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Trades high school marks first year: ‘Experience, that helps you a lot more’

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Trades high school marks first year: ‘Experience, that helps you a lot more’


Wyatt Foster is excited to get excavating training and do excavating work in the upcoming school year.

The incoming junior at Southern Nevada Trades High School, an east Las Vegas charter school that focuses on educating students to work in trades in the construction industry, spoke of his goals at Saturday’s open house at the school.

“College is nice, it helps you get jobs,” Foster said. “But experience, that helps you a lot more.”

Foster was joined by dozens of people, including Gov. Joe Lombardo and school faculty members, at the open house. The event was held to mark the end of the high school’s first school year and to showcase what the still-under construction facility offers for its close to 90 students and to highlight the fact enrollment is now open for grades 9, 10, and 11 for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.

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That relatively small student body is expected to grow next year to almost 200, with school officials hoping to teach up to 400 students once the building’s construction is finished, speakers said at Saturday’s open house, which also featured food trucks.

The school, at 1580 Bledsoe Lane, differentiates itself from other high schools by focusing on giving students experience, skills and the certificates they would need for their chosen career path, school officials said.

“What makes (this school) special is that we’re not only preparing them for college. We acknowledge that college is not for everyone. We want to give students skills so that they know if college is not the path they want to take, they can get good-paying jobs straight out of high school,” said Principal Candi Wadsworth.

While students receive a typical education in math, English and science, they also receive hands-on training in various trades as electives. The school has regular classrooms, but also boasts a construction workshop, where students can work on larger projects.

Wadsworth said that students will construct, from start to finish, a tiny home as their final project. Working on a tiny home will allow students to try different aspects of construction, like flooring, insulation, HVAC and electrical work, she said.

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“This structure used to be a church whose purpose was to teach and prepare the community spiritually,” said Brett Willis, the chair of the school’s board. “Now, this building has been given new life as a high school, ready to teach and train 400 students to go out into the community prepared for both college and career.”

Parents at the open house spoke of how the curriculum offered at the trades-oriented high school is a much better fit for their child.

“College is not for everyone. I know my child. I know that’s not his thing and I’m glad he has something else,” said Natasha Garcia, whose son is enrolled for the upcoming school year.

Lombardo, who met with students, parents and school administrators, said he hopes to see more similar trade schools opening up.

“Of course, I want more trades schools like this to open but that’s dependent on the private sector to make that leap,” Lombardo said. “The basis of a charter school is a private-public partnership, so we need private parties to take on the hurdle of funding it and maintaining it to the future.”

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Lombardo, spoke about signing into law the highly-contested Assembly Bill 400, which allowed cities to sponsor charter school development.

As a result of the bill, the City of North Las Vegas and the City of Henderson were approved to sponsor charter schools.

For parents like Garcia, the focus on real-world job experience is something that has, for the first time, ignited an eagerness to learn in her son.

“It’s not just learning about something, they’ll be doing something, hands-on. This is the first time I’ve seen him excited for school. I think its going to be the change that he needs. You know, you can’t force a love for school,” joked Garcia.

Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com.

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Oregon lands commitment from Nevada punter

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Oregon lands commitment from Nevada punter


Oregon has found its next Australian punter.

Bailey Ettridge, who averaged 44.66 yards on 47 punts at Nevada this season, committed to transfer to the Ducks on Sunday. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

From Lara, Australia, Ettridge had 15 punts over 50 yards and 18 inside opponents’ 20-yard lines this season. He also had two carries for 26 yards, both of which converted fourth downs.

Ettridge replaces James Ferguson-Reynolds, who is averaging 41.64 yards on 33 punts for UO this season. Ferguson-Reynolds and Ross James are both out of eligibility after the season.

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Ettridge is the first scholarship transfer to Oregon this offseason and his addition gives the Ducks 81 projected scholarship players in 2026. He is the lone punter presently on the roster.



