NevadaLabor.com: 2020 Breaking News, Bulletins & Almanac

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10 the Hard Way
Barbwire wins 10th Nevada Press Association award
6 of 10 gold
Tribune editorial page voted 2020 best

Dennis Myers 2nd Barbwire nominee elected to NPA Hall of Fame

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SITE NAVIGATION TIPS: When all else fails, read the instructions (A favorite John Hanks aphorism I've been using for decades)

Je Suis Charlie
"Our republic and its press will rise or fall together." — Joseph Pulitzer

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, historical items appear courtesy of longtime Nevada reporter Dennis Myers' daily Poor Denny's Almanac [PDA]. Items highlighted in blue are of interest to labor in particular and seekers of justice in general. Red means war. Occasionally but not surprisingly, magenta will mean both. Copyright © 2007-2019 Dennis Myers (1949-2019). More Myers.]

2021 Breaking News, Bulletins

2020 Breaking News, Bulletins & Almanac Archive —>

JOE NEAL: You can't run from the truth
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 1-6-2021 Sparks Tribune

Trumpist Treason on Joe Neal Day

Sen. Joseph M. Neal, Jr., 1935-2020

Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts:

The best who ever was just embarked on a new journey. At 12:45 a.m. on 1-1-21, Sen. Dina Neal, D-North Las Vegas, informed me that her father, 32-year former State Sen. Joseph M. Neal, Jr., D-North Las Vegas, died at 10:25 p.m. PST 12-31-2020.

"Hello, Mr. Barbano. Happy New Year. I bring sad news to you. My Dad, after a long-fought battle, succumbed to an illness. He passed away at 10:25 tonight at Dignity Health, Sienna Campus, in Henderson, (where) he received the best care, surrounded by family."

My friend Joe had become ill over the past several weeks and apparently succumbed to multiple system failure after rebounding many times to the surprise of professionals and family surrounding him with thoughts and prayers.

Please monitor SenJoeNeal.org and NevadaLabor.com for details. You may send remembrances to me for posting.

Requiescas in pace, Senatore Maximissimo, frater mei.

Andrew Barbano
First Vice-President & Political Action Committee Chair
NAACP Reno-Sparks Branch No. 1112

GEORGIA ON MY MIND
Please volunteer to do what you and so many others did before November: Sign up to contact infrequent voters before January 5, 2021.

Suicide for citizens but not political careers
Lives are on the line
BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO / Expanded from the 12-30-2020 Sparks Tribune

Betty J. Barbano
2-7-1941 / 12-27-2005
Remember her laughter

They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on Earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the virgin birth

Date: Fri, 25 Dec 2020 04:23:57 -0800
To: barbwireconfidential
From: Andrew Barbano <barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us>
Subject: I believed

Dear Friends:

I just got my one Christmas wish (other than the impossible peace on earth). As he does every year, Max Volume played the greatest Christmas song ever written on KOZZ 105.7 on this cold winter even. As always, I have been surfing other northern Nevada stations but The Z once again stands alone.

But hey, didn't some great philosopher once say that the first shall be last and the last shall be first? I submit The Z as a number one example. Grazie.

Here's my ante into the game: Title by John Lennon, incidental music by Sergei Prokofiev and a reading by Sir Sean Connery in the spirit of an oft-ignored carpenter's union organizer from Nazareth, Galilee.

So this is Christmas —> What have you done?
BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO / Expanded from the 12-23-2020 Sparks Tribune

Enjoy in moderation. No over-exulting allowed.

Hope you and yours enjoy Happy High Holly Days
Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Festivus/Chanukah/Thanksgibleting
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad
HAPPY NEW YEAR / Feliz Año Nuevo / Felice Anno Nuovo
Frohe Weihnachten und beste Wuensche fuer 2021

Be well. Raise hell. Stay safe.

Love and laughter,

Andrea Luigi Barbano
CesarChavezNevada.com
RenoSparksNAACP.org
NevadaLabor.com
BallotBoxing.US
Barbwire.US

UPDATE 12-27-2020: My heartfelt thanks to everyone who responded so positively to this upload directed toward several thousand of my closest friends. If I can make a few lives brighter during dark times, then everything becomes worthwhile. Molto grato. AB

I believed in Father Christmas

CWA 9413/AFL-CIO

-30-

For all the news you never knew you needed to know—>Subscribe to Barbwire Confidential

<— BREAKING NEWS AND THEN SOME —>

GEORGIA ON MY MIND
Please volunteer to do what you and so many others did before November: Sign up to contact infrequent voters before Jan. 5, 2021.

