Family Soup Mutual Aid Calls for Action Against New Reno Ordinance Targeting the Unsheltered

At its City Council meeting Wednesday, the City of Reno is planning to “refine” and “consolidate” prohibitions against camping, lying down, sitting and sleeping in public places.

It is recommending that Council approve the introduction of an ordinance to amend Title 8, Chapter 8.12 of the Reno Municipal Code titled “Offenses Against Public Peace.” 

Advocates for the unhoused say this will further boost the criminalization of the poorest members of our community, leading to even more difficulties for those without stable housing.  

The Instagram account for the local group Family Soup Mutual Aid has posted a call to action, to oppose the vote, and have “all hands on deck to make your opposition to agenda items F.1, F.2 and F.6 known to City Council by Wednesday.”  

In its post description, the group added in all caps:  “IF THEY ARE MAKING SITTING ILLEGAL, THEN SIT IS WHAT WE'LL DO.” In its slides, it explained why many say they avoid the massive Cares Campus, including feeling unsafe there.

The mutual aid group has a weekly community dinner gathering on Tuesday evenings at the Believe Plaza.  

City staff is also recommending Council approve the introduction of a new ordinance in the Reno municipal code to prohibit loitering on private property under “Offenses Against Property” Title 8, Chapter 8.10.

It said this would help address side shows, street racing, fights, narcotic sales and other crimes.  In a discussion section, it indicates “people gathering on private property after hours is challenging for businesses and law enforcement and the current codes do not allow for enforcement consistently. “

It said its proposal mirrors an ordinance in Lodi, California which makes it “unlawful for any person to enter or remain on any posted property without the written permission of the owners, tenants.”  

Our Town Reno reporting, January 20, 2025

Keystone Data Center Gets New Permit Approval Despite Community Opposition

A meeting watcher sent us a document from this week from City of Reno Planning Manager Mike Railey to Kimley-Horn and Associates indicating a conditional use permit has been granted to develop the Ward 1 Keystone Data Center, with future overnight business operations.

A conditional use permit (CUP) is a special permit that allows a property owner to use their land in a way that is not permitted by the zoning classification. 

The reader reported that six people posted in favor of the change at 265 Keystone Ave., all related to the current owners, members of the powerful Dolan family.

More than 20 people posted in opposition, with concerns ranging from increased energy and water consumption, a strain on Reno’s power grid, reduced quality of life for nearby residents and needing more clarity on local regulations concerning data centers, to counter a growing number of projects presenting as warehouses to become data centers.

A City of Reno document for conditional use permit applications indicates “the granting of the conditional use permit will not be materially detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare. The factors to be considered in evaluating this application shall include: Property damage or nuisance resulting from noise, smoke, odor, dust, vibration, or illumination; and any hazard to persons and property.”

“I am a resident of Reno and I am writing to express my opposition to converting empty buildings to data centers in Reno. This seems extremely short sighted and absolutely against the best interests of the Reno/Sparks community. This will only exacerbate the worsening climate related crises we are already seeing and removes community spaces,” one concerned resident wrote.

Another wrote a detailed, experience and research-based email to the planning commission calling it a disaster for the neighborhood.

 “If it gets built we will have to drive past it everyday. 265 Keystone was a blighted property and acquired by the City of Reno in 2002 during the RETRAC. This property was stated to be part of the ReImagine project and was supposed to benefit the community, and include mixed use properties including retail and residential.

In 2020 it was sold to PF RENO III LLC managed by James Aldrich of Malibu, California for $1.7 million. In 2022 it was sold to 265 Keystone LLC including brothers Shane and Breck Dolan (cousins of the auto group and owners of Shandy Dolans on Keystone and 2nd) for $4 million,” they wrote.

