RGJ Group Homes Investigation

CLINTON ROLLS TO VICTORY IN SOUTH CAROLINA
USA TODAY PAGE 1B
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016
RGJ INVESTIGATES
LIVING
IN SQUALOR
Mentally ill pay price

for erratic oversight
of Nev. group homes
hen Jeanette McDaniel finally had

to move her elderly mother to a
group nursing home, the family
thought they could pay it forward
by renting her now-empty house to
a company that provided living support for the
mentally ill.
The four-bedroom home in an older Sparks
neighborhood was perfect: Big enough to house
up to the state limit of five clients, close to the bus
stop, near restaurants and
shopping.
We went into it truly
thinking this would be a
situation like my mother
was going into; you could
eat off the floors at the
house shes in, McDaniel
said. We felt so good
ANJEANETTE
about it. But it turned out
DAMON
to be a nightmare.
Three years after
@ANJEANETTEDAMON
McDaniel and her brother
rented their mothers
home to Project Uplift, they ended up having to
evict the organization, which had been falling further and further behind on its rent and had been
allowing its clients to live in squalid conditions at
the home.
Its hard to believe somebody could walk
through that front door and turn a blind eye to
See SQUALOR, Page 4A
State to immediately
inspect group homes
for mentally ill people
T
Above: The garage of Jeannette McDaniel's house on
Probasco Way. ANJEANETTE DAMON/RGJ
JASON BEAN/RGJ
Top: Landlord Jeanette McDaniel surveys the condition of

a house she rented to Project Uplift, which used it as a
group home for mentally ill state clients.
INSIDE
Tips on vetting a supported living home Page 6A
Its hard to believe somebody could walk through

that front door and turn a blind eye to this.
JEANETTE MCDANIEL, RENTED HOUSE TO PROJECT UPLIFT
he day this investigation into the squalid

living conditions of four mentally ill clients was published on RGJ.com, the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral
Health announced it would immediately
begin independent inspections of each home in its
system over the next seven days.
The division also will reach out to its licensing
arm, which inspects and regulates larger group
homes, to review its current service providers to
ensure the agencys mentally ill clients are being
properly cared for.
And, state officials are pursuing regulatory
changes to ensure standards are being met by
those providers.
They will have fresh eyes looking at our facilities, said Cody Phinney, administrator of the
Public and Behavioral Health Division, which
runs the states mental health services.
The announcement Thursday came just hours
after the Reno Gazette-Journal published its investigation into Project Uplift, a state contractor
that provided supported living arrangement services to mentally ill clients for three years before
See INSPECTIONS, Page 6A
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Reno Gazette-Journal Sunday, February 28, 2016 5A
Squalor
Continued from Page 1A
this, McDaniel said, standing on the fetid carpet in the living room of what was
once her childhood home. Its appalling
to me that the state would come in and
not look at how these people were living.
These are people who have no voice.
McDaniels house on Probasco Way
remains in the condition she said Project
Uplift left it in August. The carpet and
walls are stained. Constellations of dried
boogers decorate the ceiling in one bedroom. Glass closet doors are broken. The
window blinds are smashed. The kitchens ceiling fan is caked with grease. Cigarette butts and ashes cover the garage
floor.
Two chairs with cushions that were
used as ashtrays remain in the garage.
Dirty, ripped mattresses where the clients slept remain in the rooms.
The only clean room in the house is
the bathroom that was reserved for Project Uplift staff to use.
The Probasco Way house was one of 13
operated by Project Uplift, which by
2015 had become the largest provider of
supported living arrangement services
for Northern Nevada Adult Mental
Health Services, the state agency responsible for caring for mentally ill clients. Last year, 66 percent of the agencys budget for supported living services
went to Project Uplift more than $2
million.
As it turned out, the rent on the Probasco Way house wasnt the only bill Project Uplift was late on. The company
hadnt been paying its employees on
time, missed utility and cable television
bills and missed rent on other homes it
used to house clients.
By August, Project Uplifts owner,
Alonzo Hickerson, decided to close the
business.
The collapse of Project Uplift brought
to light the fragility of a state program
relied upon by more than 300 mentally ill
clients in Northern Nevada to help keep
them off the street and out of jail by providing a stable place to live.
A Reno Gazette-Journal investigation
found the small businesses providing
these services operate in a loosely regulated environment because they provide services for five or fewer clients
per house, escaping the stricter licensing requirements for larger group care
homes.
Project Uplift was the second major
provider forced to close in the past five
years, sending the state into emergency
mode to find new places for clients to
live.
In Project Uplifts case, the RGJ
found the state ignored even the minimum requirements to be certified to provide supported living arrangements for
clients. And despite monthly walkthroughs of the Probasco Way home,
state personnel never noted any of the
decaying conditions until McDaniel was
Above: A bedroom in a group home for mentally ill state clients, run by Project Uplift, is seen in Sparks on Jan. 28. PHOTOS BY BEAN/RGJ
The bathroom, top right. and the kitchen, bottom right, in a group home for mentally ill state clients run by Project Uplift.
in the middle of evicting Project Uplift.

Me and my wife, we never ran a million-dollar company before, said Hickerson, who owned Project Uplift with his
wife, Marcy Fells. We were kind of out
of our element. Im an average dude with
just an associates degree. We were kind
of overwhelmed.
A new business such as Project Uplift
is required by state regulations to prove
it has three months of cash reserves before taking in state clients. Project Uplift did not have that money.
They had just a few thousand dollars,
which is less than normal, said Brian
Burriss, a state clinical program manager who is now in charge of the housing
program. The decision must have been
made at the time that we thought they
were solvent.
While Project Uplift may have been
solvent at the beginning, it quickly became insolvent. This is the story of what
happened.
of each home to check for such things as

cleanliness, adequate food supplies and
locked-up medications.
A review of inspection reports, however, shows such walk-throughs arent
always happening every month.
This is largely due to personnel issues, and our focus has been to visit at
least one home for each provider monthly and all the homes a minimum of quarterly, Burriss said. Once the staffing
issue is resolved, we will return to all
homes monthly and I expect that to
change this month.
Records show the state mostly kept
up with monthly walk-throughs of the
house McDaniel rented to Project Uplift.
Despite the condition of the house by
August, each walk-through report noted
no problems with the home, including
the report from July. Comments on most
of the reports noted simply that the
house was clean and there was plenty of
food.
The program run by Northern Nevada Mental Health Services is a righteous

one, designed to help those with mental
illness live as independent a life as possible, off the streets, out of jail and out of
hospitals.
The state helps clients find a place to
live, either in a home like those run by
Project Uplift or an individual apartment. A case manager determines what
services the client may need to succeed,
including help taking medication, cooking meals, hygiene or simple prompting
to do such things as clean up or catch the
bus to work.
Some clients need weekly check-ins,
while others need 24-hour support.
The state pays a provider such as Project Uplift up to $435 a month for room
and board per client, and additional money for the level of support services each
client needs. The more hours of service a
client needs, the higher the payment to
the provider.
Finding community service providers can be a challenge, Burriss said.

Thats part of the reason the state created looser regulations for supported living arrangement homes. The category
sets a lower regulatory bar compared to
licensed group homes so small businesses can more easily become providers,
said Allan Mandell, director of community services for Northern Nevada Adult
Mental Health Services.
It enables them to operate small
businesses without having to fall under
the licensure requirements, Mandell
said. If youre running a group home, it
gets pretty expensive to meet the regulatory requirements.
To provide such services, a business
must be state-certified, meeting such requirements as CPR training, a criminal
background check and three months of
working capital.
State mental health officials are then
supposed to do monthly walk-throughs
Beckie Pinkston, the agencys residential program coordinator, said inspections are meant to assess the general condition of the home, saying, were
not going in with a white glove.
Instead, they want to ensure the home
is relatively neat and reasonably
clean.
Burriss agreed that it would take a severe health and safety violation for the
state to close a home.
At the time of the walk-through, it
didnt appear to be a health and welfare
issue, Burriss said.
Because stability for clients with
mental illness is paramount, the state invests time and resources into helping
providers correct problems, rather than
closing a house. The care plan also emphasizes independence. A supported living arrangement is completely voluntary for a client, Burriss said.
By the final walk-through of the Probasco Way home, however, Burriss and
Pinkston agreed the house was not in a

livable condition.
No. Its not OK, Burriss said, noting
that if another provider had come in to
care for the clients at the Probasco
home, state officials wouldve required
the house to be fixed.
Hickerson started out in the mental
health business as an employee for a service provider.
One of the people from the state said,
You guys are good at what you do, why
dont you start your own company and
well help you, Hickerson said.
Thus, Project Uplift was born in 2012.
The house Project Uplift rented from
McDaniel was one of their first homes.
At the beginning, when the company
was small, everything seemed to work,
Hickerson and state officials agreed. In
fact, things were going so well that the
state asked Hickerson to expand.
I said, We just opened last year and
were just living month-to-month,
3800 S. Virginia Street | atlantiscasino.com/spa |
Hickerson said.
But Hickerson said the state promised to help him. The agency helped him
with first and last month rent deposits on
new houses and found employees to staff
the houses, he said.
They were in a bind because they
didnt have nowhere to put these people,
Hickerson said.
Burriss confirmed the state was frantically looking for providers because a
major service provider had just closed
after failing to follow Medicaid rules and
being placed on the excluded providers
list.
We were moving people out as fast as
we could, he said.
Soon, Project Uplift was billing the
state $300,000 a month to provide services for up to 50 people in 13 houses,
Hickerson said.
Thats when things started falling
apart.
Hickerson said Project Uplift relied
on a couple of big-dollar contracts for clients who needed 24-hour supervision to
help fill financial gaps for clients who
needed fewer services and therefore
came with smaller contracts.
But one of his big contract clients
died. And the state began cutting back on
service hours for some of his other clients, Hickerson said.
Heres the biggest issue: They would
want you to staff the house for 24 hours,
but they would only give you enough
money for 12 hours, Hickerson said.
They tell you, dont staff it for the whole
24 hours. But you cant do that with mentally disabled people in the house.
We didnt have enough money to
make ends meet. That was the bottom
line.
Burriss said his agency first started
noticing problems with Project Uplift in
late 2014. One of the houses had some
maintenance problems, such as a broken
drawer in the bedroom and a smoke detector that wasnt working.
In September 2014, the inhaler for one
of Project Uplifts clients went missing,
necessitating a corrective action plan. In
October 2014, the state found severe personnel problems, including employees
who hadnt undergone criminal background checks staffing houses.
Burriss described those violations as
disturbing.
Later that year, some of the houses began to have cable television service cut.
It turned out Project Uplift was late on
cable, trash and phone bills, Burriss said.
As for the homes themselves, conditions varied drastically, Pinkston said.
One former Project Uplift home toured
by a reporter was in pristine condition,
with food cooking in the crockpot, clean
well-decorated rooms and craft projects
in various stages of completion.
While the Probasco Way home was
quickly becoming dilapidated, other
homes were worse, Pinkston said.
The state had to close one home and
transfer the clients elsewhere.
See SQUALOR, Page 6A
6A Sunday, February 28, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal
Squalor
I know what my homes look like and I

would want to make sure that that place
was cleaner, she said. Carpet, furniture, I would change all those things.
When we were moving them, my
staff, they were like, Oh my goodness.
We didnt know that provider homes
could be like this.
Providing living support services to
the mentally ill can be a challenging
business. But it is definitely a business.
Ogundimu described it as both challenging and rewarding. Her business
hasnt been without its problems.
The states most recent walk-through
of one of her homes found the staff to be

overwhelmed, the house to be in need of
a good cleaning and some other general
maintenance issues to be addressed.
But she said she has worked hard to
keep her business a manageable size and
wont bite off more than I can chew.
She isnt sympathetic with Hickersons claim the state pushed him to expand too quickly.
I want to grow, but I dont want to
grow too big to provide quality services
for my clients, she said. They cant
force anybody to do more than they want
to do.
Ogundimu said the requirement for

three months cash reserves is important
for the clients.
They dont want to put somebody
with you if the utilities are going to be
shut off or the (clients) find themselves
on the street, she said.
Kim Hodges and her business partner,
Vicki Winfield, both worked for Project
Uplift, but decided to start their own
company and took over a Project Uplift
home in north Sparks.
The house is immaculate and welldecorated. They have a chore chart to
help the clients with the houses upkeep.
They check Pinterest for fun craft projects for the clients to work on.
Hodges said the pair learned a lot
about what not to do from their experience at Project Uplift. She said they
spent the final months with Project Uplift pulling their hair out to get people to
come into work.
Its something you gotta have a passion for, Hodges said. Its not just a
job.
Much as Project Uplift was tapped to
fill the void left by an imploding service
provider, JC Family Services is now being relied on by the state to provide housing for clients in the wake of Project Uplifts closure.
At its peak, 66 percent of the states
transitional living budget was going to
Project Uplift, which was by far the largest provider for Northern Nevada Adult
Mental Health Services.
JC Family Services is quickly taking
over that top spot. The company has
grown from three houses to 11 since it
opened in June 2011.
Not by choice, owner Chandra Williams said. But we want to make sure to
help people.
Williams is a hands-on owner.
When she walked in the door of a
house being toured by a reporter, she zeroed in on the caretaker.
It smells funny, she said. Why?
Burriss said his agency has learned
from its experience with Project Uplift.
They are assessing whether to implement new policies to ensure existing
businesses keep a healthy cash reserve
and are keeping a close eye how JC Family Services grows.
We are in discussions on how we can
improve our oversight of that, Burriss
said. We are looking at what is a reasonable amount to hold in reserve.
Meanwhile, McDaniel is in limbo.
Her mothers house remains in the
condition Project Uplift left it in carpets stained, broken windowpanes, abandoned furniture.
She said she is considering a lawsuit
against the state since Project Uplift has
no money, but as a native Nevadan, really
doesnt want to go through with it.
Wed just like to resolve this, she
said. They have some liability in this. Id
like the state to give my mother something to help with the repairs.
At this point, the state and Project Uplift are pointing fingers at each other.
The state clients, those are the ones
who destroyed the house, we were just
the middleman, Hickerson said. Its the
clients home. Were just there to monitor
them. And how can I monitor them for
only eight hours?
But McDaniels lease agreement was
with Project Uplift, which doesnt have
the assets to pay for the damages, she
said.
Burriss said McDaniel hasnt submitted any claims, but that his agency would
pay for any damage they could prove was
done by the clients.
It would be hard to justify using state
dollars to make repairs without it, Burriss said.
to inspect homes currently being operated by an array of supported living service providers in Northern Nevada.
Such providers are typically small
businesses who have varying degrees of
experience and expertise in mental
health services.
Phinney said the states mental health
personnel conducting prior inspections
of homes may have overlooked the deteriorating conditions of some of the
homes because they know how difficult
it is to find alternative providers. The

consequences for closing a house can be
drastic for those living in it.
They know that these people might
be living on the street or under a bridge
(if not for the house), Phinney said.
That doesnt excuse it, but it may provide some explanation.
Phinney added that the agency is
desperate for people to provide these
services.
The inspections of the remaining
homes should be concluded by Thursday.

