October 2023

LETTERS EDITOR'S NOTE

Back in the ‘RN&R’ saddle

I first worked at the RN&R in 2004-05 as the arts editor. At the time, I saw the job as a likely stepping stone into a career in arts administration. I didn’t have much news experience, but I learned as I went. (It’s hard to imagine a better boot camp than sharing an office with then-news editor Dennis Myers and having then-editor Brian Burghart stand over my shoulder with a red pen for a year.)

I loved being part of Reno’s ongoing conversations about news and culture. And seeing Northern Nevada through the various lenses of people I interviewed—artists, politicians, scientists, educators—broadened my worldview by the minute.

Within a month, journalism—local, independent journalism in particular— had me hooked. I remember sitting at my desk thinking, “I’ve never been able to answer the question, ‘What do you want to be doing in 20 years?’ But I think it is probably this.”

In the ensuing 19 years, my life—and the RN&R’s—have been through a few different iterations, but we’ve always been a match. I was on staff again in 2016-18, and I’ve been a freelance contributor for pretty much the entire two decades.

Long story short—I’m delighted to be back, this time as the managing editor. It’s still a privilege to be part of the ongoing conversations Reno is having about itself and the world.

In this issue, be sure to check out Zoe Dixon’s “Lake Tahoe’s 2023 report card” on Page 14. Zoe found out what scientists have been observing lately about water quality, invasive species and other need-to-know measures of the iconic lake’s health and future. And in the food and beverage section, Taste of the Town writer Maude Ballinger has a brand new column, “Best 3 Things,” where she highlights specific dishes at local restaurants.

—KRIS VAGNER krisv@renonr.com

The assault weapons ban failed Michael Rottman (RN&R, September 2023) wrote: “We did actually ban assault weapons nationally (in) 1994.” Did we really?

Perhaps you’re too young to recall how it actually worked out back in the day. The socalled Assault Weapons Ban indeed banned the manufacture, transfer or possession of certain “assault weapons.” However, such firearms already manufactured or possessed before the act went into effect in 1994 were exempted. You not only could keep your AR or AK; you could transfer it! And an 11th-hour surge in manufacturing produced untold thousands that were readily available during the 10-year ban. In addition, many nearly identical scary-looking semi-automatic black rifles were sold which did not include enough specific minor features to qualify as “assault weapons.”

The 1994 ban greatly energized gun sales and dramatically increased the desirability of AR-style rifles. Assault weapon possession increased, and sales accelerated. The AR-style rifle is the most popular gun today. The Law of Unintended Consequences cannot be repealed.

Brian Adams Reno

TMCC’s unaccounted-for computers

I’m not surprised about the Truckee Meadows Community College situation in the least (RN&R, September 2023). Public agencies in our area are structured to resist any employee who actually wants to do their job. I’m extremely interested to see how this turns out. The TMCC president doesn’t seem very interested in locating the equipment; maybe she can soak the taxpayers for replacement equipment.

John Listinsky Reno

Decent folk must flee the GOP

Now that the Republican Party has become a criminal gang, no decent person should associate with it. If you look to one side and see white supremacists and Proud Boys, then look to your other and see Nazis, crazy Q-Anoners and Oathkeepers, you are in the wrong place. Leave this sick, perverted, indecent party and go independent—or live with the results and the example that you are setting for your kids and grandkids.

Pat McAnaney Reno

Will Amodei ever reject Trump?

I have friends, family members and work associates who worship the cult of Trump based on his word and murky internet conspiracy theories.

When I joined the military, I pledged loyalty to the Constitution, not to Lyndon B. Johnson. We are a nation of laws based on judicial interpretation of the Constitution and its amendments. No “facts” have proved a stolen election in more than 60 attempts. Conversely, Trumpers who perpetrated a coup against the federal government are on trial, including Trump. I’m asking Rep. Mark Amodei (RN&R, September 2023): Where do you stand, with the Constitution which you swore an oath to uphold—or with the Trump cult?

Lynn Bauer Reno

Lombardo is ‘Gov. Veto’

Shelia Leslie (RN&R, August 2023) wrote about Gov. Joe Lombardo’s vetoes. As The Nevada Independent wrote, he “has set a new record for the most vetoes issued in a single legislative session, with the first-term Republican rejecting 75 bills passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature … including a raft of housing bills that would have added new tenant protections and overhauled the state’s summary eviction procedures and a bill that would have continued funding universal free school breakfast and lunches at K-12 schools.” Lombardo should be referred to by the nickname “Gov. Veto”

Mailing address: 31855 Date Palm Drive, No. 3-263, Cathedral City, CA 92234 • 775-324-4440 • RenoNR.com

Publisher/Executive Editor Jimmy Boegle

Managing Editor Kris Vagner

Editor at Large Frank X. Mullen

Photo Editor David Robert

Cover and Feature Design

Dennis Wodzisz

Distribution Lead

Rick Beckwith

Contributors

Alicia Barber, John Barrette, Matt Bieker, Maude Ballinger, Lucy Birmingham, Owen Bryant, Brad Bynum, Max Cannon, Zoe Dixon, Loryn Elizares, Buddy Frank, Bob Grimm, Michael Grimm, Taylor Harker, Matt Jones, Matt King, Sheila Leslie, Michael Moberly, Maggie Nichols, Steve Noel, Dan Perkins, Jessica Santina, Jason Sarna, Robert Victor, Matt Westfield

The Reno News & Review print edition is published monthly. All content is ©2023 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The RN&R is available free of charge throughout Northern Nevada, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be pur- chased for $5 by calling 775-324-4440. The RN&R may be distributed only authorized distributors.

The RN&R is a proud member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the Nevada Press Association, and the Local Independent Online News Publishers.

STREETALK

Ever had a premonition or a dream that came true?

BY DAVID ROBERT

Asked at Washoe County Golf Course, 2601 Foley Way, Reno

Colie Glenn Vice president of marketing

When I was in my 20s, I had a dream that my best friend was pregnant. I dreamed this before she even had symptoms and knew that she was pregnant. She was shocked when I told her. She took a test, and yes, she was pregnant.

GUEST COMMENT

My diabetes diagnosis taught me that life is a beautiful gift

The year of COVID-19, 2020, was a monumental year for a lot of folks, myself included. But maybe not for the reasons you are thinking: 2020 was the year I found out I had diabetes.

My journey started in May when I began dealing with weight, hair and muscle loss, and an infection that wouldn’t clear up. Bloodwork was ordered and the next day I received the results. Diabetes.

Shortly after, I started taking metformin to lower my blood sugar, and after two months, I was starting to feel like myself again—exercising and gaining back strength. I was feeling healthy again—until I fell and was left with a wound that was slow to heal. I was devastated, and unfortunately, I am not alone. Diabetes is an epidemic in the United States. Diabetes is a problem in our society, but luckily, the amount of support for those impacted is overwhelming. With the use of new technologies like smartwatches for tracking movement, people with diabetes have access to plenty of tools to help manage their chronic condition. A program that has helped me manage my diabetes is the concierge care program offered through my health insurance, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The concierge care program uses an app to help people like me manage chronic

BY LORRAINE FOX

conditions, including diabetes. The app lets me log and track my symptoms and access personalized education, and suggests health exercises based on my needs. From reminding me to take my medications in the morning, tracking what I eat, and using the GPS function to record my bike rides and walks, the app has helped me learn that my small acts of action and change end up producing big

All my logs are viewable to my care team and nurse care manager, Casey, making it easy to work through my health issues. To have someone like Casey who has a medical background that I can reach out to, day or night, has given me peace of mind. We have created a friendship through our daily texts and calls, and it feels like we have known each other for years.

My goal is to continue to put my health first and live a healthy lifestyle with the help of my amazing friends and family. Every morning, I have my coffee on the patio with my dog, Frankie, and welcome the adventure of a new day—hopefully with no falls!

Life is a beautiful gift, and it’s too short to not live it to the fullest.

Lorraine Fox is retired and is a resident of Spanish Springs. She previously worked in information-technology support at an elementary school for 21 years. She and her husband have two children, Christopher and Valerie.

Karen King Retired teacher

My sister was having heart-valve replacement surgery. She’d been in surgery all day and was on and off of machines all day. I had to go back to my hotel and call my other siblings about her condition. All of a sudden, I had an overwhelming sense of peace. My sister and I have been able to read each other’s minds since we were kids. I got a call about 10 minutes later that she was in recovery and was going to be all right.

Paul Dunham Retail sales

I had a dream that the Giants won the World Series again two years before it happened. It was in 2012, and I dreamed that I was in the stadium with my family, and the crowd went wild for the winning of the 2014 World Series.

Diane White Hospital unit secretary

I knew that my oldest son had become intimate with his girlfriend. I had a sense, and I felt a shift in his energy. They looked at each other in a different way. His high school senior project became his baby daughter, Destiny.

John Baranek Construction

Yes, I saw the “Revenge of the Jedi” in a dream when I was a kid. When I went to see the movie on my birthday, it was just like my dream! I even dreamed of the battle between father and son, Luke and Darth Vader. I couldn’t explain it.

| BY SHEILA LESLIE

Don’t be a jerk: A playbook for politicians and political hopefuls

Current and aspiring officeholders are now jockeying for position in the 2024 elections, as term-limited officials set their sights on new opportunities, and first-time candidates nervously gear up for the campaign cycle. In our hyper-polarized political climate, with so many gerrymandered districts, the real race is often the June primary, leaving candidates a short window of time to get their campaigns funded and launched by early next year.

The largest political affiliation in Nevada, nearly one-third of registered voters, is now nonpartisan, and those voters cannot participate in our closed primaries. If voters in 2024 approve ballot Question 3 to open up the primaries to everyone, we may see more moderate candidates emerge, but until then, expect to see progressives dominate the Democratic primaries, and to a much larger extent, hard-right Trump-loving candidates to prevail in the Republican races.

It’s important to pay attention to the track records of current public officials to see whom their votes really favor, since some proclaim themselves as progressives during election season, only to change their stripes

once elected. For example, the Reno City Council is dominated by Democrats, although you’d hardly know it based on many of the majority votes in favor of business interests instead of our neighborhoods.

Nevertheless, here’s a little advice for candidates hoping to attract progressive votes in the June primary.

Don’t be a hypocrite: Don’t emulate ethics commissioner Stan Olsen, appointed by Gov. Joe Lombardo just before the hearing into unethical actions taken by Lombardo during the last campaign. Olsen voted against fining the governor for using his badge and uniform in campaign ads—and then, on the same day no less, voted to sanction Washoe County school board member Joe Rodriguez for the very same behavior. When a reporter questioned him about the inconsistency, Olsen said he didn’t recall casting a vote against Rodriguez: “The guy doesn’t ring a bell.”

Olsen couldn’t explain why he voted for Lombardo and against Rodriguez, but the rest of us surely can. Olsen refused to elaborate on his actions, saying, “I just don’t talk to reporters on the phone, or really, even in person,” apparently believing he serves in a protected

bubble, accountable to no one.

Accept responsibility when you make a mistake, and speak for yourself: People, even elected officials, make mistakes. Be honest and forthright about them, and accept responsibility. Avoid hiding behind spokespeople, as Democratic Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow did when questioned by reporters about taking a job leading a nonprofit after voting for a large direct appropriation to the organization. Nevada’s legislators should speak for themselves and refuse caucus directives to defer questions to leaders or spokespeople. We are your constituents; we expect you to answer media inquiries, embarrassing or not, and explain yourself.

Don’t be a jerk: It should go without saying that public officials should operate in a zone of civility and respect, but watch a Reno City Council meeting with a controversial agenda item, and you’ll be appalled at the behavior on full public display. Councilmembers often blame Councilwoman Jenny Brekhus, who is known for her direct, brash manner, but fail to notice their own incredibly rude and aggressive remarks, dripping with disdain and disrespect. These members sometimes treat the public in

the same way when people express a contrary opinion. It’s more revealing—and obnoxious— than they realize.

Don’t be afraid to change your mind, but be prepared to explain why you did: We don’t have the time or inclination to watch every public meeting and certainly don’t receive the same amount of information as our legislators. But we do expect our representatives to help us understand their rationale for voting yes or no on a controversial item, or explain why they’ve changed their mind. Even if we disagree, our democracy is strengthened by civil discourse about the pros and cons of a particular argument.

Know when to walk away: Finally, there’s no shame in walking away from public office and declining to run again, should personal circumstances change, or you’ve understandably had enough of public scrutiny and criticism that sometimes morphs into personal attacks. One wishes people like U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Mitch McConnell would recognize their long years of public service are appreciated, but their obvious health issues should now be given priority. Walk away before we start to wonder about your capacity to serve.

A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

| BY JIMMY BOEGLE

Yet more proof the ‘RN&R’ is a true community resource

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The amazing feedback I’ve received from readers regarding the RN&R’s postpandemic comeback has been beyond rewarding. To all of you who have sent an email, mentioned something in person, or become a financial supporter of the RN&R: Thank you.

During the last few months, we’ve run a house ad asking our fans to reach out to us and tell us how the RN&R fits into lives, what we could do better—and to offer help, if possible. The response, again, has been amazing.

It’s become clear, as we approach our 30th anniversary, that if the RN&R is to make it to our 40th anniversary—and I am confident we will—it’ll be because the community has rallied behind it.

Last month, we published our Best of Northern Nevada issue. Before the issue came out, we reached out to the winners and asked if they’d like to purchase an ad to thank the readers who voted for them. In the days of yore, the RN&R could count on the big casinos and other larger businesses to buy an ad, but this year … nope. (There

were a few exceptions, like Legends Bay and the Grand Sierra Resort, and I thank the ad buyers there sincerely.)

I sent three or four emails to those in charge of advertising at the largest casinos that you, our readers, selected as your favorites, and even left a phone message or two. I didn’t even get the courtesy of a “no thank you.”

That said, we still had an excellent Best Of issue, revenue-wise—because the smaller businesses and individuals, those who are truly invested in the community, understand what the Best of Northern Nevada means (despite its flaws), and who wanted to invest in the issue and the RN&R. Locally owned restaurants, local performing arts companies, yoga studios, dance instructors, DJs, printers, record stores, auto-repair shops, skate shops, wedding planners, politicians, aestheticians, nurseries, orthodontists and even plastic surgeons—they know that locals appreciate and love the RN&R, and therefore opened their wallets to advertise in the Best of Northern Nevada.

(That said, we still are looking for a sponsor or sponsors for a Best of Northern Nevada winners’ party later this year. If that sponsor could be you, or you know of someone, drop

me a line.)

