Jamie Bryan Pursues Frustrating Quest to Get Covid-Era Unemployment Money

Reno business owner and part-time casino worker Jamie Bryan is feeling increasingly frustrated chasing down COVID-era 2020 unemployment money and weekly checks she says she was owed but never received, as the pandemic moves further away from headlines.  

She is not giving up though, and her options now include getting an attorney on a contingency fee, fighting her recent judicial review defeat up to the Nevada Supreme Court or getting enough people with her to file a class-action lawsuit.  

Bryan now operates Sweat Reno which she opened in 2021, but still works part-time at a local casino to help pay bills, while trying to get her credit scores back up so she can get loans to grow her business. She was able to open Sweat Reno, a cozy, well lit space on the southern edge of Midtown, with her mom’s help as a cosigner. 

Bryan says the money owed her would make a huge difference.  “I need it to help pay rent, utilities, and other bills and help with more marketing and advertising,” she said since moving to Reno from Tahoe and now running her own business here. 

Her location on S. Virginia Street offers infrared saunas and cryotherapy. "Our services are a great, holistic approach to help people get healthy without using pharmaceuticals,” she said. “Infrared saunas have numerous benefits including mimicking a cardiovascular workout.”

With visitors, while Bryan worked at the Hard Rock hotel and casino in Lake Tahoe.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit she was working full time as a bartender at the Hard Rock hotel and casino in Lake Tahoe. 

When it shut down in April, she was immediately laid off, and then rehired back in early June. Like tens of thousands of others across Nevada, she says she applied for unemployment at the start of April. That’s when her deep frustrations began.  

“There were a lot of people including myself that got locked out of the system, I had a lot of trouble signing in,” she remembers. “I ended up getting a phone call from someone who couldn't verify my information that I gave her because she didn't understand my payroll.”

Bryan says she was told she had answered a question wrong and could potentially be committing fraud. For days on end, she couldn't log in and couldn't get through the phone system. Finally months later a person who did speak to her said: ‘don't worry, you'll get your money. It might just take a little while.'" The little while is now going on for over three years.

A Halloween party at Hard Rock during masked times.

In April 2020, Nevada’s unemployment hit nearly 30%, the highest average in the nation.  At one point, over 440-thousand Nevadans were without a job. Nevada was the last state to implement a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claim filing system, further slowing down the overall process for many. 

Bryan, who ended up losing her job at Hard Rock again in April 2021, had two separate claims of unemployment, which further complicated her situation for her first loss of work, which is the one she is still fighting for.  

Court documents she shared with us which she received had different dates registered than her own timeline, and indicated she provided “erroneous information.” She insists she is the victim of an ineffective system. 

With the two months she was unemployed from April to early June 2020, and the $600 a week from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation she says she should have also received, Bryan says she is owed between $9,000 and $10,000.

Behind the desk at Sweat Reno with her trusted companion Elway.

If an individual applies for unemployment benefits and their application is denied by a government agency responsible for administering these benefits, in this case the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, they can appeal the decision, as Bryan did. 

If the appeal process does not yield a satisfactory outcome, the applicant can then seek judicial review. This means they can take their case to court to challenge the agency's decision, arguing that it was improperly made, which is the most recent step Bryan unfruitfully embarked upon.

Her appeal to get Covid funds was first denied in late 2022 and then rejected again earlier this year.

We wrote DETR’s media department about Bryan’s case and others facing similar ordeals and got this response from Valentina Bonaparte: “PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) benefits ended on September 4, 2021. The last paying benefit week was the week ending September 4, 2021. The last time claimants could file for these benefits was September 5-18, 2021. Regular unemployment insurance (UI) is the only benefit people can file for since 2021.

For UI, the claim is effective the week they file, a claimant may request a two week back date, but that has to go through adjudication.

Just a reminder that not everyone is eligible for unemployment insurance. Those applying for unemployment insurance have to have been laid off or let go through no fault of their own, they also have to be able and available to work and looking for a job.”

Bryan had back and forth emails with another DETR employee, who told her repeatedly she should leave out some information to make it to the next step in the system, but that didn’t work either.  The employee Cynthia Pate at one point indicated: “This may take a number of calls, be persistent,” when she suggested speaking to a claims representative, which was her other repeated answer to Bryan’s pleas for help. These emails were prior to 2021, which is important as Bryan says she’s been repeatedly told she was late in filing her claim.

Bryan repeatedly got automated DETR emails saying “significant delays” should be expected. Her own emails had sentences such as “Please help me!,” “the website keeps saying under construction,” “all I need is a reset!!” as she tried different ways to get her application through.   

At one point, she commented on a Nevada Legal Service YouTube video about her ordeals, which prompted a woman to indicate her Winnemucca-based mom was also going through the same challenges.  The woman wrote Bryan a text saying Nevada Legal Services wasn’t being helpful either to their situation.  

“What they did in the judicial review part was that they were supposed to send us a record on appeal [materials needed for review during the appellate process], but they never sent my record on appeal. I had to drive to Douglas County courthouse and had it printed off for $30,” Bryan explained. “Then they did a change of attorney on me. And so … I was hoping I could get some kind of response in the YouTube video. And then I had that girl contact me saying, this is exactly what they're putting her mom through. So they're basically making you fall through the cracks so you won't go through to actual court,” Bryan said. 

Bryan says the pandemic and losing her job allowed her to refocus her priorities but that she should still get the unemployment money she says she is owed.

Another person who has responded to her pleas is Arturo Garzon, a Reno representative for Congressman Mark Amodei.  

At one point, Garzon sent Bryan a list of northern Nevadans trying to get their Covid-era unemployment payments called "Flagging Constituent Concerns to Governor’s Office.” Bryan indicated to Our Town Reno she saw the spreadsheet with that title with her name on it and that she was number 134 on its list, entered in 2021.

 “They’re trying to blame us for not filing on time or accurately and denying for that is wrong,” she says of why she is still trying to get her money, despite all the frustrations and time it entails.

Articles from earlier this year indicated that in Nevada there was still a backlog of more than 30-thousand unemployment claims.

In recent comments, Nevada Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said some of the questions he has been hearing repeatedly from the community include: “I’m still waiting to hear back from my initial claim” and “I have appealed and I’m told it will be a long time.”

There has been ongoing media attention on those who were overpaid by DETR, sometimes due to agency errors, sometimes fraudulently, while state employees are still scrambling to get that money back. 

News reports also previously looked into DETR website crashes and people waiting entire days for assistance over the phone, but those stories have gone by the wayside in more recent news cycles, while locals like Bryan are nearly giving up hope of ever getting the money they say they are owed. 

Bryan says she believes there should be a clear point person designated to work with people in her situation and others still waiting for money owed to them.  She isn’t ready to give up just yet, and discusses possible solutions with some of her clients coming through her business in Midtown.

Chris Sewell, DETR’s new director since January, has been quoted as saying he understands the frustration of those still owed unemployment money, that it’s unacceptable and that staff are working to correct the situation.

Our Town Reno reporting, October 2023

Brekhus Warns Against Privatizing Parking as UNR Students Avoid Campus Fees

While students, faculty and staff at UNR leave many paid parking spots open in different colored lots, not willing to fork over money from tight budgets for higher and higher university parking passes, external entry points into the campus are often crammed with vehicles, while others park further away in somewhat secret spots or in nearby neighborhoods.

The City Council last week voted 4-2 to have a new resident-only parking zone in one neighborhood behind the Rancho San Rafael regional park.

Council members Jenny Brekhus and Meghan Ebert voted against the change with Brekhus saying this set a bad precedent for “enhanced private property rights” and privatizing parking in public areas.

She said many people like to jog in Rancho and park in the safe neighborhood when it closes earlier during winter months, and would no longer be able to do so. Brekhus also lamented the fact this would exclude UNR students, or people attending public events such as balloon races or cross country meets.

Instead, she called on better City of Reno parking enforcement, towing and booting for cars remaining in neighborhoods days on end.

