u/thebrushup

Former Washoe Undersheriff Corey Solferino who had been on paid loan to the City of Reno since an explosive investigation was announced of Reno PD leadership in March is now officially the new chief of police, after having served in an acting capacity.

The vote at City Council was unanimous in his favor.

Earlier this month, Reno City Manager Jackie Bryant announced that Reno Police Chief Kathryn Nance, who had been on paid administrative leave since early March, amid an unspecified state level Department of Public Safety investigation, had been fired along with two assistant chiefs, Oliver Miller and Anthony Elges.

Three other officers are also being investigated, but have not been named, as they remain on paid leave due to their job protection.

“Today’s about our community,” Solferino said in prepared remarks before the council.

Bryant has praised him for steadying the department since he took over in an emergency situation. No one else was recruited to fill the city’s top police position.

Council member Naomi Duerr said she was impressed while previously meeting with Solferino in a sit down planned for 30 minutes which went over an hour and a half, saying “he was open and responsive.”

“What you do reflects on all of us,” she added of the important role. “I am very confident that you are going to show up well for us,” she said.

Mayor Hillary Schieve also praised the new police chief’s willingness to listen, in a time of trust erosion. “You said to me, ‘Hillary, we are not going to arrest our way out of the most difficult situations. It’s going to be bringing in more services and helping people and truly putting the community first.'”

Police critics will be looking closely, after one of former chief Nance’s last public appearances in that capacity was a heated forum dominated by questions over the police killing of a Black unhoused man on the Wells Avenue bridge who appeared to be having a mental health crisis in February.

https://preview.redd.it/zqcjpn5cfc2h1.png?width=1374&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab7e7037b5b43ab426eb426b01f46a528e50436b

The 2026 Nevada State Controller race features Republican incumbent Andy Matthews with three Democratic challengers, engineer and businessman Reno-based Robert "Bob" Blackstock, Henderson-based teacher Michael MacDougall, and Reno-based Bob Tolle, competing in the June 9 primary.

Who do you have in this one?

https://preview.redd.it/2x4w0dquyb2h1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91fd6a4ca97cfe36b4e882c99ac113ed82c92a17

According to his website, Blackstock has an endorsement from assembly member Erica Roth as well as from the Nevada State Education Association.

“My interests led me to be a Silicon Valley engineer (AMD, one of the leading AI companies), a mergers and acquisition consultant in downtown Los Angeles (KPMG, one of the biggest business consulting firms in the world), a venture capitalist in Santa Barbara (funded by several, very large, international companies), and chief technology officer for a small tech company in the Bay Area that uses my patents in fluid mechanics. My current work is writing C# code to investigate stochastic domain interfaces with possible applications in social as well as hard sciences,” he writes on his about page saying he has worked across the country and internationally as a business consultant in numerous industries.

“I have been active in many aspects of the local Reno community, from government policy to business engagement… I was a volunteer lobbyist during the last Nevada State legislative session for the Planned Parenthood day, and also for the Sierra Club day,” he writes of his political background saying he is a member of the NAACP and attendant of No Kings rallies.

“I am about creating pathways to success that underscore transparency and collaborative effort among the many (15) regional development authorities in Nevada. In Northern Nevada I have had the pleasure of attending several EDAWN events," he adds.

Michael MacDougall has the “Building a Nevada for everyone,” slogan on his own website, where he explains that “the Controller’s office protects every dollar in Nevada. It holds the Treasurer, Legislature, and Governor accountable so public money goes where it should while following the law and our budget. That keeps Nevada out of deficit, protects emergency funds, and keeps social services running. As Controller, I will focus on three priorities to help Nevada families get ahead in a tough economy."

He lists the annual report, public transit and collecting taxes as his priority pillars, while his endorsements page is filled with unions, including in the law enforcement realm.

“As a young educator entering public service, he is committed to showing students - and all Nevadans - that the future belongs to those who participate, care, and take action,” he writes on his about page.

Bob Tolle is running in his own words “to bring exceptional leadership to the Nevada State Controller's office. With a focus to reintroduce honor, respectability and clarity to the job," his website indicates.

“I served in the U.S Navy on active duty for six years, flying missions to escort oil tankers through the Straits of Hormuz and reconnaissance flights over Iran. Later I then volunteered to serve in the U.S. Navy Reserve, retiring honorably after 20 years. I currently volunteer at St. Francis of Assisi Food Pantry in Reno,” he writes on his about page.

He also lists working as a tax specialist, NASA quality analyst and in previous jobs in the defense industry.

“As Controller, Bob Tolle will ensure that all financial reporting is on time, accurate and transparent. He is committed to diligently allocating all monies as directed by the legislature, treasurer and state government. Thus guaranteeing fiscal responsibility. Bob's work will directly benefit the people of Nevada by safeguarding public funds and promoting trust in our state's financial operations,” he adds.

Whoever wins the Democratic June primary will take on the Republican incumbent Matthews who took office as Nevada's 23rd State Controller on Jan. 2, 2023.

“Prior to his election as Controller, Andy spent his professional career in the public-policy arena as an advocate for fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, and accountable, transparent government,” his official about page indicates.

The state controller administers the state’s accounting system, conducts state audits, settles claims against the state and collects debts, while also serving on the state’s transportation board and its executive branch committee.

Fleet Data Centers had a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday with Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo and Storey County Leaders for a mega data center project off USA Parkway with media reports about it thin on details, for what has been described as a “major tenant."

The Data Center Map website describes the Fleet Storey County Campus as “a significant hyperscale data center development comprising 230MW of capacity. This project is backed by $4.6 billion in senior secured notes, with additional funding from a prior $3.8 billion note issuance. The campus is situated on a 517-acre site and includes plans for a turnkey data center and an on-site electrical substation. Notably, the facility has secured a 100% lease agreement with an unnamed AA-rated, investment-grade tenant possessing a market capitalization exceeding $3 trillion, under a 16.4-year triple net lease. This development underscores the demand for large-scale, purpose-built digital infrastructure in key growth markets.”

