Reno Magick, Closing as a Brick and Mortar, but Not Disappearing

Reno Magick, a local favorite for the otherworldly inclined, is closing its brick and mortar store at 1004 S. Wells Ave. with goodbye sales there until June 30th, when it will go exclusively to virtual and select in person events, including a pop up booth at the Riverside Farmers Market.

Its modern witchcraft temple where it had rituals and classes has already stopped operating.

A steadfast community location for over a decade for witches, pagans and the spiritually tuned of northern Nevada, the shop has provided a variety of practice items as well as house-made incense, candles, sage and crystal wares.

A recent nostalgia visit had this reporter greeted with wafts of incense and the sound of soul-reaching music working its way around the building’s hand-painted muraled walls.

Going forward, after the big sale is over at the end of this month, the website renomagicstore.com is where their products will be sold online.

Rent for brick and mortar was getting too high, and the foot traffic that used to be there before the pandemic just doesn’t exist anymore. 

Owner Misty Grayknights said that she sees many businesses of the same niche having to shut their doors and convert to a different type of business model.

“We’re going through a weird time.” she said, “It’s not a recession but it’s damn close.” 

Grayknights will persevere by setting up at the local farmers markets and getting the word out through social media, but it just won’t be the same in person collective experience as it used to be at Reno Magick.

Reporting by Em Tomeo shared with Our Town Reno

Disappointment over Scope of County’s Investigation while More Accusations Target Grant Denton

Note: update below story with investigator’s findings.

While a narrow Washoe County investigation has started into the controversial conduct of Karma Box executive director Grant Denton, more ex-girlfriends, former colleagues and supervisors are coming forward with new allegations of what they call predatory behavior in multiple relationships and in work environments. 

We’ve also found out there’s been recent change in terms of work which had been previously delegated to Karma Box, the River Stewards program, now passed on to another nonprofit active in helping the unhoused, RISE. 

Those speaking out recently against Denton want him kept away from all work in recovery and homelessness spaces, including the Cares Campus safe camp where he is still contracted by the County.  

In terms of the River Stewards, some of the statements made related to the current investigation and interviews we did previously with the unhoused indicated there were concerns as to who was chosen by Denton to do the river cleanups, and how people were paid.  

“The River Stewards Program has not been active for several years until funding was recently provided to RISE this spring,” Kara Steeland from the Truckee Meadows Water Authority wrote to us.  “I believe Karma Box did not have the capacity to apply for funding or manage the program any longer. Under Karma Box, there was a gift card system in place to incentivize people to help clean up along the river. RISE will hire individuals on a contract basis who will work as River Stewards and be paid a living wage.”

The county investigation concerning Denton was started after a former girlfriend made public allegations against him at a county meeting on May 28th that he preyed on women in recovery workout programs. At the same public forum, an advocate for women and the unhoused read a statement on behalf of John Opalinski, a staff member with Bristlecone Family Resources and a board member of Reps 4 Recovery, also denouncing Denton for alleged misconduct.

It was then announced a county investigation would be carried out.

In one email shown to Our Town Reno, Mary Kandaras, the Chief Deputy District Attorney, wrote the investigation would “focus primarily” on the county’s contract with Karma Box to run the safe camp.

County Manager Eric Brown then indicated in a May 31st email that an independent investigator had been brought in “to investigate Grant Denton’s interactions with Safe Camp clients.  Grant has agreed to not come to the Safe Camp while the investigation is being conducted,” he wrote, saying this matter would be resolved “in a swift and fair manner.” 

The latest 990 Karma Box Project form we could find was from 2022, indicating $82,300 in compensation for Denton.  Last year, Denton already garnered negative media attention for not filing required tax forms to the IRS and losing nonprofit status temporarily.

At that time, County Commissioner Mike Clark said he had previous discussions with county management about Denton, concerned as to how the contract could be continued under those circumstances.

“Why are we doing business with somebody who for the lack of a better word is not officially licensed? That would be like the county hiring a plumber who wasn't licensed,” he said. 

Clark says he’s been receiving new statements against Denton daily, even hourly.   “I’ve asked for a fair, independent investigation,” he said. “I don't know if anybody's guilty of anything but I think we need to look a little bit wider than just what was taking place at the Cares Campus.”

New allegations range from threatening, demeaning and bullying behavior with the people he deals with personally and at work, especially women, in several positions he’s held since arriving in Reno, to being told of a sexual assault allegedly committed by Denton. 

We emailed Denton Friday about the accusations in the new statements we were cced on, but have yet to receive a response. In previous correspondence with Our Town Reno related to the initial accusations, he said he wasn’t a “perfect man,” but denied any wrongdoing.  In an interview with This is Reno, he called the multiplying accusations a “f****** witch hunt”, adding an expletive to a phrase often used by former President Donald Trump.  

One former girlfriend and supervisor of Denton’s Stacey Payne is also disappointed the investigation won’t have a bigger scope, but now that she’s made a statement released to media and elected officials, she says she’s resolute in making sure Denton never works in recovery and homelessness spaces again.

“He’s like a volcano always about to erupt.  He’s used steroids for years and admits to it,” she said, alleging he was getting these on the internet without a prescription. Side effects of long term steroid use can include irritability and aggression.  

In the This is Reno article,  Denton, who is in his mid 40s, admitted to partaking in testosterone replacement therapy, which he indicated was a common treatment for middle aged men in recovery with low testosterone.

Payne feels responsible as she says Denton followed her to Reno, where she says she introduced him to many people.

She says she first met Denton in Las Vegas ten years ago, through a men’s in-patient program where she spoke on behalf of the recovery homes she ran called BlueCove Homes. 

Denton, who had an abusive childhood and then veered into drug addiction as an adult in Las Vegas and repeated legal problems, including for domestic battery, went to live in one of these recovery homes, became a certified personal trainer and then Payne’s boyfriend.

When Payne started the LYFE Recovery sober living home company in northern Nevada in 2016, she says Denton soon came to visit with his two boys.

“I introduced him around to everyone I had been meeting in the recovery community,” Payne wrote. “He started out on his best behavior, but soon, the deception, the females, the lies, the yelling, the threatening, all came right back into my life. July 2017 was the last time I asked him to leave my home and shut the door.”

Despite the definitive breakup, Denton decided to remain in Reno, where he’s since been celebrated by local politicians, media and officials as a hero to help the unhoused, through his Karma Box donation locations, his energetic social media presence and public talks and subsequent outreach efforts and paid positions.  

Meanwhile, advocates for the unhoused and several women who have worked alongside him or dated him paint an entirely different picture.  

Payne says she used to cling on to hope Denton would become a “better man,” but now feels “a tremendous sadness for all who have suffered, and an anger that he has been able to fool so many… I had so hoped and prayed that during Grant's meteoric rise here in Reno, in the recovery community, that he had found his OWN recovery…That he had finally found some peace from his demons....but in my soul I know now, after hearing the latest accusations, that has not happened.”

In a follow up phone interview with Our Town Reno, Payne said she regretted not writing a statement sooner.  Now, she says, she won’t hold back whatever the investigation concludes, with a civil suit as another possible future path.

Payne said in the recovery and homelessness spaces, there is a high correlation with past sexual abuse and that for successful programs it’s not just about having shelter or not using substances anymore, but being “in a safe place with mentors around you that have been through it, that have come through their own traumas and are on the winning side of life again. That you have a predator in the midst of a vulnerable population … it absolutely cannot happen,” she concluded.

Others who sent statements and messaged with Our Town Reno wanted to stay anonymous, for fear of reprisals. 

A former coworker in the recovery sector said multiple clients reported Denton as being “emotionally abusive,” forcing himself into “coercive” relationships early into their recovery process. 

Several people who have spoken out say they’ve been told repeatedly not to do so by supervisors and others in local government positions, and fear there is internal pressure going on during the current investigation for employees and Safe Camp clients to stay silent. 

The ex-girlfriend received a cease and desist letter, while an advocate for the unhoused who has had repeated run-ins with Denton alleges a board member for the Karma Box told her to “keep her mouth shut,” during a phone call, after she made allegations against Denton to others and on social media accusing him of being verbally abusive towards volunteers and the unhoused right outside the Cares Campus.  

Other local women who’ve encountered him in support spaces have been writing each other, and commenting on different posts about their own recollections. One wrote of coming across Denton: “He was all pushy bro energy prison shtick.  I assumed others would sniff out his ICK; instead he inserted himself in a seat of power.”  Another wrote:  “I’m another person here that’s been saying all this for years. And I was attacked and shamed by Karma Box and all affiliates.”

A former supervisor who released a statement to elected officials and local media wondered why his recovery workout programs focused on women and not men, insisting on the importance of working with one’s own gender in the recovery space. 

“This practice protects very vulnerable people, newly in recovery, from exploitation of their vulnerability,” she wrote in her email, which also included a recollection of being told of an alleged sexual assault. 

“I also learned that one of my female staff members at that agency (and later at another agency) reported that Grant threw her against her car in the parking lot and forcibly kissed her. She was very upset and angry at him for assaulting her without any process of consent... Sadly, she was not the only one who came to me with allegations about his sexual advances and feared his presence,” the statement read.  

We included this allegation in the email to Denton to which he did not respond.  

The former supervisor also grew concerned that Denton was working with women and not men for a local jail recovery program, worries that then grew as Denton’s local role and stature in helping the unhoused kept growing.  

“Most have been afraid to come forward,” she wrote of her own ambivalence in sending out her statement. “I too, have felt the sting from speaking out in the past and have been silenced and driven to work behind the scenes to avoid political ugliness and exclusion.”

After Denton started Karma Box, which did outreach during the pandemic, when there were several big encampments around Reno, she says “reports of bullying and rageful behavior began to surface among the community at the Wells encampment in 2020. I … learned that the camp came together to form a petition to ask that Karma Box not be allowed to do outreach in the Wells encampment due to creating hostile relationships with people living there. I was vocal about this with Dana Searcy, Catrina Peters, and Alexis Hill (who was running for office at the time).”

We reached out to the three and Washoe County communications director Bethany Drysdale, who gave the sole response to our query.  “This incident happened quite some time ago, and Washoe County investigated it as we investigate all complaints against personnel,” Drysdale wrote back. “It was investigated and resolved at that time. Washoe County doesn’t have legal authority over contractors' personal relationships. There are other legal mechanisms for people who allege harm. By its terms, the Code of Conduct applies to contractors when they are representing Washoe County.”

There have also been recent changes at the county level in terms of who works with the safe camp, with Elizabeth Pope (above) recently moving away from the Cares Campus to replace Kim Schweickert as county coordinator for the Our Place shelter for women and families, which prompted another response. 

“Kim is the coordinator over case management at the Cares Campus. Elizabeth Pope is currently coordinating Our Place. Elizabeth did not manage Safe Camp. Staff in the county and HSA often have the opportunity to experience multiple programs. Staff often move within programs to meet the needs of the agency and its clients,” Drysdale wrote back.

“What does that mean?” Commissioner Clark responded as he was also cced. “Sorry to be obtuse but I’m not understanding do employees at the Cares Campus change positions randomly to experience programs? Do titles change? Pay changes?”

Ryan Gustafson, listed as the Director of the county’s Human Services Agency, then stepped into the email thread writing “in regards to your question, employees at WCHSA and the County move around pretty regularly. It’s for program experience as well as for the agency needs. Titles can change, which could impact pay, but that’s not always the case (transfers for example). In this case, there was not a title/pay change.”

Commissioner Clark has been trying to get clearer financial breakdowns on the Cares Campus and safe camp for years as well.  

"I am upset with the total lack of transparency. Somebody at the county has the definition of transparency and camouflage confused,” he told us during our recent phone interview.

Whatever the outcome of the investigation is, or the future of the safe camp or the Cares Campus, Payne, who says she’s not a victim, concluded our phone conversation by saying: “I’m not going to be silenced. It’s important that Grant Denton does not have any credibility in the recovery field ever again. I think that it is the government's responsibility to now listen to all of the victims that are willing to come forward.”

