City of Reno Gives Update on Delayed Crak N' Grill

With concerns over breakfast and lunch spot Crak N’ Grill putting up large signs last year and getting written up by media, but not yet opening at its 301 S Wells Ave location, and then receiving City of Reno matching grants both for facade and tenant improvements, we contacted the city’s media line to get an update.

We received this lengthy response from Revitalization Manager Bryan McArdle yesterday afternoon:

“Crak N' Grill is slated to open their business soon. They are currently awaiting their final Fire and Health inspections. The physical improvements to the space took longer than anticipated due to additional work needing to be done.

Crak N' Grill was a ReStore awardee under both our Façade and Tenant Improvement grants. Crak N' Grill was awarded $14,983.00 in matching funds for Façade improvements which included replacing broken windows, fixing a leaky roof, replacing doors, and repainting the building. Crak N' Grill was also awarded $20,671.00 in Tenant Improvement matching funds to improve the interior space and kitchen, and repair water damage. The initial cost estimate to complete the work was $84,000, but they discovered that a lot of additional improvements needed to be completed to open and bring it up to code. Those improvements have been completed and grant funds were released last month.

When it comes to the ReStore Program, it's designed to enhance the visual appeal, economic vitality, and overall livability of commercial areas of downtown. Opening a business is not a requirement of the grant funding as the ReStore funds improve spaces for existing and future tenants. The intent of the program was intended to use the ARPA funding to revitalize downtown in partnership with businesses.

The ReStore Program is funded by grant money from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). These funds have specific provisions that allow for programs like Restore for façade and tenant improvements. The rules given by the Treasury Department state that funds can be used to support small businesses in addressing the economic impacts caused by the pandemic. The funds also support stimulating economic activity in distressed areas impacted by the pandemic by allowing investments that enhance a business’s ability to operate safely and attract customers, and projects that enhance a neighborhood’s vitality.”

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

RIP to a Community and Civic Champion, Kenny Dalton

RIP Kenny Dalton, a great man, community leader, civil rights activist, civic champion and history advocate who did so much to improve this community.

"On behalf of the City of Reno, we are deeply saddened by the passing of Kenny Dalton, one of our city's first Black firefighters in the 1980s and a trailblazing advocate who inspired and mentored many generations," Mayor Hillary Schieve wrote earlier this week.

Dalton was a past president of the Reno chapter of the NAACP and the founder of Our Story, Inc., which sought to collect, preserve and exhibit the contributions, heritage, culture, and accomplishments of people who have not been well represented in Northern Nevada’s public image.

Artifacts and memorabilia in his possession included those of boxing legend, Jack Johnson, who had won the fight of the century in Reno in 1910, and also activist Bertha S. Woodard, who petitioned the Reno City Council in 1959 to lift a ban on minorities in local casinos.

He also helped found the Northern Nevada African American Firefighter Museum and was helping plan upcoming City of Reno Black History Month celebrations.

He was a longtime member of Reno Fire Union Local 731.

A Tacoma, Washington native, Dalton moved to the Biggest Little City in the mid 1980s, where he also coached football and track.

He had attended and played football at Washington State University from 1978-1981, and later obtained an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from TMCC.

In an interview with Our Town Reno we had asked him how he would like to be remembered.

"I’d like to be remembered as a person that was passionate, fair and treated people the way [they] wanted to be treated. That’s pretty much me," he said.

Those are ideals we should all live up to. RIP to a great man who did so much for so many and had immeasurable positive impact.
Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

Latest Reno Art Master Plan Calls for Big Projects and Dissolving Public Art Committee

The City of Reno website has a link for its Reno Public Art Master Plan Update, which includes a vision for what could be done over the next decade, a call for bigger budgets and proposing to dissolve the city’s public art committee.

There are also seemingly contradictory statements.  One one hand, the plan mentions that “artists don’t always see clear opportunities to connect with the public art program.”

However, it then goes on to say it wants to streamline processes for artist selections for different programs, including using “pre-qualified artist lists (rosters) when appropriate to simplify artist selection processes” which would seem to exclude new artists wanting to participate, and hint toward ongoing favoritism, a common complaint.  

The plan developed by a consulting team led by Todd Bressi, known for his work in Philadelphia, calls for a Think Big approach to “launch a signature project or initiative that will capture the imagination of the entire city.”

It further details a major piece or project could explore “Reno’s relationship to light”, or that we could have a super-large mural or a multi-year Truckee River art project. 

Its Vision for Public Art in Reno section uses the controversial Seven Magic Mountains, commissioned by the Nevada Museum of Art as its cover with its lease south of Las Vegas up in 2026, and costly move to our region recently under debate at the county commission level.

A how we get there section calls for expanded art budgeting, and a  restructuring “by dissolving the Public Art Committee and assigning some of its duties to the RACC [Reno Arts and Culture Commission] and some to ad hoc “Task Forces” (expanded selection committees) that are established for each public art project or program. In this approach, the function of the RACC would generally be strengthened and expanded. The RACC duties would include recommending Annual Work Plans, recommending the appointment of members of Task Forces, recommending the approval of project plans, and recommending artist selections and concept approvals.”

On the City of Reno website it indicates “the purpose of the Public Art Committee is to express in a visible way the pride in and commitment to the arts by the City of Reno, and to share that attitude among all its citizens and visitors.”

Other big picture questions include whether these programs are meant to boost local artists over outside ones, and whether these create artwashing and high speed gentrification, whereby the paid artists themselves are priced out of areas they helped beautify.

The City Council is expected to review the plan in the coming months.

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025 

NV Energy Seeks $2.40 More Per Month From Northern Nevada Residents for Wildfire Self-Insurance

A recent application by NV Energy to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada is seeking monthly bill increases of about $2.40 in northern Nevada, so that it can establish a $500 million fund to have more liability  insurance in case a massive wildfire is caused or worsened by its own utility equipment.

Under the plan, customers in the south of the Silver State, where wildfires are much less prevalent, would see a lower increase of about 50 cents per month.

In a press release from earlier this week NV Energy called the plan “a wildfire self-insurance policy.”

