LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5)—State officials have cracked down on contractors accused of fraud and shoddy work.

The Nevada State Contractors Board issued over 730-thousand dollars in fines to several contractors at its August disciplinary hearing.

The board also revoked the licenses of four contractors and recommended criminal charges against two contractors.

The allegations include fraud, theft, and elder abuse.
We have more details on the allegations on our website, fox5 vegas dot com.

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He’s a very lucky man, I remember thinking as Peter Costa ’84, ’88 M.D. described a small ritual he enjoys during evening strolls across campus with his wife, Inge — pulling weeds from the planters. It reminded me of something my father would say whenever he saw our neighbor caring for his planters, “He’s a lucky man because he does it with joy.”

Peter has all the makings of a longtime, die-hard University of Nevada, Reno supporter. He earned both a bachelor’s degree in community, social and health resources and a medical degree from the University. He’s established three endowments — two for scholarships and one supporting University libraries. He’s a member of the Legacy Society, and Inge, who also attended the University, describes him as someone who “bleeds silver and blue.”

I’m surprised when Peter tells me he never imagined he’d become deeply involved with the University later in life. So, how did that happen?

Finding his community

Born in Reno and raised in Carson City, Peter is a fourth-generation Nevadan with strong University ties. His father, James P. Costa ’54; mother, Norma Jeanne Annett Costa ’59; and several cousins are part of his legacy. However, Peter was especially influenced by his grandfather, Norman T. Annett ’32, a mining engineering graduate.

“He’d drive me around in an old Jeep, prospecting in the hills,” Peter said. “I spent a lot of time with him and wanted to be like him.”

In Peter’s own words, his choice of attending the University was driven by both family tradition and opportunity, as his interest in sports medicine aligned with the University’s relatively new School of Medicine, which was established in 1969.

“I applied to several universities, but there was never much doubt about where I wanted to go,” Peter said.

His experience as an undergraduate student living in White Pine Hall was not just books and studies, though. With a smile on his face, he told me about the day when, as a prank, he and his friends carried a dormmate’s Volkswagen bug halfway across campus, placing it on the library steps for no other reason than a laugh.

“The friendships you make on campus form bonds that last forever,” – Peter Costa.

These relationships influenced Peter’s professional life. One such friendship led him to an exchange program at UMass Amherst, where he gained new appreciation for art, jazz and diversity. He is understandably proud of the lasting relationships he maintains to this day.

Finding his calling

It was during an ethics and health systems class with Barbara Thornton ’57, now professor emerita, when a seed was planted that began to point Peter toward his future.

“When you’re that young, you can’t see past next weekend,” Peter said.

“You don’t necessarily think about ethics when you’re preparing for medical school, but I found it fascinating.” – Peter Costa

His interest led him to become a teaching assistant for Professor Thornton, where he gained insights into health inequities and disparities — lessons that shaped his career. He carried these lessons into his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he experienced one of his most memorable interactions as a physician.

“One of my patients was a young man who was a professional motocross racer,” Peter said. “He had a tragic accident, broke his spine and was paraplegic. He was dealing with a lot of anger and depression, but he still completed his rehabilitation program. He left the unit in a wheelchair.”

“Then one day, after I hadn’t seen him for a while, I’m walking across the parking lot toward the outpatient rehabilitation facility, and I see this wheelchair flying out the front door. It’s the same young man with a big smile on his face, just whipping his wheelchair through the parking lot. He pulls up next to this big old wheel drive pick-up truck, and in one movement, he opens the door and pulls himself up, grabs the wheelchair and puts it in the back of the pickup, shuts the door and hits the driveway.

“He was in a much better place,” Peter recalled with emotion. “As a physician, that sticks.”

After completing his residency,  Peter and Inge moved to Medford, Oregon, in 1993, where he treated patients with brain injuries, strokes and spinal cord injuries, and served as team physician for several local high schools.

