Author: Tom Darby

Jack sat in the dim light of the Sazerac Saloon, his eyes tracing the lines of rough-hewn beams overhead, darkened by years of smoke and stories. 1949 Virginia City was where time seemed to fold in on itself. The air was thick with the weight of its history—the ghosts of miners and gamblers, silver dust, and dreams that had settled into the cracks of the wooden floorboards.

The night was cold, a cold that makes you think of distant places and distant people. He thought of her, his soon-to-be wife Joan, a warm figure far away, and how he missed the quiet understanding they shared in the spaces between words. He reached for his pen, the small lamp beside him casting a golden glow on the paper. He began to write, his thoughts swirling with the strange beauty of this place.

“My love,” he wrote, “Virginia City is a curious place, a place of memory and shadow. The streets wind like the thoughts of a man lost in his own dreams, and the mountains loom, ancient and patient. It is as if the land itself remembers more than we ever could.”

He paused, glancing around the bar. The people, including a bartender named Spencer, here moved with a slow purpose, their laughter low, their voices rough like the hills. And then there were the stars—those souls who carried a glow with them, who seemed to catch the light in a way others did not.

“There are some stars that fell from the sky and live in a bar here,” he continued. “You would know them if you saw them. They burn bright, even in the dimmest corners, their eyes reflecting something cosmic, something ancient. Perhaps they were miners once, pulling silver from the heart of the earth, but now they pull light from the dust.”

Jack set the pen down, watching as a figure at the end of the bar raised his glass, his face half-hidden by shadow. There was a certain sadness in the room but also a quiet joy, like the warmth of a campfire on a long night. He wondered if these stars, these fallen beings, were here by choice or fate.

“The air here carries stories, my love,” he continued. “It presses against you like a whisper, reminding you of all the things you have forgotten. Sometimes I think this place was built by memory itself, a place where the past still breathes, where the stars that fall from the sky find rest in the dust.”

He closed the letter carefully, folding it as if sealing away a tiny part of himself. The stars here burned brightly, yes, but they were not for him to hold. He would leave them in the dust of this old town to flicker and fade as they wished.

He looked around the bar as he stood up from the table. The stars remained, glowing faintly in their quiet corner of the world, content in their light. Jack Kerouac stepped into the chilling night, the sky above him vast and filled with a thousand more stars, still waiting to fall.

A new report shows Vice President Kamala Harris faces increased challenges from former President Donald Trump in Nevada.

Polling data and economic concerns have created an unfavorable environment for Harris in Nevada, which political strategists say is critical to victory.

“There are very few paths to victory that do not involve Nevada,” said Dheeraj Chand, a Democratic strategist, in the DCNF report.

Republican strategists echoed the concerns, with GOP strategist Jeremy Hughes noting: “It’s the only state that President Trump lost twice. Now, he has a chance to flip it this cycle.”

Trump’s economic platform, including policies like “No Tax on Tips,” resonates strongly with voters in Nevada, a state heavily dependent on the hospitality industry.

Nevada Republican Party Chairman Michael McDonald emphasized this, telling the DCNF, “As Nevadans look to the future, they are increasingly turning to President Trump’s economic policies as the solution to getting ahead, not just getting by.”

Economic issues will be front and center in the 2024 race.

Nevada’s economy was hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with former Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak implementing extensive shutdowns that are still reverberating through the state. Compounding these challenges is the impact of “Bidenflation,” with Nevadans paying an estimated $1,175 more on household goods and services.

The state’s cumulative inflation rate of 21.8 percent is higher than the national average, making economic recovery a critical issue for voters.

Harris faces added pressure from shifting demographics, particularly among Latino voters, and nearly 20 percent of the electorate. A poll by Nobel Predictive Insights shows Harris leading Trump among Latino voters by just three percent, signaling a tightening race. Trump campaign pollster John McLaughlin sees this as a significant problem for Harris, stating, “Harris is in trouble in Nevada.”

Voter registration trends also pose a challenge for Harris. Data from the Nevada Secretary of State shows a sharp increase in independent voters, now the largest bloc with 820,386 registered, compared to 713,789 Democrats and 667,542 Republicans.

Trump’s proposed “No Tax on Tips” policy, first announced in Las Vegas in 2023, and his broader economic message are gaining traction in Nevada. With the Trump tax cuts from 2017 set to expire in 2025, recent data from the Tax Foundation indicates that Nevada would be one of the most negatively affected states if the cuts are allowed to lapse.

Further, counties like Douglas, Washoe, and Clark are all expected to see significant tax increases, underscoring the economic stakes of the election.

The Nevada Republican Party (NVGOP) has lodged a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against a California-based group, Manny’s LLC, over allegations of illegal election interference in Nevada. The complaint alleges that Manny’s LLC, headed by Manny Yekutiel in San Francisco, is illegally raising funds to influence Nevada’s elections.

