A Dive into Local Campaign Contributions, from Charter Schools, to Lawyers for Jacobs Entertainment, Casinos and Construction Companies

A look through the January filings for candidate 2023 contributions and expenses over $1,000 reveals the usual generous donations for establishment and initially appointed rather than elected candidates from developers, incumbents to each other, Jacobs Entertainment and its law firm, other casinos and wealthy individuals.  

One candidate’s filing which caught our eye is that of Kurt Thigpen who is running for Assembly District 24, which covers most of Reno.

His total of $7,500 is modest but it was filed under the Friends of Kurt Thigpen group category rather than as an individual.

 “This happens often and is done incorrectly by the candidate. I will contact Mr. Thigpen to let him know,” Kristen Rhymes from the Elections Division in the Office of Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar wrote back to us yesterday, when we asked about this.

In the itemized section of contributions, there is $2,500 from Academica Nevada, $100 from Paul Klein who works for Tri-Strategies, $50 from Chris Thigpen and $25 from Bethany Drysdale, the communications director at Washoe County, as well as $5,000 in in kind contributions from Ace Studios, his own advertising agency.

There’s a few circles going on there, as the lobbying firm Tri-Strategies helps Thigpen and Academica Nevada, part of the Academica charter school management company giant which administers more than half of Nevada’s 55,000 charter school students, while Thigpen has been a member of the Nevada State Public School Charter Authority since an appointment in 2022.  

The Washoe County School District recently expressed concerns over one of the Academica schools Mater Academy of Northern Nevada receiving unanimous approval from the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority to open a second facility in Golden Valley, saying it could be detrimental to tax-funded public schools. 

Thigpen previously served on the Washoe County School Board in 2021 before he resigned from that body due to high stress levels, and then wrote a book about getting the seat called “How to Win an Election: An Essential Guide to Campaigning During Adversity.” 

His opponents in the race are civil rights attorney Erica Roth, who received over $23,074 in large donations, including $5,000 from Nicole Miller and $2,500 from Southwest Gas Corporation, and environmentalist Ben Barteau who didn’t appear to file.  All three are running as Democrats in a race where the primary should be decisive in a heavily Democratic district. 

We also looked at filings for other races, which all appeared to be reflective of business as usual in terms of local elections and campaign contributions.

The contentious Republican battle in District 4 for County Commission will likely determine the eventual winner for that seat, with the incumbent and governor appointed Clara Andriola receiving over $114,000 in contributions, including $5,000 from the Jensen Electric Company, $5,000 from the Associated Builders and Contractors and $10,205 from Roger Prime. 

Her opponent local GOP operative Tracey Hilton-Thomas received $3,158, including $1,000 from herself, while we couldn’t find anything for the third announced candidate former Sparks fire chief Mark Lawson, who is on his way to receiving a $381,000 settlement for wrongful termination.  

In District 1, where there should be a Democrat/Republican showdown in November, the incumbent Democrat Alexis Hill raised over $151,851, including $2,500 from Woodland Village North, $2,500 from Hamilton Properties, $1,000 from the Abbi Agency, $6,000 from Christopher Wood, $500 from Devon Reese, $5,000 from the Tridentata Trust, $450 from Jerry Snyder, $2,500 from Peppermill Casinos, $500 from Aaron Ford, $5,000 from the GSR, $2000 from Erika White, $1,000 from the Nevada Housing Alliance, $1,000 from Lewis Roca (the law firm for Jacobs Entertainment), $2,500 from the Atlantis, $5,000 from Robert Goldberg and $500 from the Committee to Elect Devon Reese, among many contributions.  

We couldn’t find anything for Marsha Berkbigler, Hill’s Republican opponent.

Over in Reno City council races, incumbents who were all initially appointed, are getting the biggest contributions, by far. 

In Ward 1, the incumbent appointed Kathleen Taylor received over $102,383, including $2,500 from the Gold Dust West Jacobs Entertainment casino and $2,500 from their lawyers at Lewis Roca, $2,500 from the Peppermill, $5,000 from the development company Panattoni, $5,000 from Dolan Trust, $5,000 from Andrew Diss, $500 from Devon Reese, $50 from fellow appointed incumbent Miguel Martinez and $1,000 from Friends of Hillary Schieve among notable contributions.

Challenger Frank Perez received over $30,755, including $10,000 from Friends of Edgar Flores, and $10,000 from D’Silva for Nevada.  Nothing could be found for mutual aid champion Lily Baran also contesting in that race.

In Ward 3, the other more recent incumbent appointed Miguel Martinez received over $65,323 in contributions, including $2,000 from Bonnie Weber for Reno Campaign, $2,500 from the Gold Dust Reno Jacobs Entertainment casino, $5,000 from Dandini Spectrum Holdings, $2,500 from the Atlantis Casino, $1,000 from the Committee to Elect Devon Reese, $1,000 from the Lewis Roca Jacobs Entertainment lawyers, and $2,000 from Peter Zak who was equally generous to Devon Reese. We couldn’t find anything for challenger Denise Meyer.

In Ward 5, another current city council member who was initially appointed, Devon Reese, received a whopping $205,000, including $2,500 from Stacie Mathewson, $2,200 from Ian Anderson who organizes lacrosse locally, $5,000 from Dermody Properties, $2,000 from Savage and Son, $150 from Miguel Martinez, $500 from Naomi Duerr, $5,000 from the Reno Firefighters Association, $5,000 from Greenstreet Development, $2,500 from the Jacobs Entertainment lawyers Lewis Roca, $5,000 from Panattoni Development, $2,500 from the Gold Dust West Jacobs Entertainment casino, $5,000 from Dandini Spectrum, $5,000 from the Atlantis, $5,000 from the Heinz Ranch Land Company, $5,000 from Wood Rodgers, $2,500 from Abby Whitaker, $5,000 from the GSR and $197 from Friends of Kathleen Taylor, among notable contributions.

Nothing was found for opponents Brian Cassidy or Tara Webster, while Sheila Peuchaud got just $1,480.

For the wide open Ward 6 race, we couldn’t find anyone receiving contributions for 2023.  

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

Erica Roth, An Advocate for the People, Running for State Assembly

Erica Roth, a civil rights attorney now running for Assembly seat District 24, traces back her willingness to serve in elected office to help she gave as a public defender to a now incarcerated man.

“He was somebody who had been in and out of the system for a long time, and he had picked up a misdemeanor case, something minor along the lines of breaking into a building, trying to find a place to sleep, things like that,” she explained.

“And we started a years long relationship together. And during those years, he came back again and again for these similar crimes. He was experiencing chronic homelessness. He did not have the resources or services that he needed.”

As she advanced in her career, and started doing felony work, he ended up as a client in a more serious case.  Roth tried to convey to the judge what her client had been through.

“I said, ‘Judge, I want you to imagine what it's like every night to lay your head down onto concrete and to not believe that you have anyone in this world or anyone to take care of you.’”

Roth says despite her efforts her client was given a lengthy prison sentence.  She felt devastated, watching a “slow motion tragedy.”  The man had even threatened her with violence and yelled at her, but she kept trying to help him over the years.  

“When I got back to the office that day after that sentencing, he called me and I thought he was going to yell at me,” she remembers. 

“And I picked up the phone and he was crying and … he said, you know, Miss Erica, I'm so sorry that I'm crying. I'm so embarrassed. I've just never had anyone love me before like you loved me today in that courtroom.”

She says this instance coupled with a difficult home life growing up in Carson City, which led her to become a high school dropout, has made her an advocate for those in need, when the rest of the world is failing them and proper services are lacking.

Roth has an impressive roster of local politicians and community organizers backing her candidacy.

When current assemblywoman Sarah Peters said she would not be running for re-election in 2024, Roth, 34, said she felt it was now her time to run. 

Peters is now one of many local Democratic and progressive heavyweights backing Roth, and whose names appear on a flyer for a February 22nd fundraiser.

District 24 which covers UNR, downtown Reno, Midtown, the Wells Avenue district where Roth lives and parts of the old southwest leans heavily democratic so the June 11th primary will be decisive, in less than four months.  

An elected assembly member, Roth says, is limited in what they can do, but their role in setting the state budget is crucial to the state’s direction. 

“You know, are we putting the right amount of money in into education and are we using our resources well? It’s really important that we have people stepping into these roles who not only have been fighting for their communities, but also know what is required to actually enact that change.”

Roth previously served as Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak’s deputy general counsel, gaining experience on how policy is moved through the levers of power.  

She got her degrees at UC Santa Cruz and then at the University of San Francisco School of Law, and moved back to Northern Nevada to be back close to her mother. 

Roth helped draft an immediate executive order to protect access to reproductive health services in Nevada following the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision.

The issues she has been on the front lines for include protecting the environment, improving prison conditions, expanding abortion access, as well as helping tenants, veterans and the unhoused.  

“How do we center the voices of those who are actually impacted by these issues to make sure that the legislation that we pass is going to benefit them? I think that people recognize how I do business in that way,” she says of the support she is receiving.   

In terms of abortion rights, Roth drafted the executive order which protected patients, volunteers and providers from criminal prosecution or civil lawsuits after the Dobbs decision. The fight is far from over, she says, despite what many often comment on Nevada posts.  

