The Daily Rundown: November 13, 2026
🕊️ The city of North Las Vegas will honor the life and legacy of labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta with a memorial event. The community is invited to the Dolores Huerta Resource Center on Monday evening [Nov. 16]. The memorial will begin at 5 p.m.
The event is meant to remember and celebrate Huerta's lasting impact on generations of workers, families and communities. Huerta died last month at age 96.
🪶 A bill that seeks to fast-track permitting for a variety of energy and communications projects is drawing opposition from some Indigenous leaders who say parts of the legislation could undermine tribal sovereignty and weaken protections for sacred and historic sites.
On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted 73-25 to advance the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, or “BAAJA.” The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
The legislation aims to speed up federal permitting for projects involving data centers, oil and natural gas pipelines, wind and solar farms, and mining operations.
“Our legislation will prevent unneeded and unnecessary delays and endless litigation that could block growth,” said West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, during remarks on the Senate floor on Monday.
The nonpartisan Citizens’ Climate Lobby endorsed the bill, saying it would help reduce fossil fuel emissions and other pollution by making the permitting process more efficient for clean energy projects like the construction of solar and wind energy farms.
There were some last-minute changes to address concerns of Indigenous leaders and some environmental advocates, but they still say the bill removes important oversight. One of the opponents to the legislation is Crystal C’Bearing, director of the Northern Arapaho Tribal Historic Preservation Office. C’Bearing traveled to Washington, D.C., alongside other tribal leaders to urge lawmakers to testify.
Hear the full story by the Mountain West News Bureau's Daniel Spaulding here.
🐎 Nevada Democratic Rep. Dina Titus has signed on to a letter with four other members of Congress urging the BLM to immediately suspend wild horse sales. The call follows investigative reporting from The New York Times and The Times of London that found the cheaply sold horses and burros often made their way to so-called "kill pens."
According to advocacy groups, the BLM has five adoption events scheduled through the end of the year. They estimate that represents the sale of more than 400 horses and burros.
Beyond suspending the program, the letter requests the BLM establish tracking and other safeguards against the slaughter of sold horses, as well as an accounting of the animals that have been sold so far.
🏛️ Nevada’s Democratic governor-elect, Aaron Ford, has appointed the team that will lead his transition after winning last week’s midterm election, according to KNPR's Paul Boger.
Ford named Molly Forgey, the transition team’s executive director. Forgey, a former staffer for the late Senator Harry Reid, previously served as the communications director for the Nevada Democratic Party and other Congressional and state-level campaigns.
Jorge Costa, the Ford campaign’s political director, will serve as Forgey’s deputy while campaign communication director, Tai Sims, will serve as the chief spokesperson. In a statement, Ford said that his priority is to ensure Nevada has a seamless, responsible transition of power and that, “This team brings deep experience across the state and local government and a clear understanding of the challenges facing Nevada families.”
Ford also unveiled a new website — aaronfordtransition.com — that features updates from the transition team. Ford, who defeated Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, will be inaugurated January 4th in Carson City.
🎭 The large third-story room in the Arts District building has floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides and little furniture other than a semicircle of about 25 chairs. In these sit attendees of the Nevada Shakespeare Festival’s monthly jam.
Some are there to audit the session, led this time by company member Christopher Brown. Others are actors who’ve attended multiple jams and are using them to work on their classical monologues, required for many auditions.
The NSF has been doing these jams since 2024, this year partnering with Third Street Arts & Media Incubator.
“Chris and I wanted a space where people felt safe exploring the text, a space to explore and fail and learn and be supported,” NSF Executive Artistic Director Matthew Morgan says.
The jams help NSF find more actors for its shows, but another goal, he says, is letting audience members “come and learn and play with the material. The objective is the same for everyone: a better understanding of the words and ideas.”
Read the full story by Janis Hashe in Desert Companion's newest issue, available now.
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.