Devon Reese who voted in favor of the new parking permits in the Putnam Drive and Creighton Way neighborhood agreed boosting parking enforcement needs to be looked into, as he acknowledged the city has had other priorities in recent years.

Ebert was underwhelmed with a neighborhood survey in the affected area with only 22 people out of 56 home owners wanting to proceed with this new paid, privatized parking system.

What are your own thoughts on this decision and the parking enforcement situation in general around campus and in Reno?

Our Town Reno reporting, October 2023

Soil Solidarity Looks to Start a Housing Pilot Program

Katie Colling and Mike Pearson are both on the team at Soil Solidarity, a Nevada non-profit based here in Reno, helping with local community gardens, teaching kids the value of planting and trying to start a pilot “small-tailored” housing program.

Katie, the founder, can quote their mission statement by heart: “to actively participate in creating a sustainable and equitable world through direct action centered on food and housing justice.” Maybe Katie has memorized these words because they’re doing the work at Soil Solidarity, every day. 

The organization started in 2017 as a volunteer group, growing food for Food not Bombs, under Katharina’s Garden and Compost Program. Six years later, Soil Solidarity has helped starting up five community gardens. “We're trying to help people grow their own food and become sustainable, and give away the excess,” Katie says.

There’s Hood Valley Growers, which will attempt to start an aquaponic system next year. “Aquaponics, where there's fish and the fish poop feeds the plants, and it's like this ecosystem,” Katie excitedly explains. “It's like a closed loop,” Mike chimes in, “so you know, there's no inputs or outputs.”

Then there’s Munda wa Anthu, which is being built into an accessible garden. The garden beds are all raised. This allows wheelchair users, or people who are unable to bend over, access the plants more easily. 

At Mamie Towles Elementary, Soil Solidarity plants seeds both literally and metaphorically, teaching students the joy of food-growing.  “This month we're meeting all the classes in the entire school and all the children get to plant,” says Katie. “Garlic, onions, or potatoes.”

House of Lilith starts this year, and will plant fall crops. The manager of that garden also has plans to start a tool library. Lastly, there’s the Maddux House garden, which also happens to be the backyard of Katie’s northeast Reno home. Even on a cold, cloudy day, the Maddux House garden explodes with color: bright orange tomatoes (ready to eat!), pale green baby cantaloupes, pumpkins, and more. 

But the Maddux House magic will be coming to an end this year, as Katie, Mike, and another Soil Solidarity member– Marcelino Sosa– are searching for a new home base for their garden and their goals. Soil Solidarity has envisioned implementing a housing model since the beginning. In fact, last time OTR checked in with Katie, she spoke of plans for a ten-unit tiny home community housing project.

That was over a year ago, and plans have shifted for now. “When soil solidarity first started, we did a six month long volunteer questionnaire poll, group meetings, consensus-based discussions, about what we wanted our goals as a nonprofit to be,” Katie explains. Research found that a ten unit tiny home option was the most favorable option. But execution, of course, is tricky. “No one's gonna hand you (a) 10 unit property first thing out the bat,” says Katie. “That's not something that's gonna happen.” 

For Katie, Mike, and Marcelino, however, a new housing project isn’t just about growing the organization. These three, along with Katie’s two kids, are searching for secure housing for themselves. 

“Marcelino has been, you know, housing insecure his whole life. And so this is his step towards stability... he wants to work together to find stable housing,” Katie says, indicating that Marcelino was at work at Amazon. “I'm on disability,” Katie goes on. “I'm a single mom. I have a fixed income. And with the landlord trying to raise the rent, there's…there's nothing I can do.”

Despite Katie’s landlord having offered years of support, encouragement, and lower rent to Katie, he is now raising the monthly rent. And with that, Katie and her kids, along with Mike and Marcelino, are actively seeking a new space. The group is hoping to build a model for what effective housing solutions could look like in the future.

“The pilot project is the first step,” Katie explains. “What we want to practice is communication skills, teamwork, co-housing just in general.”  Mike nods his head and adds, “this interpersonal shit is hard, and it's important. A lot of projects just fall apart because people don't know how to manage conflicts.” 

But the “interpersonal shit” also may be the necessary solution. Katie co-authored a white paper that detailed some housing solutions for Washoe County, with an emphasis on small-tailored programs. “This is a small tailored program that could address the housing crisis and food crisis at the same time. So that's kind of, like, the point here,” Katie chuckles. 

“What we're currently doing, specifically with really poor people, is warehousing them. We're putting them in giant buildings and then (there’s) just not enough staff, and it's complete f-ing chaos. And it's rude,” Katie says. Part of the success of small-tailored programs, Katie explains, has to do with the continuum of care that can be provided in smaller settings. 

“You can staff them easier…you walk people through getting into stability.” Whether for unhoused populations, veterans, those with mental illness, folks on disability, Katie argues that these small-tailored programs are proven time and again to be more effective. 

Katie, Mike, and Marcelino are looking for a 4+ bedroom house in the area, with enough room on the property to start up another garden, of course. Their hope is that their model will be another example of a successful small-tailored program. 

Having their dream space would not only allow them to live on site– “we could facilitate workshops. We could grow the program as a whole and we could engage with the neighborhood, and get them involved in compost building,” Katie says eagerly, smiling as she thinks of it. “Sharing resources, you know… all the things that we want to do.”

The group of five are hoping to secure a house by this winter. Soil Solidarity will negotiate the lease, but the tenants (Katie, Mike, and Marcelino) will make the monthly payments. And in exchange for affordable rent pricing, the homeowner will enjoy tasty home-grown crops. 

Katie, Mike, Marcelino, and all of Soil Solidarity are seeking the community’s help in their search for a new home. And they encourage everyone, whether they know of houses for rent or not, to come to a volunteer day at Soil Solidarity. According to Katie, there is always something to be done.

Our Town Reno reporting by Ray Grosser

Section 8 Residents Face Rent Hike After Apartment Shooting

Shortly after seven people were injured in a mass shooting at the Zephyr Pointe apartments off N. McCarran and W. 7th St. earlier this month on the night of October 6th, low income Section 8 benefactors said they received notices of rent hikes.

The notice which began by saying “you are a valued resident, and we do not want to see you go,” continued by indicating “If you decide to stay with us, due to the rising costs of living and other property needs, your rent will be increased to still considerable low rate of $1585 per month,” staring in 2024.

The letter also indicated that recertification to remain with Section 8 housing was due by the end of November to avoid a notice to vacate.

“There are significant penalties if you do not rectify on time, including the beginning of the eviction procedure,” the note also included.

A single of mom of two who takes care of her mom as well said she loved being in the northwest area, not too far from multiple shopping areas, but that the steep price increase would make it difficult to make ends meet.

She said the price hike puts her in a bind as section 8 housing is “hard to find.”

Currently the single mom is paying $1220 for a 2-bedroom apartment, for which her voucher pays more than half. She has been living at Zephyr Pointe for over 10 years.

Lately, in addition to the insecurity with the shooting, she said conditions there have been deteriorating, with her AC not working and the clubhouse not being available anymore.

The victims of the shooting included four adults and three teenagers. Detectives were quoted as saying the shooting appeared to be specific to a dispute between those shot.

The complex was initially placed on lockdown, with residents urged to stay inside while police cleared the scene.

Several days later, the single mom who reached out to us received the notice of forthcoming higher rent prices.

Our Town Reno reporting, October 2023

Reno-Sparks Tenant Union Advocates for Rights At Library Town Hall

The recently formed Reno-Sparks Tenant Union held a community town hall this morning in the auditorium of the downtown library seeking to grow their effort.

Attendees filled nearly half of the 100 seat theater and listened intently as organizers Caleb (in photo below) and Elizabeth, who only wanted their first names used, gave a presentation, with additional information and input from the handful of other union members standing beside the circular stage. 

As the meeting got underway, an RSTU organizer named Erika asked the crowd, “How many people here have had a landlord that will not fix something that needs to be fixed in your apartment or house?” Everyone in the room raised a hand. 

