IMPACT

Carrie Kaufman talked with Akiko Cooks and her son Corey, who was one of the high schoolers targeted for assassination at Arbor View High School in 2019. She also talked with Jenna Roberts and her daughter Bella, who were part of a coalition that helped pass a CCSD gender diversity policy in 2018.

Bailey Middle School got an answer from CCSD CFO Jason Goudie about why they have almost $400,000 less in their budget. And it's not a good one.

Carrie Kaufman talks to Nevada Current reporter Michael Lyle about the housing and criminal justice bills he's seeing come up in the 2021 Nevada Legislative Session. It's a pretty progressive session, making small changes with big impacts.

Wherein Chris G takes on Nicole Cannizzaro, CCSD, challenges Legislative Dems to put their money where their mouth is, and progressives to focus on the boring organizational stuff and offers training for both Republicans and Democrats for free. We are also joined by Leisa Moseley, who was the political director for the 2020 Bernie campaign, and Dr. Zaffar Iqbal, who is now the 2nd vice chair of the NV Dems. But honestly, folks, this is a Chris G interview.

Pahrump resident Sara Walker jumped in last March and started making masks. Carrie checks in with her again to see how her year has been. Short answer... not that great. But she's still giving back.

Two bills are making their way through the Assembly right now that will have a big impact on how we handle traffic violations.AB116, introduced by District 10 Assemblywoman Rochelle Wwyn, would make traffic violations - and their attendant fees - a civil rather than a criminal violation. That means if people don't pay their fees, government entities in Nevada cannot put them in jail.AB151, sponsored by District 16 freshman Assemblywoman Cecilia Gonzalez, would make it against the law to take someone's driver's license away for unpaid traffic fines.Thousands of people a year end up in jail because they can't afford to pay their fees, or have their license suspended but still must get to work. This often means loss of job, loss of homes, loss of residency status. All for making a right turn on red when they weren't supposed to.

Back in October - you know, when we had nothing to do and weren't stressing about the future of the free world - Nathan Trenholm and Justin White filed a lawsuit against the Clark County School District.Trenholm and White are the proprietors of Data Insight Partners, which contracts with school organizational teams - SOTs - to provide data to admin, teachers, students and parents in over 35 schools.Data Insight Partners started after the passage of AB469 - commonly known as the reorganization law - or “reorg” for short.The reorg created autonomous school zones and was supposed to create a “marketplace” whereby schools could “buy” services that they needed from the central district. For instance, everyone needs maintenance, which the District provides. So a line item is taken out of each school's budget for maintenance. If a school wanted to hire an extra maintenance person for special events, they could - out of their own budget.They could also buy services from outside vendors. Venders like… Data Insight Partners.I've talked with about half a dozen principals who all say things like, “Their data dashboards provides the school they partner with the ability to get really granular.”Or Data Insight software allows their teachers to “get into the weeds”But this fall, the Clark County School District forced schools to use THEIR data software. Their newly created data software. Which looks like a clone of Data Insight Partners' software. Except… it doesn't work as well and isn't reliable.One principal told me, “It's just a smidge better than spreadsheets.”Oops.

Carrie talks with Nathan Trenholm and Justing White about their legal complaint against the Clark County School District, as well as Leisa Moseley and Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen about decriminalizing traffic tickets. But first... we check in with a former guest in Pahrump who has dedicated this last year to helping people in the pandemic, but who has lost a lot.

Carrie talks to Elisa Cafferata, the new director of the Dept. of Employment and Rehabilitation about how real unemployment and fraud crippled DETR's ability to react to the pandemic.

Attorney Daniel Stewart with Hutchison and Steffen explains the lawsuits filed in Nevada by the Trump campaign on the day of and in the aftermath of the election.

The entire world has been watching Nevada, and figuring out how to say our state's name.But as much as Las Vegas has a reputation as a fast paced, now or never kind of place, our approach to counting ballots is slow and steady. Accuracy before speed.And we have new heroes. Steve Kornaki's trending on Twitter is pretty hilarious. But even Stephen Colbert hailed Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria.I can't help but think the world is getting a glimpse of the real Las Vegas. The one filled with real people who take their obligations seriously.We're going to talk elections in this November 2020.