“Wildfires across the United States are becoming more frequent and severe, and utilities like NV Energy must proactively manage wildfire related risks to protect customers and the communities we work to safely serve every day,” NV Energy President and CEO Doug Cannon is quoted as saying. “While NV Energy remains committed to taking actions to reduce the risk of a wildfire occurring in connection with our electric grid, as other utilities in the West have recognized, a self-insurance approach ensures that there is financial support in place in advance of a wildfire occurring to provide greater financial certainty to all involved.”

If approved, the press release indicated “the self-insurance policy will be funded on a jurisdictional basis,” explaining that Northern Nevada residents will cover a larger portion of costs because they face a higher risk of wildfires.

“The rate increase proposed for each region was determined using the same method previously approved by the PUCN for commercial wildfire insurance,” NV Energy wrote. “The policy is proposed [sic] be collected over 10 years to avoid sudden rate increases, providing stability and predictability for customers.”

This new proposal will now be considered by PUCN, which has its next meeting on January 14th.

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

Washoe County School District Responds to Concerns over Future of Vaughn, Pine and Other Schools

While Vaughn Middle School has started facility improvements with a modernized version scheduled to be completed oner the next year and a half, there are community concerns of what this means for its own staff, Pine Middle School and the school district at large.

The current version of Vaughn was built in 1956, while the new version will have a three-story building enough for about 1200 students, with a modern robotics lab, classrooms with areas for UNR student-teachers to observe and a temperature controlled state of the art gym.  

However, several locals have reached out to us in recent weeks fearing other schools could be closed down or merged, specifically in areas with low income populations, as other overhauls are being planned, creating longer commutes for less affluent kids, a trend experienced nationwide. 

One of these concerns is that students at Pine Middle School could be absorbed into the new Vaughn. The distance between the two schools is about 10 minutes by car and over an hour on foot.

At a meeting dating back to 2023, different options were presented for the future of Pine, including becoming a PreK through 5th elementary school, and rezoning its Neil Road area population for middle school. Another option reiterated at a meeting in 2024 is to make Pine a PreK through eighth grade school.

Traner Middle School is another school which was identified in a study by the firm CannonDesign that should be included in the district's so-called Facility Modernization Plan (FMP), which for many has created confusion rather than clarity.

At Vaughn itself, a reader who wished to remain anonymous wrote to us that “all the the staff, including [the] principal, everyone, will have to re-interview to keep their jobs after the new building is finished.” 

According to a U.S. News and World Report ranking, Vaughn ranked 16th in Washoe County middle schools, with over 80% minority enrollment and 100% economically disadvantaged students, with 34 full-time teachers and a 20 to 1 student teacher ratio. 

Pine ranked 11th in Washoe County, with 77.4 minority enrollment, 100% economically disadvantaged students, 46 full-time teachers and an 18 to 1 student teacher ratio.

We presented these concerns to the Washoe County School District, to which Public Information Officer Victoria Campbell responded by email, indicating: “We’ve been working toward some of these decisions since the 2023 Facility Modernization Plan was approved about a year ago. As we return from Winter Break, we anticipate that the Zoning Advisory Committee, Capital Funding Protection Committee, and Board of Trustees will be taking up some of these questions in the coming months. While our agendas have not been finalized yet, please stay tuned of those public meetings. Similarly, the recruitment process never stops at WCSD and all of our posted opportunities can be found publicly online.”

Campbell linked to a video released five days ago, titled Structural Steel at Vaughn Middle School, giving an update on construction there, with an anticipated completion by the 2026/27 school year.

The district’s website has a page dedicated to the modernization plan which indicates that: “in 2022, Washoe County School District (WCSD) started on a journey to plan for substantial improvements to the facilities and educational experience for all 61,000 students in our district. To accomplish this, we hired an innovative firm to investigate current conditions, future demands, and resources associated with WCSD’s school facilities. CannonDesign, the company hired, was tasked with developing a comprehensive Facility Modernization Plan (FMP) for WCSD for a 10+ year horizon. The 18-month study started in July 2022.”

Our Town Reno reporting, January 9, 2025

Local Actors Choose Between Staying in Reno or Moving to Los Angeles

17-year-old stage manager, Kendall Stokes, sits front row in the creative theater room at Take 2 Performance Studio. She and 14 other students sit before the instructor as he struggles to get everyone’s attention.

Teen acting instructor Grant Davis lists off the order of each students’ on-stage appearance in an upcoming showcase.

It’s a group with many aspiring for possible fame and fortune. Like any person in any line of work, actors don’t want a career that fails to make ends meet. However, many will soon realize that might mean having to leave the Biggest Little City.

This particular studio located near South Virginia Street and South Mccarran boulevard is home to a variety of actors in different chapters in their career. Each actor in Reno has their own unique set of challenges, but there are core struggles that each actor faces.

Stokes has been acting for a little over two years. Since she is homeschooled, acting has provided her an outlet to make friends and gain more experiences. It also allows her to pour her emotions into a character.

“It’s a freeing feeling that I hope everyone gets to experience one day,” she says.

She hopes to find financial stability as an actor and be able to help others financially in the future. Her family, mainly her grandmother and father, provides for her acting pursuits.

Her goal of signing with a talent agency is no easy or cheap task though, costing hundreds of dollars if not thousands for travel, tuition, auditions, and other expenses. As a minor with no agency, there isn’t any major work for her in our “gambling city,” she says.

Right now it’s just a waiting game until she finds the right agency. In the meantime, she is building her resume by taking minor roles and refining her skills in class.

24-year-old financial agent, Isaias Osuna, recently signed with a work talent agency based in Los Angeles. It was a competitive event with over 1000 actors from around the world, displaying their skills to producers and agencies. 

Osuna was drawn into acting at a young age by Heath Ledger’s performance in Batman The Dark Knight. He has been cast as a villain, bully, but hopes to star as Batman himself one day.

Motivated by the goal to impact people with his performance the same way others have done for him he pursued acting throughout his teens. From there, he fell in love with the practice of learning a character.

In an industry where rejection is guaranteed, actors need something to sustain them mentally and financially.

Currently he works hard at balancing his acting dreams while taking care of his financial clients.