Our Town Reno reporting, June 2024

Update: An email forwarded to us had this from Mary Kandaras, Chief Deputy District Attorney, related to multiple accusations of misconduct toward vulnerable women by Karma Box Project executive director Grant Denton:

"Based on the allegations made in public comment, Washoe County hired Sandra Ketner, Esq. to conduct an independent investigation and determine whether these allegations were related to his Karma Box work, particularly at the Safe Camp.

The investigation was limited to ensuring the safety of persons served by the Safe Camp.

Sandra Ketner spoke with participants and employees and found no inappropriate sexual conduct or harassment by Grant Denton.

According to the investigator,

[T]here was no corroborating evidence to support allegations of sexual misconduct by Denton with respect to Safe Camp participants or otherwise on campus. Likewise, there was no evidence to substantiate allegations of derogatory, threatening, or violent conduct by Denton with Safe Camp participants or otherwise on campus. While some witnesses reported that Denton can be hard on and tough with participants (especially when the participants violated the rules), no one reported that Denton crossed the line or acted in a way that violated the Code of Conduct. Moreover, no one reported any credible evidence related to others who may have been threatened, abused, manipulated or taken advantage of by Denton. To the contrary, nearly all witness accounts described Denton as being respectful and professional with Safe Camp participants. Thus, the preponderance of the evidence reflects that Denton’s alleged conduct described by [Witnesses] has not occurred or has not been witnessed or reported at Safe Camp.

Washoe County Management does not have authority to investigate allegations of Grant Denton outside of his role as a contractor. Accordingly, the allegations against him were not discounted, but instead resulted in an investigation of his contracted work to manage the Safe Camp for Washoe County."

Vanessa Cropley, A Survivor of the Foster Care System

According to official statistics, only one in two foster kids who age out of the system will have some form of gainful employment by the age of 24.

Vanessa Cropley, an office manager at a security company in Reno, who is on the good side of these odds recently shared her story with student reporter Sarah D’Atri.

Vanessa’s journey included spending time with her grandma who became her guardian, running away back to her mom’s and then put in treatment centers and in homes for troubled kids.

“I grew up in [the] state’s custody. I got taken away from both my parents and I grew up in a bunch of different foster homes, treatment centers and whole bunch of stuff. Me being a little kid, not understanding why the state took me away, I thought that the state [was] just being mean and keeping me and not [giving] me back to my mom and dad.

My mom wasn't doing what she was supposed to, [so] they found long term solutions for us. Me and my sister went to live with my grandma. She agreed to take us, so that we were with family and not just going house to house to different foster homes.

Growing up in the system, I couldn't get my driver's license like everyone else. Everyone else is getting their permits and everything like that. I wasn't allowed to because of the state's custody. Obviously, I am now driving. So, I think that's a huge thing that I think the states should consider is let the children go get their permit so they can get a driver's license and not be like mean with anxiety.”

 Sarah: Oh, so you can only get it at 18.

Vanessa: Yeah, because that's when I grew out, like graduated from being in the state’s custody.

 Sarah: Are there any other rules that are like that?

Vanessa: Even though I was in custody of my grandma, if we wanted to go anywhere, she would have to get approval, to take me, out of the city or state.

Sarah: So, even though you were with your grandma, she was considered your guardian?

Vanessa: Yeah.

Sarah: Oh! you would think you're with your family member, they are literally by blood, your guardian.

 Vanessa: Then because I was still a kid and I didn't understand it was my mom not doing what she needs to goes back, I kept running away.

 Sarah: Oh, to go to your mom's?

 Vanessa: Yeah. So, I kept running away to be with my mom. There was this one time I was on the run for over a year, and she hid me. They finally got a hold of her and said ‘We know you have her. If you don't give her back to us, you're going to jail’.  So, she said ‘Sorry Vanessa, I got to put you on a plane and you're going back to being in the states’.

Then I went to a lot of treatment centers, troubled youth homes stuff like that. A lot of the staff members who saw how I was being raised, grown up in the system. I was being such a bad troublemaker and kept running away because I wanted to be with my mom. [They] thought I was going to be some junkie on drugs, thought I was going to end up overdosing and dying. They pretty much watched me grow up. After I turned 18, they were ‘Oh my god Vanessa! I am so proud of you look at you".

Sarah: WOW! With everything that you know now, what do you want want to teach the general public?

Vanessa: The biggest thing is people shouldn't judge people for their past. I want people to understand, even if they did have a rough upbring[ing], give them a chance and believe in them. Don’t hold their past against them.

Reporting by Sarah D'Atri with the Reynolds on the Record shared with Our Town Reno

Dan, Unhoused While Trying to Pass Through Reno

Some of our unhoused neighbors, like Dan in photo, with his two dogs River, 10, and Trixie, 2, say they had no intentions of staying in Reno.

He says his truck broke down several weeks ago on his way from Las Vegas, where he spent the winter, to Spokane, to reunite with some family members. He was looking for money to get his truck fixed.

Dan says he wants to eventually find a place in the northwest and maybe pitch a tent and then try to build a log cabin to live on his own with his dogs in a forest or on BLM land.

Below the story he shared in his own words with reporter Andrew Maples in a shaded area near a local Walmart parking lot about his current hopes if he can find the money to get his truck fixed.

“[I want] to go see my son in Spokane and my grandson and my daughter in law. From there, I'm going to go up in the mountains, either in Idaho, or western Montana, trying to find a place where I can build a log cabin and go about my own business.

I'm going to build it in the backcountry somewhere. At my age, my kids are all grown and doing good things in life. And, so now I can travel around, see the country. You know, times are hard…

I've been through Reno before. I stayed in the winter down in Vegas. My truck broke down when I got here. The spark plug blew out the cylinder head, but like I said, thankfully I’ll get a fix, so I'll be good to go [soon] and then I'm gonna head back up.

I stay a lot of times on, like, National Park or national forest land or BLM land.

I can pitch my tents for right now or whatever until I find that spot.”

Our Town Reno reporting and photo by Andrew Maples

New Hopes Clinic Building Trust in a Healthcare Desert

“We're just excited to see what it becomes,” said healthcare provider Jennifer Edwards, as the new Northern Nevada HOPES began operations after its big opening ceremony on 4th street.

“There's been this hype, building it for two years, and not really knowing what it's gonna be,” she says of the Jerry Smith Community Wellness Center.

The first priority for the new clinic, according to Edwards, is to provide easy-access care for the community members living at the Cares Campus. With the new location only a few blocks down from the shelter, “we can help them help themselves a little faster,” she says. 

Rather than trying to make their way across town to the 5th street location, which HOPES also operates, people at the Cares Campus are just 0.1 miles from the new clinic’s front doors. 

Edwards explains that when she worked at the 5th street clinic, her patients were often late, or didn’t show up to their appointments at all. She believes that for some staying at the Cares Campus, making the trek across town was too difficult. “I've actually started seeing (those patients) more just in this month that we've been open, then I really have in the last year,” she says. 

Before the new clinic was up and running, the area “had an influx of ambulance visits,” according to Geeve Iverson, a member of the HOPES communications team. “People are trying to get care, but they're not able to get to Renown or Saint Mary’s,” two other healthcare facilities in the area. “This area kind of is a healthcare desert,” Iverson says. 

Just across the street from the new clinic is Hope Springs, a tiny home village that HOPES opened in 2021. Hope Springs provides a six-month transitional housing program for our neighbors who need it most, and over 50 graduations in the past three years. Iverson says that Hope Springs is in the perfect spot, too: “it gave our CEO the chance to look across the street at an empty lot and say ‘that's where the clinic needs to go.’”

HOPES’ hope is that folks can easily access the new clinic, have their needs met, and then go on to spread the word to their neighbors and friends in the area. “For people experiencing homelessness, they don't have as much trust in the system,” Edwards points out. “So they have to hear that somebody that they know had a good experience.”

The non-profit brought eight medical providers over to their new clinic on April 1st, so they could start providing medical care for folks in the area, as soon as possible. On July 1st, they’ll bring over an additional seven, for a total of 15 medical clinicians at the 4th street locations.

But the kind of care that HOPES provides doesn’t end after meeting patients’ physical needs. They’ve also integrated behavioral health into their practice. The new clinic has an entire wing devoted to behavioral healthcare, with both group and individual therapy spaces.

“Often for behavioral health, you have to be referred out,” Edwards explains. “It may be, you know, three months before you actually get to talk to somebody.” But at HOPES, if Edwards is treating a patient in primary care and they express a mental or behavioral health concern, “I can go right outside of my room and talk with the behavioral health person, bring them into my room, and have the patient talk to them and do some follow-up.” 

Another barrier to healthcare access is financial concerns. It’s common practice for many folks to avoid the doctor because they aren’t sure whether they’ll be able to afford it or not. HOPES actively works to address this barrier as well– along with accepting most insurance policies, they also have an on-site Medicaid worker. So if a patient doesn’t have Medicaid or doesn't know if they qualify, “we often can have them see the Medicaid worker right then, and try and get them qualified right away,” according to Edwards.

For those without Medicaid or other insurance, HOPES offers a sliding scale, pay-what-you-can system. “We don't turn somebody away just because they can't meet their co-pay that day,” Edwards says. This model allows HOPES to effectively serve groups who are often the least likely able to financially access healthcare: unhoused or housing insecure community members, undocumented or uninsured neighbors, and folks struggling with substance use. 

“There’s a stigma that 4th street is a dangerous part of the city to be in,” Iverson points out. He is hopeful that Hope Springs, paired with the HOPES new 4th street clinic, will start to chip away at that stigma. “(Unhoused communities) aren’t dangerous,” he says. “They just don't have the resources that they need.”

If you or someone you know is interested in seeking care at HOPES, you can schedule your first appointment by calling 775-786-4673, Monday–Friday, 8am-5pm, and asking to schedule a “new patient appointment.”

Our Town Reno reporting by Ray Grosser

Disappointment, Departures and a Defensive Posture at the Great Basin Food Co-op

It’s always refreshing to see a business break the mold of capitalism, especially here in Reno. 

Community-driven initiatives, like the Great Basin Community Food Co-op, might just hold the key to a more people-oriented society. But what happens when such worthy initiatives receive complaints of unfair treatment from multiple employees? 

With an overall 4.6 star rating on Google, it seems that the co-op has made a great name for itself locally over the years. However, despite its delicious offerings and inspiring mission, the co-op still has room for improvement, according to some members of the Reno community who were previously and are currently employed there. 

GBCFC has done great work bringing fresh local goods to the greater community here in Reno. Inside the store you’ll find local produce, a salad bar, and (as of this April) a cafe offering several fresh meals. 

Complaints of alleged unfair treatment at Reno’s Great Basin Community Food Co-op were recently brought to the public eye through a Facebook post, spurring other concerned individuals to come forward when they heard we were working on this story.  

Adrianne Tobin authored the initial Facebook post on April 22nd. According to Tobin, she had been voicing concerns about internal affairs at the co-op for months, before walking out of the co-op’s building during her shift on February 13th. Tobin alleges that her intention in leaving the building was to remove herself from a situation that she “did not want to escalate.” Tobin says that she had no plans of resigning, but was then told by management not to return.

Following her departure from the co-op, she sat with her thoughts for a couple of months before taking her grievances to social media. In recounting her own experience, Tobin claims that she “had been harassed and spoken poorly” by a few different employees, one of whom she says was a superior. She also says that she and some of her co-workers took their concerns to a kitchen manager. But when the issue was brought up in a group meeting, Tobin alleges, the manager “remained silent.”

Tobin made it clear that although she felt mistreated herself, she still appreciates what the co-op is doing for the community. “I believe that with a few changes internally,” Tobin says, “they can enable themselves to properly care for those who put their hearts and hands into the project.” Tobin encouraged folks to continue patronizing the store. She also expressed both online, and to Our Town Reno, that she did not have “bandwidth for litigation” and doesn’t want to harm the co-op’s financials in any way.

An inside look at the co-op kitchen where, as confirmed by the co-op’s statement, employees work to meet time demands associated with various tasks. 