Carrie's Intro:This week started out for me with my phone blowing up over a story from the New York Times. Erica Green, one of their education reporters, wrote a story on student suicides and other mental health issues during the pandemic.Clark County School District was front and center.Green said on Twitter that she had gotten her info from another school district leader, when she called him to ask if they were having bad mental health issues. He said no, but talk to Jesus Jara - who is, of course, the superintendent of schools at CCSD.We talk about Jara a lot. I have written about Jara. Jara was the guy who tried to put through a bill during the special summer session that would take away carryover funds from individual schools and put them in a central budget. And then when the bill received backlash, he tried to pull it, and tried to say it was the governor's idea. Or… no… the STATE superintendent's idea.Two days later, the GOVERNOR OF OUR STATE, along with the superintendent, wrote letters all but using the word “lie.”Sisolak: “Being superintendent of one of the largest school districts in the nation requires leadership — especially in the midst of a crisis,” Sisolak said. “And leadership requires honesty. Unfortunately, that is not what we get from Superintendent Jara. Clark County students, staff and families deserve better.”Ebert: “Once it became clear the proposal did not have support, Superintendent Jara disrespected our elected officials and the entire CCSD community by misrepresenting his intentions,” Ebert said. “As a leader in education, he has a responsibility to set an example for our children. Blatantly altering the truth is not only a bad example, but it's a disservice to the educators, students and families he represents.” This was after Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson ended discussion of the bill with this:"I want to... make it abundantly clear that AB2 was  exclusively the request of CCSD  to be placed on the agenda, and that request was withdrawn two hours before the actual proclamation was issued, which was too late. And so...You don't get to light a firecracker and run just before it goes off. I should also note that at the same time this was happening, CCSD Trustee Linda Cavazos was discovering that the hybrid school plan that Jara told them over multiple meetings was mandated by the State Board of Ed - was not actually required at all by the State Board of Ed.That's the backstory. He survived being fired just narrowly, and survived being censured by a parliamentary maneuver that shut the special meeting down.But Erica Green knew none of this. She was a reporter trying to get a story on mental health and the pandemic. And instead of calling one of our guests today - who is on the front lines of mental health in CCSD - she called the guy with the big title.And the guy with the big title - as he has been doing for months now - said, “At-home school is leading our kids to kill themselves.”Which is a dubious assertion at best.

Carrie Kaufman talked with Nevada Current reporters Dana Gentry, Michael Lyle and April Corbin about what they expect from the Nevada legislative session, which starts Feb. 1.

The next Nevada legislative session starts Feb. 1, 2021, and education issues will be front and center.Not only has the pandemic decimated education funding sources - which are heavily reliant on tourism - but a new funding formula was put in place during the 2019 session, and a funding commission has been looking at how to implement it.I sat down with the two heads of the Senate Education Committee - chair Mo Denis and vice-chair Marilyn Dondero-Loop - to talk about what might be happening in their hearings over the winter and spring.Some highlighted issues:Carryover Funds: These are funds that individual schools, working with their School Organizational Teams, try to save over the school year. Some schools have a long-term goal, and have saved significant amounts of money. These funds stay only with the school, and are not controlled by the district. In the special sessions this summer, Supt. Jesus Jara attempted to change the law to allow the district to take carryover funds. Senator Dondero-Loop says she is up for a compromise, but she understands both sides. Senator Denis agrees, saying he wants to "find ways to reward and not punish" principals who have managed their money well. "When it comes to the reorg, for some schools it's been a great thing, for others it has not been as good," said Denis. "It depends on the leadership."This conversation can be heard around the 19-minute mark.Appointed School Boards: This has been an issue for a  number of years, but this year the official position of the Clark County School District is not to oppose it. Dondero-Loop said she believes there will be "some bills" coming forward to appoint school boards all over the state. She pointed out that the State Board of Education is partially appointed and partially elected, and it works well. "When you have a small group of seven people, it would be beneficial if we had somebody appointed who had some specific training in specific categories," said Dondero-Loop.Denis isn't sure about appointing board members. He points out that the County Commission, which is elected, has a bigger staff and committees full of experts to look at specific things, like planning."With school boards I think we and do similar things," said Denis, so the board could have a subcommittee on finance that wouldn't be employees of the school district. He adds, "We need to have school trustees that represent the community."Both Dondero-Loop and Denis agree that school trustees should be paid a living wage. Denis points out that being a trustee is a full-time job, and they only get paid about $9,000 a year.Legislators, too, only get about $9,000 every two years for their full-time service. This conversation starts at the 23 minute mark."I believe there will probably be some bills that are coming forward"Back to School: The issue, as Dondero-Loop points out, is that kids don't get COVID, teachers do. (High school age kids are also at higher risk.)"You have to have enough adults to cover kids," said Dondero-Loop, without putting the health of the adults at risk.2020: Dondero-Loop has seen CCSD take advantage of this pandemic to start to rethink how they teach. "I think it's a really exciting time to reinvent some things - seat time, mental health," Dondero-Loop said. "I do think if you are an educator... you recognize that" things need to change."When we look back at 2020, we are going to see some amazing things that caused us to look at things differently," said Denis. He notes that the Nevada Supterintendent of schools has created a task force to look at competency-based education, which would blur the line a bit on specific grades. But the biggest issue is that parents who want their children to be valedictorian don't want the competition taken away.