“The Dolans were going to develop an event space called Grand Artique. They did a lot of cleanup and had a Burning Man party there Oct. 15th, 2022 which I attended and have pictures of. They were offering shares of the business at $50,000 and I toured the property and listened to a presentation in November 2022. I liked the idea and was tempted to buy a few shares but I wasn't comfortable with their ability to raise enough funds. Then they went silent and the property was used for storage. The property is still in the name of 265 Keystone LLC, but a different entity is asking for the conditional use permit. Probably the sale is contingent on getting the permit and contingent of transfer of the permit with the property.”

The reader then raised concerns over the possibility of this permit following the property, rather than the new owners applying themselves for the new use.    

Those in favor said the new data center will make Reno more competitive in the digital economy and rejuvenate the 3.26 acre site, which despite multiple owners and different endeavors in recent years, has been a vacant site of late.

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025  

RIP Myrton Running Wolf

Myrton Running Wolf, an assistant professor of race and media with the Reynolds School of Journalism at UNR, passed away earlier this week after a battle with cancer.

Raised in northern Nevada, he was of Blackfeet descent. He was known for his large smile, sharp intellect and being both an accomplished actor and film director. His academic research focused on increasing the inclusion of marginalized populations in mainstream media.

A chapter he wrote in “Native Apparitions: Critical Perspectives on Hollywood’s Indians” and which he often talked about in interviews was titled Thank You, Adam Sandler & Co., for Giving Us a Native American Rosa Parks Moment, concerning depictions in the film The Ridiculous 6.

A short film he made which came out six years ago was called “Soldier”  following two young Lakota sisters — escapees of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre — fighting to survive against the U.S. military. 

It was filmed entirely on the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation and in the Toiyabe National Forest.

Several years ago, he had directed a video for an Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation which received widespread local praise.

Our community has lost an influential thinker and awe inspiring filmmaker.

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

Multi-Level Marketing Scheme Alert: the Peppermill’s Upcoming Heroes of America Event

While a reader asked us to post about an upcoming local event, which we do as a community courtesy when asked, another reader alerted us that this seemed sketchy and predatory, which after closer inspection, seems to be the case. 

So we took the post down, and instead are doing this post and article as a disclaimer.  

The initial reader called it a “Life changing event,” in her email header, included her phone number as well as several photos, one a flyer for “Heroes of America,” to be held at the Peppermill from January 27th to the 30th.  

The main speaker, who initially caught our attention as random enough, is promised to be “former mob boss” Michael Franzese. According to Wikipedia, he was a caporegime in the Colombo crime family, before serving time and then after his release, becoming a motivational speaker and writer.

The initial reader also sent us the logo of the PHP Agency, which has hands reaching for each other in a red circle and the line an Integrity Company underneath. PHP is an acronym for People Helping People. 

A search for the event leads to an Instagram post from the upgrade_mcg page which calls itself “Team Monsoon.”

The intent is vague. The post reads:  “We’re bringing the energy, the passion, and the thunder to Heroes of America 2025!”

That account links back to Antonio McGowan, who has mostly tacky memes, AI generated content and inspirational posts. He lists himself as an entrepreneur and “a agent [sic]” with @PHP.

The PHP Agency Facebook, which has a tag line of “fastest growing financial services marketing organization”  has posts such as one celebrating a man and woman from Van Nuys becoming $100,000 “ring earners.”  

Its page exclusively features people of color.  

Going to the Internet at large, a Glassdoor review that comes up indicates: “They target college students and low income families who they know will buy into the scam. They are dishonest and charge your card without asking you…”

A recent reddit poster wrote in ALL CAPS: “PHP AGENCY PREYS ON YOUNG MINORITIES CLAIMING THEY ARE HELPING THEM!! RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK!!”

On social media and YouTube, the agency hypes up its events to the nth degree. “Biggest event,” “turning dreams into reality,” “historical big event,” “the new force awakens,” “the financial industry will never be the same” are some of the words used in its headlines.

Its website has three categories: About Us, Become an Agent and Get Life Insurance.

A Wikipedia search traces the founding of the PHP agency to 2009, describing it as a multi-level marketing company selling life insurance and financial services.  

