Author: Tom Darby

COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in Nevada from 2020 to 2022, trailing only heart disease and cancer. The pandemic cost working Nevadans a staggering $15 billion. A comprehensive report from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Analytics now examines the broader impacts of the pandemic, spanning lost jobs, economic recovery, substance abuse, suicide, student test scores, and crime rates.

Although COVID-19 might seem like background noise to many, it remains present. New daily cases are rising, with Clark County experiencing an increase for seven consecutive weeks from April 24 to June 12.

However, the number of new daily cases is now a fraction of what it was at the height of the pandemic, with only 38 new cases reported daily and no spikes above 100 since mid-January. At the peak of the Omicron variant in January 2022, Clark County saw a record 6,110 cases in one day.

The report concludes that Nevada’s experience during the pandemic was not drastically different from other states. With over 900,000 cases, more than 12,000 deaths, and nearly 95,000 potential years of life lost, the epidemiological impact was severe. Beyond health, the economic, educational, and behavioral health consequences were significant and may take longer to recover from.

Many Nevadans who lost their jobs suffered greatly from government decisions to shut down “non-essential” businesses. The rush for unemployment benefits led to bureaucratic gridlock and frustration, as the medical community deemed these shutdowns necessary to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Between March 2020 and December 2022, Nevada workers lost more than $15 billion in income. While some sectors, like trade, transportation, and utilities, showed growth, the overall economic impact was profound.

Interestingly, the report notes that Nevada’s hospital workforce withstood the pandemic better than other states, with less turnover in public health positions. Initially, wages kept pace with inflation, but inflation outstripped wage growth in 2021 and 2022, exacerbating economic difficulties over the past 18 months.

Housing affordability, a problem dating back to the Great Recession of 2008, worsened during the pandemic. The Nevada home-price-to-income ratio increased by 16 percent, making it increasingly difficult for residents to afford housing. Homelessness also reversed a decade-long downward trend, with the homeless population increasing by 10.4 percent between 2020 and 2022, particularly in Northern Nevada.

The state spent nearly $914 million on housing assistance, the second-highest spending category of COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government. Recent estimates show that in Clark County alone, the homeless population has surged by 56 percent over the past three years, with 7,928 people counted in January 2024.

Drug-related deaths saw a significant rise during the pandemic. Rates increased by nearly 50 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, reaching their highest level in six years by the third quarter of 2021. The Black population was disproportionately affected by these deaths, a disparity that widened during the pandemic. Emergency room data did not show a significant change in substance abuse deaths, suggesting fewer opportunities for medical intervention in substance-related crises.

Youth suicide rates, which were already increasing before the pandemic, surged further. Suicide attempts resulting in inpatient admissions for youths continued an upward trend from 2016 through 2022. Adult suicide attempts did not show a statistical change, but social isolation and economic impacts heavily influenced mental health across the population.

The shift to remote learning impacted school-age children in Nevada. Although it helped mitigate the spread of COVID-19, it created significant barriers for students, affecting their ability to complete schoolwork and receive a well-rounded education. The report emphasizes a noticeable decrease in fourth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, with a 6.2-point decline, ranking as the 13th largest in the nation.

While Nevada’s violent crime rate, particularly domestic violence, did not follow the national trend of an eight percent increase, hate crimes saw a dramatic rise of 168 percent from 2019 to 2022. The majority of these hate crimes were motivated by race, ethnicity, or ancestry bias, with a significant portion involving simple assault and occurring in residences.

Property crimes in Nevada dropped significantly at the start of the pandemic but began to rise again in 2021 and 2022, mirroring national trends.

Nevada Canyon Gold Corp., through its subsidiary Nevada Canyon, LLC, has entered into a binding Purchase Agreement to acquire a 2 percent net smelter returns royalty (NSR) on the Pikes Peak Project in Mineral County for $150,000.

The acquisition is from Walker River Resources, LLC, a subsidiary of Walker River Resources Corp., which owns the project.

“This continues our Nevada-based royalty acquisition roll-up,” Alan Day, President and CEO of Nevada Canyon, said. “The addition of the Pikes Peak increases our royalty portfolio and adds another asset with significant upside. As with all Nevada Canyon royalty purchases, it offers excellent leverage to gold prices and now adds some copper potential.”

The Pikes Peak Project comprises 36 unpatented lode mining claims within the northern section of the Walker Lane gold trend. Historically, the site has seen substantial mining activity, including numerous shafts, adits, and a mill. Recent regional sampling by Walker River returned promising results with values of 9 grams per ton in gold and 2.2 percent copper from outcrop samples.

