The Daily Rundown - April 21, 2026
Nevada ranks second in the nation in election performance, according to the just released Elections Performance Index. The state jumped from 13th in 2020 to the number two ranking in 2024. The nonpartisan report provides a comprehensive look at administration for U.S. federal elections. It measures three key areas – registration, voting, and counting. Nevada was among the nation’s leaders in voting wait time, data transparency, and military and overseas ballot return rates, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Fifty-five thousand Nevadans live with Alzheimer's disease. Another 87,000 people in the state provide unpaid care to someone with memory loss. For these Nevadans, the disease was essentially untreatable until a drug boom in the 1990s. Since the arrival of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in 2009 — and medical research advances there and at other institutions — Las Vegas has become somewhat of an epicenter for research into the disease. The newest of these semi-local developments is the Lumipulse G pTau 217/β-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio diagnostic test, which is the first test of its kind to diagnose Alzheimer's via blood samples.
UNLV's Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine contributed research to the test, which the FDA approved last year. Jefferson Kinney, the founding chair of the UNLV Med School's Department of Brain Health, provided one of his datasets to the study. He said that years of previous developments in diagnostic technology allowed him and his team to contribute to making the new test a reality. Hear the full story by State of Nevada's Anne Davis here.
The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board is launching a public database to encourage education from cannabis establishments. Information includes product-specific data such as ingredients, allergens and potency information from products sold at the state’s licensed dispensaries and consumption lounges.
The item catalog aims to inform the public, consumers, medical patients, licensees, researchers and law enforcement agencies with ongoing item information. In a press release, the board said this is a milestone and a victory for all in terms of sharing this important data. It’s based on the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system called Metrc.
Some NFL draft prospects get worn out by the league's marathon draft process. Fernando Mendoza embraced it. He did the interviews, made the rounds and firmed up his draft night plans with his trademark smile and positive attitude.
Now all he can do is wait to see what happens Thursday night. The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and overwhelming favorite to be taken No. 1 overall said Monday he's enjoyed each step along the path as he anticipates starting the next chapter of his football journey — whether it's in Las Vegas backing up Kirk Cousins or going to some other team.
“It's been long, but it's been great because a job interview usually is a couple of weeks or even a single day in the office, but this job interview has been a couple of months," Mendoza told The Associated Press.
While he's met three times with Las Vegas officials since leading the Indiana Hoosiers to their first national title in mid-January, the Boston-born Mendoza also met his boyhood favorite, Raiders minority owner Tom Brady, who got an in-person look at Mendoza at the championship game.
The Vegas Golden Knights host the Utah Mammoth tonight for Game 2 in the Stanley Cup Playoff Series. Puck drop is 6:30 at T-Mobile Arena. The Knights are leading the first round of the series with a weekend win.
Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi received a fine of $5,000 for head-butting Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson in Game 1. Center William Karlsson is out with a lower-body injury and isn’t expected to return unless the Knights have a long playoff run.
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.