“Even though abortion is legal with parameters in the state of Nevada, that does not equal access, and the right to an abortion without access to abortion renders that right obsolete. And so expanding who can access abortion is something that is so critically important to me, especially because we're no longer just serving Nevadans. We are serving patients from all sorts of state who are seeking haven here, and we have to figure out how to serve them,” she explained.  

Another fight she will help lead she says is helping tenants.

“You're not supposed to spend more than 30% of your income on rent and we have lots of families spending 50, 60% of their income on rent. There's absolutely no pathway to home ownership, which is how we pass on wealth, generationally. I think some practical things that I would really love to see brought back in the next legislative session are limits on things like fees, right? You can have a landlord make a lot of money just by collecting applications, and the tenant doesn't get that money back,” she said.

Roth started out her career as a legal aid attorney doing housing justice work, and says there’s an unusual and unfair requirement in Nevada for tenants to initiate court proceedings once they receive an eviction notice.

“It really preys on people who don't have the resources to take off of work to deal with these issues. It preys on people who don't have experience in the legal system, which is very scary to navigate, especially when your housing is on the line. And so there are absolutely, really practical protections that we can put in place for renters,” she said.  

When asked about her own difficult childhood and teenage years, Roth didn’t give specifics, but said it certainly shaped who she is and why she’s a candidate.

“It’s something that also has motivated me to run because I know what it's like to be a person, a young woman especially, who was in such need of an advocate. And that's really been kind of the driving force in who I have become as a lawyer. And so, you know, that drives so much of what I do and who I am, because I was lucky to have resources that allowed me to overcome those circumstance. But dedicating myself to people who need an advocate is the cornerstone of who I am,” she concluded.  

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

Activists "Break Up" with Jacobs Entertainment Reno Plans

There were signs, speeches, tours of fenced off dirt lots, pets, solidarity and photo ops at yesterday’s activist “breakup” with Jacobs Entertainment in downtown Reno.

“The fact that Jacobs has been allowed to buy up multiple blocks of Reno, and the City Council has just given him a deal to do whatever he wants with all that land,” Rosa, one of the protest organizers from Reno-Sparks Tenants Union said, “and so far he has just been knocking them down and not replacing them with anything.”

“He started buying up buildings around 2017 and started most of his demolitions in 2018,” Elizabeth, another RSTU organizer said.

“A lot of people have been displaced since he has torn down motels, which is the last stop for many people before homelessness. Not a lot of building has been going on, but a lot of people have been displaced.”

The crowd consisted of several dozen people chanting and walking together. Passing cars honked their horns at the protesters, which was read as support. Pedestrians raised their fists in solidarity.

“It’s a way to show that we exist,“ said David Friedman, another member of the RTSU. “It’s a way to educate."

RSTU’s complaints about the lack of affordable housing locally, include having even fewer options when looking for a place which allows pets.

“When we got to a point where we could afford a place” Aspin Murio, who has two dogs, says on finding a place with their pets, “a lot of the places we could afford did not allow pets. It was actually a huge battle and we actually had to find emergency living for three months.”

“We had to end up registering our dogs as emotional support animals to have them with us,” Hana Fahmi, a roommate of Aspin said.

In its latest move in buying out properties on and around 4th street to develop a so-called Neon Line District, after saying it wouldn’t, Jacobs Entertainment won a court auction bid on the dilapidated Bonanza Inn.

Another motel it recently bought out the Desert Rose Inn used to house many seniors living on fixed income, and people who had been previously unhoused.

Reporting and photos by Kade Collins and Quay Skankey

Immigrants of Reno: From Romania to Initial Shock to Now Finding Community

Isabella Pavelea, 51, is from Transylvania, Romania and after 17 years of living in Reno, the Biggest Little City is feeling like home.  

The immigration process can be long, she said. “We applied and waited 11 years until we received a letter from immigration saying [we’ve] been accepted,” Pavelea remembers of the initial challenges of making it to the United States. 

It took Pavelea, her former husband and her two kids another year afterwards to finish all of the paperwork to move here in 2007. They originally decided to move to be closer to her brother-in-law who lived in northern Nevada. For Pavelea, the change was initally a shock.

“Everybody was so excited. Not me, at the beginning. I was freaked out,” Pavelea said. She described being worried about the language barrier. 

However, once she and her family arrived and settled in their new, two-bedroom apartment, Pavelea began taking English and math classes at Truckee Meadows Community College. 

“For me, it was difficult to start with pronunciation,” she said. The English she was learning in Romania was more similar to British English.

“I started from zero, from scratch,” she said. She was taking classes at TMCC and taking care of her children at the same time, while her former husband worked at his brother’s construction company. This process was, at times, difficult for her.

“I needed to hold everything on my shoulders,” she remembers.

For Pavelea, there was also a culture shock that came with moving to the U.S. 

“What shocked me is everything [is] related to freedom. When I saw [for] the first time people walking around Walmart in pajamas, I was amazed,” she said. Dressing is about self-esteem and respect, she adds. 

Currently, she is a Clinical Lab Assistant (CLA) and Phlebotomist at Renown Health. Before she  moved to the U.S., she worked with the Red Cross. She’s been at Renown Health since 2012. 

Pavelea misses her family back in Romania and Spain, where siblings now live, as well as the food. She misses the pedestrian safety in Romania as well.

Two different types of candies from Romania Pavelea brought to the coffee shop, with the colors of the Romanian flag, called ROM and Eugenia. 

For our interview, Pavelea brought with her two different types of candies, both of which she said are popular in Romania. One is called Eugenia - a biscuit with cacao. The other is ROM  - it’s a chocolate bar with a rum-cream filling.  The colors on both of the packages reflect the colors of the Romanian flag - blue, yellow and red. 

She got these candies from her trip back to Romania in 2022, when visiting her parents. Pavelea wants to travel home more often, but flights can be expensive, with many stops.

“It’s very complicated…it’s the waiting time between the flights,” she said. 

However, Pavelea, in between these visits, keeps in touch with her family.  

“We talk over WhatsApp every single day,” Pavelea said. 

As for Reno, the mountains, parks, lakes and the hiking are her favorite parts. And Easter is one of the holidays when she gets together with her family and friends.

“We always get together and everybody brings food,” Pavelea said. They’ve been getting together as a group for 15 years now, she said. The group brings lamb for Easter, she said. Outside of the holiday, Pavelea also likes to make sarmale, also known as Romanian cabbage rolls, as well as Ciorba de Burta (tripe soup). 

This is one of the ways in which she keeps her children, and herself, connected to Romania.

Our Town Reno reporting and photos by Ember Braun

Our Town Reno Cold Cases, part 2: Saul Garcia

“It seems like it just happened. Every year, you wish it didn't happen, but it did happen,” Abby Garcia says of her youngest son having been murdered.   

January 21st marked seven years since Saul Garcia was killed in the back of a vehicle in Sparks. While the case remains unsolved, the Facebook page Justice for Saul-Toast-Garcia remains active. 

“I posted something on Facebook and some of his friends posted on there, you know, that he would never be forgotten,” Abby said.  “They put pictures of him that they had, and, I just go back and I tell them, ‘thank you for remembering and thank you for sharing.’”

The family lit a candle at the Sparks Marina where there’s a plaque with a bike honoring his life.  It’s a good spot for the family to remember him, as he would always go cruising there on his bike with a speaker connected, playing the music he loved, getting smiles from those he passed.  

His birthday on August 16th is just as difficult for Abby and the rest of the family, as is Thanksgiving which was Saul’s favorite holiday.  “We do something at the house for him, but it's just too hard,” she said. “I know it's been seven years, but it's just too hard still. It’s hard to talk about it.  I have pictures of him on the wall but sometimes I can't look at them.” 

Saul, the youngest of five siblings, named after an uncle from Mexico, was killed in the early morning hours of Jan 21, 2017, and found by Sparks police in the back of a vehicle on the 2600 block of Cygnet Circle. That same early morning Edgar Rodriguez was found shot dead in the area of McCarran Boulevard and Sutro Street.  

Police say Rodriguez had left a party in a vehicle with several other people.  Both of the young men were 19 when they were killed.  

Very little information came out in the media, and Abby has grown increasingly frustrated with the local investigation.  

“I don't see them doing anything anymore about it,” she says. “I just gave up on texting the detective because he never would text me back. I would text him like once a month and say, ‘Hey, you know what? This is his mom, I want to know what's going on with the case.’ And I wouldn't hear back from him anymore.”  

She would like to know where the case stands.  

“If they did give up, I mean, they need to let me know what's going on. They need to tell me, ‘okay, you know what, we're not getting any more leads. Nothing's going on. We're gonna close the case now.’ But no one contacted me at all. Nobody. “  

Abby says her family and friends believe they know who the killer is in her son’s murder but that everyone who could help with the investigation is afraid to come forward.  

“They don't want the same thing to happen to them or anything to their family,” she said.  “They're just all too scared to come forward. I do wish that somebody eventually will come forward”  

Abby also wishes police were more communicative.  “They said that Saul was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's what they said. And the gang unit was called but he wasn't a gang banger or anything. He just liked to go out and have fun.  It'd be nice to have somebody that really did care, but they don’t,” she said. 

Saul had had trouble with his schooling, struggling with ADHD, but he was doing well, she says, working at a roofing company, getting his life sorted out, when it was abruptly ended.  

“Deep down in my heart, I know that it's going to stay unsolved,” she added. “You know? I know it's never going to get solved. It's just something that I feel. I just feel it in my heart that no one's ever, ever going to come forward.”

