Nevada

Walker River Tribe gets final $2.4M needed for clean water infrastructure project • Nevada Current

Published

2 years ago

May 20, 2024

Walker River Tribe gets final .4M needed for clean water infrastructure project • Nevada Current

For years, members of the Walker River Paiute Tribe who depend on well water have been plagued by water scarcity, brought on by a lack of infrastructure and funding.

Between aging pipes, pollutants and regional drought, the tribe’s existing water infrastructure has been stretched to its limits — compromising both public health and economic development.

But after seven years of lobbying, the Walker River Paiute Tribe now has the funding it needs for a $12 million water system improvement project to secure a reliable and sustainable water supply for well users on the tribe’s reservation.

In total, the project will provide a comprehensive domestic water supply distribution system for more than 100 residences on the reservation.

Andrea Martinez, the chair of the Walker River Paiute Tribe, said the tribe hopes to complete the project in a little over two years. The project will secure clean drinking water, and expand the tribe’s capacity to add new homes on the reservation.

“This has been a priority for the tribe for years. And we’re fortunate to get funding for this project. It’s really humbling to see this come to fruition. It gives me hope for the next generations of our tribe,” Martinez said.

Last week, the Department of the Interior awarded the Walker River Paiute Tribe more than $2.4 million to construct a domestic water supply for communities solely dependent on well water.

That funding builds on a $5.2 million U.S Department of Commerce economic development grant to the tribe in 2023, a $1 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant for water quality improvements, and $3 million in drinking water state revolving loan funds. The remaining funds would be covered by the additional American Rescue Plan funding awarded to the tribe.

The $2.4 million grant awarded last week will be used to construct a 410,000-gallon water storage tank on the Walker River Paiute Reservation for the project, which will include about 25,000 feet of pipe across the reservation, and a new water line needed to construct housing.

“We’re going to be able to bring our people back home by having this water infrastructure and building out homes. Ultimately, I think that’s going to help our tribe continue to grow and succeed and be fruitful in the future,” Martinez said. “I think once we have the water infrastructure, we’ll be able to see our vision.”

‘Coming back home’

Nevada has 21 federally recognized tribes that span 28 reservations, bands, colonies and community councils. Most reservations in Nevada are remote and face a host of challenges unique to rural communities, including lack of infrastructure, inadequate water treatment facilities, and limited funding.

Tribes in rural Nevada are highly vulnerable to water insecurity because of a lack of access to water infrastructure stemming from policy decisions made in the early days of federal agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation.

Many homes that rely on well water don’t have adequate water pressure for home use, leaving residents with unreliable water access. A report by the Indian Health Service in 2019 noted that low water pressure in Walker River Paiute Tribe housing has led to health risks associated with bacteria growth in stagnant water.

Improvements to water infrastructure can reduce inpatient and outpatient visits related to respiratory, skin and soft tissue, and gastroenteric disease, according to IHS. Based on 2020 data, every $1 spent on water and sewer infrastructure can save $1.18 in avoided direct health care costs for these diseases.

Lack of adequate water pressure on the reservation also means that much of the reservation lacks the water pressure needed for piping fire hydrants, putting the tribe at severe risk of fire damage. Existing water storage capacity on the reservation falls short of meeting current codes for fire suppression, according to the Interior.

“It could have been detrimental to our community if there were fires in areas that didn’t have adequate water pressure,” Martinez said.

Lack of water infrastructure has cost the tribe, both in terms of public health and economic development, said Martinez.

“I think that’s probably one of the fundamental contributors to why we can’t have people come back home and work for the tribe. We talk about leaving the reservation, getting educated, coming back home to help your people and make something better for the tribe. But ultimately, what I have witnessed is that there are no homes for these individuals to come home to,” she said.

A number of current tribal employees are forced to live off the reservation despite a desire to return, due to lack of housing and the necessary infrastructure needed to support those homes, said Martinez.

“It’s just so sad and detrimental to see,” she continued.

The funding for water infrastructure is a huge game changer for the tribe, and will allow the tribe to build more homes and businesses, said Martinez. The tribe is also wrapping up a $1 million water rights settlement with the Bureau of Reclamation that will secure the tribe’s water rights to the Weber Reservoir, and recognize the tribe’s jurisdiction over groundwater on their reservation.

