r-2021-02-04

FEBRUARY

4-10,

2021

Screened out

limiting kids’ time online See Arts&Culture, page 14

In the clear Former water official prevails in multi-year criminal case

s e rv i n g n o rt h e r n n e va d a , ta h o e a n d t r u c k e e

EMAIL LETTERS TO RENOLETTERS@NEWSREVIEW.COM.

Future past Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.

Ninety-nine times of 100 we finish putting together the newspaper on Tuesday evening. It goes to press on Wednesday and is delivered all around the region on Thursday. It’s an old-fashioned model, I know, but we like a well-made newspaper—a nice balance of hard news, exciting arts coverage and goofy fun stuff.

I know that people like their news instant and breaking, online with plenty of pictures, but we work at a slightly different pace, and we like it like that.

Every once in a while, though, we like to wait til Wednesday morning to finish the paper.

Usually this is because of some breaking news that we want to follow—often an election.

For example, I’ll never forget coming into the office extra early on the morning of Nov. 9, 2016. Dear, departed news editor Dennis Myers and I arrived at the same time to the parking lot of our old office on the corner of Marsh and Lander streets. “Well, shit,” I said. He just laughed.

This current Tuesday, as I’m writing this and we’re finishing up, is not a regular Tuesday. It is, in fact, that lamest of all superheroes: Super Tuesday, the day on which roughly a third of Americans vote in their primary elections. (Well, this year it’s just a third of Democrats, since there’s a Republican incumbent, but you know what I mean.)

I couldn’t really justify asking the editorial team to come in early on this Wednesday so we could finish the paper. It’s not like there are any local races or anything, and the Nevada Democratic caucus already happened a couple of weeks ago.

All of which is to say that I’m writing this before there have been any official results from Super Tuesday. You freaky future people— from two whole days away!—know more about it than I do.

But it also means that, for a political junkie like me, it’s like I’m writing this during an NBA playoff game. And it’s wild how much the momentum seems to have swung from Sanders to Biden. We’ll see how it plays out. Y’all already know some of it. I can’t wait to find out.

—BRAD BYNUM bradb@ ne ws r ev i ew . com

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Taxing issue If we don’t do something about the deficit and the resulting, perhaps inflationary, money printing, the stock market and so on might crash to 20 percent of its current value, for a decade or more. If we double the tax rate for the wealthiest 20 percent, it will raise 1.5 trillion dollars a year. This would eliminate the yearly deficit, while providing enough revenue to eliminate the national debt within five years. The wealthiest 20 percent would still have 47 percent of their income left over after taxes, and the full brunt of this would be for only half a decade, (after which it would be only two-thirds of the increase—so they’d keep 7/8 of what they keep now—and not even that if we balance the budget). We should contact our elected officials. If we get different elected officials before this is done, we should contact the new elected officials.

Alex Sokolow Santa Monica, California

Integral response Re “Integral questions” (Letters to the editor, Feb. 27): Vin, it is silly statements like yours that have created such hatred in America. I am older than you. I have been a Democrat and a Republican and an Independent. Politics is not nice. I draw the line with baseless rants like yours. Always mention the Nazis to make your point! I assume you are an older American. Please grow up.

Charles Wayne Barnum Sparks

More caucus criticism Thank God the caucus debacle is behind us. Of the 610,911 Democrats registered in Nevada, only 104,883 bothered to participate in either early voting or on caucus day.

What this means is that while 17 percent of Democrats are for the clown-car of candidates currently offered, 83 percent of the registered Nevada Democrats have effectively shouted, “None of the above!”

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F E B R U A R Y

Of course, we actually were not given the option of voting none of the above, like we can on many other electoral contests here in Nevada. Had we held a real primary and the options included “none of the above,” the Silver State could have sent a strong message to the Democratic National Committee and to the nation. That message would have been that Nevada Democrats are against Communism, Socialism and we want candidates who will support and defend the Constitution and promote liberty for our citizens.

Tyler Ballance Reno

Not feeling the Bern Democratic primary voters, please do not throw away your vote on multi-millionaire Marxist Messiah hypocrite Bernie Sanders.

Vermont’s Senator Sanders would be a disaster as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in 2020, which would only assure a second term for deranged Donald Trump against all odds. We cannot afford to roll the dice in November. The political stakes are far too high for that this year. Are we American adults actually supposed to buy into Bernie’s B.S. that he has supposedly turned over a new leaf and is now a so-called “democratic socialist,” whatever that’s supposed to mean? The fact that revolutionary Marxist socialist Eugene Debs is Bernie Sanders’ professed personal hero says otherwise, folks. First and foremost, Sanders is now and always has been a Marxist socialist. There is no question about it. Why do you think that foolish, far-Left communist caricature publicly calls for revolution constantly? Bernie is no Michael Harrington, that’s for sure.

Sanders is a Marxist socialist of the oldschool Soviet Stalinist variety. If Sanders is really a “democratic socialist” as he falsely claims, then why is there so much publicly available videotaped documentation of pro-Soviet Senator Sanders proudly and passionately praising anti-American, totalitarian communist dictatorships? Would

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you care to answer that simple unavoidable question, Bernie Bros? (No, I didn’t think so.) As the vast majority of Americans over the age of 40 are already well aware, the political label “democratic socialism” is basically nonsensical and is every bit the contradiction in terms that the oxymoronic phrases “military intelligence,” “business ethics” or “Stalinist variety” are. Socialism is not democratic! Get a clue, Bernie crew.

Socialism is now and has always been fundamentally anti-democratic. Read Karl Marx sometime, if you don’t believe me.

Bernie Sanders obviously has read and worshipped Karl Marx extensively, which explains Sanders’ personal political history.

Jake Pickering Arcata, California

CONTENTS

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OPINION/STREETALK SHEILA LESLIE NEWS IN ROTATION: SMOKE FEATURE ARTS&CULTURE ART OF THE STATE FILM FOOD MUSICBEAT NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS THIS WEEK ADVICE GODDESS FREE WILL ASTROLOGY 15 MINUTES/BRUCE VAN DYKE

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BY MATT BIEKER

Is Coronavirus a real threat?

ASKED AT THE TRUCKEE RIVER WALK. DANIEL VANDENBE RG Taco Bell Employee

I think it’s only a threat if we make it a threat. I’ve done personal research on it. I feel like everyone has because of how scary it is. … If we just keep calm and be aware of our surroundings and everything, it shouldn’t be, like, a big epidemic.

COLLEEN PETRINI Retiree

Yes. I think our president has downplayed it, and hopefully he’ll get it. Look at China. Look at Italy. You stock up and you prepare and everything, and if you don’t need it, good for you—and if you do, you got it.

JOSH RICHARDSON Traveling musician

City manager should help recruit replacement A Feb. 28 Reno Gazette Journal headline posed this There’s bad blood between Brekhus and Newby, question: “Should Reno city manager Sabra Newby as evidenced by the fact that Newby made efforts to recruit her replacement?” The short answer to that is limit Brekhus’ interactions with staff. (See, “Difficult yes, of course, she should. times,” editorial, Nov. 7, 2019.) Reno Mayor Hillary Newby, who became Reno’s city manager in 2017 Schieve implied that Brekhus and her treatment of staff and recently announced that she intends to leave were a motivation for Newby to resign, although the post in July, probably shouldn’t be the Newby’s resignation letter itself makes no sole decision-maker in the search—but such implications. she surely understands better than But here’s where Brekhus really Sabra anyone what the job entails and lost us: “If a city our size thinks Newby brought whatever qualities the best we’re just going to put an ad in the candidates will need. She brought newspaper for this, it makes us look stability to the stability to the role after her predelike a joke,” she said during the role after her cessor’s scandal-laden tenure. It meeting. would be foolish not to include her OK, now that’s just going predecessor’s in process. too far. scandal-laden Councilmember Jenny Brekhus We, of course, understand that advocated for excluding Newby from hiring for a job like city manager tenure. the recruitment and hiring process. She involves a degree of headhunting far says that hiring a national recruitment beyond a simple classified ad, but outfirm—at an expense of about $60,000 to Reno of-the-blue diss comments like that are a sure taxpayers—would lend credibility to the search. way to alienate us newspaper folks. Our paper depends Brekhus is often the lone voice of dissent on Reno’s on advertising revenue. It is not a joke. city council. It’s often great to have an obstinate skeptic The council seems to have settled on a hybrid on the council—especially when it comes time to resist approach which will rely on internal staff input and big-money developers or other corporate interests. At consultation with a national recruiter. Nice to see some other times, however, Brekhus’ default “nay” vote compromise. But it’s important that Newby, a compeseems to unnecessarily harm city staff. This seems to be tent civil servant who knows the job, has a lead role in one of those latter occasions. hiring her own replacement. Ω

I don’t know. Every couple of years there seems to be a new kind of something—like swine-flu or whatever. Every couple years there’s something to get everyone jumbled up and freaked out about something.

This sounds like one of those.

CALISTA L ACY Student

I mean, yeah. Didn’t somebody just die in Washington?

We’re probably in danger. It’s in California. I would like it if our president didn’t say it was a hoax. Do you think my medical insurance covers Coronavirus?

MICHAEL MORENO Business owner

I feel like probably, but it could be something to just get people’s minds on another thing. It’s just another headline, you know. It’s just another thing that we’re just focused on.

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BY SHEILA LESLIE

Break ranks Who are these people who say they don’t recognize their political party but yet refuse to leave it? They’re clinging to hope, perhaps, that when Trump’s reign concludes, Republican leaders will recover their values and locate their conscience.

I can understand they might not ever consider becoming a Democrat, but why not re-register as a non-partisan voter and send a message to the party that it’s lost its way? Maybe it’s too much trouble or they feel like they’d be giving up their political identity or giving in to the extremists. I really don’t know.

What I do know is if a Democratic president behaved even half as badly as Trump, and elected Democrats followed along like lemmings, I’d denounce them and revert to non-partisan status without a qualm. If the Democratic base supported such a leader, I’d denounce them too, whether I was in elected office or just a pundit writing a political column.

Most Republicans seem to silently acquiesce to their party’s turn to darkness,

especially elected Republicans in Nevada.

The closest thing to a negative comment about Trump I’ve read came from a story in the Nevada Current about Utah’s Senator Mitt Romney’s vote to convict Trump during the impeachment trial.

Former Nevada Regent Michael Wixom praised Romney, saying “I thought it was wonderful. I support him enthusiastically.

It was from the heart, and I agree with him.” He then added, “I don’t recognize the Republican Party anymore. I’ll continue to be a Republican. Whatever that means.”

That sort of weak resistance isn’t going to change anything. And most prominent Republicans won’t even go that far. Instead we see proposals like an initiative petition led by state Senator Ben Kieckhefer to create a “jungle” primary in Nevada where everyone could vote, choosing two candidates to run in the general regardless of which party they’re from. He told The Nevada Independent an open primary would give

“all voters in the state of Nevada the right to choose who represents them in government.” He left out the part about also giving a more moderate Republican like himself a chance at higher office by not having to compete in the existing primary structure where Trump Republicans dominate and are unlikely to support him.

I might be more disposed to believe in the purity of Kieckhefer’s motives if he hadn’t voted to disenfranchise voters in 2015 when the Legislature decided voters of one party could decide the entire election in the primary if no candidate from another party filed for an office, effectively taking away the right to choose their representative from everyone else. And I might be more sympathetic to Kieckhefer if he also supported a non-partisan redistricting commission to redraw legislative districts after a census instead of allowing politicians to choose their own voters, creating “safe” seats which

discourage competition. And I would definitely have more respect for his efforts if he uttered a single public word of censure against his President, the leader of his party, whose childish, petty words and dangerous actions thoroughly disgrace and weaken our country every single day.

I’m as discouraged about politics as I’ve ever been and ashamed of our President and all who back him without a murmur of dissent. At least Romney took a principled public stand, knowing he would open himself up to a vengeful President and his raging acolytes. I know history will not look kindly on any of them, but we will all pay for these lost years. We are all diminished by their acquiescence to the cult of Trump.

Remaining in the Republican party “whatever that means” and offering silent resistance is aiding and abetting the destruction of our democracy. That’s what being a Republican means these days. Ω

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BY TEMI DUROJAIYE

ON FILE On March 2, Nevada kicked off a two-week filing period for candidates seeking election and reelection to appear on the ballot. The primary election will take place June 9, with early voting from May 23 to June 5. The general election is Nov. 3, with an early voting period extending from Oct. 17-30.

Candidates who appeared at the Washoe County Clerk’s office on the first day of filing included Richard “Skip” Daly, who’s running for the Nevada Assembly seat he currently holds for District 31; Teresa Benitez-Thompson, the Assembly’s Majority Floor Leader and representative of District 27; and Natha Anderson, who’s running to represent District 30.

