KOH News Special Reports: Recent Episodes
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Yesterday, Chuck Whitten explained the problem of skyrocketing rent increases in Reno is one of supply and demand. There are too many people looking for too few apartments. Today Chuck looks at what caused the rent crisis in Reno.
There’s little doubt there’s a housing crisis in Reno. The cost of single family residences has increased substantially over the past couple of years and apartment rents are increasing at an alarming rate. The rental crisis may be greater than most people realize. Chuck Whitten has been looking at the problem and will be telling us about it over this next week.
Churchill and Lyon Counties have taken as many precautions as they can to prevent spring run off from flooding their cities and towns. Lemmon Valley Residents weren't so lucky. A number of homes there are still under water, and many who live there have no where else to go, and must patiently wait until the water subsides. I sat down with a two Lemmon Valley residents to talk about what they've been through since the beginning of the year in part 4 of our 5 part series Weather Ready Nevada.
A multi agency effort in Fallon created the Big Dig this year, a 17 mile channel 60 feet wide and around 15 deep around the city to divert flood waters away, and into outlying lands. We look at collaboration that got the project finished before the run off threat in part 3 of our 5 part series Weather Ready Nevada.
The Truckee, Walker, and Carson Rivers are flowing at capacity, and the reservoirs that feed those rivers are being kept 30 TO 50 % full, in preparation for spring run off. With over 700 inches of snow that has to melt, could flooding be on the horizon? We'll talk with weather experts, county officials, and those who have already been affected by the flood waters in the Lemmon Valley area in our 5 part series "Weather Ready Nevada."
The average age of schools in the Washoe County School District is 40 years old, and many are overcrowded and in desperate need of repairs. On November 8th voters will decide whether or not to cover the shortfall that's needed by the district to fix the schools, and build new ones with a small sales tax hike. Most are in favor of the tax increase, but a few are not. KOH's Daniela Sonnino looks at the initiative to Save Our Schools, who's for it, who's against it, and why its needed in part 1 of our 5 part series...WC-1...the District Dilemma.
Over 200 portables are being used by the Washoe County School District to combat overcrowding, and the lack of new schools. Makeshift classrooms are also being set up in available spaces, and double sessions have also been promised, if WC-1 doesn't pass. How is the district dealing with overcrowding now? We find out in part 2 of our 5 part series WC-1...the District Dilemma.
The Washoe County School District is looking at an almost 800 million dollar shortfall over the next 10 years, and because of that, hasn't been able to afford the new schools needed to combat overcrowding, or repairs to the existing ones. KOH's Daniela Sonnino finds out more about the funding gap from the Washoe County School District's COO in part 3 of our 5 part series WC-1...the District Dilemma.
WC-1 will authorize a little over a half cent sales tax to help fund Washoe County School construction and repairs, but some against it say WC-1 poorly written, and they also question the oversight committee, which will have volunteers keeping an eye on how the money's spent. KOH's Daniela Sonnino talks with those opposed to WC-1 in part 4 of our 5 part series WC-1...the District Dilemma.
The people that are the hardest hit by the lack of funding for new schools and repairs are the principals, the teachers, and of course, the students. We talk with them, and hear their stories in the conclusion of our 5 part series WC-1...the district dilemma.
Question 2, the initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol, has many backers in the Silver State, and we hear why marijuana should be legal in Nevada from those campaigning for it in part 2 of our 5 part series..."The Pros and Cons of legalizing marijuana.”
Proponents of Question 2, the initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol, say if it passes it would virtually eliminate the black market and the drug cartels. But is that really the case? KOH's Daniela Sonnino sat down with local law enforcement, including Washoe County's District Attorney to find out in part 3 of our 5 part series "The Pros and Cons of legalizing marijuana.”
Oregon legalized recreational marijuana for those 21 and older in 2014, allowing anyone in the Beaver State to possess up to 8 ounces. They're also able to grow up to four plants under the new law. Rob Patridge is the DA in Klamath County, and is also the head of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. We'll hear how the law is working in Oregon in part 4 of our 5 part series "The Pros and Cons of legalizing marijuana.”
Question 2, the initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol in Nevada, looks like it may pass according to the latest polls. KOH's Daniela Sonnino gets to the root of the issues regarding legal pot in Part 1 of our 5 part series "The Pros and Cons of legalizing marijuana.”
