The Daily Rundown - January 30, 2026
🪶 The Trump administration is ordering the National Park Service to remove signage acknowledging the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe in Death Valley exhibits. The Nevada Independent reports the exhibits drawing the administration’s ire contain phrases such as “We are still here” and “This is our Homeland.” It’s part of a broader effort affecting all national parks.
Secretary’s Order 3431 requires federal land management agencies to perform similar audits of all public-facing content. Tribal leaders say they feel oppressed by the language restrictions and believe the government is silencing their historical truth. Officials with the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe say they eventually want to build their own cultural center to tell their story.
🎰 The number of tourists visiting Las Vegas last year dropped by about 7.5% compared with the previous year. That’s according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. December marked the 12th consecutive month of declines, year over year, at about 9%. In all, there were 38.5 million visitors in 2025, compared with about 42 million in 2024. Hotel occupancy was also down about 3%, finishing the year with an overall 80% occupancy rate. Convention attendance was flat at about 6 million.
💧 A judge has paused the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s efforts to remove “nonfunctional turf” while a lawsuit against the authority proceeds. The case centers on the definition of “nonfunctional turf” and which grasses must be removed to conserve water. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the plaintiffs allege the ban has killed trees in three neighborhoods in Las Vegas and Henderson. An SNWA spokesperson reiterated the language of the court order, emphasizing that its intention was solely to prevent irreparable harm before the suit concludes.
🌊 The shrinking Great Salt Lake could soon get a boost from Utah lawmakers. The state is purchasing a facility next to the lake owned by US Magnesium. It includes rights to 144,000 acre-feet of water. The state won the property at auction with a $30 million bid. State officials are expected to close on the purchase next week, KSL.com reports.
That water will now stay in the lake instead of being used at the plant. Officials with the Utah Department of Natural Resources called it an enormous amount of water the state couldn’t pass up. The $30 million will come from a rainy-day fund Utah set aside years ago for purchasing water and other needs.
🏠 A Las Vegas program that helps prevent evictions and housing instability is expanding. The Eviction Diversion Program will assist eligible tenants and landlords in Henderson and North Las Vegas beginning February 2. The program secured a multimillion-dollar appropriation from the Nevada Legislature. In a press release, Clark County says the funding is due to the program’s proven track record of a 90% success rate.
🎙️ Authenticity and a sense of selfhood are both concepts author Isle McElroy knows well, after years of probing their own relationship with gender expression. That honest familiarity shows up in their work. Their first novel, The Atmospherians (published in 2021 by Simon & Schuster), is a light-handed satire of the wellness industry and the harms it poses to the individual. Their second work, also nonfiction, People Collide (published in 2023 by HarperCollins), offers a thoughtful glimpse into the impact gender, sexuality, and the norms that come with both on lived experiences, all through the lens of an unconventional body-swap conundrum.
During their time in Las Vegas as part of the Black Mountain Institute’s Shearing Fellowship, McElroy sat down with Desert Companion Managing Editor Heidi Kyser to discuss the city, their work, and how inspiration strikes in unlikely places. You can hear that conversation and more 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.