Any home weve identified any issues with will have a deeper review and
a plan of correction to make sure those
issues will be address, Phinney said.
Phinney said the state is also exploring options to assist the owner of the
Probasco Way home, Jeanette McDaniel, in making repairs to the house,
which was left in shambles by Project
Uplift.
Project Uplift also had difficulty paying its staff. Between April and September 2015, nine employees filed complaints with the Labor Commissioners
Office. All but two have been paid or dismissed as of February.
At the time, that meant staff werent
showing up to work, leaving clients at
risk, Burriss said.
The state finally had to take action
and froze referrals to Project Uplift.
It looked like (Project Uplift) was
getting too big too fast, Burriss said.
Burriss and his team started crafting
a plan to reduce the number of homes
run by Project Uplift to two. But in the
middle of the plan, Hickerson decided to
pull the plug entirely and closed his business.
By that time, Project Uplift had been
paid $3.5 million over three years by the
state.
Hickerson blames the state for not
providing the support he was promised
when he began expanding his business a claim Burriss disputes.
Im not saying Im not responsible,
Hickerson said. The bottom line is, it
was my company. It was my name on it.
Now, my credit will never be right. I
cant own another company for years.
Im dealing with the IRS on some stuff.
I just fell for it. Now, I see why a lot of
people dont do it.
Although the Northern Nevada Adult
Mental Health agency didnt intervene
until late 2014, indications of Project Uplifts financial instability existed well before that.
Records from the Nevada Labor Commissioners Office show Project Uplift
may have been having money problems
as early as September 2012. Thats when
the first reports came in from two Project Uplift employees saying they hadnt
been paid properly.
Even from the beginning, Project Uplift didnt meet the operating capital requirement, and as it grew, the state didnt
appear to check in on its cash reserves. If
it had, it would have been apparent that
Project Uplift didnt have the money.
We were billing $300,000 a month;
that means we shouldve had $1million in
the bank, Hickerson said. We never
had that kind of money.
Because of federal patient confidentiality laws, neither the state nor the service providers can identify the clients
who lived in the Probasco Way home or
other Project Uplift houses. None were
interviewed for this story.
The clients from Project Uplifts 13
homes were spread out across the various providers still in business.
Some of Project Uplifts former employees started businesses of their own
and took over some of the houses so clients didnt have to move. Some clients
were placed in vacancies at other homes.
The four clients living in the Probasco
house were able to stay together at a
home opened by Able Abilities, which
has been in business for more than a decade. Keeping the clients together was
important to Pinkston, who said theyve
become a family after living together for
so long.
They are doing very well, said Beatrice Ogundimu, owner of Able Abilities. They have a good place now and
they are OK.
Ogundimu said she considered trying
to take over the Probasco house, rather
than move the clients, but the condition
wasnt tolerable.
Inspections
succumbing to a raft of financial problems.

Phinney said she is bringing in inspectors from other agencies, including
the intellectual disability services agency and the environment health division
Above: Kim Hodges, left, and Vicki Winfield run Rising Star, which provides supported living
arrangements for mentally ill state clients in a home in north Sparks. ANJEANETTE DAMON/RGJ
Top: Landlord Jeanette McDaniel surveys the condition of a house she rented to Project Uplift,
which used it as a group home for mentally ill state clients in Sparks on Jan. 28. JASON BEAN/RGJ
TIPS FOR VETTING A SUPPORTED LIVING HOME

If you were looking into a licensed facility, such as a group home for an elderly family member,
you would be able to go online and look up the entire inspection history of the house before
making a decision.
Its not so simple to investigate a supported living provider for people with severe mental illness.
Such businesses, which offer care for up to five clients in a house, operate under far looser
regulations. If the homes are inspected, those reports are not posted online and must be
requested.
Typically, the state is placing its mentally ill clients, often people who have no family or close
friends to help them, with providers they are familiar with. Because the care program is
completely voluntary and is geared toward helping clients live independent lives, its up to the
client to decide whether to live at the house and accept the services of the provider.
This week, as part of its investigation into the living conditions at some of those homes, the Reno
Gazette-Journal talked with Cody Phinney, administrator of the state Division of Behavioral and
Public Health, for suggestions on how to vet a provider.
Here are her tips:
If youre helping a family member, be sure to
do a walk-through of the house prior to
choosing a home and visit your family member
there often.
Ask the provider about what kind of
transportation is either provided or available
nearby.
Ask about what types of activities the
provider will be supporting. For instance, if a
treatment plan includes learning how to cook
and prepare meals, find out specifically what is
being done to achieve this goal.
Request any sanctions or corrective action
plans available on the provider. Many providers
experience problems at some point. The

important thing is to see how that provider
corrected the problem and whether it recurred.
Ask to see the providers emergency plan. If
a provider has an emergency plan, that is an
indication to me that they are forward
thinking. If they cant provide one, its a red
flag, Phinney said.
Clients who experience problems at their
home should report them to their state case
manager. If they cant be resolved, a client or
family member can call Northern Nevada Adult
Mental Health Services at 775-688-2001 and ask
to speak to the agency director.
WHERES THE
Three takes on a
St. Patricks Day
staple to make it
a memorable one
BEEF?
Food & Drink, 1E
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016
ONLINE AT RGJ.COM
TRUMP WINS BIG; SANDERS STUNS CLINTON IN MICHIGAN PAGE 1B
$90M bond OKd for new rentals

Summit Club project plans 584 units
for mixed market, affordable housing
JASON HIDALGO
JHIDALGO@RGJ.COM
The Summit Club Apartments took one

step closer to reality after the state approved a $90 million bond for the project.
Officials with the Nevada State Board
of Finance approved the bond on Tuesday
to help finance the project, which will fea-
RGJ INVESTIGATES
ture a mix of 80 percent market rate housing and 20 percent workforce or affordable housing. Of the 584 total units
planned for the project, 117 will be set
aside for tenants making 50 percent or
less of the median income in Reno, which
is about $44,426.
The project will be built on former
Summit Sierra land that was bought last
year by Sierra Summit LLC. The company

is not related to the owners of The Summit
shopping center. Reasons for choosing the
location on Mount Rose Highway and Interstate 580 include proximity to the shopping center as well as an RTC Park & Ride
location for easier access by residents to
Reno and Carson City transit, said Chip
Bowlby, co-managing partner of Sierra
Summit LLC. Bowlby also announced a
$100,000 donation by Sierra Summit LLC
on Tuesday to a campaign around a ballot
question for school infrastructure spending in Washoe County.
FOLLOW UP
TOUGH
LESSON
SANDOVAL SAYS MISTAKES WERE
MADE IN GROUP HOME OVERSIGHT
We are immensely proud of the plans

our team have created, Bowlby said. We
are meeting a critical need for housing to
help sustain the resurgence of the economy throughout the region.
The bonds for the project, which will
be issued by the Nevada Housing Division, will be paid for entirely through
apartment rents, Bowlby said. The state
also will have no liability for the bond,
which will not use public money, Bowlby
added.
See SUMMIT, Page 8A
12 vie for
1 opening
on school
board
Public can offer opinion,
but 6 board members will
choose who fills vacancy
TREVON MILLIARD
TMILLIARD@RGJ.COM
ANJEANETTE DAMON
A dozen people have applied for one

position on the Washoe County School
Board left vacant by a recent resignation.
Applicants include a college professor, former school board member,
salesman, middle school teacher and
consultant recently contracted by the
board.
All applicants must live in District
G, which is the west half of Washoe
County.
District G representative Barbara
McLaury stepped down in January, citing health problems. Her term ends
Dec. 31, leaving the position to be filled
by an appointee for the rest
of the year.
Although the public can Inside
offer comments about ap- Election
plicants and who theyd
will decide
prefer, the choice is up to
control of
the school boards six re- Washoe
maining members. In the
County
event of a mid-term vacanSchool
cy, voters dont pick their Board 2A
representative as they normally would in an election
at the end of a board members four-year term.
The board asked applicants to answer six questions:
Why are they interesting in serving on the school board?
What experiences, interests or
skills would they bring to the school
board?
What are the major challenges
facing Washoe County public schools?
What are the districts strengths
and weaknesses, and how can the district improve?
What are the boards strengths
and weaknesses, and how can the board
improve?
What is a board members role?
| ADAMON@RGJ.COM
n a meeting Tuesday to approve immediate fixes to the

oversight of group homes for mentally ill clients, Gov.
Brian Sandoval acknowledged a weak regulatory environment led to mistakes.
Its a tough lesson, Sandoval said, adding he learned
of the squalid condition of two group homes in Reno
through the Reno Gazette-Journal. Obviously, this
wasnt something I was aware of and mistakes were made
and they need to be fixed and they will be fixed.
At Board of Examiners meeting, the director of the Department of Health and Human Services Richard Whitley
said the state is taking immediate action to improve oversight of the homes, which currently fall into a loosely regulated environment. The changes come in the wake of an
RGJ investigation into Project Uplift, which experienced
a raft of problems as the state pushed it to become the
largest provider of supported living services in Northern
Nevada. The business ultimately closed after allowing
conditions at two of its houses to deteriorate.
See OVERSIGHT, Page 8
JASON BEAN, JASON BEAN/RGJ
Top: Landlord Jeanette McDaniel surveys the condition of a

house she rented to Project Uplift, which used it as a group
home for mentally ill state clients, on Jan. 28.
See BOARD, Page 2A
Weather
Todays Quick Read
High 59
Low 46
Inside today
Call RGJ
FOR DELIVERY
AND CUSTOMER
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VOL. 37, NO. 69
$1.25 Retail
A daily dose
Moshay Akala gets

Soroptimists Ruby
Award March 17
Forecast, page 11A
Local................................................1-8A
Voices.................................................6A
Business .......................................9-10A
USA Today .....................................1-8B
Our Nevada .................................1-12C
Obituaries .........................................8C
Crossword/Abby..............................3C
Movies/TV Grid ................................6C
Comics................................................7C
Sports..............................................1-8D
Lottery...............................................2A
Scoreboard.......................................6D
Good News
Pack looking for even more

from RB James Butler in 2016
James Butlers 2015 season was
one of the best for a Wolf Pack running back. But he wasnt the starter.
That will change in 2016 as he assumes the role of offensive leader.
Sports, 1D
Two new stores set to open

at The Summit this weekend
The Summit announced the grand
opening of two new retailers. Dress
Barn and Spavia Day Spa will open
Friday and Saturday.
Business, 9A
Mosetanola Moshay Akala of

the Womens and Childrens Center
of the Sierra will be honored with
the Ruby Award from Soroptimist
International of Truckee Meadows
on March 17 at the Atlantis Casino
Resort Spa in Reno.
The award is presented annually
by SITM to a woman in the community who has made a significant
difference in the lives of women and
girls through their business or profession, volunteerism or personal
endeavors.
SITM will make a contribution of
$750 in Akalas name to a non-profit
of her choice. She will also be placed
in consideration for an award from
the Sierra Nevada Region of Soroptimist International of the Americas.
To attend the luncheon, contact
SITM at http://sitmnv.org/contact/.
SEND YOUR GOOD NEWS TO
goodnews@RGJ.com.
8A Wednesday, March 9, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal
Oversight
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The change approved

unanimously by the Board
of Examiners on Tuesday
requires such service providers to notify the landlords of their homes that
they will be housing mentally ill clients on the property. Although the owner
of the Probasco Way home
featured in the RGJ investigation knew that Project
Uplift was using it as a
group home for mentally
ill clients, that notification
doesnt always occur, state
officials said.
Whitley said the state
also is taking disciplinary
action against an employee
of the Northern Nevada
Adult Mental Health Services who didnt immediately report that the owner
of the Probasco Way home
JASON BEAN, JASON BEAN/RGJ
A group home for mentally ill state clients, run by Project

Uplift, is seen in Sparks. Project Uplift ultimately closed after
allowing conditions at two of its houses to deteriorate.
had complained about the

condition it was left in after Project Uplift was evicted.
The agency has offered
to clean and paint the
house, but the owner has
yet to accept the offer.
You stand ready willing and able to clean that
up, Sandoval confirmed
during the meeting.
The state provides
funding for three different
types of group homes: for
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The 80/20 mix for the

