The Las Vegas Raiders have hired their general manager, John Spytek. Spytek brings a new look to the Raiders.

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The Las Vegas Raiders have had a major shift in the organization so far this offseason. The Raiders have hired John Spytek as their new general manager and Pete Carroll is the new head coach. These two will do their best to bring the Raiders back to their old winning ways and turn things another in Las Vegas.

Spytek is well known around the National Football League. He is one, if not the best up and coming general managers in the league.

Our very own Hondo Carpenter reported that Spytek was known as the "Wizkid" when he was with the Detroit Lions early in his journey to becoming a general manager.

Carpenter talked to longtime NFL Executive Bill Keenist about Spytek on a recent episode of the "Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast".

"John [Spytek] was an intern in the football operations department," said NFL Executive Bill Keenist. "Not directly with me but what I would always look for in people, it is not the resume that shows you graduated number one from your class and you achieved this and that. I would look for if possible most of this comes from just getting to know the person. The intangibles, the integrity, the character, the work ethic. Because you can have all the other things but if you do not have the intangibles, the work ethic, the character, the integrity, the commitment, the servant mentality that I have tried to expose forever, I do not think you are going to make it."

"Hearing and watching John, hearing from other people in the organization, in watching him. Obviously knowing where we came from. That he played at Michigan you know ... And just knowing that culture and what it took to be successful there. And then just his drive to not only to you know work in the business but understand what it was going to take. I will start anywhere. I will start as an intern and who knows what might happen in 2025. I might be introduced as the general manager of one of the most iconic franchises in sports history let alone the NFL."

"We were close enough to make that observation and recall you know what an impression he made on people ... And I will tell you what, John did a great job with that press conference."

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The Las Vegas Valley Water District is offering customers a water line protection program that would make repairing and replacing leaking pipes more accessible at $3.99 a month, or $48 a year.

The initial 50,000 customers who sign up will be reimbursed for the first year, officials said.

“This program will help customers react quickly and be able to affect repairs in a more efficient manner,” said Bronson Mack, a spokesperson for the water district. “Then on top of that, we wanted to make sure that this service was affordable for our customers.”

The coverage comes from American Water Resources, Mack said. Customers will pay American Water Resources; the water district will handle the reimbursement.

Homeowners whose property was built more than 20 years ago can benefit from the program, Mack said. Residents must sign up for the program before they have any ongoing leaks, with coverage starting 30 days later.

“The water district isn’t saying that any customers have to do this,” Mack said. “We want customers to be aware that it is available.”

Repairs are for broken or leaking water lines from normal wear and tear usage, according to the American Water Resource contract.

Repair costs vary depending on the length of the water line, the distance from the curb and where the home is located and how deep in the ground the pipes are, said Geoff Ellis, senior vice president of business development for Oncourse Home Solutions.

“This coverage can save customers thousands of dollars,” Ellis said. “(The water district) worked with the specific intent of putting customer value first.”

Although residents will become customers of American Water Resources, they will still be notified by the water district when they have a leak if their contact information is correct, Mack said. The water district is taking a proactive approach with leaks as part of its conservation efforts.

“Whether or not a customer signs up for American Water Resources, the water district will still notify customers,” Mack said. “We will endeavor to notify customers of any on-site leaks or anomalies that we see.”

Apply for the program: https://www.lvvwd.com/customer-service/cap/

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV women's tennis team opened its dual-match schedule with a 6-1 win over Weber State on an overcast Friday morning at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.

The victory was the first in the career of first-year head coach Tetiana Luzhanska, who was elevated to the top job after six years as assistant coach for the league's winningest program under now-retired Kevin Cory.

The Rebels flew through doubles play in 28 minutes, barely allowing a point. Cindy Hu and Coco Zhao won 6-0 at No. 2 and then Hanna Vinahradava and Nikol Mircheva clinched with a 6-1 victory at the top of the lineup.

In singles play, five of six Rebels did not lose a set, including a default on court six that made the score 2-0. Veronica Kliuch downed Cindy Li, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 2; Zhao won 6-1, 6-0, over Jessica Hill at No. 3; Mircheva defeated Savannah Johnson, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 4; and Kaho Oyama got by Aleks Bozinovska, 6-4, 6-2, at the fifth spot.

REBEL OF THE MATCH: Senior Coco Zhao did not lose a game in doubles and was the first off the courts in singles with a quick sweep.

QUOTABLE: "It feels great to get my first official win. I am very happy with how the team competed today and look forward to the rest of the weekend matches." -UNLV Head Coach Tania Luzhanska

UP NEXT: UNLV will be right back on the courts Saturday vs. Oral Roberts starting at 10 a.m. All matches at Fertitta Tennis Complex are free of charge.

