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tabitha_mueller

@tabithamueller.bsky.social
1.1K followers 92 following 49 posts

capital bureau chief and government accountability reporter for The Nevada Independent | Middlebury College alum | tabitha@thenvindy.com | dms open | she/her

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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Before Nevada’s top water regulator was fired last year, top mining executives and other business interests privately complained to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office, new emails and records reveal. thenevadaindependent.com/article/mini...
thenevadaindependent.com
Mining industry privately griped to Lombardo about top Nevada water regulator before firing - The Nevada Independent
The complaints largely opposed a draft order to reduce groundwater pumping in certain areas and accused then-State Engineer Adam Sullivan of "coercion."
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USC Center for Health Journalism @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
"The conversations were emotional and difficult to hear. But parents wanted to share stories about who their children were and the unimaginable loss they experienced," writes reporter @tabithamueller.bsky.social in an essay for the Center. Read more: ow.ly/1RH650W4vEN
ow.ly
The view from the frontlines of Nevada’s youth suicide crisis, where resources are scarce and families bereft
The conversations were emotional and difficult to hear. But parents wanted to share stories about who their children were and the unimaginable loss they experienced, writes reporter Tabitha Mueller.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Mark your calendars for this discussion on March 25! We'll discuss various health care topics, including the proposed DHHS split, the state's Medicaid program and how officials are working to ensure children receive services in their communities. one.bidpal.net/indytalksveg...
IndyTalks: Nevada's changing health care landscape

Moderated by The Nevada Independent CEO and Founder Jon Ralston and Indy Capital Bureau Chief Tabitha Mueller.

Tuesday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fontainbleau, Las Vegas

Panelists include: 

Patrick Kelly, President and CEO of the Nevada Hospital Association
Mike Willden Consultant
Stacie Weeks, Nevada Medicaid Administrator

Location
Fontainebleau Las Vegas, BleauLive Theater
2777 South Las Vegas Blvd

Schedule
Cash Bar available starting at 5:00 p.m. — come mix and mingle for happy hour!
Main Event 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Ticket Information
Tickets are required to attend
Ticket cost is $10 per person

Parking
Complimentary parking provided by Fontainebleau
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Howard Stutz @howardstutz.thenvindy.com · 01/03/2025
My colleague @tabithamueller.bsky.social discussed this topic with Evan Schreiber yesterday morning. News 3 KVBC Las Vegas @thenvindy.bsky.social What's next for Nevada if Medicaid cuts come from Congress? news3lv.com/news/arc/wha...
news3lv.com
What's next for Nevada if Medicaid cuts come from Congress?
With potential cuts to Medicaid coming from Congresssome Nevada lawmakers are sounding the alarm, saying the cuts could cost the state billions of dollars in h
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Sen. Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, Finance Chair Marilyn Dondero Loop and HHS Chair Fabian Doñate sent a letter to COS Ryan Cherry & DHHS Director Richard Whitley requesting information about the potential effects of federal Medicaid cuts. (1/4) embed.documentcloud.org/documents/25...
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Good morning 🥶
Calvin, lying in a nice warm bed: "BRRR, IT'S FREEZING OUT THERE! I DONT WANT TO LEAVE MY NICE WARM BED."

"ON DAYS LIKE THIS, I WISH MOM WOULD COME IN, LAY AN EXTRA BLANKET OVER ME, PAT MY HEAD, AND AS I SINK INTO THE PILLOW UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE COVERS, SHE'D SAY..."

CALVIN'S MOM INTERRUPTS THE THOUGHT BY YELLING, "HEY, LET'S MOVE IT!! THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I'VE CALLED YOU! YOU'RE GOING TO MISS THR BUS! LET'S GO!!"

CALVIN GETS OUT OF BED. "THESE MORNINGS ARE GOING TO KILL ME."
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
The Nevada Faculty Alliance released a statement about President Donald Trump's EO, freezing all meetings, communications and hiring at the National Institutes of Health. "These actions have a chilling effect," the statement said. Full statement here: nevadafacultyalliance.org/NewsArchive/...
The Nevada Faculty Alliance notes with concern the decision of the new administration to freeze all meetings, travel, communications, and hiring within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) until approved by new political appointees.  These actions have a chilling effect on vital academic research that not only serves to protect the health of the American people but generates significant economic benefit to our state.