In the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the Capitol building, Carrie talks to Congresswoman Susie Lee, who was evacuated from her office. Then we have a discussion with Chris Guinchigliani, Pete Simi, Leisa Mosely and Tiffiany Howard about domestic terrorism and if the U.S. is a failed state.

Carrie had an hour-long conversation with five teachers about the things they've learned, what they have done for their students, and the obstacles they've had to deal with during the pandemic. A great peak at what REALLY goes on behind the scenes in teaching.

Carrie talks with University Medical Center CEO Mason VanHoweling about the delivery of the vaccine, and with Idaho Statesman editor in chief Christina Lords, who gives us some insight on protesters harassing local politicians - and journalists.

Carrie Kaufman talks with the Nevada Current's Michael Lyle about the razing of a homeless encampment in downtown Las Vegas. Then she chats with incoming CCSD Trustee Evelyn Garcia Morales. And the League of Women Voters' Nevada chapter has been disbanded. CSN professor - and IMPACT contributor - Sondra Cosgrove says she was given an ultimatum: have her speech censored of disaffiliate. She tells us why she chose the latter.

The Clark County School District uploaded a new policy document just before Thanksgiving, but didn't tell anyone. The document limited the free speech of CCSD employees. A First Amendment Lawyer in Chicago happened to find it. He wrote a Twitter thread that shocked people involved with CCSD. On this episode of IMPACT, we talk with that attorney. We also talk with three other people involved with CCSD: education advocate and law professor Sylvia Lazos, Spring Valley Principal Tam Larnerd, and Lisa Guzman, who just won a seat on the CCSD board of trustees. Guzman also works for the Nevada State Education Association, which represents teachers and support staff. Before this new free speech policy, CCSD Supt. Jesus Jara announced layoffs of up to 1,500 support staff.But first...Carrie chats with Leisa Moseley about the likelihood that criminal justice reform will pass the legislative session, which starts Feb. 1.-------------------------Here is CCSD's free speech proposal in its entirety.CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULATIONNEW R-4392EMPLOYEE FREEDOM OF SPEECHThe Clark County School District supports all employees' right to freedom of speech but must balance the interests of an employee, as a private citizen, in commenting upon matters of public concern and the interest of the District, as an employer, in promoting the efficiency of the public services it performs through its employees. The District is intent on providing a respectful learning and working environment. Therefore, the District must ensure that the exercise of free speech by employees does not interfere with the District's educational mission and operation or the rights of others.I. Freedom of speech refers to a person's right to express ideas, regardless of the medium used. The term includes, but is not limited to, the spoken word, clothing, gestures, images and video, and posts to social media.II. District employees are free to speak as private citizens regarding public concerns.A. However, when employees engage in speech as District employees, they are not speaking as private citizens, and the speech is not protected by the constitutional right to freedom of speech.1. Any speech made during work, while performing work for the District, or while engaged in any work-related activity is not made as a private citizen.2. If employees identify themselves as a District employee while engaging in the speech, the employees are not speaking as a private citizen.3. Personal social network and social media accounts must be keptseparate from work-related accounts and identities to preserve thestatus of a private citizen. This separation may be relevant in determining whether the employee is speaking as a private citizen.B. Also, when District employees engage in speech that arises directly from their work, the speech is not protected by the constitutional right to freedom of speech.1. Speech is considered to arise from an employee's work when the speech concerns a subject matter that primarily involves the employee's job or duties.R-4392 (page 2)2. Therefore, although public education is a matter of public concern, specific issues, concerns, or grievances regarding a District employee's work are not considered matters of public concern.C. Finally, certain job positions are subject to other laws that restrict the employee's speech rights. For example, Vegas PBS news and public affairs content producers are subject to a specific federal law that restricts their speech rights. Employees are therefore advised to consult with their supervisors to determine whether their particular job position is subject to any law that restricts their freedom of speech.III. Freedom of speech may not be used to engage in harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying, cyber-bullying, or the intimidation of another person. These types of speech are not protected by the constitutional right to freedom of speech and may subject the speaker to disciplinary action.IV. Even of a District employee speaks as a private citizen regarding a publicconcern, the District may limit or prohibit speech by an employee if the District can demonstrate that:A. The speech materially and substantially interferes with school activities, the staff member's ability to perform assigned duties, or the rights of other staff or students;B. The speech does or is likely to create substantial interference to the educational mission and/or operation of the District; orC. The speech violates a District policy or regulation or a state or federal law or regulation. This includes case law defining the categories of unprotected speech (i.e., speech that is vulgar, obscene, defamatory, a true threat, promotes illegal substances).Legal Reference:Review Responsibility: Human Resources DivisionAdopted:

