Week of Feb. 22, 2023
From the editor’s desk
The Bureau of Land Management lured 18 free-roaming mustangs off the range and into its traps in the Fish Springs area of Douglas County. The wild horses are internet celebrities and have been closely monitored for years—and treated with a birth-control drug—by local volunteers. The advocates are disgusted by what they see as the agency’s heavy-handed management of the mustangs, who now will live out the rest of their days in captivity.
A pride flag flew in front of a Reno church for five days before it was torn down—with a scrawled threat left in its place. Local ministers see the vandalism as an opportunity to remind folks of the teachings of Christianity and other major religions. The flag, a symbol of acceptance and inclusion, will fly again soon, the pastor says.
Jessica Santina offers a preview of the University of Nevada, Reno, production of Cabaret, taking place the next two weekends at the Redfield Studio Theatre in the Church Fine Arts building. She talked to several performers and director Yassi Jahanmir, who explained that “this production is far from the slickly produced, iconic Fosse film version of 1972. Rather … it’s a gritty, unabashed look at the politics of hate.”
Bob Grimm reports that Marvel has jumped the proverbial (multiverse) shark with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The flick, he says, is rife with “uninteresting new characters (who) run around in goofy-ass sets, and everything is slightly purple.”
Our Western Lit feature spotlights CRISPR Evolution, a new sci-fi thriller by Charis Jones, a biomedical researcher at UNR who writes about renegade scientists doing things she would never dream of doing. The book this week was chosen as an Editor’s Pick in Publishers Weekly’s BookLife reviews and is a finalist for a national Indies Today award.
In this month’s mailbag, readers react to our recent story about scores of tenants being evicted in Carson City after a landlord failed to fix safety problems in two years. Other topics include the state’s generous handouts to Tesla, and the livability of downtown Reno.
I’ll see you in the funny papers.
Take care,
—Frank X. Mullen, Editor
From the RN&R
Not the usual song and dance: UNR’s production of ‘Cabaret’ challenges audiences with its in-your-face intensity
By Jessica Santina
February 22, 2023
UNR’s production of Cabaret is far from the slickly produced, iconic Fosse film version of 1972. Rather, this version is closer to Isherwood’s original semi-autobiographical work—a gritty, unabashed look at the politics of hate.
Capture of a historic herd: BLM traps three generations of famous Carson Valley mustang band
By Frank X. Mullen
February 21, 2023
Federal agents lured 18 wild horses into traps in the Carson Valley during the first two months of this year, sparking outrage among wild horse advocates who have documented generations of that free-roaming historic herd.
Purple and painful: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is boring and surprisingly unoriginal
By Bob Grimm
February 20, 2023
Paul Rudd has always been fun in his many Marvel appearances, but this time, his shtick grows a little tired.
CRISPR Evolution: a sci-fi thriller set in the ruins of a scientist’s genetic past
By Frank X. Mullen
February 18, 2023
From an award-winning writer and local biomedical researcher comes CRISPR Evolution, a science fiction thriller about a man who braves the ruins of our genetic past—and awakens humanity’s sleeping destiny.
February letters: bad landlords, quick evictions, Tesla’s handouts and plant-based options
By Frank X. Mullen
February 17, 2023
Our reader have their say about recent coverage and more.
Pride flag flew at a Reno church for 5 days, then haters stole it and left a threat behind
By Frank X. Mullen
February 17, 2023
If the Rev. Scott Trevithick could speak to the person who stole the Pride flag from the lawn of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in downtown Reno and left a threatening sign, he would begin by listening.
We need your support!
Thanks, as always, for reading the RN&R! Please help support local journalism—and help us continue delivering free coverage both in print and in pixels—by clicking the button below and becoming an RN&R supporter!