Women's Tennis Match Results UNLV 6, WEBER STATE 1 Jan. 31, 2025, at Las Vegas (Fertitta Tennis Complex)

Singles competition 1. Sydney Schnell (WSU) def. Cindy Hu (UNLV) 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) 2. Veronica Kliuch (UNLV) def. Cindy Li (WSU) 6-4, 6-1 3. Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Jessica Hill (WSU) 6-1, 6-0 4. Nikol Mircheva (UNLV) def. Savannah Johnson (WSU) 6-3, 6-4 5. Kaho Oyama (UNLV) def. Aleks Bozinovska (WSU) 6-4, 6-2 6. Sofiia Sokolvak (UNLV) won by default

Doubles competition 1. Hanna Vinahradava/Nikol Mircheva (UNLV) def. Aleks Bozinovska/Jessica Hill (WSU) 6-1 2. Cindy Hu/Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Sydney Schnell/Alicia Morales (WSU) 6-0 3. Kaho Oyama/Sofiia Sokolvak (UNLV) vs. Savannah Johnson/Cindy Li (WSU) 5-1, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,3,2,5,4,1)

Home care workers in Nevada plan to call for a $20 per hour minimum wage in the upcoming legislative session after a successful effort set the industry’s first minimum wage through the state’s budgeting process two years ago.

A recent study by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services found industry-wide improvements in recruitment and retention of home care workers following an effort during the 2023 session to set a $16 hourly minimum wage and increase Medicaid funding for the industry.

As the 2025 session prepares to begin Monday, a coalition of personal aides for seniors and people with disabilities say they plan to use the study results in a new effort to increase the minimum wage and funding during the next biennium’s budgeting process. They’re seeking a change to the provision that would make the minimum wage $20 per hour and tie it to an increase in the reimbursable rate paid to the agencies that employ the home care workers.

Rozetta Love, a home care worker in Southern Nevada, said the push from her peers comes at a time when the state is seeing an aging population. Nevada is expected to need 5,300 additional home care workers by 2026, according to a 2020 Guinn Center report.

“I see our people, they’re getting older and older,” Love said. “I’m older, too. How many more years am I going to be doing this? We need to train up our young (personal care assistants). We need to let them know that they are worth ($20 an hour) to do this job.”

The DHHS study found that between December 2023 and April 2024, the number of home care workers rose by about 1,500, a 6.5 percent increase. It also found that 96 percent of home care workers retained their job during that period.

2023 change’s impact swift

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In 2023, home care workers — some of whom joined SEIU Local 1107 in a recent wave of union elections — lobbied state officials to increase funding in the state budget for their industry and create a provision that sets a minimum wage.

The budget changes increased the reimbursement rate, or funding that home care employers receive through Medicaid and other governmental programs, from roughly $17 an hour to $25 an hour. It also required that at least $16 of the $25 hourly rate be paid as an hourly wage to the direct care workers.

The effect was quickly felt, according to some home care workers. Love said she’s been taking care of her client, a veteran in his early 70s, for 15 years. She spends four hours every day, seven days a week, with him — grooming him, helping with household chores, ensuring he took his medications, making him meals and otherwise helping make his home comfortable — and used to make $10.49 per hour.

But since the wage increase went into effect in 2024, she’s been able to save more and replace her 24-year-old car.

“Now I can live without struggling from paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “If you don’t have a happy home care worker, you can make your client miserable too, because they know things are not right.”

Love said she hopes lawmakers will be receptive to the changes because they had bipartisan support in the last session. She said many lawmakers were familiar with what home care workers are but were shocked at the pay rates.

“A lot of them were bewildered about my pay and all the things I had to do,” she said. “They would ask why I’m still doing it. Because this is my passion. This is what I’m supposed to do. I’ve been in a lot of fields, and I was not content. I’m very content on taking care of those that cannot take care of themselves.”

Contact McKenna Ross at [email protected]. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.

Las Vegas may not be hosting the Super Bowl this year, but the city will be represented at another big game taking place on the same day — the Puppy Bowl.

The Puppy Bowl, an annual three-hour television event on Super Bowl Sunday that will feature 142 rescue puppies, will highlight a special needs dog from Las Vegas as part of this year’s event.

According to the Nevada SPCA, Maxx, a three-legged Doberman puppy from Las Vegas, will go from “shelter to stardom” as he takes the field to compete “in the cutest competition of the year.”

The organization says that Maxx arrived at Nevada SPCA at 2 months old with a malformed front leg, which required the shelter’s veterinary team to amputate.

“This spirited young puppy has adjusted very well to life as a tripod and will be representing Las Vegas on Team Ruff,” Nevada SPCA said in a release.

Watch 7@7 — now streaming

This year’s event, which will mark the Puppy Bowl’s 21st year, will take place at 11 a.m. PT on Feb. 9 and will be simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, Max and discovery+.

“We’re so proud of Maxx, not only for his amazing performance as one of the best athletes in the Puppy Bowl despite his disability, but especially for how Maxx has tackled life in general. Nothing slows Maxx down. He’s faster than most dogs with 4 legs!” said Lori Heeren, Nevada SPCA executive director.

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Las Vegas Review-Journal Publisher and Editor Keith Moyer serves on the board of the Nevada SPCA.