“I basically use my business and I use it as a way to invest and fund my acting career. However, not that many actors have that luxury,” says Osuna.

His business also gives him a flexible schedule that allows for more acting work to come through. Having the availability to travel, audition, and accept work in a short amount of time is an essential part of his plan to become the “Hollywood superstar,” he hopes to be.

Being an actor in Reno brings its own mental challenges. He found a lot of people here to be close minded and unsupportive of big dreams like his own.

“There’s no headquarters of Warner Brothers, or headquarters of Universal or Disney or Nickelodeon. Nothing like that is here… everything, if you really wanna make it, is in California,” says Osuna.

Reno does offer work for actors in theatre and with up and coming filmmakers. That work may grow in the coming years due to more and more legislative and commercial efforts to bring more film opportunities both to Las Vegas and here in northern Nevada, with competing proposals.

A 27-year-old former barista at Old World Coffee, Eden Steele, moved from Reno to LA on December 1st to chase his own dreams. Steele has starred in national commercials, student films, music videos, and modeling work. His name in Reno has been growing to the point where he can now decline work that he doesn’t believe in or doesn’t pay.

To make ends meet in pursuing acting full time Steele hopes to grow an income from social media, and as a last resort he says he will work as a barista again.

Acting was one of the first things that “finally gave him a vision.” Being in front of the camera for him does not feel like work at all. Seeing what he can accomplish, as well as providing Asian representation in the industry, gives him something he can be proud of.

Similar to Osuna, Steele has his own agent out in LA. He faces many of the typical early career actor struggles, with rejection, financial risk, and mental exhaustion all par for the course. For Steele the work in Reno was consistent and not short of creative fulfillment. However, he and his girlfriend who also acts say they grew too comfortable and not challenged enough in Reno.

To make new connections and keep busy, while looking for new acting work, Steele has already started martial art classes and acting classes. So far he feels relationships are very much “transactional” in LA.

While he sets his own path away from northern Nevada, he advises actors still in Reno to keep building their community, further hone in on their craft, stay polite with everyone, take more acting classes and get good headshots.

Reporting by Aaron Arao shared with Our Town Reno

Controversial Planned North Valleys Data Center Faces Appeal

The recent 4-2 disputed approval of the Ellis Partners Webb Data Center in the North Valleys by the Reno Planning Commission is facing more heat, with the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club now filing an appeal against those proceedings.

“We are demanding that Reno public officials adhere to the highest standard of ethical behavior and public transparency,” Olivia Tanager, Director of Sierra Club’s Toiyabe Chapter said in a statement. “The approval of the Webb data center was mired in controversy, violations of open meeting law, and strategic withholding of information. We are asking for the city to cease approval of all data centers and associated permits until there is clear guidance in Reno code regulating data centers. These facilities are extraordinarily demanding on our energy and water resources, and Reno residents will be adversely impacted if these centers aren’t rolled out with the highest level of caution and scrutiny.”

Massive data centers such as the one being planned in the North Valleys are criticized by environmental groups for being intensive energy consumers. The 82,000-square-foot data center is being planned on a six acre site about 1,100 feet east of Stead Boulevard.

The center had previously been presented as a warehouse.

The testy December meeting in which the approval was given previously raised eyebrows with former City Manager Doug Thornley repeatedly conferring with City Attorney Karl Hall in side conversations. Thornley’s presence representing Ellis Partners as an attorney with Holland & Hart also raised concern since there is usually a one year cooling off period for former officials to go before city bodies in certain capacities. Thornley left his position as Reno City Manager at the end of June.

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

Blind Dog Tavern Closes in Downtown Reno Shortly After Receiving City Money for Improvements

While the Blind Dog Tavern on N. Sierra St. recently announced it was closing, a local Instagram page raised the concern it had just received money as part of the City of Reno grants program for businesses to improve the appeal of our downtown corridor.  

On its Instagram last week, Blind Dog Tavern wrote: “We regret to bring you the unfortunate news of Blind Dog Tavern’s untimely closing. Our last day of operation was this past New Years Eve. This is unfortunate news, but we do not want this to be a sad situation. Blind Dog Tavern was an absolutely amazing experience for us. We feel honored to have had the opportunity to serve every single libation to every single amazing thirsty person who joined us for a drink or two. Thank you all for your patronage. We hope you had the chance to enjoy this establishment as much as we have.

Cheers to you all!”

Not cheering was the Instagram page which wrote to us:  “just sucks to watch that money get wasted if they just close so quickly after. Maybe money should be to help people not businesses after all.”

In December 2023, Blind Dog Tavern was part of the first round of awardees of the program called ReStore Reno,  “an initiative aimed to reinvigorate and reignite the downtown area by offering matching grants to property owners and business tenants for facade improvements and interior upgrades.”

Blind Dog Tavern was in the tenant improvement category.  Josh Callen, who owns the bar, is also behind Poor Devil Saloon in Midtown and Hideout Lounge on Park Street.

In an email today, Victoria Barnett, a Public Communications Specialist with the City of Reno explained “this portion of the program supported interior improvements to the spaces they occupied. The matching funds for Blind Dog were used to repair damaged ceiling grid and ceiling tiles and replace outdated fixtures with LED lighting. 

Blind Dog completed the improvements in early 2024 and received the 50% matching funds from the City as a reimbursement for the work completed. These being long term tenant improvements, these improvements will benefit existing and future tenants of the space.

Under the Restore program 40 properties and businesses received awards, 13 of which were new businesses. The $1,050,000 awarded in ReStore grant funding is expected to generate $5.7 Million in improvements in the Downtown areas.”

Our Town Reno reporting, January 7, 2025

New Jacobs Tenants Will Sign Document Saying They will be Next to Festival Grounds

The Jacobs Entertainment 245 North Arlington apartments where a motel once stood now has a pre-leasing begins sign.

According to its website, a two-bedroom there goes for $2,400 with a studio priced at $1,500.

The Jacobs attorney Garrett Gordon has indicated people moving into the apartment will be required to sign a disclosure acknowledging they are next to a new future outdoor festival space, sketched out to be able to attract 15-thousand people.

Its conditional use permit is on the agenda for a Ward 1 NAB meeting next week, before going to the planning commission next month.

