📫 The fate of mail ballots in Nevada

Who needs the Great American State Fair or a Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool when you've got Slotzilla and the Vanderpump Hotel? The best city to celebrate the founding of the United States isn’t D.C. or even Philadelphia. It’s Las Vegas, which was ranked number-one in a new report, outpacing New York, Orlando, and Los Angeles. According to the study, Vegas ranked high in:

• Fourth of July celebrations ✅
• Attractions and activities ✅
• Safety and accessibility ✅
• Affordability (specifically, the price of beer and hamburgers) 🤔 [WalletHub]

Independence Day is expected to be sunny with temperatures as high as 105°F. Winds will be relatively low, creating ideal conditions for fireworks. [AccuWeather]

Safe and Sane fireworks are now on sale at 180 locations throughout the valley. There are even some new types of fireworks to choose from 👀 [KSNV]

If you’re caught with any fireworks bought outside Clark County (even those labeled “safe and sane”), you could face a minimum $500 fine. [KTNV]

Leave it to the professionals: Our guide to Southern Nevada fireworks has been updated. Share it with a friend. [City Cast Las Vegas ✍️]

The holiday is even bigger than usual as Las Vegas joins the rest of the country in celebrating America’s 250th birthday. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]

🗳️ Legal Leeway for Mail-In Ballots

Nevada will continue to accept mail ballots up to four days after an election (as long as they’re postmarked by Election Day), thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on a similar practice in Mississippi that was challenged by Republicans. The ruling doesn’t block Congress from passing its own law on the matter. [Nevada Independent]

• President Trump isn’t happy about it and is already using the C word (“cheating”) while complaining online. His SAVE America Act would require voter ID and ban mail-in voting, but doesn’t have the votes to clear the Senate. [The Hill]
• Nevadans will decide to legalize voter ID on their own this fall. It’s one of just two ballot questions (the lowest since 2012) facing voters in November, along with the option to enshrine specific abortion rights into the state Constitution. [Las Vegas Sun]

✍️ New Month, New Laws

Tomorrow is July 1, a day when 24 new Nevada laws go into effect, including:

• Policy requirements for limiting cellphone use in classrooms
• Expanded access to medical services
• Limited medical licenses for foreign-trained physicians
• Greater ability to seal eviction records in cases that were dismissed or withdrawn

🏀 Land Locked Down for Potential Arena

The landowners behind the proposed Las Vegas Diamond Arena have bought three additional acres on Las Vegas Boulevard, claiming they now have all the property needed to develop an NBA-ready megaplex across from Mandalay Bay. Keep in mind, the project is in the “please pick us” phase and has no investors publicly connected to construction. [KSNV]

• Get in line: Add former Disney CEO Bob Iger to the list of those exploring a bid for a Las Vegas NBA team. He’s partnering up with a Trump in-law to make it happen. [Forbes]

🍽️ Ranking Restaurants

The Las Vegas Review-Journal released its annual list of Top 100 Restaurants in Las Vegas and nobody said anything about it online. Actually, that’s not true. This kind of stuff is fuel for foodie debates, so City Cast Las Vegas is weighing in too. Hear some thoughts on the picks and snubs, plus a discussion about Nellis Air Force Base’s rebranding and a big reason airport traffic is down in the latest news roundup. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]