oCtober
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Photo oPPortunity Anne BrigmAn exhiBition See Arts&Culture, page 14
the
killing of a
cop Few events have shocked Northern Nevada as much as the 1979 murder of an undercover officer serving northern nevada, tahoe and truckee
EMail lEttErS to rENolEttErS@NEWSrEviEW.coM.
Good and bad Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. As Tom Waits once sang, “All over the world strangers talk only about the weather.” Most of the weather seems bad. As I write this, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, a hurricane is bearing down on the East Coast—and toward a part of Florida, where I have a lot of family, in particular. A major UN report released today paints a bleak picture of how the planet will be affected by climate change. But the people currently in power—and now in firm control of all three branches of government in this country—seem to think that climate change is a “hoax.” But here in Reno, the weather is great. It’s almost a cliché, but the weather really is one of the best things about living here. And one reason the weather is great is that we have four well-rounded seasons. But fall is my favorite. I love the colors. I love getting to bust out my favorite sweaters and jackets. I love watching horror movies and postseason baseball (even though the Giants had a terrible year and didn’t make the cut). I love hot coffee drinks, corn mazes and Halloween. So, yeah, a lot of the news around the world is bad, but there’s some good to be had around the Truckee Meadows. And here’s some good news from the World Headquarters of the RN&R: Big congratulations to our sales manager, Emily Litt, who got married last week to Reno musician and tattoo artist Mark Moots. It was a small ceremony—nice, short and sweet, and they’re two of the most amazing people ever, so it’s great news all around. Drop her a line to say congrats, and maybe buy an ad while you’re at it.
—Brad Bynum bradb@ ne wsrev i ew . com
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Prize letter Re “Winner, winner” (Editor’s note, Oct. 4): THE QUALITY OF A JOURNALISM AWARD? Sorry guys, but RGJ claims to have won all the important awards. And if RGJ wins anything, it is an indictment of the misery of the rest of Nevada “journalism.” Sam DNA Dehne dismantled all RGJ government reporters, as he promised to do ubiquitously at Reno area government podiums. But guess what! RGJ replaced their people masquerading as reporters with (believe it or not) three guys named Sam. What are the chances? Sam DNA Dehne reports more news LIVE in his measly allotted 3 minutes than RGJ reports in a month. Signed with vehement conviction, Sam Dehne Reno
Period piece Re “A new contest from the RN&R” (promotion, Oct. 4): Are you that lacking in your skills as a journalist that you have to write about women’s menstruation? Why not have everyone write about their bowel movements as well. Your attempt at being controversial and edgy is very immature and tasteless. Pathetic. Matt Sylvain Las Vegas Editor’s note: We’re not the ones writing on the topic, readers are. One purpose of the contest is to generate discussion about an issue on this year’s election ballot: Question 2, which concerns taxes on feminine hygiene products.
Vampire redux Re “It’s back: The vampire theory of gay reproduction” (letters, Sept. 27): Please explain to me why on Earth you included that letter in your magazine. The letter is hateful, prejudiced, contains no factual information, and is basically just a
Jessica Santina, Todd South, Luka Starmer, Bruce Van Dyke, Ashley Warren, Allison Young Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live. Editor Brad Bynum Associate Editor Jeri Chadwell News Editor Dennis Myers Special Projects Editor Matt Bieker Calendar Editor Kelley Lang Contributors Amy Alkon, Kris Vagner, Bob Grimm, Andrea Heerdt, Holly Hutchings, Shelia Leslie, Josie Glassberg, Eric Marks,
Creative Services Manager Christopher Terrazas Editorial Designers Maria Ratinova, Sarah Hansel Publications Designer Katelynn Mitrano Web Design & Strategist Elisabeth Bayard Arthur Ad Designers Catalina Munevar, Naisi Thomas Sales Manager Emily Litt Office Manager Lisa Ryan RN&R Rainmaker Gina Odegard
octobeR
listing of name calling and verbal abuse. It is not a thoughtful opinion. It’s hate mail. The author is not even from Reno. He is from Salt Lake City. We don’t need hate mail imported to our city from other cities. There is a lot of talk about hate speech being eliminated from social media, that it has no place in modern society, and is tearing at the fabric of thoughtful dialogue, and yet here it is in my local paper. LGBT people have the same rights as everyone else, as recognized by our laws. I feel that publishing this article was an act of supporting gay-bashing, despite the editor’s note pointing out a few problems with the letter at the end. I’m perfectly open to listening to and reading opinions that don’t match with my own. But there has to be at least a shred of factual evidence and logical train of thought. Supported by no laws or reason, the article just states “LGBT pushers are sex offenders”—that is simply demonstrably false. I was truly saddened and angered by that letter. Please do not print similar letters in the future. David Waclo Reno
Scoot, DMV In ’02 I bought a beautiful Honda Metropolitan scooter. Two grand out the door, no license plate, helmet, or insurance required. At 100 mpg ($0.03/mile), the thing ran like a top—quiet, sounds like a little sewing machine with the tiny 4-stroke engine. Heaven. I recall last year the police said every scooter owner needs to go to DMV to get ID plates to “prevent theft.” So after getting a new battery, I decided to be good law-abiding citizen and went to get my “for ID only” plates. Inspection station fellow says, “Sorry, that’s now a motorcycle and you need MC license, plates and insurance.” Oddly, I noticed no scooters driving around town, though they had been in years
Advertising Consultant Myranda Thom, Paegan Magner Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager Bob Christensen Distribution Drivers Alex Barskyy, Corey Sigafoos, Gary White, Joe Wilson, O.C. Gillham, Marty Troye, Timothy Fisher, Vicki Jewell, Olga Barska, O.C. Gillham, Rosie Martinez President/CEO Jeff VonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Project Coordinator Natasha VonKaenel Director of People & Culture David Stogner Director of Dollars & Sense Debbie Mantoan Nuts & Bolts Ninja Norma Huerta Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Hansen
Accounts Receivable Specialist Analie Foland Sweetdeals Coordinator Skyler Morris Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Publications Associate Editor Laura Hillen N&R Publications Writer Anne Stokes, Rodney Orosco Marketing & Publications Consultants Steve Caruso, Joseph Engle, Elizabeth Morabito, Traci Hukill, Celeste Worden Cover Design Sarah Hansel
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before when people were able to afford this inexpensive and fun transportation. So, the bureaucrats and politicos decided they don’t like we poor folk getting any advantage at all. After they finish eating the poor, hopefully they will start on their own children. Y’all remember this when peak oil hits us hard and gas goes for $5 a gallon—we had a chance to lower our piggish energy use and save some fuel for future generations. I will find out who did this diabolical legislation and work my hardest to throw them out of office. Rant off. David Bergland Reno
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opiNioN/StrEEtalk ShEila lESliE NEWS tahoE fEaturE artS & culturE art of thE StatE filM fooD MuSicBEat NightcluBS/caSiNoS thiS WEEk aDvicE goDDESS frEE Will aStrology 15 MiNutES BrucE vaN DykE
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By matt bieker
Worst political ad this year? asked at the eldorado great italian festival, 345 n. virginia st. Chris Wood Equipment operator
I don’t know, man. [I’m not] really involved in the political scene too much. I’ve seen them, just the Sisolak one and all that stuff. Reno’s really hard when it comes to politics. They really dig deep. They’re crazy. ... I’m mostly on Netflix, not cable TV.
steve Moore Sales associate
The one where Heller was saying Rosen never had her own company. I’ve seen it on TV several times. It just seems very shady.
Megan Martine z Retail worker
Building on a good start Last week in these pages we reported on efforts in Congress by Democrats and especially Republicans to finally repeal the federal prohibition on marijuana. This response to the exasperated actions of everyday voters taking back control of the plant from prohibitionists is laudable, and we hope it happens. But it should not stop there. Let’s talk about other drugs. It’s hard to believe the United States must keep learning these lessons, but here are some of the things prohibition of popular personal habits does: 1. It creates a market. 2. It fuels the lure of the forbidden. 3. It fuels an increase in practice of the prohibited habit. In the early 20th century, when drug addiction was treated principally as a health care matter, addiction was a miniscule problem. Then politicians and newspapers learned the potency of narcotics as a political issue, repeatedly staging nationwide hysterias that got voters aroused. After packs of lies and virulent racism were floated, prohibition enactments followed at both local and federal levels. Remember, addiction was a tiny problem when there was no prohibition and a small problem during periods when enforcement was deemphasized, such as during the Ford and Carter administrations. What we’re getting at here is that marijuana prohibition is not the only threat to the public. Since the drug wars of Nixon, Reagan and Bush I, we have seen terrible consequences. A massive bureaucracy was formed as the Drug Enforcement Administration. Breaches of nearly every amendment in the Bill of Rights were approved
by Congress. Parents informed on their children and vice versa. The DEA hired men to seduce women into drug use so they could be prosecuted and imprisoned. Forfeiture laws that allowed local police departments to keep the proceeds of drug busts compromised department after department, as when Los Angeles police killed a ranch owner to get his ranch. A Las Vegas couple’s private plane was seized, never returned, and no charges were ever filed. Children and teens were thrown into quack residential antidrug programs that brutalized them and accomplished little. And the result of all this kind of thing? Drug use. Lots and lots of drug use, of a level not seen when addictive drugs were treated as a health issue. More than a century of experience has shown us that neither politicians or journalists can be trusted with the incendiary issue. Just as the public has asserted itself on marijuana, it should now look at doing the same on drugs generally. Decades of prohibition and punitive law enforcement have turned a minor health care problem into a major illicit industry. Turning it back over to the health care community would save $2 billion a year when the DEA is shut down, as well as other major savings when the purview of other agencies like the Coast Guard and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are reduced. There is no quick fix. But drug use and the raucous trappings of prohibition will slowly decline if government is out of it and the health care community takes over. Our economies, rights and fates have been tied for far too long to irresponsible, dangerous purveyors of prohibition. Marijuana showed the way. Ω
I think that any political ad that uses slander to get the point across is pretty disappointing because it defeats the purpose of politics and what they should be about. The ones between Rosen and Heller, just them going back and forth calling each other liars, it doesn’t really address any real issues that people are concerned about.
Merri Whitaker Disability pensioner
I can’t even say I’ve seen any, I don’t really watch TV, not that I pay attention to or remember.
PatriCk duff y Driver
I couldn’t pick one out, honestly. They’re all appalling if you ask me. Very few have been sharing what they’re for. It’s all about what they’re against. The governor seems to be the worst right now, and the senate position— just the ones between Heller and Rosen. It’s bad.
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4 | RN&R | 10.11.18
by SHEILA LESLIE
Policy drawn from fact, not fiction I’ve never understood why hitting an adult is considered a crime but hitting a defenseless child for misbehaving is just discipline. It seems we’ve yet to learn that punishing children by hurting them only perpetuates the idea that you can control people with violence. It’s shocking that corporal punishment in schools is still permitted in 19 states, although, thankfully, not in Nevada, where it has been prohibited by statute since 1993. The issue was in the news recently when a K-9 charter school, the Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics, decided to incorporate corporal punishment as part of their school’s disciplinary process. The school asked parents for their consent to punish children by hitting them up to three times with a wooden paddle. According to the school superintendent, about a third of the parents immediately returned the consent form approving the practice. Parents who disagree with the idea were told the school’s alternative punishment—a suspension of up to five
days—will be applied should their children misbehave. The school’s superintendent, Jody Boulineau, explained the school’s new direction by saying “In this school, we take discipline very seriously. There was a time where corporal punishment was kind of the norm in school, and you didn’t have the problems that you have.” One assumes the superintendent includes violence among the problems that “we didn’t use to have” when children could be beaten at school, but she’s misinformed. According to a study published last December in the Journal of Pediatrics, children who were “spanked, slapped or struck with an object as form of punishment when they were younger” have more of a tendency to engage in dating violence than those who were not physically disciplined. Other research has shown that corporal punishment can lead to mental health problems and aggression. But many school officials and parents in the 19 states that still allow corporal
punishment ignore the research in favor of their personal experience, along the lines of “I got slapped for talking back at school, and I turned out just fine.” Data shows that corporal punishment is more likely to be used on students with disabilities. Mississippi leads the nation in the percentage of students disciplined with violence, although one district banned the practice after a video showed a teacher dragging a special education student down a hallway by the hair. Other schools let students choose between paddling or a suspension. In March of this year, three students in a rural Arkansas school district were paddled as punishment for participating in the national school walkout to protest gun violence on campus. The irony of the punishment was not lost on one of the students, Wylie Greer, who said “The idea that violence should be used against someone who was protesting violence as a means to discipline them is appalling.”
Texas still allows corporal punishment in its schools, but more enlightened administrators in that state are implementing a three-year pilot program that triples recess time to give children an outlet for their fidgety behavior. Children at Eagle Mountain Elementary School used to get 20 minutes of recess a day, but now they get an hour of recess, broken into four 15-minute sessions, in addition to their lunchtime. The program is modeled on the practices of the school system in Finland where students excel in reading, math and science. Teachers in Texas say the extra recess has “transformed” their students, who are less distracted and easier to manage in the classroom. In Finland, research has shown that increasing recess also improves creativity and social skill development while it decreases behavioral diagnoses for anxiety, ADHD and anger. In this Trumpian anti-science era, parents would do well to insist that school districts rely on research for policy development and ignore the parental anecdotes. Ω
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by Dennis Myers
Whazzat?
Clark County Assemblymember John Hambrick touts his crime stance on his website.
Asked for his position on the danger of Nevada becoming like California, an “issue” in the governor’s race, Gov. Brian Sandoval told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “I honestly don’t know what that means.”
PHOTO/DENNIS MYERS
Fee Fight In Nye County, the county government has been collecting money from marijuana shops in unincorporated towns. Former Amargosa Valley Town Board member John Bosta read the statute that covers the matter and felt the county’s action in collecting the taxes and fees violates the law. The county disagreed and continued the practice. The legislative counsel—lawyer to the Nevada Legislature—has now issued an opinion taking Bosta’s side. The county is mulling over the opinion. However, opinions issued by the legislative counsel are not binding on public agencies. They get their legal advice from elected district attorneys, the state attorney general or counsel of their own. Bosta has quite a history. He’s currently in court challenging state water law on the basis of the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought what is now Nevada into the union—and he organized an effort that led to an elected instead of appointed Amargosa town board.