Anderson, who’s a teacher and lobbyist for the Nevada State Education Association, spoke about the educational priorities she’d pursue if elected.

“I would say that fixing the education funding formula is number one, which is already going to be a large, large point of contention, I believe,” she said. “I would say number two would have to be our class sizes. We have to start addressing them—our class sizes and case loads. … When it comes to our counselors right now, we’ve got some of our elementary school counselors who’ve got 700 kids on their case loads. It’s very difficult to offer the social and emotional Natha Anderson filed to run for Nevada learning necesAssembly District 30 on March 2. sary when you’ve PHOTO/JERI DAVIS got so many.”

Anderson said that addressing education funding would require taking a look at the state’s current tax structure.

“Do we have everything the way we should?” she said. “Are there other elements that should also be considered? And when I say elements, I mean some of the loopholes. Do we need to continue to have all of those loopholes? And, if so, great—but let’s try to figure out if it’s been helping us or not, as a community.”

Examples of the loopholes Anderson would like to take a closer look at include things like the corporate welfare the state has so readily handed out to large companies like Tesla, deferring their taxes that might otherwise be put toward infrastructure needs like schools.

Anderson supported the WC-1 ballot question of 2016 that raised Washoe County’s sales tax to one of the highest in the nation. She said she’s been pleased with the way funds from the higher taxes have been utilized.

“I think we’re doing the best we can with how quick we can get our buildings done, our reconfigurations that are necessary,” Anderson said. “We’re really trying to get the needs to our students as much as possible. I look at Poulakidas [Elementary School]. It’s awesome. … When I go to Poulakidas, the kids are just beaming. And it just makes you so happy.”

—JERI DAVIS

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Canyon Flats, 661 N. Center St., will house about 506 university students and staff.

PHOTO/TEMI DUROJAIYE

Bring it home

in price from $3,400 to $5,000 per semester.

The deal for both apartment complexes will cost $10.1 million and will be paid primarily from insurance settlements.

The university began to look for a new deal after it was certain that Nye Hall—which houses 530 students— would be reopened in August, following minor renovations to windows, electrical fittings, as well as repairs to the damaged lobby. The renovation costs are just under $10 million dollars, which will also be covered by the insurance.

“When it became clear to us in the fall, probably at the end of October, that Nye Hall would be able to be repaired and back online this summer, we realized we didn’t need the entire tower,” Ellis said. “That became the determining factor.”

There are no plans to use the offcampus accommodations beyond this year, and students can expect to be in regular dorm residences when Argenta Hall opens at the start of the Fall 2021 semester. Renovations on Argenta Hall are yet to begin, but Ellis expects work to start in the summer and for it to be completed in time.

University settles housing situation for 2020-2021

LOOKING FORWARD

The University of Nevada, Reno recently finalized accommodation plans for first-year students in the 2020-2021 academic year, as the university continues to recover from the devastating accident last July that decommissioned two of its dorm halls, Nye and Argenta.

On Feb. 18, the university announced that it had reached an agreement to lease the 838 beds needed from two off-campus apartment complexes currently under construction. Canyon Flats, 661 N. Center St., will house about 506 students and staff, while Uncommon Reno, 1669 N. Virginia St., will accommodate about 330 students and staff.

“This is all just incredibly good fortune,” said Shannon Ellis, vice president for the university’s Division of Student Services. “We got lucky that we had these two apartment buildings, one up on Virginia and one right here on Center Street, that they were well under construction and that they would meet the needs of what our numbers were.”

Although accommodation plans for this year’s class of freshmen have been finalized, housing remains a challenge for students as well as the university. The university’s population has grown by over 3,000 students in the last decade and might grow even more over the next decade, making affordable residential options more paramount.

Just a few days prior to the accident on July 5, 2019, the university had put out a request for proposals to build affordable student housing on top of its parking structure on Sierra Street for sophomores, juniors and seniors.

However, those plans were shelved in order to manage the situation in Argenta and Nye Halls.

“We just didn’t know in the days following,” Ellis said. “We didn’t know if Argenta would have to be torn down. We didn’t know if Nye could stay. And, so, the head of facilities called me and I said, ‘Can you just pull it, and we’ll figure out later what we’re going to do?’ Because we had bigger things on our mind.”

The two off-campus options will replace Wolf Pack Tower, which housed 1,300 students and staff, after the university declined to purchase the building or renew its $21 million lease with the Circus Circus.

However, the university does not intend to rebrand or rename either of the apartment complexes like it did with Wolf Pack Tower. The only expected changes are the removal of perks such as rooftop hot tubs, free tanning, and a pet care station, which were initially advertised by the complexes but are not part of the university’s residence plan and will be on hold for the duration of UNR’s lease.

The apartment complexes offer varying housing options from studios to four-bedroom apartments and will approximate the dorm experience— including study areas, exclusive access to only students and staff, full-time, live-in staff, and more. Additionally, housing rates will mirror the cost of living in a residence hall, and range

Ellis expects the plans for proposals and first step will be learning as much as they bids from contractors to be reopened at some can about the situation. point. Additionally, the university hired “Research would be the word,” Dean Kennedy as the executive director for Kennedy said about their approach.

Residential Life, Housing and Food Services “Housing market analysis—both for on last week, and Ellis said that the new direcand off campus housing.” tor will oversee a new five-year housing Off-campus housing in the nearby areas strategic plan. also still remains an option for a lot of students, “I would recommend conducting a housing although rent prices have been steadily rising market study that would complement the over the past few years—with current prices strategic enrollment management plan, ranging from $600 to $1,300. both of which would inform our In the meantime, UNR contindirection moving forward,” ues to make strides towards “We got Kennedy said about the plan, returning to normalcy. In lucky that we had via email this week. addition to the renovations He also mentioned on the damaged dorms, these two apartment that the university the school recently buildings … well under will continue to opened a new engineerconstruction and that they guarantee on-campus ing building and will be accommodation for building a new business would meet the needs of what first-year students building soon. Ellis said our numbers were.” who apply the approthat discussions about priate deadline—and other construction work Shannon Ellis they are currently or buildings will resume Division of Student exploring how to provide once renovation on Nye and Services VP on-campus housing for Argenta Halls is complete. students for multiple years.

Nearly eight months after Kennedy said that the housing the devastating accident that had them construction occurring around campus scrambling, the university is managing the makes it difficult to get a clear idea of recovery efforts well. the supply and demand for student hous“I think people have discovered, parts of ing, both on and off-campus. Making them, myself included, that you didn’t know data-driven decisions in the current existed,” Ellis said. “Because a lot of us have circumstances will be a challenge for the been here a while and done this a long time. new director and the university, and the There is a lesson: you’ve never seen it all.” Ω

Rocking and rolling

Skate Jam 7, an all-ages event featuring live music and skateboarding, took place at Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor—71 S. Wells Ave.—on Saturday Feb. 29.

PHOTO/JERI DAVIS

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smoke

by JEri DaviS

get more, spend less.

Grassroots Books, 660 E. Grove St., has a ready supply of cannabis-related books on its shelves.

Cannabis books Getting a book on a topic about which you’re passionate is one of life’s great joys. And if you’re passionate about cannabis, there’s plenty of reading material available to pique your interest in topics ranging from the plant’s purported medical benefits to how to cook with cannabis. The following titles are available on websites like Amazon and can also often be found at or ordered through local bookstores like Grassroots Books and Sundance Books and Music.

Cannabis and health has long been a hot topic. Written by Uwe Bleshing, PhD, a medical journalist, The Cannabis Health Index provides an in-depth reading experience that relies on more 1,000 scientific studies to explain how marijuana and mindfulness techniques can work together to help people manage over 100 chronic diseases and their associated symptoms.

The book is comprehensive and gives an evidence-based look at cannabis as medicine. What’s nice about this book is that you need not read the entire volume if you’re only interested in learning about pot as it relates to certain maladies.

Its thorough sections translate dense scientific literature into simpler language to allow you to look at pot in relation to inflammatory, cardiovascular, neurological and other diseases.

Cooking with marijuana is becoming an increasingly popular pastime, and there are plenty of cannabis cookbooks on the market. A particularly well-reviewed one is Bong Appétit: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Weed. It’s been called by some the “Joy of Cooking for a new generation.” Inspired by Viceland Television’s cooking channel and its series,

Bong Appétit, the book not only offers up recipes ranging from weed chimichurri to classic weed brownies. It also breaks down the science of infusing things ranging from oils to milks to alcohol. As a bonus to readers, the book also touches on topics like dosage and marijuana politics.

If the politics of cannabis is something you’re specifically interested in, Marijuana Politics: Uncovering the Troublesome History and Social Costs of Criminalization

by Robert Hardaway may be the book for you. It covers a lot of ground, from historical uses and common cannabis misconceptions to the botany of the plant.

Mostly, though, it focuses on the politics of prohibition and legalization of cannabis here in the United States. The book gives good perspectives on the trends in marijuana and alcohol prohibition and the legal developments that have affected the regulation of vices, including harder drugs like cocaine and heroin.

If you’ve found yourself considering growing your own pot, there are plenty of books to get you started—though it’s worth noting that there are laws surrounding pot cultivation, including a prohibition on growing pot in Nevada if you live within 25 miles of a dispensary. With that said, for would-be growers, writer, photographer and senior cultivation editor for High Times magazine Danny Danko’s book, Cannabis: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Marijuana, provides a good starting place. The book is accessible, easy to read and only 144 pages long. It covers the basics of successful pot cultivation, including primers on everything from setting up a grow room to germination to sexing pot plants and cloning them.

As cannabis becomes increasingly destigmatized, the wealth of literature surrounding it is hitting bookstore shelves with greater regularity. Do you have a favorite book about marijuana? Share it with us by sending a letter to the editor at renoletters@newsreview.com. Ω

rnrsweetdeals.newsreview.com

Weed reads

PHOTO/JERI DAVIS

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by BoB CoNrad

in the clear Former water official prevails in multi-year criminal case

i

PHOTO/RICHARD BRIAN

t was partly cloudy in Las Vegas—abnormally humid too—on May 10, 2011. The weather was perfect for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to send two SWAT teams down a northwest Las Vegas street. A police helicopter followed overhead.

They were on the chase for an alleged criminal facing several serious felonies.

Eight years later, the situation is recalled as a militarized version of the Keystone Cops.

“They showed up at my house with two SWAT personnel carriers and a dog team and probably a dozen people,” said Bob Coache, a retired Nevada water official who ultimately spent 16 months in prison. “I was not even home. My neighbors tell me stories of watching the two armored personnel carriers cruising down the street with SWAT guys hanging off the side—the whole nine yards, [including a] dog team in my neighbor’s backyard.”

The charges against him amounted to more than four dozen felonies, including extortion by a public officer, bribery, misconduct by a public officer, and money laundering. It was, according to the Clark County District Attorney’s office, an elaborate scheme.

Here’s how the Las Vegas Sun reported Coache’s arrest at the time: “Bret Whipple, who represents Coache, said ‘there’s been a tremendous misunderstanding’ and that prosecutors have ‘missed the mark.’”

“What happened here is a farmer, who used to use water to grow alfalfa, sold it to the Southern Nevada Water Authority,” Whipple told the Sun. “That’s what happened. There’s no theft.”

That was Whipple’s defense for Coache. He, and Coache’s other attorney, stuck to this defense all the way to the Nevada Supreme Court.

In July of 2019, the Nevada Supreme Court issued a relatively brief ruling: there was—despite this eight-year battle, the prison sentence that started in 2017 and multiple front-page headlines—little to no evidence for the felony convictions.

More than eight years later, Bob Coache was exonerated and, once again, a free man.

Bob Coache, a retired Nevada water official, spent 16 months in prison and eventually prevailed in a multi-year criminal case brought against him.

“in the clear” continued on page 12

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“in the clear”

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History

The last time I had spoken with Coache was nearly 10 years ago. At the time, I was the public information officer for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the state agency that has within it the Division of Water Resources. DWR is the home to Nevada’s state engineer, the person who approves or denies water rights.

Coache was the deputy state engineer under then-State Engineer Tracy Taylor.

Coache is a tall, thick, no-nonsense guy with a dry sense of humor. He is also deeply knowledgeable about Nevada water law. We worked briefly together on some of the major Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) water rights cases in the mid- to late-2000s. I did not know him well and never worked closely with him, but we were on a first-name basis.

Coache served on the panel of engineers and legal staff. Their job: weigh days worth of evidence, pro and con, on the water pipeline from White Pine County to Las Vegas.

A ruling on one of those cases in 2007 favored, with some restrictions, SNWA’s request to pipe water from hundreds of miles away.

