Latest news with #Nevadan
Eater
22-05-2025
- Eater
The Eater Guide to Road Trippin' Nevada
Nevada became a state in 1864 — months before a saloon in a town called Genoa posted a wanted sign for Abraham Lincoln's then-unknown assassin, four years before the transcontinental railroad stitched the state to the rest of the country, and five years before the first major silver strike in the U.S. sparked a rush that built Virginia City nearly overnight. Over the next 50 years, towns flickered to life and blinked out of existence, chasing the veins of silver and metal some 200 feet beneath the desert's hard-packed earth — land long inhabited by Indigenous communities of the Great Basin, like the Paiute and Shoshone, and the Washoe near Lake Tahoe. The boom-and-bust rhythm shaped not just the state's economy but its identity — a place built on promise, reinvention, and stories that survived long after the mines ran dry. It's easy to picture Nevada as a stretch of dusty nothing between Las Vegas and Reno. But the state is more than its desert scrub. There are the spire-like slot canyons of Cathedral Gorge, the snowy ranges of the Ruby Mountains, and the stargazing solitude of Great Basin National Park. Serpentine highways weave past alien-themed diners, larger-than-life cinderblock women, and Day-Glo boulders stacked like cairns. The surreal lives here — tucked just off the next exit. And beyond the haunted hotel rooms and Wild West souvenir shops, there is, and has always been, the grounding presence of a dining room table. The boom-and-bust rhythm shaped not just the state's economy but its identity — a place built on promise, reinvention, and stories that survived long after the mines ran dry. In early Virginia City, saloons evolved from watering holes into community hubs, where mahogany bartops ferried slippery mugs of ale with the same rapidity as the conversation surrounding it. In the middle of the state, where one of the world's largest Basque communities put down roots, traditional restaurants still serve family-style courses of charbroiled steaks and roasted salmon to communal tables. At the southern tip, Las Vegas's most coveted seat is at an 18-stool countertop at the Oyster Bar, where round-the-clock lines wait for thick, creamy pan roasts brimming with seafood. And even today, in a town of just a few dozen residents, one restaurant draws visitors from around the world — strangers who lean over flying saucer-shaped burgers and pies to trade stories of strange lights in the night sky. There's nothing more inherently Nevadan than the open road. Once braved by wagon, then rail, and now car, it's still the best way to cross the state. So take to its desert highways and come hungry. Whether you seek idyllic desert landscapes, the kind of art that only a dust-addled mind could divine, or meals that are worth driving a few hundred miles to enjoy, Nevada has something waiting — and it's worth the drive. —Janna Karel, Eater, editor, Southern California/Southwest Credits
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A Nevada Democrat pushed 'No Taxes on Tips' through the Senate
The Senate unexpectedly passed the No Tax on Tips Act on Tuesday, moving one of President Donald Trump's major campaign promises much closer to becoming law. Adding to the surprise was the way it advanced: Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Nevada Democrat, simply asked if anyone was opposed to it passing — and none of her fellow senators objected. It was a rare moment of bipartisan agreement in the Republican-controlled chamber. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, first introduced the bill with backing from seven of his colleagues, including Rosen and fellow Nevadan Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Here's how NBC News described the bill: The legislation would create a tax deduction worth up to $25,000 for tips, limited to cash tips that workers report to employers for withholding purposes on payroll taxes. The tax break would also be restricted to employees who earn $160,000 or less in 2025, an amount that will rise with inflation in coming years. A Democrat pushing through a Trump priority feels out of sync with the Democratic base's clamor for more confrontation with the unpopular administration. After all, the adage that 'all politics is local' can seem quaint in an age in which issues are more often seen through a national lens. But the No Tax on Tips Act's provenance shows that some things never change. Trump first suggested that tipped workers shouldn't pay taxes on those wages during a campaign stop in Las Vegas last year. It was a pretty shameless ploy to get the support of the thousands of service industry employees in a competitive state, but one that managed to stick. When she entered the race last summer, Vice President Kamala Harris took up a version of the idea as her own. (There are major concerns from tax experts and labor activists given how little most tipped workers pay in federal taxes anyway; raising the wildly low $2.13 minimum wage for those workers would likely be a much bigger boost for their bank accounts.) It makes sense that Rosen and Cortez Masto both signed onto the bill given their narrow re-election victories: Rosen won by 1.5% last year; Cortez Masto squeaked by with an even smaller margin in 2022. 'Nevada has more tipped workers per capita than any other state. So this bill would mean immediate financial relief for countless hard-working families,' Rosen said Tuesday. 