Picon noted that media/press are asking questions as to the closure/remodel of the Washoe County Senior Center on 9th Street. You know, the facility that County Manager Eric Brown and his Human Services team are remodeling during the winter months in Northern Nevada.

Grab your parkas - Washoe County's putting on quite the winter performance. Picture this: elderly residents shivering outside a makeshift dining room in January because somebody thought winter was the perfect time to remodel the Senior Center. But hey, at least County Manager Eric Brown got his cozy $34,000 bonus. Who needs outdoor heaters when you've got all that warm bureaucratic air?

Our Town Reno just pulled back the curtain on the City's ReStore program, and what do we find? A spectacular show of making property owners' basic responsibilities vanish into thin air - using YOUR tax dollars as the magic wand.

First let us say, this is no reflection on Crak N’ Grill, we’re on the side of small business owners, and if the program and the money is available, go for it. What we question is the thought process of our overly-paid City of Reno elected officials.

Well, grab your popcorn and your protest signs, folks - the sequel nobody asked for just dropped at Lakeridge. And unlike most sequels, this one's actually more terrifying than the original.

Picture this: A five-story monstrosity that looks like someone played Tetris with storage containers and called it "luxury living." Local residents are calling it "jail house rock" - though that's honestly unfair to jails, which occasionally have better architectural design.

What started as a simple street abandonment in September 2024 has turned into Reno's longest-running political circus, starring our freshly-minted Vice Mayor Kathleen Taylor, who squeaked into office by the skin of her teeth.

Fun fact: She even managed to charm the Washoe County Republican Party into an endorsement. Talk about a magic trick. Picon ponders if she would have won against the very Democratic Frank Perez without it. We know of a few Republicans who leaned they were duped who want their votes back.

You've got two types of seniors at these meal sites. First, there's the social seniors who come to chat, play cards, and enjoy some company (bless their hearts). Then there's the folks who genuinely need these meals to, you know, survive. But don't worry - the county's got it all figured out with their totally unbiased survey!

How unbiased, you ask? Well, they strategically cornered the dependent seniors in the food line for glowing reviews in 2023. Funny how they "ran out" of surveys for everyone else... until they spotted a press badge, then suddenly surveys materialized faster than you can say "damage control.”

Oh, you Renoites crying "no politics, it's only 2025!" Bless your hearts. While you're trying to recover from your holiday food coma, Councilmember Devon Reese is already playing political musical chairs for the 2026 mayor's race. Because nothing says "I'm totally confident about my future" quite like scrambling for support a year early. Picon calls it “political chumming ,” throwing bait in the water to see what support you can catch.

Speaking of confidence... let's talk about that stunning Ward 5 victory. And by stunning, we mean Reese scraped by with 1,412 votes against checks notes ...who exactly is Brian Cassidy? Despite having a war chest that would make a Vegas casino blush and every developer, builder, and power broker in his pocket, Reese barely outperformed a guy whose biggest claim to fame was some local TV commercials for his small business. Talk about a profile in courage.

Oh, honey. Washoe County is doing that thing again where they think we can't do basic math or read between the lines. Let's break down this bureaucratic theater, shall we?

Picture this: Once upon a time, seniors got daily visits with their hot meals. Now? They're lucky if they get a lukewarm "here's your food, bye" drive-by. But don't worry! Commissioner Mariluz Garcia has written very important "opinions" about Washoe County Seniors in the RGJ. Slow clap

Breaking news from the "Better Late Than Never" department: Washoe County has emerged from its bureaucratic hibernation plan to send notifications to North Valleys residents about Swan Lake. Yes, the same North Valleys they've treated like their distant cousin at family reunions.

After a history of managing North Valleys issues with all the grace of a swan on roller skates, the County is attempting to show they care. Perhaps they found North Valleys on a map? Or maybe someone reminded them that these residents also pay taxes? County Manager Eric Brown even sent an email to the commissioners.

New Year’s Eve can be a lonely night, so we thought we’d spice things up for you with a local lawsuit that wasn't quite Netflix-worthy.

Pull up a chair for the legal soap opera that had Reno clutching its pearls in 2023-24: the York-York-Mathews-Guinasso spectacular. Picture it: Men's rights attorney Marilyn York, her father Ray, former employee Tirza Mathews, and attorney Jason Guinasso (bestie to both Commissioner Clara Andriola and Reno City Councilmember Devon Reese) in a lawsuit so juicy it makes Vanderpump Rules look tame.