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‘Winnemucca Day’ helps fuel Backus, Wolf Pack to 58-40 win over Utah State

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‘Winnemucca Day’ helps fuel Backus, Wolf Pack to 58-40 win over Utah State


RENO, Nev. (Nevada Athletics) – Nevada Women’s Basketball returned to Lawlor for the first game of 2026, hosting Utah State.

The Pack picked up its first conference win of the season with the 58-40 victory over the Aggies.

Freshmen showed out for the Pack (5-9, 1-3 MW) with Skylar Durley nearly recording a double-double, dropping 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Britain Backus had five points to go along with two rebounds and a season high four steals.

Junior Izzy Sullivan also had an impactful game with 17 points, going 6-for-11 from the paint and grabbing five boards. She also knocked down Nevada’s only two makes from beyond the arc, putting her within one for 100 career threes.

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The Pack opened up scoring the first four points, setting the tone for the game. It was a close battle through the first 10 as Utah State (6-7, 2-2 MW) closed the gap to one.

However, Nevada never let them in front for the entire 40 minutes.

Nevada turned up the pressure in the second quarter, holding Utah State to a shooting drought for over four minutes. Meanwhile, a 5-0 scoring run pushed the Pack to a 10-point lead.

For the entire first 20, Nevada held Utah State to just 26.7 percent from the floor and only nine percent from the arc, going only 1-for-11.

For the Pack offense, it shot 48 percent from the paint. Nevada fell into a slump coming out of the break, only scoring eight points.

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It was the only quarter where the Pack was outscored.

The fourth quarter saw the Pack get back into rhythm with a 6-0 run and forcing the Aggies into another long scoring drought of just under four and a half minutes.

Durley had a layup and jumper to help with securing the win.

Nevada will remain at home to face Wyoming on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

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EDITORIAL: Nevada’s House Democrats oppose permitting reform

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EDITORIAL: Nevada’s House Democrats oppose permitting reform


Politicians of both parties have promised to fix the nation’s broken permitting system. But those promises have not been kept, and the status quo prevails: longer timelines, higher costs and a regulatory maze that makes it nearly impossible to build major projects on schedule.

Last week, the House finally cut through the fog by passing the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act. As Jeff Luse reported for Reason, the legislation is the clearest chance in years to overhaul a system that has spun out of control.

Notably, virtually every House Democrat — including Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford from Nevada — opted for the current regulatory morass.

The proposal addressed problems with the National Environmental Policy Act, which passed in the 1970s to promote transparency, but has grown into an anchor that drags down public and private investment. Mr. Luse notes that even after Congress streamlined the act in 2021, the average environmental impact statement takes 2.4 years to complete. That number speaks for itself and does not reflect the many reviews that stretch far beyond that already unreasonable timeline.

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The SPEED Act tackles these failures head on. It would codify recent Supreme Court guidance, expand the projects that do not require exhaustive review and set real expectations for federal agencies that too often slow-walk approvals. Most important, it puts long-overdue limits on litigation. Mr. Luse highlights the absurdity of the current six-year window for filing a lawsuit under the Environmental Policy Act. Between 2013 and 2022, these lawsuits delayed projects an average of 4.2 years.

While opponents insist the bill would silence communities, Mr. Luse notes that NEPA already includes multiple public hearings and comment periods. Also, the vast majority of lawsuits are not filed by members of the people who live near the projects. According to the Breakthrough Institute, 72 percent of NEPA lawsuits over the past decade came from national nonprofits. Only 16 percent were filed by local communities. The SPEED Act does not shut out the public. It reins in well-funded groups that can afford to stall projects indefinitely.

Some Democrats claim the bill panders to fossil fuel companies, while some Republicans fear it will accelerate renewable projects. As Mr. Luse explains, NEPA bottlenecks have held back wind, solar and transmission lines as often as they have slowed oil and gas. That is why the original SPEED Act won support from green energy groups and traditional energy producers.

Permitting reform is overdue, and lawmakers claim to understand that endless red tape hurts economic growth and environmental progress alike. The SPEED Act is the strongest permitting reform proposal in years. The Senate should approve it.

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