The Daily Rundown - May 4, 2026
Spirit Airlines has ended its 34-year run, closing the chapter on a discount carrier that reshaped U.S. air travel. Once known for bright yellow planes and deeply discounted fares, the airline announced early Saturday it had shut down after its final flight from Detroit landed in Dallas. Spirit rose to prominence by unbundling fares and charging extra for services like bags and seat selection, a model later copied across the industry. But after years of losses, two bankruptcy filings and a recent surge in fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict, the airline was unable to recover. About 17,000 employees have lost their jobs, many learning the news through media reports. A company spokesperson said more than 50,000 passengers were flown on its final day of operations.
Purdue Pharma will have to pay the state of Nevada nearly $58 million as part of a national opioid settlement. That's according to an announcement made Friday by state Attorney General Aaron Ford.
The payout is part of a larger $7.4 billion settlement distributed across the country. The settlement also permanently prevents the owners of Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family, from selling opioid drugs in the United States. It comes after Nevada individually sued the pharmaceutical company last summer.
The state has now received more than $1.2 billion in opioid settlements. Officials plan to direct the money to the Fund for a Resilient Nevada, which will pay for addiction support and prevention services around the state. According to CDC data, Nevada experienced a 20% decrease in drug overdose deaths last year. Overdoses linked to synthetic opioids experienced the steepest decline.
As of two weeks ago, marijuana belonged to the same controlled-substance classification as heroin and LSD. But on April 23, the U.S. Department of Justice reclassified medicinal and FDA-approved cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. What this means for Nevada's commercial marijuana industry remains unclear, at least in the short term.
The move follows a December 2025 executive order from President Trump, setting the stage for a June 29 administrative hearing on what the DOJ and the Drug Enforcement Administration are calling a potential "broader rescheduling" of cannabis. Recreational marijuana remains classified as Schedule I and is still illegal under federal law.
The reclassification expands opportunities for medical research and allows medicinal marijuana retailers to claim tax deductions. But in Nevada, where business owners hold dual medicinal/recreational licenses, the DOJ statement does not clarify policy for those dual licenses. The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board says it will continue to operate under current state law.
Riana Durrett, director of the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute and vice chair of the CCB, said what remains to be seen is how recreational cannabis will be treated, which may become clearer at the June hearing. "While the administration is currently focusing on medical marijuana access and research, it is still appropriate to consider nationwide legalization of adult-use cannabis using a similar approach to alcohol," Durrett wrote. Read the full story at KNPR.org.
Nevada State University has a new leader. The Board of Regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education voted unanimously Friday to hire Sandra Richtermeyer as the university's next president. Richtermeyer is currently the executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at Rutgers University–Camden in New Jersey. She was selected to lead the institution after a national search. She starts Aug. 1.
She will replace NSU's former president, DeRionne Pollard, who left last year to lead the American Association of Community Colleges. Pollard was responsible for transforming the Henderson-based college of about 8,000 students into a university.
Officials are planning to unveil the final details for the Las Vegas Civic Center this week. The City of Las Vegas will light and dedicate a new public sculpture called "Harmonic Ascension" on Thursday. The city commissioned the sculpture, which was created by Cliff Garten of Cliff Garten Studio in Venice, California. The artwork is at the center of the city's newly established Las Vegas Civic Center.
The city says the sculpture's transparent, layered form shifts with daylight and comes alive at night through programmed LED lighting. The City of Las Vegas Public Art and Gallery Program supports the commissioning, preservation and presentation of artworks. Musicians from Mystère by Cirque du Soleil will also perform live at the event.
The Vegas Golden Knights are off to the second round of the NHL playoffs after beating Utah Mammoth on Friday night. The Knights won Game 6 of the first round playoffs, 5-1.
Vegas faces the Anaheim Ducks tonight to begin the Western Conference second round.
The Golden Knights host the series opener at The Fortress with puck drop at 6:30.