As a follow-up to Carrie Kafuman's column in the Nevada Current, Dana Gentry wrote a piece exploring the suicide numbers in Nevada.  Alas, 14 students have died by suicide this year. That's four more than last year. But six less than 2018, when CCSD lost 20 students to suicide. We talk with Dana and Mike Kagan, a Boyd Law professor who wrote about the issues CCSD wasn't taking into consideration by arguing that getting kids back in buildings would improve their mental health.We also talk to Jenne Haynal, principal of William Snyder Elementary School, about how her teachers have adapted to online schooling, and how many of their students are thriving. And Jana Lavin, executive director of Opportunity 180 shares with us other ways kids can learn rather than sitting in a classroom all day.And Rebecca Colbert opens the show talking Carrie off the COVID numbers ledge.

Carrie Kaufman talks to Sondra Cosgrove, Leisa Mosely, Cecia Alvarado, and Sarah O'Connell about who turned out and what the election of 2020 means for our immediate future in Nevada.

It would seem at first blush that working from home might be a boon to women - especially women who endure toxic workplace culture. But it turns out the pandemic has done harm to women.Last month, 865,000 women left the workforce. Only 216,000 men did. The trend line is down for all of us, but women are losing jobs at a faster pace. That's because not only are women at home, but their children are, too. And gender bias isn't limited to the workplace.Andie Kramer and Al Harris are both attorneys in Chicago, and have written a few books together about how to overcome gender bias in the workplace. Andie contributes to Forbes.com.As Al points out, a recent study found that men who are home with their families think they are contributing to their children's education equally with their spouses. Their wives think the exact opposite.------------------------------------------We also look at the life and career of journalist Molly Ivins. A documentary about her is being shown via UNLV and Boyd Law School. 

What will happen if a "militia" shows up to a polling place and tries to block people from voting? What if we sign our ballots incorrectly? When will our votes be counted? Carrie asked Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria and Deputy Secretary of State for Elections Wayne Thorley to ease her troubled mind. With facts.

Extremism experts Pete Simi and Vegas Tenold Zoomed with Carrie Kaufman to chat about the Proud Boys, Antifa, the makeup of supremacist groups, and what they see happening after the election. It's a sobering conversation. But a much needed one.

Vegas Tenold spent years as an investigative journalist, reporting on right-wing extremists. Today, he's an investigator for the Anti-Defamation League's Center for Extremism. He wrote the book Everything You Love Will Burn.Chapman University sociology professor Pete Simi spent six years embedded with right-wing extremists, which informed his blockbuster book, American Swastika. Both Simi and Tenold shared with Carrie Kaufman their insight into right-wing extremists, and their view of the violence that they feel will happen if President Trump wins reelection and if he doesn't.Carrie's co-hosts for the week - Leisa Mosely and Andrea Cole - talked about voter intimidation, and how voters may react to seeing people with semi-automatic weapons. And SafeNest CEO Liz Ortenberger talks about their new partnership with METRO to deal with domestic violence felonies. It is, says Ortenberger, the epitome of community policing.Links for this Episode:Proud Boys ShirtsSisolak on ExtremismTreasurer's Office Changes Fund to Help Small Businesses

I sat down for a longer conversation with Pete Simi - who embedded himself with right-wing extremist groups to write "American Swastika" - and Vegas Tenold, who wrote, "Everything You Love Will Burn: Inside the rebirth of white nationalism in America." This is the last question I asked them. Their answer was chilling.

