Nevada
World-famous rock climber celebrates unanimously passed ‘EXPLORE Act’
Since moving to Las Vegas eight years ago, rock climber Alex Honnold has become all too familiar with the dangers of scaling Nevada’s high mountains.
Honnold starred in the Oscar-winning documentary “Free Solo” for his climb of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan rock wall without ropes or other support. But lately, he’s an advocate for making climbing safer, especially through a piece of legislation signed into law this month by then-President Joe Biden.
“It’s rare for something like the EXPLORE Act to pass unanimously in the House and Senate,” Honnold said Friday, with Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area’s massive, bright hills behind him. “There aren’t that many winning issues, but everybody loves outdoor recreation.”
Honnold, who said he’s climbed the entire north-to-south expanse of Red Rock in 36 hours, joined U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., and other recreation advocates to celebrate Congress’ passage of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, a large package of bills targeted at recreation.
Rock climbing protected
Lee co-sponsored two bills underneath the umbrella of the package: the Biking On Long-Distance Trails (BOLT) Act and the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act, both of which she said have implications for her district, which contains land as far north as Red Rock and as far southeast as Searchlight.
Outdoor recreation is an $8.1 billion industry in Nevada, state estimates show, and Red Rock welcomes about 3 million climbers every year, officials said.
“The EXPLORE Act is the most comprehensive upgrade to federal recreation policy in recent history,” said Elisabeth Johnson, deputy administrator of the Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation. “This is especially pivotal for Nevada.”
Lee said she noticed a need for the PARC Act when the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service proposed classifying fixed anchors, or the permanent hardware bolted into mountains for climbers to secure themselves, as prohibited in wilderness areas. The law now protects these fixed anchors, of which there are thousands across Southern Nevada.
“This is really about making sure that we continue to build on this incredible resource we have, but also doing it safely,” Lee said.
The BOLT Act will direct the Interior Department to identify, map and promote at least 10 long-distance, outdoor biking trails — usually ones that span multiple states. It’s unclear yet which ones may be identified.
Lee, who is consistently ranked one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and serves as the House Democratic Caucus’ battleground leadership representative, said she’s proud of how well-supported the legislation package was across the aisle.
“In today’s environment, as we all know, bipartisanship — sometimes it’s a little bit difficult to achieve,” Lee said. “But this bill was so important because it really brought together Democrats and Republicans across the country.”
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
Top performances
Girls basketball
– Sakaara Ashton, Las Vegas: The freshman nailed three 3-pointers while racking up 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Wildcats’ 75-54 win over Tech.
– Jaslyn Jefferson, Shadow Ridge: The senior compiled 40 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the Mustangs’ 86-5 victory over Desert Pines.
– Jasmine Ponce, Cimarron-Memorial: The junior collected 20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks to lead the Spartans past Doral Academy 60-30.
– Jordynn Riggins, Losee: The freshman scored 22 points to help the Lions cruise to a 75-3 win over Rancho.
– Delyla Ross, Sunrise Mountain: The senior had 23 points as the Miners rolled to a 56-14 victory over Chaparral.
— Morgan White, Del Sol: The senior posted 17 points to lead the Dragons past Green Valley 67-32.
– Caylyn Young, Faith Lutheran: The sophomore scored 17 points as the Crusaders defeated Legacy 62-32.
Flag football
– Carly Martell, Sky Pointe: The sophomore carried 15 times for 117 yards to help the Eagles down Cheyenne 21-0.
– Andrea Mitchell, Centennial: The junior had 10 solo tackles to lead the defense in the Bulldogs’ 6-0 victory over Canyon Springs.
– Patricia Monacelli, Cadence: The junior caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown, and nabbed two interceptions on defense to help lift the Cougars over Boulder City 6-0.
– Danielle Morales, Arbor View: The junior had 69 rushing yards for a touchdown and 38 receiving yards for another score in the Aggies’ 38-13 win over Coronado.
– Charlice Weingarten, Bishop Gorman: The sophomore logged three sacks and two more tackles to help the Gaels beat Foothill 38-18.
