We’re genuinely curious.

Why does Washoe County, Nevada - Government go radio silent every time questions surface about leadership at the Karma Box Project?

No press conference.
No independent review.
No “we take this seriously and are looking into it.”

Just crickets.

We’ve been doing something radical lately: reading.

Yes, we dusted off the Rules of Practice for the Second Judicial District Court — you know, the thrilling bedside material governing how things actually work over at the courthouse. And we went straight to Rule 2, because that’s where the magic of the Chief Judge lives.

That’s right, Chief Judge Egan Walker — we weren’t going to stop asking questions.

On Saturday, we put Judge Connie Steinheimer on the side of a milk carton — not as a stunt, but to make a point: the public deserves to know what is happening inside our court.

Once, in the bustling City of Reno, there lived a Princess of the Law named Connie. She did not wear a crown of gold; she wore a robe woven from thirty-four years of truth, and her scepter was a pen that had signed scrolls of justice.

If Chief Judge Egan Walker keeps this up, we may need to start reserving him a permanent headline slot.

Word around the courthouse is that Walker has reassigned — or as some are calling it, “hijacked” — a case originally sitting in Department 10 under Judge Kathleen Sigurdson. The case involves the parents of deceased 5-year-old Izabella Loving, and it is unquestionably one that will draw intense public and media scrutiny.

We received several calls last week from local attorneys asking the same question: had we heard anything about Connie Steinheimer, judge for the Second Judicial District Court, Department 4, being relieved of her docket?

Say what?

Picon expected to see a high-powered defense attorney swoop in from Las Vegas — or even California — to represent almost-former Judge Bridget Robb. That’s usually how these things go when the stakes are high and reputations are on the line.

Instead?
We got Meghan Lucey — an attorney whose practice is primarily family law.

Wait. What?

What’s Taking So Long? The Grimsley case crawls forward … the slow speed of justice may finally be picking up—ever so slightly.

Mathew Grimsley of the Nevada Cares Campus / Karma Box Project, who was arrested on a charge of battery, now appears to have a court date on the horizon. And with it, the possibility that we may finally learn what is actually happening at Karma Box—the operator of the so-called “safe camp” that is being paid by the Washoe County Human Services Agency. You know those silly taxpayers.

Let’s rewind the tape—because history matters, and so do facts.

Back in 2021, then–Washoe County Assessor Mike Clark had reached his limit. Public records that by law should have been readily available were anything but. District Attorney Chris Hicks’ office appeared unwilling—if not outright resistant—to produce them. So Clark did what citizens are allowed to do: he hired a private investigator and lawfully obtained public records tied to lawsuits, internal investigations, and court filings. Every document mailed to influential Washoe County figures already existed in the public domain.

When Kim Koschmann went to the Reno Police Department to complain about Karma Box Project’s Executive Director Grant Denton who she had been dating. Kim says she was given advice that still echoes: it would be better not to “poke the bear.” According to Kim, officers warned her that Denton would know she was attempting to obtain a temporary restraining order. The clear message was to let it drop.

At the time, Kim wasn’t just uncomfortable — she says she was afraid for her life, a concern she directly expressed to the Reno Police Department. Yet she was discouraged from moving forward. No stakeout. No visible show of urgency. No apparent protective response.

Fast forward.

A writ of mandamus doesn’t happen by accident.

When the Nevada Supreme Court issues a writ regarding a Second Judicial District Court judge, it’s not a routine paperwork error or a harmless disagreement over procedure. It’s a public, written reminder that something went wrong badly enough to warrant correction from the state’s highest court.

And in this case, the mistake belongs to Judge David Hardy.

Remember the individual arrested who worked with the Karma Box Project — the same person listed as a supervisor at the Nevada Cares Campus Safe Camp? Yes, that one.

Karma Box Project’s agreement with the Washoe County Human Services Agency requires background checks before employment. Whether that requirement was consistently followed remains an open question. What we do know is this: Matthew Brandon Grimsley is now headed to Second Judicial District Court, case CR25-2902.

