Grace Da Rocha

Story Archive

49-year-old mom overcomes ‘chemo brain’ to find academic success

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Rebecca Taylor was 40 years old when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in 2015. Almost a decade later, the 49-year-old will graduate from ...

UMC team, paramedics reunite with baby they saved at birth

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Within one minute after arriving at UMC, Jessica Spellacy delivered Johanna, but the baby was not breathing. Labor and delivery nurses quickly descended upon the scene to resuscitate Johanna, then admitted her into ...

Lessons learned at UNLV span the globe for new graduate

Saturday, May 11, 2024

When Hieu Nguyen arrived in Las Vegas, the 27-year-old native of Vietnam only knew about the city from watching YouTube. He also had no friends. That quickly changed while attending UNLV ...

Clark County allocates funds to help build 1,273 affordable housing units

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved $66 million in funding to nine organizations to construct and rehabilitate low-income housing across the region ...

HUD acting secretary praises Las Vegas, Clark County for housing programs

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Affordable housing has been a focal point for President Joe Biden and his administration, with HUD instituting various programs to increase the number of new units built across the nation. But Todman, who has been in her position since March 22, said it’s not ...

Close encounters of a different kind: This German immigrant is Rachel’s Area 51 aficionado

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Joerg Arnu, 62, a German-born retired computer programmer, has a love for military aviation, the mystery of Area 51 and the desert — making Rachel, a town of only 50 people, the perfect place for him. For the past 25 years, Arnu has ran ...

Father-daughter duo forges path together, will graduate from Nevada State today

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Trinity Kirkland has done everything with her father, Daryl, for as long as she can remember — from catching early screenings of superhero movies to joining him ...

‘Latino Loud’ campaign looks to amplify Latino voices in Nevada elections

Friday, May 3, 2024

Latino voters could change the tide of this year’s elections as a growing wave becomes eligible to vote, and local organizations are joining together to ensure that all of Nevada’s Latino voters ...

UNLV: Movie studio project planned for Harry Reid Research & Technology Park

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

The UNLV Research Foundation approved an agreement with Gardner Nevada Tech Park Studios to oversee the development of a 34-acre media production and multi-use facility complex at the university’s Harry Reid Research & Technology Park in southwest Las Vegas, officials said this morning.

CDC issues food safety alert for walnuts sold in Nevada

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a food safety alert for bulk organic walnuts linked to a multistate E. coli outbreak.  The CDC said Gibson Farms, Inc. organic walnut ...

Live animal exhibits on the Las Vegas Strip now less for show, more about education

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Underneath the shining lights of the Las Vegas Strip, Adrienne Rowland walks among sharp-toothed sharks and brightly colored fish at Mandalay Bay. She watches as children run past in ...

Heartfelt relief: USC transplant center opening in Las Vegas to ease burden for Nevadans

Friday, April 26, 2024

Keck Medicine of USC is the Nevada’s first heart transplant treatment center. It will serve as a hub for pre- and postoperative care for the health institution’s heart transplant patients and ...

Last hurrah on TikTok? City of Las Vegas weighs impact of potential ban

Thursday, April 25, 2024

When you open the social media application TikTok and type in “Las Vegas,” you’ll get several videos — the brightly lit Sphere, local businesswoman Alexandra ...

Concerns arise over illegal statewide sales of synthetic hemp products

Sunday, April 21, 2024

The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board said it had recently received “several reports of intoxicating hemp products being sold within the state and on the internet” ...

Health district says it’s ready to act if bird flu strikes

Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Southern Nevada Health District isn’t raising any red flags after cases of avian influenza were recently reported affecting commercial poultry and wild birds in two states, but it has a plan in place should the virus make ...

Clark County OKs street vendor regulations despite pushback

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Street vendors in Clark County will be required to keep their distance from many communal areas like community centers and malls, according to a regulation unanimously approved Tuesday by the Clark County Commission ...