Notably, the co-op’s first of seven principles is “broad access to local and organic food.” However, similar to many health food stores nationwide, prices at the co-op may not quite fit the bill for “broad access.” With high rent prices and other cost of living expenses in Reno, many are likely unable to afford co-op products, like the “three day celery juice reset” which delivers three bottles of celery juice for $26.50. 

The numbers on the co-op’s 2023 annual report show a commitment to their cause. According to their report, 62% of their total sales last year were organic and non-GMO foods. They provided almost $60,000 in member-owner discounts, and they also gave $27,965 in round-up funds (“would you like to round up your total today?”) to other local initiatives, like Soulful Seeds and Reno Food Systems. 

Many of those who spoke to Our Town Reno expressed sentiments similar to Tobin’s: a great appreciation for the co-op, and a strong belief in the meaningful work it does in Reno. But on top of those sentiments is the hope that an organization with such a strong commitment to the community is able to offer the same kind of support for their workers. 

The GBCFC Facebook page responded to Tobin’s online post quickly, and at great lengths. They addressed her claims of wrongful termination by stating that Tobin “walked out on the job in the middle of (her) shift. Per (the co-op’s) employee guidebook, that (she was) paid to read and sign, that action is taken as a resignation.” 

One example of a timing sheet used to direct employees on how much time they had to complete a task.

Of course lapses in communication happen in the workplace, but the co-op didn’t seem to have a problem in communicating with Tobin on social media. “Folks did not like working with you and described you as ‘extremely difficult’ to get along with,” the co-op’s official page wrote on Facebook, following with, “it would be interesting to see posts all over the internet from everyone who felt mistreated by you.”

Tobin alleges that, apart from her own experience, she witnessed what she called “dozens of instances of unethical treatment of my fellow employees.” Several of these alleged instances were brought to light in response to Tobin’s initial post, as her message created a channel for previous employees who wanted to share their own stories. One of those previous employees was Hana Fahmi. 

Fahmi says that they were excited about the co-op’s mission, and their opportunity to play a part in it. According to Fahmi, things started going south when their schedule would change mid-week. They allege that their manager wouldn’t admit to having changed it. Fahmi says that they resolved to taking screenshots of their schedule each week, in order to prove they weren't lying about it. 

According to Fahmi, they were also told that they’d need to work on to two mandatory so-called “wellness shifts” each week. Fahmi describes these shifts as more labor intensive than regular shifts– stocking shelves, for example. By Fahmi’s account, the co-op assured them that “everyone had to do the shifts, to even the load.” But Fahmi alleges that they quickly realized “other employees didn't have any wellness shifts.” Fahmi says that, some weeks, they were scheduled for four or five of these shifts. 

Despite all this, Fahmi says they persisted through the first few months of their employment last year, happily “part of something claiming to be ‘better than other grocery stores.’” Fahmi alleges that they were promised a 90 day review, after which they may have been eligible to start receiving benefits, and a raise from training wages. “My 90 days hit, and I was supposed to have a meeting with my department head,” says Fahmi. “Unfortunately this never happened,’ they claim. “Therefore my benefits and pay increase also never happened.”

Fahmi alleges that they were removed entirely from the schedule in October of last year without prior notice, leaving them suddenly without work or income. “I had such great respect for the concept, and the humans that built it,” they say. “It just really hurt knowing that my energy and hard work wasn't valued enough to get basic respect from employer to employee.”

Fahmi wrote a comment on Tobin’s original post, briefly explaining their own issues with the co-op’s handling of employees. The comment was met with another wordy response from “GBCFC HR,” who wrote that Fahmi’s recounting of events was “simply not true and/or taken out of context.”  

The co-op’s advice to Fahmi was to “take accountability” instead of “slandering an organization attempting to do some of the trickiest work within modern food systems.” They signed off by asking Fahmi to “hit (them) up via email,” and described the Facebook conversation as “a waste of everyone’s lives.”

Another previous employee wanted to stay anonymous, for fear of reprisals, so we’ll call them Randy. Randy found solidarity in Tobin’s post as well, sharing their own experience at the co-op. Randy felt that they were being treated poorly by a couple of co-workers, and working under management that would “play favorites, hardcore,” in Randy’s words. 

Randy says that a meeting was set between them, the two co-workers, and two managers. As Randy tells it, during the meeting they “sat there” while their co-workers told management “that (they) wash dishes too loudly,” and that Randy made them feel “uncomfortable.”

“It felt really weird because (the two managers) didn’t even try to make me feel better, and I clearly wasn’t doing well after the meeting,” Randy recalls. “I was honestly just there to try to do my job.”

Randy also believes that they were eventually wrongfully terminated, in early December of last year. “Right when I thought things were getting better, I got a call to let me know that I wasn’t with them anymore,” they say.

When Randy tried to collect unemployment, the state told them that they were waiting on the co-op to collect “witness signatures” for their company statement. “If all they needed was a couple (signatures), it was probably the people I was having problems with, and…management,” Randy hypothesizes. 

Ultimately, Randy was unable to collect unemployment. An email they received from management afterwards told Randy that the co-op “did not deny (them) unemployment, the state did after analyzing the facts…” The email from the co-op closed out with, “truth prevails.”

With the chain reaction it caused, we wanted more insight about what exactly led Tobin to take her concerns to social media. In following up with her about the Facebook saga, she provided more detail, in her own words, about what her experience of working at the co-op entailed. 

“There's this one time I cooked some beef more than (the general manager) would have liked me to cook the beef,” Tobin says. “She didn't like that it had little black parts on the brisket.” Tobin alleges that, in response, the co-op management wrote a message in their group chat “about how an animal had to die for my mistakes, and how it's all in vain.”

Tobin recalls being drawn to the strong convictions of the co-op, this idea of fighting food corporations, and supporting local and sustainable food practice. “I'm really susceptible to that stuff, you know,” Tobin says. “I think they hire a lot of people like that… ‘yes men’, people pleasers, similar backgrounds as myself. It seems like they're a welcoming haven…but I really think they're just using that against the people they hire.”

The trade-off that Tobin describes is all too common for conscientious employees. Folks looking to work for a “good cause,” especially at a company with good benefits like those offered at the co-op, are often willing to commit boundless time and energy to work for something “more than a paycheck.” Vera Miller is one of these workers. They have devoted countless hours to community building here in Reno, including organizing protests and gatherings in support of Palestine.

Miller worked at the co-op from the summer of 2020 to the fall of 2022. They say that during their time, they “lived in constant fear and anxiety of losing (their) job and income.” Miller describes one of those anxiety-inducing practices that was implemented during their second year at the co-op: the introduction of “timing sheets” in completing various co-op duties.

“Everything was timed out, including your break,” Miller says. “If you did not meet these times, you were written up.” Miller alleges that the co-op would fire an employee after three write ups. According to the co-op’s statement, which is included below, the timing sheets were introduced when the co-op was faced with a choice: their “options were to either close (their) doors or figure out how to adapt to a very competitive market.”

Miller remembers clocking out for 30 minute breaks. But rather than taking a break, they say that they would get right back to work in order to give themselves an “extra buffer.” Miller recalls, “I always needed that buffer.” Tobin had a similar experience with trying to meet time demands at the co-op, during her 1pm-9pm shift. “I wasn't taking breaks,” she says. “There was just no way for me to get the amount of work done.”

“There was no room for feedback or adjustment for these times, trust us, we tried,” Miller says. For Miller, working through eight hours every day of their schedule and attempting to meet the time demands of their kitchen tasks, “was pretty rough.”

One current employee, also anonymous due to fears of reprisals, says that a common theme in what they’ve seen and experienced is an alleged “lack of leadership within management.” We’ll call this current employee, “Tony.” 

“There's a percentage of people who maybe don't show up all the way,” Tony says. From their perspective, though, “the majority put their best foot forward, and want to improve…yet the payoff doesn't really come after that. It feels like you can never reach the standard.” 

Tony alleges that they have witnessed multiple instances of employee mistreatment at the co-op, but they fear that their testimony of these events might expose their identity, and put their own employment at risk. So in order to mitigate that risk, Tony encouraged some former co-workers to reach out to us directly. 

One of those former co-op employees that Tony connected us with is Abby, using another name  to conceal their identity. Abby contacted Our Town Reno with a list of instances that allegedly occurred in their time at the co-op. They allege that they were “written up for not looking someone in the eyes” when greeting them, and that HR told Abby that it was “never their job to look out for (Abby) or (their) feelings.” 

Abby was also concerned by the amount of inappropriate and homophobic comments made by customers which, according to them, went largely unchecked by co-op management. “I was so depressed working there,” Abby recalls. “I weighed 90 pounds, was barely sleeping, would wake up and check my schedule in the middle of the night due to paranoia.”

Abby alleges that when they told management about what they were going through, “I was told it was my fault for seeming like I didn't want to be there.” And when they eventually decided to leave the co-op for mental health reasons, they were told that they "f***ed (the co-op) over,” according to Abby’s account.

Tobin's Facebook post resulted in her receiving a slew of messages from both former and current employees, and she encouraged everyone to speak up about their experience. But, in Tobin’s view, a lot of people hesitated to take their statements public “because they're worried about retaliation, or the repercussions… they're just so tied into the (co-op) community.”

The management and the board members at the co-op are largely “all part of the same social scene,” according to Tobin. One of her suggestions is to bring in an external HR department or external management who might help to alleviate some of the concerns being brought up by both former and current employees. 

From all of those who did come forward, the majority expressed love and gratitude for what GBCFC is trying to accomplish. Having access, however expensive, to fresh local food is important to many people. The co-op provides a strong community bridge for local farms. On top of that, the co-op’s member-owner model allows for democracy-style business decisions, transparency with finances, and several other benefits. 

It’s that very idea of transparency that makes it important to provide a platform for these community members. For any business, “your workers are your community and clientele too,” as Miller says. “Please. Speak out and be in solidarity with your fellow workers. Don’t treat us so badly.”

Our Town Reno conducted multiple phone calls with the co-op’s management in attempts to gather a comment from the company. Ultimately, a statement was crafted by the “GBCFC Leadership Team,” which includes the co-op’s managers and board members. They sent the following statement to Our Town Reno via email:

We cannot comment on the specific actions or accusations of any current or former employees regarding confidential personnel matters, as we have the utmost respect for our employees' privacy. What we can say is that we are 100% confident that we have acted consistent with our obligations under the law and, more importantly, consistent with the core values that we stand for.  One of the co-op’s core goals (as summarized in the "Ends Policies" available on our website) is to create a cooperative work environment that is respectful and diverse, providing a livable wage and benefits to a self-directed, effective employee who is a partner in achieving our business goals.  

So, we strongly believe in creating a wonderful workplace and a happy workforce, which we all strive to achieve every day.  Although we are not perfect in achieving this or any other goal, we are very proud of what we have accomplished and seek to continually improve.  This is one of the most accepting, diverse, and satisfied workforces in the city.  Our starting rate of pay is $17/hour, which is $5 more than the Nevada Minimum Wage, which will be put into effect on July 1, 2024.  We offer incredible benefits, including full-paid medical, dental, vision, and our alternative wellness stipend.  
Offering these types of benefits in a food service environment is very rare in our industry, especially for our size. Beginning a decade ago, we adopted industry-driven labor benchmarks to afford great pay and benefits for our team.  Frankly put, at the time, we didn't have much choice. Our options were to either close our doors or figure out how to adapt to a very competitive market. We chose the latter and have since created timing standards for all tasks performed at the co-op by taking an average of times from both the fastest and slowest team members for any task. We have spent the last five years finessing these timetables to be inclusive and supportive of as many team members as possible. The first 30 days for new entry-level team members are spent training folks on the best ways to achieve these tasks in the most efficient ways possible. 

We make it very clear to all new hires that we utilize a timing system model and that we would no longer be in business without this model. Most folks are excited by the challenge and quickly thrive within our well-structured operational systems. That said, some do not. As a small business, we have a finite amount of resources available for training. We do our best to offer as much support as possible but it's just a business reality that not everyone makes it, which is okay. We are happy to report that over 82% of new employees reach these times within the first 12 -15 days of employment.   

