Author: Tom Darby

Donald Trump’s latest rally at the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV Thursday night, October 24, showcased the former president’s growing momentum in Nevada, a state that has long been elusive for Republican candidates.

From Polynesian music to a rock set by Common Kings and speeches from high-profile Trump allies like Tulsi Gabbard and Sen. Marco Rubio, the event drew thousands. With chants of “We love you,” Trump addressed a crowd seemingly optimistic about a Nevada victory.

The Nevada rally is emblematic of broader shifts as Republicans grow more hopeful about flipping Nevada’s six electoral votes, that could be critical in a close Electoral College race. Key factors include a surge in early Republican voting, frustrations with the current Democratic administration, and a notable shift in Latino support—Trump’s appeal among Latino voters, who make up roughly 20 percent of Nevada’s electorate, has risen significantly.

A strong turnout among Republicans during the initial phase of early voting suggests their strategic advantage. Tyler Bowyer of Turning Point Action, one of the event hosts, told the crowd, “We’re winning Nevada,” to cheers and applause, echoing the Republican Party’s renewed confidence in the state.

Despite Republicans’ rising enthusiasm, Nevada Democrats are banking on the turnout machine initially built by the late Sen. Harry Reid, which has reliably driven support for Democratic candidates statewide. Key Nevada groups, including unionized hospitality workers and Latino communities, remain mobilized to support Kamala Harris. However, Republicans claim to be making inroads within these crucial Democratic blocs, particularly among Latino hospitality workers, who are expressing dissatisfaction with current economic challenges.

Meanwhile, Democrats are working to offset early GOP enthusiasm with a focused push on voter turnout, including a mobile billboard campaign highlighting a controversial statement attributed to Trump. The DNC’s effort is aimed at spotlighting Trump’s controversial remarks and warning of “the danger to democracy” his leadership poses, according to DNC Chair Jaime Harrison.

Trump’s campaign, however, has denied the accusations, calling the claims part of a “debunked story” by his former chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly.

A U.S. veteran found herself tossed off a flight at San Francisco International Airport like goddamned garbage, all because of a T-shirt.

You heard it right. Catherine Banks was trying to catch a flight out of SFO on October 22 when some self-righteous flight attendant decided her shirt was a threat.

The offending apparel read, “Do not give in to the war within. End veteran suicide.”

A message of hope, or so one would think. But no–to this guy, it was a reason to play the hero in his tight, little uniform.

“A male flight attendant was saying, ‘Ma’am, ma’am,’” Banks recounted, looking around like she’d just walked into the wrong bar at the wrong time. “I thought he was talking to someone else. Then he pointed at me and said, ‘You need to get off the plane.’ I was stunned. ‘What the hell did I do?’”

After being booted, she handed the ludicrous excuse that her shirt was “threatening.” Can you believe that? A Marine vet treated like a damn criminal for trying to spread a message about ending veteran suicide.

“I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m a Marine Corps vet. I’m going to see my Marine sister,’” she said, her voice tinged with disbelief. “I’ve spent 22 years in the Corps and 15 more working for the Air Force. What more do you want from me?”

The attendant didn’t give a rat’s ass about her service. No, he needed her to strip down to comply with his whims. “The only way you’re getting back on that plane is if you take that shirt off,” he said.

So, Banks did what anyone would do—she put on a sweatshirt like a fucking shame blanket to rejoin the flight.

In all its corporate wisdom, Delta later stated they resolved the issue and thanked her for her patience and service. Patience, my ass! For what? A slap in the face?

The airline’s got the final word on who stays and who goes, but at what cost? A veteran tossed aside like a newspaper used as a fish-wrap for a message meant to save lives.

It is what the world has come to—censoring words that could save a soul while remaining blind to real threats lurking in the skies.

Nevada Democratic Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola is under investigation after allegations came to light that her legal actions and campaign donations from defendants in her lawsuits may pose a conflict of interest.

The Nevada Bar Association confirmed that the inquiry follows a formal complaint related to Marzola’s receipt of campaign donations while representing plaintiffs in lawsuits against prominent members of the Nevada Resorts Association.

Marzola received $22,500 in campaign contributions from the Nevada Resorts PAC and MGM Resorts International while actively representing plaintiffs in lawsuits against several members of the Nevada Resorts Association, including MGM properties. According to the Nevada Bar Association, Marzola’s involvement in accepting campaign donations and pursuing legal actions against defendants tied to those donations could pose a conflict of interest if the arrangement was not disclosed to her clients.

Since May 2022, Marzola has represented plaintiffs in lawsuits against Nevada resort properties, including Wynn Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment, Mandalay Bay, New York-New York Hotel & Casino, and Aria Resort & Casino Holdings. The entities are members of the Nevada Resorts Association, which launched the Nevada Resorts PAC in early 2022, shortly before Marzola began receiving donations.

