Brian Sandoval (pictured, left), governor of the U.S. state of Nevada, and Adrian Halpenny (pictured, right), senior vice president Australia and Asia for Scientific Games, officiated at the launch.

Bzzzzzz ... Yep, cicada season is here. The insects known for their signature humming sound generally show up each and every July, according to UNLV professor Allen Gibbs, though sometimes they arrive early in June or late in August.

Nevada had a pretty tumultuous Democratic convention in May. Some said chairs were thrown. Others said they were not. But people were yelling and many felt disenfranchised. Threats were made. People were visibly angry.

UNLV and the University of Sydney plan to collaborate on interactive gambling research including the study of addiction, Gov. Brian Sandoval announced on Monday in a memorandum of understanding between the two universities.

On the first day of a trade tour of Australia, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval helped UNLV sign an agreement with the University of Sydney to cooperate in gaming research.

Gov. Brian Sandoval is leading a research collaboration between the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Sydney to share gaming research.

The politics of water in the West was the theme of the second annual Western Water Symposium, held at the end of July at Morgan Library on the Colorado State University campus. More than 130 attendees heard from a series of water experts that the politics of water in the West transcends party affiliation — and there’s probably not a more divisive issue, even in this election year.

Maria Mendoza, a Mexican-born hotel housekeeper, was out of work and worried about supporting her two daughters when she said she attended a job fair about six years ago and glimpsed her future in a gold-windowed, 64-story hotel just off the Las Vegas Strip. Its name alone sold her.