A city of Reno email detailed its location “on seven parcels generally located south of Third Street, east of Ralston Street, and west of North Arlington Avenue. The site is located in the Mixed-Use Downtown Entertainment District (MD-ED) zone and has a Master Plan land use designation of Downtown Mixed-Use (DT-MU). “

It said “a request has been made for a conditional use permit to allow “Amusement or Recreation, Outside” and “Live Entertainment” land uses to facilitate outdoor festivals, concerts, recreation, and events.”

Gordon has indicated because the new festival grounds is in the city’s mixed-use entertainment district it is not subject to noise regulations for nearby residents, despite some of them already complaining.

The Jacobs lawyer said the new festival grounds will operate during the same hours as the nearby smaller Glow Plaza which has had occasional events since 2022. 

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

Downtown Reno Casino Workers Complain of Wages not Keeping Up with City's Costs

Behind the flashing lights and slot machines lies a different, harsher, reality for many of Reno‘s casino employees, one defined by financial strain, difficult working conditions and longer and longer commutes.

Despite their vital role in keeping this money making industry thriving, current casino workers have their own stories not of big gains but of low wages, long hours, and sacrifices needed to make ends meet. 

As Reno’s cost of living continues to climb, long gone are the days when a hard worker could come to Reno, find a job at a downtown casino and live comfortably nearby, getting their own piece of the American Dream,

“I wouldn’t call it a livable wage. A lot of workers are barely making ends meet,” Haley, a rewards associate for a local casino explained. “Casinos bring in so much money, but a lot of us are still living paycheck to paycheck.”

She shares an apartment with a roommate to manage expenses, a situation echoed by other employees. Jesse, a former fine dining server, host, and busser described relying heavily on tips to cover basic needs. He said tips make up about 80%, if not more, of his overall income. 

Others in customer facing roles, like bartending voiced similar concerns. “If I make enough in tips, I’m pretty steady but as a student, I’m lucky that scholarships cover my tuition. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t be a student right now,” one bartender said of trying to balance work at a casino while trying to get a college degree. 

Another downtown casino employee, a single mother, said she needs other jobs or side gigs to keep her family afloat.

“In 2024, I made less money than ever, just absolutely terrible,” she said.

Casinos light up Virginia Street behind Reno’s arch.

Downtown casino employees say the emotional and physical toll of their jobs can be draining, from managing unruly guests, to working all hours during holidays and constantly shifting schedules.

Jesse noted that while some departments offer incentives like gift cards and holiday giveaways, these perks often feel insufficient when compared to the overall demand of the job. 

“We've got a $30 Walmart gift card, one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas, but no extra pay for working the holidays,” one bartender at a high end restaurant in a downtown casino said.

“Higher ups get more perks, like free dining, vouchers, and bigger bonuses while we’re just trying to scrape by,” another employee said. 

All those interviewed for this report said a livable wage shouldn’t be too much to ask for, with all they provide.

Reporting by Genevy Machuca shared with Our Town Reno  

Jordyn Owens, a Practicioner of Powerful Photographic Journaling, Named 2025 Reno City Artist

Jordyn Owens, a born and raised Reno artist,  with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UNR, “who uses photographic mediums to explore the past, present, and future self” has been named the 2025 Reno City Artist.  

 “Local artwork truly makes our area a special place to live, and we are looking forward to the creativity she will bring to this role,” Mayor Hillary Schieve said.

According to a press release from the City of Reno, during her year long tenure, “Owens will curate an exhibition at the Metro Gallery at City Hall that is slated to run late summer 2025. The

 exhibition will be in collaboration with Of the Sol and feature Reno based Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists of all ages.  

The goal of the collective is to foster autonomy, representation, inclusivity, equity, and accessibility for BIPOC artists in an intersectional space of reclamation and revival.”

Her website indicates that “by exploring her inner world, her artwork demonstrates the powerful effects of self-reflection and the impact it has on the evolution of identity.”

She also practices art journaling, writing in a recent Instagram post: “For the past five years, I have written in a journal almost every day. It’s a ritual dedicated to connecting to my inner world. Onto pages, I document the fleeting moments of my life in hopes to capture their essence. Introspection the visual manifestation of my journaling practice.”

“I’m honored to be appointed the Reno City Artist for 2025. Through my artwork, I hope to inspire others to believe in themselves and their dreams,” said Owens.

Our Town Reno reporting, Jan. 3, 2025

Bricks from the Sparks Machine Shop, while Historic Reno Spots Reported At Risk

The City of Sparks and Union Pacific Railroad will be allowing bricks from the soon to be demolished historical machine shop to be picked up starting Feb. 3 at the east lot of Cottonwood Park.  

“It’s a bittersweet moment for our community, as the machine shop has been a historic landmark in Sparks for generations,” Mayor Ed Lawson was quoted as saying in a recent City of Sparks press release. “We appreciate Union Pacific’s efforts to offer the community a chance to retain a piece of history.”

The massive brick structure on Nugget Avenue near I-80, which was built in 1904 by Southern Pacific Railroad, helped Sparks earn its “Rail City” moniker. It remained until now at the site under a now expired land lease, but will soon be demolished to make way for truck parking.  

Union Pacific said the building had safety issues.  A director of public affairs was quoted in the press release as saying the railroad is maximizing “its existing footprint to support growing intermodal demand. The building will be commemorated with a plaque at its former location, and Union Pacific is partnering with the city on a community brick donation.”

According to the nonprofit Preserve Nevada, which has bemoaned this looming demolition, other local historical at-risk sites include the Lear Theater which recently failed to receive any bids to use final ARPA funds for its upkeep.  It was originally designed by the renowned Black architect Paul Revere Williams in the 1930s. Rather than just stabilizing and cleaning the building for less than $1 million, some City Council members are calling for much more grandiose projects in the long unused majestic building costing around $20 million.

The Bethel AME Church at 220 Bell Street, which also has ties to Black history, is equally listed at risk with council discussions to restrict access from nearby streets and alleys due to pending development proposals.  