A Las Vegas Sun columnist at the time, Nevada Independent Editor Jon Ralston, called the ruling murky. He wrote: “Yes, [SNWA water chief Pat] Mulroy and the growth-first crowd are the big winners this week. But when it comes to what the consequences of those victories could mean, the state engineer has a simple answer. … He has no idea.”

That ruling, which was appealed and ultimately redecided—granting much less water—in 2018 was predicted in the mid-2000s to be the first in what would continue as a decades-long legal fight. Sure enough, the Las Vegas water pipeline battle continues through today.

The case

Coache had been retired for about a year by the time he was arrested. I was surprised to hear the charges against him. I left DCNR for another state agency, so I only loosely followed his case. The last I heard, he was convicted in the alleged bribery scheme.

The case against Coache, and his co-defendant Michael Johnson, was complex and drawn out. Johnson, a hydrologist with the Virginia Valley Water District (VVWD), was alleged to have conspired in two water right transactions on the Virgin River.

A Mesquite-area businessman, John Lonetti, allegedly secured Johnson’s services as a private consultant for the sale of water rights between Lonetti, SNWA and 12 | RN&R | 0 2 . 0 4 . 2 1

VVWD. Coache allegedly aided in the process.

Las Vegas police’s original request to subpoena Coache’s “My neighbors tell me bank records, prior to his arrest, stories of watching the two noted that Coache may have “received some sort of financial armored personnel carriers incentive to approve [a water cruising down the street with right] sale” affecting VVWD. SWAT guys hanging off the Coache, Whipple maintained, had nothing to do with the deal’s side—the whole nine yards.” approval. He did not influence Bob Coache the approval of the water right Exonerated former water official transfer. He never communicated with anyone at the state—where he was still working when all of this transpired—about the deal.

Lonetti, who was not charged in the deal, sold the Virgin River water rights to SNWA for nearly retired engineer) … reviewed and approved $8.5 million. a water rights purchase by Virgin Valley Whipple said the state engineer did Water Authority in which the water authornot rely on Coache for information about ity and its members paid over $750,000 too the water right transfer decision. And he much to a private seller for water rights,” had nothing to do with the granting of the wrote Colin Haynes with the Las Vegas permit. Nor did Coache receive any cash in Metropolitan Police Department. “The the deal. investigation centers on whether Coache Even “Johnson testified that Coache had received some sort of financial incentive to nothing to do with the granting of [a water approve this sale.” right] permit,” Whipple said.

The problem, Whipple said: That’s not Whipple described the transaction as possible.

Only the state engineer ultimately a win-win for both VVWD and SNWA. approves water right transfers, and the state VVWD received more water and flexibilhas no role in approving water right sales. ity on how it could be used, while SNWA Sales are private-party transactions. “was able to have the water go from the Coache said prosecutors nevertheriver into the lake [where] SNWA could less were able to secure the grand jury draw it out [of] a pipeline from the lake subpoena. saving a lot of money.”

“They fabricated law,” Coache said.

Coache did, however, earn more than “They claimed that I approved a water $500,000 in ownership interest of a piece of rights sale for too high a price. They were property co-owned with Johnson. able to get a grand jury subpoena based “The undisputed evidence at trial was on an email that contained [nothing] that that, in 2004, Johnson and Coache legally was against the law. Nobody in the state of bought the [property] as an investment,” Whipple argued. “Coache owned 60 percent Nevada approves water rights sales.”

Court documents show testimony by of the investment, and Johnson owned 40 Metro detectives who had little knowledge percent of the investment. of Nevada water law.

“Johnson gave Coache $600,000 of the “He did not even know if this case Lonetti payment that Johnson had placed was about groundwater or surface water,” into the Rio Virgin bank account. Coache Coache said of one of the detectives then transferred his ownership share in [the involved in his prosecution. property] to Johnson. … Only then, in May Whipple called the government’s case 2008, did Coache become an owner of Rio against Coache malicious.

Virgin LLC.” “The prosecution failed to present The pair wanted to use their cash to sufficient evidence to convict Coache purchase real estate and stocks. Whipple for any of the crimes for which he was said that Coache’s accountant had prepared charged,” Whipple argued. “They truly “thousands of these returns and testified made up evidence and information to get that Coache’s returns were typical.” the subpoenas. At worst, there was conflictThe land deal, they said, was a separate ing evidence at trial that prevented the transaction from the water right deal. Clark jury from finding Coache guilty beyond a County’s Chief Deputy District Attorney, reasonable doubt.”

Marc DiGiacomo, however, claimed it was The Clark County District Attorney’s an elaborate money laundering scheme. office did not respond to a request for The Las Vegas police department comment for this story. launched its investigation in 2010 with a Ultimately, Coache was offered a grand jury subpoena. plea deal, which he refused. Ignorance “The case involves an allegation that of Nevada water law, he maintained, in 2005 an appointed state employee (now

should not lead to criminal convictions, especially when he said he had done nothing wrong.

“I refused to plead guilty to something I did not do,” he said. “We ended up going to trial. We never could get a favorable ruling from the judge.”

A jury also ruled against him.

How did it get that far? Edwin Brown, Coache’s attorney in front of the state Supreme Court, gave this answer: “This water law is very complicated,” he told the judges.

“There’s no doubt in mind that this jury … did not understand the law and therefore relied upon the prosecutor to tell them what the law was .”

Former state engineers, who had been Coache’s supervisors, each testified that Coache did not have the power to do what he was alleged to have done, Brown argued.

Conflicts of interest

Coache had worked as a consultant while working for the state. Court records reveal that his outside consulting activities had been a source of potential concern for the Division of Water Resources for years.

He said that those activities were kept separate from state his work. Records show that he had been warned internally, and at one point state officials had an ethics panel consider his external employment for possible conflicts.

While dodgy in appearances, running a side business while a state employee is not uncommon. Employees are required each year to divulge any potential conflicts of interest with outside employment.

In Coache’s case, it was the appearance of a conflict of interest that generated concern for the prosecution.

“The court allowed into evidence an 11-year-old state engineer office memorandum … stating Coache was interviewed because of concern regarding his outside consulting work,” Whipple said. “Coache identified his clients and stated that he had been above board in his outside work and maintained separation between those activities and his state engineer work. [The] ethics panel did not see any conflict with Coache’s activities.”

The state Supreme Court did indicate Coache’s actions could have been unethical.

“Although Coache’s conduct may have been unethical and constituted self-dealing, we are not convinced that a rational juror could reasonably find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Coache committed the charged offenses based on the evidence presented at trial,” the three judges ruled.

They reversed his conviction.

Johnson’s case is still winding its way through the legal system. A civil case was

settled with the VVWD, in which some of the water rights were returned in addition to a cash settlement.

Now that he’s been exonerated, Coache said he plans to attempt to recover some of his costs. A new Nevada law will only be marginally helpful to him.

“Effective October 1, [2019,] I’m eligible to apply for money that the legislature just put in statutes for … wrongful prosecution,” he said. “I can get $50,000 a year for being in prison, $25,000 a year for being on parole, and $25,000 for attorney’s fees, which, of course, is an embarrassment to the system of what an attorney costs to do these things.”

All told, Coache said he will be petitioning the state for $200,000 under Assembly Bill 267, which went into effect last year. He is also considering other legal options. He recently received an agreement with Las Vegas Metro Police to return his assets, including cash plus interest, seized from him in 2011.

He said the process has permanently changed him.

“It’s part of my life now,” he said.

“People want to whine and bitch about their lives. Go spend 30 days in solitary confinement. Your view will change quite a bit.”

Whipple, who also successfully defended Cliven Bundy against federal prosecutors, said Coache’s case is a warning.

“It shows how dangerous the process can be when people are not fair,” he said.

“There’s a tremendous amount of power on the side of the state, between … law enforcement and the district attorney’s office. They have so substantial an amount of power.

“When they intentionally choose to use that power in a way that the only thing that matters is winning, then the process can be turned upside down,” he added. “In my mind, that’s what happened. It was a horrible injustice.”

Media silence

The news media glommed onto Coache’s case for years. There were repeated frontpage stories showing him shackled and in prison garb.

Once tried and convicted, the media went silent. Once exonerated, the silence continued.

Jeff German, an investigative reporter with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, covered Coache’s case. When asked about why there was no follow-up on the Nevada Supreme Court ruling, he said he was busy with other stories.

“I’ve moved on from that case,” he said.

“My plate is full [of] other stories.”

Barbara Ellestad, who was publishing an independent news website during the time, wrote numerous articles about the Virgin Valley Water District case. She later became a board member on the Virgin Valley Water Board, only to resign in 2018.

Her dual role as journalist and board member came into question while she served on the board. News reports raised concerns about a conflict of interest. Ellestad now works for the Mesquite Local Citizen.

The most recent report found on the Ellestad’s website mentioning Coache is from July 18, the day before the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in his favor.

“Johnson and Coache were later convicted in a criminal trial and sentenced to almost three years in prison,” she reported.

In 2015, while serving on the VVWD board, she wrote in the Mesquite Local News: “As Editor/Publisher of the Mesquite Citizen Journal, I wrote numerous articles about the Virgin Valley Water District civil lawsuit from its beginning in 2011. It’s only fitting to write one more article detailing its conclusion.”

When asked recently about Coache’s case, and his exoneration by the Nevada Supreme Court, Ellestad said she was uncomfortable answering questions.

“I can see where this is going, so I’m not going to talk with you,” she said before

hanging up the phone.

Except for the Nevada Today news website, there has been no mention in the news media of Coache’s exoneration by the Nevada Supreme Court.

Walter Pavlo, author and expert on white collar crime, recently penned an essay in Forbes about the news media’s role in convictions.

“When a government organization makes an allegation of a fraud or a crime, it gives the press free reign to write exactly what they put in the indictment,” he said. “That should be taken as a great responsibility on behalf of the government. If the person is exonerated or found not guilty, you can’t undo the damage that’s been done.”

The news media, he said, aids in that process.

“Not guilty or a reversal is really seen as somebody who got off on a technicality,” he added, not as the prosecution being wrong in the first place. “The media allows the prosecutors to walk away without consequence.”

Whipple said lack of news coverage about Coache’s exoneration is highly unfortunate, because, legally, cases such as Coache’s are incredibly rare.

“I’ve seen cases reversed for error,” he said.

“But not because there’s no evidence.” Ω

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get in a car. … So we talk about her day at school. We talk about examples of people being kind at school and trying to redirect and refocus her on other things.”

For Drsydale and her adolescent kids, According to Magrini, the American social media presents the biggest content Academy of Pediatrics recommends nightmare. It’s something she children under 18 months shouldn’t doesn’t allow either of her be exposed to screen time at all, children to partake in. and those 18 months and older “I posted a photo on my should be limited to an hour a own Facebook a couple of day—with parental superviyears ago of my daughter,” sion. For some parents, these said Drysdale. “It was a goals are difficult and even really good photo, and she unattainable. asked me several times, While it’s easier for Magrini ‘Mommy, how many likes did to control her children’s screen that get? What did your friends time because they don’t have devices amanda say? How many comments?’ … of their own, she said she’ll hand over Magrini That stuck with me. I didn’t like her own phone when her children need that she was looking for that validation from a quick distraction—like at meals or in the something I posted.” car. When she does, Magrini said it’s imporInstead of Instagram or Facebook, tant to make sure her kids are consuming Drysdale said she’s happier to see her kids helpful material. spend time on YouTube, where at least they “Other than one or two, just, games, most of the things on my phone for [my oldest] are can learn something new.

“We have found they actually like to educational,” Magrini said. “Google actually watch a lot of, like, instructional videos on provides a subscription to a reading app on YouTube,” Drysdale said. “They like the phone that helps with, you know, voicing learn how to build things and make slime words and learning how to read through that and all the other just weird stuff that platform.” kids do.”

Magrini also said the PBS app provides Drysdale and her kids still fight informative, child-friendly content for about social media, but when it comes parents of toddlers. It’s moments when her to older children, she said having an children have come to expect having the honest discussion about her concerns is phone, she said, that she’ll go out of her way important—and using examples from her to engage them in something else. own social media experience helps make “Let’s get a coloring book, and let’s her point. color,” Magrini said. “Let’s sing a song “I have said things I’ve regretted on together. Let’s play I Spy. She gets into the social media, and I told them that we all routine of asking for my phone when we

Quality over quantity

A

ccording to a 2018 report from the Nielsen Company, Americans in general spend 10-11 hours on their phones every single day. The time we spend looking at screens has increased exponentially over the past two decades, and, for developing minds, it’s a problem.

“In a National Institute of Health study, there are 11,000 kids ages 9 to 10, and they’re planning to follow them into adulthood and look for any repercussions of screen time on their development,” said Dr. Amanda Magrini, a family medicine specialist at Northern Nevada Medical Group. “The scary thing is that they’re already starting to see some results come in, and they’re seeing kids who spend more than two hours a day on screens are getting lower scores on thinking and language tests.”

