For any business or nonprofit or government agency, it is very important to be able to tell the story about what you do and why it matters. It is important to relay information clearly and in a culturally appropriate way. In a state like Nevada, with one of the highest Spanish speaking populations in the United States, that can mean providing evacuation instructions for wildfires, or during covid it meant ensuring that information about prevention and vaccines had to be accurate. For local media...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 155
Federally Qualified Health Centers were created during the civil rights era to bring health care to more people, particularly underserved communities. Here in Northern Nevada, HOPES was originally a clinic for patients with HIV but has since expanded into a FQHC providing primary care and other services to around 14,000 patients in the Reno/Sparks area. On this episode of Renoites, I spoke with HOPES CEO Sharon Chamberlain about the history of HOPES and the services they provide, especially the ...
Mar 19, 2025•48 min•Ep. 154
Nevada has an unusual legislative calendar, in which our legislature doesn’t meet every year, but every other year. And they don’t meet the entire year either- the session is only 120 days. 120 days to do all the lawmaking for a state of millions of people. Obviously, these are busy times and there is a lot going on. Thankfully, our guest on this episode is political reporter Lucia Starbuck from KUNR. Lucia hosts her own podcast called Purple Politics Nevada and focuses on political issues parti...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 153
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is the agency that handles much of how we get around in Reno. They design and execute road projects, manage our local public transit, and very soon they will be installing bike infrastructure along several major streets downtown to create the Biggest Little Bike Network . Today on the show, we welcome Sara Going, Project Manager at RTC for the Biggest Little Bike Project, to talk about these upcoming street improvements, how they affect local business...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 152
Reno is the smallest market in the United States to have a AAA Minor League Baseball team. Our Reno Aces, an affiliate team of the Arizona Diamondbacks, play 150 games every year- half of them at Greater Nevada Field in the heart of downtown Reno. On today's episode of Renoites, we're joined by the President of the Reno Aces, Eric Edelstein. Eric's career in minor league baseball management led him to the Biggest Little City over a decade ago, and on this episode he and Conor discuss his career ...
Feb 18, 2025•58 min•Ep. 151
Ann Wolfe is the Chief Curator at the Nevada Museum of Art , the only art museum in the state of Nevada accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Collaborating with paleontologist Dr. Martin Sander, she has co-curated a new exhibition at the museum titled "Deep Time: Sea Dragons of Nevada." You might know these Sea Dragons by their actual name- Ichthyosaur. On this week's episode of Renoites, Ann join Conor to discuss the exhibition and how it was created, the process of combining arts and...
Feb 11, 2025•47 min•Ep. 150
Jamie Vaughn talks a lot about cancer. As a survivor of breast cancer who wanted to share more about her experience and provide resources to others going through similar experiences, she launched the podcast "Test Those Breasts" and a website with links to resources for those dealing with cancer. On this episode of Renoites, Jamie sat down with Conor to share the story of her cancer journey, how it upended her retirement plans and put her on a different path, what she has learned from dozens and...
Oct 16, 2024•55 min•Ep. 149
Many Northern Nevadans have gotten used to seeing sitting Congressman Mark Amodei defeat whichever Democrat runs against him in Congressional District 2. Because this is a Republican-leaning district, the Democratic Party has never invested significant resources in those races. However, this year Amodei won't face a Democratic challenger at all. Instead, his primary competition will be Greg Kidd , a Non-Partisan candidate with a background in business, finance, and technology. Kidd is self-fundi...
Oct 09, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 148
Very soon, Nevadans will vote for the second time on whether we would like to eliminate our closed party primaries in favor of open primaries, and institute a system of ranked choice voting for many elected offices in the general election starting in 2026. This is Question 3 on the Nevada ballot. It passed 2 years ago and if it passes again it will go into effect. One of the major advocates for this type of reform is Andrew Yang, the founder and co-chair of the Forward Party , and a former candi...
Oct 07, 2024•41 min•Ep. 147
When did you learn to change a tire? Make a household budget? Do you know what you can write off on your taxes? Who taught you what do you if you're in a car accident? Some are lucky to have had parents or other family members, or maybe even some classes in school about these important skills, but many aren't as fortunate. Thankfully, owner of Rought & Accounting, Judi Rought, is teaching a series of "Rainbow Adulting" classes at Our Center, Reno's local LGBTQ+ center. The classes are open t...
