While Reno’s senior citizens were being quietly kicked off the city’s funding bus, Mayor Hillary Schieve was boarding an actual one a few weeks later — or more accurately, a plane bound for sunny Tampa, Florida, for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

You might remember on May 5, 2025, Schieve claimed she wasn’t going to “die on the hill” defending Reno’s $15,000 annual membership in the very same mayoral conference. But guess what? She didn’t die on the hill — she flew right over it. Business class, anyone?

In the always-entertaining world of Northern Nevada politics, career paths have a funny way of curving in on themselves like a cul-de-sac. Case in point: former Washoe County Registrar of Voters Jamie Rodriguez, who has landed herself a new gig at NVR Government Affairs, the lobbying arm of Nevada REALTORS® — a group that checks notes advocates for private property rights and, well, keeping taxes in check.

Washoe County might want to invest in mucking boots — not just for the fairgrounds, but for the growing pile of bureaucratic nonsense it keeps stepping in. This week’s rodeo stunt? A memo quietly urging county employees to work from home because gasp... the Reno Rodeo makes it hard to park.

Let’s get this straight: After over 100 years of the Reno Rodeo, now it’s too difficult for county employees to do their jobs from the office? Welcome to the Wild West, folks, where public servants apparently clock in from the couch when parking gets inconvenient.

Once again, Washoe County's Human Services Agency has proven they fundamentally don't understand the people they're supposed to serve. In a masterclass of poor communication, the county announced today that the senior center would be closing June 30th for 14 days of flooring work.

Seven days' notice. For a 14-day closure. To people who live by their calendars and plan their lives around routine and reliability. Let’s remember the last ‘remodel’ of the 9th Street Senior Center was delayed by a couple of weeks - could that happen in Sparks - sure Washoe County Government doesn’t care. This is the same pattern of not caring on the part of the county staff the art of not giving a damn

When your city is drowning in a $25 million deficit, every dollar counts—except, apparently, when it comes to conference travel.

Mayor Hillary Schieve jetted off to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Tampa, Florida, leaving Renoites to wonder about the city's spending priorities. While residents have been told the budget crisis is so severe that neighborhood advisory board meetings—those pesky forums where actual citizens get to voice concerns—had to be axed to save on employee time costs, somehow there was still room in the budget for a Florida excursion.

Remember back on February 5, 2025 Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill and now retiring County Manager Eric Brown told us they have homelessness under control. Hill told the Nevada Legislature’s Senate Committee on Government Affairs that Washoe County had reduced homelessness by 40%. Now you all remember the media sort of tore that number apart and the propaganda princesses at Washoe County put a new spin on it trying to invent a way to explain the ridiculous claim.

Based on our story yesterday about the homeless barbeque along the river we thought this increased tax wallet grab is a good reminder of all that money residents are spending on the homeless, for what? And now Commissioner Alexis Hill wants more of your hard earned cash.

Well folks, it seems summer is officially here—and the new hot spot in Washoe County is none other than the bike path along the Truckee River. Forget parks, backyards, or permits. A reader recently sent us a video showing homeless folks with a barbecue setup, turning the riverside into Reno’s unofficial open-air smokehouse.

Naturally, this raises a few questions. Chief among them: can the rest of us join in?

In a move that left many political watchers blinking in disbelief, Washoe County Commissioner Mike Clark—long known for his rocky history with Assistant County Manager Kate Thomas—cast a yes vote to appoint her as interim County Manager.

Yes, ‘that’ Kate Thomas. The same one Clark has previously clashed with over records, process, and power.

So what changed?

There’s more at stake than you think.

The Washoe County Library System stands at a crossroads, so pay attention. The trustees—volunteers who’ve worked tirelessly to craft a sustainable budget—are now seem to be under fire, not from the public, but from within. In recent meetings, it’s been clear: some library employees are publicly challenging the very board that’s been working to stabilize and strengthen the system. Why?

Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson never shies away from a good social media sparring match, and his latest post suggests he’s less than thrilled about termed-out Councilmember Charlene Bybee jumping into the mayoral race. His message? If Bybee wants his seat, she’ll have to do more than mimic his policies and post photo ops.