The NIH is a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services and serves as the nation’s medical research agency. The agency has an annual budget of more than $47 billion dollars and runs multiple programs important to academic training and research across the country.

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is the largest recipient of NIH Grants in Nevada. NIH awards exceed $30 million in the state, supporting 977 jobs and generating over $200 million in economic activity. A politicized slow-down of these vital funds will harm researchers, universities, an
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
An #nvleg budget update: Sources close to the governor's office said the office will begin submitting budget amendments as early as Friday, and the process will be completed by Jan. 29.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Here's a quick thread of some noteworthy quotes/moments in the legislative budget hearing today:
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Tiffany Greenameyer, the state budget director, said during the first legislative budget meeting, "the governor's recommended budget as submitted, included errors." www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oaP...
youtube.com
1/21/2025 - Legislative Commission's Budget Subcommittee
YouTube video by Nevada State Legislature
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Scoop: Sources say Lombardo's administration asked Amy Stephenson to step down from her role as state budget director Friday. Tiffany Greenameyer has replaced her. The news comes as Democrats have raised concerns about the budget + ahead of an 8:30 budget meeting this morning.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Some ~ personal ~ news: I'm excited to take on the role of Capital Bureau Chief and government accountability reporter for @TheNVIndy. Be sure to follow our Carson City team Eric Neugeboren, Isabella Aldrete and @calvertphoto.bsky.social as we bring you the latest news from the #nvleg.
The State of the State address by Gov. Joe Lombardo this Wednesday serves as the unofficial kickoff to what we like to cal
#nvleg seasonthe start of the 120 days of madness in Carson City. As in years past, The Indy is sending a team of three reporters to work in Carson City full-time.
So, let us introduce our legislative team for the 2025 session:
First, Tabitha Mueller will be returning to Carson City as the Indy's Capital Bureau Chief. This is Tabitha's third legislative session, and she has become a scoop machine and best-sourced reporter in the state capital. The team will be rounded out by reporters Eric Neugeboren and Isabella Aldrete, both of whom bring unique and diverse skill sets and perspectives to the table.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
The Indy's first edition of the "Behind the Bar" newsletter for the 83rd legislative session is out at 7 a.m. Tuesday. You don't want to miss it. Sign up to receive it: thenevadaindependent.com/newsletters
thenevadaindependent.com
The Nevada Independent - Your state. Your news. Your voice.
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focuse...
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Breaking: A partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery and Birtcher Development, key proponents to expand Nevada's film tax credit program, has dissolved. thenevadaindependent.com/article/warn...
thenevadaindependent.com
Warner Bros. and Birtcher Development drop partnership in bid to expand Nevada film tax credits - The Nevada Independent
It’s not yet clear how the dissolution of the partnership will affect the two separate efforts to expand Nevada’s film tax credit program.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
A spokesperson for Gov. Joe Lombardo confirmed to @thenvindy.bsky.social that Lombardo will join other governors for a dinner with President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. More on the dinner from @politico.com: www.politico.com/live-updates...
politico.com
Republican governors head to Mar-a-Lago
It's a chance for them to reaffirm their loyalty — the biggest currency in Trump world.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
A fun research find of the week is this Nevada LCB record of all the Secretaries of the Senate and Chief Clerks of the Assembly from 1864 to 2017. It includes their hometown and/or county of residence, too! t.co/J3UuyImdw2
t.co
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Publications/Misc/SenSecretaryAssmClerks1864-current.pdf
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Inbox: Last week, the DOJ reached an agreement with the state of Nevada to ensure children with behavioral health disabilities can live in their homes and communities. Entire agreement here: justice.gov/crt/media/13... Press release: justice.gov/opa/pr/justi...
To increase community integration for these children, Nevada has made significant commitments in this agreement, including:

