Happy Friday, Reno. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! In today’s edition: School lunch safety concerns, Holiday Lights Festival, Gingerbread House Workshop, and more. Let’s get to it!

— Cait Baker

📰 In the news

School lunch safety concerns: After glass-like objects were found in tater tots at 12 elementary schools, Washoe County School District opened an investigation, pulled tots districtwide, and reported a student with a minor cut — learn how you can help.

Strengthening Nevada’s healthcare workforce: UNR’s Orvis School of Nursing awarded $850,000 this semester to 85 nurse practitioner students in partnership with DCFS, and recipients committed to three years of service in Nevada after graduation — read the full story.

Skin-to-skin care in transit: EMS crews in Northern Nevada have received AEGIS baby wraps to keep newborns warm and secure during out-of-hospital births, allowing mother-infant transport with crash-tested support after data showed frequent hypothermia — learn how the wraps help.

Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.

Scams are rampant: Last week, my step-dad got a call from someone pretending to be his grandson, all beat up and asking for bail money. They knew his grandson’s name, how old he is, and what city he lives in. How? Data brokers. They sell your info to anyone willing to pay for it (yup… anyone). Incogni removes your info from all of those sites so scammers can’t use it against you. Annual plans are 55% off until Sunday — check it out here.

Highlights this week

• Yuri performs on her Iconica Tour
• Shop local gifts and meet Santa
• Experience Lego creativity at Brick Masters Studio
• Experience Santa, tree lightings, drone show
• Need new windows? Check out RBA’s latest deals
• Pet parents: Don’t miss Chewy’s Black Friday sale

🫶 We got your back

Tahoe shuttles paused indefinitely: Bad news for car-free trips around Incline Village: TART Connect’s microtransit will suspend service in Nevada on Dec. 11 due to a funding shortfall tied to declining tourism and no stable revenue. It’s carried 1M+ rides since launch. Service continues on the California side (Placer County/Truckee). Get all the details.

Faster access to counsel: K & G Law LLP has expanded its Reno hub and service area across Northern Nevada and the Sierra, responding to rising immigration needs. The firm has added attorneys and extended hours, offers same-day urgent virtual consultations, and provides services from work visas to deportation defense, with multilingual staff including Spanish and Portuguese. Get details on services and locations.

Your next crate dig: Whether you’re hunting that elusive LP or just happy to browse, Recycled Records stacks deep bins of vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and DVDs, guided by staff who actually know their stuff. Consider this your cue to flip through a little musical history this week.

Health drinks that don’t taste like grass: With tasty tea and matcha blends for everything from recovery and radiant skin to energy without the crash, a metabolism boost, and immune support, everything in Pique’s lineup tastes as good as it makes you feel. They’re clean, there are no additives, and all new monthly subscriptions are 20% off for liferight now. Yup… literally forever (or until you cancel).

📆 Around town this weekend

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

Today

✨ Holiday Lights Festival @ City Plaza | Friday (11/28) at 4:00pm – Whether you’re there for the tree lighting or the free Santa photos, Thanksgiving weekend in Reno is peak festive energy. Wander the lights, shop local gifts, sample food trucks, and let live music make you forget you own three bins of tangled string lights.

🎤 Glitter Bomb @ Reno Public Market | Friday (11/28) at 7:00pm – Reno Public Market turns into a 70s disco when Glitter Bomb rolls in, all glitter, grooves, and gloriously ridiculous outfits. Dust off your dancing shoes, stretch the knees, and let the music take over for a while. Cardio with better music.

This weekend

🕵️ Family Saturday: Mystery Activity @ Sparks Library | Saturday (11/29) at 11:00am – Fifth Saturday is sneaking in with a Mystery Activity for families, and yes, it’s actually fun. Bring a kid ages 4 and up, your favorite grown-up energy, and hustle a bit, because space and supplies are limited, first come, first served. Adults cannot fly solo.

