The Daily Rundown - January 16, 2026
🎖️ City of Las Vegas officials and local veterans broke ground Thursday on the new home of the Nevada State Veterans Memorial. The memorial is being relocated from outside the closed Grant Sawyer State Office Building to the Thunderbird Family Sports Complex on North Durango Drive.
The memorial features 18 bronze statues, each more than 7 feet tall, honoring American military service from the Revolutionary War through today. The state commissioned the memorial in 2011. The new site will include a landscaped open-air promenade, an amphitheater and informational signage.
🏜️ The Bureau of Land Management is installing bollards in Humboldt County’s Black Rock Desert, home of the Burning Man festival, to curb off-highway vehicle activity. BLM officials approved and signed off on the installation Thursday. The agency says the short, sturdy posts will keep traffic on designated roads, prevent future soil erosion, and protect natural and cultural resources.
🎨The growing pains of the Arts District continue. Months after fending off a potential noise ordinance, the burgeoning downtown neighborhood is now contending with rising parking costs. They include price hikes on existing meters, new meters awaiting activation and once free, private lots now charging fees. It seems that whatever free parking remained is now all but gone. Business owners, their employees, and arts district patrons are furious, if social media and the public comments at City Hall are any indication.
Councilwoman Olivia Diaz, whose jurisdiction includes the Arts District, said during the January 7 City Council meeting that she would be open to meeting with the community to explore other avenues that could relieve some of its financial burden, including offering more discounted monthly permits to area employees and residents. But during that same meeting, following a marathon of complaints from her constituents during public comment, she firmly maintained the need to generate revenue that addresses rising costs in the burgeoning neighborhood. Read the full story by KNPR's Mike Prevatt here.
📸 Have a photo of the Silver State you want to share? Submit it to Desert Companion’s 2026 Focus on Nevada Photo Contest for a chance to be featured in the magazine’s upcoming photo issue and win prizes from our partner B&C Camera! No fancy equipment needed — just an image that shows Nevada through your eyes. Submissions are open through March 8! Learn more about the contest here.
🎓 The University of Nevada, Reno, is under federal investigation for allowing students to participate in sports based on gender identity rather than biological sex. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced Wednesday it is investigating UNR and 17 other educational entities nationwide.
The department says allowing transgender athletes to compete undermines safety and equal athletic opportunities for women and girls. UNR is the only Nevada institution named. University officials say they will address the concerns through appropriate legal and administrative channels and remain committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive and respectful campus environment.
🧒 The Reno City Council has approved an ordinance aimed at making it easier to open childcare centers. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the change removes or reduces zoning costs and other barriers, lowering expenses for commercial childcare centers and eliminating zoning permit requirements and associated fees for in-home and workplace childcare. Centers must still meet pickup and drop-off standards, install buffer fencing, follow specific outdoor play hours when near residences, and comply with state and county regulations.
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.
