Sparks High School conducted an important test today but it had nothing to do with academics. Police and teachers took part in a simulation ---designed to save lives in an emergency like Columbine.

Although young adults don't make up a strong voting block, it's not stopping a fierce debate to gather support at UNR's campus.

Nevada's highway traffic death toll was up sharply last year...even though the national fatality figures were at the lowest point since records were first kept nearly 40 years ago.

An arrest for marijuana sale and possession gets tricky when the suspect says he has a medical marijuana card.

If it seems like traffic lights are costing you time on the road...you're right. A report, put out by the very people responsible for traffic lights, say they're not working properly.

The hearing officer recommended -- and a three-member review panel agreed today -- that U-N-R President John Lilley dismiss all three charges against professor Hussein S- Hussein.

There's help out those trying to own their first home, or get their credit back on track. News Channel Eight Daybreak helps you ask the expert.

The Reno area is becoming more and more diverse. So much so...that now some educators feel there is a need to better prepare non-english speaking children in our area...for kindergarten. State educators have asked the Assembly for 175-thousand dollars to launch a program to help non-english speaking four year olds the summer before they start kindergarten. 50-thousand dollars of that money would go toward helping children here in Washoe County.

A University Professor who has long been at odds with the school's administration is fighting for his job today. Doctor Hussein Hussein has accused the University of neglecting and abusing animals at its experimental farm.

Local catholics came out in droves today...for an afternoon mass at the Saint Thomas Aquinas Cathedral. They say it's a great day. Local Catholics joined Bishop Straling in his embracing of the teachings and guidance of the new pope.

more than one billion catholics around the world have a new leader tonight. The college of cardinals today picked cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany as the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He will be known as pope benedict the sixteenth

The commitments keep rolling in for the Wolf Pack men's basketball team Less than a week after landing juco star Demarshay Johnson from California, Nevada will now have a little foreign flavor on the roster as well...

Airline passengers are all too familiar with the airport security drill: remove your shoes, take off your coat, surrender any potential weapons, including butane lighters. But some people say those measures aren't enough.

Local Target stores are pulling some cold medicines off shelves. The action is an effort to stop the growing methamphetamine problem in our area. Pseudophedrine is the key ingredient for meth. It's used to make the drug in make-shift labs...which have been popping up ALL over the Reno/Sparks area. Now taget is pulling cold medicine with that ingredient from store shelves.

Marc Klaas formed the KlaasKids Foundation shortly after his daughter's disappearance. Though her story ended tragically, Klaas has dedicated much of his life to help others share his grief.

Winans Furniture, a locally owned and operated store, is getting ready to close its doors after 40 years of service in the community.

Using DNA to help track down suspects is used often, and not just for violent crimes.

Last minute filers didn't just flood the post office...local tax preparers, like H & R Block, have been keeping long hours this week.

Getting enough exercise, eating right, and making healthy choices are certainly personal decisions made on personal time.

The Nevada Legislature is a busy place today. Lawmakers are facing a deadline tonight, and a lot of bills won't survive. Bills have to be out of committee by tonight, out of committee in the house in which they were introduced.

After putting up 50 wins in two seasons the Wolf Pack men's basketball team is in the mix for a ton of highly regarded recruits and tonight, one of those recruits chose the Pack over everyone else.

Recycling the weapons of war. With another round of closings of military bases due shortly, a northern Nevada base is taking on a new mission...and planning for the future. The Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot will be recycling bombs left by Top Gun training at Fallon. Along with any target vehicles....old tanks or personnel carriers....that may be there.

Say goodbye to your favorite lighte if you bring it on an airplane. Lighters were banned from all domestic and international flights.

A new bankruptcy bill is on it's way to the President, which means sweeping changes in how people can declare bankruptcy.

Building a home in the Tahoe basin is a dream for a lot of folks... But getting the permits to build can be a nightmare. Hopeful homebuilders in Placer County had to trust to the luck of a lottery today.