The connection between Marzola’s legal cases and her campaign donations from these entities has drawn further scrutiny. Of five cases involving Marzola, three were dismissed, while two remain active.

The active cases are Linda Diana v. Wynn Las Vegas and Glen Hutsell v. Mandalay Bay. The other three cases, including a high-profile “slip and fall” lawsuit against Aria Resort & Casino Holdings, were dismissed, with the Aria case dropped with prejudice in May 2024.

A particularly concerning detail involves the timing of Marzola’s donation from MGM Resorts International. In her lawsuit against Aria, which also named MGM a defendant, Marzola accepted a donation from MGM just two days after a short-trial discovery offer.

Further complicating matters, Ellen Whittemore, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Wynn Las Vegas, also serves as the Nevada Resorts Association’s Chair. Whittemore’s dual role as a lead lawyer for one of Marzola’s defendants and chair of the organization donating to Marzola’s campaign has raised additional ethical questions.

In their recent debate, Nevada Senate candidates weighed in on whether Congress should launch an investigation into UFOs following a surge of claims about secret UFO programs allegedly run by the Pentagon.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, pointed out Nevada’s unique role in the conversation, given its ties to Area 51, a military site long rumored to be involved in UFO research.

“I do think it’s important to see what we’re doing there and if there’s any merit to this,” Rosen said, emphasizing the importance of Congress exercising oversight on government programs, particularly those dealing with UAPs.

The Senate and House have scheduled additional hearings on the matter for November, after the election.

Republican challenger Sam Brown shared his curiosity about UAPs but expressed skepticism about Congress leading such an investigation.

“I never saw any tech like that when I was in the service,” Brown said, referencing the now-famous “Tic Tac” UAP video.

He suggested that SpaceX founder Elon Musk might be a more suitable figure to investigate the issue, implying that Congress may not be the most reliable body to handle it.

Interest in UAPs has surged recently, sparked in part by former Air Force intelligence officer and whistleblower David Grusch’s claims that the Defense Department ran a secret UFO retrieval program. The allegations led to a House hearing, and additional whistleblowers, such as former Pentagon employee Lue Elizondo, have since shared similar stories.

Independent journalist Michael Shellenberger most recently revealed details of an alleged whistleblower report that named a secretive program, dubbed “Immaculate Constellation,” used to gather intelligence on UAPs.

Senator Jacky Rosen’s latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reveal a reliance on out-of-state contributions, with over 90 percent of her campaign donations coming from non-Nevadans across the last three quarters.

Her Quarter 3 report, which shows $12.12 million raised, highlights that nearly 94 percent of those contributions came from outside Nevada. In stark contrast, only 6 percent of donations originated within the state.

The pattern is consistent with previous quarters. In Q4 2023, Rosen’s campaign saw less than 9 percent of donations come from Nevada, while donors from California, New York, and Massachusetts collectively contributed over half of her campaign funds. Out-of-state contributions accounted for over 90 percent of the $3.2 million raised that quarter.

Prominent out-of-state donors include billionaire George Soros and his family, who collectively contributed the maximum allowed amounts in Q1 and Q2 2024. Hollywood has also joined the ranks, with actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and FX Networks chairman John Landgraf among those backing Rosen’s re-election bid.

Wall Street’s influence is also apparent, with Blackstone’s David Kestnbaum a part of Rosen’s latest FEC report. Blackstone, the private equity firm, has faced criticism in Nevada for its role in the affordable housing crisis, aggressively acquiring residential properties in Las Vegas and driving up rent prices. The company’s subsidiary, Invitation Homes, was recently fined $48 million by the FTC for deceptive practices, including charging undisclosed fees and unfairly withholding security deposits.

He sat on a splintered stump, wedged between the dingy old theater house and the miner’s hall, as the night pressed in upon him. A cold, starless sky stretched wide above, and flakes of snow, as fat and clumsy as errant thoughts, drifted down onto his overheated face. Crowded rooms packed with sweaty, yelling men tended to get hot. He didn’t mind. The cold, you see, was a friend to a man who had worked as he had tonight—a brief respite, like a silent apology from a world for all its grimy business.

His right hand gripped twenty silver coins—a rather generous sum for an evening’s work. It had been a good night, one of those rare ones when fortune decides to give you a tip of the hat. Not that he was one to rely on luck. Luck was a mule, good for kicking a man when he least expected it. No, this wasn’t about chance. Tonight’s winnings were the fruit of careful observation, shrewd calculation, and knowing the brutal sport of boxing inside and out.

He wasn’t much of a betting man. Not really. But he knew the game. He watched the fighters square off, studied their angles, the tension in their muscles before they threw a punch. Every bet he placed tonight hit its mark—not by sheer fortune but by the precision he once used to pick the best sailors for a crew. His eyes had always been good for reading men.