Musk helps shareholders On Aug. 7, Tesla exec Elon Musk tweeted, “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured,” prompting a frenzy in Tesla shares that got worse with three other Musk tweets egging the market on. The Securities and Exchange Commission was not amused, filing a Sept. 27 suit to have Musk removed as chair and CEO of Tesla, bar him from heading any publicly traded company and impose fines. Shares were in a tailspin. There was a reported settlement of a $10 million fine, with Musk keeping his CEO gig but stepping down as chair for two years, a settlement the Tesla board rejected. A day later, a repentant board made contact with the SEC seeking a new deal. That deal, as finally drafted, included Musk departing as chair for three years and paying a $20 million fine, plus the corporation paying its own $20 million fine and adding two independent—independent, presumably, of Musk—directors to the board and an independent chair. Oh, and the corporation would curb Musk’s communications, including his use of social media. Before the day was out, Musk tweeted a shot at the SEC: “Just want to [sic] that the Shortseller Enrichment Commission is doing incredible work. And the name change is so on point!” Shares nosedived again. He kept tweeting into the night, and shares kept falling. The settlement still needs court approval, and Tesla is seeking a new chair, being described variously in financial news reports as a manager, babysitter and an adult.
—Dennis Myers
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Running for sheriff Nevada’s still locking them up a think tank—this time the Crime and Justice Institute—has told Nevada what it has known for decades. The state puts more people in prison than, well, almost anywhere. The study, the latest in a long line of such studies, was commissioned by the State of Nevada. On one occasion in the 1990s, a U.S. Department of Justice survey indicated that Nevada taxpayers pay more per capita than any in the nation for their prison costs. At another point, Nevada Supreme Court Justice Charles Springer, then a member of an in-state study panel, said the state imprisons at a higher rate than any known government in human history. Yet it is seldom an issue in state political campaigns. Rather, it’s likely that such campaigns are a factor in driving Nevada’s high rate of incarceration, since state legislative and even judgeship candidates run on “tough on crime” platforms. For decades, and particularly since the turbulent 1960s, state legislators
have regularly enacted laws creating new crimes, increasing penalties to existing crimes, and making parole more difficult to get. Paradoxically, criminal justice experts say these steps seldom contribute to reducing repeat offenses. But then, that may not be the purpose of these laws. The purpose may be political, and, if so, it seems to work admirably, continuing to drive the enactment of more and more such laws. In one judgeship campaign against incumbent Tom O’Donnell in Clark County in 1975, rough television commercials accused O’Donnell of being soft on crime. While the camera panned over a list of names, the narrative went, “These are the rapists, robbers, murderers and thieves put back on our streets to terrorize.” In that case, O’Donnell survived and was reelected. Not all candidates are so lucky. And many of those who go through such campaigns get the message, and it affects their performance in office.
There has been one technique that helped slow the expenditure of taxpayer dollars on these measures. The state in the late 1980s and early ’90s was nearly at a point where it would be building a prison a year. That was when Republican Sue Wagner and Democrat Robert Sader became chairs of the two legislative judiciary committees—Sader in the Assembly, Wagner in the Senate. Until then, each tough-on-crime bill had been scrutinized individually. There was no cumulative assessment of all the criminal justice bills in a legislative session to determine their fiscal impact. Sader and Wagner held all the measures as a group so their committees could examine the cost to taxpayers of the pieces of legislation together. Wagner said the state’s criminal justice practices “ate up a lot of money that could be spent better on education or a variety of other things.” “It was the first time anybody had ever really done anything to try to systematically figure out what impact this was going to have,” she said in her 2005 oral history. “Before then, everybody said, ‘Oh, good, it’s going to go from a misdemeanor to a felony.’ Well, that’s like going from a county jail to the state prison system. In addition to that, if you go from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor to a felony, there are all these other implications, and people don’t think about that. They just think that they want to be tougher than the next person.” Sader said the impact of the cumulative assessment was that the state was able to avoid building one planned prison. The technique was successful enough that it was assumed, in some circles, that it would be continued. But Wagner was elected lieutenant governor, and Sader retired from legislative service. And turnover both in population and in office-holding in Nevada is such that institutional memory is severely lacking. The legislative staff did not inform new lawmakers of previous practices in running committees. Mark James, who later chaired Senate Judiciary, said he had never heard
of the Wagner/Sader practice. As a result, lawmakers returned to assessing each bill for its fiscal impact individually. In this year’s election, while there are a few campaigns using tough-on-crime rhetoric, most candidates are unusually restrained in such verbiage. Most campaign websites focus more on day-to-day concerns of voters like schools and taxes, which may bode well for the kind of bills that will be introduced at the 2019 legislature. The Crime and Justice Institute has one finding that is striking—that the number of women in prison is on the rise. Though the percent of women in Nevada prisons is still low, it is rising quickly—39 percent in the last decade. Of even greater concern is why they are there. CJI analyst Alison Silveira told the Nevada Commission on the Administration of Justice last month that almost 80 percent of women in prison are there for non-violent offenses, and about half of them have mental health problems. In addition, about half of them have no previous felonies. The difficulties candidates face in navigating these issues can be seen in a
reader comment posted by a David Depp on a Nevada Appeal report about Silveira’s testimony: “Street criminals and thugs are no longer scared of the court system as they know if they are arrested, they will be out of jail quickly, no matter how many dozens of times they have been arrested for a felony. They have been emboldened and are more dangerous than ever. We need tough-on-crime judges and sentencing to the max and no more plea deals— tell me you’re guilty, and I’ll give you a fine and send you on your way. Arrest, convict, incarcerate. Save our neighborhoods and the lives of the addicts. Elect hard-on-crime judges. Don’t believe them—look at their records.” One interesting feature of the CJI report is a flow chart that shows the rise of Nevada incarcerations. The chart lacks vertical grids, but it appears that from about 2007 to 2014 the state’s behavior changed. Incarcerations fell from about 2007 to 2009, then rose—but at a lower rate of increase than normal—until about 2013. Then it fell again for about a year. The report does not account for this anomaly. Ω
A lack of institutional memory was a pitfall.
Full circle
A prayer circle was held in front of the Reno federal building on Oct. 8 to mark Indigenous People’s Day, a commemoration begun by the American Indian Movement. The crowd numbered about 60. Last year, the Nevada Legislature approved an amended measure to make Indigenous People’s Day a day of observance in Nevada, though it designated Aug. 9 for the purpose. As originally introduced, the commemoration would have replaced Columbus Day on Oct. 8. Photo/Kris Vagner
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Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful is a 501( c ) 3 nonprofit dedicated to creating a cleaner, more beautiful region through active community involvement and education.
BOOKS Big Brothers Big Sisters 8262122 Washoe County Libraries
CARPET Habitat for Humanity 323-5511
Recycling Guide
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Home Depot locations H2O Environmental 351-2237
Target locations Office Max locations
MEDICAL WASTE
New2U Computers 329-1126 Intelligent Lifecycle Solutions 391-1319
Visit us at
ktmb.org/recycle for our CLOTHING
H&M locations St. Vincent’s 322-7073
ANTIFREEZE
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APPLIANCES
Western Metals Recycling 358-8880 Schnitzer Steel 331-2267
MERCURY Johnstone Supply 398-4750 H2O Environmental 351-2237
OIL Kragen Auto Parts 853-8770 Jiffy Lube 747-7111
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS Reno Police Dept. 334-2175 Join Together Nevada 324-7557
SCRAP METAL
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Empire Waste Systems 831-2246 Rubbish Runners 376-6162
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Schnitzer Steel 331-2267
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Down to Earth Composting 476-2332
Reno Bike Project 323-4488 Kiwanis Bike Program 3371717
Report illegal dumping by calling (775) 329-DUMP (3867) or through Washoe County Sheriff’s Office mobile APP: WCSO
Washoe County Health District 328-2434
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Find out where to recycle or properly dispose of unwanted CD/DVD/VHS PLAYERS items in the Truckee Gospel Mission 323-7999 Meadows. NV Recycling 888-9888 Businesses may charge for disposal services or will only take commercial customers. Please call individual businesses for details.
Western Metals Recycling 3588880
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Drop off recyclables (glass, cans, plastic, bottles, newspaper, phone books, office paper, & cardboard) at Waste Management Recycle America Stations: 1100 E. Commercial Row, Reno 1455 E. Greg. St., Sparks
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Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful | P.O Box 7412, Reno NV 89510 | (775) 851-5185 | www.ktmb.org | staff@ktmb.org
8 | RN&R | 10.11.18
tahoe
by Terra Breeden
e m a i l @ne w s re v i e w . c o m
Hasty Team members practice jumping from a helicopter into Pyramid Lake.
to the quick Hasty Team Leaping from helicopters, repelling off cliffs, hiking into the wilderness and negotiating white water—this is just a sample of the lengths to which the Hasty Team goes to pull off daring rescue missions in Washoe County. Founded in 1971, the Hasty Team is a search and rescue unit of highly-trained volunteers who serve Washoe County and its neighboring areas. In 2016, the nonprofit organization, which is partnered with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department, completed 162 rescue missions and saved county residents an estimated $645,126 in tax dollars. “We are on-call 24/7 and able to respond whenever there is an urgent need,” said Randy Malm, team member and treasurer. The roughly three dozen team members are experts in different disciplines. They’re divided into specialized teams, including backcountry, hoist (a helicopter rescue team that works with Washoe County’s Regional Aviation Enforcement Unit, a.k.a. RAVEN), technical (rope rescue), dive (underwater rescue and recovery) and swift water rescue. Members participate in hundreds of hours of training per year. This fall has been a particularly busy time for the team. Autumn brings cooler weather and time for hiking without the summer crowds. Many people venture into the mountains this time of year and are sometimes ill-prepared for the elements. “People want to be out in the backcountry right now and hike before the snow comes,” Malm said. In September, team members worked 25 days of the month and responded to three different emergency calls concerning lost hikers on the 30th alone.
Photo CoURtESY hAStY tEAM
One woman took a hard fall near Thomas Creek and severely injured her hip, making it impossible to walk. While Hasty volunteers were making their way to her location they received another call. A trail runner had gotten lost on Mt. Rose. “He was so far into the backcountry that RAVEN had to land a half mile away and hike to him,” said team member and rescue technician Bill Macaulay. In the Hunter Creek area, a woman wandered far from the main trail. She wasn’t prepared or knowledgeable of the area, so she placed a 911 call. The Hasty Team located her in the backcountry and hiked her back to safety. “Some people wait too long,” Macaulay said. “But she made the right choice to call 911 and get rescued.” The team trains every Thursday in areas like Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe, rotating through different disciplines to ensure members are prepared for any emergency. Volunteers practice jumping from helicopters and rafting in whitewater. They train with drills like blacking out their masks, cutting off oxygen, or tying their fins together so they can’t swim. As a nonprofit, the Hasty team relies on community donations and grants to fund its operations. One challenge is making sure their rescue equipment is up-to-date. “As technology increases, there is all this new equipment and the cost of what we do is expensive,” Malm said. “But we want to do this job as well as we can, and we’re committed to having the right equipment and training.” “I feel like it’s what God made me for,” Macaulay said. “This is what I am good at and have a passion for and being able to rescue people, or do recoveries and bring closure to the families, is really rewarding.” Ω Learn more about the hasty team here: bit.ly/2PoGJqF.
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A n e w c ont e st from the rn& r . . . Maybe you’ve got a story that’s funny— now. Or perhaps yours is a Red Badge of Courage kinda tale. And while only around half of the population can expect a visit from Aunt Flo every single month (for years on end), we know women aren’t the only ones who ride the crimson tide. So whomever you might be—a dad, a friend, a teacher, a spouse—if you’ve got a menstruation story, share it.
Here’s a sample: It was Easter Day, 1995. I was 10 years old. My satin dress was light pink. The stockings were white. For holidays, my cousin—two years my junior—and I always had matching dresses. But things were different than in years past. My cousin and I no longer looked like twins. And the cause—the onset of my puberty— had become a regular source of contention between us. She’d been envious of the training bra I’d needed the year before and of every inch I’d shot up during a growth spurt. Now, all of this was exacerbated by the one-inch “high” heels my mother provided to accompany my ’95 Easter dress, different than her flat ones. The situation was not helped by my proclamation that I would much prefer to hide eggs that year than hunt them. Looking back, I see how I lorded my “growing up” over my cousin a bit. The youngest of four sisters, I wanted desperately to be one of “the big girls,” as the adults in my family called them. When I went to the bathroom after the “little kids” hunted Easter eggs and discovered a bright red stain on my white stockings, I knew what it meant. The biggest sign of my impending “womanhood” had arrived. For some reason, I had no desire to lord it over my cousin.
10 | RN&R | 10.11.18
Stories ,
period. Your first, your worst, your latest, your last—tell us your stories about menstruation.
We’ll publish our favorite entries, and there will be a chance for writers to read their entries aloud to an audience at “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”—an event we’re hosting on Nov. 4 in conjunction with the Holland Project and Planned Parenthood Nevada.
stories can be any length less than 500 word. If you’re writing about someone else, Do not include that person’s name. Please email submissions to contest@newsreview.com and include the subject line “stories, period.” Put each story in the body of an email, because we won’t open strange attachments. we require the author’s name, email address and phone number listed above each story. (that stuff won’t count toward your word count, and we’ll remove it before judging.) titles are acceptable, though not required, and won’t affect word count.
storIes must be receIveD before 9:01 A.m. on oct. 18.
The
by bob ConRad
Undercover officer James Hoff was murdered on June 25, 1979.
killing of a few events have shocked Northern Nevada as much as the 1979 murder of an undercover officer
R
cop These traits helped land him on death row within a year of coming to Reno. Olausen was one of four involved with the killing of undercover Reno Police Officer James Hoff. His family is still trying to reckon with how he took part in a heinous murder. Today, Olausen is holed up in the Nevada prison system. He’s serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole and has been in prison for all of his adult life. He’s been calling me from prison on and off for the past year. Olausen, his family and his advocate, Debbie Sinclair, have been trying to tell Olausen’s part of the story in the Hoff killing for decades. It’s a story, they say, that has been incomplete in mainstream news coverage since the day everything went down: June 25, 1979.
eno, Nevada in the 1970s was much smaller than it is today. The city’s 1970 population of about 72,000 pales to today’s count of more than 245,000 citizens. But Reno then, as now, was also a draw for lowskilled, blue collar labor. Just about anyone could move to Reno and find work that paid enough to get by— as a dishwasher, a dealer or a cab driver. It was this lure for fast, easy money that drew one young man to Reno in 1979. Just out of high school, but without a diploma, John Steven Competing Olausen struggled to The convicted learn. He had a learning naRRatives perpetrators disability, dyslexia, that Few events have shocked hampered his ability to insist they were this community as much understand the basics. as the murder of the set up, acted in A February 1974 33-year-old undercover report by the Chico, officer in 1979 near self-defense, California school district Idlewild Park. Hoff’s noted Olausen’s erratic and that their legacy as a fallen officer learning behavior while still resonates with the sentences were in middle school: “It Reno Police Department. appears that he has some Olausen, Edward overly harsh. feelings of inadequacy Tom Wilson, Fred concerning his inability Stites and David Lani to compete academically were each convicted with his peers, and he is of killing Hoff. How they became murderers reaching out for help,” wrote school psychology remains in dispute. test administrator David Pitt. “In his social reacAndy Boles, a retired lieutenant for the Reno tions, Steve expects immediate gratification of Police Department, wrote a book, Piercing the his desires. He appears withdrawn and is turned Lion Heart, about Hoff’s death. The book illusinward when he encounters stress. However, he trates at least two versions of how Hoff died. In is now reaching out for help.” the official version, Hoff was an undercover cop Olausen, at 18, was caught between his on major drug bust. Law enforcement and the parents during an ugly divorce. He was easily district attorneys to this day want his killers to influenced but not a troublemaker. Friends said remain in prison. he would do anything for anyone at any time.