Companies with a market cap above $3 trillion are just a handful, with a report on the datacenterdynamics page indicating this could be for Nvidia.

The about page for Fleet Data Centers indicates it delivers : “Campus Certainty at Mega-Scale
The demand for data center infrastructure requires securing larger and larger quantums of capacity in locations with increasing scarcity and other constraints.  Fleet Data Centers provide the predictability and flexibility needed to support and host the workloads and platforms now and into the future.”

These types of projects are triggering concerns over higher utility bills, strains on local power grids and dwindling water supplies.

Google, Switch, Novva and Colovore are some of the other companies with massive data center projects in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center area.

https://preview.redd.it/4owfqbqxza2h1.png?width=1206&format=png&auto=webp&s=70b2f7e4093c1b8b43ac5f35dedb952d8cb72607

Any thoughts on the soon to be discussed 18-month pilot program removing conditional use permit requirements for indoor live entertainment in downtown, Midtown and 4th street areas?

Agenda D5 for Wednesday’s Reno City Council meeting is listed as “Ordinance amending the Reno Municipal Code Title 18, “Annexation and Land Development”, specifically in Chapter 18.03 “Use Regulations” Section 18.03.405, entitled “Standards for Specific Accessory Uses”, to Code to provide for a temporary exception to conditional use permit regulations for indoor live entertainment within the entertainment core; together with matters which pertain to or are necessarily connected therewith. [Ward 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]”

Outdoor live entertainment after 10 p.m. would still require the CUPs, while businesses with current approvals would keep their existing permit conditions, but this would address other businesses who say it’s been an arduous process to be able to have noisy entertainment inside their establishments into the night.

Meanwhile, some residents have been wanting more noise enforcement in downtown areas. Where do you stand on this issue overall?

“As a resident, I am not happy with the exclusion of public input through the set aside of the CUP process… While the intent of the Live Entertainment process changes is clearly to benefit businesses, I want to ensure that residents at the very least feel the evaluation process is equitable,” Gary Cecil wrote in an emailed public comment.

“What is the City's vision for a more vibrant downtown and Midtown, given that the City wants to have more residents living in these locations?” Eric Lerude wrote. “Yes, everyone should want more businesses, especially filling the many empty retail spaces and buildings. But if those businesses are going to be allowed to create an environment where there are a lot of disturbances of the peace and the City is not going to make sure they effectively regulate those businesses,” he wrote in part warning the pilot program could be detrimental.

“I am not sure what the City is envisioning for Downtown Reno, but it is just a shame that residents like me, you know, contributing to the Downtown economy and adding a positive presence, are absolutely ignored. I don't see anything in the proposal regarding noise limits or time limits. Is this proposal going to allow "singing, dancing, bands, karaoke, and similar activities" all hours, all days and nights of the week?

I need my sleep and I need to be able to work, uninterrupted, at home. If Downtown Reno is not supposed to be that, just say it, don't live here if you desire sleep at night and some peace, and I will find another city to take my talent and dollars … that supports a true work/life environment,” Brandi Smith, a Montage resident and court reporter wrote.

https://preview.redd.it/7styuctyy32h1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=258786e0d74efed53d1e6fabfcd3eb5f632c8f38

Processing img phq9jesnxx1h1...

A recent Substack post making waves in local Democratic circles was titled "Why I Resigned" by Merleyn Bell, previously working for the Teresa Benitez-Thompson CD2 northern Nevada congressional campaign, and driven to the exits by another favorite in that race’s Democratic primary the massively self-funded Greg Kidd "running ads driving Nevadans to a donation page hosted on the Nevada State Democratic Party’s own ActBlue account."

Her Substack called The Reluctant Revolutionary explains that on that page "the party’s page, Kidd appears in his own voice, identifying himself as a candidate for CD2, asking for contributions, and pledging that his campaign will match donations up to $100,000."

Bell previously served as an elected Democrat from 2018 to 2022 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives before moving to Nevada. Her Instagram now describes herself as a "candidate coach teaching the next generation of leaders how to successfully run for office."

"NVDems is not the passive recipient of a donation. They are the publishing platform for a primary candidate’s fundraising appeal, in the middle of the primary they allege to be neutral in," she wrote in her Substack.

"Think about that. A candidate in a contested Democratic primary is using the state party’s own donation infrastructure to introduce himself to Democratic voters, build his name ID, and convert donors into a relationship with his campaign, while routing the dollars to the party as the price of admission. Neither Kidd nor the party is hiding it. It is published, in his own words, on their own page."

We wrote emails to the WashoeDems this morning for a comment about her Substack as well as to the Greg Kidd campaign but have not heard back as of publication.

"I think any candidate who comes to the political arena with self-serving intentions is a danger," Bell told us during a follow-up phone interview today, speaking of Kidd, a wealthy crypto entrepreneur.

Her Substack pointed to large donations he has recently made to the Nevada State Democratic Party and the Washoe County Democratic Party, saying he himself could afford to write even more generous checks if he simply wanted to, rather than telling economically struggling voters he will match their donation.

"That is not a fundraising strategy. That is an insult. It’s a slap in the face to every Nevadan who has answered a Democratic canvasser at their door, taken a Democratic robocall during dinner, opened a Democratic fundraising email, and been told that their party understands what they are going through," she wrote.

"I feel that the Democratic Party at the current moment is making such shortsighted decisions that it makes it hard for me as a voter and a lifelong Democrat to continue to support them without saying anything," she told us in our phone call today. "It's lunch money to him. And to me, it's a real slap in the face to say to hardworking Nevadans, well, you donate first this time and then I'll put in matching funds. If you want to give the money, give the money, then we can have a conversation about what money we as a party are willing to accept."