A revolver, heavy and cold, rested in his coat pocket. He pulled it out, examined it with a distracted affection, then slipped it back. It was no more than a precaution, an old habit from his days on the docks of Cambridge, not much use in a place like this, but still, a man never knew when he might need it.

As the snow kissed his skin, his thoughts turned to his wife and daughters. They were waiting for him in the small room above the saloon. It was dark and cramped but warm, or so he hoped. He had crossed the country from Cambridge to this godforsaken town, looking for work in the mines. And for tonight, at least, he felt he had made real progress. There was money in his pocket, more than he had in months. Tomorrow, he thought, tomorrow would be better.

He brushed snow from his coat, wincing as his fingers traced the torn fabric. With a sigh, he tucked the silver coins into his pocket and stood, his joints creaking as he rose. His boots crunched through the fresh snow, heading toward the faint light of the saloon. In his mind, he saw his wife, her anxious face at the window, waiting. She would kiss him—bless her—and take a few coins to buy something decent to eat. Bread, maybe eggs, some meat. Anything better than the thin potato soup that had kept them alive for days.

As he neared the saloon, something caught his eye—two men–big, mean-looking, standing in the snow outside, shouting angrily at each other. Their faces twisted with a rage that came easy to men with nothing left to lose. He kept his head down, but their heated words reached him as he passed.

“Hell no, he did not bet on himself!” one of the men barked.

“You calling me a liar?” the other shot back.

The first man turned toward him. “Hey, you!” he called, voice thick with threat. “How ‘bout you settle this?”

He stopped, eyeing the pair warily. The first man, taller than the other, squinted at him. “You’re the one who was betting on the matches tonight, right? Cleaned up on every one. by betting on yourself?”

The second man stepped closer, his breath visible in the cold. “Ain’t heard of such a thing.”

A smirk tugged at his lips. “Sometimes a man’s got to bet on himself before anyone else does.”

Without another word, he turned and walked into the night. The snowflakes clinging to his coat, fleeting and weightless as the life he had left behind.

State gaming revenue totals in Nevada often reflect discrepancies, especially when a month concludes on a weekend. The lack of a uniform statewide requirement regarding how casinos record their slot machine revenues allows properties to decide whether to report winnings for the current month or defer them to the following month.

This situation was evident as August transitioned into September.

The Boulder Strip, encompassing casinos along the Boulder Highway and Henderson, illustrates this issue starkly. While statewide gaming revenue fell by 3.8 percent to $1.6 billion in August, Boulder Strip casinos experienced a dramatic 21.8 percent decline, three times higher than any other region in Nevada.

Casinos in the Boulder Strip, primarily operated by Boyd Gaming and Red Rock Resorts, reported revenue of $64.8 million in August, down from $82.9 million the previous year when the period ended on Thursday, October 4. Slot revenue accounted for 23.3 percent of the overall decline, while table games and sports betting fell by less than 10 percent.

Despite these declines, statewide slot machine wagering reached nearly $1.1 billion in August, reflecting an eight percent increase year-over-year. Meanwhile, August’s total slot machine wagering of $12.4 billion marked the highest single-month total for the year.

The Boulder market has undergone significant changes since the pandemic, particularly with the permanent closure of both Fiesta Henderson and Eastside Cannery in 2020. Red Rock demolished the Fiesta and sold the site to the city of Henderson for $32 million, while Boyd Gaming has yet to announce plans for the Eastside Cannery. However, in July, the company revealed plans for Cadence Crossing Casino, intended to replace the aging Jokers Wild Casino on Boulder Highway.

Conversely, other regions in Nevada saw gains due to the extra weekend days in August. Mesquite’s small casinos benefitted from a promotional calendar, leading to a 10.2 percent increase in gaming revenue to $14.2 million. Meanwhile, casinos in Sparks reported an 11.3 percent increase in gaming revenue to $17 million.

On the Las Vegas Strip, however, gaming revenue declined by 3.5 percent to $643.6 million, primarily attributed to a significant drop in high-end baccarat revenue, which fell nearly 39 percent. Excluding baccarat, Strip gaming revenue would have risen by 2.8 percent in August.

Furthermore, the U.S. gaming industry has significantly increased its investment in responsible gambling research and education, raising spending by 72 percent since 2017. According to a study conducted for the American Gaming Association, over $471.8 million has been allocated in the last seven years to develop and sustain responsible gaming programs, research, and support services.

Spending during Halloween has been rising across Northern Nevada, and 2024 is no exception.

As Halloween approaches, residents are gearing up for the spooky season, with an expected average expenditure of $103.63 per person—slightly down from last year’s record but still reflecting a significant boost from past years. Back in 2019, Northern Nevadans were spending around $86.27 per person, a number in line with the state’s overall trend of increasing seasonal spending.