After his death, a GoFundMe for Saul got 30 donations but only received $1,600 out of a $15,000 goal.  Others told Abby, who works in a warehouse, to hire a private detective but she says she doesn’t have the money for that.  A GoFundMe previously set up for Rodriguez is no longer up.

“Everybody needs justice for their children, you know, but some will get it and some won’t,” Abby says, with tears swelling up. She feels racism plays a part in whether or not certain cases get looked into seriously.  

“A lot of people say, like, they'll try to say, ‘get over it. It's over and done with,’ but you never get over it. You know, you never get over it,” she says. “There's nothing anybody can say or do. You know, you as a person just have to go through it yourself. I have to go through it by myself. My kids gotta go through it. They're going to go through it their way. Like I'm going through it my way. But there isn't anything really that anybody can say or do.”

Her other kids still live in the area, and she says they are what keep her going.  

They all miss Saul’s humor.  “He was a funny person. He would tell jokes and he was just a funny person. He was always there for his friends. Whenever some of his friends needed a ride, he would always tell me, ‘Mom, can I use a car? Mom, can I use a truck?’”

His dream was to buy a nice car and go low riding, so now one of his brothers, Gerardo, has been working on tailoring one in Saul’s memory, even displaying it at car shows, like the one above in Las Vegas several years ago.  

“It’s hard for us still to talk about it because we just start crying. I mean, I know it's been seven years, but it's still hard,” she said at the conclusion of our interview.  “I remember the day, I remember what happened and it's just like, I don’t know, it’s hard. “

Reno Police Detectives can be reached at 334-2188 and Sparks Police Department Division at 353-2225. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Secret Witness at 322-4900, www.secretwitness.com or text the tip to 847411 (TIP 411) keyword – SW.

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

Lawson to Cash in on Settlement, While Facing Charges Again

In what was a busy day for the Sparks City Council yesterday, it approved a $381,000 settlement with ex-fire chief Mark Lawson over wrongful termination and defamation claims, allowing him to cash in more than expected as he now runs for office, just months after the same body turned down a previously offered $170,000 settlement.

Lawson left his job in late 2022 in disputed circumstances a week after he started it, after being confronted by then Sparks City Manager Neil Krutz that he was facing four felony steroid charges.

The case was dismissed with prejudice earlier this year, with prosecutors saying they needed more time.

The Nevada attorney general’s office quickly refiled charges against Lawson in Sparks Justice Court earlier this month, with a new arraignment hearing scheduled for March 26th.

Lawson who has maintained his innocence throughout this saga says he is running for Washoe County Commission District 4 in a contentious Republican primary against appointed incumbent Clara Andriola, favored by establishment figures, and Washoe County GOP Vice Chair Tracey Hilton-Thomas.

As of today, his Facebook page Mark Lawson for Nevada Washoe County Commission has 68 likes and 243 followers, with recent posts promoting local events, recirculating local news stories of interest and an explainer on ideal tire pressure in cold weather.

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

Sparks City Council Criminalizes Sleeping in Vehicle, Parking Lived-In RVs in Public

“Poverty is not a crime” the ACLU of Nevada wrote after the Sparks City Council moved to boost an existing ordinance now making it a criminal misdemeanor with up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine to sleep in a vehicle or stay parked for an extended period of time while living inside an oversized RV on public property.

It was voted for unanimously Monday and took effect immediately despite dozens of emails against and angry comments from representatives of local mutual aid groups and faith-based groups, saying it was "inhumane."

The Sparks Police Chief who is also the Acting City Manager, Chris Crawforth, spoke in favor of the ordinance saying it was needed for what some other speakers also called service-resistant individuals.

An earlier presentation by the Nevada Housing Coalition indicated that with wages not keeping up with prices a person making minimum wage in Nevada now needs to work 82 hours a week to afford a basic one-bedroom apartment.

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

Melody, Unable to Rebound from COVID Job Loss and Health Problems

"We're all equal. There's no one who's better than anyone else,” says Melody, who was hobbling along the streets of Reno recently, near the Cares Campus, huddled in her jacket.

She hopes to return home to live with her brother in Ohio, after saying she never rebounded from the COVID shutdowns here.  

"I had a car. I had a job. I had a house. Everything,” she says. “Then Covid hit and things just went crazy… for a lot of people. You (can) get pushed to the wall really bad." 

She’s had to start paying copays on her Medicaid, she says, and her food stamps aren’t keeping up with rising prices.  

“I don't understand the economy anymore,” she says. “(The cost of living) gets higher but it's worse for low income people."

She’s struggling with her health in a myriad of ways, including brain damage from an ex hitting her on the head with a blunt object when he wanted his jacket back, she says.  She recently survived a bout with pneumonia but felt she was treated like a second class citizen at a local hospital.

“They treat the homeless different here… I understand they're dirty and should clean up after themselves… But they still should not judge,” she says.

“Some people are going to go out and hurt or kill themselves because they make them feel like a piece of sh*t. Pardon my language but you know, that's not right for them to do that. They sent me out to die. I felt like I was walking dead with that pneumonia.”

She went to another hospital and got better treatment, she says, but now she needs more help.   

"I have a bad knee I have to have surgery on. I can't work right now. I would work. I'd make more than Social Security would give you. It's painful. It's very painful," she added.

"There's days I cry and cry a lot… It's sad to see all these people like this. Life could be better.”

"This state is so (immoral.) Cruel people," she laughs nervously when talking about Nevada in general, and Reno specifically. "This is Sin City Two. Reno is very cruel. They don't care about you. …If you step in front of them and die they will look at you and let you die. That's just the way I feel. Anyway. One day at a time. That's all we can do. You gotta make what you can of every day." 

She believes more mental health hospitals are needed.   

"They say they closed the mental hospitals. ‘Why?’ "They can't afford them? The state makes so much money. The casinos! Why can't they help? They are greedy here. They don't really have it in order here. (It seems like) they're letting people go bad. It's sad. It's a sad state. They should be helping people.”

If people show concern for her particular plight, she says she’s appreciative. 

“It puts a smile on your face. Maybe they can make a difference. Just one little difference. Hope. It's all you got. It's people like you who matter," she says of people who want to help.  

Melody says people experiencing homelessness need the following: blankets, clothes, hygiene, soap, shampoo, conditioner and locks to keep personal belongings safe. 

"A lot of hygiene (supplies,)” she repeats in terms of needs. “A lot of people don't get Social Security out here. They just hustle. Or they gave to borrow or whatever. Little bottles of shampoo and stuff will last a couple washes." 

Despite having items stolen at the Cares Campus, she says she feels safe there.  

“They have a great staff. Great, great people,” she says.  

What about the stigma that many people are unhoused due to drug use?

"Some people depend on drugs because it makes the pain go away,” she responds. 

Melody advocates for rehab for those who need it. "Talk to them sensibly. Don't talk to them like they're pieces of sh*t. It breaks my heart. Just put some love out. Help these people.”

Melody often visits the railroad tracks near Fourth and Sage streets to help others herself. 

She says she's a survivor who has had twelve near death experiences, from car wrecks to suicide attempts. 

"I think life is about a test. I'm going to make it. I won't give up. I made it this long. I'm almost sixty. I've got a lot to tell somebody." 

Reporting and Photos by Dani DeRosa for Our Town Reno

Lawsuit Targets Mustang Ranch, Other Nevada Brothels for Alleged Sex Trafficking

A lawsuit filed just before the Super Bowl on behalf of a Nevada resident using the name “Jane Doe” is calling for an end to legalized prostitution in the Silver State, accusing brothels and brothel owner Lance Gilman, whose real estate firm brokers properties at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, of being complicit in sex trafficking.

A video was released yesterday by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation on YouTube titled Super Bowl 2024 Nevada Brothel Sex Trafficking Lawsuit mentioning the court action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Rr9T46Gxk...

The lawsuit claims that from 2017 to 2022 Jane Doe was “induced to engage in commercial sex acts through force, fraud, and coercion - including psychological manipulation, constraints on her movement, and debt - in legal brothels operating in Nevada.”

The lawsuit names four brothels: the Mustang Ranch just east of Sparks, The Chicken Ranch in Pahrump, the Desert Rose Club in Elko, and Bella’s Hacienda Ranch in Lamoille.

It also names Gov. Joe Lombardo and Attorney General Aaron Ford in the accused.

The suit alleges workers at the Mustang Ranch are forced to sign NDA agreements, fined for missing lineup calls when an unannounced customer arrives, being locked inside, prevented from leaving for weeks, having their car keys taken away from them and being forced to turn over earnings. Other accusations include allegations women are being sent to Reno for sex buyers outside the premises of the brothel.

In an RGJ article, Russell Greer, with the political action committee called A Safer Nevada, aimed at expanding legal brothels is quoted as saying it’s another “frivolous” lawsuit attacking Nevada’s brothel industry, while the report indicates Gilman and the governor’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment, while the attorney general’s office said it does not comment on any pending litigation.

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

Career College of Northern Nevada Closes Abruptly

The Career College of Northern Nevada on Pullman Drive in Sparks closed abruptly this week, after filing for bankruptcy, leaving current students and staff in a bind.

Their website indicates: “If you are a student who was actively enrolled or on an approved leave of absence on this date, or if you withdrew from a training program within 180 days of this date, you may be eligible for a Closed School Discharge.”