Summit Club Apartments
is important because it fills
a need in the community,
said Michael Holliday, Nevada Housing Division
chief financial officer. In
addition to surging home
prices spurred by strong
demand and limited supply, a report by apartment
search company Abodo
also found that Reno posted the third-highest in-
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developmentally disabled
clients, for clients undergoing substance abuse
treatment and for mentally ill clients.
State regulations are
virtually non-existent for
mentally ill clients, while
stiffer regulations are in
place for the other two categories.
Whitley vowed that
would change, saying the
state would no longer rely
on a clients caseworker to
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inspect the conditions of

the home the client lives in.
Instead, inspectors from
the departments licensing
arm will provide that oversight.
Whitley said the state
also would make it easier
for residents to look into
group homes in their
neighborhoods. While inspection reports are publicly available for licensed
group homes, there is no
easy way to vet homes for
mentally ill clients.
We need to improve
our transparency on our
website to be able to show
these residential sites,
Whitley said.
Sandoval praised state
officials quick reaction to
the RGJ investigation.
Its important to me
we learn lessons from this
and going forward we
take care of business and
make sure this cant
happen again, Sandoval
said.
crease in apartment rent
nationwide since the beginning of the year. A survey
by moving company United Van Lines also found Nevada to be one of the top 10
states nationwide for movers and No. 2 in the West.
This project is the first
of its kind in Northern Nevada and opens the door to
this sort of creative housing blend to meet the everchanging needs of our
community, Holliday said.
Summit Club Apartments is considered the
first project of its kind in
Nevada to use the bond financing program on a
Class A location.
Developers are aiming
for a spring start to construction for the Summit
Club Apartments, which
should start occupancy later this year or in early 2017.
The project will incorporate
avillage-style design featuring buildings of 12, 18 and 26
units featuring one- and
two-bedroom apartments.
The project received
support from Reno Mayor
Hillary Schieve, who called
it another step in Renos revival. The Summit Club
development
addresses
the need for more housing
that will support Northern
Nevadas growing and diverse economy, Schieve
said.
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Dismal 3-point shooting

dooms Pack in semifinal
loss to San Diego State
Sports, 1C
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016
ONLINE AT RGJ.COM
NANCY REAGAN REMEMBERED FOR DEVOTION TO HUSBAND PAGE 1B
Series
of winter
storms
to hit
Oh boy, do they have bed bugs. I wont even go in the front door
anymore because Im afraid Ill get bed bugs.
WANDA MAGLIOCCO
| FRIEND OF RESIDENT OF GROUP HOME
Forecasters predict rain,

snow across Sierra along
with heavy gusts of wind
MARCELLA CORONA
MCORONA@RGJ.COM
Firefighters and paramedics remove a woman from a group home for health reasons in Northwest Reno on Friday.
Spring is just around the corner, but

dont expect warm, sunny skies and
flowers this weekend.
Reno forecasters expect valley
rain, mountain snow and gusty winds
this weekend as a storm pushes
through the region in two waves.
Its going to be a series of winter
storms that will impact the region this
weekend with gusty winds and with
periods of snowfall in the Sierra, meteorologist Scott McGuire said Friday.
The storm could drop rain and snow
into Monday morning from the Lake
Tahoe Basin north into western Lassen
County, with up to 2 feet or more likely
in areas above 7,000 feet. Forecasters
also expect up to 2 feet of snow in western Lassen County in areas above
5,500 feet.
About a foot of snow is possible in
areas at Lake Tahoe level, but how
much falls depends on snow level,
forecasters said on the National
Weather Service. It could be only a
few inches with a warm storm or almost 2 feet on the west shore in a cold
scenario.
Meanwhile, Reno could see rain on
Saturday and Monday and a mix of
rain and snow on Sunday with little or
no snow accumulation, forecasters
said. That includes areas in south Reno
and in the Sun Valley area.
Truckee residents could see up to 5
inches of snowfall by Saturday night.
By Sunday, up to 6 to 10 inches of snow
could cover the area as a mix of rain
and snow continues to fall. About an
inch of snow could fall on Monday,
forecaster said.
Travelers can expect up to 3 inches
of snow Saturday during the day with
up to 9 inches possible by night time
along Donner Pass Road, forecasters
said. Up to 11 inches of snow could fall
in the area by Sunday with up to 2 inches likely by Monday.
JASON BEAN/RGJ
EMERGENCY RAID TARGETS

GROUP HOME IN RENO
State health inspectors strike after questions about filthy conditions

ANJEANETTE DAMON | ADAMON@RGJ.COM
early six months after state officials noted serious

problems including bed bugs, filth and a lack of
controls on medications in a northwest Reno
group home, inspectors launched an emergency investigation at the house and removed at least one woman in an ambulance.
The emergency raid at the house came one day after the
Reno Gazette-Journal asked questions about the group
home on Kings Row after a woman called to describe filthy
conditions inside the house.
Oh boy, do they have bed bugs, said Wanda Magliocco,
who helps care for an elderly friend who lives at the house.
I wont even go in the front door anymore because Im
afraid Ill get bed bugs.
Magliocco said she took her friend and his developmentally disabled roommate to a restaurant recently and
heres bed bugs crawling out of (the roommates) shirt!
Magliocco also described a bedridden resident who urinated on the mattress.
I used to go in and say hi to her, Magliocco said. But
she is confined to the bed. She doesnt open the door anymore.
See RAID, Page 4A
See STORMS, Page 4A
Beer, food trucks, art to gather at The Eddy

Riverside Artists Lofts
residents voice worries
about noise pollution
MIKE HIGDON
MHIGDON@RGJ.COM
MIKE HIGDON/RGJ
The corner of Sierra and Court streets directly

south of the Truckee River will host The Eddy.
Weather
High 55
Low 39
Forecast, page 8A
Inside today
Local..............................................1-10A
Voices.................................................2A
Business .........................................7-8A
USA Today .....................................1-6B
Our Nevada ..................................1-6D
Obituaries .....................................2-3D
Crossword/Abby .............................3D
Movies/TV Grid................................5D
Comics ...............................................4D
Sports ............................................1-10C
Lottery...............................................4A
Scoreboard .......................................9C
Call RGJ
FOR DELIVERY
AND CUSTOMER
SERVICE:
Call 775-327-6788
or 800-970-7366
VOL. 37, NO. 72
$1.25 Retail
The Eddy will be Renos first cargo

container park built as one big self-contained patio.
Developers, Kurt Stitser and Phil
Buckheart of Realm Constructors,
Todays Quick Read

Police release name of man
who was shot by seven officers
A total of seven law enforcement
officers fired their weapons at Arteair Porter, 22, who was pronounced
dead at Renown Regional Medical
Center.
Local news, 6A
Big Sky: Weber State outlasts

North Dakota in overtime
Jeremy Senglin scored nine of his
31 points in overtime and Weber
State beat North Dakota, 83-78, Friday night in a Big Sky Conference
Tournament semifinal at the Reno
Events Center.
Sports, 1C
Spring forward
Set your clocks
ahead one
hour Sunday
at 2 a.m.
to observe
Daylight
Saving Time.
1 HOUR
SET YOUR
CLOCKS
based their designs on the San Francisco Biergarten and similar Proxy. The
goal of The Eddy is to serve beer, wine
and spirits with rotating food trucks and
local art installations from noon to
about 6 or 8 p.m. during a five-year
lease. After the prototype stage, theyll
see what works and might move it to
Fourth Street or Midtown, Buckheart
said.
Some of the residents at Riverside
Artists Lofts complained via email to
city council members about possible
noise pollution, increased crime and lit-
Good News
$100,000
ter and decreased parking.

Dont get me wrong, as I would love
to see the lot developed next door, last
year there was talk of putting in a park
for the community with shared gardens and I cheered, wrote Mary Bennett, resident and producing artist director at Bruka Theatre. Can you imagine a beer garden/concert venue in your
backyard directly outside your bedroom/family window every day and every night?
See EDDY, Page 4A
Biggest Little Chicken Wing Giveaway
A daily dose
RTC will offer

free rides during
St. Patricks Day
The Regional Transportation
Commission is offering free rides on
its transit services to provide safe
transportation for St. Patricks Day.
All regularly scheduled transit
services will be free on Thursday
from 4 p.m. to midnight.
Additionally, the downtown circulator bus, Sierra Spirit, will have
extended hours, running until midnight.
To plan a trip, visit www.RTC
washoe.com and use the Google
Transit feature on the homepage.
There is also information on routes
and schedules.
Supporters include Northern
Nevada DUI Task Force, CH2M,
HDR, NCE, Traffic Works, KimleyHorn, DJ Benardis Memorial Fund,
KOLO 8 and the Cumulus Radio
Group.
goodnews@RGJ.com.
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#YoullTakeTheCashAnyway
329-4777 1-800-MUST-SEE (687-8733) silverlegacy.com
4A Saturday, March 12, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal
OBITUARIES
Barker, Carol dePriest
Hadler, Joseph Henry II
(Gardenswartz)
Jones, Barbara Louise Sgheiza
Cirelli, Albert Anthony Jr.
Romans, Janet E.
Daniels, James Michael
Complete obituaries, 2-3D
HOW TO PUBLISH AN OBITUARY OR REMEMBRANCE
Email obits@rgj.com. For more information, call 775-788-6421.
SEND US YOUR NEWS

For story suggestions, news tips and general news releases, send
your information to news@rgj.com or call 775-788-6397.
CONTACT THE NEWS STAFF

MARCELLA CORONA
SIOBHAN MCANDREW
BREAKING NEWS REPORTER

775-788-6340
HIGHER EDUCATION REPORTER

775-788-6417
ANJEANETTE DAMON
TREVON MILLIARD
mcorona@rgj.com
@Marcella_Anahi
smcandrew@rgj.com
@Siobhanmcandrew
CITY WATCHDOG REPORTER

775-327-6799
K-12 EDUCATION REPORTER

775-788-6343
JASON HIDALGO
WOLF PACK REPORTER

775-788-6543
adamon@rgj.com
@anjeanettedamon
tmilliard@rgj.com
CHRIS MURRAY
TESLA & RENO REBIRTH REPORTER

775-788-6341
cmurray@rgj.com
@MurrayRGJ
jhidalgo@rgj.com
@jasonhidalgo
SETH A. RICHARDSON

775-788-6301
MIKE HIGDON
CITY LIFE REPORTER

775-788-6332
srichardson@rgj.com
@SethARichardson
mhigdon@rgj.com
@mikehigdon
BENJAMIN SPILLMAN
OUTDOORS REPORTER
775-788-6435
JENNY KANE
BURNING MAN/ARTS REPORTER

775-788-6307
bspillman@rgj.com
@ByBenSpillman
jkane@rgj.com
@Jenny_Kane
JOHNATHAN WRIGHT
FOOD & DRINK REPORTER

775-327-6770
JIM KRAJEWSKI
PREP SPORTS REPORTER
jwright@rgj.com
@RGJTaste
775-788-6377
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@krajewskijim
CIRCULATION
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ERROR WATCH
If you see an error, please call the newsroom at 775-788-6397.
CALIFORNIA LOTTERY
MEGA MILLIONS
14-18-48-54-71
Mega number: 13
Raid
State health and elder

abuse inspectors arrived
at the home about 8:45
a.m. Friday, after the Reno Gazette-Journal relayed Maglioccos concerns to the state on
Thursday. While the state
Department of Health
and Human Services confirmed an active investigation, officials could
provide little further
comment on the house.
Our regulators who
were out there today did
what they were supposed
to do, DHHS Director
Richard Whitley said.
That is, if they identify a
consumer in jeopardy,
they are not to leave the
facility until they remediate it. Calling the ambulance was the appropriate
thing to do. They saw a
risk and they took action.
The home appears to
be operated by Silver
State Behavioral Health,
owned by Larry Carter.
Reached by phone Friday afternoon, Carter
said the resident was taken from the home because she needs a higher
level of care than he is licensed to provide.
Carter said he provides assisted living services to clients with behavioral or developmental health issues. Such services include prompts for
JASON BEAN/RGJ
State health inspectors talk with a resident of a group home

in Northwest Reno on Friday.
such things as taking

medication, bathing or
eating. Under his license,
Carter said, he is unable
to bathe clients or take
more hands-on actions.
He said he was waiting
for the results of the inspection and said he
would take care of any
bed bug issues.
The group home appears to be an unlicensed
facility, where Medicaid
clients are housed without state supervision or
inspections. Because the
homes clients are not also
clients of the states mental health or developmental services agencies, the
house has fallen into a
regulatory black hole
with no consistent oversight.
Pieces of the paper
trail obtained by the Reno
Gazette-Journal in its ini-
tial investigation into the

home show complaints
have been bounced from
the city to the state to the
county, while the residents remained at the
house.
In December, state
health officials referred a
complaint of bed bugs to
the Reno code enforcement division. City officials said they referred
the complaint back to the
state, believing the state
regulates group homes.
In September, two ombudsmen from the state
Division of Aging and
Disability
Services
walked through the house
and noted the home appeared dirty inside.
There were stains on
the carpet, dark spots on
the walls and (the) resident stated the facility
had bed bugs as well, the
report said.
The ombudsmen also
noted the house had no
medication list or documentation and said there
were fights at night
among the residents. The
ombudsmens attempt to
discuss the condition with
the houses caregiver resulted in little information, the report said.
The ombudsmen concluded that they had concerns about the facility
possibly operating as an
unlicensed group home.
DHHS spokeswoman
Chrystal Main said she
had no information immediately available about
how that complaint was
handled by the department, or if any follow-up
occurred before the
emergency inspection on
Friday.
Main did confirm that
neither the states developmental services or
mental health services
agencies have clients at
the home.
Carter said his clients
routinely come from the
Community Assistance
Center, which serves as
the homeless shelter for
Reno and Sparks and
Washoe County.
He said his clients pay
a portion of the rent with
their Social Security or
disability income. He said
he charges about $500 a
month to live in the house.
He then bills Medicaid for
the wrap around supported living services the
clients need.
Storms
REALM CONSTRUCTORS, PROVIDED TO THE RGJ
A rendering of The Eddy, a future communal space in

downtown Reno. This view is from the corner of Sierra
Street and Island Avenue looking southeast.
Eddy
The layout of the enclosed beer garden includes several entry

points during the day for
families, then closes
down to one entry with security in the evening 21
and over crowd. A large
space on one side can hold
up to three food trucks
depending on their size.
Buckheart said they want
to host food trucks on a
rotating basis; for example, one food truck may
always appear on Tuesdays and another only on
Wednesdays so people
know when and where to
find their favorites.
We also want to host
events like yoga in the
morning and a farmers
market in the summer,
Buckheart said.
The Eddy would not
require an entry fee unless an event or show required one, he added.
Other parts of The Eddy is designed with bike
racks, bocci ball courts,
bathrooms (not portable
toilets) and of course,
bars, according to a blueprint. The landscaping includes turf, pavers, vines
or hops and shrubbery.
The blueprint also shows
space for parking outside
the walls.
Buckheart and Stitser
started working with artists who can add a local
touch.
We want to bring in
carpenters to build funky
tables, painters for the
containers and sculptors
for the communal space,
he said.
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At a glance
Chains or snow tires are
required along Interstate 80
west of Truckee and on
Mount Rose Highway. High
profile vehicles over 9 feet are
prohibited along Bowers
Mansion Road. High profile
vehicles should drive carefully
along Interstate 580 from
South Reno to Carson City.
Reno-area forecast
Today: Rain likely, 20 mph
winds with 45 mph gusts; high
56, low 45
Sunday: Rain likely, 30 mph
winds with 50 mph gusts; high
57, low 38
Monday: A chance of rain,
snow showers; high 49, low 33
Tuesday: Mostly sunny; high
55, low 33
Tahoe-area
forecast
Today: Snow, up to 3 to 7
inches likely; high 41, low 25
Sunday: Rain, snow, 20 mph
winds with 30 mph gusts, up
to 12 inches snow likely; high
38, low 32
Monday: Snow showers
likely, up to 2 inches possible;
high 37, low 28
RJ-0000521286
Look for
the
Special
70th
Anniversary
tags and
automatically
take
an extra
20% off the
lowest
marked
price.
The project appeared

on a neighborhood advisory board agenda and
public notice before the
developers were ready to
announce it, so they have
been meeting with the
neighborhood to catch up
with everyone this week,
Buckheart said.
Buckheart
emphasized the plan to make
The Eddy a low key community space for daytime
use and envisions people
reading books or playing
on their computers while
enjoying a beer during
the day. He also said it
could be used for special
events and evening music. Buckheart said the
design would include
noise deflection.
Were trying not to
make it a late evening
place because of other
bars and clubs downtown, he said. It will
hopefully bring people
from all over the city
downtown to check out
the art and walk around
the area, then they can go
to Wild River Grille for a
sit-down dinner.
The opening of the The
Eddy would coincide with
other new downtown developments, such as the
Virginia Street Bridge
opening on April 12 and
businesses opening in
The Basement of The
Post Office nearby.
Most rain and snow

will occur Sunday night
with light snow accumulation down to 5,000 feet possible as snow levels fall,
forecasters said on the National Weather Service
website.
But snow isnt the only
thing the storm will bring.
High winds with gusts of
45 mph could blast
through the region with
gusts blowing over 100
mph at times over the
ridges, forecasters said.
For Western Nevada,
more wind is expected
with gusts to 45 mph Saturday and Sunday, while a
few gusts to 60 mph are
possible in wind prone locations, forecasters said.
A warming trend could
heat Reno up early next
week.
Light showers are expected to linger Monday,
though
precipitation
chances will be decreasing
from the south to the north
as the day progresses,
forecasters said.
Ryan Pinjuv
Pat Pinjuv
Mike McMordie
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Tuesday: Mostly sunny; high

44, low 26
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SUPER SURGES
Donald Trump wins primaries in
3 states, Hillary Clinton wins 4
as both roll to big leads; Marco Rubio
loses in Fla., suspends campaign, 1B
x
PART OF
PART
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THE USA
USA TODAY
TODA
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ORK
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016
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State issues cease and desist

Bed bug-infested group home not providing
level of care 1 resident requires, officials say
RGJ
Silver State Behavioral Health

Inc. was illegally housing the
woman, who needed a higher
State health inspectors islevel of care than the group
sued a cease and desist order on INVESTIGATES home is licensed to provide.
FOLLOW UP
Tuesday to the operator of an unThe home on Kings Row,
licensed group home in northhowever, remains open.
west Reno after removing a woman from
The operator cleaned and treated for
the bed-bug infested house in an ambu- bed bugs over the weekend and continues
lance last week.
to house the remaining six residents, who
Health inspectors who conducted an dont need that higher level of medical
emergency inspection on Friday found care.
ANJEANETTE DAMON
ADAMON@RGJ.COM
Inspectors who visited the house on

Friday found a bed-bug infestation,
strong odors throughout the house and
soiled conditions. A total of seven people
were living in the four-bedroom house, according to state inspectors.
CBI tournament likely will turn a prot for
Although inspectors found deplorable
with
conditions at the house,Wolf
it was Pack
the fact
one 4,000 tickets sold already
of the residents needed a higher-level of
care that prompted the cease and desist
letter, not the condition of the home.
It didnt appear the assistance she was
receiving was adequate, said Joe Pollock, deputy administrator of the Nevada
JASON BEAN
Division of Public and Behavioral Health. State health inspectors talk with a resident of
See GROUP HOME, Page 11A
a group home in Northwest Reno on Friday

after a woman was removed from the home.
How to
weigh in
on snack
guidelines
MONEY
BALL
Washoe behind schedule

on implementing federal
standards for food, drink
TREVON MILLIARD
TMILLIARD@RGJ.COM
CBI tournament likely

will turn a profit for
Wolf Pack with 4,000
tickets sold already
JASON BEAN/RGJ
Nevada's Cameron Oliver (0) dunks while taking on New

Mexico at Lawlor Events Center in Reno on March 5.
CHRIS MURRAY | CMURRAY@RGJ.COM
hen the opportunity to host a first-round game in the College

Basketball Invitational was presented to Nevada over the weekend the program jumped at the opportunity even though it was a
financial risk.
Whenever you do something like this theres a calculated risk, but given the energy and enthusiasm from the community we felt like it was a
safe risk, said Wolf Pack deputy athletic director Rory Hickok, who oversees the basketball program and played a key role in the postseason decision-making process.
That risk appears like it will pay off.
Nevada, which hosts Montana at 7 p.m. Wednesday, had to pay the CBI
$40,000 to host the game. In exchange, the Wolf Pack gets to keep the gate
money. The Wolf Pack figured it had to sell between 2,500-3,000 tickets to
at least break even. By Tuesday afternoon, it had already broken that
mark.
See MONEY BALL, Page 7A
Wolf Pack
basketball
What: College Basketball
Invitational
Who: Montana (21-11, 14-4
Big Sky) at Nevada (19-13,
10-8 MW)
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Where: Lawlor Events
Center (capacity 11,536)
Radio/TV: 94.5 FM/None
Inside
Chris Murray talks Pack's
chances for a victory over
Montana, plus a look at
how Nevada has fared in its
14 all-time tournament
appearances, in Sports
Parents and the public will have

their chance Wednesday to offer opinions on the controversial, new restrictions affecting every snack and drink
offered in local public schools.
The Student Wellness Advisory
Committee, responsible for writing
the rules, will hold a public meeting at
6 p.m. to review draft Administrative
Regulation 5600, Student Wellness.
The meeting will be held inside
Washoe County School Districts central office at 425 East Ninth Street in
Reno. Anyone can attend.
The district committee will soon
send its draft regulation to Superintendent Traci Davis for approval and inclusion in the 2016-2017 Parent/Student Handbook.
Snack rules have proven problematic for the district, especially since it
has been slow to implement federal
snack standards over the past decade
and now needs big changes to catch up.
A recent update to federal law steps up
enforcement at the local level and requires districts to tighten their snack
standards.
But Washoe is way behind schedule,
according to Catrina Peters, state
manager of school nutrition services
fof the Nevada Department of Agriculture.
Her department is responsible for
enforcing snack standards in Nevada
public schools.
The state gave districts all of last
school year to update and implement
their school wellness policies. It even
offered districts a manual of minimal
standards Nevadas School Wellness
Policy.
See SNACKS, Page 11A
Weather
Todays Quick Read
High 62
Low 32
Rancho San Rafael set to

reopen off-leash dog park
Forecast, page 11A
The drought-stricken
grassland of the park
closed for a break last
June, but the upper threefourths of the pasture will
reopen Saturday at 8 a.m.
Up to 800 people with dogs
used to visit the area on peak
days, according to Washoe
County. It used to be a cattle
and hay pasture but was converted to a dog park 15 years ago.
Inside today
Local................................................1-3A
Voices.................................................8A
Business .......................................9-10A
USA Today .....................................1-8B
Our Nevada .................................1-12C
Obituaries......................................6-7C
Crossword/Abby..............................5C
Movies/TV Grid ................................4C
Comics................................................8C
Sports..............................................1-8D
Lottery...............................................2A
Scoreboard.......................................6D
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$1.25 Retail
News, 6A
Good News
A daily dose
Fire HurtsRed Cross Helps campaign starts

Wednesday, the Red Cross of Northern Nevada and the Professional Fire
Fighters of Nevada will launch the
annual Fire HurtsRed Cross Helps,
campaign that raises money for Northern Nevadans who have lost everything to a home fire or other disaster.
The event will take place at the
Reno Aces Ballpark, 250 Evans Ave., at
10:30 a.m.
In Northern Nevada, Red Cross

volunteers respond to a home fire, on
average, every four days.
Donations made to the campaign
(www.redcross.org/northernnevada)
stay in Northern Nevada and go toward helping local families recover.
U.S. Bank visitors and customers
can make a donation to the campaign
at their local branch through April 1.
SEND YOUR GOOD NEWS TO goodnews@RGJ.com.
Reno Gazette-Journal Wednesday, March 16, 2016 11A
RGJ.com Weather
CONTACTS: Air index 775-785-4110; Aviation 775-858-1300; National Weather Service Reno/Lake Tahoe 775-673-8130; National Weather Service weather.gov; www.theweatherchannel.com
Air Quality
ALMANAC
Today/tonight
UV Index
Good
Good
Precipitation
Reno & Sparks
Moderate
Moderate
Hi
Unhealthy
Unhealthy
Very
Very
unhealthy
unhealthy
Lo
Carson & Douglas
Hi
Hazardous
Hazardous
Burning
Reno &
Sparks
Lo
Hi
Hi
Carson &
Douglas
Hi
Hi
LO
LO
Hi
Hi
LO
LO
Hi
Hi
LO
LO
LO
LO
4
3
2.10
2
1
Warming up
through the
weekend
70
0.42 0.28
Temperature
Forecast
Normal High/Low
Actual
50
Wind forecast
Regional travel guide
Reno:
40
30
Nevada
Battle Mountain Ely
More information
Tahoe Basin:
Get the latest five-day forecast:

local, regional and national. You
also can see the latest radar and
satellite images, along with road
conditions.
8,000-foot forecast:
20
Tonopah
WedThu
Fri Sat
Wed.Thu. Fri.
Sat. SunMonTue
Sun.Mon.Tue.
Elko
Las Vegas
Bay Area
Owens Valley
Sacramento
L.A. Area
Palm Springs
Ventura
Truckee River flow

Reading taken at Farad.
Information not available on
weekends and holidays. Last
reading taken
Jackpot
Wells
Imlay
Gerlach
Reno
Carson
City
Sparks
Virginia
City
Wendover
Todays temperatures, precipitation & fronts
Eureka
Fallon
Schurz
Minden Yerington
Gardnerville
Hawthorne
McGill
Gabbs
Ely
Duckwater
Noon positions of weather

systems and precipitation.
Temperature bands are highs
for the day.
H H
H
Snowpack & ski resort conditions
Beatty
Tahoe
City
Las Vegas
Pahrump
Henderson
Stateline
SNOtel measures
Resorts
water content of the
mountain snowpack and
total precipitation as a
percentage of average,
which is important for our
water supply. (100 percent
is a floating average.)
Base* New*
Cond.
Tahoe forecast
Lo
Hi
Yesterday Today Tomorrow

Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
*In inches
Conditions key:
MG-machine
groomed; BP-broken
powder; SPP-skier
packed powder;
PP-packed powder;
WP-wet pack; MTmachine tilled; FPfirm pack;
FG-frozen granular; Ppowder; GT-groomed
track; MPP-machine
packed powder;
P-open powder; HPhard pack; CS-corn
snow; SC-spring
conditions; VCvariable conditions;
MM-manmade; WPSwet packed snow;
LG-loose granular.
Nevada: 877-687-6237 California in state:
Nation
City
Weather history
Road conditions 800-427-7623 Out of state: 916-445-7623
Lo
California
City
Set:
Set:
Carson City

The sun and the moon today
Current water storage
Kings
Beach
Hi
Walker Lake:
Caliente
Incline
Village
Lo
Pyramid Lake:
Moon phases
Goldfield
Hi
Topaz Lake:
Rise:
Rise:
Tonopah
Truckee
Marine forecast today

Lake Tahoe:
Elko
Battle Mountain
Lovelock
LOW
Winnemucca
California
Winnemucca
WedThu
Fri Sat
Today
Thu. Fri.
Sat. SunMonTue
Sun. Mon.Tue.
HIGH
RGJ.com/weather
Nevada
City
0.11 0.16
60
VIDEO FORECAST
Get Mike Alger's daily video
weather forecast on your
phone, tablet and desktop in
the morning on rgj.com.
0.75
0.51
0.35
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
WEATHER
TALK
MIKE
ALGER
A much
warmer
and calmer
week is
ahead of us, as a ridge of
high pressure builds
onshore and stays nearly
through the week.
Mostly sunny skies
(with a few afternoon
clouds) will cover the
area through Friday as
temperatures warm to
the low 60s today, the
upper 60s by Friday and
could hit 70 over the
weekend.
Chuck Lacy sent me
the following query: Ive
lived in Carson Valley
since 1990 and have noticed one thing thats
pretty constant, and that
is that the winter weather in eastern Nevada is
always quite a bit colder
and gets more snow than
we do out here in the
west. I dont believe its
the elevation, with Elko
about the same elevation
as our area (just over
5,000 feet) and Ely about
the same as Tahoe. So,
can you explain the dynamics of this phenomenon for me?
There are a couple of
reasons, and Ill dive in
starting Thursday.
1.70
1.10
1.01 0.93
Today Tomorrow
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
City
Today Tomorrow
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
World
City
Today Tomorrow
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
City
Today
Hi/Lo/W
City
Today
Hi/Lo/W
Weather key: s-sunny,

pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,
r-rain, sf-snow flurries, snsnow, i-ice, w-windy, f-fog,
na-not available
Group home
A city of Reno code inspector also visited the house on Friday.

