Happy Friday, Nevadans!

We’re continuing our look at Black Nevadans who helped shape our great state. Frank Hawkins is undoubtedly part of that story. After playing for the Oakland Raiders, he became Las Vegas’ first Black city council member.

Born in Las Vegas, Hawkins earned a degree in criminal justice from UNR and was later drafted by the Raiders in 1981, where he played for seven years and won the 1984 Super Bowl.

According to his website, Hawkins founded the Community Development Programs Center of Nevada in 1997 and developed 15 major housing developments, totaling more than 1,700 affordable housing units. The program has also provided counseling to more than 400 small business owners.

In today’s newsletter:

Have a safe Super Bowl weekend!

Tap on the graphic to see the Google Map.

The James Beard Awards represent the pinnacle of culinary recognition in the US. And this year, 14 Las Vegas restaurants, bars, and chefs made the list. Check out this map of the semifinalists!

Restaurant and chef nominees will be announced March 31, and winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 15 in Chicago.

Some of the semifinalists include:

Emerging Chef: Ellie Parker, Main Street Provisions

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Kimberly Mcintosh, MILKFISH Bakeshop

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Ada’s

Best New Bar: Nocturno

Best Chef, Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK):

This April 18, 2008, file photo provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service shows a gray wolf.

By USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

A gray wolf that wandered into remote areas of western Nevada this week has returned to California, Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) spokesperson Ashley Zeme told the Reno Gazette Journal on Wednesday morning.

The wolf traveled into Nevada north of Lake Tahoe between Mount Rose and Mount Houghton on Monday morning. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife notified NDOW that the wolf’s GPS collar showed it was in the state. No sightings of the animal were reported.

“Nevada does not have an established wolf population,” Zeme added. “However, established wolf populations in Idaho, Oregon and California increase the likelihood that wolves will occasionally cross into Nevada.”

🟣 Equine infectious anemia confirmed in a Nye County horse. KOLO

“A quarantine has now been issued for the facility and the exposed horses. The disease is transmitted in equine species through blood contact and cannot be spread through coughs, sneezes or casual contact.”

🟣 Lawmakers push for independent audit of altered public record in Nevada OSHA’s Boring Company inspection. Fortune

“[The director of the department of business and industry] said his agency had not filed a criminal complaint or police report, as they were unable to identify who had altered the record.”

🟣 Nearly half of WCSD high schoolers left class during anti-ICE protests last Friday. KRNV 

“According to a Washoe County School District (WCSD) analysis, nearly one in four students district-wide who were scheduled for afternoon classes had unverified absences on Friday, January 30, a significant increase compared to typical Fridays earlier in the school year.”

🟣 Nevada awards funding for subsidized market-level and low-income housing. Nevada Current

“The housing plan, designed to add to what Lombardo called ‘attainable’ housing stock, was initially slated to cost $250 million and serve 16,000 households, but was scaled back to $133 million with a goal of creating 5,000 single-family homes.”

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

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