Our employees also have the added benefit of working for more than just a paycheck.  They have the opportunity to be part of something much larger than themselves because the Co-op is not an ordinary, run-of-the-mill business that solely exists to make money.  Rather, we exist to make sustainable, healthy, local food available to this community.  We exist to keep small family farms in business in a society where seemingly every rule and regulation works against them while serving the interests of a few giant industrial food producers who manufacture unhealthy, addictive products that are destroying the environment. And we exist to create a sense of community and belonging for every staff member and customer who walks through our doors.  

While you may be able to find a small number of individuals who are willing to make unfounded and disingenuous accusations about us, we believe they are not representative of the 63 staff members who we are all proud to work with every day or the hundreds of former employees who have worked here since we first started serving this community in 2005. 

Our Town Reno reporting by Ray Grosser

Washoe County Says It Will Look into Several Allegations against Grant Denton from Karma Box Project

Despite a cease and desist letter issued by a lawyer for Karma Box Project founder and executive director Grant Denton, who also trains people in recovery, a former girlfriend and personal trainer, decided to speak out against him at a Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, saying he was unfit for helping vulnerable people. 

She read her prepared statement before the County Commission decided whether or not to amend the contract awarded to the Karma Box Project to operate its mod pod safe camp, authorizing an increase in the amount of $1.2 million for a total not to exceed $1.8 million for the July 2024 to June 2025 period for staffing purposes.

An additional statement by a man active in the local recovery space both as an employee and as a board member which was read by another community member indicated that Grant Denton has had in his words “a negative impact, particularly on women in the community.”

That statement said Denton’s actions include allegedly “making demeaning and derogatory comments, courting women in the very early stages of their sobriety, and fat-shaming them. Such behavior is not only deeply disrespectful and harmful but also completely unacceptable for someone in a position of leadership and trust within our community.”

The statement called for “appropriate action … to ensure a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for all individuals, particularly those who are most vulnerable.”

After the two statements, Washoe County Chief Deputy District Attorney Mary Kandaras said the county was “aware of some of the allegations and they will be, they are being reviewed by management. In the meantime, I would like to say that if you believe you are the victim of a crime then things should be reported to law enforcement.”

She added “the county has very robust policy in how to handle allegations of harassment and it will be handled according to law and policy.” 

The former girlfriend went to a Reno police station a few weeks ago, wanting to file a temporary protection order, but after being told of possible ramifications, instead was given a security camera for her safety.  

During public comment on the Karma Box item, one commenter called for the new contract to be suspended, while a lawyer for Denton, Cody Marriott for Silver State Law, who had previously sent the cease and desist letter, said Denton and Karma Box were not the same, so that the new contract should be awarded.

“We welcome an investigation to clear up Mr. Denton’s name and absolve his reputation on the matter,” he said. 

“While it is no secret that I am not a perfect man, I vehemently deny the allegations,” Denton wrote to us by email.  “I also look forward to a swift investigation into the allegations, the people who made them, and the people/entities who assisted/encouraged these individuals into making the false allegations.  As everyone in this community is aware, I have worked tirelessly over the past decade to become a better man and help this community move forward.” 

Commissioner Mariluz Garcia called the allegations a “curveball,” but along with Commissioner Alexis Hill pushed to go ahead with a vote to approve the new contract for Karma Box, along with other updated agreements with RISE and Volunteers of America, which all passed. Commissioner Mike Clark had said the updated Karma Box contract should have been separated and put on hold until an investigation is carried out, and voted no. 

As part of a statement which she previously sent to Our Town Reno, the former girlfriend indicated she met Denton in February 2023 when he made a presentation at the Reps4Recovery location on Kietzke Lane, as part of their Sunday speaker series.  She said she was looking for a supportive sober community after her previous boyfriend who suffered from addiction challenges had passed away.  

The personal trainer said she exchanged numbers with Denton with the intention that she would assess his shoulder pain, which is one of her specialties, before they started a tumultuous on and off relationship lasting until April.

She says she believes Denton uses his position and many contacts in the community to take advantage of vulnerable women.  The former girlfriend also makes other damning allegations, spanning conduct in the personal, family, work and relationship spheres. 

She says Denton would put calls on speaker phone to county officials to intimidate her with his local network, which she says has made it difficult for herself and others to speak out.  

Since their breakup, she says she’s been afraid to go to Reno Behavioral Health where her insurance referred her for therapy due to his presence there, with a so-called karma box on site, and a page on their website praising him, indicating “Denton has dedicated his life to the homeless and those in recovery.”  

She says she has also avoided gyms where she was contracted to be in on days Denton was present despite some of the days being in her contract. 

As she concluded making her statement Tuesday, she broke down in tears.

The former girlfriend recently emailed her concerns about Denton to Commissioner Clark, suggesting other people to contact as well concerning his alleged misconduct.  Clark then copied the email to Washoe County management, including those in charge of homelessness services and indicated in part, that her comments were “uncomfortable, difficult to read.” 

In her email, she wrote: “I am a victim of Grant Denton.  I am unable to even get protection in my case due to his platform and political backing, I am asking for a chance to have my story heard.  I am relocating due to safety issues regarding him.  I know commissioners play a big role in allowing projects/programs in the community. I am advocating, for good reason, to have him removed from venues with vulnerable women and children.”

In the email, the former girlfriend also pointed to previous domestic violence charges against him found on the internet, which date back to April 2011, in Clark County, with a charge then listed as “domestic battery - 2nd offense.” Looking at those records, a felony offense date listed in June and filed in September of that year is described as “Battery Domestic Violence 3rd.” 

Denton who grew up in what he has described as an abusive Mormon family and church, faced multiple charges in Las Vegas, and was incarcerated several times, while being a meth and heroin addict, before he says he turned his life around, became sober and came to Reno with a mission to help those living on the streets and in addiction recovery in northern Nevada.  

Several local advocates for the unhoused have previously complained Denton was being verbally abusive towards them while they tried to organize community meals near the Cares Campus, and also alleged they saw him being overly confrontational with unhoused people in front of them. Some have shared commentary concerning some of these difficult interactions via text messages.

Before the former girlfriend even received the cease and desist letter, an employee at the Nevada Department of Taxation warned her she would be getting it. She says she felt this warning was a form of intimidation to prevent her further from speaking out. 

In the letter she eventually did receive emailed to her May 25th and dated May 24, sent by Marriott from Silver State Law, in which her name is misspelled, Denton is described as a “well-respected member of the community” who has “spent the last decade working to improve the lives of the disenfranchised.”  

It states in footnotes his relationship with her “can only be described as casual,” which she says can be proven otherwise with past text messages from Denton.

The letter alleges that she has made “several untrue statements” and that her actions constitute “stalking, harassment, slander, libel, intentional interference with contractual relations, and defamations per se,” all of which she denies.  

The former girlfriend says what she is sharing with the community is based on her experiences with Denton, and that it’s for the benefit of all, denying all accusations listed in the cease and desist letter. 

Our Town Reno reporting, May 2024

Understanding Local Unhoused Deaths by Fentanyl from a Healthcare Perspective

Within the last 10 years, the number of fentanyl related deaths has quadrupled within the unhoused population in the United States, and these types of deaths are tragically rising here in Washoe County as well.

Mikayla Willden, a REMSA Care Flight critical care technician, shared that substance use is most commonly seen at the extremes of our society, in wealthy families and within the unhoused community.

In Reno, the number of homeless deaths from October 2022 to the beginning of April 2024 reached above 190. Sixty-six of these 192 homeless deaths recorded by the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office have a cause of death listed with fentanyl included.

Since the start of 2024 to the beginning of April, there were 14 homeless deaths, five of which are still awaiting toxicology reports. Intoxication by fentanyl is labeled under different titles, such as ‘Acute Ethanol, Fentanyl, And Methamphetamine Toxicity’, ‘Morphine, Methamphetamine, and Fentanyl Toxicity’, or ‘Acute Fentanyl Intoxication.’ Toxicology examinations indicate that fentanyl was frequently a factor in deaths involving multiple substances, including but not limited to ethanol, morphine, methamphetamine, methorphan, and cocaine.

With laced drugs, Willden said that, “Narcan tends to not work as well due to the fact that [these are] mixtures of opioid versus non-opioids together.” This makes even common, less detrimental drugs like marijuana and LSD dangerous not only because Narcan wouldn’t work on them as well, but because they are often found to be laced with fentanyl and other highly addictive and dangerous opioids. 

It is also worth mentioning that 25 of the toxicity causes of deaths mentioned previously are titled with the beginning words ‘Acute Fentanyl.’ Acute intoxication does not refer to the amount of substance taken being small, as many people initially assume. It means intoxication on the functioning side, where it is too much for your body to continue operating normally. “Acute intoxication is more so if you have a dosage or an amount of a substance that’s technically lethal,” Claire Coutts, a certified alcohol and drug counselor intern at Quest Counseling said. This dosage amount changes based on the tolerance of an individual as well. 

According to Coutts, substances are classified fittingly as ‘uppers’, ‘downers’, and ‘all-arounders’. Downers are those that have a depressing affect (heroin, fentanyl, alcohol) while uppers are stimulants (cocaine, nicotine, amphetamines). All-arounders are those that often, but not always, have both affects (cannabis, ecstasy). 

Fentanyl is a depressant and a schedule II controlled drug, meaning it has “a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence” (according to the DEA). Other examples of schedule II drugs are oxycodone (OxyContin), Adderall, and methamphetamine. These drugs are also typically classified as dangerous.

Something especially dangerous about fentanyl is its extremely high potency, where just “two milligrams can cause overdose or death” (according to a study from UCDavis).

While recognizing the dangers of fentanyl is important, recognizing the stigma surrounding substance usage within the homeless population is necessary, especially when considering the welfare of healthcare workers. Most calls from the homeless population regarding overdoses go to ground care of REMSA. 

Different types of vigils have been been held in northern Nevada in recent years for the unhoused, from alongside the Truckee River, to the Believe statue to churches.

“Unfortunately, especially in the Reno area, it does consist of 911 abuse of ambulances by the homeless population,” Willden said. REMSA workers receive calls from the homeless community where an individual simply wants a bed for the night and purposefully does something in a shelter, such as violent acts or drug use, to get sent to the hospital. A lot of these calls are from CARES Campus, Wells Avenue, Fourth Street, and other areas downtown.

Lack of access to resources for this community is a huge factor in the rising number of overdoses. The rate Naloxone (Narcan) was dispensed in 2022 in Nevada was .5 per 100 people, and while there are free Narcan kits in public spaces around Reno, actual help is limited for these individuals. The waitlist for counseling is also long and requires more counselors than Washoe County has at its disposal. 

While there are resources for addiction, many do not seek help for multiple reasons. Four common reasons are they are unwilling to admit they have addiction, do not want help because they want to continue in their actions, fear legal consequences if seeking help, and/or their surroundings and community do not provide a space where these drugs are seen as a hazard and potentially harmful and deadly. One of the main things people need to possess in order to want to seek treatment is internal motivation (according to the NIH).

Many who are experiencing homelessness are in an environment where the consequences are not seen as dire as they truly are. The negative connotation surrounding fentanyl can also be downplayed when surrounded by the substance more often. With the drug becoming more and more prevalent, both inside and outside the homeless community, Willden said the lack of stigma surrounding fentanyl becomes a serious issue.

Exploring the stigma and knowing the dangers with substance use is important to understand when evaluating the rapidly increasing number of fentanyl deaths in the past three years. Understanding the mindset behind substance use is key to helping unhoused individuals not only in improving their lifestyle, but also their future and overall state of mind. 

Reporting by Tenyson Fowler shared with Our Town Reno

Despite Confusing Signs, Young Local Voters Say Yes To Voting in Primaries

This year’s primary election will mark the first time Malorie Schwartz will cast a ballot. 