As the mother of two young daughters, a 22-month old and a kindergartner, Magrini counts herself among the millions of parents who struggle with effectively limiting her children’s screen time. She published a warning about excessive screen time on the Reno Moms Blog, where Bethany Drysdale, mother of an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old, is also a contributor. Jonathan Salkoff, father to a 16-year-old and 18-year-old, contributes to the Reno Dads Blog, and all three have watched their children’s relationships with screen time evolve over the years and have some insight into what has worked for them.

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have,” Drysdale said. “So we’ve been very honest with them that, once something is out on the internet, it’s there for good. It’s so easy to make a comment on social that you wish you hadn’t made later. It’s so easy to get feelings hurt.”

Technical support Most phones and some apps come with built in parental controls, like the iPhone’s Screen Time, which sets daily time limits on any app, but there are also family-specific apps that allow parents to monitor their children’s phones more carefully.

“I have Family Link on my phone, and I installed it on their phones and then connected them all,” said Drysdale. “So, through my phone I can set limits on theirs, and their phones will completely shut off at, like, 10 o’clock at night and won’t turn back on until 6 o’clock in the morning. I have to approve as they download apps … It tracks where they are and how long they’ve been online. So, even during that window of time that they’re allowed to be online, I can see that they’ve been on for an hour, and I can say, ‘OK, that’s enough, you know.

Turn it off now.”

Drysdale stressed that Family Link—a Google product—doesn’t Bethany let her read her daughters’ Drysdale texts or otherwise invade their privacy, although that’s a right that she reserves, but it does track their whereabouts.

“This came after some questionable text messages that I saw on their phones with some friends,” Drysdale said. “And so they knew that this was coming. I told them, ‘Having a phone is a privilege,’ and they were abusing the privilege.”

Magrini also mentioned that parental control apps are helpful for parents who can’t watch their children all day.

“Say you’re a working parent and your child has access to an iPad or an iPhone after school, it’s very difficult to supervise,” Magrini said.

“There are different apps where you can, from a distance, control what it is, how much and all of those things. I think it’s important to employ as well when you don’t have direct sight of what they’re doing.”

Terms and conditions

reward,” said Magrini. “The reward system never fails, you know, from toddler to teenage.

They evolve from sticker charts maybe to some other sort of rewards type system. Just redirecting what you use as a reward and either have that be screen time or not have that be screen time.”

Regardless of what works best for your family, the goal is to be consistent with the boundaries of when screens are and aren’t OK. When your children get older, you can decide as a family which restrictions make the most sense. However, with screens increasingly taking up space in homes and in school, it’s important to not over-police your children—for both your sakes.

“Hopefully you’re giving them skills that they can navigate their real life as they get older,” Salkoff said. “It’s important to just be focused on what the end game is. If you try to police everything your kids do, you’re going to drive yourself crazy probably in the end. You’re not going to necessarily give them the tools.”

Salkoff’s teenage and adult children’s first phones were old-school flip phones, but he still approached the initial purchase as though he were entering into a contract with his kids—in fact, he printed out a “phone contract” that he found online for them all to sign.

“We made it pretty clear like, ‘This is a phone that we are giving to you,’” Salkoff said. “‘It’s our phone and we have the right to look at it, and we will control when you have it.’ That kind of thing.”

Having ground rules in place for when phones and screens are appropriate is something all three parents agree on. Designated areas or times when phones aren’t allowed sets clear boundaries to mindless viewing and instills a family culture that screens aren’t always necessary for communication.

“Like not having phones in the room at night was a thing, you know, because it kind Jonathan Salkoff, Reno Dads Blog of disrupts their sleep, which is definitely true if they’re on their phone late at night,” Salkoff contributor said. “So, what we tried to do is have a place in the kitchen or in a common area that had the chargers … because we would sit down to dinner without them.”

“Our kind of family rule is, ‘work first, play later,’” said Drysdale. “On a Saturday Magrini agreed that’s its morning, they get all their important to not view every chores done early and clean minute of screen time as a parental their room, then I don’t really failure. care what they do. It’s instilling “It takes effort,” Magrini said. the philosophy of, you know, play“And that’s hard because sometimes ing is fine. If it’s playing outside or Jonathan Salkoff you’re just exhausted. … As parents, playing on your phone, it’s fine as long we tend to be very hard on ourselves as your work and your responsibilities about everything. …You can’t beat yourself are met first.” up because I am certain that 30 years ago there To Magrini, framing screen time as a was something else that parents were beating reward instead of a default means paying attention to what your children like, and when themselves up about, you know, they were using to distract their children, and there will they’re doing what they’re supposed to be just be another thing in 30 years that parents are doing. beating themselves up about that they’re using “I think trying to find out other things that to distract their children.” Ω your child is passionate about and use those as

“We made it pretty clear like, ‘This is a phone that we are giving to you. It’s our phone and we have the right to look at it and we will control when you have it.’”

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Insomnia Cookies Residing across the street from the University of Nevada, Reno, Insomnia Cookies provides the downtown area with fresh baked goods almost 24 hours a day, never closing before 3 a.m. and reopening just a few hours later. While the late-night availability already sets Insomnia apart from its competitors, the business is known for making life even easier on customers by offering delivery as well. The delivery option is also available until closing. All menu items can be included, from cookies to ice cream to a combination of the two with ice cream sandwiches.

While it can be difficult to picture a rush of customers coming in at 2 in the morning, Insomnia’s staff said the business actually benefits the most from its decision to stay open later than some bars in town.

“I think being open later than anyone else and having an ever-growing radius of where we will deliver helps our business more than anything,” manager Angel Le said.

Insomnia was founded by Seth Berkowitz in his college dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania and operates over 100 stores presently. It took Berkowitz three years after originally coming up with the idea to open his first store in Syracuse, New York in 2006.

In 2008, Insomnia began using food trucks to help spread awareness of its presence, running for eight years before the franchise transitioned to working in stores exclusively. Insomnia began delivering in 2015 and slowly began stretching the hours of its availability before finally making it an all-day option.

PHOTO/KIRK GELLER

With its convenient location on campus, Insomnia is a good place for college students looking for a late night snack, or who may need a sugary treat after a late night out. Offering gluten-free and vegan options and a selection of cookies—including chocolate chunk, snickerdoodle and peanut butter chip—the small bakery knows how to create tempting desserts.

“College students and faculty make up a large part of our clientele, and I think it’s because our business model is something they are comfortable with,” Le said. “We stay up late with you. We’re working as hard as they are at the same hours of night.

It’s why many of our locations are based near college campuses.”

The store also sits within a half mile of all UNR residence halls, making it an easy journey for any student with a sweet tooth.

It’s tough to imagine people lining up at the doors to take on the job of delivering cookies well after midnight, but Le said that it was much easier than they thought.

The ability for some drivers to go straight from night classes at the university to their work was an easier selling point than they imagined.

“It’s funny because most of our drivers actually want to work that late-night shift since that is when a lot of business is being done, and there’s more opportunities to make money,” Le said. “So even though they’ll be driving until 2 or 3 at night, it’s actually been super easy finding people willing to work that late at night.”

Insomnia Cookies will be open well after most of the Reno population has already drifted off to sleep, but it doesn’t mean they’re not fulfilling the orders of night owls. With its close location to campus and flexibility, Insomnia Cookies could continue being a success all over the downtown area. Ω

Learn more by visiting insomniacookies.com.

BY BOB GRIMM

b g ri m m @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

SHORT TAKES

3

“I don’t always take selfies, but when I do, it always takes about 200 attempts and some editing.”

Money pit The usually reliable pairing of director Michael Winterbottom and actor Steve Coogan hits a speed bump with Greed, perhaps the weakest movie the duo have ever produced.

The Winterbottom-Coogan combo has been responsible for, now, seven films, with such winners as the many Trip movies, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story and, my personal favorite, 24 Hour Party People. When word hit me that the two were working on a new satire about the fashion world and the upper class, with Coogan headlining as a shifty millionaire, I said, “Sign me up!”

The resultant movie, written and directed by Winterbottom, is a muddled mess with only a few laughs and no true sense of purpose or direction. It starts as sort of fictional biopic, the making of fashion mogul Sir Richard McCreadie (Coogan), who will rise to power by buying up struggling clothes businesses and spinning them for dollars through bankruptcies and other manipulations. He basically steps on a lot of faces on his way to the top.

Problem number one is that there’s nothing at all surprising or engaging about McCreadie or his rise to power. Coogan portrays the character through varying ages (a couple of other actors portray him at his youngest), and he seems to be going for a mixture of Donald Trump and Coogan’s own Alan Partridge character. He sports big white teeth and a sweet tan— not unlike a certain cranky President.

The script basically calls for Coogan to be a real asshole, and we see him buying people out with no regard for their feelings and chastising well-meaning employees in public. There’s just no reason to care about this guy, whether in flashback or the present day. It would help if he were nasty-funny, but very few moments come off as funny in this movie, so McCreadie is basically just an unpleasant presence and experience.

In the present, McCreadie is trying to put together a 60th birthday celebration featuring celebrities, a

Roman Colosseum replica and a real lion. Celebrities tend to make a big deal of their 60th. (Howard Stern threw a big, star studded bash.) And maybe Winterbottom was trying to poke a little fun at those types of parties. Other than one funny joke featuring a George Michael impersonator, the whole big party premise is a dud.

Toward the end of the film, Winterbottom decides that his movie isn’t really a comedy about greedy jerks at all. It’s a scathing take on the fashion industry and the way it employs the underprivileged worldwide for menial sums. Or it wishes it was. The change in tone—including a violent “WTF” ending that comes out of nowhere—reeks of desperate storytelling. It’s like Winterbottom set out to make a satire in his usual mode, but then decided his film needed to be The Big Short of fashion industry movies at the last minute. It all induces major head scratching.

Too bad. Coogan is almost always fun on screen, so it’s a real task to make him a bore. Isla Fisher shows up as McCreadie’s wife, and their unorthodox relationship could’ve been the basis of its own movie, but gets little screen time here. A subplot involving McCreadie’s biographer feels like it was supposed to be a substantial part of the film but comes off as something that got lost in the editing room. There are other characters in this movie that suddenly rise up in a way where we are supposed to care about them and their plights, but the script has done nothing to justify such feelings.

No big deal. Entertainers who work together as much as Winterbottom and Coogan do are bound to lay an egg every now and then. Greed is a stinker, but the duo will rise above and entertain again. They are already working on another movie, and I’m sure there will be a couple after that before they are done.

None of those, I assure you, will contain the further adventures of Sir Richard McCreadie. Ω

Greed

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Bad Boys for Life

Twenty-five years have passed since detectives Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) first suited up for Captain Michael Bay in Bad Boys, and 17 years have passed since they joined him again for Bad Boys II. For this third helping, the directing team of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah does a sufficient job of continuing the mayhem, easily topping Bay’s lame original and providing a chapter that is as good, and sometimes better, than chapter two. Burnett is eying retirement, while Lowrey is dealing with the psychological and physical ramifications of aging.

(He’s dyeing his goatee, so it’s all good.)

A crazy witch lady gangster Isabel (Kate del Castillo) has escaped from prison and has put out a hit list for her son Armando (Jacob Scipio) to work his way through.

Isabel has some vengeance in mind. The targets are former associates, and they have connections to Lowrey. Lowrey himself is on that list, and he takes a couple of bullets early in the film. I’m not giving too much away here in telling you that Lowrey doesn’t die. There’s no movie if Lowrey dies. So, a brief healing time later, Lowrey and a very reluctant Burnett are back in action, wisecracking and shooting people in slow motion. Some familiar faces return, including Theresa Randle as Burnett’s long suffering wife. She’s good in a subplot that has Burnett becoming a grandad while getting more house time in attempted retirement. House retirement doesn’t go well.

Bad things happen with ceiling fan repair.

Joe Pantoliano makes a welcomed return as Pepto-Bismol-swigging Captain Howard, a still capable riff on all of those screaming captains from Beverly Hills Cop movies.

2

Birds of Prey

After being the only thing worth your time in Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn gets her own show in Birds of Prey, a marked improvement over the film that housed Margot Robbie’s first go at the role. Sadly, in this case, improved doesn’t necessarily mean good. There’s something very askew plot-wise in this movie, in that it doesn’t really have one, and the shards of a plot it does have are presented in especially sloppy fashion. The movie hops around time like a tweaker on a pogo stick.

Also, while I love Robbie, her Harley Quinn shtick can get a little grating at times.

Harley Quinn is joined by the Birds of Prey this time out, and the likes of Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), the Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) all get high marks for what they bring to the party. The basic plot involves bad guy Roman Sionis, a.k.a. Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), trying to get a big diamond from a young pickpocket (Ella Jay Basco). That’s about it for story. Much of the film is spent talking about the Joker, which is a bit strange because this movie is supposed to be proof that the Birds of Prey don’t need the stupid Joker in their movie.