Boles’ book also tells the story of the four perpetrators who were found guilty of killing Hoff. They insist they were set up, acted in self-defense, and that their sentences were overly harsh. “I think those boys got a raw deal,” said Boles, who, as an officer transplanted from California to Reno, helped search for the young men the day Hoff was killed. Neither version of events is completely clean. Boles says some of the key evidence is missing from the case. RPD’s role, he explains, has never received scrutiny.
the deal Wilson and Olausen, who had just turned 18, got jobs soon after arriving in Reno. After working in maintenance for three weeks at the then Reef Hotel, both were fired. They were doing a lot of partying at the time, drinking and smoking marijuana. Because they were getting a free room as part of the job, they effectively became homeless upon being laid off. “We were taken advantage of,” Olausen told police. “The work that [the Reef’s manager] wanted to have done was done, and that was all he wanted out of us. He didn’t pay Tom, so we went to the Labor Board.” Wilson was regarded as the ringleader of the four, but prosecutors would later say that
Olausen’s constant presence alongside Wilson meant that he was a major co-conspirator. Upon getting canned from the Reef, they both headed farther west on Fourth Street and crashed with Lani, then 16, and Stites, 18, at the El Tavern Motel, a weekly that stands to this day. Their stay with the pair was for only a few days while Wilson began working on a drug scheme to get money. Instrumental in that scheme was a Reno police informant, Lynn Stefansky. She had been arrested by RPD on an extradition warrant from California for possession of stolen property and drug possession. Also a former prostitute, she became close with officers and helped them with drug cases. Stefansky, then 23, viewed Wilson and Olausen as younger siblings. “I have a brother their age, and I sort of took them under my wing,” she said. “I thought of them as kids.” Also living at the Reef, Stefansky put Wilson in touch with Hoff, whom she said was a freelance photographer and a drug dealer. While then-District Attorney Cal Dunlap would later assert, based upon testimony from jailhouse informants, that the crew knew Hoff
“the killing of a Cop” continued on page 12
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“The killing of a cop” continued from page 11
was an undercover cop, they deny it to this day. Statements given at the time show they suspected it was a possibility, but their agreed-upon intent was to rob a drug dealer. “None of those boys knew they were killing a cop,” Boles said. “If anyone suggests otherwise, they need to do more research than I have done. But they did kill a cop, and there’s still a lot of bad blood out there.” The exchange between Hoff and Wilson was to be 10 ounces of heroin for $16,000. Hoff’s stepbrother, Dennis George, said this was the largest deal of its kind in the history of RPD. That amount in 1979 is about $56,000 today. Through Stefansky, Wilson and Hoff agreed to meet. Their second meeting, at about 1 a.m. on Monday, June 25, 1979, was to be the exchange.
The seTup The setup, in hindsight, was rife with 1970s clichés. Nixon’s war on drugs was in full effect, and, culturally, the emergence of personalities like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in popular culture had many, including Lani and Stites, fascinated with martial arts. They wore their hair long and shaggy. A piece of evidence used against them was nunchucks found in Hoff’s car, presumably brought by the four young men to the scene. In reality, they were wooden dowels connected with a hardware store chain and covered in electrical tape. On RPD’s side, the $16,000 cash was not so creatively stashed in what appeared to be a homeembroidered bag with a pot leaf and the word “STASH” in all capital letters. The “drugs” on the buy was a bag full of baking powder. The naive and troubled men had fabricated their part of the deal and wrongly assumed they might get away with it. The four were going to rob Hoff and travel and party with the $16,000. Lani would later testify that he believed Hoff was a dope dealer, but not just any dope dealer: He dealt heroin to children. “Tom [Wilson] said that Jim [Hoff] was into murder and was a pusher, and he pushed heroin to anything that would buy it … no matter what age,” Olausen told police. If there was any trouble, they were armed. Lani and Stites each had large knives from Stites’ job as a casino cook at the Eldorado Hotel Casino. Olausen had a buck knife in his back pocket. At the appointed time, Wilson and Hoff were driving around Reno, allegedly to shake off any possible police that may have been following them. The other three laid in wait near the river expecting the deal to go down about midnight. Then they left. “We happened to see some car—a car earlier in that area, and it shut off its lights and sat there for a long time,” Lani testified. “It turned on its lights and took off. So we decided not to do it. We really didn’t think we were going to do it in the first place.” 12 | RN&R | 10.11.18
They went back to their room at the El Tavern. But when Wilson discovered them back at the room, he ordered them back across the river to the appointed location. The three went back into hiding at the river off Idlewild Drive. Wilson and Hoff eventually drove down a dirt road, off Idlewild Drive, toward the Truckee River and then walked on a path toward an old pump house. Lani, Stites and Olausen were hiding under a plank by the pumphouse. Wilson and Hoff walked right by them. Then all hell broke loose. Hoff ended up being stabbed to death, but how it all happened remains disputed. The four who participated said they had been smoking pot and drinking prior to the incident. Their statements to police and in court contradicted one another. Court documents and police statements show what might have happened. Wilson said Hoff confronted him, never identified himself as a police officer, and a fight ensued. Hoff’s stepbrother George says Hoff did identify himself as an officer and that Wilson had told Hoff he had a gun. Here’s what Wilson said at the time: “I told Hoff that I didn’t want him to bring any guns when he had two of them. When I was fighting him for over a minute, before he almost cut my throat, he could of told us he was a cop but didn’t.” Hoff and Wilson battled for up to a minute. Lani pounced and stabbed Hoff after Wilson called for help from the other three who were hiding under the plank. “I’m going to fucking kill you,” someone, presumably Hoff, yelled. Shocked at what he had done, Lani would later testify, he ran from the scene. At that point, Stites joined the fracas at Wilson’s command and stabbed Hoff while Wilson was holding him. Stites also quickly left, and then Olausen said he emerged with the buck knife. He said he did not see Stites or Lani stabbing Hoff, but when he arrived Hoff was bloody and pleading for help. Olausen approached with his buck knife. Hoff, still alive, grabbed Olausen and knocked the knife out of his hand. Stites would later say Olausen also participated in the stabbing. Olausen denies it and says he was ordered by Wilson to cut Hoff’s throat. He did not. Here’s what Olausen told police at the time: “I guess he realized he was dying, and Tom said ‘stop,’ you know, the damage’s done. I couldn’t handle seeing him, you know, seeing him in any more pain, and I knew that his wounds were violent. I mean he was going to die, and so I told him to lay there, so they wouldn’t come back and hurt him.” Hoff stopped breathing. Wilson and Olausen then put him in the vehicle Hoff was driving. They went back to the El Tavern, got Lani, took a sheet from a mattress to cover Hoff’s body, then they proceeded to Verdi, onto Dog Valley road, and buried Hoff’s body in a ditch along the road in California. Police were tailing Hoff most of the night and sporadically lost contact with him. An audio device that was meant to document the deal repeatedly failed. Officers lost visual and
Edward Tom Wilson is one of four men who were convicted of murdering James Hoff.
audio contact with Hoff during key points of the night. “You never let money walk, and you never lose contact with your undercover guy,” Boles explained. “You always keep him in sight and within earshot. Jimmy was a tough guy and did whatever he could to survive, but he had no cover. When it all came to the showdown, he had no cover, and that’s just inexcusable.” Retired Sparks policeman Frank Torres, a close friend and colleague of Hoff’s, agrees. “It was totally out of the realm of how they should’ve conducted that case,” Torres said. “That case should’ve never went the distance it did. The supervisor that night never should’ve let him do what he did. There was no lighting; there wasn’t shit.” Hoff’s body was found by police within a day. Lani and Stites hightailed it to Las Vegas and spent their newly acquired cash partying. They then went to Oklahoma and were arrested while deboarding their bus from Vegas. Olausen and Wilson were also quickly arrested. They soon found out they had taken part in killing a police officer.
The charges A chief complaint about the case by the defendants—being sentenced for kidnapping Hoff. The prosecution implied that Hoff was stabbed again in the car after the deadly fight near the Truckee River. The proof? The motel bedsheet in which Hoff’s body was wrapped. Dunlap went to pains to explain to three judges that Hoff was stabbed again after he was loaded in the car. Slash marks in the sheet, he said, lined up with wounds. The medical examiner also suggested that’s what happened, and that Hoff could have
been alive for up to 20 minutes after the fatal fight at the river. Not true, the young men said. Dunlap, however, raised the question during their sentencing hearing. A mattress in their room had stab holes in it. “Wasn’t that a dress rehearsal where you would get the feel of stabbing someone?” Dunlap asked Lani. “No, sir,” Lani replied. He and Stites said they were “playing martial arts games.” Wilson concurred. “There was a mattress … that had holes in it from those knife punctures they put in it screwing around, and the sheet that was found around Hoff where he was buried was the sheet that was on the bed or mattress that was punctured with the same holes and the mattress holes [were] exact,” Wilson wrote. “They say the stab wounds fit with the sheet’s, which is a big lie.” Olausen was also questioned by police about the mattress and sheet. “There’s three holes in that sheet, knife holes, corresponding wounds underneath it,” RPD detectives told Olausen. “When did those happen? And who did those?” Olausen said he didn’t know. The detectives accused him of lying. “How did those holes get in that sheet?” they repeated. “I don’t know,” Olausen answered. “I swear, I don’t know.” Olausen repeatedly said he never stabbed Hoff, but his buck knife was later found with what was considered to be a small amount of blood on it, causing the detectives to assert the buck knife was used to stab Hoff in the car. The two butcher knives were retrieved near the scene. “Maybe I can clear this up,” Olausen explained to detectives. “If you go back to the El Tavern, there’s a bed and it has stab holes in it. That’s the sheet we took.”
The mattress was never used as evidence and is not part of the case’s record at the Washoe County courthouse. The sheet is still in custody along with Hoff’s clothes and the knives.
A legAl slog Nevada law states that those who assist with crimes such as murder are just as guilty as those who actually commit the acts of the crime. All four of Hoff’s killers are alive and in prison because they pleaded guilty to Hoff’s death. Olausen, upon arrest, cooperated with police and offered to take them to where Hoff was buried. He gave statements without the presence of an attorney. Then public defender Fred Atcheson tried to intervene but was escorted out of the Reno jail by sheriff’s deputies. He would later pen an article decrying his treatment at the hands of law enforcement. “I was ordered out of the Reno City Jail by jail personnel at the direction of Mills Lane,” Atcheson said. “This rude ejection came during my initial interview with Olausen, a young man charged with murder.” After a judge’s order, Atcheson was allowed back into jail trying to represent Olausen. “Several hours of turmoil expended,” he recalled. “I returned to the jail and discovered that the young man had given a statement upon the promise of a county lawyer and police that the state would not seek the death penalty if he cooperated.”
Months later, Olausen and Wilson were sentenced to death. Lani and Stites got life without the possibility of parole. Wilson, who remains on death row, said from the beginning his legal representation was lousy. “If I have to get some rotten lawyer that at least is telling me the truth, I’ll take him even if it costs me my life,” he complained to his father in a letter after he was arrested. He has appealed his conviction, unsuccessfully. Olausen and his family also said their representation, by then attorney Steve Forman, was inadequate. Dunlap, during their sentencing hearing, acknowledged that Olausen had cooperated, and he reminded the court that they had no legal obligation to give Olausen a death sentence. He requested death for Stites, Wilson and Lani. “I ask that those verdicts be death for David Lani, death for Fred Stites, and most of all, for the Brutus, the Rasputin, death for Tom Wilson,” Dunlap asked the three-judge sentencing panel. The judges mostly agreed. A legal slog surrounding the case continues through today. Olausen successfully appealed his death conviction in 1989. The Nevada Supreme Court ultimately agreed his representation was poor because Forman did not present “a large body of mitigating evidence, coupled with [Forman’s] egregious remarks before the sentencing panel,” according to the judges. Forman championed the district attorney’s position when he said: “I certainly hope the court
hasn’t been offended by possibly my curt attitude with regard to Mr. Olausen, but I think this court has a duty to law enforcement, has a duty to the prosecution to weigh this case from a legal standpoint.” Forman continued his sterling advocacy with the thought that: “I’m sure friends of Officer Hoff—I’m sure if it was my friend, I would want them dead.” Olausen continues to appeal kidnapping and robbery charges, for which he’s still serving a life sentence. He’s twice been denied parole by the Nevada Pardons Board. The Washoe County DA’s office continues to fend off his legal filings. Of the four, Lani, who delivered the first knife blow to Hoff, may see life outside prison. Because of his age at the time, 16, he is eligible for parole, but he escaped prison after his original sentencing and has to serve additional time.
A legAcy The killing of Officer Hoff permanently changed the Reno Police Department, which had to improve policies for undercover work so officers would be protected in the future. Hoff’s name is enshrined on a permanent memorial in Idlewild Park. Each May, law enforcement from around the state pay tribute there to fallen officers. There’s a scholarship named after Hoff at the University of Nevada, Reno, and his sacrifice is forever embedded into the legacy of the police department. Reno Police Chief Jason Soto cited his name in tribute upon becoming chief earlier this year.
