In November’s election Nevada voters narrowly rejected Question 1. The legislatively referred constitutional amendment proposed to change the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada from a constitutional to a statutory body in order to more effectively facilitate legislative oversight of higher education.

As the Christmas and New Year’s holidays loom in less than a month, visitors to Las Vegas are coming at a snail’s pace, prompting some officials to suggest the city needs to diversify beyond just tourism even with the prospect of coronavirus vaccinations pending.

A surge of COVID-19 cases in correctional facilities is not only endangering the lives of tens of thousands of people behind bars in Nevada, it’s threatening the health and well-being of everyone in our communities.

John Beckmann has been hosting Las Vegas casinos for 20 years, attracting players with free airfare, show tickets, and the like.

John Beckmann has been a Las Vegas casino host for 20 years, luring gamblers with free airfare, show tickets and the like.

The year 2020 has amplified demands for more equitable policing, more efficient government, and greater transparency. As police leaders around the world attempt to maintain order and safety during a period of large-scale civil unrest, they must also address criticisms that existing law enforcement practices include biased interventions and reinforce systemic racism. Many law enforcement agencies are also responding to increasing numbers of serious crimes that disproportionately affect society’s most vulnerable communities, while simultaneously facing calls to “defund the police” fueled by accusations that challenge the legitimacy of their policing tactics. The strategies used by agencies to manage protests and respond to rising calls for service are under heightened scrutiny, yet one might ask, “Have police leaders developed the internal analytic capacity to answer pressing questions about the fairness and effectiveness of their department’s practices?” Now, more than ever, the profession’s future may depend on leaders’ ability to leverage data to understand, acknowledge, respond to, and explain the impact of their chosen crime response and prevention strategies.

Las Vegas is known around the world as a place for fun and gambling at flashy mega-resorts, with tens of millions of visitors arriving annually.

Brookings Mountain West and The Lincy Institute Executive Director Robert Lang and Department Chair of Political Science David Damore discuss their book, Blue Metros, Red States on Nevada Newsmakers.

It’s been eight months and 20 days since the W-H-O formally declared COVID-19 a pandemic. And yet, it sure doesn’t feel that way out there in the world. In the spring, the roads were eerily quiet. With not only schools, restaurants and entertainment venues closed — but also most stores and offices — there were few places for people to go. Not so, today. And yet, the pandemic is as bad as it’s ever been.

People encounter hazards every day, some serious, others rare and innocuous. We fear certain kinds more than others, though, and COVID-19 is one of the biggest concerns in 2020. A recent Gallup poll found that 49% of Americans are “very” or “somewhat” worried about getting coronavirus, though that number has been as high as 59% in recent months. While COVID-19 has dominated the news this year, Americans still have other dangers to worry about, from mass shootings to riots to traffic accidents.

Democrats made history in the Southwest in the 2020 election. As political analyst Ron Brownstein points out, the party will hold all the Senate seats in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico for the first time since the 1940s.

Las Vegas is known around the world as a place to party and gamble in flashy megaresorts, with tens of millions of visitors arriving annually.