PHOTO/TRACIE DOUGLAS
New councilmember Hillary Schieve, right, and Emily Durr inspect clothes at Schieve’s business, Plato’s Closet. Schieve would like to see other areas of Reno developed similarly to Midtown.
On the nose “Anyone who has had norovirus will tell you that for the first half of the illness, they are worried they might die, and during the second half, they are worried that they won’t die,” says Randall Todd, division director of epidemiology for the Washoe County Health District. The hearty virus recently took aim at 19 schools in Washoe County, sending home approximately 2,500 children, teachers and staff. The schools were thoroughly cleaned over the holiday break, and school officials hope the virus has been eliminated. Depending on humidity, temperature and even something as benign as vacuuming, the norovirus can live on surfaces for several days. All it takes is for someone to touch a doorknob, desktop, crayon or volleyball that has the virus living on it, then touch their face or eat food without washing their hands, and norovirus spreads once again. The virus causes vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. If carpets aren’t thoroughly cleaned after a vomit incident, the vacuum can actually throw the virus into the air, where anyone can inhale it. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), approximately 21 million people in the U.S. catch norovirus every year. There are no treatments, except rest. To prevent further spread, those infected should stay home until all symptoms have stopped for at least 72 hours. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer does not kill the virus. Washing hands with warm water and soap will remove the virus, and a bleach and water solution will kill it. Because some people are sensitive to the smell of bleach, there are other products that also kill norovirus. To avoid infection, wash hands after every bathroom use, diaper change or before eating.
Don’t hang up The elections are over, and all of those annoying robocallers are on break until 2016. However, there is one kind of robocall that cell phone users may want to get—the reverse 911 call that alerts you to dangers in your specific neighborhood. For example, during the Caughlin Ranch fire in the fall of 2011, people who lived in that part of town wanted to know if they had to evacuate. According to Aaron Kenniston, emergency manager for Washoe County, a recent test of the new Code Red System showed that many homes no longer have a landline. Instead, people are opting to use a cell phone for their everyday phone service. “In the next two to three years, cell phone companies will be making cell phone technology compatible with our existing 911 system,” says Kenniston. “That way, it won’t matter if you have a landline or just use a cell phone, we will be able to reach you in times of an emergency. In the meantime, Kenniston asks that cell phone users simply register their phones by going to www.readywashoe.com and click on the Get the Message icon. He says users will not be contacted unless there is a danger in their neighborhood. “Some people are hesitant to register with us, or they get upset because they have an unlisted phone number,” Kenniston said. “There are no unlisted phone numbers when it comes to our 911 system.” Police and fire are going to roll to a home even if someone dials 911 and hangs up. So register today, or wait until technology catches up. Either way, the information could save lives.
-Tracie Douglas
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JANUARY 10, 2013
to do is go into our police department on Second Street to understand that some of our buildings are in bad shape.” She also pointed out that the few city pools left are highly used and must be well maintained for the citizens, and that the sewer treatment plant is also in need of help.
Hillary Schieve, At Large
Meet the new bosses Reno’s newest City Councilmembers talk about their hopes for 2013 and beyond The Reno City Council is starting 2013 with four new, optimistic, high-energy By councilmembers. They each have Tracie Douglas some of their own ideas of what they would like to see happen in the city, but for the most part, they are walking in lockstep about what is most important. First, they have been going through orientation, spending time in each department of the city. Next, they will attend a planning session on Feb. 5, where all ideas will be placed on the table for careful consideration by the full council.
“Good customer service comes from the department heads down to the staff, and I want to see the city of Reno have the best reputation in the country for good customer service.” Neoma Jardon Reno City Councilmember
Jenny Brekhus, Ward One
“I want to make sure the house is in order,” states Jenny Brekhus. “It’s very big, and I want to look at everything to make sure everything is being done efficiently.” Even though the budget for fiscal year
2012/13 has been in place since July 1, 2012, there are items that will come before the council for approval. Brekhus wants to know the who, what, why, when, where and how of every city expenditure to determine its necessity. Brekhus doesn’t go so far as to say the city’s house is out of order, but she wants to make sure the council knows just where the money is being spent. Brekhus is casting an eye to all of the city’s outstanding debt, especially those incurred by the baseball park, bowling stadium and events center. “I also want to look at the assets and see how they are performing for us,” she adds. She points to the facts that loans were cheap a few years back, and now everyone seems to struggle to make payments. She uses the Silver Legacy as an example of the current downtown struggle, which she believes paints the picture for everything else. The city of Reno has dropped from a high of 1,642 employees in 2007 to 1,107 currently. Brekhus is not opposed to hiring new employees, but she wants to make department heads realize they are going to have to prove their case before she signs off on any personnel additions. Brekhus is also concerned with the issue of deferred maintenance of older city properties, and writing in appropriate maintenance agreements in any new projects. “All you need
“I want to make Reno known as the most business friendly-city in the U.S. by streamlining what it takes to get a business license and doing away with the red tape that currently exists,” says Hillary Schieve. She wants to see new businesses spring up in existing city space, and has a vision for building more areas around Reno that resemble Midtown. It hasn’t taken long for Schieve to learn that it’s very difficult to make people happy while on the City Council. “We have to make priorities that make sense for everyone, and I’m learning to have a thicker skin.” While Schieve says there’s no such thing as a “good councilperson” school, she knows that while the learning curve is steep, it’s just a matter of time until she’s comfortable with the process. Schieve believes it’s a good idea to bring together the resources of local businesses, the University of Nevada, Reno, and members of the Washoe County Commission to help build business downtown. “We have such great resources right at our fingertips, and we really need to use them,” Schieve says. Also aware of the decline of employees over the past few years, Schieve is concerned that using city funds for capital projects could cause more loss of staff. “I hope not to lay off any people,” she says. “We have to have our priorities, and staff provides the services our customers need.”
Oscar Delgado, Ward 3
“It’s not the priority of the city of Reno to take on everything presented, nor should it be,” says Oscar Delgado, when discussing how to restructure the debt issues facing the city. Delgado sees working with the Neighborhood Advisory Boards (NABs) as one way to get the community more involved in taking action in their neighborhoods. He has seen how community non-profits and other agencies have worked together in the past and believes that could be a key to success in Reno.