Bell says she would love having conversations with party leadership about this, even if no longer an insider, “to open up a dialogue with their members and with the voting public about what transparency and accountability looks like.”

The New Haven born, Brown and Yale educated Kidd lists himself as living in Crystal Bay on his LinkedIn. He ran in 2024 for the same seat as a nonpartisan candidate while previously being a registered Republican. In that election, he was soundly defeated by the now retiring Republican incumbent Mark Amodei, despite spending over $9 million of his own money on his failed campaign.

Kidd's recent FEC filings also show he likes to stay at the Best Bet Motor Lodge, pay the This is Reno linked Conrad Communications for event productions ($8,500 in March and $4.800 in January) as well as massive checks to BGB Productions and Six One Four Strategies.

One dropped out candidate Josh Hebert accused Kidd at a forum in Elko of having a "massive conflict of interest" if he ends up in Congress "trying to get the regulations that he needs for the financial revolution that he wants to launch," concerning all his crypto endeavors. Kidd who was sitting right next to him didn't respond.

https://preview.redd.it/862igj5dhx1h1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=289139bbb1ab7a9c98b5bcbc4d046364ba555220

Incumbent Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, a Democrat, is unopposed to make it to November, but who will he face in November besides Libertarian John Kennedy and Independent American Brad Lee Barnhill?

Well known names and frequent election losers in the Republican primary competition consist of Sharron Angle as well as Jim Marchant, while first time candidate Shirley Folkins-Roberts, a Reno based businesswoman, attorney and nonprofit executive is now the perceived frontrunner, having raised the most money, while receiving the backing of Republican Governor Joe Lombardo.

“At a time when American trust in elections is at an all-time low, Shirley is committed to commonsense election reforms like Voter ID and ensuring ballots are received by Election Day – the kind of reforms that have broad bipartisan support and improve voter confidence and trust in the process,” Lombardo said in a social media post.

Finally, repeat candidate Socorro Keenan is also appearing in this race on Republican ballots.

“Jim Marchant has been a leader and innovator in the computer software, Internet, and telecommunication industries beginning in 1984. He has founded and served as CEO and President of numerous technology companies,” Marchant writes on his own about page.

Marchant blames unproven “election fraud” on his website for losing in an election for Nevada’s Congressional District 4 in 2020, which was won by Democrat Steven Horsford by over 16-thousand votes, while he lost to Aguilar in the Secretary of State runoff in 2022, by about 23-thousand votes. He was also a failed candidate for the US Senate in 2024.

“I’m running for Secretary of State to restore trust in our elections and make Nevada the best place in America to start and grow a business,” Marchant writes on his website.

Wooster and UNR grad Sharron Angle, who has the endorsement of the Washoe Republicans, writes she is a “reliable Republican with the record to prove it” on a fairly bare website.

There’s a press release from April where she apologized to Folkins-Roberts and her husband after mistakenly saying her opponent had contributed $1,000 to Democrat Aaron Ford now running for governor. Since serving in the Nevada Assembly as a notorious conservative, Angle has lost a series of elections from several federal Senate races to a Nevada one to trying to previously unseat Mark Amodei in Congress.

“With Shirley Folkins-Roberts leading the charge, Nevada’s elections will be safe, secure, easy to understand, and trusted by everyone. As Secretary of State, Shirley will work to: Keep our voter rolls accurate and up to date, Require voter ID to stop fraud in its tracks, Ensure election results are delivered on time —not days, weeks, or months later,” the electshirley.com website indicates.

Her about page describes her as “a Nevada attorney, business leader, and longtime community advocate who has spent her career working at the intersection of law, business, and public policy. In the private sector, she has helped lead the entitlement, financing, construction, and leasing of major industrial and office projects across Northern Nevada, supporting the development of more than three million square feet of commercial space and helping attract major employers that strengthen the state’s economy.”

“Socorro Keenan is a longtime Nevada community member with broad experience supporting families, workers, and small businesses,” the keenanfornvsos.com website indicates.

There’s a long list of professional experiences included from mortgage lending, to tax preparation cosmetology and burial insurance sales, as well as owning a talent agency, working in private banking in Europe and as a flight attendant for the former Eastern Air Lines.

Keenan got just over four-thousand votes in the GOP primary for the same Secretary of State race in 2022. The priorities section of her website lists integrity and accountability, voter confidence, better public service and truth and prosperity.

The Nevada Secretary of State, the third highest ranking state official behind the governor and lieutenant governor, oversees elections, business registrations, securities regulations, as well as notary public licensing.

While we recently posted about the Intercept’s report on crypto entrepreneur Jeffrey Berns, who wanted to establish a blockchain city just outside Reno, bankrolling Zach Conine, Nn.dsa on Instagram did a post sent to us today with a video and a caption blasting his Democratic primary opponent in the Nevada Attorney General race Nicole Cannizzaro.

https://preview.redd.it/oyr4gu4v1s1h1.jpg?width=940&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6b28c6d1cbd49ca446f2e3833d6ba00cf0f2c77

The caption points to her connections to a lobbyist repeatedly working to prevent a statewide ban on the retail sale of pets. It also reveals how she was a former attorney representing a bank owned by Steve Mnuchin described as a “foreclosure machine."

Alisa Nave a lobbyist who has regularly represented the Pet Advocacy Network fighting a ban on the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores in Nevada comes from a family which owns more than a dozen veterinary clinics.

Both her and James Nave are listed in campaign financial disclosures as contributing $10,000 each to Cannizzaro in 2025. Alisa Nave also recently hosted multiple donation events for Cannizzaro.

