The Daily Rundown: October 19, 2026
🪶 The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on the Strip is a world-famous photo opportunity for visitors, but on Monday, Oct. 12, tourists stopped taking photos as local Indigenous leaders and elected officials took time to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day, according to reporting by KNPR's Jimmy Romo.
Clark County presented a proclamation on the grass to observe the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day. Nevada officially celebrates the day on Aug. 9, after former Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill into law in 2017.
“I think it's time for Nevada to come together and recognize Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday of October,” said Democratic Assemblymember Shea Backus, currently the only Indigenous lawmaker in Nevada.
Backus introduced a bill during the 2025 Nevada legislative session to move the observance to when tribes and Indigenous people actually celebrate it. However, Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed the measure.
Others aren’t waiting for an official change.
At the Palms Resort Casino, the first and only tribally owned casino near the Strip, the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation held a powwow that started on the casino floor and moved into the Pearl Theater for hundreds of spectators.
The public shared traditional songs and dances to highlight their culture on the day of the celebration.
The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation is a financial contributor to Nevada Public Radio.
💵 There’s no two ways about it: It’s getting more expensive to live in Nevada. Whether it’s housing costs, car insurance, gas, groceries or power bills, Nevadans pay more than the national average for many life necessities, and many Nevadans are struggling to get by.
That’s why pocketbook issues are, once again, top of mind for many voters. Nearly half — 43% — say the economy is their top issue this election cycle, according to recent polling.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that the candidates for Nevada’s top job are focusing on ways to improve the state’s financial well-being. But what do the candidates who are running for governor plan to do to lower costs for the average Nevadan?
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Attorney General Aaron Ford described his “Affordable Nevada” agenda that would limit corporate home purchases, cap rental security deposits at one month’s rent, address medical debt, limit certain prescription drug costs to Medicare-negotiated prices, and guarantee school meals.
Ford also says he plans to do more to distance himself from the Trump administration. Hear the full conversation with KNPR's Paul Boger and gubernatorial nominee Attorney General Aaron Ford here.
💧 Arizona has joined Nevada’s federal lawsuit over future cuts to the amount of water the states get from the Colorado River. In a statement, Gov. Joe Lombardo and the Southern Nevada Water Authority welcomed the other Lower Basin state’s participation in the suit.
Nevada filed the suit in August challenging the Trump administration’s 10-year plan to conserve water amid the shrinking of Lake Mead.
Upper Basin states were not forced to make cuts. Officials say the cuts would devastate Las Vegas and surrounding cities.
Arizona filed a motion Oct. 16 to intervene in Nevada’s lawsuit challenging the federal government’s new Colorado River operating framework. Nevada filed its lawsuit Aug. 24, arguing the plan could sharply reduce Southern Nevada’s allocation while not requiring reductions from Upper Basin states.
❤️ The American Red Cross of Southern Nevada is encouraging people across the state to learn lifesaving skills to help save someone’s life during a cardiac emergency.
October is National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, and a recent survey by the nonprofit organization found only one in four adults say they could properly perform CPR or use an automated external defibrillator.
The survey, conducted earlier this year, found that 80% of adults believe CPR and AED training is very important, but worry about being unable to provide necessary action during a cardiac emergency.
There are in-person and online classes, presentations, and an app where those interested can learn about steps to take in an emergency.
Organization leaders say the first person who can help is rarely a medical professional and, with the right information, they can step in and help before paramedics arrive.
📚 Fresh off the heels of the Las Vegas Book Festival, it bears noting that 2026 has been a very good year for Southern Nevada authors. The list of authors who were published by notable imprints is hardly short. Among them: Maile Chapman, Amanda Skenadore, Alexandra McCollum, Krista Diamond, Erin Singer, Nicholas Russell and Karen Mack.
Pahrump-raised resident and University of Nevada, Reno graduate Claire Vaye Watkins also put out her third novel, "Yellow Pine." (All this, to say nothing of the usual yearly releases from University of Nevada Press and Las Vegas-based Huntington Press.)
All in all, local authors seem like they're thriving more than ever. But what circumstances allowed this boom to happen? KNPR's Mike Prevatt sits down with Drew Cohen, co-owner of the Writer's Block bookstore in downtown Las Vegas, to find out. Hear the full story.
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.
