Last year, the city of Las Vegas reached a record 120 degrees during the peak of summer. The Clark County Coroner's Office found that heat was a factor in more than 500 deaths. Now, city, county and local advocates are planting thousands of trees to help bring down temperatures in the hottest neighborhoods. Trees can have a significant impact on mitigating heat.
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Topline:
Climate change is driving more dangerous summer heat across the U.S. Las Vegas, which reached 120 degrees last summer, is planting thousands of trees to help cool its hottest neighborhoods.
Why it matters: Climate change is driving up peak temperatures in cities across the country, and last summer, Las Vegas reached a record high of 120 degrees. Temperatures hit 100 degrees or higher for more than two months straight. That summer heat contributed to more than 500 deaths, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office. Experts say heat-related deaths are likely undercounted across the country.
What Vegas is doing: The city, county and nonprofits are all stepping up efforts to plant more trees and provide more shade — especially in the hottest neighborhoods. "Our 2050 goal is to plant 60,000 trees within the city of Las Vegas, and that breaks down to a little over 2,000 trees a year," said Brad Daseler, the city's urban forester.
Read on ... to learn how the effort is going.
Trees in the desert are like oxygen at high altitude — scarce and precious.
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Climate change shapes where and how we live. That's why NPR is dedicating a week to stories about solutions for building and living on a hotter planet.
During a recent spring tree giveaway sponsored by Nevada's Clark County, the team had a couple of hundred young trees ready and lined up for residents. All the trees disappeared within an hour.
Lulu Banks was eligible for two free trees. That's because her neighborhood in North Las Vegas is a designated "urban heat island" — a specific area that's hotter than other neighborhoods, in part because of lack of shade.
Urban forester Brad Daseler walks through a tree nursery in Las Vegas. The city has a goal of planting 60,000 trees by 2050.
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"I don't have any trees on my property," Banks said.
She knew exactly where she was going to plant the new trees: one close to her front window and another outside her bedroom. She hopes the shade will help lower her air conditioning bill in the summer.
Research has shown that trees can lower the temperature in the area around them significantly, by at least 10 degrees. And Las Vegas needs all the cooling it can get.
Climate change is driving up peak temperatures in cities across the country, and last summer, Las Vegas reached a record high of 120 degrees. Temperatures hit 100 degrees or higher for more than two months straight.
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That summer heat contributed to more than 500 deaths, according to the Clark County Coroner's Office. Experts say heat-related deaths are likely undercounted across the country.
It prompted an increased focus on finding ways to help keep people safe from the heat.
In May, state lawmakers passed a bill requiring the state's biggest cities and counties to create heat mitigation plans by next summer; it was signed into law this month.
In Las Vegas, the city, county and nonprofits are all stepping up efforts to plant more trees and provide more shade — especially in the hottest neighborhoods.
The lack of tree canopy in many Las Vegas neighborhoods is an important issue. Research has shown trees can lower the temperature in the area around them by at least 10 degrees. Temperatures can range significantly more depending on the surroundings, but even 10 degrees can make a big difference.
Choinard leads the Southern Nevada Heat Resilience Lab, which studies how heat affects people and communities and then recommends data-based solutions. The lab was created in 2023 and is funded primarily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency.
Studies show heat disproportionately affects lower-income neighborhoods. This has a ripple effect, according to Ariel Choinard of the Southern Nevada Heat Resilience Lab. People in these neighborhoods end up paying more to cool their homes. And they may have to choose between keeping their home at a livable temperature and other necessities like food or medication.
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In April, Choinard visited several urban heat island neighborhoods to demonstrate how the built environment can dramatically increase surface temperatures, and the significant difference trees can make.
A 2022 heat mapping project found that several areas, including East Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, can experience temperatures up to 11 degrees hotter than other parts of the region. Each of these neighborhoods is relatively poorer than other parts of Las Vegas.
"Folks here have to work harder and longer to afford to cool their homes," Choinard said. "And we know that people make really tough trade-offs when it's superhot."
That can mean choosing between keeping their homes at a safe and comfortable temperature and paying for groceries, or limiting medication.
Choinard pointed out a mature tree providing plenty of shade in a neighborhood without many others.
"It's this tree that's doing really great work here," she said.
On this day in April, it was 95 degrees out. But under the tree, it was much cooler. Choinard measured the temperature on the ground with an infrared thermometer: 87 degrees.
Trees help cool the air through a process known as transpiration cooling. Essentially, trees release water into the atmosphere from their leaves, cooling the air around them. Tree cover also provides shade, keeping sidewalks, roads and buildings from absorbing and trapping as much of the sun's heat.
