The Washoe County School Board Strikes Again

At this point, asking the Washoe County School Board to “protect and serve” students might be too ambitious. Most of them seem far more focused on climbing the political ladder than on keeping kids in classrooms that actually mean something to this community.

At what point does compassion turn into a blank check?

Washoe County taxpayers are pouring astronomical sums into the Nevada Cares Campus, the county’s sprawling answer to homelessness — and yet, despite the millions spent, the problem on the streets isn’t getting smaller. It’s multiplying.

Nearly a decade after 28-year-old Carson City native Sierra Ceccarelli was shot and killed in south Reno, her accused killer still hasn’t faced a jury.

Nine years. Multiple delays. A family still waiting for justice. And now, under District Attorney Chris Hicks’ watch, the trial isn’t expected to begin until April 2027 — eleven years after Sierra’s death.

There’s something ironic about how the City of Reno and Washoe County operate: elected folks dish it out daily — snide remarks, public shaming, name-calling from the dais — but the moment citizens push back, suddenly the officials are the victims.

Apparently, standing up, speaking out, and asking questions now qualifies you as “unhinged,” “obsessed,” or “mentally ill.” It’s the new government strategy — intimidate the activists, shame the critics, and drive the truth-tellers to the edge.

It looks like the story of Dana Searcy’s quiet exit from Washoe County isn’t quite the tidy “career transition” narrative the county would like you to believe.

Searcy, who served as Division Director for Housing and Homeless Services and ran the Nevada Cares Campus, reportedly went missing in action shortly after the State of the County event on September 2, 2025. According to our source inside the county, what followed was a string of “closed-door” meetings with Human Resources and the interim county manager — and former Searcy “bestie” — Kate Thomas.

So here we are — Washoe County is preparing to dissolve its Department of Alternative Sentencing (DAS), a program once hailed as a model of innovation and rehabilitation. But as federal investigators circle, the public is left asking: where did it all go wrong — and where, exactly, is Justin Roper? And when is someone going to answer some question for residents and not hide behind an open investigation so no one can talk.

Roper, the program’s now-missing executive director, is reportedly under investigation federally. You’d think that alone would warrant a press conference or at least a few public words from the people who built this house of cards.

Looks like Sparks Councilmember Paul Anderson is standing by her man. While she’s not addressing the growing chatter about the Washoe County Republican Women’s clubs new “reservations only” rules (after years of open-door lunches), there HE was—Paul Anderson—at the podium during the same luncheon.

Ah yes, another City of Reno survey — because when in doubt, survey it out. The city’s population has climbed to roughly 281,537 residents, up from 264,165 in 2020 — a 6.25% jump.

So with nearly 280,000 people calling Reno home, one might think the city would listen to them without another taxpayer-funded “what do you think?” poll. But no, Reno loves a survey like it loves a ribbon-cutting — plenty of photo ops, not much follow-up.

Out of 281,537 residents, a grand total of 3,247 responded — barely 1.1% of the population. But sure, let’s call that a “success.”

Devon Reese and the perils of public service.

Councilmember Devon Reese doesn’t like Picon. That’s fine. He’s called us hacks, not journalists, accuses us of “sensationalizing,” of “causing conflict and pain,” and dismisses us as a blog. We’ll defend his right to say all that — because that’s what the First Amendment is for. We’ll even defend his right to call citizens who disagree with him “mentally ill,” “stalkers,” or “creepy.” That’s his opinion — and he’s welcome to it.

Councilmember Dian VanderWell seems to be the adult in the room. While everyone else was dazzled by the promise of blinking server lights and “tech jobs,” VanderWell was the one who hit pause and asked the question no one else seemed to: what exactly are these massive data centers doing to our city’s resources, environment, and future?

It’s that time again when Reno politics starts to feel less like City Hall and more like a soap opera filmed in a haunted mansion. This week’s episode stars Mayor Hillary Schieve, her new venture Spooge (yes, that’s really the name), and a political friendship circle that’s starting to look like a Ouija board of broken alliances.

Mariluz Garcia just threw herself a fundraiser, and it was the who’s who of Northern Nevada’s usual suspects. The room was filled with people who like to look important—and for good reason. Many of them wrote checks as big as $5,000 to keep Garcia in office. Heroes, right?

It’s that time again—campaign season—when local Republicans start the age-old tradition of cannibalizing their own, and the Republican women’s clubs happily set the table.

This article’s entertainment came via a cheery little email announcing a brand-new rule: no more showing up to meetings and buying lunch at the door—reservations only. Translation? If you’re not on the guest list, you’re not on the guest list. One can’t help but wonder: does that rule apply to the press too, or just to anyone who might ask inconvenient questions?

Deals, deferrals, and the appearance of justice is what Devon Reese’s ethics files cause us to ponder, after reading the opinion penned in the Reno Gazette Journal by Reese’s attorney and a failed judicial candidate who both used to serve in different capacities with the Nevada Commission on Ethics.

Devon Reese is many things—an attorney, a longtime figure in Reno politics, and a vocal presence on the dais. Lately he’s also been at the center of a swirl of ethics complaints that have ended, repeatedly and awkwardly, with deferrals, dismissals and negotiated agreements instead of firm, public findings. That sequence is not just legal paperwork: it is a story about power, process and perception—and it deserves a hard, clear-eyed look.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month—a cause worth elevating. But is Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks elevating the cause, or elevating himself? Below is what Hick’s office posted a far cry from this year’s post featuring Hicks.

If you’re not following Shaun Mullin on social media—especially Nextdoor—you’re missing out on some of the sharpest satire Reno has seen since… well, since Reno thought the Lear Theater was a good idea. Mullin has made an art form out of skewering the Reno City Council, a collection of politicians so thin-skinned they’d probably break out in hives if someone drew them a stick figure cartoon.

The City of Sparks has quietly settled the case of firefighter Timothy Egan, accused of assaulting 84-year-old Maureen Hvegholm over the crime of feeding stray cats. The 2022 incident drew statewide outrage—but here we are in 2025, and Egan is still drawing a taxpayer-funded paycheck.

So let’s ask the only question that matters: why is this man still employed? What else is being swept under the rug to keep him in uniform? And why is Mayor Ed Lawson comfortable with a firefighter who left an elderly woman bruised and shaken still representing his city? Seniors in Sparks clearly aren’t a priority for Lawson—unless, of course, he needs their votes in his next election.

Sun Valley doesn’t just have a grocery problem—it has a leadership problem. While residents watched their only supermarket circle the drain, Commissioner Mariluz Garcia somehow missed the smell. Maybe she didn’t notice the bare shelves. Maybe she never set foot in her own neighborhood store. Or maybe she just didn’t care—until election season rolled around.

Picon readers called us out - District Attorney Chris Hicks was spotted at Joe Lombardo’s governor kickoff at Western Nevada Supply. Sure, it makes for a good photo op — but we’re left to wonder: was Hicks there on his own dime, or was this yet another taxpayer-funded field trip?

Hold on tight, Reno. City Councilman Devon Reese is suddenly in the business of apologies — and we’re supposed to buy it. He offered up a half-hearted “sorry” over the Lear Theatre flap, but let’s be real: this isn’t remorse, it’s rehearsal. Reese isn’t apologizing to fix his behavior — he’s auditioning for the role of Nice Guy Mayor 2026.