Its founder is Iranian-American businessman Patrick Bet-David.  His Wikipedia page indicates PHP Agency was acquired by Integrity, another so-called MLM company in 2022.

The related PHP Debt Solutions company also seems to focus less on the services offered and more on PHP agents, who according to their website “are helping families get out of debt faster and getting their new agents paid before they are licensed.” Videos linked on the front page focus on agent techniques rather than debt repayments.  

Detailed analysis of PHP by other journalists has revealed profits are more reliant on recruitment fees of new agents promising them high earnings, than actually selling insurance and debt related products, which is mostly done to the close friends and families of the agents themselves.  

A post on Reddit was extremely revealing as to their tactics, recounting in detail how they got recruited to a meeting where they were asked to go dressed business casual.

“One person at the door asked me who invited me then gave me a name-tag, then after everyone got checked in and settled down, hype man came to the front of the room snd started hyping everyone one up, bunch of people on their phones recording as if he was a celebrity. They did this weird as cheer where they hold their hand up in the air and yell at the top of their lungs then pull their hand down and yell BOOM! Then they yell PHP Million Point Base Shop (all of this at the top of their lungs while recording on their phones) then each little section of the room yells out PHP and their little team name all loud at once, so it's a cacophony of sound. Then a senior "agent" does a little presentation and say how they work with many of the big insurance companies (nationwide, foresters, etc...) and they start naming CEO of Starbucks and Walmart and say that we can be the CEO of our own business. Afterwards, the main hype man takes the people who were invited into a separate room and sit us down (about 20-30 people) all facing him where he pulls down a projector screen and gives us the speech and his story. Said that he was a working as a bartender, living paycheck to paycheck, stressed out about money, partying everyday, until he found PHP and now he's more financially independent, has a big house, a corvette and the big rings that PHP gives after you hit a certain money in sales and. a rolex as well for the same things all from the company and that he's been in paid vacations all paid by PHP. He says that the real scam is a 9-5 working 40 hours a week for 40 years, and you can't be the CEO of the company you work with, but if you join PHP you can make all this money part time (big emphasis on part time) and you can be the "owner" of your own business and make as much income as you want! Never talked about the product, jut that they sell insurance and how everyone NEEDS it and that the company is on a "crusade" (yes, he used that word) to get as many people insured as possible because 'it's not about the money," but about educating people and getting them more financially literate. Then when the little sales pitch is over they send us to the up-line of the person who invited up to "interview" us. Told me the price of $150 and that it's a huge opportunity and that I was selected out of many people for a chance to work with them, even though everyone who was in the room was told the same thing cause they interviewed us in the courtyard of the office building so I can hear the other conversations. I told her I didn't have any money to pay and they asked if I can borrow cause this opportunity will pay back. The person who invited me came to talk to me and said she'll pay for it if I paid her back then I agreed cause I was desperate to make money. Then they give you forms to get your welcome package in the mail which is what the $150 is for. The welcome package is a small booklet with graphics of the pitch that was given to us, basically a sales pitch to give other people to join, and a cheap little usb drive that was branded PHP with "training material" which was just a couple of audio files of people high in the company talking about PHP and giving us a script to use on people to get them to buy or join (all those audio files are on youtube for free). There's a lot more, I still have the usb drive sand some videos recorded of their "meetings" which were mandatory to attend every thursday. There is more they pressure you to do and buy, like $250 for big event, which they hype up so much and basically tell you that if you don't go, you don't care about your business and won't get the "valuable training" from the top people in the company.” 

Our Town Reno reporting, January 17th, 2025

What’s that New Apartment Building: The Ballpark Apartments

This morning, a lived in RV was parked near the Ballpark Apartments, on 201 Evans Avenue, with a cleaning crew busy inside the new luxury housing, a contrast of future haves and current have nots.  

The five-story apartments across from Greater Nevada Field have had an eventful ride to completion.  

