Category Archives: Nevada

Burning Man festival-goers trapped in desert as rain turns site to mud

Posted on by

Tens of thousands of ‘burners’ urged to conserve food and water as rain and flash floods sweep Nevada

Tens of thousands of “burners” at the Burning Man festival have been told to stay in the camps, conserve food and water and are being blocked from leaving Nevada’s Black Rock desert after a slow-moving rainstorm turned the event into a mud bath.

Organizers responding to the unusual weather indicated the closures could endure, as local reports described the conditions at the festival as “treacherous” with “thick, slimy mud that clung to shoes and anything else it touched”.

Continue reading...

‘Senseless crime’: beloved peacock killed with bow and arrow in Las Vegas

Posted on by

Authorities and neighbors seek culprit after pet bird Pete the peacock found impaled by arrow

A beloved Las Vegas neighborhood peacock has been killed with a hunter’s bow and arrow, and authorities are trying to find who was behind it.

Animal protection services officers are investigating the death of Pete the peacock, a pet that belonged to a resident in a gated neighborhood, the local news outlet KVVU reported on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Phoenix’s record streak of temperatures above 110F ends after 31 days

Posted on by

Reprieve expected to be brief, with the forecast calling for highs again above 110F for several days later in the week

Phoenix’s record stretch of daily highs over 110F (43.3C) ended Monday as cooling monsoon rains slightly tempered the dangerous heatwave that suffocated the American south-west throughout July.

The region, from Texas across New Mexico and Arizona and into California’s desert, has been grappling with historic heat since June. Phoenix and its suburbs sweltered more intensely than most, with several records including the 31 consecutive days of 110F days. The previous record was 18 straight days, set in 1974.

Continue reading...

Nevada home raided in link with Tupac Shakur killing tied to suspect’s uncle

Posted on by

Property in Henderson linked to Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, whose late nephew, Orlando Anderson, was long suspected in rapper’s killing

A home that Las Vegas police searched this week in connection with the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur is tied to a man whose nephew had emerged as a suspect shortly after the rapper’s killing.

Detectives sought items “concerning the murder of Tupac Shakur” from Duane “Keffe D” Davis, according to a copy of the warrant obtained Thursday. Davis is the uncle of Orlando Anderson. Anderson denied involvement in Shakur’s killing at the time, and died two years later in an unrelated gang shooting in Compton, California.

Continue reading...

Las Vegas police issue search warrant in long-unsolved killing of Tupac Shakur

Posted on by

Nevada police say warrant was executed in Henderson, Nevada, 26 years after rapper was fatally shot in 1996 aged 25

Authorities in Nevada confirmed on Tuesday that they served a search warrant this week in connection with the long-unsolved killing of the rapper Tupac Shakur nearly 30 years ago.

Shakur, one of the most prolific figures in hip-hop, was killed on the night of 7 September 1996 in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. He was 25.

Continue reading...

US south-west bakes under potentially deadly record high temperatures

Posted on by

Phoenix, Arizona, logged its 16th day above 110F, and California’s Death Valley reached 122F as cities offered cooling centers

A dangerous heatwave threatened a wide swath of the south-west with potentially deadly temperatures in the triple digits on Saturday as some cooling centers extended their hours and emergency rooms prepared to treat more people with heat-related illnesses.

“Near record temperatures are expected this weekend!” the National Weather Service in Phoenix warned in a tweet, advising people to follow its safety tips such as drinking plenty of water and checking on relatives and neighbors.

Continue reading...

Severe US weather: California heat puts firefighters on high alert for wildfires; Canada wildfires cause air quality alerts in US midwest – as it happened

Posted on by

Extreme dry conditions raising fire risk; air quality alert for Minnesota took effect at 8am on Friday

Vermont governor Phil Scott said his formal request to President Joe Biden for a major disaster declaration has been approved.

The major disaster declaration unlocks federal disaster funds to assist individuals and communities recover from the devastating floods earlier this week.

The disaster declaration provides federal support for recovery. It’s separate from, and in addition to, the federal emergency declaration the president already signed when he was overseas to help with the initial emergency phase.

