Nevada

The Democratic makeover and Nevada • Nevada Current

Published

1 year ago

August 26, 2024

The Democratic makeover and Nevada • Nevada Current

Throughout much of last week’s Democratic National Convention, multiple observers commented on the convention’s aggressive appeals to independent voters and Trump-weary Republicans.

Those of you who subscribe to the Daily Current newsletter may recall the newsletter’s email subject line Tuesday morning was “Democrats to nation: We like you.”

By the end of the convention, the message out of Chicago had become “Democrats to nation: We are you.”

Well! Friday Donald Trump showed that he isn’t confined to just doubling down on his base and hoping/praying there’s more of them than of everyone else. No sirree. He wants everyone to know that he too can reach out – that he can expand his message beyond the MAGAfolk.

And to prove it, he welcomed the endorsement of … Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his brain worm.

Kennedy, whose name evidently will still be on Nevada’s general election ballot whether he likes it or not, has spent more than a year running for president with a very simple message: “Look at me! I am a quack! But I am also a Kennedy! Celebrity and quackery! What could be more attractive to U.S. voters in the 2020s?” Except Kennedy phrased it differently.

It’s not as if Kennedy didn’t have a point.

Multiple high-profile careers, especially Trump’s, demonstrate that in the 21st century mediascape, quackery can be a hot sell.

Add a famous name and, to borrow Michele Obama’s phrase, “the affirmative action of generational wealth,” and something like Kennedy and his brain worm shooting across the political firmament was always inevitable, to the point of being banal.

(Kennedy has said Trump offered him a job in a Trump administration, a premise of hopefully no practical consequence but one that is amusing to speculate about. Trump didn’t confirm it, so was Kennedy spewing nonsense when he said Trump offered him a job? Or, if Trump did offer him a job, was Trump lying? Or, did Trump really say he’d give him a job, and meant it, but Kennedy can’t count on that because Trump has no sense of loyalty to or regard for anyone but himself? Each of those scenarios are plausible.)

The Kennedy noise aside, Trump’s more substantial attempt to reach voters beyond the fold of his cult is his pitch to tipped workers: vote for the authoritarian and women will never have control of their own bodies but at least tips won’t get taxed.

His “no tax on tips” event in Las Vegas Friday, a modest affair to begin with, sort of got short shrift in the news cycle, thanks to Kennedy and his brain worm.

Trump did say something interesting in Las Vegas though, something that appears to have gone unnoticed except by Nevada Current reporter Jen Solis: You know how Democrats have glommed on to the “no tax on tips” thing but also tried to leverage it into getting rid of the hideous federal subminimum wage by which people in some states can be paid as little as $2.13 an hour? Trump wants to make sure that employers get to keep paying the subminimum wage.

Nevada’s one of a handful of states that already outlawed the subminimum wage. But one likes to think Nevada workers care about their fellow service employees in other states.

Meanwhile, to reiterate, Trump’s no tax on tips pander, though petty policy, could be serious politically, for the same reason Nevada is the battleground state where Harris tends to poll the weakest: Nevada has spent pretty much the entire 21st century getting economically pummeled harder than any state in the country.

That understandably makes for an owly electorate.

The higher costs of groceries, insurance, energy, and rent that accompanied the emergence from the pandemic have hit Nevada households especially hard, because Nevada’s economic recovery from the pandemic (just like its recovery from the Great Recession) is largely a low-wage affair.

And Nevada workers suffer even more than most Americans from pandemic-driven rises in prices, because Nevada workers pay one of the nation’s highest sales tax rates when buying shoes, a sandwich for lunch, or a used car.

Granted:

-Occasional seemingly significant polling results notwithstanding, independent candidates almost always perform much more poorly in elections than they do in polls, and Kennedy’s candidacy was already disappearing before our very eyes.

-Democrats just concluded what was arguably the most successful televised makeover in the history of televising or makeovers.

-Trump’s schtick is old and boring.