RSTU organizers say their goal is to empower local renters to know their rights and how to organize collective action to protect them. Following in the footsteps of other successful tenant unions throughout the nation, this local group hopes to build a broad coalition of community members who can bargain for affordable rent and put pressure on delinquent landlords to make needed repairs.  

 As a collective with more political and economic power than individual tenants, tenant unions can also lobby for better tenancy laws and transparency in leasing. 

Another goal of RSTU is to create a database of property ownership, a concept called “power mapping” which they say has been greatly successful in Chicago at helping tenants identify and hold bad landlords accountable. 

In their presentation, the organizers explained the history of tenant unions, success stories from other cities’ collective movements, and some information on  the current state of housing and the economy in Washoe County, noting how local rents have increased at twice the rate of wages. Also covered were some of the pro-tenant pieces of legislation vetoed by Governor Joe Lombardo this year.

As they opened the floor to testimonials and questions, a common theme emerged which is the displacement and homelessness caused by pricing tenants out of their homes and often out of Reno. Organizers explained how resources available for the unhoused in our community do not satisfy the amount needed, which is why they are organizing to help keep more people in their homes. 

As one organizer Elizabeth (pictured above) noted, “We need to figure out ways to prevent rent from rising, rather than dealing with this catastrophic effect of people having to relocate.” 

Along with their personal stories and frustrations, several of the attendees offered their unique skills, with one guest offering to share expertise as a former housing attorney, and another showing how to effectively search Washoe County property records. 

Rather than claiming to have all the answers, the organizers of the Reno-Sparks Tenant Union stress the power of the collective and hope to find ideas and solutions from within the community as they grow their coalition. 

Reporting for Our Town Reno by Andrew Zuker on October 15th 2023

Pumpkins and Goat Yoga at the Andelin Family Farm

Kids and families are petting goats at the annual fall festival at Andelin farms in Sparks, Nevada. Natalie Andelin looks around with a smile as she explains the history of her farm– that is now one of the biggest fall attractions in Northern Nevada. 

“It was a hay and cattle ranch, bought from the Gasperi family, by our family, the Andelin family, in about 1982, and it was always Grandma and Grandpa's house, this is my husband's parents I'm referring to,” she explains. “When they decided to move to Idaho, they weren't quite ready to sell the property, and they didn't want to just lease to anybody. So they asked if we'd want to lease from them, and so we moved over, and they had sold off most of their cattle, and we just had this idea to have a pumpkin patch.”

The pumpkin patch started in 2010 as a way to bring the community together and to create something fun for her whole family to partake in.

“Our kids at the time were ages two to 11,” she remembers of the beginning. “So I would often have my daughter in a backpack, you know, carrying her around while I was working outside. Now they're ages 15 to 24 and they have grown up doing this with us.” 

Family is one of the core values Natalie Andelin tries to provide to the community through her farm.

“I was here in October of 2021 for my daughter's graduation pictures. And, so, long story short, I was going through cancer. And I had just had my first chemo. And I lost all my hair. And, I came here and I just... I just felt so much hope and calm and peace,” says the main coordinator for the fall festival, Sara Jo Johnson, explaining her own involvement.

Another staff behind the organization, Greg Johnson, who grew up in the midwest Johnson, feels that younger generations are becoming more and more detached from farming and land. 

“There's fewer and fewer opportunities for kids to get out into both nature, and agriculture and stuff like that,” he said.

Natalie, the owner of Andelin farms, sees her fall festival as a way to showcase that while Nevada is in the desert, agriculture is still one of Nevada’s most important industries. Ranches in the silver state rank third largest in the county. And her family has seen success in the industry.

“I think when people think of Nevada they don't think of agriculture ,” she said. “They don't think of ‘wow, that's a place to have, you know, any kind of agritourism event,’  and so we love that we have found pumpkins that do grow well in our environment. We do love varieties. And so we grow a huge variety. We probably have over 25 varieties of pumpkins this year, all colors and shapes and sizes…” 

The main hurdle for Nevada’s farmers is water. Pumpkins in particular need one inch of water a week. So it might seem daunting to start something like a pumpkin patch in a city like Sparks, but Natalie Andelin found ways around that. 

“Being able to tap into the water we have the ore ditch that we tap in from, and we also have a line from the city.  As long as you can get the water you need in this desert climate, and finding the right pumpkin varieties in the growing season, there is definitely some growing success you can have with pumpkins,” she said.

Expanded activities at the farm now include sunflower yoga, painting classes, baby animal days, craft classes, and even goat yoga, where goats join in on lessons.

Reporting by Alex Couraud for Our Town Reno

Up and Coming Local Filmmakers Eagerly Await 48 Hour Awards Ceremony (Audio)

The weekend of September 22, 2023, local Reno filmmakers created short films in under 48 hours for the 48 Hour Film Project, a national event that allows filmmakers to show off their skills. This past weekend, on October 8, filmmakers and goers gathered to see the final films on the big screen. Awards will be announced on October 15.

Film can be one of the toughest industries to break into. The 48 Hour Film Project has made it a mission to make the industry more accessible by bringing filmmakers in cities around the world together to create films in under 48 hours. 

The event began in Washington D.C., in 2001, and on the weekend of September 22, 2023 the event made its way to Reno for the second year in a row.

“Basically teams have 48 hours to make a movie. That means write, shoot, edit, upload, and music,” the event’s coordinator Ivey Smith said.

Eleven filmmaking teams were assigned two genres, a line, a character, and a prop and were sent on their way to create a film using all of the elements. The films were required to be uploaded by 5 p.m. on September 24, no exceptions.

Reporter Josie Hester worked on above movie.
On October 8, filmmakers gathered to see their finished films on the big screen, at the Galaxy theater in Sparks.

“I'm just looking forward to seeing local films made by people from Reno, and also just, you know, seeing all the different perspectives and takes on the same theme and plot,” local resident Miles Comstock said.
“I thought the 48 hour film festival was great. This year was a lot better than last year. There were so many more submissions and so much more talent. I think everybody knocked it out of the park,” said Clayton Posey who participated last year.

A 5 p.m. showing and an 8 p.m. showing played all 11 films, where audience members were encouraged to vote for Audience Choice afterwards.

The vote for Audience Choice wrapped up at midnight, leaving the teams eagerly awaiting the awards ceremony on October 15th. 

At that point, the Audience Choice will be revealed, as well as over a dozen awards such as best directing, best lighting, and most importantly, best film.

The winner of best film can plan on seeing their film screened in an exclusive, international, 48-Hour film festival called Filmapalooza, taking place this year in Portugal.

Reporting by Josie Hester

A member of the new Reno Sparks Tenant Union Speaks Out

A tenant with sewage coming out of their sink, and the landlord only coming by two weeks later to fix it.  Another dealing with bed bugs. Motels, often the first and last resort out of homelessness being torn down, with former residents struggling to find new housing.  Rent increasing astronomically within a single year.  

A dozen concerned Reno residents recently started the Reno Sparks Tenant Union and will hold a public town hall at the downtown library Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to address such concerns they are all too familiar with.

One of them is Holly, a renter herself, who sells vintage clothing and wanted to go just by her first name for the purposes of this article.

“At my last apartment, whenever I asked my landlord to fix something, he told me I was not allowed to email him,” she told Our Town Reno during a recent interview. “There was no way to fight that because I don't make very much money as many people who are renters are. I don't have money for a lawyer. So while we're told we have these protections, they're only as good as they are able to be enforced, and many of them aren't enforced unless you have access to money to actually push back in the court system.”

The group started in July with the observation that local wage increases aren’t following the skyrocketing trend of higher rents.  Similar organizations exist in bigger cities such as Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but none were established here in Reno.  

“We’ve actually been speaking to other tenants unions just to kind of get an understanding of how they got started and what their process has been and what has been most effective for their groups. So we've spoken to people from the Los Angeles Tenants Union. I actually lived in LA for a bit and was a part of [it]. We’ve talked to people from the Kansas City Tenants Union and Tucson Tenants Union. We’re definitely drawing on inspiration from other tenants unions that have been really successful in pushing for either policy changes or grassroot efforts to improve the conditions of tenants.”

