OCTOBER 13, 2016 | VOl. 22, IssuE 35
Arch madness Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. Videos started circulating online Monday night of a truck intentionally driving through a crowd of protestors right under the Reno arch—one of our city’s most recognizable symbols. Thankfully, apparently no one was badly hurt. Reno police are still investigating, though the videos seem to present an incident of deliberate violence perpetrated for no reason other than discrimination and racism—a hate crime. The protest was organized by American Indian Movement of Northern Nevada, aimed at protesting the Columbus Day holiday and raising awareness about issues that affect our indigenous population. It’s unclear from the video whether the driver was motivated by the sentiments expressed or because he was threatened or if he was just angry because he saw some brown people expressing their opinions. I really don’t understand why anyone in this country would feel any loyalty to Christopher Columbus. (I like that we Nevadans celebrate Nevada Day instead of Columbus Day.) Columbus was an imperialist who got lost on a colonial mission. He has nothing to do with the ideals on which this county was founded—the right to express opinions and to protest peacefully, and an acceptance of diversity. Those were the rights exercised by the protesters. Here’s where I get really disappointed in our town: reading the comments on social media and news stories about the incident—things like “It’s too bad that they weren’t seriously injured” and “They threatened him with violence and he had no choice but to drive through them. Sad that none of them died” along with racial epithets and victimblaming. It’s as if telling someone to turn around or even shouting obscenities at someone is the same as intentionally plowing into a crowd with a piece of heavy machinery. It’s probably a stretch to connect what’s happening locally to things on the national stage, but we have a major party presidential candidate with a crudely cavalier attitude about assault. And I fear that, in some circles, even in this town, that attitude is catching.
—Brad Bynum bradb@ ne ws r ev i ew . com
Tax dollars at work Re “Pot tale of the week” (Upfront, Sept. 29): I was stationed in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, from September 1965 until December 1966. Like many of my fellow 173rd Airborne troopers, I bought what looked like Marlboro cigarette packs from a little old lady in the Ville. They were perfect, including the little red tear-off strip. It was the best weed I’ve ever smoked. Each joint looked like a cigarette, no twisted ends. Although I didn’t smoke tobacco, there was always a Marlboro pack on the top shelf of my footlocker—even during inspections. Several years ago, I met a friend of a friend who had been high up in the Army MP command in Saigon at that time. I asked him about the Marlboro Weed. He laughed and told me it was a CIA project. The idea was to get Charlie stoned so he wouldn’t plant booby traps. My first marijuana was supplied to me by the US Government. Pretty cool, aye? Larry Heer Carnelian Bay
Tourism dollars at work Re “Pot tale of the week” (Upfront, Oct. 6): Reno is many things, including a tourist destination. If Question Two passes at this November’s polls and pot use for those ages 21 and over is legalized, I hope more tourists come for that reason. Once here, they’ll be able to partake of our entertainment offerings and outdoor recreation, as well. Recreational marijuana use doesn’t personally interest me much, but I’m voting yes on Question 2—and with much more enthusiasm than for a presidential candidate. Michael Sion Reno
(MVPT), now called governmental services tax, which now plagues us at registration renewal time. Sadly, the “make up” revenues have not come close to making up the lost sales tax revenues in Washoe County or its political subdivisions. Since then, a series of measures involving caps and abatements further stultified property tax revenues which otherwise would have (should have) resulted in robust growth during the real estate boom. The formation of redevelopment districts, the creation and use of STAR bonds, and a batch of well orchestrated tax aversion strategies by other “stakeholders” (notably not students), conspired to further choke off local governments—including the school district’s—resources. And don’t even get me started on our state’s practice of depreciating improvements to real property—the only state to do so. I grew up in upstate New York where property taxes are huge. That’s what supports their schools and damn, they’ve got good schools. Terri Thomas Reno Editor’s note: Ms. Thomas is former finance director for the Sparks city government.
Correction Re “Classic choice” (Elections, Oct. 10): We reported that school board candidate Angie Taylor won the district E seat when her opponent withdrew. Actually, she won it when she received more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary election. We’re sorry for any confusion.
ERIK HOllAND
Sales tax dollars at work Re “Stop making cents” (cover story, Sept. 22): The feature by Dennis Myers was very informative. But there is more to the story of how sales tax became a monster. In 1981, the “tax shift” legislation was enacted, which was Nevada’s response to California’s Prop. 13. The law limited tax levies to $3.64 per $100 of assessed valuation. (The state constitutional limit is $5.) So we ended up with more acronyms for sales tax—BCCRT and SCCRT, for basic and supplemental city/county relief tax to “make up” for reduced property tax revenues. In 1991, we had another tax shift of sales tax revues from (chiefly) Washoe County to Clark County called Fair Share, or Assembly Bill 104, which lost us about $17 million when it was enacted. But the legislature gave us “make up” revenues—an amalgam of five resources, including real property transfer tax and motor vehicle privilege tax Eric Marks, Jose Olivares, Jessica Santina, Todd South, Luka Starmer, Brendan Trainor, Bruce Van Dyke, 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 News Editor Dennis Myers Special Projects Editor Jeri Chadwell-Singley Arts Editor Kris Vagner Calendar Editor Kelley Lang Contributors Amy Alkon, Matt Bieker, Bob Grimm, Anna Hart, Ashley Hennefer, Shelia Leslie,
Design Manager Lindsay Trop Art Directors Brian Breneman, Margaret Larkin Marketing/Publications Manager Serene Lusano Marketing/Publications Designer Sarah Hansel Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designer Kyle Shine Senior Advertising Consultants Gina Odegard, Bev Savage Advertising Consultant Emily Litt
Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Manager/Operations Coordinator Kelly Miller Distribution Assistant and Driver Denise Cairns Distribution Drivers Alex Barskyy, Bob Christensen, Camilla Downs, Debbie Frenzi, Gary White, Jennifer Cronin, Jennifer Gangestad, Marty Lane, Marty Troye, Patrick L’Angelle, Tracy Breeden, Vicki Jewell President/CEO Jeff VonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Project Coordinator Natasha VonKaenel Director of People & Culture David Stogner Director of Dollars & Sense Nicole Jackson Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Dargitz
Accounts Receivable Specialist Kortnee Angel Sweetdeals Coordinator Courtney DeShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano, Jonathan Schultz System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Publications Associate Editor Kate Gonzales N&R Publications Writer Anne Stokes Cover Photo and Design: Margaret Larkin
405 Marsh Ave., Third Floor, Reno, NV 89509 Phone (775) 324-4440 Fax (775) 324-2515 Website www.newsreview.com Got a News Tip? Fax (775) 324-2515 Calendar Events www.newsreview.com/calendar Want to Advertise? Fax (775) 324-2515 or rnradinfo@newsreview.com Classified Fax (916) 498-7910 or classifieds@newsreview.com Job Opportunities jobs@newsreview.com Want to Subscribe to RN&R? renosubs@newsreview.com
10.13.16
Editorial Policies: Opinions expressed in rn&r are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permissions to reprint articles, cartoons, or other portions of the paper. rn&r is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or review materials. Email letters to rnrletters@ newsreview.com. all letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel. Advertising Policies: all advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of acceptance. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes the responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message. rn&r is printed at Sierra nevada media on recycled newsprint. Circulation of rn&r is verified by the Circulation Verification Council. rn&r is a member of CnPa, aan and aWn.
|
RN&R
|
3
