Rio Yamat, Author at The Rapid City Post

Travelers Stand in line at a security checkpoint before boarding their international flights at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in DFW Airport, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A downturn in international travel to the U.S. may last beyond summer, experts warn

September 1, 2025

A decline in foreign visitors traveling to the United States has stretched well into the summer. And tourism experts say the downward trend that emerged after President Donald Trump returned to the White House shows no immediate signs of reversing. They say factors like Trump’s tariffs, strict immigration policies and rhetoric have made international tourists feel unwelcome. U.S. government data confirms an overall drop-off in international arrivals. Figures from the National Travel and Tourism Office show more than 3 million fewer international arrivals in the first seven months of the year. The preliminary data doesn’t include travelers from Canada, where many residents have said they planned to stay away in protest.

Cars drive along the Las Vegas Strip, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

All major Las Vegas Strip casinos are now unionized in historic labor victory

August 3, 2025

The Culinary Workers Union representing 60,000 hospitality workers in Nevada has achieved a historic victory on the Las Vegas Strip. For the first time in its 90-year history, all major casinos on the Strip are unionized. The union’s gains follow a change in ownership at the Venetian, a longtime holdout. Experts say this success is notable amid declining union membership in the U.S. and GOP-led efforts over the years to curb union power, including “right to work” laws in more than two dozen states. Many credit the union’s resilience to the industry’s deep roots in Las Vegas and ability to navigate complex power dynamics with casino owners.

Family disputes official account of Nevada inmate’s death, alleging excessive force and a cover-up

June 25, 2025

The family of a Nevada inmate who died in custody in December 2023 is disputing the official account of his death. A new lawsuit filed this week in Clark County District Court claims Patrick Odale was having an asthma attack — not acting erratically — when guards pepper-sprayed, restrained and beat him. The lawsuit accuses prison staff and officials of excessive force and deleting video evidence. It also criticizes the coroner’s office for not listing Odale’s blunt force injuries as a contributing factor to his death. Odale, a father of two, was just weeks from release. His family hasn’t been given access to video footage of the incident.

FILE - Clark County Sheriff and Nevada Gov.-elect Joe Lombardo gives a victory speech during a news conference, Nov. 14, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt, File)

Nevada GOP governor vetoes voter ID bill that he pushed for in a deal with Democrats

June 12, 2025

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has vetoed a bill that would have required voters in the swing state to show a photo ID at the polls. Thursday’s veto by the Republican governor brings a dramatic end to one of the session’s most unexpected outcomes. The voter ID bill came together and passed in the final days of the session after Lombardo made a deal with the Democratic-controlled Legislature. The vetoed bill would also have added more drop boxes for mail ballots in Nevada’s most populous counties. Lombardo said in his veto message he couldn’t support the bill in the end because mail ballots could still be accepted solely based on signature verification.

FILE - TikTok star Khaby Lame poses for a photograph after being named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in Dakar, Senegal, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui, File)

World’s most popular TikTok star Khaby Lame leaves the US after being detained by ICE

June 10, 2025

The world’s most popular TikTok personality has left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas. An ICE spokesperson says Khaby Lame was detained on June 6 at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for overstaying his visa but was allowed to leave the country. The voluntary departure that ICE officials granted Lame allowed him to avoid a deportation order on his immigration record. The 25-year-old influencer rose to fame in 2020 without ever saying a word in his videos reacting to absurdly complicated “life hacks.” He hasn’t commented publicly on his detainment. The Associated Press sent an email to Lame’s team Tuesday seeking comment.

FILE - People vote at the Allegiant Stadium polling place, Nov. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Bipartisan deals on voting and election changes are rare. It just happened in one swing state

June 4, 2025

In a bipartisan move, Nevada’s Democratic-controlled Legislature has passed a last-minute bill supported by the Republican governor that will require photo ID to vote in person. It’s a longtime Republican priority that Democrats have long opposed, including during the last legislative session. But Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager brokered the deal with Gov. Joe Lombardo in exchange for expanded mail ballot drop boxes. Yeager called it a tough but necessary concession because of time constraints and recent voter support for the measure. The compromise represents a form of bipartisan dealmaking that has been especially scarce in recent years as the country’s political divisions have deepened, especially around any potential reform to voting and election laws.

Who is ‘Miss Atomic Bomb’? A historian searched for 25 years for the answer

May 30, 2025

A single photo sparked a 25-year search in Las Vegas. Historian Robert Friedrichs became obsessed with uncovering the true identity of Miss Atomic Bomb, the showgirl in a 1957 promo photo wearing a mushroom cloud swimsuit who seemed to vanish from the public eye. Friedrichs dug through archives, interviewed showgirls, and followed countless leads. The breakthrough came in an obituary: her real name was Anna Lee Mahoney. A temporary exhibit highlighting the woman in the photo, the mystery behind her name and the man who solved it opens in June at the Atomic Museum.

This 2024 photo released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a Fish Lake Valley tui chub. (Nathan Hurner/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP)

A rare olive-colored fish that exists only in Nevada could soon be listed as an endangered species

May 21, 2025

U.S. wildlife officials want to add a rare Nevada fish to the list of endangered species. A federal proposal was issued Wednesday for the Fish Lake Valley tui chub. Environmentalists say the fish is “barely clinging to existence” because of rapid groundwater pumping in a remote area in southwestern Nevada that’s experiencing extreme drought. The proposal’s publication kicks off a 60-day public comment period. It’s the Trump administration’s first proposal to list an endangered species during his second term. The Center for Biological Diversity sued in 2023 and won a settlement that forced the government to decide by this month whether to list the fish.

Rio Yamat.