Other options are listed there for students seeking help.

A reader who shared this exterior photo with us told us employees in the building were notified it was closing Friday early afternoon, its last day of operations. The reader says they were told to pack up their belongings, as no one would have access after 4 p.m..

Some instructors found out about the closing from their students or other media reports.

We tried to contact the school via phone and email but did not hear back as of yet.

Average cost after aid for first time, full-time undergraduate students was estimated to be nearly $21K.

Its Yelp reviews ranged from a recent five star one, by Drew B. who said his experience for the HVAC morning program was “phenomenal.”

Many other recent reviews were of the one star variety though such as Jaylen J. saying: “This school is a joke. They care more about student drama than actual education. I went to class and all we did the whole time was talking about a text message that was sent out in a group text that I never got. When I told them they needed to talk to those involved and not waste my class time, I was told I was being immature …” or Jorge L. who wrote “teachers don't pay attention to you they hand you papers and then expect you to know what to do you ask a question and they tell you to look it up worst trade school hvac program is trash basically you’re teaching yourself…”

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

Local Bands Hope for More Reno Venues, while Turning to Tea Shops, Markets, Hotels and Community Radio

The camaraderie and community felt palpable as people sang and danced along to the covers and original songs performed by Unexplainable Cattle Mutilations and Evening Spirits at the Holland project on a recent Thursday night.

The all-ages Holland is a well-known venue in Reno, while house shows also take place, but these always risk being shut down due to neighbor complaints and police visits.

This showcases a need for more places for local musicians to perform and their fans to enjoy their music without feeling they might be short changed.

In a recent Our Town Reno podcast episode the bass player for the local band and Holland Project regulars Worm Shot Cierra said she performs at Holland and performs house shows, but faces abrupt endings with these. “My favorite show was with Mom Cars at my house, in my backyard. I love hosting shows, I think it’s so fun. I love having people make music in my backyard.” said Cierra “We actually got shut down last time I hosted a show– by the cops.”  

Reno, going through a transition for the past several years, has lost some of its DIY music history. House shows were a big part of the punk and hardcore scenes in the past, and still continue today at different houses, but some of these vintage locations have been demolished to make space for new housing which don’t have that vintage appeal.

As Reno and the surrounding areas grow in population, though, so does the demand for live music. This lack of available spaces inhibits musicians trying to make a name for themselves.

The indie rock band Evening Spirits performing.

Currently most people agree that The Holland Project is the place for shows in Reno. Chloe, the bass player for a new Reno based band RIP EVERYTHING described The Holland Project as “super chill.” “It’s always welcoming, every type of music plays there,” Chloe explained. “They’ve got hardcore, they’ve got punk, they’ve got metal, they’ve got indie, indie funk, they’ve got jazz. They’ve got electronic and post-punk, they’ve got everything!”

One of the biggest reasons that The Holland Project is so popular, and well known is because it is all ages. The biggest problems that local bands, especially young ones, face is finding spaces to practice and perform.

Rashidul Kaber, or Rash, is a sound engineer, musician, and board member for the Reno Punk Rock Flea Market. “I think the biggest challenge is kind of finding a space to play. Especially for young bands with younger people in them. We really only have one all ages venue, and it’s the Holland Project,” Rash said.

“With some of the other venues it’s kind of hard to get into those spaces, as a lesser known local band. I feel like a lot of the venues are looking for bands that have bigger draws.”

A show poster for a recent Holland event.

RIP EVERYTHING’s solution to these problems is a boba tea shop. Num Num Boba is a local business with two locations, in North and South Reno. Num Num Boba had hosted music nights before with members of the jazz program at UNR. RIP EVERYTHING proposed having a different type of show there– with local bands. 

They played their first show at Num Num in 2022. “They [the owners] are really into it too. It especially brings business around during the winter time when it gets slow at boba shops.” The band members said  “We decided to play a show and then they invited us back a couple of times. I do really hope that it becomes a thing for other bands to go there too because I think it is a cool place to play.”

These kinds of unconventional venues are hopefully going to become a bigger part of Reno’s music scene moving forward. “I’ve been noticing a lot of spaces that don’t– that aren’t really conducive to live shows,” Rash said “but they’re still doing them, that’s really cool.” These kinds of partnerships with local businesses provide a freedom for new bands and can also draw in business for the hosts of these shows. 

Although the way music is released and the way that musicians can grow an audience has changed with the rise of music streaming platforms, in Reno, playing live shows is still important to build an audience. RIP EVERYTHING explained, “to get local buzz you need live shows. Because if you just put it on Spotify or Apple Music you won’t reach a bigger audience, but word spreads faster person to person in the city. Especially in the city, because Reno’s not too big.”

Getting music onto streaming platforms can still be helpful for local artists to find an audience. Lila and Hailey, of the radio show “Milking It,”  play a lot of local artists. “The main goal of “Milking It” was to get everyone out of their everyday music and just show them that there are bands that are just as good that they may not have been listening to before and we just love sharing local music on the radio” they explained, “It is hard when those band’s don’t have recordings and we can’t play them.” 

A lot of the music that “Milking It” does play they discover through going to shows. They don’t just go to shows for research though.  “I think a good local music scene is really important to the culture of a city, especially with Reno being such a big college town,” said Hailey “I think it’s nice to have something for people to do on the weekends. That’s what I do on the weekends. And especially for people who don’t like to go to parties, or like frats.”

A lot of local musicians do it as a hobby; they have full time jobs, or are students. Nick Eng, another local musician, plays gigs often around the Reno-Tahoe area. He had advice for artists looking to make money from their music. “Is music just something you enjoy doing, or is it your career? I’m a pop-rock guy, and I play a combo of originals and covers at all my shows- solo and full band- and that flexibility gets me and us into a lot of better paying venues,” Nick said. “Some people might not want to play covers, which is valid, but you’d be limiting yourself to income and a wider audience if you don’t.”

Nick Eng played his own songs and covers on a chilly night for the Reno Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

While there are many bars, casinos, and DIY venues that host live music like The Lodge, Black Rabbit Mead Co, Fort Ralston, The Z Bar and more, there is still a lack of venues dedicated to music and other local art.

Some people are trying to create new venues and spaces for musicians to play and connect. The Reno Punk Rock Flea Market currently holds events that feature live music and vendors. They also have a goal to “provide a permanent space for all of our community members to collaborate & create.”

A fashion brand Trippy Kitty Co. is organizing a big show with music and vendors scheduled initially this week and now pushed back to March at the Renaissance Hotel.

Finding an actual space is the first and hardest step in creating a new venue. “We, first of all, we obviously have to find a space that is suitable for us because we need kind of a big space to be able to host vendors and bands,” Rash explained “We’ve got to find a space that is suitable, we’ve got to get it to a point where we’re comfortable with having at least shows there which means getting all sorts of gear and all the equipment that goes with live shows.” 

Musicians themselves, those helping to create more spaces for music, and people who support local artists are excited to see what the future of music in The Biggest Little City can become, with hopefully many more welcoming venues.

Our Town Reno reporting by Emma Torvinen

New Soccer League Director Seeks to Create Better Pathway with Battle Born Futbol

Marco Chang, 22 and an already well traveled and experienced soccer player, is part of the team now at Battle Born Futbol Club setting up a new MLS Go youth program locally for ages three to 12, with sign ups taking place now for an inaugural 2024 Spring season.  

Chang, in addition to being a Battle Born men’s first team player now at the Nisa level in the NN Pacific division, is also the club’s MLS Go director, a youth coach and private coach.  

“The whole idea behind the MLS Go approach is to basically have a grassroots program that helps kids obviously utilize soccer to grow as soccer players, but … go out the door as well. In the U.S. you have all these clubs, but there's no linkage with the higher level,” he explained.

Players get to have MLS club-branded uniforms, with a pathway to playing at the highest level in this county as MLS Go leagues are partnered with Major League Soccer. 

Players within the existing Battle Born club teams get to be coached in clinics by Battle Born players, both men and women, and are encouraged to go to their games. The women’s Battle Born team competes in the Women’s Premier Soccer League.

“We have kids all the time, you know, asking for signatures of kids wanting to be our ball boys, kids waiting to walk out with the players,” Chang said of existing Battle Born youth soccer players going to the men’s and women’s home games.

“So that really inspires and that really motivates the kids within our club to not only want to pursue soccer, but to know that, hey, they do have a future within soccer, whether that may be for the best to become professionals or at least get scouted as they progress by schools, junior colleges and Division 1 or Division II universities,” Chang said. 

To go pro in the United States, a player can be drafted after an impressive collegiate career or can go through the MLS system, starting with MLS Go, then making it into the MLS Next league which has nearly 150 clubs and over 600 teams in different age groups, then MLS Next Pro and then if all clicks the MLS.  

As the kids age through the MLS Go and Battle Born system, they can also play on the club’s youth travel teams and compete against other elite U.S. youth teams. Players at this level can also get help in terms of scholarships from a fund the club has for travel or gear, as the emphasis is not exclude anybody who might be from a less affluent background if they have the talent and desire to compete. 

Interested parents can find more information here: https://battlebornfc.com/mls-go-operated-by-battlebornfc-reno-sparks/ 

Chang, a Toronto native who arrived in Reno in August is well traveled, having played at three stateside schools over four years during his collegiate career, and having lived in six states in the past five years, with a stint at the USL 2 level in Florida prior to Battle Born.  This has allowed him to compare different American soccer cultures and coaching techniques.

