Reno Street Audio

Jaden Urban interviews the coordinators of Family Soup Mutual Aid and local musicians on why they are organizing a big benefit concert called Our Streets in Reno at Dead Ringer Bar on the evening of March 9th.

The last time Kyle Isacksen says he ran for an elected position was for fifth grade class president and he came in third. He’s now running for Washoe County Commission District 3, a post held since 2007 by soon to be termed out Kitty Jung. In this episode, he explains why he's running, what the position entails, what policies he would pursue if elected and if he believes he has a chance to win the June Democratic primary and November runoff.

Jammal Tarkington came to Reno in the early 1990s to study music at the University of Nevada. He quickly found success behind the saxophone and has become a staple in the local music scene and beyond, having traveled the world on tour with many of his bands, from Mudshark to Keyser Soze. In this podcast episode with reporter Richard Bednarski, he muses on what the future might look like for musicians in the Biggest Little City and elsewhere coming out of the pandemic.

Mary Gilbert gives us a tour of a new boutique which was set up at Our Place to help with women and families staying at their shelter in northern Nevada on their road to being rehoused.

When Henry Sotelo was 18, he came to Reno with a friend who wanted to check out the University. His friend never attended the school but when Sotelo set foot on the campus, he fell in love. “I just loved the place and I’ve been here ever since,” he explains. Sotelo has been practicing criminal law as a Prosecutor for the City of Reno and Washoe County District Attorney’s office; as a criminal defense attorney, both as a court appointed attorney, and as private counsel; and finally as a Judge Pro Tem in the Reno Municipal Court. In this episode, he explains to reporter Richard Bednarski why specialty courts are the way of the future.

Black Wall Street Reno is a nonprofit organization spearheaded by its two founders Donald Griffin and Romar Tolliver, going stronger and stronger in its second year of existence. Both men hope that their organization can be one that steers local teens away from the adversity that they faced as youths and young men.

“This organization is to provide preventative measures for teens,” Tolliver said during a recent interview with Our Town Reno. For him, Black Wall Street Reno is a way for youths to channel their energy into productive learning and enrichment activities instead of being out on the streets. “I got in trouble as a kid,” Tolliver said, referring to the time he spent in the Nevada Youth Training Center (NYTC) when he was younger. His experience at NYTC was an eye opening one, and it’s marked in his memory as eight months of his youth that could have been spent doing something better. Listen to more of his experiences, insights and current endeavors in this episode with reporter Lynn Lazaro.

JP Harvey has been spending what time she can spare, between school and raising three kids, to help the unhoused locally. From rolling burritos to hand delivering jackets and boots, she has grand plans to make the world a better place. Listen to her as she details her involvement in a new group called Helping Hands Loving Hearts with reporter Richard Bednarski.

Reno Food Systems is an urban farm located on the corner of Mayberry drive and McCarran boulevard. Everything from fruit to fresh vegetables to medicinal and culinary herbs are produced on the lot during the growing season. Everything is grown organically and with sustainability in mind.

“We have workshops, we have volunteers, we have interns,” said Lyndsey Langsdale, the farm manager. “We also do a lot of educational things as well.”

The non-profit began as a vision between a few friends about five years ago and this last season was the fourth successful growing season on the farm. Next year they hope to expand growing into the winter. Find out more about all the growing they plan to do and the partnerships they keep building in this interview with reporter Richard Bednarski.

Dr. Sherilyn Duckworth is the founder of A Friend of Mind, empowering youth through yoga, education, and mental health advocacy. She also wants to help in Reno where she just arrived with the unhoused, as in 2021 there were four reported suicides in Washoe County among people living without stable shelter.

Catherine Schofield interviews fellow student reporter Richard Bednarski who looks back on reporting about the unhoused for 18 months during the pandemic and worsening affordability in Reno with motels being destroyed and more and more luxury apartments popping up.