Hoff’s killers claim there is more to how he died. Andy Boles, the retired police lieutenant, set out to tell more of the story in his book. “This is a popular story about a cop being killed, and nobody’s wanted to hear the rest of the story,” he warned me. “Everything went wrong. I’m not saying they are good guys, and I’m not saying they were wrongfully convicted, but they were entitled to a much more serious and deeper process than what they got.” Hoff’s family members, however, are still waiting for justice. They attend the annual peace officers memorial in May. “The value is the entire community acknowledging and expressing appreciation for the people who put their lives on the line for us every day,” said Hoff’s stepbrother George. “The foundation formed to honor all peace officers.” The ultimate raw deal, he maintains, was his family losing a highly regarded brother and a son in the line of duty. “It was extremely hard on Jimmy’s mother,” George said. “She was very upset that the death penalty hadn’t been completed before she died. It’s been very difficult to accept.” George says he raises their concerns about the legal system with elected officials whenever he can. “How can this be?” he said. “How can any law-abiding entity allow this to continue? It’s just nonsensical.” Ω
This story was produced in collaboration with the news website ThisisReno.com
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Wall wall to
A scholarly exhibition brings a long-forgotten photographer into the present
i
by Kris Vagner
n an era when photos are snapped and shared by the billions and much of human interaction takes place over WiFi, I sometimes wonder whether there’s much reason to look at art photography in a gallery anymore when it often looks so good online. For a few years now, I’ve been on the brink of concluding that a visit to a gallery to see a photo exhibition could start to feel irrelevant to anyone besides diehard photography fans. But Nevada Museum of Art curator Ann Wolfe has thought this all through carefully, and just as U2 made giant stadiums feel like they’re the right size for a concert, Wolfe and her colleagues have made the museum feel like the right context for photography with the scholarly exhibition Anne Brigman: A Visionary in Modern Photography. There are no giant LED video screens or laser shows like at a U2 show. There’s nothing flashy at all, in fact. But, where a museum’s resources could have been easily used to protect the rarity of a body of artwork or keep it on a pedestal, in this show, those resources are put to work making a long-forgotten artist from a distant time seem relatable. And in the midst of #MeToo and the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, the artist’s subject matter of choice— women’s bodies—rings more than just relatable. While the images look antique, the more I dove in, the more threads I found that felt downright current.
an adVenturer at heart You’re not a philistine if you haven’t heard of Anne Brigman. She was widely published in her day, but she’s only now getting her due from art historians. She was born in 1869 and raised in Hawaii. At 24, she married a Danish sea captain. She took up photography in 1901, at age 32. That year, a magazine ad for a Kodak camera was more likely to depict a woman than a man, and the ad copy was likely to focus on how simple the cameras were to use. 14 | RN&R | 10.11.18
For much of her life, Brigman lived in Oakland, so that she and her husband could be near a major shipping port. She often joined him on long ocean voyages. In one sense, Brigman’s work looks a lot like other photos taken at the time, when America had one foot in the reserved Victorian era and one foot in the bolder modern era. She shot soft-focus portraits of hard-edged men looking head-on at the camera and pictures of women in studios wearing theatrical costumes of all kinds, their glances often averted. Her specialty, though, was nudes in rugged landscapes, including the nearby Sierra. She was often her own model and played with comparisons between the female form and nature, posing with gnarled tree trunks or aside rocky cliffs. These weren’t unusual subjects at the time, but it was unusual that a woman would be behind the camera. While domestic photography was wildly popular among women—and while Kodak advised women to shoot photos of their kids, gardens and day trips—the childless Brigman went much further afield, in both location and subject matter. “She was actually injured at sea,” Wolfe explained in an interview. “She fell into a hull, and her left breast was severed. Not only was she taking these photographs of herself, but she was taking photographs of herself as a wounded woman.” That, Wolfe said, was unheard of at the time. Brigman published photos, poems and articles in popular magazines and newspapers such as Camera Craft and the San Francisco Call. She often wrote about freedom and its importance to women. Her words and images encapsulated the feeling of the human soul and brain set free by a perfect day adventuring in the mountains with camera in hand. In one poem, she wrote, “I turned full force to the medium at hand and the beloved thing gave to me a power and abandon that I could not have had otherwise.” For a while, Brigman was included in the esteemed pool of photographers
Photographer Anne Brigman was often her own model and played with comparisons between the female form and nature, posing with gnarled tree trucks or aside rocky cliffs.
Anne BrigmAn: A VisionAry in modern photogrAphy And LAid BAre in the LAndscApe wiLL Be on exhiBit At the neVAdA museum of Art, 160 w. LiBerty st., through JAn. 27. reLAted progrAms incLude docent tours, Lectures, A onewomAn theAtricAL performAnce By Actor mAry Bennett on noV. 4, A winter soLstice yogA ceLeBrAtion on dec. 20 And A conVersAtion with LegendAry feminist Artist Judy chicAgo on JAn. 24. for detAiLs, Visit www.neVAdAArt.org.
whose work was shown in the New York gallery owned by Alfred Stieglitz, a giant of art photography at the time and an influential gallerist. Stieglitz only showed Brigman’s nudes—not her many studio shots, portraits or photos of landscapes without figures—and he likened artistic worth to its erotic potential. According to Wolfe’s wall text for the exhibition, Brigman saw her nudes through a different lens. To her, they told “a story of personal feminist struggle.”
In the midst of #MeToo and the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, the artist’s subject matter of choice— women’s bodies— rings more than just relatable. Stieglitz stopped championing Brigman’s work and sought other female artists whose work better fit his erotic imagination. He began representing Georgia O’Keefe, whom he later married. This story, Wolfe pointed out, is a good example of how canons are formed. They can be based as easily on arbitrary calls or personal tastes as artistic merit. “It’s a perfect example of how women are forgotten,” said Wolfe. “She’s forgotten for the next 50 years.”
Back in the spotlight This is where Wolfe comes in, and this is where it makes sense to tell Brigman’s story in a museum instead of on Instagram.
For starters, Wolfe undertook a dogged approach to unearth Brigman’s images and stories. This is the kind of thing for which you need major institutional backing. “I spent time with all the original material in London,” Wolfe said. ... “The George Eastman collection in Rochester [New York] has a lot of her negatives, and so a lot of her negatives that had never been published—or probably seen by anyone—we’ve reproduced, because it gives you an insight into her working process.” For the exhibition, the NMA borrowed about 70 prints from George Eastman, around 15 pieces that the Metropolitan Museum of Art long ago acquired from Stieglitz, and many materials from the Oakland Museum. “A lot of the writings between Brigman and Stieglitz went to the Beinecke Library at Yale, so I was there, too,” said Wolfe, adding that, for the first time, all of Brigman’s writings have been reproduced. This whole story could be told just fine in a book. In the show’s 400-page catalog and online, the pictures look pretty good. And to be fair to anyone who likes Instagram as a storytelling medium, Brigman’s images do reproduce well on a screen, which is good, because this exhibition, as extensive as it is, is not slated to travel, as some major NMA-originated exhibitions do. “These exhibitions that have loans from multiple places are extremely complex to organize, so it’s unlikely it’ll ever be together again,” Wolfe explained. But here’s why it works really well in the museum. For diehard photography fans, there’s nothing like the texture of an early20th-century platinum print in person. For everyone else, Wolfe has carefully excerpted just enough of the giant catalog’s scholarship, stories and biographical context to make Brigman relatable. I imagine that, to curators, the goal must often be to try to offer a variety of entry points into an artist’s work and life, and in this display, it really works. Ω
10.11.18 | RN&R | 15
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10/1/18 9:47 AM
The Generator is a Sparks community warehouse where artists work on a variety of projects—many of them large artworks constructed for exhibition at Burning Man. For example, “The Space Whale,” Matt Schultz’s large humpback whale mother and calf sculpture, built for Burning Man but now on display in the Reno city plaza, was built at the Generator. “Many people think we’re just a Burning Man thing, and, of course, that’s where we started, and that’s where our bread and butter is, and we’re always going to be here for all those artists, but we’re not only that,” Jessi “Sprocket” Janusee said. She’s a resident artist at the Generator and the nonprofit’s public programs and outreach coordinator. “We’re here for all of Reno—all of the greater community— Sparks, Tahoe, whatever.” The Generator will host its second annual Halloween miniature golf event. It started last year, according to Janusee, as a spur-of-the-moment idea for using art and construction supplies left over from Burning Man projects. “We make it out of our scrap materials, basically,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity. Last year, we decided to do it because we had so much left over after Burning Man. So, it’s a good way to put it all into something, make something with it, get a little bit of money and community outreach.” Last year’s theme was simply “haunted mini-golf”—so, it featured all the usual haunted house accoutrements, like glow-in-the-dark skeletons. But, this year Janussee decided to go with a more specific concept: “Jankytown,” and the theme of a classic Nevada ghost town. Some of the holes will include concepts
Artist and Generator worker Jessi “Sprocket” Janusee is shown here with Reno artist Killbuck’s creepy clown hole from last year’s mini-golf event. PHOTO/BRAD BYNUM
like Ghost Baby Manor, Crazy Cat Lady’s Shack and Janky Saloon. “I really wanted to make the saloon, so it’s also self-serving,” Janusee said. Many of the 70-odd resident artists of the Generator are contributing to the construction of the 18-hole course, but Janussee said she’s still accepting proposals for hole concepts from the community. (Interested artists can drop a line to outreach@therenogenerator.com.) The event will be held on two days, Oct. 27 and Oct. 31, from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. It will be all ages before 9 p.m., with candy, popcorn and juice boxes, and kid-friendly music. Janusee stressed how important the family-friendly aspect of the event was— providing a fun space for what she called “alternative families”—families with leftof-center cultural values or aesthetics, but who still valued a fun, safe environment. However, after 9 p.m., the event will become 21 and up only, with “half-naked costume contests” and other adult-oriented entertainment. She said the hole that will be labeled a hotel during family-friendly hours will become a brothel at night (not actually in operation, she was quick to clarify). The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Generator, but Janusee said it’s primarily a community outreach effort— inviting the community to play miniature golf on a bunch of goofy, funny, spooky holes built by local artists. “It’s an opportunity to see what we’re capable of, and meet our community and our extended family.” The artists built the course’s putters last year, but purchased the golf balls. “The golf balls are haunting us,” Janusee said. “We’ll just find them randomly. It’s been a year, and we still just find them all over the place.” Ω The Generator, 1240 Icehouse Ave., Sparks, hosts Jankytown mini-golf on Oct. 27 and 31, 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. $5 advance, $7 in costume, or $10 without. For more information, visit www.therenogenerator.com.
by BoB Grimm
b g ri m m @ne w s re v i e w . c o m
SHORT TAKES
1
“Everyone’s finally going to know the name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.”
Rise to fame It’s movie magic at its most beautiful when Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga share the screen in A Star is Born. It’s a rousing remake of the old warhorse rise-to-fame story, and it’s easily the best movie with that title ever made. Considering it’s the fourth, it’s amazing how original the film feels. Cooper makes his feature directorial debut and stars as Jackson Maine, a Southern rocker barely getting through his gigs thanks to too much alcohol, too many pills and a nasty case of tinnitus. The film opens with Cooper live on stage belting out “Black Eyes,” a song that clearly states this movie means business on the musical front. Yes, that’s him singing live—none of that lip-synching bullshit here—and playing a pretty mean guitar. He brings a lot of legitimate musical soul to the role. And he damned well better, because his counterpart in this story is played by none other than Lady Gaga in her fierce feature lead debut. (She had bit parts in Sin City and Muppet movies.) As Ally, a waitress who sings occasionally at the local drag bar, Gaga delivers so well beyond expectations it seems impossible. She’s so good it hurts, especially in the film’s dramatic moments, of which there are many. After his opening concert performance (filmed at Coachella in 2017), Jackson heads to Ally’s drag bar and, through an alcohol haze, witnesses her stirring version of “La Vie En Rose.” He’s instantly convinced he’s witnessing a diamond in the rough and implores her to join him on the road. She makes an impromptu appearance on stage with him performing “Shallow,” a song they wrote in a grocery store parking lot together. She’s an instant smash, and the road to fame and fortune has begun for Ally. As this oft-told story goes, when the one star rises, the other falls, and Cooper (who co-wrote the screenplay) stays faithful to that theme. But while past incarnations have been a bit shmaltzy—Streisand’s ’70s take was pretty goofy—his take is gritty, intelligent, heartfelt and, at times, emotionally overwhelming. Gaga cries a bit in this movie, and you probably will, too.
Speaking of the Streisand version, Cooper’s film makes many obvious nods to it: Jackson’s Kris Kristofferson look, an examination of Gaga’s big beautiful nose (just like Streisand’s), and even a moment including fake eyebrows. (There are prominent eyebrow scenes in all of the versions.) Cooper acknowledges the prior films without stealing from them. Fans of the Streisand version will appreciate what they see here. Gaga allegedly campaigned for the music to be performed live, and this is a huge blessing, because nobody sings live like Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. What she does with tracks like “Shallow,” and the film’s closing number, “I’ll Never Love Again,” is the stuff of movie legend. And while this sort of magic is more or less expected from Gaga, to have Cooper up there, successfully trading musical punches with one of the best singers on the planet is some sort of musical miracle. Ally’s rise-to-fame story becomes a little predictable at times when her pop career takes off but not enough to hurt the movie or diminish the film’s instant classic status, especially in the realm of musicals. The songs, many of them crafted by Gaga and Cooper together, are the real deal. It was a lot of fun following this film’s production and reading about what inspired Cooper to make the movie and cast Gaga. It’s rare that a film lives up to the hype as this one has. Gaga is now a frontrunner for an acting Oscar, Cooper finds himself in the running for directing, and “Shallow” would seem predestined for an Original Song win. So, see this one knowing that the goosebumps will rise, the smiles will stretch your face muscles and the tears will flow. A Star is Born is one of the year’s best movies; Cooper and Gaga are one of the all-time great screen pairings. You’ll do yourself a disservice if you miss this one. Ω
A Star is Born
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Hell Fest
time. This contains the final score from the late Johann Johannsson, and it’s a doozy. It’s safe to say you have never really seen anything like this, and won’t again. (Available for digital download and rental during a limited theatrical release.)
Hell Fest is in the spirit of I Know What You Did Last Summer in that it rips off a lot of countless horror films that came before it, and it also sucks hard. Natalie (Amy Forsyth) joins some friends for an evening of terror as they attend an amusement park full of haunted houses, death mazes and masked cast members running around the park with a mandate to scare the shit out of them. Walking among the paid crew, wearing a mask and hoodie similar to many other characters in the park, is an anonymous man who isn’t going for makebelieve. He actually likes to really kill people with ice picks, mallets, guillotines, syringes and knives. Much of the action takes place in the dark, with flashing strobe lights and shades of red and backed by stock horror sound effects. There’s a pretty good reason why none of this is scary. Director Gregory Plotkin films in a way that renders the locales flat, cheap-looking and stagey, just like your average amusement park haunted house. Maybe this stuff is a little scary in real life, but is sitting in a movie theater watching folks enter into these themed rooms scary? No, not really.
