Nevada

Low water supplies are forcing changes to the growth patterns of booming Las Vegas, Nevada.

With Lake Mead already down to two-thirds capacity, water officials in fast-growing Southern Nevada have spent over $80 million to 'encourage' residents to rip up sod and "xeriscape" their yards.

A highly favorable tax incentive for green building in Las Vegas could cost the city up to $50 million per year -- an unintentionally high price tag for a program few were expected to take advantage of.

This report from NPR looks at the city of Las Vegas, the high value of water in the desert, and the water chief who is trying to control the growing city's consumption.

An 11-year drought in the Southwest U.S. has a growing small town in Nevada looking to pump water from nearby Beaver Dam, Arizona. Many in the Arizona town are upset over the proposed water-snatch, which they say limits their own ability to develop.

Mike Sabel takes an in-depth look at the future of Las Vegas, its enormous growth, and what happens when the water runs out.

The Economist reports on how San Jose, CA and Las Vegas, NV, have tried -- and failed -- to revive their downtowns.

Las Vegas, the driest metro region in the U.S., needs water as it grows rapidly. Where is it going to come from?

The almost three-year-old, four-mile, privately built and run, driverless Las Vegas Monorail has seen its ridership plummet by more than 30% since increasing its adult fare by 67%, so it will report ridership numbers quarterly rather than monthly.

Residents are upset that plans for a waterfront casino in Sparks, Nevada, were not revealed to the public early enough in the planning project. Many fear that by the time a public hearing is held, the citizen voice will have no power to make changes.

In an agreement that could shape the way multi-state water sources are managed, Arizona and Nevada have formed a deal that would distribute between the states the burden of any water shortages in the Colorado River.

A proposed regional plan in Reno, Nevada, is looking to make big steps towards increasing the area's density and environmental friendliness. But opponents are worried that a rise in density will create major infrastructure problems.

An 18 million square-foot hotel and commercial resort in Las Vegas is set to become the largest LEED-certified project in the U.S. when it opens in 2009. Other builders are expected to follow the green path in Nevada, where tax breaks are generous.

A local architect and developer is making plans to provide affordable homes using recycled steel shipping containers.

A 60s-era motel lobby is getting the star treatment from local preservationists eager to save a piece of the city's former glory.

EPA is expected to issue a regulation for Yucca Mountain, Nevada -- the proposed site for a massive nuclear waste repository -- that will extend one million years into the future. A universal warning sign that will last 10,000 years is selected.

Kentucky Fried Chicken became the world's first logo visible from outer space by unveiling a record-breaking 87,500 square feet, updated Colonel Sanders logo in the Area 51 desert. Will cities need to begin regulating space advertising?

With development encroaching on mountains, Indian lands, and protected species' habitats, projections are that the city will run out of room to grow.

Officials in Nevada have made plans to pump water in from a remote and untouched location near the state's border with Utah. Ranchers and environmentalists in Utah are not too happy about it.

As more wealthy Bay Area residents purchase second homes to vacation in the Tahoe basin, long-time residents and workers find themselves priced-out, moving to less expensive, rural Nevada and commuting long distances, or out of the area entirely.