Reno Gazette Journal
U.S., Iran trade infrastructure attacks
DUBAI – The United States struck bridges and an airport in Iran on July 17 and Tehran responded by hitting a power and desalination plant in Kuwait, as the warring foes risked further escalation by expanding their targets to include infrastructure. In...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fighting escalates in Persian Gulf
DUBAI – Iran and the United States exchanged intensified fire on July 16 in a weeklong escalation that has all but torn up last month’s truce, but Iran’s release of a U.S. citizen was seen as signaling a path to avert the resumption of all-out...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
U.S. strikes Iran as sides seek control over strait
President Donald Trump’s war on Iran continued to escalate with no end in sight as the two sides vied for control of the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces struck Iranian targets again on July 15, the fifth day of the renewed hostilities. The 90 minutes...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
JOINING FORCES?
Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said in a statement Tuesday morning he has been examining a possible consolidation with the Reno Police Department for three years. “Over the past three years, I have been gathering data to develop an informed and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
McConnell return becomes paramount
WASHINGTON – The death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, has increased the urgency for Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to return to work to cushion the GOP’s increasingly slim voting majority in the Senate. McConnell, 84, has been gone due to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Kaiser Permanente, Renown deny merger
A Bay Area-based health care giant and one of Reno’s major health care companies pushed back against talk of a potential merger or acquisition as both companies continued to strengthen ties after inking a joint venture. Whispers of a merger between...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
$36M investor fund launched for former Harrah’s Reno project
The owner of a former downtown Reno hotel-casino just launched an investment fund to raise capital for the property following several snags in its redevelopment. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Madison Capital Group is looking to raise $36 million for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Heat waves turn homes dangerous for all ages
Most people know that heat waves can be dangerous. What they may not realize is that the heat indoors can be much worse than outdoors. When the power goes out and air conditioning stops, a house starts to function like a greenhouse. Heat enters...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Program gives struggling artists $1,000 a month
Though artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to produce images, music and text, the technology is also making it harder for the people who have traditionally produced this work to earn a living. A photographer who once was commissioned...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Airport turning overflow lot into extra paid parking
Reno-Tahoe International Airport plans to add hundreds of additional parking spaces as it continues to find ways to alleviate the strain on its parking capacity during busy seasons and holidays. The airport is converting one of its overflow lots into...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
He would not stand for it.
When a work crew arrived with shovels and plans to dig in Lance Van Lydegraf ’s front yard last month, he did the first thing that came to mind. He lay down, positioning his body inside the lines spray-painted on a corner of his yard on Arroyo...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘He was so surprised’
Macedonio Lopez of Carson City rarely missed his sons’ soccer games. He introduced all three boys to the sport as soon as they could walk, and for years, family life revolved around soccer. “I just remember him going to everything,” said Israel Lopez,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
America sets aside divisions for July 4
Fireworks burst above marbled monuments honoring America’s forefathers for roughly 40 minutes as sun-drenched and rain-soaked Americans watched. The past-midnight display sparkled above the National Mall and on screens across the United States, marking...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY
The 56 steps, cut from pink granite, ascend to a neoclassical temple that seems plucked from ancient Greece and deposited on a Kentucky hilltop. One for each year of President Abraham Lincoln’s life. h If the first eight steps, rising amid the site’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Some drugmakers balk at Medicaid pilot
NEW YORK – President Donald Trump has promised to make U.S. prescription drug prices the cheapest in the world, but a closely watched Medicaid pilot program could expose the limits of the buy-in among midsized and smaller pharmaceutical companies. The...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
AI can lead to false arrests and wrongful convictions
In Baltimore County, Maryland, on Oct. 20, a 17-year-old student named Taki Allen was sitting outside his high school after football practice when an artificial intelligence-enhanced surveillance camera falsely identified the Doritos bag in his pocket...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Many Supreme Court rulings favor Trump
WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court’s final decision of the term, striking down President Donald Trump’s attempt to limit who is born American, was not what the president hoped for. But the ruling was surprisingly close, given that birthright citizenship...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
High court upholds birthright citizenship
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on June 30 rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt to redefine who is an American, striking down the limits on birthright citizenship that were a centerpiece of his hard-line approach to immigration. The ruling landed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New building for WCSD administration likely
The Washoe County School District will look for a new site for its administration building, focusing its search on vacant commercial properties. The district’s administrative staff now is spread across six locations. The school board could consider...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Should EV owners pay fee for roads?