Sep 25, 2024•55 min•Ep. 146
Two years ago, Nevadans voted on a ballot measure to change our primary system. Instead of party primaries which exclude participation for nonpartisan voters (the largest group- larger than either major party), the Nevada Constitution would be changed to have a single open primary for all registered voters, regardless of party. The initiative would also change the general election to introduce ranked choice voting, a system in which voters rank the candidates in order of preference instead of be...
Sep 18, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 145
Dr. Peter Reed is the director of the Sanford Center for Aging at UNR, who describe themselves as striving to enhance the quality of life and well-being among elders and educate current and aspiring healthcare professionals and caregivers. On this episode of Renoites, we talked about a range of issues related to aging, both for elders but also for the rest of us (who are also aging every day however old we may be). Some of the topics included: Why is agism a more common/accepted form of discrimi...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 144
Welcome to Renoites! I'm thrilled to announce some exciting news: the Reno News and Review has just released their Best of Northern Nevada edition, and I’m incredibly honored that Renoites has been voted Best Local Podcast. Since I began producing and hosting the show in 2021, it’s been amazing to see the support grow and to know that people find value in what we’re creating here. A huge thank you goes out to every guest who has made this show special, and to everyone who voted for us in the pol...
Sep 04, 2024•53 min•Ep. 143
Today on Renoites we welcome Chaplain Chaz Blackburn, VP of the board of the Circle of Life Hospice Foundation and President of the Board of the Good Shepherd's Clothes Closet. We talked about what a chaplain is and how Chaz came to work as a "spiritual first responders" for people of all religions (or none), the International Fellowship of Chaplains, and the brand new Circle of Life Guest House which provides those in need with a home-like environment and people who care at no cost to them. We ...
Aug 13, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 142
Today on the show I’m excited to welcome Deny Dotson, the executive director of Hot August Nights . Even as someone who isn’t particularly interested in classic cars, I’ve always enjoyed that Hot August Nights is an event that doesn’t just take place in one location but feels like classic cars and a sense of nostalgia are all over town. We talked about the history of the event, the appeal of classic vehicles, what makes a car a classic, changes to Hot August Nights since Deny has been leading th...
Jul 31, 2024•51 min•Ep. 141
Education has been one of the most prominent political and social issues in recent years, including during the recent primary elections when voters had the chance to make their voices heard. Some of the issues that we hear a lot about are chronic absenteeism, underfunded schools, the battle between public schools and for-profit charters, and diversity and representation in the classroom. On this episode, I am happy to welcome the president of the Washoe County School Board of Trustees to talk ab...
Jul 03, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 140
There have been a lot of changes in our understanding about how we talk about neurodivergence in recent years and it can be hard to keep up. With social media driving a lot of the conversation, it’s easy to get incorrect information about things like autism and ADHD. One of the leading experts in Reno, and our guest on this week's episode of Renoites, is Cady Stanton. Her organizations Facilitate Joy and the Autistic Resilience Network work to provide a variety of services from individual and gr...
Jun 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 139
Kris Vagner has been writing about the arts in Nevada for a long time. She worked as the arts editor of the Reno News and Review beginning in 2004 and has either been on staff or doing freelance writing there and in countless arts publications for most of the years since. She earned her master's degree in Media Innovations from UNR in 2019 and launched her own statewide arts publication Double Scoop . And as of 2023, Kris has returned to the News and Review to now serve as the managing editor, a...
Apr 03, 2024•53 min•Ep. 138
We've done a lot of episodes of Renoites about how Reno is growing and the ways we can reduce the likelihood of people being priced out as the costs of housing increase. Public housing has an important role to play, and for 80 years the Reno Housing Authority has owned and operated public housing units, administered housing choice vouchers (formerly known as "Section 8"), and continue to work to build a portfolio of public housing units of diverse types in diverse neighborhoods. On this week's e...
Mar 26, 2024•51 min•Ep. 137
Some of the most important years of our development, when we're learning communication skills and how to navigate the world, are spent in the jungles of the elementary school or middle school playground and classroom. It can be very easy to learn the wrong lessons, struggle with friends, and end up carrying those challenges into the future. All of this is especially true for girls, who face a unique set of challenges on top of everything else. Girls on the Run Sierras is working to help fill tha...
