The Daily Rundown - December 5, 2025
🏇 The National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center got underway last night and runs through Dec. 13. It's the 40th year for the Super Bowl of rodeos in Las Vegas, with officials expecting to extend a streak of 379 consecutive sellouts. Along with action in the arena comes a host of concerts, packed viewing parties at casinos and other venues, the Cowboy Christmas shopping experience, pop-up events and more. Speaking at a gathering of rodeo folks and rodeo supporters yesterday, Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said that the NFR generates more than $200 million in direct local economic impact from the rodeo events alone.
Read more about the next generation of young rodeo athletes here.
⚽️ FIFA considered Las Vegas as the site for its World Cup draw, but logistical issues helped prevent a deal from getting done, the AP reports. The draw will be held in Washington, D.C., tomorrow. The United States, Canada and Mexico will host the 48-team soccer tournament from June 11 to July 19. Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said that two major events made it difficult to provide a venue and rooms for the draw.
Read more about why the 2026 World Cup draw matters and how it works from NPR
🚨 Another former Henderson Police Department volunteer is suing the city of Henderson and City Manager Stephanie Garcia-Vause, saying he was removed from his position last year after voicing support for then-Police Chief Holly Chadwick. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Jeff Crampton filed a 20-page complaint Tuesday in U.S. District Court. It also alleges that Garcia-Vause told a police committee he was under investigation for fraud, which was untrue, and that this has affected his real estate business. Chadwick had a contentious relationship with the city manager and was eventually fired. Former police volunteer Amanda Swartz is suing in federal court, also claiming that her support for Chadwick led to her dismissal.
🏈 The NFL's attempt to have a lawsuit filed by former Raiders coach Jon Gruden dismissed was rejected by District Judge Joe Hardy on Wednesday. Gruden resigned as Raiders coach after a handful of racist, misogynist and anti-LGBTQ emails from him were leaked to the media. Gruden contends that the NFL leaked those emails, which were sent when he was doing TV work. The league says under its rules the matter should go to arbitration, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell making the final ruling. The Nevada Supreme Court rejected that contention in August, paving the way for the matter to go to trial. The emails were uncovered by the league during an investigation that did not involve Gruden. He says making them public caused him to lose his job and is asking for damages.
Read more about when Gruden's emails were first leaked in 2021 here.
✏️ The Clark County School District wants input from students, families and community members on a variety of issues, with two surveys on its website available through Dec. 19. The first asks for input on school safety, academics and campus climate and includes some school-specific questions. It should take about five minutes, they say. The second is a follow-up survey on changing school start times, which takes about three minutes. Responses in both cases remain anonymous.
📚 Over the past four months, a wide range of new titles has come out — novels, memoirs, essay collections and even books on the environment. There's likely something to match just about any reading preference on your holiday list. Hear the conversation with KNPR producer Mike Prevatt and Desert Companion editor-at-large Scott Dickensheets as they share some of their recommended reads for the season.
See the full list of books here.
Part of these stories are taken from KNPR's daily newscast segment. To hear more daily updates like these, tune in to 88.9 KNPR FM.