According to the Retail Association of Nevada (RNA), Halloween spending across the state reached $92.12 million in 2020. For 2024, the RNA is projecting Nevada spending to climb to $190 million. The bulk of this expenditure will go toward costumes, candy, and decorations as 72 percent of adults across Northern Nevada prepare to celebrate Halloween in style.

Costumes remain the top item on consumer lists, with $62.2 million expected to be spent statewide, but decorations and candy are close behind, at $61.5 million and $58.1 million, respectively. Even with inflation, particularly the rising cost of candy—Reuters reports the price of chocolate has soared by 40 percent since 2020—Northern Nevadans are still determined to keep the holiday spirit alive.

Discount retailers are the top destination for Halloween shoppers, with 37 percent of Nevadans planning to shop at stores like Walmart and Dollar Tree. Specialty Halloween stores, grocery stores, and online retailers remain popular spots for finding the perfect costume or stocking up on decorations.

For inspiration, 38 percent of Northern Nevada residents will use online platforms like Pinterest and Instagram for costume ideas, while others visit retail stores or consult friends and family.

Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH) is working with the state of Nevada and other partners to address a growing national shortage of IV fluids exacerbated by Hurricane Helene. The storm’s impact on production facilities has raised concerns in Northern Nevada.

Baxter, the leading distributor of IV fluids in the United States, was affected by the hurricane, which brought heavy rain and a storm surge that disrupted the company’s operations. In response, Baxter is working to restore production and is providing regular updates on the situation.

Although NNPH does not directly use IV fluids, the organization said its coordination with local healthcare providers, emergency medical services (EMS), and public health preparedness (PHP) programs to ensure the community’s well-being.

The NNPH assures residents that they are closely monitoring the situation and working with regional partners to minimize the impact of the shortage.

“We understand that this shortage may raise concerns in Washoe County, but we are actively engaged with our partners to safeguard the health of our community,” NNPH stated in a release.

As Nevadans prepare for the 2024 general election, voters will once again weigh in on a ballot initiative that could fundamentally alter the state’s election process. Ballot Question 3, which narrowly passed in 2022 with 53 percent of the vote, proposes the implementation of ranked-choice voting (RCV) and open primaries for statewide elections. This constitutional change requires a second approval by voters in November 2024, effective for the 2026 election cycle.

While the initiative garnered enough support to pass in 2022, it has faced growing bipartisan opposition as the next vote approaches. Uniting on a rare front, Democrats, Republicans, and progressive nonprofits in the Silver State have all expressed concerns about the impact the measure could have on Nevada’s elections.

Mike Draper, a representative for the PAC behind the initiative, Nevada Voters First, stated after the 2022 passage that the changes were needed to “address political extremism and polarization in our state.” The group raised $19.5 million during the 2022 election cycle and plans to continue campaigning for the initiative leading up to the 2024 vote.

However, critics argue that ranked-choice voting and open primaries will exacerbate political extremism rather than alleviate it. Mike Vallante, the Director of the Center for Election Integrity at the America First Policy Institute, voiced his concerns in a recent interview, stating that ranked-choice voting will confuse voters and complicates the electoral process.

Vallante cited examples from other regions where ranked-choice voting has been implemented, including Oakland, Calif., where voter confusion led to thousands of invalidated ballots in a mayoral race. He also pointed to the miscounted votes in Oakland’s school board elections and lengthy delays in certifying election results in New York City’s mayoral race, which took three weeks to determine a winner.

“The system creates skepticism due to its lack of transparency,” Vallante said, emphasizing that voters may wait days or weeks to know the results.

He argues that Nevada should aim for more straightforward and timely election outcomes, noting that the current system ensures that the candidate with the most votes wins—something he believes ranked-choice voting undermines.

Supporters of the initiative, such as Draper and Nevada Voters First, maintain that ranked-choice voting will provide a more inclusive platform for independents and nonpartisan voters, a growing portion of Nevada’s electorate. They argue that an open primary system allows independents to have a voice in primary elections, where they are underrepresented.

Opponents, like Vallante, see the introduction of open primaries referred to as “jungle primaries,” as another layer of confusion. In such systems, all candidates, regardless of party, compete in a single primary, with the top five advancing to a ranked-choice general election. Vallante warns that this process could lead to even greater polarization, citing California as an example, where he claims jungle primaries have shifted the political landscape further to the extremes.

“Party primaries should be for party members,” said Vallante. “If independents want to participate, they can declare which primary they wish to vote in on election day.”

As the debate intensifies, both sides will ramp up their efforts before the November 2024 vote. For now, Nevadans will again face the question: Is ranked-choice voting and open primaries the solution to political polarization, or will it create more problems than it solves?