“The biggest thing with our model is creating a safe, respectful and fun environment for players to enjoy the sport itself, and creating a pathway for the kids and their soccer future,” he said.   “Our aspirations are to get as many kids as we can and let's go teach them the right fundamentals, help them grow.”

“I don't think any words can really describe it, because I think for me, my actions and my decisions towards the sport add up,” he said when asked to describe his love and devotion to soccer.  It hasn’t been without setbacks though, a testament to his own resilience.

“You know, at the age of 18 I got basically tossed aside for the academy that I was playing with. And, you know, at that point I really wanted to give up. But from there, you know, I kept grinding and I ended up finding myself at a Division II school in West Virginia.”

He’s had repeated injuries, and went to different schools at different levels looking for the right situation for himself before and after the pandemic.  The grind he went through has made him a better player, he says, and leader for the next generation of players. 

“The sacrifices I've had to make shows how much I love the sport and how much dedication I have towards it,” he said.  

A challenge for the Battle Born club has been getting access to fields in northern Nevada, while competing with other more established leagues and clubs.

Its website indicates it will have access to Golden Eagle, Wooster High School, Marce Herz Middle School, and Sage Ridge School for its upcoming MLS Go season, while it works to build its own multi field turf facility near Parr Blvd. for future use.  

 The 2024 Spring MLS Go league is scheduled to start March 16th with early registration ending on February 17th.  Game days will be Saturdays and Sundays, with one or two practices per week. 

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

The Trippy Kitty Co. street fashion brand seeks to “create community through creativity”

Trippy events are coming to Reno, starting with the Noir show at the Renaissance Hotel on February 10th, from 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m., mixing local music, art, crafts, jewelry and fashion.  

The event is being put on by fashion brand Trippy Kitty Co. the brainchild of Athen, also known as Pilar, a precocious 18-year-old artist from Los Angeles now based in Reno.

Athen says that from a young age she has always been into music and that passion only continued when she moved to the Biggest Little City a year ago. Throughout the last 12 months, Pilar met a multitude of bands and artists and wondered why the two seemed so separate from each other. “Even going to like local shows, it just feels like the sect of bands is different than the sect of artists. We’re all here to create art. Like let's combine,” Athen told Our Town Reno during a recent interview.

Pre-sale tickets for the event she is planning are now available for $18.00 on the TKC presents website. After the pre-sale ends, tickets will be $20.00 at the door: https://www.tkcpresents.com/?fbclid=PAAaZKsihttrL2pEd5D-rnhpt9oC2xtRlFNx4uiikBkT_4TsRE7d48WSvAoT8_aem_AfbogoiR0DjWf1JWPCmov6vRkBQ9NFBJ9p0Mkw0HE7iqfuAlXgJYrsB6v0xHALLgdWY

That’s what Athen hopes to accomplish with the Noir show, hosted by her brand Trippy Kitty Co.

Local music artists Noah Linker and Athen herself will be performing, as well as local bands Faded Shawties, Heaven 07, BenderWorld, and Evangeline. 

On top of these talented acts, Pilar has invited local artists such as Lils, Skel, and Baby Abeille to showcase some of their work. All of these artists dabble in different mediums from pen and paper, to 3D art,  and their work will be for sale during the night. 

These artists have even come together to make intriguing posters to help promote the event. “I have such a passion for music and art and to be a part of an event that embraces all mediums is something I’m so grateful to have come across” says artist Lils. 

Bousabe will be selling beautiful homemade silver pieces with hints of crystals and gemstones, such as above.

Other clothing and accessory vendors such as Hey Punk, Lucky Cheeks Beauty, and Bousabe will also be in attendance. Trippy Kitty Co. specializes in streetwear clothing whereas Hey Punk specializes in knitwear. If you’re into permanent jewelry, Lucky Cheeks Beauty will be selling bracelets, anklets, charms, and more.

Pilar wanted to also create a way to give back not only to these artists, but also to the Reno community. There will be a raffle at the show that is two dollars to enter. Vendors donated pieces to factor into the main prize which will consist of one beanie from Hey Punk, one T-Shirt from Trippy Kitty Co, one piece of jewelry from Bousabe, and one wax from Lucky Cheeks Beauty who specializes in body waxing as well as permanent jewelry. Lucky Cheeks Beauty is also donating a free haircut from her husband who is a hairstylist. 

“I couldn’t be more grateful for the way everything came together. I prayed a lot when it came to this event and I’m super happy with the results,” Pilar says. There will also be a fashion contest for attendees to partake in. The show name being Noir, Pilar thought it would be fun to host a contest in between band sets to vote on the audience's favorite Noir outfits. A dress code of all black is encouraged but not required to attend. However the winner of the fashion contest will receive a Trippy Kitty Co. sticker. 

With so many fun festivities and experiences to enjoy, what better way to remember the night than with professional photographs? Local photographer, Daniel Lopez Garzon, or Aethenee on Instagram, has been a photographer for over five years. He is offering professional photos at the event: five dollars for one, and $10 for three. Your photos will be printed within 20 minutes where attendees will have the option of either taking their photos with them when they are developed, or having them held at the photo booth area until the end of the night. “I’m really excited for an opportunity like this,” says Daniel. 

Local bands are also excited to play at this event. “This is going to be a genuinely incredible show with an amazing lineup of local bands, artists, and vendors. So much is going on behind the scenes to make it perfect. I know the ticket price is a little more than usual but I promise it is so worth it,” guitarist Ryan Kowalczuk from BenderWorld, shared on an Instagram story.

Artist Skel also expressed his excitement for this upcoming show: “I love the idea, the theme, and I'm really impressed with the people we’ve got working on this one.” 

Our Town Reno reporting by Lauren Juillerat, a member of BenderWorld

The Resistant Little Old House Bought Out in Jacobs Entertainment Expansion

The little old house at 347 West Street that resisted the downtown Jacobs expansion buyout spree for years has finally been bought by Jacobs Entertainment, according to Washoe County records, for $1.2 million, more than double, even up to triple, its estimate on several realtor websites.

It had been bought for just over $140,000 in 2015.

It’s believed by many to be the oldest house in Reno, on Lot 8 of Block E on the original Reno townsite, built within a year or so of the city’s founding in 1868.

The lot was originally purchased for $200.

In a quote in an RGJ article today, Jeffrey Jacobs says he is willing to sell it to anyone for $1 if they are willing to relocate the Benham-Belz House, as it is known by historians.

The initial occupants were the Benham family who then moved to Spokane, before they sold the home to Reno barber John Belz in 1883. His daughter Florence lived in the house until she died in 1981 at the age of 87.

The current sellers included John Gorham, a co-owner of the nearby beleaguered Bonanza Inn, which should be auctioned on soon, and coincidentally or not, Jacobs Entertainment has now decided to pass on bidding for after making headlines for being interested in that property as well.

UNR, Jacobs Entertainment and others with an eye on new development have had spotty records in terms of saving historical structures in recent years, either leaving them on crutches to slowly rot, moving a few in costly endeavors and demolishing others.

Our Town Reno reporting, February 2024

Katie Coling Keeps Planning Ahead, While Navigating Local Activism and Solutions for a Better World

As winter marches on locally, plans are being made for preparing soil and what to plant in future months, while Soil Solidarity, a community gardening nonprofit project with anarchist roots, also tries to fill out its board. 

"We need to build an alternative to capitalism. Not a bandaid," Katie Colling, the founder, says of her ongoing pursuits.

Her new base is called Groundswell at 1820 G street, where she and others have a three-year lease while being allowed to do whatever they want with the property in terms of landscaping, as a new model for sustainability and community building.

Paul Lenart who joined her for a recent strategy meeting is proud of the way Colling “smashed through the barriers and got it done. That’s all I’ve ever cared about in the left community in Reno; getting things done,” he added.  “If you believe in human equality of opportunity for development of oneself and the community, you are a comrade of mine.” 

Their discussion ranges from Paul’s thoughts on political ideology to Katie’s local concerns.

Katie is a mother of two with a disability who found a calling for activism during Occupy Reno.  

“I was the vice president and free market director for the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality for six years,” she says of her journey.  “That meant a lot to me because not only did I meet people who were like my spirit connection and found people who were like-minded, I got to actually actively do something (productive) for so long with them…  They went on to open [the emergency housing provider for women and families] Our Place. I am proud of them for that.” 

In addition to coordinating Soil Solidarity, Katie has been a transition specialist at the Nevada Youth Empowerment Project for a little over a year, helping young women get back on track, with the guidance of NYEP executive director Monica DuPea. 

Katie says that self-sabotage can be an issue for the eighteen to twenty-four year old women that organization tries to help.   

“Decision making skills (are)  not always up to par… They’ll leave for boys. They’ll leave for shitty jobs. They had to do their chores every day and didn’t necessarily like it. But I also see really dedicated women who are busting their ass for the program and (learn a lot of) skills which I wish I’d had when I was (their age.)”

Katie is also proud of a document she co-created in 2022 called An In-Depth Guide of Homelessness in Washoe County. “It’s specifically ten organizations that did something about homelessness, our opinions on each of them, and twelve pages of recommendations of what we think anybody should be doing.”