At the Desert Inn Estates, a mobile home community with few trees in East Las Vegas, Choinard pointed the infrared thermometer at a picnic table sitting directly in the sun.
Many older neighborhoods and mobile home communities, such as the Desert Inn Estates, still have palm trees and cactuses, which provide a particular visual aesthetic but little shade. Local leaders are moving toward nonnative, drought-tolerant trees that can provide shade.
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"130 degrees on a bench next to a table," she said, reading the device.
Asphalt can get even hotter: The asphalt parking space near the picnic table registered 144 degrees.
That's hot enough that Las Vegas has seen an increase in burns — among people and pets — from hot pavement during the summer.
Mike Michel is a resident at Desert Inn Estates. Just about every afternoon he and his dog Suzy take advantage of the small park's relative shade.
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Planting 2,000 trees a year
That's why the county, the city and nonprofits are all increasing efforts to plant more trees in the desert.
"Our 2050 goal is to plant 60,000 trees within the city of Las Vegas, and that breaks down to a little over 2,000 trees a year," said Brad Daseler, the city's urban forester.
Daseler is bringing in mostly nonnative plants that provide shade and are drought tolerant, like oak trees from northern Mexico and eucalyptus trees from Australia.
"Las Vegas is a pretty challenging environment for plant material in general because we do get so warm, but we also have the ability to freeze," Daseler said. "So finding trees that can survive in both of those climate extremes absolutely is a challenge."
And you can't just plant any tree in any place, Daseler says. There's nuance and strategy to what kind of trees are chosen for what areas.
Walking through the city tree nursery, he pointed out a young bur oak.
"Those would be trees that we would use more in our park spaces," he said. Other trees, like the Indian rosewood, can better withstand the harshness of being planted in a median, surrounded by asphalt and concrete, with a "high heat load."
The region is currently in a drought that the U.S. Drought Monitor has classified as "exceptional" — its severest category.
So there's a delicate balancing act, Daseler said, in maximizing both trees and water.
That's a constant challenge in the desert, says Choinard.
"There's always that question of, what is the highest use of a gallon of water?" she said. "But when we're talking about the long-term viability of our communities, I think a tree is a great thing to put water on."
Teaching the next generation
The tree-planting effort has also spread to some schools, which are starting garden clubs.
On a weekend this spring, students and parents gathered in the garden at Booker Elementary School. Students planted trees, fruits and vegetables in beds — each with its own letter, spelling out S-T-E-M (for science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
"Don't give plants too much water, but you need it to have some water so it can grow," said third-grader Donovan Pantoja.
His mom, Natalie Hernandez, said the project instills positive life lessons, and teaches kids to be environmentally conscious.
"And then they may teach their kids," she said. "And hopefully that trickles [down], to try to conserve and help the planet."
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published May 6, 2026 5:00 AM
The Birria XLB, a limited-edition collab between Paradise Dynasty and Burritos La Palma, available starting May 11.
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Katrina Frederick
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Topline:
Paradise Dynasty and Burritos La Palma have teamed up on a limited-edition Birria XLB — birria de res folded into a soup dumpling skin.
Why it matters: Two of the defining food obsessions of the past decade in Southern California — birria and XLB — are meeting in one bite, and the collab feels less like a gimmick and more like a natural expression of how L.A.'s Asian and Latino food cultures have always cross-pollinated.
Why now: The Birria XLB drops publicly May 11 at Paradise Dynasty's South Coast Plaza and Americana at Brand locations.
File this under things that could only happen in L.A.
Paradise Dynasty, the Singapore-based chain known for its signature eight-flavor xiao long bao, has teamed up with Burritos La Palma — the SoCal burrito institution whose birria de res recipe traces back over 45 years — to create a limited-edition birria soup dumpling. The Birria XLB will be available starting Monday (May 11) for a limited time at Paradise Dynasty locations.
I've eaten my weight in both soup dumplings and burritos, so naturally, I'm a fan of both.
Paradise Dynasty has been on a steady ascent as a major player in L.A.'s dumpling scene, with locations at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and The Americana at Brand in Glendale.
Meanwhile, Burritos La Palma — known for its simple, savory burritos and finely crafted flour tortillas — has been capturing hearts and stomachs since Alberto Bañuelos opened the first eatery in L.A. in 2012. It’s since grown to several spots across L.A. and Orange County, earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2024 for its high-quality, Zacatecan-style handmade flour tortilla burritos at an affordable price.