In 2022, Walker River conducted an initial RC drill program at Pikes Peak to gather geological data for future exploration. Despite the limited data from this program, the company reported a significant discovery of gold mineralization.

Current efforts are on rehabilitating historical underground workings that are presently inaccessible due to minor cave-ins and loose material at the entrances. These efforts aim to collect detailed geological information, which, combined with the 2022 drill results, will guide the next phase of exploration scheduled for 2024.

The Pikes Peak Project is approximately 40 miles southeast of Yerington. Notably, modern-day drilling or exploration activities have not been reported at Pikes Peak until Walker River’s recent involvement, unearthing the project’s untapped potential for significant gold-copper mineralization.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed a mandamus petition to compel Washoe County election officials, specifically interim registrar Cari Ann Burgess, to investigate and correct commercial addresses listed on the voter roll.

According to the complaint, a media production specialist for the Registrar of Voters initially responded to their request, submitted in April 2024, but subsequently referred the foundation to Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar. Since before the 2020 election, PILF has notified Nevada election officials about commercial addresses on the voter roll.

Their investigation revealed voters registered at various commercial locations, including casinos, vacant lots, gas stations, strip clubs, and fast food restaurants. Follow-up investigations in 2024 found hundreds of questionable addresses still present on the Nevada voter rolls, with notable examples in Washoe County being the Nevada Gaming Control Board, liquor stores, parking lots, and tattoo parlors.

The PILF writ includes exhibits showing business addresses and vacant lots listed on voter registrations, which violates Nevada law. State statute prohibits listing a P.O. box or a business as a home address, requiring individuals to register to vote where they live. Additionally, state law mandates election officials to maintain the voter list to ensure accuracy.

The petition highlights a voter registered at the Hustler Strip Club in Las Vegas, which aligns with recent discoveries by Drew Johnson, the Republican challenger to Rep. Susie Lee. PILF also published a review of a 2023 report by the Secretary of State detailing mail ballot issues from the 2022 midterm election.

According to PILF President J. Christian Adams, the data shows that “Automatic mail ballots are a disaster and the Nevada numbers prote it.”

The 2023 report indicated 95,556 ballots went to undeliverable addresses, with 8,036 rejected and 1.2 million never returned. Their review concluded that the Nevada 2022 midterm elections illustrate the impact of rejected, unreturned, and undeliverable ballots on close election results.

For instance, the U.S. Senate race was decided by a margin of 7,928 votes, with 8,036 rejected ballots out of nearly 513,000 returned. PILF raised concerns about reducing failure rates in mail voting.

However, Marc Elias, an activist lawyer associated with the Democratic party, has now intervened in the PILF petition, calling it a “disastrous election system fix.”

Elias challenged a Nevada Voter ID ballot initiative earlier this year, and the Nevada Supreme Court refused to hear his argument.

Washoe County commissioners have finally certified the primary election results, but not without a fair share of drama and dissent.

In the three-to-two vote on certification, Commissioners Alexis Hill, Mariluz Garcia, and Clara Andriola were in favor, while Mike Clark and Jeanne Herman stood against it. Interim Registrar of Voters Cari-Ann Burgess reported 80,262 votes cast and counted, representing 24.52 percent of registered voters.

Commissioner Jeanne Herman highlighted personal anecdotes and constituent concerns, calling into question the integrity of the balloting process. She advocated for scrapping the election and starting over, citing numerous irregularities.

Commissioner Mike Clark gave a scathing critique of county leadership and the election process. He pointed to instances where ballots had been incorrectly mailed or not mailed as requested, including his experience of missing a ballot while someone else received one at his address.

“As for mistakes on a ballot or people not receiving ballots, those kinds of things – while they’re regrettable – they don’t necessarily affect a vote that was cast. There are mechanisms all throughout state law and federal law if there were incorrect votes made.”

“That’s the foundational basis of the whole election,” Clark asserted. “You can work as hard as you want and do everything as perfectly as you can, but if the foundation of the system – the voter rolls – isn’t correct, what have you done?”

Burgess, the Interim Registrar of Voters, confirmed that approximately 25,000 ballots were returned as undeliverable, each costing $3.50, for a price tag of $875-thousand in taxpayer money.

“How do I endorse that?” Clark questioned.

The certified results will be forwarded to the Nevada Secretary of State for final approval.

The mystery of the monoliths continues to baffle and captivate. The latest development involves a shiny, 6-foot-4 prism found protruding from the rocks in a remote Nevada mountain range and removed by authorities.

