Las Vegas

Arizona has filed a motion to intervene in Nevada's lawsuit challenging a Trump administration plan for major water cutbacks on the Colorado River. Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke said the mandatory cuts "would devastate Arizona's economy." Nevada sued in August, arguing the plan could severely shrink its allotment and harm Las Vegas and surrounding areas. Arizona relies on the river for about 36% of its water, much of it delivered via the Central Arizona Project canal system, which has lower-priority water rights and faces earlier cuts. The expanding legal fight could reach the U.S. Supreme Court, complicating efforts by seven western states to manage the shrinking river's supply.

A pivotal Prince George's County Council vote set for Monday could clear the way for up to $215 million in special obligation bonds to finance infrastructure for a proposed $1.4 billion Sphere venue at National Harbor, a 6,000-seat version of the Las Vegas landmark. County officials say the financing relies on tax increment financing tied to future revenue in the National Harbor Development District rather than new taxes on residents.

Ahead of the vote, local officials, labor groups and business leaders are pressing for guarantees that local, minority and union workers benefit substantially from construction and permanent jobs. County Executive Aisha Braveboy highlighted the project's importance as the county recovers from federal job losses, the Six Flags closure and the Washington Commanders' departure from Landover. Officials are seeking commitments that at least 50% of workers come from county-based small businesses, with 40% reserved for minority-owned firms. Separately, Maryland Delegate Adrian Boafo criticized the lack of a Project Labor Agreement, noting one existed for the Las Vegas Sphere, and urged the council to secure stronger labor standards before approving financing.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Ho Yin Mo, a field representative for California Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco, on September 17 while he was traveling through Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Mo, a former Bay Area TV reporter from Hong Kong who previously anchored Chinese-language newscasts at KTSF and studied at UC Berkeley, remains held at ICE's Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump.

The Department of Homeland Security said Mo entered the U.S. legally through Los Angeles International Airport in January 2020 but overstayed his visa, and was arrested during a "targeted enforcement operation," adding that pending work authorization does not confer legal status. Stefani disputed the characterization, calling Mo a legal employee and "selfless public servant" who helps constituents access health care, childcare and food assistance, and urged his release. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli publicized the case on social media, saying no one is exempt from immigration law.

The arrest is part of a broader escalation in airport-based ICE enforcement targeting travelers with visa or status complications, coinciding with record monthly arrest totals under the Trump administration.

Luis Alberto Osorio of Elko, Nevada, pleaded guilty to straw purchasing of firearms, trafficking in firearms, harboring aliens, and conspiracy to launder money, the Department of Justice announced. Between April 2020 and September 2025, Osorio conspired with co-defendants to buy 140 firearms, including large-caliber and long-range weapons, along with magazines and ammunition, on behalf of individuals tied to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico.

Osorio also admitted to harboring people unlawfully in the U.S. to employ them at a Nevada mining company. Officials from HSI, the DEA, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada framed the case as part of broader efforts to disrupt firearms trafficking networks that supply cartels and fuel cross-border violence. The investigation involved a multi-agency Department of Homeland Security task force, including the FBI, ATF, IRS-CI, and local Las Vegas police. Osorio faces a statutory maximum of 70 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for February 11, 2027.

Records obtained by LAist show the L.A. Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) continued awarding contracts worth millions to the nonprofit Abundant Blessings even after its own compliance team labeled the group "High-Risk" in May 2024. The nonprofit's leader, Alex Soofer, was charged earlier this year with fraud; prosecutors allege he diverted at least $10 million in homelessness funds through the nonprofit and a related for-profit company, spending it on a Westwood house, a Range Rover, private jet travel and luxury goods. Soofer has pleaded not guilty and agreed to repay LAHSA $1.25 million without admitting wrongdoing.

Despite red flags, LAHSA finalized new contracts totaling over $3 million in mid-2024, and Mayor Karen Bass's office directed additional funding for a homeless services program a month after the warning. Auditors found LAHSA took eight months to report the suspected fraud to federal officials as required by law. County supervisors have since pulled funding from LAHSA, and federal officials briefly suspended funds to the agency, citing the case among broader oversight failures. Separately, records show Bass has skipped more than half of LAHSA Commission meetings since appointing herself to the board in 2023, raising further questions about oversight of the agency. Soofer's trial is scheduled for November 10.

The Hawk fire, which ignited near a hiking trail northwest of Reno, Nevada, over the weekend, forced tens of thousands to evacuate—at one point reaching roughly 90,000 residents under evacuation orders or warnings—and burned over 15,000 acres, with containment reaching 85% this week. Authorities confirmed at least 47 homes destroyed, with the number expected to rise, and six people injured, including three civilians and three firefighters, none life-threatening. Officials say the fire, like most U.S. wildfires, was human-caused, though whether it was intentional remains under investigation. Driven by wind gusts exceeding 40 mph and low humidity, flames spread nearly 6 miles in under 24 hours through dry grass and brush near Somersett, a master-planned community, before jumping Highway 395. Nevada's governor declared an emergency and activated the National Guard; schools closed and two medical facilities evacuated patients.

The fire highlights the risks of Reno's rapid growth—26% population increase since 2010—into fire-prone wildland-urban interface areas, a pattern experts say mirrors destructive fires in California, Washington and elsewhere. More than 800 firefighters battled the blaze, one of several major fires near Reno this season, including the larger Bug and Stallion fires. Experts warn that continued development in these landscapes without hardening measures will keep communities vulnerable to future catastrophic fires.