A section called Recommendations for Social Change advocates that “the homeless encampment sweeps be stopped and replaced with intensive outreach. The Reno Ambassador program reports that it takes 89 engagements with a person experiencing homelessness by 6.5 different agencies over six months before a person will agree to be sheltered. Homeless sweeps are costly, ineffective… and courts have held that the failure to provide sufficient notice before a sweep that allows people time to safeguard their property or the destruction of property during a sweep violates the rights of homeless individuals.”

The document recommends specific funding of grant workers, housing retention specialists, and increased wages of shelter workers.

Katie encourages members of the community to find something they’re passionate about and commit. 

“Soil Solidarity has been growing food far longer than we’ve been a nonprofit,” Katie explained. “We’ve been working with mutual aid programs for eleven, twelve years now.” 

One new project is to develop the land at Groundswell itself.

“We want to install a food forest here (including) trees. …Draft a guide on how to do what we’re doing,” she explained.

Other plans include developing communications classes for local activists and finding a location for canning and other food processing.  

The issue of filling Soil Solidarity’s board is on her mind.  Two are active and two other board members are on medical leave. Open positions are many now: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Fundraiser. 

The president will be expected to attend fundraisers and events while fully supporting the executive director, and ideally be someone who is dedicated to the cause: an alternative to capitalism. 

As the discussion progresses, Paul states that egalitarian projects aren’t often victorious in Reno.  “Can I out you as an anarchist?” Katie laughs. “Yes you can.”

“Think globally. Act locally,” Katie says of her pursuits after Paul explains some of his views on global economic structures and current strife.   

“That’s the only thing that keep me stable. Is to hear the global stuff but I can’t tackle it. It causes me so much internal stress. So I focus specifically on Washoe County…” Colling says.  “I would point out that there were different ways of viewing the same reality,” Paul chimes in.  “That’s true,” Katie agrees. 

“I think we share the same reality. It is not the fantasy world of everybody going after their own to the best they can and getting as much as they can and somehow it’ll all work out at the end. We see how well that works out when you drive down Virginia street,” Paul says.

“Right,” Colling agrees. “It’s like closed up closed up.” 

The two speak about their collaboration and the importance of compromise. 

“My point to that is that Paul and I have collaborated for years,” Katie points out. “Fifteen,” he says. 

“And I feel like we compromise on our ideologies to help… And I think because we’re in the socialist democrats….compromising ideologies a little bit but collaborate with them and with other people. The problem is that other people don’t just onboard because of the infighting, because of the communication skills that we lack as a whole. Being overwhelmed by the drama of the world. And even just the drama of our local community it’s so hard to change things here. I understand why people don’t step in and stay but we need people to. And if it’s social democracy, which is a compromise for capitalism, we still need people to move to the left. Just come on you guys, I’ll get you closer,” she laughs. 

The local Northern Nevada DSA is currently experiencing a transfer of leadership roles, which the two, both connected to democratic socialists, also discussed. 

Paul says that “NNDSA feels that its role is to provide a communication network among all the various efforts for a greater degree of equality whether reformist, revolutionary, anarchist, whatever. We don’t care. If you’re not a Nazi, “hell, I’ll work with you. I work with democrats, shit,” he says.   

Though Katie does believe voting is important, she'd like to see more activism. 

She’d like other people to create their own versions of Soil Solidarity. “We want to build a model that other people can replicate… Do something with your house… in conjunction with the land owner. People know how to buy land and be a dictator about land. We want to teach people how to share their land and work together. Hence the communication classes. Conflict resolution, deescalation, and just basic communication skills. How to take constructive criticism,” Katie explains.

What else can individuals do? Here her mind went back to her mutual aid gardening.

“Decolonize. Pull away from white culture and centering Indigenous cultures and the way in which they interact with the land. One thing in Native language is they speak of the land first and the person last and we do it the opposite,” she said.

“Native to Nevada is good. I would say (grow) productive things. Does it bring bees? Does it bring healthy bugs? Does it protect your plants from bad bugs? Is it edible? Can you use it? Also permaculture is not just plants. It’s a whole concept around how people are part of nature. We’re part of that ecosystem and how we interact with it is valuable,” she went on further.   

“There’s a (technological) compromise I’m trying to decide on right now. I have this plot, Project Dandelion, and about six-seven inches below the bed is this dead pan of hard clay. I’m torn between using a rototiller, digging it up and making it better from that point forward. But there’s a lot of arguments to be made that you should broad fork it and not destroy the mycelium in the soil,” she pondered, while Paul listened.  

From minute intricacies to big picture issues, Katie is always trying to make the world around her a better place, starting here in Washoe County, excited about where Groundswell will go.

Reporting by Dani DeRosa shared with Our Town Reno

Jr. Staying Along the Train Tracks in Reno

While mini encampments often get swept along train tracks in Reno, these often pop up again.

One of those there who reporter Dani DeRosa found on a recent icy day was Jr. whose life story is marked by losing his mother, sister and girlfriend, and bad health. 

He says he’s experienced homelessness on and off for seven years after having a stroke. 

"That really screwed me up. I had to relearn how to speak, walk… I was choking on water,” he remembers. 

"I'm not looking for a handout. I'm looking for a hand up,” he said, while adding he needs to get money to start the process to get into the Social Security system to receive payments. He gave a figure of $140. 

"I'm having a hard time staying warm,”  he said of the current winter.  He says the fire department recently came out to his camp to put out the small fire he had made to get some much needed heat.  

Reporting and Photo by Dani DeRosa for Our Town Reno

Strength in Adversity: Reno-Tahoe's Mexican-American Community

As Madison Wanco and Autumn Novotny report, the Reno-Tahoe area is home to a large demographic with a Mexican background. While dealing with the difficulties of settling in a new country, these strong communities are resilient through their value system and family ties.

In the vast region between Tahoe and Reno, from day laborers to established entrepreneurs, from DACA to scholarships, from dealing with micro aggressions to wide ranging discrimination, the Mexican American community faces many challenges. By listening to the voices of some of them from Kings Beach, Washoe County, and the UNR campus, we have identified some of the challenges currently being faced: housing instability, harmful stereotyping, and misrepresentation. Through ups and downs, the local Mexican-American community is a strong force of support for one another. 

Alberto Garcia, a first generation student at UNR, pursuing a career in school counseling and critical mental health, advocates for undocumented students at UNR, saying they feel they don’t have equal opportunities to thrive. 

Garcia’s parents are from Mexico City and moved to Reno in 1989, for its quiet atmosphere and connection to nature. They started working jobs in hospitality when they first came to Reno, and today his father works for a landscaping company and his mother is a housekeeper. 

He sees many Mexican American and other Latino students also struggling with housing costs and stereotypes such as, “they don’t belong here,” or being labeled “illegal” or described as “stealing jobs.” 

In Kings Beach, the Latino community makes up 45.8% of the entire population and the school system has 50% enrolled Latino students.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s there was a migration of people from Mexico, specifically coming from one state in particular, Guanajuato. At this time the area was underdeveloped and affordable.

There was a huge need and call for services in the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. Kings Beach needed people to help take care of lawns, resorts, and more construction workers.

Emilio Vaca, the past Vice Mayor of Kings Beach who has worked on housing sustainability projects and is a former director of a family research center, believes in pushing home ownership for local Mexican Americans and other Latinos.

“It generates a long term stability model for the social fabric of Kings Beach for the Latinos there,” Vaca said.

Kings Beach was originally built to be a summer housing community. The facilities people called affordable were old shacks or cabins having one room with no kitchen, lacking the basic necessity to make a meal.

Families were often approached by Child Protective Services who would take their children away because these families lived in a place that did not provide warm food for their children, which was considered neglect.

Vaca’s mantra became that having adequate housing is necessary because even though a family could afford a little cabin, it has to be adequate enough to have their children there. 

The growth of adequate housing has produced landlords who have a standard to meet for facility accessibility. This situation has also helped Latinos become more vocal in the Kings Beach community. 

The vibrant Mexican food restaurants on the Kings Beach strip have also contributed to the housing project and heightened buying power. Establishments such as Tacos Jaliscos, La Mexicana, and Las Panchitas have unique stories behind them of the owners coming to America to start their businesses. 

Alex Brambila, the owner of Las Panchitas, came to the United States in the winter of 1982 when he visited his brother in Los Angeles. Alex was on a three-month sick leave from work in Mexico because he had hurt his hand. Some of his brother’s friends, also visiting from the same hometown as Alex in Mexico, told him about a new restaurant which would be called Las Panchitas. They asked Alex to come with them to Lake Tahoe and open up this restaurant. None of them knew anything about Lake Tahoe, but decided to get in a small, janky car and drive there anyway. 1982 was the snowiest winter recorded at this point in time and they were all surprised to see it, they’d never seen snow before. Arriving, they started to clean, put tables and chairs into place, and cooked. When they opened, Alex was the busboy and dish washer. He ended up staying for the entire year, losing his visa in the meantime and couldn’t go back to Mexico. In 1984, he filled out some forms and three months later a red card arrived in the mail; a work permit. A few months passed and a green card was delivered to him, it was one of the best things, he said. He felt that all his hard work was paying off. Working at minimum wage for years as the dish washer and busboy, he started to learn some English and was promoted to waiter, which he had a passion for. The owner eventually made him a cosigner on the business account, taking on the responsibility of doing payroll. People would often ask him if he was the owner because he was always there, always working, and he would reply, “No, I just work here.” He always did feel like he owned the business, and in 2008 he bought Las Panchitas.