Responding to one social media comment fearing this effort would be all talk, Holly had this to say: “We’re not politicians. We are community members. We're people who also have a stake in this, so we're not just going to sit here and not do anything. We all have a motivation to make things happen. We're not just people who are in power looking at other people's suffering and deciding to do the bare minimum.”

Even rooms in refurbished Motel 6s are out of reach for some, with small studios there going for $1,000.

Holly says other tenant unions have been able to create change, such as helping to have rent control passed in Pasadena, where following pressure from the Pasadena for Rent Control group, from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024, rent increases are being capped at 2.75%, . 

In Los Angeles, rent strikes have been used as a method to force landlord to go back on rent increases. 

“They've also been able to push through renter protections such as relocation assistance,” Holly added. “In Kansas City, they were able to push through legislation that mandated that anyone facing eviction would have access to free legal services. So there's a lot of things that tenant unions can do,  and because basically right now with no sort of organization that's organizing on behalf of tenants for tenants in Reno, we're all kind of left on our own to deal with things individually. But if we come together as a group, and exercise solidarity and are able to leverage collective bargaining, there's a lot that we can accomplish.”

Tenants forming a union makes sense to Holly.  “The renter class is its own specific class, and it's oppressed in its own specific ways,” she explained.

“Those of us who are renters definitely have reason to come together and work towards our common interests. If we're just on our own dealing with these things, then landlords, developers, et cetera, can basically get away with pushing things as far as they possibly can to get as much profit out of us. But since we all do have a common interest in trying to maintain affordability, have safe access to homes that are habitable and comfortable, we definitely all should be coming together and speaking to each other and sharing our experiences and making sure that no one's going through things alone. Because if we do work to improve the conditions of tenants, I think it's like over 50% of people in Reno are tenants, so it's a huge swath of people that if we work to improve conditions of tenants, we're going to be increasing the quality of life for over half of the population in Reno, which to me feels like a very important thing.”

Holly says there are particularities in Reno and the Silver State working against tenants. 

“We just have a lot less protections in Nevada than most states do. We have one of the most intense eviction processes that can get people out of their home within five days, whereas most states have much longer eviction periods that give people time to land on their feet. Overall this is a very pro landlord state, and there hasn't been any resistance to it. We would actually be the first tenant’s union in Nevada in general, which is exciting, but also sad that there's no other tenant unions.”

Holly concluded they want to make sure first and foremost tenants facing challenges shouldn’t feel like they are alone.  “If people are dealing with difficult landlord rent increases, et cetera, they're not the only person dealing with it. [The town hall] is an opportunity for us to come together so that we're no longer suffering in silence or dealing with these things as individuals, but we can work to create a more equitable Reno for all of us.” 

Our Town Reno reporting, October 2023

The Rich Heritage at the Reno Indian Sparks Colony Annual Fall Fair

Over fifty local and visiting vendors recently gathered for the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony’s 25th Annual Fall Fest Craft Fair.

The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony formed a federally recognized government in 1936 under the Indian Reorganization Act.

There are currently about 13-hundred members from three Great Basin Tribes – the Paiute, the Shoshone and the Washoe.

The tribe’s names, in their own languages, mean The People, and is how the Indian Colony refer to themselves on their website.

Bead work, blankets, jewelry, house decor, paintings, ribbon skirts, festive decorations, homemade food and more were sold at the craft fair.

“It’s one of our places that we love to be at, powwows and craft fairs. We feel at home," said one of the vendors, Jessica Hernandez, who had a mix of jewelry and other crafts on display.

The People went through a horrible assimilation process from the 1700s to the late 1900s.

According to U.S government documents which can now be found in our National Archives, it was reasoned that if a person adopted "White" clothing and ways, and was responsible for their own farm, they would gradually drop their "Indian-ness" and be assimilated into White American culture.

“My grandmother went to Stewart. She ran away and survived, but in order to do so she also lost, she lost her language," said Washoe and Paiute descendant Marty Meeden.

The Stewart Indian School, a boarding school southeast of Carson City, about 40 miles away from Reno, where many Native American children were forced to go to, operated from 1890 to 1980.

The initial intent of the school was to eliminate The People’s language and culture from the children attending–to shape them into what settlers had deemed to be Americans.

The attempt to control them failed, however, as traditions are still passed down today.

“We learned it all from my grandma. She taught us all as little kids, starting off with little things like rings and earrings and then as she got older, we started coming to craft sales with her. And then after she passed, we kept it going, you know, we try to keep it within the family,” said Tierra Lovett.

Meeden was similarly taught crafts by his grandmother when he was eighteen.

“I’m a beader, so I do peyote stitch, backstitch and loom stitching. And then just from that it was like you know, find some charms here and there and make some earrings,” he said.

Hernandez is passing down the family business with her son, who helped her make some of the colorful crafts that were on display. To them, craft making is therapeutic, a way to be closer to their culture after being oppressed for so long.

“Every little thing you do you put your heart and soul into and that you’re, you know, continuing what, you know, you learn from your grandparents, your parents and showing that it’s still here. It’s still strong. Stick with it,” Lovett said. The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony hosts multiple events and craft fairs a year, with their fifth annual Christmas craft fair coming up in December.

Our Town Reno reporting by Kieran Dazzo

Donner Springs Neighbors Exasperated with Flight Lessons Over Their Homes

Stan White, 74, his wife, and several of their neighbors are at a breaking point with low-flying, small noisy lesson planes, going back and forth over their homes, from as early as 6 A.M. to as late as 11 P.M., above their southeast Donner Springs neighborhood, near the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

They document flight patterns, take videos and identifying photos with tail numbers visible. They meet every Saturday morning to plot a new strategy, commiserate and compare notes. 

White says he’s attended several Airport Sustainability Advisory Committee meetings and submitted public comments regarding noise and low flight issues, contacted the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority requesting that something be done to alleviate the problem, contacted the FAA regarding noise and flying practices over his house, contacted the City of Reno code enforcement regarding excessive noise, contacted his Ward 3 city council person and Congressional representatives, presented at a Reno City Council meeting and contacted the owner of Great Basin Aviation, the flight school he blames for creating the noise and low overflights situation, all to no avail to resolve the situation.

“We’re just being ignored,” he told Our Town Reno during a recent phone conversation. The worst part of the year is summer and fall when the weather is nice.  “If the weather's bad, they usually don't fly,” White said, “So I find myself hoping for bad weather.” 

Our Town Reno sent messages to the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority and Great Basin Aviation and quickly received this message from Stacey Sunday, the airport’s Director of Corporate Communications.

“I’ve passed your inquiry to Great Basin (though I know you have also reached out to them) and to the airport’s Noise Analyst. Here is some information we can provide, but I did recommend that Great Basin responds to your inquiry as they feel is appropriate:

 The Reno Tahoe Airport Authority (RTAA) is here to listen to and support aviation and the community at large and recognizes that noise is an inherent part of this industry. We also recognize that noise from aircraft can seem more prevalent in the warmer months when people spend more time outdoors and often leave their windows open. There are online tools for people to look up information about aircraft - such as proximity to an address and projected decibel levels. We also have methods for people to report noise issues to us directly including our Hotline (775) 328-6468 or our Contact Form available at www.renoairport.com.”

The message added that “all recorded noise complaints are stored in a database and are reported to the Airport Noise Advisory Panel [previously ANAP] on a quarterly basis” and also included FAA links and phone numbers for noise concerns.

The types of planes which are annoying White and neighbors.

White, who previously lived in Folsom working for Intel, has been living in Donner Springs for 20 years, but believes the school flights are now negatively affecting his property’s value.

“I knew the airport was there,” he said. “But until three years ago, the traffic did not fly over my house. I mean, occasionally a helicopter would go over, but only occasionally.”

Now he’s most annoyed by “touch and go” patterns.  