2
4
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
This feels like a mishmash of many kidfriendly Halloween tales, and a messy mishmash at that. It wants to be Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket and Goosebumps all rolled up into one wacky movie. It’s all a little too much, and it falls apart in its final act. Granted, it’s based upon a novel published in 1973 so, really, the entities mentioned above maybe got inspired by author John Bellairs and his ways of spooking kids with words on paper. As for the cinematic punch, Bellairs and his tome were beaten to it, and this movie adaptation pulls a lot of style choices from films that came before it. If your kids go to this one and then request permission to watch other films by its director, beware, for it’s directed by Eli Roth, frequent purveyor of gross-out torture porn like Cabin Fever, Hostel and The Green Inferno. Roth can conjure some enjoyable elements within the realm of a PG movie, but he can’t quite wrangle all of the story elements together to deliver something that makes sense. While it does contain some genuinely creepy stuff, many of its attempts at frights with living dolls and scary pumpkins feel recycled. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett deliver fun performances as a warlock and semi-retired witch, but much of the film rests upon the young shoulders of Owen Vaccaro as Lewis, an orphan sent to live with his uncle Jonathan (Black) in a creepy house. Jonathan and his neighbor Mrs. Zimmermann (Blanchett) eventually start coaching the misfit Lewis in the powers of witchcraft, an offense that would get child services on their asses, even back in the ’50s when this film is set.
4
Mandy
It’s been a good year for gonzo Nicolas Cage. He got to go all psycho in Mom and Dad and now, courtesy of director Panos Cosmatos, he gets his best role in half a decade for this psychedelic ’80s horror throwback. Cage plays Red Miller, a lumberjack living a good life in the northwest with his wife, Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough). Their world is overturned by a Manson-like religious sect led by crazed prophet, Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache). Jeremiah wants to recruit Mandy for his cult, but when she has an unfavorable reaction to the folk album he recorded, things get really bad. Enter Cage in crazed/pissed mode, as the second half of the movie goes super crazy and super gory. This movie actually contains what will go down as one of the all-time great Cage moments: a bathroom tantrum that involves a Leaving Las Vegas-like vodka chug and crazed weeping on the toilet. It’s one of those movies where he’s allowed to do or say whatever pops into his head, and we get some great, weird lines out of him. We also get one of his most fiercely honest performances. His craziness and oddness are fueled by pure emotional destruction, and as “out there” as the movie gets, Cage somehow remains grounded in a consistent, flawless performance. Extra kudos to Roache, who does evil cowardice well, and Riseborough, who makes quite the impression in her abbreviated screen
Maniac
Here’s another Netflix series that plays like a long, but really good, movie. Jonah Hill and Emma Stone reteam (after Superbad) as two mentally exhausted individuals volunteering for pharmaceutical experiments that involve a lot more than simply taking pills. The premise, which allows for the Hill and Stone characters to essentially share dreams, places them inside different fantasy scenarios involving different people. Lemurs, Long Island, shootouts, odd dancing, seances, hawks and more play into those scenarios, all directed engagingly by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The different dreams have different styles, but Fukunaga keeps it all under control and unified. Stone is the true shining star here, especially in a sequence that places her in a Lord of the Rings type setting, one that her character’s true self can’t really stand. Hill plays it morose for much of the running time, which is necessary given his character’s state, but does get a decent amount of opportunities to go crazy when his character morphs into different people. Justin Theroux is fantastic as a pathetic doctor, as is Sally Field as his famous mother. In fact, Field has some of the series’ best moments, no surprise given that it’s the legendary Sally Field. If you are looking to binge, this is a safe bet. (Available for streaming on Netflix.)
1
The Predator
Well, that does it. After decades of trying, it’s become definitively evident: Nobody seems to know how to make a decent Predator sequel. It’s not like the first film was a masterpiece. It was a goofy adventure pic featuring a superstar on the rise. Schwarzenegger, in fact, turned down a cameo in this latest franchise installment. The Predator, a movie that simply needed to be just OK to keep pace with the 1987 original, blows its chance. As for the Alien vs. Predator attempts? Let’s not go there. The Predator certainly had its reasons for getting us excited. Shane Black, who actually played the first character killed in this franchise 31 years ago, is its director. This is the man responsible for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys and Iron Man 3. That Iron Man 3 credit is the main reason to think Black would be a good pick to lead a beloved genre favorite back to greatness. Nope. In fact, The Predator actually represents a step backward from the extremely mediocre Predators (2010), the prior installment that squandered a decent idea with a cheap-looking film. The Predator is a lumbering stink bomb through and through.
2
Venom
This is a sometimes entertaining mess, but it’s still a mess. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: you shouldn’t have a Venom movie without Spider-Man playing into the comic villain’s backstory, somehow. Venom looks like Spider-Man in the comic because the symbiote fused with Peter Parker first, resulting in the “Spider-Man on steroids” look. This film has no Spidey. Sony has loaned out Spider-Man to Disney, and no Spidey means the monster needs a different origin. Now it’s a space alien that passes through an evil scientist’s lab, a space alien that still manages to look a little like Spider-Man, having never met the guy. Tom Hardy labors hard at playing Eddie Brock, an investigative reporter who’s infected by the symbiote and starts biting off people’s heads in PG-13 fashion. Brock winds up with Venom’s voice in his head and an ability to make Venom sort of a good/bad guy. It’s all kind of stupid, playing things mostly for laughs and squandering a chance for a real horror show. Some of the action and effects are pretty good, and Hardy gives it his all, but the film feels like a botch job pretty much from the start. Michelle Williams gets what might be the worst role of her career as Brock’s girlfriend, and Riz Ahmed plays the stereotypical villain. There are hints of something cool, but they are buried under a pile of muck.
10.11.18
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Transparent Refute Falungong’s Organ Rumor In August 2017, China’s Organ Donation and Transplantation Conference was held in Kunming. For the first time, the conference let foreign experts to visit the transplant hospital, the First People’s Hospital of Kunming and the Memorial Cemetery, they witnessed cases of helicopter transport of donated human organs, surgery for recipients, and random interviews with recipients. It is the first time that foreign experts have shown Chinese society’s donations and support for organ donation and transplantation, which has strengthened their confidence in China. China’s openness and transparency in organ donation and transplantation have once again refute Falungong’s organ rumor. Let us see how Falun Gong has made this farce and scam. Factual evidence shows that Falun Gong is totally fabricated. Since Falun Gong media first launched a rumor called “Sujiatun concentration camp” in March 2006,this rumor prompted an investigation by American consulate general in shenyang, but there is no evidence to support it. After that, CNN, The Associated Press, Washington Post, Reuters, Japan’s Asahi news, Ottawa citizen newspaper and other media were interviewed and reported in Sujiatun Thrombus Hospital, finally confirmed that the so-called “Sujiatun concentration camp” is completely faked, and the so-called “witness”, Anne and Peter were lying. Peter was a Chinese American, originally named John Carter, living in the United States. He worked for a church in San Francisco and was fired for theft in 2006, at the age of 44. Another “witness”, Annie was known as Anna Louise, of Canadian nationality. She was living near new Asia square in Ottawa, Canada, and has nothing to do with “sujiatun”.In 2006,she was 50 years old. The quantity shows that Organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners is entirely subjective After the rumor were thoroughly exposed, the falun gong colluded with former Canadian Secretary of State David Kilgour and lawyer David Matas facked Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China. accused of illegally harvesting organs from falun gong practitioners in July 2006. According to the data on the number of hospitals, the number of medical staff and beds in China, US journalist Ethan Gutmann release the Holocaust - Bloody Extraction report in conjunction with David Kilgour and David Matas in June 2016,reports that China has a yearly organ transplantation volume of as much as 60,000 to 100,000 and of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. The report also falsely accused that China has harvesting organs 1 million 500 thousand organs of Falun Gong since 2000.In the process of argument, they use a large number of unconfirmed rumors, and the correlation between their argu-
ments is subjective conjecture, mainly appealing to sensationalism rather than facts, with the intention of confusing audiovisual. It is noteworthy that this figure was introduced 10 times more than Gottman assumed in 2014, and the cumulative total number of organ extractions from 2000 to the present has increased to 1.5 million. This groundless statement immediately aroused the indignation of the authority and people in the world’s medical circles.In August 2016, at the 26th International Organ Transplantation Association (TTS) Congress in Hong Kong, Jose Nunez, a World Health Organization official in charge of organ transplantation projects, told reporters at home and abroad the rumor that China has a yearly organ transplantation volume of as much as 60,000 to 100,000 and of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners is untrustworthy. The legal system shows that Organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners is totally nonsense. Respect and protection of human rights is an important principle in China’s constitution.China’s criminal law also banned the illegal activities such as selling human’s organs, violators will be punished by law.Under the complete, openness, transparent and well-functioning legal system, it is impossible for China to have a huge underground living organ bank for organ transplantation, nor to slaughter “conscience criminals”.According to Falungong, the Chinese government massacres between 60,000 and 100,000 Falungong practitioners yearly for organ transplantation, and 1.5 million people have been massacred since 2000, but why can Falun Gong fail to give a real case? How can 1 million 500 thousand people evaporate? Why do so many governments, parliaments, international organizations and experts say that the “Falungong” argument is groundless? All this shows that the so-called “massacre” of the Chinese government are totally untrue, it’s just that a small number of anti-China forces have used the “Falun Gong” to slander China wantonly When the Global Times reporter asked about harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners at the meeting of Organ Donation and Transplantation Media in China,in August 5, 2017,professor Campbell Fraser and professor Huang Jiefu of Griffith University in Australia refuted the rumors with a large number of facts. Jose Nunez, the World Health Organization’s representative, added: “After the reform, I can go to any transplant patient’s ward and talk to them about their ideas or some of my concerns,although positive results have achieved, after all, China is a developing country with a population of 1.3 billion,we have to admit the fact that the inadequacies of the past have created the voice of such doubt. In order to deal with these problems in the future, we need to make China more openness, and admit that there are problems in some aspects, so in the future, we must be more openness, then we are able to gain the world trust, and find our own solutions.” In the final analysis, transparency is the best way to deal with gossip. I believe that with China’s more openness and transparent, rumors of harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners must be avoided.
A PAid AdveRTisemenT 18
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RN&R | 10.11.18
by Todd SouTh
An order of blistered shishito peppers is served with garlic aioli at Skyline Kitchen & Vine.
Small talk At loose ends and feeling a bit peckish, I invited a buddy to join me for drinks and small plates at Skyline Kitchen & Vine, an inviting and stylish “casual upscale” room you’d never know was formerly a neighborhood gas station and mini-mart. I ordered a beet martini ($11) with beet-infused vodka, lemon juice and ginger/citrus syrup. My pal tried a huckleberry hooch ($11) of huckleberry vodka paired with mint, lime juice and elderberry. Surprisingly, the sweet/sour/spicy combo transformed the earthiness of beetroot into something quite quaffable. Meanwhile, the hooch’s mix of fruit and herb notes was dangerously tasty, not too sweet and really refreshing. We selected a pair of three-taco plates ($12 each)—one steak, one calamari. The small, white corn tortillas stuffed with strips of tender grilled beefsteak, white cheddar, arugula and salsa verde were considerably spicy but had a nice, creamy finish. A little less satisfying were tacos with fried, breaded squid chopped up and mixed with Asian slaw and Sriracha. The squid wasn’t tough, but I think I would have preferred it grilled or stir-fried. The slaw was bland, and the flavors of breading and chili sauce were overpowering. Next up was an order of jumbo bison meatballs ($8.75) with roasted garlic, Parmesan, fried basil and arrabbiata sauce. We also ordered a bowl of blistered shishito peppers ($8.50) fried in duck fat and served with roasted garlic aioli. “Jumbo” apparently means just a bit larger than a golf ball, though the pair were pretty moist and flavorful. They were completely outshone by the sauce of garlic, tomato and dried red chili cooked in olive oil. They should include a few crusts of bread to sop up that delicious, spicy sauce. The mild peppers
PHOTO/ALLISON YOUNG
were very smoky, just a bit sweet and pleasantly enjoyable dipped in aioli. We went through ’em like a bowl of chips. Last, we chose the Skyline Pick 4 ($28 for any four small $5-$10 plates). We started with Crimini mushrooms stuffed with spicy chorizo, goat cheese and thyme ($7.75 for six); flank steak marinated in shoyu, cumin and cilantro and skewered with bell pepper, red onion and mushroom ($8.95 for two); Thai ginger/shoyu marinated chicken wraps with butter lettuce, shredded carrot, cilantro and rice noodle ($8.95 for two); and prosciutto wrapped asparagus with Parmesan and balsamic vinaigrette atop a mixed green salad ($7.75 for two). Though the meat and cheese ’shroom stuffing was adequate, there wasn’t much spice or flavor—mostly salt and a heavy amount of breading. The steak skewers were fantastic—quite spicy and complex—with a nice, smoky finish. The large leaves of stuffed butter lettuce were a bit daunting and messy. There were definite hints of fish and peanut sauce, and the overall effect was so good I didn’t mind the dripping, and the ample topping of what was essentially mi krop— Thai-style crispy rice noodles doused in a bit of lightly sweet tamarind—was a real bonus. The asparagus spears were great. The bed of salad on which they were served was nice on its own. After all of that, the two of us barely made a dent in the menu. Those small plates add up to a full belly pretty quick, no room for dessert temptations. Ω
Skyline Kitchen & Vine 2995 Skyline blvd., 507-7377
Skyline Kitchen & Vine is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Learn more at skylinevine.com.