'No Tax on Tips was one of President Trump's key promises to the American people, which he unveiled in my state of Nevada. And I am not afraid to embrace a good idea, wherever it comes from.' The question is whether Rosen and Cortez Masto will actually reap the political benefits from getting behind this policy. A temporary version — slated to last only until 2028 — is currently part of the megabill that Republicans hope to pass. Rosen and Cortez Masto likely won't back that bill in the Senate, and it's unclear if the House will take up Cruz's legislation separately anytime soon. Combined with Trump's tendency to claim credit even for things that he had nothing to do with, Nevada's senators may find it hard to convince voters that they had any hand in putting whatever extra cash this bill might eventually generate in their pockets. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Meet the Asian American woman breaking barriers in Las Vegas politics
[Source] Francis Allen-Palenske, who made history as the first Asian American woman elected to both the Nevada state legislature and Las Vegas City Council, is working to ensure AAPI voices help shape the city's future. Historic firsts: Allen-Palenske, who represents Ward 4, began her political journey at age 25 when she was first elected to the Nevada Assembly in 2004, becoming the first Asian American woman — and second Asian American, after Robert Wong — to serve in the position. The lifelong Nevadan, born to a U.S. Army vet and a South Korean mother, served two terms in the Assembly before running for and being elected to the Las Vegas City Council in November 2022, again becoming the first Asian American woman for the role. Outside politics, she is a successful small business owner with more than 15 years of experience in the Capriotti's Sandwich Shop system. Uplifting others: In a recent interview, Allen-Palenske reflected on her historic role with a focus on future leadership diversity. 'I'm tired of being first. I want to make sure there's an entire team of folks behind me to help lift the mantle,' she told KTNV. Last month, she acknowledged the diverse makeup of the current council, telling KLAS it includes 'three Latinas, an African American, a Jewish female and one Caucasian guy, and now a Korean.' Trending on NextShark: In terms of policy, the Republican official prioritizes public safety initiatives, supports locally owned businesses and encourages the next generation of AAPI leaders to pursue higher learning. 'Asian Americans, we love to focus on education — go to university, get that degree,' she said. This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Trending on NextShark: Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lombardo's health care bill aims to fix doctor shortage in Nevada
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo introduced the Nevada Healthcare Access Act on Thursday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's school of medicine. Some of the bill's priorities include streamlining services across the state, expanding mental health services, and growing the workforce. 'Right now, Nevadans seeking medical care face long wait times and have trouble accessing specialists,' Lombardo said. 'The need for more doctors, nurses and health care providers is increasingly evident.' Nevada holds one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios in the nation, ranking 48th in the country, according to 2023 data by the National Library of Medicine. The governor's bill looks to tackle the shortage by honing in on residency programs and increasing their funding. 'If you don't have the residency programs here in the state of Nevada, where are these graduates going to end up?' he asked. Prior to the Governor's speech, Alison Netski, interim dean of UNLV's school of medicine, shared that only 42% of the school's graduating class have residencies in Nevada. Meanwhile, the other 58% are placed elsewhere and will be taking their education and experiences out of state. First year UNLV medical student, Jacob Hoer, said he witnessed the phenomenon among his own friend group. 'There's certain programs that aren't available here, like ophthalmology, dermatology,' Hoer said. 'I have friends that want to go into that specialty, and they already know that unless something changes, they will have to leave the valley.' However, the life-long Nevadan hopes to stay in state when it's time for his residency. 'I have family here. I have siblings that are also working in the medical field locally, so I would love to stay here,' Hoer said. According to the governor's team, it will take at least a year to get the right infrastructure into place to see any results, if the bill is passed. Lombardo's team also addressed House Republicans' recently unveiled Medicaid plan that would attach an 80-hour-per-month work requirement to benefits. Nevada Medicaid's Stacie Weeks said the new requirements will be damaging to the state. 'We're looking at how that would affect the program, but overall it is not as big in terms of cuts that we expected for the state, so that's the good news,' Weeks said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The one Nevadan who more than any other could help bring Trump to heel — if he wanted to
