Cynthia Salcido may make a living cleaning casino restrooms and picking up broken glass, but she and the members of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 make up the backbone of the casino industry in Las Vegas, Nevada. The union is training its members to encourage people to vote. They also have plans to make sure their voices are heard when all eyes are on Las Vegas for the last presidential debate.

In 2012, Brookings Mountain West at UNLV and the Brookings Institution collaborated on a book project, “America’s New Swing Region: Changing Politics and Demographics in the Mountain West.” It examined how the politics of Mountain West states — Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico and Utah — are being reshaped by the region’s changing demography and increased urbanization.

Nevada hosts its first ever Presidential debate next week, in Las Vegas. Rather than being held in a casino or cocktail bar - which would have been kind of fun - the clash will occur on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Take away the “Access Hollywood” hot-microphone scandal, the ranting performance in the first presidential debate and all of Donald Trump’s other self-inflicted wounds, and he still would have faced an uphill battle in Nevada, said one of three experts taking part in a panel discussion about the 2016 election today at UNLV.

The first Trump-vs.-Clinton debate was watched by millions and analyzed by even more. But when all is said and done, you have to wonder if these contests matter.

In “Unify, Regionalize, Diversify: An Economic Development Agenda for Nevada,” a 2011 Brookings Institution report that undergirds the state’s current economic development plan, the authors detailed the need for Southern Nevada to strengthen its core economy of gaming/tourism/conventions and to economically diversify within that sector.

The coming presidential election will perhaps be more pivotal for climate-change policy than any other policy arena.

There are more and more new department stores opening for business around the Las Vegas valley, and with every new store that opens, there are dozens of jobs that comes along with it.

Out of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives, only a small number (between 35 and 55, depending on the forecast) have the potential to change hands this fall.

Understanding Nevada's economic connections can open regional business doors.

Inequality, the issue that set Bernie Sanders’ run for the Democratic nomination alight, has gone underground in the presidential contest.

The hunt will soon begin for a new chancellor to oversee the administration of the Nevada System of Higher Education.