10.11.18 | RN&R | 19
Project1
5/11/10
3:02 PM
Page 1
by AnDreA HeerDt
• Essential Oils • Supplements • Bulk Herbs & Teas • Special Ordering • Herbal Extracts • Medical Bottles • Homeopathics Knowledgeable Staff Serving You Since 1982
THE VASSAR HOUSE
LocaLLy roasted good to the last drop
Antiques & Vintage
Usual suspects Common Mishap
221 Vassar St.
Open Fridays & Saturdays Only
20 | RN&R | 10.11.18
1715 s. WeLLs | magpieroasters.com
Lead guitarist Colin Willis, bassist Mike Leland, drummer Garrett LaDuke, and singer and guitar player Callum Burgener have released a demo, an album and an EP since they formed Common Mishap in the summer of 2015. Looking back, the bandmates think the demo and album were rushed, but that their latest musical work, the EP Flashes and Floods, captures the band’s sound—a pairing of high energy music with dismal lyrics. According to Willis, everyone in the group is drawn to “downer stuff” when it comes to creating and playing music. Burgener said he now identifies as atheist, and a lot of his lyrical inspiration comes from no longer being religious. “The song ‘Snakes for Sons’ is kind of that,” he said, “It kind of tells it from that viewpoint of someone who used to have that background. The lyric ‘Why have you forsaken me?’ is kind of like saying ‘I trusted you. I believed in this, and now I’m realizing it’s kind of a load of crap.’” LaDuke also said that “Snakes for Sons” was written in under half an hour. Willis wrote the opening riff and intro, which starts out slowly. He said it’s the first song in the band’s history where everyone wrote their own parts rather than one of them writing stuff for everyone. “Before we wrote this song, we kind of had the idea we wanted a more progressive song—where it’s not just verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge,” said Burgener. “We just wanted something where it evolves and … never
(From left) Colin Willis, Mike Leland, Garrett LaDuke and Callum Burgener plan on hitting the recording studio this winter to lay down some new music. PHOTO/ANDREA HEERDT
revisits the same stuff. It just keeps building and building.” Building not only momentum but also speed is key in the song. LaDuke said after the introduction, he doesn’t play the same drum beat twice and speeds up every four measures. The song “Monsune” on Flashes and Floods is another Common Mishap song where the ending sounds nothing like the intro. It begins with single note picking and ends with a guitar solo Willis said he wrote in the studio. “I was feeling nervous about what I was writing for my guitar parts because I was feeling like it wasn’t that complex, but to be able to do something more complex like that and have a bunch of different melodies in one riff was really cool,” he said. According to Leland, since working on their EP, the bandmates have become very particular about how they want their songs to sound. They spent just as much time recording five songs on Flashes and Floods as they did recording 11 songs on their album Aphasia at Dogwater Studios. Willis said the band has learned patience when it comes to songwriting and recording—and the songs they plan on creating in the future will be even more focused on writing structure, vocals and tone. But the bandmates are still proud of their body of work to date. For LaDuke, some past songs have even come to take on new meaning over time. “There are songs that we’ve written two to three years ago that connect more with me now than they did back then,” said Burgener, “It’s like you wrote it for yourself in the future.” Ω
Common Mishap will perform at the Holland Project, 140 Vesta St., on October 19. $10 in advance $12 at the door. Learn more here: bit.ly/2C35vJ3.
5 STAR SALOON
132 West St., (775) 329-2878
THURSDAY 10/11
FRIDAY 10/12
SATURDAY 10/13
Karaoke, 9pm, no cover
Dance party, 10pm, $5
Dance party, 10pm, $5
Mighty Mike Schermer, 9:30pm, no cover
Mighty Mike Schermer, 9:30pm, no cover
BAR Of AmeRicA
10042 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee, (530) 587-2626
Oct. 12, 8 p.m. Cargo Concert Hall 255 N. Virginia St. Crystal Bay 883-6333
cARgO cONceRT hALL
255 N. Virginia St., (775) 398-5400
Dead Winter Carpenters, Jeff Austin Band, 8pm, $23-$28
Reno Zombie Prom, 8pm, $10-$30
ceOL iRiSh PuB
The Grundybergs, 9pm, no cover
Kelly Ann Miller, 9pm, no cover
cOTTONWOOd ReSTAuRANT
10142 Rue Hilltop Rd., Truckee, (530) 587-5711
The Improv at Harveys Lake Tahoe, 18 Highway 50, Stateline, (775) 5886611: Nick Griffin, Michael Malone, Thu-Fri, Sun, 9pm, $25, Sat, 9pm, $30; Bob Zany, Gary Cannon, W, 9pm, $25 Laugh Factory, Silver Legacy Resort Casino, 407 N. Virginia St., (775) 3257401: Vicki Barbolak, Thu, Sun, 7:30pm, $21.95; Fri-Sun, 7:30pm, 9:30pm, $27.45; Gene Pompa, Tu-W, 7:30pm, $21.95 LEX at Grand Sierra Resort, 2500 E. Second St., (775) 789-5399: Thai Rivera, Fri, 6:30pm, $15-$20 The Library, 134 W. Second St., (775) 683-3308: Open Mic Comedy with host Jim Flemming, Sun, 9:30pm, no cover Pioneer Underground, 100 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-5233: Thai Rivera, Thu, 8pm, $10-$15; Fri, 9pm, $15-$20; Sat, 6:30pm, 9:30pm, $15-$20
239 W. Second St., (775) 470-8590
RuPaul’s Drag Race rerun viewing party, drag show, 8pm, no cover
fAT cAT BAR & gRiLL
Karaoke Night, 9pm, no cover
Rock ’N’ Roll Bingo, 9pm, no cover
fiNe ViNeS
Karaoke with Heidi, 7pm, no cover
Songwriters in the Round, 7pm, no cover
599 N. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City, (530) 583-3355 6300 Mae Anne Ave., (775) 787-6300
heAdQuARTeRS
Jell-O Wrestling, $10-$25
DJ Pelikan, 7pm, no cover
219 W. Second St., (775) 800-1020
heLLfiRe SALOON
The hOLLANd PROjecT
Jimmy V, 10pm, no cover Rock and Blues Jam, 7pm, Tu, no cover Open mic, 7pm, W, no cover David Liebe Hart, Chip the Black Boy, 8pm, $13-$15
Soccer Mommy, SASAMI, 8:30pm, $10
140 Vesta St., (775) 742-1858
juB juB’S ThiRST PARLOR
Sunday Services with Thee Reverend Rory Dowd, 7pm, $5 donation
Uchi Gang, 8pm, M, no cover DJ Heidalicious, 9pm, W, no cover
Color TV, Slow Wow, Tommy & The Tongues, 8pm, $5
Ex-Cult, 8pm, M, $7 Choir Boy, 8pm, Tu, $5-$7 Spooky Mansion, 8pm, W, $7
Agent Orange, U.K. Subs, Guttermouth, 8:30pm, $20
71 S. Wells Ave., (775) 384-1652
246 W. First St., (775) 329-4484
Karaoke with Matthew Ray, 9pm, Tu, no cover
The Wind Down, 10pm, no cover
Bad Penny, 8pm, no cover
3372 S. McCarran Blvd., (775) 825-1988
The juNgLe
Traditional Irish Session, 7pm, Tu, no cover
Whiskey Preachers, 9:30pm, no cover
275 E. Fourth St., (775) 324-1917
fAceS NV
Snails, SuddenDeath, UBUR, 8pm, M, $30-$35
Julie Brisbin & Friends, 6:30pm, no cover
Eric Daniel, 6:30pm, no cover
dAVidSON’S diSTiLLeRY
Comedy
Post shows online by registerin g at www.newsr eview.com/ reno. Deadl ine is the Friday befo re publicatio n.
Toadface, Milano, Giant Fighting Robots, Crumbs, 9pm, $10-$20
538 S. Virginia St., (775) 329-5558
MON-WED 10/15-10/17 Karaoke, 9pm, W, no cover
The BLueBiRd
555 E. Fourth St., (775) 499-5549
Dead Winter Carpenters
SUNDAY 10/14
Trivia Night, 8pm, no cover
Open mic, 7pm, M, no cover Comedy Night, 9pm, Tu, no cover
Live music, 9pm, no cover
we won! we rock! Thanks To you! The Nevada Press Association honored the RN&R with the “Better Newspaper Contest” among urban weekly newspapers in Nevada: FirsT Place BesT ad series “BaTTle Born couTure” rn&r
FirsT Place BesT invesTigaTive sTory “whaT The docTor ordered?” Jeri chadwell
FirsT Place BesT local non-rn&r column “leFT FooT Forward” sheila leslie
FirsT Place general excellence rn&r general excellence suBmission rn&r
FirsT Place BesT sPecial secTion or camPaign (adverTising) kids news & review rn&r
FirsT Place BesT Page one design rn&r Page one design kaTe o’hara, margareT larkin, maria raTinova, serene lusano
FirsT Place BesT criTical wriTing rn&r TheaTer reviews Jessica sanTina
FirsT Place BesT FeaTure wriTing “school sPiriT” kris vagner
FirsT Place adverTising general excellence BesT oF norThern nevada rn&r
FirsT Place BesT Business FeaTure “on The rails” Jeri chadwell
reno’s news and entertainment weekly. on stands every thursday.
winner of 10 first place awards and more. we are grateful to the nevada press association.
www.newsreview.com 10.11.18 | RN&R | 21
THURSDAY 10/11
FRIDAY 10/12
SATURDAY 10/13
SUNDAY 10/14
MON-WED 10/15-10/17
LAUGHING PLANET CAFE
Jazz Jam Session Wednesdays, 7:30pm, W, no cover
LIvING THE Good LIFE NIGHTCLUb
Canyon Jam/Open Mic, 6:30pm, Tu, no cover
941 N. Virginia St., (775) 870-9633 1480 N. Carson St., Carson City, (775) 841-4663
THE LoFT
Magic Fusion, 7pm, 9pm, $21-$46
Magic Fusion, 7pm, $21-$46 Magic After Dark, 9pm, $31-$46
Magic Fusion, 7pm, $21-$46
MIdTowN wINE bAr
DJ Trivia, 7pm, no cover
Baker Street, 8pm, no cover
Dave Mensing’s Acoustic Burn, 8pm, no cover
1021 Heavenly Village Way, S.L. Tahoe, (530) 523-8024 1527 S. Virginia St., (775) 800-1960
MILLENNIUM NIGHTCLUb
906-A Victorian Ave., Sparks, (775) 358-5484
Acoustic Wonderland Sessions, 8pm, no cover
PIGNIC PUb & PATIo
Cody & Chance, 8:30pm, no cover
THE PoLo LoUNGE
Bingo with T-N-Keys, 6;30pm, no cover
235 Flint St., (775) 376-1948
1559 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-8864
T-N-Keys, 4:30pm, Tu, no cover| Nigel St. Hubbins, 7:30pm, W, no cover
Jake’s Garage 5.0, DJ Bobby G, 8pm, no cover
DJ Bobby G, 8pm, no cover
DG Kicks Band, 8pm, Tu, no cover Open Mic with Greg Lynn, 7pm, W, no cover
Santos de la Salsa, 8:30pm, $5
Vibe and Vote, 7pm, no cover
SHEA’S TAvErN
Bewitcher, Soul Grinder, Road Rash, 9pm, $6
Joe Jack Talcum, Coolzey, Weapons of Mass Creation, 8pm, $7-$8
SPArkS LoUNGE
Tony G’s Thursday Night Blues Jam, 9pm, no cover
The Electric, 9pm, no cover
715 S. Virginia St., (775) 786-4774 1237 Baring Blvd., Sparks, (775) 409-3340
Oct. 12, 8:30 p.m. The Holland Project 140 Vesta St. 742-1858
Pignic’s 4th Anniversary with Six Mile Station, Buffalo Moses, 4pm, no cover
76 N. C St., Virginia City, (775) 847-7474 761 S. Virginia St., (775) 221-7451
Soccer Mommy
Wednesday Night Jam, 8pm, W, no cover
rEd doG SALooN THE SAINT
Magic Fusion, 7pm, M, Tu, W, $21-$46
El Fantasma, Kanales, Los Austeros de Durango, 10pm, $50
2100 Victorian Ave., Sparks, (775) 378-1643
PAddY & IrENE’S IrISH PUb
Magic Fusion, 4:30pm, 7pm, $21-$46
Saints and Sinners Wednesday Night Blues Syndicate, 8pm, W, no cover Dreadful Children, Lost Idea, Captain Cutiepie, Just-In Beaver, 8pm, $5-$6
Noise Brigade, 8pm, Tu, $5-$6 Shrine Of The Serpent, 8:30pm, W, $5-$6
U.K. Subs
ST. JAMES INFIrMArY
Adapter, 8pm, no cover
wASHoE CAMP SALooN
Brother Dan Palmer, 7pm, no cover
Open Mic with James Ames, 6pm, Tu, no cover
Taking Roots, South Shore Funk Collective, 9pm, no cover
Open mic, 9pm, M, no cover
445 California Ave., (775) 657-8484 3155 Eastlake Blvd., (775) 470-8128
wHISkEY dICk’S SALooN
2660 Lake Tahoe Blvd., S. L. Tahoe, (530) 544-3425
Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m. Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor 71 S. Wells Ave. 384-1658
Saturday Dance Party with DJ Tigerbunny, 10pm, no cover
on
sweet getaways! $200 value, you pay $120 Relax the Tahoe way at the Biltmore Hotel. Make The Biltmore Lodge & Casino your winter ski & stay destination. Conveniently located within a 10-20 minute drive of all the North Shore ski resorts.