UNLV's Beam Hall, site of Dec. 6 tragedy, set to reopen in August for fall classes

Monday, April 15, 2024

UNLV will reopen the classroom complex where an active shooter last December killed three professors and wounded another, officials said today. Beam Hall, which has been closed for repairs since the tragedy ...

Clark County's proposed street vendor regulations threaten livelihoods, advocates say

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Humberto and Mariana have been selling Latino-inspired street snacks for the past nine years in an east Las Vegas neighborhood near an elementary school off Riata Way and Copper Road ...

Health district: Measles case reported at Las Vegas Strip locations

Friday, April 12, 2024

The Southern Nevada Health District today reported a confirmed case of measles from a visitor that stayed at a Las Vegas Strip hotel. It is unknown what the person's immunization status or current condition is ...

City of Las Vegas, water district will team up on hydrant locks to cut down on water thefts

Friday, April 12, 2024

From a water truck driver looking to top off their tank to a family filling up their pool on the sly, locals hooking hoses up to fire hydrants and other municipal water sources — referred to as water theft ­— has ...

Low breast cancer screening rates, especially among Hispanics, a concern in Southern Nevada

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

What can start out as just a simple lump may grow into a bigger problem down the road, and Luz Castro has seen firsthand how that can affect a person’s life. Castro is a program manager for the ...

Hornbuckle’s Hall of Fame rise began at UNLV

Monday, April 8, 2024

Bill Hornbuckle remembers being a community college student in Connecticut when he saw a commercial advertising UNLV’s hospitality college during a broadcast of a UNLV basketball game.

Southern Nevada Health District sounds alarm over increase in congenital syphilis cases

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Congenital syphilis was found in six babies stillborn and another 53 live births last year in Clark County, sounding an alarm with health officials because the disease is “completely preventable” and can be treated with...

Proposed rules would put strict limits on street vendors in Clark County

Advocates say regulations "threaten the very existence" of businesses

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

A proposal to regulate street vending in Clark County was met with backlash today at a commissioners’ meeting by allies of the industry who say the added regulations would “threaten the very existence of our vendors’ businesses.” 

Vegas Strong Fund taking over completion of 1 October Memorial in Las Vegas

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

The Clark County Commission today approved the nonprofit Vegas Strong Fund to raise money for, design and build the 1 October Memorial.

Allergy cases in Las Vegas surge amid spring bloom

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Local experts are encouraging residents that are sniffling and coughing to consult their physician or a pharmacist about finding a remedy that can keep the allergies at bay ...

Under new management, Horseman’s Park aims to revitalize local rodeo scene

Monday, April 1, 2024

Dawn Halstead, accompanied by her dogs, an Australian shepherd and a blue heeler, has for years been visiting Southern Nevada from Canada. Those treks also include ...

With new studio on the horizon in Summerlin, dream stays closer to home for students in CSN film program

Sunday, March 31, 2024

The Clark County Zoning Commission voted unanimously last month to approve two variances that would hand over county-owned land to Howard Hughes Properties and allow it to build ...

Nevada immigration advocates, industry leaders sound call for expanded work authorization

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

How severe is the blue-collar worker shortage? More than 100,000 people are needed to fill open construction jobs in Las Vegas, said Amanda Moss, senior director of government affairs at ...

Notorious unlicensed contractor arrested, Nevada board announces

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

The Nevada State Contractors Board announced today that “one of its most wanted unlicensed contractors,” Alfred Martin Lagunas, was arrested Thursday at his home for felony domestic violence charges. 

Artificial intelligence to be used to help improve safety of Las Vegas crosswalks

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Las Vegas will pilot the project around the Fremont Street corridor, which attracts more than 26 million visitors per year and includes the Fremont Street Experience ...

Exclusive presale among ways F1 trying to court Las Vegas locals

Saturday, March 23, 2024

When the Las Vegas Grand Prix returns in November to the Resort Corridor, officials are hoping to see more locals at the event. Residents last year during the inaugural Formula One race were vocal ...

Parasite found in Calif. area of Colorado river, but Las Vegas water supply remains safe

Friday, March 22, 2024

A parasite dangerous to dogs was discovered in a California section of the Colorado River & local experts aren’t raising any red flags about canines being at risk when visiting the lake ...

