Being really smart has its challenges; Reno academy caters to profoundly gifted

RENO, Nev. — Back home in Boise, Rachel was too bright for her own good. She was isolated from girls her own age who only wanted to talk about boys and shopping, and cut off from her teachers who seemed to regard her as an annoying brat.

Nevada governor to senator: ‘Put up or shut up’ about Yucca Mountain nuke dump

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Gov. Jim Gibbons challenged Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Friday to “put up or shut up” about working to stop Yucca Mountain from being used as the nation’s nuclear repository.

NV Energy 2Q earnings fall 49 percent; higher costs blamed

CARSON CITY, Nev. — NV Energy Inc., the parent firm of Nevada’s two main electric utilities, said Friday earnings for the second quarter fell 49 percent because of higher costs and interest expenses related to power plant investments.

Nev., Fla. officials protest resorts’ reported inclusion on federal conference ‘blacklist’

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Politicians from Nevada and Florida expressed outrage Thursday at a report that some federal agencies have put the two tourist hotspots in the states on a “blacklist” when deciding where to hold conferences or meetings.

International Game Technology’s 3Q earnings fall 39 percent as recession hurts casino demand

RENO, Nev. — International Game Technology said Thursday its third-quarter earnings fell 39 percent as the recession continued to stifle product demand in the casino industry, but the performance still beat Wall Street’s expectations and gave shares a big boost.

Nevada law enforcement has no plans to investigate rape claim against Roethlisberger

RENO, Nev. — Law enforcement officials in Nevada have no intention of opening a criminal investigation into allegations Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger raped a woman at a Lake Tahoe hotel-casino a year ago, the sheriff’s department said Wednesday.

Quayle: Obama’s biggest challenge taming left wing of Democratic Party

STATELINE, Nev. — Former Vice President Dan Quayle gives President Barack Obama high marks for surrounding himself with quality advisers on national security and the economy. But Quayle says it’s not yet clear whether Obama’s Democratic administration will govern more liberally than he campaigned.

Invasive mussels take hold in Colorado River, imperil water systems for millions across West

LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Nev. — Two years after an invasive mussel was first discovered at Lake Mead, the population has firmly established itself and gone on a breeding binge, with numbers soaring into the trillions.

Equine advocates outraged over horse found abandoned in Nevada with brand cut out of hide

RENO, Nev. — A domestic horse found loose in Nevada with the brand cut out of its hide is drawing outrage from equine advocates concerned about the growing number of horses abandoned in the wild.

Nevada gold mine fined $500,000 for safety violations in death of worker in 2007

RENO, Nev. — Federal regulators have fined Newmont Mining Corp. more than $500,000 for safety violations they say contributed to the death of a worker at an underground gold mine in Nevada.

Volunteer, not thief, to blame for disappearance of Miss Nevada crown

RENO, Nev. — Miss Nevada will have a crown at her coronation Saturday after all.

Vegetation in Sierra blooms after wet June, helps distract food-seeking bears from humans

RENO, Nev. — Wet weather in June has spurred a bumper crop of berries and other vegetation favored by bears, leading to a decrease in bear interactions with humans in the Sierra, wildlife biologists said.

Authorities lack evidence to arrest ‘person of interest’ in Lake Tahoe wildfire case

RENO, Nev. — Two years after a wildfire ripped through a thickly forested ravine and destroyed 254 homes near South Lake Tahoe, investigators have a “person of interest” but so far no arrests.

Nev. governor feels ‘very badly’ for Ensign, won’t speculate on senator’s political future

RENO, Nev. — Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons says he feels “very badly” for U.S. Sen. John Ensign, but wouldn’t speculate on the fellow Republican’s political future.

High-demand for bobcat fur coats has wildlife advocates worried about overtrapping in West

RENO, Nev. — Bobcat fur coats have become a hot item among the fashion-conscious in Russia and China, leading to a big jump in prices and exports for the soft, spotted pelts.

Nevada high school students find naked man tied to a rock lying face down behind school

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. — A 53-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being naked near a high school on Lake Tahoe’s east shore. The naked man was arrested Monday after three Whittell High School students reported spotting him tied to a rock and lying face down behind the school. When the students asked if he needed to be untied, the man answered no.

Nevada lawmakers reject governor’s veto of domestic partnership bill

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada’s Assembly voted Sunday to override Gov. Jim Gibbons’ veto and to change state law so that domestic partners, whether gay or straight, have many of the rights and benefits that Nevada offers to married couples.

Nevada Senate rejects governor’s veto of domestic partnership bill

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Senate has voted to override Gov. Jim Gibbons’ veto of a measure that gives domestic partners, whether gay or straight, many of the rights and benefits that Nevada offers to married couples.

NTSB: Pilot made passes over party before plane crashed in Nevada, killing all 5 aboard

RENO, Nev. — The pilot of a small plane that nose-dived into a northern Nevada cow pasture, killing all five people aboard, was making low passes over a party shortly before the crash, a federal investigator said Sunday.

5 killed after small plane nose-dives into pasture near a northern Nevada town

RENO, Nev. — A small plane crashed Saturday afternoon in a pasture in northern Nevada, killing all five people aboard, sheriff’s deputies said.

FAA: Small plane crashes in northern Nevada, multiple fatalities expected

RENO, Nev. — A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman says a small plane has crashed in the northern Nevada town of Gardnerville.

IGT: initial buyers of $725M convertible notes fully exercise overallotment option

RENO, Nev. — International Game Technology, a slot machine and casino management systems maker, said Thursday that the initial buyers of $725 million in convertible notes due in 2014 have fully exercised their option to buy up to an additional $125 million in notes, known as their “overallotment option.”

Newmont gold mine evacuated in northeast Nevada; all 79 miners OK

RENO, Nev. — Dozens of miners safety evacuated a gold mine in northeast Nevada early Tuesday after a flash in the mine’s electrical system triggered the emergency response, the company said.

Lake Tahoe-area ski resort mourns another loss as season of tragedy ends

RENO, Nev. — As it prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hosting the Winter Olympics, a tight-knit Sierra Nevada ski community is mourning another loss in an unusual string of tragedies this season.

Study says livestock grazing threatens most wildlife habitats on federal land in West

RENO, Nev. — Conservationists say livestock grazing poses a threat to a wide variety of fish and other wildlife across more than three-fourths of their dwindling habitats on federal land in the West.

NV Energy meets renewable portfolio standard for first time

RENO, Nev. — State regulators have certified that NV Energy Inc., Nevada’s largest electric utility, has for the first time met its requirement that 9 percent of the power it produces be generated using renewable resources.

Slot maker International Game Technology reports 44 percent drop in 2nd quarter income

RENO, Nev. — International Game Technology reported Thursday that its second-quarter earnings plunged 44 percent, and company executives cut their forecast for the fiscal year, as the global economic recession takes a continuing toll on the gambling industry.