Children who may have a behavioral health disability will be screened and assessed, and provided with service coordination;
Children with behavioral health disabilities will have access to expanded home- and community-based services. These services include wraparound facilitation, mobile crisis and stabilization services, respite care, individual and family therapy, behavioral support services, family peer support and youth peer support;
Nevada will improve diversion and transition processes to ensure children with behavioral health disabilities are being diverted from, and transitioned as quickly as possible from, segregated placements; and Nevada will strengthen its quality assurance and performance improvement system.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
*Staring at my inbox and social media after a long holiday break* 🎶 Hello darkness, my old friend... 🎶
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
It's official: Gov. Joe Lombardo's State of the State address will be held Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. More details to come.
Office of the Governor Announces Date for the 2025 State of the State Address 

 

CARSON CITY, NV – Today, the Nevada Office of the Governor announced that the 2025 State of the State Address will take place on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 6:00 PM.

 

As per tradition, the address will be held two weeks prior to the beginning of the upcoming legislative session, convening in the Assembly Chambers of the Nevada State Legislature.

 

I look forward to sharing the progress my administration has made since my inaugural address, and I’m excited to outline my common-sense vision for our state ahead of the upcoming legislative session,” said Governor Joe Lombardo. “We’ve worked hard to keep taxes low, balance our state budget, and make historic investments in our students and workforce. As we look ahead, I’m eager to build on our progress in education, economic development, healthcare, housing, and public safety.”

 