Allegiant flight attendants would get pay raises in tentative agreement

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Allegiant Airlines flight attendants will get a raise after the union representing them announced a new five-year contract with the company, pending workers’ approval, today.

Clark County Commission requests plan to alleviate F1 race's local impact

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The Las Vegas Grand Prix experience for Eileen Scott, a Las Vegas Strip cocktail waitress, can best be represented by her wait time for the Las Vegas Monorail. 

Legislation to address drug smuggling at southern border signed into law

The bipartisan legislation was sponsored by Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

A bill was signed into law today by President Joe Biden requiring the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review field operation policies and ..

UNLV student takes full advantage of blessings available to him

Sunday, March 17, 2024

UNLV senior Hoffman Madzou's life was changed forever when his family was selected for a refugee program that would bring them to the United States when he was just 7 ...

Las Vegas getting $1.4 million to improve pedestrian safety

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The city of Las Vegas is getting a $1.4 million federal grant to improve pedestrian safety on Fremont Street, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., said. The city will test ...

As HIV cases tick up, health officials cite need for awareness, more testing

Sunday, March 10, 2024

The most recent data from a division of Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services shows an increase in HIV diagnoses in the past few years, but Dr. Jerry Cade says the reason may not be bad ...

UNLV Panelists: Illegal cannabis sales are thriving in Las Vegas

Friday, March 8, 2024

Recreational cannabis is a $1 billion annual industry in Nevada that continues to grow — long-awaited consumption lounges finally are starting to open — since it launched in 2017. Yet, the illegal drug market remains ...

UNLV continues evolution with new Advanced Engineering Building

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Research done in the Advanced Engineering Building will “fuel the creation of startups in the valley.”

UNLV president talks campus safety in wake of Dec. shooting

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

UNLV President Keith Whitfield used his annual State of the University address Tuesday to talk about steps the school is taking to prevent future violence like December's shooting ...

East Las Vegas homeowner is out $8,000 after hiring an unlicensed contractor

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Consumers should get an estimated completion day and details of the work to be performed in writing. Any changes must be agreed upon by both the contractor and homeowner.

Smith Center’s 2024-2025 Broadway series attracts 10 musicals, including ‘Hamilton’

Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024

Myron Martin was a senior in high school when he first saw the Broadway production of “The Wiz,” a musical retelling of L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” that is infused with Black culture. It was one of the shows ...

Nevada's first regulated cannabis consumption lounge opens in Las Vegas

Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024

In the seconds before the first state-regulated cannabis consumption lounge would open at Thrive Cannabis Marketplace near the Strip, Clark County Commission Tick Segerblom prepared for the occasion. Segerblom, a lawmaker who has long advocated for the advancement of legal marijuana, held a joint ...

Nevada's young Latino voters feel they're being ignored by campaigns

Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024

The Latino vote, especially in a swing state like Nevada, could be crucial in determining who is the nation’s next president, election watchers say. That makes Latino voters a natural demographic to target by the campaigns of ...

Las Vegas public safety officers to get virtual reality de-escalation training

Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024

The city of Las Vegas has received a $100,000 federal grant to buy equipment for a virtual reality de-escalation training program for public safety officers. The training will let officers apply ...

Clark County: Changes to Formula One race schedule not on table

Commissioners have raised concerns about last year's Las Vegas Grand Prix

Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024

A day after certain county commissioners voiced their concerns over the 2024 Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, Clark County asserted no changes are coming for this year’s race.

Clark County pushes back discussion on F1 impacts

Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024

Clark County has pushed back a discussion on the inaugural Formula One race and its impact on small businesses that had been set for this week. Kevin Schiller, Clark County manager, told commissioners ...

UNLV’s Project Wellness gains national reputation, helps students cope with shooting

Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024

The idea to enhance mental health resources on campus was realized in the fall of 2022 during a mental health town hall at the university that brought about 30 nonprofits in the wellness field to Las Vegas ...