This Is Reno Radio

This Is Reno
  • 4.6 (17)
  • Daily News
  • Semiweekly

This Is Reno Radio is a show from Reno, Nevada featuring insightful news and analysis about Reno-area news. The hosts are Bob Conrad and Kristen Hackbarth, This Is Reno's editors. This podcast won 2026 Podcast of the Year from the Nevada Press Association.

  1. 8h ago ·  Video

    Reno police body camera ruling, $22M Axon contract backlash and area agritourism plans

    A federal judge has rejected the city of Reno's effort to keep police body camera footage confidential in an excessive force lawsuit. Meanwhile, Washoe County is considering new agritourism rules that could help small farms welcome visitors, and Reno residents criticize the city's $22 million Axon police technology contract. We are Bob Conrad and Kristen Hackbarth, editors of This Is Reno, and in today’s episode we are discussing police transparency, local government decisions, economic development and workplace discrimination. We're also sharing some positive news about Reno's arts community and the next generation of local journalists. 🔊 Listen to this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, BuzzSprout and KWNK Community Radio at 97.7 FM every Sunday at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Support the show Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter: https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/

    Reno police body camera ruling, $22M Axon contract backlash and area agritourism plans

  2. Oct 19 ·  Video

    Reno’s $22 million police technology proposal, the Ward 4 race and court updates

    This Is Reno editors Bob Conrad and Kristen Hackbarth are back with the latest in Reno news covering local government, lawsuits and elections. We break down Reno’s proposed $22 million police technology contract, questions in the Ward 4 council race and the latest local court disputes. We examine what Reno’s planned departure from Flock Safety could mean for surveillance, review claims about Councilmember Meghan Ebert’s attendance and discuss property records involving challenger Eddie Gomez. We also cover David Flippo’s missing financial disclosure, the NV Energy–Tract lawsuit, facial recognition litigation and Washoe County School District’s $46.5 million property purchase. Along the way, we find plenty of paperwork — and plenty of arguments over who has to turn it in. Support the show Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter: https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/

    Reno’s $22 million police technology proposal, the Ward 4 race and court updates

  3. Oct 3 ·  Video

    Reno politics, school problems and new twists in the Peppermill false arrest case

    We are back. After a late-summer break, Kristen and Bob return with a packed roundup of Reno-area news. This episode covers our public records litigation against the city of Reno, an election integrity complaint involving  mayoral candidate and Reno City Council member Kathleen Taylor, the ongoing NV Energy lawsuit involving proposed data centers and new developments in the GPS tracking lawsuit involving Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve and former Washoe County Commissioner Vaughn Hartung. There’s also plenty happening at the Washoe County School District, from declining enrollment and school performance ratings to concerns about student violence and findings from a state audit. One of our biggest updates involves the Jason Killinger false arrest lawsuit by Reno police. New court filings raise additional questions about facial recognition practices at the Peppermill casino and how Reno police handled information indicating Killinger had been mistaken for someone else. And we close with some good news: This Is Reno won 16 Nevada Press Association awards, including “podcast of the year.” 🔊 Listen to this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, BuzzSprout and KWNK Community Radio at 97.7 FM every Sunday at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Support the show Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter: https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/

    Reno politics, school problems and new twists in the Peppermill false arrest case

  4. Aug 28 ·  Video

    Hawk Fire evacuations raise questions about emergency communication

    Kristen Hackbarth and Bob Conrad, editors of This Is Reno, discuss the massive wildfire evacuations in Reno’s North Valleys and why we believe emergency communication remains a serious problem for residents and local news media. We also dig into Doral Academy’s proposed South Reno campus, a state audit raising concerns about charter school oversight, an ethics complaint involving former Washoe County Manager Eric Brown and new developments in the Jason Killinger facial-recognition lawsuit.  We wrap up with the Reno Satanic invocation at the Washoe County Commission, the latest in the Anna Scott federal murder case and downtown’s curious new Reno bike detour. 🔊 Listen to this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, BuzzSprout and KWNK Community Radio at 97.7 FM every Sunday at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Support the show Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter: https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/

    Hawk Fire evacuations raise questions about emergency communication

  5. Aug 13 ·  Video

    Former county administrator indicted, libraries lose director and the Club Underground investigation

    This week on the This Is Reno podcast, we — editors Kristen Hackbarth and Bob Conrad — dig into several investigations and controversies unfolding across Reno and Washoe County.  We discuss the federal indictment of former Washoe County Department of Alternative Sentencing chief Justin Roper, developments in the Anna Scott murder case, wildfire prediction markets, the increasingly contentious debate over Reno-area data centers, another leadership shakeup at the Washoe County Library System and uncertainty surrounding Reno City Clerk Mikki Huntsman. We are also joined by investigative journalist Kelsey Penrose to discuss her extensive reporting into music promoter Brandon Deriso and the reopening of Club Underground — a project that required months of source development, lengthy interviews and a deep dive into court records.  We end on a lighter note with some of This Is Reno’s recent arts and culture coverage — because after federal court, government investigations and data centers, everyone could probably use a little art. 🔊 Listen to this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, BuzzSprout and KWNK Community Radio at 97.7 FM every Sunday at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Please keep us going by becoming a paying member: SUBSCRIBE HERE. Support the show Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter: https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/

  6. Jul 29 ·  Video

    Flock Safety camera backlash, the NV Energy data center lawsuit and the top-5 angry Gold ’N Silver comments