Meanwhile a search of case number A-11-634917-j on the clarkcountycourts.us website reveals a 2011 foreclosure mediation case with OneWest Bank having Cannizzaro as one of its attorneys.

Steve Mnuchin who went on to serve as Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary from 2017 to 2021 owned OneWest Bank from March 2009 to August 2015, which was heavily involved in foreclosures.

Previously we reported about an anti Conine website called cryptoconine.com which feeds off the recent Intercept article reporting Berns has given Conine’s campaign at least $2.5 million, several years after Cannizzaro played a key role in blocking the crypto entrepreneur’s effort to build a much derided blockchain city in Storey County.

The founder of Blockchains had bought 67,000 acres of land east of Reno in 2018 for $170 million as part of his idea for a semi-autonomous area which received initial backing from then Democratic Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, to the consternation of many.

Berns was also in the news after he and his wife settled for a reported $15,000 with a former nanny who had accused the couple of trying to force her into a threesome. The allegations had come just as the so-called Innovation Zone Cannizzaro opposed was being debated at the legislative level, before being withdrawn in 2021.

Meanwhile the Conine linked Safe and Strong Nevada PAC has its signature at the bottom of its own website an anti-Cannizzaro display called callcannizzaro.com.

Roy Tuscany, the founder of the High Fives Foundation, Garrett Gordon, a partner in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Real Estate Practice Group, known for his many appearances on behalf of the J Resort before City Council, and Ronald Bath, a retired United States Air Force Major General, who served as the Director of Air Force Strategic Planning and later as the Air Force Director of the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) at the Pentagon are the three new Trustees for the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority.

The Board of Trustees has their names and short bios on their website page but not their photos yet.

Bath and Gordon were appointed to fill the seats by the City of Reno while Tuscany received the nod from the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.

They join the board as RTAA is advancing its $1 billion infrastructure program MoreRNO program aimed at expanding the airport, adding local dining and retail options and upgrading travel technology.

There were multiple resignations from the influential board earlier this year with one former trustee Eddie Ableser facing concerns he no was no longer a resident here. Kitty Jung submitted her own resignation in March as did Pascal Dupuis just one year into his own appointment. Additionally, Cris Jensen became interim President and CEO of the RTAA on February 1st replacing Daren Griffin who left in January to lead the Columbus Regional Airport Authority in Ohio.

https://preview.redd.it/wi0xlwixnp1h1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=738cc1dc9cf1323d1ec31343460c12b18eeb811f

https://preview.redd.it/t6m2ot1sji1h1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8778fb070762443a8602066b01d9b250bde0c0e9

Would you consider voting for a libertarian in November? Republicans in the comments who do you have in the primary?

Another race on local ballots with a competitive primary is on the Republican side for Washoe County Commissioner District 5 to replace the termed out Jeanne Herman who has held the seat for a dozen years.

Three candidates are vying to take on Libertarian Lisa Lee and Democrat Brian Wadsworth, who, uncontested in their parties, are going straight through to the November vote.

“Restoring Power to the People. Unbought, Unbossed, Unbroken,” Lee, who has worked in the health and wellness field for over two decades writes on her own website

“Brian Wadsworth is a dedicated community leader rooted deeply in both rural and urban aspects of Washoe County. Born and raised in Wadsworth, Nevada, he now resides in Nixon, Nevada, on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Reservation with his partner and three dogs,” Wadsworth includes in his bio.

In terms of the current primary, as the two above candidates are unopposed, the uncertainty is on the Republican side.

On her campaign website, Katherine Yriarte shows off many endorsements from the Washoe Republicans to the Washoe County School Police Officers’ Association.

She runs a professional horse training business and in a rubric called Leading All of District 5 she writes: “District 5 spans 5,827 square miles, 89% of Washoe County geographically, from ranches to suburbs, from Verdi and Somerset to the North Valleys, to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation and Gerlach, and everything north of those communities to the Oregon border. Katherine sees this diversity as the district's greatest strength. She's a conservative Christian who leads with compassion, humility, and integrity.”

Her next bullet points include “standing up for public safety,” “standing with rural communities,” “championing small business” and “fighting for the vulnerable .”

Rob Pierce also has several listed endorsements on his election website, including from the Truckee Meadows Firefighters Association and from the Nevada Builders Alliance.

“I’m a Navy veteran and a 38-year resident of Washoe County. My wife and I raised our family in the North Valleys home we built ourselves. Our three daughters attended Washoe public schools and graduated from the University of Nevada,” he writes in his about section.

“I retired after a fulfilling career at AT&T. Community service is important to me. Over the years I’ve served on a variety of boards and commissions in Washoe County.” He lists his priorities as fiscal responsbility, public safety, responsible growth and strong communities with a pro-business environment.

The other candidate in the primary Tammy Holt-Still, a retired state of Nevada employee, writes her “mission is to serve the people of Washoe County with honesty, persistence, and accountability. Tammy Holt-Still is committed to standing up for flood-affected families, protecting residents’ rights, and ensuring government decisions are made with community safety and fairness at the center. This campaign exists to give residents a real voice and to make sure that voice is heard.”

Another section on her website indicates “her journey into public service began when flooding devastated

Lemmon Valley in 2017. While others moved on, Tammy Holt-Still dug into research, policy, test results,

and government filings. She spent years attending county meetings, advocating for

residents, and pushing for transparency.”

Holt-Still lists her priorities as flooding and infrastructure reform, Swan Lake testing, government transparency and Lemmon Valley flood advocacy.

https://preview.redd.it/v4aiblc7zb1h1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2d4346f494e747b9b300992093574467ccfb996

We recently surpassed 20k posts on one of our social media accounts we take great pride in, our affiliated Biggest Little Streets on Instagram.