Over the next few months, we’ll be ramping up the process of determining whether it makes sense for the RN&R to become a nonprofit. I just received a report from a consultant we hired regarding the possibility, and he thinks it’s doable, so I’ll be making lots of phone calls and setting up more than a few meetings in the coming months.

As I wrote two months ago: “Frankly, I don’t want the RN&R’s future to depend on me, or on the whims of any other owner. The RN&R is a community resource, and it would be fantastic for it to belong to the community as a nonprofit. But in order for that to happen, we’ll need board members, and donors, and volunteers, and people willing to help us find funding.”

I am more confident than ever that we can make this happen. If you have ideas or you can help, email me: jimmyb@renonr.com.

In other news, the Nevada Press Association just announced its 2023 Better Newspaper Contest Winners, for work done in 2022—and even though we were only in print for seven months out of the year, we did quite well,

winning six awards:

• First place in the food writing category (combined urban and rural categories) for Michael Moberly’s Liquid Conversations column.

• First place in the special section or campaign advertising category (urban) for the Best of Northern Nevada 2022.

• Second place for advertising general excellence (combined magazines and urban categories).

• Third place in the editorial page category (urban).

• Third place for general online excellence (urban).

• Third place in the political/government enterprise reporting category (urban) for Frank X. Mullen’s “‘Little Trump 2.0s’: Robert Beadles is spending big bucks to install ‘America First’ candidates in office in Washoe County and beyond.”

Without the community—advertisers who stepped up, readers who stepped up and others—this journalism and these lower-cost advertising options for businesses never would have existed.

Again … thank you.

| BY JEFFREY G. SHELDON

Intellectual property: It’s for every business, including yours

As we move into autumn in the Sierra, there are a number of things to consider.

It’s a good time to work on our businesses instead of in them. As founders, we often get so wrapped up in the day-to-day machinations of the operations, we lose sight of the other aspects of building and securing the company’s assets and future. I actually made this mistake recently in negotiating with a potential partner for one of my companies. I didn’t follow my own mantras and lost valuable assets to an unscrupulous scumbag posing as a legitimate small businessman … go figure.

That’s my lament. Don’t let it happen to you. Protect yourself, your family, your business and your future.

My buddy and fellow BizAssembly.org board member Jeff Sheldon is a world-renowned IP attorney who lives in the area, regularly gives back to local startups, and wrote the book The Manager’s Guide to Intellectual Property. No kidding, Jeff is the man. Here are his tips and insights.

We’ll both be at the BizAssembly.org monthly workshop from 9 to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Innevation Center, 450 Sinclair St., in Reno, to tackle your business challenges.

—Matt Westfield

Do you want your success to be copied?

Probably not. If not, then please read this.

Under U.S. law, anyone can legally copy anything, unless it qualifies for protection under intellectual property law. The following types of protection are available: Patents; trade secrets; trademarks; copyright; and agreements prohibiting competition.

Do you qualify for any? Let’s consider. .

Patents

Can you get a patent? If so, that is great, because a U.S. patent grants the patent owner the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention

throughout the United States, or importing the invention into the United States.

Unfortunately, obtaining a patent can take years. They can be expensive, and enforcing them can also be expensive.

There are two principal types of patents:

• Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers a new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture or composition of matter; or a new and useful improvement of these.

• Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture.

So, a patent may be available to minimize competition.

Trade secret

Trade secret protection is an alternative to patent protection for inventions that can be kept secret. For information to qualify for trade secret protection, it must meet three requirements: eligible subject matter, economic value, and secrecy. Eligible subject matter that can be protected under trade secret law is very broad. In many states, eligible subject matter is information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process. There is very little that goes on in a business that does not qualify.

Economic value is easily obtained. Secrecy can be more of a challenge, particularly if a product can be reverse-engineered.

Trademarks (including trade dress)

This is where I tell cash-limited clients to start. Almost every business has a trademark. At a minimum, the name of the business usually serves as a trademark. Trademarks can be one of the most valuable assets of a business and thus need to be selected carefully and vigorously protected. How valuable is the Coca-Cola mark?

A trademark identifies the source of the goods or services of one company and distinguishes them from the goods of others. It can be product configuration or packaging. (Think of the Co-

ca-Cola classic bottle.)

Trademarks take many forms. They can be word marks such as “Ivory,” letters such as “IBM,” symbols such as the Sun-Maid raisin maid, sounds such as the Microsoft Windows boot-up sound, or logos such as the Google logo.

When selecting a mark, the more distinctive the mark, the more likely that it is protectable. Marks are classified by their distinctiveness as follows, in descending order of inherent distinctiveness: (1) fanciful and arbitrary; (2) suggestive; and (3) descriptive terms, geographic terms, and surnames. Generic terms can never be a trademark.

Consider the following factors in choosing your mark:

• Is the mark available? Does someone else have the same or similar mark so that there a likelihood of confusion? And for trademarks to be used in foreign countries, is the mark available in those countries?

• How distinctive is the trademark? The more distinctive a mark, the easier it is to protect against infringers.

• Is the corresponding domain name available?

Copyright

Copyright protection exists “in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression …” according to the copyright statute. Thus, there are three requirements for copyright protection:

1. It needs to be the right type of “work.”

2. “Originality” is required. The “originality” requirement excludes from copyright protection such items as simple geometric shapes, short phrases and the famous “happy face.”

3. The work must be “fixed in a tangible medium.” This excludes from copyright protection mere ideas that have yet to be recorded, works such as oral presentations that are not recorded, and a whiteboard presentation that can be erased. Good news—copyright protection exists from the time a work is created in a fixed form. It is automatic. No registration is required, although

there are advantages of registration, such as collection of attorney fees, if the work has been registered before infringement began.

Copyrightable works include:

• Literary works, including books, manuscripts, plays, poems, software, databases, manuals, scripts, e-mails, tweets, blogs, and proposals

• Musical works and sound recordings, including any accompanying words

• Dramatic works, including any accompanying music

• Pictorial, graphic and sculptural works, including toys

• Motion pictures and other audiovisual works

• Architectural works

• Websites

The copyright in a work becomes the property of the author who created the work. An exception is when an employer owns the copyright in a work created by an employee within the scope of the employee’s work. If the work is created by a non-employee such as an independent contractor, there needs to be a written assignment of the copyright.

Agreements

It is possible to protect ideas and inventions by having someone agree not to disclose or use them. Examples of agreements that restrict the right of a third party with regard to an idea or invention include:

• Confidentiality agreements—these are commonly used when submitting an idea to a potential manufacturer, licensee, investor or the like.

• No reverse engineering—these are commonly included in software-license agreements and custom chemical-development agreements.

• No competition—these can be used to prevent a distributor or licensee from selling a competitive product, or to keep the owner of a business from competing after selling the business. Care must be used with noncompetition clauses. In some states, they are illegal in many circumstances.

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA) WANTS TO BUY LAND

VA is interested in acquiring land on which it may construct a new Hospital/Medical Center in the Reno / Sparks, NV. VA is looking for a parcel with 50 to 80 acres of developable land. For complete Procurement and Solicitation details and requirements for consideration, visit SAM.gov

Solicitation Number – 36C10F23Q0102

To be considered, the site must meet the criteria listed in the Solicitation

Additional Contact Information:

Marianne Marinucci, VA Office of Real Property.

marianne.marinucci@va.gov or (202) 632-5468; Ad closes October 31, 2023.

UPFRONT Tribal chairman discusses plans for $4.4 million housing grant

The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony has been approved for a $4.4 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Housing Block Grant Competitive Program to build 22 single-family, manufactured homes on reservation land in Hungry Valley, west of Spanish Springs.

Competitive indeed—according to HUD’s press office, 125 tribes submitted applications, and only 22 were awarded funds. The RSIC—which consists of almost 1,300 members of the Paiute, Shoshone and Washoe tribes— is the only Nevada awardee.

“We’ve already designed the subdivision, and we’re trying to raise the money for infrastructure,” said RSIC Chairman Arlan Melendez. The RSIC is working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on building amenities such as electricity, water, curbs and gutters. Melendez estimates that construction is likely to be completed by 2025.

He said the project will meet approximately half of the RSIC’s most pressing housing needs. The current waiting list has around 40 families awaiting homes.

These families largely fall into two main categories, said Melendez—those that live in a more urban part of Reno and would prefer to live in spacious Hungry Valley, and those who live on the reservation in overcrowded, multi-generational households.

“It could be a three-bedroom house with five or seven people living in the house, or eight people,” he said.

For tribal members whose housing needs aren’t met by this round of funding, Melendez said, “We have some plans in the future to look at (constructing) apartment buildings at some point.”

He said that some RSIC members are veterans and/or are experiencing homelessness.

“We’re trying to at least get them into affordable housing here on tribal lands, because it maintains our traditions,” Melendez added. “We want them to be close to the families here. We stay together and watch out for one another. That’s what our tribal council is charged with doing. So I think we’re in pretty good shape.”

—Kris Vagner

Annularity in action

Catch the ‘ring of fire’ in Nevada’s skies on Oct. 14—or wait 22 years

all of the sun will last less than five minutes.

| BY FRANK X. MULLEN

This map shows the path of annularity (the ring of fire) with peak times. RenoSparks residents will be able to view the moon obscuring 85 percent of the sun at 9:21 a.m. Photo/NASA

instantly cause severe eye injury, according to ophthalmologists.

“It’s never safe to look at the sun directly; you are still getting direct sunlight even when the moon covers almost the entire disk, and you get the ring of fire,” said Brad Carlson, president of the Astronomical Society of Nevada. “Putting on the glasses and then looking through binoculars is just as dangerous. The filter needs to be covering the lens, not just your eyes.”

In a total eclipse, the moon obscures the sun’s entire disk. Annular solar eclipses happen when the moon is too far from Earth to seem to completely cover the sun, leaving a halo of fire peeking out from the circumference of the dark moon’s disk. At their peak, total eclipses create night-like darkness, but in an annular eclipse, daylight is only dimmed.

“Eclipses aren’t rare; they happen about every 18 months somewhere on the planet,” Carlson said. “But usually they happen where you aren’t. What’s rare is having one in your backyard.”

The event also can be seen indirectly by allowing sunlight to travel through anything with holes, like colanders, slotted spoons or holes poked in a piece of cardboard. The pinholes project tiny images of the eclipse in action.

“Even a Ritz cracker will work,” McFarlane said. “It’s not as good as using the glasses to look at it directly, but it’s a safe way to see it.”

Viewing activities are planned in the Truckee Meadows and across Northern Nevada.

“See it while you have the chance; it’s a rare event for us, and there will be a long wait for the next one,” said Paul McFarlane, director of the University of Nevada’s Fleischmann Planetarium. “It’s one of the most dramatic events in astronomy. … There is a partial eclipse that will be visible in Nevada in April 2024, but you’ll have to wait more than 20 years (until 2045) to see another annular eclipse in Reno.”

The eclipse will begin shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, as the moon begins to pass in front of the sun. The whole event will last almost three hours, but the annularity when the moon covers nearly

Reno-Sparks residents will be able to view the moon obscuring 85 percent of the sun at 9:21 a.m. To witness the ring of fire, viewers will need to be within the 125-mile “path of annularity” that crosses the central part of the state, including the communities of Battle Mountain, Winnemucca, Carlin, Ely and Elko.

During an eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the sun without eye protection designed for solar viewing. Viewing glasses are available at the planetarium and at The Discovery Museum in Reno. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration lists viewing tips at www.solarsystem.nasa.gov/ eclipses. Viewing any part of the bright sun through a camera lens, cell phone camera, binoculars or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter over the front of the optics will

The Fleischmann Planetarium and Science Center on the University of Nevada, Reno, campus has scheduled a variety of activities Oct. 14, beginning at 8 a.m. Free parking will be available in the West Stadium Parking Garage, and professional-grade solar telescopes will be available for viewing the celestial event, including the planetarium’s new robotic telescope. Dr. Melodi Rodrigue, an astrophysicist who used NASA space telescopes to study the universe, will be on hand to help visitors get the best views of the eclipse. The planetarium staff also will offer free hands-on crafts and activities, including making solar-detection bracelets. If the day is overcast, the planetarium will replicate the eclipse by beaming a live image of the event inside its full-dome theater. The planetarium is also showing the documentary, Totality!, which features the October annular eclipse and the partial eclipse due on April 8, 2024.

A “ring of fire” will blaze across central Nevada’s skies when the path of an annular solar eclipse crosses the Silver State on Oct. 14.

The Discovery, the Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum at 490 S. Center St. in Reno, will open at 8 a.m. on Oct. 14 to host a variety of hands-on activities related to the eclipse.

Truckee Meadows residents who want to see the full celestial event will need to drive eastward to the best viewing sites. Hotel rooms are available in Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Ely and Elko, but with out-of-state visitors expected to flock to Nevada for the sky show, they will fill up quickly. Dozens of campgrounds also are located throughout the area.

Ely holds ‘Ring of Fire’ festival

The town of Ely, 320 miles east of Reno, is holding the Ring of Fire Eclipse Festival from Oct. 11 to 16. The event includes trail rides, a pub crawl, “punkin’ chunkin’,” a talk on Nevada’s UFO history from UFO experts, and an excursion in a vintage Nevada Northern Railroad train. Lodging is available at area hotels and vacation rentals; trailer and RV reservations are being accepted at the White Pine County Fairgrounds. More details are available at elynevada.net/ring-of-fire-eclipse-festival/.

The Nevada Northern Railway Museum in Ely is offers a chance to see the spectacle from one of its historic early 20th-century locomotives, dubbed the Solar Eclipse Limited. Passengers on the ride to Keystone will be joined by NASA-affiliated interpreters and provided with eclipse-viewing glasses. Tickets are $60 per adult, $51 for seniors, and $30 for kids up to 12.

Great Basin National Park, home of Lehman Caves, stands of ancient bristlecone pines and very dark skies, is a prime area for viewing

the event. In the Great Basin Observatory, a research grade telescope is available for public viewing.

Other Northern Nevada attractions within the path of annularity include Kyle Hot Springs near Winnemucca, Lamoille Canyon in the Ruby Mountains near Elko, Sheldon National Antelope Refuge, Thunder Mountain Monument, and the Black Rock Desert.

Viewers at the ghost town of Vya in the remote northwest corner of the state will be able to see the peak of the annularity starting at 9:19 a.m. People in Wells, near the Nevada-Utah state line, will begin seeing the annularity just before 9:25 a.m. Depending on the viewers’ location, the duration of the peak eclipse will be between two and five minutes.

