Renoites- The Podcast about Reno Nevada

This episode of Renoites was recorded in front of a live audience at Black Rabbit Mead Company in Reno, Nevada on March 9, 2023
Vickie and Craig Musni started DJ Trivia Sierra Nevada 10 years ago with the goal of providing a family friendly trivia game that could help support local bars and restaurants by drawing crowds on their less busy nights during the week. Since then, the company has grown to over 35 venues in Northern Nevada and the Sierras.
On this week's episode of Renoites, Vickie returns to the podcast to talk about the history of her business, the one-two punch of dealing with COVID restrictions followed by issues with the city of Reno's archaic "cabaret license," the difference between themed trivia nights and a format with more variety, the newer DJ Bingo offering for folks that want to have fun and win prizes but aren't into trivia, and much more.
We also talked about DJ Trivia's upcoming 10-Year Anniversary fundraiser at the Little Waldorf, with the goal of raising $10,000 for local non-profits. That event will take place on April 15. Up to 30 teams of 6 will compete to win prize money for their favorite charity, and local businesses can participate by sponsoring a team's entry fee! Learn more and sign up here:
https://djtriviasierranevada.com/dj-trivia-challenge-for-charity

In 2020, the University of Nevada, Reno selected as the new president of the university the former Governor of Nevada, Brian Sandoval. Sandoval grew up in Sparks, attended UNR, and has spent most of his career in various political roles, including in the state legislature, as attorney general, as a federal judge, and for 2 terms as governor (from 2011-2019).
As Reno continues to grow, UNR and the surrounding area will have significant impacts on job opportunities for graduates, student and staff housing and affordability, business development and attracting industry to Northern Nevada, the urban landscape and walkability in and around downtown, and much more.
On this week's episode of Renoites, President Sandoval joined us for a conversation about his experience in politics and what has driven him to pursue the positions he's held in government, a recent visit to the university from our current governor, Joe Lombardo, the Wolf Pack Digital Initiative launched during COVID to bring new technology to students and faculty, transitioning from his previous roles in electoral politics to his current role at the university, working to develop a more cohesive "university district," the role Nevada can play in greener energy production, and much much more!
Thank you for listening and supporting Renoites! This is a local, community-oriented project that exists only through support from listeners like you. Please consider contributing to Renoites on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/renoites and if you have any suggestions for guests or topics, please email conor@renoites.com or send a message on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/renoites
This season of Renoites is produced by Conor McQuivey, Lynn Lazaro, and Ember Braun.  

Last time Michael Moberly was a guest on Renoites, it was the middle of the COVID pandemic and we talked about Reno's bar environment and history, especially in the midtown area. Michael has been a bartender and spirits educator for well over a decade in the Reno area.
On this week's episode, Michael returns to the podcast to talk about his new role with Monin Gourmet Flavorings, the largest family-owned company in that industry, with a huge production and distribution facility right here in Northern Nevada.
We talked about being an ambassador for Reno, developing skills in whatever industry you work to build expertise, how bartending has become more inclusive, the ability to make a career as a bartender, the differences between Reno and Las Vegas cocktail bars (and why Reno is better), the recent decision not to allow a cannabis lounge in Northern Nevada, non-alcoholic beverages and sobriety, what is going on in Spanish Springs as many people are moving to the area but not spending much time inside the McCarran loop, and a whole lot more!
This episode was recorded on-site at Monin's facility in Sparks, Nevada. 
Thank you for listening! If you have feedback or guest suggestions, please feel free to send me an email at conor@renoites.com and if you'd like to support the show financially (think of it like tipping your barista or a musician at a small bar?) you can do that on Patreon! Learn more at http://www.patreon.com/renoites 
This season of Renoites is produced by Conor McQuivey, Lynn Lazaro, and Ember Braun

Gary McKinney is a resident of Owyhee, Nevada, a small town on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation near the border of Idaho, about an hour north of Elko. Owyhee is located about 84 miles from a proposed lithium mine at Thacker Pass, an area known to the local indigenous community as Peehee Mu'Huh. Gary is the founder of People of Red Mountain, a group opposed to the Thacker Pass mine. 
On this episode, we traveled to Owyhee to met with Gary, where we talked about the history of the area, from it's earliest days as a pony express mail route, the 1865 massacre at Peehee Mu'Huh, the various (and sometimes hidden) financial incentives driving the green energy transition, the environmental impacts of mining in the area and around the world, and much more.
The Thacker Pass mine is currently under litigation, with various lawsuits from tribes in the area including the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony challenging the processes that were used to approve the project. Since the recording of this episode, federal judge Miranda Du has mostly ruled against the tribes, but a new lawsuit was filed just last week.
You can find People of Red Mountain at http://www.peopleofredmountain.com
Thank you for listening and supporting this independent and community-focused project. Be sure to follow Renoites on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/renoites and consider supporting the show financially at http://www.patreon.com/renoites
This season of Renoites is produced by Conor McQuivey, Lynn Lazaro, and Ember Braun. Send guest suggestions and feedback any time to conor@renoites.com
 