I only went in the living room, but
you could see bed bugs up on the walls,
said Joe Henry, senior code inspector for
the city of Reno. When you see bed bugs
in broad daylight, it means you have a
whole bunch of them because usually
they wait until cover of darkness to come
out.
Henry ordered the operator of the
home to immediately treat the house for
bed bugs. An exterminator was seen at
the house over the weekend, while the
residents were staying in a motel. The
residents returned to the home on Monday.
Larry Carter, the owner of Silver
State Behavioral Health Inc., did not return a phone call for comment on Tuesday.
Under the cease and desist order, Silver State Behavioral Health must find
new living arrangements for the female
client who requires a higher level of
care.
However, because the remaining six
clients at the house appear not to need a
higher level of care, theres little the
state can do if the residents choose to remain at the house, Pollock said.
Speaking in general terms, and not
about the situation at the Kings Row
house, Pollock said the state has no regulatory authority over private clients who
need supportive living services that
dont rise to the level of licensed cared.
It would be considered a private residence. They would be living in squalid
conditions in a private residence, Pollock said. Its an unfortunate example of
what could happen.
We need to figure out that fine line of

who is going to take care of it and who
is going to inspect.
JOE HENRY
CITY OF RENO SENIOR CODE INSPECTOR
A state group home license is required for operators who care for clients
who need 24-hour supervision, medication to be administered and help with daily tasks such as bathing.
The house on Kings Row appears to
operate in a regulatory black hole, accepting clients who need supported living services, but not the more hands-on
care. Their clients are eligible for Medicaid and food assistance but are not also
clients of the states mental health or developmental services agencies. That
means no state officials inspect the
house on a regular basis.
Since 2014, Silver State has billed Medicaid for $514,110, according to records
obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.
The city also tends to refer code complaints to the state, believing the state is
the regulatory agency for group homes.
That means complaints can bounce
around from agency to agency without
resolution.
State and city officials are meeting
next week to discuss the issue, Henry
said.
They are making money, Henry
said of the operator of the home. So, if
they are making money off of people,
then they have to meet a certain level of
expectation. We need to figure out that
fine line of who is going to take care of it
and who is going to inspect.
State officials said they are also concerned about the regulatory gap and are
researching to determine the extent of
the problem.
We are very troubled by that, said
Chrystal Main, spokeswoman for the De-
partment of Health and Human Services.

Complaints about the Kings Row
home began trickling in last August, but
no immediate action was taken.
The first complaint came from a
neighbor worried the home was operating illegally. The state health licensing
agency sent letters to the operator asking for information on what type of clients it was serving and closed the case
after being satisfied the home wasnt operating illegally, Pollock said.
Another complaint came in September. An elder abuse ombudsman from
the state visited the home in December
and documented dirty conditions, problems with medication being tracked and
dispensed and bed bugs.
The bed bug complaint was referred
back to the city, and the state health licensing agency again determined the
home wast exceeding its license. The
state licensing agency closed the case
without inspecting the conditions of the
house.
When it says dirty, its hard for us to
send resources for a complaint on a facility being dirty because everybody has a
different gauge for what is dirty, Pollock said.
The elder abuse ombudsman closed
her case because the resident who was
the subject of the complaint said he
would be moving out of the house, Pollock said. That resident, however, is still
living at the Kings Row home.
Then on March 4 another complaint
came in, prompting Pollocks division to
schedule Fridays inspection of the
home, which ultimately resulted in the
cease and desist letter.
The house, however, remains open.
Mike Maurice, a friend of two of the residents, said they stayed overnight in a
motel while the exterminator treated for
bed bugs over the weekend. They moved
back into the house on Monday.
Snacks
While all 15 other county school districts have implemented new federal
and state snack rules, Washoe and Storey county districts have not, according to state records. Peters said districts were supposed to be done by
June 1, 2015.
Although the district has some
freedom in writing its snack standards, it must largely follow these
guidelines.
Snacks must not exceed certain sodium, sugar, fat and calorie limits. All
food must also meet one of the following criteria:
Be a whole grain-rich product
Have a fruit, vegetable, dairy
product or protein food as the first ingredient
Be a combination food containing
at least cup fruit and/or vegetable
Contain 10 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium, potassium, vitamin D or dietary fiber. (This
qualification expires July 1.)
Schools have one way to slip snacks
past all these standards special occasions.
School districts can allow a set
number of special occasions. What dieters would call a cheat day.
Cupcakes for a class birthday party. Candy for Halloween. Students can
celebrate with junk food and officials
will look the other way.
The districts draft regulation allows two special occasions per month.
Representatives from the Nevada
Department of Agriculture will be
present Wednesday to answer any
questions about Nevadas snack standards.
MOVIN ON
UP
Second-half rally lifts

Pack to first-round win
over Montana in CBI
Sports, 1D
ONLINE AT RGJ.COM
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016
HIGH LEAD LEVELS FOUND IN 2,000 WATER SYSTEMS PAGE 1B
Homeowners sue over group home

Siblings seek $96,000 from state for alleged damages
ANJEANETTE DAMON
ADAMON@RGJ.COM
The owner of a house used as a group

home for mentally ill clients has filed a
claim against the state of Nevada for
nearly $96,000 for damages she said
were done by the operator of the home.
Jeanette McDaniel and her siblings
rented their mothers Probasco Way

home to Project Uplift, who ran it as a
group home for its mentally ill clients.
In 2015, the business started to get behind on its rent. When McDaniel asked
to inspect the home in May she found
filthy, unsanitary conditions, broken
mirrors, missing window pains, dirty
carpets and leaky water fixtures.
RGJ
McDaniel
ultimately evicted Project Uplift and the
departed in
INVESTIGATES clients
August.
FOLLOW UP
A walk through of
the house by a Reno
Gazette-Journal reporter in late January found the condition of the house had
degraded further since the May walk
through.
In her claim, McDaniel is asking for

$75,000 to make repairs and sanitize the
home, $10,800 for lost rent and $10,000 in
attorney fees.
After a Reno Gazette-Journal story
about the condition of the house, McDaniel said state mental health officials offered to haul away the furniture left
there and to clean and paint the house.
See LAWSUIT, Page 4A
ONE FINAL SALUTE

Nevada
troopers
honor
fallen CHP
officer in
procession
MARCELLA CORONA
| MCORONA@RGJ.COM
evada Highway Patrol troopers saluted a fallen California officer Wednesday along Interstate 80 during
a procession that started in Reno in his honor. Nathan
Taylor, who worked in Gold Run, Calif., was hit by a vehicle
and taken to Renown Regional Medical Center where he died
two days later from serious injuries. A line of vehicles and
motorcycles left at 2 p.m. Wednesday from the Washoe County Medical Examiner and Coroners Office on 10 Kirman
Ave. The procession was set to end in Roseville, Calif.
See TAYLOR, Page 4A
Nevada Highway Patrol Lt. Carl Johnson stands at attention during the procession for fallen California Highway Patrol Officer Nathan Taylor on Interstate 80 near Wednesday.
JASON BEAN/RGJ
New rule to limit sweets at school incites bitter words

TREVON MILLIARD
TMILLIARD@RGJ.COM
The Washoe County School District

heard an earful Wednesday about its new
restrictions affecting every snack and
drink offered in local public schools.
This is not the schools business, said
Carol Rice, a retired teacher of 30 years
who declared it the parents responsibility to teach nutrition. This is absolutely
Weather
insane.
Among other requirements, the districts draft wellness regulation sets limits on sodium, sugar, fat and calories per
food serving. It also prohibits any drinks
beyond milk, 100 percent juices and lowcalorie flavored waters (only in high
schools). These restrictions apply to everything sold or provided to students during the school day, not items that students
bring for their own consumption.
Todays Quick Read
High 68
Low 37
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$1.25 Retail
people submitted written comment.

The district is accepting public comment on the wellness regulation through
Thursday. Comments should be submitted to Brian Rothe, district coordinator of
student athletics and activities, at
brothe@washoeschools.net. The wellness
regulation details student snack restrictions and exercise requirements.
See SNACKS, Page 4A
Good News
A daily dose
Saturdays Wine
Walk to aid Reno
Rebuild Project
Forecast, page 9A
Local..............................................1-10A
Voices.................................................2A
Business .........................................7-8A
USA Today.......................................18B
Our Nevada .................................1-10C
Obituaries .........................................4C
Crossword/Abby..............................5C
Movies/TV Grid ................................7C
Comics................................................6C
Sports..............................................1-8D
Lottery...............................................4A
Scoreboard.......................................2D
That means no more soda, goodies or

potato chips offered at school, unless its a
rare special occasion.
Were supposed to be protecting them
at school, but not from a candy bar, added
Rice. This is just an absolute disgrace.
A handful of people, like Rice, gave
their two cents at the districts Student
Wellness Advisory Committee meeting
on Wednesday. The committee drafted
the wellness regulation. About 50 more
Climber ready to face the risk

of death to conquer Everest
After two decades as a mountaineer and guide, Adrian Ballinger is
prepared for his dream as he plans
to summit Mt. Everest without using
supplemental oxygen.
Sierra Outdoors, 1C
93-year-old competes in his

71st USBC Open Championship
Sylvester Thiel joined an exclusive club by becoming the third
person in history to participate in 71
USBC Open Championships.
Sports, 1D
The Reno Rebuild Project will be

the beneficiary of the Reno Wine
Walk on Saturday from 2-5 p.m.
Each month, portions of the proceeds for the Wine Walk benefit local
charitable groups. In over five
years, event organizers have donated more than $84,000 to non-profits.
Saturday, the Riverwalk Districts
monthly event will be supporting the
Reno Rebuild Project, a small business community scholarship fund
founded by local business owners.
Once a year, the fund selects one
idea from a Reno-based individual to
receive a small business loan.
The Wine Walk is a monthly event
held on the third Saturday where
participants purchase a decorative
wine glass for $20 to take part.
For information, visit www.RenoRiver.org or call 775-322-7373.
goodnews@RGJ.com.
775-789-2000 | GrandSierraResort.com
4A Thursday, March 17, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal
Taylor
OBITUARIES
Cupp, Johnathan (John)*
Ferrigan, James J.*
Games, Earl Eugene, Jr.
Leslie, Merry Susan Sue
Lorton, Gary Donald*
Marlia, Agostino
Weaver, Wayne
Young, Joyce Clara
* In loving memory
Complete obituaries, 4C
The Washoe County

Sheriffs Office, Reno Police Department and
Sparks Police Department also participated
and assisted in the procession.
The incident occurred
at about 2:25 p.m. March
12 near Truckee. Taylor
was directing traffic at a
crash site along westbound Interstate 80, just
west of Castle Peak, according to a CHP report.
Taylor was reportedly
working to the rear of his
patrol vehicle and was
waving drivers to the
right.
Meanwhile, 19-yearold Ivy Soon Young Villnow, of Truckee, was
driving a 1999 Nissan
Pathfinder westbound on
I-80.
As traffic began to
slow, Villnow changed
lanes from the right-hand
lane to the left-hand lane
and accelerated and
passed the slowing traffic for unknown reasons,
the CHP report said.
As Taylor was waving
traffic over, Villnow lost
control and hit the officer
with her Pathfinder, the
CHP report said.
Taylor was launched
several feet and landed
face down in the center
median snow bank. The
Pathfinder also stopped
in the center median
snow.
An off-duty EMT witness saw the crash and attempted to help the officer. CHP Truckee officers arrived on scene moments later.
CHP Sgt. Bryan Yops,
who knew Taylor for two
years, attended the pro-

Email obits@rgj.com. For more information, call 775-788-6421.
SEND US YOUR NEWS

For story suggestions, news tips and general news releases, send
your information to news@rgj.com or call 775-788-6397.
CONTACT THE NEWS STAFF

MARCELLA CORONA
SIOBHAN MCANDREW

775-788-6340
HIGHER EDUCATION REPORTER

775-788-6417
mcorona@rgj.com
@Marcella_Anahi
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ANJEANETTE DAMON
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Snacks
said committee Chairwoman Kelli GoatleySeals, noting recent parent pushback and media
attention.
The Reno GazetteJournal published a story
on Sunday detailing snack
standards and the districts delayed implementation. All school districts
were supposed to approve
their wellness regulations
by June 1, 2015, but Washoes still isnt finalized, according to the Nevada Department of Agriculture.
A new deadline is fast
approaching for the district: Determine goals for
continued implementation of the wellness regulation in the 2016-2017
school year.
The committee discussed a contract that
would use one company to
supply all food and drinks
to school vending machines across the 64,000student district. Vending
machines are currently
stocked through a hodgepodge of supplier contracts, sometimes negotiated
by
individual
schools, creating the potential for soda and candy
to land in students laps.
Goals for 2016-2017
must be submitted to the
Nevada Department of
Agriculture by June 1.
Theres still time to

comment. Please exercise
that ability, said Rothe,
noting that all public comment will be sent to Superintendent Traci Davis for
consideration in approving the wellness regulation.
Davis could alter the
draft regulation, taking
public comment into consideration.
But changes are unlikely, especially for people wanting fewer or no
snack restrictions. The
districts hands are, for
the most part, tied.
Nationwide, all public
schools must conform to
similar snack standards
in exchange for the federal government subsidizing poor students meals.
All Nevada schools are using the Smart Snacks in
Schools guidelines, written by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Washoe committee set a goal this school
year to educate all staff,
parents and students of
snack rules.
For better or worse,
that goal has been met,
ANDY BARRON/RGJ
Reno firefighters on the Washington Street Bridge salute the procession for California
Highway Patrol Officer Nathan Taylor as it passes on Wednesday afternoon.
cession on Wednesday.
Yops worked in the department for 16 years
and said Taylor would often help officers in the
Truckee area.
He was an amazing
person, who was more
than willing to go above
and beyond for everything he did all the way
up to his final day, Yops
said. He was willing to
help us out in the adjoining area because he wanted to, not because he had
to.
We appreciate his
service, he said. Its a
tragic loss for the department as well as for California.
Investigators
said
they dont believe alcohol
or drugs were a factor in
the crash. Villnow was
not arrested or charged,
CHP Officer Pete Mann
said Tuesday. The cause
of the crash was still under investigation.
Our primary focus is
the collision investiga-
tion itself, then well sit

down with the district attorney and decide if well
go forward with any
criminal charges, Mann
said.
An outpouring of support for Taylor, his family
and the department exploded on social media,
authorities said. People
shared stories about how
they briefly met Taylor
on the departments
Facebook page.
Officer Taylor was a
dedicated officer who
gave his life serving the
people of California, officers said on CHP Facebook page. He now joins
a distinguished group of
heroes whose names are
engraved upon the CHP
Memorial Fountain and
who will forever be remembered for their valiant sacrifice and service.
We appreciate the
continued outpouring of
public support as we go
through this incredibly
difficult time, the post

continues. Our thoughts
and prayers go out to his
family, colleagues, and
friends in this time of
mourning.
A fundraiser is set to
help Taylors family. Proceeds from the first annual Truckee Basketball
Challenge will also benefit the Truckee High
Schools boys varsity
basketball team.
The fundraising event
is scheduled from 6 p.m.
to 9 p.m. on Friday at the
Truckee High School
gym. Officers will play
against Truckee high
school students. Entry to
the game costs $5, and attendees will also be able
to buy limited commemorative shirts.
Donations can also be
made to the Nathan Taylor
Memorial
Fund
through the CAHP Credit
Union by calling 800-5422247 or mailing it to P.O.
box 276507, Sacramento,
Calif., 95827.
Lawsuit
But McDaniel said

she doesnt think that
offer goes far enough
to restore the house to
a livable condition.
At a meeting last
week, Gov. Brian Sandoval confirmed that
state officials stand
ready, willing and
able to clean that up
and expressed disappointment that McDaniel didnt accept the
offer.
Project Uplift is no
longer in business.
McDaniels lawyer argues the state, and not
Project Uplift, is liable for the damages
for a number of reasons, including that
state inspectors negligently or intentionally passed the home
on Probasco, when in
fact the whole house
was in a deplorable
and
uninhabitable
condition.
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CUSTOMER SERVICE
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Visit us online at
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edition: 9/5, 11/24, 11/25.