Additional details will be released next week.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
“She was the heart and soul of the family,” Monique Laxalt said. “It’s a huge loss and there are a lot of people in mourning this morning. We will miss her terribly.”
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
Happy holiday season barrage of stories to me, my fellow reporters and my editors. T-8 days until Christmas Eve.
media.tenor.com
a little boy is playing with a hose in a yard .
ALT: a little boy is playing with a hose in a yard .
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RalstonReports @ralstonreports.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
NEWS: AG @AaronDFordNV makes public the worst-kept secret in NV politics: He is running for gov in 2026. Ford has been scheduling fundraisers and made a bunch of calls this week telling people he intends to run. Scoop via @tabithamueller.bsky.social thenevadaindependent.com/article/neva...
thenevadaindependent.com
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford says he intends to run for governor - The Nevada Independent
Ford, who is termed out from his role as the state’s top lawyer, said he is considering running in 2026, the first Democrat to openly do so. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo plans to run for re-election i...
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David Calvert @calvertphoto.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Nevada's youth mental health services are the worst in the nation. For @thenvindy.bsky.social, @tabithamueller.bsky.social writes, with nowhere to go but up, the state has made progress to address mental health but a lack of sustainable funding threatens care. 🔗: bit.ly/49ux8Z4
Picture of Lynette Vega, president and founder of Zero Suicides Elko County — a nonprofit dedicated to preventing suicide in Elko County that also serves as an advocacy and support space for families — posing for a photo in Spring Creek on Aug. 27, 2024.Picture of Maria Kauffman's hands holding a heart-shaped necklace, featuring her son Denali’s thumbprint in Elko on Aug. 29, 2024.Photo of Jason and Sarah Mayne posing for a portrait in Elko on Aug. 29, 2024.A photo of Interstate 80 in Elko on Aug. 29, 2024, near the Nevada Gold Mines’ office on Mountain City Highway, south of the Interstate.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
“Once the numbness had worn off, it was time to find somebody [the kids] could really work with, help them carry the grief better ... and there just wasn’t anything here.” A look at Nevada's fragmented system of care: thenevadaindependent.com/article/meet...
thenevadaindependent.com
Meeting Nevadans’ mental health needs challenged by limited resources, isolated efforts - The Nevada Independent
Nevada has nowhere to go but up on youth mental health services. A lack of sustainable funding has prevented a more unified network of care.
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Frankie Talbot @frankietalbotnv.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Part 3 of @tabithamueller.bsky.social series on adolescent mental behavioral health. thenevadaindependent.com/article/meet... Nevada only has 342 licensed psychologists and only 9 in rural communities. With a population of 3.194 million, that’s one provider for every 8,148 people.
thenevadaindependent.com
Meeting Nevadans’ mental health needs challenged by limited resources, isolated efforts - The Nevada Independent
Nevada has nowhere to go but up on youth mental health services. A lack of sustainable funding has prevented a more unified network of care.
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David Calvert @calvertphoto.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
In northeastern Nevada, a culture of self-reliance, lack of mental health providers and limited privacy has hindered conversations about mental health. For @thenvindy.bsky.social, @tabithamueller.bsky.social writes about the students working to change that. 🔗: bit.ly/3Z9FH6H
Ten members of the Wells Combined School Hope Squad pose for a group photo holding a banner that says "HOPE SQUAD" inside the school on Aug. 29, 2024. The Letter "o" in "hope" is a red and white a cartoon lifebuoy.Ana Bribiesca, a sergeant for the Elko County Sheriff’s Department who is a school resource officer for the Elko County School District, poses for a photo in her police car outside Spring Creek High School on Aug. 28, 2024. On the seat next to Bribiesca is a doll of the Disney character Joy from the movie Inside Out.A photo of two teenage girls practicing showing a cow during the Elko County Fair on Aug. 30, 2024, in Elko. There is an American flag hanging on the building behind them.A photo of Steve Simpson, CEO of Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital in Elko, looking at renderings for the hospital’s new 16-bed, adult inpatient behavioral health unit in Elko on Aug. 28, 2024.
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David Calvert @calvertphoto.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Since 2010, young people 15-24 have the highest rate of suicide attempts of any age group in Nevada. For @thenvindy.bsky.social, @tabithamueller.bsky.social writes, as the state grapples with mental health, an Elko mom finds tragedy "does not discriminate." 🔗: bit.ly/4eKt6g7
A photographic portrait of Louri Lesbo inside her home on Aug. 31, 2024. Lesbo's son Kade died by suicide in 2022.A photo of fans — two adults, a young girl and a teenage couple — watching a Friday night high school football game at Warrior Field in Elko on Aug. 30, 2024.A photo of Spring Creek, a rural community in central Elko County, east of the town of Elko, on Aug. 28, 2024. Picture shows a white fence with ranch properties in the foreground and a subdivision of homes in the middle distance. Elko Summit and Lamoille Highway are in the background.A photo of Mike Lesbo holds his late son’s cat, Addie, inside their home in Elko on Aug. 31, 2024. Lesbo's son, Kade, died by suicide in 2022.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
“We are those parents that just love our kids beyond belief … We were immune to suicide until we were not.” An Elko mom’s story is the first in “We’ve got to talk" multipart series on Nevada youth mental health: thenevadaindependent.com/article/as-n...
thenevadaindependent.com
As Nevada grapples with high suicide rates, Elko mom finds tragedy ‘does not discriminate’ - The Nevada Independent
Since 2010, young people aged 15-24 have the highest rate of suicide attempts of any other age group in the Silver State.
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Inbox: Nevada Senate Democrats announced #nvleg leadership and committee memberships. Full list here: documentcloud.org/documents/25...
documentcloud.org
DocumentCloud
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Oh, Slack, if only you knew.
The message featured a crystal ball emoji and the phrase "All that was unread is now read. What's next?"
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Howard Stutz @howardstutz.thenvindy.com · 22/11/2024
Nevada’s top election official eyes changes to speed up ballot counting Cisco Aguilar told The Indy that many ballots in the state’s two largest counties were not immediately counted, likely because of staffing levels. thenevadaindependent.com/article/neva... @thenvindy.bsky.social
thenevadaindependent.com
Nevada’s top election official eyes changes to speed up ballot counting - The Nevada Independent
In an interview with The Nevada Independent, Aguilar said many of the ballot counting difficulties likely stemmed from staffing levels in Clark and Washoe counties, despite efforts by both counties th...
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Washoe County commissioners are gathering at 10 a.m. for a canvass meeting to certify the county's election results. I'll monitor the meeting remotely and update this thread with details. There is some background information you should be aware of. washoe-nv.legistar.com/MeetingDetai...
washoe-nv.legistar.com
Washoe County - Meeting of Board of County Commissioners on 11/15/2024 at 10:00 AM
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tabitha_mueller @tabithamueller.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Happy first snowfall to Reno!
"Look at this! You call this snow?!" Calvin said.

"It's not even an inch high! What good is less than an inch of snow?!" he said.

"Well, it's pretty." Hobbes said.

"Nobody ever closed school on account of prettiness." Calvin said.
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