Simulations at Fleischmann Planetarium indicate that the sky will be dark enough at the height of the eclipse for viewers along the path of annularity to see Venus and Mercury, as well as a few stars, including those in the constellation Canis Major. In Reno, where the event will reach 85 percent of annularity, Venus may make an appearance, McFarlane said.

Massacre Rim, a remote area in northern Washoe County, is among the nation’s few Dark Sky Sanctuaries and offers excellent eclipse viewing. The area is primitive and has no motels. Dispersed camping (camping outside of a designated campground) is permitted throughout the sanctuary. Surprise Valley/ Cedarville, across the state line in California, is a gateway to the sanctuary, and while the skies aren’t as dark, that area may provide a better choice for inexperienced (or reluctant) campers.

One Burner’s view from the ground

The international press had a field day reporting that Burning Man was in the midst of utter disaster due to rain—but from the ground, what appeared to be a great majority of Burners (this one included) experienced the elements as more of a hassle than a catastrophe.

While Burning Man’s press office declined the RN&R’s request for a comment, its blog reads, “While a small minority of participants (from around 180 camps) felt compelled to leave while the playa was still wet for various reasons, the majority stayed until the playa dried out.”

On the whole, Burners are a necessarily overprepared bunch. At this event, there is no commerce. There are no concession stands. No creature comforts are guaranteed to ticket holders. The ratio of consumers to producers is flipped on its head. The people who attend are the same people who build the infrastructure, provide the entertainment and erect temporary “businesses” with no cash registers to provide free cocktails, coffee, steam saunas, aerial jousting arenas or whatever they may want to offer.

One example of thousands: The all-volunteer Black Rock Philharmonic performed in front of Petaluma, Calif., artist Michael Garlington’s “Chapel of Babel.” As the orchestra played Verdi’s Anvil Chorus, a dust storm obscured the view and irritated nasal passages.

Almost nobody left.

—Kris Vagner

During an eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the sun without eye protection designed for solar viewing. Viewing glasses are available at the planetarium and at The Discovery Museum in Reno.

Tipping fatigue

The awkwardness and confusion around gratuities are symptoms of a living wage problem

We’ve all been there: You’re paying for coffee when that ubiquitous little tablet is turned toward you, prompting a tip while the barista waits patiently to complete the transaction.

The social pressure in these situations can be intense. Even if you feel a tip is not necessary, in the moment, it’s hard to decline. Beyond that, people are expected to tip for hairstylists, food delivery services, grocery pickup and more.

Some local fast-food joints also have tip jars prominently displayed. Many restaurant patrons who amped up their tipping habits during the COVID-19 pandemic are now tightening their purse strings as tipping fatigue sets in. And workers who rely on gratuities to make ends meet are suffering the consequences.

Diana Bradbury, a waitress who worked in San Francisco and Los Angeles before landing back in her hometown of Reno, noted, “After COVID, when we got back to it, I did notice a little spike there at the beginning, because we have a lot of regulars, and a lot of people who are just so excited to be out again.” Bradbury, who worked at the same establishment before the pandemic, said the uptick in tips didn’t last for long.

Though tipping is ingrained in American culture as a way to show gratitude for services, a recent Bankrate survey indicated that 66 percent of Americans have a negative view of the practice. In addition, 41 percent of respondents believe the burden

of a livable wage should fall on the shoulders of the business owners, not their customers.

“I think the root issue … is that business owners are pawning off their labor fees (on patrons),” said Bradbury, who has worked in the service industry for more than 15 years. “So if you’re renting a kayak, and that person expects a tip, that’s because (the business) owner doesn’t want to pay them more money.”

Expectations of tips, particularly in businesses other than sit-down restaurants, often create awkward situations for both employees and customers.

“That’s what people, I think, don’t see when they approach something like that,” Bradbury said. “They think, ‘Oh, this person in front of me wants my extra money,’” when it’s really a matter of trying to make a living wage.

This year’s Bankrate survey found that 65 percent of adults “always” tip their server at a dine-in restaurant, a significant drop from 73 percent in the 2022 poll. Tipping fatigue can partially be attributed to the technology that allows suggested tip amounts to be tacked on to a digital restaurant check. According to the survey, 32 percent of adults have negative feelings about those tablets, and 30 percent of adults think tipping culture has gotten out of control.

“Inflation and general economic unease seem to be making Americans stingier with their tipping habits, yet we’re confronted with more invitations to tip than ever,” Bankrate analyst Ted Rossman said when the survey was released.

Nevada law requires businesses to pay employees at least a minimum wage (now $10.25

an hour). But the statute also allows employers to deduct part of a worker’s tips as “tip credit” when customers pay with a bank card, effectively shifting the cards’ service fees onto the backs of servers. Nevada law also mandates that whatever mandatory gratuities employers may set, such as an 18 percent charge for parties of six or more, do not have to be passed on to the servers—the business owner may keep the gratuity. Tip pooling is allowed in Nevada, which means employees may be required to add their tips to a pool to be evenly distributed among staff at the end of service. This may or may not include back-of-house employees such as cooks.

The no-tipping model

A growing number of restaurants in bigger cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are experimenting with living-wage models for employees. In San Francisco, employees at the French restaurant Zazie make from $30 to $65 per hour, for example, and have a profit-sharing plan and benefits.

In Reno, Perenn, a bakery, has joined the no-tipping trend. According to its website, the owners “incorporate an equitable compensation fee within all of our pricing to ensure fairness and equal treatment of our team members.” Prices may be a little higher, proponents say, but diners will know the added cost goes toward paying staff members who aren’t reliant on tips. Perenn’s sister restaurant, Claio, also uses the no-tip system.

This shift to no-tip signals a broader trend within the hospitality industry that is driven by a desire to address income inequality and ensure stable livelihoods for staff. Servers often rely on tips to supplement their minimum-wage base pay. That income can fluctuate wildly based on factors beyond the servers’ control, such as experiencing sexual harassment or tip disparity based on race in the workplace.

Karen Amos of Reno, who has worked as a waitress and food runner for nine years, said most of her past employers made servers pool their tips, to be divided equally among the wait staff. That system, she said, can be a disincentive for employees.

“So if I get a really good tip, because I provided excellent service, it goes into the kitty, and I get the same (share) as everyone else,” she said. “It’s not fair. … All servers don’t do their jobs the same way or rate the same tips. I’d rather just make a living wage and not have to worry about what my income is going to be based on other people’s performance.”

Others oppose the no-tipping option. Business owners argue that maintaining the tipping model helps keep menu costs lower and that

restaurants may have trouble absorbing the cost of the higher wages. Greater employee turnover may be an unexpected outcome of the no-tip experiment. In an opinion piece published in NH Journal, servers wrote: “For the remaining workers, our motivation would plummet along with our tips. It’s like telling a salesperson they can no longer work for commission; where is the incentive to go above and beyond if you won’t be rewarded accordingly?”

Bradbury has mixed feelings about the no-tipping system. She supports a living wage but doesn’t think she would like working in a place where tipping isn’t allowed.

“I feel like personally, I would end up not really feeling the benefit of a place like that,” she said. “I think because I’ve been doing this job for 15-plus years in one facet or another, when you make the same amount of money no matter what you do, it’s soul-sucking after a while.”

Tips for tipping

So far, relatively few restaurants have adopted the no-tipping model. We still live in a tipping-centric culture, which got more confusing as the pressure to tip increased. How much should you tip your barista or budtender? What’s a fair gratuity for haircuts or bellhops? Here are some guidelines to help navigate our tablet-filled world.

• In restaurants, it’s customary to tip wait staff around 15-20 percent of the bill before taxes. However, some establishments might include a service charge, so check the menu. Bartenders generally receive $1-$2 per drink or 15-20 percent of the total tab. For food delivery, a tip of 10-15 percent is standard, with a minimum of $2-$5.

• Hotel services come with their own set of norms. Bellhops typically receive $1-$2 per bag, while housekeeping can be tipped $2-$5 per night, left in an envelope in the room. Concierge services, like booking reservations or arranging tours, often warrant $5-$10 per request.

• In the rideshare era, rideshare drivers should receive 15-20 percent of the fare. Taxi drivers, on the other hand, can be tipped around 10-15 percent. Tour guides and personal drivers can be tipped $10-$20 per person per day, depending on the length and quality of the service.

• For personal services, hairstylists and barbers generally receive 15-20 percent of the service cost. Spa services warrant a 15-20 percent tip as well. For services like pet grooming, 10-15 percent is suitable.

• For budtenders, tipping based on a percentage of the purchase amount can get very pricey. For a basic transaction, a buck or two is a good standard. For anything more complex, $2-5 is a good range, depending on the extent of the service and size of the purchase. And if you’re really making them run around for a large order, consider throwing $5-10 in the tip jar.

Sources: RN&R research and Potguide.com

A tip jar on the counter of El Pollo Loco in Northwest Reno. Photo/David Robert

Remembering Adele’s

The shuttered Carson City eatery is still dear to locals’ hearts

In 1977, Paul and Adele Abowd bought a historic building at Carson and John streets in Carson City and converted it into Adele’s Restaurant and Lounge. The couple’s son Charlie, who had worked as a journeyman carpenter and contractor (and also did restaurant work) in California and Washington State, helped with the conversion.

In 1994, Charlie and his wife, Karen, purchased the business. They renamed it Cafe at Adele’s, changed the décor a bit, added breakfast, built a veranda, and geared the menu toward a wider demographic of clientele.

For the next 25 years, folks flocked to Adele’s.

During the Abowds’ tenure as restaurateurs, they found time for other pursuits as well. In 2005, Charlie and his staff cooked

for members of the James Beard Foundation in New York City. He called it a “spiritual moment” to cook in the place where favorites Julia Child and Jacques Pepin did.

In 2010, Karen was elected a city supervisor and served for eight years. A downtown Carson Street upgrade was completed during her tenure on the city’s five-member governing board. The restaurant was gutted by a fire in 2019. It closed and was then razed—and is sorely missed.

Earlier this year, Charlie published a book, Recipes and Rambles That Made Adele’s a Nevada Hot Spot: Forty Years of Cuisine and History as Told by Chef Charlie Abowd It’s partly a memoir, partly a recipe book, and partly a collection of customers’ fond memories.

Pete Ernaut, a former Nevada assemblyman who is now a government affairs officer for

R&R Partners, said in the book that he loved Charlie’s paella.

“But more than anything,” he wrote, “I loved his lamb, which is saying something because I am Basque. I have always said the best Basque chef I have ever met was Lebanese. His cuisine was wonderful and inventive and always extraordinary.”

At Adele’s, politics and cuisine were both on the table. Governors, legislators, lobbyists and hangers-on haunted the place.

“It is said that more deals happened in Adele’s than at the legislature,” wrote Colette Burau, a Carson City real estate agent, in Recipes and Rambles

“It was the restaurant in Carson City,” said Will Adler, a principal at Silver State Government Relations of Carson City. “It was the lobbyists’ bar. I loved Adele’s, personally, and really miss it.”

Said Ernaut: “Everybody who was anybody held court there.”

When I left journalism in 2016 and ran for city supervisor after 45 years as a newsman,

a fundraising event at Adele’s kicked off my campaign.

Sarah Adler, formerly the state’s director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and now a principal for Silver State Government Relations, credits Charlie and Karen with helping spur a downtown renaissance. Karen won Adler’s praise for starting The Greenhouse Project (TGP), a nonprofit that distributes fresh produce to food-insecure folks, after she witnessed food insecurity among the kids she was teaching at St. Teresa of Avila, the couple’s Roman Catholic church. TGP has distributed more than 25,000 pounds of food since 2013.

TGP for years raised funds via dinners and musical events such as the Concert Under the Stars at Adele’s and other venues. For a fundraiser, the group once asked artists— including Karen—to decorate chairs for an auction. She used some of Charlie’s Jerry Garcia ties to re-upholster the seat of a bishop’s chair. He treasured the musician’s neckwear, so he won a bidding war for that chair. By now, he’s paid for the ties many times over. The chair still graces the Abowds’ Carson City home.

“They used their credibility and name recognition to raise funds for The Greenhouse Project,” said Adler. “It really had a broad impact.”

Karen and Charlie Abowd sell Charlie’s book at the Carson Farmer’s Market.

Photo/John Barrette

Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight

For October, 2023

This sky chart is drawn for latitude 40 degrees north, but may be used in continental U.S. and southern Canada.

October’s evening sky chart. Illustration/Robert D. Miller

In the morning sky, you can also view Mercury in brightening twilight to the lower left of Venus, by 30° on Oct. 1, increasing 1° per day to 37° on Oct. 8. Mercury passes superior conjunction on the far side of the sun on Oct. 19-20.

Continuing its eastward journey through the zodiac constellations at a rate averaging 13° per day, the moon on Oct. 3 is 79% full in Taurus, within 4° to the upper left of the Pleiades cluster, and 11° right of Aldebaran, eye of the Bull.

On the morning of Oct. 5, the 60% moon resides in the northernmost section of the zodiac, near the foot of Castor in Gemini, passing just 6° south of overhead 1.2 hours before sunrise.

On Oct. 6, nearing last quarter phase (90° or a quarter-circle west of the sun), the 51% moon is 9-11° west of the “Twin” stars, Castor and Pollux. On Oct. 7, the moon is now a crescent at 41%, 2-7° below the Twins.

On Sunday, Oct. 8, look a little earlier, 1 1/2 hours before sunrise, and use binoculars to see the Beehive star cluster in Cancer, within 4° to the lower right of the 32% crescent moon. An hour before sunrise on Oct. 9, Regulus and Venus appear closest together this morning, 2.3° apart, and are within 13° to the lower right of the 23% moon.

October skies

Saturday, Oct. 14, is solar eclipse day— but make sure you observe safely

October provides sky watchers the moon in conjunction with the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter; good chances to spot those planets with the unaided eye in the daytime just after sunrise; and a major solar eclipse on Saturday, Oct. 14, when the moon is in transition from morning skies to the evening.

Look daily one hour before sunrise, and watch the moon wane from full, low in the west on Sept. 29, to a thin crescent, low in the east, on Oct. 13. In Aries in the western sky on Sunday morning, Oct. 1, the waning gibbous 94 percent moon is nearly halfway from horizon to overhead, with bright Jupiter 9° to its upper left. Venus, even brighter, is behind you in Leo, and nearly 30° up in the east. Note the 1.4-magnitude star Regulus, heart of Leo, 7° to Venus’ lower left.

