Week of Jan. 25, 2023

From the editor’s desk

A federal judge in Reno is expected to rule in the next two months on a lawsuit brought by indigenous tribes, ranchers and environmentalists that seeks better environmental scrutiny of the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine. That project was whisked through federal oversight in the last few days of the Trump administration. Critics argue that the $1.6 billion open-pit project would have significant impacts on wildlife and water resources that were overlooked by regulators.

Dave Robert’s 15 Minutes feature spotlights artist Sam Sprague, owner of the 20-year-old Micano Home and Garden shop in Midtown Reno. Micano sells home decor, furniture and garden art—one-of-a-kind pieces Sprague creates using locally-sourced materials.

Theater writer Jessica Santina strongly recommends Reno Little Theater’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, a madcap parody of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic The Hound of the Baskervilles. Santina also enjoyed the Brüka Theatre’s The Lifespan of a Fact. The drama, she writes, is an in-depth examination of the nature of various f-words: fiction, facts and fake news.

Movie reviewer Bob Grimm writes that The Son, an adaptation of a popular play, is further proof that in-person melodrama doesn’t carry over to the big screen. On a slightly better note, Grimm reports That ’90s Show, the Netflix-based sequel to That ’70s Show, scores high in nostalgia, but the new group of weirdoes doesn’t measure up to the original teen cast members, now adults, who appear briefly and then exit the spotlight in favor of their young replacements.

Matt King’s Lucky 13 column, meanwhile, profiles guitar wizard Scott Schlingheyde, a Reno guitar wizard who lends his talent to local bands including Cyanate, From the Ruins, Alice Unchained and Reverse the Cycle.

Our latest mailbag features reader reactions to some of our recent stories and columns, including our piece about downtown Reno’s decline, the Donner Party’s holiday experiences and some suggested additions to our piece about Nevada-based movies.

We’re getting close to January’s end—and that means our February print issue is on its way soon to a newsstand near you; look for copies starting this weekend and next week.

I’ll see you in the funny papers.

Take care,

—Frank X. Mullen, Editor