Happy Valentines Day! For today's episode of Renoites, we're talking sex, dating and relationships with our guest Steven Ing. Steven is a Reno-based marriage and family therapist with decades of experience in the field of sexuality and relationships and a contributor to Psychology Today where he writes a column called Sexual Futurist.
On this episode, Conor and Steven talked about how to approach new relationships with intentional interviewing to learn as much about potential partners as early as possible, about the differences between getting to know people online vs. in person, the "magic number" of how much sex each partner wants to enjoy, breakups and learning from relationships that have ended, and much more!
Thanks for listening and if you have suggestions for future episodes or any feedback, please email me at conor@renoites.com and if you'd like to support the show financially, you can visit http://www.patreon.com/renoites for more information
This season of Renoites is produced by Conor McQuivey, Lynn Lazaro, and Ember Braun.
 

The Nevada Legislature only meets every other year, for 120 days. That's not a very long time to do all the legislative business of the state, including passing the state's budget. Recently elected governor Joe Lombardo recently presented his State of the State address outlining his priorities, and on this week's episode of Renoites, we are welcoming Nevada Assembly Member from District 27, Angie Taylor.
Angie previously served at the president of the Washoe County School Board, and this will be her first term in the Nevada Assembly. On this episode, Conor and Angie discuss her history on the school board and dealing with challenging situations like lawsuits and increasing politicization, how the Nevada Legislature operates from legislation being proposed in Bill Draft Requests (BDRs) all the way to being signed (or not signed) by the governor, working in a divided government with a Democratic-majority legislature but a Republican governor, and much more!
You can follow the happenings of the legislature at https://www.leg.state.nv.us/ including tracking BDRs that you may be interested in, and many excellent local journalists will be covering the happenings as the session progresses.
Thank you so much for listening, and if you have guest or topic suggestions, please email me at conor@renoites.com
If you'd like to help Renoites eventually become financially sustainable and remain independent, please consider signing up to donate as little as a few dollars a month at http://www.patreon.com/renoites
This season of Renoites is produced by Conor McQuivey, Lynn Lazaro, and Ember Braun.
 

PBS has long been a resource for educational television programming, from classics like Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, to newer series for the current generation of young people, like Wild Kratts and Martha Speaks.
Here at the local level, PBS Reno also creates workshops and educational programs for use in classrooms which are often facilitated by retired teachers, including an upcoming writing contest for young people expected to receive thousands of submissions. PBS Reno's workshops and classroom programs are present throughout the state- here in Washoe County and extending well into the rural communities.
On this week's episode of Renoites, Lynn Lazaro speaks with Nancy Maldonado, VP of Education at PBS Reno about their educational work and outreach. Topics include the importance of both STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) and how they interact, adapting a primarily in-person system to the challenges of remote learning during the height of the COVID pandemic, utilizing PBS's trusted programming alongside locally created workshops, the value of having students of different ages work together in their Reading Buddies program, PBS Reno's locally produced programs like Wild Nevada and ARTEFFECTS (which also air on PBS stations nationwide), and much more!
If you'd like to learn more about PBS's education resources (which are FREE to teachers and students) please visit https://www.pbsreno.org/education/
Thank you for listening! If you have suggestions for future guests or episode topics please email conor@renoites.com and if you'd like to support the show financially you can do so at http://www.patreon.com/renoites for as little as a few dollars a month.

This episode was recorded live at Black Rabbit Mead in Reno, Nevada on 1/26/23
Vertigo and Armani the Star are two of Reno's consistently hard working drag performers, with regular drag shows at 5 Star Saloon (the oldest gay bar in Nevada), drag brunches at other venues around town, and plans on the horizon for even more events, including a sober event to include drag fans who want a different setting than a bar.
On this week's bonus live episode of Renoites, recorded at Black Rabbit Mead, Conor talks with Vertigo and Armani about their entry into the world of drag, the difference between performing lip sync numbers and serving as emcee for events, the closure of multiple Reno gay bars in recent months, drag terminology like "reading" and "houses," the fear-mongering about drag as a tool of transphobia, and much more, including several questions from our live audience.
You can find Vertigo and Armani performing regularly at 5 Star and various other venues in the Reno area. You can also find them on Instagram, at http://www.instagram.com/hausofvertigo and http://www.instagram.com/armanithestar
This episode was produced by Conor McQuivey, Lynn Lazaro, and Ember Braun. Thank you so much to the live audience for attending and to you for listening! If you have guest suggestions or feedback please email conor@renoites.com and if you'd like to support the show financially visit http://www.patreon.com/renoites