Week of Aug. 27, 2026

From the editor’s desk

The Hawk Fire affected just about everything over the last week. 

For one, it’s heightened the stakes of a nurses’ strike. Union nurses at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center announced on Monday that they will strike for 24 hours beginning on Sept. 3. Yesterday, Saint Mary’s issued a statement expressing concern over the timing of the strike. It read, in part:

The timing of this notice, however, is particularly disturbing. The notice was delivered late Sunday evening during a period in which our community is experiencing an unprecedented wildfire crisis and is in an active State of Emergency. Approximately 90,000 people have been evacuated or are at risk of evacuation, countless families have been displaced—including hundreds of our Saint Mary’s team members—and our community continues to navigate an emergency that will take weeks and, for many, months to recover from.

The statement also said: 

To be clear, Saint Mary’s will not allow this action to compromise safe patient care. We will remain open and staffed with qualified healthcare professionals.

I asked the National Nurses Organizing Committee for their take. A spokesperson sent a statement from Saint Mary’s registered nurse and union member Jennifer Oaks. Here it is in its entirety:

We nurses have been nothing but consistently there for our co-workers and for the community. Our decision to go on strike has been in the works for several months and has been a planned and coordinated effort by nurses at multiple Prime facilities going on strike together to support safer staffing, RN retention, proper equipment, and a voice in patient care. The decision to strike on a particular day was made by the nurses, before the fires started. (Saint Mary’s CEO) Mr. (Derrick) Glum will obviously use any excuse to make the nurses look bad. The hospital had the power to end the possibility of a strike over the last several months by simply agreeing to our reasonable terms. We are simply asking that we come to an agreement for a fair contract. Our union has offered resources to nurses who have been displaced or harmed by the fire. We will be having a community drive to collect new toys, blankets, and clothing at our strike for fire victims who have lost their homes. The donations will be given to Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada.

Hawk Fire community meeting tonight

For updates on several Hawk Fire-related topics, see this morning’s and yesterday afternoon’s multi-agency briefings on Facebook, in which officials urge the following: 

• Stay out of fire-demaged areas if you are not a resident of those areas. 
• Don’t call 911 if you see wildfire smoke in the Hawk Fire region.
• Don’t fly drones, as they can cause firefighting flights to be grounded.

If you have questions that haven’t been answered yet, there is a community meeting today at 7 p.m. at O’Brien Middle School, 5000 Silver Lake Road. “Fire managers and local leaders will provide the latest information on the Hawk Fire, answer questions, and share available resources for residents,” per the event post. 

New fires in Churchill and Humboldt counties

If you’re planning to travel elsewhere in Northern Nevada this week, be alert to fires in the next few counties over. The Bureau of Land Management announced today:

U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) firefighters are responding to multiple lightning-caused wildfires in Churchill and Humboldt counties on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands. Several fires have grown rapidly since igniting earlier this week amid critical fire weather conditions. Hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to continue across the region today and Friday, increasing the potential for rapid fire growth and new fire starts. 

The two nearest of these are the Blue Eagle Fire, northeast of Fallon and the Gold Fire, west of Austin. Watch Duty is a good source of detailed information for these and other incidents. 

A diverting break for those who were displaced

In lighter news, if you had to evacuate due to the Hawk Fire, and you need a break from it all, the White Rabbit Theater and Lounge at the Grand Sierra Resort is offering free tickets to its ongoing show, That’s Magic. From the press release:

We know that going to a magic show certainly won’t solve the very real problems our community is facing right now. However, our hope is that stepping into the theater for a few hours of wonder and entertainment can provide a much-needed mental escape and a brief reprieve from an overwhelming situation.

If you evacuated and you are now back home, this still means you, as confirmed by a White Rabbit spokesperson today.

To claim your tickets, visit the White Rabbit box office at the GSR in person.

Farewell to the Queen of Country

In music legend news: If you’re mourning the loss of Dolly Parton, who left this mortal world on Tuesday, and you don’t want to do it alone, Reno’s indie radio station, KWNK, aired a Dolly tribute show this week and plans to rebroadcast it tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 28, at 5 p.m. at 97.7 FM, streaming at kwnkradio.org.

Station manager Thomas Snider shared with the RN&R some of the nice things locals said during the show: 

Sarah Jane Smith: Even through my young punk days, when it wasn’t cool to appreciate my country roots, Dolly was always someone you had to pass around. Because she was punk.

Ryan Stark: Dolly made more careers for people than most agents could ever brag about.

Dagny Stapleton: She was still so exactly who she was, doing what she loved, still writing music and wearing eyeliner and making men blush even when she was in her 70s.

Johanna Lachner: Rest in peace, Dolly. You are truly a honky-tonk angel now.

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor