The pay gap—or the difference in earnings between men and women—persists throughout the U.S., with full-time working women earning just 81 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2024. A recent business.com analysis of U.S. Census data shows Nevada’s full-time workforce faring better than all but Vermont, but Henderson remains a major outlier. The city had the 15th largest gap in the study, with an average female resident earning $19,645 less than her male counterpart. That’s about 2.5 times greater than Las Vegas’ $8,172 and Nevada’s $7,805, and consistent with a 2024 UNLV Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West study ranking it 21st. Let’s take a closer look at these trends in honor of Equal Pay Day on March 26.

Today, health care is the fastest-growing sector in the regional economy having added more than 42,000 jobs since 2016. Yet, despite this growth we only have 70 percent of our expected health care jobs. Consequently, we continue to have poor health and social outcomes and export tens of millions of our health care dollars to out-of-state providers annually.

Southern Nevada has made big strides when it comes to health care in the region, adding a medical school at UNLV and hosting two private schools for doctors. But it still has a long way to go, and a lot of money required to get there.

The Lincy Institute at UNLV reports that Nevada is still missing about 30 percent of the healthcare jobs it should have. A lack of residency spots is pushing many newly trained doctors out of the state.

Using data in the Mental Health America report, Brookings Mountain West at UNLV breaks out some of the findings with a more regional emphasis in its report on the “State of Mental Health in the Mountain West.” The Brookings analysis included metrics for major depressive episodes, mental illness, substance use disorders, suicidal idiation, and unmet treatment for both adult and youth population.

If you've ever wanted to make a suggestion for a new law, now just might be your chance. The Southern Nevada Forum held its initial meeting on Monday, with the goal of coming up with a dozen new ideas to fix problems faced by residents of the Las Vegas Valley. The 13-year-old organization — created by the Vegas Chamber, the City of Las Vegas, Brookings Mountain West and former Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick in 2013 — brings together lawmakers and community leaders to brainstorm ideas.

Rep. Mark Amodei’s recent decision to retire opens a Northern Nevada House seat long considered untouchable – giving Democrats a rare chance to test Republican dominance in the state’s most conservative congressional district. Political scientists say midterm backlash, economic pressure and weak candidates can sometimes turn “safe” districts into November surprises.

A government shutdown is underway, and NV Senator Catherine Cortez Masto voted with Republicans to avoid it. David Damore, Executive Director of The Lincy Institute & Brookings Mountain West, discusses this and Governor Lombardo’s call for a special legislative session. Plus, the work a NV teenager did on a newly passed antisemitism bill and how the Raiders are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

A charter provision allows the city’s demographer to use internal figures that factor in the area’s rapid growth — resulting in seven changes in 15 years.

Here in Nevada, no mid-decade redistricting has ever been attempted. But that doesn't mean the state hasn't seen its share of redistricting drama on both sides of the aisle. And while repeated attempts to turn redistricting over to an independent commission here have failed, one proponent of the idea says she'll try again this year.

Lawmakers in the Nevada Legislature are staring down a busy final week of the 120-day session. Friday was the last major deadline for the Silver State’s part-time legislature. But the work is far from over for hundreds of exempt bills, many of which have the biggest potential impacts on Nevadans — and looming uncertainty around cuts from the federal government could bring a special session later this year.

Lawmakers and supporters of two bills for tax credits for movie studio campuses are ramping up their calls for approval, as both face further support and scrutiny amid the state’s projected shortfalls. The clock is ticking until the end of the 2025 Legislative session.