National Park fees rise, where Las Vegas ranks for New Year's Eve, and Golden Knights expansion

The Daily Rundown - December 23, 2025

Rick Bowmer

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AP

🌲 Non-U.S. residents will face a steep price hike to visit some of the country's most popular national parks, starting in the new year. In late November, the Trump administration announced a new fee structure "that puts American families first." Non-U.S. residents will have to pay an extra $100 per person on top of regular entrance fees at 11 parks, including Rocky Mountain, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Glacier, Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

Currently, many parks charge between $30 and $35 per vehicle for a week, regardless of nationality. For U.S. residents, the annual pass remains at $80, while nonresidents will have to shell out $250. The Department of the Interior also listed eight free entry days at parks for residents only, including Flag Day – President Trump's birthday – while removing Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. Read the full story by KUNC's Rachel Cohen here.

🚗 Mercedes-Benz USA and Daimler AG will pay a settlement of nearly $150 million. Top attorneys in seven Mountain West states joined the suit that claimed the automaker violated state deceptive practices laws from 2008 to 2016. At issue were over 200,000 diesel passenger cars and vans equipped with software that legal documents said circumvented standards during emissions testing, allowing them to pump more health-harming pollutants into the air.

The lawsuit also says Mercedes marketed the vehicles to consumers as "environmentally friendly." The multimillion-dollar settlement will go to states that filed the suit, including Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. Mercedes-Benz must also replace software in these cars and pay $2,000 to affected consumers.

Courtesy Sphere Entertainment

🎉 Las Vegas is the second-best place to celebrate New Year's Eve in the U.S. That's according to the research division of WalletHub, a Miami-based personal finance company. WalletHub ranked cities by a combination of entertainment options, cost and affordability. And Las Vegas came in second – following Orlando at No. 1, but beating out New York and Los Angeles.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to be on hand for this year's annual choreographed fireworks display on the Las Vegas Strip this Wednesday, Dec. 31. Read more about what's happening on the Strip this New Years Eve from KNPR's Mike Prevatt.

Ian Maule

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AP

🏒 The Las Vegas Golden Knights' new president of business operations John Penhollow says the team plans to expand youth hockey programs in southern Nevada. That's per an interview published in the Las Vegas Sun today. Penhollow says the existing Summerlin hockey rink, City National Arena, is nearly constantly booked. The arena serves as both the team's headquarters and a youth hockey venue. Penhollow also raised concerns that the America First Center in Henderson has not fully addressed the demand for ice time in the valley.

Two additional rinks are also being considered, pending the availability of suitable sites. The team's executive says a new Golden Knights headquarters would further incentivize expansion. As for the Golden Knights themselves, the team was able to hold onto its top spot in the Pacific Division standings by earning one point with a shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche over the weekend. They host the Minnesota Wild tonight at 7.

Gov. Joe Lombardo has appointed Pershing County's district attorney to serve as the judge of the 11th Judicial District Court, Lombardo's office says. Bryce Shields takes office on Jan. 5, serving the people of Lander, Mineral and Pershing counties. Located in the northwest part of the state, the three counties have a combined population of roughly 17,000 residents.

The Nevada Legislature created the 11th Judicial District Court in 2015 after redistricting the 5th and 6th judicial districts. Judge Jim Shirley was the first to serve the 11th district, occupying the role for 10 years until he died in October.

Ivan Evans

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Unsplash

🎄 As the holiday festivities around the state begin to wind down, the Southern Nevada Christmas Tree Recycling Committee has begun accepting trees for their free recycling program. The group recycled nearly 10,000 Christmas trees last year, equating to roughly 1,300 cubic yards of landfill volume saved. The resulting mulch goes to local public parks and school gardens. Individuals can pick it up for free as well. Clark County has 30 locations to drop off trees for recycling. See the list of Christmas Tree Recycling locations below.

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.