Vaca says, “these stories are so redemptive and it’s a Latino journey of reaching the American Dream.”

When Vaca was a young boy, he asked his father what the American Dream meant to him. Vaca thought he would answer with images of a big house and a white picket fence, but to his surprise, his father said, “you are my American Dream.” With these few words that hold so much meaning, Vaca realized what the American Dream meant to someone who migrated to this area.

The goal for many immigrants is to put children in a better place and in a healthier, safer environment than in their own hometowns. It is not the big house, the nice cars, or the prestigious job, it is putting their children in a position to have success and happiness.

The Latino community in Kings Beach acts fast when one of them is in need, everyone will step up, Vaca says.

They will often organize a fundraiser called Kermes, where tickets are sold to buy food, drinks and other items. Jumpy houses are usually blown up and live music is performed. The money collected will go to the one family in need to pay their bills or used for other needs.

All of the vendors will donate the food, the time, and the labor for this one family.

“If the community doesn’t mirror itself, then we have a problem, and that means we are moving away from what makes us a community,” Vaca said. “Right now, Kings Beach still has that reflection in the mirror and it can see itself in that reflection. The American dream is not dead to them.” 

Churros Huesos has a home base in Sun Valley where their food truck can be found at Mendoza’s Coffee shop, but they cater to all of Reno including at the University of Nevada, Reno. Churros Huesos is a family business that started more than 20 years ago. It carries the last name Huesos which also belongs to Jose and Agustin’s father. “I learned how to make churros helping my dad in Mexico when I was 15 or 16 years old,” says Jose.

“[My father] was the one who initiated this in Mexico making churros for many years at the fairs,” Agustin remembers. The style and flavors come from the Jalisco area, and now their truck thrives in northern Nevada. Its one of the many Mexican-American success stories we have highlighted on Our Town Reno.

The Reno-Tahoe area has many successful Mexican-Americans and other Latinos within the community, but this population is no stranger to facing negative stereotypes despite making up a large portion of local demographics.  

Patricia Guerrero, the Latino Research Center Coordinator at the University of Nevada, Reno, conducts an activity during NevadaFit that helps Latino students openly discuss stereotypes. She has students write one positive stereotype on green colored cards and one negative stereotype on red colored cards.

Common answers written on the red cards were that they are taking people’s jobs, they are illegal, and feeling like they don’t belong. Students often come to her with concerns of feeling voiceless and unable to be their authentic selves in the classrooms.

Guerrero finds that these students feel comfortable when they are surrounded by people that look similar to them where they can be heard. Another issue she identifies is students feeling like they don’t know how they are going to survive due to food and financial insecurity. 

A painting depicting a version of the American Dream at Tu Casa Latina, a local nonprofit catering to Latino populations.

Osvaldo Jimenez-Estupinan, Director of Latinx/Hispanic Community Relations at UNR, explains how Latino families can weigh into their children’s education.

He is a first generation graduate from UNR and he recalls his own experience where he thought of dropping out of college his sophomore year due to his family needing him.

His parents came to America when they were teenagers, with less than a sixth grade education. He grew up in a trailer park in South Lake Tahoe and his family moved to Reno when he was four years old where they purchased a three bedroom house for 12 people to live in.

Remembering the constant Kermes parties going on in the trailer park he says, “there was a lot of community there which I think is the beautiful thing about Hispanic culture. It's a lot about the community and ‘we’. It is not so much about ‘I’ or ‘me’.” 

There are resources on the UNR campus for Latino students to receive help, advice, or even just spend time. The Latino Research Center, utilizes the research they conduct to better understand the students they do outreach for and figure out how to help. This research helps them figure out what their greatest obstacles and barriers may be and how to offer or point them in the right direction.

These community values are also reflected in family values which is why he often had to miss class to take his grandma to the doctor or help with his family’s cleaning business.

When he rejected a job offer right out of high school to instead attend college, his parents were surprised, “coming from this Hispanic culture I see the misconceptions from a lot of families about education or about what you come to school for,” Jimenez said.

Due to this disconnect, Jimenez grew up thinking college was only for doctors or engineers. He did not know about art, journalism or other possible studies. He wonders how many more students are like him who don’t know they can go to college for.

Jimenez visited the UNR campus his senior year of high school because of the first generation program the university provides. If it wasn’t for this program, he says he would have never attended college here.

Jimenez wants to work on spreading the word to students at nearby middle school and high schools to show them that UNR has all sorts of degrees and programs for them. He also advocates for the university to reach a population of 25% Latino and Hispanic students to qualify as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

HSI has been around since 2013 and UNR is currently the only college in Nevada that does not qualify. Qualifying for this program would allow the university to receive more federal grants for Latino and first generation students.

The Latino Research Center is best known for the events they host on campus, such as the Dia de Los Muertos event held in fall semesters.

Jimenez identifies another issue at UNR where some professors don't understand how a student may need to help support their siblings, work, help their parents pay their bills, or help run their family's business.

A solution to this, he says, could be for the university to hire more Latino professors and instructors, so “students feel comfortable with someone who represents the same background or even just has an understanding of where they come from.”

The currently enrolled first generation graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, Garcia, saves money by qualifying for in-state tuition, living with his parents in a low income neighborhood, and working two jobs.

The main problems Garcia highlights are the student housing crisis and academic difficulties for undocumented students. There has been a lot of build up and construction for luxury student living apartments around campus, making it more and more difficult for non-affluent students to afford campus housing.

Working with a lot of undocumented students, Garcia sees the struggles they face to have a normal college experience and be a part of the UNR community. The UNR undocumented students fear deportation, are scared to go to the hospital, can’t attend field trips or study abroad. Garcia has observed a lot of undocumented students dropping out because they have to work to afford groceries and rent. 

One of the reporters for this project Madison Wanco has her own family history related to this topic. Her mom of Mexican origin, Angeles Wanco, went to college at UNR in the 90s where she earned a degree in communications, despite being the first to graduate from college in her family and coming to the United States when she was very young.

She came to Chicago first when she was just six years old and only was able to stay for a short period of time, but learned English during that part of her life.

When she went back to Mexico, she completely lost everything she learned about the English language and had to relearn it when she moved back to Chicago when she was fourteen. Many children have a hard time in school, grasping certain concepts and abilities, because no one is perfect at all subjects and the learning curve on certain lessons can be tough. 

At that point, they never moved back to Mexico. Her family moved to Los Angeles where she graduated high school and started community college. 

They all moved to Reno after that, where Wanco transferred colleges and her younger sisters graduated high school. Despite moving so much in her youth, she has been living in Reno for several decades now. 

Wanco is currently a real estate agent here in Reno, Nevada. Her personal story goes to show that the road is bumpy most of the time when moving from one country to another, because of the language barrier and culture shock, but many people like her have been able to rise above struggles and build families, pursue their passions and worthwhile careers. 

In the face of adversity, the Mexican-American and Latino communities stand strong as a united front to help one another and improve the quality of their lives one step at a time. Dealing with a housing and financial crisis, negative stereotyping, and misrepresentation is deeply impacting this community. The actions that could potentially improve these difficult situations is adequate housing, homeownership, inclusivity practices, positive stereotyping, and bringing more attention to the programs and services available to help these first and second generations reach their own version of the American Dream, here in the beautiful Tahoe/Reno region. 

Reporting by Madison Wanco and Autumn Novotny shared with Our Town Reno

Our Town Reno Cold Cases, part 1: Ryan Connelly

Deana Connelly has had to move out from Reno to Fernley with too many memories haunting her where she used to live at the Silver Terrace Apartments on Wedekind Road, following her son’s unsolved murder there.

“It was too painful to live in Reno anymore,” she told Our Town Reno during a recent phone interview.   “It’s quiet out here. There's no memories associated with him. So I can go to Walmart and not have a memory. I can go to the corner store and not have a memory.”

Twelve years ago, 17-year-old Ryan Connelly who had just had a baby with his girlfriend, was shot to death, coming home from a nearby corner store. 

“It got to the point that driving past Hug High (where Ryan was previously a student and played football) or any activity that I did with my son was like ripping off a scab. And I said, ‘I can't do this anymore. I can't do it. So I didn't tell my kids that I was looking at places in Fernley. I’m on disability so I applied for housing, they accepted me and I told my kids, I'm leaving to go to Fernley. They weren't happy. I'm too far away from them. But they understood that healing has to happen in a certain way,” Connelly said. 

At 9:21 p.m. on July 7, 2012, after his mom asked if Ryan was ok he responded that he was fine and at a friend’s place.  They had a habit of having hourly check ins whenever he was out at night.  Ryan known affectionately as “Baby Buddha” was her youngest, with one older brother and two older sisters.  

Deana has been going to therapy every week since that tragic night.  She posts regularly on the Justice for Ryan Facebook page, especially on holidays.

“I’ve been on my own since I was 14,” Deana wrote this past Christmas. “So when you gather around your family, and everybody is in attendance and healthy please count your blessings. Please remember the reason for the season. God bless everyone. Sending love and strength to whoever is missing their loved ones like we are on Christmas and during the holidays. Remember to hug them a little bit longer and tighter.”

There are also posts where Ryan is communicating.