At one point in late 2023, three of its floors were on fire, due to an industrial heater left on by construction workers.

Earlier this month, Greystar, which manages these new apartments, was named in a Department of Justice lawsuit against an alleged nationwide rent pricing collusion scheme to the detriment of renters.

On its website, apartments which it calls “brand new homes” are listed as available February 1st with extremely high prices for the downtown area:  Apt 104, a one bedroom, one bath, is listed at $1,958 for a minimum 15 months.   Apt 111, a two bedroom, two bath, is listed at $2,798 for a minimum 15 months.  A 600 square feet studio apartment is going for $1,688 for a minimum 15 month.

And that’s just the base price.  The first page of the website leads directly to what’s called a fee guide for the new apartments, with application fees, holding and security deposits, administrative and community amenity fees, trash services, amenity clubhouse rental deposits, and parking costs. The list goes on and on.

Fifty-three apartments are currently listed as available on the first floor, 63 on the second, 71 on the third, 25 on the fourth and 25 on the fifth for a total of 236 availabilities.

The Instagram for the apartments, an account with 93 followers, calls it “luxury living,” and tells people to click a link to find their dream home.  It has promotional photos and videos for nearby restaurants and bars, and for Reno’s “Brewery District.” 

One post had as its caption “Ballpark Apartments isn’t just a home—it’s a lifestyle! With stunning amenities, stylish interiors, and a prime location, this is where modern living meets your dream home. Ready to hit a home run with your next move? Click the link in our bio to explore floor plans and schedule a tour today!”

Greystar released a video on YouTube earlier this month  writing the apartments offer a “unique fusion of style and sophistication is shown with in [sic] our studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom in Reno, NV. Our brand new apartment homes reflect your contemporary flair. Enjoy the life you deserve. When you live at Ballpark, your address says it all since we offer a heated pool, gym, roof top lounge, and much more. Ballpark is an apartment community managed by Greystar Real Estate Partners, located in Washoe County and the 89501 ZIP Code.”

It only had five views as of last night, with one of those ours.  

Its fitness center overlooks the sidewalk with anyone walking by or waiting to get into the baseball stadium with a clear view of those who will be on their ellipticals. 

It remains to be seen who the tenants with this kind of money to spend on living in an apartment in downtown Reno might be. 

Our Town Reno reporting, January 16, 2025

Putting the Real Choices Women's Center, a "Crisis Pregnancy Center," under the microscope

In a bedroom in the upstairs of a home on Haskell Street, at the Real Choices Women’s Center, which advertises itself as an “abortion clinic alternative,” visitors come to consult with staff members about their pregnancy.

The room contains three chairs and a coffee table. No medical equipment or examination tables are present. A white noise machine hangs from the door knob of the consultation room. 

The aim here is to discourage pregnant women from seeking abortions. 

A crisis pregnancy center is defined as a non-profit organization established by anti-abortion and often religious groups with the goal of dissuading pregnant people from getting abortions. In the United States, crisis pregnancy centers now outnumber abortion clinics roughly four to one. There are an estimated 2500-4000 crisis pregnancy centers in the U.S., and only 807 abortion clinics. 

Maureen Scott, co-founder of Wild West Access Fund of Nevada, an abortion fund based in Nevada, describes crisis pregnancy centers as a serious problem in Northern Nevada that needs to be dealt with. 

“Crisis Pregnancy Centers, AKA fake clinics, aim to misinform patients about abortion care in an effort to propagate their anti-choice agenda, disrespecting patient bodily autonomy in the process,” Scott said. “These fake clinics do not have medical staff, and often classify themselves as religious or non-profit organizations to skirt regulations placed on healthcare facilities.” 

According to non-profit tax forms, Real Choices Women's Center is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Corey and Nicku Bruce, with two locations: the one pictured in Midtown and one in Fernley. The center offers a variety of different services including pregnancy testing, “options” consultations, and abortion recovery. The majority of the staff working inside these centers providing consultations are not medical professionals or professionally trained in any women’s health fields. In a response to a google review, the center stated their staff were “certified crisis coaches.”

