It’s Day 5 of Nevada’s state systems being down, and the picture just got darker. Cybersecurity officials now admit data has been exfiltrated—yes, moved outside Nevada’s network—during what they call a “sophisticated, ransomware-based attack.”

To everyone in the Save Lakeridge movement: time to take a hard look at who’s backing whom in Washoe County politics.

Turns out T.J. Duncan—the developer at the center of your fight to protect Lakeridge Golf Course—is a supporter of none other than District Attorney Chris Hicks, who is kicking off his re-election campaign on September 9, 2025.

Has Washoe County Commissioner Clara Andriola ever had an original thought, or does she just polish up other people’s ideas and call them monumental achievements?

Her latest triumph? A pet memorial unveiled at the Link Piazzo Dog Park—touted as a heartfelt tribute to a late friend, a former Reno Gazette Journal writer who covered the rodeo for years. Lovely sentiment, but here’s the kicker: the memorial grid, where people can leave their pets’ collars and name tags, looks eerily similar to the 2019 “Locked In Love” art piece—created to honor families who have lost loved ones to substance abuse.

Finding out what the Nevada Police Union pays their vendors is like hunting for Jimmy Hoffa’s burial site, Genghis Khan’s tomb, and the Vatican’s secret archives—all at once. But thanks to a stealth reader with an eye for details, the mystery just cracked open.

Buried in an IRS filing on ProPublica, we find that the Nevada Police Union shelled out a cool $159,106 to Reese Ring Velto, PLLC—the firm representing them on “job-related matters.”

In 2019, after County Manager John Slaughter stepped down, Washoe County launched a taxpayer-funded “national recruitment campaign” to find his replacement. Out of all the applications—and at no small expense—the final candidates boiled down to just three: Eric Brown, Kate Thomas, and Jon Hager.

On September 10th, the Reno City Council will hold the first reading of its ordinance on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)—the supposed superhero solution to affordable housing. A second reading will follow two weeks later.

But here’s the plot twist: without one critical safeguard—banning short-term rentals—Reno’s neighborhoods could become the next playground for an army of real estate villains.

A chilling comment made its way through Washoe County’s 311 system—a platform designed for service requests, not hate-filled threats. The message didn’t just criticize policy. It openly threatened the lives of county commissioners and anyone riding a motorcycle in Northern Nevada:

“Shame on you and you stupid white mfs I hope you guys get voted out… If I see one of those bikers I’m stepping on the gas and letting that scum fly over my car.”

This is not political speech. It is a promise of violence. And yet—where is District Attorney Chris Hicks?

The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Mark Robison recently posted a piece by political analyst Louis Jacobson of the Crystal Ball suggesting Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan should drop his bid for Washoe County District Attorney and instead run for Nevada Attorney General. Interesting timing—and even more interesting implications.

Current DA Chris Hicks is facing what could be the toughest challenge of his career. Duncan, with a campaign war chest reportedly over $500,000, is a serious contender. Hicks, meanwhile, is stumbling through missteps, from the growing dysfunction inside his office to questionable charging decisions and opaque settlements.

At this week’s Washoe County Commission meeting, Commissioner Mariluz Garcia gave a heart wrenching account of Sun Valley’s grocery store closing, calling it a crisis of “food deserts” and “food insecurity.” She put the number at 20,000 residents impacted. Cue Chair Alexis Hill, who immediately suggested putting together “a coalition” to discuss it.

If that sounds familiar, it should. Just last legislative session, a bill was floated in Carson City to create government-run grocery stores. Only one Washoe legislator signed on: Angie Taylor. That bill never made it out, but the talking points seem to live on.

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) has announced the launch of a comprehensive community survey designed to better understand the needs, concerns, and experiences of residents across the county. Developed in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno, this initiative in attempting to represent a step toward strengthening community-police relationships and improving public safety services.

Oh, the optics. The City of Sparks is struggling to keep its financial head above water (and will be for the next five to seven years) —early retirements, frozen positions, belt-tightening everywhere—and yet here comes the big new idea: let’s build ourselves a brand-new City Hall at the Sparks Marina.

The justification? According to the City of Sparks their current city hall suffers from chronic maintenance problems, inadequate security, and overburdened, obsolete office and meeting spaces. Has anyone herd about this over the last few years - you know a statement, comment, article, etc.