Yesterday, for example, after someone sent us a video about a bee swarm near a construction site at the airport, and we got the usual chorus of so whats, we also had local gardeners writing about it, and then Wayne Jorgensen with Battle Born Bees rushing over, and having the same person film him for an educational post about making it a win win for all involved.

Other posts yesterday were about entrepreneurs of Reno promoting themselves from selling stickers to salsa to maintaining yards and cleaning houses, a gofundme for a recent fire victim, a candidate profile for Ward 2 in Reno, a local looking for Panini World Cup stickers, a few crashes and road rage, an RTC bus looking like it was on its last legs, a massive law enforcement operation in the hills of Sun Valley, a confirmation of at least one person getting crypto from animal yoga, a stolen ebike, updates on the controversial Red Hawk development and on the Peppermint Hippo shooting, a vehicle with a QR code looking for a kidney donor, a poacher’s sentencing, an explainer on the lieutenant governor’s race and plenty more.

People like to complain and pretend not to understand we do both news stories (which come from our news section on ourtownreno.com) and alerts (across our social media), original reporting and crowd sourced content, micro looks and macro explainers. Yes it’s possible to do more than just one thing and to be a social media driven bulletin board of in the moment hyperlocal concerns and accomplishments. We’ve always been experimental which has always been the point, constantly finetuning and curating what we post on our channels as a reflection of a community with plenty of promise and growing pains.

At one point we were getting too many lost item and pet posts so we now collaborate with two wonderful partners on some of those u/biggestlittlepetfinder and u/renolostandfound.

Some say we post too many gofundmes but these are often our most commented on posts as they are often about local tragedies people care about or people basically not having adequate healthcare.

We’ve looked over daily, weekly, monthly tallies and these usually consist of just two percent of our posts overall contradicting those who like to complain otherwise.

Some people also say we post too many crashes but these are to bring awareness and to try to be a constant reminder to get people to driver better so that we all make it to where we are trying to get to safely, and that’s for bus riders, pedestrians and cyclists as well.

Some also don’t understand or get frustrated when we post alerts, photos and videos of something happening now where not everything is known. Is everything ever known though?

That’s quite an arrogant position to hold. Sometimes official announcements about events we posted only add more questions. Not every local story has a full answer. Sometimes these takes days, weeks, months and even years to be fully resolved.

We also get complaints about posting about too many protests. We can say unabashedly that our proudest day running this account was on January 30th when thousands and thousands of students from across northern Nevada walked out to protest ICE. We received hundreds of videos and photos from all corners of our region that day. We posted feverishly at a clip of every few minutes to make these brave students feel supported and admired as they should be.

Get this type of bonus content emailed to you by subscribing to our Substack which also includes links to our recent article here: https://ourtownreno.substack.com/

As we keep looking into primary races we haven't delved into yet, one race with competitive primaries on both the Republican and Democratic sides on local ballots is for state treasurer with Tya Mathis-Coleman, Joe Dalia and Jay Maharjan competing for the Ds, while Jeff Carter and Drew Johnson are on the R side.

The state treasurer basically serves as Nevada’s chief banker and investment officer with an office of about 60 employees overseeing $7 billion in state investments, public funds, unclaimed property and debt, while also administering the popular Millennium Scholarship program.

The person elected to the position also chairs the Board of Finance. The winner in November will replace termed out Democrat Zach Conine, who is in a bitter primary for the Nevada Attorney General’s race.

Mathis-Coleman is a current staffer in his office, who has received the incumbents’s backing as well as the support of Assembly member Dina Titus.

Dalia has received the backing of Nicole Cannizzaro who is in the Attorney General's race against Conine. He was previously COO and CFO of a small video game event app called Ludiscope.

Maharjan is a public teacher who previously led the Startup America Partnership initiative under former President Barack Obama.

On the Republican side, a long time policy analyst and

“liberty-loving defender of taxpayers," Drew Johnson, posted on X in January that his opponent, a financial executive recently relocated from Illinois, Jeff Carter, had attacked his wife’s infertility.

“In the battle to keep men out of women's sports. there are those who try to claim victimhood and that their family paid a price--->when they don't have children. Just because you served on a committee and the Democratic legislature defunded the committee doesn't mean you paid ANY price. What self-centered egotistical bunk,” Carter wrote.

“My Republican primary opponent did something no decent person would ever do. Attacking my wife because she cannot have children is cruel, vile, and exposes a complete lack of character. Anyone who does that has no business calling himself a Republican, let alone seeking office.” Johnson responded.

https://preview.redd.it/6nm0oagthb1h1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1bc3883f750b9f76ca156cfa4932e07dcd5221cf

https://preview.redd.it/rzf67nqcg61h1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d44d44eebbb7c39c584b81896f678560c59de1f6

Northern Nevada Public Health says it can confirm one or more locals got cryptosporidiosis, after we asked for an update on its May first alert that it was “investigating an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis cases associated with a live animal yoga class in Washoe County.”

After that news release, one farm offering goat yoga, Andelin Family Farm, immediately told media it was not connected to the outbreak, while another Ferrari Farms failed to answer when asked if they wanted to give Our Town Reno an on the record comment.

Several people also reached out to Our Town Reno wanting to stay anonymous saying they had gotten sick after taking a yoga class on April 12th at an unspecified farm, with one giving details of their difficult symptoms.

There was a goat yoga class advertised for April 12th at the Ferrari Farms with a photo of a goat, as we indicated in our initial reporting.

As part of a social media post this week Ferrari Farms wrote “a group of friends who attended one of our goat yoga classes claimed they became ill from our goats and took their concerns to the media, social media, and our insurance company.”

Ferrari Farms writes they cancelled planned Mother’s Day goat yoga classes “out of an abundance of caution,” adding “we are proud to have been the first to bring goat yoga to Reno, and we look forward to continuing our goat yoga classes and other events for the community we love.”