Google Reviews concerning Real Choices Women’s Center with the executive director of Real Choices Women’s Center, Nicku Bruce, in center.

In google reviews dating back seven years, former visitors to the center describe the uncomfortable pressure they faced from Real Choices Women's Center staff members during consultations.

Google Reviewer Monique Ida wrote, “If you feel like being trapped in a room & bombarded with weird propaganda by a pack of rabid evangelicals cosplaying as nurses, this is the place for you.” 

The center responded to this review, claiming to have never seen Ida as a patient. 

Above some of the materials handed out at Real Choices Women’s Center. 

Real Choices Women’s Center operates out of a typical Reno home. Visitors are brought to the upstairs of the home before sitting down with a consultant to engage in an intake process involving two forms and a 40 minute discussion prior to their pregnancy test.

Required forms for an appointment with Real Choices Women’s Center include a demographics portion before a medical history portion. Demographics questions ask patients about their marital status and their yearly income. There are also questions asking about their relationship with God, if they are a Christian, and what their religion is. After the completion of the forms, visitors will make a urine sample that they will keep with them throughout the entirety of their consultation. 

Before the consultation can begin, staff members reiterate that they do not perform abortions at Real Choices Women’s Center and will not refer visitors to get an abortion. Despite this, their website says it offers information on abortion pills, procedures and abortions as an option. 

During the consultation, visitors are given a paper and pamphlets detailing their options: Adoption, Parenting, and Abortion with pros and cons for each. They are asked to share with their consultant what stands out to them for each. Then, they are asked to engage in a spiritual discussion with their consultant, in which they are asked again what their relationship to God is, their history with religion, how they believe babies come to Earth, and if this impacts their decision on how to proceed with the pregnancy. 

Following the consultation, patients are instructed to perform their pregnancy test with their urine sample in front of the consultant and then read their own results. 

On a cold day, one of our reporters visited the center to experience what other visitors described in their reviews. 

Following our reporter’s negative pregnancy test result, a nurse talked with her about the possibility of a miscarriage.

Then a consultant, Sarah Beth, returned to the room to encourage her to pursue a relationship with God and assured her she was loved by her creator. Before leaving, our reporter was given a brochure to help her process her negative pregnancy test with portions encouraging abstinence before marriage. 

Anti-abortion rhetoric provided at the center in the form of consultations, pamphlets, and flyers included claims that an abortion will impact the ability to have a healthy baby in the future, while portraying an abortion as a “secret” the patient must keep. 

The center has recently changed names and goes by many alternative titles online, including: Pregnancy Counseling Center INC., Crisis Pregnancy Centers Midtown and Fernley, and Real Choices Pregnancy Center as evidenced by their flyers and tax forms associated with their organization.

The executive director Nicku Bruce, did not respond to requests for an interview. 

On her now inactive X account, Bruce reposted a tweet from Lifeway Women, a Christian blog aimed towards women, saying “Expectancy is the perfect swap for anxiety. We are here expecting Jesus.” 

Although Nevada’s Question 6 may have passed to protect abortion rights in the state constitution this November, pro-choice Assemblywoman Erica Roth, who won a District 24 state assembly seat, explained to one of our reporters that legal grey areas still allow crisis pregnancy centers to mislead vulnerable patients under the guise of providing reproductive healthcare. 

“These centers shouldn’t be able to put themselves out as healthcare providers,” Roth explained. “They don’t have doctors on staff, and yet they provide what essentially amounts to legalized misinformation to people who are scared and unsure about their options.”

Real Choices Women’s Center refers to themselves as a women’s healthcare clinic. Crisis pregnancy centers are not required to have actual doctors or nurse practitioners on staff, and are mainly composed of medical assistants who only need to know how to provide ultrasounds to be employed. 