How the collab came together
So what exactly is a birria soup dumpling? A delicate wrapper, lightly packed with tender birria de res — slow-braised beef stewed in chilies and spices — juicy, savory and gone in one bite.
It all began with a call from Paradise Dynasty, when Jason Kuo, district manager for Paradise Dynasty USA, reached out to Bañuelos, calling it, simply, a perfect match between the two dishes.
Kuo said the idea came straight from the community.
"When we started asking guests and people around us what flavor they would want to see in a soup dumpling, birria kept coming up again and again — it was very clear. If we're going to do birria, it has to be done right. Burritos La Palma was the first name that came to mind."
Bañuelos was "beyond thrilled" to have been approached.
"We come from a small town in Mexico, and to be able to elevate to the level of Paradise Dynasty and that culinary perfection, I can't even really put it into words," he said.
It took months of R&D to get the right consistency. Bañuelos said the process required dialing down the moisture and upping the spice potency and landed on serving a fresh red salsa with thin slivers of serrano peppers alongside — a riff on the black vinegar and pickled ginger traditionally served with soup dumplings.
The Birria XLB's juicy interior is part of what makes it work — the dish is served with a fresh, tomato-based salsa and slivers of serrano pepper in place of the traditional black vinegar and pickled ginger.
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Courtesy Paradise Dynasty
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How it tastes
I got a chance to try the dumplings ahead of the public launch and was struck by how well the combination worked. The juicy nature of birria is almost turbocharged in dumpling form, its savory, herbaceous flavors fully encapsulated in the thin skin, creating an exceptional texture in every bite. The dish hits even harder when dipped in the light tomato-based salsa — a rush of freshness that cuts through the richness, with a spike of heat from fresh serrano. (Feel free to skip the peppers if spice isn't your thing.)
But what's most impressive is how organic it all feels. This isn't fusion for fusion's sake — it's a natural meeting of two dishes that are deeply embedded in the Southern California diet, each playing to the other's strengths.
It feels like a logical meeting of the minds — birria and soup dumplings have both been part of L.A.'s culinary zeitgeist for the better part of a decade, and it makes sense that these worlds should collide.
When asked whether a collaboration like this could happen anywhere else, Bañuelos was quick: "It has to start in L.A. You just can't compete."
A gated building at Urban Strategies, a facility that holds unaccompanied minor immigrants under contract with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, in San Benito, Texas.
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Nine Democratic House members from California are demanding information about how the Trump administration is treating unaccompanied migrant children who are pregnant and in federal custody.
Why now: They signed a letter last week, along with 39 other House Democrats, to Trump officials expressing their concern that the girls are not receiving adequate medical care or access to abortion.
How we got here: The letter comes in the wake of an investigation by the California and Texas Newsrooms, public media collaboratives in those states. LAist is part of The California Newsroom. The joint investigation found that the federal government is detaining pregnant migrant girls in a single group home in South Texas. Doctors and reproductive-health researchers interviewed for the investigation said prenatal care is severely limited in that region.
Nine Democratic House members from California are demanding information about how the Trump administration is treating unaccompanied migrant children who are pregnant and in federal custody. They’ve signed a letter, along with 39 other House Democrats, to Trump officials expressing their concern that the girls are not receiving adequate medical care or access to abortion.
The joint investigation found that the federal government is detaining pregnant migrant girls in a single group home in South Texas. Doctors and reproductive-health experts interviewed for the investigation said prenatal care is severely limited in that region.
The letter says the detention violates federal regulations because the children are “entitled to the full range of medical care, including reproductive health care.”
Rep. Gil Cisneros, who represents the central San Gabriel Valley, says he worries that pregnant migrants who are apprehended in California will be put at risk if they’re sent to a part of Texas that is short on obstetric care. Of particularly concern: High-risk pregnancies are common among minors.
“If they were in California," he said, "they would be able to have more choices of the type of health care that they would get when it comes to reproductive health care.”
Rep. Judy Chu, who represents the West San Gabriel Valley, wrote in a statement that “this administration is so intent on restricting abortion that it is using immigration detention as a tool to control these girls’ bodies.”
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Mariana Dale
explores and explains the forces that shape how and what kids learn from kindergarten to high school.
Published May 5, 2026 3:40 PM
The Trump administration has announced a Title IX investigation into LAUSD.
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Genaro Molina
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Topline:
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.
Why now: The department accuses the district of maintaining a policy that “automatically” reassigns teachers to other schools when they are accused of sexual misconduct with students and cites a 2024 agreement with the teacher’s union.
The district’s policy: A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote in a statement that it’s “not true” that staff being investigated for sexual misconduct are reassigned to other school sites. “‘Reassignment’ typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” the spokesperson wrote.