Links for this segment:Officers Not Charged in Breonna Taylor's DeathBlack Police Officer Charged in Killing of White Australian WomanBlack Mother Stands Between Her Son and a Cop

Carrie Kaufman talks real estate and a new arts study that shows how much COVID has really impacted Las Vegas. And Akiko Cooks shares her feelings about the world in the wake of the decision not to charge the officers who killed Breonna Taylor.

Carrie Kaufman talked with Nevada Current journalist Dana Gentry and Frank Nothaft, chief economist at CoreLogic about real estate prices in Las Vegas - which have weathered the pandemic pretty well. So far. Nothaft thinks they are headed for a nosedive within a year.

Links from this episode:Coronavirus might have been in California as early as DecemberSteve Nash, the NBA and White PrivilegeWGA West Report on Inclusivity in HollywoodOpen Letter to HollywoodMichelle Amor GillesNew Oscar Best Picture Rules  

CCSD's performing arts programs are some of the best in the country. Carrie Kaufman talked with CCSD performing arts director Jeff Williams about how his teachers and students are adjusting to online learning.

A 5-minuted version of Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak's pre-Labor Day press conference - with a bit of commentary.

Three sites, donated by Stations Casinos are up and running for free coronavirus testing - through April 18.The sites are at Texas Station in the north and Fiesta Casino in Henderson. Sam Boyd Stadium is also doing testing. And there is a testing site in Mesquite.The effort is a partnership between Clark County and the Dept. of Health and Human Services.For details, visit:http://DoINeedaCOVID19Test.com.

Did you know that the U.S. Postal Service can't deliver liquor? Those wine clubs... all delivered by UPS or FedEx.Former Congressman James Bilbray - who was on the Postal Commission that oversees the USPS - says that no liquor delivery is a prohibition-era rule, but that every time our modern-day postal service tries to eliminate it, the private delivery companies hire lobbyists to shoot the idea down.Bilbray also notes that the USPS is supposed to be paid by Congressional offices for "franking" - you know, sending mail to constituents. Often, Bilbray says, Congresspeople pay for part of their franking bills, but when it goes over a certain amount, they don't pay the overage. Bilbray estimates the Postal Service would be solvent if Congresspeople just paid what they owed.Congress has also stopped the Postal Service from expanding into simple banking - which would help rural voters tremendously - because of lobbying pressure by banks.And USPS would certainly have enough money on hand if it hadn't been forced to pay for 75 years of pensions in advance. Another order from Congress.In short, the Postal Service is told to "run like a business," but every time it tries, Congress prevents it from making sound business decisions.Also, Bilbray says, Congress does not allocate money to USPS, as they do, for instance, to the Pentagon. This segment is part of a larger program of IMPACT that aired August 29, 2020.

Carrie Kaufman talked with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford about how federal changes regarding mail-in ballots impact states rights. Nevada has joined one of several lawsuits against the U.S. Postal Service. We also gained a wealth of knowledge on the topic from former Congressman James Bilbray. And we talk to the author of a harrowing Review Journal piece on nursing homes in the time of COVID.

Carrie Kaufman talks with Senator Jacky Rosen, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee that heard from Postal Inspector Louis DeJoy. Rosen grilled DeJoy during the meeting. We also go over voting logistics with the head of Mi Familia Vota and the League of Women Voters of Nevada.

Sat down with Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen a couple of hours after the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, in which she grilled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

Barbara Buckley has been tapped to lead a task force to untangle some of the roadblocks that are keeping people from getting unemployment. The biggest roadblock she has identified? Fraud. Remember that Target data breach? Or the Experian one? Fraudsters are using that info now.

You can donate a guitar or donate money to buy guitars to Paul Kleemann at:Amazon Wish List: https://bit.ly/dsaguitarwishorDonate to Guitar Program: https://bit.ly/dsaguitardonateIf you have another instrument - say that clarinet you played in high school, but has been gathering dust for the last couple of decades - call Paul at Del Sol Academy, (702) 799-6830. He will hook you up with high school teachers who need instruments.