Goat Yoga is back on their calendar according to their website on May 30th and 31st, starting at 11 a.m., with a special evening goat yoga and wine event on June 5th starting at 7:30 p.m.

“Stretch, relax, and enjoy a fun goat yoga experience surrounded by adorable baby goats,” it indicates for their daytime sessions.

In their post, they write they got their goats “professionally tested,” but make no mention of the Northern Nevada Public Health May 1st statement.

They say they contacted “both the health department and the state veterinarian,” but as Scott Oxarart, the communications manager at NNPH, told Our Town Reno Northern Nevada Public Health is itself concerned with humans.

He explained cryptosporidiosis is a reportable disease and that “we can confirm that there was at least one or more confirmed cases of humans having that parasite. And we did not name the business because our domain is the education of cases to help people understand certain risk factors and reduce transmission.”

Oxarart also explained why it was important to say this parasite and other communicable diseases are associated with a live animal yoga class in Washoe County.

“In any investigation on any communicable disease, especially ones that are reportable in Nevada, we look for trends. When we find commonalities or trends in the basis of our investigations, if there is an opportunity to educate the public on some of those instances where we're seeing commonalities, then we will notify the public of best practices to prevent exposure or the spread of illness," he said. "In this scenario, we observed commonalities, and we distributed some public information letting people know the risks of live animal yoga because crypto is often spread through animals to humans.”

As a precaution he wanted to remind people, “there’s all kind of different diseases that can come from contact from an animal. There’s a lot of risks anytime you’re with animals, including farm animals.”

We recontacted Ferrari Farms as they had sent their post to us via an Instagram message asking if they wanted to comment over the phone but they didn’t answer.

Another primary we haven’t looked into yet showing up on local Democratic ballots is for the Nevada lieutenant governor race to try to defeat incumbent Republican Stavros Anthony in November.

Who are you voting in this primary if you have a Democratic Party ballot to fill?

Sandra Jauregui, a member of the Nevada State Assembly representing District 41, pediatric ICU nurse Courtney Burke and Bridget “BridgieNix” Scheiner, who lists herself as a “progressive artest” with an e, are the contenders.

“Sandra Jauregui has spent her career fighting for Nevada families. During the Great Recession, she worked to help keep Nevadans in their homes when they needed it most. In the Legislature, she has delivered real results for working people by expanding affordable housing, capping the cost of insulin, lowering healthcare costs, creating good-paying jobs, and protecting wages and benefits during the pandemic,” the sandrafornevada.com website indicates.

"A survivor of the 1 October mass shooting, Sandra turned personal tragedy into purpose, leading the fight for commonsense gun safety laws to protect communities across our state. Never afraid to stand up to powerful interests, she has taken on tough battles and won.

Now, Sandra is running for Lieutenant Governor to bring that same bold leadership and proven record of results to all of Nevada."

“Born and raised in Nevada, Courtney Burke’s roots in the Silver State run deep. As a dedicated pediatric ICU nurse and nurse practitioner, she has spent her career caring for our most vulnerable, gaining a first-hand understanding of the healthcare challenges Nevada families face,” the courtneyfornevada.com website states.

“Beyond her clinical work, Courtney is a small business owner who knows the grit and determination required to build something from the ground up. She is running for Lieutenant Governor to bring that same common-sense leadership to the state.”

“BridgieNix Scheiner is a veteran performer and fierce labor advocate disrupting flawed systems. She owns a small business, performs on the strip, a member of 2 unions, and has been drawing attention throughout Nevada for highlighting entertainment's direct economic impact being overlooked and how it correlates to the majority of Nevada's issues — formerly she was a university administrator, served on student government as President Pro Tempore, served on finance committee, was the Conservatory of Performing Arts rep, & on Judicial board at Point Park University. She worked at a talent agency, has extensive experience as an entertainment producer, and has had many blue collar jobs," the bridgienix4nevada.com website indicates.

The bio section for Scheiner adds that she is refusing dark money, and is “battle-tested” championing civil rights, LGBTQ equality, animals, the arts, education, racial and gender equity, and human rights for all.

https://preview.redd.it/6lq8hrrj051h1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95a5448198fa22931d605e7095570eca199e8d82

With one Ward 2 Reno City Council candidate getting a party from the incumbent and the other getting massive contributions from construction companies, Matt Johnson sees himself as the outsider in an unpredictable contest which will eliminate one of the three in June.

“I think I've got a pretty good grasp on where people sit, what they're concerned about, those kinds of things. And then, I do have some support that'll be coming from former council people, former elected officials who are going to back me. So that'll lend some legitimacy to what I've got going on,” he said, feeling confident right now of his own chances, with nightly weekday door to door walks and weekends going around Ward 2, with people he talks to, he says, hungering for rational conversations.

“I would love to be an independent voice on the council. I think that the appointment history that we've had the last 15 years is deeply concerning,” he said of several current council members being initially appointed after predecessors left their seats midterm.

“I certainly hope to be somebody that takes an independent look,” he said, while pledging to be responsive to constituents. “I want to continue to be that person that listens, collects feedback, seeks out feedback. One of the things that I am hearing from folks that I'm talking to, when I'm out knocking doors, is the idea that the city council isn't great at listening.”

Johnson, 48, a McQueen High graduate who had moved to Reno from Texas as a child, believes the council as a whole has a feedback problem, with people showing up to council meetings, fired up and making public comments about controversial issues such as surveillance systems, when decisions have already been made.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to collect that feedback in advance … There's got to be a better system… I guarantee you there's cities out there that have thought this through so that you're actually gathering feedback ahead of time, so that you can make a more informed decision and you're not going to be surprised by all these people showing up who are who are pissed off,” he said.