Yet, even during this time, his heart remained tied to Nevada. When Peter and Inge, welcomed a daughter in 1995, they named her Carson in honor of their Nevada roots.

Finding his way home 

In 1996, the Costa family relocated to Nevada for Peter’s “dream job” at Tahoe Fracture and Orthopedic Medical Clinic. By 2000, he had become a U.S. Ski and Snowboard team physician, and in 2001, the director of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team (USSA) Spine Program. The Tahoe Daily Tribune wrote about Peter: “It takes precision, ability and courage to be a member of the U.S. Ski Team; it takes a unique person to be responsible for the care and health of the athletes.”

Peter’s role took him around the world with elite athletes, though he always felt particularly rewarded when treating the people of Nevada and the Eastern Sierra. Peter also mentored several University of Nevada medical students, who completed clerkships with him.

The passing of his grandparents brought about a shift for Peter.

“After my grandparents passed, I wanted to do something to honor them,” Peter said. “They supported me in many ways throughout my education. They supported the University, but they weren’t that close to it. However, the University paved the way for my grandfather with his mining engineering degree. It led me being here, and it led to us being here. My wife and I wanted to honor that, so we started an endowed scholarship for mining engineering and agriculture students in my grandparents’ honor.

“After my grandparents passed, I wanted to do something to honor them,” – Peter Costa.

“Our experience was so positive that we decided to honor my parents in the same way.”

Peter and his brother, Paul — along with Inge and Paul’s wife, Julie — started an endowed scholarship for graduates of the high schools where their father had taught or served as a principal, as well as an endowed fund to support University libraries in honor of their mother.

Peter’s involvement with the University has continued to grow. He served on the Nevada Alumni Council from 2014 to 2020. Now retired from medical practice, he serves as a Foundation Trustee and on several campus committees. Peter and Inge regularly attend performing arts and athletic events, on-campus lectures and presentations. They are members of the Legacy Society, ensuring their support for future generations through planned giving.

Peter stays engaged by learning how much more work is left to do and hearing stories of other people who are contributing toward the same mission.

“I really don’t think I have given more than anybody else,” Peter said. “And really, one of the things I enjoy the most is that my wife has been by my side in doing all these things. When it comes to supporting, the University is at the top of her list, too, and I’m very proud of what we have accomplished. Education offers an opportunity for people to build their lives, which benefits our community, our region and our state.”

When he is not cheering for the Wolf Pack, you may find him picking up litter downtown, removing sagebrush from the “N” on the hill (so it doesn’t look like “Swiss cheese”) or walking across campus with Inge, pausing to pull the occasional weed.

Clark County School District is currently without a permanent superintendent and chief financial officer and is facing public calls for legislative and state audits into financial misplanning that has allegedly left an unknown number of schools facing significant budget shortfalls.

It is a tumultuous time of transition for the fifth largest school district in the country. On that, most people seem to agree.

But what all this should mean for Clark County School Board President Evelyn Garcia Morales and her challenger, Tameka Henry, is up to voters to decide.

Garcia Morales is seeking a second term on the school board, which currently has six voting members, one vacant voting seat, and four non-voting appointed members. Members serve four-year terms.

“Looking at the landscape of the board, right now and into January, there will be loss of incredible knowledge if everyone is brand new,” says Garcia Morales.

Garcia Morales was the only incumbent to run for re-election out of the four trustees whose terms end this year. Trustees Lisa Guzman and Lola Brooks opted not to run for re-election despite being eligible. Katie Williams also did not file for re-election. She intended to finish out the remainder of her term but resigned last month after the Clark County District Attorney’s Office took action to have her removed following an investigation that found she no longer lives in Nevada.

Garcia Morales notes that if she is not reelected, the longest serving board member, Trustee Linda Cavazos, will have been there for seven years come January and everyone else on the board will have either two years or no experience on the board. Garcia Morales sees herself as offering some consistency for the board during a crucial time of transition.