“This is considered a historical settlement for the tribe. I believe it’s been over 100 years that we’ve been fighting for our water,” Martinez said.

Once the water infrastructure project is complete, the tribe can utilize those hard-fought water rights for the tribe’s benefit, she said.

“We can continue to build capacity and become successful, but also build cultural preservation. If we have more citizens living on the reservation there could be a stronger sense of cultural preservation and connection to our traditions and heritage.”

The funding for the $2.4 million grant will come from the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress in 2022. In total, the Department of the Interior announced $147.6 million in funding for 42 drought resilience projects in ten states last week.

In a statement announcing the funding, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland applauded the Biden administration for “making record investments to safeguard local water supplies and build climate resilience now and into the future.”

“By working together in close coordination with states, Tribes and other stakeholders, we can provide much needed relief for communities across the West that will have a lasting impact for generations,” Haaland said.

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Nevada

People urged to stay inside across California, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota

Published

6 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

People urged to stay inside across California, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota

Thousands of residents across parts of California, Nevada, Oregon, and South Dakota have been advised to stay indoors, as levels of fine particle pollution (PM2.5) will have reached “unhealthy” levels as of January 12, 2026, at 6 a.m. ET, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AirNow Map shows.

The EPA is urging people in sensitive groups, including the elderly, children, and those with certain health conditions, to completely avoid prolonged or intense outdoor activities. Everyone else should reduce their participation in long or intense outdoor pursuits.

This is because physical activity causes people to breathe harder and faster, which means the fine particulate matter can penetrate deeper into the lungs if people are exercising outdoors.

The EPA warns, “Your chances of being affected by particles increase the more strenuous your activity and the longer you are active outdoors. If your activity involves prolonged or heavy exertion, reduce your activity time—or substitute another that involves less exertion. Go for a walk instead of a jog, for example.”

What Do ‘Unhealthy’ Levels of PM2.5 Mean?

PM2.5 are tiny, inhalable particles of pollution, 2.5 micrometers or less in size (smaller than a strand of hair), that are considered to be one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution, according to the EPA.

This is because they get deep into the lungs—and sometimes even the bloodstream—triggering or exacerbating certain health conditions, like asthma, or causing symptoms ranging from coughing and nose, eye, and throat irritation to shortness of breath and chest tightness.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the Air Quality Index (AQI) to report and classify air quality across the United States. The AQI is a standardized scale ranging from 0 to 301+, which categorizes air quality into the following levels:

Good: 0 to 50—Air pollution poses little or no risk to the public
Moderate: 51 to 100—Some pollutants may pose a moderate health concern for a very small number of unusually sensitive people
Unhealthy for sensitive groups: 101 to 150—Members of sensitive groups (children, elderly, people with respiratory or heart conditions) may experience health effects; the general public is less likely to be affected
Unhealthy: 151 to 200—Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious effects
Very Unhealthy: 201 to 300—Everyone may experience more serious health effects
Hazardous: 301+—Health warnings of emergency conditions; the entire population is likely to be affected

What Causes PM2.5?

PM2.5 can come from a variety of sources, ranging from wildfires and smokestacks to emissions from vehicles and power or industrial plants.

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Nevada

3 takeaways from Big City Showdown: Gorman boys, girls shine — PHOTOS

Published

18 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

3 takeaways from Big City Showdown: Gorman boys, girls shine — PHOTOS

Bishop Gorman and Coronado’s boys basketball teams added another chapter to their rivalry at Saturday night’s Big City Showdown.

And the Gaels made sure they wouldn’t lose a third straight regular-season game to the Cougars.

Gorman, the two-time defending Class 5A state champion, almost saw its 10-point fourth quarter lead evaporate, but the Gaels, No. 4 in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, pulled through late to hold on for a 62-58 road win at No. 3 Coronado.

“It’s been a great rivalry,” Gorman boys coach Grant Rice said. “Student sections are both great, they always show out. I was proud of our guys, just a fun night. We got a lot of basketball left ahead of us. This league is really tough.”

Gorman’s win capped off the seven-game Big City Showdown. The most surprising result came before Gorman and Coronado took the court, when the Gorman girls crushed Centennial 91-54.