Electric and hybrid vehicle owners aren’t paying their fair share for road maintenance in Washoe County so they should pay an annual fee comparable to what other drivers pay through gas taxes. That’s the argument behind an advisory ballot question...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DISASTER CLEANUP
Alan Gubanich, 83, often sees news stories of homes getting burned to the ground or mudslides wiping out entire neighborhoods. “Oh, those poor people. I always wondered how they feel, and how do they live after? What do they do?” Gubanich...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Death toll rises after Venezuela earthquakes
The death toll after a doublet of devastating earthquakes in Venezuela soared to more than 500 as of June 26 as crews worked to comb through rubble for signs of life. The quakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, struck within one minute of each other...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Discipline in motion
What started as a way to try to lose weight has turned into a daily obsession for Dave Zaski. The Reno native recorded his 2,000th straight day running on Wednesday, June 24. And he’s not just running around the block and calling it good. Zaski, 41,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Median home price just hit $635K for first time
The median home sale price in Reno-Sparks reached new heights as existing single-family housing inventory continued its downward slide. Reno-Sparks reported a median home price of $635,000 in May, according to the latest data from Sierra Nevada...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HANG ON THERE
The action continues tonight at the Livestock Events Center when the Reno Rodeo celebrates Nevada Wolf Pack Night, so wear your silver and blue attire. In addition to the competition each night, there’s a carnival; Silver Spurs Mercantile with Western...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fire transforming West’s public lands
Wildfires are affecting our public lands at an accelerating scale and increasing intensity. Yet how fire affects recreation has remained poorly understood. Colorado’s two largest fires on record, the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires, burned...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
THRILL RIDES
The 107th Reno Rodeo’s in town, with the action continuing at the Livestock Events Center through June 27. In addition to the competition each night, there’s a carnival; Silver Spurs Mercantile with Western jewelry, clothes, gifts, tack and gear; line...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
State Fair appearance
Nevada’s history from Comstock mining to the Hoover Dam will be celebrated for about two weeks at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C. — with an emphasis on Las Vegas. Reno and Lake Tahoe do not make an appearance in the main exhibits, in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Obama Center opens while Trump looms
Remember hope and change? The sun-splashed, star-studded dedication of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on June 18 was designed to echo the sense of excitement and possibility that surrounded former President Barack Obama’s election in 2008 −...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bail lowered to $4M for ex-teacher accused of sex crimes
A judge reduced bail by $1 million for former Gomm Elementary School teacher Taji Hillson during a Wednesday hearing that included testimony from her sisters and a friend praising her character. Judge Lynne Jones reduced bail from $5 million to $4...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Feds: CEO laundered stolen millions through crypto
Federal prosecutors filed 16 new criminal charges against the former CEO of a Reno internet provider, alleging he laundered $6.2 million in stolen money through cryptocurrency exchanges. Stephen Kromer of Uprise Fiber also faces 31 criminal charges...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Reno’s rent costs set another record, straining tenants as vacancy rates stay low
ABOVE: Halcyon Apartments on South Virginia Street in Reno on May 26. Rents at large apartment complexes in January through March jumped 7% on average from a year ago. Vacancy rates in the first three months dropped to just above 2%, down from 2.8% at...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
U.S. deal with Iran leaves uncertainty
The United States and Iran were set to begin a week of high-stakes diplomacy after announcing on June 14 a framework deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary agreement that has already pushed oil prices lower but leaves the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Iran questions U.S. commitment to peace
DUBAI – Iran’s top negotiator questioned the United States’ commitment to peace efforts after Israel carried out new attacks on Lebanon, dimming prospects of Tehran and Washington signing a framework agreement on June 14 on ending their war. President...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Picollo parking lot ‘hazardous’ to students with disabilities
Aries Mercado held his grandmother’s hand as he climbed out of her red minivan on his last day of first grade. The little boy balanced himself against the car before reaching out his other hand for his teacher. Steadied between the two, Aries crossed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WINDS OF CHANGE
The United States is in a bizarre situation in 2026: It’s facing a looming energy shortage, yet the Trump administration is making deals to pay offshore wind developers nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money to walk away from energy projects. These...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
El Niño arrives, extreme weather risk rises
A long-anticipated and dramatic global climate shift has arrived, federal forecasters said June 11 as they confirmed the start of El Niño conditions. The announcement also adds to mounting evidence suggesting this El Niño will be unusually strong,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Today’s election to trim candidates in key races
For Q&A’s with the candidates on top issues, latest updates and election results, visit RGJ.com June 9 is Primary Day in Nevada. Voters will narrow down the candidates on ballots in November’s general election in races for the U.S. House, governor,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Dueling state fairs, plus 42 things to do
