When Public Safety Becomes a Private Purchase: In a move that perfectly encapsulates the dysfunction of Reno's city leadership, the Reno Police Department has launched a "No Loitering Program" that asks local businesses throughout the city, including the struggling downtown businesses to pay $40 each for signs that give police permission to do their jobs. Yes, you read that correctly: businesses fighting to survive in a downtown that city officials claim they want to revitalize are now being asked to purchase the privilege of having police remove loiterers from their properties.

This isn't just another bureaucratic misstep. It's a stunning admission of failure by a city government that has consistently prioritized everything except the basic municipal services that businesses and residents actually need.

On this Memorial Day, when we pause to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives for our freedoms, it’s hard not to reflect on how far removed some young people—and perhaps their parents—have drifted from understanding the weight of that sacrifice.

Just a few days ago, on the night of May 22nd, a group of what has been reported to be high school students—masked, emboldened, and disturbingly detached from any sense of accountability—vandalized Reno High School. This wasn’t petty mischief or a harmless prank. It was destruction laced with hateful language and symbols. Damage to property, to community trust, and to the values we claim to instill in our youth.

Nothing says "vibrant political movement" quite like relocating your central committee meeting because attendance has dwindled to surprisingly low levels. Yet here we are, with the Washoe County Republican Party's latest gathering featuring a "NOTE THE LOCATION!" alert that speaks volumes about the state of the organization.

In the realm of political commentary, those who speak with the loudest voices often find themselves under the brightest spotlights. Such is the case with Fox News contributor Amy Tarkanian, whose recent DUI arrest in Florida has sparked conversations about consistency and accountability in public life.

In any thriving democracy, the voices of the people should not only be heard—they should be respected. The residents who take the time to speak at public meetings are not nuisances or enemies of the state. They are champions of truth, guardians of transparency, and, more often than not, the last line of defense between good governance and unchecked authority.

Yet in Reno, a troubling pattern has emerged: those who dare to speak truth to power are being publicly shamed by the very officials they elected.

The recent opinion piece in the Reno Gazette-Journal attacking Our Town Reno made a few waves, with elected officials and self-proclaimed political pundits rushing to pile on their criticism. But before joining this bandwagon, perhaps we should pause and ask some uncomfortable questions.

We could question how and why the RGJ decided to publish this piece could it be their declining readership. Sure. how many reporters do they still have on staff and pause to ask yourself can they use the controversy to gain views, you betcha. Thus the RGJ becomes a player in this media circus.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day — a day set aside to mourn and remember the six million Jews murdered by the Nazi regime — a disturbing message surfaced online from someone associated with Reno City Councilmember Miguel Martinez’s 2024 election campaign. The individual, who shares Martinez’s last name and appeared in campaign materials, declared the day “WACK,” claimed “It was never 6 million btw,” and went further to say, “There were no gas chambers. It’s all theater.”

Hello, my name is George Eddie Lorton and if the following opinion sounds familiar to you, its because I have been campaigning on it for 12 years. Opponents at campaign time tried to silence and mock my opinion, but now, here they are misusing my ideas for their same old corrupt games. Some years ago, the City of Reno created a redevelopment agency. The redevelopment agency is the most abused agency within the City of Reno government. Let me say it again- THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY IS THE MOST ABUSED AGENCY WITHIN THE CITY OF RENO GOVERNMENT.

In a troubling display of political muscle-flexing, Councilmember Devon Reese's supporters have launched a coordinated effort to discredit and potentially silence Our Town Reno—all for the journalistic sin of publishing a public police report documenting Reese's alleged disagreement with a 73-year-old citizen, who is known to him and his law partner at a local wine bar.

This calculated intimidation campaign reveals a fundamental misunderstanding—or perhaps deliberate mischaracterization—of journalism's essential role in democratic governance. Public records exist precisely to ensure transparency and accountability. Our Town Reno's decision to publish this report represents not sensationalism, but the core function of a free press.

The line between journalism and character assassination has grown increasingly blurred, and KUNR's recent "investigative" piece on Washoe County Library Trustee Gianna Jacks serves as a perfect case study in how media outlets sometimes prioritize takedowns over truth.

While traditional media outlets might dismiss independent platforms like Picon as "not real journalism," KUNR's handling of the Jacks story suggests that perhaps the traditional gatekeepers should reexamine their own professional standards before casting stones.