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.

Not only did Eric Crump, Washoe County’s Director Community Services go on the record at the South Truckee Meadows/Washoe Valley Citizen Advisory Board meeting last Thursday, December 5, 2024 that there is no stadium being planned in South Reno, but Washoe County Manager Eric Brown chimed in at the Washoe County Board of County Commissioner meeting yesterday, December 10th stating “no stadium.”

Oh, the political theatre …

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the City of Reno's latest performance, where our starring trio – Mayor Schieve, Councilmember Reese, and Interim Manager Bryant – delivered an Emmy-worthy display of municipal make-believe. With a whopping 1,024 YouTube views, this December 4th spectacle proved that bad theater isn't just for community playhouses anymore, you can see it at this City of Reno Council meeting with no ticket needed.

These signs are posted throughout our Washoe County libraries, thus it must have the approval of Library Director Jeff Scott. Has Scott gotten permission from the Washoe County Library Trustees to post this signage to instill confusion and stress for Washoe County residents of less library hours, less days open, less library employees, etc.

Remember when libraries were sanctuaries of learning and hope? Places where children discovered magical worlds and seniors found quiet comfort? Today, in Washoe County, something has changed.

While Herb Kaplan from the District Attorney's office keeps a less-than-watchful eye over Library Director Jeff Scott's decisions, our community's cherished spaces are being transformed into billboards of anxiety. The question echoing through our reading rooms: Why?

A peculiar drama unfolded at the November 15th Canvass of the Vote, leading to the abrupt resignation of Joni Hammond, then-1st VP of Republican Women of Reno and frequent election volunteer, and commentor at commission meeting. But try getting details from Washoe County, and suddenly it's slower than molasses in January.

While Washoe County Human Services staff swears the senior meals are "pretty good" (presumably between bites of their county food truck scheduled lunches), Commissioner Mike Clark has spent 18 months fighting an uphill battle for basic dignity in senior nutrition. But why let quality food get in the way of bureaucratic convenience?

In a masterclass of transparency, the county refuses to show even their own commissioner the competing bids for contract #3255-24. Apparently, elected officials don't have the security clearance to see what county employees are reviewing. Makes perfect sense – if you're writing a satire about government dysfunction.

In another stunning display of bureaucratic theater, Washoe County has once again investigated itself and—surprise!—found absolutely nothing wrong. Who needs independent oversight when you can grade your own homework?

Instead of hiring an outside firm for actual unbiased scrutiny, the County opted for the tried-and-true method of looking in the mirror and declaring itself the fairest of them all. It's like asking a kindergarten class to investigate who ate all the cookies, then accepting their chocolate-smeared assurance that the culprit remains a mystery.

Are the widely publicized "budget cuts" at the Washoe County Library System as severe as portrayed? Executive Director Jeff Scott's warnings about losing 22 staff members, cutting hours, and other dire consequences deserve closer scrutiny. Are his comments factual? We don’t know.

Despite knowing the $4.5 million in funding was at risk, there's been no transparent sharing of budget analyses or alternative scenarios from Executive Director Scott. While Scott controls the system's messaging and media narrative, taxpayers and library patrons remain in the dark about actual financial planning.

In these wildly partisan times, when Americans across the political spectrum question institutions, it’s more important than ever that the judiciary — the foundation of law and order in the U.S.—should be (and should be seen to be) above politics.

The Supreme Court, alas, has allowed itself to be caught up in the politics of the day, but the Supreme Court decides great legal questions. Where most Americans —  most Northern Nevadans — find themselves interacting with the judicial system is in state and local courts. These courts decide the disputes that affect real people in their real lives.