The Daily Rundown - February 4th, 2026
🧪 A man is in custody after local, state and federal agencies searched a Las Vegas home for hazardous materials. The property’s manager, 55-year-old Ori Solomon, was arrested and charged with improperly storing and discharging hazardous materials.
Authorities collected more than a thousand samples of unknown substances from the garage. Officials are investigating whether the case is connected to a similar incident near Fresno, California, where individuals face charges of unlawfully distributing medical test kits.
🎒 The Clark County School District will receive about $50 million less next year due to declining enrollment. KSNV-TV reports more than 280 schools will see budget cuts next school year, with more than 200 experiencing enrollment declines. At the same time, employee costs are rising, leaving less funding for staff and potentially fewer teachers and administrators.
District officials say no one is being laid off yet, but some positions could be cut next year. CCSD has implemented a partial hiring freeze and is working with School Organizational Teams to determine staffing levels. School leaders have until Thursday, February 5th, to submit next year’s budgets.
⛏️ Congressional Democrats have launched an inquiry into Trump Administration investments in Nevada mining operations. Members of the House Natural Resources and Senate Oversight Committees sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Energy on February 2nd seeking details about ownership stakes the administration has acquired in several mining companies.
The Nevada Current reports the DOE took a 5% ownership interest in the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine, along with a separate 5% stake in Lithium Americas. Democrats say they want to ensure the investments do not create corruption or conflicts of interest. The administration has until February 26th to respond.
🏠 Las Vegas home prices remain high despite a slowdown in sales. The median price for an existing home in December was $470,000, down from a record high of nearly $489,000 a month earlier. However, prices remain about $150,000 higher than before the pandemic. Meanwhile, sales of homes, condos and townhomes fell to their lowest level since 2007. Realtor David Brownell says tight inventory is keeping prices elevated. You can read the full conversation with KNPR’s Paul Boger.
⛽ Gas prices in the Las Vegas Valley are rising as refineries switch to summer fuel blends. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports prices are expected to increase over the next few weeks as suppliers transition from winter blends, which help prevent fuel lines from freezing, to summer blends designed to reduce emissions. Nevada relies heavily on California refineries, which are among the first in the nation to make the seasonal change.
🥔 PepsiCo says it's received the message from shoppers who've complained about higher prices. The food giant is now dropping the cost of its chips — including Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos and Tostitos — "by up to nearly 15%." PepsiCo on Tuesday said that its new retail prices on chips will start rolling out as soon as this week, ahead of the Super Bowl snack-shopping sprees.
The company is among many big-brand giants feeling shoppers reconsider their food budgets after years of stubborn inflation. Especially in the snack aisles, people have been turning to more store-brand options — or skipping those items altogether. That's after food companies repeatedly raised prices after the pandemic, betting on shoppers' brand loyalty. Read the full story by NPR's Alina Selyukh.
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.
