The Daily Rundown - June 22, 2026
🗳️ Nearly 450,000 Nevadans cast ballots in the June 9 primaries. That’s roughly one in five registered voters — relatively low turnout in a year when elections will determine control of almost every aspect of state and local government for the next four years. And while that's not the lowest turnout recorded, it does offer a glimpse at how voters are feeling heading into the general election.
For many voters, it seems, that could be summed up as "disillusioned." "I think on both sides, people are sick of the chaos in D.C.," said Annette Magnus, founder of AM Solutions, a political consulting firm. "They are turned off by much of the rhetoric on both sides. I think that we are seeing people just turn off the news." Keith Schipper, a Republican Strategist who started Hesperia Strategies, told State of Nevada that another limiting factor might be the lack of a race affecting the balance of power in Washington.
"It kind of showed that not having a Senate race, a marquee kind of race like that at the top of the ticket, could be an issue for turning out folks in November as well," Schipper said. One race sure to dominate the headlines is this year's gubernatorial election, where the incumbent, Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, is facing a challenge from term-limited Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford. The Cook Political Report has listed the race as a toss-up. Hear the full conversation with KNPR's Paul Boger here.
🔋 The Bureau of Land Management recently issued its final environmental review for the Purple Sage Energy Center near Pahrump, Nevada. That represents advancement in the project's review process after timeline delays due to federal policy changes requiring personal approval from the Interior Secretary, according to the Nevada Current.
The large solar project will occupy thousands of acres of public land. The facility is expected to generate significant electricity for California consumers. Nevada officials supported the development by granting partial tax relief.
Conservation groups strongly oppose the solar facility. Their concerns include groundwater and desert tortoise habitat depletion. The Bureau of Land Management, accordingly, recommends an alternative plan with stricter soil restoration standards.
🛫 Staffing shortages caused major flight delays at Harry Reid International Airport on Friday and over the weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration implemented a ground delay program that has since been lifted. Average wait times reached nearly three hours according to 8NewsNow. Similar staffing shortages recently impacted other major US hubs. Officials advise passengers to check with airlines for updates.
⚡Every year, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada holds annual consumer listening sessions. The meetings are usually long and filled with one public comment after another, where consumers implore the PUC to take action on any number of issues. They range from being more environmentally friendly to lowering energy prices to dense regulatory requests.
According to reporting by KNPR's Paul Boger, this year, the issue that keeps coming up is NVEnergy’s plan to switch to a new peak-demand rate structure. Simply put, starting in January, NVEnergy will charge Southern Nevada customers based on HOW and WHEN they use power. That’s instead of the more traditional model based on how MUCH power they use. The PUCN, which regulates how NVEnergy can charge customers, approved the change last year. They later reaffirmed the decision.
G. Rodney King is a Pastor at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Las Vegas. He was just one of dozens of Southern Nevadans who participated in the meeting. King says the new rate structure adds to the growing affordability crisis. “We're already stressed out with everything else with the gas prices, food prices, goods and services up, and now they want to raise our rates.
It's ridiculous, and I feel it's unconstitutional and it's unfair.” In court documents, the commission has argued NV Energy’s proposal would actually rebalance energy costs, benefitting the majority of Nevadans who don’t produce their own solar power. For its part, NV Energy insists the average customer will likely see little change in how much they pay for power.
🎆 If you heard fireworks repeatedly going off in Summerlin last week, blame the 35 players that hit home runs at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Athletics came to town for a visit, and they gave Las Vegas a taste of what major league baseball games will be like once they move here in 2028.
The team played six sold-out, regular-season games against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Colorado Rockies at Las Vegas Ballpark, winning four of them. And out of those 35 home runs, 20 of them belonged to the A's. Does this mean that the A's and Las Vegas are now a fit? Hear the full story by KNPR's Mike Prevatt 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.