We’re seeing double this week in northwestern Nevada. The Nevada State Fair and the State Fair of Nevada are both set for this weekend, a mere 26 miles apart from one another. The Nevada State Fair is the Carson City-based event that’s been carrying...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
STATE OF THE RACES
With early voting for Nevada’s primary ending Friday, June 5, a few things are clear from the latest numbers: h Washoe County voters are more motivated than the rest of the state — perhaps because of two high-profile races with no incumbents for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Big water problems need big solutions
Democrats don’t have much leverage in Washington these days – until they do. A small, but significant, political window opened up briefly this week as Senate Republicans worked to pass a roughly $70 billion funding bill for Immigration and Customs...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
House votes to end war with Iran
In a severe political blow to President Donald Trump, the House of Representatives on June 3 voted for the first time to end the war with Iran. The 215-208 vote, which was mostly symbolic, marked a new period of congressional unease with the conflict...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Nevadans can expect a scorching summer
By some metrics, summer is still weeks away. But according to others, summer started on June 1. As Nevadans head into the summer months, they may be wondering what kind of weather they are heading toward. The Old Farmer's Almanac, a publication known...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘SIGN OF GROWTH’
Food truck festival season is set to kick off soon in Reno, with the Biggest Little City seeing another new location added to this summer’s schedule. h Reno Street Food, which organizes the weekly Food Truck Friday events in Reno each year, is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Costs put brakes on travel this summer
NEW YORK – Rising airfares and hotel rates are making budget-conscious Americans delay or cancel summer trips while wealthy travelers are holding fast to vacation plans despite higher prices. The trend underscores a growing divide in what had been a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Homebuyers paying more in Reno-Sparks
The busy housing season has sprung in Reno-Sparks, where the median home price reached its highest point once more. The median sale price for a singlefamily home in Reno-Sparks hit $615,000 in April, according to Sierra Nevada Realtors. That price...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘RETURN OF CIVILITY’
Just a few years after fierce, namecalling, big-money battles, Washoe County school board races have all but gone quiet. There is only one contested race on the ballot. That is a sharp contrast to just two years ago, when 18 candidates vied for seats...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NASA shares plans for Moon base
Fleets of landers, rovers and drones will head to the moon in the months and years ahead before humans even step foot on the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years. So says NASA, which is already working toward sending vehicles and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tilman Fertitta to buy Caesars in $17.6B deal
Tilman Fertitta-owned firm will buy Caesars Entertainment in a $17.6 billion deal, the companies said on Thursday, as the hospitality billionaire seeks to expand his leisure empire. The deal, which will take one of the Las Vegas Strip’s most prized...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cannabis legalization spurs innovation
Innovation in health care saves lives. But not all health innovations have enough evidence to actually benefit patients. Barriers to innovation are often higher in illicit or restricted markets, including cannabis, stem cells and cryptocurrencies....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
U.S. military strikes boats, missile sites
The U.S. military on May 26 launched new strikes on Iran, threatening to shatter a 7-week ceasefire and derailing negotiations in Qatar just days after President Donald Trump said an agreement was almost completed. U.S. Central Command said it carried...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Truckee River set for summer
Reno’s iconic Truckee River is fully opening just in time for summer, as both the Arlington Bridges project and the Riverside Drive berm project’s construction come to a close. The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump: Blockade stays until deal signed
President Donald Trump on May 24 said he has told his diplomatic representatives not to rush into a deal with Iran because “time is on our side,” less than a day after announcing that an agreement with Tehran had been largely negotiated. “The Blockade...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
PROPERTY REVIVAL
Downtown Reno storefronts may see revival under a new pilot program The Reno Redevelopment Agency, which consists of Reno City Council members, voted unanimously to move forward with a pilot program, called the Vacant Storefront Activation Program, to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Outrage over DOJ fund delays action on ICE bill
WASHINGTON – Fuming about President Donald Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion Justice Department fund that could compensate his allies, Senate Republicans derailed a massive immigration enforcement bill and left town until early June. Unease about the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Reno teen accused of killing father, 5-year-old brother
Reno teen Mashenka Reid, charged with murder in the deaths of her father and brother, pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday, May 20. Reid, now 19, is accused of killing her father, Justin Reid, and 5-year-old brother, Rogan, and attempting to kill...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Washoe DA Hicks seeks death penalty for father of Izabella Loving
Izabella Loving was hit, kicked, deprived of food and water and subjected to other abuses causing her death, Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks said in announcing his office is seeking the death penalty against the girl’s father. Nicholas...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘The market ... is extremely competitive’
