Week of April 24, 2025

From the editor’s desk

The print edition of the May RN&R will arrive in town tomorrow, Friday, April 25, and you can expect to see it distributed throughout the region within a few days—but you can start diving into some of the content in that issue today. The cover story is on our website. It’s about how DOGE-ordered cuts to food-assistance programs are affecting locals—especially the ones who help get nutritious food to as many people as possible. 

I spoke with a small-scale producer of nutritious pantry products; the manager of a local farmers market that had been ramping up its efforts to help get more fresh produce to lower-income shoppers; and a farmer who has been part of those efforts. 

For these businesses, the bottom line isn’t their only priority. They’re just as concerned with doing right by their community, and they have all worked hard to get better food to more people. After a couple of confusing rounds of communications from the government earlier this year, they all finally learned that the programs that helped fund their efforts were cut.

The Food Bank of Northern Nevada received similar news. It had to reduce the amount of food it distributes annually by 3 million pounds.

Read the full story to learn what the situation looks like from the points of view of these hardworking locals—and what they’re doing to try to keep feeding the community. 

In other news: Soak in those glorious rays today because we have a winter-like weekend coming up. Did you take the bait that Northern Nevada spring dangles in front of us each year, and your start gardening? Plan, dream and get the maintenance under way, for sure, but step away from those non-frost-hardy seedlings. Resist! If you plant your tomatoes outside before Memorial Day, you are courting disappointment. 

As for this weekend, I’ll take a little fresh air however I can get it, so I’m going for a hike, rain or shine. But for the wiser, more comfort-inclined of you, cozying up with the RN&R’s print edition is one good way to wait out the rain, snow and chill. As always, it’s chock-full of our contributors’ usual advice on the region’s many indoor adventures—including music, theater, movies and nightlife.

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor