2014 election results bring volunteers to Legislature.
“Just because we might not be able to win on a bill,” Democratic Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson said, “doesn’t mean … that we aren’t the smartest in our strategy, the smartest in our reason, and the most well organized.”
Madeleine Poore, left, met with Assemblymember Jill Dickman, who represents her in the Nevada Legislature. PHOTO BY CAROL CIZAUSKAS
Published in Reno News & Review
Nevadans from around the state converge for a day of lobbying.
Why lobby? That was the question Catana Barnes of Reno faced: “I was one of those people that thought lobbying was a bad word. It was nice to know that it’s more of an empowerment.”
Mary Skau, left, and Ashley Stieb lobby Assemblymember Randy Kirner, a Washoe Republican.
PHOTO BY CAROL CIZAUSKAS
Published in Reno News & Review
Election 2010: The RN&R looks at selected local races, ballot questions, and begs for mercy.
But it’s not all baseball, hot dogs and apple pie in the eyes of concerned residents, who question the city’s use of multiple subsidies to entice the Aces to build a stadium and to play downtown. “For our entire infrastructure to just [be] sold,” Anderson said, “it’s just crazy. Somebody’s got to do something about it.”
Geno Martini, center, with his opponent in this year’s election, Ron Schmitt, right.
PHOTO BY DENNIS MYERS
Published in Reno News & Review
By calling her opponents terrorists, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo got the United States to enlist.
“Men took turns interrogating me while beating my head with their fists and blunt objects. Layers of plastic bags were put on my head. My torturers would tighten the bags until I could no longer breathe. I passed out twice. … After about 12 hours, they put me back in the van, still hands tied and blindfolded. They threatened to kill me.”
from Philippine pastor Berlin Guerrero’s testimony to the Philippine commission on human rights
Bishop Eliezer Pascua speaks about violence and human rights issues in the philippines during chapel service at Jim Elliot Christian High School Wednesday morning.
PHOTO BY BRIAN FEULNER/NEWS-SENTINEL
Published in Reno News & Review
Activists fight sprawl into areas remote from the Truckee Meadows.
“Once they develop that Winnemucca Ranch, it’s gone forever. Once they cut down the old growth, it’s gone forever,” Bob Fulkerson said. “We can stop them right now on those issues, but next year, yeah, they could be back. But, you know what? It’s our watch that matters. … The next generation—it’ll be up to them. They’d better freakin’ be up to the challenge.”
At a demonstration last week, protestor Susan McNeall displayed a regional planning map showing the distance between the remote Winnemucca Ranch land west of Pyramid Lake and the Reno metro area.
PHOTO BY DENNIS MYERS
Published in Reno News & Review
Citizens go one-on-one with their state legislators on family issues.
For Sandy Akins, who came to learn about her legislature, Grassroots Lobby Days showed her the strength of each voice in this state. “It led me to find out what I could do on my own,” she said. “This isn’t something just for a privileged few. This is for citizens of Nevada”
Sandy Akins of Reno, left, met Kathleen Harney of Henderson when both traveled to the state capital to be volunteer lobbyists.
PHOTO BY DAVID ROBERT
Published in Reno News & Review
Five days after announcing his candidacy for president, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson addressed a core group of Democrats in Reno.
“I’m a Westerner, like you,” Richardson said on why he was stumping Nevada so early in the campaign (besides Nevada’s second place in the national caucus lineup). “I want to be able, when I campaign in the West, to wear blue jeans.”
Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson, here addressing a group of Nevadans at the Gold-N-Silver Restaurant, is cultivating support around the state.
PHOTO BY CAROL CIZAUSKAS
Published in Reno News & Review
Local activists hope the Iraq Study Group’s report is the way out.
“Absolutely, I think we have to use all diplomatic measures to get to a solution,” she said. “Why would we not do that? I mean, people are dying—not just our soldiers, but thousands of civilians in Iraq are being killed.”
Assemblymember Sheila Leslie supported withdrawing from the war in Iraq.
Former social worker Ellen Pillard has marched against the war and now sees some hope of a disengagement.
PHOTO BY DAVID ROBERT
Published in Reno News & Review
People with murder experiences try to get others to take another look at the ultimate punishment.
“I’m not advocating forgiving violent people and putting them back out on the street again. I know the cost of that violence, and I don’t want that for anyone. But we don’t have to kill people in order to keep society safe. Every time we take on the same mindset as the killer did to solve their problems, we demean and degrade ourselves, we dehumanize ourselves. We demean our own worth and dignity by becoming people who kill people.”
Marietta Jaeger-Lane, who forgave her daughter’s molester and murderer and now advocates against the death penalty.
Nancy Hart of Reno wants people to think about the death penalty instead of recycling rote arguments on each side.
PHOTO BY DAVID ROBERT
Published in Reno News & Review
Latinos traditionally vote Democratic, come election time. Northwest Democrats want to keep it that way. They also want to capitalize on the momentum of the huge turnout of Hispanics last spring at immigration marches across the region. Correspondent Carol Cizauskas went out with Democratic canvassers in Sunnyside, Washington and files this report.
Rosario: “If we sleep through this election, we’ll lose a lot, which is why we’re trying to get the vote out.”
Tania Maria Rosario is the director of the 2006 Democratic Latino Vote Project in Washington state.
Central Washington Democratic canvassers
PHOTO BY CAROL CIZAUSKAS
Broadcast on Northwest News Network.
Carol Cizauskas 