Nevada
VICTOR JOECKS: Nevada the newest state to protect female sports
To play on a girls’ sports team, you have to be a girl. That sensible principle is now the policy of Nevada high school sports.
On Tuesday, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association overwhelmingly approved a new “student eligibility and participation” policy. Female athletes are allowed to “participate in a NIAA sanctioned sport on teams designated for girls.” Male athletes aren’t. And there’s no loophole for a boy who claims to be a girl, like there was before.
Bravo to the board members who supported this common-sense and much-needed policy.
After puberty, it’s unfair to make girls compete against boys. Deanna Riddle, a NIAA parent board member, shared a story that illustrated this. At a recent track meet, her son competed in the 300-meter hurdles. His first 200 meters went smoothly, but then he tweaked his hamstring. He had to limp to the finish line.
“He was so fast in his race — I think he ended at a 43.24 — that walking the last 100, he still beat (the time of) the fastest varsity girl,” she said.
Examples such as this are why it’s so important to protect female sports. It’s not merely about giving girls and women a chance to win either.
Sia Liilii testified in support of the policy. You may know her as the UNR volleyball player who bravely spoke out against San Jose State having a male player on its team. UNR even forfeited its match against that team in protest. But there’s more to her story.
“I am one of 11 siblings, so I knew from a young age that I would have to work hard, earn a scholarship in order to further my education,” she told the board. “By allowing biological males who are stronger and faster in women’s sports, the opportunity for a young girl in the future could be diminished.”
President Donald Trump deserves credit here, too. The board cited his executive order protecting women’s sports as an impetus for its own actions.
This is one of the biggest policy wins for Nevada conservatives in the past decade, and it didn’t happen by accident.
Liilii and her teammates took a courageous stand, drawing attention to the injustice of allowing men in women’s sports. Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony came out in strong support of the UNR volleyball team’s decision.
Anthony and Sarah Johnson, who works in his office, kept pushing the issue. In January, he created the Lieutenant Governor’s Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports. That group is chaired by Marshi Smith, an NCAA champion swimmer and co-founder of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports. Her work in Nevada and nationally has been invaluable. NIAA worked with ICONS in crafting this policy.
Unlike most government committees, this group took action and kept up the public pressure. At a recent Assembly Education Committee meeting, several young athletes spoke about the need to protect girls’ sports.
“Boys and girls are built differently, and that’s why we have separate teams,” Riley Roleson, a 12-year-old who plays volleyball and basketball, said.
Democrats have no answer to this preteen schooling them in biological realities that are obviously true. They can only hope that Republicans stop talking about the issue.
That would be a mistake. For one, when you’re on the popular side of an 80-20 issue, it’s political malpractice to stop talking about it. Plus, this victory is significant, but it isn’t etched in stone. If Attorney General Aaron Ford were to defeat Gov. Joe Lombardo in 2026, I believe he would sign a bill overruling this policy. The ACLU is also likely to sue.
Even so, this vote shows something important. The fight to protect women’s sports is winnable, but it must be fought.
Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.
Nevada
2025 worst year for home sales in Southern Nevada since 2007, report says
Home prices in Southern Nevada dropped from record highs to end 2025 and less homes sold last year compared with 2024.
Approximately 28,498 existing homes sold in the region last year, which is down almost 9 percent from the 31,305 homes that sold in 2024, according to trade association Las Vegas Realtors, which pulls its data from the Multiple Listing Service. This is the lowest number of homes sold in a year in Southern Nevada since 2007 right before the Great Recession.
The median sale price for a house sold in Southern Nevada in December was approximately $470,000, a 3.9 percent drop from November, according to LVR. By the end of December, LVR reported 6,396 single-family homes listed for sale without any sort of offer. That’s up 28.8 percent from one year earlier.
Despite a down year in sales, the local market did end on a high note.
George Kypreos, president of Las Vegas Realtors, said he is optimistic the housing market could turn around this year. The LVR report noted that home sales in Southern Nevada have seen “peaks and valleys” in recent years, generally declining since 2021 when a record 50,010 properties sold.
“Although it was a relatively slow year for home sales, we’re seeing some encouraging signs heading into the new year,” said Kypreos in a statement. “Buyer activity locally and nationally is starting to improve. Home prices have been fairly stable, and mortgage interest rates ended the year lower than they were the previous year. Most trends are pointing to a more balanced housing market in 2026.”
Freddie Mac currently has the average price for a 30-year fixed-term mortgage rate at 6.1 percent. That mortgage rate has not gone below 6 percent since 2022.
The all-time high median home sale price in Southern Nevada was broken multiple times last year, and currently sits at $488,995 which was last set in November while the condo and townhome market has dropped substantially from an all-time high that was set in October of 2024 ($315,000) to $275,000 to end 2025.
Major residential real estate brokerages are mixed as to where the market will head this year as Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com have all put out their 2026 projections, and they expect a similar market to 2025. Mortgage rates aren’t expected to drop enough next year to unlock the country’s housing market, new builds will continue to lag, and prices will remain relatively elevated.
Realtor.com said in its report that it predicts a “steadier” housing market next year and a slight shift to a more balanced market. Redfin’s report says 2026 will be the year of the “great housing reset,” which means the start of a yearslong period of “gradual increases in home sales and normalization of prices as affordability gradually improves.”
Finally, Zillow said the housing market should “warm up” in 2026 with “buyers seeing a bit more breathing room and sellers benefiting from price stability and more consistent demand.”
Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.
Nevada
A snowmobiler dies after an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada
TRUCKEE, Calif. — An avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada on Monday buried a snowmobiler in snow and killed him, authorities said.
Rescuers responded after a 911 call around 2:20 p.m. reported a possible avalanche near Johnson Peak and Castle Peak in Truckee.
The snowmobiler was initially reported missing but then was found under the snow several minutes later, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Fellow recreationists found him but he didn’t survive despite lifesaving efforts, according to the statement.
Emergency personnel were working to safely extract the victim late Monday and to confirm no others were buried.
The sheriff’s office said more avalanches could occur and recommended that people avoid the area.
Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center. The center’s current map shows high risk spots in Utah and Washington and areas of considerable risk in California, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming.
Nevada
Who is No. 1 in the 1st Nevada Preps winter sports rankings?
Nevada Preps Winter Sports Rankings
Records through Sunday
Boys basketball
Class 5A
1. Liberty (10-5)
2. Democracy Prep (9-6)
3. Coronado (5-6)
4. Bishop Gorman (9-7)
5. Desert Pines (11-4)
Class 4A
1. Clark (8-5)
2. Las Vegas High (10-4)
3. Losee (7-5)
4. Faith Lutheran (11-5)
5. Shadow Ridge (11-4)
Class 3A
1. Virgin Valley (9-2)
2. The Meadows (9-5)
3. Boulder City (9-5)
4. GV Christian (8-6)
5. Pahrump Valley (5-7)
Games to watch
All games at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Tuesday
Losee at Las Vegas
Faith Lutheran at Liberty
Wednesday
Bishop Gorman at Desert Pines
Virgin Valley at The Meadows
Thursday
Coronado at Mojave
Clark at Durango
Friday
Desert Pines at Las Vegas
Virgin Valley at Boulder City
Saturday
Big City Showdown at Coronado
Liberty vs. Desert Pines, 4:30 p.m.
Bishop Gorman vs. Coronado, 8 p.m.
Girls basketball
Class 5A
1. Bishop Gorman (11-1)
2. Democracy Prep (7-4)
3. Centennial (6-3)
4. Liberty (10-7)
5. Shadow Ridge (3-4)
Class 4A
1. Mojave (9-4)
2. Mater East (10-4)
3. Losee (14-5)
4. Del Sol (13-3)
5. Cimarron-Memorial (9-2)
Class 3A
1. Virgin Valley (6-5)
2. Boulder City (8-6)
3. Moapa Valley (8-4)
4. Coral Academy (7-4)
5. Pahrump Valley (4-7)
Games to watch
All games at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Wednesday
Faith Lutheran at Shadow Ridge
Centennial at Liberty
Mojave at Desert Oasis
Thursday
Sierra Vista at Cimarron-Memorial, 5 p.m.
Friday
Mater East at Desert Oasis
Virgin Valley at Boulder City
Saturday
Big City Showdown at Coronado
Bishop Gorman vs. Centennial, 6:15 p.m.
Flag football
Class 5A
1. Desert Oasis (8-0)
2. Shadow Ridge (10-1)
3. Arbor View (10-1)
4. Palo Verde (10-3)
5. Liberty (6-2)
Class 4A
1. Virgin Valley (5-3)
2. Sierra Vista (5-2)
3. Mater East (6-3)
4. Clark (7-4)
5. Spring Valley (5-2)
Games to watch
All games at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Palo Verde at Desert Oasis
Coronado at Bishop Gorman
SECTA at Arbor View
Friday
Shadow Ridge at Palo Verde
Canyon Springs at Arbor View
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