Producers Alliance of Southern Nevada

Help, Hope, Home - Housing Assitance ProgramLegal Aid Center of Southern Nevada

Links for this episode:Barbara Buckley Named to Form  DETR Task ForceElissa Cafferata Named Third New DETR Chief in Five monthsProducers Alliance of Southern NevadaHelp, Hope, Home Clark County Housing AssitanceThe LEAP Commission, Nevada Pandemic ResponseMOLODI - Jason NiousIf you wish to donate guitars or other instruments to Del Sol:Amazon Wish List: https://bit.ly/dsaguitarwishDonate to Guitar Program: https://bit.ly/dsaguitardonate

Nevada's second special legislative session of 2020 drew some contentious discussions - about criminal justice reforms (lawmakers didn't think they went far enough, but voted for the bill anyway), about DETR (technical fixes that most lawmakers can't even name), about voting (that's clear, but the president seems to think it isn't) and about COVID19 liability protection.That last bill, SB4 - which was first argued into the wee hours of the night - drew the most astonishing admission of the session, when Governor Steve Sisolak's General Counsel Brin Gibson said the bill - which did not include the input from hospitals or schools or the small business community - did include the “important members of the Nevada economy.”Meaning resort/casinos. And Culinary workers.Hospitals were specifically left out of liability protection for COVID19. Lawmakers continuously asked why, but the closest they got to an answer was this from Gibson:"There's a potential that this deal falls apart if we started amending our certain provisions in there and for reasons that might not be obvious, some are messaging related, some are optical related, some are substantive." Assemblyman Glen Leavitt of Boulder City couldn't even get Gibson to say who was in the room negotiating the deal.

Carrie Kaufman talks to election law specialist Daniel Stewart about the Trump campaign's lawsuit on mail ballots, with the Nevada Legislature approved last month.

This is an addendum to Episode 62: Impact on School Schedules and Mining Tax

This is Impact. I'm Carrie Kaufman.The special legislative session is over.The Clark County School Board is in disarray.COVID 19 rates are soaring so high in Nevada - especially Southern Nevada - that we are being grouped in with states like Florida.I hate when we get grouped with Florida.As of this taping, we have 41,000 Coronavirus cases in Nevada, 722 deaths. We have a 12% positivity rate. Meanwhile, less than 500,000 people have been tested for coronavirus - in a state with a population of 3 million.Today we're going to look at what happened in the legislature, and what happened in the school district this week. With a look ahead to the coming week, when CCSD Trustees will be meeting about Superintendent Jara's Contract. That meeting will be Wednesday, July 29 at 1pm. I will post the live stream on Nevada Voice's Facebook page.

Trust. Everybody says it's the key to true democracy, and relationships. But it seems to be pretty elusive these days. Especially in Nevada, where the trust meter went off the scale this week. First, we were shown emails that showed CCSD Supt. Jesus Jara asking for the legislature to consider moving money from individual schools to the district's general budget, causing an uproar. Then he denied it, and blamed the state supt., Jhone Ebert, and Governor Sisolak. Then those two wrote a scathing press release essentially calling Jara a liar.Not long after that, CCSD Trustee Linda Cavazos called the State Dept. of Education and found out the Trustees had not been told the truth regarding reopening plans.Now Cavazos and two other trustees are calling for a special meeting to discuss Jara's employment, as two unions - including one that represents principals - have called on the superintendent to resign.Meanwhile, the legislature actually considered a tax proposal Thursday night into Friday morning. They argued vociferously about lowering the amount of deductions mining companies can take when calculating their taxes.It's something Republicans and Democrats have said they'd be open to. And it would have brought in $55 million dollars - roughly a fifth of our deficit.Alas, it failed along party lines at 2:30am on Friday. After over an hour of public comment.We're taking to Senator Yvanna Cancela and Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton about the vote and what it means for Nevada in a pandemic. And later on in the show, we'll talk to CCSD Trustee Danielle Ford.

What a year this week was. TWO Clark County School Board meetings about a reopening plan. The start of the legislative special session. Gov. Sisolak re-establishing some phase 1 COVID protocols. We explore it all on IMPACT.

We're starting our weekly show today with an update on the coronavirus, and a look at other issues in the news.And there's a lot going on.Monuments are coming down all over the country. And a lot of white people - and some Black and Brown people - are learning for the first time about how racist policies are interwoven into our societies. The most interesting story for me in the last couple of weeks is an LA Times article on how Southern California freeways were built to obliterate well off Black populations.Here are some other antiracist websites:Teaching Anti-RacismRobin DiAngelo on White FragilityBerkeley's The Greater GoodSchools have also been in the news in the last couple of weeks. CCSD and Washoe County Schools have come out with plans to have students in buildings half time, and learning at home half time. This seems to be the model for most large cities around the country. CCSD is holding a special board meeting July 6 to discuss the plan.

IMPACT started as a half-hour show looking at the impact of the coronavirus in Nevada. It ran daily for 58 episodes, and is now a weekly. This highlight reel gives a flavor of the tone and content of the show.