Mar 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 136
Oscar Delgado served as a member of Reno's City Council for a decade before resigning last year to focus on his work as CEO of the Community Health Alliance, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing care to many of Reno's lower income families. On this week's episode of the show, Oscar sat down with Conor to discuss the role that FQHCs play in our health care system, both locally and nationally, the issue of stigma around lower income clinics, the importance of providing primary care and re...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 135
Career education in Washoe County Schools isn't just "shop class" like it was when I was in high school. Across the country and here in Northern Nevada, rebranding vocational education to "career and technical education" has brought about a lot of changes including programs focused on business, culinary arts, medical professions, and much more. Here in Washoe County, some of those programs are housed in "Signature Academy" schools with a special focus, but every high school has CTE opportunities...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 134
This episode of Renoites was recorded in front of a live audience at Black Rabbit Mead in Reno, Nevada on January 28, 2024. People choose to abstain from alcohol for a host of different reasons. We often associate sobriety with alcoholism and "recovery" but in recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the "sober curious" movement. Maybe you're doing Dry January as part of a New Year's resolution. Maybe you're training for a physical event like the Reno Tahoe Odyssey. Or maybe you ju...
Mar 02, 2024•53 min•Ep. 133
Reno is experiencing a massive housing shortage, resulting in much higher rents than we have seen in the past. We aren't alone! In much of the country, following the financial crisis of 2008, development just kind of stopped and hasn't kept up with the changing population in high-demand cities like Reno. On this week's episode of Renoites, I talked about housing development and much more with Batuhan Zadeh, owner of Marmot Properties, a local development firm that has worked on many residential ...
Feb 27, 2024•54 min•Ep. 132
Please consider supporting Renoites financially at http://patreon.com/renoites I have long wanted to do an episode of Renoites focused on the Basque history and culture of Nothern Nevada, but for some reason it kept ending up on the back burner. This week on the show, I am so grateful to finally share an episode all about this history of the Basque people both in the Basque Country as well as the Basque diaspora and it's impact and relevance in the West. My guest on this episode is Iñaki Arrieta...
Feb 21, 2024•58 min•Ep. 131
Renoites is a listener-funded project. Please consider signing up to support the show at patreon.com/renoites The Potentialist Workshop on 2nd Street has long been a hub for artists in Reno, and recently opened their new interactive exhibition, Upside Down Land. Upside Down Land is based on bedtime stories Pan Pantoja (Executive Artist at the Potentialist) has told his son over the years. It begins in a child's bedroom and a journey through the closet takes visitors into a fascinating world with...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 130
Renoites is the weekly podcast for Northern Nevada. Listen free wherever you get podcasts and please consider supporting the show at patreon.com/renoites to help it become financially sustainable! Restaurant work has long had a... certain reputation. The professionalism you see in the front of house isn't always matched by the drugs, sex and rock n' roll environment frequently found in the kitchen. Reno chef Jonathan Chapin knows it well, having began his food career in one of the few work envir...
Feb 06, 2024•58 min•Ep. 129
It takes a lot of work by a lot of people to provide over 1,000 hot meals a day to people in Reno at the St. Vincent's Dining Room and the Nevada CARES Campus. It also takes a lot to manage an endless stream of items donated by our community that work their way into new apartment kits or onto St Vincent thrift store shelves. And the pantries! It definitely isn't easy providing hundreds of boxes of food to families across Northern Nevada every single day. Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada doe...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 128
This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at Black Rabbit Mead in Reno, Nevada on October 26, 2023. Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that borrows from other team sports like soccer and football and is played on a 100-yard field. Players try to move the frisbee down the field to an endzone while avoiding interceptions and missed passes, and the sport has long been a popular one on college campuses. On this episode of Renoites, recorded live at Black Rabbit Mead, several members of the team...
Nov 14, 2023•50 min•Ep. 127
One of the very first episodes of Renoites was with Ben Castro of RISE, the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality, in which we talked about homelessness in the Reno area. That episode was recorded shortly after the opening of OUR Place, the designated area shelter for women and families. Recently, a listener reached out asking for an update on OUR Place. On this week's episode of the podcast, we deliver exactly that! Kim Schweickert has worked with unhoused individuals in Northern Nevada for ...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 126