OK, Harley broke up with the Joker so, mercifully, we don’t have to endure Jared Leto’s take on the character again. Get that plot element out of the way, and then move on. Instead, the film contains near constant references to the fact that Joker is not in this movie. Director Cathy Yan and screenwriter Christina Hodson seem afraid to let go of the Clown Prince of Crime as a plot presence. Newsflash … nobody cares about the Suicide Squad incarnation of Joker.

2

The Call of the Wild

A grumpy, growly Harrison Ford stars alongside a CGI dog in this latest cinematic take on Jack London’s classic—far too nasty to be faithfully adapted for kids—The Call of the Wild. Shooting for a safe PG, much of the story’s violence, against humans and dogs alike, has been removed in favor of a more family-friendly

take on the fable of a man and his dog. The dumbing down of the original text might’ve been forgivable if some of the CGI animal antics weren’t so jarringly unrealistic.

Buck, the cartoon dog, would’ve been far more suitable for a completely animated CGI affair. In a way, it’s the humans who sometimes throw things out of whack. The humans and the CGI beasts don’t look like they belong together. I can give the movie a mild recommendation if you’re looking to take the kids out for the night. This movie slips into that category of clumsy family fare that will please the kids and allow the parents to watch a movie comfortably knowing that nobody gets fully naked or rips somebody’s tongue out. But as straight-up adult viewing, with no kids, The Call of the Wild probably won’t do the trick.

1

The Last Thing He Wanted

Holy hell, is this ever a bad movie.

I mean, it’s bad. Like, really, really, really, really, really bad. Anne Hathaway trudges through this adaptation of Joan Didion’s novel, a movie that casts her as an ’80s reporter who must know the truth. Fed up with boring stories involving Reagan’s reelection campaign, she winds up going all over the world, simultaneously trying to help her crazy daddy (Willem DaFoe, whose character is supposed to be sickly, but man, he’s never looked better in a movie— quite vibrant!) and, I think, trying to blow the lid of the Contra scandal. I say “I think” because, honestly, I have no fucking idea what was going on in this stupid movie.

Ben Affleck shows up as a creepy diplomat who eats pie and eventually goes to bed with Hathaway’s character because, well, actually I don’t know why that happens either. Hathaway is reduced to extensive phone acting scenes, where she is really concerned or very upset or totally angry and, gosh darn it, she’s on the phone when it’s happening. Hey, if you can figure out what’s going on in this movie, you have my respect. Wait, maybe not. If you can follow this movie, you might be as messed up as this movie is. Actually, if you like this movie you might not want to talk to me. Chances are we won’t connect on any social or intellectual level. We are from different worlds, you and I. (Streaming on Netflix.)

2

Sonic the Hedgehog

When Sonic the Hedgehog comes out of the gate, it has the makings of what could wind up being an early frontrunner for year’s worst. It’s irritating, it’s unoriginal, and it features multiple jokes about cops eating donuts, as if we haven’t heard those before. Then Jim Carrey shows up as the villain, and almost saves the whole damn thing. Almost. Sonic is voiced

by Ben Schwartz. While this incarnation definitely looks better than that first mess Paramount Pictures tried to get past the masses, he’s still a grating presence. Sorry, Mr. Schwartz, but your voice is nails on a chalkboard. A brief prelude shows Sonic being sent to Earth by a heroic owl, left alone in his cave with a bag of gold rings that provide gateways to other worlds.

After an encounter with Tom Wachowski, the small-town policeman (James Marsden), Sonic’s gold rings are accidentally transported to San Francisco. He must join with Tom, who he calls the Doughnut Lord because, as I stated before, this movie’s script is screamingly unoriginal, and they go on a road trip. In pursuit of the pair is Dr. Robotnik, played by a totally game Jim Carrey, who hasn’t been this manically fun in years. He gets legitimate laughs that are surprisingly offbeat considering his kiddie movie surroundings. Alas, Carrey’s role is a supporting one, and he doesn’t get nearly enough screen time to save this from being a relatively rote affair.

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by Todd SouTh

Be a part of rN&r’s

aNNual Nightlife guide

A chicken wrap, chik stick and snow chips are among the menu items at the rebranded Bab x Chicken.

Chick flick

Take advantage of discounted ad rates, a longer shelf life, and a targeted audience by advertising in the rn&r annual nightlife supplement. Don’t miss this opportunity to reach the 75.8 % of our readers who say they frequently purchase ads or services seen in our paper.

deadline for participation is march 12, 2020 contact your account executive for more information.

775-324-4440 reno’s news and entertainment weekly. on stands every thursday.

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www.newsreview.com

Bab Cafe opened in downtown Reno almost three years ago, with Korean rice bowls and other tasty tidbits. Its sister location at the south-end Summit Mall was recently rebranded as Bab x Chicken, replacing the bowls with “reinvented Korean street food,” bento boxes and Korean fried chicken. I couldn’t wait to try it.

In Korea, deep-fried poultry is referred to as “chikin” or “KFC,” a.k.a. Korean Fried Chicken. Dredged in a blend of wheat flour, corn starch and familiar Westernstyle seasonings, the boneless morsels are double-fried in soy oil to ensure a crispy, sauced exterior. Bab x Chicken serves it up in combo meals, wraps, salads and various à la carte servings with a choice of three sauces. Additional dipping sauces are available.

I chose three half-pound servings each of white meat, dark meat and wings ($7.95 each). For the breast meat, I went with garlic butter—a simple mix of butter, salt, sugar and garlic. Though definitely crispy, the meat bites were a bit inconsistent between being moist or dry. The sauce was garlicky and very buttery, almost to the point I felt I was downing a stick of the stuff. Perhaps not my favorite.

A half pound of dark meat was doused in Bab Soy—a mix of sugar, Thai chile, onion and garlic powders, soy sauce, simple syrup, carrot, bouillon, salt, apple paste, rice starch, black pepper, lemon juice, plumb paste and tomato paste. To its nature, the dark meat retained more moisture, the coating holding up well against the savory, sweet, slightly spicy goo. Good stuff.

Out of curiosity, I ordered a half-pound of gluten-free wings, made with a mix of rice and corn flour subbing for wheat. The very sweet, medium spicy sauce consisted

PHOTO/ALLISON YOUNG

of sugar, red chile flake, ketchup, garlic powder, chile paste, salt, corn syrup and capsaicin extract. Though the crust was crisp at the outset, it didn’t take long for the rubbery skin’s moisture and heavy sauce to render each bite a mushy disappointment.

A chik stick ($3.95) was six inches of ground chicken mixed with carrot, onion, seasonings and mozzarella cheese on a stick—drizzled with chile sauce and garlic mayo. Nothing fancy, but it was completely enjoyable. The texture was a bit like Thai satay, but with a melty cheese interior and a bit of heat. I’d happily grab a couple of these for lunch, as a snack or at a ballpark.

An oden cup ($1.95) was fish meatballs and fish cake in a broth of fish stock, soy sauce and scallion. I really enjoyed this soup. It was all about the umami broth.

Sides of pickled daikon radish and kimchi coleslaw were also enjoyed ($1.95 each).

The mild, diced radish was very crunchy, tart and sweet. The slaw’s mix of white cabbage, Napa cabbage, carrot, onion, fish stock, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, sugar, black pepper, red chile flake, garlic, shrimp stock, ginger, onion and radish was a little on the soupy side, but it had remarkable flavor. It was easily one of the most complex and enjoyable cabbage salads I’ve experienced.

Finally, the snow chips ($1.95) were thin-sliced, deep-fried bits of sweet potato dusted in a mix of salt and sugar. These crispy little bits were cracktacular. They’re more dessert than a side item. If you’re catching a flick at the movie theater nextdoor, I’d recommend smuggling a bunch of these in for your cinematic snacking. You’ll want more than one carton. Ω

Bab x Chicken

13967 S. Virginia St., 409-3520

Bab x Chicken is open from noon until 8 p.m. Learn more at bab-cafe.com.

by Matt BIeker

Still beating Kat Heart When Kat Brennan signed up to play an open mic at Pignic Pub & Patio, 235 Flint St., a last year, she signed her name as “Kat” followed by a small heart. When she was announced as “Kat Heart” by mistake, she knew she’d found a new identity in her musical journey—one that hasn’t always been easy.

“My backstory is kind of dark and twisted and complicated,” said Brennan.

The singer/songwriter grew up in Gardnerville but entered foster care at 14 and was raised by her grandmother. Now a single mother of four, she supports her family as an ER nurse, but for as long as she can remember, music was her passion.

Until about eight years ago, however, she was forbidden from pursuing it by an abusive partner.

“I ended up in Ohio for 20 years and met a terrible guy—had an awesome kid,” Brennan said. “I wasn’t allowed to do anything creative for, like, 12 and-a-half years while I was with this guy. … The day I left him is the day that I bought an acoustic guitar.”

After playing her first open mic on a whim, Brennan spent the next few years finding her voice on stages all over the country, playing festivals and bars alike as she turned to music to help her heal.

“I started writing music in a place where I had been under extreme emotional pressure and damage for a really, really long time,” Brennan said. “So, when I first picked up the guitar, it was all very, very visceral for me. I just kind of popped a cork on something in my chest and let it flow.”

Brennan channels that emotion in her voice. In her originals and covers, Brennan’s vocals are smooth and deep, hitting smokey lows in her blues moments and raspy, powerful highs on the rock numbers. She cites ’70s rock, folk, indie

m a t t b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

“My guitar was kind of just my therapist. Because of what I was going through, the way that I’ve always written has been fueled by emotion of some kind.”

CourteSy/Kat Heart

and grunge among her influences, and her solo proficiency with a loop pedal conjures appropriate backing tracks when needed.

“I have over two hours of original music that I play anytime, anywhere,” said Brennan. “All different genres—folk, country rock, blues, heavy, hard stuff where I scream all the way, to super, pretty light style with the falsetto jazzy stuff. And then my cover list is just the same way, from Tennessee Ernie Ford and Ella Fitzgerald right on up to, you know, Imagine Dragons or old-school Aerosmith.”

Brennan relocated to Reno last February, where she started to introduce herself to other musicians. Her soulful performances put her on stages at local venues, and after connecting with a few talented local female musicians, her new band The Heartstrings played its first show this Valentine’s Day. “I was like, ‘I want to do an all-ladies jam in my house,’” she said. “I kind of do these, like, monthly or bimonthly dinners. … But I made one specifically for females, and pretty much everybody that came ended up being this amazing musical fit of just really genuine, empathetic, understanding and intelligent females who were also uber talented.”

Brennan said recording is her “weak spot” due to her time constraints as a mom and working nurse, but most of her music is available as live videos on YouTube and Facebook while she works on her debut album with out-of-state producer Marc Lacuesta. In the meantime, she’s scheduled to be a guest on the Worst Little Podcast and holds down a regular Friday night gig at Rue Bourbon, 1401 S. Virginia St. She’s on vocal rest throughout March, but she’s planning on hosting a new female musician every week in her place and backing up other acts throughout the month. Ω

Enter to win

tickets to

MRS. HENRy PRESENTS MuSic FRoM THE BaNd Sunday March 22, 2020 • 7PM The Saint • 761 S. Virginia Street • Reno, NV

To ENTER Contest brought to you by

Kat Heart plays every Friday from 8-11 p.m. at rue Bourbon, 1401 S. Virginia St. Find out more at facebook. com/kat.heart.brennan

4

1. Send an email to contest@newsreview.com 2. Put “Mrs. Henry” in the subject line 3. Include full name and birth date (this event is 21+) Deadline to enter is Thursday March 12, 2020 at 9am. Winner will be notified by email. Limit one entry per person. Good luck!

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5 STAR SALOON

132 West St., (775) 499-5655

THURSDAY 3/5

FRIDAY 3/6

SATURDAY 3/7

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

Dance party, 10pm, $5

Dance party, 10pm, $5

ALIBI ALE WORKS (INCLINE)

The Nomads, 8:30pm, no cover

ALIBI ALE WORKS (TRUCKEE)

The Electric, 9pm, no cover

931 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, (775) 831-8300

10069 Bridge St., Truckee, (530) 536-5029

Shopping March 9, 7:30 p.m.