Lake Tahoe finds itself in the middle of the national debate about the rising energy demand from data centers as a utility company scrambles to secure an alternate power source. About 49,000 customers in the Lake Tahoe region face the prospect of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cuba faces possible Trump ‘takeover’
The federal government’s moves to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro will ramp up pressure for regime change in Cuba and could be a prelude to a U.S. military operation, just as the Trump administration sent troops into Venezuela in January to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SET SAIL FOR SUMMER
Summer begins this weekend ... at least unofficially. Memorial Day is coming up on Monday, May 25, with events including a Friday morning ceremony in Minden and two flag-placement volunteer opportunities. Other events this week include the Drifters...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Gammick, longtime district attorney, dies at 79
Longtime Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick has died. He was 79. Gammick, a Vietnam veteran and former Reno police officer, was the county’s top prosecutor from 1994 to 2015. He is survived by his wife, Norma; children, Gina and Rick; three...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RISING COSTS
Americans’ concerns about being able to afford electricity and home heating fuel have been elevated since the beginning of the Iran war. But recently released nationwide data shows that even before the war began, these concerns were widespread,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Higher prices reshape shoppers’ priorities
Shoppers who noticed their grocery runs were taking a larger bite out of their budget last month were proved correct by Labor Department data released this week showing food-at-home costs rose 0.7% in April, marking the largest monthly increase since...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Solferino named Reno police chief
Even after the termination of Reno’s police chief and two assistant chiefs, the city has released no new information about what led to their removal. The city announced Tuesday that Chief Kathryn Nance and Assistant Chiefs Oliver Miller and Anthony...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Washoe mails 2026 primary sample ballots
Sample ballots are in the mail this week for Washoe County’s 2026 primary election as early voting approaches. “We have got our sample ballots on time, and our ballots will be going out on time,” Washoe County Registrar of Voters Andrew McDonald said...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Reno heating up faster than any city in U.S.
Reno is warming faster than any major U.S. city, according to a new analysis of long-term temperature trends. The city’s average annual temperature has risen about 7.9 degrees since 1970, the highest increase among 242 cities studied by Climate...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Reno hospitals score well in safety grades
Nevada hospitals received a mix of A, B and C grades in the latest Hospital Safety Grade report from The Leapfrog Group, with Reno-area facilities generally scoring well while Southern Nevada hospitals posted a broader range of results. The biannual...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Democrats Cannizzaro, Conine run for NV attorney general
Two high-powered Democrats seek to keep Nevada’s attorney general seat within their party: Nicole Cannizzaro and Zach Conine. The race features no incumbent because Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford termed out and is running for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
AI-integrated cameras raise alarms
For decades, cars dictated urban planning in the United States. h Few could have predicted that they would one day also double as nodes for surveillance. h In thousands of towns and cities across the United States, automatic license plate readers have...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Youth bulges,’ graying societies shift economic, political balance
Government-shaking protests in Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal and Sri Lanka – to name a few – have all in recent years been linked to what demographers call a “youth bulge.” Meanwhile, the economic slowdown in China and ballooning public debt in the United...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Toughest work lies ahead’
Washoe County’s homeless population has increased by 62% over the past 10 years, according to survey results released Monday. The county’s “point in time” survey in January found 1,787 homeless people live in Washoe County. A 10-year record of 1,446...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Spirit’s demise likely to raise prices
Spirit Airlines left a parting gift for its competitors: When the low-cost airline ended operations on May 2, it created an opening for other carriers to grow. JetBlue and other airlines are already making moves to lure passengers in markets where...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
What is being built on Mount Rose Highway in south Reno?
South Reno remains abuzz with development, with new construction planned on two large parcels that will bring hundreds of housing units and several amenities to the area. Permit applications have been filed on two parcels totaling just under 33 acres...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Airlines hike fees as fuel costs surge
Flights out of Reno are getting more expensive as airlines respond to a sharp spike in jet fuel prices driven by the war in Iran, with the shutdown of Spirit Airlines adding new pressure on fares. Major carriers serving Reno — including Southwest,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MASSIVE PROJECTS
Drive west of Reno on Interstate 80 and you will come across several large yellow trucks moving dirt across a huge swath of land just south of the freeway. With a total footprint spanning more than 200 acres, the construction activity just off Robb...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Microplastics could be overestimated
It seems like every day a new study finds tiny plastic particles called microplastics where they should not be: in our bodies and our food, water and air. h Yet finding and identifying microplastics is extremely challenging, especially given their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)