Only in Reno could a story start with a senior citizen, a city councilmember, and a wine bar, then spin its way into a suntan lotion called Spooge headed for Burning Man.

Yes, that Spooge. The Mayor’s side hustle with Dr. Whitney Hovnick. The same Spooge that somehow found its way onto the lips—literally and figuratively—of Reno’s so-called elite, all gathered around a wine bar table. Among the attendees? The Mayor herself, her Spooge partner, EDAWN’s head honcho Taylor Adams and his wife Phoenix, the publishers of Edible Reno-Tahoe (that free magazine you grab at coffee shops), and of course, the councilman’s husband.

On August 20th, the Nevada Commission on Ethics will hold a meeting to “discuss maintaining the public’s trust.” That’s adorable. Maybe they can start by actually acting on ethics complaints before they collect dust thick enough to qualify as historic artifacts.

Take the ongoing cases against Reno City Councilmember Devon Reese. Months and months of nothing — like the Commission’s motto is “Delay until politically safe.” Sound familiar? It should. They pulled the same stunt in 2024, conveniently waiting until after the election to drop findings on another Reese complaint.

Today’s Washoe County Commission meeting should be a real show. On Agenda Item 16, commissioners will decide which two of their own will sit on the shiny new study board tasked with exploring a county fire protection district. This comes courtesy of Senate Bill 319 (83rd Legislature), which mandates a look at consolidating fire services across Washoe County and the Cities of Reno and Sparks.

Sounds straightforward—until you ask who will get the seats.

Ward 2 residents are once again being asked to swallow a vague development proposal—this time called the Mount Rose Junction Specific Plan District (LDC25-00018).

The site sits on the west side of Plumas Street, about 145 feet south of Mount Rose Street. The developer’s wish list is ambitious:

Duncan Golf Management is selling the idea of a shiny new “golf resort” at Lakeridge. On paper, it sounds like something out of a lifestyle magazine—pickleball and tennis courts, a swimming pool, dining, a spa, a non-gaming hotel, and meeting spaces. But here’s the kicker: they won’t give residents any numbers.

How many guests would a 100-room hotel bring in daily? How many cars? How much noise? What kind of water demand are we talking about for pools, courts, and lush resort landscaping? What developer, anywhere, floats this kind of sweeping project without running the numbers—or at least sharing them?

If Reno politics had a royal court, case CV25-01334 would be the scandal of the season. Picture it: a wine bar, an elderly gentleman, and a Reno City Councilmember with 2026 mayoral dreams—except the evening allegedly turned from small talk to small brawl, and now we’re all waiting for the tapes.

The wine bar’s two strategically placed cameras are the crown jewels in this drama. When the footage is uncorked. The video should finally reveal this story.

Another day, another Washoe County official who’s suddenly been Checked Out. This week’s edition: Library Assistant Director Stacy McKenzie, who has taken a “temporary leave of absence” with no explanation. Sound familiar? It should—it’s practically the county’s house style.

Remember, McKenzie only took over when former Library Director Jeff Scott Closed the Book on his tenure back in April 2025. That “resignation” was widely rumored to be more like Resignation Before Termination—a genre Washoe County has mastered. Now McKenzie herself is on leave, with Assistant County Manager David Solaro overseeing daily operations. Translation: the staff who actually keep the shelves standing are doing the real work, while the county just fiddles with the Table of Contents.

REMSA, the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority, wants your help buying a new helicopter for rural Nevada. The plan is simple: raise funds to match a donation, William N. Pennington Foundation has pledged a $3.25 million matching gift to support the purchase of a helicopter for Care Flight, a service of REMSA Health - they get the shiny new bird, and then — here’s the twist — hand off their current helicopter to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department.

Sounds generous, right? Until you follow the rotor blades of logic.

Is it appropriate for media to laugh themselves silly at a Reno City Councilmember’s social media post? We don’t know. But we did.

After nine long months of blissful indifference, Ward 5’s very own Devon Reese has suddenly fallen head over heels for his Neighborhood Advisory Board. The same board he barely mentioned since being reelected in November 2024 is now the talk of his Facebook feed. He’s appointing members, hunting for alternates, and celebrating that they “hit the ground running” with discussions of two Ward 5 projects.

So why the sudden civic passion? Could it be… he’s running for mayor? Oh, absolutely.