To you and I, it's a day in the park or your back yard with the kids, but for many here in the Truckee Meadows, flying drones, also known as UAV's, is much more. KOH's Daniela Sonnino took to the skies to find out from local entrepreneurs, business leaders, law enforcement, and educators all about UAV's and their capabilities, in our 5 part series. Drones...Are Skies the Limit?
Mining is in the top 10 of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Cave ins, noxious gases, and other hazards in mines took the lives of 45 men and women in the US in just 2014. Could more lives be saved in mine accidents with the use of drones? KOH's Daniela Sonnino looks at advancements in mining technology with drones in part 2 of our 5 part series Drones...Are Skies the Limit?
UAV's, or drones, can go into terrain where people often can't, and can get to an emergency scene on a mountainside or in a remote canyon in mere minutes. KOH's Daniela Sonnino talked with officials at the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, and Drone America, to learn more about their partnership in the emerging drone program with Washoe County Search and Rescue in part 3 of our 5 part series Drones...Are Skies the Limit?
UAV technology is being explored in many industries. Recently, the company Flirtey, based at UNR, delivered the first package ever by drone to a rural home in the Silver State. But could drones someday make life saving deliveries to a hiker stuck on a cliffside, or bring rafts to victims in a capsized boat. KOH's Daniela Sonnino talked with leaders in the field about the potential for drones in emergency situations.
UAV's, or drones, can deliver items, map an area, and provide first responders with quick information on a disaster area with a quick fly over. They can also be a big help in a disaster recovery mission. KOH's Daniela Sonnino talked with Justin Woodcock, owner of the Drone Store in Reno, who also runs an aerial film company, about his mission to Nepal following the devastating earthquake in April last year that killed 8,000 people, and destroyed most of the infrastructure in the third world country in part 5 of our 5 part series Drones...Are Skies the Limit?
When most of us think of a firefighter, the iconic images of a strapping man saving a cat from a tree or an engine speeding past us, sirens blaring, off to stop a fire come to mind. Both visions are true, but after spending several days with the men of the Reno Fire Department, KOH's Emily Skyle learned that there's so much we don't know about the life of firefighter. In the five part series "Beyond the Blaze" she takes you behind the scenes, where the training is intense, the hours erratic and the physical and emotional tolls are high.
On her initial day of ride-alongs with the Reno Fire Department, KOH's Emily Skyle went to a small brush fire along the Truckee River; then to the hotel room of an Impersonator that kept saying his name was Elvis. Neither call prepared her for what was to come, watching a panicked wife and an adult son reduced to tears as their loved one passed away from a cardiac arrest. Sadly, the loss of life is something firefighters have to deal with on a regular basis. In part two of our five part series we'll talk about the emotional toll the job takes on the men and woman "Beyond the Blaze"
In the real world, when we sense danger - most of us go into survival mode. Our instinct is to flee from fire, evacuate from natural disasters and run away from perceived threats of danger. The men and women of the Reno Fire Department aren't like most of us, they are the people we ask to run into our burning homes, to sift through the rubble of our tragedies and to shield us from harm. And in the case of the tragic Air Races crash on September, 16th 2011 - they were the ones that faced the devastation head on and without hesitation...with little regard to the emotional toll bearing witness to the tragedy may take on them. In part 3 of our 5 part series, Beyond the Blaze, KOH's Emily Skyle talks to one of the men who was on the ground when everything happened.
With all of the physical risks, erratic hours and the emotional toll firefighters experience throughout their career, KOH's Emily Skyle began asking them why they choose to stay on the job. In part four of our five part series, Beyond the Blaze, we'll talk about how the men and women of the Reno Fire Department overcome their physical and mental hardships, the impact their lifestyle has on the their loved ones and why they stay despite it all.
When KOH's Emily Skyle first arrived at the fire station the men were cooking their lunch. As they waited for their meal they shared stories, laughs, brother like jabs and smart alec comments. But before lunch was done cooking, the alarms blared and they were off on a call. This continued to be the trend for the next three days - it began to seem like the guys never actually got to eat or sleep. In the finale of "Beyond the Blaze" we'll get a glimpse of fire station life - pranks and all - along with look into the future plans of the Reno Fire Department.