“These centers target people who are vulnerable—those without a regular OB-GYN or primary care provider who are simply Googling for help,” Roth said.

To combat misinformation, Nevada residents can report crisis pregnancy centers for deceptive practices through the Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance. Reports can be filed as consumer protection complaints, triggering an investigation that could result in fines, requiring a plan of correction, or other penalties. 

Stressing the importance of educating the public about crisis pregnancy centers, Roth highlights the red flags for patients to watch out for including: a lack of qualified medical professionals, such as doctors or nurse practitioners, strong religious undertones in counseling or materials, and advertisements implying abortion services, which are not actually offered.

In Reno, there is only one abortion clinic currently operating: Planned Parenthood located on South Virginia Street, although many OB-GYNs also perform abortions in their own practices.

In terms of abortion rights and access here in Nevada, following the election of Republican Donald Trump to the presidency, Roth noted concerns about possible looming federal actions, such as using the Comstock Act—a law passed in 1873 banning the mailing of "obscene" materials, including information about contraception and abortion—to restrict abortion medications sent by mail.

“I think the most likely attack that we will see in the beginning of Trump's term is attacks on the ability to access abortion medication through the mail. There's definitely going to be attacks from the federal level that we need to be prepared to address at the state level,” Roth said. “That includes protecting access, because the right by law to access an abortion is rendered obsolete if we don't have access to that life saving care.”

However, Roth pointed out that Nevada’s Republican Governor Joe Lombardo removed mentions of crisis pregnancy centers from the Department of Health and Human Services website after taking office, making it harder for the public to find information on how to report these centers. The four-paragraph section had been part of an “Abortion Information for Nevadans” page launched in 2022 under then-Governor Steve Sisolak. 

According to reporting by the Nevada Current, the section remained online until May 2023, as confirmed by the Wayback Machine, but was removed by early June. Lombardo, who is publicly “pro-life,” justified the decision by calling the section’s characterization of CPCs a “mischaracterization and politicization.”

“Governor Lombardo believes that crisis pregnancy centers offer critical resources, support, and care for pregnant women in Nevada,” his spokesperson Elizabeth Ray was quoted as saying.

On the other side of the political aisle, Democratic Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has been outspoken on her condemnation of crisis pregnancy centers. In 2022, Senator Cortez Masto cosigned legislation to combat misinformation spread by crisis pregnancy centers called the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation Act. 

“When women need critical care, it's vital that they know all the options available to them so they can make informed decisions. Too often, women visit crisis pregnancy centers expecting comprehensive reproductive healthcare, only to encounter a different experience. This legislation aims to address misleading advertisements by these crisis pregnancy centers,” a representative for Senator Cortez Masto wrote in a statement to our reporting team.

Other crisis pregnancy centers operating in Northern Nevada are Care Net Pregnancy Center in Fallon, and Life Choices Community Pregnancy Clinic in Carson City. 

At Real Choices Women’s Center, visitors are welcomed to the center with candy bowls, cookies, and promises of compassionate care. Inside its consultation rooms, non-medically trained personnel utilize religious rhetoric and shame surrounding premarital sex as tactics to persuade young women to pursue abstinence and dissuade pregnant women from receiving abortions.  

Reporting by Lily Wright, Juliet Ojeda and Grace Kaplan shared with Our Town Reno

Former Warehouse, Gym Goes From Planned Burner Party Space to Proposed Data Center

A request is being made for a conditional use permit to turn the often changing 265 Keystone building and former city property into a data center, with discussions for this scheduled at Wednesday night’s Planning Commission meeting.

The current building which was previously used as a warehouse and then a gym would be demolished with existing overhead power lines rerouted underground.

Three years ago, after the City of Reno sold the 3.26 acre site to a private group including members of the Dolan family, the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit at that location for amusement, recreation outside, live entertainment and a bar, tavern or lounge to be operated with an “indoor/outdoor flex-space including general retail, art exhibits and outdoor event space.”

