Dubbed the “Port of Nevada,” a sprawling 224-acre inland port operation and intermodal ramp owned and developed by Industrial Realty Group, LLC (IRG) is set to launch. The venture, undertaken in collaboration with Union Pacific Railroad, CMA CGM Group, and the Port of Oakland, aims to revolutionize freight transport between Fernley and Oakland.

Stuart Lichter, President of the Port of Nevada and IRG, highlighted the significance of the direct rail access linking Reno to the West Coast, which promises to enhance the capacity and efficiency of cargo freight transportation.

“This collaborative venture will provide our clients with a more efficient, reliable, and environmentally sensitive way to transport goods,” Lichter stated.

The Port of Nevada features a state-of-the-art rail facility integrated into Union Pacific’s extensive network. The facility supports a range of operations, including bulk commodity and intermodal trans-loading, storage of diverse commodities, and opportunities for build-to-suit developments and on-site storage solutions.

Direct rail access promises cost savings and supply chain efficiencies but also positions the Port of Nevada as a sustainable solution amidst ongoing supply chain challenges and the weather-impacted and congestion-prone Interstate 80 corridor.

Clients opting for rail transport can expect to reduce their carbon footprint and mitigate impacts from road conditions, trucking regulations, and carbon emissions. Union Pacific notes that transporting one ton of cargo nearly 400 miles consumes just one gallon of diesel fuel while contributing only two percent of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions compared to medium- and heavy-duty trucks’ 25 percent.

French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM Group, the exclusive ocean carrier partner of Port of Nevada through 2024, ensures global connectivity to key markets in Asia and Europe, further enhancing the port’s strategic importance.

Local economic development authorities, including the Northern Nevada Development Authority (NNDA) and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), support the project, with each emphasizing its role in bolstering the region’s economic landscape and attracting advanced manufacturing businesses to Nevada.

Taylor Adams, CEO of EDAWN, highlighted the coastal connectivity provided by IRG as a critical asset for companies in Western Nevada, pledging ongoing support for the project’s expansion and growth throughout the region. Jeff Sutich, Executive Director of NNDA, echoed this sentiment, underscoring the project’s alignment with Nevada’s focus on onshoring businesses and its designation as a federally designated Tech Hub.

The 2024 Washoe County primary recounts will commence Friday, June 28, following recount requests by three candidates before the Wednesday, June 26 deadline.

The interim registrar, Cari-Ann Burgess, said the recount would happen over the weekend. According to Nevada Revised Statutes, the candidates who requested recounts are responsible for the costs if the recounts do not change the election results.

Mark Lawson, a Republican candidate for Washoe County Commission District 4, Paul White, a candidate for Washoe County School Board District G, and Lily Baran, a progressive activist who finished just 15 votes behind Frank Perez in the Reno City Council Ward 1 race, have all filed for recounts. Lawson and White, despite being behind by significant margins, also requested recounts.

Drew Ribar, who lost to incumbent Assemblyman P.K. O’Neill in the Republican primary for District 40, has filed a petition for a new election with the Nevada Supreme Court. Ribar argues that his exclusion from the sample ballot distributed to Washoe County voters severely impacted his chances due to lack of name recognition. Ribar, who lost by over 50 percentage points, called for the county to redo the election, citing concerns about “election interference.”

Meanwhile, a renewed debate over election methods emerged as Former Nye County clerk Mark Kampf, invited by Commissioner Clara Andriola, who oversaw hand counts in 2022, presented the benefits and challenges of hand-counting paper ballots to county commissioners. The discussion sparked sharp reactions from public commenters. Some criticized the idea as impractical and prone to error, while others argued that hand-counting paper ballots would increase voter confidence.

Washoe County voting machines automatically digitally record and print a physical copy of each ballot cast.

Andriola did not explicitly support a transition to hand counting but advocated for auditing results by hand with a small sample.

“There’s nothing statutorily in place right now that would prevent that self-audit,” she said.

The Nevada Secretary of State mandates risk-limiting audits of elections. A spokesperson explained that post-election tabulation audits use a random sampling of paper ballots to ensure the accuracy of election outcomes.

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.”