Heat in the Air and with Motels and Libraries
Weekly highlights of Our Town Reno reporting across our channels with bonus content.
The heat will be searing starting this weekend. For our most vulnerable neighbors, we need cooling centers. We’ve seen reports of Douglas County opening some, and hope Washoe County will follow suit, if it hasn’t already.
At our county level, recent news was about members of the library board of trustees dropping out.
During contentious discussions about our libraries, recently elected Commissioner Mariluz Garcia showed some backbone and eloquence, while the recently appointed Commissioner Clara Andriola had a decisive vote to prevent the current Library Board of Trustees Chair Amy Ghilieri from getting another four-year term.
“I have been here for six months, and I can’t count how many times we have gone off topic to talk about this issue. This is being politicized, not by our agenda, not by Amy in her role as chair,” Garcia said. “I can’t even get through my statement without being interrupted … I feel like it is my obligation today to stand up for the voices of the five volunteers who sit on this [library] board, out of the goodness of their hearts because they care about our community, that aren’t here today that said they wanted Amy to be their chair.”
Another trustee recently resigned, amid angry intimidation campaigns online and in person, notably over Drag Queen Story Hour taking place at different locations. Meanwhile, library collections manager Debi Stears, who oversees the acquisition of books for the Washoe County Library Systems, is being scheduled to make a presentation at an upcoming county commissioners meeting, which promises to have its own fireworks.
This is part of a national trend of attacking vital public institutions such as election boards and schools, disguised in investigative moral panic to bring back a has been yesteryear.
Our post about the Best Bet Motor Lodge being replaced by a spa got over 150 comments on our Facebook, showing again how the fate of crumbling motels is representative of Reno change and the housing accessibility crisis.
Dorée Anderson wrote: “I had a friend who stayed here when it was open. A large portion of the residents at Best Bet were senior citizens with nowhere else to go or people with disabilities (like my friend). I really hope those people landed somewhere safe.”
Jay Eyer commented: “These motels serve an important purpose, I moved to Reno 32 yrs ago and stayed the first six months in one(still open by the way). After a suicide next door and black mold it was time to find something different but back then starting pay in a casino was $40 a shift.”
Our Reporting Highlights This Week
National UPS Strike Looms with High Stakes Locally in northern Nevada
Nick Josten, Unchained and Blossoming in Reno’s Theatre and Film Scene
John Iliescu and his Family Not Backing Down Against the RTC and the City of Reno, Despite Recent Setbacks
