Hi, Nevadans!

The Las Vegas Strip was once segregated and looked very different from the version visitors know today. The diverse casts now common in Strip productions began taking shape in the 1960s. Among the performers who helped break those racial barriers was Anna Bailey—widely considered the first, or one of the first, Black showgirls to dance on the Strip.

Before making it on the Strip, Bailey danced at the Moulin Rouge Hotel in West Las Vegas, the first racially integrated hotel-casino in the US.

Bailey wasn’t born in Las Vegas, but she’s still a significant trailblazer for the city and the performers it’s known for.

In today’s newsletter:

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In this July 1, 2017, file photo, a cashier rings up a marijuana sale at the Essence cannabis dispensary in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

By USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

Nevada’s cannabis industry reported nearly $758 million in taxable sales for the fiscal year from July 2024 to June 2025, according to the latest data from the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board and the Nevada Department of Taxation.

The number, which includes products from licensed adult-use cannabis retail stores and medical marijuana dispensaries, represents an 8.6% decrease compared to the previous fiscal year’s taxable sales of $829.2 million.

While Clark County generated the most taxable sales for cannabis in Nevada at $567.6 million, it was down nearly 10% from $628.4 million the previous fiscal year.

Washoe County, which includes Reno and Sparks, saw $105.8 million in cannabis taxable sales during the same period, down 6% year over year.

The remaining counties of Nevada reported $84.3 million in taxable sales for legal weed, a decrease of 4%.

ICE agents make use of the facilities at a gas station, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

By Naoka Foreman

Nevada’s Assembly Bill 4, passed during the special session this fall, limits law enforcement’s access to district or public school “grounds, buildings, or facilities.”

Abraham Camejo, an East Las Vegas community leader, said President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown contributes to school absenteeism—despite recent efforts to keep immigration enforcement off school grounds. Especially as there have been instances of a student’s parent being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near schools during drop-off.

Earlier this week, Clark County School District (CCSD) hosted two “Bright Future Community Walks,” in which volunteers went to the homes of students who’ve been chronically absent to help them “reconnect” with their education.

It’s unclear whether the dip in school attendance is directly associated with ICE arrests. 

🟣 Nevada gas prices rise again due to refinery closure, expert says. KTVN

“According to GasBuddy, Nevada gas prices are a little over a cent higher than last week, with the statewide average sitting at $3.49 per gallon. Reno is seeing a three-cent jump to $3.68 a gallon. The American Automobile Association (AAA) lists Washoe County gas as the most expensive in Nevada.”

🟣 Data center needs strain rural communities. Nevada Current

“Much of Nevada has suffered through severe drought conditions for years. More than half of the state’s groundwater basins are already ‘over-appropriated,’ meaning farmers and communities are drawing down groundwater reservoirs faster than they can be refilled.”

🟣 Sammy Davis Jr. and the other side of Vegas: Part 1. KNPR

“Sammy Davis, Jr., was becoming a star in his own right, though he continued to bill himself with the trio. But Las Vegas became known as the Mississippi of the West, and he was one of its victims.”

🟣 National Geographic photographer traveled to eastern Nevada to document its art, culture, and creative traditions. National Geographic

“Nevada is a state defined by space—by long distances, dramatic shifts in landscape, and a sense of possibility that has shaped how people live, work, and travel across it. In the eastern part of the state, that scale slows everything down, giving rise to a cultural life rooted in continuity, craft, and close attention to place.”

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Jannelle Calderón with stories from Naoka Foreman and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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