KUNR Public Radio: Local News Feed

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently declared a state of emergency and called on the National Guard to speed up forest management ahead of the upcoming wildfire season. In the Sierra Nevada, federal forest management officials are behind on prescribed fire treatments due to the 35-day partial federal government shutdown, which was followed by a historic snowfall.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that is essentially a gun control measure aimed at preventing a mass shooting like the one in Las Vegas in 2017 that left 58 people dead and hundreds more injured. AB291's sponsor, Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, was at that concert. She sat down with KUNR's Paul Boger to talk about the measure and the role the shooting played in its creation.

With high housing prices in Northern Nevada, Reno is seeing community members choosing to stay in motels as long-term residents. The city created a motel inspection program late last year and the team recently conducted its first inspection. KUNR’s Michelle Billman sat down with our reporters Stephanie Serrano and Krysta Scripter to learn more.

Washoe County Commissioners are tapping Greg Smith, a former commission candidate and the husband of the late state Senator Debbie Smith, to take over the assembly seat vacated by Mike Sprinkle earlier this month.

Whether it's banning the statute of limitations on sexual assault cases or eliminating the use of cash bail in the criminal justice system, lawmakers in Nevada are in the process of considering hundreds of bills this legislative session. KUNR's Paul Boger sat down with Fred Lokken, a long-time political science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College to breakdown the session thus far.

There are close to 1,000 bills currently before the Nevada legislature, and nearly half of them have been introduced in the past seven days. Many of those new bills came after legislative leaders extended a deadline for introductions. To get the latest from Nevada's capital city, KUNR's Michelle Billman spoke with Political Reporter Paul Boger.

People with diabetes are more at risk for gum disease and infections. Medicaid doesn’t cover routine dental procedures. That’s why there’s a bill to expand dental coverage for Nevadans with diabetes. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck has more.

The Nevada County Health Rankings Report was recently released. Washoe County came in sixth place in the state for overall health, a jump from the previous year. KUNR’s Anh Gray reports that affordable housing, access to mental health care and substance abuse are still big issues.

Eric Musselman is in his fourth year as head coach of Nevada men’s basketball. When he started , the team had not seen an NCAA tournament in years. Last season, the Pack advanced to the Sweet 16 and now heads to the Big Dance for its third consecutive year. Tonight, the Pack plays Florida in Iowa, and the winner of that game will advance to play either Michigan or Bradley on Saturday. KUNR's Holly Hutchings actually met Musselman while working out at the gym, and they soon formed a friendship.

The the LGBTQ-rights focused nonprofit, Human Rights Campaign , recently released a study concerning how inclusive city policies and services are to folks in the LGBTQ community. The report rates cities around the country on their non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and the city leadership's public position on equality.