Yvette Fernandez
Regional Reporter, Mountain West News BureauYvette Fernandez is the regional reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau. She joined Nevada Public Radio in September 2021.
Before joining, she worked as a reporter in Los Angeles, the Bay Area and Phoenix in both radio and television. She has won awards including a regional Emmy for spot news coverage, a national award for investigative reporting from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and several others.
Yvette has also been a consulting professor with C.A. Specialized Training Institute, teaching first responders and public information officers how to conduct various types of interviews and prepare for news conferences in emergencies
Yvette is bilingual in English and Spanish and jokes she learned French in Mexico, having attended a trilingual school there. She earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism at Arizona State University. Yvette enjoys spending time outdoors with her dog, Maya.
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Funding for EV charging stations aims to close the gap in underserved areas and ease 'range anxiety'Many people hesitate to get electric cars because of concerns over being able to charge them, and many people don’t have the means to have home chargers. Federal funding aims to put chargers in places that are more accessible to lower-income and underserved communities. -
Immigrants without legal status make up a large part of the workers in several industries and have a combined household income of almost $27 billion dollars in the Mountain West. The consequences could be dire if those workers were sent out of the country. -
The year-end funding package addresses research for childhood cancers, but there's still no movement on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which expired in the summer of 2024 and hasn't had a replacement despite an impassioned plea by several Tribes in September. -
Affordable housing is a top concern and was the topic of discussion during the Western Governors’ Association winter meeting in Las Vegas recently. They discussed a number of options. -
The federal government is allocating more funding to help rural and tribal communities better respond to wildfires. Several of those communities in Mountain West states have already seen an improvement in their firefighting abilities. -
More than $120 million in federal grant money is being earmarked to support conservation programs across the country, including in our region. Almost half of the funding will support efforts involving Indigenous communities. -
Hunting – the word itself can immediately divide people. But what about wildlife killing contests? It’s surging in some states within our region while others have outlawed it. -
Thousands of people are expected to visit Las Vegas this week for the Formula One Grand Prix. Ahead of the race, a low-flying helicopter conducted radiation tests for “national security.” -
Potential changes that could take place under the new Trump administration have many concerned. Immigration advocacy groups are holding meetings and discussing ways to mobilize and respond to the potential of “mass deportations.” -
Seven ballot measures across the country in support of reproductive rights passed in elections this week, including three in the Mountain West.