In October, Venus gleams at magnitude -4.7 to -4.4, slightly faded from its peak in

mid-September. This month, Venus changes in phase and apparent size, from 37% full and 32” (arcseconds) across on the 1st, fattened to 54% but shrunk to 22” across on the 31st. This month, Venus climbs to its greatest altitude in the morning twilight sky. It is four to six times as bright as Jupiter, which shines at magnitude -2.8 to -2.9. Our solar system’s largest planet shows a full disk, growing from nearly 48” on Oct. 1 to 49.5” at closest approach in early November.

On October mornings an hour before sunrise, the positions of stars in the sky—but not those of the moon and the planets—are the same as they’ll be on March evenings about an hour after sunset. Find Sirius, the brightest star, but not as bright as Venus or Jupiter, flashing vigorously in the southern sky, on a line formed by extending the belt of Orion toward the southeast. Find Aldebaran and the Pleiades by extending Orion’s belt in the opposite direction.

On Tuesday Oct. 10, it’s just four days until the solar eclipse! This morning, an hour before sunrise, see the 16% crescent moon in the east with its darker side illuminated by earthshine. Venus, within 6° to the moon’s lower right, itself shows a crescent, 43% illuminated and nearly 29” across. Regulus is 2.4° to the upper left of Venus. Keep Venus in view as sunrise approaches, and you may be able to snag a daytime sighting.

On Thursday, Oct. 12, one hour before sunup, the moon is 11° up in the east, with Venus 22° to its upper right. The sun is below the horizon, 24° to the moon’s lower left.

On Friday the 13th, one hour before sunrise, the moon isn’t in view yet, so we’ll wait until about 40 minutes before sunup to catch the 1 percent crescent just 3-4° above the horizon and 4° south of east, and 34° to the lower left of Venus. The sun is below the horizon, within 13° to the moon’s lower left.

Saturday, Oct. 14—it’s solar eclipse day!

From Reno, the solar eclipse begins at 8:05 a.m., as the moon’s disk begins to encroach upon the sun’s, near the very top of the sun’s disk. The sun is then in the east-southeast, 10° up. The moon gradually covers more of the sun’s disk until 9:21 a.m., when the moon will cover 90 percent of the sun’s diameter (the magnitude of the eclipse) and 85 percent of the area of the solar disk (called the obscuration). The sun will then be 37° east of south, and 35° above the horizon.

The eclipse will conclude at 10:45 a.m., when the moon’s disk will depart from the lower left edge of the sun’s disk, near the 7 o’clock position if you imagine the solar disk to be a clock face. If you intend to observe the eclipse, it is very important to do so safely. Viewing the sun improperly can cause permanent damage to eyesight.

After the Oct. 14 solar eclipse, the moon sets too soon after sunset on Oct. 15 to be seen easily. Your first good chance to see the waxing crescent moon after new, if you have an unobstructed view, will come on Monday, Oct. 16. About 40 minutes after sunset, look for the 6% young crescent 4° up in the west-southwest.

On Oct. 17 and 18, look for the red supergiant star Antares, heart of Scorpius, near the moon: 7° to the moon’s upper left on the 17th, and 6° to the moon’s lower right on the 18th.

On Oct. 19, one hour after sunset, the southernmost moon, 28% full, is in the southwest to south-southeast, just to the west of the Teapot asterism in Sagittarius, the Archer. Mercury is at superior conjunction on the far side of the sun, and will emerge into the evening sky in December. On the next evening, the 38% moon is near the handle of the Teapot.

On Oct. 21, the moon is nearing first quarter phase, 90 degrees or one quarter-circle east of the setting sun. Note the moon’s shape is half full.

On Monday, Oct. 23, one hour after sunset, the 72% moon is in the south-southeast, with Saturn nearly 6° to its upper left. In late October and early November, the rings are tipped 10.5° from edge-on, the best view of the rings we’ll get until 2027. On Oct. 24, Saturn appears 10-11° to upper right of the 82% moon.

On the 27th, the 99% moon is in the east, with Jupiter 17° to the lower left.

On Oct. 28, the full moon is low, north of east an hour after sunset, with bright Jupiter within 3° to its lower left. Closest approach of Jupiter and the moon tonight occurs at 9:55 p.m. in Reno. On Sunday morning, Oct. 29, find the moon and Jupiter low in the west, with Jupiter 4° to the lower left of the moon.

The moon will rise later each evening, farther north each time until Nov. 1. By Oct. 31, the moon will rise after twilight ends. Each evening thereafter allows a longer interval of dark skies for evening deep-sky viewing.

For illustrations of many of these events consider subscribing to the Abrams Planetarium Sky Calendar, at abramsplanetarium.org/skycalendar.

For $12 per year, subscribers will receive quarterly mailings of three monthly issues, each with an illustrated calendar of events with an evening star map on the reverse side.

Robert Victor originated the Abrams Planetarium monthly Sky Calendar in October 1968 and still helps produce an occasional issue. He enjoys being outdoors sharing the beauty of the night sky and other wonders of nature.

Stereographic Projection Map by Robert D. Miller

Arcturus

Antares

Vega

Altair

Deneb

Fomalhaut

Fall colors

Some of my favorite spots for autumn beauty

Fall is upon us. The leaves change colors across the city, and the evergreens in the mountains drop old needles and don darker green for winter. Hidden pockets outside hold special colors and unique fall nature events, if you know where to look.

While there’s no shortage of beautiful sights in the autumn, here are a few of my favorites.

Spooner Lake is a classic stop on the east shore of Lake Tahoe. Part of the Nevada State Parks system, this stunning lake is surrounded by aspens and other deciduous trees that display a rainbow of autumn hues each year. With recently renovated facilities, Spooner Lake has plenty of space for visitors to enjoy the sights and sounds in the area.

A mostly flat, two-mile trail will take you all the way around the lake, through

aspen groves where you can appreciate the colors up close. Migrating birds often stop at Spooner Lake, and a pair of binoculars is a great addition to any visit to this alpine refuge. Many miles of backcountry trails and camping—including a portion of the Tahoe Rim Trail—wind their way through this scenic backcountry.

Taylor Creek, just west of South Lake Tahoe, is another excellent fall classic. With a visitor station run by the U.S. Forest Service and a trail spotted with educational signs, this area is more than just a pretty walk in the woods. You can learn about the local ecology while winding through trees, meandering over meadows and marshes, and listening to the whisper of the aspen groves, with their twisting leaves.

Each fall, Taylor Creek is the site of the kokanee salmon run. These non-native (but

| BY MAGGIE NICHOLS

well-managed and integrated) fish turn bright pink and red as they make their way from Lake Tahoe into Fallen Leaf Lake to spawn. In this shallow creek, their vibrant colors add to the magic of the area—made more spectacular by frequent visits from hungry bears looking for a fishy snack.

In Hope Valley, just south of Tahoe, Highway 88 offers a feast for the eyes as it winds along the west fork of the Carson River. The undergrowth and the aspens put on a colorful display in the fall, made all the more beautiful on a frosty sunny morning or a rainy, overcast afternoon. The campground along the river has little cell service but great views and the musical backdrop of water flowing over rocks.

The main expanse of the valley is home to grasses and willows that make up an impressively large meadow. Spring wildflowers give way to the soft yellows, browns and oranges of fall colors. Creeks crisscross, giving homes to fish and crusting over with picturesque frost on brisk mornings. There’s much to explore in the area, with side roads heading up to hidden lakes and more valleys housing migrating sandhill cranes and mule deer.

Desolation Wilderness is spectacular in every season. The granite slabs full of lakes and twisting trees feel foreign and exotic—under the midsummer sun or covered in snow. Evergreens and junipers dominate much of this wilderness, and at first glance, this may not be the ideal spot for bright fall colors. However, for the intrepid explorer who is willing to hike farther distances, the autumn damp that collects in pockets of shade creates oases for brightly colored mushrooms to flourish.

Rather than looking up at leaves, most of these mushrooms grow from the ground, from downed trunks, or sprout off the sides of living trees. They represent a spectacular array of fungal life, from small, white toadstools covered in tan dots to enormous orange, yellow and brown elephant ears sprawling across the ground. Entire trunks may be coated in delicate, rust-colored flakes, while crevices between branches give rise to shiny, banana-yellow blobs, and unassuming patches on the ground explode in great cherry-red mushroom caps with white spots, as if out of a parallel universe full of Mario characters.

Whether you’re looking for classic aspen groves, exciting animal antics, or obscure fungi sprouting just two weeks each year, our little neck of the Sierra Nevada Mountains has so much to offer in the fall. These are some of my favorite spots that I return to bask in each year. What are yours?

Think Free!

A fall hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail across Big Meadow, above Hope Valley. Photo/Maggie Nichols

shouldn’t

They drop anchor 100 feet off the shore of what, for tourists, is an inviting beach, but the scientists suspect it’s a perfect spot to monitor the lake’s algae population.

Two divers check their scuba gear and tumble into the water to gather samples. The work is a regular part of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) and the decades-long effort to tell the hidden stories of Tahoe’s ecosystem. The researchers monitor a complex web of life that is constantly under threat from environmental pressures, natural and man-made.

TERC’s recent 2023 “State of the Lake” report revealed that the nation’s seconddeepest lake is undergoing more rapid—and often unexpected—changes than the lake has experienced in decades.

Tahoe is suddenly clearer than it has been since the 1980s; populations of some invasive species have significantly decreased, while others have thrived. Fewer tiny particles and organic nutrients are flowing into the lake; microplastics infest the water; and increasingly warmer water temperatures have allowed floating algae species to flourish—then befoul miles of beaches when the blooms die, and

decaying, smelly algae washes up on shore.

Each week in all seasons, TERC researchers keep tabs on an ecosystem of interdependent species and systems. Asian clams stimulate the growth of algae. The algae are consumed by filter-feeding zooplankton, organisms that strain the water for nutrients. Some filterfeeders are prey to mysis shrimp, an invasive species that got into the lake decades ago. In and around the lake, everything is connected to everything else. What changes one thing has a domino effect on many other species and natural systems.

The scientists study the lake from near and far. Teams aboard boats collect samples and monitor natural conditions. Buckets on buoys collect rainfall and the tiny particles of pollution carried by the drops. Divers swim in Tahoe’s depths. Unmanned vessels and drones collect data. Boats tow trawls that skim plastic debris from the water’s surface. Satellites and aircraft provide a comprehensive view of the 22-mile long lake, which is 12 miles across at its widest point.

“We have a helicopter that does full lake flights once a month and takes imagery of the entire (72-mile) shore line,” said Katie Senft, a TERC research associate who specializes in invasive species. “Every 10 days, we’re doing Secchi readings and dropping instruments in the lake to do profiles.”

A Secchi disk—which looks like a 10-inch white dinner plate dangling from a cable—is

slowly lowered into the lake. The depth at which the disk is no longer visible is the measure of the transparency (clarity) of the water.

Tahoe is one of the most closely monitored bodies of water in the world. TERC research teams study pieces of a complicated puzzle that changes from season to season and year to year.

beaches. Metaphyton has been increasing in recent years, the researchers said, often in places that have a large population of Asian clams.

“When the water temperature rises, Asian clams excrete waste: nitrogen and phosphorus. It acts as fertilizer for metaphyton to grow,” said Senft. “It can grow without clams, but clams just speed up the process.”

The Asian clams, which were first detected on the south Tahoe shoreline in 2002, then found near the Sand Harbor boat ramp in 2012, are transported to the lake by boaters who didn’t wash their vessels before casting off at Tahoe. In order to stop the spread of invasive species, boat inspections have been mandatory at the lake since 2008.

“When we come out to these sites to monitor metaphyton, there are two components to it,” including diving and drone flights, Senft said. Senft and Brandon Berry, one of her research partners, program the drone. “Brandon flies the drone path that we lay out on an iPad, so it flies the same area near shore every time. When we don’t have that, we hop in the water and look around to find algae.”

One researcher dives down to the lake bed and collects samples. That’s done by placing a bottomless, weighted bucket on the spot to be sampled, and vacuuming up what’s inside. The samples are used to calculate the biomass of the whole algae patch.

Back in the lab, the algae samples are tested for nutrients, including nitrogen and

On a recent summer day at Tahoe, Senft and her team are monitoring algae. During the warmer months, metaphyton, an algae that floats, is the focus of their interest. That species is the green, stinky slime that washes up on some of Tahoe’s

UC Davis researcher Brant Allen prepares to lower the weighted Secchi disk into Lake Tahoe for a clarity measurement. This measurement is taken approximately every 10 days, with a long-term record going back to the late 1960s. High-tech instruments also are used to gauge water transparency, but don’t have the same long-term record of data as the disk measurements.

Photo courtesy of TERC

Amid the expanse of Lake Tahoe’s crystalline water bobs a tiny metal boat carrying three researchers.

phosphorus, and for chlorophyll, the natural compound that gives plants their green color. The algae also is analyzed to determine if it can be used as compost.

Nature has no sympathy for the TERC teams. From December through April, researchers dive in the icy water to collect periphyton, an algae that sticks to submerged surfaces.

Erik Young, a research associate helping Senft with the algal-monitoring project, noted that in the winter, the divers switch from wetsuits to dry suits, don thicker neoprene gloves, and wear heated vests while working underwater. The cold makes their jobs harder, Young said, but in all seasons, the researchers get glimpses of Tahoe’s landscape, below and above the waterline, that most visitors never see.

“One time, we were doing night work in February, and it was freezing cold,” Senft said. “We went to Emerald Bay, and I came out to start the generator, and the lake was glass. You couldn’t tell where the lake stopped and the sky started; it was like the boat was just floating in space.”

Such magical moments remind the researchers that their workplace—a lake like a vast sapphire set in a ring of snow-capped mountains—is a natural wonder.

“It’s been a year and a half working here, and this never gets old,” Young said. “It’s a great place to live and work, so I was happy that I landed here after (earning) my master’s.”

Young’s love of science and passion for discovery led him to his job at TERC, he said. “I am not a biologist,” Young said. “I have a master’s in environmental geochemistry, so I’m trained for aquatic science, but also the physics and chemistry behind it, rather than the biology and ecology side of it.”

He assists with all of TERC’s dive projects, including Senft’s, but Young is also working on a project at Clear Lake, northwest of

Sacramento, where he uses sonar to map the lake’s bottom.

Senft, meanwhile, has a long history with Lake Tahoe.

“My grandpa loved the water here so much that he would fill up the back of his pickup truck with glass jugs of Tahoe water from spouts at the campground to bring back to Southern California,” she said.

Senft’s love for the outdoors and an interest in science led her to research invasive species. She counts herself lucky in that she spends every day doing what she loves while at the same time having a positive impact on the environment.

The researchers don’t have to punch a clock. They are often able to choose their work hours, but flexible schedules also may involve working nights, weekends or long shifts. Their time is split between field work and doing computer analysis of the data they collect. On field days, the team members are up before dawn.

