The Daily Rundown - April 27, 2026
🏗️ Construction on the Athletics’ stadium is starting to take shape. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the project remains on budget and on time to house the A’s for the 2028 baseball season. Concrete is set to begin pouring on levels where the ballpark seats will be installed in the 33,000-seat stadium. And the structures that will eventually support the fixed roof are scheduled to be installed in June.
A retractable roof was ruled out to keep out the well-known Las Vegas summer heat. However, windows will allow daylight from the north to bring in natural lighting. The ballpark design features an 18,000-square-foot Jumbotron — the largest stadium screen in Major League Baseball.
🚨 The City of Henderson is responding to what it calls the community’s behavioral health crisis. The city said a group of licensed mental health professionals would participate in a pilot program launching later this year. It is expected to make Henderson’s Crisis Response Team the state’s first dedicated response team that can be dispatched through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Instead of automatically sending police, the program will be designed to dispatch licensed clinicians and specialists to respond in person. The city says the program should bring the right kind of support to people in mental crisis faster than they can receive it now.
It’s also meant to help prevent the criminalization of mental illness. If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text 988 at any time to reach trained crisis counselors.
🏈 The Raiders selecting Fernando Mendoza first overall in the NFL draft was no surprise, but the later rounds of the draft saw unexpected moves from the team. CBS Sports gave the Raiders "A" ratings for the team's selections in rounds 2 through 4.
That was headlined by drafting former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy in the fourth round. McCoy’s relatively low placement in the draft was largely attributed to injury concerns, but the Raiders front office still believes in his abilities, trading up to draft him.
The Raiders also received high marks for drafting Brandon Cleveland, a defensive lineman, in the seventh round over the weekend.
🎓 The University of Nevada, Las Vegas has renamed its Department of Film. Referred to now as the School of Cinematic Arts, the name change is meant to better describe the program’s mission. In a press release, the chair of UNLV CinArts says the school covers the full spectrum of creative and technical disciplines involved in the study and production of moving images.
CinArts is a school within UNLV’s College of Fine Arts. School officials announced the new name during a recent event at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, where alumni, current students, administration and faculty gathered to celebrate.
🥾 It’s peak hiking season in Southern Nevada — the sun is out, but it’s not blazing hot yet. As people head outside, some trails will get crowded. The Outdoor Industry Association’s 2025 report showed that outdoor recreation participation grew 3% last year, to 181 million participants — a record high.
To discuss it, KNPR talked to Reannon Muth, an author and frequent contributor to Desert Companion, and Penny Harvey, associate professor of sociology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and volunteer camp director for the nonprofit group Camp Pride Tree.
Muth and Harvey gave a variety of tips for attitudes and behaviors that can make hikers of all backgrounds and skill levels feel welcome. By and large, they added, there's great diversity on Nevada's trails, where a spirit of inclusivity dominates. Hear the full story by KNPR's Heidi Kyser 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.