“The plane will take off, it will circle around, go to the other end of the runway and come down like it was going to land, and maybe touch the wheels on the runway, but not stop and then take off again. That's called a touch and go,” White explained in painful detail. “They’ll circle around and do the same thing again, sometimes a dozen times or more in a row. So they come over to the house here in the neighborhood about every five minutes. ”  

A comment submitted by White to a Ward 3 NAB meeting.

Donner Springs is a residential area with big trees, a few elementary schools and convenient access to other parts of town. The Reno-Sparks Neighborhoods website describes it as being  “in the shadow of Rattlesnake Mountain” and “one of the flattest and most bikeable in the region.”  But now White says it’s been ruined by these lesson flights. 

White says his goal is not to get Great Basin Aviation out of business but rather “to have them act in a responsible manner and be good neighbors. One solution that I would probably accept would be for them simply to stop flying over this neighborhood. They can fly somewhere else. They can do what everybody else at the airport does. They can go fly north and they can fly south. They don't have to take off and immediately turn and come over a few hundred feet over our neighborhood.”

One of his neighbors, John Iaconianni, 66, believes they should move their flying classes to the Stead airport.

“The airport has gotten so busy now, you know with flights, so just move them to Stead. In [Las Vegas], they moved the flight schools to North Las Vegas and to Henderson away from commercial traffic. This is an accident waiting to happen over here,” he warned. 

Training flights tracked on the evening of Oct. 6.

Iaconianni has been a homeowner in the neighborhood since 2016, which he was happy with until three years ago, when the flight classes started just above residential properties.  Now he goes out into his backyard to take decibel readings of how loud the planes are. 

“It’s nerve wracking,” he said. “It’s disruptive to our way of living, our privacy, our everyday way of life. My wife works from home [as a graphic designer] up here on the second floor, and, they get so low and so loud that she can't even keep the bedroom window open.”

“Trying to enjoy our own backyards this weekend nearly impossible with this disrespectful behavior from the airport and flight schools,” Iaconianni wrote this past weekend.

Iaconianni is also frustrated with the lack of responses.   “It makes you feel like you just don't matter,” he said.  “They're all pilots,” he said of most of the people they’ve been trying to reason with. “So they have their own world and stick up for each other. But we’re concerned about our home values. I can't even hold a conversation on the weekends sometimes with my grandkids in the backyard and try to teach them how to play catch because it's so loud.”

Both believe the flight school is trying to save money by taking the neighborhood route. “The shorter they can get back and forth to the runway to do their touch and goes they save fuel, and especially with the price of fuel going up, you know,” Iaconianni said. 

“This stuff's very expensive these days,” White said.  “They can get whatever they need to do with their students done by flying over this neighborhood rather than going out further and burning up more fuel. But I think what they should do, like everybody else in business does, if your expenses go up, you charge the customers more. It's pretty simple.” 

One of their neighbors, dealing with PTSD and other health issues, decided to move to Spanish Springs, and White is pondering a relocation within Reno as well. 

Iaconianni, who still works part-time for UPS after a long career, says he’ll keep fighting to stay and correct the situation, however more phone calls, flight tracking, presentations and pleas it takes.  

Our Town Reno reporting, October 2023

Northern Nevada Muslim Community Seeks Peaceful Resolution of Cemetery Row

“What we want is to find a peaceful solution,” Ashram Azim, the president at the Northern Nevada Muslim Community, said Friday after a busy midday prayer at our community’s local mosque on Oddie Blvd., while holding plans for an improved Muslim section at the Mountain View Cemetery in west Reno.

This follows escalated tensions, discussions over possible city meetings, inspections and threats of lawsuits after social media posts and a local television station recounted how pavers and gravel placed by individuals to ease access to parts of the Muslim section were removed by the cemetery.

The NNMC initiated a partnership with Mountain View Cemetery in west Reno in 2011 to have a special area for Muslim burials respectful of the religion’s directional aspects, at right angles to the direction of Mecca, in a specific portion sitting across a bridge over Interstate 80.

Previously, local Muslims who died here were buried in Genoa and Sacramento, where there are cemeteries with similar arrangements. 

A press release from late September had previously indicated “NNMC is working closely with Mountain View Cemetery to address the requested changes to the maintenance plan and enhance the appearance of the burial site to support the requests of all families with family members buried in the Muslim section of Mountain View Cemetery.”

The statement asked for patience and urged all parties to “exercise restraint and civility in their actions and communications.”

Our Town Reno reporting, October 2023

What’s That Construction Project? The stalled Reno City Center

Multiple signs still advertise the Reno City Center but the website these point to for ballyhooed urban downtown luxury living no longer exists.

A few weeks ago though, the Reno City Council approved a non-restricted gaming license for Las Vegas-based Fine Entertainment to enable the city’s first PKWY Tavern inside the former Harrah’s hotel-casino with up to 200 slot machines.

A half dozen of these PKWY Taverns exist in the Las Vegas area, offering a combination of sports viewing, gaming, alcohol and food. 

Since then, there has been little apparent movement, at least outside, even of downed lampposts still laid out behind an eyesore of a wraparound chain link fence.

The Reno City Center ,which was revealed to much anticipation in early 2020 has been beset by challenges, including losing its main initial office tenant Clear Capital, after it canceled its space leasing deal earlier this year. 

That pullout froze construction on grandiose plans for a newly designed courtyard plaza projected to include walking paths, seating, multiple trees, grassy areas, water features and an amphitheater.  

Jonathan Fine, the co-founder of Fine Entertainment, has repeatedly given assurances the common areas and park will be worked on as a preamble to the overall project, which now include plans for the slot machines as well as restaurants, a hotel, a leasing office and residential units.

Moorefield Construction has been brought in to do work for Fine Entertainment, which controls a reported 75% of the ground floor through a lease, and which says it has already spent over $9 million on renovations.

The north and south towers of the former Harrah’s are still being envisioned as residential units, according to Idaho-based Gryphon Private Wealth Management, which is tackling that part of Reno City Center as the owner behind this big overall plan.  

Gryphon partnered with Las Vegas-based CAI Investments in 2020 to purchase the Harrah’s via an opportunity zone fund, which provides significant tax incentives for developments in economically challenged areas.

CAI, which was behind much of the early marketing and buzz for the project, getting constant media attention, then pulled out of the project, announcing in June it was selling its ownership stake to Gryphon.

Gryphon is reported to have a lease with another group to operate the east tower as a hotel, and CAI said that would conflict with its other stalled plans to establish a Reno Kimpton hotel nearby.

A representative for Gryphon has given assurances that progress is happening inside the future Reno City Center, including some more time consuming than anticipated, such as asbestos remediation, with little for people to see from the outside looking in as of yet. 

As part of comments to this post, Mike Van Houten, who runs the Downtown Makeover website wrote in part: "There are 25+ liens that are outstanding and none of those contractors are currently working on the building. None of the liens have been resolved or cured, which is one of the first things that would happen when construction resumes. None of the old permits have been updated with a new general contractor, including Fine Group’s permits.
The value amounts of the work on the liens vs what is owed to contractors is quite the difference, meaning not a lot of work was even done in the first place.
The most recent liens against this project were filed as recently as last week, against both RCC and PRKWY Tavern..."

Our Town Reno reporting, October 2023

Share Your Story with Susan at the Downtown Library, Charging her Phone for Love

After another night of sleeping on the street, Susan strolls into the downtown public library in Reno. She has only a few bags, and one of them is full of colorful crochets she’s been working on. Susan has pretty hair— she dyed it red recently. Despite missing her teeth, she has a bright smile. 

Susan comes to the library often. On this Friday, she sits down at Our Town Reno’s “Share your Story” table, on the bottom floor of the library. 

“Sometimes it's good for people to know what other people [have] been through in life,” she says, grinning. “It helps me feel better about myself, talking. I can't keep this all inside of me anymore.”

Before coming to Reno, Susan says she was living in a group home in Las Vegas, but it didn’t work out. “They promised you they would help you with stuff, but they (aren’t actually) willing to help you,” she says. Now, she says she sleeps wherever she can find a good, safe spot on the streets of Reno, covering her things with coats or blankets.