Scores
Boys basketball
Beaver Dam 47, Adelson School 32
Boulder City 63, Coral Academy 19
Girls basketball
Basic 47, Sloan Canyon 10
Beaver Dam d. Adelson, forfeit
Bishop Gorman 73, Coronado 29
Cimarron-Memorial 60, Doral Academy 30
Clark 55, Spring Valley 37
Coral Academy 47, Boulder City 45
Del Sol 67, Green Valley 32
Democracy Prep 62, Liberty 29
Faith Lutheran 62, Legacy 32
Las Vegas 75, Tech 54
Losee 75, Rancho 3
Mater East 62, Eldorado 13
Moapa Valley 54, Amplus Academy 6
Pahrump Valley 50, Cristo Rey 17
Palo Verde 44, Canyon Springs 43
Shadow Ridge 86, Desert Pines 5
Sierra Vista 60, Desert Oasis 48
Sunrise Mountain 56, Chaparral 14
Virgin Valley d. The Meadows, forfeit
Western 57, Durango 37
Flag football
Arbor 38, Coronado 13
Bishop Gorman 38, Foothill 18
Bonanza 18, Amplus 14
Cadence 6, Boulder City 0
Centennial 6, Canyon Springs 0
Clark 26, Western 6
Desert Oasis 48, Basic 6
Eldorado 30, Desert Pines 19
Legacy 33, Doral Academy 6
Mojave 8, Cimarron-Memorial 0
Sierra Vista 18, Durango 0
Sky Pointe 21, Cheyenne 0
Spring Valley 34, Democracy Prep 0
Virgin Valley 27, Las Vegas 26
Jeff Wollard Review-Journal
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada’s unemployment rate for December remains unchanged at 5.2%, according to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
The figures show no improvement from the previous month.
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In a breakdown of the state’s cities, Las Vegas also reported a 5.2% unemployment rate, while Reno and Carson City both recorded a rate of 4%.
Supposed sightings of alien aircraft and extraterrestrial life are synonymous with the state of Nevada. A new group in Southern Nevada hopes to offer a glimpse into the unsolved mysteries of the universe with its first event this weekend.
“I spend a lot of hours out there videotaping and to see that so many people want to come out and join me, it’s like a party,” said local ufologist Joseph De La Torre, better known as the Pahrump Alien Guy.
The Southern Nevada Ufology Group will host its first meeting on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. During the event, attendees will learn how to take photos of UFOs from the Pahrump Alien Guy himself. The meeting will take place at the Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino in the building’s gravel lot near the bowling parking area. Attendees will park in the bowling parking lot.
“I ended up learning to look into the skies here over Pahrump and I read an article where it said that Pahrump is in the Area 51 excursion zone,” the Pahrump Alien Guy told the Pahrump Valley Times.
Participants are encouraged to arrive with a tripod for their phone in order to properly take photos. Food, beverages and camping chairs are also welcome, but the Southern Nevada Ufology Group asks guests to please clean up after themselves once the event is over. If you’re interested in joining Saturday’s meeting, you must RSVP by contacting southernnevadaufologygroup@gmail.com to confirm your attendance and to receive more information. Children are not allowed at the event.
“I think that it’s going to be very successful,” the Pahrump Alien Guy enthused.
The Pahrump Alien Guy hosted the inaugural Pahrump Alien Conference in October 2025, a gathering that saw a large turnout of locals, visitors from Las Vegas, and other tourists passing through Nye County.
“We didn’t think it was going to be that successful,” the Pahrump Alien Guy shared.
During that event, UFO photos from the Pahrump Alien Guy’s database were showcased, local vendors sold alien-themed goods and featured guests spoke about their work in ufology.
Two of the event’s featured speakers were Mike Bara, a New York Times best-selling author and frequent guest on the History Channel’s long-standing series “Ancient Aliens,” and Marysol Rezanov of the Nevada chapter of Citizens for Disclosure, a UFO information disclosure advocacy organization.
The Pahrump Alien Guy, his girlfriend Brid’Jette Whaley, Bara and Rezanov then founded the Southern Nevada Ufology Group. The group plans to host future meetings in other locations around Southern Nevada.
The Pahrump Alien Guy further explained that it was Bara and Rezanov’s idea to create a new skywatching group in Southern Nevada. Bara and Rezanov will be at Saturday’s meeting.
“We call it ‘Southern Nevada’ Ufology Group because it’s not just Pahrump,” the Pahrump Alien Guy said. “It’s all over southern Nevada.”
The Pahrump Alien Guy has a YouTube channel where he shows videos and photos he’s taken of UFOs. Watch the Pahrump Alien Guy’s videos on YouTube at youtube.com/@pahrumpalienguy.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
Southern Nevada Ufology Group’s first meeting
■ Saturday, Jan. 31, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
■ Pahrump Nugget Hotel and Casino located at 681 South Highway 160
■ Attendees will learn how to take photos of UFOs. Guests are are encouraged to bring a tripod for their phone.
■ To attend you must RSVP by contacting southernnevadaufologygroup@gmail.com
■ No children allowed
■ Park in the bowling parking lot, meeting will be held in neighboring gravel lot
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