OPERATING COMMITTEE
John Maher
President and Publisher ............775-788-6236

jmaher@RGJ.com
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Quarterback
Q
uarte
Tyler Stewart wins praise for leadership, rapid
problem-solving. Sports, 1D
problem
FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016
ONLINE AT RGJ.COM
LOWER OIL PRICES END ENERGY RUSH PAGE 1B
ACES OUT
ON SIGNS
Credit union wins bid for Aces, Reno 1868 FC

stadium to be named the Greater Nevada Field
JIM KRAJEWSKI
JKRAJEWSKI@RGJ.COM
Add your Aces Ballpark

memorabilia to the collectibles
pile.
The stadium formerly
known as Aces Ballpark will
now be called Greater Nevada
Field. The announcement was
made at a news conference
Thursday at the field.
Greater Nevada Field is
home to the citys Triple-A
baseball team, the Reno Aces,
and the citys future USL soccer team, Reno 1868 FC. The
park has been known as Aces
Ballpark since the team began
play there in 2009.
Greater Nevada Credit
Union, a full-service financial
institution headquartered in
Carson City since 1949, bought
the naming rights to the ballpark.
Eric Edelstein, president of
the Reno Aces and Reno 1868
FC, said Reno is the smallest
community with a Triple-A
ballpark in the country.
Aces Ballpark will be dead.
The games wil be played at
Greater Nevada Field, Edelstein said.
He said news signs will be in
Owner:
This is
not fair
to us
Project Uplift boss says
state forced rapid growth
ANJEANETTE DAMON
ADAMON@RGJ.COM
Alonzo Hickerson, who ran more

than a dozen group homes for the mentally ill before his business collapsed
last year, is working to defend his company after an RGJ investigation into
the squalid conditions of one of his
houses.
Hickerson said
state mental health
INVESTIGATES officials once used
FOLLOW UP
his business, Project Uplift, as a role
model for other providers of supported
living services for the mentally ill and
helped it grow into a company that became unwieldy for him to manage with
his limited business experience.
His business worked so closely with
RGJ
See UPLIFT, Page 6A

TOM R. SMEDES/RGJ FILE
Aces fan Jasa, 4, gets ready before a 2014 game at what was known as
Aces Ballpark. Greater Nevada Credit Union bought the naming rights.
place by opening day on April

7.
Edelstein said other businesses expressed interest in
the naming rights, but Greater
Nevada Credit Union was at
the forefront.
Greater Nevada really
stepped on the pedal and took
the lead in having a lot of interest, Edelstein said.
Edelstein said the venue is
available 42 weeks a year.
The terms of the deal were

not immediately disclosed outside of it being a 15-year agreement. These are typically sixfigure annual deals. The deal
includes exclusive sponsorship and advertising rights and
prominent signage on the ballparks exterior faade, the
scoreboard in left-center field
and
numerous
locations
See BALLPARK, Page 4A
Ruggerio
abandons
re-election
campaign
Several opponents filed
for school board seat
TREVON MILLIARD
TMILLIARD@RGJ.COM
Lisa Ruggerio is withdrawing her

bid for re-election to the Washoe County School Board.
Ruggerio filed for
election on March 8 but
she walked that back on
Thursday. According to
a statement from the
Washoe County School
District, Ruggerio said
she wants to invest her
Lisa
effort into improving
Ruggerio
school safety.
Ruggerio is chairwoman of the districts Safe and Healthy Schools Commission, and plans to maintain that position.
My ongoing commitment will be to
the security of our youngest and most
See RUGGERIO, Page 5A
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Todays Quick Read
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Inside today
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VOL. 37, NO. 78
$1.25 Retail
A daily dose
Children needed
for distribution
of Easter baskets
Forecast, page 9A
Local..............................................1-10A
Voices.................................................2A
Business .........................................7-8A
USA Today .....................................1-6B
Our Nevada .................................1-10C
Obituaries .........................................6C
Crossword/Abby..............................3C
Movies/TV Grid ............................4-5C
Comics................................................7C
Sports..............................................1-6D
Scoreboard ...............................2D, 3D
Good News
Newly recruited diver makes

a splash with championship
Nevada diver Sharae Zheng became the eighth Wolf Pack athlete to
ever win an Division I national
championship.
Sports, 1D
Lawmakers visit gigafactory

to learn about technology
Lawmakers toured Teslas Gigafactory and spoke to CEO Elon Musk
about the future of energy technology in Nevada.
Local, 3A
APRIL 1 8PM
Catholic Charities and The St.

Vincents Programs will hold the
fourth annual Operation: Easter
Basket pancake breakfast Sunday
from 10 a.m to noon at St. Vincents
Dining Room, 325 Valley Road in
Reno.
More than 300 Easter baskets will
be distributed to local children up to
age 12. The baskets are filled with
toys, games and candy.
The event will include a pancake
breakfast, the Easter Bunny, carnival games, egg decorating, bunny
arts and crafts, face-painting and
free books.
Many of the children are either
living in the Family Shelter, temporary housing, or local motels. All
children must be pre-registered.
To register, call 775-858-5251 or
775-858-5253.
goodnews@RGJ.com.
329-4777 1-800-MUST-SEE (687-8733) silverlegacy.com
6A Friday, March 18, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal
Cliven Bundys release

rejected ahead of trial
KEN RITTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS - Nevada rancher and anti-authority figure Cliven Bundy lost a renewed bid Thursday for release from jail
ahead of trial on federal conspiracy and
assault charges stemming from an armed
standoff against government agents two
years ago.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Carl Hoffman
pointed to the violence alleged in an indictment accusing Bundy of inciting the
impasse to stop a roundup of cattle from
public land near his ranch in April 2014,
and to a history of Bundy ignoring federal
court orders.
You say youll continue to do whatever it takes, Hoffman said in a Las Vegas courtroom where some Bundy backers wore brown T-shirts emblazoned with
the three-word slogan.
I do not believe, Mr. Bundy, that you
will comply with my court orders any
more than you have complied with previous court orders, the judge said.
Bundy and four of his adult sons are
among 19 people now facing federal
charges that could put them in prison for
the standoff for the rest of their lives.
The scene pitted a self-styled militia
perched on an Interstate 15 overpass,
pointing military-style AR-15 and AK-47
weapons at federal Bureau of Land Management agents and contract cowboys
herding cattle toward a corral. Dozens
were in the possible crossfire, but no
shots were fired and no one was injured.
BIZUAYEHU TESFAYE/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Carol Bundy, wife of Cliven Bundy, left, and

her son Arden, protest in Las Vegas.
The cattle were freed.

Bundys defense lawyer, Joel Hansen, said his client simply wont acknowledge that federal law applies.
That consistent denial led Bundy last
week to decline to enter a plea to charges
including conspiracy, assault on a federal officer, threatening a federal officer,
obstruction and firearms offenses.
Hoffman entered a not-guilty plea at
that time on Bundys behalf.
Hansen characterizes the 69-year-old
Bundy as a political prisoner being held
illegally for challenging authority. Bundy insists he has property rights dating
back more than a century, to when his
Mormon ancestors settled along the Virgin River, about 80 miles northeast of
Las Vegas.
Prosecutor Steven Myhre fought to
prevent Thursdays hearing from taking
place. He argued that Bundy already
had an Oregon court appearance.
Friday, March 18 &

Saturday, March 19
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Federal judge
rules to keep
Ammon Bundy
in Oregon
Court: Nevada
should decide
detention in
ranch standoff
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. - A federal judge

in Portland has prohibited U.S. Marshals from transferring Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy and Ryan Payne to
Nevada for court hearings related to
an armed standoff against government agents in 2014.
The men have been jailed in Portland since January for their roles in a
41-day standoff with government authorities at an Oregon wildlife refuge.
They wanted public lands relinquished to local control.
Paynes attorney Lisa Hay sought
the emergency order Wednesday,
saying the men shouldnt be transferred until the Oregon case is over.
She said sending them to Nevada
would violate their right to have a
speedy trial and effective counsel in
Oregon.
U.S. District Court Judge Anna
Brown granted the request. Her interim order also applies to at least two
other Oregon defendants.
CONCORD, N.H. - A judge says a

federal court in Nevada should review
the detention of a New Hampshire
man facing charges in a 2014 standoff
by ranchers opposed to federal control of public lands.
Gerald DeLemus, of Rochester, is
charged in Nevada with being a midlevel leader and organizer of a conspiracy to recruit, organize, train and
provide support to armed men and
other followers of rancher Cliven
Bundy.
A U.S. magistrate judge in New
Hampshire placed DeLemus transfer
to Nevada on hold last week. She now
says DeLemus can take his request to
delay a transfer to a Nevada judge.
In ruling, she cited court decisions
that reviews of detention orders in the
district of arrest must occur in the district of prosecution.
His lawyer says DeLemus had nothing to do with the confrontation.
Uplift
Northern Nevada Adult

Mental Health Services,
Hickerson said, that two
of the state employees
that once helped refer
clients to Project Uplift
came to work for him. He
added that problems
with the business began
to occur when the state
began to cut back funding.
In short, he doesnt
think its fair to place the
blame on him.
This is not fair to us,
Hickerson said. Thats
why it hurts me. To throw
me under the bus like
that just really hurts.
Hickerson and his
wife Marcy Fells opened
Project Uplift in 2012. It
quickly grew to become
the largest provider of
supported living services for the states mentally ill clients in Northern Nevada. An RGJ investigation found, however, that the homes
Project Uplift ran operated in a loosely regulated environment with little state oversight, and
that state officials disregarded some policies
meant to ensure the stability of such businesses
when they helped Project Uplift grow.
Project Uplift ran into
financial difficulties in
2014, started to fall behind on rent payments,
failed to pay employees
on time and did not conduct criminal background checks on staff
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hired to attend to mentally

ill clients in the homes. By
the time Project Uplift
chose to close its doors, at
least two of its houses had
deteriorated to deplorable
conditions.
The owner of one of the
houses, Jeanette McDaniel, ended up evicting
Project Uplift and its four
clients. McDaniels house
was left with stained carpets, broken closet doors,
windowpanes,
missing
boogers covering the ceiling in one room and dirty,
torn mattresses left at the
house. McDaniel has since
filed a claim against the
state for the damages.
Hickerson blamed the
dirty conditions on the
fact the state did not pay
his company to staff the
house for 24 hours a day.
I feel so bad for the
owners, because they
dont deserve that, Hickerson said of the condition
of the house. But I must
agree some of the houses
you go to, they are not in
the best of conditions because of that situation.
In the wake of the RGJ
stories on the collapse of
Project Uplift, state mental health officials vowed
to investigate whether employees at Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health
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SATURDAY
ANJEANETTE DAMON/RGJ
Marcy Fells and Alonzo

Hickerson own Project Uplift.
After my husband
shopped everywhere.
I found the best price
at Jones West Ford. I
love my new Explorer
and my friends are so
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Services improperly referred clients to Project

Uplift. But, so far, theyve
found no evidence of impropriety.
There was a shifting of
clients to Project Uplift,
but it doesnt appear to
have been motivated by
the personal benefit of
(state) staff, said Cody
Phinney, administrator of
the Nevada Division of
Public and Behavioral
Health. It was because
they were providing a
good and needed service
at that point.
Phinney said state mental health professionals
emphasize their clients
independence in choosing
where to live as part of
their care plans. She added that not all mentally ill
clients need 24-hour supervision.
assessments
Those
are made by the clients
treatment team and how
much support a client is
warranting, she said. Its
part of their treatment
plan and those are clinical
professionals
making
those assessments.
Hickerson is approved
to bill Medicaid for patient
care, but the state is investigating whether that
agreement should be terminated in light of the
problems uncovered by
the Reno Gazette-Journal.
That bothers Hickerson,
who said he and his wife
would like to get back in
the business of caring for
mentally ill clients, perhaps in Las Vegas.
We dont want this to
chase us out of the field because we know we were
good at it, Hickerson
said.
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Pack advances after mauling Eastern

