UNLV’s medical school welcomes its first students in July with high hopes but much remaining to be done. The inaugural class of 60 is made up mostly of Nevada students or those connected to the state, said Dr. Barbara Atkinson, the medical school’s founding dean.

American standards for morally acceptable behavior have shifted dramatically over the past 16 years, as growing numbers of adults espouse more liberal views on gay and lesbian relations, sex out of wedlock and divorce, according to new research from Gallup.

The Nevada Higher Education system will get a boost in funding, after lawmakers signed a bill today that includes a double digit increase.

“The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout,” speech pathologist Julie Cole said to her 4-year-old autism patient, Hannah Beal.

Dr. Mark Dubrouva, a Las Vegas ophthalmologist, is a Nevada System of Higher Education regent and member of the UNLV School of Medicine’s Community Advisory Board, so he has a unique perspective on medical education in Nevada.

An expanded and more robust partnership might be on the horizon for UNLV and the Cleveland Clinic. “We’re definitely in talks with them about what we can do, and how much more we would like to do,” said Barbara Atkinson, dean of UNLV’s new medical school. “It’s a great opportunity for both sides. There are some real synergies there.”

The Board of Regents approved two measures Friday that should ensure a smooth opening for the UNLV medical school on July 1 — albeit with a healthy dose of conversation and caution.

Friday is poised to be a pivotal moment for the fledgling UNLV School of Medicine. With four months until the school opens, UNLV President Len Jessup will request from the Board of Regents approval of the bylaws and operating agreement for the faculty practice plan, as well as a $19 million line of credit.

With five months remaining until the new UNLV School of Medicine officially welcomes its first class, the university has offered admission to 40 prospective students – half of them women. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that women make up nearly half of Nevada’s population. But it’s an anomaly in a state that ranks near the bottom nationally in terms of physician gender diversity.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Where can you get the best medical care in Las Vegas? At the airport. That tireless joke persists because, until recently, there’s been some truth to it. In the past, Las Vegas has had trouble holding on to medical professionals for largely the same reasons we’ve had trouble holding onto tech professionals: There was no school producing new ones, and no district where those young graduates could do assistant work within walking distance of food, retail and affordable housing.

Dr. Neil Haycocks twists and turns the 3-D image to review the head and neck CT scan from a variety of angles. Even without being a doctor, it’s easy to tell from the clear, virtual image that the man has suffered a serious injury.

Nevada’s first potential tax on recreational marijuana will be debated in the 2017 Legislature.