“We practice extremely hard,” Gorman girls coach Sheryl Krmpotich said. “Our master plan, they did to a T. I’m proud of the girls. They executed exactly what we wanted. We played tougher and we played smart.”

The games have started to provide a clearer look at the playoff picture with a month before the postseason. Here are three takeaways from the Big City Showdown:

1. Gorman boys stand tall

Gorman (11-7, 2-0 5A Southern League) was in control most of the way until late in the fourth quarter. Dino Roberts’ layup with just over five minutes left gave the Gaels a 51-41 advantage.

Then Coronado (6-7, 1-1) went on an 8-0 run and later made it a one-score game at 55-53 on a Demari Hunter layup with 2:50 left. Coronado cut the deficit to one possession twice in the final minute, and the Cougars had a chance to win the game, trailing 60-58 with eight seconds left.

But a Jonny Collins 3-pointer missed, Coronado couldn’t control possession and Gorman guard Ty Johnson made two free throws at the other end to seal the win for the Gaels.

“We’re a really balanced team,” Rice said. “We only have two seniors and two juniors that get minutes and the rest are sophomores. We’re learning. … I think the guys needed this big game in Vegas to get their confidence back. We still have to stay grounded because we’re a young team, but we showed we can be pretty good.”

Johnson, who was named the game MVP, led Gorman with 23 points. The sophomore point guard scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Gaels secure the win. Braylen Williams added 13 points for Gorman and Dino Roberts scored 10.

“It just helps us excel,” Johnson said of Gorman’s depth. “We had Hudson Dannels making 3s, (Kameron Cooper) and Braylen hustling on the boards. Defense and rebounding are the two things that’ll get us a (win). We’re going to score, points are going to come.”

Munir Greg led Coronado with 22 points. Missouri State commit Amare Oba scored 16 points and DeVaughn Dorrough added 10 points for the Cougars.

2. Gorman girls dominate

Just like Coronado and Gorman on the boys side, the Centennial and Gorman girls have played close, thrilling games. Not on Saturday, though.

Led by 30 points from Texas commit Aaliah Spaight, the Gaels, No. 1 in the Review-Journal’s 5A rankings, led nearly the entire game in its rout of No. 3 Centennial.

“Every game, we’re getting better. Every quarter we get better,” Krmpotich said. “We still haven’t put four quarters together yet. We want to do that in February.”

Centennial (8-4, 1-1 5A Southern League) had no answers for Spaight and Gorman’s depth. The 5-foot-8-inch guard showcased her scoring range — stepback 3s, jumpers and incredible post moves — passing and defense, when Spaight was matched up with Centennial four-star forward Nation Williams.

“She’s the All-American on our team,” Krmpotich said of Spaight. “She sets a tone at practice. She sets a tone in the game. She is a true leader and you expect that. … She’s an extremely smart basketball player, basketball savvy, so we knew she knew how to guard (Williams).”

Gorman (13-1, 2-0), which is ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps, made 12 3-pointers. Taylor Scandrick added 22 points off the bench for the Gaels. Williams led Centennial with 18 points.

“We can rotate in and out. We have an inside-out game. We have kids that can post, kids that can drive to the bucket, kids than can shoot a 3,” Krmpotich said. We’re very multidimensional, so it’s very hard to defend just one or two people.”

3. Look at 5A

There are still plenty of challengers looking to dethrone Gorman for the 5A boys title race.

One matchup at the Big City Showdown pitted two of those contenders with No. 1 Liberty holding off No. 5 Desert Pines 67-66. Liberty led by 21 points early in the third quarter. Tyus Thomas scored 15 points to pace Liberty (13-5, 2-0).

The Patriots could be the biggest threat to Gorman, and you can’t count out Desert Pines, but there are other contenders in 5A with Democracy Prep and Mojave. Coronado should be primed for a state title run come February.

On the 5A girls side, No. 2 Democracy Prep will get its shots at Gorman and Centennial late in the regular season. Democracy Prep beat Gorman twice last year and came up short to Centennial in the 5A title game.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

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Nevada

Nevada gets back in win column, downs Wyoming, 92-83

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Nevada gets back in win column, downs Wyoming, 92-83

Corey Camper Jr. put on a shooting clinic and helped Nevada get back in the win column.