    Welcome back to the This Is Reno Podcast, hosted by us — Bob Conrad and Kristen Hackbarth — This Is Reno’s editors.  Broadcasting on KWNK Community Radio at 97.7 FM in Reno and available wherever you get your podcasts, we have another dive into the biggest stories shaping Reno and Northern Nevada. This  episode explores the growing backlash over Flock automated license plate readers, Reno's effort to crack down on illicit massage parlors tied to human trafficking, NV Energy's legal fight over proposed data centers, the latest in the Anna Scott murder case, campaign transparency questions in Nevada's Congressional District 2 race and the public reaction to Gold 'N Silver Inn's reopening. Support the show Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter: https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/

    Flock Safety camera backlash, the NV Energy data center lawsuit and the top-5 angry Gold ’N Silver comments

  7. Jul 15 ·  Video

    Reno politics and development: Public lands, equine rules and the ‘Neon Line District’

    Hosts Kristen Hackbarth and Bob Conrad return to discuss several of the week's biggest stories affecting northern Nevada.  We discuss the debate surrounding proposed federal changes to public grazing regulations, Washoe County's long-awaited updates for equine businesses, state of Nevada classified employee staffing proposals, NV Energy's transmission line project and Jacobs Entertainment's newest development plans.  Along the way, we opine on how public participation, transparency and local planning continue to shape Reno's future — including observations about cattle, horse regulations and giant LED signs. 🔊 Listen to this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, BuzzSprout and KWNK Community Radio at 97.7 FM every Sunday at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Support the show Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter: https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/

    Reno politics and development: Public lands, equine rules and the ‘Neon Line District’

  8. Jun 29 ·  Video

    Election updates, license plate readers and city hall controversies

    This Is Reno’s Kristen Hackbarth and Bob Conrad are back with a slate of big news items from the past couple weeks. We start with corrections from our last show before diving into election updates, expanding surveillance technology in the Reno area, local government accountability, nonprofit failures and high-profile cases in local court.  Listen to this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, BuzzSprout and KWNK Community Radio at 97.7 FM every Sunday at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Note: This podcast discusses crimes of alleged sexual assault and may not be suitable for everybody. Corrections and election updates Two points from the previous episode about Reno's mayoral election rules and Jim Marchant's involvement in the 2020 election controversy get corrected. We then review finalized primary results, discuss several competitive local races heading toward the general election, and we comment on the extremely low voter turnout and what it could mean for November. Sparks approves new license plate readers The Sparks City Council's decision to replace Flock Safety license plate readers with Axon's platform drew considerable controversy. City officials argue the switch offers stronger privacy controls and greater local oversight. The new Oddie Boulevard project is suffering After residents raised concerns about neglected landscaping and unsafe bike lanes along Oddie Boulevard, city of Sparks officials said they lack resources to address maintenance backlogs. We suggest Sparks consider a permanent municipal goat squad to address vegetation concerns. Then we backtrack on that idea. Proposed EV and hybrid registration fee Washoe County officials are considering an advisory ballot question to add registration fees for electric and hybrid vehicles to help fund road maintenance. We mull fairness, declining gas tax revenue, alternative funding ideas and the challenges of creating an equitable system. Tripling down on ‘Eddy Plaza’ The unnecessary but continuing controversy surrounding redevelopment proposals for Reno's City Plaza, reveals slightly modified, heels-dug-in messaging from The Eddy’s owners. Residents are encouraged to submit competing ideas for maintaining activation of the downtown space. Rupert Murdoch court transparency case The long-running Rupert Murdoch family trust litigation in Washoe County was opened to the public last week, but few actually attended the court hearing. We discuss the Nevada Supreme Court's ruling on the case’s being sealed from the public, the media's fight for court access and why public access to judicial proceedings remains important. City of Reno’s new website features broken links and 404 pages The city of Reno's newly launched website featured numerous broken links and missing pages, causing problems in finding basic information. Beyond the technical issues, we argue that government websites should prioritize reliable public access over cute features. Reno City Clerk investigation Reno City Clerk Mikki Huntsman was placed on administrative leave last week while an outside investigation is underway. We explain why we chose not to publish unverified rumors, emphasizing the importance of confirming information and responsible reporting. Northern Nevada Literacy Council’s closure We broke the news on the abrupt closure of the Northern Nevada Literacy Council, and it draws comparisons to other recent nonprofit failures. We discuss possible causes, including financial mismanagement, leadership challenges and the broader difficulties facing nonprofit organizations. The Taji Hillson criminal case We provide an extended update on the Taji Hillson case, reviewing the recent bail hearing, the prosecution's reliance on alleged confessions, possible false confessions and the presumption of innocence. We also compare the case with past wrongful convictions while discussing prosecutorial discretion and broader criminal justice concerns. Listen to the podcast about Cathy Woods: https://www.buzzsprout.com/883765/episodes/4958240 Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter. https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/ This summary was generated with the assistance of AI and edited by us. Support the show Stay current on Reno news by subscribing to our free daily newsletter: https://thisisreno.com/newsletter/

    Election updates, license plate readers and city hall controversies
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4.6
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

This Is Reno Radio is a show from Reno, Nevada featuring insightful news and analysis about Reno-area news. The hosts are Bob Conrad and Kristen Hackbarth, This Is Reno's editors. This podcast won 2026 Podcast of the Year from the Nevada Press Association.

Information

  • Creator
    This Is Reno
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2026
  • Episodes
    105
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Conrad Communications
  • Show Website
    This Is Reno Radio

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