The University of Nevada, Reno freshman says it’s important for eligible voters to have a say in the direction of the country. 

“I would like to know that I’m doing my part in picking the best person to represent the country I live in,” she said. 

Schwartz, who registered as a Democrat in her hometown of Las Vegas, plans to vote by mail. While Schwartz knows her registration is up to date and has a plan for voting, election officials are reminding voters there’s still time for each would be voter to formulate their own plan before the June 11th election. 

“That’s the big one, May 28,” Carson City Clerk-Recorder Scott Hoen said about the deadline to check your voter registration status. 

Hoen, who was elected in 2022, said the key component for college students and voting is to vote in the proper county. 

“Let’s say they live in Las Vegas with their parents, that’s where they’ve got their ballot in the past, that’s where they are registered to vote,” he explained. 

As a first-term county clerk, Hoen says one of the issues he frequently encounters is voters who register at the Department of Motor Vehicles. He said when voters visit the DMV, they often update their registration unknowingly.

“Most people who are registered at the DMV are registered as non-partisan. It is probably the largest party right now in Northern Nevada because of just that,” Hoen said.

As of April 1, there were 2,317,568 registered voters in Nevada. Statewide broken down by party, non-partisan had the largest number at 786,379, followed by registered Democrats with 707,287. Republican voters ranked in at 652,171. 

Of those registered voters, 236,581 were between the ages 18-24, according to the secretary of state’s office. 

One student who won’t register for either party but who plans to vote is UNR senior Joe Church.

He believes college students play an important role in the election process. It’s one of the reasons Church registered to vote as soon as he was eligible at age 18 to participate in the process. 

“It is important to vote for what you believe in, in hopes that it can change the country for the better,” he said. 

Hoen also stressed the importance of participating in democracy. 

“Tell your family, friends, and neighbors to go vote. It’s that cornerstone of what we all believe in, and everybody’s vote is important,” he said. 

Church, a Douglas County native, who moved to Carson City in 2021, last cast his vote during the 2020 presidential election. The registered independent voter said he plans to participate in this upcoming primary election cycle. Church is currently educating himself about the candidates and their agendas. 

“I’m turning to the news, debates, social media, campaign speeches they give,” he said. 

Schwartz, who’s studying journalism, learns about those running for office from her own circles. 

“I learn about the candidates I vote for through social media and word of mouth from family members and peers,” she said. 

Church also suggested students do their own research and verify the information they see to ensure truthfulness. 

“In today’s digital age, it’s sometimes hard to believe what you are reading, which makes it super important to not get fooled by false information,” he said.

This comes amid concerns from the right of the political spectrum in how Nevada’s elections have been conducted in recent years.

“Our state runs some of the most accessible, secure elections in the country,” Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in January. “This is possible thanks to the hard-working election officials that have been working tirelessly to prepare and the poll workers that are gearing up to help make these elections happen.” 

However, Hoen suggests voters should be leery about trusting mail-in delivery of their ballots. 

“In-person (voting), no problems,” he said. “By mail, you have to worry about that a little bit. If you are going to vote by mail, make sure it is postmarked by election day. If you’re going to vote by mail and use the post office, then mail it early and don’t wait until the last day.” 

Important dates for the upcoming primary election: 

• In-person voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 11. 

• Early voting will take place starting Saturday, May 25 through Friday, June 7. 

• Mail in ballots will be sent by May 22. 

Important dates for the upcoming general election: 

• The 2024 general election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 5. 

• Early voting will take place starting Saturday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Nov. 1. 

Voters can register or update their voter registration at registertovote.nv.gov. To check your voter registration and mail-in ballot status in Washoe County, visit https://www.washoecounty.gov/voters/2024-election/index.php. 

Reporting by Ashley Betrue shared with Our Town Reno

Sheila Browning-Peuchaud, Making a Push for More Transparency as a Reno Ward 5 Candidate

Sheila Browning-Peuchaud, a former assistant professor at the Reynolds School of Journalism at UNR, an evidence based health coach for her own company and self-described “public servant by heart,” is running for Reno’s city council ward 5.

The first word on her campaign website, in big bold letters, is “transparency.” And that is exactly what Browning-Peuchaud wants to see more of in Reno.

Browning-Peuchaud grew up in Michigan as the youngest of eight kids, but she didn’t stay in the Midwest. Her senior year of high school, Browning-Peuchaud served as a youth ambassador in Japan. She’s also worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Turkmenistan, taught journalism at a university in Cairo, and studied abroad in France and Russia.

In her travels, Browning-Peuchaud has carried the third Peace Corps goal with her. In her words, that goal is “to bring back what you learn, to try and make America better.” Now, Browning-Peuchaud hopes to make this corner of the world a little better by calling for a more transparent local government. 

A lack of transparency includes the city’s dealings with Jacobs Entertainment, “one entity that owns about a quarter of the heart of our city,” Browning-Peuchaud says. The company’s development plans have resulted in the demolition of several Reno motels, which previously served for some as the last stop before homelessness.

Browning-Peuchaud is also concerned with the lack of transparency around what exactly the plan is. “You know, whatever Jacobs Entertainment has in mind for downtown,” she says, “it might be the best thing in the history of Reno, or it might be the worst, and we have no idea.”

“Whatever you think best, on whatever timeline works for you,” is not a strategy she thinks is working. She believes that the city could have benefitted from “more negotiating and horse trading,” or, at least, the opportunity for more public workshops. 

Another instance of lack of transparency concerns the fate of the former Record Street shelter. “City staff were going back and forth about that property for about seven months,” Browning-Peuchaud indicates.

In her view, before recommendations are published on agenda meetings, the public needs more than just four days “to think through the implications, organize, and respond. The public should be able to weigh in…early and often,” she says.

Browning-Peuchaud makes it clear that she isn’t accusing anyone of keeping secrets or “doing [back room] deals.” But she does think that it’s inconsiderate when decisions are made for the community without their knowledge or consent. 

“Without transparency, you're asking the public (to) ‘just trust us’. But, without transparency, you've already given the public a reason not to trust,” says Browning-Peuchaud. “Let’s understand what’s going on here. Let’s share the process with the public.”

Browning-Peuchaud generally thinks about things “in terms of a five minute plan, a five-day plan, a five-week plan, a five-month plan, and a five-year plan.” Admittedly, some things do take longer than others, as is apparent with the Jacobs Entertainment buyout and development spree. “But,” she adds, “you need to know where you're headed in order to get there, right?

Another pillar of Browning-Peuchaud’s platform is commitment to service. “Running for public office implies serving in public office,” she says. “So I will serve the term.” She brings up the case of Neoma Jardon, a previous ward 5 city council member who left her position for a job to head the Downtown Reno Partnership. To fill her position, the city went through an appointment process. Browning-Peuchaud put her name in the running then, in 2021– her first shot at the position she’s now campaigning for three years later. Her participation in the appointment process allowed her to see it “up close.”

“People who are ‘in the know’ were telling me, ‘listen Sheila, it’s fine that you're doing this. But they've already decided who they're going to appoint,” Browning-Peuchaud remembers. Everyone who self-nominated for the city council spot was given three minutes to speak, and she describes the group as folks who were “doing amazing work for the city.”

“I was blown away by the spirit and talent in that room,” she recalls. As it turned out, one candidate who didn’t speak that day was the person ultimately appointed to fill the position for city council Ward 5. It was the same person who Browning-Peuchaud was told already had it in the bag, so to speak. According to Browning-Peuchaud, similar appointment processes followed after the resignations of Oscar Delgado (in Ward 3) and David Bobzien (at-large), which led to Ward 5 challenger Devon Reese to starting his time on council. 

If elected in the seat, Browning-Peuchaud would call for special elections if any other council member steps down before their term is over. “People will say, ‘special elections are complicated, and expensive, and might not have high turnout.” But the way she sees it, “the turnout will always be higher than four,” (the number of city council members who constitute a majority). 

Previously teaching journalism ethics, as well as a race, gender and media class, Browning-Peuchaud remembers teaching a class on election day in 2016, when she told her students, “it looks like we’re about to elect our first female president. As we all know,” she sighs, “that's not the way that played out.” But the results of that 2016 election were influential in Browning-Peuchaud’s decision to run for public office. 

“I was like, ‘oh, I'm not like some young kid fresh out of college,’” she says. “I guess it's time for me to step up.” Her campaign for Reno city council ward 5 is something she considers “a new phase of public service” for herself. 

Now, Browning-Peuchaud just wants to “run the kind of campaign (she) can be proud of,” which, notably, does not involve sending out hateful mailers to ward 5 constituents, as was recently the case targeting Reese.

For Browning-Peuchaud, June will be a big month, go through to November or be eliminated from the race.

The primaries are on June 11th, and on June 14th one of her kids will graduate from Wooster, and the other will turn 14 a few days later. 

“We’re going to still be the family we are,” she says, proud of their time in northern Nevada, all trying to make this corner of the world a better place.

Reporting by Ray Grosser for Our Town Reno

Jacobs Entertainment Ignores Answering Concerns About Its Giant Video Board

While the massive J Resort 65 by 65 feet electronic video board at West 4th street can be entertaining and soothing to some walking or driving by, it was immediately annoying to several nearby residents.

Dez Peltzer, a resident of Reno, living one block away in the Plaza Apartments, says the sign directly faces their bedroom window. Peltzer says they “would consider [the sign] a nuisance.” 

Being on the third floor, Peltzer's window has a clear view of the art on display and had to buy blackout curtains to prevent the light from keeping them up at night. 

A January press release indicated the rotation of digital artwork being displayed is set to change every six months.

“We set out to create an unparalleled creative experience in downtown Reno,” Jeff Jacobs, CEO of Jacobs Entertainment was quoted as saying. “Our sizeable digital art display exists to immerse the community in a life-sized gallery from J Resort’s public spaces…”

Cassandra Hui, a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, who studies circadian rhythms and how light pollution can affect people’s internal clocks, said she was concerned how the massive sign adds light pollution to downtown Reno.

“A big thing is changing the color,” Hui recommended. 

A warm tone LED would range from golden yellow to red and would be easier on the eyes and on the body's circadian rhythm. 

A majority of the light pollution in Reno comes from casino signs on Virginia street. With the J Resort being several blocks away, this is expanding the area of light pollution. 

A warmer spectrum could still affect the circadian rhythm, but Hui said this wouldn’t have as many negative effects.

A more recent notice had a call out for “Reno’s digital creatives” to have their work displayed on the screen during Artown, on Friday, July 26, 2024. We reached out to several artists promoting this event on their own feeds, but none responded to our interview queries.

There’s also been research on how electronic billboards are wasted energy, create driver distractions, add to visual clutter, disconnect people from a sense of place and nature, and provide no social benefits.  

A recent paper in a scientific journal explained how visual pollution can have a deep degrading effect on urban communities.

The sign was installed by a company named YESCO, which released a behind the scenes video and has been making other signs for the J Resort. 

“Digital signs of this scale are energy hogs using the equivalent of 30 homes worth of energy in a year,” John Hara the President of Scenic Nevada said.

His non-profit which works to protect the scenic character of Nevada has several lawsuits against Jacobs Entertainment to protect the scenery of Reno over other planned signs for a multitude of reasons.

Hara explains one of these lawsuits states how billboards attached to buildings are only allowed to use that board to advertise for what’s happening in the building it’s attached to. However, Jacobs Entertainment has been using its multiple signs for other things, such as promoting its Glow Plaza events. Scenic Nevada says that this shouldn't be allowed while Jacobs Entertainment has submitted a request to be able to advertise for their neighboring attractions as well.

We reached out repeatedly to the J Resort and the Abbi Agency which released the January press release (with contact details above if anybody wants to try and get back to us with any answers) for comments to information we were being provided for this report.  After seven attempts, we did not hear back and gave up.

Our Town Reno reporting by Quay Skankey, Lexi Waisanen and Aimee Arellano

The Peppermill and Others Tapping into Northern Nevada's Vast Geothermal Energy

Leading us through a tour of the Peppermill’s geothermal plant, John Kassai, the central plant and geothermal manager, invited us to lay our hands on a large pipe connected to the ground. Once we touched the pipe, warmth ran through.

Reaching 4,400 feet below the ground, the Peppermill harnesses the Earth’s natural heat in order to heat the casino’s water and power the casino’s internal heating. This has saved the Peppermill millions of dollars in energy use, returning the investment of developing the geothermal plant in just three years.

Nearly 15 years ago, the Peppermill started tapping into the vast Moana Reservoir, holding natural geothermal energy more than three quarters of a mile underground. It took the Peppermill Resort $9.7 million to develop their geothermal heating system.

Although it was a risky decision to move forward with the project, which was initiated during the Great Recession, the project has saved the Peppermill an estimated $2.2 million in natural gas bills each year while drastically reducing the casino’s carbon footprint by 12,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.

Geothermal energy is the heat that the earth contains. Northern Nevada is abundant with geothermal energy due to its unique composition of earth and geographic location. 

Other companies like Ormat Technologies have also made use of these geothermal sources. Ormat’s plants at Steamboat Hills power homes in Galena. The Moana Reservoir powers the Moana Springs Community Aquatic & Fitness Center.  

Maria Richards, the interim director of Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, resides in an office on UNR campus, with maps on the walls, and a UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs mug, filled with hot tea on her desk.

She explains that the Great Basin is constructed of a thin layer of crust above the mantle.   The Great Basin is an area that spreads 200,000 square miles west of the Rocky Mountains and east of the Sierra Nevadas. The water of the region drains inside the region itself, with no outlet into the ocean. Its expanse includes most of Nevada, half of Utah, and parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and California.

Maria Richards pointing to the Great Basin on a map that is hung up in the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy. On the map there are points marking where geothermal power plants and hot spots are located.

The Great Basin being next to the Pacific Tectonic Plate causes much tectonic activity to occur inside the basin’s earth. The pull-apart, land-stretching activity creates passageways for the heat to travel up through the thin crust where it can be reached by drill or even make its way to the surface.

Geothermal energy is a renewable form of energy. Theoretically, sources of geothermal energy can continue to produce energy eternally. The degree of renewability a geothermal source may have depends on a balance of give and take from the resource. 

Geothermal energy relies on the fluids that carry the heat through the crust. If the same amount of fluids that were taken from the source are replenished in the system, or if the fluids entirely remain in the system, the source may be able to produce geothermal energy infinitely. 

The Peppermill follows this renewable format by keeping the water that carries its geothermal heat kept in a closed loop system. This relieves the challenge of replenishing the system.

At the Peppermill, these pipes bring the geothermal water from the pumps, through the heat exchangers, and back down into the Earth. 

Also on UNR’s campus is Jim Faulds, director of the Nevada Bureau of Mine and Geology, whose office is populated by work-related achievements and paperwork. Faulds explains that passageways of the energy can close overtime. Rock material on fault lines are eroded down into small clay particles. The geology world calls this process clay gouging. This clay material fills passageways, making them impermeable and inaccessible. 

This process is more common in larger faults than in smaller faults, Faulds explains. Given this, Faulds seeks out young and small faults in hopes of the faults being active and long-lasting.

“It’s the heat beneath our feet,” he says, “Why not use it?”

To locate subsurface hotspots, Faulds explains geologists deploy LiDAR (Light Detection and Radar) technology. Airplanes deflect laser beams off the Earth’s surface, resulting in high-resolution topographic images. These images help paint the picture of what’s going on beneath the surface, like which areas have higher potential conductivity or will allow for a more rapid flow of electrical currents.  

Richards from Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy explains that geothermal energy produces more heat with a higher temperature differential within the closed loop of fluid. Due to this, Richards is in favor of mixed incorporation of geothermal sources with other renewables like solar. 

She says that when a geothermal source produces its least amount of energy due to the sun heating the ground, a solar source is producing its most amount of energy from absorbing the rays. 

This contrasts with the Peppermill’s central plant and geothermal manager, John Kassai’s opinion on solar energy.

”Solar is overrated,” he says.

Kassai criticizes solar’s productivity and consistency in comparison to renewables like geothermal and nuclear energy. He states the Peppermill will not be incorporating solar into its power supply in the near future.

Kassai explains how he can watch over all of the heat production from the Pepermill geothermal operations from this computer

Geothermal’s consistency is reliable, as outside factors like consistent wind or sunlight are not crucial to its production. Nevada is second in the U.S. for most geothermal energy production, behind California.

Thanks to these geographical advantages, Faulds suggests that UNR’s campus could soon be powered by geothermal energy. Faulds says it could become a significant financial benefit to the university if it was willing to invest the time and necessary upfront resources. UNR’s campus suffers occasional power outages, like one that occurred in late April, so it could be worthwhile to explore alternative options.

However, the development of geothermal energy is an increasingly expensive investment.

Richards was just in Gabbs Valley, a mountain range in the west of the central Nevada desert in the Great Basin region for a geothermal drilling project.

“We were drilling a well that we wanted to get to 50 feet and it was already $30,000,” says Richards.

Another challenge with geothermal energy is the loud noise it creates.

Richards explains the geothermal wells have mufflers because of the amount of noise and volume associated with water raising to the surface.

“It’s like the roar of the Earth,” says Richards, “I like to think the Earth is talking to us through geothermal.”

During the Peppermill’s drilling process, engineers put up large sound barriers to prevent hotel guests and the neighboring residential areas from hearing the noise of the geothermal plant.

Kassai explains that it is more difficult for businesses to invest in geothermal development now, because drilling costs have risen since the Peppermill’s construction of its own geothermal plant.

The Peppermill is still happy to boast about its decision to drill and develop its own geothermal system.

Despite the costs, a recent analysis from the U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Office's (GTO) GeoVision found that geothermal electricity generation has the potential to increase at least 26-fold by 2050, with northern Nevada one of its possible hubs.

Reporting by Kade Collins, Malia Ascuaga, Trey Kroll, and Dez Peltzer shared with Our Town Reno

Tara Webster Expresses Frustration after not Getting WEA Endorsement

One local candidate running for Reno City Council Ward 5 Tara Webster sent an email expressing frustration to Mario Fitzpatrick from the Washoe Education Association Board of Directors after he indicated the WEA decided to endorse another candidate.

In her email shared with local media, Webster wrote: “May I ask what qualifications WEA was looking for in an endorsable candidate? I am the only Ward 5 candidate who is a K-12 educator, actively engaged in education outreach, and who has pursued a doctorate in Education. I am also the only current candidate at large in Northern Nevada advocating for early childhood education, who fought to open a pre-k school in Northwest Reno that serves low-income learners.

As a strong advocate for public K-12 education, I am concerned that two WEA-endorsed candidates and one interviewee received donations from Academica, a funder of Mater Charter Schools whose expansion was recently opposed by WCSD. Further, K-12 charter schools threaten public education funding, historically segregate already marginalized communities, and were recently reported to be underperforming across Nevada. “

Our Town Reno previously looked into Academica donations to Kurt Thigpen who was running for Assembly District 24 before dropping out. We noted that 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.

In that Substack post we also noted “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.”

In her own email from today, Webster wrote “I would be remiss to not acknowledge that another candidate with an education background, Lily Baran (Ward 1), was not provided accommodations to interview and was overlooked for endorsement over her non-educator opponent.”

She concluded, “If either myself or my peer are missing key qualifications based on our attached applications and interviews, or are not connected to the right people, I want to ensure we can work towards meeting WEA's expectations in the future. “

In follow up texts to Our Town Reno, Webster wrote she's taught educators across the US, Costa Rica, Cambodia and was a guest for that in China, has taught everything from k through college, wrote papers on topics spanning trauma in education to ocean diversity, and even had dinner with acclaimed science communicator Bill Nye on several occasions.

Our Town Reno wrote Fitzpatrick for a response but did not hear back.

Our Town Reno reporting, May 2024

Local Sparks Woman Trying To Press Charges for Rape, Finds Herself Arrested for Battery

Dani Shelley, 40, a sexual abuse survivor and a local home owner, with a career in digital forensics, is shocked and looking for help, facing a charge of domestic battery while thinking of suing the Sparks Police department. 

After moving here several years ago from Portland, a relationship she had with a diesel mechanic nine years younger than her, who works locally on freight trucks, has turned into a physical, emotional and legal nightmare.

After trying to get him arrested for what she says was rape, she’s the one now thrown into the court system for punching him in the face.  She’s been frustrated every step of the way in trying to get him arrested, but now is facing her own pre trial hearing in early June.  

Her Move to Sparks

Her move to Sparks initially came about when she decided to leave Portland during the pandemic.  

“Everything went crazy and my neighborhood just got super dangerous. I got tired of hearing gunshots all the time and picking needles out of my yard and thought, ‘I need to get out of here.’ And I don't know. For some reason I picked this area,” she remembers. “And the cost of living is lower and the weather's better and the crime is way lower. So I bought a house out here and then sold my house in Portland and came out here.”

She met her ex online, making sure it was clear with him she wanted a serious long term relationship. 

“He basically does this thing called mirroring where he's trying to mirror exactly what I want or what I am like so that I feel comfortable with that,” she then realized.

A Relationship Gone Horribly Wrong

She says she contracted syphilis from him in 2022, and had to get costly treatment in a hospital.  After they had broken up, one night in August 2023, she says he texted asking to come over and cuddle.

His visit she says then turned into rape, with him allegedly hitting her and forcing himself into her without protection.  She says as a victim of sexual abuse during childhood she just froze up, but that he knew what he was doing was “disgusting.” 

“If somebody is doing something that I don't want, I freeze. I can't do anything,” she says.  She says she bled and was in pain for three days.  

She then recorded conversations with him about it she says, trying to get him to understand.  “I was like, look, we need to discuss this because that was rape,” she says.

She alleges she found out his ex-wife and others in his life have gone through similar abuse with him.  

“For a long time I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. Like, he just doesn't know. He doesn't know any better or whatever, which is insane. But, you know, I was like, look, you need to understand what was wrong about this and you need to get help because at the time he was actually in therapy,” Dani told us during a phone interview this week.

Punching Her Ex in the Face and Breaking Her Hand

In late November, after she says an unprompted visit by her ex led her to break her hand punching him in the face, she got a meeting with Sparks police which was set up by a victims organization she had contacted for help. She didn’t want to name the organization feeling frustrated in how the process unfolded.

In explaining the broken hand she gave us this account in a follow up email: “He was purposely trying to cause severe emotional distress (as 'punishment' for being rightfully upset with him about what he put me through) and was continually telling me to hit him. I did, and I expected him to hit back, which he didn't do. I suspect my hand broke because he turned his face away and my fist landed on the side of his head. He did not have any visible injuries, was still walking and talking fine, and was able to drive home…. I suspect the reason I broke a bone is because of my existing health issues. While I have never had a bone density test, as I heard it's hard to get insurance to cover it, I have been on medication for a long period of time that is known to cause osteoporosis, especially with long term use (depo provera birth control, which I used to control my PMDD symptoms). The fifth metacarpal was fractured all the way across.”

She says she found out from others he had used a possible technique of entrapment on them as well, to seek out to be victimized.

During her meeting with police, her goal was to file a report for sexual assault for the alleged rape in August, but instead she felt she was the one being targeted.

“From the very beginning, when they were taking my report, they did not act like they [cared about] what I was saying,” she remembers. 

Trying to get Her Ex Arrested

An officer took photos of her broken hand. “I was defending myself and I did readily admit to that and the police,” she says. After the meeting, she was told she could send electronic evidence she had concerning her complaint of sexual assault. 

“So they had sent me a link to my email to upload it. And originally they sent me a link and then I was only able to upload 25 pieces. So I called back and I was like, ‘hey, I have a lot more. Where can you send me another link?’ So they sent another link and I put another 25 pieces.”

Dani says she uploaded video recorded conversations, text messages and emails.  

Her career in digital forensics came in handy. “Our clients are law firms and corporations. We handle evidence that's going to be used in court cases that are mostly white collar crimes.”

