, a game that showcased their potential from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt drained 16 3-pointers, their highest total since 2022, with five players hitting multiple shots from deep.

Tyler Nickel led the charge, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range, while freshman Tyler Tanner and AJ Hoggard chipped in with three triples apiece.

Nevada also enters with momentum, fresh off an 85-59 dismantling of the Santa Clara Broncos.

The Wolf Pack have won every game by double digits, thriving on efficiency and disciplined play. Led by Nick Davidson, who averages 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, Nevada ranks second nationally in 3-point percentage at 48.6%.

Their deliberate, systematic approach to offense has also been a key to their success. Nevada averages just 10 turnovers per game while dishing out 18 assists, a testament to their precision and execution.

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Vanderbilt will counter Nevada’s slow tempo with a more aggressive style fueled by their depth.

Nine players average between 15 and 25 minutes per contest, allowing the Commodores to maintain energy and tempo throughout games.

Jason Edwards leads the team in scoring with 17.5 points per contest, while Devin McGlockton has emerged as a defensive force, ranking second in the SEC and 11th nationally in blocks. McGlockton has recorded multiple rejections in every game this season, providing a critical presence in the paint.

This matchup may hinge on who can control the 3-point line.

Nevada has been lights out from deep, with Davidson converting a remarkable 9-of-11 attempts this season. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, flashed their own shooting prowess against Jackson State after a sluggish start to the season from beyond the arc.

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The stakes are high, with the winner advancing to Friday’s semifinal to face either the Seton Hall Pirates or VCU Rams.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the Commodores and Wolf Pack, setting the stage for an intriguing showdown as Vanderbilt looks to have their best start to a season since 2015-16.



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New heat-based worker protections on the books in Nevada

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New heat-based worker protections on the books in Nevada


LAS VEGAS — For the first time, businesses in Nevada will have to comply with heat-based hazard regulations in the workplace.

The announcement came from the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Wednesday, following the hottest summer on record in Las Vegas.

This is big news for any organization with more than 10 employees where most employees are exposed to heat illness. These businesses will now have to do a job hazard analysis specifically on heat and adopt a written plan to mitigate worker exposure.

The new regulations are not temperature-threshold specific.

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“Because every job is different, whether you’re in a kitchen, whether you’re outside as a landscaper or construction worker or a warehouse, every situation is different where there was no uniform temperature threshold that worked for all types of environments,” Victoria Carreon, Division of Industrial Relations Administrator, said.

Other states that have heat-based workplace regulations include California, Washington and Oregon making Nevada the next in the West to adopt such workplace rules. However, this new regulation did not come from the state lawmakers or from the federal level.

“In this case, this was not required by the legislature, this was something that Nevada OSHA decided was really important for Nevada given our hot, desert climate and the hazard of heat illness,” Carreon said.

Guidance for how this regulation will be rolled out and implemented is expected in the next 30 days. After that, an outreach and engagement initiative will take place over the course of three months to help businesses understand what they need to do to comply with this newest regulation.

Enforcement will begin after that, just in time for next summer.

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“Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the employers to determine what the hazards are and implement measures that will protect their employees from heat illness,” Carreon said.

2024’s Extreme Heat

This year, OSHA received 467 heat-related complaints for workplace hazards, which may not be surprising given the record-breaking nature of this season’s hot weather. We experienced 112 days over 100°, with 36 of those days over 110°.

The level of heat-related mortality also rose this year, Clark County has counted over 400 deaths so far this year where hot temperatures played a significant role.

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Clark Co. reports 402 heat deaths so far this year

Regulation Outline

The approved regulation (R131-24AP [leg.state.nv.us]) requires businesses with more than 10 employees to implement the following measures:

  • Job Hazard Analysis: Businesses with more than 10 employees must perform a one-time job hazard analysis of working conditions that could cause heat illness.
    • This analysis is limited to job classifications where a majority of employees have occupational exposure to heat illness for more than 30 minutes of any 60-minute period, excluding breaks.
  • Written Safety Program: If the job hazard analysis identifies conditions that may cause heat illness, a written plan is required that includes the following:
    • Provision of potable water;
    • Provision of a rest break when an employee exhibits signs or symptoms of heat illness;
    • Provision for means of cooling for employees;
    • Monitoring by a person designated by the employer of working conditions that could create occupational exposure to heat illness;
    • Identification and mitigation of work processes that may generate additional heat or humidity;
    • Training of employees; and
    • Procedures for responding to an emergency.
  • Emergency Procedures: Employers are required to designate an individual who will contact emergency services if an employee is experiencing signs of heat illness.
  • Training: Employers are required to provide training to employees identified in the job hazard analysis on the following topics:
    • How to recognize the hazards of heat illness
    • Procedures to be followed to minimize the hazards of heat illness.
  • Exemption for Climate-Controlled Environments:
    • The regulation’s requirements do not apply to employees who work indoors in climate-controlled environments, including motor vehicles with a properly functioning climate control system.
    • If the climate control system becomes nonfunctional or ineffective, the employer shall make a good-faith effort to reestablish an effective system as soon as practicable.
    • Until the climate control system is rendered effective, the employer must implement the potential hazards that could cause heat illness.
  • Collective Bargaining Agreements:
    • Employers can exceed the requirements of the regulation on their own or through collective bargaining agreements.
    • Collective bargaining agreements cannot waive or reduce the requirements of the regulation; and
    • The regulation does not relieve an employer of contractual obligations under a collective bargaining agreement.





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Business owners react to NV Energy power outage

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Business owners react to NV Energy power outage


RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – NV Energy issued a PSOM in Northern Nevada, in effort to prevent wildfires. “I looked out the windows and the entire neighborhood was dark,” said Mary Doyle, a resident who lost power in West Reno.

15,000 NV energy customers in Northern Nevada, waking up to no power. “The house is cold. That’s the worst part,” added Katie Cole. “The house is cold. It’s warmer out here than it is inside my house.”

The planned outage is hitting business owners hard. “It’s a big hit because customers are affected, employees are affected. We are affected,” said Mimi Butler, who is the owner of Bueno Grill, which has been a staple in the local community for 25 years. “That’s a whole days worth of business. We are open everyday and its a big potential to lose a chunk of sales for the month. It also is worrisome because our employees aren’t coming into work. For them they don’t get their paycheck for today. For our customers, we cant serve our customers.”

Many of the business owners in the Mayberry Landing Complex are adapting to the “no bueno” message this morning. Some owners had to use generators, while others scrambled to alert staff and navigate obstacles.

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“Having a little bit more warning would be nice,” said Cole Butler, the manager of Bueno Grill. “We woke up this morning and I just found out about it around 9 o’clock. I was planning on coming in at 10, so I well made a stop at the store and got some dry ice. We may or may not be open today.”

Butler says food and produce preservation is the name of the game. “It’s all about saving products right now when we are not open. The refrigerator is not working. We just kind of need to hunker down and store.”

The restaurant says they will be down a couple thousand dollars, due to the outage. Even the employees will be without a check. “I got word that the power is not expected to come back on until tomorrow at noon. I had to re-text and say it looks like you’re not coming in. We don’t need you today because we won’t be open,” said Mimi Butler.

The owner says the shop is rarely closed throughout the year and she is not used to turning customers away. “I had to change our outgoing message and forward phone calls from the business to my personal phone so I can let our customers know what’s happening and why we are closed. Hopefully, invite them to come back tomorrow when we are open again.”

NV Energy says some of the impacted zones will have power restored tonight and the rest hopefully sometime tomorrow.

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