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Picon Press Media LLC

Many folks don't trust the media. That's not news. At Picon Press Media LLC, we hope to regain that trust through nonpartisan coverage that is grounded in public records and guided by transparency, not innuendo or online grandstanding. We'll follow the facts - for you.

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Washoe County Libraries: From Safe Havens to Staging Grounds for Fear

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?

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Alexis Hill’s Fabricating Facts

"Oh, the drama at yesterday's County Commission meeting. Commissioner Hill, who likened Mike Clark's election to letting an 'arsonist in the building,' seems to have forgotten a crucial detail: those pesky voters put him there, just like her.

When Clark excused himself after consulting with Assistant District Attorney Nathan Edwards regarding the vote canvass (and stopped for a friendly chat with constituents on his way out), Hill couldn't resist adding her own theatrical spin to the minutes. She insisted on recording that Clark had 'inappropriately tried to recuse himself and then stormed off' - a curious characterization for someone who left after proper consultation and cordial goodbyes.

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Washoe County’s “Presiding Officer” Alexis Hill

The great and powerful Commissioner Alexis Hill has been reelected to the Washoe County Commission District 1 giving her another four years to continue to remove residents’ voices.

Right, Hill wanted you to vote for her but now the peon’s voices must be silent. Basically, Hill doesn’t want to hear from you, your thoughts, or ideas. And who’s helping her with her public comment lockdown the Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks.

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RSCVA Needs a BDR Sponsor – Legislatively Speaking

Per NRS 244A, which governs County Fair and Recreation Boards in the State of Nevada, the RSCVA Board elects new officers each July, during even-numbered years. Back in July 2024 the RSCVA voted in their new chair, vice-chair, and secretary/treasurer and they will not revisit new officers until July 2026. If you watch the July 25, 2024, meeting you will see then RSCVA Chair Charlene Bybee floundering with no support, with Alexis Hill moving Hillary Schieve into the role of chair, clearly well-rehearsed by Hill and Schieve. Bybee desperately wanted to hang onto the chair, but the board members wouldn’t even throw Bybee a lifeline just so the organization didn’t look quite so much at odds, and they let her go down with the ship. Picon is referring to one of Bybee’s more cringe-worthy statements made to the Reno Gazette-Journal steering the ship at the RSCVA, “Bringing the right person is more important than ever. I’m on a mission. I’ve got to move this Titanic and get it away from the iceberg.”

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Commissioner Hill’s Tahoe Dreams Meet Budget Reality

Alexis Hill and her campaign team are running a Facebook ad accusing Masha Berkbigler of sending an “attack” piece against her. Hill has commented it is absolutely true, “I want our community to have public transit access to and around Lake Tahoe.” That’s great, but not what the graphic says.

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Alexis Hill’s $250,000 Campaign

Piron has been digging into the Commissioner Alexis Hill vs Marsha Berkbigler Community Forum sponsored by Senior Spectrum Magazine a few weeks ago.

Berkbigler has an uphill battle due to the contributions Hill has been able to raise. How did Hill get all that loot? That’s the million dollar question.

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Cisco Aguilar and Washoe County Allowed “VOTE here for DEMOCRATS” Signs to Stay Up for Weeks

Picon literally laughed out loud last week when Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar came out with his “Electioneering” Memo – how about way too little way too late. We have simply been to busy this week until today to get to this story.

For weeks there were signs outside polling location that were printed with “Vote for Democrats” and no one was turning them in, people were posting photos of the sigs on social media asking where they were coming from but no one was getting them taken down because they seemed not to know who to complain to. Next time folks go to the Washoe County Registrar of Voters.  

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County Business Goes “On Hold” Due to Alexis Hill’s Reelection Campaign

For Commissioner Alexis Hill it is all about getting reelected and she really doesn’t care what she has to say, or do. Hill will spin the facts, she’ll cut people out, because her only mission is to get reelected.

Last year, Hill and Washoe County spun the fact that they had cut homelessness by 50%. Oops that was wrong, but that admission came out from Washoe County only after Commissioner Hill had been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal and gotten a whole lot of national attention. Later the county propaganda team spun the mistake as being due to bad data from the Point in Time count. The same Point in Time count County Manager Eric Brown now directs only need to be done every two years. Wait, bad data means only doing the count every two years? Come on Chair Hill do something.

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Don’t Damonte South Meadows

Where’s the appeal?

You know the one Wendy Damonte promised us on July 24, 2024, after the Washoe Open Space and Regional Parks Commission voted against the soccer stadium at South Valley’s Regional Park. Spunky, former television anchor, Wendy Damonte, bounded out of the Washoe Parks meeting and commented to the two television stations bivouacked in the county complex lobby, that “they expected this” and certainly illuded to the fact they would be moving forward with the next steps. The only “step” left for Damonte and Bob Enzenberger on behalf of For Our Fans Foundation is to appeal the Washoe Open Space and Regional Parks Commissioner’s decision to the Washoe County Commissioners.

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Bye, Bye, Bybee

Item E.1 RSCVA Election of Board Chair

The RSCVA Chair has to be one of the elected officials on the board, and it isn’t Councilmember Charlene Bybee any longer.

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Speak No Evil: Commissioner Alexis Hill’s Selective Gavel Censorship

Alexis Hill doesn’t care about free speech, and over the last year she’s proven it monthly with her gavel, however no more so than this last month with the dustup over $10,000 and an alleged swastika. The people Hill decided to chastise have now turned against her and are supporting her opponent. Is it deserved, our guest columnist thinks so:

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Why Did We Burn Our Bras?

At the Washoe County Commission meeting, Mariluz Garcia stated yesterday she had received a curveball regarding Agenda Item 10, the approval of agreements with RISE, Volunteers of America, and Karma Box Project at the Nevada Cares Campus.

We sort of think Garcia threw a curveball right back at the residents of Washoe County, when she supported the three agreements being approved after allegations regarding Karma Box Project.

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WOW Factor at Washoe County Jail

Picon has questions why Washoe County Nevada Government Human Services Agency senior lunches are not more robust, and perhaps more flavorful. County Manger Eric Brown explained it away because seniors can’t have salt, sugar and need certain flavor profiles for health. Guess that doesn’t extend to the “innocent until proven guilty” residents at the Washoe County Jail.

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Mariluz Was Missed

Voters, you really need to pay attention to what is going on at Washoe County Government. Agenda Item 10.E.1 which was approving the “Early Voting and Election Day locations.” It was mentioned by a public commenter that Appointed Commissioner Clara Andriola has a campaign office at Red Hawk which will also be one of the polling locations. Conflict? Could be.

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Sit, Don’t Stand

As Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill admonished yesterday during the Board of County Commissioners meeting, “It is not mandatory to rise, by the way.”

We’d like to question how wrong can invocations go? About this wrong.

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Clara Finds Her Voice, Quietly

During the March 26, 2024, Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting there was an odd exchange between Commission Chair Alexis Hill and Appointed Commissioner Clara Andriola which we continue to be perplexed by. The exchange was all but whispered by Commissioner Andriola as if she would be in ‘trouble’ if she said too much.

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