Whenever Nevada reopens it will be in coordination with a few neighboring states. Gov. Steve Sisolak announcing today it will be joining a pact of western states to collaborate on reopening their economies and battling the coronavirus.

Nevada is joining forces to fight against the coronavirus. The Silver State is now part of the Western States Pact, a group of neighboring governors who are working together to figure out how and when they will get back to business.

On Treasure Island’s casino floor, which has transformed from a jumble of noises and flashing lights into a place of stillness and calm, two chairs are missing from a bank of slot machines that once seated four. In the table games section of the casino, shuttered since mid-March when casinos were ordered closed amid the COVID-19 outbreak, there are just three seats for players at a blackjack table instead of the normal six.

Many economists predict that, among U.S. states, Nevada’s economy will be the hardest hit and slowest to recover from the economic crisis created by COVID-19.

Earlier this week, Mayor Carolyn Goodman publicly begged the governor to lift business restrictions on non-essential businesses.

Today, we face two unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19: the immediate health crisis and the resulting economic emergency. Southern Nevadans have faced many challenges, and defeating COVID-19 and implementing an economic recovery plan will test our mettle once again — like never before.

From sold-out games on the Strip to capacity crowds at practices in Summerlin, people can’t seem to get enough the Vegas Golden Knights.

My wife, my son and I were sleeping at a Paris hotel early Thursday morning when my iPhone began to ping. About 10 texts came within minutes of President Donald Trump’s Wednesday night speech on the coronavirus. They all carried the same urgent message —Trump was going to shut down travel between the United States and Europe by midnight Friday. Our problem was immediate. We had return tickets home to Las Vegas for Sunday.