Nevada
US judge to hear legal battle over Nevada mustang roundup where 31 wild horses have died
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A legal battle over the U.S. government’s ongoing capture of thousands of wild horses in Nevada where 31 mustangs have died in a weekslong roundup goes before a judge Wednesday as opponents try to prove it’s illegal and should be stopped.
Federal land managers said in new court filings ahead of the Reno hearing that the deaths among 2,500 horses gathered since July 9 are an unfortunate — but expected — part of necessary efforts to cull the size of large herds.
They said the free-roaming animals pose a threat to the ecological health of public rangeland.
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Horse advocates said the deaths were unnecessary, resulting from inhumane tactics being used to expedite removals from public lands where pregnant mares and young foals are being chased in summer heat across rocky, high-desert into makeshift corrals.
U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks scheduled Wednesday’s hearing to get details from both sides as he considers the non-profit Wild Horse Education’s bid for a temporary restraining order halting the gather in northeast Nevada scheduled to run through Aug. 22.
Government lawyers said in court filings Monday the horse advocates are trying to inflame emotions with photos and videos of injured mustangs trying to flee helicopters and wranglers on horseback. One with a broken leg was chased for 35 minutes before it was euthanized.
“Deaths are tragic, but they are a known and anticipated part of wild horse gathers that must be weighed against the harm the same horses face under drought and overpopulation conditions if the gather cannot be completed,” Justice Department lawyers representing the bureau wrote.
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The agency says the 31 deaths are within the average mortality rate of 1% and 1.2% for wild horse gathers conducted from 2010-19.
“Plaintiffs list the number of deaths that have occurred during the gathers but fail to mention the thousands of horses that have been gathered safely,” government lawyers wrote.
“Despite plaintiffs’ sensational allegations, there is nothing out of the ordinary … and nothing to suggest the conditions of these gathers have been unusually dangerous to the horses,” they added.
Horse advocates said the mustangs have been made scapegoats for damage most-often caused by taxpayer-subsidized cattle grazing the same limited forage on the high-desert range at much higher numbers.
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Among other things, they said in a lawsuit filed July 26 the roundup halfway between Reno and Salt Lake City is illegally based on an outdated environmental review that fails to reflect current conditions on the range. They said it also ignores evidence the herds are still in the midst of foaling season when the use of helicopters is largely prohibited.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, of Nevada, is pushing legislation in Congress to outlaw the use of helicopters altogether.
The lawsuit also claims the agency is failing to comply with requirements that the public be allowed to witness the roundups, frequently parking trucks and trailers to obscure distant views from the designated observation area.
Above all, the lawsuit argues the roundup violates a 1971 U.S. law that mandates that the animals be treated humanely.
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“The physical and emotional toll of watching BLM wrap abuse in layers of bureaucracy and simply take no real action to stop inflicting unnecessary suffering on these sensitive and family-oriented beings is sickening,” said Laura Leigh, founder of the Nevada-based Wild Horse Education.
Leigh says the bureau has erroneously concluded that peak foaling season is the same for all herds — from March 1 through June 30. During this period the agency grounds helicopters to minimize potential harm to the young foals.
Leigh said she’s documented seasonal distinctions throughout western rangelands in 10 states. She said some begin as early as late January and others continue through September.
Nevada
Nevada DMV testing new “turbo title” system
CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) – The Nevada DMV is unveiling a new online service in certain portion of the state.
Their new “turbo titles” launched at the Elko and Sahara Las Vegas DMV offices last Monday.
The Nevada DMV says the new system is designed to speed up the process of applying for new and duplicate titles faster for eligible residents of Nevada. Customers will be able to upload documents remotely through a DriveNV portal and fast pass their initial trip to the Nevada DMV office.
“The Nevada DMV processes about 285,000 standard titles a year,” stated Public Information Officer Paolo David. “Turbo Titles will speed up the titling process for our customers, which will provide greater convenience to our community.”
Those who are eligible to participate in this service are:
- Customers who have purchased or leased a vehicle from an out-of-state dealer or private party
- Customers who have received a vehicle from a private party or family member as a gift
- New residents to Nevada with an existing vehicle
- Customers in need of a duplicate Nevada title
“Our Turbo Titles release is very similar to our last release, Rapid Registration, which means it is the very first phase of this service,” said Public Information Officer Hailey Foster. “Customers will still need to make an appointment to pay and verify the title documentation they submitted.”
One payment is complete, customers will get the title via mail to the address provided.
If a lienholder is on the title, the lienholder will receive the paper or electronic title based on information supplied to the DMV.
Copyright 2025 KOLO. All rights reserved.