“We have a lot of work to do, so we try to be where we need to be when the sun is coming up,” Young said. “Early mornings include loading all the equipment on the boat, getting our dive work ready, and heading out.”

Research teams usually spend six to 10 hours a day at their tasks, including investigating the algae sites, dropping off samples, setting up equipment to capture particles settling on the lake, measuring water clarity with Secchi disks, and doing a variety of other jobs before they head back to the dock or leave the lab.

Major environmental threats to Lake Tahoe loom: global climate change, which is accelerated by human activities, and damage caused by the legions of people who flock to the natural wonder—and may be loving it to death.

“The number of people who want to be here to ski in the winter and then all summer seems like it’s going to increase every year,” said Young, who wonders if regulators will ever cap the area’s growth in visitors—a solution applied at Yosemite, although that isn’t as easy to do in an area that isn’t a national park. More visitors equals more pollution, which in turn fuels greater algae growth. If there’s no limit to the growing number of visitors, Young said, “I think what we are seeing with algae growth will continue to worsen.”

According to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, a bi-state agency created in 1969 to protect the area’s environment, Tahoe is host to 57,000 residents. About 2 million people visit Tahoe each year.

The planning agency notes on its website that an alpine ecosystem as fragile as Tahoe’s can suffer devastating consequences even from small changes in air and water temperatures. They include more severe storms and droughts; winters with more rain and less snowfall; increased tree mortality; longer wildfire

seasons with more intense fires; warming lake waters that are increasingly susceptible to algae growth; invasive species; and reduced water clarity.

The TRPA notes that the region’s transportation system is the largest contributor of greenhouse gasses in both California and Nevada. Those gasses, including carbon dioxide and methane, trap the sun’s heat, boosting average temperatures.

In winter, the top layer of the lake usually cools and sinks, carrying oxygen deeper and feeding microorganisms that live on the bottom of the 1,640-foot-deep lake. The colder and longer the winter, the more mixing occurs. But in 2016, mixing only reached down 262 feet, a much shallower depth than in previous years. Since 1970, according to TERC, the water in Lake Tahoe has gotten 1.4°F warmer. Over the last 100 years, Tahoe’s average daily minimum temperature has risen 4.2° F, according to TERC. Those increases may seem minor, but because the lake’s ecosystem is so delicately balanced, the direct and indirect effects of global warming affect everything in and out of the water.

Warmer temperatures further diminish the lake’s clarity and have many other negative consequences, including jeopardizing the region’s $5 billion a year tourism industry, according to the TRPA. Water clarity is more than cosmetic. Clearer water also allows sunlight to reach underwater vegetation— plants that in turn generate oxygen, serve as

“ One time, we were doing night work in February, and it was freezing cold. We went to Emerald Bay, and I came out to start the generator, and the lake was glass. You couldn’t tell where the lake stopped and the sky started; it was like the boat was just floating in space.

— Katie Senft TERC research associate

UC researcher Erik Young holds a gooey sample of metaphyton, an algae that floats freely rather than sticking to rocks. That kind of algae befouled 16 Lake Tahoe beaches last year. Photo/Zoe Dixon

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habitats for fish and shellfish, and provide food for ducks, geese, fish and mammals.

when the average Secchi depth was 80.6 feet. The swift increase in clarity was good news to scientists who want to eventually restore the lake to its historic 97.4 feet of clear water, but the recent gains may be temporary.

in clarity may disappear.

Some threats to the lake’s health are invisible to the naked eye.

fir-dominated forest that is more prone to fire and supports fewer plant and animal species. The fire-prone forests contribute to Tahoe’s environmental woes, including algae growth.

As the lake has been warming over time, different algal species are becoming more dominant, especially a phytoplankton called cyclotella. That species has very small cells, which take longer to settle out of the water column. The tiny cells interfere with the light passing through the water and affect Tahoe’s clarity.

But even with cyclotella on the rise, Tahoe last year was clearer than it has been since the 1980s. In 2022, Lake Tahoe’s average annual clarity was 71.7 feet, compared to 61 feet in 2021. The greatest improvement in lake clarity was recorded from August through December,

The clearer water coincided with high numbers of the lake’s native zooplankton, daphnia and bosmina. Those species, researchers said, act as a “natural clean-up crew” to help restore Tahoe’s renowned clear water. Mysis shrimp, an invasive species, usually keep the zooplankton population in check, but large numbers of the shrimp died out in 2021. That allowed the zooplankton to prosper and gobble up lots of the claritydestroying algae, researchers theorize.

The reason for the collapse of the mysis shrimp population remains a mystery. One theory is that their food source, a species of zooplankton called copepods, got fungal infections in the fall, and many died off. Left with a sparse supply of food, the shrimp may have starved to death.

“This summer, we had an intern who went back and looked at some historic zooplankton samples from back to 2016, and she was able to find individuals that had fungal infections every fall since then, but some years are worse than others,” Senft said. “It could also be wildfire smoke, a warming lake, or a phytoplankton species that could’ve been a poor food source the same year” that the shrimp died off.

The shrimp’s plight could be the result of a combination of factors, she said.

“You know, with good research, you answer one question, but then you get 10 or 20 more, so that’s kind of where we’re at right now,” she said. If and when the shrimp population rebounds, the gains

The journal Nature this year published the results of a study on plastic debris and microplastics in 38 lakes and reservoirs in 23 countries. Lake Tahoe had the third-highest concentration of microplastics among those sites.

Where are the tiny plastic particles coming from? There’s no specific evidence, but scientists theorize that the fragments devolve from plastic litter, which is broken down by the elements into smaller and smaller pieces that eventually are washed into the lake.

The lake’s litter problem is getting worse, as evidenced by this year’s July 4 holiday weekend, which set a record for the amount of trash left on the Tahoe shoreline. On July 5, volunteers with the League to Save Lake Tahoe collected 8,559 pounds of litter left behind by revelers on beaches and in nearby parking lots. That’s 2.5 times as much as the volunteers collected in 2022, when 3,450 pounds were hauled away.

What goes into the lake, stays in the lake.

“A single drop of water in the lake takes 650 years before it leaves, since there’s no current and tides to move the water around,” Senft explained. “… The plastic in the lake has been here for such a long time, because it’s not getting flushed out.”

From the 1860s to the early 1900s, loggers clearcut most of the forest surrounding Tahoe to supply lumber for silver and gold mines, and to build Virginia City. They mowed down Jeffrey and sugar pine trees, which dominated the old-growth forest, leaving fir trees behind. Over decades, the survivors spread their seeds, creating a dense,

“We’re monitoring the impact that smoke has on light penetration in the lake, and what we’re seeing is that it kind of has a greenhouse effect,” Senft said. “So algae grows better when you have all this wildfire smoke.”

The research team places metal buckets on buoys to collect particles in the air. During wildfires, a lot more particles rain down from smoke plumes, delivering more food— nitrogen and phosphorus—to hungry algae. “Also creeks, deposition and overland runoff bring in nitrogen,” Young said. “Especially when there are early rains in the springtime, all this stuff from the road washes off.”

TERC’s State of the Lake report had other good news in addition to the unexpected, and perhaps short-lived, increase in water clarity. The Upper Truckee River, which is the biggest water source for Tahoe, carried just 11.1 metric tons of nitrogen into the lake this year, compared to its usual annual amount of 17.3 metric tons. That decrease indicates the area’s restoration and management efforts have reduced nutrient and fine particle loads entering the lake, TERC officials said. Last winter’s cold temperatures— which froze the surface of Emerald Bay—were a boon for the lake’s health. In February, Lake Tahoe flipped, meaning it fully mixed vertically from top to bottom for the first time in four years. Mixing renews the water at the lake bottom with “fresh” oxygen-rich water from the surface and helps cool the bottom of the lake, which slowly warms due to geothermal heating.

UC Davis researcher Katie Senft rinses the “manta trawl” and collects particles in a sample bottle after the trawl was towed across Lake Tahoe’s surface to collect buoyant plastics. UC Davis recently conducted a year-long, top-to-bottom assessment of microplastics in the lake. Photo courtesy of TERC

“ A single drop of water in the lake takes 650 years before it leaves, since there’s no current and tides to move the water around. … The plastic in the lake has been here for such a long time, because it’s not getting flushed out . ”

— Katie Senft TERC research associate

As Lake Tahoe experiences rapid changes, advances in technology have allowed researchers to collect information and monitor conditions faster and more accurately than was previously possible. UC Davis keeps three research boats at the Tahoe City Marina: R/V John Le Conte, R/V Bob Richards, and R/V Ted Frantz. Each vessel is designed for a variety of research tasks. On field days, gliders and unmanned aerial vehicles patrol the water and air.

“Gliders are basically this big torpedo with no motor, so we have to pre-program waypoints on the lake where we want it to go,” Young said. “(The glider) controls its depth by changing its own density and using oil pumps, and has these wings that use (downward) movement to go forward. That movement gives the effect of the glider bouncing through the water column.”

The unmanned drones take flight to collect imagery of the lake, which is fed through a software program that classifies the results.

“So we can say one group of pixels is metaphyton, and another group wherever is sand,” Senft said. “That way, we can get an idea of percent coverage over a large-scale area and track how each changes over time.”

UC Davis TERC teamed up with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab to keep five electronic buoys bobbing in Tahoe’s blue water. The buoys help calibrate satellite instruments and collect data on various environmental factors, including temperature, wind, humidity, radiation and other benchmarks.

NASA chose Tahoe because it is a perfect laboratory for the mission, researchers said.

The lake is big enough to accommodate different satellite footprints, and its high elevation means there is less atmosphere to get in the way of communicating with satellites. The lake doesn’t freeze in the winter, and freshwater is much kinder to sensitive instruments than the salt water in oceans.

TERC programs also educate people about Tahoe’s environment. The center has partnered with Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe, the Truckee Community Garden, and the North Tahoe Demonstration Garden to host garden workshops aimed at creating sustainable gardens.

Other public efforts include Tahoe Science Center, Green Building Tours and a monthly lecture series featuring experts on various environmental issues, scientific research, regional subjects and other topics.

But it’s the constant monitoring of the water, air and ground that helps scientists understand the delicate and often hidden relationships among the creatures and things that inhabit Tahoe’s web of life. Some queries are answered; most lead to many more questions.

“There are many complex processes occurring that we don’t fully understand,” said Geoffrey Schladow, UC Davis TERC director and professor of civil and environmental engineering. We need to better understand them to continue moving forward.”

RN&R editor at large Frank X. Mullen contributed to this report.

Katie Senft, in scuba gear, dives into the lake to collect samples of algae. UC Davis researcher Erik Young is on board the research boat. Photo/Zoe Dixon

Q+A with April Bey

Touched by colonialism and dystopia, the Bahamian artist creates portals of escape

“Let me write my music not for earth alone, but for the worlds” ―Sun Ra

We are living in dystopian times; that much is clear. Through the miasma of wildfires, hurricanes, socioeconomic upheaval and civil unrest, the individual strains to envision benevolent futures.

For the global majority, the reality of dystopia has long been the cultural narrative. The history of colonization is, for most, a tale of apocalypse. Still, in the wake of devastation, we may find new seeds nourished by ashes that grow the most verdant gardens.

Meet April Bey. The Bahamian artist is a child of colonial aftermath that has emerged to create portals of escape for herself and us all. Bey’s latest work, Atlantica, is a trans-terrestrial installation designed to teleport audiences

to another world. But you don’t have to take my word for it. I was privileged to converse with Bey about her exhibition at the Nevada Museum of Art.

Your work centers around representations of the African diaspora via textile, primarily. And I wondered how you came to Reno of all places with this body of work.

My show was up in California at the California African American Museum. It was actually the CEO of the museum and the curator, Carmen Beals, who came to California to see the show. And they decided that Reno geographically needed to have the work in that space, and that the population there would appreciate it and needed it. So they worked out an agreement with the museum to transfer the intellectual property, as well as with me to get the show to move to Reno.

I love the African American Museum. It just blows my face off every time I go in there. In Atlantica, is there a shift between what was in the African American Museum and what’s being presented in Reno?

It’s the same show. There are a few new pieces. And because the whole entire show was an installation, it’s a new installation. So there’s a significant amount of the work that’s new, just because the space is different.

Also, the portal—there’s a room right before you get into the main room, called the portal. It’s supposed to be made up of live plants and humidifiers and everything. That’s a major change in the show, because we’re actually using artificial plants, so I’ll be able to hang them in ways that I wouldn’t be able to hang organic plants—like upside down, so it looks more like a science fiction portal to another planet.

I wonder what your feelings are as a voice in Afrofuturism and what you hope audiences will gain from it.

I actually fall more into the speculative futurism category, because I make commentary on all cultures. It’s not just Black people who are in my work—concepts and deities and all kinds of stuff. What I’m hoping that the work does is invite people to step outside of this planet and see illustrations of what we could be and what we could do, (and) maybe even use the installation as an escape for a place to find solace. The work in this show in particular focuses on Black people vacationing and being in opulence and pleasure.

Yes, please! Always more of that. I wonder, do you reference deities? Are there specific deities that you feel that you’re incorporating into this work that we’ll be seeing in Reno? Specific speculations that you feel are important to address for this work in particular?

The show is based off of the book, The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez. That book is a historically queer book. It was one of the first to star a lesbian Black woman who is also a vampire. She becomes this figure in the book, where she is now no longer an escaped slave, but is now a vampire that doesn’t need humanity. But she can’t not have humanity. She still falls in love with humans. She still feels the need to participate in civil rights movements and write books for humans. And she becomes this godlike character who is powerful, but still in love with very small, primitive beings. The first image you see when you walk into the Gilda region is Gilda, which is a very large drawing of fat Black femme holding a large plant that has flowers that are Black women’s fists with acrylic nails as the flower. … There’s also Mami Wata (an African and Caribbean water spirit).

… There’s an advertisement for churches. So the installation is supposed to emulate the portion of the airport that you go through when you get off your plane, and you’re looking for ground transportation or getting your luggage. If you go on vacation, you’re going to see a lot of ads for all of the things you could do on that trip, all of the restaurants you can visit, and often times, at least in the Bahamas, where I’m from, a lot of the ads, if they show Bahamians, they’re going to be in servitude. They’re going to be serving drinks, or with a thumbs up standing by the boat waiting to take tourists

“When Your Limit Is the Sky I’m on Another Planet and You Just Fly,” made of paint, fabric, glitter and sequins, is part of April Bey’s exhibition Atlantica, The Gilda Region. Photo/courtesy of the Nevada Museum of Art

out. You never see Bahamians actually laying on the beach in their own country, getting drinks served to them. So that’s kind of the vibe of the installation.