Washoe District Judge Kathleen Sigurdson will remain on the Michael Leonard lawsuit involving Devon Reese, Alex Velto, and Conor McQuivey. A motion had challenged her impartiality, but Judge Barry Breslow ruled there was no evidence of bias sufficient to warrant removing her from the case. He noted, however, that the “significant concerns” raised by the motion can still be addressed later on appeal, should the case reach that point.

On May 28, 2025, a quiet stretch of Washoe Valley road became the scene of a tragedy. Cyclist Joshua Neely was struck and killed — and the driver responsible, Travis Smith, didn’t stop.

While the family of Joshua Neely grieves, Smith’s legal team appears busy shielding assets. That tells a story of its own — one of financial insulation rather than remorse.

Everyone Picon knows seems to be sprinting for cover, hoping to avoid catching what we’ve started calling “the Beadles bug.” It’s highly contagious and politically disfiguring — symptoms include sudden memory loss about past donations, rapid distancing statements, and an unexplained urge to say “no comment.” Unfortunately, there’s no known vaccine yet, though a healthy dose of transparency and a booster of accountability might offer some immunity.

Picon’s private investigator was questioned by the Sparks Police Department in 2022, who handled the tracker investigation, and was cleared. We’ve been following this story for years and now the answer is known. We were blamed, guess you were all wrong.

Robert Beadles has gone on the record admitting he hired David McNeely to follow Mayor Hillary Schieve and then-Commissioner Vaughn Hartung — confirming what’s been whispered in political circles for months.

We learned a new legal term: vexatious litigant. According to the courts, it’s someone who files lawsuits to harass or burden others rather than seek justice. Interesting, right?

That phrase came to mind when we received a campaign fundraising email from Reno City Councilmember and 2026 mayoral hopeful Devon Reese — curiously timed just as multiple media outlets are reporting on the civil case tying together Michael Leonard (the plaintiff) and several local notables: Alex Velto (2024 Assembly candidate, Reno Planning Commissioner, and attorney), Conor McQuivey (Renoites podcast host and Washoe County employee), and of course Reese himself, Velto’s law partner.

Has all that radon at the historic Washoe County Courthouse been quietly swept under the rug—or just vented out a window and called “handled”?

For months, Washoe County has been doing what it does best: talking about the problem while calling it “naturally occurring” and “limited to certain areas.” Translation: “Don’t worry your little lungs about it.” But according to one of our inside sources, who requested anonymity (and probably a hazmat suit), the County is now planning to install a mechanical exhaust system to suck out the radioactive gas—at a cost of about half a million dollars.

It started like something out of a Reno noir: an older gentleman, known for his political chatter, wine enthusiast, who enjoys conversation and an occasional glass of wine at local haunts, had an altercation at Whispering Vine on 4th Street. He felt wronged. Not physically harmed, but reputationally bruised. And like any modern citizen with a gripe and a little faith in journalism, he reached out to someone with a microphone: a local podcaster with a reputation for being plugged into the Reno political scene.

But what happened next didn’t feel like storytelling. It seems a bit like strategizing.

Chief Judge Lynne Jones has been sounding the alarm about radon levels in Washoe County's historic courthouse—you know, that building failing radon tests and creating an unhealthy workspace for the people who serve our community daily. Yet County Manager Eric Brown and his crack team of direct reports continue treating her concerns with all the urgency of a golf tee time.

In a move that perfectly encapsulates why citizens grow distrustful of local government, Washoe County officials have apparently found a creative way to avoid addressing serious safety concerns at the courthouse - by drowning them in bureaucratic procedure.

Chief Judge Lynne Simons recently took the step of formally request reports from county officials about elevated radon levels detected in the courthouse - a building where hundreds of employees work daily and thousands of citizens fulfill their civic duties each year. Her letter, written in her official capacity as the top judicial officer in the district, outlined concerns that would reasonably demand immediate attention from any responsible property manager, let alone a government entity charged with public safety.