Articles by Scott Sonner

New Bridge Design Tested by Nevada Quake Lab Following Mexico Quake

Scientists at a Nevada earthquake lab this week tested new bridge designs with connectors they say are innovative and created to better withstand violent temblors and speed reconstruction efforts after major quake damage. University of Nevada, Reno engineers performed the …

California Wildfire Threatens 1,500 Homes

A California blaze in the rugged mountains outside of Yosemite National Park has destroyed eight structures and forced thousands of nearby residents to flee their homes. As of Tuesday evening, the fire had scorched 39 square miles, according to the …

Nevada’s Recreational Marijuana Sales Launch Hinges on Court Decision

Nevada’s marijuana regulators are working furiously to launch recreational sales on July 1, a fast-approaching deadline that could hinge on a court deciding whether the powerful liquor industry should be guaranteed a piece of the pot pie before tourists and …

Hundreds of Evacuations in California, Nevada from Flooding

Hundreds fled homes as a massive winter storm packing heavy rain, damaging winds and lightning caused mudslides and widespread flooding in Northern California and Nevada. The Russian River in California’s Sonoma County and the Truckee River near Reno, Nevada, overflowed …

Nevada Sports Bar Settles Part of Overtime Suit With $375K Payout

Bully’s Sports Bar & Grill has agreed to pay $375,000 in back wages to settle part of a class-action lawsuit with 15 cooks who accused the oldest sports bar chain in northern Nevada of denying them overtime pay in violation …

Nevada Doctor Sued by Parents of Painkiller Overdose Victim

The Reno, Nev. doctor at the center of a federal investigation into an illegal prescription drug ring is being accused by the parents of an overdose victim of ignoring their warnings and continuing to increase the strength of their son’s …

Retrofitting in Utah, Nevada Spurred by Earthquake Report

A new report raising the likelihood of a destructive earthquake striking Salt Lake City, Utah in the next half century has underscored the urgency to retrofit more than 30,000 older brick homes and other unreinforced buildings at high risk of …

Cameras Trained on Mountains around Lake Tahoe Help Wildfire Battle

A growing network of cameras trained on the mountains around Lake Tahoe is changing the way crews fight Western wildfires by allowing early detection that triggers quicker, cheaper, more tactical suppression than traditional war-like operations, experts said this week. The …

Sierras Along California, Nevada Line Long Overdue for Big Quake

Scientists say the Sierra’s eastern front is long overdue for a large earthquake along the California-Nevada line, where a magnitude-7 event expected on average every 30 years hasn’t occurred in six decades. Nevada Seismology Laboratory Director Graham Kent says the …

First Autonomous Urban Drone Delivery in Nevada

A drone has delivered a package to a residential location in a small western Nevada town in what its maker says is the first fully autonomous, federally approved urban drone delivery in the United States. Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeney announced …