It’s incredibly important to get flooded homes, businesses and public buildings as dry as possible to prevent other outcomes like mould. We’re working on resources to help with that.

I’m very grateful for the speed of Fema in the White House. It will open up significant federal resources for communities, individuals, businesses [...] In anticipation of these funds, we are working to develop a concrete list of resources to help impacted Vermonters and making sure it’s as easy as possible for Vermonters to access those.

Continue reading...

Residents of US south-west swelter under record-breaking heatwave

Posted on by

Relentless temperatures upwards of 100F leave millions under extreme heat warnings and outdoor events cancelled

Record-breaking heat is baking the US south-west this week, putting millions under extreme heat warnings as temperatures upwards of 100F (38C) hit Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and southern California for days on end.

Even desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the relentless grip of the heat. Phoenix, which hit a 12th consecutive day of 110F on Tuesday, could see its longest ever heatwave.

Continue reading...

Trump attacks ‘no personality’ DeSantis and repeats election lies in Nevada

Posted on by

Former president who dominates Republican primary finds receptive audience at Las Vegas rally

Donald Trump attacked Ron DeSantis at a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday, saying his closest challenger for the Republican presidential nomination had “no personality” – but claiming responsibility for the Florida governor’s career on the national stage.

Trump also repeated his lie about electoral fraud in his 2020 defeat by Joe Biden, to a receptive audience, before high-fiving fans at a mixed martial event.

Continue reading...

‘One hell of a mess’: volunteers clean up three tons of trash from Lake Tahoe

Posted on by

Cleanup effort after Fourth of July was ‘one of the worst’ in years, says founder of group behind trash collecting

A team of volunteers that included scuba divers, kayakers and snorkelers has collected more than three tons of trash from Lake Tahoe left behind by Fourth of July revelers.

Colin West, founder and CEO of Clean up the Lake, the group behind the cleanup effort, said the mess was “one of the worst” he’d seen in his years of trash collecting.

Continue reading...

Bug swarm: Nevada crawling with thick carpet of Mormon crickets

Posted on by

Millions of crickets – or rather shield-backed katydids – migrating across state, after hatching was delayed in spring

Millions of flightless insects known as Mormon crickets have descended across Nevada, alarming residents, blanketing roadways and buildings, and fueling nightmares.

Footage shared on social media and by local news outlets captures six Nevada counties under siege, with thick carpets of bugs moving slowly and efficiently across the state. A local hospital had to deploy brooms and leafblowers to clear the way for patients to get into the building, a spokesperson for the Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, told local news outlet KSL.

Continue reading...

Historic Colorado River deal not enough to stave off long-term crisis, experts say

Posted on by

Agreement between California, Arizona and Nevada will cut water consumption by 13% but experts warn river is still in serious peril

A hard-fought agreement between California, Arizona and Nevada to slash the states’ use of the shrinking Colorado River is only a temporary salve to a long-term water crisis that continues to threaten the foundations of life in the American west, experts have warned.

The deal, announced on Monday, between the three states that make up the lower portion of the sprawling Colorado basin will pare back 13% of water consumption from the beleaguered river over the next three years if adopted, averting the prospect of more stringent cuts imposed by the federal government. Backed by $1.2bn in federal funds, the bulk of the reductions are structured to encourage voluntary cuts taken by rights holders, in exchange for grant money.

Continue reading...

Five people killed in Care Flight air ambulance crash in Nevada

Posted on by

Those aboard the flight included the pilot, nurse, paramedic, patient and the patient’s family member

Five people – including a patient, a relative of the patient and medical personnel – were killed in a plane crash Friday in Nevada, according to an air ambulance company.

The sheriff’s office in Lyon county said it began receiving calls about a possible plane crash near the community of Stagecoach – about 25 miles south-east of Reno – about 9.15pm and found the wreckage two hours later.

Continue reading...