Our Town Reno reporting, Jan. 3, 2025

Washoe County School District Starts Screening Applicants for Replacement Trustee

Applicants for the open District C Washoe County School District Board of Trustees seat are preparing their five minute spiels in hopes of being named the replacement for Joe Rodriguez, who has new duties after being elected to the Sparks City Council in the last election cycle.

Due to construction at the WCSD Building, a meeting will take place Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Joe at UNR in Room 403 for their presentations.

Other Trustees will then select finalists for interviews scheduled the Tuesday after on the 14th at 9 a.m. back at the WCSD building on 9th street.

Reported candidates in alphabetical order are: Jason Bushey, Felipe Escamilla, Marcus Hodges, Monica Lehmann, Tamara Oswald, Bruce Parks, James Phoenix, Tracey Thomas and Timothy Zysk.

Escamilla has an interesting profile as a public shool advocate and producer for the Khan Academy. Parks and Thomas are well known as Washoe County Republican Party operatives. Oswald might have an inner lane, with nearly 15 years experience as a substitute teacher with the WCSD.

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

Several Reno Brar Properties, Including Shut Down Lakemill Lodge, Are Now For Sale

Three motels and one apartment complex, all linked to the Brar family, and Rupinder Investments, including the suspended Lakemill Lodge are all for sale now, according to the LoopNet website.

The Lakemill Lodge on Mill street, listed as a 121 room hotel, with AI looking renderings instead of the motel’s actual pictures, is listed at $15 million.

It was abruptly shut down earlier this year, sending its low income residents to scramble for new shelter, after it was deemed unsafe by local authorities.

“This property is ideal for a complete hospitality conversion, creating a vibrant downtown destination. Additional use cases could include residential or mixed-use applications. The building is available for immediate occupancy or can be delivered vacant to suit a buyer's needs,” the LoopNet listing indicates.

The 63 room Wonder Lodge, which also made headlines recently for too many people inside a room which was then condemned, at 430 Lake Street, is going for a cool $7 million. That listing has a current photo with an AI looking rendering next to it.

The Lucky Motel at 1011 E 4th street, is being offered for $2.7 million.The LoopNet listing indicates “this 23-room motel … generates consistent income with opportunities for modernization to increase revenue potential. Its layout and prime location also position it as a strong candidate for redevelopment for hospitality, medical, nonprofit, or government use.”

Finally their motel-like 26 apartment complex at 2241 E 4th street is also going for $2.7 million, with a similar description as “well-positioned to capitalize on Reno’s economic growth and increased tourism activity.”

Unless new eventual owners keep these going as long term motels, whenever the sales go through, more residents who rely on these cheap accommodations, as a last or first resort out of homelessness, will also be scrambling for new housing.

Our Town Reno reporting, December 2024

Pro-Library Counter Protesters Gather Against Library Protest on Last Monday of 2024

It was quite the scene at the downtown library this morning before its last 2024 Monday 10 a.m. opening, as a group of counter protesters gathered in front of the Center Street location, while ten or so anti-library protesters could be heard saying words such as “socialism,” “communism,” “virtue signaling,” and “garbage.”

One man held up a sign indicating “Fire Dir Jeff Scott Now,” referring to the Director of the Washoe County Library System.  The other side of his sign said “Porn in Library?”

Anti-library advocates have spoken out against drag queen story hours previously held at different local libraries, before these were scrapped due to safety reasons, as well as the availability of certain books.

One library staff with a nervous smile handed out library safety policies and another mingled with the protesters.  One counter protester dressed in black read parts of the Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs.  At his feet, he placed a chalkboard sign which read “Book Banners Aren’t on the Right Side of History.”

Other counter-protesters, some of them dressed colorfully, some with pro library signs, some playing bad music, mingled near the entrance, serving each other hot drinks and greeting each other with smiles as more arrived, noting they had the larger group.

A third group, consisting of unhoused individuals pushing carts full of their belonging, were being told to sit outside the library as it wasn’t open yet.  An Allied Universal security guard working for the library aggressively got into our face with threatening language, after we had gone around the sidewalk filming, saying we weren’t allowed to do so, even though it was on a public sidewalk.  

After being told about this, a library staff said it was because we didn’t have visible journalistic accreditation, which is not needed to film in public.  She then said his conduct was understandable as he was “on edge.”

The early morning commotion comes as pro-library proponents are trying to get Washoe County commissioners to boost the library’s budget after a majority of voters eliminated having two cents of every $100 of assessed property value going directly to the library, as had been the case since a narrow vote had established this funding source thirty years ago.

A petition to “Preserve Funding for Washoe County Libraries” has since been circulated, saying the ballot question had “misleading wording,” while there has been renewed scrutiny on the library’s budgeting.   The property taxes going to the library previously added about $4.5 million to its budget per year, for a previous total of about $17 million.  

“In this budget is 23 library staff, $1.4 million in books (the entirety of our book budget), and $200,000 of our technology budget. This loss will result in a reduction of public services,” Scott indicated in a statement available on the Washoe County Libraries website, concerning the looming loss of $4.5 million if the money is not found elsewhere.

“Over the next few months, I will be putting together proposals on service reductions with my library team and library board. When the Expansion Tax expires on June 30, 2025, those cuts will be enacted. More information will be released as we work through this tough budget,” Scott wrote.  

Our Town Reno reporting, December 30, 2024

Previously Suspended Downtown Reno Eden Nightclub is Delaying its Reopening with More Remodeling

After a December 18th City of Reno memo indicated its suspension had been lifted, the downtown Reno Eden nightclub has been remodeling for its reopening.

“We have spent the last few months diving deep into all of the comments, concerns, and even questions about our operations,” co-owner Wolfgang Welch indicated to Our Town Reno.

The reopening has been allowed since earlier this month, but Welch said “remodeling has been a process.”

Welch said he’s taken all the comments he’s seen since the nightclub was forced to shut down in September. 

“Some we agree with, some we don’t, some are easy to digest and some aren’t. All of them are valid and we want our communities to know that we hear them,” he wrote to Our Town Reno.

“We have worked heavily with The City of Reno, Reno Police Department and other entities to ensure that our next phase addresses all comments and concerns in a productive way. Nightlife is vital to any city’s cultural experience and we want to be a positive contributor to that experience. We know that retribution doesn’t happen overnight but we are confident that with the work we’ve done we can change the opinion and outlook of everyone and find that retribution soon.” 

