The SMU Mustangs started their season by beating Nevada 29- 23. This win showcased the team’s determination to be recognized on the ACC level for college football and continued their 11-3 record from the 2023 season.

“I think they feel like we can be a good team,” Lashee said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’ve got to go prove that we can consistently do it for four quarters.”

The beginning seemed to be a struggle for SMU, who picked up 11 penalties just in the first quarter. Coach Lashlee was not too thrilled with the start of the game.

“There was never any rhythm,” Lashlee said. “We do something; we go one step forward, two steps back.”
Preston Stone, SMU’s starting quarterback, was the right person for the job. The coach plans on playing both QBs, Kevin Jennings and Stone.

“We followed our plan going to the game,” said coach Lashlee. “Preston was going to start go the first two drives; Kevin knew he was going to play the third and fourth series, so that was how we went into the game.”

Stone, who started in 12 games for the 2023 season, threw 3,197 yards passing, giving him the 26th-ranked spot in the NCAA and the fourth-most in the ACC.

Coach Rhett Lashlee trusts Stone to be the starting QB for the Nevada game. He clarified that Stone earned his chance at camp to be the starter for the game against Nevada.

Preston and the team look forward to winning their first at-home game against their next opponents the Houston Christian Huskies on August 31.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Uber and the Nevada Transportation Authority are teaming up this holiday weekend for a crackdown on fake rideshare drivers, which they say is a big problem in Las Vegas.

“You can get a placard pretty much anywhere… you can parade around as an Uber driver… You will see a lot of them in black SUVs that look just like Uber and Lyft, but they are not licensed,” revealed John Foster, Chief of Enforcement for the Nevada Transportation Authority.

For NTA, stopping illegal rideshare drivers is a matter of public safety. People are being picked up by drivers without background checks or proper insurance. “I have been communicating with all the Strip hotels and Downtown to train them on this problem… There is large groups of individuals that are acting as Uber drivers without permits… That person will ask you if you want a ride or need a ride,” Foster explained.

For the first time, Uber is teaming up directly with a state agency to address this issue.

“It is certainly more noticeable in Las Vegas… because there is so many out-of-towners, so many tourists,” shared Harry Hartfield, Senior Public Affairs Manager for Uber. While the Nevada Transportation Authority regulates 36,000 licensed drivers in the Vegas Valley some aren’t following the rules.

“If 10,000 of those drivers are handing out business cards, it is a big problem. It is a big problem,” Foster contended. Taking a business card from a legitimate rideshare driver for a future off app trip is risky because commercial insurance won’t apply unless a ride is booked through the app. “In Nevada, there is a $1.5 million dollar insurance policy,” Hartfield reported as a representative of Uber.

Any driver caught offering an illegal ride in Nevada will have their vehicle impounded and face a $10,000 fine, something happening more often than you might think. “I would say five a week… It is challenging it’s very, very challenging. We are working with everyone we can to bring this crisis under control,” Foster told FOX5.

The Nevada Transportation Authority has undercover investigators posing as tourists trying to catch illegal rideshare drivers in the act, but the NTA says tips from the public are most important to stop fake Ubers. Report one via this link.

For your safety, every rideshare you take verify the driver’s identity and the plate number on your app before you get inside the vehicle.

Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – While some people like to mail in their ballot, others like to show up in person.

Here in Nevada, you can do either to vote. But it takes a big effort to set up and man polling centers on Election Day.

Right now, Washoe County’s Registrar of Voters is looking for local residents to help do the job.

“We need about 800 election workers for this upcoming season,” says George Gutherie, Washoe County Registrar of Voters Office Media Specialist.

For the first time Washoe County’s Registrar of Voters is tapping into a new resource.

But it’s not a new concept. Based on a 1993 Nevada law, 16-year-olds can work at poll centers. They must be U.S. Citizen and be attending high school.

The registrar is looking to pique the interest of 100 teens to help out on Election Day.

“Student election worker(s) are an untapped resource that we want to make sure there is awareness to this amazing, amazing program,” says Gutherie.

Those who sign up will be required to take a course offered on an evening or weekend day. They will be assigned a location which could be their own high school.

What they won’t be doing is just sitting around on Election Day.

“This isn’t an observation position,” says Valerie Balen, an election specialist. “This is actually where we want them to be talking to voters. We want them to be learning how the registration process works. It is great. They are going to get a first eye look on what they might have to do in two years. We aren’t here to just put them in the corner.”

Teens must get their parents’ permission to commit to working on Election Day at a poll center.

The deadline is September 15, and you must be 16 years of age by that date.

Students will be treated as professionals. They will receive professional training and work up to 12 hours a day on Election Day. And they will be paid as professionals–$225.00.

For more information: https://www.washoecounty.gov/voters/get-involved/election_workers/studentelectionworkers.php

Copyright 2024 KOLO. All rights reserved.