The Daily Rundown - January 9th, 2026
⛹️♀️ Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is leading a constitutional amendment initiative to keep transgender athletes out of girls' and women's sports. On X yesterday, Lombardo announced the formation of his new Protect Girls' Sports in Nevada political action committee. The ballot initiative would apply to state and other entities that receive public funds, such as schools, colleges and local athletic programs.
It would require them to categorize each sport and competition as male, female, coeducational or mixed-sex. Lombardo will serve as the group's chair. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association has previously said it can't confirm the number of transgender student athletes in the state under federal student privacy rules. Read the full story of how a Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District got caught up in a dispute over transgender athlete policies.
🛒 Nevada health officials are asking for changes to what people can buy with their food stamps. Proposals submitted by the Nevada Department of Human Services would prohibit people from using SNAP benefits to purchase sugary drinks, energy drinks and candy that is 100% sugar, excluding candy bars and granola bars. The move would allow the purchase of hot foods such as rotisserie chicken. If submitted and approved by the USDA, changes would take effect in 2028.
🛫 The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is looking to the sky to protect the public, with plans to deploy their drone units approaching 20,000 times this year, the Las Vegas Sun reports. That would double 2025's 10,000 deployments, which was more than any other public agency in the country, Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said yesterday as Metro unveiled its new drone operations center.
The drones are based at 13 launch pads, called "skyports," around the county. Police say pilots can dispatch a drone in seconds when there is an emergency, providing a video feed to responding officers. The technology has already proven to be valuable, they said, noting that recently a boy who was reported missing was found nearby using a drone's imaging technology.
🪪 The National Park Service has updated its policy to discourage visitors from defacing a picture of President Trump on this year's pass. The use of an image of Trump on the 2025 pass — rather than the usual picture of nature — has sparked a backlash, sticker protests and a lawsuit from a conservation group. The $80 annual America the Beautiful pass gives visitors access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Since 2004, the pass has typically showcased sweeping landscapes or iconic wildlife, selected through a public photo contest.
Past winners have featured places like Arches National Park in Utah and images of bison roaming the plains. Instead of a picture of nature, this year's design shows side-by-side portraits of Presidents George Washington and President Trump. The new design has drawn criticism from parkgoers and ignited a wave of "do-it-yourself" resistance. Read the full story by NPR's Windsor Johnston here on KNPR.org.
🏫 Teachers often dig into their own pockets to find the funds needed for resources in their classrooms. But help is on the way: The Nevada Department of Education says it is pleased to announce the return of the DonorsChoose Grant Program. The program will provide public school educators with up to $500 for classroom projects.
Funding of $15 million is allocated for 2025-27. Any requests for instructional materials will align with Nevada Academic Content Standards and will be funded on a first-come, first-served basis, as stated in a press release from the Nevada Department of Education.
🏠 The program that helps Nevada's essential workers buy a home still has plenty of funding available to benefit families. Nevada's Worker Advantage Program was passed during the legislative session last year. It's designed to help essential workers purchase a primary residence by providing down payment assistance. KVVU-TV reports that only 9% of the program funding has been claimed.
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.
