Taxpayers are paying her salary and the salaries of her courtroom staff, yet there has been little public explanation about her status. If there's a legitimate reason she isn't hearing cases, why not simply tell the public? Transparency shouldn't be optional.

That leads to another question for Chief Judge Egan Walker.

A reader reached out to us after enjoying lunch at Marcolino's Italia a couple of months ago and witnessing what they described as a rather interesting political meeting. According to the diner, Devon Reese and Bill Thomas sashayed into the restaurant together for what appeared to be a private meeting with the restaurant owner.

Now on its face, maybe that means nothing. Public officials eat lunch too. But here’s where the story starts smelling more like backroom marinara than innocent pasta.

fourth-place finish for mayor—it may have been the defeat of his preferred Ward 2 candidate, Vanessa Vaupel. Had she won, Reese would likely have had that fourth vote on the Reno City Council. Instead, the primary left him with diminished political influence. Reese can generally count on support from colleagues like Brandy Anderson and Miguel Martinez, but three votes don't pass measures before the seven-member council. The primary may have transformed Reese from a political power broker into an ordinary councilmember who now has to persuade colleagues rather than rely on a dependable voting bloc.

Politics can be unforgiving.

Just ask Reno City Councilmember Devon Reese.

Picon Ponders: Was the Fourth on the Fourth Parade Really About Patriotism... or Just Marketing?

Picon ponders whether this entire 4th on Fourth parade saga was really about celebrating America—or whether patriotism was simply the backdrop for one giant marketing campaign.

According rumblings from Landon Miller with the City of Reno, Mayor Hillary Schieve is expected to serve as Grand Marshal for the 4th of July parade. We don’t know.

Some had floated the idea that Eddie Lorton should get the honor after publicly saying he would pay whatever the City couldn't raise to keep the parade alive. That promise generated plenty of headlines. This Is Reno ran an article about the parade still needing $15,000 - so Eddie where’s the check you promised?

When Eddie Lorton pushed the City of Reno to support a Fourth of July parade celebrating America's 250th anniversary, he presented it as a community event that deserved city backing. The Reno City Council agreed to support the concept, and Lorton publicly stated that if fundraising fell short, he would personally cover any remaining costs.

There are few things Picon enjoys more than local television's favorite investigative phrase:

"According to documents obtained..."

Music to our ears.

Last week, Ask Joe highlighted attorney Lance White, a candidate for Family Court Department 13, after disciplinary action by the State Bar became public.

The story reported what happened.

The problem is what didn't happen.

Picon would like to apologize for being absent for a few days. We know many of our readers were worried. Some wondered if we had been sued, arrested, banned from public meetings, or trapped in a Washoe County public records request.

The truth is much simpler.

We've been busy performing brain surgery.

Now before anyone asks, are we brain surgeons? No.

Are we doctors? Absolutely not.

Do we possess any medical training whatsoever? Also no.

Picon learned something fascinating during Tuesday’s Washoe County School Board meeting.

Apparently, serving as a school board trustee comes with something many teachers, support staff, and taxpayers might find surprising: excellent health insurance.

During the meeting, Trustee Beth Smith discussed issues involving the district's pharmacy benefits, including changes to specialty pharmacy services and difficulties obtaining certain prescriptions after changes.

Washoe County election officials have spent the past week doing what election officials do after every election: counting ballots, verifying signatures, reviewing provisional votes, curing challenged ballots, testing equipment, and preparing for certification.

In other words, they've been doing their jobs.

The numbers are now largely in.

Of the 556 provisional ballots cast, 535 were accepted and counted. Of the 1,614 challenged mail ballot signatures requiring correction, 938 were successfully cured and counted. The remaining ballots that failed to meet legal requirements will not be counted.

Picon can't help but wonder why a certain City of Sparks mayor, currently running in a contested election, along with City Manager and Assistant City Manager seem so determined to relax requirements for key city officials. First, it was a request that the Sparks City Manager be not required to live in the City of Sparks.

Today, the Washoe County Commission is expected to appoint new members to the Washoe County Library Board of Trustees.

Officially, the process is straightforward. Applications were accepted. Candidates were notified. Commissioners will review the applicants and make their selections, and Commissioner Clara Andriola will drone on about how she contacted each and every candidate so she can elevate her importance to anyone willing to listen.

We ponder when Commissioner Clara was busy calling all the applicants if one name stood out to her - it sure did to us, and we’re sure it would former Commissioner Vaughn Hartung - who Commissioner Clara replaced. You know all that ugly stuff back in 2016 about Hartung and sexual harassment as covered by the Reno Gazette Journal - check out the link.

'Twas the last day of voting in Nevada's 2026 Primary Election,
And all the creatures were stirring in search of reflection.
Plotting and pointing, while tempers ran hot,
Unearthing old rumors and whatever they forgot.
Hiding the truth and obscuring the facts,
Hoping the noise would outshine their own tracks.

With only one day remaining before Washoe County voters decide who will occupy the

county highest prosecutorial office, residents should recognize that this race is about

more than personalities or catchy commercials.

There is nothing quite like an election season to remind Washoe County’s own

Harvey Dent that tribal lives matter, even if the reminder comes four years late.

A photo says a thousand words.

In this case, we encourage everyone to take a look at the video posted by Reno Cop Watch regarding District Attorney Chris Hicks.

And after this “We Support F” photo was taken we're fairly certain Governor Joe Lombardo won't be taking Joey Gilbert's calls anytime soon.

Picon is always surprised when members of the media don't take a moment to verify campaign claims.

Ward 2 Reno City Council candidate Vanessa Vaupel reportedly told KOLO she knocked on 1,000 doors. But did she really?

Based on what we've heard from readers, it appears a more accurate description may be that she dropped literature at 1,000 doors.

Remember how former Washoe County District Court Judge Bridget Robb pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor stalking charge stemming from allegations that she repeatedly followed and monitored a Reno attorney over an extended period. As part of a plea agreement reached in Sparks Municipal Court, Robb admitted guilt to the charge and avoided a trial.

We enjoy a good pair of pink hot pants as much as anyone, but this may be the funniest thing we've seen all political season.

Found on Nextdoor, this gem immediately caught our attention, and the only thing we could think was:

"Somewhere in Reno, a campaign consultant just fell to their knees."

Free Press Frenzy: Devon and Eddie Chase Headlines

Picon is amused that today the City of Reno is holding a gathering to discuss data centers.

Why? Because suddenly City Councilmember Devon Reese has discovered concerns about data centers after voting for them and accepting campaign contributions from people connected to the industry. Then, after apparently noticing he might be struggling in the mayoral primary, he called for a moratorium.

Picon's guess is that Devon is simply chasing headlines.

A number of readers have asked to see the Pat Cashell contract related to tours of the Nevada Cares Campus, so here you go.

We have also been asked whether Cashell receiving the contract had anything to do with his close personal relationship with Grant Denton, executive director of the Karma Box Project.

The honest answer is simple: we do not know.