The City of Reno memo indicated that on December 17th, “the Administrative Hearing Officer determined that the licensee has substantially complied with all requirements and that the suspension would be lifted.”  

The memo indicated “the licensee disclosed a targeted reopening date of December 27” but that has now been pushed back.  

An initial Reno PD memorandum in September, said it started noticing “an increase in calls for service” at the Eden location on the 200 block of West 2nd street.  It indicated Eden “was found to be the primary location of a large majority of criminal activity.” 

Changes have now been made to comply with needed safety requirements.

Our Town Reno reporting, December 2024

Mother Relieved to Get Child Out of SAI Residential Treatment Center, While Reno Neighbors Face Ongoing Turmoil

Neighboring residents to 2840 Sandestin Drive will soon enter a new year of living near northwest Reno’s SAI residential psychiatric treatment center, which some have a called a nightmare.

It’s not just the neighbors complaining though. A mother of one of the patients admitted to the facility earlier this fall, who wishes to remain anonymous, spoke out against the SAI treatment center calling it “an unprofessional business with such poor, poor communication.”

According to Reno public record reports at that address, 57 calls were made to emergency services from September 2023 to November 2024, ranging from suicide attempts to runaway juveniles.

There were six calls due to suicide attempts from December of 2023 to November, and 11 runaways within that same time frame. 

The Department of Health and Human Services - Division of Public and Behavioral Health defines facilities like SAI, to be “... a facility, other than a hospital, that provides a range of psychiatric services to treat residents under the age of 21 years on an inpatient basis under the direction of a physician.” 

The Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance (HCQC) provides licensing to residential treatment centers in Nevada. In addition to its HCQC licensing, SAI has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

The mother who spoke to Our Town Reno is based in Nevada and has sent her child to various psychiatric facilities within the state in the last year to try to receive help with their mental health struggles. Sending her child away was one of the hardest challenges she’s had to face as a mother, she said.

After having an unsuccessful experience with a Las Vegas-based psychiatric hospital, she was recommended to have her child see Dr. Dharmendra Goyal at Reno-based SAI Mental Health.

The residential treatment center page on the SAI website does not show the residential home.

The mother says that when she looked up SAI Mental Health, a facility on 5865 Tyrone Rd was shown, which helped her feel assured that her child would be in a safe, secure hospital setting.

After her child was relocated to Reno from Las Vegas, she found out that they’d not been sent to Tyrone Rd, but to a residential home. She says she immediately began feeling weary about inadequate security at the location.

She wondered things like: who was living in the house with her child and the other patients? How many other teens were in the home? Are there security guards? How many doctors are on site?

“They [providers] were shady there… I was never told they were going to a house. I was told they were going to a facility. I found out about it after, when they were already there at that house that I never approved of,” she said.

The mother says her experience with SAI was unnerving and stressful. “I was the one calling most times…One of the times they sent my kid to the ER…and nobody communicated that they were there. I found out because the emergency room called me asking for consent to treat them,” she said.

Then, shortly after her child began residing at 2840 Sandestin Drive, she said she received a call from SAI telling her that her child recently escaped the facility and was nowhere to be found. 

“When they were out and about looking … one of the staff members there told another parent that if they found my child, just to take them,” she said. “Just like that, they gave a stranger permission to take my kid.”

After three days of searching, she says Reno PD located her child on 4th street, in downtown Reno, intoxicated and staying at a homeless encampment. Her child was suspected to have escaped the facility with the help of another patient and was later returned to SAI.

Shortly after this incident, the mother says she relocated her child to a different facility outside of Nevada.

She now shares the sentiments of neighboring residents who want the facility moved. At the beginning of October 2024 she says the property was listed as sold on Zillow, giving her hope other mothers would not have to go through the same ordeals as she did.

After calling the facility and speaking with one of their providers, though, it was confirmed that SAI is still operating there and was undergoing refinancing, but maintained ownership and licensing.

According to the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, the last investigation of the facility was done in March, as a result of numerous complaints to the treatment center.

The complaints filed with the state have included workers blocking sidewalks with their vehicles, youth heard fighting and screaming, and a runaway trespassing on private property.

Four complaints were investigated that involved alleged patient abuse, unsupervised patients, and lack of proper response to safety threatening scenarios.

It was deemed that the allegations could not be substantiated due to lack of evidence.

SAI has said the house setting offers a sense of safety in the treatment journey of young patients there. The facility’s owner psychiatrist Dharmendra Goyal has said complaints against the facility are false.

Both Goyal and Jeanette Bussey, the CEO of Sai Mental Health, worked at the West Hills Behavioral Health Hospital, which was shut down in 2021 after four decades of operation, prompting them to open SAI Mental Health.

“It was really painful to see the patients with nowhere to go with mental health and substance abuse needs,” Bussey, the former Director of Outpatient Services at West Hills told KOLO News in 2022. “We determined that we needed to open an agency that would hopefully fill some of those gaps.”

According to Reno city officials, group homes such as this facility are allowed in Reno’s residential zoning districts, without the need for a public hearing or public notice.

At the national level, a just passed and signed into law Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act is aimed at preventing any abuse of minors taking place at rehab and other residential facilities. 

"Children across the country are at risk of abuse and neglect due to a lack of transparency in institutional youth treatment programs," Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said in a statement, leading this legislative effort along with celebrity heiress Paris Hilton. "The industry has gone unchecked for too long. Paris Hilton and other survivors of abuse in this broken system have bravely shared their stories and inspired change. I'm proud to lead this legislation with my colleagues to protect the safety and well-being of kids."

Hilton lived in a series of residential treatment facilities as a teenager, testifying before Congress in June that she remembered being violently restrained, stripped of clothing and tossed into solitary confinement.

The new law just signed by outgoing President Joe Biden is meant to create federal overseeing structures for youth residential programs and the placement of minors in rehab and other facilities. It is also directing the Department of Health and Human Services along with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to make recommendations about state oversight of these programs. 