Washington in CBI quarters Sports, 1D
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TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2016
OBAMA, CASTRO AGREE EMBARGO OF CUBA MUST END PAGE 1B
Group
homes
contract
ended
Reno focuses more

on arts and culture
Facility infested with bugs

can no longer bill Medicaid
ANJEANETTE DAMON
ADAMON@RGJ.COM
The operator of a bed-bug infested

group home will no longer be able to bill
Medicaid for mental health services after being terminated by the state for providing care that endangers the health or
safety of one or more recipients, according to a termination letter sent to the
operator last week.
Silver State Behavioral Health Rehabilitation is barred from caring for Medicaid patients for seven years, according
to the letter obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal. The company has the
right to appeal the termination.
Larry Carter, who owns Silver State,
said Monday he will be closing his two
houses, one on Kings Row and one in
Sparks. Without the ability to bill Medicaid, he said he cant afford to keep the
houses open. That means the clients living in the houses must scramble to find
new living arrangements.
Now the clients gotta get their lives
ripped apart. Its not my life getting
ripped apart, its their lives, Carter said
Monday morning. The only people who
get hurt is the client.
The states termination letter comes
in the wake of an Reno Gazette-Journal
investigation into the conditions of area
group homes that have fallen into a regulatory black hole, never receiving regular inspections from the city or state.
After an email from the Reno GazetteJournal inquiring about multiple complaints on the Kings Row house, state
health inspectors did an emergency inspection on March 11, finding bed bugs
crawling on the walls in broad daylight,
soiled conditions and a strong smell in
the home.
One woman was removed from the
house in an ambulance. She had been
bedridden for months, Wanda Magliocco, a friend of one of the homes residents, told the RGJ.
Arts now in office

of the city manager
JENNY KANE JKANE@RGJ.COM
TOP: JASON BEAN/RGJ; ABOVE: ANDY BARRON/RGJ
Top: Reno's arts, culture and special events manager Alexis Hill.
Above: An exhibit at last years Reno Sculpture Fest.
See CONTRACT, Page 4A
The city of Reno is shaking up its

structure when it comes to the arts, increasingly a driver of economy and culture in the community, according to city
officials.
About two weeks ago, the city eliminated its former arts and culture manager position, held by Christine Fey, who
has held the position since 2000. Fey
founded the citys arts and culture commission 25 years ago and is responsible
for placing about 185 public art pieces
around the city valued at more than $5
million altogether.
Feys responsibilities have been folded into those of a new position, arts, culture and special events manager. Alexis
Hill, previously the citys special events
manager, already has started her new
See ARTS, Page 5A
Washoe schools milk contract breaks code

Contract required by law
to go to the lowest bidder
TREVON MILLIARD
TMILLIARD@RGJ.COM
Model Dairy milk could soon disappear from local public schools because
the district broke federal code when it
bought the milk at a higher price than another company offered.
Weather
Federal code says the Washoe County

School District must award its milk contract to the lowest bidder. The federal
government is able to dictate the districts purchasing procedures because it
reimburses local schools for poor students meals, including milk.
The Washoe County School Board approved Model Dairys contract in 2013
even though Anderson Dairy, based in
Las Vegas, offered the same services at a
lower price. Calls to Model and Ander-
Todays Quick Read
High 48
Low 31
Inside today
Call RGJ
FOR DELIVERY
AND CUSTOMER
SERVICE:
Call 775-327-6788
or 800-970-7366
VOL. 37, NO. 82
$1.25 Retail
Good News
A daily dose
Hot August Nights

Foundation adds
scholarships
Forecast, page 5A
Local................................................1-3A
Voices.................................................2A
Business.............................................6A
USA Today .....................................1-6B
Our Nevada ...................................1-6C
Obituaries .........................................6C
Crossword/Abby..............................3C
Movies/TV Grid ................................4C
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Sports..............................................1-6D
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son dairies were not returned Monday

afternoon.
Model Dairys original bid was $1.34
million to supply five million cartons of
8-ounce milk, according to records obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Anderson Dairys bid was $1.19 million.
Thats a difference of $152,640, or 13
percent more for Model Dairy milk under the bids received by the district.
Although I was not serving on the0
Fight over names to historic

sites at Yosemite escalates
The National Park Service has
asked a federal trademark board to
cancel trademarks obtained by the
company that used to run Yosemites
hotels, restaurants and activities.
Business, 6A
How to make gorgeous jewelry

without breaking the bank
Jewelry-making pros recommend
that novices take a basic class before
getting started in the craft to learn
fundamental techniques.
Our Nevada, 1C
The Hot August Nights Foundations board of directors has instituted for 2016 a $1,000 scholarship program with Washoe County high
schools. The money will be given
directly to each of the 14 high
schools, and graduating seniors will
apply with their respective schools
to be considered.
The scholarships can be used for
any form of higher education, including trade and vocational schools.
Each year, the foundation distributes tens of thousands of dollars in
cash and merchandise to help children in need. In 2015, the organization raised more than $125,000 for 20
area nonprofits, giving scholarships
and grants to Lena Juniper Elementary School, Boys & Girls Club of
Truckee Meadows, The Discovery
Museum and Childrens Cabinet.
goodnews@RGJ.com.
board of trustees at that time, it is apparent that board members felt strongly that
the districts decades-long, positive relationship with Model Dairy and its local
workforce should be considered in
making this decision, particularly because Nevada was still recovering from
the recession, said school board President Angie Taylor.
Taylor said the district wont have to
See MILK, Page 4A
Reno Gazette-Journal Wednesday, March 16, 2016 11A
RGJ.com Weather
CONTACTS: Air index 775-785-4110; Aviation 775-858-1300; National Weather Service Reno/Lake Tahoe 775-673-8130; National Weather Service weather.gov; www.theweatherchannel.com
Air Quality
ALMANAC
Today/tonight
UV Index
Good
Good
Precipitation
Reno & Sparks
Moderate
Moderate
Hi
Unhealthy
Unhealthy
Very
Very
unhealthy
unhealthy
Lo
Carson & Douglas
Hi
Hazardous
Hazardous
Burning
Reno &
Sparks
Lo
Hi
Hi
Carson &
Douglas
Hi
Hi
LO
LO
Hi
Hi
LO
LO
Hi
Hi
LO
LO
LO
LO
4
3
2.10
2
1
Warming up
through the
weekend
70
0.42 0.28
Temperature
Forecast
Normal High/Low
Actual
50
Wind forecast
Regional travel guide
Reno:
40
30
Nevada
Battle Mountain Ely
More information
Tahoe Basin:
Get the latest five-day forecast:

local, regional and national. You
also can see the latest radar and
satellite images, along with road
conditions.
8,000-foot forecast:
20
Tonopah
WedThu
Fri Sat
Wed.Thu. Fri.
Sat. SunMonTue
Sun.Mon.Tue.
Elko
Las Vegas
Bay Area
Owens Valley
Sacramento
L.A. Area
Palm Springs
Ventura
Truckee River flow

Reading taken at Farad.
Information not available on
weekends and holidays. Last
reading taken
Jackpot
Wells
Imlay
Gerlach
Reno
Carson
City
Sparks
Virginia
City
Wendover
Todays temperatures, precipitation & fronts
Eureka
Fallon
Schurz
Minden Yerington
Gardnerville
Hawthorne
McGill
Gabbs
Ely
Duckwater
Noon positions of weather

systems and precipitation.
Temperature bands are highs
for the day.
H H
H
Snowpack & ski resort conditions
Beatty
Tahoe
City
Las Vegas
Pahrump
Henderson
Stateline
SNOtel measures
Resorts
water content of the
mountain snowpack and
total precipitation as a
percentage of average,
which is important for our
water supply. (100 percent
is a floating average.)
Base* New*
Cond.
Tahoe forecast
Lo
Hi

*In inches
Conditions key:
MG-machine
groomed; BP-broken
powder; SPP-skier
packed powder;
PP-packed powder;
WP-wet pack; MTmachine tilled; FPfirm pack;
FG-frozen granular; Ppowder; GT-groomed
track; MPP-machine
packed powder;
P-open powder; HPhard pack; CS-corn
snow; SC-spring
conditions; VCvariable conditions;
MM-manmade; WPSwet packed snow;
LG-loose granular.
Nevada: 877-687-6237 California in state:
Nation
City
Weather history
Road conditions 800-427-7623 Out of state: 916-445-7623
Lo
California
City
Set:
Set:
Carson City

The sun and the moon today
Current water storage
Kings
Beach
Hi
Walker Lake:
Caliente
Incline
Village
Lo
Pyramid Lake:
Moon phases
Goldfield
Hi
Topaz Lake:
Rise:
Rise:
Tonopah
Truckee
Marine forecast today

Lake Tahoe:
Elko
Battle Mountain
Lovelock
LOW
Winnemucca
California
Winnemucca
WedThu
Fri Sat
Today
Thu. Fri.
Sat. SunMonTue
Sun. Mon.Tue.
HIGH
RGJ.com/weather
Nevada
City
0.11 0.16
60
VIDEO FORECAST
Get Mike Alger's daily video
weather forecast on your
phone, tablet and desktop in
the morning on rgj.com.
0.75
0.51
0.35
Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
WEATHER
TALK
MIKE
ALGER
A much
warmer
and calmer
week is
ahead of us, as a ridge of
high pressure builds
onshore and stays nearly
through the week.
Mostly sunny skies
(with a few afternoon
clouds) will cover the
area through Friday as
temperatures warm to
the low 60s today, the
upper 60s by Friday and
could hit 70 over the
weekend.
Chuck Lacy sent me
the following query: Ive
lived in Carson Valley
since 1990 and have noticed one thing thats
pretty constant, and that
is that the winter weather in eastern Nevada is
always quite a bit colder
and gets more snow than
we do out here in the
west. I dont believe its
the elevation, with Elko
about the same elevation
as our area (just over
5,000 feet) and Ely about
the same as Tahoe. So,
can you explain the dynamics of this phenomenon for me?
There are a couple of
reasons, and Ill dive in
starting Thursday.
1.70
1.10
1.01 0.93
Today Tomorrow
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
City
Today Tomorrow
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
World
City
Today Tomorrow
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
City
Today
Hi/Lo/W
City
Today
Hi/Lo/W
Weather key: s-sunny,

pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,
r-rain, sf-snow flurries, snsnow, i-ice, w-windy, f-fog,
na-not available
Group home
A city of Reno code inspector also visited the house on Friday.

I only went in the living room, but
you could see bed bugs up on the walls,
said Joe Henry, senior code inspector for
the city of Reno. When you see bed bugs
in broad daylight, it means you have a
whole bunch of them because usually
they wait until cover of darkness to come
out.
Henry ordered the operator of the
home to immediately treat the house for
bed bugs. An exterminator was seen at
the house over the weekend, while the
residents were staying in a motel. The
residents returned to the home on Monday.
Larry Carter, the owner of Silver
State Behavioral Health Inc., did not return a phone call for comment on Tuesday.
Under the cease and desist order, Silver State Behavioral Health must find
new living arrangements for the female
client who requires a higher level of
care.
However, because the remaining six
clients at the house appear not to need a
higher level of care, theres little the
state can do if the residents choose to remain at the house, Pollock said.
Speaking in general terms, and not
about the situation at the Kings Row
house, Pollock said the state has no regulatory authority over private clients who
need supportive living services that
dont rise to the level of licensed cared.
It would be considered a private residence. They would be living in squalid
conditions in a private residence, Pollock said. Its an unfortunate example of
what could happen.
We need to figure out that fine line of

who is going to take care of it and who
is going to inspect.
JOE HENRY
CITY OF RENO SENIOR CODE INSPECTOR
A state group home license is required for operators who care for clients
who need 24-hour supervision, medication to be administered and help with daily tasks such as bathing.
The house on Kings Row appears to
operate in a regulatory black hole, accepting clients who need supported living services, but not the more hands-on
care. Their clients are eligible for Medicaid and food assistance but are not also
clients of the states mental health or developmental services agencies. That
means no state officials inspect the
house on a regular basis.
Since 2014, Silver State has billed Medicaid for $514,110, according to records
obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.
The city also tends to refer code complaints to the state, believing the state is
the regulatory agency for group homes.
That means complaints can bounce
around from agency to agency without
resolution.
State and city officials are meeting
next week to discuss the issue, Henry
said.
They are making money, Henry
said of the operator of the home. So, if
they are making money off of people,
then they have to meet a certain level of
expectation. We need to figure out that
fine line of who is going to take care of it
and who is going to inspect.
State officials said they are also concerned about the regulatory gap and are
researching to determine the extent of
the problem.
We are very troubled by that, said
Chrystal Main, spokeswoman for the De-
partment of Health and Human Services.

