LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Good Morning, Las Vegas. It's Friday, October 31 — a double holiday for us proud citizens of the State of Nevada.
Clark County students and many workers are enjoying the day off as we celebrate the 161st anniversary of Nevada's statehood.
As you all know, it's also Halloween — and the scariest thing this year may be the dangers on Las Vegas roads. Local authorities stress that the fight against deadly crashes will be a critical focus on Friday.
With a recent number of wrecks involving e-bikes and e-scooters, improving road safety remains a top concern for locals — especially in light of the upcoming time change.
"This Sunday at 2 a.m., we fall back to Standard Time, so that means when people leave work on Monday afternoon, it's going to be dark now, and they're not used to that — and neither are pedestrians," said Erin Breen, an organizer with PedSafe Vegas.
Local News
Pedestrian safety top of mind with Halloween and time change approaching
Clark County is encouraging parents to join an "Inside by Nine" initiative to keep kids off darkened streets while trick-or-treating this year.
Your Halloween forecast is fair and slightly warm, with highs in the low 80s expected on Friday. Trick-or-treat weather will be "pretty perfect," in the words of meteorologist Justin Bruce, with temperatures in the high 70s at 6 p.m. and dropping to 71 degrees by 8 p.m.
Bracing for a possible hunger crisis
Millions across the country will wake up on Saturday morning without receiving SNAP benefits because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. That amounts to hundreds of thousands of people in Nevada trying to figure out where their next meal will come from.
Late Thursday, Nevada officials approved an additional $30 million to support food banks in both Southern and Northern Nevada.
Whether you need help or you want to help, we put together a list of local organizations distributing food and accepting donations.
Local News
Where to find food resources in Nevada amid SNAP suspension
Overnight, President Donald Trump called on Republicans to change Senate rules so the government could reopen with a simple majority vote instead of 60. Disputes over Medicaid and health care subsidies remain the major sticking point, putting programs like SNAP at risk and leaving roughly 1.4 million federal employees without paychecks.
Staffing and budget updates from the Clark County School District
Trustees have officially signed off on the final report tied to a state-ordered correction plan for the Clark County School District.
You might remember, this is tied to the several-million-dollar budget shortfall that prompted CCSD to fire its chief financial officer last year.
State Superintendent Victor Wakefield says CCSD has completed every requirement, and the state-ordered compliance monitor told the Board of School Trustees on Thursday that the district has strengthened its budget process and internal controls. The district says it will continue updating its budget process to support long-term stability.
CCSD is also working through staffing challenges tied to fall enrollment. District leaders say they have a surplus of employees, but it is too early to say whether layoffs will be necessary. They also emphasize that any reduction in force would be based on actual student enrollment compared to available positions — not automatic layoffs.
Checking in: Did relocating this Henderson fire station have any impact?
Last year, anchor Anjali Patel told you about the City of Henderson's plan to relocate Fire Station 81 to the former Camping World building off Boulder Highway, with the goal of reducing response times. Now that it's been open for about five months, she followed up to see if that strategy is working.
Fire Chief Scott Vivier says the numbers so far are encouraging. Over the first five months at the new location, he says the response time for 90 percent of calls was 11 seconds faster compared to the same time period last year.
Before we go, one last reminder...
...to "fall back" on Saturday and set your clocks for the time change. But does anyone want to?
A recent AP-NORC poll found only 12% of Americans support the current system of changing clocks back in November and forward in March. It's worth noting, 47% of respondents were outright against the practice, and 40% were neutral toward it. What do you think?
Last legislative session, senior political reporter Steve Sebelius followed a bill that would have "locked the clock" in Nevada, meaning no more springing forward or falling back here in the Silver State, at least. But the bill failed to meet a required deadline and was condemned to rot in legislative purgatory. Perhaps it will fare better another time (pardon the pun).