But her challenger sees heavy turnover as exactly what the school board needs to get the school district on a better path.

“I haven’t seen a lot of improvement over the past four years,” said Henry, who also ran against Garcia Morales for the open seat in 2020 but lost. “I was hoping for more, but there’s still this divide on the school board.”

Henry was critical of former Superintendent Jesus Jara; Garcia Morales was largely supportive. Garcia Morales, as board president and as part of a four-member majority voting block, has been criticized for giving too much discretion to the superintendent, leading to lax oversight of district operations by the school board.

Garcia Morales declined to directly address some of the examples often cited by critics — such as Jara giving raises to his core cabinet months before leaving with a big payout of his own. She acknowledged it is “a point of contention” and suggested such narratives are being pushed by people with a specific agenda.

“It really makes me wonder, what’s the gain there?” she said. “If the desire of anybody is to have operational control of a system, what do they miss out on? What are they lacking? Is it control, so they get what they want, even at the cost of serving and supporting kids broadly? And who benefits the most from having that narrative exist?”

Garcia Morales continued to say that effective leaders don’t place blame on external policies, such as the governance models, and instead understand their role and the function of their board.

Henry sees it differently, arguing that “no other board governs this way.”

“The superintendent has more authority and say so than the actual board, which is supposed to be his or her employer,” she said. “This model really needs to be looked at, a deeper dive into it… There is opportunity to switch the governance model given the people who are running (for school board).”

Both candidates were interviewed by the Current prior to concerns being raised by individual principals and the teacher’s union about a potential budget deficit impacting an unknown number of CCSD schools. Gov. Joe Lombardo has called on the Department of Taxation and state legislators to evaluate or audit the district. The Nevada State Superintendent Jhone Ebert has also stepped in, issuing a series of questions to the district.

The Clark County Education Association has publicly called for an investigation into Garcia Morales and her potential knowledge of budget issues and Williams’ residency.

A debate over functionality

Garcia Morales believes the school board has increased its focus on student outcomes and seen improvements on set metrics like test scores and discipline rates.

“It’s not as fast as we’d like, but the progress is there,” she added.

Henry believes the district needs to improve its climate and culture, particularly if it wants to improve retention and recruitment.

“It’s time to start uplifting the positives — the gains, no matter how small,” she said. “The programs that are doing well, we need to replicate them and properly fund them.”

Henry said she also hopes the district might revisit and streamline some of the requirements imposed on nonprofits that want to provide community or wraparound services to students. Smaller organizations with a lot to offer are unable to because of requirements around insurance, she said.

“I understand protecting the data, and protecting our students is important,” said Henry, “but that’s a large price tag for smaller organizations that have the experience and evidence-based research behind them.”

Beyond their differences of opinion of how functional the school board currently is, Henry and Garcia Morales share some common traits. Both graduated from CCSD District C high schools and have children currently enrolled in the district.

Both women also have backgrounds advocating for under-resourced communities. Garcia Morales previously ran The Fulfillment Fund, a nonprofit focused on college access, though she has since left to start her own life and leadership company, called HumanKind Coaching. Henry is executive director of The Obodo Collective, a nonprofit focused on uplifting communities, and has board experience with Head Start, the federally funded free preschool program.

To get to this year’s general election, both women emerged from a five-person primary in June. Henry received the most votes, with 37.6%. Garcia Morales placed second with 29.1% of votes.

Henry raised approximately $23,000 during the first six months of the calendar year, according to campaign finance reports. Top contributors include political action committees affiliated with the Vegas Chamber and the Nevada State Education Association. Henry has also been endorsed by the Clark County Education Association.

Garcia Morales raised no money for her campaign, as of June 30. She told the Current she has simply prioritized her responsibilities on the board and within her family. She said she has faith that voters will know from her actions whether she is the type of leader they want.

The next round of campaign contribution and expense reports are due to the state by Oct. 15, four days before early voting begins.