♟️ Pardon the Pawn @ Northwest Reno Library | Saturday (11/29) at 2:00pm – Consider this your weekly brain gym, all ages and skill levels welcome, no sweatband required. Learn the pieces, finally figure out en passant, or sharpen those sly endgames, then enjoy friendly over-the-board play in a relaxed, low-stakes room where checkmates and small talk share space.

🎸 Arizona Jones @ Reno Public Market | Saturday (11/29) at 7:00pm – Reno Public Market is bringing in Arizona Jones, a hometown crew that skips the gimmicks and just plays the good stuff live and loud. Think Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and a dance floor that remembers your knees. Free, friendly, and surprisingly groovy.

🎲 Family Games Day @ Spanish Springs Library | Sunday (11/30) at 10:00am – Nothing beats a family games day where you can flex your Scrabble vocab, reignite that lifelong Monopoly feud, and teach the kids checkmate humility. Expect Wheel of Fortune, Sequence, chess, checkers, and more, all ages and skill levels welcome, snacks optional, bragging mandatory.

📓 Journaling Meet Up for Bujo Enthusiasts, Junk Journalers & Planners @ Nevada Fine Arts | Sunday (11/30) at 2:00pm – Think your to-do list deserves prettier boxes? Roll into Nevada Fine Arts for a free, monthly meetup where Bujo nerds, junk journalers, and planners swap ideas and build next month’s spread, plus supplies on hand. All levels welcome, bring a journal and tools, RSVP online.

🎶 Deep Relaxation Through The Healing of Sound @ The Yoga Center Reno | Sunday (11/30) at 4:00pm – If your shoulders live up by your ears, this sound healing session will coax them back down. This energy alignment and sound bath blends soothing tones with intention to help you relax, release, and feel balanced and at peace, no small talk required.

Next week

🎄 The Grinch and Other Holiday Favorites @ Sparks Library | Tuesday (12/2) at 11:30am – Skip the mall carols for Scot Marshall, with Graham Marshall and Ron Savage, mixing jazz, pop, and bluegrass, then telling the whole Grinch with sound effects. The KUNR voice you know, the holiday story you actually like, all charm, zero tinsel fatigue.

🏠 Gingerbread House Workshop @ Sparks Library | Tuesday (12/2) at 4:30pm – Channel your inner architect at a gingerbread house workshop where the foundation is a small milk carton, the siding is graham crackers, and the HOA is frosting. Candy decor encouraged. Registration is required, and please register every person building their own sugary bungalow.

🎧 Stereophonic @ Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts | Tuesday (12/2) at 7:30pm – Think Fleetwood Mac-level drama in a 1976 studio, only you are the fly on the wall as a band teeters between breakup and breakthrough. Smart, loud, and uncomfortably honest, Stereophonic nails creative chaos, with Will Butler’s tunes, David Adjmi’s bite, and a mid-show stretch.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 11/28 Brother Dan Palmer @ Engine 8 Urban Winery – 6 pm
• 11/29 Travis Rose’s 36th Birthday @ Dead Ringer Analog Bar – 9 pm
• 11/30 I Am Untitled @ The Bridge Church – 10 am
• 11/30 Josh Rosenblum @ Peppermill Resort – 6 pm
• 11/30 K-von @ Silver Legacy – 7:30 pm
• 12/3 Max Minardi @ Peppermill Resort – 6 pm
• 12/4 Brother Dan Palmer @ Skyline Kitchen – 6 pm

🏠️ Price is right – Reno edition

How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).

Listed by: Rebecca Dickson (Dickson Realty – Caughlin)

On 2.97 acres at a quiet South Suburban Reno cul-de-sac beside the Steamboat Ditch, a park-like setting steals the show. Inside, a vaulted great room with exposed beams and a full stone fireplace frames leafy views, and an updated kitchen brings granite, stainless, a sit-up island, and a second hearth.

Tree-lined drive of asphalt and pavers, extra parking pad, and serious garage capacity. A 720 square foot detached shop with 8 and 10 foot doors plus an attached three-car. Flexible rec room with full bath, year-round enclosed patio, fenced garden, minutes to South Reno staples.

Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →