The Daily Rundown - January 15, 2026
🎰 Las Vegas-based Light & Wonder and Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. reached a $127.5 million settlement on Sunday, the Review-Journal reports. The deal ends a legal battle over slot machine intellectual property. Light & Wonder must remove all Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon games from casinos. The lawsuit accused the Las Vegas company of using trade secrets acquired through a former Aristocrat employee. Light & Wonder will also destroy all documents related to that data.
🏚️ Work crews have started tearing down abandoned motels along Fremont Street, as first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The city of Las Vegas issued demolition permits in mid-December. The shuttered motels, owned by the estate of Tony Hsieh, attracted squatters for years and were frequently linked to fires. Crews will preserve the motels’ retro signs. City officials say the demolitions mark an end to problems tied to the so-called nuisance properties.
🤝 Clark County is now accepting applications for Outside Agency Grants. Nonprofit organizations, public agencies or government entities that substantially benefit Clark County residents are eligible to apply.
Projects must help disadvantaged residents become self-sufficient, foster community pride or cohesion, or strengthen community infrastructure. Individuals and for-profit companies are not eligible. Applications are due Feb. 12 and must be submitted online through the Clark County Social Services website.
🎓 College enrollment in the U.S. rose again last fall, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to new figures released Thursday. Total enrollment reached 19.4 million students, a 1% increase from fall 2024, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Growth was strongest at public four-year universities and community colleges, while enrollment fell at private four-year schools and in master’s programs. Short-term workforce credentials grew by 28% over the past year. You can read the full story by NPR’s Elissa Nadworny here.
🌥️ Researchers in Reno are studying the skies for clues about combating climate change. A new study from Nevada’s Desert Research Institute offers support for cirrus cloud thinning, an experimental climate intervention that uses dust to trigger precipitation from high-altitude clouds. With fewer ice crystals suspended, less heat is reflected back to Earth. Researchers caution the method is still in early stages and appears most effective near Earth’s northern and southern extremes.
⚡ NV Energy says it plans to refund only some customers it overcharged for more than two decades, according to a filing with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada. An investigation found customers were misclassified, leading to improper billing. NV Energy says records only go back eight years, limiting refunds.
The commission argues the utility must refund all overcharges with interest and keep billing records indefinitely. NV Energy disputes the commission’s authority. A public workshop is scheduled for Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. KNPR’s Paul Boger looks at how NV Energy has changed its rate structure in recent months. Hear that story 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.
