Hello, Nevadans!

I’m sharing with you one of my favorite moments during a hike in Red Rock Canyon—coming across a desert tortoise. It reminded me how special our state and ecosystems are. And why I love calling Nevada home. 

We want to try something new in the newsletter and start including photos from our readers. We want to see what “home means Nevada” means to you.

You can reply to this email or send your photo to Jannelle@couriernewsroom.com for a chance to share your pic with thousands of your neighbors across the state. I look forward to seeing your view of NV!

In today’s newsletter:

Thank you for starting your day with me!

An exterior shot of the Pioneer Saloon with motorcycles parked outside of it. (Gayinspandex1/CC BY-SA 4.0)

By Dorothy Scott

Nevada has had bars for longer than it’s been a US state—it earned official statehood status in 1864—and would you believe us if we said one is still operating today?

Yes, that’s more than 160 years of service to locals and travelers alike, including during the Prohibition Era, but you’ll need to keep reading to learn which bar it is and where it’s located.

Nevada’s oldest bars can be found across the state, from Genoa and Las Vegas to Tonopah and Virginia City, and each has an interesting, storied past but has managed not to succumb to societal, cultural, or governmental shifts over the years.

The Trump Administration has slashed a plethora of federal grants over the last year. (Pormezz/Shutterstock)

By Naoka Foreman

Nearly 800,000 Nevadans who rely on Medicaid face new uncertainty after President Donald Trump said the federal government could no longer fund the program, suggesting that states should take on the responsibility. 

Trump made the remarks at a private Easter celebration on Wednesday, where he said it is “not possible” for the federal government to fund Medicaid, Medicare and child care subsidies, NBC News reported.

As of January, 786,672 Nevadans rely on Medicaid, while another 612,400 Nevadans were Medicare patients as of last fall, and 47,880 families received federal child care assistance, according to a 2025 data report. 

🟣 CCSD weighs closing historic Goodsprings Elementary School. 8 News Now

“The school opened in 1913, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [Clark County School District Chief of Facilities, Brandon McLaughlin], cited the rural location and corresponding low enrollment as some of the reasons for making the case for closure … If the school closes, McLaughlin said the hope is it becomes a community center.”

🟣 Cleanup’s almost done at notorious Nevada mine. Potential plans to dig again raise fears. The Nevada Independent

“For mining on privately owned land, the state requires companies to apply for permits related to reclamation, water pollution and air quality control. But the state doesn’t conduct an environmental review, and companies are not subjected to review under the terms of the National Environmental Policy Act, which is applied in all federal transactions.”

🟣 Cactus Joe: 35 years of native plants, reverence for the land—and stories. Desert Companion

“Joe moved to Vegas in 1985, and by his account, was operating two successful businesses in the city …’But I hated the dog-eat-dog,’ he says. He knew there was a need for native plants—he’d observed Lake Mead’s water-level decline. So, he started with five species of cacti, tending to all his plants himself.”

🟣 Laughlin drawing visitors beyond Las Vegas as tourism rebounds in Southern Nevada. News 3

“Laughlin continues to see solid tourism growth, driven by its river recreation, lower prices and a slower pace that visitors say feels different from Las Vegas … UNLV hospitality professor Amanda Bellarmino said part of the growth is tied to a rising ‘outbound’ tourist population from Las Vegas looking for nearby, affordable getaways.”

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Jannelle Calderón, featuring stories by Dorothy Scott and Naoka Foreman. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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