How it got there remains a mystery. Furthermore, the Las Vegas police announced that it is still unknown who might be responsible, adding an air of suspense and perhaps a touch of exasperation to their social media posts.

The appearance and quick disappearance of the monolith near Gass Peak in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge has reignited a pandemic-era puzzle, reminiscent of the enigmatic obelisk from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” — though with less cosmic significance and more concerns about public safety.

Spotted by the sharp-eyed Las Vegas police search and rescue team, its serene presence among bighorn sheep and desert tortoises was deemed a public hazard and promptly dismantled.

The shiny spectacle joins a group of mysterious columns appearing and disappearing since 2020, from the Mars-like Utah desert to the streets of Las Vegas. With sightings in Romania, central California, and New Mexico, one might wonder if someone or something out there is having a monumental laugh at our expense.

The Utah Department of Public Safety assured us in 2020, “This thing is not from another world.”

The first monolith discovered in Utah was so remote that officials feared amateur explorers might require professional rescues. However, internet sleuths swiftly revealed the coordinates, leading to a surge of tourists who inadvertently damaged the area and left behind debris from their visits.

Nevada officials expressed similar concerns when they decided to remove their shiny visitor. On federally protected land illegally, the monolith was causing disturbances in an area meant to safeguard rare plants and animals.

Christa Weise, acting manager of the wildlife refuge, confirmed the removal but refrained from disclosing any details about criminal investigations, perhaps anticipating the arrival of space aliens.

The monolith is in a secret location as authorities mull over its fate. Photos on social media show it lying on its side, looking defeated, and leaving a sizable scar in the dirt where it once stood tall and mysterious. The removal in Utah left a similar mark, and the Bureau of Land Management is still investigating its origins.

The police kindly reminded everyone to stick to marked trails and leave their avant-garde art projects at home, as these installations pose a danger to people and the environment. Meanwhile, rumors abound that entities from outer space are preparing for a legal battle to reclaim their property.

Former Nevada Republican Governor and Attorney General Bob List and Republican-in-name-only former State Senator Heidi Gansert have taken on leadership roles as State Co-Chairs of “RightCount,” a newly established nonprofit that wants to bolster election security and integrity.

Initially focusing on battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin, RightCount was announced shortly after Nevada’s Tuesday, June 11 primary, which has yet to be certified by the Secretary of State.

“The integrity of our electoral process is the bedrock of our nation’s strength. However, recent years have witnessed a concerning decline in trust in our elections,” List stated. “As a former Governor of this magnificent state, I’m proud to partner with RightCount and local Nevadan leaders, particularly my fellow Republicans, as we work to restore trust and confidence in our state’s electoral system.”

Gansert echoed List’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for unity in preserving election integrity.

“Nevadans must resist the divisive rhetoric that threatens to undermine our civic institutions,” she said. “We must stand together in defense of the integrity of our elections. That’s why I am honored to align with RightCount, an initiative devoted to restoring faith in our elections.”

In a joint opinion editorial, Gansert and List highlighted the importance of maintaining confidence in the electoral process while acknowledging the need for robust safeguards against fraud. They pointed out that complaints about election rules after losses do not help advance a conservative agenda, citing statements from Nevada’s former secretary of state and two prominent lawmakers “affirming” no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

RightCount has proposed several reforms for Nevada’s election system. One of their primary initiatives is to require paper ballots to be stored in locked facilities to ensure their security. They also advocate for election officials to check for duplicate voter registrations to prevent fraudulent voting.

Another reform is the independent testing of every voting machine to verify accuracy and reliability. Additionally, RightCount emphasizes that voting machines should not be connected to the internet to prevent hacking and tampering.

RightCount may consider further reforms in light of concerns raised by Drew Johnson, a Republican candidate for Congressional District 3. Johnson discovered a voter registration under the name “Blessing Sai Atakari” with a New York area code, registered at the address of a strip club.

As per the ACLU, voters experiencing homelessness can register to vote using any location they “reside,” including shelters or any place that will accept mail on their behalf. The pandemic allowed Democrats in Nevada to implement measures such as unlimited ballot harvesting, extended ballot deadlines, and universal mail-in voting, which faced criticism from Republicans.

Throughout the last legislative session, Democratic majorities dismissed election integrity proposals from Governor Lombardo and Republican lawmakers, labeling them “deadly and extreme.” Proposals included measures like Voter ID.

My Cousin Elmo says, “I signed up for one of those dating sites jus’ so I can have women tell me how good lookin’ I am.”

My Cousin Elmo says, “Being positive in a negative world means you never know who you’re gonna attract.”