The Holland Project 140 Vesta St. 448-6500

ALTURAS BAR

1044 E. Fourth St., (775) 324-5050

BAR OF AMERICA

10040 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee, (530) 587-2626

Comedy

THE BLUEBIRD

Carson Comedy Club, Carson Nugget, 507 N. Carson St., Carson City, (775) 8821626: Chris Cope, Fri, 8pm, $15 Laugh Factory, Silver Legacy Resort Casino, 407 N. Virginia St., (775) 3257401: Joe Nipote, Thu, Sun, 7:30pm, $21.95; Fri-Sat, 7:30pm, 9:30pm, $27.45; Tim Gaither, Tue-Wed, 7:30pm, $21.95 LEX at Grand Sierra Resort, 2500 E. Second St., (775) 789-5399: Jessica Michelle Singleton, Thu, 8pm, $10 The Library, 134 W. Second St., (775) 6833308: Open Mic Comedy, Sun, 8pm, no cover Pioneer Underground, 100 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-5233: Jessica Michelle Singleton, Thu, 7pm, $7-$20; Fri, 8:30pm, $12-$24; Sat, 6:30pm, 9:30pm, $12-$24

CARGO CONCERT HALL

555 E. Fourth St., (775) 499-5549

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Neon Oasis: Obi Wan Solo, BVSHES, Keynote the Prophet, 51F, 10pm, $10

CEOL IRISH PUB

538 S. Virginia St., (775) 329-5558

World Beatnix, 9pm, no cover

Vincent, Yeptep, ENVI, JWRY, Lonely.Han, Ishyaboi Ishi, 10pm, $20-$25

Dark Jungle: Zebra-Cat, Hot Dad, Konstatin, 8pm, $5-$10 The Utility Players: Family Reunion, 8pm, $23 Dust in My Coffee, 9pm, no cover

DAVIDSONS DISTILLERY

Lincoln Skins, Hired Fun, Tyler Futrell, 9pm, no cover

DEAD RINGER ANALOG BAR

Ritual (goth, industrial): DJs David Draven, Uncle Rusty, Owen, 9pm, $5

275 E. Fourth St., (775) 324-1917

432 E. Fourth St., (775) 409-4431

FACES NV

Karaoke, 9pm, W, no cover

Open Mic Night, 7pm, M, Ike & Martin, 7pm, Tu, High Pulp, 8pm, W, no cover

Dogs Included, 9pm, no cover

Hands of Fire, 9pm, no cover

Mason Frey, 9pm, no cover

MON-WED 3/9-3/11

Trivia Night, 7pm, Tu, no cover

The Grimtones’ “Band-iversary” with Black Leather Outlaw, 8:30pm, $5

255 N. Virginia St., (775) 398-5400

Breck Lee Durham, Mark Miller, Rick Hammond, 5pm, no cover

Post shows online by registerin g at www.newsr eview. com/reno. D eadline is the Frida y before public ation.

Liquid Stranger, Dirt Monkey, Hydraulix, INZO, 8pm, W, $25 Traditional Irish session, 7pm, Tu, Wed. Night Showcase, 7pm, W, no cover

235 W. Second St., (775) 470-8590

RuPaul’s Drag Race 12 viewing party, 7pm, no cover

Black Light Party, 10pm, $TBA

XanderRoxX, 9pm, W, no cover

FAT CAT BAR & GRILL (MIDTOWN)

Jamie Rollins, 8:30pm, no cover

Nick Eng, 8pm, no cover

First Take with Rick Metz, 7pm, Tu, DJ Trivia, 7pm, W, no cover

1401 S. Virginia St., (775) 453-2223

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Words From Aztecs, Inaniment, Our Last of Days, 8:30pm, $5-$7

SUNDAY 3/8

02.04.21

THURSDAY 3/5 The holland ProjecT 140 Vesta St., (775) 448-6500

FRIDAY 3/6

The loVInG cUP

1) Grieves, The Holdup, 8pm, $25

2100 Victorian Ave., Sparks, (775) 507-1626

Motown Mondays, 9pm, M, no cover

Jake’s Garage 5.0, 8:30pm, no cover

One Way Street, 8pm, no cover

Los Yaguaru, Guaraderos de la Cumbia, Los Deakino, 10pm, $30

Banda los Recoditos, Los Canarios, Jay Franco, 9pm, $45

235 Flint St., (775) 376-1948

LAF: Jade Brodie & The Backups, Reverend Hylton, Mason Frey, 8pm, $5

MagNicoSynth! First Friday Funk Fest, 9pm, no cover

The Polo loUnGe

DJ Trivia, 7pm, no cover

’80s Night with DJ Bobby G, DJ Chris Payne, 9pm, no cover

Audioboxx, DJ Bobby G, 8:30pm, no cover

rUe BoUrBon

Adam Springob, 6pm, no cover

Kat Heart, 8pm, no cover

Greg Gilmore, 8pm, no cover

1401 S. Virginia St., (775) 384-6526

Saturday Country Dance Party, 7pm, no cover

Shea’S TaVern

215 S. Virginia St., (775) 786-4774

Fortunate Son, TV.STATIC, Bangalore, 9:30pm, $5-$6

ST. jaMeS InFIrMarY

Saturday Salsa, 8:30pm, no cover

761 S. Virginia St., (775) 221-7451

445 California Ave., (775) 657-8484

211 N. Virginia St., (775) 433-1090

Silent Disco, 10pm, $TBA

Boy Named Banjo, 8pm, $10

March 10, 8 p.m.

The Saint 761 S. Virginia St. 221-7451

Moon Gravy, 7pm, W, no cover

Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover Troupe Tuesday, 8pm, Tu, no cover

The SaInT

VIrGInIa STreeT BrewhoUSe

1) Guttermouth, DOWNTOWN BROWN, Machine Gun Vendetta, 9pm, W, $15-$17

Shooter Jennings Unplugged: Open Mic Thursdays, 7pm, no cover

MIllennIUM

1559 S. Virginia St., (775) 322-8864

2) Milquetoast & Co., Rashka Pashka, Só Sol, 8pm, $8-$10

Paper Idol, 9pm, $TBA

188 California Ave., (775) 322-2480

PIGnIc PUB & PaTIo

MON-WED 3/9-3/11 Shopping, Automatic, Slow Wow, 7:30pm, M, $10

1) The Pack (Lil Uno & Young L), Husalah, Prezi, Mallybo, 7:30pm, $25

140 Vesta St., (775) 448-6500 1) Showroom 2) Bar Room

1527 S. Virginia St., (775) 800-1960

SUNDAY 3/8

I’m Glad It’s You, Knife Fight, Different Seasons (solo), 7:30pm, $7

jUB jUB’S ThIrST Parlor

MIdTown wIne Bar

SATURDAY 3/7

Shooter Jennings, 8pm, Tu, $25

Trivia Night, 8pm, no cover

Black Light Party/Silent Disco, 10pm, $TBA

Recycle

The Cryptics, 8pm, Tu, $5-$6 Hired Fun, 8pm, W, $6

Liquid Stranger March 11, 8 p.m.

Cargo Concert Hall 255 N. Virginia St. 398-5400

Rockaraoke, 8pm, W, no cover

An event Reno has never seen before!

this PaPeR * ♥

*After you read it!

March 28th, 2020 | Reno Ballroom 401 N. Center St | Reno, NV 89501 VIP Dinner Experience 5:30-7:00PM

Featuring a series of drink booths included with your ticket.

General Admission 7:00-10:30PM

30+ Performances, 40+ Games, & so much more!

*A large portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to non-profits in our community.

For tickets, visit www.anightoutinreno.com 775.234.8180 • info@anightoutinreno.com 02.04.21 |

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aTlanTIs CasIno resorT sPa 3800 S. Virginia St., (775) 825-4700 Cabaret ESCALADE: Thu, 3/5, 8pm, Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 4pm, no cover

HENRY UNDERCOVER: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 10pm, Sun, 3/8, 8pm, no cover

Carson Valley Inn

elDoraDo resorT CasIno

1627 HigHway 395, Minden, (775) 782-9711

345 n. Virginia St., (775) 786-5700

Cabaret

STUDENT BODY THURSDAYS WITH DJ JB:

BUDDY EMMER BAND: Thu, 3/5, 7pm, Fri, 3/6,

BRIDGET MARIE BAND: Mon, 3/9, Tue, 3/10, 10pm,

Sat, 3/7, 8pm, no cover

Wed, 3/11, 8pm, no cover

CIrCUs CIrCUs reno

BooMToWn CasIno HoTel

500 n. Sierra St., (775) 329-0711

2100 garSOn rOad, Verdi, (775) 345-6000

Cabaret FASTLANE: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 9pm, no cover

grand baLLrOOM SOUL ASYLUM: Sat, 3/7, 6pm & 8pm, $40-$80

eL JeFe’S Cantina

gUitar bar

SKYY HIGH FRIDAY WITH DJ MO FUNK: Fri, 3/6,

MICHAEL FURLONG: Thu, 3/5, 6pm, no cover EBONY NOT QUITE IVORY: Fri, 3/6, 9pm, no cover THE LOOK: Fri, 3/6, 5pm, Sat, 3/7, 9pm, no cover JAMIE ROLLINS: Sun, 3/8, 6pm, no cover TANDYMONIUM: Mon, 3/9, 6pm, no cover ROSS LEWIS: Tue, 3/10, 6pm, no cover BOB GARDNER: Wed, 3/11, 6pm, no cover

Carson nUGGeT 507 n. CarSOn St., CarSOn City, (775) 882-1626 tHe LOFt

10pm, no cover

REVEL SATURDAYS WITH DJ CHRIS ENGLISH: Sat, 3/7, 10pm, no cover

MAR/07:

ST. PATRICK’S DAY DINNER & SHOW

Get your Irish on at the Sons and Daughters of Erin’s 51st annual fundraiser featuring dinner and traditional Celtic music and dancing, as well as a ceremony honoring the “Irish Person of the Year” and other award recipients. The festivities begins at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, in the Mandalay Ballroom at Circus Circus Reno, 500 N. Sierra St. Tickets are $25-$55. The event often sells out, so get your tickets ASAP. Visit www.irishnevada.org or the Sons and Daughters Erin's Facebook page for details.

BIG HEART: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 9pm, no cover

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CrysTal Bay CasIno 14 HigHway 28, CryStaL bay, (775) 833-6333

brew brOtHerS Thu, 2/27, 10pm, no cover

DJ BIRD & VJ RIZZO: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 10pm, no cover

DJ MARK TWYMAN: Sun, 3/8, 10pm, no cover LIVE BAND KARAOKE WITH ROCK U ENT.: Mon, 3/9, Wed, 3/11, 10pm, no cover

BREW CLUB TUESDAYS: Tue, 3/10, 10pm, no cover

nOVi DJ SCENICK & DJ RONI V: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 9pm, no cover

rOXy’S LiVe PianO bar LIVE PIANO: Thu, 3/5, Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, Sun, 3/8, Mon, 3/9, Tue, 3/10, Wed, 3/11, 4:30pm, no cover

DJ OSCAR PEREZ: Fri, 3/6, 10pm, no cover DJ MO FUNK: Sat, 3/7, 10pm, no cover

GranD sIerra resorT

CrOwn rOOM

2500 e. SeCOnd St., (775) 789-2000

LEFTOVER SALMON: Fri, 3/6, 9pm, $27-$30 MUSTACHE HARBOR: Sat, 3/7, 9pm, $17-$20

grand tHeatre 311: Sat, 3/7, 8pm, $39.50-$90

LeX nigHtCLUb THROWBACK THURSDAY WITH DJ ETHIK: Thu, 3/5, 10pm, no cover

Post shows online by registering at www.newsreview.com/reno. Deadline is the Friday before publication.

Nahko and Medicine for the People March 8, 8 p.m.

MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa 55 Highway 50 Stateline (775) 588-3515

DJ IMPAKT: Fri, 3/6, 10pm, $10 GINUWINE WITH KARLOS FARRAR: Sat, 3/7, 10pm, $20

WILLIAM HILL RACE AND SPORTS BAR COUNTRY MUSIC NIGHTS & DANCE LESSONS: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 10:30pm, no cover

HARD ROCK LAKE TAHOE

VINyL SHOWROOM SMOKE & MIRRORS PART DEUX: Fri, 3/6, 8pm, $25

HARRAH’S LAKE TAHOE 15 HIgHWAy 50, STATELINE, (800) 427-7247

50 HIgHWAy 50, STATELINE, (844) 588-7625

SOUTH SHORE ROOM

CENTER BAR

CASINO CENTER STAgE

DJ SET: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 9pm, no cover

G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE: Sat, 3/7, 6:30pm, $31.65

TUESDAY NIGHT BLUES WITH THE BUDDY EMMER BAND: Tue, 3/10, 8pm, no cover

HARRAH’S RENO 219 N. CENTER ST., (775) 786-3232

PEPPERMILL RESORT SPA CASINO

SAMMy’S SHOW ROOM

2707 S. VIRgINIA ST., (775) 826-2121

IGNITE CABARESQUE: Sat, 3/7, 9pm,

EDgE

$30.04-$39.22

HARVEYS LAKE TAHOE

RUM BULLIONS TALK TO THE HAND WITH DJ R3VOLVER: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 9pm, no cover

SILVER BARON LOUNgE DJ MO FUNK: Thu, 3/5, Sun, 3/8, 9pm, no cover THE VEGAS ROAD SHOW: Fri, 3/6, Sat, 3/7, 9pm, no cover

SPIN THURSDAYS: Thu, 3/5, 10pm, $20 LATIN DANCE SOCIAL WITH BB & KIKI OF SALSA RENO: Fri, 3/6, 7pm, $10-$20, no cover

TAHOE BILTMORE 5 HIgHWAy 28, CRySTAL BAy, (775) 831-0660

before 8pm

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Pizza Baron, 1155 W. Fourth St., Ste. 113, (775) 329-4481: Wacky Wednesday Karaoke with Steve Starr & DJ Hustler, 9pm, no cover

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FOR THE WEEK OF maRcH 5, 2020 For a complete listing of this week’s events or to post events to our online calendar, visit www.newsreview.com.

