The Daily Rundown - March 13, 2026
🏛️ 17 U.S. senators, including Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto, want answers from President Donald Trump over his order to erase “unfavorable” history from national park exhibits. The Department of the Interior has targeted signage about slavery, Native American history, climate change and environmental impacts.
The department ordered the National Park Service, or NPS, to erase that history to comply with Trump’s order. Recently, NPS removed the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe’s history from the Death Valley National Park visitor center.
At the end of January, supporters and tribal members marched on the main road with signs that read, “We are still here.” Cortez Masto and other senators sent a letter last Friday, March 6, expressing concern about the history-altering precedent being set by Trump’s order.
The senators also want more details on how many other exhibits have already been affected, whether this will continue to happen across the nation, and the rationale for the removals. KNPR's Jimmy Romo spoke with members of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe regarding the changes. Hear the full story.
🚽 The Southern Nevada Health District voted unanimously to reverse course on tighter septic tank regulations for more than 15,000 homes in the Las Vegas Valley. The now-abandoned proposal would have changed the district’s current rules, which allow lifetime septic system permits.
Instead, the agency would have required homeowners to undergo inspections every five years and, if they failed, connect to an existing sewer system at their own expense. Wednesday’s vote came after months of public outcry, including shouting matches at the Health District’s last public meeting in February.
🐎 The Bureau of Land Management plans to begin removing 2,500 excess wild horses and burros from public lands in Nevada this weekend. The agency says the four planned gathers are needed to help restore the natural ecological balance in the targeted areas.
It is looking to remove 425 wild horses and 425 wild burros in the Spring Mountain Complex, about 60 miles west of Las Vegas. Other roundups will be near Caliente, Elko and Ely. The BLM plans to lure the animals into corrals stocked with food and water. The animals will receive veterinary treatment and then be available for public adoption.
🎰 Tilman Fertitta is currently the leading candidate to purchase Caesars Entertainment. The Texas billionaire, known for owning the Houston Rockets and the Golden Nugget casino hotels in Nevada, has entered exclusive negotiations with the company. He’s reportedly offering about $7 billion for the acquisition, or $34 per share.
Caesars’ stock price has ticked up on the news. Shares opened today, Friday, March 13, at $29. They were around $26 when markets opened Monday. The Wall Street Journal reports that a final deal is not certain. Any potential agreement would likely involve complex structures to bypass specific landlord approvals.
🤖 Uber users in Las Vegas will soon be able to hail a robotaxi starting this summer. The ride-hailing company Uber and autonomous vehicle company Zoox announced a partnership Wednesday. Amazon-owned Zoox robotaxis are already active in Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Currently, a rider can request a robotaxi only through the Zoox app, but the vehicles will soon be available through the more widely used Uber app, pending federal approval. It’s the first time Zoox has partnered with a third-party platform.
🍀 St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and this weekend is expected to bring celebrations that could also mean more impaired driving. The holiday is officially Tuesday, March 17. Personal finance website WalletHub named three Nevada cities among the top 13 best places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: Reno ranked No. 2, Henderson ranked No. 5 and Las Vegas came in at No. 13.
Meanwhile, Nevada’s Zero Fatalities Program continues its commitment to keeping roads safe. And the rideshare service Lyft has partnered with the Zero Coalition to offer discounted rides. The goal is to help prevent impaired driving during the holiday.
🌡️ If you thought it has been unusually warm this winter, you are right. Much of the Mountain West has seen record-breaking heat since December, a trend expected to continue into spring. Winter doesn’t officially end until March 20, but this season’s heat has been so extreme that federal scientists are already calling it a record-breaker. It ranks as the nation’s second-warmest winter in 131 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In the Mountain West, NOAA categorized large portions of Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico as “much above average” in February. Additionally, pockets in several of those states were considered the “warmest” ever. Hear the full story by KNPR’s Yvette Fernandez 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.