Complaints about the Kings Row
home began trickling in last August, but
no immediate action was taken.
The first complaint came from a
neighbor worried the home was operating illegally. The state health licensing
agency sent letters to the operator asking for information on what type of clients it was serving and closed the case
after being satisfied the home wasnt operating illegally, Pollock said.
Another complaint came in September. An elder abuse ombudsman from
the state visited the home in December
and documented dirty conditions, problems with medication being tracked and
dispensed and bed bugs.
The bed bug complaint was referred
back to the city, and the state health licensing agency again determined the
home wast exceeding its license. The
state licensing agency closed the case
without inspecting the conditions of the
house.
When it says dirty, its hard for us to
send resources for a complaint on a facility being dirty because everybody has a
different gauge for what is dirty, Pollock said.
The elder abuse ombudsman closed
her case because the resident who was
the subject of the complaint said he
would be moving out of the house, Pollock said. That resident, however, is still
living at the Kings Row home.
Then on March 4 another complaint
came in, prompting Pollocks division to
schedule Fridays inspection of the
home, which ultimately resulted in the
cease and desist letter.
The house, however, remains open.
Mike Maurice, a friend of two of the residents, said they stayed overnight in a
motel while the exterminator treated for
bed bugs over the weekend. They moved
back into the house on Monday.
Snacks
While all 15 other county school districts have implemented new federal
and state snack rules, Washoe and Storey county districts have not, according to state records. Peters said districts were supposed to be done by
June 1, 2015.
Although the district has some
freedom in writing its snack standards, it must largely follow these
guidelines.
Snacks must not exceed certain sodium, sugar, fat and calorie limits. All
food must also meet one of the following criteria:
Be a whole grain-rich product
Have a fruit, vegetable, dairy
product or protein food as the first ingredient
Be a combination food containing
at least cup fruit and/or vegetable
Contain 10 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium, potassium, vitamin D or dietary fiber. (This
qualification expires July 1.)
Schools have one way to slip snacks
past all these standards special occasions.
School districts can allow a set
number of special occasions. What dieters would call a cheat day.
Cupcakes for a class birthday party. Candy for Halloween. Students can
celebrate with junk food and officials
will look the other way.
The districts draft regulation allows two special occasions per month.
Representatives from the Nevada
Department of Agriculture will be
present Wednesday to answer any
questions about Nevadas snack standards.
PANAMA PAPERS: NEVADA A SECRET BUSINESS HAVEN PAGE 1B
SEE THE DJ HERO

SKRILLEX
S
KRILLEX TO
TO P
PERFORM
ERFORM IN
IN RENO
RENO
FOR B
FOR
BURNING
URNING M
MAN
AN F
FUNDRAISER
UNDRAISER
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016
Ourr Nevada
Ou
Neva
Ne
vada
va
da
Week
We
Weekend,
eken
ek
end,
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1C
ONLINE AT RGJ.COM
RGJ.COM/LIVING
Sheriff takes wife, son on RAVEN

Helicopter flight to Burning Man was
pre-planned mission according to Allen
ANJEANETTE DAMON
ADAMON@RGJ.COM
Washoe County Sheriff Chuck Allen

hitched a ride on a preplanned RAVEN
helicopter flight to Burning Man last
year, and brought along his wife and adult
son.
Allen said he had to attend a multiagency meeting at the annual arts celebration in the Black Rock Desert 110 miles
north of Reno on Sept. 5 and didnt want to
make the two-hour drive that often ends
in a traffic jam. So, Allen said he asked

the departments chief pilot if he could
jump on the flight planned for that day.
Yes, I did include my wife and son,
Allen told the Reno Gazette-Journal on
Thursday. I can do that as sheriff.
I checked to make sure I wasnt
breaking any of my own policies, he added.
The policy that governs the sheriffs
office helicopter program does not specifically address civilian ride-alongs. It
has a section, however, that limits non-
G R E AT E R
N E VA DA
FIELD
RAVEN affiliated personnel who are authorized to

ride in the helicopter.
Police, fire, REMSA,
(Search and Rescue),
county, city, state, military
and federal employees acChuck Allen
tively involved in public
safety missions may be
carried on RAVEN aircraft in accordance with public law, the policy reads.
The sheriffs office Regional Aviation
Enforcement Unit was formed in 1996,
when the department obtained four helicopters through the U.S. Department of
Defenses surplus program.
See SHERIFF, Page 4A
MARILYN NEWTON/RGJ
One of Washoe County Sheriff's Office's

helicopters, RAVEN, hovers above north Reno
in 1999.
Lawmakers
to tackle
regulatory
gap issues
EIGHTH
SEASON
2009-2016
OPENING YAY!
Some group homes for

developmentally disabled
escape states oversight
ANJEANETTE DAMON
ADAMON@RGJ.COM
A panel of Nevada lawmakers has

begun work on legislation that could
close the regulatory gap that allows
certain operators of homes for mentally ill and developmentally disabled clients to escape oversight a loophole
that has landed
some of Renos
most vulnerable in
squalid conditions,
according to a Reno
Gazette-Journal in- INVESTIGATES
vestigation.
FOLLOW UP
At a hearing this
week, lawmakers
on a committee tasked with writing
proposed health care legislation for
the 2017 session, asked for recommendations on how to strengthen the
states oversight of such group homes.
The committee chairwoman, Assemblywoman Robin Titus, R-Yerington,
however, indicated they would take a
cautious approach to prevent state
overreach.
Also at the hearing, state health officials said they have identified nearly
50 homes statewide that fall into the
regulatory gap and sent inspectors to
conduct welfare checks of the patients
at each house.
Of the 49 houses visited, six need
further investigation to ensure they
are complying with state regulations
and another six in Nye County were referred to local code enforcement officials because of excessive trash in the
yards, said Cody Phinney, administrator of the Nevada Division of Public
and Behavioral Health.
Such homes generally escape inspection because they serve Medicaid
patients who arent clients of another
state agency responsible for inspecting the houses.
RGJ
he weather was almost perfect and the product

on the field matched it for the Reno Aces season-opening game.
Archie Bradley dominated on the mound as the Aces shut out the El Paso Chihuahuas, 8-0, Thursday at
Greater Nevada Field in front of 6,711.
Bradley, who struck out seven batters in six innings,
appreciated the atmosphere and the crowds energy.
It was great. Any time you score runs early, and
then youre able to back it up with some shutout innings, and to throw a shutout to start the year, the energy was great, Bradley said. The fans were great. It
was just a great opening day.
The Aces displayed athleticism and power, too.
Manager Phil Nevin said Jack Reinheimer is someone to
watch for, and Reinheimer proved him right.
The shortstop scored the first run, on a wild pitch,
and belted a two-run home run to left-center field.
Jim Krajewski/RGJ
Weather
Todays Quick Read
High 71
Low 46
Inside today
Call RGJ
FOR DELIVERY
AND CUSTOMER
SERVICE:
Call 775-327-6788
or 800-970-7366
VOL. 37, NO. 99
$1.25 Retail
ANDY BARRON/RGJ
See HOMES, Page 4A
Good News
A daily dose
Credit union will

visit, donate books
to Grace Warner
Forecast, page 7A
Local ...............................................3-4A
Voices.................................................2A
Business.............................................5A
USA Today .....................................1-6B
Our Nevada ...................................1-8C
Obituaries .........................................8C
Crossword/Abby..............................3C
Movies/TV Grid ................................7C
Comics................................................6C
Sports..............................................1-6D
Scoreboard.......................................3D
Above: Baseball
fans walk
through the gates
of Greater
Nevada Field for
the Aces opening
game against the
El Paso
Chihuahuas on
Thursday
afternoon in
downtown Reno.
Left: Colin
Gobbs-Hill, 5,
bites down on a
hotdog during
the Aces opening
game Thursday.
Pyramid-McCarran project to
include Sen. Smith memorial
The Regional Transportation
Commission held a groundbreaking
ceremony on Thursday for the Pyramid-McCarran intersection project
where they announced the inclusion
of a memorial for Sen. Debbie Smith.
Local, 7A
Regulators give first approval

to Marnell for sale of Nugget
State regulators have tentatively
approved the previously announced
sale of the Nugget Casino Resort in
Sparks to Marnell Gaming LLC.
Business, 5A
Local representatives from One

Nevada Credit Union will visit a
second-grade classroom at Grace
Warner Elementary School in Reno
on Wednesday from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.
ONCU representatives will teach
a financial literacy lesson to 20 second-graders, focusing on the importance of saving money for the future. They will also read the moneythemed childrens book, You Cant
Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime, by
Harriet Ziefert, and are donating a
book for each child to take home.
The school is a designated Title I
school and receives federal funding
to meet academic needs. The school
is also one of 13 schools in Washoe
County School Districts Acceleration Zone, designating the school as
a priority location for improving low
performance and achievement.
goodnews@RGJ.com.
The pathway to HEALING.

Medical acupuncture appointments
now available.
Our specially-trained doctors use
holistic treatments for chronic pain,
anxiety, depression and other
conditions by combining Eastern
and Western medicine.
982-8255
renown.org/MedicalAcupuncture
4A Friday, April 8, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal
Homes
That can allow problems to develop, such as

an incident last month
when health officials had
to take a woman away in
an ambulance from a bedbug infested group home
on Kings Row in Reno.
Phinney said the various agencies will continue
to communicate to try to
catch such problems in
the future.
We are looking at the
benefits of implementing
Sheriff
The units primary mission is to respond to crimes

in progress, search and
rescue operations and
drug enforcement surveillance missions. It also responds to natural disasters, brush fires and community clean-up events.
According to the sheriffs website, the programs budget is one-half
of a percent of the overall
operating budget, or about
$500,000 a year.
this as a policy to continue

this data-mining and collaboration, Phinney said.
It seems very beneficial
so we could identify
where the limited number
of bad actors may be.
Titus, however, questioned what authority the
state had to inspect unlicensed group homes.
What is our authority,
if they are unlicensed,
what authority do we have
to investigate them at
all? Titus asked.
Phinney replied the
state has the authority to
conduct a welfare check
on individuals and also
can investigate to deter-
mine if a home is operating as a group home without going through the required licensing process.
Not all houses require
a license, however, because of the states haphazard way of regulating
homes that serve different kinds of clients.
Homes that provide longterm assisted living care
for six or more patients
need a license. Homes
that care for developmentally disabled clients who
need limited supervision
or prompts to perform
daily tasks must be certified. And homes that care
for mentally ill clients
who need such supported living services require only a client-specific contract.
Houses such as the one
on Kings Row need no license, certification or
contract.
Owners of licensed
group homes, which they
referred to as rest care
homes, said such a regulatory environment puts
them at an unfair disadvantage and that bad actors of unregulated
homes have shed a poor
light on their industry.
Licensed homes are inspected annually and
owners must comply with
a list of training and reporting requirements.

Most of you would assume this is how it is for
any senior or vulnerable
person, that there would
be this type of oversight,
said Helen Foley, a lobbyist for the licensed group
home industry. There is
not. There are many
homes that have no oversight.
The problem that we
have is in Nevada there is
no consistency, no standard when it comes to every facility that provides
long-term care for individuals who need supervision for personal care,
Foley said.
Assemblywoman Teresa
Benitez-Thompson
said she favored closing
the regulatory gap. She
said the state should employ ombudsmen to keep
tabs on all residential care
houses.
If you walk into any
home where there is an
exchange of money for
care, even if it is less than
three
people,
there
(should be) a phone number posted on the wall (for
people to call for help,)
she said. These are very
vulnerable folks dont
know who to call when
they have a problem.
Allen said he saw the

trip to Burning Man no differently than if his wife
went along with him to a
department function in
my vehicle assigned to
me.
At the end of the day, as
sheriff, I am responsible
for every asset out there,
he said. I was going to ride
on this helicopter and included my family with
me.
Allen said his undersheriff and a chief deputy also
brought their wives along
on a previous flight to
Burning Man.
As sheriff, I approved
that, he said.
The Reno Gazette-Journal obtained a flight log

from the sheriffs office
that listed three RAVEN
flights to Burning Man last
year on Sept. 3, Sept. 4 and
Sept. 5.
However, no public records apparently exist to
document the family members flight or whether any
other civilian ride-alongs
have occurred in the past.
None of the family
members who went to
Burning Man signed liability waivers, and a department spokesman said the
office does not keep manifest records that include
the names of passengers
allowed to ride on RAVEN.

Liability waivers are required of civilians doing a
traditional ride-along in a
patrol vehicle.
Allen said past flights
may have taken elected officials to survey natural disasters such as the 1997
flood.
Allen said the department is rewriting the RAVEN policy as part of a
project to review and rewrite all department policies since Allen was elected sheriff in 2014. The new
policy will specify that the
sheriff or his designee can
authorize civilian ridealongs.
Allen said the flights

were not joy rides. Rather, they were pre-planned
missions that were able to
accommodate the extra
passengers.
I would have to stress,
yes, it was a scheduled mission, he said. I would
never encourage or even
allow someone to go on a
joy ride.
Allen needed to make
the trip to Burning Man to
meet with Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen, as
well as Bureau of Land
Management personnel.
Burning Man staff also
gave him a tour of the
70,000-person Black Rock
City. Allen said he also

greeted all of the Washoe
County deputies working
the event and attended a
dinner, which included other law enforcement personnel and their spouses.
He said his wife and son
stayed with him the entire
day and did not travel to
participate in the Burning
Man event itself.
My wife and son shadowed me the entire time,
he said.
According to the log,
the helicopter departed
Reno at 10:50 a.m. and returned at 11:20 p.m., reporting a total of three hours of
actual flight time.
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CLINTON ROLLS TO VICTORY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

USA TODAY PAGE 1B

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Mentally ill pay price

hen Jeanette McDaniel finally had

Top: Landlord Jeanette McDaniel surveys the condition of

Its hard to believe somebody could walk through

JEANETTE MCDANIEL, RENTED HOUSE TO PROJECT UPLIFT

he day this investigation into the squalid

Only in the Sunday RGJ

Opponents in resort expansion

Basketball titles decided

SPA ATLANTIS GETS 4 STARS IN TRAVEL GUIDE: The

4A Sunday, February 28, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal

Reno Gazette-Journal Sunday, February 28, 2016 5A

in the middle of evicting Project Uplift.

of each home to check for such things as

The program run by Northern Nevada Mental Health Services is a righteous

Finding community service providers can be a challenge, Burriss said.

Pinkston agreed the house was not in a

3800 S. Virginia Street | atlantiscasino.com/spa |

6A Sunday, February 28, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal

I know what my homes look like and I

of one of her homes found the staff to be

Ogundimu said the requirement for

it is to find alternative providers. The

homes should be concluded by Thursday.

Continued from Page 4A

succumbing to a raft of financial problems.

TIPS FOR VETTING A SUPPORTED LIVING HOME

experience problems at some point. The

Food & Drink, 1E

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

TRUMP WINS BIG; SANDERS STUNS CLINTON IN MICHIGAN PAGE 1B

$90M bond OKd for new rentals

The Summit Club Apartments took one

year by Sierra Summit LLC. The company

We are immensely proud of the plans

A dozen people have applied for one

n a meeting Tuesday to approve immediate fixes to the

Top: Landlord Jeanette McDaniel surveys the condition of a

See BOARD, Page 2A

Todays Quick Read

VOL. 37, NO. 69

Moshay Akala gets

Forecast, page 11A

Pack looking for even more

Two new stores set to open

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8A Wednesday, March 9, 2016 Reno Gazette-Journal

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Try the most

The change approved

JASON BEAN, JASON BEAN/RGJ

A group home for mentally ill state clients, run by Project

had complained about the

HIGHEST PRICE & BEST TERMS

ILL SELL YOUR PROPERTY

The 80/20 mix for the

Invisible in the ear or Behind the ear

- Free hearing screening

Call (775) 825-3331

inspect the conditions of