LAUSD protocol related to employee misconduct says administrators must remove accused employees from their classroom or worksite whenever there is a risk to the safety of students or staff. The 110-page document also lists several other requirements for allegations related to sexual misconduct, including contacting law enforcement and the agencies that license teachers.
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.
The department accuses the district of maintaining a policy that “automatically” reassigns teachers to other schools when they are accused of sexual misconduct with students and cites a 2024 agreement with the teachers union.
A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote in a statement that it’s “not true” that staff being investigated for sexual misconduct are reassigned to other school sites.
“‘Reassignment’ typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” the spokesperson wrote.
United Teachers Los Angeles called the DOE's accusations a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the district’s reassignment policy.
“[Employees] are not reassigned to another classroom or to any other setting where they would interact with students,” read a statement provided by the union. “This policy protects both students and staff and creates conditions for a thorough and appropriate investigation of allegations.”
Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in a statement that Title IX requires schools to address claims of sexual misconduct in a “timely manner.”
“It is unconscionable that the district would simply ignore Title IX’s procedural requirements to protect teachers who cause life-changing harm to their kids,” Richey wrote. “The Trump administration will always fight to uphold the law, protect the safety of all students and restore common sense to our schools.”
LAUSD protocol related to employee misconduct says administrators must remove accused employees from their classroom or worksite whenever there is a risk to the safety of students or staff.
The 110-page protocol document also lists several other requirements for allegations related to sexual misconduct, including contacting law enforcement and the agencies that license teachers.
“Los Angeles Unified takes all allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment with the utmost seriousness,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, dignity and well-being of every student and staff member in our care.” The statement also said the district follows Title IX procedures and continuously reviews its policies, training and reporting systems.
The UTLA settlement outlines several circumstances where an employee can be reassigned, including a law enforcement investigation of misconduct, sexual harassment of a student, behavior toward a student perceived to be motivated by a sexual interest and communicating with a student for non-school-related purposes.
A new California law requires schools to train students and staff to recognize and report misconduct and write new policies on “appropriate behavior.” It also will create a new database of educators credibly accused of abuse.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
is an arts and general assignment reporter on LAist's Explore LA team.
Published May 5, 2026 2:48 PM
LA County Library's Summer of Soccer starts now
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Courtesy LA County Library
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Topline:
Summer of Soccer programs at the LA County Library are aimed to promote learning, foster community connections and create safe and free spaces during the World Cup tournament.
Limited-edition library card: Summer of Soccer kicked off May 1 with a limited-edition library card, emblazoned with the library logo, the outline of a soccer pitch and a ball hitting the back of a net.
Why it matters: The library is using soccer’s wide appeal to promote learning, build community connections and create safe and free spaces where people can enjoy talking about the sport.
Why now: The library program is meant to overlap with the World Cup, which begins June 11 and ends July 19. The free events are designed to support youth and families during the summer months when school is not in session.
The backstory: The LA County Library serves more than three million residents through its 86 libraries and four Cultural Resource Centers, as well as Bookmobiles and other outreach vehicles.
What's next: See details about the Summer of Soccer programs at this link.
The LA County Library has begun its Summer of Soccer program to bring the excitement of the North American tournament to all Angelenos.
“Soccer has a unique way of bringing people together across cultures and communities,” Skye Patrick, director of the LA County Library, said on the library website.
The program kicked off May 1 with the library system offering limited-edition Summer of Soccer library cards, emblazoned with the library logo, the outline of a soccer pitch and a ball hitting the back of a net.
The new limited-edition Summer of Soccer library cards
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Courtesy LA County Public Library
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The cards are available for free for anyone signing up for the first time and for $1 for people who already have an LA County Library card.
From soccer story time to making circuit boards
There’s a whole range of Summer of Soccer events at branch libraries, from May 20 to July 9.
Highlights include a soccer-themed story time for 2- to 5-year-olds at Graham Library, north of Watts at 3:30 p.m. June 4, while at 3 p.m. the same day, the A C Bilbrew Library west of Compton hosts “Makey Makey for Teens,” which will lead youth through the steps to make their own game controllers and test them on a virtual soccer field. This and other programs repeat at other branches.
Soccer has a unique way of bringing people together across cultures and communities.
— Skye Patrick, Director of the L.A. County Library
All Summer of Soccer events are free and are designed to support youth and families during the summer months when school is not in session.
The LA County Library serves more than three million residents through its 86 libraries and four Cultural Resource Centers, as well as Bookmobiles and other outreach vehicles.
