Cooling stations, WNBA labor deal and Railroad Valley toad protections

The Daily Rundown – March 19, 2026

🌡️ Clark County will have cooling stations at dozens of community centers, libraries and other public sites today (Thursday, 3/19) through Saturday (3/21). Hours will vary depending on the location, according to a news release. They are open to anyone who needs relief from the extreme temperatures forecast for the next few days.

The Las Vegas Valley should see highs in the upper 90s through Saturday, possibly reaching an official high of 100 tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service. That’s followed by a stretch of days in the mid-90s, still above the normal highs in the low 70s for this time of year.

🐸 The Railroad Valley toad, which lives in spring-fed wetlands in Nye County, is one step closer to protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service filed a stipulated agreement in a Tucson federal court yesterday (Tuesday, March 17). The agency, which is under the federal Interior Department, agreed to make its decision on a threatened or endangered listing for the toad by the end of May 2028.

It also agreed to pay the CBD’s legal fees. In exchange, the center will drop the lawsuit over what it called “the extinction crisis.” In a statement, the organization’s Great Basin director, Patrick Donnelly, said, “Species like this toad are a warning sign for wetland ecosystems across the state.” The Fish and Wildlife Service declined to comment on what it called active litigation.

🏀 The Las Vegas Aces are scheduled to open defense of their Women’s National Basketball Association crown on May 9, and it looks like that will happen as planned. The league and the players’ union agreed to a new contract yesterday (Wednesday, 3/18), following long and contentious negotiations. It awaits approval from the WNBA Board of Governors and the players. Training camp is set to open on April 19, and the regular season will begin May 8.

Somewhere in there will be an expansion draft for new teams in Toronto and Portland and, with 80% of last year’s players now free agents, there will be a lot of contract negotiations. The salary cap for the 2026 season is expected to be $7 million, with average salaries topping $585,000, according to the Associated Press. The minimum salary would be around $300,000, about four times more than last year.

🧂 Salt lakes in the American West are shrinking — from Utah’s Great Salt Lake to smaller lakes scattered across the Great Basin. In her new book, Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History, writer Caroline Tracey explores why these unusual landscapes matter, and what their decline reveals about humans’ impact on the environment.

Tracey spent years visiting salt lakes around the world, documenting how human activity and a warming climate are reshaping these fragile ecosystems. “Salt lakes are impacted by a mixture of water diversions and climate change,” Tracey said in an interview with the Mountain West News Bureau.

“For decades, humans have been diverting the rivers that lead to the lakes for a lot of alfalfa and other crops.” In the Mountain West, this has left lakes like the Great Salt Lake shrinking, exposing lake bed that can send toxic dust into nearby communities and threaten wildlife — from brine shrimp to millions of migratory birds.

Smaller lakes scattered across the Great Basin face similar pressures. Farther south, California’s Salton Sea is also receding, exposing dusty shoreline and straining one of the most important bird habitats along the Pacific Flyway. Hear the full story by the Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel.

🏈 In order to avoid playing Bishop Gorman and other private schools, Clark County School District football programs are leaving the NIAA. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association says the CCSD principals of all Class 5A and 4A schools made the decision to go independent. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, 30 district schools will now skip the official state playoffs for at least two years.

These teams will only play games against each other during this period. Public school coaches say the current system gives private and charter schools unfair advantages. Blowout scores have been common in championship games in recent years. The decision also follows heavy criticism of the NIAA’s complex ranking system.

🎆 The Electric Daisy Carnival is getting a parade. On Wednesday, the Clark County Commission approved the parade in conjunction with EDC’s forthcoming 30th anniversary celebration. KLAS-TV reports that the free evening parade will be produced May 14 by EDC promoter Insomniac and will be called the World Party Parade.

The 15-float procession will start at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds off Sahara Avenue, travel south on the Strip, turn around at Genting Boulevard, then head back to the festival grounds, requiring a road closure on the north end of the Strip. An Insomniac representative told the commission that the parade would be for all ages and could draw 30,000 attendees.

Part of these stories are taken from KNPR’s daily newscast segment. To hear more daily updates like these, tune in to 88.9 KNPR FM.