Nevada
'All the lads want to go': Wigan rookies push for Vegas selection
Wigan’s rookie brigade put their hands up for Vegas selection after the Warriors did what Allegiant Stadium rivals Warrington could not and registered a win in their opening pre-season clash.
“I’d love to go to Vegas – with the squad we’ve got over here at Wigan it’s a big fight for places,” said back rower George Hirst after Sunday’s 28-16 defeat of Oldham.
Wunderkind half Jack Farrimond pulled the strings and non-stop lock Harvie Hill seemed to take every second hit-up as coaches rewarded the players who’ve been back in training since last year while Australian-based stars and England internationals took a break.
Hirst returned to the club he helped win promotion to the Championship last year and impressed in Arctic conditions at Boundary Park. Another former Roughyed, Tyler Dupree, scored Wigan’s first try.
“It’s down to me really,” Hirst said. “Train well, play well. I’d love to go but it’s not my choice.
“All the lads want to go. We’ll find out closer to the time. There’ll be a few lads disappointed.”
One man who might sneak onto the plane is 18-year-old Taylor Kerr, who played alongside Farrimond in the halves but can also handle hooker and back row.
“It’s just a sign of a quality player,” said assistant coach Thomas Leuluai, a renowned utility in his 40 Test career for the Kiwis and 448 NRL and Super League appearances.
“They’re all in that squad for a reason. We’ve got good depth. The guys today, they haven’t done themselves any harm, have they?
“Who’s going to Vegas? I don’t know when he (head coach Matty Peet) is picking that, but the guys today have made a good account of themselves and should be happy.”
Super League rivals, Huddersfield and Salford, joined Warrington – beaten 36-22 by Widnes – in being toppled by Championship teams over the weekend.
“It’s good to be the only ones who won,” said Hirst.
Nevada
Missing pilot’s plane found near Mount Jefferson, authorities say
After weeks of searching, the plane of a pilot who went missing earlier this month was found near Mount Jefferson on Saturday.
Authorities had not been able to get more than a couple of miles away from the scene as of Sunday afternoon, and the condition of pilot Michael Martin, who was the only person onboard, remains unknown.
Nye County Director of Emergency Management Scott Lewis was just returning from the scene Sunday afternoon when he spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and said that there was “significant damage” to the aircraft.
“We just need to get the resources and get them up there as quickly as we can. It was very windy during our search just now, very treacherous area, very steep area. We have a lot of things to overcome, but we’re working on it,” Lewis said.
The elevated position made the scene unreachable by foot, and Lewis said the team needed to wait for helicopters to reach the scene.
Martin, an experienced, licensed pilot, took off from North Las Vegas Airport the morning of Jan. 2 without telling anyone. His location last showed him as near Mount Jefferson, about 50 miles from Tonopah. His family reported the 65-year-old pilot missing on Jan. 5.
Authorities searched hundreds of square miles for Martin but suspended search and rescue efforts Thursday after finding no physical evidence, Lewis said.
Local resources were still looking in the area, and late Saturday, a game warden using special glasses found the plane, Lewis said. The search team had already looked in the area, but the snow previously covering it had melted.
Mystery departure
The circumstances of Martin’s disappearance remain unclear. The day he went missing, he told the owner of the company where he works that he’d be taking an early lunch but would return by 12:30 p.m. for an important meeting, according to his daughter-in-law Kathleen Martin.
Martin, an aerospace engineer, is employed as president of Erickson International, a window film manufacturer in Las Vegas, according to his family and LinkedIn page. Erickson operations employee Don Gist previously said the two had discussed working on a project together that afternoon.
Martin’s plane took off at 10:51 a.m., but his flight transponder stopped transmitting at 11:15 a.m. At 12:06 p.m., Martin’s daughter-in-law said, his phone last pinged near Tonopah, and at 12:26 p.m., his iPad — which he used as a navigation aid — and his Apple Watch last showed him near Mount Jefferson, about 50 miles from Tonopah.
She said his family initially believed he’d had a stressful holiday season and was taking a one- or two-day break in a local hotel, but they reported him missing the evening of Jan. 5 because they couldn’t get in touch with him.
Martin did not appear to have established a flight plan, according to Lewis,
Cathy Martin, his wife of 40 years, previously told the Review-Journal that Michael Martin had left without explanation years ago for one or two days.
“We had a little tiff Wednesday night, but it wasn’t a huge one,” she said. “I just asked him a question and we discussed it and it was done. He wasn’t upset.”
If he survived a crash, he had the skills to take care of himself in the wilderness, his wife said.
A missing person report released by police indicates Martin might have been upset and carried a handgun in his work bag the morning he left.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social. Review-Journal staff writer Noble Brigham contributed to this report.
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