So Atlantica is a reclamation of leisure for Black folks, to put it lightly. You clearly are a big speculative fiction fan. Can you walk me back a little bit to where that began for you? So the origin story of Atlantica … came from my dad when I was young, (and) his attempt to give me “the talk.” Being a sci-fi nerd, his attempt to give me the talk was to tell me that we were aliens from another planet. And when people say that we look differently, or we get treated differently, that was the reason why. I don’t personally know any better way to explain racism to a child. That’s the nerdiness—my whole family … we’re just really into science fiction, and we don’t need to tolerate what’s happening now, because we know how to dream, and we know how to look at illustrations of the future. So that’s the origin

story of Atlantica.

What were your thoughts on Nevada? Do you feel like any of that experience affected your process for this installation?

Um, no, because I’m bringing you another planet for people to visit. It’s literally a portal. It’s another location.

People in Nevada can visit or not, but there’s not really anything else they can do or say, because it’s like going to Paris and getting upset they speak French.

April Bey’s exhibition Atlantica, The Gilda Region is on view at the Nevada Museum of Art through Feb. 4, 2024. Related events include “In-Person Educator Evening: April Bey—Atlantica, The Gilda Region” on Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.nevadaart.org.

The article was originally produced by Double Scoop.

Bahamian artist April Bey makes images that upend colonialist narratives. Photo/courtesy of the Nevada Museum of Art

The costs of growing old

RLT’s ‘A Facility for Living’ confronts realities of aging in America

My friends and I joke a lot about aging. We commiserate about the back spasms caused by merely loading the dishwasher and the stray gray hairs that crop up in our eyebrows. We laugh and say, “Retirement? What’s that? Who can afford to do that?”— only we’re not really joking.

Aging is not for the weak, especially not here in America, a country that seems to disdain the old and worship the young and new. It’s easier to laugh about that future than seriously contemplate it, because for many of us, the future does not seem bright.

Reno Little Theater’s current production,

A Facility for Living by Katie Forgette, beautifully illustrates how our fears about aging are well-founded. Similar to the film Idiocracy, this play conjures up an imagined future that is disturbingly easy to believe. Yet it’s more uplifting than depressing; there’s still plenty to laugh about.

In this not-too-distant future, the Senior Provision Act (SPA) has been enacted, under the presidency of a reanimated Dick Cheney. The SPA accomplished a few horrifying things: It eliminated Medicare, and required that all medical care, treatments and supplies for conditions “caused” by the patient (such as obesity or tobacco use) were paid for exclusively by

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the patient. Because of the sheer number of Baby Boomers in need of senior housing, the nation’s correctional facilities were emptied of inmates (who were “outsourced”) and converted to senior care facilities.

In one such place—SPA Facility 273—head nurse Claudia (played by Jessica Johnson) runs an extraordinarily tight ship. With the help of her orderly, Kevin (Patrick Mink), and a robot or two, she brusquely admits, dispenses medication to, cleans, feeds, governs and chastises the miserable seniors in their care. The building’s sole TV station runs a loop of “suitable” promotional content and Ronald Reagan films. Talking is only allowed at limited times during

Marti Creveling, Jessica Johnson and Terri Gray (front row); and Kevin Michael, Wendy Feign, James Winkler and Patrick Mink, in Reno Little Theater’s production of A Facility for Living. Photo/ David Robert

the day, and gatherings are strictly prohibited due to fire codes.

When a new resident, former actor Joe Taylor (James Winkler), checks in, he receives a rude awakening to the indignities of life under the SPA. His fellow residents include Wally (Kevin Michael), whose obesity-caused ailments and hearing difficulties have made him an object of derision among the staff; Mitzi (Terri Gray), a former nurse who fancies herself a member of the care team; and Judy (Wendy Feign), a bitter realist who uses sarcasm as a coping mechanism.

After getting the lay of the land in this dehumanizing facility, Joe realizes that the only thing worse would be a life without hope. At his urging, the gang at Facility 273 comes up with a plan to buck the system (and Nurse Claudia)—and regain a sense of purpose.

As I sat at Reno Little Theater watching a final rehearsal of the show, I felt a lot of things—fear of my own mortality, worry about political maneuvers that affect seniors, and concern for my own aging parents, to start. But also, I laughed. We all did that night.

If we could find so much of that bleak future portrayed on stage ridiculous and laughable, maybe we’ll be OK, right? It definitely offers a lot to think about.

Reno Little Theater’s production of A Facility for Living is performed at 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday, through Sunday, Oct. 15, at 147 E. Pueblo St. Tickets are $28, with discounts. For more information, call 775-813-8900, or visit renolittletheater.org.

"Alexa/Echo, play:

Alien adventure

Kaitlyn Dever’s performance in Hulu’s ‘No One Will Save You’ amazes; Gael Garcia Bernal is a force in Amazon’s ‘Cassandro’

Kaitlyn Dever gives her best performance yet in No One Will Save You, a fun and scary new alien home-invasion movie from writer-director Brian Duffield

In a role that requires almost no dialogue, Dever plays Brynn, a woman quietly living in her hometown where, it is slowly revealed, she has a history—and some enemies. One night, she hears a rustling in her house and observes some sort of creature making horrible croaking sounds in her kitchen. Her terrifying alien adventure commences.

One of the joys of this film is the total commitment to old-school alien hijinks, right down to the aliens looking like the big-headed, large-eyed, Area 51 grayskinned creepos that so many folks claim to have seen throughout the years. While the aliens look stereotypical, they have a few maneuverability tricks that come out in surprising moments. If you get annoyed by monster movies where you don’t see the monsters, take solace: This movie gives its aliens plenty of screen time.

As fun as the aliens are, this is Dever’s

show. Brynn is onscreen for nearly every shot, and given the lonely nature of her existence, she says very little. (The film only has eight words said during the entire run time, according to IMDB.) It requires a performance with major facial and physical control, and Dever more than delivers. She’s shined in many performances before (most notably in Booksmart), but this takes her screen work to new levels.

This is Duffield’s sophomore effort, and it’s clear this is a guy who truly knows how to put a movie together. After being sufficiently scared by this one, I watched his debut feature, Spontaneous (which I missed upon its initial release in 2020) and was blown away.

I highly recommend watching Spontaneous— as unique of a teen romance movie as you are likely to see—in a double feature with this one. Aliens and teens blowing up … that’s some good Saturday night entertainment.

No One Will Save You is now streaming on Hulu.

Cassandro tells the real-life story of Mexican “exotico” and openly gay wrestler Cassandro, with Gael Garcia Bernal going all out in the central role.

Bernal bounces around in the ring very much like the real-life wrestler— he performs most of his own wrestling stunts—with the masterful flips, twists and dances that make Cassandro such a unique

Kaitlyn Dever in No One Will Save You.

and powerful presence in the ring. Yeah, most of this stuff is staged, but this guy really does put on a great show. (You can see the real person in the 2018 documentary Cassandro, The Exotico!) Bernal does the guy proud.

The story itself is a well-done origin story about how Cassandro grew up in El Paso, but spent a lot of time in Juarez, Mexico, where he competed in many of his first bouts. There’s a nice depiction of his relationship with his mom (Perla De La Rosa) and the homophobic adversity he faced on his rise to fame. When the story ends, much of the turmoil in Cassandro’s life (including a problematic relationship with his dad and drug usage) are still raging. A viewing of the documentary afterward reveals Cassandro got clean and made up with his pops.

The main reason to watch the movie is to see Bernal own his time in the ring. He must’ve broken a few ribs making this movie, because the guy isn’t playing. He’s doing some real moves, hitting the canvas hard and doing some stellar flips. I seriously think he could take up a secondary career in the ring due to his athleticism and showmanship.

The story is good, and the Bernal performance is nothing short of great. The documentary actually served like a sort of sequel, so I feel like I got the whole Cassandro story with the two films, and it’s a fascinating story indeed.

Cassandro is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

Director and star Kenneth Branagh keeps chugging with his third movie based on the Agatha Christie mystery novels in which he plays famous detective Hercule Poirot. It’s been a while since Branagh has dabbled in horror, so A Haunting in Venice looked like it could be a creepy late-summer treat from a director with more hits than misses.

Nope; instead, it’s a sleepy disaster. Stodgy, stumbling and just absolutely tedious, A

Haunting in Venice is one of the worst films of Branagh’s directorial career. It’s a wonder the movie ever got made.

After the box-office failure of his second Poirot film, Death on the Nile, Branagh got his budget cut for this one, and it shows. The movie is a more intimate affair and takes place mostly in one location—an old house that goes bump in the night. There’s a lot of darkness, terribly shaky handheld camera work, and a generally small vibe—making this chapter the worst of the franchise.

Poirot is called out of retirement by author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey, easily the best thing in the movie), who wants him to witness a séance and possibly debunk a medium named Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). The séance reveals a few surprises, and somebody, of course, is “merrrrr-derrrrred,” so Poirot locks everybody in the aforementioned house—and goes about deducing things.

So, somebody has been killed. Did a ghost do it? Is this a real haunting in Venice? Well, there’s no chance the normally grounded character of Poirot is going to go all supernatural and become a ghostbuster, so there must be another explanation. The roster of suspects is rather bland, played by the likes of Jamie Dornan as the crazy doctor, Kelly Reilly as the mother of a previously “possibly” murdered daughter, Jude Hill as the creepy kid who looks like one of the pre-teen Culkin brothers, and some other characters you won’t give a damn about.

When Poirot starts to put together the pieces of the mystery, the revelations are easily guessed—or at least they were to me. My first guess about the culprit was, in fact, correct, so not only was the film boring during its running time; the conclusion was lame, too.

When the movie is trying to be scary, Branagh resorts to screechy music, lightning flashes, jump scares (that don’t scare) and shrill screams. It’s a smorgasbord of horror-movie clichés, with not one moment coming off as original. The scariest thing in this movie is a POV shot of Branagh’s face as he’s underwater bobbing for apples. It’s almost like he is making out with those apples, and it’s kind of off-putting.

I was not a big fan of the previous movies (Nile and Murder on the Orient Express), but those were lavish, good-looking affairs. While they failed to wow with their mysteries, they were swell to look at and (mostly) finely acted. Venice is bland across the board, visually and contextually.

The film did a little better than Nile on its opening weekend, but not necessarily good enough to justify another one of these movies. It couldn’t beat the second weekend of The Nun II; it probably won’t make its money back during its domestic release; and, oh yeah, it’s one of the year’s dreariest movies. I’d prefer a sequel to Branagh’s Cinderella before another deflating Hercule Poirot chapter.

Gael Garcia Bernal in Cassandro.

| BY MAUDE BALLINGER

Tacos, pizza, eggplant!

Our humble food scribe discusses three restaurant dishes she can’t stop thinking about

As summer comes to a close, I’ve been preparing myself for the sleepy coziness of fall and reaching for creature comforts. These are three of the best dishes I ate this month from a few of my favorite spots in town.

What: cauliflower apple tacos

Where: Mexcal, 516 S. Virginia St., Reno

Price: $5.95

Contact: 775-433-1080; www.mexcalreno.com

I’ve never had a bad meal at Mexcal. The service is prompt and friendly; the food is great; the is bill reasonable. I was recently reminded of one of my favorite dishes, the cauliflower apple tacos.

What seems like an unlikely pairing is actually a delightful surprise: Perfectly soft yet crispy cauliflower is topped with thinly sliced apples, a spicy sauce, pickled red onions, and a zesty salsa. It’s savory, sweet, spicy and overall delicious.

What: pepperoni pizza

Where: Smiling With Hope Pizza, 6135 Lakeside Drive, No. 101

Price: $26

Contact: 775-825-1070; www.smilingwithhopepizza.com

When Smiling With Hope Pizza—one of the best pizza places in town, with a mission to employ people with disabilities—went up for sale earlier this year, I was nervous. After reading that new owners Andrew and Robin Silvaroli kept the name and recipes, I had to

go check it out.

I don’t think pepperoni pizza can ever be bad, but when it’s good, it’s great—which is what I experienced. The 16-inch New York thin crust was flavorful, light and crispy, with the right amounts of bubbles and char. The ratio of cheese to sauce, and, of course, a healthy layer of pepperoni cups ensured that even amidst ownership changes, it’s still one of the best pizzas in town.

The only changes this writer noticed were the decor (Buffalo Bills fans, rejoice), expanded hours and ease of ordering (no more calling in at 3:30 p.m. to have a chance at getting a pie).

What: claypot Szechuan eggplant

Where: Kwok’s Bistro, 275 West St.

Price: $17

Contact: 775-507-7270; kwoksbistro.com

As I grew up in Reno, one of my favorite restaurants was Panda Express. Moving to San Francisco for college expanded my palate for Chinese cuisine and its regional nuances. While I’ll still get down with some orange chicken from time to time, it’s amazing to me that we now have phenomenal Chinese food in town, thanks to Kwok’s.

One of my favorite dishes is the claypot Szechuan eggplant—delicate Japanese eggplant stir-fried with minced pork, garlic, ginger, scallion and plum sauce. I’m not much of an eggplant fan, but this dish converted me. The eggplant melts in your mouth, and combined with the spicy, sweet, garlicky and gingery sauce, it is a must-order whenever I go.

Mexcal’s cauliflower apple taco. Photo/David Robert

TASTE OF THE TOWN TASTE OF THE TOWN

MICHAEL MOBERLY

Happenings

The team behind Perenn Bakery and Claio will be opening Perenn Grocery in the former Centro South space at 7600 Rancharrah Parkway. Co-owner Aubrey O’Laskey (pictured above with husband, Tyler) notes that the grocery will include “locally made goods, specialty foods, prepared meals, a curated wine selection, bread, espresso and home goods.” She also mentioned that Sierra Water, the Dickerson Road shop featuring plants and artisan housewares, will offer “flowers, floral goods, pottery and workshops” in the grocery. While the official opening date is TBD, guests will be able to check out the space in late-November. Watch www.perennbakery.com for updates.

Slice hounds, start your engines: October is National Pizza Month! Celebrate with Noble Pie Parlor, offering a special Oktoberfest pie throughout the month featuring beer-boiled brats, caramelized onions, fennel, apple and aged pecorino cheese. Check noblepieparlor.com for more.

In other pizza news, Smiling With Hope Pizza recently extended its hours of operation and will now be open on Sundays, just in time for football season; www.smilingwithhopepizza.com.

