Week of March 6, 2024

From the editor’s desk

A new church in Washoe County is about to start offering psilocybin mushrooms. It’s not a retail shop, though; it’s a spiritual organization that will offer microdoses as part of a suite of holistic health practices. Setas Seminary’s organizers say they’re able to join the burgeoning field of psychedelic-assisted therapy under the protection of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which allows for the sacramental use of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The pinyon jay, a bird species native to Northern Nevada and other parts of the West, has been declining in numbers for decades. It’s not entirely clear why, and some of the obvious guesses don’t really hold up. Local science writer and avid birder Alan de Queiroz reports that some of the region’s environmental groups and volunteer scientists are trying to suss out what’s happening.

The story of John “Snowshoe” Thompson, the intrepid mailman of the Sierra Nevada from the late 1800s, “has the feel of an American myth—as fictional as tales of Paul Bunyan or John Henry,” writes Frank X. Mullen, editor at large and our in-house history expert. But Thompson was real, and he hiked and skied across snowbound mountain ranges Placerville, Calif., and Genoa, Nev. for 20 years to deliver the mail. Starting today, a team of five endurance athletes is retracting his route. They’re scheduled to appear at a public event in Genoa this Sunday, March 10.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, now in theaters, is a triumph. “Every shot of this movie is a work of art,” writes Bob Grimm, the RN&R‘s resident film and TV guy. “When it comes to sheer visual mastery, nobody is even competing with Villeneuve right now.”

A Reno man who goes by “Just Knate” leverages his clothing brand and his two million TikTok followers to help fund some daily basics for the unhoused people he meets in the street. He’ll sport for whatever someone needs on a given day—a sleeping bag, a cheeseburger, maybe a motel room or some pet food. Carol Purroy, one of our newest contributors, met up with Knate to learn what makes him tick. 

Life in the news industry is pretty stressful these days. January and February brought more closures and cutbacks, and all signs point to this trend continuing. Want to know what keeps my hope alive every day in this challenging era? It’s the truly inspiring reporters who work with the RN&R. My latest Editor’s Note has more detail about how they’re working hard to be part of the solution. 

Speaking of transitions and uncertainties, food scribe Maude Ballinger has her finger on the pulse of one thing that remains constant: the “wow” factor of melted cheese—”the humble, unwavering white knight which never fails to deliver comfort when all might seem lost.” Here’s where to find some of Reno chefs’ best examples—like the delicious lasagna at Casale’s Halfway Club.

Late in March, Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks will be in the neighborhood—in the inner solar system anyway, which hasn’t happened in nearly 71 years. Be sure to find your binoculars by the 30th, and check out Robert Victor’s latest astronomy report for more sky-viewing tips. 

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor