Renoites- The Podcast about Reno Nevada

You've probably seen the Reno Ambassadors rolling around on their Segways downtown, giving directions and checking on businesses and generally tasked with keeping the streets of Downtown Reno clean and safe. They're a part of the Downtown Reno Partnership, a Business Improvement District (BID) tasked with improving Downtown Reno. But what is a BID and how does it work?
On this week's episode of Renoites, we welcome Alex Stettinski, the executive director of the Downtown Reno Partnership. Alex moved to Reno to lead the organization when it began 3 years ago. He relocated from the Los Angeles area, where he's long worked on BIDs and neighborhood organizations which have had a large impact in improving various LA-area communities.
Conor and Alex talk about the purpose of Business Improvement Districts and how they work, who is paying for the services they provide, the tangible benefits of property assessments vs taxes, the impact of the Downtown Partnership on the number of police calls, why the Ambassadors are well suited to build relationships with and provide resources to unhoused people, changing the public perception of downtown, the important of place-making projects like the recently completed Locomotion Plaza, and much more!
You can learn more about the Downtown Reno Partnership and subscribe to their newsletter at downtownreno.org
Thank you for listening! Go spend some time and money downtown!

Netflix recently released the documentary "Pray Away," the story of the religious belief that it's possible or desirable to "convert" LGBTQ people to heterosexuality. The story is told by the former leaders of that movement, who have since spoken out against ex-gay ministry and churches that still fail to affirm the gender and sexual orientation of their members.
One of those former leaders featured in the film is Yvette Cantu Schneider, who rose to lead women's ministry at Exodus International, the large umbrella organization of the ex-gay movement in the United States. Since leaving Exodus over a decade ago, before it was shuttered in 2013, Yvette has worked with GLAAD and other organizations to push for more affirming churches.
Conor and Yvette discuss her path from being out and proud and not religious into being a leader of the Christian ex-gay movement, tactics her organization and others used to control people, the physical toll of anxiety and PTSD from leading an inauthentic life,  the media that gave endless airtime to ex-gay groups, why it's actually the churches that need to change, and so much more.
Please watch Pray Away, now streaming on Netflix.
Thank you for listening!
 
 
Additional Resources - Please have a look, especially if you or anybody you know attends a church that tells you it's wrong to be yourself:
https://www.prayawayfilm.com/resources 

On this week's episode, Conor welcomes Jolene Cook! Formerly a manager of the Great Basin Community Co-op, current board member of Reno Food Systems, and creator of Reno Local Food Week and GrowingNV.com. Jolene is passionate about local food and building community here in Reno.
Conor and Jolene begin the episode with Jolene's story of how she realized the importance of healthy food in her own life and information about local food and the 3rd annual Reno Local Food Week (which begins August 15), but soon expand into a wide-ranging conversation to discuss so much more.
Topics include creating community through the use of social media technology but without the algorithms and ads, the power of farmers markets to demystify and normalize shopping local, the trap of being a perfectionist and the benefits of embracing failures as lessons, the numbers behind creating sustainable local food systems, the role restaurants can play in promoting local food, the importance of having pride in the place you live, and much more!
Thank you so much for listening!

One of the most fun and eco friendly ways to be transported from one place to another is via pedicab, essentially an oversized tricycle with room for passengers. This week's guest, Jaime Chapman, has been driving pedicabs since 2012 and opened Pineapple Pedicabs in 2019, bringing this fun form of bike-driven transportation here to Reno. Jaime is also involved in dog rescue and rehoming, trying to create a dog park in her neighborhood, and a frequent Burning Man attendee with plans to attend the unofficial "free burn" this year. 
On this episode, Conor and Jaime talk about the origins of Pineapple Pedicabs and the services they provide, growing a business during the pandemic, dealing with weather and smoke conditions, rescuing animals from kill shelters in California, her campaign to install an off-leash dog area at Wilkinson Park, how she fell in love with Burning Man, what she expects from this year's unofficial, unregulated event in the desert, and so much more!
Be sure to follow Pineapple Pedicabs on your preferred social media platforms, and book a ride at https://www.pineapplepedicabs.com or by calling (775) 234-8188
If you're looking to adopt or foster a pet, please reach out to Jaime for more information!
Thank you for listening!

Saturday, July 24 will be Reno's annual Northern Nevada Community Pride Parade and Festival. In this week's episode, Conor is joined by YeVonne Allen from Northern Nevada Pride and Our Center, Reno's LGBTQIA+ community gathering place. 
Conor and YeVonne talk all things Pride, from Reno's LGBTQ history, the origins of Northern Nevada Pride, what to expect at the events this year, how the pride parade and festival raise funds for Our Center, other events and promotions happening this week, the importance of in-person spaces for the LGBTQ community, and so much more!
Learn more about this Saturday's event at http://www.northernnevadapride.org
Go visit Our Center in person, and on social media (Facebook and Instagram)
I will have a Renoites booth at the festival on Saturday, 7/24 selling Renoites pride merch! Please come say hi and pick up some Renoites gear!
Thank you so much for listening!

The Sierra Arts Foundation has been one of the major drivers of Reno as an arts-friendly city for over 50 years. Tia Flores is the Program Director and works to create programming, artist services, gallery spaces and much more.
Conor and Tia discuss arts in Reno generally, and Sierra Arts Foundation's work in the region. Topics include arts education in the Washoe County School District, creating spaces for local artists to show and sell their work, saving the historic Riverside building that now houses their offices and artist lofts, launching docent-led art walks in Sparks, and so much more!
Thanks for listening, and check out Sierra Arts Foundation at http://www.sierraarts.org
 

Tucker Rash is the program director for Reno's community radio station, KWNK 97.7. With an army of volunteer DJs, the station runs 24/7 powered by regular people with the desire to put something of themselves out onto the airwaves. Tucker began volunteering as a teenager before the station even began broadcasting, and will now be guiding and developing KWNK's programming.
On this week's episode, Tucker and Conor discuss the mission of community radio, what type of programming you might expect when you tune the dial to 97.7, his experience in music and radio from a young age, adapting to the pandemic and back again, determining what content listeners want to hear, the anti-community effects of music streaming service algorithms, and so much more!
Thank you for listening, and please also listen to and actively support KWNK! It's on the radio at 97.7 and also streaming at http://www.kwnkradio.org
You can donate or become a sustaining member here: https://kwnkradio.org/donate/
Follow KWNK on all your favorite social media, too!

Summer in Reno means events, and some of the most consistent and well-attended events in town are food truck nights at local parks. This week, Conor is joined by Melissa Williams, the owner of Feed the Camel, a Wednesday night food truck event at the McKinley Arts Center currently operating in their 8th year.
Melissa and Conor talk about the early days of Reno's food truck scene and the origins of our food truck events, what makes a food truck succeed or fail, the teamwork and cooperation required for food truck events, the differences in running food trucks vs. brick and mortar restaurants, the challenges of adapting from a pandemic year to a busy year, and so much more!
Feed the Camel is held every Wednesday at the McKinley Arts Center starting at 5:00. Follow them on social media for the weekly lineup of food trucks! 
https://www.instagram.com/feedthecamel/
https://www.facebook.com/feedthecamel/
https://twitter.com/feedthecamel
Thank you for listening!