Liberty Food and Wine Exchange is hosting a “Cult Wine Dinner” on Friday, Oct. 13. A six-course menu—featuring king crab legs, duck roulade and seared filet—will be paired with hard-to-get wines by sommelier Courtney Hudson. For tickets and information, head to Resy. IMBĪB, The Wheyfarer and Dorinda’s Chocolates are joining forces to offer a four-course pairing dinner of beer, cheese and chocolate at IMBĪB Eats and Drinks, 1180 Scheels Drive No. 115, in Sparks on Thursday, Oct. 5. Tickets and

continued on next page

Return to basics

Curation is at its finest at the new Cosmo’s Snack Bar

In my travels, people often present me with cocktail menus and offerings that are a universe of complexity, showcasing tons of ingredients and techniques. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this idea, I am often left asking: Why?

Editing is the most indispensable skill a bar can showcase, because to edit a drink or menu is to whittle it down to its most essential parts. I want to know that each idea on your menu is there for a reason, not just to showcase what you can do for the sake of doing it. You rarely glimpse this style of care and curation like you do at Cosmo’s Snack Bar.

Nestled in the heart of the Wells Avenue neighborhood, the brand-new pizza restaurant is home to some of Reno’s most outstanding pizzas and snacks. Aside from the world-class pizza, it is also the new home of co-managing partner/owner Chris Costa, the 18-year Reno bar veteran whose last project, Reno Public House, helped

usher in a new era of laid-back excellence that helped define the Midtown Reno style.

“I found myself returning to the tried-andtrue things that I genuinely enjoy after this long in the industry, so this is a return to basics for me,” Costa explained as he described his vision for the new bar program at Cosmo’s. “We want to be on the map because people know we do something very specific very well,” he said.

With a limited, thoughtful menu, Cosmo’s aims to capture your attention with quality over quantity. The primary options are a build-yourown spritz, a draft negroni, four draft beers and three wines on tap. But not all things must be Italian in this pizza joint.

“We are not dogmatic about it having to be Italian,” said Costa. “We want to have the best things for our food.”

He and his staff are aiming for local beers, curated spirits and the best possible wine matches.

In true European fashion, Costa recommends at least three drinks on the table at once.

“Open up with a spritz; get a light appetizer; get a couple of pizzas; dive into some wine as day becomes night; and end it with some soft serve with a splash of Amaro,” he said. This style of a long, relaxed dinner in a minimalist dining room full of friends and laughter is the end goal for Costa, who is someone who will open a favorite wine and fill the cup of anyone willing to try something new.

Cultivating quality requires style and nuance. It requires a dedication to a concept and an unwavering attention to detail. The whole team at Cosmo’s has spent the past few years thinking through those details so that when you walk through the door, the options are limited—but perfect. They want you to feel wrapped up in their best intentions, and to me, that is the definition of hospitality.

Cosmo’s Snack Bar is located at 253 E. Arroyo St. Learn more at www.instagram.com/ cosmos_snack_bar

Chris Costa prepares an Aperol spritz.

Photo/David Robert

Halloween wines

October brings out the best in spooky graphics

Autumn is the best time of the year. I love everything about it—the fall decorations, the cooler temperatures, leaves changing colors, grape harvests and Halloween, a magical time with all its mysteries, histories, spooky movies, TV cartoons and parties.

Whether the parties you get invited to (or throw) require a costume or not, there’s always a just-right bottle of wine to bring. Many brands and labels are perfect for Halloween parties—some because they are great-tasting wines, others because the bottles look spooky and cool.

I’m going to focus on the ones that have cool-looking, spooky labels. All of these can be found locally, specifically at Vino

100, located at 1131 Steamboat Parkway in Reno. Even though I’m focusing on the labels, the wines taste great too.

Intrinsic red blend, Intrinsic Wine Co.

Intrinsic is a winery in the Columbia Valley of Washington state. The cool labels on the Intrinsic wines are inspired by street art. Don’t get all nervous because it is a Bordeaux blend; a Bordeaux blend is simply a wine made from a blend of grapes that were historically grown in the Bordeaux region of France. Some of these include cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. Buy it for the label—and buy it again for the wine.

| BY STEVE NOEL

Vino 100 owner Karen Hyatt-Miner shows off various Halloween wines. Photo/ David Robert

Intrinsic cabernet sauvignon, Intrinsic Wine Co.

Intrinsic cabernet sauvignon is a perfect example of Washington cabernet. Expect big fruit flavors like blackberries, black cherries and ripe plums, along with oak, tobacco and chocolate. Spooky label and scary good wine.

River of Skulls, Twisted Oak Winery

Twisted Oak Winery’s River of Skulls wine couldn’t have a better label for Halloween. It’s a blood-red skull on an inky black bottle. This wine is 100 percent mourvèdre, with grapes grown by the Dalton Vineyard in Angels Camp, Calif., along the Rio de las Calaveras, or, in English, the River of Skulls. This river was named in 1806 when Lt. Gabriel Moraga discovered its banks littered with skulls. Cue the creepy music when you pour. Blackberries, dark cherries and spice dominate this wine. Mourvèdre is one of my favorite varieties, and I plan to have one of these on hand for Halloween.

Wild Thing chardonnay, Carol Shelton Wines

Not all wines with labels perfect for Halloween have wine the color of blood in them. Carol Shelton Wines’ Wild Thing chardonnay is perfectly creepy. This is an estate-produced wine from Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, Calif. This is a great California chardonnay with a few spooky twists to it, like being whole cluster-pressed. This chardonnay falls between the big, fat, buttery wines and a high-acid, stainless steel fermented one. The fact that it’s 10 percent roussanne and 8 percent viognier should get you moving your bones to go pick some up.

Old Ghost, Klinker Brick Winery

Halloween wouldn’t be a spooky without a ghost. I prefer cute ghosts like Casper or Charlie Brown (when he was trick-or-treating and got a rock), and Klinker Brick Winery makes a cute ghost of a wine called Old Ghost. Old Ghost represents the best zinfandel the winery makes. Made from grapes grown in Lodi, this wine has black pepper, herbs and ripe cherries, with chocolate and tannin bitter notes. It is a boo-tiful wine that will not scare you at all.

Halloween is a great time to let your eyes pick your wine for you. Let the labels speak to your tell-tale heart, and let the spirit move you to a new and exciting wine you have never tried. Happy Halloween!

TASTE OF THE TOWN

TASTE OF THE TOWN

continued from Page 24

information can be found at dorindaschocolates.com.

Openings

J Paul’s Italian Steakhouse has opened at the J Resort at 345 N. Arlington Ave. The steakhouse, led by executive chef Scotty Bournival (previously of Montreux and Hidden Valley club houses), showcases “expertly prepared Italian fare, as well as premium, top-grade beef selections,” featuring items like chicken parmesan, branzino, wagyu filet mignon and, of course, spaghetti with JP’s meatballs. Details at jresortreno.com.

Cosmo’s Snack Bar is opening at 253 E. Arroyo St. According to owner Chris Costa, it will be “a fun modern take on an Italian snack bar with wood-fired dishes, pizza and a full bar. Think: natural wines, negronis (above) and spritzes!” Follow this new spot on Instagram for updates: www.instagram.com/cosmos_snack_bar.

The people behind longtime South Lake Tahoe spot Sprouts Natural Food Cafe have opened Tahoe Natural Cafe in south Reno at 10105 Veterans Parkway. The new location offers a similar menu of sandwiches, salads, burritos and bowls, and continues to serve, “the cleanest, freshest, most wholesome food available.” Details at www. tahoenaturalcafeorder.com.

Kuma Sushi, the latest restaurant to enter the Shops at Bartley Ranch, has opened at 6135 Lakeside Drive. Offering all you can eat for $27.99 at lunch and $33.99 at dinner, Kuma has a wide selection of rolls, nigiri and sashimi, with additional items not included in AYCE like udon noodle dishes, bulgogi beef and Korean-style sashimi don (assorted fish with mixed vegetables and gochujang sauce). Call 775-622-4176 with questions.

Have local food, drink or restaurant news or information? Email me at foodnews@renonr.com.

—Maude Ballinger

Jinkies!

Reno pop-punk legends Zoinks! return for 30th anniversary reunion shows

When pop-punk band Zoinks! was founded in 1993, the young musicians quickly became outliers in a Reno music scene that’s nearly unrecognizable today. They pressed three full albums, toured America and Europe, and played with both local and international legends like Green Day before officially breaking up in 1998. Now Zoinks! is reuniting for a slate of 30th anniversary shows in Carson City, Reno and Los Angeles this month.

To hear founding member and guitarist/ vocalist Zac Damon tell it, Reno and Sparks in the early ’90s harbored a mélange of strange rock/funk hybrid bands, a small hardcore scene, and vestiges of the hair-metal scene giving way to the beginnings of the grunge revolution—all served by a collection of small, mostly unreliable venues.

“They were always either disorganized, or there would always be some sort of complication that would kind of ruin the fun,” Damon said. “So you know, the DIY basement shows always filled in those gaps when those kinds of places would lose their

license or change ownership or wherever the case may be.”

Zoinks! is one of many Reno bands that embraced the DIY scene and the community it engendered. Damon and his housemates even turned the basement of their house on Ryland Street into a venue years before the establishment of Fort Ryland—perhaps Reno’s most famous DIY venue, located on the same street.

While many Reno bands got their start—or even found a whole career—playing basement shows, Zoinks! became a standout exception when the band’s unique sound took them out of the basement and around the world.

“I played in a band with (founding drummer Colin Pantell) in high school, a straight-edge hardcore band called Discipline, and we had left that band, and our tastes changed a little bit,” Damon said. “We were trying to do something a little different.”

After Damon and Pantell recruited bass player and vocalist Rob Borges to join their new outfit, the trio established a decidedly different approach than the harder, faster sounds they’d prioritized in the past.

Think Free!

“I particularly became more interested in melody, whereas earlier with punk music, I was really more interested in, you know, speed and aggressiveness,” Damon said. “I liked the marriage of the two—faster, more aggressive music blended with good, melodic pop hooks.”

Damon credits Bad Religion as his major influence during this era, but namedrops a series of other bands that informed the Zoinks! sound like the Pixies, The Mr. T Experience, Rocket From the Crypt, Weezer’s Blue Album, and Green Day, for starters. According to Damon, Zoinks! was the only real band in Reno leaning more into the “pop” dichotomy of pop-punk at the time—a choice that made them somewhat of a natural pairing for many of the big acts that toured through the city.

“We opened for NOFX; we opened for The Offspring; we opened for Face to Face; we opened for Pennywise; we opened for Rancid— you name any band like that, that came through town at the time, and we, nine times out of 10, were the opening band,” Damon said.

Shortly after the inception of Zoinks!, Pantell left on amiable terms due to personal reasons and was replaced on drums by another friend of the band, Bob Conrad. Damon credits Conrad, who operated a zine called Second Guess, for opening doors to the band with his connections to the local scene and larger West Coast punk community. At that time, Zoinks! had recorded several demos with Pantell on drums, which then became part of their original 7-inch vinyl release. While Pantell was credited as the drummer on those original records, Conrad became the credited drummer of the band going forward.

“As soon as Bob was in the band, things just took off just because of all his connections,” Damon said. “We hooked up with a local label called Satan’s Pimp. They put out a couple of singles. We got some attention from some bigger indie labels and ended up signing on with Dr. Strange Records out of Los Angeles.”

After signing with Dr. Strange, Zoinks! released its debut album Bad Move, Space Cadet— an album that now belongs to the official collection of the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. For the next five years, the band built and capitalized on its momentum, adding guitarist and vocalist Arne Cherkoss to the lineup, opening for Green Day to a crowd of 6,000 in Hawaii, touring both the United States and Europe, and releasing three more fulllength albums.

Eventually, though, Damon left the band in late 1996 to pursue new projects (including other punk institutions Big in Japan and Screeching Weasel), and the official breakup

of Zoinks! followed two years later in 1998. Damon stressed that it wasn’t acrimonious, and was mostly due to a mix of personal factors and a mutually waning interest.

The members still keep in touch occasionally and played a reunion show in 2007—but as the 30th anniversary approached, serendipity and a touch of nostalgia aligned to bring the planned reunion shows into place.

“Bill Plaster—he’s the owner and the guy who runs Dr. Strange Records—he had mentioned to Arne that he would love to have Zoinks! play a reunion show,” Damon said. “Arne ran it by me, and my initial response was, ‘Nah.’ But then it came up again, and I hadn’t really played in a band in a while. So I think maybe I was starting to feel that edge a little bit.”

In July of this year, Damon invited Conrad to play as a session drummer at the recording studio he operates with Toby Suess, Tin Roof Recording in Fallon.

“Just by chance that day, when I had Bob out—first time he’d ever been out to the studio—Bill and another friend of mine from Los Angeles called me while Bob was there, and are like, ‘Hey, man, are you guys gonna play this reunion show or what?’” Damon said. “And I was like, ‘You know what? Bob’s sitting right here next to me. So what do you say; you want to do this?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, sure. Let’s do it.’”

With commitments from Conrad and Cherkoss, Damon recruited a new member, Yotam Ben Horin, on bass and vocals in place of Borges, to play the reunion shows.

“I’ve been working with him at my studio, working on his new album,” Damon said. “He’s a big Zoinks! fan. So when this all came up, I was like, ‘Hey, he plays bass; he’s a great singer, and he’s a fan.’ So it was kind of a no-brainer.”

Shows will take place on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Tap Shack in Carson City with Limbeck, The Atomiks, and Eddie and the Subtitles; and Wednesday, Oct. 18, at the Holland Project in Reno with Elephant Rifle and Carson City punk band Last One Down. On Saturday, Oct. 21, Zoinks! will join other bands from the Dr. Strange label for a larger reunion show in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Zoinks! is returning to a Reno music scene that looks almost nothing like the one it came up in—something that Damon says is for the best, crediting the current wide range of genres and organizations like the Holland Project as signs of the town’s progress. To Damon, though, the return of Zoinks! is more about the past than the present or future.

“For me, doing this at this point in my life, there’s no pretense; there’s no ego behind it,” he said. “Just enjoying and remembering a really fun time in my life—to hang out with old friends and play these old songs. And I don’t know. We’ll see what comes up.”

Zac Damon, Yotam Ben Horin, Bob Conrad and Arne Cherkoss are Zoinks! Photo/David Robert

Are you a fan of the Reno News & Review?

If so, we want you!

We are in the process of planning the future of the paper. Whether you’ve been a RN&R fan for years, or you discovered us when we rebooted post-pandemic, we want your input.

We’re working to make sure the RN&R never goes away again. As the Gannett daily continues to wither away, our coverage is more important than ever before. We’re currently in the process of analyzing the best path forward for the RN&R—including a possible conversion to nonprofit status.

