Nevada bill to opt-out of daylight saving time heads to Assembly floor for consideration
The Assembly Government Affairs Committee on Monday passed a bill that would allow Nevada to opt-out of observing Daylight Saving time.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Yahoo
Texas bill for permanent daylight saving time is already doomed
House Bill 1393 attempts to adopt permanent daylight saving time for Texas. If the governor signs it, this bill will, at best, accomplish nothing — not even eliminating the semiannual clock switches — because federal law prohibits year-round daylight saving time. At worst, Congress will pass the Sunshine Protection Act, championed by Sen. Ted Cruz, to remove this prohibition and allow implementation of permanent daylight saving time here. The result would be year-round alignment of Texas' clocks with New Jersey's sunrises and sunsets. Permanent daylight saving time was tried twice before, during World War II and the oil embargo of the 1970s. Rejected by Texans, it failed both times. Permanent standard time is most Texans' preferred solution. Let's stop waking our young children in the dark and putting them to bed in the light, the result of daylight saving in the spring and fall. - Josh Findley, Dallas As a Tarrant County resident and attorney, I am deeply concerned about the proposed Commissioners Court precinct maps and the racial gerrymandering they represent. These maps intentionally pack high-minority populations into Precinct 1, concentrating our voting power while minimizing our influence in surrounding precincts. This is not only unjust — it's undemocratic. The redistricting process should reflect the diversity of our county, not suppress it. Communities of color deserve fair representation across all precincts, not to be strategically confined to one. The proposed maps send a clear message: Our voices are being sidelined. I urge commissioners to reject any plan that undermines equitable representation and to commit to drawing maps that serve all residents of Tarrant County. - MarQuetta Clayton, Fort Worth I don't know why the Fort Worth City Council is in such an uproar over the so-called gerrymandering of the proposed Tarrant County Commissioners Court maps. Take a look at what council members did to east Fort Worth when they did their redistricting. District 11 is a joke. In my advanced years, it's the worst map I've ever seen. - Wanda Conlin, Fort Worth Jonathan Butcher and Lindsey M. Burke of The Heritage Foundation wrote that teaching the 'classic texts' of Western literature will produce better military graduates, skilled in 'critical thinking and logic.' (May 18, 8C, 'A Test Fit for U.S. Service Academies') That is typical conservative claptrap that longs for a return to the 'good old days.' They have obviously never taught critical thinking or even had a course in it. We pay lip service to critical thinking, but it is not taught in American public schools or even in colleges. I have taught it in Europe, and simply reading texts — whether the Declaration of Independence (suggested by the authors) or Maya Angelou — does not instill critical thinking skills. Book learning in the classics, even military classics such as Carl von Clausewitz and Antoine-Henri Jomini, does not make better soldiers. - Dr. Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Days before the anniversary of George Floyd's murder, the Trump administration declared it would stop overseeing many local police agencies accused of violence and abuses, particularly against Black people. I hope the Justice Department continues to oversee local police agencies accused of abuses against all communities, including white, Hispanic and Asian populations. Let's not forget that Donald Trump granted pardons to many of the Jan. 6 rioters who were involved in violent actions and abuses targeting police officers. The officers represented a diverse range of backgrounds. Which side is Trump on? - Leslie J. Smith, Grapevine
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Nevada charter schools keep falling behind on retirement contributions, says PERS
NV Prep is one of two charter schools currently in a repayment plan for PERS. ((Photo: April Corbin Girnus/Nevada Current) Charter schools made up five of the nine public employers in Nevada that at some point over the past 2 years fell more than 90 days delinquent on retirement contributions, state lawmakers learned Wednesday. The Public Employees' Retirement System of Nevada — better known as PERS — is now backing a bill in the state Legislature to establish a mechanism that allows them to recoup the delinquent contributions. 'The category of employer we've had the most trouble with is charter schools,' PERS Executive Officer Tina Leiss told lawmakers on the Assembly Government Affairs Committee Wednesday. With other types of public employers, such as local government, PERS is able to turn to the Nevada Department of Taxation, which has the authority to withhold payments of public dollars to the county, city or agency behind on the payments. 'Over the years we've been able to use that process successfully,' Leiss added. 'With charter schools there really is, right now, no one that we can go to that has authority over them.' Senate Bill 418 would enable the State Superintendent of Public Schools to withhold a charter school's per-pupil dollars in order to pay PERS. That option would only be available after the charter school is more than 90 days behind. The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate earlier this month and heard by the Assembly Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday. No groups have registered opposition to the bill. Any public employer falling behind on PERS contributions is a problem because it affects people's ability to retire. PERS cannot pay out a person's pension if the employer is behind on their contributions. Kent Ervin, who follows the Retirement Board as part of his work with the Nevada Faculty Alliance, called it 'outrageous and simply unacceptable.' 