According to the NVGOP, the group has been raising money through a GoFundMe campaign to fund activities such as electioneering and ballot harvesting supporting the Harris-Walz presidential campaign. The complaint further accuses Manny’s LLC of operating as an unregistered political committee, failing to adhere to federal registration and reporting laws, accepting contributions from sources not permitted under federal regulations, and exceeding federal campaign contribution limits.

Additionally, the GOP contends that the group has not complied with federal disclaimer requirements. The Nevada GOP alleges that the LLC has directed donors to participate in official Harris-Walz campaign events without following federal campaign finance laws. The activities, they claim, represent a broader attempt by California groups to influence the outcome of Nevada’s elections.

“There is no room for the actions of unhinged California liberal groups illegally raising funds to deploy resources into the Silver State on behalf of Kamala Harris for President,” said Jim DeGraffenreid, National Committeeman for the Nevada Republican Party. “This group’s flagrant violation of campaign finance law demonstrates the lengths in which Democrats are willing to go to try and secure the swing state of Nevada for their ticket. The Nevada Republican Party will not sit idly by while outside interest groups try to infiltrate our state and exploit Nevada voters.”

The FEC has yet to respond to the complaint, and representatives from Manny’s LLC and the Harris-Walz campaign have not issued statements regarding the allegations.

Alex Woodley, City of Reno Director of Code Enforcement, resigned on Wednesday, October 16, after explicit text messages, including photos and videos, were found on his city-issued cell phone.

The messages, sent over two years to at least two women, were uncovered during an unrelated investigation stemming from an insubordination complaint. The incident, which involved thousands of text messages in both English and Spanish, included plans to meet at various hotels.

One of the women involved reportedly ended the affair, citing concerns over her public reputation. Woodley allegedly tried to rekindle the relationship, but the woman refused to engage.

Woodley served as a Washoe County School Board Trustee since December 2022 and retained his seat in the most recent election. His tenure with the City of Reno, which spanned 20 years, ended with his abrupt resignation.

Multiple sources reveal that it is not the first time Woodley has faced accusations of inappropriate behavior. In 2017, another woman filed a complaint after receiving unsolicited sexual images from Woodley. It remains unclear if the city took disciplinary action.

One insider expressed outrage over the situation, stating, “This behavior put the city in a compromising position and raises questions as to how long and to what extent Woodley engaged in unethical behavior.”

The source also questioned whether Woodley, as Director of Code Enforcement, was vulnerable to potential bribes and criticized the decision to allow him to resign rather than face disciplinary action.

“His resignation allows him to potentially work for another city or even run for a council position,” the source added, calling his behavior “brazen” and “appalling.”

Another source suggested that the issue extends beyond Woodley, implicating the city in the scandal.

“The City is compromised. Everyone is compromised. It is worse than anyone can imagine,” the source stated.

Woodley told This is Reno that he believed it was time for him to move on.

“I’ve done the best that I can do. It’s time to do something different. I feel like I’ve done a lot of good for the city. I’ve made a lot of big changes,” he said.

Woodley indicated that he plans to focus on his duties as a school board trustee, adding, “I believe that I’m a servant…retirement is perfect for me right now.”

As Nevada faces a critical affordable housing shortage, state representatives, developers, and community members are gathering at the Nevada Housing Coalition Conference to find solutions.

Nevada has received $500 million from the American Rescue Plan Act in recent years, used to build 2,800 new housing units, many of which are already under construction. The funds also helped preserve hundreds of existing units.

However, with this funding set to expire, Nevada still needs additional housing supply to meet demand.

The lack of rental vouchers further complicates the challenge of providing affordable housing. Meanwhile, rising land, labor, and resource costs have complicated efforts to address the housing gap.

Nevada housing advocates are also pushing for legislative action, specifically Assembly Bill 310, which would establish the Nevada Supportive Housing Development Fund. The bill aims to provide essential support services to new housing projects, ensuring people can maintain stable housing.

Nevada’s legislative body has long been exempt from open records requests, a practice solidified by a 2015 bill shielding lawmakers’ calendars, emails, and communications from public view.

The lack of transparency has stirred controversy, as ethical scandals forced three Democratic legislators to abandon their re-election campaigns. Yet, amid mounting calls for reform, Democratic leaders continue resisting legislation that would bring greater accountability.

In March, Republican Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama introduced a trio of bills to bolster transparency within Nevada’s legislature. Her proposed legislation includes measures to allow 72-hour reviews of bills before final votes, enforce compliance with open meeting laws, and introduce a line-item operations budget for public scrutiny.

Kasama’s final proposal would grant the governor a line-item veto on appropriations and restrict state funds to nonprofits without additional requirements. Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, who recently voted on a bill favoring his law firm without disclosing the conflict, has vigorously opposed Kasama’s efforts.

