KNPR Features

What state has more native orchids than Hawaii? Nevada — of course. Here's Dr. Angela O'Callaghan with Desert Bloom.

Some 40 years ago, Nevada's political scene focused on a number of races including a hard-fought primary for governor. Here's Senator Richard Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

Some 50 years ago, Nevada's political scene captured a lot of attention. Here's Senator Richard Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

A rose by any other name...is still a popular choice in our desert environment. Here's Dr. Angela O'Callaghan with Desert Bloom.

Lush lawns seem more and more out of place in our desert environment. But there are practical alternatives. Here's Dr. Angela O'Callaghan with Desert Bloom.

There was a time when efforts abounded to bring baseball to Nevada. Here's Senator Richard Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

The infamous Watergate scandal may have had a Nevada Connection. Here's Senator Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

A weed by any other name is still a weed....or is it? Here's Dr. Angela O'Callaghan with Desert Bloom.

Unions have a history with the railroad in Las Vegas. Here's Senator Richard Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

It was over a century ago that a miner sparked interest in Lehman Caves. Here's Senator Richard Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

After much debate, segregation in Nevada Schools came to an end over a century ago. Here's Senator Richard Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

The construction of a courthouse in Nevada over a century ago, went way over budget. Here's Senator Richard Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

Even though we're still in May, it's never too soon to start planning your summer garden.

From health care to wilderness protection, Harry Reid's time in Washington, D.C. had an impact.

A lost election or two hardly meant the end of the road for Harry Reid.

From a shack in Searchlight, Nevada to the U.S. Senate, Harry Reid left us plenty to talk about. Here's Senator Richard Bryan with Nevada Yesterdays.

Many consider Las Vegas to be the boxing capital, a reputation that began to take form over a century ago.

There was recently a diamond anniversary for one Strip property with an intriguing past. The Flamingo Hotel turned seventy-five. It opened on December 26, 1946.

Winter is a great time to prune your trees, shrubs, and even vines. Here's Dr. Angela O'Callaghan with Desert Bloom.

The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas is turning 75. At look back at the early days of the property ahead on Nevada Yesterdays.

A look back on the life and times of former Nevada Congressman and Regent, Jim Bilbray.

Most of us don't have big acreage for our gardens. That's why we try to pack so much into them. Sometimes, though, we do get carried away, putting the least amount of space required between plants. That's how usually I practice gardening. Just when you're certain you have no room to spare, nature finds that one unoccupied spot and fills it. Sometimes plants just appear in my garden, my wildly overplanted garden! 

 This summer marks the 50th anniversary of a major event that should have had a greater impact than it did, but still mattered. We mean the 1971 consent decree mandating the employment of Black workers in the gaming industry. Many of you recall the Moulin Rouge Agreement of 1960. That just about eliminated the ban on Blacks patronizing Las Vegas Strip and downtown properties. But what about jobs? Most people of color worked in the back of the house, in jobs like porters, maids, and dishwashers.

Last time, we were talking about the group that built the Union Plaza—Frank Scott, Sam Boyd, Jackie Gaughan, and Kell Houssels, Junior, along with investors like Bill Boyd and Howard Cannon. Let's look at what they produced.

This year we mark a golden anniversary: The Union Plaza opened on July 2, 1971. It has quite a history … and so does its location.The address Number One Main Street is just a few steps south of a historical marker. There, on May 15, 1905, the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad auctioned off the heart of what we call downtown Las Vegas. The next year, the railroad completed construction of a Spanish-style depot. It tore down that depot to replace it with a station done in the Streamline Moderne style—a kind of Art Deco. It opened in 1940.

This year, there's a diamond jubilee going on just north of our studios. It's the seventy-fifth birthday of the City of North Las Vegas, incorporated on May 1, 1946.

If you've thought about adding some 'desert natives' to your lawn or garden, there are some choices that don't include thorns. More 

For a splash of color in your garden, check out Gazanias.

The USDA offers suggestions for a healthy diet. But how much of that can you grow at home?

Nevada's first capitol building has stood the test of time.

A veggie garden can add a splash of color to your landscape.

It's been 50 years since a law was passed in Nevada that clarified where prostitution would be allowed, and where it wouldn't.

There was a time when Nevada was the only state without a community college. How that changed.

When the soil is frozen solid in other parts of the country, our soil isn’t. Now there are times when the soil in our area is just so hard to dig that it might as well be frozen. But, once you get past that problem, you’ll be able to create a space where a fruit tree will thrive.  When I say thrive, I mean - it’ll grow and produce fabulous fruit!

It was 50 years ago that Nevada fell in line with a Fair Housing Act. We'll hear how that came about - ahead on Nevada Yesterdays. 

Phyllis McGuire died at the end of 2020, and with her died a lot of the history of show business, Las Vegas society, and, yes, organized crime.

Neal was Nevada’s first Black state senator, serving for eight terms. He was the first Black major party candidate for governor. He died on New Year’s Eve at age eighty-five..

I’d be willing to bet nobody really misses 2020. For a lot of people, gardening was probably one of the few things that felt normal. That’s what’s amazing about nature, as long as you follow basic rules, like making sure plants have water, light and decent fertility, they’ll generally grow. Maybe even better than you’d expect.Although I worked from home for much of 2020, I didn’t spend much time in the garden. Too often, I looked at my back yard and made a list of tasks I needed to get done out there.

This year, Nevada and the rest of the country have been commemorating a turning point in our history. A century ago, in 1920, the 19th Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution. Women gained the right to vote across the nation.

A federal building in Las Vegas is named after a federal judge who died recently. A look back at the career of Lloyd George. 

UNLV recently lost a senior faculty member to complications from Covid 19. A look back at the long career of Professor Felicia Campbell.

A well-known storyteller on the history of Las Vegas died earlier this year. We'll hear about the work of Eugene Moehring.

When it comes to Halloween-themed plants, there are some devilish choices.

Even though we're still in triple digits in Southern Nevada, it's not too soon to start thinking about a fall garden. More about that ahead on Desert Bloom.

Whether it's the Lear Theatre in Reno, or the Huntridge in Las Vegas, Preserve Nevada strives to protect historic sites.

The World Series of Poker has been shuffled a few times during its five decades in Las Vegas.

As Nevada Yesterdays returns after a few months of social distancing, it’s worth remembering COVID-19 isn’t our first pandemic. The flu outbreak in 1918 also had a significant impact on Nevada, and had some important similarities to the present.The international pandemic began in August 1918. Around 25 million Americans got the flu and about half a million of them died. Today, the U.S. population is more than three times larger. The numbers today would be even more staggering.

Replacing your lawn with rocks is one idea, but there are some colorful alternatives.

Many plants in your garden are certainly not fans of our hot summers. But there are some notable exceptions.