GARDENING IN NEVADA—THE BARTLEY RANCH SERIES: University of Nevada, Reno Extension and their certified master gardeners offer this gardening series.

These classes take place every Tuesday through March 31. Tue, 3/10, 6pm. Free.

Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road, (775) 784-4848.

GEOTHERMAL POWER TALK: R.J. Wright, environmental specialist with the geothermal power plant Ormat, will give a presentation on geothermal power and the benefits of geothermal to utilities and consumers. An overview of current Ormat projects will be provided, with a focus on the Steamboat Repower Project located at the Steamboat Hills Geothermal Facility off Mt. Rose Highway. Sat, 3/7, 10am. $5 suggested donation. Galena Creek Visitor Center, 18250 Mt. Rose Highway, (775) 849-4948.

GUIDED HIKE: Galena Creek Visitor Center

maR/05:

SNOWFEST

We haven’t had much of the white stuff this season, but there’s still time to enjoy some cool-weather fun. North Lake Tahoe’s 39th annual winter carnival is in full swing this week with events and activities taking place across the region through March 8. You can meet the avalanche rescue dogs of Squaw Valley on Thursday, March 5; enjoy the floats and other festive sights at the SNOWFEST Kings Beach Parade on Saturday, March 7; or check out some snow art at the River Ranch Snow Sculpture Contest and wrap up the weekend at the SNOWFEST Closing Ceremonies on Sunday, March 8.

Most events are free to attend. Visit www.tahoesnowfest.org.

offers a guided winter hike. If there is enough snow, it will be a snowshoe hike.

There are limited number of snowshoes available for rent for $5 per pair. Sat, 3/7, 10am. $5 suggested donation. Galena Creek Visitor Center, 18250 Mt. Rose Highway, (775) 849-4948.

LITTLE SPROUTS: This nature program is open to families with children ages 2-5.

There will be a lesson, story time, craft and garden exploration. Registration is required. Email Nichole Tracey at ntracey@washoecounty.us to sign up. Wed, 3/11, 10am. $5. The Ranch House at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, 1595 N. Sierra St., (775) 785-4153.

PUBLIC ART AND URBAN REDEVELOPMENT:

EVENTS

DIGITAL MANIPULATION AND THE FUTURE OF ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY: Unreliable

AFTERNOON BOOK CLUB: This month’s selection is One Thousand White Women

by Jim Ferguson. Wed, 3/11, 2pm. Free.

Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, (775) 787-4100.

AN EVENING WITH THE ARTS: Churchill Arts Council holds its 34th annual fundraising dinner and silent auction. Sat, 3/7, 5:30pm. $90-$100. Fallon Convention Center, 100 Campus Way, Fallon, (775) 423-1440, www.churchillarts.org.

A READING BY JAMEL BRINKLEY: The author of A Lucky Man: Stories will read from his work, answer questions and sign books. Tue, 3/10, 5-6pm. Free. ASUN Wolf Shop, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., events.unr.edu.

THE ANIMATION ACADEMY EXHIBIT: This interactive exhibition explores the history of animation, from traditional hand-drawn cels to CGI. Read the stories of real-life animators, see tools of the trade, watch classic cartoons and try your own hand at animating. The show runs through May 10. Thu, 3/5-Sun, 3/8, Wed, 3/11. $9-$10. Wilbur D. May Center, Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, 1595 N. Sierra St., (775) 785-5961.

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information and fake news continue to spread online. Author and journalist G. Pascal Zachary examines these problems, why they’ll keep getting worse and how to respond. Tue, 3/10, noon. Free. Linn Reading Room, Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., events.unr.edu.

FIRST SATURDAY—FANDANGO STEAM SHENANIGANS: Head to the library for a mischievous morning of St. Patrick’s Day/leprechaun STEAM challenges and learning activities. Sat, 3/7, 11am. Free.

Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, (775) 787-4100.

FIRST THURSDAY: Explore the Nevada Museum of Art’s galleries at this monthly social event featuring live music by Arizona Jones and specialty refreshments. Thu, 3/5, 5pm. $10, free for NMA members. Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., (775) 329-3333, www.nevadaart.org.

FOUR SEASONS BOOK CLUB: March’s book selection is Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck.

Sat, 3/7, 1pm. Free. Sparks Library, 1125 12th St., Sparks, (775) 352-3200.

02.04.21

Vivian Zavataro, interim director of the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art, and Megan Berner, public art program coordinator for the City of Reno, discuss the impact of public art from the interventions of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s work in Tirana, Albania, to the streets of Reno. Fri, 3/6, noon. $10, free for students, NMA members.

Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., (775) 329-3333, www.nevadaart.org.

RIVER TALK—GALENA CREEK VISITOR CENTER: This talk will cover how we can all help our local watersheds. Please RSVP to sue@truckeeriverwc.org. Sun, 3/8, 10am. $5 suggested donation. Galena Creek Visitor Center, 18250 Mt. Rose Highway, (775) 849-4948.

SKI FOR MS: Skiers and riders will come together at this fundraiser for Can Do Multiple Sclerosis. There will be a vertical challenge, amateur ski race, après ski party and raffle and other events. Sat, 3/7, 10am-5pm. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, 1960 Squaw Valley Road, Olympic Valley, squawalpine.com.

TUESDAY BOOK GROUP: This month’s selection is Where the Crawdads Sing

by Delia Owens. Tue, 3/10, 1pm. Free.

Spanish Springs Library, 7100-A Pyramid Highway, Sparks, (775) 424-1800.

YARN CLUB: Knitters of all skill levels are invited. You can bring your own supplies or borrow supplies at the library. Thu, 3/5, 1pm. Free. Sierra View Library, 4001 S. Virginia St., (775) 827-3232.

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW: Artemisia MovieHouse presents a screening of the 1963 comedy romance directed by Vittorio De Sica and starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.

The film consists of three short stories about couples in different parts of Italy.

In Italian with English subtitles. Sun, 3/8, 6pm. $5-$9. Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company, 124 W. Taylor St., www.artemisiamovies.weebly.com.

aRT CITY HALL METRO GALLERY: Only Two Ways to Fire. The Reno City Hall Metro Gallery features ceramic work by Fred Reid and Richard Jackson. Thu, 3/5-Fri, 3/6, Mon, 3/9-Wed, 3/11, 8am-5pm. Free. City Hall Metro Gallery, 1 E. First St., (775) 334-6264.

THE HOLLAND PROJECT: Scholastic Art Awards 2020 Gold Key Works. In conjunction with the Nevada Museum of Art, the Holland Project Gallery hosts the 2020 Scholastic Art Exhibition honoring Northern Nevada’s up-and-coming teen artists and Scholastic Art Gold Key recipients. The art will be on display through March 20. Thu, 3/5-Fri, 3/6, Wed, 3/11, noon-6pm. Free. The Holland Project, 140 Vesta St., www.hollandreno.org.

SHEPPARD GALLERY: SeeMe Annual Student Art Exhibition. The juried exhibition features artwork by students at the University of Nevada, Reno. Thu, 3/5, Mon, 3/9-Wed, 3/11, noon. Free. Sheppard Gallery, Church Fine Arts Building, University of Nevada, Reno, 1335 N. Virginia St., www.unr.edu/art.

SOUTH VALLEYS LIBRARY: Moving Into Stillness. South Valleys Library hosts for a reception for this photography exhibition by Christine Davis. Sat, 3/7, 3pm. Free. South Valleys Library, 15650-A Wedge Parkway, (775) 851-5190.

STUDENT GALLERIES SOUTH: Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibitions. Student Galleries South will feature independent exhibitions by Darby Carpenter, Tessa Clawson, Shara Sinatra and Amber Skilling. Gallery hours are noon-4pm, Monday-Thursday, with a reception at 6pm on March 5. Thu, 3/5, Mon, 3/9-Wed, 3/11. Free. Student Galleries South, Jot Travis Building, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., (775) 784-4278.

TAHOE MOUNTAIN SPORTS: Monika Johnson Art Exhibit. Landscape paintings by plein air oil painter Monika Johnson are on display. Thu, 3/5-Wed, 3/11, 10am. Free.

Tahoe Mountain Sports, 11200 Donner Pass Road, Ste. E5, Truckee, (530) 536-5200.

ONSTaGE ANTIGONE: The University of Nevada, Reno’s Department of Theatre presents the ancient Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. Thebes is divided. With one brother killed on each side of the city’s border, Antigone must decide to follow the town’s laws as set forth by her uncle King Creon or defy his orders to give her brother a proper burial. This play considers the lengths one woman is willing to go to do what’s right for her family, as well as demonstrating the destruction that despotism leaves in its wake. Thu, 3/5-Sat, 3/7, 7:30pm. $5-$15.

Proscenium Theatre, Church Fine Arts Building, University of Nevada, Reno, 1335 N. Virginia St., (775) 784-4278.

COME IN FROM THE COLD—FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT SERIES: The winter family entertainment concludes its 2020 season with a performance by the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra. Sat, 3/7, 7pm. Free.

Western Heritage Interpretive Center at Bartley Ranch Regional Park, 6000 Bartley Ranch Road, (775) 828-6612.

NOISES OFF!: Michael Frayn’s play takes a fond look at the follies of theater folk, whose susceptibility to out-of-control egos, memory loss and passionate affairs turn every performance into a high-risk adventure. This play-withina-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run.

Frayn gives us a window into the inner workings of theater behind the scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance. Fri,

3/6-Sat, 3/7, 7:30pm; Sun, 3/8, 2pm;

Wed, 3/11, 7:30pm. $20-$30. Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company, 124 W. Taylor St., www.goodluckmacbeth.org.

MUSIC OF THE SILK ROAD: The Reno Pops Orchestra presents this family-friendly concert of music celebrating the Chinese New Year and the Silk Road. Sat, 3/7, 7pm. Free. Nightingale Concert Hall, Church Fine Arts Building, University of Nevada, Reno, 1335 N. Virginia St., www.renopops.org.

SUNDAY MUSIC BRUNCH: Chez Louie hosts live music by Carolyn Dolan and a brunch of creative dishes, mimosas and a Bloody Mary bar. Reservations encouraged. Sun, 3/8, 10am. Nevada Museum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St., (775) 284-2921, www.nevadaart.org.

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO’S PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE: Guest marimba artist Nancy Zeltsman will perform with the University of Nevada, Reno’s Percussion Ensemble. Thu, 3/5,5pm. $7, free for students with ID. Hall Concert Hall, University Arts Building, University of Nevada, Reno, 1300 N. Virginia St., (775) 784-4278, www.unr.edu/music.

BY AMY ALKON

Bored walk empire Why am I only attracted to unattainable guys? As soon as men express interest in me, I lose interest in them. How do I break this cycle?!

Chances are you’re looking to win, not looking for love. Once you win—once you’ve landed the guy you’ve been pursuing—you’re done. However, you probably tell yourself you’re seeking romantic connection because, well, it’s more appealing than admitting you’re the human version of a dog chasing a dirty tennis ball. The point—the excitement of it—is the chasing, not the getting.

You’re basically on an emotional crack bender. The big neurochemical player here is dopamine, a neurotransmitter, a messenger in chemical form that carries signals from brain cell to brain cell. Though it’s often called the “pleasure chemical,” that’s wrong. Giving you a buzz is opioids’ department. Getting you to the opioids is dopamine’s job. Research by neuroscientist Kent Berridge suggests dopamine drives “wanting”—motivating you to pursue things that are “rewarding,” like sex, drugs and cake.

There are some nuances to this.

Dopamine is the Beverly Hills brat of neurochemicals—seriously snobby about rewards being new.