22 | RN&R | 10.11.18
40% Off
AtlAntis CAsino ResoRt spA 3800 S. Virginia St., (775) 825-4700 1) Grand Ballroom 2) Cabaret
Boomtown CAsino
2100 Garson Road, Verdi, (775) 345-6000 1) Events Center 2) Guitar Bar
Marcia Ball Oct. 13, 8 p.m. MontBleu Resort 55 Highway 50 Stateline (800) 648-3353
Farah & Sons, 1446 Victorian Ave., Sparks, (775) 499-5799: Karaoke, Sat, 9pm, no cover Jimmy B’s Bar & Grill, 180 W. Peckham Lane, Ste. 1070, (775) 686-6737: Karaoke, Fri, 9pm, no cover The Point, 1601 S. Virginia St., (775) 3223001: Karaoke, Thu-Sat, 8:30pm, no cover Spiro’s Sports Bar & Grille, 1475 E. Prater Way, Ste.103, Sparks, (775) 356-6000: Karaoke, Fri-Sat, 9pm, no cover West 2nd Street Bar, 118 W. Second St., (775) 348-7976: Karaoke, Mon-Sun, 9pm, no cover
FRIDAY 10/12
SATURDAY 10/13
SUNDAY 10/14
MON-WED 10/15-10/17
2) Melissa Dru, 8pm, no cover
2) Melissa Dru, 8pm, no cover Platinum, 10pm, no cover
2) Melissa Dru, 8pm, no cover Platinum, 10pm, no cover
2) Platinum, 8pm, no cover
2) Cook Book, 8pm, M, Tu, W, no cover
2) Jason King, 6pm, no cover
2) The Starliters, 5pm, no cover The Look, 9pm, no cover
2) The Starliters, 5pm, no cover The Look, 9pm, no cover
2) Gary Douglas, 6pm, no cover
2) Tandymonium, 6pm, M, no cover Stephen Lord, 6pm, Tu, no cover Jason King, 6pm, no cover
New Wave Crave, 9pm, no cover
New Wave Crave, 9pm, no cover
2) Revival, 8pm, no cover
2) Revival, 8pm, no cover
2) Jupiter & Okwess, 10pm, no cover
2) Micah J, DJ MichMichael, 10pm, no cover
1) Cirque Paris, 7pm, $19.95-$49.95
1) Cirque Paris, 8:30pm, $19.95-$59.95
1) Cirque Paris, 5pm, 8:30pm, $19.95-$59.95
2) Throwback Thursdays: Trivia Night, 7pm, no cover
2) UNR Homecoming Celebration with Basko, 10pm, $20
2) Trey Songz, 10pm, $30
1) Bob Weir and Wolf Bros, 7pm, Tu, $57-$77
1) Eric Burdon, 7:30pm, $57.33
2) Buddy Emmer and guest, 8pm, Tu, no cover
CARson nugget
507 N Carson St, Carson City, (775) 882-1626
CARson VAlley inn
1627 Hwy. 395, Minden, (775) 782-9711 1) Valley Ballroom 2) Cabaret Lounge
2) Revival, 7pm, no cover
CRystAl BAy CAsino
14 Hwy. 28, Crystal Bay, (775) 833-6333 1) Crown Room 2) Red Room 3) Patio
eldoRAdo ResoRt CAsino
Karaoke
THURSDAY 10/11
345 N. Virginia St., (775) 786-5700 1) Theater 2) Brew Brothers 3) NoVi
gRAnd sieRRA ResoRt
2500 E. Second St., (775) 789-2000 1) Grand Theatre 2) LEX 3) Crystal Lounge
HARRAH’s lAke tAHoe
15 Highway 50, Stateline, (775) 588-7625
montBleu ResoRt CAsino & spA nugget CAsino ResoRt
silVeR legACy ResoRt CAsino
407 N. Virginia St., (775) 325-7401 1) GEH 2) Rum Bullions 3) Aura 4) Silver Baron
1) Cirque Paris, 7pm, Tu, W, $19.95- $49.95
Jerry Lee Lewis, 8pm, $50-$95
1100 Nugget Ave., Sparks, (775) 356-3300 2707 S. Virginia St., (775) 826-2121 1) Terrace Lounge 2) Edge
1) Cirque Paris, 5pm, $19.95-$49.95
1) Elvin Bishop, Roy Rogers, Marcia Ball, 8pm, $25-$50
55 Hwy. 50, Stateline, (800) 648-3353 1) Showroom 2) Opal Ultra-Lounge 3) BLU
peppeRmill ResoRt spA CAsino
2) Tany Jane Duo, 7pm, Tu, W, no cover
1) Frankie Boots and the County Line, 7pm, no cover 2) Spin Thursdays, 10pm, no cover
1) Frankie Boots and the County Line, 8pm, no cover 2) Latin Dance Social, 7pm, $10-$20
1) Frankie Boots and the County Line, 8pm, no cover 2) Edge 10th Anniversary, 10pm, $20
1) Baldo Bobadilla, 6pm, no cover
4) DJ MoFunk, 9pm, no cover
1) Cheech and Chong, 8pm, $49.50-$59.50 4) Atomika, 9pm, no cover
1) Paul Anka, 8pm, $69.50-$89.50 3) Seduction Saturdays, 9pm, $5 4) Atomika, 9pm, no cover
2) Karaoke with Rock On Entertainment, 9pm, no cover
1) Baldo Bobadilla, 6pm, M, Tu, W, no cover
10.11.18 | RN&R | 23
FOR THE WEEK OF OcTObER 11, 2018 For a complete listing of this week’s events or to post events to our online calendar, visit www.newsreview.com. HALLOWEEN HARVEST FESTIVAL: Celebrate the changing of the seasons with an apple-bobbing contest, fishing derby, face painting, pumpkin decorating and Halloween-themed happenings. Fri, 10/12-Sun, 10/14, 9am. Free. Resort at Squaw Creek, 400 Squaw Creek Road, Olympic Valley, (530) 412-7034.
NEVADA WOLFPACK FOOTBALL: The University of Nevada, Reno football team plays the Boise State Broncos. Sat, 10/13, 7:30pm. $19-$142. Mackay Stadium, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., nevadawolfpack.com.
RENO 1868 FC: Reno’s professional soccer
team plays Orange County SC. Sat, 10/13, 5:45pm. $15-$75. Greater Nevada Field, 250 Evans Ave., www.reno1868fc.com.
RENO BITES RESTAURANT WEEK: Revel in
OcT/13:
HANDS ON! SECOND SATURDAYS
Nevada Museum of Art’s monthly program offers free admission, hands-on art activities, storytelling, a docent-guided tour, live performances and community collaborations. This month’s event celebrates Día de Los Muertos with a community altar, sugar skull decorating, screen-printed treat bags and a performance by Danza Azteca Aztlán. The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St. Call 329-3333 or visit www.nevadaart.org.
Reno’s distinctive culinary culture during the seventh annual celebration filled with dining specials at dozens of local restaurants and experiential, foodfocused events. The event runs through Oct. 21. Thu, 10/11-Wed, 10/17. Prices vary. Various locations in Reno, renobitesweek.com.
RENO LANTERN FEST: Thousands of revelers join together for this nighttime spectacle. Before sundown, friends and families can enjoy food, live music, a stage show, face painting, balloon artists and more. Then, when the time is just right, lanterns will be released into the night sky. Sat, 10/13-Sun, 10/14, 2:30pm. $15-$80, free for children age 3 and younger. Wild West Motorsports Park, 12005 East Interstate 80, Sparks reno.thelanternfest.com/tickets.
RENO ZOMBIE PROM: Re-live the night better
EVENTS
ANIMAL ARK HARVEST FESTIVAL: Watch the reactions of Animal Ark’s resident animals as they try to get to the delicious goodies inside their pumpkins. Sat, 10/13, 10am. $12-$16, free for kids age 2 and younger. Animal Ark Wildlife Sanctuary, 1265 Deerlodge Road, (775) 970-3111, animalark.org.
5TH ANNUAL RENO MINI MAKER FAIRE STEAM EXPERIENCE: This family-friendly event celebrates makers and the local DIY culture. Sat, 10/13, 1pm. $5-$10, free for kids age 12 and younger. Wingfield Park, 2 S. Arlington Ave., www.facebook.com/ makerfairereno.
FALL FESTIVAL: The event features live music and performances, a costume competition, kids’ carnival area, arts and crafts vendors, a pumpkin patch, pony rides, seasonal beer offerings, Oktoberfest-inspired food and more. Sat, 10/13, 11am-4pm. Free. Northwoods Clubhouse, 11509 Northwoods Blvd., Truckee, www.tahoedonner.com.
21ST ANNUAL FALL FEST CRAFT FAIR: The fair features more than 60 vendors selling jewelry, beadwork, arts and crafts, quilts, baskets, baked goods and more. Fri, 10/12-Sat, 10/13, 10am. Free. Reno/Sparks Indian Colony Gym, 34 Reservation Road, (775) 842-1385.
ANDELIN FARM FALL FESTIVAL PUMPKIN PATCH & CORN MAZE: The pumpkin
FERRARI FARMS FALL FESTIVAL: The seasonal
patch features a variety of pickyour-own pumpkins. Pumpkins are priced according to variety and weight. The admission price includes activities such as hayrides, cow train, a hay bale maze for kids and other fun attractions. The farm also offers the Halloween attractions Zombie Paintball Apocalypse, Scarecrow Paintball Safari and Corn Creepers on selected days. The seasonal event runs Tuesday-Saturday through Oct. 31. Thu, 10/11-Sat, 10/13, Tue, 10/16-Wed, 10/17, 10am. $7-$12. Andelin Farm, 8100 Pyramid Way, Sparks, (775) 530-8032, www.andelinfamilyfarm.com.
24 | RN&R | 10.11.18
event features a variety of pumpkins, squash, gourds and decorations for sale, a five-acre corn maze, hayrides, farm animals and other attractions. The pumpkin patch will be open 9:30am8pm, Sunday through Thursday, and 9:30am-10pm, Friday and Saturday, through Oct. 31. There is no entrance fee, but activities are individually priced. Pumpkins are all priced according to size. Thu, 10/11-Wed, 10/17, 9:30am. Free. Ferrari Farms, 4701 Mill St., (775) 9973276, ferrarifarms.org/fall-festival.
than ever and in the most deadly way possible. Local party band Decoy will play all the hits as you dance until you drop (dead). Free prom photos, costume contests, zombie makeovers, raffles, giveaways and more. Must be 21 or older to attend. Formal wear is not required, but zombie makeup is mandatory. All proceeds will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Sat, 10/13, 8pm. $25$35. Cargo at Whitney Peak Hotel, 255 N. Virginia St., www.renozombieprom.com.
SCIENCE SATURDAY: The Nevada Space Center hosts this monthly event offering a variety of activities, including simulated journeys throughout the solar system, full-dome planetarium programs, hands-on workshops, live presentations, virtual reality headsets and iPad interactive stations. The program is designed for participants ages 8-12, who must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Sat, 10/13, 9:30am. $12 per person. National Automobile Museum, 10 S. Lake St., nationalautomobilemuseum.org.
SIERRA ARTS ROCK ’N’ BOCCE CHALLENGE: Participate or cheer on teams as they play for the title of SAF Rock ’N ’ Bocce Champion. Enjoy DJs, bands, an artist village, silent auction, food, drinks and more. This is a fundraiser and membership drive for the Sierra Arts Foundation. Sun, 10/14, noon. Bundox Bocce, Reno Renaissance on the River, 1 Lake St., (775) 329-2787.
SLAUGHTER HOUSE: Reno Fright Fest’s haunted house returns for its 13th year with new scares and a new attraction, The Terror Train. Slaughter House is open Thursday-Sunday, through Oct. 28, and Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 30-31. Fri, 10/12-Sun, 10/14, 7-11pm. $10-$30. Greater Nevada Field, 250 Evans Ave., (775) 8856999, www.renofrightfest.com.
SOUTHERN FARE ON THE SQUARE: Experience the sounds and flavors of the South at this street festival on Victorian Square featuring food and drink vendors, craft beers, live music and entertainment, arts and crafts and a VIP Beer Garden. Sat, 10/13-Sun, 10/14, 11am-9pm. Free. 764-794 Victorian Ave., Sparks, (775) 3563300, www.facebook.com/sparksnugget.
SWINGIN’ TO THE SILENTS: Artemisia Moviehouse presents a screening of classic silent comedy shorts with live musical accompaniment by the Reno Swing Set. Sun, 10/14, 6pm. $5-$9. Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company, 124 W. Taylor St., artemisiamovies.weebly.com.
TEENAGE ANGST FROM JOHN HUGHES: Churchill Arts Council continues its John Hughes film series with a screening of the 1985 teen drama The Breakfast Club. Fri, 10/12, 7pm. $7 CAC members, $10 non-members. Barkley Theatre, Oats Park Art Center, 151 East Park St., Fallon, (775) 423-1440.
TETON GRAVITY RESEARCH FAR OUT PREMIERE: REI and Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe present this winter kick-off party featuring music from DJ Full Watts HiFi, prizes and the premiere of Teton Gravity Research’s latest ski and snowboard film. Thu, 10/11, 7pm. $10-$13. Greater Nevada Field, 250 Evans Ave., (775) 334-7000.
TOLLHOUSE PUMPKINS FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL: The seasonal event features pumpkins for sale, a variety of inflatable attractions and bounce houses, kiddie train, farm animals, petting zoo, pony rides and more. Admission is free, but you must purchase tickets for rides and attractions. Thu, 10/11-Wed, 10/17, 9am. Free. Tollhouse Pumpkins Pumpkin Patch, 12725 S. Virginia St., (503) 883-1841, www.tollhousepumpkins.com.
VIBE AND VOTE: Learn about the upcoming election, the importance of our voices being heard and to vibe with up-andcoming artists, including Spencer Kilpatrick, Grace Hayes, Nick Eng, Nico’s Mystery, Bryan Daines and Rump. Fri, 10/12, 7pm. Free. The Saint, 761 S. Virginia St., (775) 221-7451.
ONSTAGE ALL IN THE TIMING: The UNR Theatre Department presents six one-act comedies by David Ives, which explore uncertainty, randomness, relativity and the limits and limitlessness of the tools of human communication. Fri, 10/12-Sat,
10/13, 7:30pm; Sun, 10/14, 1pm; Wed, 10/17, 7:30pm. $5-$15. Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building, University of Nevada, Reno, 1335 N. Virginia St., (775) 784-4278.
BELL, BOOK & CANDLE: Brüka Theatre kicks off its 26th season with John Van Druten’s bewitching comedy. Set in 1957, Gillian Holroyd is one of the few modern people who can cast spells and perform feats of supernaturalism. She casts a spell over her upstairs neighbor Shepherd Henderson, and the chaos of love ensues. Unfortunately, witches cannot fall in love, and this small challenge leads to a number of difficulties. Gillian must choose between her life as a witch or the life of a human in love. There will be a post-show, opening night champagne reception on Oct. 12. All tickets are $10 on Artist Night, Oct. 17. Fri, 10/12-Sat, 10/13, 7:30pm; Sun, 10/14, 2pm; Wed, 10/17, 7:30pm. $10-$25. Brüka Theatre, 99 N. Virginia St., (775) 323-3221, www.bruka.org.
THE BOOK OF MORMON: Broadway Comes to Reno kicks off its 2018-2019 season with the return of the nine-time Tony Awardwinning musical comedy. Thu, 10/11,
7:30pm; Fri, 10/12, 8pm; Sat, 10/13, 2pm & 8pm, Sun, 10/14, 1pm. $85-$175. Pioneer
Center for the Performing Arts, 100 S. Virginia St., pioneercenter.com.
LEND ME A TENOR: Sage Ridge School Theater Arts presents Ken Ludwig’s
musical comedy. Fri, 10/12, 7pm, Sat, 10/13, 8pm. $8-$18. Sage Ridge School, 2515 Crossbow Court, (775) 315-8680.
MAYTAG VIRGIN: Audrey Cefaly’s play follows Alabama school teacher Lizzy Nash and her new neighbor Jack Key over the year following the tragic death of Lizzy’s husband. The play explores the ideas of inertia and self-enlightenment and the bridge between the two. Thu, 10/11-Sat, 10/13, 7:30pm; Sun, 10/14, 2pm. $8-$20. Restless Artists Theatre, 295 20th St., Sparks, (775) 525-3074.
MURDER OF CROWS: Reno Little Theater’s Theater For Young Audiences presents a retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. In A Murder of Crows, a chorus of actors take the audience on a dark journey, where two children are navigating fear and abandonment. The tale is spun by the squawking murder of crows observing the events that unfold in the dark forest. Fri, 10/12, 7:30pm; Sat, 10/13, 2pm & 7:30pm; Sun, 10/14, 2pm. $10$15. Reno Little Theater, 147 E. Pueblo St., (775) 813-8900.
RENO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: The RCO explores the concept of synesthesia with a program featuring works by Michael Torke, Alexander Scriabin and Jean Sibelius. Sat. 10/13. 7:30pm; Sun, 10/14, 2pm. $5-$55. Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building, University of Nevada, Reno, 1335 N. Virginia St., renochamberorchestra.org.