“I came back to Reno because- I love Reno. It's not big. I can take (all the) buses I want. I can't get lost. Many times, (I’ve) tried to get lost. You can't.

People say that I'm handicapped, but I don't really see myself that way. Treat me like a person. I might have a learning disability, but if I need help, I will ask for help. That's what kind of person I am.”

Susan says she’s had terrible luck in relationships. Previously she lived with her first husband in Minnesota, where Susan is from, but he was physically abusive to both her and her son. 

“I didn't believe in my marriage anymore because… if I lived with my husband, I know I wouldn’t live. He said he would kill me, many times…and I thought, okay. I need to have a better life. I need to take my son with me. The last thing he saw was his dad choking me.” 

Susan had support from a cousin, Sandy, who helped them get out of that situation. Susan told her then husband that she was taking her son with her to a cooking class. They left and never returned. 

“Then I met my daughter's dad,” she remembers. “He was not really nice to me either. He was abusive in a different way. He never hit me, but words, you know, I couldn't deal with that. He was cheating on me.”

Out of her two abusive relationships, Susan had two children: a son and a daughter. Susan’s son struggled in school after the trauma he’d suffered at a very young age. He was kicked out of school several times, even at just five years old.

“I didn’t want to give him up, but I did. I put him in foster care in Wisconsin. (I hoped) that will help him with all the anger problems that he had. I couldn't handle that myself because… I didn't know how to do it. And then, when you’re a single parent… how do you do it?”

Both of Susan’s kids were put in foster care, and she says that’s the hardest part of her life. “I'm hoping that both of my kids know that I love them. I didn't want to give my kids up,” she says. 

Susan’s son’s 22nd birthday is coming up, and that’ll be a hard day for her. “I’m hoping that…he will find me someday,” she says. “I’m gonna believe that he will find me someday.”

Susan herself was adopted, and was able to reconnect with her birth mother as a young adult. She also has a biological brother, but the two siblings were separated and grew up apart from each other. “I wish social workers would keep kids together. It is still hard, because we don’t have that relationship. That’s the hard part, if you don’t grow up with your brother or sister, you won't have that closeness.”

The main struggle with finding housing, for Susan, is all the waitlists. When asked if she’d ever been to the CARES campus, Susan says that she hadn’t even thought about it. But Susan believes the Reno community is a special one, and she gets by with a little here and a little there. 

“A lot of people are really friendly, really will help you for food. One time I didn't ask for money, I got $20,” she shares. “A lot of people around will help you…and you don't have to ask for money. I've been very lucky.” 

Susan comes to the library to rest, wash her hair, and work on her crochet projects. And these days, the library’s resources have been especially important to her— despite her rocky history with relationships, Susan says she has found love. But this time, he lives on the other side of the world.

“I come here to the library everyday to charge my phone…because I have somebody I can talk to. I have someone special in my life that I'm planning to get married to.”

Susan’s eyes sparkle as she talks about her fiancé, a man she’s been talking to on the phone for four years now.  

“He makes me feel strong. Every time I had a bad day, he knows how to cheer me up,” she says, dreamily. Susan says that this guy treats her like the queen she is. 

Susan’s fiancé loves her dyed red hair. They plan to meet each other in America some day, and Susan is very hopeful for what that future will look like.  She doesn’t give details on where he lives or how it will be possible for him to travel here, but just speaking with him on the phone gives her hope and something to look forward to.

Our Town Reno reporting by Ray Grosser

Reno Locals Dobby Sock Em's, Rolene Among Those Enjoying Roller Derby Post-Covid

“Plow!” yelled Little Miss Trouble, a coach for the Sierra Regional Roller Derby. Skaters rolled to a stop in sync. Then, “Skate!” Ten skaters– eighty little wheels– danced across the sport court at Futsol Sports Arena. 

Eight of those wheels belonged to Dobby Sock Em’s, a skater who lives and works in Reno. She’s a big fan of the city– “I love the vibe, how eclectic it’s become. I love everything about it.” For her, Reno and roller derby just make sense together. “I feel like derby is perfect for Reno,” she says. “I would love to see more people involved with it. Because it’s fun, it’s bad *ss. It just gives ‘Reno vibes’ to me.” 

The sport of roller derby was born in the 1930s, and over time it has developed into a staple of global feminism. The derby track was one of the first settings where women could compete in an “aggressive” sport. The basic rules are relatively simple: there are five skaters per team on the track, ten skaters total. On each team there is one “jammer” and four “blockers.” All eight blockers form the “pack,” and the jammer’s goal is to break away from that pack. Once free, the jammers skate around the track and attempt to lap the opposing blockers. A point is scored for each blocker that the jammer passes. (You can find the official flat track roller derby rules here).

Rolene preparing to block Savage in photo.

Rolene is a member of Sierra Regional Roller Derby who was born and raised in Reno. 

Rolene recalls roller skating frequently as a middle schooler. She was a regular at Roller Kingdom, the big rink at the corner of E. 7th St. and Valley Road. However, when Rolene was a kid, the rink went by a different name: King Skate.  

“Every Wednesday it was 97 cents to get in,” she remembers. “Going to Roller Kingdom was something we did on the regular…that does not mean I was a good skater. I was a wall clinger through and through. I could not skate.” (There is a legendary, well known outrageous “commercial” for Roller Kingdom, produced by Rhett and Link, that you can watch here in case you haven’t seen it yet).

Years after her wall-clinging career at the local rink, Rolene decided to pick up the skates as an adult. She and Dobby are both by-products of COVID skating. “In the pandemic, you know, (I was) trying to find outlets to relieve stress, and to find positivity,” says Rolene. “I wanted to find something for myself. And so skating– teaching myself how to skate–was that outlet.” 

Rolene and Dobby both decided that they wanted to take their new hobby to the next level. They emailed SRRD, interested in signing up for the league's new skater program. But, like many groups that required in person meetings in order to function, COVID proved to be a difficult time for roller derby. 

Stretching is important before you practice. If you’re interested in attending the upcoming Legion Sports Fest, where the group will showcase their talents, more information can be found here: ​​https://centerpodium.com/legion-sports-fest/

Legal 2000, another member, started at SRRD before the shutdown. “During COVID, a lot of (venues) were lost,” she recounts. “We got down to five members. We almost folded. But we came back from COVID with our five or six members. We kept it going.”

Rolene and Dobby were just two members who benefited greatly from SRRD’s survival. They were among 103 new skaters who signed up, 60 skaters who showed up for the first class– and about 40 skaters who stuck around to skate with Sierra Regional.

But, for both Dobby and Rolene, finding community in roller derby wasn’t just about learning a new sport. It’s been life changing. “My thick body has been such a struggle,” Dobby says, her voice laced with emotion. “And I love it now.” Rolene agrees: “We see that (acceptance) within each other. I think it’s contagious. You know, coming to a place where you literally see athletes of all shapes and sizes, work together as a team– there truly is a place for everybody on the track in roller derby.”

If you want to see this incredible and inclusive team in action, they’ll be skating at the upcoming Legion Sports Fest. This event takes place October 7th-8th at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. SRRD will be showcased along with body building, armored combat, muay thai, and other jaw-dropping sports you may not be able to spectate on the regular. 

Legal encourages everyone to come and support SRRD this October. Not just because roller derby is fun to watch, but because it’s vital to uplift these sports that are cultivating inclusivity and safe spaces. “For us it’s super important,” says Legal. “We want to showcase a sport where not everyone looks like a bodybuilder. That’s part of our whole thing…there’s room for everyone. We’re bringing nine teams of women of all different sizes, from as far away as Vancouver.” 
Self-love and acceptance can be hard to come by. But at Sierra Regional Roller Derby, that is not the case. They’ve formed a community in Reno where folks of all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds are welcomed to their team. Anyone is encouraged to lace up their skates and come try “hitting their friends,” as Coach Little Miss Trouble says. 

Our Town Reno reporting, Ray Grosser, September 2023

What's That Construction Project? Vintage at Washington Station

What’s That Construction Project? Vintage at Washington Station

The Vintage at Washington Station being developed by Reno-based Greenstreet Development just off Washington and Third streets will be a low-income apartment for residents age 55 and above with 200 plus units mostly in the $1,000 range utilities included. 

To qualify, seniors will need to receive 60% or less of the area median income or AMI which equates to $35,100 or lower for one person and $83,800 for a family of four in Reno.

A handful of units will be reserved for seniors who make or get 45% or less of the area median income, as part of requirements set by the City of Reno which sold the land to Greenstreet Development.

It follows a similar Greenstreet Development model called The Vintage at Sanctuary on Gentry Way, which has units with their own kitchen and washer and dryer, a clubhouse with a shared kitchen, a gym, a dog park and social rooms.

Our Town Reno Reporting, September 2023

Washoe County Educators to Get 20% Raise Over Next Two Years

File photo from a teacher's rally earlier this year with smiles renewed since yesterday as ...

A tentative agreement has been reached between the Washoe County School District and the Washoe Education Association for a tentative two-year collective bargaining agreement to run until the end of June 2025, with a 20 percent cost of living adjustment over the next two years.

The money will come from state funding and cost shifts within the district.

“I am grateful to our district and WEA negotiation teams for the time they put into reaching this agreement. I am more confident than ever that WCSD is a district on the rise,” Superintendent Susan Enfield said.

“Since my arrival in Washoe County, I have been clear that our dedicated and hardworking educators are deserving of compensation that reflects their professionalism and expertise,” a statement she released yesterday indicated.

“We were determined to take massive strides forward and believe this contract does just that,” WEA President Calen Evans said.

The tentative deal includes a one-time $5,000 signing and/or retention bonus for certain hard-to-fill positions such as for special education.

Educators expressed satisfaction on various social media posts, several of them saying the big raise was thanks to labor union power.

The agreement is now under consideration with WEA members for their ratification before going to the Board of Trustees for a final approval.

A previous deal was reached earlier this month with the Washoe Education Support Professionals, which includes librarians, teacher assistants, special education teacher aides, secretaries and nutrition services.

Our Town Reno reporting, September 2023

Police Check in at the Jacobs Entertainment Bought Out Desert Rose Inn

Police checked in at the Jacobs Entertainment bought out Desert Rose Inn today, while security guards milled around, and a dog looked sadly out the window of a back room.

Roses were in bloom at the motel which had previously resisted purchase overtures. In recent months, residents there had complained of the noise from the Glow Plaza from across the street, with more and more events taking place.

The desk manager at the motel confirmed a Downtown Makeover report indicating former policeman Jim McAllister has sold the Desert Rose Inn after five plus years of resisting offers from Jacobs Entertainment.

Downtown Makeover said documents indicate the sale to Jacobs Entertainment is at a price of over $10 million.

The desk manager told us she was now worried about whether all the low income residents there, many of them seniors, would get relocation help as has been reported but never verified following previous motel purchases and subsequent destructions along Fourth Street by the Colorado-based company.

Another bought out motel complex nearby, formerly the Crest Inn, was converted into the Renova Flats, with studios going for above $1,000, while others were leveled, becoming fenced off dirt.

Our Town Reno reporting, September 18, 2023

Immigrants of Reno: Miya Hannan, Expanding Views of Death in Her Art

Miya Hannan is an artist with countless stories to share, with the most recent ones involving her journey to Reno, first as an associate professor at UNR, and now also as the Graduate Director of the Master of Fine Arts program.

Her art has been displayed from coast to coast in the US, as well as internationally. Everywhere she goes, she finds that humans have unique responses to her work. Some are grateful, and some just don’t know what to say. That’s because the subject of much of Miya’s work is death. 

On top of mentoring and educating other artists, Miya stays busy producing her own sculptures, drawings, and installations. I sat with her recently under a shady tree at a local coffee shop, where I had the honor of learning more about the story behind her artwork. 

Miya has lived in Reno for the past seven years, and before that she was a California resident. Originally, however, Miya is from Japan. “I came to the United States just to learn English. And I was learning English, but they told me that I had to have a major. I wasn't sure what to do, but…I did like–you know, drawing, and making sculptures. So I just took one drawing class. That changed my life.” 

While still living in Japan, and before her career started as an artist, Miya worked in hospitals and emergency rooms as a medical professional. “I worked for a hospital for seven years. You do have to face a lot of death,” she says. “And if you work for a hospital, you have to have a good understanding of death. (Some) will say that people who work for a hospital tend to develop their own philosophy, or their own poetic view, about death. (We) have to somehow develop (our) own understanding, to be okay every day.” 

Many people think of science and art as two very different fields of study, but Miya doesn’t see it that way. I asked her how her view of science and medicine intersects with her art, and she told me that, for her, “science and art are the same thing.” If you experience Miya’s art, you might agree. “Both (science and art) are just trying to understand the world,” she says. “And they talk about the same thing. I can talk about the same thing using art language, versus scientific  (language).”

For more information about Miya Hannan and her work, visit: https://www.miyahannan.com/

In some of her sculptures, Miya has used phone books and plaster to create bone-like structures jutting out of fabric. This creates an image of spinal cords, intertwined with roots, laid across a white earth. In other works, Miya has used bone ash– and she’s often asked where she acquires it. “Bone ash is easy,” she says, “because it's one of the ceramic materials…so if you go to a ceramic store, you can easily get bone ash.”

The use of these materials signifies death, but it goes much deeper than that for her. “Bone ash is very important culturally– for my culture, because we cremate the body,” she told me. “98% of Japanese cremate their bodies…In the funeral, we are the ones who pick up the bones– all the relatives have to pick up the bones, the remains, and put them in a container. So we have a whole ritual around bone ash. We really respect bone ash as our ancestor’s reminder.”

“Personally, because I went through two grandfathers’ deaths, that was an inspiring event for me. You know, I was young when my grandpa died and it was kind of shocking…to see all of the cremation, and the bones come out…Going through that ritual gave me the idea that my grandpa, at that time, just changed form, instead of being dead. You know, I started thinking…this is just another form of being alive,” the artist says.

Miya’s work can be used as a vessel for conversation. But in the US, and western culture, the topic of death is often considered taboo. “I always get criticism from people, ‘what if they don’t understand Asian culture?’” Miya recounts. “I’m not really expecting them to understand how Asians think about death. I first want them to understand…the idea with this is based on the individual. Even if you grew up in the same house– your brother, your mom, dad– (they) all may have a different idea about how they want to die, and how they think about death–it’s completely individual.” 

This disparity in cultural views and expectations has created challenges for those who immigrate to the US, or for those who were raised with different rituals and beliefs. “For example,” Miya says, “Asians really believe in cremation and reincarnation and such. But western doctors don’t understand that, when (Asian people) die. Or in the crematory- ‘no no no you can’t even touch bones!’ We have to follow what the western doctors think about death. In hospitals, some Asians have a very uncomfortable time, because their philosophies are very different.”

This is part of why Miya creates the art that she does. She wants to expand our collective view of the meaning of death– and life that precedes it. “I want people to have a moment to think about (their) own fate…what they want, and how they think about death, you know. I just try to give a chance for that. We can’t avoid (death). I have so many people that have a problem because they don’t want to talk about it, because they deny it…but nobody can avoid it. And I think denial actually causes more trouble to people.” 

I asked Miya about how her work has been received here in Reno, Nevada. She recalled previous cities where her art has been on display. In Richmond, Virginia, she was surprised by the audience’s acceptance. “They actually had the best reaction,” she told me. “I was afraid because that’s a city (with history of) the Civil War …so will they really take this well?” She wondered. “But it was the opposite. That’s why they really understood (the need to) think about death.” In California, Miya says crowd reactions were “half and half.” She remembers a professor who told her, “‘Miya, California is a place that people come to forget about Asian (culture), and dying.’” 

Here in Reno, Miya had “no clue” how things would go for her, and how locals would view her work. “There aren’t too many Asians here. (With) such Asian oriented work, you know, how are people going to see my artwork?” For artists looking to introduce concepts to a diverse group of people, coming from many different backgrounds, of course this is a challenge. After some thought, though, she remembered: “I had a good comment from Indigenous people, because they are also nature-oriented. Their philosophy has a similarity to Asian philosophy… some indigenous artists– people, came to me and said, ‘I really understand what you’re talking about.’”

So, what has Miya been working on recently? A couple of summers ago, she had an artist residency in Montana, where she stumbled across a cemetery that housed about 100 tombstones bearing Japanese names. “It was a complete accident,” she told me.

“Nobody knew why they were there. They all died around the same period of time, they were all young. They all died in their early 30s, late 20s, some of them younger. So I got really curious about this, and after digging into a little bit of the history, it turns out they were Japanese railroad workers, who came across the ocean to work construction.”

Miya found both connection and inspiration in this cemetery in Montana. “There’s a lot of questions that came to me…is there anything I can do for these people? All I could think was, as an immigrant myself, to remember what they did for us. And to think about them crossing the ocean to have a better life…that’s what I did myself. So I had a, sort of, deep connection. I felt like– ok, somebody should be doing this job. While researching it, I can make artwork that remembers and honors them. I have this project–I’m doing this installation and making drawings and sculptures for them.” 

As a renowned artist, Miya has the platform to honor the memory of these otherwise forgotten Japanese railroad workers. But she’s doing even more than that, as part of her current sabbatical, taking her back to Japan, where she will keep working on this project.

“I’m going back to their hometown, to collect soil…and bring back their soil to their tombstones. That’s my project for this fall. Because they wanted to go home, but they never could. Everybody wants to go home when they die…very much so for the Japanese. So, this is my own appreciation for them.”

Miya not only wants to encourage conversations around death, but she models important ways to honor death, as well.

One of her current projects, Patria Soli, delivers homeland soil to those who are not able to return to the place that they call home. “Soil became one of my very important materials,” Miya says. “Part of my philosophy is that all of human history is somehow recorded in the soil. People walk in the same spot, and the land remembers who was there.”

So, let’s talk about death. And let’s talk about life, and history, and tradition, and different cultures as it comes to death as well. Miya Hannan is seeking to curate these conversations, and perhaps we as a society–as humans– should start to think about it much more. 

Our Town Reno reporting and top photo by Ray Grosser

Wrightway Market Fails to Get Its Alcohol License Back

The Wrightway Market across from the downtown bus station failed Wednesday in its appeal to have its previously revoked license restored to sell packaged alcohol.

In a summary email, the City of Reno wrote: “City staff originally determined that the mentioned alcohol sales are not compatible with the nearby transit station and the adjacent substance abuse facility. The administrator argued the sale of package beer and wine at this location has had a negative impact on public health and safety.”

The operators of Wrightway Market said they are facing “hard times” due to the City’s decision to revoke its license initially based on “false data,” by making the corner store a landmark for police calls in the area.

They said they were losing $30,000 a month since not having the privileged license renewed.  

They showed several videos of police and ambulances coming by the store in matters unrelated to their clients, but said these calls were repeatedly marked as related to Wrightway Market activities.

Councilwoman Jenny Brekhus disputed how city staff approached their analysis to deny the application, calling it a “continued story of targeting.”

Councilwoman Meghan Ebert also wasn’t convinced city staff were being fair in their assessment.  

“It’s important we help businesses,” Ebert said, with vacant buildings all around the corner store. “I’m concerned about creating food deserts downtown as they do sell other items, groceries, things like that. If they were to go out of business, I’m not sure where people would go buy groceries.” 

“Bad people are still there,” Opinder Dhillon said despite his liquor license having not been renewed previously. “Please, please, give me six months. I’ll come back and if you see any problem, [as] it’s a privileged license, take it away.”

Ebert and Brekhus agreed but a majority of the council didn’t. 

Our Town Reno reporting September 2023

Rebel and Lori Preferring the Senior Center over the Cares Campus

Merv Haak and Lorinda have it rough, but at least they say right now they have each other. And they love spending time at the Washoe County Senior Center on the corner of 9th street and Sutro. They consider themselves part of a growing group of Cares campus escapees.

Haak, 68, who goes by Rebel, and Lorinda who goes by Lori much prefer to hang out outside the Senior Center rather than the big compound set up to help the unhoused near 4th street.

Their challenges are still plenty. Lori can barely stand up straight and relies on a wheelchair, suffering from lupus. Haak can barely open his hands, having had metal implanted in both. 

Unlike the Cares Campus, the Senior Center is only open weekdays and there’s no shelter here. “The rest of the time you just fend for yourself, but that’s fine,” Haak said.

He previously had a job in security but says he got fired for being homeless. He says his Social Security payments of about $900 a month aren’t enough for them to afford anything in town. 

He used to live in a van near WinCo, then tried the Cares Campus and now just wants to be independent, as best he can.

Word has gone around that the Senior Center offers a more relaxed experience for the unhoused seeking community, shaded areas and a free lunch, with some of their friends also setting up on the sidewalk, with grocery carts full of their possessions, worrying some neighbors and local politicians. 

“They're quite kind and polite to everybody,” Lori said of the Senior Center staff. “One of the workers even gave me a blanket to sleep with and a change of clothes.”  

“The staff here unlike the Cares Campus they’re kind and polite, and you meet nice people here, and people want to talk, and not feel like you are all crammed in a prison or a warehouse,”  Haak said comparing the two places. The Nevada Cares Campus has been building out its next phases of having more on site services and supportive housing, but many still feel unsafe there.

Lori said she felt looked down upon there as a disabled woman in a wheelchair, and got depressed, while staying at the compound, and doesn’t want to go back, whatever future changes there might be. 

“I became a cutter again after 10, 15 years. They treat you so bad. Cares campus needs to be shut down,” she said.

She said they should have more games, activities, and even an art corner to make people feel more welcome, but that doesn’t seem to be the aim.

Rebel and Lori fear that as more and more people avoid the Cares campus, and gravitate outside the Senior Center, sadly new forthcoming rules and protocols will make it less welcoming to the unhoused and the disabled as well.

At the most recent homelessness advisory board meeting this week, County Commissioner Alexis Hill announced publicly that security will soon be added at the Senior Center.

Why people don’t feel safe at the Cares Campus was also brought up at Monday’s meeting, with indications of future plans for a specific space for vulnerable people there.

There’s also the reality that some people including seniors have been “86ed” or permanently banned.

County spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale this week wrote that: “As of Friday, there were 37 individuals who have been placed on a permanent sit-out. That total includes all permanent sit-outs dating back to October 1, 2021. Per the 11/4/2022 NCC policy, the following behaviors will result in a permanent sit-out: Assault and or battery with a weapon, Sexual assault, Possession of a firearm, Sale of illegal drugs, or related paraphernalia, Intentionally setting a fire, Recruitment of others into sex trafficking. Of the 37 current permanent sit-outs, common reasons include drug or sex trafficking, physical assault with a weapon, arson, and significant threats of harm to/stalking staff that resulted in a TPO or arrest. A NCC participant has a right to file an appeal regarding their sit-out of any length, including a permanent sit-out. The individual can approach the security gate at the NCC entrance and request an appeal form, fill it out, and submit it to NCC staff. NCC administrative staff have three days to respond to the appeal. There have been five individuals who appealed a permanent sit-out, the appeal was granted, and they are now allowed back on campus.”

Drysdale also wrote back about concerns that seniors with serious health challenges are not able to stay at the Nevada Cares Campus either, based on a policy there called “Activities of Daily Living”:

“NCC participants must be ambulatory enough to get in and out of their bed on their own and independently take care of activities of daily living (ADL), such as feeding themselves, hygiene, and bathroom needs. The NCC Intake and Diversion staff are required to complete an assessment regarding an individual’s ability to complete their ADLs every time the individual requests a bed at the shelter. If the person is unable to complete their ADLs, the staff attempt to assist diverting the individual to another appropriate location. NCC contracted operator staff are not trained to assist with personal care,” the policy reads.

Our Town Reno reporting, September 2023