KUNR Public Radio: Local News Feed

Hundreds of thousands of Nevadans have lost their jobs due to nonessential business closures meant to limit the spread of COVID-19. To protect them from housing insecurity, Governor Steve Sisolak ordered a moratorium on evictions, but there’s confusion on who is protected. Both tenants and landlords for weekly motels are concerned about what the future holds.

Many Nevadans who are aging experience periods of isolation due to things like living alone, enduring the death of family or friends, and having limited mobility. Now with Nevada's stay-at-home order, experts on aging say these issues may be exacerbated — not to mention the heightened danger that this population faces with COVID-19.

El gobernador Steve Sisolak ha ordenado que la gente de Nevada se quede en casa para evitar la propagación del nuevo coronavirus, pero para algunas personas, su casa no es un lugar seguro. A nivel local, varias organizaciones sin fines de lucro que ayudan a las víctimas de la violencia doméstica han notado un aumento en el número de personas que buscan su ayuda por estar en peligro de violencia en casa. Stephanie Serrano, periodista de la radio pública KUNR, habló con Karhla Ramírez-Tanori, la

Nevada lawmakers have approved a plan to spend $8.2 million in state money to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

The novel coronavirus has continued to spread throughout the country, and it's not sparing rural areas. That includes regions like the Eastern Sierra. Mono County in that region faces some unique challenges, like the high level of tourism that runs through the area year-round. KUNR's Bree Zender spoke with the county's public health officer, Dr. Thomas Boo, to find out how the area is dealing with those issues.

When Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak issued a directive to partially lockdown the state, he warned that businesses choosing to remain open may face penalties. What he didn't do is set specific guidelines on how to enforce the order. Instead, that responsibility was largely left to local law enforcement.

Like the rest of the country, Nevada is seeing a record-breaking spike in unemployment claims. In response, Governor Steve Sisolak placed a moratorium on evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. KUNR’s Paul Boger reached out to Rita Greggio, a lawyer with Washoe Legal Services, a nonprofit legal aid organization, to talk about what the governor’s directive means.

Coverage of novel coronavirus is supported by the Mick Hitchcock, Ph.D., Project for Visualizing Science , a science reporting project from the Reynolds School of Journalism . At a residential treatment facility in Reno, 24 youth and 11 staff have tested positive for COVID-19. One staff member has died. Willow Springs serves children and teens with behavioral and mental health needs. The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health is currently investigating the outbreak.

A few weeks ago, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak encouraged all nonessential businesses to close their doors. Then, a few days later, on March 20, he ordered them to do so. “If your business is nonessential to providing sustenance and for the everyday safety, health and wellbeing of Nevadans, you must shut down,” Sisolak said. But what’s an essential business? Beyond obvious ones such as hospitals and grocery stores, there’s no simple answer.

Since the first of March, airline passenger volume in the United States has dropped by more than 80 percent. People are still allowed to fly, and freight terminals are busy, but the passenger numbers at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport are down to a trickle and the airport reaches deep into the regional economy.