“That's what keeps Ryan alive in my opinion,” Deana says of keeping the Facebook page, where she gets supportive messages both from people she knows and new acquaintances. “I think that if you stop communicating for him, then people tend to forget. I want them to know that we're still here. We're still fighting because it takes only one person to come forward. We just need that one person that's brave enough to come forward and help us,” she said of unlocking the case.

Family members say they know who murdered Ryan, and they believe the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, but they need the people who can convince investigators to speak up.

“Ryan’s not just a face or a name that was murdered,” Deana said. “He's still got a little girl. He still has a huge family and a huge following of loved ones. And I gotta keep him alive. I don't want anybody to forget about him,” she said.  

On July 7th, 2012, after her last phone check in with Ryan, Reno PD Homicide Detective Dustin Allen later told media her teenager was filmed alone on surveillance video walking down Sutro Street entering a corner store and then leaving it soon after, but out of the range of any cameras.  

Witnesses at the apartment complex where he had returned then indicated there was a loud argument with two people yelling at each other, followed by multiple gunshots. 

At that point, Ryan called 911 and then his mom, who said she couldn’t hear him, and then 911 again.

At 10:23 p.m., Deana’s neighbor came running towards her, saying Ryan was injured in another apartment.  

She says after reaching him she screamed “Don’t leave me!” holding him as tightly as she could in her arms. 

After Reno PD arrived at 10:26 p.m., he was transported to Renown, where he was pronounced dead.  

Investigators say they never found blood trails or bullet casings, and were never able to figure out where the shooting happened.  Flyers were put up in the neighborhood in English and Spanish for the public to come forward with information, but no one came forward with enough of what they deemed credible information for an arrest to be made.

Deana is angry the case hasn’t been solved. She mentions racism and classism as possible reasons. 

“I really thought that since he was a teenager and he played football for Hug and he wasn't a thug or anything, that they would look at him differently. But they didn’t, they dropped the ball immediately.  He was not important,” she says, in disbelief. 

She says police have ignored her calls and texts, and even blocked her number.  

“They personally said to my son, and it was only four weeks after Ryan was killed, ‘we’re tired of telling her the same story. So why bother talk to her and tell her the same thing.’ That's what they said. And this is what I've been running into 12 years. And then when I call now, they tell me that it's a cold case and it's not assigned to anybody. So I have no one to even talk to,” she said.

She says police also need to learn to talk to grieving parents.  We emailed Reno PD about her multiple concerns but did not hear back.

The comments accompanying early media stories hinting it was a gang shooting were disheartening, she says. “‘Oh, look at him, look at the neighborhood, look at the big T-shirt and the way he dressed, he obviously was dealing drugs. He had that coming.’ So many times in the comments, ‘he was probably just a gang banger. He had that coming.’ My kids would say, ‘don't read any of the comments, mom, don't read it. Don't read it.’ It was very painful. He wasn’t a gang member,” she told Our Town Reno.  

She never gives up though.  That is not in her nature. 

“You wake up every morning going, saying is there something else I can do that this could be the year that I could look up in this sky and say, ‘we did it. We did it, Ryan, we did it,’” she said during our recent interview.

Her anger at local police extended even further, when Kenneth Stafford, a father of three, who Ryan looked up to as a role model, who she considered as her adopted son, whose wife had grown up with her kids, was shot and killed by Sparks police one year later, on July 11th, 2013, while on leave from active military duty, while mourning Ryan, and suffering from PTSD.

“Amy, his wife, grew up with my kids. And every summer she'd come stay with me from the age of 12. She spent every summer with me. And so Kenny was like my kid. We were really, really close. And he called me mom and he looked a lot like Ryan. Ryan and him were close. Ryan was going to go into the Navy. And of course Kenny was in the Army at the time. So Kenny got really sick with PTSD after Ryan was killed. He had a really hard time after his tours and stuff. And he came back for Ryan's anniversary and that's when he was murdered right in front of me,” she recounts. 

Another website which never forgets such incidents, Reno Cop Watch, she supports wholeheartedly.  “I love them because it makes the society know,” she said. 

Deana has tried to get on cold case shows and have investigators help but without any new information from Reno PD, these efforts led nowhere.  

“When Ryan was first killed, I wrote a lot of people, Unsolved Mysteries, America's Most Wanted, Ellen DeGeneres, I wrote Oprah. I wrote everybody that I could ever think of, even Dr. Phil. Nobody got back to me. Nobody, not one person wanted to touch Ryan's story,” she remembers in dismay.  

There was one exception for her: Reno PD Sgt. Ron Chalmers, who looked into unsolved homicides. Deana said contrary to others he was helpful and caring, but soon retired after starting to communicate with her.

He wrote back to Our Town Reno saying “my heart breaks for her. She has endured pain and sorrow nobody should have to endure.”  In a follow up he added,  “please understand that Ryan’s murder occurred after I was a detective in homicide and before I was the sergeant in homicide. I was out of homicide for about four years after being promoted. So I know the general circumstances but was not involved in the investigation.”

The coroner’s office also had words which soothed Connelly.   “I had to do CPR and I felt like I failed my son,” she said of the guilt she carried around. “And they said there was nothing you could have done. There's nothing you could have done. Just because he had a pulse when you fond him, doesn't mean he was still there. And he also told me the last thing that went is his hearing. So if you were talking to him, he heard you,” she said.

She hopes every post she makes, every interview she gives, including this one, can reach a person who might know something which could relaunch the case. 

“If this was your brother, your son, your loved one, you would want justice for your kid. It only takes one person. So any information you think may be stupid or unimportant, it could be very important to the right person. So if you know anything, please come forward and help me,” she pleaded at the conclusion of our interview. 

Anyone who feels they might know anything about what happened the night Ryan Connelly was murdered can give an anonymous tip to Secret Witness by calling (775) 322-4900 or texting the keyword: SW to 847-411. You can also report a tip online by clicking HERE.

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2024

Reno Stripper Free Speech Lawsuit Unfolds Ever So Slowly

A class-action lawsuit seeking damages for local strippers following a 2019 Reno licensing requirement banning women under 21 from working in the city’s strip clubs remains, but some of the plaintiffs have been dismissed for lack of standing following a recent judicial decision.  

A Bloomberg Law report this week indicated that “a group of dancers who challenged a Reno, Nevada regulation barring people younger than 21 from working at a club that serves alcohol fell short on some of their claims against the city.”

“The plaintiffs, who were between 18 and 21 when the suit began in 2019, challenged the city regulation on several grounds, including age discrimination, denial of due process and as a regulatory taking without just compensation,” the article went on.  “Reno moved to dismiss the due process claim and for partial summary judgment on the equal protection age discrimination and regulatory takings claims.”

The local attorney who initially filed the lawsuit on behalf of eight strippers Mark Thierman remains combative and optimistic overall about the case though.

“The original decision was that the Reno regulation was unlawfully passed,” he wrote to Our Town Reno this week.

“Confining this result only to the dancers listed in the original complaint may be good politics, but it’s bad law.  If the regulation was unlawful, and non-binding four years ago, and it was not changed or fixed,  it’s unlawful and non-binding now. The First Amendment applies equally to all those over 18 years of age.  Once the entire case is complete, we plan to appeal this ruling,” he explained.

He also went on to give his own perspectives on the meaning of this case, which initially got lots of media attention, but less so in its most recent developments.  

“If the government can regulate the rights of 18- to 21-year-olds to engage in free speech, when it knows that doing so for anyone over 21 would be unconstitutional,  then what prevents the government from telling anyone under 35 years of age what news they can see or hear, what video games they can play, what  text they may read on the internet, or the content of what they can write in a newspaper article,” he wrote.  

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2024

Isaac Martinez, an Independent Young Local Graphic Designer on the Rise

Issac Martinez, known by his artist tag Archivedotpdf and his more than 80k followers on Instagram, has been creating graphic design art since his high school days.

Working on graphics for clothing, film and music, Martinez has built himself a well-known brand, but it didn’t happen overnight. He took design classes at Spanish Springs High School, and then when the pandemic hit, he honed his budding craft on his own time.

Since then, he’s created designs for musical artists, including Kevin Abstract, a rapper, singer, and songwriter.  Nothing comes easy though in the graphics field with so much competition.

Back in 2021, Martinez reached out to Abstract, who was looking for a logo. Martinez designed a few, but it never worked out. Then in 2023, after Abstract released a new album named “Blanket,” Martinez reached out once again, and this time, it worked out in his favor. 

“I was able to make a whole bunch of graphics and really decide how this roll out for his new album would play out,” Martinez said.

While Martinez has lived in Reno his whole life, the 775 isn’t a hotbed in the graphic design world, making it challenging, but also more open to any kind of style. 

“A whole bunch of people from a whole different bunch of places who come here and they try to bring their ideas,” Martinez said. “It's allowed me to I think be more open when I'm working with artists.”

While doing freelance work is a struggle, Martinez said it has its perks. 

“I think at one point I realized it's important to keep putting out work. Even if you're not a hundred percent on it,” Martinez said.

Martinez advised those wanting to work in graphic design, acknowledging that building a portfolio is huge. Martinez also said you have to believe in yourself to have any chance in building a career.

“You might not think the work is good enough and that's gonna be embarrassing but I feel like no one's going to take that step for you,” Martinez said. “You're going to have to take it yourself.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Dominic Gutierrez and Saurabh Chawla