Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review.
I made a half-hearted promise to myself that I wouldn’t write about Dennis again this week. We dedicated the majority of the last two editions to remembering and celebrating our friend and colleague Dennis Myers, who died suddenly last month.
There are pressing issues we should discuss in these pages. The local housing crisis is not getting any better. Mayor Hillary Schieve’s recent town hall meeting only served to highlight the disconnect between renters and developers.
Some local folks, including the state Department of Education, seem to celebrate the fact that Nevada is no longer ranked last in Education Week’s annual Quality Counts evaluation of state educational success rates. It was ranked second-to-last. Don’t start popping the champagne yet.
These are all topics we should—and will—continue to cover. But on all of these subjects and more—health care, the environment, labor, immigration, casinos, hamburgers, comic books—I want to read something by Dennis Myers. And I’ll never get to read something new from him again.
Grief is a mysterious creature. It leaves. It returns. It appears in fleeting glimpses and then in sudden onslaughts.
And the loss of Dennis is multifaceted. I feel it personally and professionally. And I feel it from the community. Thanks to all the folks who have reached out to us to express their grief and appreciation—from old friends and regular readers to professional acquaintances.
As I mentioned last week, the memorial will be this Sunday, Sept. 15, at 11 a.m. at the McKinley Arts & Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive.
And I’d like to take just a moment to express some appreciation of the RN&R editorial team for all their hard work during this difficult time. Special kudos to Associate Editor Jeri Davis, who has taken on most of Dennis’ regular duties. There’s a huge, gaping hole in our newsroom, and the team has stepped up to make sure this paper still reaches your hands.