Report contributed to Our Town Reno in December 2024

Muha Mafia, Just Released Reno TikTok Unhoused Man Disturbs Some, Fascinates Others

Zachariah Greenberg, a local 45-year-old unhoused man with a 40K TikTok following on his current account The Muha Mafia _muha_mafia_ account, with plenty of Facebook and Next Door detractors finding him creepy, has been making new videos today, after his release from Washoe County jail, following a Christmas Day arrest on an assault charge.

His latest live video today said he had been thrown out of a local mall. 

One person texted Our Town Reno previously that he had been live streaming on Christmas Day, while interacting with a former coworker at Reno Sparks Cab before getting arrested.  Earlier in the day he had made a video showing himself waking up in a sleeping bag saying “Man, it’s 6 a.m. and I’m already faded.”

Our Town Reno has received messages both for and against him in recent weeks, with some finding him funny and full of insights. Others feel he needs help, while some consider him dangerous.

Jamie Hemingway from the Washoe County Library System had previously confirmed to Our Town Reno he has been “temporarily suspended from the library for not following library policy.” We asked for additional details about his suspension which started in mid December but did not get any.  

Internet research also brings up a local road rage incident and shooting a gun into a ceiling, with multiple restraining orders and elder abuse charges filed against him in Orange County previously. 

He had been making TikTok videos from the downtown library for a while.  His other regular spot to make videos, including some with young employees and teenage shoppers, has been at Meadowood Mall.  

We contacted Meadowood Mall, who forwarded us to corporate headquarters, where we left a message but did not hear back.  

“Man this muha has gotten me faded,” is one of his signature lines.  He says he’s received free products from the Muha CBD company due to his TikTok promotions.  A previous TikTok account he ran which is no longer active was called High and Happy Too.  

His signature look is wearing a beanie with the letters UNC, while many commenters call him unc in their comments.

Greenberg often walks around the UNR area, with one recent video saying he wanted to be invited to a sorority party.  He also says he won’t date older women who have deeply disappointed and infuriated him, and wants to date younger women.  Commenters on northern Nevada mom groups also complained of a video in which he was wearing only boxers, and one in which he said he was walking around inside a local school with weed-related products on him.  

Greenberg talks about being unhoused by choice, and documents his daily life, repeatedly going to the mall and walking around different neighborhoods.  In his most recent videos he said jail wasn’t that bad.  “They don’t have the cat food sandwiches anymore,” he said in a Dec. 26th video. 

In a live video from early this afternoon with 2k viewers, he said he got his stuff back, including “his paraphernalia.”

He then got angry saying he could have taken on three security guards at the mall he was at today as he walked away, demeaning their physical appearance.  “Where am I going to get 86’ed next?” he asked. “Where my haters at?”

“UNC chill” a commenter wrote, while he blocked and swore at those sending negative comments. “This puffin gets me coughing,” he concluded after he coughed, while saying he was waiting for his “soccer mom haters.”  

Our Town Reno reporting, December 26, 2024

Local Student Navigates Risks and Rewards of Chaturbate to Help Pay For Studies

Lydia Huerta an assistant professor of gender, race and identity at UNR says many students partake in sex work in Nevada to help pay for their tuition as escorts, on Only Fans or through Sugar Daddy type websites.

Elijah Reyes recently interviewed one student who provides live-streamed webcam performances on the Chaturbate website. He created a documentary modulating her voice and never showing her face to hide her identity.  

The student says she chose Chaturbate as you can do it entirely on your own, the money isn’t taxed and goes 100% to her, without any cut for the website, which generates revenue from the audience when they purchase tokens using their credit cards.  

She said after being verified she was 18, she started performing on the website last wintermester.

Here are excerpts from the documentary (above), reorganized for clarity, where she explained how she uses certain tags to get views, and how she feels overall about making money from this type of website: 

“Most of the tags are just kind of descriptive of me and what I know will get the most hits. So it's mainly like glasses, petite, 19, stuff like that.

Because the younger you are, the hotter you are, I guess. 

And then I just mainly play video games or paint or play piano. And then I have a menu where they can tip me to do other things. They can pay me in tokens. Each token is worth a nickel, and they can just buy it through CB with a card or whatever.

And the more you tip, the more you get to see, the more I guess, personal I'll be with you. So, like, if you're a high tipper, I'm more likely to do private shows with you where it's just you and nobody else could spy in… 

Then there's also a link to my throne, which is, basically an Amazon wish list, but you can't backtrack to get my address. I like it to be honest. [Viewers are] very responsive. 

You know, it's like, it's a means to an end, means to money. I thought it was going to kind of make me a little bit more self conscious.

But to be honest, it gave me more self esteem. You know? I have men on the internet tell me how beautiful I am and how certain aspects of myself they like or, like, how I don't seem fake in my streams, and I like that. Like, I'm very authentic. I don't do voices and shit.

I'm pretty proud of what I do just because, you know, I'm not ashamed of it. 

If people record my streams and post them in other places, and I find them, I can get them taken down immediately, for copyright and stuff, because it's a huge safety risk to be posting them on other sites where my region blockers aren't on. 

I can block states … and whole countries if I really want to. And that way, people can't see my streams if they're from those places, even with a VPN on. 

Their terms of service is very lengthy, and it's a lot of, like, [what] you cannot speak about, you know, off-site payments, meetups…

If people are [pushy about] your real name, age, birthplace, stuff like that, they can get banned.

And they can't access any personal information from your profile. 

I plan to work, with teenagers, I guess, in the future. And I know that a lot of people in my profession or my future profession will get fired over doing pornography in the past. But I think that's wrong because their private life is their private life.

And even if it's not private, you know, that's not something that you would show the children…

 But I do worry about what, like, my parents would think, but I do my best to hide that from them.

I mean, if they find out, they find out. Positive is you become a lot more open minded. I feel like it definitely helps you kind of mature over things that, like, you know …  young adults would kind of shy away from. Like, nudity, I don't care, to be honest. Like, I'm very I'm a very open sex positive person, and I think that it's very healthy for sites like Chaturbate to exist.”

In other parts of the interview, she focused on the negatives, such as extremely creepy men and even dangerous stalkers:  

“ I'll have fathers who say that I look like their daughters, and it turns them on. Not even, like, stepdaughters either…

And there's also the stalkers. I've had two already.

My first stalker was actually, like, one of the first people who'd entered my streams. They were really cool at first. They gave me lots of money, but they were also very kind, and they helped me out a lot when I was first starting on how to, like, how things worked, what made more money, what didn't, you know, stuff like that. 

And so I let him become my moderator, which meant that he could kick people out. He could promote my room, and he could see, like, tips and, like, what the people who tipped said…

And then he started getting really pushy, saying that I owed him things and such and such. And then he started lying to his friends, saying that I was his girlfriend, and then having his friends come into my streams and kind of, like, yell at me or, you know, degrade me for that when we weren't like that. Also, he was in high school, so that was really weird. And then he got really crazy when I told him, like, back off, please.

And he bought a plane ticket to where he thought I lived. Went, couldn't find me, went back home, and then I said that I was going to a Hozier concert, and he bought tickets and went, and so I couldn't go because he threatened to kill me. That sucked. Well, I blocked him from saying anything, as well as reported his accounts and his old accounts on CB, Instagram, Discord, Snapchat, everything. And, I haven't really heard from him since, so I think it's resolved.

It's been a couple months. 

The second one found my Snapchat, like, my personal Snapchat with all my information … my name, all that, and, threatened to send it to my streams so that everybody would know. 

And through that, he found my Instagram, my parents, my brother, all of that. And it was a 1 in a 1000000 chance that he could've done that, but it still happened and that really scared me. Because, like, you know, my parents and my brother aren't as careful as I am.

He got arrested. I told Chaturbate, and they have a team of lawyers specifically for models who are put in danger, and that kind of stuff.

Trafficking and stalking are really big issues in the porn industry. And so they took him and took him to court for, I think, blackmail and stalking. So that is part of the risk. For me, personally, there aren't many more risks than that just because I don't bring other people into my streams. But some of my streamer friends do.

You know, like, they'll do, like, actual porn, and bring in, like, a man or a woman. And that's way riskier because, you know, they can assault you, rape you, put cameras up, steal, burglary, all that stuff. I'm not a porn enjoyer, believe it or not. I think it's very fake. There's a loss of passion and intimacy.

You know? It's all very staged, and I get why. And I get that, like, you know, like, that's how you have to do it. It's kind of boring to me, which is why when I started streaming, I didn’t want to be that fake person. 

I don't change my voice. Nothing like that. Just to kind of, you know, show people that these are real human beings, not just, like, actors on a TV show.”

Finally, she explained she has been doing less Chaturbate of late, has another job now to help pay for her studies, and that her current passions include skateboarding, painting, sculpting and writing poetry: 

“I think that it's important that people know that, you know, there's other people who are going through the same things, and it's nice to read about that. And I've had a lot of very traumatic experiences that, you know, not a lot of people can even fathom. And, you know, that really, is a basis for a lot of my poetry. 

Can I tell you?

Can I tell you? Spare all the ugliness that spreads across my tongue as I dress in the mirror, how heavy it all feels in my eyes. Speak of the past as if I had never lived in the present nor believe in a future. 

The irony of wanting more and growing less. Contradictory of loving myself and wanting nothing to do with me any longer.

The tipping from the deep end to the high of emotions like a seesaw on the playground. 

Can I tell you just how much these tiny pills help my everything, every day? 

How I will miss people even before they've gone for a time? 

Can I tell you that my love is different depending from being to being? 

I never love anyone like I love my mom, but that doesn't mean I have no love to give anyone else.

I hold a plethora so large that I must customize and categorize it all to fit. 

Say every little thought I feel like it is forcing itself out of my lips even if it's something of no importance. 

Explain how I crave intimacy, but the thought of it is scarier than death to me. 

Sing every song on the radio because I spend every waking hour tuning in. 

Ask all the questions to quench my curiosity.”

Our Town Reno reporting, December 2024

Bridget, Volunteering on the First Night of a Good Neighbors Warming Center in Downtown Reno

Shortly after nine p.m., last night, Natasha, an elderly woman in a purple coat and slippers, holding a flyer for the Good Neighbors Warming Center walked into a side entrance of the St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral on W. 2nd street, saying she was afraid she would “freeze to death.”

Lily Baran had her quickly sign an intake form and she was shown a cozy room with cots and new sleeping bags.  “Oh!” she said delightfully when she was told there was water, hygiene products and snacks as well.

The mood was caring and compassionate. Baran said she recognized her from a Family Soup Mutual Aid gathering, while they chit chatted about her past.

A half dozen volunteers prepared the reception area, tried out which keys worked for which bathroom and brought in new boxes of supplies from outside. 

“We’ve been discussing having an emergency shelter for a while,” a parishioner at St. Thomas Bridget said.  “So I was really excited to volunteer to help make it a reality.”

Recorded deaths for the unhoused reached a record high of 135 neighbors last year, that number having tragically gone up for an eight consecutive year, despite the Cares Campus being open, which as our recent reporting has indicated some individuals avoid for a myriad of reasons, including a lack of perceived safety to feeling crammed into a warehouse, prison like environment.

Volunteers decided to take it upon themselves to find churches to have 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. caring sleeping environments for this winter, when discussions with Reno city officials were unproductive. 

The Reno First United Methodist Church, the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd are all on the list for upcoming nights stretching into early March. 

The program in collaboration with RISE which runs the often full Our Place shelter is open to women, families, and single dads with children. 

“I’m just optimistic that we can help provide a little bit of respite for women and children that are on the streets and don't have a place as we get colder and colder each night,” Bridget, a self-described 5th generation Reonite said. 

“I think it is very much needed. I think if we look at the statistics here in Reno, we have a lot of unmet need for our unhoused community. We just don't have enough beds. So if we can just do this in the winter months, it'll help prevent somebody from possibly dying of exposure.”

Bridget said this church had experience as an overflow shelter during the pandemic, and its rector started NOTS (Night Off the Streets) in Carson City, which operates from November through March on a similar model.

“It's part of our fundamental teachings…love the stranger, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless,” she concluded.

Our Town Reno reporting, December 18, 2024