Johnson says he’s feeling the pressure of the primary homestretch in a good way, sensing the rising energy of voters wanting their chosen candidates to succeed.

“Two weeks ago, people were kind of like, who's in the race?” he says of the Ward 2 contest in particular. “What are the issues? Now people are really paying attention,” he said during our interview earlier this week on the UNR campus.

This will be the first election in the redrawn Ward 2, which Johnson, a resident on Reno Avenue, describes as “the old southwest, going south to about Bartley Ranch, west all the way out past Patagonia to the neighborhood that's out there, and then it's kind of this big triangle that connects Caughlin Ranch, and then it has all these other little arms and tentacles to it as well.”

He says his own run is motivated by what he calls a personal history of service.

“I served in the Nevada Conservation Corps. I ran that program. I became the state director for AmeriCorps. When I I owned a small business, I got distracted from all of those things that I was involved in. And now that I decided to pass the torch of that business to a new company who's now operating it, I just felt compelled to try to serve my community in any way,” he explained. “And I really believe that my background with great management, with running a small business, with running conservation programs, I've seen it from the nonprofit side, I've seen it from the business side, I've seen it from the federal government side. I think I can bring a unique perspective that makes me well-suited to serve on the council.”

Johnson is already well known in the community for having operated IMBIB Brewery, known for its high quality beers, for nearly 10 years until 2025. He currently works as a fiscal project manager in the Nevada Tech Hub at UNR, looking over government grants for workforce development in the tech and recycling sectors.

One anecdote he likes to share concerns dealing with the City of Reno during the pandemic, a perspective which he says will help shape his decision making in regards to small businesses.

He says he would like to see the City help businesses more with the overall road map and checklist they need to follow to get going and succeed.

“We had multiple situations where we just got passed around from department to department, and then ended up right back where we started,” he remembers of his own experience. “It's frustrating because you hear the line that we support small businesses. Now, that being said, there are some great people at the city who really do want to help. It just doesn't feel like you get the attention that you need as a small business owner compared to a medium or large business.”

The anecdote he tells is about when his business was shut down, without any sales allowed, even online.

“Long story short, we were going to have to dump some beer down the drain,” he explains. “That felt really unnecessary because we had all these people working in the hospitals, We had all the firefighters, we had all the police out there risking their lives. And so what we decided to do was give the beer away to the frontline folks. It was going to be a drive thru in our parking lot. We were just going to hand them stuff through their car door. There was no interaction inside. And the day we were going to do this, the person who at that time was the head of the business department at the city called me on a Saturday and said, ‘You can't do this. We're going to shut you down.’ And our immediate response, we'd been closed for a month already, we were kind of like at our wits end, our response was ‘come on down.’”

With news channels present, the city didn’t show up and Johnson said his business ran out of beer in 45 minutes.

“We didn't get to give half the people that were in line beer,” he said. “It was so disheartening at that moment when we were trying to do something good for the community that we went through a very bureaucratic process.”

In terms of specific policies, Johnson promised to take budget challenges seriously (“we’re going to have budget challenges for at least the next eight years is my guess”), work to regulate short term rentals with a simple registration system (“what I'm hearing from people in the neighborhoods is without any sort of regulation on short term rentals, there's lots of noise issues, there are parking issues, there are safety issues. People feel like there's no transparency in how much money is flowing through that whole system,”) and push for the moratorium on data centers (“although I don't know how much it's going to matter at this point since several have been approved. Let's take our time. And I would say that's true with most types of development. I think we can slow down a little bit.”)

“How many people can we support with our water and our power and our open spaces before our quality of life starts to decline?” he asks as essential questions which need to be addressed before it’s too late. “What can we sustain here? And then let's make decisions around that.”

Other policies he will push for include making Reno more bike and pedestrian friendly. “The more we can do to encourage alternative transportation and respect people who don't have vehicles, who can't afford vehicles, who don't want to buy gas. The more that we can encourage people to use transit, walking and biking, the better for the community, the better for our heat island issues,” he said, experiencing these challenges himself as a bike commuter.

Johnson also considers himself an open space advocate, “so I want to protect our access to get out there,” he said. “I’d call myself an environmentalist and a conservationist. And I'm also a hunter. Some people think those are in conflict with one another. But I disagree.”

He says he was raised in a conservative family, while growing up to be an environmental activist.

“I want to be a city council person who puts place first when making decisions,” he shared as a concluding thought. “And what I mean by that is just thinking about if it's a development vote or whatever it is, like what is the community’s benefit?”

https://preview.redd.it/rkqsswehp41h1.jpg?width=6000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db26401c7f0d91f5768540316aa0f58286ce35a2

An old photo of Reno celebrating July 4th in 1910 (rather than using a gaudy AI imagined rendition for this post) ... what are you expecting from the 2026 version, which has become a bit of a political hot potato ... with some patting themselves on the back and others saying we didn't need it and that it's too costly for the city to pay for it...

The City of Reno today announced that parade participation registration is now open (with some categories requiring payment), with parade sponsorship opportunities also available and donations accepted with a meeting to discuss all this tmrw Friday at noon at the corner of Ralston and Fourth ....

"Registration is now open for organizations who would like to participate in the City of Reno’s 4th on Fourth Parade. Organizations interested in participating in the parade can complete and submit an online registration form now through June 15, 2026," the emailed statement indicates.

"The City will host the parade on Saturday, July 4, 2026 on Fourth Street from Washington to West Streets starting at 10 a.m. The parade’s theme is “America 250: The 4th on Fourth” to honor the country’s 250th anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence.

Parade details:

Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026

Staging: 6 a.m., Gold Dust West Parking Lot, 444 Vine Street, Reno, NV 89503

Start Time: 10 a.m.

