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.

Is Washoe County playing a shell game with building priorities? Commissioner Mike Clark's persistent quest for radon test results at the Washoe County Courthouse raises some interesting questions about project sequencing.

Clark has reportedly been trying for months to obtain radon testing data from 2017/2018, along with results from tests supposedly conducted in February 2025. His struggle to access this basic public safety information is curious, to say the least.