Part of what she recorded, she says, and submitted, was him allegedly admitting to hitting her during the rape. “When I ask why he hit me, he describes the reason for doing it as an ‘impulse’ he had and could explain no further,” she wrote in an email.

Getting Arrested Herself

While waiting for months for her ex to be charged and arrested, after inquiring relentlessly about it to different local offices, including Sparks police, she found out in early March she was the one with a warrant now against her, launching her into a new tailspin of calls and queries.  

“Instead of responding to me, they sent Sparks police out to my house to arrest me. It was a Monday morning,” she remembers. “They came to my house. I was like in my slippers and shorts and a tank top, and they pulled me out of my house and put me in handcuffs and took me to jail. And I was like, ‘What is going on?’”

The arrest itself was harrowing.

“I have many physical health issues and wanted to note my left thumb is still completely numb from nerve damage I sustained from being handcuffed so tight the day they came to my house to arrest me,” she wrote to us in a follow up.

Going to Jail and Discovering the Charge Against Her

She spent half a day in jail before bailing out, which with additional charges and a credit card advance fee cost her about $1700.

She says she finally saw the complaint against her when she was arraigned the next morning.  

The document signed on March 11th and filed on March 14th in Sparks Municipal Court indicates that on or about about August 16th, 2023, in the vicinity of her home on E Street, she struck her ex with a closed fist.

“It alleges I punched my ex in August last year, which I can prove did not happen. In fact, this is the date I told them he sexually assaulted me,” she says, hoping the listed date will prove her innocence. “I can prove I broke my hand in November, not August. I am hoping this will be enough to get the case against me thrown out, but in the meantime I'm suffering from a lot of trauma from the whole situation. At this point I'm looking for any assistance I can get.”

Seeking her Own Safety and Justice

She’s been appointed a court appointed lawyer but hasn’t been able to meet with him yet.  

“I’m looking for an attorney to sue the police department, but so far I have not been able to retain someone. I'm very concerned for my personal safety and my future at this juncture,” she wrote to Our Town Reno in her initial email.  

She’d like to see the bodycam video of her meeting with police as well as those of her ex.  She’s also thinking of suing the city of Sparks.  

“I think I have plenty of evidence to prove that they've completely mishandled my case and they're aware of it and they've been aware of it and they refuse to make it right,” she alleges.
She believes discrimination may be at play as well based on her appearance.  

“I have a mohawk, my head is tattooed, I have piercings. I'd say I stand out,” she says.

Dani hasn’t dated since and has grown increasingly untrustworthy of the world around her.  “I can't trust anyone in my house. I've had a couple people spend the night here. Even if somebody is in my house, like I cannot sleep… I can't be around people like that. Three weapons are next to my bed,” she said. 

Our Town Reno reporting, May 2024

County Confirms Employee Tore Down Candidate's Sign

After her sign was torn down by a Washoe County employee from a private property in Sparks, Ward 1 City Council candidate Christine Garvey put up a new one and stood proudly in front of it, while the County wrote back to Our Town Reno about the matter.

Garvey said the homeowner on which both the previous torn up sign and new one were displayed is in her 70s and “was just trying to support someone she felt would look out for seniors and her community.”

Earlier today, Garvey emailed county officials and bcced Our Town Reno writing in part:

“I am contacting you concerning an issue that occurred Tuesday, May 14th, 2024, at the Sparks Senior Center located on Richards Way in Sparks.

A Washoe County employee, Jacquelyn King, ripped down and destroyed my campaign sign that was attached to and located on the private property directly to the East of the Senior Center. 

This employee was on the clock as a county employee when she did this. 

When I introduced myself and asked Ms. King if she knew anything about the missing sign that had been placed an hour earlier, she told me she knew who I was and yes, she did know what happened to my sign.

She went on to tell me, quite proudly that she’s the one that cut down my sign because it was "propaganda.”

She also told me several times during our conversation that she has been repeatedly told by her supervisors, county employees, to remove any "propaganda" from the senior center. However, my sign was not even located on county property.”

The message concluded with Garvey, who barely lost the 2022 Sparks mayoral race against Ed Lawson, saying she was seeking  “payment for my destroyed sign, an apology and immediate action to remedy this behavior by a county employee utilizing all applicable county codes, policies and state law. “

While seeking comment from the county, we also asked if the person cited in Garvey’s complaint was indeed a county employee.

Candee Ramos wrote back to Our Town Reno today indicating: “Washoe County has begun an investigation into this incident. The County is working on reimbursement for the property owner, as well as an apology. The employee was acting of her own accord, with County leadership never having given instructions to remove signs to any employee. Any disciplinary action for the employee is considered a confidential personnel matter.”

Ramos did not name the employee in her own message but wrote “I can confirm that the individual is indeed a Washoe County employee.”

Ramos also said the county had provided a reminder of its Employee Political Activity Guidelines on its intranet page in March.

This indicates in part “the employees should not:

1. Solicit contributions for any political purpose from other employees or from any individual on an employment eligibility list; Engage in political activity during normal work hours (including displaying or wearing political materials);

2. Engage in political activity for the purpose of securing a promotion, transfer or salary increase;

3. While off duty, engage in political activity that impairs the employee's attendance and efficiency as an employee; or,

4. Engage in any political activities at any time that are forbidden by federal law when that employee is in a department administering federally aided programs.”

The guidelines  urge employees to “use good judgment and remember to always be respectful and mindful of the fact that there are many different views and perspectives, and it's best not to distract others with individual opinions.”

Our Town Reno reporting, May 2024

Leo Carew, Getting the Help He Needed at the Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital

In this article, reporter Ray Grosser, who previously worked with youth suffering from abuse and trauma, features Leo Carew’s turnaround while looking into the overall state of evolving local mental and substance abuse care.

Trigger warning: this article mentions suicide

Before moving to Reno, I worked at a day treatment center in Denver. We spent all day hanging out with kids who had already seen way too much in their short time on Earth. Almost all of the youth at the center had suffered (or were currently suffering) through severe trauma and abuse. We faced the problem that most facilities do in this line of work: a constant lack of both staff and money, paired with an always-increasing necessity for behavioral health services. 

There is a need for access to these services everywhere, a fact that is readily apparent here in Reno. I wanted to figure out what kind of resources are available here. I found that, fortunately, Washoe County is taking some hugely important leaps in this area. 

Recently, Julia Ratti (in photo above) was hired as the county’s first Behavioral Health Administrator to oversee and improve the system for mental health and substance abuse challenges in the community.

Another step forward is the planned reopening of West Hills Behavioral Health Center. The county has secured funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (the act that provided financial relief from COVID) in order to complete renovations of the center, which closed in 2021 due to lack of funding (among other factors). West Hills may start accepting patients as early as this summer, potentially including youth patients. 

Meanwhile, Willow Springs, a residential center for youth in need of mental and behavioral health care, which offers outpatient services as well, continues to face challenges. 

Very sadly, a patient died by suicide there in March of last year. While the existence of these facilities are important in itself, it’s vital that they receive adequate funding that will allow for sufficient staffing and services. When there is no money or resources, then facilities can easily become nothing more than a roof and a room for the people in our community who need so much more. 

Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital which opened its doors to the community in 2018 is trying as best it can to provide much needed local help. Since opening, the Sierra Center Parkway location has provided inpatient and outpatient services for folks in need of mental health and psychiatric care. The hospital is “near and dear” to Don Butterfield, its current CEO.

“Unfortunately, Nevada ranks 38th in access to mental health resources,” says Butterfield, referring to a 2023 report by Mental Health America. Due to the scarcity of quality inpatient care for youth in Northern Nevada, Reno Behavioral has expanded their programs with more than half of their beds dedicated to youth treatment, according to Butterfield. 

Youth treatment is tremendously important for early intervention. I wanted to speak with someone who had a positive experience with mental health care here in Reno, but of course, it’s also important to protect kid’s identities. And the flip side of the coin is that it’s never too late to seek mental health help, either. 

So, I was lucky enough to meet 57 year old Leo Carew. Leo was adopted at two years old “by a wonderful family,” and grew up in a loving home. Early on, Leo began feeling like his life was missing something, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. “I found myself attracted to alcohol, to drown my emptiness,” Leo told me. 

He left his parents house after school, and took his coping tools with him. His alcoholism made it really difficult to hold down a job for long. It also made it really tough to save money. “I’d be like ‘oh my god, ten dollars, let me go buy a bottle,’ rather than spend it on food,” Leo remembers. Fortunately for Leo, he had something that a lot of people don’t have– a supportive family. “When a dire need for money came around, I always had my father to fall back on,” Leo said.

Leo is a self-described modern day prodigal son, his father always welcoming him back with forgiveness, and even once bailing Leo out of jail. So, you and I can only imagine how hard it hit when Leo’s dad passed away. “I was lost…I felt the world crumbling around me,” Leo was filled with emotion as he remembered his dad.

He moved to Reno after his father died, looking for a fresh start. What he found here, though, “was just a different bunch of drinking buddies.” Leo cycled through life this way for a while– he was able to find a great job at Sprouts, and a community at church. But he wasn’t able to stop drinking.

Leo has benefited from family always trying to help him.

One day after a particularly intoxicating weekend, some friends and a couple of Leo’s sisters stepped in, and took him to Reno Behavioral Health Hospital. “March 24th, 2019,” Leo recalls. “That was my last day drinking.” When he got to the hospital, Leo had made up his mind: “I’m gonna take the help that they’re gonna give me, and I’m gonna run with it.”

When I asked him what it was about this place that made a difference for him, he gave credit to the people working there who “take you by the hand.” He appreciated the one on one therapy sessions, and the time and space that the program provided him to reflect on his life through writing. He also feels a lot of gratitude for his sisters, who really wanted to help him find a better path. 

Leo spent ten days at Reno Behavioral. When he came out on the other side, Leo finally felt ready to take on the world without the bottle. Thanks to an understanding supervisor, he was able to keep his job at Sprouts. He started going to AA meetings, where he recently received his five year chip. 

Leo also got married to a woman who he gushes over now, telling all of his regulars at Sprouts about her and their life together. The two of them keep busy between work, church, and making travel plans together. 

With a lot of hard work and a little luck, Leo was able to turn his life around for the better. In the midst of a nationwide mental health and substance abuse crisis, stories like Leo’s can seem hard to come by. And there’s a lot of pieces to Leo’s stories that are missing from others: a loving family, a supportive community, and a program that really worked. 

But Reno has an opportunity to fill in these gaps for other folks, too. Continuing to prioritize and invest in mental health resources can go a very long way for our community. Between all of us, we have a whole lot of love and energy to extend towards our neighbors who are in the thick of mental health crises. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis of any kind, you can call the National Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787, or the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. And if you are interested in the services and programs at Reno Behavioral Health hospital, you can receive a free and confidential assessment by calling 775-393-2201 at any time, day or night. 

Reporting by Ray Grosser shared with Our Town Reno

Homelessness Advisory Board Finally Meets, Showing Concerns for High Number of Unhoused

At the first Community Homelessness Advisory Board (CHAB) meeting in 2024, County Commissioner Mike Clark called for more meetings, as did Reno at-large councilman Devon Reese, now running for election in a redrawn Ward 5.

Despite the County-run Cares Campus now being three years in operation, and multiple efforts to combat the high cost of housing, the number of unhoused locally is going back up.

The latest federal count of people without stable shelter willing to be counted put the county’s unhoused population at 1,760 in early 2024, compared to 1,690 in 2023 and 1,609 in 2022.

Many of the CHAB board members are currently running to retain seats, putting some of them on the defensive.

The most recent Point in Time count and the County’s own dashboards show homelessness is on the rise compared to last year, despite out of market articles, repeatedly pushed by elected and county officials, indicating the number of unhoused was being drastically reduced in northern Nevada.  