Parade Route: Fourth Street from Vine to West Streets

Participation fees are as follows:

General Public: $100

Gov’t Nonpolitical: Free

Gov’t Political Candidate: $250

Non-Profit: $75

Youth groups including schools: Free

Partisan groups, such as political parties or candidates running for office, may participate in the parade. However, these entries must remain neutral in tone and presentation and reflect the parade theme. Political entries may not include negative or derogatory content about any candidate, issue or political party. Political entries are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Submitting an application does not guarantee participation, and the City reserves the right to deny any application. Applications for entry must be received by June 15, 2026. Late entries will not be accepted.

Sponsorship opportunities are now available through a partnership between the City and the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada. Applications for sponsorships must be submitted by June 5, 2026. Please review the sponsorship package and for more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Landon Miller, City of Reno Fund Development Manager, at millerl@reno.gov or (775) 842-8173.

The City is also accepting tax-deductible donations for the parade through the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada. Those interested in contributing can visit the donation page and select “In Honor of July 4, 2026 City of Reno Parade” from the Tribute Information drop-down menu."

https://preview.redd.it/66q0pleof41h1.png?width=1378&format=png&auto=webp&s=1930ae609b1bb3ab8b21511b42580cbc54ff70eb

“Most people have no idea this is already happening in Nevada,” Marrico Gill a member of the local NAACP recently wrote to Our Town Reno, concerning a recent contract from earlier this year by the Nevada Department of Public Safety with a company called Fog Data Science.

After emailing the Electronic Frontier Foundation if they knew anything about this, the leading nonprofit defending civil liberties in the digital world sent us a link which led to the below documents.

“What does it do?” Gill wrote in his initial message to us.

“It allows investigators to track smartphone location data without a warrant by purchasing data collected from everyday mobile apps. The state can reportedly run more than 250 location searches per month under a contract that costs taxpayers around $12,000 per year,” he wrote.

That figure is important since at that level it only needed to be signed off by a state clerk, and not at higher levels of Nevada’s government.

“Fog Data Science buys location information from data brokers and advertisers. Using advertising IDs tied to smartphones, the system can map where devices have traveled over months or even years, creating what they call “patterns of life.”

That means the technology can potentially reveal:
Where people live
Where they work
Who they spend time with
What businesses they visit
What churches, meetings, or community events they attend…

This is not a partisan issue. This is a civil liberties and transparency issue,” Gill concluded in his message. “Worth asking more questions about what is happening locally and what safeguards are actually in place to protect the public.”

He also pointed us to an illuminating, warning flag waving 2022 EFF article which began with “A data broker has been selling raw location data about individual people to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, EFF has learned. This personal data isn’t gathered from cell phone towers or tech giants like Google — it’s obtained by the broker via thousands of different apps on Android and iOS app stores as part of the larger location data marketplace.

The company, Fog Data Science, has claimed in marketing materials that it has “billions” of data points about “over 250 million” devices and that its data can be used to learn about where its subjects work, live, and associate. Fog sells access to this data via a web application, called Fog Reveal, that lets customers point and click to access detailed histories of regular people’s lives. This panoptic surveillance apparatus is offered to state highway patrols, local police departments, and county sheriffs across the country for less than $10,000 per year,” or in this case just barely above $12,000.

https://preview.redd.it/yogml5entx0h1.png?width=990&format=png&auto=webp&s=90c5c4f38ac7e33d6e629c06a11470e29fc108ca

https://preview.redd.it/o6eu0zp1qr0h1.png?width=856&format=png&auto=webp&s=506dcff432eb97723552c7ef7ca9ef1982e3d511

The Reno PD website now has a blank spot on its police chief page with a please try later message.

Earlier today, Reno City Manager Jackie Bryant announced Reno Police Chief Kathryn Nance, who had been on paid administrative leave since early March, amid an unspecified state level Department of Public Safety investigation, has been fired along with two assistant chiefs, Oliver Miller and Anthony Elges.

"At this point in time, the leadership needed to change," Bryant said during a media conference.

Three other officers have been on paid administrative leave, and seem to remain in that status as "the other three are protected,” Bryant explained, citing their own specific employment rights.

The three who have been dismissed, including Nance who was barely just over two years in the leadership position, no longer need to take part in the investigation, which has been reported but not confirmed related to training protocols.

A Galena and UNR grad, Corey Solferino, who had been acting chief on a paid loan from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has been named Reno’s new police chief, pending city council ratification on May 20th.

Solferino made a lengthy statement about how he sees himself in the police leadership role, saying he would stabilize the organization, improve communication and boost data usage to better identify crime trends.

“I know we have work to do,” he said of leading during a time of turmoil. “Police legitimacy is fragile,” he said, “and it can be damaged quickly.” Bryant repeatedly praised Solferino for bringing steadiness, "calming the waters," and improving morale since taking over initially in an emergency role.

Jackie Bryant has announced Reno Police Chief Kathryn Nance who had been on paid administrative leave since early March amid an unspecified investigation has been fired along with two assistant chiefs, Oliver Miller and Anthony Elges.

"At this point in time, the leadership needed to change," Bryant said.

Three other officers have been on paid administrative leave.

The Galena and UNR grad Corey Solferino who had been acting chief on loan from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has been named Reno’s new police chief.

He then made a lengthy statement about how he sees himself in the police leadership role, saying he would stabilize the organization, and improve communication, and data usage for crime trends.

“I know we have work to do,” he said of leading during a time of crisis. “Police legitimacy is fragile,” he said, “and it can be damaged quickly.”

Bryant praised Solferino for "calming the waters," and improving morale, since taking over.

We will update when we have more information, as this press conference started just fifteen minutes ago at the time of this initial report.

https://preview.redd.it/sf02p8mj1r0h1.png?width=996&format=png&auto=webp&s=80374a0772450a4beda411f9d8324ac706888be1