To counter her campaign, Yeager launched two political action committees (PACs) targeting Kasama and other Republican candidates. His “Nevada Strong” PAC has funneled $80,000 into a so-called “Ending Carson City Corruption” PAC, which has been running attack ads labeling Kasama as a “RINO” (Republican in Name Only). A second PAC, “Citizens for Balanced Leadership,” has directed another $100,000 toward ads against Republican Lisa Cole in Assembly District 4.

Critics argue Yeager’s PAC tactics underscore the urgent need for transparency reforms. Meanwhile, questions persist about whether the legislature should be subject to open meeting laws and public records acts.

When queried by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, no Democratic incumbent responded affirmatively. Further, Democratic candidates Ryan Hampton, Jennifer Atlas, Sharifa Wahab, and Joe Dalia declined to answer. Only Assemblywoman Shea Backus openly opposed the idea.

It’s one of those rare days where you don’t think anything’s gonna happen, and then it does. I had an old red hat on and was walking along when this guy rushes from out of nowhere, full of piss and vinegar, slapping the damned thing off my head.

“Racist!” he yells, or maybe it was “fascist.” Hell, if I know. I know I heard “Trump.” Either way, it’s not something I have the patience for.

The hat goes tumbling into the street, rolling with the wind and sand like it has someplace to be. I start to go after the damned thing, but it gets run over.

And here, this bastard, the one who smacked it off me, screaming like a banshee, waving his fists, calling me names for wearing a hat. I tell the son-of-a-bitch to back off and take his tantrum elsewhere, but he comes at me again, all fists and flailing kicks.

So, I push him away hard enough to buy a second, losing my balance and nearly falling, where my hand finds a rock from some sad little garden display outside this storefront. I pick it up and strike him. Once, twice. He finally stumbles back.

But the Asshole’s not done. The prick starts to rise like some damn fool animal still looking for a fight. I see it coming, so I kick him–hard in his effing face. And that does it. He goes limp, just sprawled out on the sidewalk.

Some lady comes out of the business wide-eyed. “Are you okay?” she asks, and I say I’m fine. She glances at the guy lying there, then at me. “I’m sorry about your hat.”

I look back, my red hat still out in the street, flat and done for. It ain’t worth saving. The cops show up, the usual questions, the rigamarole. They take a report, and an officer grabs the red hat reading Marine Corps from the gutter, bagging it in plastic like its evidence.

In the end, maybe the DA’ll throw something at him, then again, perhaps not, ’cause, as one of the officers stated, “He might be high hallucinating.” The other adds, “Maybe he thought it was MAGA hat,” like it’s an excuse for violent behavior.

I shake my head in disgust, knowing some days you can fucking stand there, minding your business, and the world will still come for you, and help ain’t coming.

While walking last Saturday morning, enjoying the little things—birds singing, the sun shining, the faint smell of fresh coffee—I spotted a homeless man sitting on the curb. He looked a bit weathered but had a smile that could light up a room. I reached into my pocket and fished out some loose change and several one-dollar bills, giving it to him.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice rich with gratitude.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I asked, “How did you get to this point?”

He looked up at me, his eyes twinkling, and said, “Showing love.”

I was intrigued. “What do you mean?”

He took a moment as if pulling together the threads of his life. “I went through my whole life making sure everyone else was okay. No matter what was going right or wrong for me, I did for others. I never wanted to see anyone go without.”

I nodded, absorbing his words, before asking, “Do you regret it?”

“No,” he replied without hesitation. “But it hurt me to my soul that the very people I gave the shirt off my back to wouldn’t give me a sleeve off that same shirt when I was in need.”

His honesty struck me like a bell tolling.

Then he added something that lingered in the air like the last note of a beautiful song. “It’s better to build your own house and invite someone in for shelter than to hand them your bricks while you’re still building yours. Because if you keep giving away the bricks from the house you’re supposed to be building for yourself, one day you’ll turn around and find that the spot you planned for your house is just an empty lot. And then you’ll be the one looking for bricks.”

His words hung there between us, a gentle reminder wrapped in wisdom. I thanked him for his perspective, and as I walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d just received a precious gift.

Supporters of abortion-rights ballot measures in Nevada and elsewhere have significantly outraised their opponents, accumulating nearly eight times as much funding, according to data compiled by Open Secrets and analyzed by the Associated Press.

With just weeks remaining before the Tuesday, November 5 elections, the groups have raised nearly $108 million compared to $14 million collected by anti-abortion advocates. However, the financial advantage may not be enough to secure victory in battleground states like Florida, where the campaign has become the most expensive of the nine state-level efforts to enshrine abortion rights into constitutions.