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN: Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company presents Mel Brooks’ musical comedy adapted from his classic film. Thu, 10/11-Sat, 10/13, 7:30pm. $18$20. Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company, 124 W. Taylor St., (775) 322-3716, goodluckmacbeth.org.
by AMY ALKON
Hi, anxiety! I’m a 29-year-old woman. My boyfriend of a year is a wonderful guy. I’ve always been a jealous person—very insecure about whether a guy really cares and is being faithful. I ruined my last relationship by snooping in his email—finding nothing. I’ve started seeing a therapist, who tells me I am “anxiously attached.” She’s helping me work on this. My boyfriend suggested I also write you to see whether he could do anything to help. Your therapist’s assessment that you’re “anxiously attached” comes out of research on our “attachment behavioral system,” our emotional framework that guides how secure or insecure we feel about our bonds with others. According to the late British psychiatrist John Bowlby, we each have internalized working models—basically, expectations from childhood experience (with genes also playing a role)—for how much we can count on others to stick by us and respond to our needs. Being “anxiously attached” seems to result from your mom or other early caregiver being intermittently cold or otherwise inconsistently comforting. It typically leads to needy, clingy, hyper-vigilant behavior, driven by fears of rejection and abandonment. Though the clingaramousness and Nancy Drew tactics of the anxiously attached can seem like ways of acting out, they’re actually attempts to get a romantic partner to ramp up their level of commitment—or at least offer reassurance about their commitment. Interestingly, it seems that the reassurance doesn’t have to come in spoken-word form. Psychologist Brooke C. Feeney found that (in the context of a close relationship) “affectionate touch ... was an effective buffer against jealous feelings” for relationship partners at times when they were experiencing high levels of anxious attachment. In Feeney’s study, the “affectionate touch” just involved one partner putting his or her arm around the other’s shoulder. But presumably, hugs, hair-petting, face-caressing, and other forms of affectionate touch from your boyfriend would also help with the jealousy. Sending the message physically like this takes advantage of how, according to research in
“embodied cognition,” our body and actions—independent of conscious thought—are surprisingly powerful and efficient tools for changing our habitual emotional reactions. Being regularly cuddly-wuddly with one’s partner isn’t exactly an odious chore. It’s surely preferable to the alternative—a relationship that feels like one long interrogation.
The girl with the draggin’ tattoo I’m a 38-year-old single man. There’s this very pretty, very nice female trainer I see at my gym. I’d ask her out except that she has a huge tattoo of a diamond on her neck. Ugh. Total deal breaker. Why would a woman do this? Tattoos are now more socially acceptable than ever. Three in 10 Americans have them, according to a 2015 Harris Poll. As for why, people often explain their tattoo or tattoos as a celebration or remembrance of something. However, evolutionary researcher Haley Dillon and her colleagues reviewed findings from cross-cultural research on tattooing and concluded that there are two main underlying motivations for people to go all human canvas. People get tats as symbols—interestingly, of either group membership or individuality or both. And they do it as a form of “costly signaling”—advertising to others that they are so crazy-healthy that they don’t need to worry about the health risks (which include bacterial infection and death, a rare serious bummer). Each of these underlying motivations is what’s called a “fitness display,” promoting a tattooee’s excellence as a mate or cooperator, which should ultimately enhance their chances of reproductive success. Well, that’s the idea, anyway. You happen to favor virgin neck, which can lead to some awkwardness in asking a woman out: “Hey, can I treat you to dinner sometime—followed by two years of laser tattoo removal?” Ω
ERIK HOLLAND
Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., No. 280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com).
10.11.18 | RN&R | 25
Free will astrology
Call for a quote. (775) 324-4440 ext. 2
For the week oF october 11, 2018
Phone hours: M-F 9am-5pm. Deadlines for print: Line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Display ad deadline: Friday 2pm All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. Further, the News & Review specifically reserves the right to edit, decline or properly classify any ad. Errors will be rectified by re-publication upon notification. The N&R is not responsible for error after the first publication. The N&R assumes no financial liability for errors or omission of copy. In any event, liability shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by such an error or omission. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message. *Nominal fee for some upgrades.
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Leopard, Peter Matthiessen describes his quest
to glimpse the elusive and rarely seen creature in the Himalayas. “Its uncompromising yellow eyes, wired into the depths of its unfathomable spirit,” he writes, give it a “terrible beauty” that is “the very stuff of human longing.” He loves the snow leopard so much, he says, that it is the animal he “would most like to be eaten by.” I bring this up, Aries, because now would be a good time, astrologically speaking, for you to identify what animal you would most like to be eaten by. In other words, what creature would you most like to learn from and be inspired by? What beautiful beast has the most to give you?
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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Richard Nelson is an
anthropologist who has lived for years with the indigenous Koyukon people of Alaska. He lauds their “careful watching of the same events in the same place” over long periods of time, noting how this enables them to cultivate a rich relationship with their surroundings that is incomprehensible to us civilized Westerners. He concludes, “There may be more to learn by climbing the same mountain a hundred times than by climbing a hundred different mountains.” I think that’s excellent counsel for you to employ in the coming weeks.
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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “It is sad that unless
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): In his book The Snow
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not possess the mental dexterity of Virgos or the acute cleverness of Geminis, but you have the most soulful intelligence in the zodiac. Your empathetic intuition is among your greatest treasures. Your capacity to feel deeply gives you the ability to intensely understand the inner workings of life. Sometimes you take this subtle acumen for granted. It may be hard for you to believe that others are stuck at a high-school level of emotional skill when you have the equivalent of a PhD. Everything I just said is a prelude to my advice. In the coming weeks, I doubt you can solve your big riddle through rational analysis. Your best strategy is to deeply experience all the interesting feelings that are rising up in you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Do you ever experience
stress from having to be so interesting and attractive all the time? It may on occasion feel like an onerous responsibility to be the only artful egomaniac amidst swarms of amateur egomaniacs. I have a suggestion that might help. Twice a year, celebrate a holiday I call Dare to Be Boring Week. During these periods of release and relief, you won’t live up to people’s expectations that you keep them amused and excited. You’ll be free to be solely focused on amusing and exciting yourself, even if that means they’ll think you’re dull. Now is an excellent time to observe Dare to Be Boring Week.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A Chinese proverb
says, “Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” I’m happy to let you know that you are currently more receptive to this truth than maybe you have ever been. Furthermore, you have more power than usual to change your life in ways that incorporate this truth. To get started, meditate on the hypothesis that you can get more good work done if you’re calm and composed than if you’re agitated and trying too hard.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): My astrological analysis
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suggests that life is conspiring to render you extra excited and unusually animated and highly motivated. I bet that if you cooperate with the natural rhythms, you will feel stirred, playful and delighted. So how can you best use this gift? How might you take maximum advantage of the lucky breaks and bursts of grace that will be arriving? Here’s my opinion:
Be more focused on discovering possibilities than making final decisions. Feed your sense of wonder and awe rather than your drive to figure everything out. Give more power to what you can imagine than to what you already know. Being practical is fine as long as you’re idealistically practical.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How far is it from the
Land of the Lost to the Land of the Lost and Found? What’s the best route to take? Who and what are likely to provide the best help? If you approach those questions with a crisply optimistic attitude, you can gather a wealth of useful information in a relatively short time. The more research you do about the journey, the faster it will go and the more painless it will be. Here’s another fertile question to meditate on: Is there a smart and kind way to give up your attachment to a supposedly important thing that is actually quite burdensome?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In her only
novel, Save Me the Waltz, Zelda Fitzgerald described her main character like this: “She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt that’s one of the reasons why they did.” That’s a bit too much like fairy-tale wisdom for me to endorse it unconditionally. But I do believe it may sometimes be a valid hypothesis—especially for you Sagittarians in the coming months. Your faith in yourself and your desire to have interesting fun will be even more important than usual in determining what adventures you will have. I suggest you start now to lay the groundwork for this exhilarating challenge.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Armenian philoso-
pher George Gurdjieff taught that most people are virtually sleepwalking even during the day. He said we’re permanently stuck on automatic pilot, prone to reacting in mechanical ways to every event that comes our way. Psychology pioneer Sigmund Freud had an equally dim view of us humans. He believed that it’s our normal state to be neurotic; that most of us are chronically out of sync with our surroundings. Now here’s the good news, Capricorn. You’re at least temporarily in a favorable position to refute both men’s theories. In fact, I’ll boldly predict that in the next three weeks you’ll be as authentic and awake and at peace as you’ve been in years.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the late 19th-cen-
tury, American botanist George Washington Carver began to champion the nutritional value of peanuts. His influence led to the plant being grown and used more extensively. Although he accomplished many other innovations, including techniques for enhancing depleted soils, he became famous as the Peanut Man. Later in life, he told the story that while young he had prayed to God to show him the mystery of the universe, but God turned him down, saying, “That’s for me alone.” So George asked God to show him the mystery of the peanut, and God agreed, saying, “That’s more nearly your size.” The coming weeks will be a great time for you to seek a comparable revelation, Aquarius.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Every year, people
discard 3.3 million pounds of chewing gum on the streets of Amsterdam. A company named Gumdrop has begun to harvest that waste and use it to make soles for its new brand of sneakers, Gumshoe. A spokesperson said the intention was to “create a product people actually want from something no one cares about.” I’d love it if you were inspired by this visionary act of recycling, Pisces. According to my reading of the cosmic omens, you now have exceptional powers to transform something you don’t want into something you do want.
You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785. And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at www.realastrology.com.
by MAtt BiEKER
Volunteer
And it’s like a passive way to donate in ways they might not do otherwise.
PHOTO//MaTT Bieker
Grant Denton is a former homeless addict who created the idea of placing “karma boxes”—community food and toiletry pantries—around Northern Nevada. The boxes are built by recovering addicts, painted by local artists, and stocked by the community for homeless individuals to make use of.
What’s the deal with the boxes? I’m a recovering addict. When you are an addict, there’s a block between you. There’s kind of an almost “us against them” idea, you against the community kind of gig, because we commit acts of crimes against the community when we’re trying to sustain an addiction. So, when you get clean, it’s difficult to integrate back into a community that you feel so separated from. And the one thing that I found that helps is volunteering, is giving back. It’s almost like your paying your dues, kind of gig. I was thinking, “How can you give back and get as many people involved?” I was reading this book by Malcom Gladwell about positive social epidemic. If you can get as many different people to touch one idea as possible, it moves toward a positive social epidemic. So that’s where the boxes come in. We have recovering addicts from the Life Change Center, which is a methadone clinic out here, build the box. We have local artists paint the box. Local businesses adopt the box, and then members of the community fill
the box. The idea is, if you need it, take it, and if it’s empty, fill it. It gets everybody involved with one common goal, and that’s just to give back.
Where did the idea for the first box comes from? We were working for agencies, painting the walls of like the Empowerment Center, or going to Westcare and helping clean it up, but we didn’t have that in Carson, so we were like, “How can we give back to the community out there?” Somebody mentioned a library box, and that doesn’t really serve our population, you know?
Makes sense. So we were like, “Let’s just do boxes.” Because those library boxes are on point, dude. Whoever made those boxes knows how to build a fucking box.
Absolutely. ... So far we’ve got six out. We’ve got one in Douglas County, one in Lyon County, four out here and one in Carson—so, seven. The cool thing is that, people—when you start working social services or giving back in the community—you’ll find that people want to give, people want to help. I promise you, they do. When you give someone easy access to helping, they’ll fucking do it, dude. You put a box there and all you got to do is put something in the box, like why wouldn’t you?
Is this something that could have benefited you when you were homeless? Oh yes, I was homeless on the streets of Vegas, and I was addicted to meth. A lot of times, when you’re homeless and addicted to drugs, and you don’t got nowhere to go, you ride it until the wheels fall off. ... And you sleep where you drop, and often times you’ll drop from the sun. And then you’re dehydrated, and you’ll go to the emergency room. So if they would have had something like water—a lot of people in the summer will put water in there, water and Gatorade. And a lot of times, when people get clean, being clean is not enough. You’ve got to have purpose. You’ve got to have something drive you forward. And giving people purpose and showing them that, it gives them some self efficacy like, “I can do something, I built that box, bro!” Ω
by BRUCE VAN DYKE
Plan the aftermath So how’d you like that? How’d that taste? That, of course, being the epic Kavanauvian Hose Job that the true Enemy of the American People, The ReTrumplican Party, just stuffed down our collective throat. (Women, please save us.) This hosing began in 2016, when Mitch McEvil procedurally thwarted the nomination of Merrick Garland, and it ended last week with the confirmation of angry, entitled sudsophile Kavanaugh. A hosing of massive proportions. So be it. Of course, Dr. Blasey Ford was credible. And, of course, all those reptilian Retrumplicans on the Judiciary Committee believed her story, although they would never admit it. The reality of the entire creepy episode, one no GOP sycophant would dare admit, is now obvious—Dr. Ford’s credibility simply didn’t matter. Not for a minute. Kavanaugh’s clumsy, drunken
assault, no matter how well corroborated, was not going to derail The Mission. Absolutely no way Dr. Ford, Debbie Ramirez and Julie Swetnick were gonna derail the Mission, which was Def Con 10 Highest Priority—get this power tool on the Supreme Court, where he can protect Vlad’s Prize. And so … Mission Accomplished. (And once again, predictably, Heller sucked. Go, Jacky, go.) OK, so the evil bastards win the first game. Fine. But this is a doubleheader. (Minorities, please save us.) And we’re ready to come back strong in the nightcap. Let’s do this. We’re pumped. We don’t need to see any more TV commercials. We don’t need to figure anything out. It’s pretty simple. If there’s a D behind the candidate’s name, OK. If there’s an R, piss off. Let’s roll. It’s our chance to finally smoosh a toothpaste cream pie into McConnell’s Smug Mug and Trump’s
Hideous Hairdo. Let’s fucking vote already! Early voting in Nevada begins on the Oct. 20. Register. Vote. And on Nov. 7—party. And millennials (born between ’81 and ’96), we need you to get it together. Seriously. We need you to step up and get in on this. In 2016, 50 percent of eligible millennials voted. Compare that stat to us old farts (Greatest Gen, Baby Boom), who voted at a 70 percent clip. Millenials, WE NEED YOU. BIG TIME! (LGBTQ, please save us.) After all, the Trumpifying of America is, in the long haul, gonna ruin your lives, not us seniors. We’ll still get our entitlements, our Medicare, our Social Security, etc. But you? What happens to you if these horrible, old, senile shitheads mangle America with malevolent incompetence for another 10 years? Power to the correct people. It’s somewhat important. (Men, please save us.) Ω
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