Suicide for citizens but not political careers
BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO / Expanded from the 12-30-2020 Sparks Tribune

So this is Christmas —> What have you done?
BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO / Expanded from the 12-23-2020 Sparks Tribune

Transitions and decisions in a darkening winter
BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO
Expanded from the 12-16-2020 Sparks Tribune / Updated 12-18-2020 GMT

SUPERSPREADER UPDATE
TWO DOZEN BUS DRIVERS GET COVID-19
A golden goose for the morally obtuse
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 12-9-2020 Sparks Tribune

Bus boss oblivious: Neoma Jardon in denial
12-7-2020

B-Words: Obtuse Bus Boss' brain fade bungles boast of transit system's COVID-19 safety

Recipes to die for in a toxic holiday season
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 12-2-2020 Sparks Tribune

11-30-2020: ST. ANDREW'S DAY IN SCOTLAND. Italians celebrate it, too.
Benedicta! Andrea Luigi Barbano

The Sermon on Mount Barbwire
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 12-25-2019 Sparks Tribune

THE DAY AFTER

Asked to buck-up his constituents with a positive thumbs-up, President Trump instead goes digital with his feelings. Or maybe his thumbs were just too busy elsewhere on his perfect body.

(Photo: Anna Moneymaker for the Fake News New York Times 11-4-2020) NevadaLabor.com

BARBWIRE BY ANDREW BARBANO
Expanded from the 11-25-2020 Sparks Tribune
We have met the enemy and he is us

Laborers' Union Local 169 Donates $12,500 in Grocery Gift Cards to 7 Nonprofits to Help Families & Veterans
11-25-2020

American Monster M*A*S*H: Suicide is painless
Almost two-dozen mass transit drivers are now infected with COVID-19.
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 11-18-2020 Sparks Tribune

Legerdemoniacal legerdemain: 3 Rights Make a Left
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 11-11-2020 Sparks Tribune

Union members picket "greedy and unaccountable" St. Mary's-Reno Hospital
By Jeri Davis / This is Reno 11-9-2020

The greatest political figure of 2020
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 11-4-2020 Sparks Tribune

FREEBIE ALERT! FREE election bets. NEW!
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-28-2020 Sparks Tribune

Suede-shoe salesmen sucker city hall
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-21-2020 Sparks Tribune

Bigotry means never having to say you're sorry
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-14-2020 Sparks Tribune

Intervention Mayday! Suicidal Nevada union workers
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 10-7-2020 Sparks Tribune

NAACP launches national drive to contact infrequent voters

Superspreaders, homotextuals & hall of famers
Exclusive interview with Supreme Court Justice-Designate Amy Coney Barrett
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-30-2020 Sparks Tribune

Our Toothless Mask Mandates
By Dr. Elizabeth Rosenthal / The New York Times op-ed 10-1-2020

A former big city ER physician, Dr. Rosenthal is an ex-NYT journalist who is now editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News. Her 2017 book "An American Sickness: How health care became big business and how you can take it back" is still the single best encapsulation of how to fix the broken US system. (For a film on some of its best suggestions, get Michael Moore's 2007 "Sicko.") Dr. Rosenthal's latest Times piece notes that law enforcement officials refusing to enforce gubernatorial mandates in Ohio and Wisconsin are creating "a new level of lawlessness." Ditto Nevada. Two of our Cow County sheriffs have announced the same thing, as has our Reno-Sparks-Washoe turkey. Ditto the Reno Police Dept. "Not our job." And our infection rate increases accordingly. What a country.

Teamsters Union sues to enforce bus system mask mandate
NAACP President Feemster supports Teamsters fight for passenger/worker safety

The Best Who Ever Was
Barbwire Nominee Dennis Myers elected to Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame
Barbwire / 9-30-2020

¡Viva Chávez!
César Chávez Celebration XVIII / Celebración de César Chávez XVIII
Wednesday 31 March 2021 / miercoles 31 marzo 2021
Sign up for news and bulletins

Dennis Myers will become the first journalist ever installed
in the César Chávez NevadaLabor.com Hall of Fame

For a limited time, nominations remain open for HOF and union organizer, project and employer of the year. Submit.
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Messages from the gods: Ignore at your peril
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-23-2020 Sparks Tribune

Margaret Dumont and Groucho Marx
Still crazy after all these years.