Wienermobile in a pickle after falling victim to catalytic converter thieves

Posted on by

The Oscar Mayer crew didn’t relish their time in Las Vegas after the vehicle had to be towed to an auto body shop

One of the US’s most easily recognizable vehicles is back on the road after it fell victim to a crime that has grown more common in recent years: catalytic converter theft. While parked in Las Vegas ahead of a Super Bowl weekend appearance, the Wienermobile, a 27ft-long bright yellow-and-red hotdog on wheels, was disabled after someone took the vehicle’s hardware.

The Wienermobile is actually a fleet of six vehicles used as a promotional tool for the celebrated Wisconsin-based hotdog brand Oscar Mayer. The Wienermobiles are driven across the nation by “hotdoggers” who claim the job for a one-year assignment. The morning after the converter was taken, the Wienermobile was towed to a nearby auto repair shop where mechanics installed a temporary converter that would allow the Wienermobile’s crew to drive it.

Continue reading...

Friendly Ghost: white dog running with coyotes gets help from rescue group

Posted on by

Animal spotted in the desert of southern Nevada likely to have been abandoned as a puppy, rescuers say

For the last few months, a ghost has roamed the desert of southern Nevada near Las Vegas with a pack of coyotes. The apparent phantom is actually a white dog named Ghost, who observers say the animals accepted as one of their own.

Residents in Henderson spotted the dog running through their neighborhood at night, sometimes with the coyotes as they played together, for at least six months, according to a fundraiser for the animal. But neighbors, who documented his movements on social media, grew concerned about an injury on Ghost’s leg that was causing a severe limp and tried unsuccessfully to catch him.

Continue reading...

Mills Lane, referee of Holyfield-Tyson ‘bite fight’, dies at age of 85

Posted on by
  • Lane was also a Marine, boxer, prosecutor and TV judge
  • Referee had been in poor health since suffering stroke

Mills Lane, the referee who disqualified Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield’s ears in the 1997 world heavyweight title fight, has died at the age of 85.

Lane’s son, Tommy, told the Reno Gazette-Journal that his father, who had been in poor health since suffering a stroke 20 years ago, died peacefully at a hospice in the Nevada city on Tuesday.

Continue reading...

Democrat Cisco Aguilar defeats election denier in Nevada secretary of state race

Posted on by

Victory over Republican Jim Marchant for state’s top elections post is significant win against efforts to sow doubt in US elections

Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, was elected Nevada’s top election official, beating Jim Marchant, a Republican who is linked to the QAnon sought to spread misinformation about the results of the 2020 race.

His victory is a significant win against efforts to sow doubt in US elections, a growing force in the Republican party.

Continue reading...

Catherine Cortez Masto wins Nevada Senate race to hold Democrat seat

Posted on by

The race was among the tightest in the country and saw record spending with the incumbent senator nearly beaten

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto managed to hang on to her seat in a close race that nearly saw her beaten by her Republican adversary, with the result leaving control of the US Senate in the hands of Democrats.

After Democratic senator Mark Kelly’s victory in Arizona on Friday, the party now holds a 50-49 edge in the Senate. The Democratic party will retain control of the chamber, no matter how next month’s Georgia runoff plays out, by virtue of vice-president Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote.

Continue reading...

Sixth set of human remains found in vanishing Lake Mead

Posted on by

A second world war-era boat, half emerged B-29 plane and five other bodies have so far been found in the receding waters

Yet another set of human remains was pulled from the shallows of Lake Mead this week, marking the sixth time this year the receding water levels uncovered bodies from the past.

The National Park Service confirmed on Wednesday that a human bone discovered by a diver directed a park dive team to an area where the skeletal remains were found.

Continue reading...

‘I just care about change’: Nevada’s Latinos on their cost-of-living fears

Posted on by

Nevada has an acute shortage of affordable housing – but do Republicans or Democrats have practical answers to curb one of America’s most pressing issues?

Claudia Lopez, 39, is worried for her children.

As her curly haired seven-year-old daughter bounced around a play area inside El Mercado, a shopping center within the Boulevard Mall in Las Vegas where the smell of arepas and tacos hovers over the shops, Lopez soaked in her day off from knocking on doors and talking to residents about the upcoming election.

Continue reading...