We’ve posted this Dana Searcy email, at the bottom of the story, to the Washoe County Commissioners on our website, so the email is easier to read. Sometimes we post county emails on our Facebook page and readers have complained they are unable to read the small print. Commissioner Mike Clark forwarded it to some media, attorney Hawah Ahmad, and homeless activist Lily Baran.

In today's episode of "How Not to Run a Homeless Shelter But Pretend Everything's Fine," Dana Searcy graces the County Commissioners with an email that practically screams, "Nothing to see here!" (Though apparently there's plenty for the media to see, if they could get past the fence.)

Well, well, well... What do we have here? A masterclass in creative interpretation of voter will, starring the Washoe County Library saga. After voters rejected the $4.5 million library funding measure, some folks are playing a fascinating game of bureaucratic Twister.

In the thrilling saga of "How to Avoid Accountability While Running a Homeless Shelter," starring Commission Chair Alexis Hill, we bring you the latest episode of "Why Have Meetings When You Can Just Tell The Wall Street Journal Everything's Fine?"

Picture this: Commissioner Mike Clark, apparently under the wild impression that advisory boards should actually ... advise, keeps requesting to schedule a CHAB meeting. The audacity! Doesn't he know the last meeting in May 2024 was practically yesterday? (If by "yesterday" you mean seven months ago, and before that, September 2023 - but who's counting?)

Oh, the delicious irony of a library measure that turned into a master class in "How Not to Run a Campaign 101."

Let's unpack this comedy of errors, shall we? WC-1's failure has everyone pointing fingers faster than a speed-reading contest. Some blame the "poorly written" bill (though apparently three passionate experts crafted it). Others are convinced the Washoe County Republican Party's "new tax" warning was the killer blow - though giving Bruce Parks that much strategic credit is like assuming a cat pretending that face-plant into the coffee table was totally intentional.

Washoe County has effectively silenced homeless residents at the Nevada CARES Campus by minimizing Community Homelessness Advisory Board (CHAB) meetings since September 2023. This started after Teresa Bacon, a resident, publicly criticized the County and Commissioner Alexis Hill about conditions at the campus. Rather than address Bacon's concerns, the County launched a counter-campaign against her.

Nothing says "Season's Greetings" quite like Washoe County's culinary insult to seniors on December 20, 2024: a solitary dry biscuit, minuscule country gravy, accompanied by two strips of bacon and some canned fruit – a meal that would make Tiny Tim look spoiled.

The architect of this nutritional nightmare? TRIO Community Meals, now proudly serving disappointment county-wide thanks to a crack procurement team that managed to attract exactly one bid – TRIO’s. How convenient. While Commissioner Mike Clark – the only commissioner who actually eats these meals – voted no, the cheerleading squad of Andriola, Hill, and Garcia, happily rubber-stamped this culinary catastrophe.

While Sparks' Donald Abbott plays dress-up as Nugget Joe and waves from parade floats, the city's finances are sinking faster than a lead Christmas ornament. Perhaps between costume changes, the Mayor Pro Tempore might share his master plan for steering Sparks away from its looming budget iceberg. (Hint: Two Assistant City Managers might be one too many life rafts to maintain.)

One of “tipsters” sent us this Nevada Commission on Ethics Order of Dismissal regarding Washoe County Library Director Jeff Scott. Can someone please track down the Confidential Letter of Instruction? We also urge whoever made this complaint to maybe drop us a line and let us know the basis of the complaint.

In a display equal to the City of Reno’s political theater, Washoe County has conveniently buried an agenda item until 2025 – just in time for County Manager Eric Brown's annual review. How convenient that pesky resident complaints won't mar today's coronation ceremony.

The timing is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. Item 20, which promised to be ripe for public criticism, mysteriously vanished from the agenda following Brown's eleventh-hour email. Commissioner Mike Clark confirmed the postponement, citing the ever-reliable "staff suggestions" – a transparent excuse that fools precisely no one.

As Eric Brown's annual review is tomorrow, Washoe County has conveniently "revised" its evaluation criteria – presumably to mask another year of mismanagement behind a façade of independence. The only thing more remarkable than Brown's list of failures is the chorus of commissioners rushing to applaud them.

We watched Commission Chair Alexis Hill master the art of agenda gymnastics! At Tuesday's - December 10, 2024 - meeting, she pirouetted through items faster than a politician dodging questions, strategically punting decisions until her reliable voting buddy Commissioner Garcia returns from absence. Talk about choreography – with what would be a 2-2 split, Hill and her mini-me Andriola against Clark and Herman, Hill wasn't about to risk the agenda tie votes to have to have repeat performances.