1933-2020

NAACP Devastated by Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
"On the basis of Justice, we honor RBG"
By Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO / Washington DC 9-18-2020

"THE SOLUTION: As always, expanding economic opportunity with a healing dash of human respect for this magical little place we've been given for just a little time. John Lewis and Ruth Bader Ginsburg lived their lives that way." — Andrew Barbano, Sparks (Nev.) Tribune 9-23-2020

1933-2020

NO PANTS? NO SERVICE. NO MASK? OK.
TEAMSTERS UNION SUES OVER WASHOE BUS SYSTEM COVID-19 DANGERS
Union drivers test positive for virus
Management refuses governor's mask mandate
Charges also filed with federal regulatory agencies

THE LATEST BRIGHT SHINING LIE FROM YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
10-2-2020

     KEOLIS-19 BREAKING NEWS —> (Reno, NV, 3:27 p.m. PDT, 18 Sept. 2020) —

IBT 533 Trade Unionists: Monitor KOLO TV-8 (ABC) from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. PDT today. (And 10:00 p.m. on CW Network over-the-air at 8.3 / Charter-Spectrum 695, Direct TV 9)

Ed Pearce, the most experienced and credible TV journalist in northern Nevada for the past 50 years, interviewed union RTC drivers earlier today. The story should run today but there's always a disaster that can pre-empt. Yesterday, Mr. Pearce got diverted to the narrowly-averted NVEnergy cutoff of Incline Village electricity. TV2 ran the story of Local 533 vs. the transit system four times on Wednesday and probably again on their early morning Thursday newscasts.

I am informed that Regional Transportation Commission Executional Director Bill Thomas spoke before the four obtuse elected commissioners this morning and noted that RTC is doing all it can to enforce safety requirements.

Ahh, another bright shining lie.

Monitor NevadaLabor.com for ongoing updates. New things in the works soon. Keep us posted on what's happening with you. We especially need photos of packed buses with many maskless riders.

Be well. Raise hell. Stay safe.

     KEOLIS-19 BREAKING NEWS —> (Reno, NV, 4:36 p.m. PDT 16 Sept. 2020) — Washoe County bus system management told KTVN TV-2 (CBS) News that they will not use their standing security force to enforce the governor's mask mandate but instead rely on local police. As noted on this site for months, both the Washoe County Sheriff and Reno Police Department have served notice that they will not enforce the safety of the bus system. TV-2 journalist Valentina Bonaparte reported that this diverges from southern Nevada, where officials told her that they use their security infrastructure to enforce COVID-19 mitigation procedures. Ride at your own risk in Reno-Sparks.

     An expanded version aired at 5:36 p.m., again at 6:34 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. PDT. You may visit TV-2's website or monitor for additional broadcasts tonight and well into Thursday morning news programs. Be sure to stay tuned to NevadaLabor.com for more. Be well. Raise hell.

Donny & Jimmy's Most Excellent White Castle Adventure
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-16-2020 Sparks Tribune

Margaret Dumont and Groucho Marx
Still crazy after all these years.

Czar Donaldov invaded Nevada Sept. 12
Somebody build a wall — quick!

There is justice in the world.
Trump actually had to drive the 60+mile route both ways.
Oh, the humanity!

Barbwire Confidential —>HushHush!
Donny & Jimmy's Most Excellent White Castle Adventure
NEW—>BARBWIRE EXCLUSIVE 9-12-2020

Barbwire Confidential Special Report: Hush-Hush!
Machine Guns & Racism in Nevada's Alabaster Bastion
NEW—>Douglas County Commission Chairman wanted to cut library funding after its director showed support for Black Lives Matter
EXCLUSIVE FROM KRNV TV-4 & KRXI FOX-11 / 9-11-2020

Cider House Rules: Admonitions & Ammunition
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-9-2020 Sparks Tribune

The perfectly predictive 2016 political cartoon of the year —>

Diabolical Déjà Vu: Fire is the Devil's only friend
Barbwire accurately called 2016 presidential result 9 months out & stands by 2020 prediction made four years ago
Barbwire by Barbáno / Expanded from the 9-2-2020 Sparks Tribune

The 2020 political cartoon/meme of the year frontrunner —>

Attack of the Orange Crusher

Once in awhile, your memes come true!

Now get off your ass and move some votes this Labor Day weekend.