That’s where you, our super-fans, come in: We want to better understand where the RN&R fits into your life. What do you like about it? What could we do better? And how are you willing to help us secure a sustainable future?

DAN SAVAGE’S

Personal, solo rock

Samuel Spivey launches A Desolate Light after 15 years of being in Authmentis

For 15 years, Samuel Spivey and his band Authmentis were active in the Reno scene. Then the pandemic hit.

“We were around for a really long time,” Spivey said.

Most bands don’t last five years, let alone 15—and the pandemic wiped out many bands who’d previously had staying power.

Spivey has now started a new solo project, A Desolate Light. It features Spivey tackling (almost) all the instruments, the songwriting and even the production aspects for the personal project that explores alternative rock, metal and elements of prog. Debut single “Suppressor” is a sonic journey that starts ethereally with spacey guitar, before leading into an anthemic back half featuring heavy rock. For more, visit adesolatelight.bandcamp.com.

“The biggest difference is, this project is just my own thing,” Spivey said during a recent interview. “I was in the middle of trying to make a couple of these songs that are on this record happen with Authmentis, and after things fell apart, I decided to try out a solo project where I write and create all the songs, and record them and mix the songs and all that kind of stuff on my own.

Spivey learned that going from playing one instrument to playing them all is not easy.

“I have a little bit of background in most of the instruments,” Spivey said. “I know how to play drums a little bit. I can play the bass; I play guitar. I was the singer of Authmentis, so I have all the tools; I just never sat and did all of the parts on my own. The biggest learning experience is figuring out how to write counterpoints—stuff that supports a melody here and there, and actually performing the instruments. Bass was a trick, because I found

that to sound like you’re in time with the rest of the band, you’ve got to play against the beat a little bit.”

Getting a song out into the world can sometimes be an easy process, and sometimes it can take years. With A Desolate Light, Spivey had the latter experience.

“Bringing a song into the world is hard anyway, because it always starts in, like, a dream, or some kind of intangible thing, so it kind of feels like you’re crazy carrying around these ideas with you,” he said. “Trying to raise those into reality, it’s really gruesome on your own, because you’ve got to figure out how to translate the whole thing as one person. When you write with a band, it’s really easy to find a flow state, where everybody picks up and gets the idea of things and moves along. When you’re doing it on your own … when things aren’t right, you have to troubleshoot on your own and figure out, ‘Oh, why is this not working? Maybe I should play this instead of that.’ You just have to try a bunch of shit until something actually works, and you like it.”

He talked about his trials and tribulations in finalizing “Suppressor.”

“I’ve had that song probably for four years, and I had started working on it with my previous band, and probably did about 12 or so iterations between the end of that project and releasing this where I would just tweak little parts, change lyrics, try things out or extend areas of the song,” Spivey said. “I would have to try it out and then sit with a mix or a demo of it for a couple of days and see my thoughts about it. It’s a lot more work on your own when you don’t have a team, when you don’t have an engineer and stuff like that.”

Spivey has found some help when it was absolutely needed.

“The only help I’ve really gotten on this project so far is in hiring a drummer, because I don’t have a drum set,” he said. “Trying to buy a drum set, and then figure out recording it at home—by the time I walk away from what that would cost, I could just hire a guy. I actually wrote the drum parts in MIDI, built the song around that as a demo, and then I sent the song out to a guy online and had him track the part that I wrote. That actually worked out pretty well. I mixed it from there, and then I also had somebody master it in their own professional facility.”

The lyrics on “Suppressor” are emotionally charged, with lines such as, “Break down until I disappear,” and, “All I can do is keep searching.” Spivey said going solo allowed him to become more personal in his writing.

“Writing for a band, you do drafts of lyrics, and then you run it by everybody, and if there’s stuff that they really hate, maybe you change

it,” Spivey said. “I was going for a feeling with this project. I actually started with the concept before I really focused on the music; I’m trying to tell a story with this project. I’m trying to personify an experience of an identity crisis through each of the songs that are going to be on this record, so each song is going to represent a step in that journey of how to deal with that kind of a problem.”

Spivey said he thought his music would be relatable, because, he said: “Something kind of happened to all of us over the last few years to some degree, right?”

“For me, it’s just a culmination of a lot of things,” he continued. “I would say midlife crisis, because I am of that age, but I think it’s really an identity crisis that has an age countdown. I think everybody’s going to go through some kind of situation where things get too overwhelming, and their identity gets challenged. Who you think you are, and stuff you believe in, and things that used to work for you—all of that hits a breaking point at some point. Not everybody goes out and buys a Lamborghini. Everybody deals with it in a different way, but I do think people hit a point where life kind of breaks them down, and they have to figure out how to move on as a changed person.”

The rest of the upcoming A Desolate Light album, tentatively scheduled for a Nov. 30 release, will expand on Spivey’s problemsolving process, and be loosely based on Zen ideology.

“I have the steps mapped out, and I’ve been experiencing them all, but it’s funny, because this path is circular,” Spivey said. “I based the journey of this album on a thing called the Zen Compass, which is a Zen concept from a book called Dropping Ashes on the Buddha that I was referred to a long time ago. It’s kind of a journey of enlightenment, but it’s represented as a circle, and you start at zero degrees, and then you move to 90°, 180°, 270° and then back to 360° where you started—but that journey where you return, you have the experience, and you’re more informed of what’s going on and who you are. Maybe nothing in the external world has changed … but you will be able to move forward without the suffering that you had in the first place, and that makes you a better person to help the world.”

Spivey is aware that this concept may be foreign to some, but he hopes he can craft songs that make the thought process understandable.

“It sounds a little too deep, like, ‘Oh, we haven’t smoked enough weed for this conversation,’” he said. “I wanted to try it myself, and I also wanted to show people that if you are in a spot like this, maybe this is a journey that you could take that will get you pumped up. … If it’s helpful, great, and if not—hey, it’s a great record.”

Samuel Spivey is A Desolate Light.

THE LUCKY 13

Brigdon Markward

Vocalist/guitarist of Bug Bath, performing at the Holland Project

Oct. 20

The members of Bug Bath describe themselves as playing “big guitar music,” so it’s only right that their guitar lines and pulverizing chord-playing are front and center in every song. For more info, check out bugbath.bandcamp.com. Bug Bath is set to open up for Scowl, Militarie Gun and Big Laugh at the Holland Project on Friday, Oct. 20. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit hollandreno.org. Lead vocalist/guitarist Brigdon Markward of Bug Bath is the latest to answer The Lucky 13.

What was the first concert you attended?

Warped Tour, 2010 or 2011. I told my parents I was watching movies at my friend Gunnar’s house, but we convinced his parents to drive us. It was a hugely pivotal moment in my young life. I vividly remember watching The Wonder Years at, like, noon, and I’m pretty sure A Day to Remember and The Devil Wears Prada headlined.

What was the first album you owned?

The first album I ever bought was Jimmy Eat World’s self-titled CD when I was in seventh grade or so. I was listening to a lot of Fall Out Boy and Paramore at the time, and both bands cited Jimmy Eat World as their biggest influence, so I was like, I’ve got to listen to them.

What bands are you listening to right now? Swirlies, Polvo, Hotline TNT, Ex Pilots, Momma, Dogbreth, Red House Painters and Mo Troper.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? I’m going to sound like an old head, but musicians, more specifically guitarists, I guess, who never leave their room and record videos for content. Go make some friends; go play a show. I don’t want to know what “Vampire” (by Olivia Rodrigo) would sound like as a Deftones song.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

Defunct: Red House Painters. Active: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Last year, I caught Grouper and Land of Talk, which were both previously near the top of my list.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure? Not even guilty, really, but I love early 2000s guitar pop à la Michelle Branch, JoJo, etc. It’s really cathartic and

well-written, emotionally charged pop music. I’ll call it like Disney Channel rock (nonderogatory), and I like current artists doing this, too, à la Beabadoobee, Olivia Rodrigo or even Sun Spots from Seattle.

What’s your favorite music venue?

The Holland Project has been incredibly influential to me as an artist and a person. I moved to Reno at 18 and started going to and playing shows at Holland. I’ve made some of my best friends, and discovered all my favorite music in one form or another, through Holland. All the bands that are going to headline festivals or open for your favorite band in a year or two are playing there right now.

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?

I’ve had “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift stuck in my head for at least a week, maybe two.

What band or artist changed your life? How? Maybe Surf Curse. I started listening to that band when I moved to Reno circa 2013 or so, and I didn’t even know Nick (Rattigan), who was my station manager at Wolf Pack Radio at the time, was the singer. It was kind of the first time I’d known someone in a band that I actually enjoyed listening to, and could go see whenever. It’s really cool seeing your friends, and people who come from DIY, go from basements to stadiums.

You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?

I’d ask Bijou (Bell, Bug Bath’s bassist) if she wants to grab boba.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“5 Million Intro” by Gucci Mane.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

Ovens’ self-titled album. It’s a triple or quadruple album, but all the songs are like a minute long. I’ve probably listened to this album more than any other

What song should everyone listen to right now?

“The Morning of Our Lives” by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.

“Back to the Beginning”—two by two, to the start.

By Matt Jones

Across 1. “Bye now!”

5. Barber’s tool

10. Union underminer

14. Business higherup

15. Give the slip

16. Saved GPS setting, usually

17. On the verge of

18. Gripped tightly

19. Natural soother

20. [Mystery Clue 1]

23. Partner of “neither”

24. Spacy character in the main Derry Girls group

25. [Mystery Clue 2]

31. Actress Hayek

33. Nullifies

34. ___-Caps (Nestle candy)

35. Big events on Wall St.

36. Tears apart

37. Velvet Underground

singer

38. Litter peep

39. “Beetle Bailey” boss

40. 3x4 box, e.g.

41. [Mystery Clue 3]

44. One of the Gulf States

45. Kill Bill actress Thurman

46. [Mystery Clue 4]

53. Bowl-shaped skillets

54. Passé

55. Mystical presence

56. Steve of the Guardians of the Galaxy series

57. Synchronously

58. Bird sacred to ancient Egyptians

59. House member

60. One of the Gulf States

61. Heron’s residence Down

1. Minister (to)

2. Pink slip giver

3. Word before work or spirit

4. Initial offerings,

MATT JONES

sometimes?

5. Amp effect

6. Athletic footwear brand

7. Silent screen star Pitts

8. Reverential poems

9. Northern California attraction

10. “Want me to demonstrate?”

11. Measure for some dress shirts

12. Singer Tori

13. Apiary dweller

21. What Italians call their capital

22. Messes up

25. Place for an allday roast, maybe

26. Blatant

27. Vowel sound in “phone” but not “gone”

28. Raul Castro’s predecessor

29. ___ Upon a Time in Hollywood

30. Lunch time, often

31. Actor Liu of the MCU

32. Sci-fi planet inhabitants

36. Reason to save

37. Words after “Oh jeez”

39. Train for a bout

40. Smallest U.S. coin

42. Kept occupied

43. Out of the blue

46. ___ de Chão (Brazilian steakhouse chain)

47. Peacefulness

48. Supercollider collider

49. “Father of Modern Philosophy”

Descartes

50. Cartoonist Goldberg

51. Dwarf planet named for a goddess

52. Part of SSE

53. ___-Dryl (storebrand allergy medication)

© 2023 Matt Jones

Find the answers in the “About” section at RenoNR.com!

Terri Jay has been a medium for people and pets, animal communicator, horse whisperer, medical and veterinary intuitive, intuitive communicator (with people who can’t communicate), map dowser, remote viewer, energy-healing coach and life coach for more than 33 years. She helps people and their animals to heal their lives with the messages she receives. She also does readings with clients all over the world by phone at her home in Minden.

Do you consider this a gift or an ability?

I believe that these are abilities that we all have. We are born with intuition, clairvoyance, clair-sentience, clair-audience and clair-cognizance. We turn these abilities off in childhood, usually after freaking out an adult. So all we need to do in order to learn to use them again is turn them back on. It is ridiculous when people say that they are “special” or have “gifts,” because we all have these abilities. My practice is different, too, because it is based in physics—energy, frequency and vibration. I take the “woo-woo” out of this work.

When did you first notice this ability? How old were you, and how did it manifest itself?

I was doing a horseback therapy program for disabled kids, and in 1990, I “heard” a non-verbal child speak to me. Once I had it confirmed, the suggestion was made to learn to communicate with the horses, because all animals are telepathic. One thing has led to another, and now I know that there are no limits to the types of information that I can discern. I believe I was in my late 30s when this happened. There were very few books on animal communication at the time, and most of them were not helpful at all. I was married to a horse trainer then, so we always had problem horses coming in for training—so I had a steady influx of horses to communicate with. I learned by trial and error.

Can you share an anecdote from a reading? This happened years ago. A client called me about her mule. She was at a vet clinic, and I could hear the mule squealing in pain in the background. She told me the mule was in so much pain, and there were five veterinarians there that were stumped. I grounded and dropped in energetically and told her, “Oh my goodness. He has a kidney stone that he is passing, and it is in his penis. That has to be so painful!” We continued talking after she relayed the information to the veterinarians and then

BY DAVID ROBERT

said, “Wait—he’s dropping.” Horses often drop their penis out to pee. He started peeing, and plink—there was the kidney stone. She told me the vets all looked at each other in amazement. Needless to say, the mule made a full recovery. This is typical of what I am able to do—find health and pain issues when the owners and veterinarians are stumped.

You’ve written some books. What are they about? I love writing. I wish I had time to write all the time. My first book is The Cowgirl Shaman Way—Seven Easy Steps to Develop Your Intuitive Ability. This book can teach you how to develop your own innate abilities so that you can learn to do all the things that I do. The second book, I wrote for first responders, medical personnel and care givers. We have 7-9 million people in the U.S. at any given time who can’t communicate. But you can still reach them, even if they are in a coma. … It is titled Intuitive Communication—Communicating With Those Who Cannot

My third book, I published last year. It is entitled The Physics of Mediumship. I wanted to take the “woo-woo” out of communication with both people and animals who have passed. Too many mediums, even TV mediums, do not have discernment, meaning that they can’t tell the difference between positive and negative energy. Only the positive energy—memories, feelings, etc.—can go with us to the other side. The pain, suffering, unfinished business, regrets, etc., all get left behind in the earthly realm, because they are not a vibrational match to Source. This shed-off negative energy can look like, seem like and feel like the deceased, but it is just garbage. So, when a medium gets negative information, they are Dumpster diving. All the books are available through my website, www. TerriJay.com.

Terri Jay Cowgirl Shaman