'These public charter schools have deducted the PERS contributions from employee's paychecks but did not forward even those amounts to PERS. Some have also not reported the service credits,' he said, referring to the amount of time a person has worked in a PERS-eligible position, which affects pension levels. 'It's a disgrace.' With charter schools, there is the added concern that they could shut down and never pay what they owe, leaving the state on the hook. 'I'm not picking on charter schools,' Leiss said, 'but charter schools are one of the few government entities that cease to exist. Our cities, counties, school districts, fire departments don't close.' Two charter schools — TEACH Las Vegas and Eagle Charter Schools, both in Southern Nevada — were delinquent on PERS payments before they shut down last year. PERS was paid the amounts owed as part of the closing of those schools. According to a memo from Nevada State Public Charter School Authority Executive Director Melissa Mackedon to the Charter School Board, NV Prep and Equipo Academy are on PERS contribution repayment plans approved by the Nevada Retirement Board. PERS staffer Teresa Chalmers told lawmakers that, as of April 12, the two charter schools had a combined outstanding balance of $266,120. The SPCSA memo lists a third charter school, Sage Collegiate, as being delinquent as of mid-April. The school was also identified by the SPCSA as being delinquent in late 2023, though it caught up. At least two other schools were identified by SPCSA as being delinquent but have since caught up. Leiss said that at one point charter schools had a combined $1 million in contributions delinquent. She also said she had no insight into why charter schools might be more prone to falling behind on PERS contributions than other public employers.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Yahoo
Are the American dream and the welfare of the people in jeopardy?
Forty-three Northwest Missouri State University students recently had their visas revoked by the United States Citizen Immigration Services. They were told to leave the country immediately. So long, American dream. - Phil Smith, Kansas City 'Salus populi suprema lex esto,' Missouri's motto appearing on the state seal and flag, translated from Latin to English is: 'The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.' From their current actions, members of the General Assembly seem oblivious to the motto's existence and meaning. - Nancy M. Ehrlich, Independence Most Americans want to end the practice of changing our clocks twice a year and make either Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time permanent. But which one? The arguments from sleep experts and the medical field are that Standard Time best aligns with our human circadian biology and is better for our physical and mental health as well as our safety. The argument that Daylight Saving allows the enjoyment of an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day is supported by the recreation industry as well as convenience stores and others. Although that 'extra' hour of sunlight year-round might sound lucrative, permanent Daylight Saving Time was tried during the energy crisis in 1974 and was rescinded after only 10 months because of the extreme dark mornings in mid-winter. In Kansas City, permanent Daylight Saving would result in the sun not rising until almost 8:40 during the last half of December and much of January. Even the current practice of Daylight Saving for eight months of the year results in unnecessary darker mornings in early spring and late fall. It's time to return to permanent Standard Time, which has served humankind well since time immemorial. Contact your representatives in Congress, as they will ultimately decide. - Thomas Harries, Lenexa In his April 14 column, 'Please keep your obvious pronouns out of my emails,' (7A) David Mastio quotes White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: 'Any reporter who chooses to put their preferred pronouns in their bio ...' 'Reporter' is a singular noun. 'Their' is a plural pronoun. Leavitt violated her own preference. The correct albeit awkward usage to follow the practice Leavitt prefers would be 'his or her.' Pronouns are a weak part of speech, often used as a crutch to avoid clarity. Avoid pronouns at all costs. - Michael Grimaldi, Kansas City Contrary to what you might have heard, a Real ID is not required to drive or vote. A Real ID will be required only if you want to travel by plane. This change is designed to further reduce the possibility of terrorism with air travel. Also contrary to what you might have heard, it's not that difficult to update your existing driver's license or non-driver ID. Just go to the DMV with your birth certificate or passport, Social Security card, a utility bill and voter registration card. You'll need a marriage certificate or divorce decree if your last name has changed. This serves as a reminder always to save such documents. And you might as well go ahead and do it now, just in case more places require a Real ID in the future. Let's get Real. - Kevin Lindeman, Kansas City Editor's note: Visit for a complete list of acceptable documentation to obtain a Real ID. Based on the oath of office, the president is compelled to, 'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.' Recently, however, the Supreme Court ruled that the president cannot be held legally accountable for actions taken in the performance of 'official duties,' in effect placing the president above the law. The president's continued roundup and arrest of undocumented people, coupled with no judicial oversight, has resulted in an unprecedented constitutional stalemate of sorts. Since the president can't be held legally liable, the courts seem to lack authority to compel the president to legally comply. Meanwhile, a timid Congress seems unwilling to step into this constitutional crisis, while our allies express astonishment and dismay. These events strongly suggest that all of us are at grave personal risk from a lawless and contemptible president. - Phil Anderson, Manhattan, Kansas