Back in April 2021, then-Washoe County Assessor (now Commissioner) Mike Clark stumbled upon a manila envelope mysteriously left on his office chair. Inside? A hodgepodge of public documents involving elected officials, lobbyists, and one particularly eye-catching photo: a bikini-clad assistant county manager lounging poolside, back tattoo and all, marked as a federal court exhibit. Naturally, Clark thought the envelope was compelling enough to share—so he mailed copies to roughly 160 of Washoe County’s “movers and shakers.”

That’s when things blew up.

The Republican Women of Reno have been stirring more than coffee at their monthly meetings. Whispers of mandatory background checks for members, you know to keep the bad actors out of the club, caused such a ruckus that it might've been heard all the way to Sparks — which, ironically, might soon be rising from the ashes like a conservative phoenix.

In a June 5, 2025 Facebook post encouraging residents to sign up for emergency alerts, the city offered some unsolicited life advice: stop doomscrolling on your phones. Because nothing says "quit your doom-and-gloom scrolling habit" quite like signing up for government emergency notifications that will ping your device.

It's June—graduation season, wedding season, the time when Reno actually remembers it has beautiful weather. Yet somehow the city's communications team decided this sunny month was the perfect time to assume their residents are all trapped in endless cycles of bad news consumption.

Washoe County called us out — said we made a mistake. A slip-up. A fumble. Using a comment County Manager Eric Brown made about how long he’s been with the county.

Let’s rewind the tape, shall we?

At the June 10, 2025 County Commission meeting (feel free to listen to it — it's live and unedited), Mr. Brown said he’d been with the county for “about five and a half years six years.” Hmm. Interesting. Because last we checked — and math is still math — he first appeared before the Commission on September 30, 2019, and was officially hired per his contract on November 25, 2019.

Commissioner Alexis Hill, the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, and School Board Trustee Chair Beth Smith want our kids on the bus—public transit, that is. Through the RTC Student Transit Program, kids aged 7 to 18 enrolled in the Washoe County School District can now ride the city bus system for free.

Sounds generous. But let’s ask the obvious: Where exactly is a 7-year-old going alone on public transit? This isn’t a yellow school bus. It’s the general population riding—meaning our kids will be sitting next to who knows who on the way to who knows where.

Picon is unapologetically amused.

Wes Duncan announces a run for Washoe County District Attorney and—poof!—a select few locals faint into their fainting couches like we're all trapped in some steamy 1860s Southern drama. Someone fetch the smelling salts—there’s a Republican challenger in the DA’s race, and the self-appointed gatekeepers of Washoe County are scandalized, and it seems are fearful of a primary.

Who died and made them the candidate police of the region?

Eliminating citizen input while brewing up council coffee klatches at the City of Reno.

The City of Reno has discovered a brilliant new approach to public engagement: eliminate it entirely under the guise of fiscal responsibility. The city's moratorium on Neighborhood Advisory Board (NAB) meetings represents a masterclass in democratic doublespeak—claiming to save money while simultaneously launching a replacement program that serves the same purpose but with far less citizen input and accountability.

The official line is cost savings, but the real savings appear to be in avoiding the inconvenience of actually listening to residents who might have opinions about how their neighborhoods are managed.

As Washoe County Manager Eric Brown prepares to step down on June 30, 2025, a growing chorus of questions is beginning to echo across county hallways—and among local taxpayers. Is this a planned retirement… or a quiet retreat ahead of legal, ethical, and administrative scrutiny?

Brown, who took the reins in November 2019, leaves not just a high-paying position—with an annual salary reportedly over $330,000—but also a storm of controversy in his wake.

Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan has announced his candidacy for Washoe County District Attorney, setting the stage for a potential showdown with incumbent Chris Hicks. While Duncan's tenure in Sparks has been marked by a commitment to transparency and community engagement, Hicks' record on public access to records has been less than stellar.

Well, he’s definitely not overdressed for the occasion.

A sharp-eyed reader sent us a gem from a recent baseball game: Sparks Councilmember Donald Abbott, shirtless and soaking up the sun with a friend. While the crowd was focused on home runs, Abbott was apparently working on his tan.