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We did have a trace of precipitation at Yellend Field early yesterday morning, but a Red Flag Warning has been posted for today. Critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur with low relative humidity and wind gusts in excess of 40 MPH. Look for the high today of 80.
Early voting closed on Friday with turnout still considered low with less than 24% of registered voters casting ballots. In-person early voting at the Clerk's Office has totaled 361 over the early voting period, with 89 votes cast on Friday. As of yesterday, 755 Mail ballots have been received. Your final chance to vote in the 2026 primary election is from 7am until 7pm tomorrow at the Bristlecone Convention Center or at the Ely Shoshone Tribal Education Center at 250 Heritage Drive. Mail ballots can be dropped off anytime before 7pm tomorrow at the drop box in front of the new courthouse.
The White Pine County Sheriff’s Office responded to numerous calls Thursday and Friday, including threats, thefts, welfare checks, accidents, and arrests.
Deputies investigated a threat report at a local casino, a theft that resulted in a petit larceny citation, and an accidental firearm discharge at a county residence. Authorities also handled several suspicious circumstance calls, including reports of vehicle tampering and a suspicious phone call involving a public official that remains under investigation.
Deputies conducted multiple welfare checks involving concerns about self-harm and child safety. One suspected child neglect case was forwarded to the Division of Child and Family Services.
Arrested were 50-year-old Tawni Hickle of Ely on Pahrump warrants, and 51-year-old Robert Kanavel of Ely on an Ely Justice Court warrant.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of Gary Ware Junior of Ruth. The cause of death remains under investigation.
The White Pine County Commission will meet Wednesday, June 10th at the White Pine County Library in Ely, with a packed agenda that includes natural resource issues, road matters, and hiring interviews.
Commissioners will consider a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau of Land Management tied to the 2026 geothermal lease sale environmental assessment. The Liquor Board is also expected to review a temporary liquor license request for the White Pine Dirt Divas Travel Ball concessions at Marich Field.
The Road Commission will hold a public hearing on a request to add a road easement in the Pierce Subdivision into the county-maintained road system.
The board will also interview Kevin Kauinana of Reno and Steven Smith of Oregon for the position of Golf Course Director and Steve Campbell and Lindsey Jacobson for the position of Road Department Superintendent, and may extend hiring offers following the interviews.
The Commission Chair has placed an item on the agenda to restrict agenda items unless sponsored by County Leadership. The chair is also sponsoring an agenda item to require county investments to be fully controlled by the commission. Other agenda items include discussions on county investment reporting, creation of an advisory investment committee, and possible support for a Nevada Northern Railway rehabilitation grant application.
KELY will broadcast the meeting live beginning at 9am Wednesday.
A multi-agency pursuit that started in Eureka County ended with the arrest of a suspect in Elko County Wednesday.
The Elko County Sheriff’s Office says deputies assisted Nevada State Police and the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office after a vehicle fleeing law enforcement entered Elko County. After the vehicle lost a tire, the driver ran from the scene on foot.
An Elko County drone was deployed to track the suspect as he tried to hide from officers. Authorities say teamwork between several law enforcement agencies led to the capture of David Basil Mercer.
Mercer faces charges including possession and use of a controlled substance, reckless driving, resisting a public officer, and evading law enforcement.
Nevada gained nearly ten-thousand active registered voters in May, according to new figures from Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar.
The state now has more than two-million-71-thousand active voters, an increase of nearly one-half percent from April. Democrats saw the largest gain, adding more than 53-hundred voters statewide, while Republicans added just over 32-hundred. Nonpartisan registration also increased.
Nonpartisan voters remain the state’s largest voting bloc at just over 38 percent of all active voters. Republicans make up nearly 28 percent, with Democrats close behind at just under 28 percent.
State officials say inactive voters remain eligible to vote, but do not receive mail ballots unless their registration is updated.
Friday’s Missing Person alert that many of you received on Friday turned out to be too little, too late, as the subject was already dead.
North Las Vegas Police say 75-year-old Raul Soriano had walked away from his home early Wednesday morning and never returned. He was last seen around 3 a-m near West Lake Mead Boulevard.
Police say Soriano had diabetes, required medication, and walked with a noticeable limp. Authorities confirmed Thursday that a man found deceased Wednesday was identified as Soriano.
Why the late Missing Person alert was released is a subject that authorities haven’t commented on.
Nevada is temporarily pausing new state licenses for hospice and home-health providers as officials crack down on Medicaid fraud.
The Nevada Health Authority says the state will also halt new Medicaid enrollments for those providers for at least six months once federal approval is granted. Officials say the move comes after growing concerns about fraudulent billing schemes and fake operations stealing millions in taxpayer dollars through Medicaid and Medicare programs.
Governor Joe Lombardo says the state will not tolerate fraud, waste, or abuse in public healthcare programs.
Nevada Medicaid Director Ann Jensen says the pause will give investigators time to review providers, identify suspicious billing activity, and work with law enforcement on possible criminal cases.
State officials say some exemptions may be granted to support healthcare access in rural and underserved communities.
The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection is taking public comment on a proposed revised air permit for Nevada Gold Mines’ Gold Quarry Operations in Eureka County.
The proposed changes involve updates to processing systems and equipment at the mine located about six miles northwest of Carlin. State officials say the revisions will not violate federal or Nevada air quality standards.
The public comment period runs from June 12th through July 12th. Comments can be submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection in Carson City.
More information, including the draft permit and notice of proposed action, is available on the NDEP website.
A progressive nonprofit and five Box Elder County residents have filed a lawsuit challenging approval of the proposed Stratos hyperscale data center project in northern Utah.
Alliance for a Better Utah and the residents filed suit Wednesday against the Military Installation Development Authority, known as MIDA, the Box Elder County Commission, and Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and State Senator Jerry Stevenson.
The lawsuit claims residents’ civil rights were violated because the project moved forward without a public vote or enough public input. Plaintiffs are asking a judge to declare the law creating MIDA unconstitutional.
The proposed project, backed by “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary, originally called for a 40-thousand-acre A.I. data center campus and power plant in Box Elder County’s Hansel Valley. O’Leary now says the project footprint has been cut in half to 20-thousand acres.
A MIDA spokesperson says the agency has not yet reviewed the complaint. Separate legal action has also been filed over efforts to put the project before county voters.