Nevada beat Wyoming 92-83, on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 8,906 fans at Lawlor Events Center.

Camper Jr., playing for the third time after missing a month with a back injury, scored a career-high 31 points as Nevada improved to 4-1 in the Mountain West Conference, 12-4 overall. He was 10-of-13 from the field including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 from the free throw line, playing 32 minutes. He had seven rebounds.

Elijah Price had a double-double with a career-high 20 points and 16 rebounds, in 34 minutes, while Tayshawn Comer, Amire Robinson and Peyton White each added 10 points. Comer had 10 assists as Nevada had 21 as a team. Vaughn Weems returned to the court after missing the San Diego State game on Tuesday with the flu. He played 12 minutes and scored nine points.

The Wolf Pack shot 61 percent from the field (31-51) and made 10-of-16 from the arc.

Nasir Meyer led Wyoming with 27 points as the Cowboys dropped to 2-2 in conference, 11-5 overall.

Nevada coach Steve Alford said the Wolf Pack’s defense was better against the Cowboys than it was in the loss to San Diego State.

But still not to the level he would like it.

He cited communication and players’ stances while both guarding the ball and off the ball as a few of the many fundamentals the Pack needs to improve.

“We had slippage in the (San Diego) State game and we didn’t have a whole of improvement in this game, from a defensive standpoint,” Alford said Saturday night.

Nevada’s offense was much better, though, than in the loss to the Aztecs. The Pack took better shots and eliminated bad shots.

Alford said Price played more of a complete game than he has most of the season.

Price said the Pack’s defense was not good, but played better in the second half and that as why the Pack won.

“We’re a lot better defensively than what we’ve been showing the past two games,” Price said. “We know if were going to beat Utah State on the road, we’re going to have to get some stops, so that’s what we’re focused on.”

More Key Stats

Nevada outrebounded Wyoming, 38-32. Both teams had nine offensive boards.

Nevada had eight turnovers and Wyoming had six.

The Pack outscored the Cowboys, 38-32, in the paint.

Wyoming’s bench outscored the Pack’s, 31-29.

Out

Nevada’s Joel Armotrading and Tyler Rolison did not play. Armotrading was injured against Washington on Nov. 27 and has not played since. Rolison has a back injury.

Half

Wyoming led, 39-38, at the half. Camper Jr. had 19 points in the first half.

Nevada shot 14-of-27 from the field and 5-of-10 from the ac.

The Cowboys outscored the Wolf Pack in the paint, 22-14.

Up Next

Nevada travels to play at State at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The Aggies dominated Boise State on Saturday, taking a 93-68 win to improve to 14-1 overall, 5-0 in conference.

Nevada will travel to Logan, Utah on Tuesday, and stay on the road for the following game, at Air Force on Saturday.

“(Utah State) has one of the best crowds in the Mountain West , so we know it’s going to be a very difficult game for us,” Alford said. “We needed to get this one, to get that momentum before we go on the road.”

Alford said if Indiana wins that game, and finished 16-0, it means Indiana will have the only two undefeated season in college major sports as the Hoosiers 1976 basketball team was undefeated.

Alford’s Alma Mater

Alford played college basketball at Indoana.

The Hoosiers are playing Miami for the national football championship on Jan 19.

Steve Alford discusses Nevada’s 92-83 win over Wyoming on Saturday

Nevada men’s basketball coach Steve Alford discusses the Wolf Pack’s 92-83 win over Wyoming on Saturday

Nevada’s Remaining Schedule

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m. at Utah State (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Jan. 17, 1 p.m. at Air Force (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m. vs. San Jose State (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Jan. 24, 5 p.m. at New Mexico (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m. vs. Grand Canyon (TV: FS1/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Friday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m. vs. UNLV (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 5 p.m. at Boise State (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. vs. Fresno State (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m. at San Diego State (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m. at San Jose State (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. vs. Utah State (TV: FS1/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. vs. New Mexico (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. at UNLV (TV: CBS Sports Network/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Tuesday, March 3, TBD at Wyoming (TV: MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)
Saturday, March 7, 7 p.m. vs. Air Force (TV: KNSN, MW Network, Ch. 21/Radio: 95.5 FM)