Chair Alexis Hill, a Democrat now facing reelection as a county commissioner, started out saying there had been “misinformation” that she had been indicating local homelessness had been reduced by half, after she had exuberantly shared the out of market reports on her social media.  She said numbers were being “reduced on the street,” meaning many residents remain regulars at the Cares Campus and the Our Place shelter for women and families, but not in any type of permanent housing. 

Taylor said she had noticed more people looking unhoused in downtown Reno in recent days, with the costs of even cheaper apartments, such as offered by Siegel out of reach for many.

“As much as we’re doing, we still want to do more, we still need to do more,” said Kathleen Taylor, selected as a Reno councilwoman as a replacement, and now facing an election battle for a redrawn downtown Ward 1.  

She said the eye test revealed more unhoused in downtown areas of late, along train tracks and on 4th street with several visible mini tent cities popping up in recent days. Taylor had concerns the emergency overflow shelter, which is used for winter months at Cares Campus, is now closed.

The number $300 million was talked both for overall northern Nevada spending over the past five years to tackle homelessness, and the needed money for effective future permanent supportive house in a presentation by a non profit called the Corporation for Supportive Housing, bringing audible gasps. 

During discussions and public comment, there were also concerns about COVID funding having run out for eviction assistance and emergency shelter vouchers, as well as helping seniors specifically.

Another number discussed was 2,900 or the number of people who have reportedly gone through the Cares Campus and Our Place systems in recent years and never got access to any permanent housing.

“What more can be done, and how can we be more successful,” Devon Reese asked.  

The County’s presentation showed its own month to month numbers of people experiencing homelessness have been back on the rise as well.

The initial presentation by Dana Searcy , the county’s Division Director of Housing and Homeless Services, focused on the limited permanent supportive housing which will be built on the Cares Campus in the coming years, as part of its final phases, with 152 people already signed up for those future units.  The planned reopening of the now shut down West Hills Behavioral Health Hospital was also mentioned as part of helping in the future.  

“There’s not been very much change over the last four years of that PIT count,” Searcy admitted, as to numbers of locally unhoused not actually dropping, since the massive Cares Campus started its operations, with case workers trying to help as best they can to get the unsheltered housed. 

“We have not said we have seen a significant decrease in homelessness,” Searcy said pointing to its own monthly numbers working with different partners registering those experiencing life without their own shelter. “It might get bumpy,” she warned as the end of COVID funding fully takes effect. 

Commissioner Clark, a Republican who is not in campaign mode, offered the most ideas, including trying a new safe park program on county parking lots with portable showers and restrooms, as well as more public bathrooms and trash receptacles along 4th street, where many of the unhoused both staying at the Cares Campus or not, tend to congregate.  

Clark said it “wasn’t a political game” for him, but that he was “just trying to move the needle in a positive way, trying to get people more comfortable in their situation.”

Clark said within the Cares Campus there could be a senior center for the older population staying there, with craft and activities more geared toward that demographic. He also wanted more people from the Cares Campus to be encouraged to speak at CHAB meetings, and to have people living there on the board, as well as at least one representative from the 4th street business community.  

Clark warned of other municipalities and out of state elected officials coming to Washoe County, as has been touted by county officials including by Searcy in today’s meeting, while so much work remains.  “Copying us might not be the best,” he said.  

A main point of his was that the CHAB should meet more often, even every month, he said, for a “hot button issue on everybody’s mind, to show the public we are serious.”

Reese agreed there should be more meetings, saying we are experiencing a “crisis of human scale.” The councilman also agreed northern Nevada should look into a safe parking program for people living in cars and RVs.

Towards the end of the meeting, Michaelangelo Aranda, who is running in a crowded race for the new Reno Ward 6 council seat, said while driving he had recently almost hit an unhoused man, crossing a busy street at night with his belongings.

The man told him he had been told to move from a shopping square where he wasn’t allowed. Aranda suggested a program to offer high visibility vests to the unhoused, donate luggage bags, and also follow Sacramento in setting up a model similar to Camp Resolution, a self-governed encampment community, but with access to government-run water, trash, bathrooms and showers.  

Our Town Reno reporting, May 2024

What’s That Construction Project? The Cottages at Comstock

In a long empty lot above UNR and near train tracks, on Comstock Drive, the ground is being prepared for 1300 to 1900 square feet, three to four bedroom, two story homes, already purchased at prices mostly in the $400,000 range.

A dozen new streets are being planned with a dozen homes on most sides, leading to concerns of bottleneck traffic going into UNR especially on football game days and during high university exit and entry times, with students and staff pouring onto Virginia Street from a narrow and circuitous Comstock Drive.  Initially, there were also concerns of the sloping soil and its brittle nature to sustain such a large scale project.  

On the Northern Nevada Homes website, it’s indicated “At Northern Nevada Homes, we don’t think hard-working people should have to settle for a fixer-upper or live in the outskirts of town to own a home. It’s why, at Cottages at Comstock, we’re committed to delivering quality-built homes at affordable prices in a desirable, in-town location. Rest assured, affordable doesn’t mean bare bones. You’ll get many of the standard features found in higher priced communities, but without the higher priced mortgage payment.”

Our Town Reno reporting, April 2024

Ward 6 Race Has Mostly Little to Nothing in Early 2024 Contributions and Expenses

Candidates for our new Ward 6 in south Reno have mostly little to nothing to show for in early 2024 contributions and expenses, ahead of the June 11th primaries, with a wide open race for the November runoff.

The exception is marketing professional Brandi Anderson who led the pack with $12,705 in contributions but only $101.02 in expenses

In terms of January to March contributions she received $5,000 from Nevada Tri Partners, a regular contributor in northern Nevada, including to Paul Laxalt, Chuck Allen, Naomi Duerr in recent election cycles.

Anderson received $2,500 from the Locus Development Group, which is involved in RED, Park Lane, McCarran and Rancharrah projects, and which recently gave the same amount to incumbent county commissioners Clara Andriola and Alexis Hill, and to incumbent City Council members Miguel Martinez and Devon Reese.

Her other big checks were $1,000 from the Reno Firefighters Association and $500 from Duerr.

William Mantle, who finished fourth in the most recent Reno mayoral contest, has $5,100 in contributions, nearly all from himself, with $284 in spending, mostly on a Squarespace website.

Michaelangelo Aranda, a graduate of the Washoe County Leadership Academy, has $63 in contributions and $38 in spending.

Michael Grimm, self described as “a designer, civil engineer, and contributor to the Reno Arts community for over 25 years” on his Facebook campaign page, has $300 in contributions from himself and no spending. 

Health care and business management professional Roy Stoltzner has $292 in contributions from himself and the same in spending for a Wix website.

A former gubernatorial candidate calling himself a conservative Republican Tom Heck has $30 in contributions and the same in spending 

J M Darcey who we could only find on Facebook listing himself as working at the Millionaire Creation Center has nothing for both.  

Another previous candidate Mon Bertolucci has withdrawn from the race.

Our Town Reno reporting, May 2024

Jen Gurecki, Seeking the Community’s Empathy after Deciding to Close Shop at the Reno Public Market

Jen Gurecki who ran the women-owned Coalition Snow Far Out outpost at the Reno Public Market as well as a Zawadisha space for handcrafted African goods, was there from the beginning at the new Plumb Lane venture since late 2022, before even the grand opening.

Gurecki has now decided it’s time to leave, after writing about her concerns to the owners of the venture, including the El Dorado Hills-based Foothill Partners. 

She had to break a lease which she says was done on amicable terms.  “We worked with ownership very amicably to depart the space,” she told Our Town Reno during a phone interview Monday. “So we get to leave and they get to have a space moving to their next iteration of what the public market will be. So it actually benefits everyone to let us go because we know it's not a good fit.”

Gurecki explained the lease agreements for the retail side were different than for vendors, and that she initially believed the project would bring more foot traffic to sustain her own sales. 

Fuego Street Tacos told Our Town Reno they were leaving on the food side and relocating soon, explaining that the high costs of operating there, and being told to keep increasing their own prices made the situation untenable. The owner Sarah Reynosa says for her with rent there about 20% of a tenant’s gross sales, in addition to credit card transactions, utilities and cleaning costs, it was just too much.

Photo provided by Gurecki of Far Out which she says was not marketed enough by the Reno Public Market Instagram.

Gurecki will pursue her own multi faceted enterprises which include online sales and adventure group travel, as well as a Riverside Farmers Market presence, just not at the Reno Public Market anymore.

“We’re all staying in business and so closing our shops allows us to remain in business rather than waiting it out to see if it will get better,” she said of the departure from the Plumb Lane location. 

Gurecki pointed to a lack of marketing for the stores and different values, including too much waste in the food court, as several reasons.

“In terms of values, I would look at the single use plastic and the waste that is produced there that doesn't sit well with us,” she said.  “I’m not going to point a finger at the food vendors and say that this is their fault. But this is one place in which Reno Public Market could have taken a leadership role and ensured that the space was more ecologically friendly versus the incredible amount of waste that is created there.”

We contacted the Reno Public Market lead developer Doug Wiele, who initially told us he was going to the dentist. He then wrote back that he was reversing course and that a RPM statement was being prepared for media instead of granting us an interview.

It read in part: “While a tenant choosing to leave is never our desired outcome, we understand that not every business is going to be a fit and we respect their decisions as business owners. 

"What our customers, locals and visitors, want from a dining, shopping and entertainment experience continues to evolve and we are regularly evaluating what new experiences and offerings we can bring into RPM to meet those needs. We conduct robust and ongoing marketing efforts to support our merchants and drive traffic to the property.” 

Gurecki says she realized she could control the areas she operated at the Reno Public Market, but as a leaseholder could not control the entire project.  

“While, yes, there are financial concerns about the viability of our stores remaining open, there's also so many other things going on in that space that led us to come to the very painful decision that it wasn't the right fit for us,” she said. 

As Gurecki, the Wyld Market Collective, Wedges & Wide Legs Boutique, and several other food vendors recently decided to call it quits, including A La Parilla and Brazilian Gourmet, she says she expects to see significant changes, which she believes will benefit everyone in the long run.

A new retail anchor is Junkee which had a statement on Instagram earlier this week indicating:

“I have been bombarded by the media requesting my experience of having my business at Reno Public Market.
I, Jessica Schneider, owner of Junkee Clothing Exchange, am here to set the record straight on my experience with my business being at Reno Public Market. Since our move to the market, Junkee has been doing better than ever. We have been busier than we ever have been, and we have countless new customers. Reno Public Market brings in all walks of life with various bands, charity events, and family events almost daily.

Since the move, being inside Reno Public Market has brought us more parking, a strong sense of community, and a safe place for my staff and customers.”

More spaces are now available after the departure of tenants there since the start of the Reno Public Market in late 2022.

Gurecki has noticed angry comments on our recent posts concerning vendor exodus, including complaints about high costs and lack of comfort, and says she would “hope that the ownership is listening to the community and is going to make changes that make it a place that is more appealing to more of the community.”

Concerning social media comments she read this week, Gurecki also wanted to make clear that “everyone who's in there is a locally owned small business. And what you're seeing at Reno Public Market with people leaving is indicative also of this, a larger issue in our community. And this isn't a time to point fingers or to shame small businesses for supposedly not knowing what they're doing. This is a time to really rally behind all of the small businesses in this community because us leaving should be sounding the alarm to people of what is happening. Not only at a local level, but nationally and globally. And the only way that we're going to be able to resolve any of those issues is to come together on that.”

“We're just open to different opportunities and possibilities,” Gurecki said of her own entrepreneurial future. “Coming to the decision to close the shop has been very difficult, very painful, and we don't feel like we need to be rushing into anything else… Right now our main focus is to smoothly transition out of that space, catch our breath, and then take that time to envision what the future could be for us.”

She concluded by urging the community “to be empathetic and supportive and be supportive. I don't mean come in the Reno Public Market and spend money. If you don't want to spend money there, don't. But … I will actively stand up for my business and my brand and will not tolerate anybody just, you know, tolerate some of the ridiculous comments that I'm seeing. So ideally, we can encourage people to respond and engage with thoughtfulness and kindness.” 

Our Town Reno reporting, May 2024