And for the vast and overwhelming majority of Nevada workers, the benefit of eliminating the tax on tips would equal exactly jack doodley squat.

But the gimmick makes rhetorical contact with the issue that, according to polling anyway, will impact the election in Nevada more than any other, voters’ perception of the economy.

As Democrats repeatedly reminded everyone in Chicago, the election is going to be close.

Harris has a good shot at winning in Nevada.

Alas, so does Trump.

Tim Walz’s “we’ll sleep when we’re dead” thing should be taken especially seriously by Democrats in Nevada.

A version of this column was originally published in the Daily Current newsletter, which is free, and which you can subscribe to here.

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Nevada

Man struck, killed by work truck on I-15 ramp near Las Vegas Strip, police say

Published

5 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Man struck, killed by work truck on I-15 ramp near Las Vegas Strip, police say

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada State Police are responding to a deadly crash on northbound I-15 at Spring Mountain Road Friday morning.

According to the NHP crash page, the crash was reported at 8:32 a.m. on the northbound ramp leading to westbound lanes. State troopers say the crash involved a Chevrolet work truck that struck a man crossing the road.

Arriving medical crews transported the pedestrian to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.

All lanes and off-ramps in the area have since reopened as of 12 p.m.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

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Nevada

Las Vegas Rotary Club Supports Pickleball Fundraiser to Eradicate Polio

Published

17 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Las Vegas Rotary Club Supports Pickleball Fundraiser to Eradicate Polio

Pickleball-Polio-Flyer-1 LAS VEGAS, NV- The Las Vegas Rotary Club, in conjunction with Rotary Clubs throughout Southern Nevada, will host a community pickleball fundraiser in support of End Polio Now, Rotary International’s global effort to eradicate polio. The event will take place on Saturday, February 7th, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Chicken N Pickle Henderson, located at 3381 St. Rose Parkway.

The non-competitive, social event is chaired by Janice Lencke, president of the Las Vegas Rotary Club, on behalf of Rotary District 5300, which serves Southern Nevada and parts of California. The event invites players of all experience levels to come together for an afternoon of pickleball, fellowship and charitable giving, with proceeds benefiting Rotary’s polio eradication efforts.

“The Rotary Clubs of Southern Nevada, together with District 5300, are uniting to host this event to raise awareness and move one step closer to writing the final chapter in polio’s story—an ending marked by eradication,” said Janice Lencke. “Let’s finish what we started and #EndPolio for good.”

Rotary International is a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which was launched in 1988. Since that time, Rotary’s advocacy, fundraising and volunteer efforts have helped reduce polio cases worldwide by more than 99.9 percent, bringing the world closer than ever to eliminating the disease entirely. Polio eradication remains Rotary’s primary humanitarian focus and one of its most sustained global commitments.

General admission tickets include pickleball court access, lunch and sodas, one alcoholic drink ticket, a commemorative photo, one raffle ticket and free parking. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for businesses and individuals who want to support the cause.

District 5300 is promoting the event throughout Southern Nevada, with additional outreach across California to encourage regional participation in similar events.

ABOUT ROTARY INTERNATIONAL AND THE LAS VEGAS ROTARY CLUB

Rotary International is a worldwide fellowship and service organization with 1.2 million members in 200 countries, with 32,000 clubs. Established in 1923 as part of Rotary International, the Las Vegas Rotary Club is the first and largest Rotary Club in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Rotary Club meets for lunch and fellowship every Thursday at Lawry’s The Prime Rib. To learn more about the Club and service projects, visit https://lasvegasrotary.com.

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Nevada

Travel Nevada Presents The Neon in Nature Series, Featuring Artwork by DARIUSTWIN, at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, January 15 – April 6, 2026

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Travel Nevada Presents The Neon in Nature Series, Featuring Artwork by DARIUSTWIN, at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, January 15 – April 6, 2026

Nevada Division of Tourism

Unique exhibition marks DARIUSTWIN’s first museum show in the U.S.