A sign at the "Hands Off!" protest in downtown Las Vegas Saturday. ((Photo by Hugh Jackson/Nevada Currernt) The one Nevadan who is in the best position to help stop Donald Trump from sabotaging the global economy and shattering the financial stability of Nevada households is Nevada's only Republican in the Republican-controlled Congress, Rep. Mark Amodei. Politico reported Friday that Amodei's fellow House Republican, Don Bacon of Nebraska, plans to introduce a House version of a bipartisan-backed Senate bill empowering Congress to cancel tariffs ordered by a president. The Senate version of the bill was announced Thursday by Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley and Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell, and four more Senate Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors so far. Congress reining in Trump on tariffs (and, for a change, protecting and preserving the legislative branch's role in the U.S. government) is a tremendously tall order. Even if Congress passed it, Trump would veto it, and then a whole lot more Republicans would have to find the spine to stand up to Trump and help form the two-thirds majorities in both houses needed to override a veto. Yes, that many Republicans defying Trump seems unthinkable. But then, just less than a week ago, the notion that the stock market would see one of its worst weeks ever just because of the crackpot obsessions of one 78-year-old man seemed unthinkable too. When the markets plummeted upon opening Thursday, Bacon was already reportedly mulling some sort of House action to rein in Trump on tariffs. I emailed Amodei's office asking if he had been in conversations with other House members about taking action to reassert congressional authority over tariff policy and whether Amodei agreed (as Bacon had put it) that 'Congress should take back its tariff authorities.' In a statement provided by his office Friday, Amodei ignored the question. Instead, he tossed around some Trump talking points and brushed off 'Wall Street wigging out.' 'We'll be closely monitoring key indicators of economic stability,' Amodei added, 'such as job reports, inflation, and consumer spending, but nobody said this was going to be instant gratification, and as the President said, 'We're dealing with a very sick patient.' Under Biden, we saw the largest trade deficit in U.S. history, and the status quo is simply not sustainable. We need significant changes to steer our country toward self-reliance.' A couple things: First, really, Amodei? 'Nobody said this was going to be instant gratification'? Fine, let's give Amodei the benefit of the doubt and assume he was talking about 'instant gratification' as a result of Trump's tariffs. But let's also not forget that while campaigning Trump promised that 'Starting on Day 1, we will end inflation and make America affordable again,' as well as 'Prices will come down. You just watch: They'll come down, and they'll come down fast.' Trump has been promising nothing but instant economic gratification for the last, oh, three years. And so far he's delivered exactly the opposite of that. Second, when Amodei says 2024's trade deficit is the largest ever, he's presumably referring to a dollar amount, which is the dumbed-down way of looking at it. Each and every year countless measurements are the largest in history, like the world's population, for instance, or, say, the sum total of inane hyperbole spewed by Republican members of Congress. Rather than a dollar amount, a far more concrete and informative assessment of the trade deficit is determined by measuring it as a percentage of GDP. In 2024 the trade deficit was 3.1% of GDP, while in 2006 it was more than 5%. But thanks for bringing it up, congressman. Meanwhile, to reiterate, Amodei failed to answer the question he was asked, which essentially boils down to whether he too, like at least a half dozen of his fellow Republicans in Congress (Bacon and five senators), is ready to take the U.S. Constitution seriously and reestablish the legislative branch of the United States government as, you know, a going concern. Courts are slow, and the Supreme Court is stuffed with Trumpers. Congressional Democrats are sidelined (and many of them, including Nevada ones, have demonstrated a willingness to pretend everything will be fine). And Republicans have majorities in Congress, though to clarify, they don't really control it; they've surrendered their control to Trump. But assuming Trump can be reined in, a number of congressional Republicans are going to have to participate in the reining. Some of the damage Trump has already inflicted on the economy, the rule of law, national security, international cooperation, science, human rights, the First Amendment, the system of checks and balances that underly the Constitution, democracy, and the practical workings of the federal government is so severe that fixing what he has broken will take years, assuming it's fixable. It's tempting to write off Amodei, in the expectation that he'll just continue to pretend this is all normal while supplying rote apologies for Trump laced with aw shucks quips and mealy-mouthed let's-wait-and-sees. But over the years Amodei has demonstrated on occasion there might be more to him than that. Since he's the state's only Republican in Congress, Nevada better hope there is. A version of this column was originally published in the Daily Current newsletter, which is free and which you can subscribe to here.