It sounded promising.

There was lots of hype about the project called the Grand Artique Reno, to be run by the existing San Diego-based event company called Grand Artique.  Inside, cleaning up was done and a Burning Man themed party was held in October 2022.  Owners were offering shares of the business at $50,000.  

A glossy investment summary was handed out, promising revenue in the millions of dollars, with two thirds of the needed $8.8 million reported to be already raised. The brochure indicated their multi-talented team was headed by Shane and Breck Dolan, and included over 100 artists, builders, producers and curators with experience in creating immersive events.  

Eventually, vehicles were stored on the property and the plan for the Grand Artique Reno was scrapped.

A new applicant, Josh Hindo, with Kiley-Horn and Associates, is now asking for the data center conditional use permit.

In such cases, a sale is often contingent on the permit being granted. 

Controversial data centers have been in the local news cycle of late, with ongoing Council discussions on how to regulate these differently than warehouses due to their high power usage. 

Opponents who especially don’t want to see these in busy urban areas say these cause significant noise pollution, strain power grids, degrade air quality and lower residential property values.  

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

The Tragic Death Toll of Our Locally Unhoused

In file photo above, Wendy Wiglesworth, led a tribute for unhoused friends who had died in 2021 and 2022.

The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office sent Our Town Reno a tragic spreadsheet this week documenting 77 deaths of people without a fixed address in 2024.

The cause of deaths ranged from a 55-year-old man dying of hypothermia in January in Sparks, a 38-year-old man dying of environmental heat stress in July in Reno, to four people killed after being hit by vehicles and one by a motorcycle.

The most cited cause was acute fentanyl and methamphetamine intoxication, overdose from fentanyl with other drugs or alcohol, as well as multiple deaths from pneumonia, sepsis, hangings, stab wounds, and chronic alcoholism.

Ages ranged from several 22-year-olds to two 74-year-olds. We counted 14 women on the list.

Deaths recorded since late November are still pending investigations as to cause of death.

If this is the total list, including at shelters, it would mean this tragic toll has finally reversed an eight year consecutive climb, with 96 recorded unhoused deaths in 2022 and 136 in 2023. The number was 54 in 2021, with each previous year dating back to 2016 lower and lower.

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

Nevada Has Yet to Join, But Reno is Implicated in Rent Raising Collusion Federal Lawsuit

A federal lawsuit into the property management software company RealPage indicates it uses data to suggest rental prices to landlords, which allegedly unlawfully decreases competition and leads to collusion to raise prices.

Earlier this week, the Justice Department expanded the lawsuit to six large landlords operating in 43 states and D.C. Nevada is monitoring the action but has not yet joined.

“The amended complaint alleges the landlords — Greystar Real Estate Partners LLC (Greystar); Blackstone’s LivCor LLC (LivCor); Camden Property Trust (Camden); Cushman & Wakefield Inc and Pinnacle Property Management Services LLC (Cushman); Willow Bridge Property Company LLC (Willow Bridge) and Cortland Management LLC (Cortland) — participated in an unlawful scheme to decrease competition among landlords in apartment pricing, harming millions of American renters,” the press release indicated. “Together, these landlords operate more than 1.3 million units in 43 states and the District of Columbia.”

In Reno, according to a Washington Post analysis, the share of multifamily units managed by these companies is estimated at 24%.

Greystar is reported to operate Aspen Ridge, Ballpark Apartments, Fifteen51, The Highlands and Innova, while Cushman and Wakefield which acquired Pinnacle Property Management is reported to operate the Kallan at Verdi Village, Park on Virginia, Whittell Pointe and Zephyr Pointe.

RealPage says it’s not a monopoly and that the suit should be dismissed.

In the Justice Department press release it was indicated that Landlord Cortland agreed to cooperate and enter into a settlement “to end the use of common rental pricing algorithms and competitively sensitive data to set rents.”

Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025

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