Renoites- The Podcast about Reno Nevada

There have been a lot of changes in our understanding about how we talk about neurodivergence in recent years and it can be hard to keep up. With social media driving a lot of the conversation, it’s easy to get incorrect information about things like autism and ADHD.
One of the leading experts in Reno, and our guest on this week's episode of Renoites, is Cady Stanton. Her organizations Facilitate Joy and the Autistic Resilience Network work to provide a variety of services from individual and group support to education, resources and more.
In our conversation in this episode, we talked about the changes in how we define autism, the under-reported challenges autistic people face both culturally and medically, the upsides and downsides of social media in spreading information about neurodivergence, and much more!
Thank you for listening! Renoites is a listener-funded program that can't exist without support from listeners just like you. You can learn how to help make this project financially sustainable by visiting http://patreon.com/renoites
Please be sure to also follow us on social media and subscribe wherever you get podcasts. Thanks again!

Kris Vagner has been writing about the arts in Nevada for a long time. She worked as the arts editor of the Reno News and Review beginning in 2004 and has either been on staff or doing freelance writing there and in countless arts publications for most of the years since. She earned her master's degree in Media Innovations from UNR in 2019 and launched her own statewide arts publication Double Scoop. And as of 2023, Kris has returned to the News and Review to now serve as the managing editor, as it has returned from a brief stint as online-only back to print (now in a monthly format available at hundreds of local businesses).
On this episode of Renoites, Kris joins Conor to talk about her career in arts journalism, and her experiences of the art community in Reno. Some of the topics include the opportunities (and sometimes lack of opportunities) for working artists, the challenge of an iffy "career ladder" and limited exhibition spaces in our mid-size city, the impacts of Burning Man on our public art and access to international artists and culture in our own backyard, and much more.
In the conversation about media itself, Kris talks about the difference between arts and news reporting, the history of the News and Review and it's changing formats, the reason Double Scoop is a statewide publication and she considers art from a "statewide community" perspective, and much more on those topics as well!
You can find Double Scoop at http://doublescoop.art and the Reno News and Review at http://renonr.com . Be sure to also follow those publications on social media and sign up for the Double Scoop newsletter to stay in the loop on arts events throughout the state.
Thank you for listening! If you enjoy the show, please help spread the word about it, and consider becoming a financial supporter at http://patreon.com/renoites to help the show become financially sustainable (it costs money and time to make this thing!)
If you have feedback or guest suggestions, email me at conor@renoites.com or send me a message on Instagram at http://instagram.com/renoites
p.s. I made a joke in this episode about not caring what listeners think about the conversation but that isn't true and I always think about how to make the show the best it can be! -Conor
 

We've done a lot of episodes of Renoites about how Reno is growing and the ways we can reduce the likelihood of people being priced out as the costs of housing increase. Public housing has an important role to play, and for 80 years the Reno Housing Authority has owned and operated public housing units, administered housing choice vouchers (formerly known as "Section 8"), and continue to work to build a portfolio of public housing units of diverse types in diverse neighborhoods.
On this week's episode, we are joined by the Executive Director of the Reno Housing Authority, Dr. Hilary Lopez. We discussed the way that public housing funding works, battling dated stereotypes of what public housing looks like, the process of working with landlords to accept housing vouchers, how changes in the economy affect public and private developers differently, and much more!
The organization has several projects in the works currently, and recently announced a deal with Jacobs Entertainment to build additional public housing in the downtown area. We didn't discuss that deal on this episode because it was recorded before the announcement, but I encourage your to read about it from other local journalists who have done a great job of covering that deal. See this article from Downtown Makeover
Thank you so much for listening! You can learn more about the Reno Housing Authority at http://renoha.org and be sure to follow Renoites on Instagram at http://instagram.com/renoites
Please consider supporting Renoites on Patreon! This is a LISTENER-FUNDED program, and can't survive without the financial support of listeners like you. Learn more and contribute as little as a dollar an episode at http://patreon.com/renoites 
Send feedback and guest suggestions to conor@renoites.com 

Some of the most important years of our development, when we're learning communication skills and how to navigate the world, are spent in the jungles of the elementary school or middle school playground and classroom. It can be very easy to learn the wrong lessons, struggle with friends, and end up carrying those challenges into the future. All of this is especially true for girls, who face a unique set of challenges on top of everything else.
Girls on the Run Sierras is working to help fill that social and emotional learning gap by teaching girls from 3rd-8th grade important skills for self esteem, choosing friends, talking about emotions and relationships, and much more during an after-school program based around (but not actually focused on) running.
Over the course of a 10-week season, girls might learn about how to choose the right friends for them and how to let the wrong friends go, how to properly name their emotions and the healthiest way to deal with them, what steps they might take to move towards their dreams, and they do it all while preparing for a 5k run with no clocks, and where every girl's race bib is number 1.
On this episode, Executive Director for Girls on the Run Sierras Joy Heuer joins the show to talk about the GOTR programs and philosophy, the importance of inclusion for all girls, creating equitable access to after-school programs, how the lessons learned in GOTR are brought back to the classroom and into the home, and so much more.
GOTR has Spring and Fall programs, as well as a summer camp, and more information can be found at https://www.girlsontherunsierras.org/
Thank you so much for listening! Renoites is an independent, listener-funded, and community-oriented project. Please consider contributing to this work at http://patreon.com/renoites to help it become financially sustainable. Patrons also receive benefits like bonus segments, Renoites merchandise, and more!
If you have suggestions or feedback please email me at conor@renoites.com and be sure to follow me on Instagram!

Oscar Delgado served as a member of Reno's City Council for a decade before resigning last year to focus on his work as CEO of the Community Health Alliance, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing care to many of Reno's lower income families.
On this week's episode of the show, Oscar sat down with Conor to discuss the role that FQHCs play in our health care system, both locally and nationally, the issue of stigma around lower income clinics, the importance of providing primary care and reducing the use of urgent care for all medical issues, the model of providing a variety of services under one roof (dentist, mental health, nutritious food, and more), the rollout of COVID vaccines in the early days of the pandemic, and a lot more!
On an extensive bonus segment (available for all patrons of the show), we talked more about some local political issues, including the upcoming election year, the process of appointing a replacement for his seat rather than holding a special election, redistricting and elimination of the at-large seat, the toxicity and invasion of privacy that has plagued our politics in recent years, and more!
Thank you so much for supporting the work I'm doing with Renoites! This month marks 3 years of bringing conversations like this one to the people of our community. I'm very proud of the work I've done and it wouldn't be possible without you listening and sharing.
If you have suggestions or feedback, email me at conor@renoites.com and follow me on Instagram at http://instagram.com/renoites
 

Career education in Washoe County Schools isn't just "shop class" like it was when I was in high school. Across the country and here in Northern Nevada, rebranding vocational education to "career and technical education" has brought about a lot of changes including programs focused on business, culinary arts, medical professions, and much more. Here in Washoe County, some of those programs are housed in "Signature Academy" schools with a special focus, but every high school has CTE opportunities of some kind.
On this episode of Renoites, I welcomed Josh Hartzog, the Director of Career and Technical Education and Signature Acadamies for the Washoe County School District. We talked about what CTE is and how it has changed over the years, how the district determines what programs and focuses to offer, the importance of having programs for less exciting but more in-demand professions but also for uniquely interesting or engaging ones as well, how CTE programs are funded, the challenges of creating equitable access to these programs, and so much more!
There is also a bonus segment EXCLUSIVELY for patrons from this episode and most others this season, so please be sure to check that out too! On that bonus segment, we delve into the politics a bit, discussing the search for a new superintendent (again), the results of last year's legislative session, and the politicization of school boards. You can find that segment and more information at http://patreon.com/renoites
Thank you so much for listening! As always if you have suggestions or feedback please let me know! You can always email me at conor@renoites.com and be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe wherever you get podcasts!

This episode of Renoites was recorded in front of a live audience at Black Rabbit Mead in Reno, Nevada on January 28, 2024.
People choose to abstain from alcohol for a host of different reasons. We often associate sobriety with alcoholism and "recovery" but in recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the "sober curious" movement. Maybe you're doing Dry January as part of a New Year's resolution. Maybe you're training for a physical event like the Reno Tahoe Odyssey. Or maybe you just want to go out with friends but don't feel like having a drink tonight.
Whatever reasons you have to not drink, the food and drink industry is starting to adapt and create better options. Recently at a non-alcoholic drink tasting and live podcast taping at Black Rabbit Mead, I sat down with Sarah Bear Rively, founder of Curious in the City.
Sarah has abstained from alcohol for several years, after deciding that the party culture of Reno from her younger years and the "wine mom" culture of motherhood weren't the right fit for her. She's launched Curious in the City, which is aimed at creating more options for people who are choosing not to drink (for whatever reason).
On this episode, we talked about the different reasons that people choose to abstain from alcohol, the difference between sober and sober-curious, the increasing options for non-alcoholic beverages, whether there is a generational component to these decisions (Sarah and I are both about 40), how Reno compares to other cities that are embracing non-alcoholic as a trend, and so much more!
Curious in the City is hosting a non-alcoholic dinner with Chef Jonathan Chapin on March 8. The event will include a 5-course meal with non-alcoholic wine pairings by Jøyus Wine. Tickets can be found here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/savor-the-moment-a-five-course-dinner-with-chefs-chapin-butterfield-tickets-817381579307
You can find Curious in the City on Instagram and Facebook
Thank you for supporting local media! Be sure to subscribe to Renoites wherever you get podcasts, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and show your financial support at http://patreon.com/renoites
 

Reno is experiencing a massive housing shortage, resulting in much higher rents than we have seen in the past. We aren't alone! In much of the country, following the financial crisis of 2008, development just kind of stopped and hasn't kept up with the changing population in high-demand cities like Reno.
On this week's episode of Renoites, I talked about housing development and much more with Batuhan Zadeh, owner of Marmot Properties, a local development firm that has worked on many residential projects around Midtown, historic buildings like the Santa Fe and Coca Cola bottling plant (more recently the home of Junkee), and many others.
We talked about what goes into the development process and how it is determined which projects go forward and which ones don't, why downtown is doing so much worse than Midtown when it comes to revitalization efforts, the process of saving historic buildings not through tight restrictions on superficial changes but by activating them and making them financially viable, the difference between local and out of state developers, the lessons learned from starting small businesses himself, and much more!
Please consider supporting Renoites on Patreon! Patrons get bonus content, early access to episodes, Renoites merch, and more! Most importantly, you get to know that you are helping make LOCAL MEDIA FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE. You can learn more at http://patreon.com/renoites  
Send guest suggestions or feedback to conor@renoites.com and be sure to follow me on Instagram and subscribe wherever you get podcasts. Thanks for listening!