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / January 8, 2026 / Travel Nevada is proud to present The Neon in Nature Series, which features artwork by light painting photographer and animator Darren Pearson (better known as DARIUSTWIN)at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, beginning January 15, 2026. The exhibition is DARIUSTWIN’s first U.S. museum show. To celebrate the exhibition opening, Travel Nevada will pay admission fees for the first 200 guests to arrive directly at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

Created exclusively in Nevada, The Neon in Nature Series captures just some of the stunning landscapes and striking night skies that you’ll find in Nevada when you get a little out there – all juxtaposed with DARIUSTWIN’s signature light paintings infused with and inspired by Nevada character (and characters). The exhibition will inspire museum guests to visit the Nevada ghost towns, state parks, historical landmarks, and more that take center stage in this unique, vibrant, and whimsical exhibition.

“Nevada’s diverse surroundings and dark night skies provided an ideal backdrop to compose this series,” said DARIUSTWIN. “I’m grateful to the Travel Nevada team for commissioning the work and to the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, for housing my very first museum exhibition in the country. I’m hopeful that it will encourage museum guests to travel throughout Nevada, which I found was so rich in history and ripe with adventure opportunities.”

“When the Travel Nevada team first saw DARIUSTWIN’s work, we immediately knew that a partnership with him would inspire people to get a little out there in the state. The Neon in Nature Series is a creative take on what makes Nevada special,” said Rafael Villanueva, chief executive officer of Travel Nevada. “Additionally, we’re thrilled that this exhibition will be housed in the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. We share a mission with the museum to enhance the quality of life for Nevada’s visitors and residents, and what better place to host The Neon in Nature series than a city whose history is intertwined with neon?”

The Neon in Nature Series, Presented by Travel Nevada will be on view at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas through April 6, 2026.

“The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is delighted to host this art- and Nevada-focused installation by DARIUSTWIN,” said Hollis J. Gillespie, director of the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas. “The Neon in Nature Series exemplifies our mission of educating the public about the history and natural history of the state, and it does so in an electrifying way. We look forward to sharing it with our visitors.”

EDITORS:  Select high-resolution images from The Neon in Nature Series, Presented by Travel Nevada are available here. Photo credit for all images: “Photo courtesy of Travel Nevada/DARIUSTWIN. ©️ 2024 DARIUSTWIN.”

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About Travel Nevada

The heart of Nevada shines through Travel Nevada, an organization focused on sharing the experiences, landmarks and living legends that make the Silver State a one-of-a-kind destination. Through community collaborations and strategic partnerships, we aim to connect with both locals and visitors alike, showcasing the sometimes-surprising, always-exciting treasures that keep people coming to Nevada. It’s theirs to explore-and ours to safekeep, from preserving our wild-at-heart way of life to our wide-open spaces. For more information, visit TravelNevada.com.

About the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas

Founded in 1982, the mission of the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, serves to educate a diverse public about the history and natural history of Nevada. The museum collects, preserves, exhibits, and disseminates material that contributes to an understanding and appreciation of the state. For more information, visit https://www.lasvegasnvmuseum.org/

About DARIUSTWIN

Darren Pearson, known as DARIUSTWIN, is a light painting photographer and animator whose glowing creations have illuminated landscapes around the world. Using long-exposure photography and custom crafted LED lights, Darren “paints” with light in real time, creating skeletal figures, dinosaurs, aliens, and fantastical characters that exist for only a moment before disappearing into the night. His work has been featured by National Geographic, Intel, Honda, and Apple, among others.

Based in Southern California, Darren has been creating light paintings for more than a decade, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, one exposure at a time. See more at dariustwin.com and follow @dariustwin.

Contact:
Tracie Barnthouse, Chief Communications Officer
tbarnthouse@travelnevada.com; 775-624-0618

SOURCE: Nevada Division of Tourism

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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