While abortion rights supporters hold a financial lead, Kelly Hall, executive director of The Fairness Project, cautioned that late-stage spending by opponents could still influence the outcomes. Hall pointed out that the large fundraising gap provides no guarantee against last-minute financial pushes by those against the amendments.

The push for these amendments comes after the Supreme Court 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. While there are no exact financial numbers for the state, abortion is legal in the State of Nevada, governed by NRS 442.250.

Any person in Nevada who is pregnant has the legal right to choose to have an abortion when performed by a licensed physician within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy and after 24 weeks, where the physician has reasonable cause to believe an abortion is necessary to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person. You do not have to be a Nevada resident to receive abortion care in the state.

Expanding on NRS 442.250, in 2019, then-Governor Sisolak signed into law Senate Bill 179, the Trust Nevada Women Act, which decriminalized medication abortions and removed antiquated informed consent laws and other barriers to accessing reproductive health care.

The financial muscle has translated into more extensive advertising campaigns in Missouri and Montana.

In Missouri, abortion-rights groups raised over $5 million and spent $11 million on ads supporting their measure to overturn the state ban on abortion. Meanwhile, opponents spent less than $50,000. The same trend is evident in Montana, where pro-amendment groups lead in ad spending by a similar margin.

In Nebraska, while abortion-rights groups have raised more money, opponents have spent slightly more on advertisements. Notably, Nevada and South Dakota have yet to release their contribution totals for this election cycle, which could shift the dynamics in these states.

Supporters of these ballot measures face additional costs that their opponents do not, particularly the expenses tied to signature drives and legal battles to get the questions on the ballots. In many instances, pro-abortion rights groups have had to spend on legal fees defending their initiatives, as anti-abortion groups, like the Thomas More Society, have filed legal challenges without being required to disclose their campaign finances.

Florida stands out as a particularly challenging battleground. In addition to requiring 60 percent voter approval for the measure to pass—higher than in most other states—the Florida Republican Party has been actively opposing the amendment.

While abortion-rights groups have raised over $60 million, the state GOP has spent $9.6 million on ads urging voters to reject the measure. Although the spending by the two sides seems lopsided, ad-tracking data suggests that anti-abortion ads have reached a wider audience, putting opponents in a strong position.

Adding to this, Florida has used taxpayer money to maintain a website warning that the abortion-rights amendment “threatens women’s safety.” Despite lawsuits from abortion-rights advocates to take down the site, a judge recently ruled that the state could continue using it, delivering a setback for the pro-amendment side.

On a national scale, the abortion-rights side has far more donors, with more than 94,000 compared to fewer than 2,600 for their opponents. Contributors include Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, and The Fairness Project.

The largest individual donor is Marsha Zlatin Laufer, who has given over $9 million to support the Florida measure. Conversely, anti-abortion efforts have seen contributions from figures like U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and his mother, Marlene Ricketts, each donating at least $1 million in Nebraska.

In Nebraska, the ballot measures have resulted in nearly even fundraising on both sides, with between $3 million and $4 million raised for each campaign. The state has two competing measures—one would expand access to abortion, while the other would enshrine the current ban on most abortions after 12 weeks.

General Motors has pledged $625 million in cash and credit toward constructing a lithium mine in Nevada’s Humboldt County, marking a significant financial boost for the project. The Thacker Pass mine, operated by Canadian company Lithium Americas, is set to increase the country’s stock of lithium batteries essential for electric vehicles (EVs).

The Bureau of Land Management approved the project in January 2021, despite opposition from local tribes who lost a legal battle to block the mine on the site of an 1865 Native American massacre about 25 miles from the Nevada-Oregon border.

The investment represents a crucial step for GM, which seeks to secure critical materials for its EV supply chain.

Jeff Morrison, GM’s senior vice president for global purchasing and supply chain, stated, “We’re pleased with the significant progress Lithium Americas is making to help GM achieve our goal to develop a resilient EV material supply chain. Sourcing critical EV raw materials, like lithium, from suppliers in the U.S., is expected to help us manage battery cell costs, deliver value to our customers and investors, and create jobs.”

GM will own a 38 percent stake in the Thacker Pass project as part of the deal. The investment has already driven up the stock value of Lithium Americas, which benefits from increasing interest in domestic lithium production.

Out of GM’s $625 million pledge, $430 million will be a direct cash payment to support phase one of construction, while the remaining funds will serve as credit and collateral. This backing is expected to help Lithium Americas secure a $2.3 billion conditional loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, with final approval expected in the coming weeks.

Once operational in 2028, Thacker Pass will join a small but growing list of functional lithium mines in the U.S., including Albemarle’s Silver Peak mine in Esmeralda County. The project promises to create jobs and strengthen the domestic EV market, but it also faces criticism from local Native communities who see the site as sacred ground.