The Daily Rundown - March 5, 2026
🏛️ Senators on the Natural Resources Committee voted along party lines Wednesday morning to advance President Trump's pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Steve Pearce, a former Republican congressman from New Mexico, would next need to clear a vote in the full Senate in the coming weeks to be confirmed.
Pearce's supporters include energy and grazing groups. A coalition of oil and gas associations praised his nomination.
He has faced intense scrutiny from environmentalists, some veterans and Democrats. During a hearing last week, Pearce was asked about his previous advocacy for the sale of public lands. He indicated that he would not be in favor of such sales.
But ahead of the vote, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., released a statement saying he did not trust Pearce's answer and would oppose his nomination to oversee 245 million acres of federal lands.
Senators on the committee voted 11-9 to send Pearce's nomination along. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, voted to support Pearce after pressing the nominee last week about the importance of public lands to his constituents.
After the hearing, Risch released a statement saying he "received assurances" from Pearce "that he has no plans to sell off Idaho's public lands."
🌬️ Clark County Division of Air Quality has issued a dust advisory for Thursday beginning at 8 a.m. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Thursday's Air Quality Index is considered to be at a level that is unhealthy for sensitive groups of people. The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for central and southern Nevada, including Las Vegas, with wind gusts as high as 45 mph likely to occur. Clark County issued a statement with tips to limit exposure to extreme degrees of dust. They include limiting outdoor exertion, keeping windows and doors closed, and running your air conditioner inside your house and car to filter out particulates.
🏜️ The world-famous Mint 400 off-road race will take place this weekend in the desert outside Las Vegas. In order to minimize the risk of potential collisions with spectators and racers, the Bureau of Land Management's Las Vegas Field Office is closing certain public lands near Jean, Nevada, on Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7. According to a BLM press release, signs and maps directing the public to designated spectator areas will be provided by the event sponsor.
🏒 The Vegas Golden Knights keep buying ahead of the NHL trade deadline, this time bolstering their forward group. Vegas on Thursday acquired center Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick, a 2029 second-rounder and young goaltender Jesper Vikman. The move comes several weeks after getting defenseman Rasmus Andersson from Calgary prior to the Olympic break.
Dowd, 35, gives the Golden Knights a penalty killer and shutdown defender down the middle who can also chip in some offense. He has 16 points and 43 blocked shots in 55 games this season.
Dowd is also under contract through next season at a reasonable salary cap hit of $3 million.
Trading Dowd signals the Capitals' intention to at least in part be sellers, sitting four points back of the second and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference but having played three more games than Boston, which is in that position. Pending unrestricted free agent forward Brandon Duhaime and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk are also trade candidates for Washington.
🚌 The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County is offering free rides all day this Saturday on one of its routes. The complimentary rides are offered in celebration of five years of service along one of the county's busiest corridors, the Virginia Line University Extension. The Virginia Line was the first bus rapid transit service in northern Nevada. The extension provides service to the University of Nevada, Reno, according to a press release.
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.