In researcher-ese, it spikes at the prospect of “novel rewards”: sex, drugs and cake you haven’t tried before. It also goes up big-time for “unpredictable rewards”—those we aren’t sure we can get—which explains the allure of the seemingly aloof himbo. However, “predictable rewards,” like the nice, stable fellow you can always count on—read as a big “meh” in Dopamineville.

I’m guessing your love of the chase has a second job—as convenient cover for repairs needed in your emotional wing. Get to work on your self-worth, self-acceptance and any other self-(s) in need of shoring up. While you’re an emotional work in progress, be honest with men you date that you have a tendency to disappear like cartoon ink. Eventually, however, your efforts should be transformative—meaning the meme guiding your romantic life will no longer be “Look for a man who looks at you like my dog looks at the small print on the iTunes agreement.”

Wane’s world I have a challenging job I love, and lately, it’s really cutting into my time with my boyfriend. I tell him how much I hate this, but he’s been very understanding. Initially, this was great, but now I’m annoyed that he seems fine with seeing less of me. Is it ridiculous I’m upset he isn’t acting more upset that I’m not around as much?

Research by evolutionary psychologists Martie Haselton and David Buss suggests humans evolved to be imperfect thinkers—to have distorted perceptions when we have to make “judgments under uncertainty.” These are guesses we make when we lack access to some or all of the facts.

Haselton and Buss explain that recurring mating and survival issues over human history have led us to make protective errors— overperceiving or underperceiving elements in our physical and social environments. We err in our thinking in whichever way would be the least costly to us.

Because women are the babymakers of the species, it’s a big costly error for a woman to believe a man will commit—stick around and dad—when he’s really just a “sex it ’n’ exit” cad. So, women err on side of “commitment underperception”—underestimating men’s level of commitment. Even if a man actually is committed, a woman’s going all hurt feelz that he isn’t might lead him to reassure her with increased shows of devotion.

Consider whether there’s any real evidence your boyfriend’s love and commitment are waning.

When someone really loves you, they show it by making sacrifices for you—like by supporting your need for unimpeded time and energy when the job you love gets more demanding than usual. Your boyfriend seems really accommodating, so let him know if what would really make you happy is a jealous, demanding manchild who sneaks out at night with a big tub of Crisco and greases all the rungs on the ladder of success. Ω

ERIK HOLLAND

Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., No. 280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com).

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02.04.21

in a glorious, ever-rising upward arc. The more usual pattern is gradual and uneven. Each modest ascent is followed by a phase of retrenchment and integration. In the best-case scenario, the most recent ascent reaches a higher level than the previous ascent. By my estimate, you’re in one of those periods of retrenchment and integration right now. It’s understandable if you feel a bit unenthusiastic about it. But I’m here to tell you that it’s crucial to your next ascent. Let it work its subtle magic. be in sweet alignment with cosmic rhythms if you regard the next three weeks as a time of graduation. I encourage you to take inventory of the lessons you’ve been studying since your birthday in 2019. How have you done in your efforts to foster interesting, synergistic intimacy?

Are you more passionately devoted to what you love? Have you responded brightly as life has pushed you to upgrade the vigor and rigor of your commitments? Just for fun, give yourself a grade for those “classes,” as well as any others that have been important. Then—again, just for fun—draw up a homemade diploma for yourself to commemorate and honor your work.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Are you ready to seize

a more proactive role in shaping what happens in the environments you share with cohorts?

Do you have any interest in exerting leadership to enhance the well-being of the groups that are important to you? Now is an excellent time to take brave actions that will raise the spirits and boost the fortunes of allies whose fates are intermingled with yours. I hope you’ll be a role model for the art of pleasing oneself while being of service others.

Trilling (1905–1975) was an influential intellectual and literary critic. One of his heroes was another influential intellectual and literary critic, Edmund Wilson. On one occasion, Trilling was using a urinal in a men’s room at the New School for Social Research in New York. Imagine how excited he was when Wilson, whom he had never met, arrived to use the urinal right next to his. Now imagine his further buoyancy when Wilson not only spoke to Trilling but also expressed familiarity with his work. I foresee similar luck or serendipity coming your way soon: seemingly unlikely encounters with interesting resources and happy accidents that inspire your self-confidence.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Poet Conee Berdera deliv-

We’ve got issues. newsreview.c o m

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Progress rarely unfolds

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Lionel

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Free will astrology

ered a poignant message to her most valuable possession: the flesh and blood vehicle that serves as sanctuary for all her yearnings, powers, and actions. “My beloved body,” she writes, “I am so sorry I did not love you enough.” Near the poem’s end she vows “to love and cherish” her body. I wish she would have been even more forceful, saying something like, “From now on, dear body, I promise to always know exactly what you need and give it to you with all my ingenuity and panache.” Would you consider making such a vow to your own most valuable possession? It’s a favorable time to do so.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Luckily, the turning point

you have arrived at doesn’t present you with 20 different possible futures. You don’t have to choose from among a welter of paths headed in disparate directions. There are only a few viable options to study and think about. Still, I’d like to see you further narrow down the alternatives.

I hope you’ll use the process of elimination as you get even clearer about what you don’t want.

Let your fine mind gather a wealth of detailed information and objective evidence, then hand over the final decision to your intuition.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Certain artists are beyond

my full comprehension. Maybe I’m not smart enough to understand their creations, or I’m not deep enough to fathom why their work is considered important. For example, I don’t enjoy or admire the operas of Wagner or the art of Mark Rothko. Same with the music of Drake or the novels of Raymond Carter or the art of Andy Warhol.

The problem is with me, not them. I don’t try to claim they’re overrated or mediocre. Now I urge you to do what I just did, only on a broader scale.

Acknowledge that some of the people and ideas and art and situations you can’t appreciate are not necessarily faulty or wrong or inadequate.

Their value may simply be impossible for you to recognize. It’s a perfect time for you to undertake this humble work. I suspect it will be liberating.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio-born Ralph

Bakshi has made animated films and TV shows for more than 60 years. His work has been influential.

“I’m the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world,” he says. Milder versions of his experience are not uncommon for many Scorpios. People are prone to copying you and borrowing from you and even stealing from you. They don’t always consciously know they’re doing it, and they may not offer you proper appreciation.

I’m guessing that something like this phenomenon may be happening for you right now. My advice?

First, be pleased about how much clout you’re wielding. Second, if anyone is borrowing from you without making the proper acknowledgment, speak up about it.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Vainly I sought nour-

ishment in shadows and errors,” wrote author Jorge Luis Borges. We have all been guilty of miscalculations like those. Each of us has sometimes put our faith in people and ideas that weren’t worthy of us. None of us is so wise that we always choose influences that provide the healthiest fuel.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that you now have excellent instincts about where to find the best long-term nourishment.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Poet Adrienne Rich

wrote, “When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her.”

I believe this same assertion is true about people of all genders. I also suspect that right now you are in a particularly pivotal position to be a candid revealer: to enhance and refine everyone’s truthtelling by being a paragon of honesty yourself. To achieve the best results, I encourage you to think creatively about what exactly it means for you to tell the deep and entire truth.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Through some odd

Aquarian-like quirk, astrologers have come to harbor the apparently paradoxical view that your sign is ruled by both Saturn and Uranus. At first glance, that’s crazy! Saturn is the planet of discipline, responsibility, conservatism, diligence and order. Uranus is the planet of awakening, surprise, rebellion, barrier-breaking and liberation.

How can you incorporate the energies of both?

Well, that would require a lengthy explanation beyond the scope of this horoscope. But I will tell you this: During the rest of the year 2020, you will have more potential to successfully coordinate your inner Saturn and your inner Uranus than you have had in years. Homework: Meditate on how you will do just that.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 1637, renowned English poet John Milton wrote “Lycidas,” a poetic elegy in honor of a friend. Reading it today, almost four centuries later, we are struck by how archaic and obscure the language is, with phrases such as “O ye laurels” and “Ah! who hath reft my dearest pledge?” A famous 20th-century Piscean poet named Robert Lowell was well-educated enough to understand Milton’s meaning, but also decided to “translate” all of “Lycidas” into plainspoken modern English. I’d love to see you engage in comparable activities during the coming weeks: updating the past; reshaping and reinterpreting your old stories; revising the ways you talk about and think about key memories.

You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785.

And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at realastrology.com.

BY MATT BIEKER

Mathematician

Gotcha. What’s happening next at the contest?

So, what was your project?

Wow. So, you’ve already won $25,000 for this?

Jason Liu is a senior at the Davidson Academy at the University of Nevada, Reno. The 17-year-old’s work in mathematics earned him a finalist position at this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search, a national high school competition rewarding original scientific research. He and the other finalists will fly to Washington D.C. on March 5 for the next round of judging.

OK. I think I’m following. I was never much of a math guy myself.

But what’s the practical application for this?

So, as far as direct applications, I’m not quite sure. The only other paper I’ve

COURTESY/JASON LIU

So, my project was in math. It basically takes these things called integer-valued polynomials, which are just polynomials that send integer inputs to integer outputs.

It takes these integer-valued polynomials and works on characterizing a generalization of those. So, it’s based off of a paper by two other guys that generalizes these integer-valued polynomials to a q-deformed version, which means that, instead of plugging in integers, you plug in these q-integers that are polynomials in q. And in a sense, what I’m doing is I’m characterizing all q-integer valued polynomials that send positive q-integers to polynomials in q, and negative q-integers to polynomials in q-inverse.

So, at the moment, because I made the top 40, I get around $25,000 from Regeneron, and I believe 11th place through 40th place, that’s all they get—other than meeting all the wonderful people at the camp. But for the top 10 places, there’s larger money prizes. I think for first place it’s a quarter million. And I think this the last round of judging.

found on q-integer valued polynomials is that paper by the other two guys.

But, in their paper, they do mention that the set of all q-integer valued polynomials—that is, in some sense, equivalent to a quantum group, a specific quantum group. And these quantum groups are very important for quantum mechanics.

So, it’s possible that, with the help of my characterization for specific types of q-integer valued polynomials, researchers in quantum mechanics might be able to benefit from that and better understand quantum mechanics.

So, your work is essentially broadening the material that quantum mechanics is built on?

Yes, conditional on me actually going to the camp.

That’s awesome. Are you the only one representing Northern Nevada in this competition?

I think I’m the only one representing Nevada in general, yeah.

Well, congratulations, Jason. Do you have a main goal that you’re working towards right now for your future?

As far as college goes, I was accepted early into MIT, so I think I’ll be going there if nothing goes wrong. As far as line of work, I’m not 100 percent sure what I want to do after I graduate. I think I’ll probably still work on this project a bit more, but I don’t know if I’ll be doing that long term after I graduate.

So, basically, no set plans. Ω

Yes.

BY BRUCE VAN DYKE

Burning Bernie questions The journalist S. E. Cupp saw Trump’s tweet after Joe Biden’s big win in South Carolina, a tweet that read “Congratulations to Sleepy Joe Biden!” This snarky little blast was enough to inspire this response from Cupp: “Who would enjoy a grown-up, not a 5-yearold, in the White House?”

This isn’t just a fair question, but also a pretty decent summation of the 2020 campaign, as well as a nifty bumper sticker. Not bad at all.

• Hey President Capone, way to eliminate the Virus Response Team established by Obama during the Ebola year of 2014. Way to dismantle it because it was an intelligent and effective creation, but, since it was created by Obama, it—of course—had all those nasty Obama cooties and, of course, had to therefore be destroyed. Very clairvoyant of you, president with skull of cement. Nice work.

• So Bernie is 78. As is Bloomberg.

Biden will be 78 later this year. For gawd’s sake, we’ve got the 78-year old honky B team! 3B78 in 2020.

• Here is a very easy pledge to take this year, or at least it seems easy to me. That no matter who the Democratic nominee is, I will support him/her totally.

No problem. Right?

I’m just a little concerned, though, that an ornery chunk of Bernie voters won’t take that pledge. Bernheads, I appreciate the passion. I appreciate the commitment. It’s a good thing. It’s a great thing. But dagnab it, there are gonna be times when you gotta take one for the team. That might happen to you this year. It just might. You gotta do better in this arena than you did in 2016. Cool?

I’m a stone cold hippie socialist boomer geezer from California.

Just slightly to the left of Jane Fonda. I dig Bernie. Big time. And that’s exactly what scares the poop out of me. Because I know that if a guy like me really likes a candidate, he/she probably has no chance in Oshkosh or Kalamazoo or Scranton or Tallahassee, places that (1) will be incredibly important in this election, and (2) don’t care much for tie-dyed hoodies. There’s only one thing that must be done this year. Just one. It’s do or die time, mofos.

For real.

So Berners, good luck and give ’em hell. I pledge right now that if you come out of the Convention with the nomination, I will bust my ass to make sure Bernie becomes the next president. You’re goddamned right.

The question—will you folks suck it up and do the same if Bernie falls short? Ω

02.04.21 |

RN&R

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