The Nevada Supreme Court has unanimously ruled against Robert Beadles for the third time, declining to explain their decision.

Beadles, a vocal critic of the state election processes, expressed his frustration while planning to move the case to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

“My case is very clear, and there is no legitimate reason a just court would not at least grant me leave to amend the complaint,” Beadles said in a statement. “Every attorney and judge outside of those involved in this case who have read my appeal and pleadings are completely disgusted with what the Nevada courts have done. They can’t believe what’s happened to the courts in Nevada.”

Beadles has been an outspoken critic of the Nevada election system. He believes that his legal challenges and the evidence he has presented have made him a target for coordinated attacks by the judicial system and the media.

“I guess when you call out the ‘servants,’ sue them, show so many issues with the elections, and provide the receipts to back it up, these seven people have no appetite to do what’s constitutionally required of them and what is right and just,” Beadles continued.

Determined to continue his fight, Beadles announced his intention to take his case to the high court.

“Now I’ll file in the Supreme Court of the United States and see if they even take the case, and if they do, whether they will agree with me or with what these three courts have done to me, my case, our rights, and what they have allowed to happen to all of us,” he stated. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Beadles expressed his dismay at the current state of the judicial system in Nevada and the broader implications for democracy.

“It’s a sad day for Nevada. Our founding fathers would be disgusted,” he remarked.

Despite the setbacks, Beadles remains resolute.

“By now, you should know me well enough,” he said. “There’s not an ounce of quit in me. I’m far from done, and it’s far from over.”

Beadles also addressed the perceived coordination between the media and judicial decisions.

“Have you noticed how the media relentlessly libels and slanders me, then the court makes a ruling like this, and they rinse and repeat the cycle?” he said. “Do any of you have any doubts about how coordinated these attacks are? What are they so afraid of… I think most of us know.”

Beadles did not elaborate on a timeline for his plans to file with the SCOTUS.

Nevada Democrats recently falsely accused Governor Lombardo of accepting bribes on social media but later deleted the post.

According to state statute, falsely accusing someone of a crime is a misdemeanor, carrying a potential penalty of up to six months in jail. Despite their assertion that “no one is above the law,” the accusation did not go unnoticed by Lombardo supporters and GOP members of the legislature.

Numerous Republican legislators responded on social media platform X, demanding an apology from the Nevada Democratic Party. The Nevada Democrats are currently hiring for multiple positions on their communications team.

As the Nevada GOP pointed out, they might need a new Communications Director. John Burke, spokesman for the Better Nevada PAC, criticized the Democrats for fabricating bribery allegations against Governor Lombardo, highlighting the double standards in political discourse.

“For months, the Nevada Democrat Party has ignored scandals within their leadership but has no issue fabricating a bribery attack against a popular Republican Governor and former Sheriff,” Burke said. “Imagine the outrage if a Republican organization made baseless allegations against a Democrat leader. This November, voters will put an end to their long culture of corruption.”

The accusation against Lombardo adds to a series of ethics scandals involving Democratic lawmakers in Nevada. Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow announced she would not seek re-election after being exposed for voting in favor of legislation that directed $250,000 to the nonprofit Arc of Nevada, only to become the director shortly after.

Her colleague Tracy Brown-May, who serves on the board of Arc, also voted to approve the appropriation without disclosing her association. Assemblywoman Bea Duran dropped her re-election bid after voting on a “Christmas Tree” bill that allocated $25 million to the Culinary Union for an unspecified “capital improvement project.”

Senator Marilyn Dondero-Loop scrubbed her affiliation with the United Way of Southern Nevada from her legislative bio after admitting to coordinating fund distribution with Monroe-Moreno. Assemblyman C.H. Miller withdrew from his re-election campaign after failing to disclose his role as President and CEO of the Urban Chamber of Commerce before voting to appropriate $100,000 on behalf of the organization.

Assemblywoman Venicia Considine also faced scrutiny for voting in favor of bills that directed over $4,250,000 to the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, where she works. Democratic State Senator Dina Neal is under an active FBI investigation following allegations of pressuring a College of Southern Nevada professor to direct federal money toward businesses that did not meet grant requirements and using campaign funds to pay a $20,000 lien on her home.

Meanwhile, the Better Nevada PAC has accused Democratic leaders Assemblyman Steve Yeager and Nicole Cannizzaro of presiding over a “Culture of Corruption.” Both have remained silent regarding these ethics scandals and the recent false bribery allegation against Lombardo.

In their defense, the Nevada Democrats claimed the false accusation was merely an internet meme and removed it due to an expired copyright. They also suggested Republicans failed to understand social media humor.