Happy Nevada Day, Nevadans!

And, of course, happy Halloween.

If you’re in Northern Nevada, you can check out the article below by our friends at the Reno Gazette Journal outlining Carson City’s Nevada Day celebrations tomorrow and any closures affecting business today.

In other news: A recent study found that by 2027, water levels in the Colorado River will be so low at some of its main reservoirs that the dams would become inoperable and nearly all storage would be lost, with water struggling to reach California, Arizona, and Nevada.

Have a safe weekend!

Jannelle Calderón

Newsletter Editor, The Nevadan

Why checks and balances are so important

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but when I took civics in high school, I first thought the term “checks and balances” referred to bank statements. I was a naive 16-year-old, what can I say?

I’m here to remind you that the system of checks and balances, the separation of powers built into our Constitution, are like the guardrails you see on a mountain road—barely noticeable until you realize how much they’re protecting you.

The legislative, executive, and judicial branches work together yet remain separate to keep each other in check. Congress controls spending. The president can veto laws. And the Supreme Court makes sure both stay within the bounds of the Constitution.

Without this system in place, an unchecked leader or administration can strip away rights from their citizens one by one. Experts say those guardrails are under serious strain right now, as Congress keeps giving in to the current administration. Courts may be the last line of defense.

And if those checks and balances fail, getting them back won’t be easy.

Tracking power and politics

Nevada Day 2025: What’s closed and when the parade begins

The Nevada state flag waves along with the US flag. (Rarrarorro/Shutterstock)

By Carly Sauvageau, Reno Gazette Journal

In a rare occurrence, Nevada Day observed lands on the same day as the state’s actual 161st birthday. Today, Oct. 31, several government offices, recreational areas and businesses will close for the official state holiday.

Though the holiday is today, the Nevada Day parade and related festivities in Carson City are happening tomorrow, Nov. 1, starting at 8 a.m. with a hot air balloon launch.

The Nevada Day Parade begins at 10 a.m., featuring more than 200 participants marching through downtown Carson City. The parade is expected to last about four hours. And is immediately followed by the annual beard contest and other post-parade celebrations.

As Colorado River nears collapse, it faces leadership, transparency ‘crisis,’ environmentalists warn

A scenic, high-angle panoramic view of a marina full of boats moored on the deep blue waters of Lake Mead. (Encrypted Colors/Shutterstock)

By Wyatt Myskow, Inside Climate News

After two years, the seven states that rely on the river are at an impasse in tense negotiations over the cuts in water allocations that each of them will accept in a new agreement being drafted to take effect when the current guidelines for managing the river’s water expire at the end of 2026.

That process is supposed to be public, with the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that oversees the river and its dams, publishing environmental impact statements that allow for public review and comment. But so far, those reports haven’t arrived and there’s no word on when they will. Complicating the process even more, Reclamation still does not have an appointed leader after the Trump administration’s nominee for the post withdrew last month.

But despite the blockages in the planning process for management of the river, the rash of crises coming for the millions of people who depend on it for drinking water, electricity and irrigation continues to rise and accelerate.

Read more here

Nevada Indigenous leaders brace for attacks on protected sacred lands: “A drive any direction outside Las Vegas offers a glimpse of how difficult it would be to live off the unforgiving dry terrain. Still, this place is home not only to countless species of plants and wildlife, it has also belonged to the Southern Paiute and Shoshone people since the start of time. Today, federal protections, such as national parks or monument designations, keep some significant Indigenous homelands from being developed.” (Desert Companion)
Titus, Rosen blast Trump plan to resume nuclear weapons testing: “Donald Trump Wednesday announced on his social media site that the ‘process will begin immediately’ to resume testing of nuclear weapons. ‘Absolutely not. I’ll be introducing legislation to put a stop to this,’ Nevada Democratic U.S. Rep. Dina Titus responded on social media … Following signing of a test ban treaty in 1963, nuclear weapons testing moved underground at the Nevada site, with more than 800 underground weapons tests until the last one in 1992.” (Nevada Current)

Reach 70,000+ Nevadans who care about their communities! Sponsor the Nevadan’s Dec. 6 Special Edition, “How to Get Involved and Give Back this Holiday Season.” Book by Nov. 21, 2025, and save 20% off your placement.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Jannelle Calderón with stories by USA Today Network and Inside Climate News. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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