The Daily Rundown - July 16th, 2026
🪧 The Boulder City Council voted Tuesday to oppose a proposed data center approved by the federal government. The vote passed after hours of public comment, with residents and city officials expressing opposition to the Townsite Solar 2 data center proposal. The city attorney was authorized to file a notice of appeal and petition to stay for the center.
The Townsite Solar 2 project was originally meant for a site on Boulder City-owned land. That was until city officials and residents voiced opposition to the project, which prompted the developer to change the proposed location earlier this month. The federal government accepted a prior environmental impact study meant for a solar farm to approve construction of a data center.
The appeal follows city officials examining the legality of the approval. They also questioned the project’s scope, in addition to the potential resources and utilities required from Boulder City, despite the proposed site being on BLM-owned land.
🍾 The celebration of elite US female athletes, SHE Weekend, kicks off tonight. A parade is scheduled to begin at 8 PM, setting off from Park MGM and ending at Toshiba Plaza. There will be live entertainment at the plaza beginning at 7 PM, according to the event's website.
Clark County says the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign was lit up in pink and white lights yesterday [Wednesday, 7/15] to mark the start of the weekend.
SHE stands for Sports, Entertainment, and Hospitality. Rapper Flavor Flav, who is a Las Vegas resident, organized the event. He sponsors the USA Women’s Water Polo team, the U.S. Women’s Bobsled and Skeleton teams, and women’s Olympic hockey.
🏒 The Vegas Golden Knights will play their first regular-season matchup at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, according to the National Hockey League. Puck drop is at 7:30 PM in The Fortress at T-Mobile Arena.
The VGK ranked first in the Pacific division last season. They fell in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes, who won the series. The league says it has added two additional division games per team. The upcoming season will be the first for new head coach Ryan Craig.
🍝 The past two decades have seen the town’s restaurant scene grow. Is it reaching critical mass? Kathryn Palmer and Juan Vazquez both remember when it was somewhat of a challenge to find a great meal in Henderson.
“I think there’s been a revolution in independent restaurants,” says Palmer, a Green Valley resident since 2004. “When we moved here, we had Applebee’s, and we had Chili’s, and we had Elephant Bar at The District.’’
Palmer says for years, she and her husband, CJ Foster, felt compelled to go to the Strip, Summerlin, or southwest Las Vegas for dinner out. But no longer.
“You’re seeing more of these independent, multi-unit owners,” she says. “Folks who are serving more interesting food are headed our way, which is such a relief. Not as many breakfast restaurants; now we have legitimate dinner restaurants. That’s a huge change for Henderson.”
Read the full story by Desert Companion's Heidi Knapp Rinella in Desert Companion's summer issue, or visit here.
✍️ By altering the interpretation of a single word in the Endangered Species Act, the Trump administration has made what could be a sweeping change to how wildlife is protected in the United States.
That word is "harm." For more than 50 years, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service defined harm to refer to anything that injures or kills a protected organism, including "significant habitat modification or degradation" that might impact a species' ability to feed, reproduce, or seek shelter.
But now, the federal government has officially rescinded that definition — a move that is already being challenged in court.
“This action restores common sense, respects private property, provides much-needed certainty for landowners and follows the statute Congress actually passed,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement Friday, when the change was announced.
“The final rule will restore the definition of 'harm' to its original intent as written under the ESA, and will maintain protections for endangered species while reducing unnecessary or duplicative permitting requirements, cutting compliance costs, and eliminating confusion for Americans,” a representative for NOAA Fisheries said in an emailed statement Tuesday.
But environmental groups worry the rule change, which goes into effect on September 14, could destroy the wild places that endangered species depend on, undermining the protections that have helped sustain them. Hear the full story by NPR's Ari Daniel 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.