HOT AUGUST STRIFE 2020 Demonstrations and Good Trouble

Barbwire Confidential Special Report: Hush-Hush!
Machine Guns & Racism in Nevada's Alabaster Bastion

Tribal trauma, Belarus R Us & a hero dies well
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-26-2020 Sparks Tribune

"Save the Post Office Saturday"—>National Day of Action
On Saturday, August 22, at 11 a.m. (local time), we will show up at local post offices across the country.
We will have our NAACP Branch Voter Registration and Census bookmarks to pass out to folks and our banner at the rally.
Please let me know if there are any questions. Thank you.
Jeanetta Williams
President, NAACP Salt Lake Branch & Tri-State Conference of Idaho, Nevada and Utah
Former Member, NAACP National Board of Directors
Nevadans brave killer smoke to revive US Postal Service
ThisIsReno.com / 8-22-2020

Lemmings, ostriches & dirty-talking desert rats
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-19-2020 Sparks Tribune

COMPUTERS & PERIPHERALS NEEDED TO HELP LOCAL STUDENTS

Many of Washoe County’s kids live without something most of us consider essential – a computer. Now, a local nonprofit group that helps the kids is asking for your help.

We are the Reno Cigar Lions, a local chapter of Lions Club International. Since 2006, we’ve refurbished thousands of donated computers for kids who live in households with no computer. We are all volunteers. We work with the Washoe County School District to identify the students and we offer our refurbished Linux-powered computers for free.

The lifeblood of our program is older models donated by business and government agencies when they upgrade to new computers. Upgrading has simply become a lower priority for these entities during the crisis, and many of them are now inaccessible to us because of COVID restrictions.

Our donation drought coincided with a surge in demand, as COVID-19 forced school closures this spring. Online learning may be the new protocol and the gap between kids with computers and those without has been magnified.

Earlier this year, there were more than 600 kids on our waiting list. We have scrambled to respond and we've cut the number down to 200. But unanswered questions loom about what will transpire during the new school year. Our greatest hope is that we can continue to meet the need, whatever it is.

We’re appealing to the community for help. Bulk donations of PCs and laptops are needed. But anyone with an extra laptop or desktop PC can help. Please consider donating one or more computers that are in working order. Please contact us by calling (775) 453-0307 or by e-mailing RenoCigarLions@gmail.com to coordinate your donation.

Parents and teachers will attest that these gifts can be life-changing. In the short term, it’s about school performance. But we’ve been gratified when recipients contact us later to report new self-confidence and extra-curricular accomplishments that wouldn’t have been possible without a computer.

Note: Our program will also accept monitors, keyboards, mice, power-cords, memory cards and more.

Thank you.

Dorothy Ingraham
President, Reno Cigar Lions Club
Member, Reno-Sparks NAACP Executive Committee

Andrew Barbano: Enemy of the state
Coronavirus rides the bus & Black Lives Matter whited out
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-12-2020 Sparks Tribune

Mississippi West: honkytaunts and alabaster bastions
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 8-5-2020 Sparks Tribune

Dear Guv: Put your foot where your mouth is
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-29-2020 Sparks Tribune

Second Teamsters driver tests positive for COVID-19. Stay tuned.

KEOLIS-19: TRANSIT SYSTEM DEFIED GOVERNOR'S MASK ORDER
Then put out a press release denying they did so (Updated 10-4-2020)
TEAMSTERS: Reno-Sparks-Washoe passengers, families & workers jeopardized
U-News 6-26-2020 / Updated 6-29-2020

Sparks City Hall strikes a blow for white guys
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-22-2020 Sparks Tribune

A giant has fallen: John Lewis, 1940-2020

Together, you can redeem the soul of our nation
"Answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you believe."
Rep. John Lewis' final words published at his request on the day of his funeral
New York Times Guest Editorial / July 30, 2020

July 17, 2020 (NYTimes.com) — John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, died. He was 80.

Family sues City of Sparks for fatal police shooting of mentally ill teen
By Marcella Corona / Reno Gazette-Journal 8-14-2020

Sparks Police investigating vulgar, threatening social media posts allegedly made by an officer
By Bob Conrad / ThisIsReno.com 8-4-2020

Sparks police killing analysis: Could 18 year-old Miciah Lee have been saved?
Former sheriff: Establish civilian police review board
By Anjeanette Damon & Marcella Corona / rgj.com 7-6-2020 / Reno Gazette-Journal entire front page feature / Sunday 7-12-2020

Washoe law enforcement announces new expedited information policy on officer-involved shootings, including copcam video
UPDATE: All three major departments agree / Separately: Sparks City Hall defaced with red paint
KRNV TV-4/KRXI TV-11 July 15, 2020
UPDATE 2:40 p.m. PDT July 15, 2020 — NAACP President Lonnie Feemster: "The NAACP was not consulted. We need a regional approach. There are many other Washoe police departments such as those at the University of Nevada-Reno,the Washoe County School District and tribal law enforcement. We will be making further recommendations. Regional consistency is required."
Mr. Feemster will appear on northwestern Nevada TV-2 and TV-4 later today. Also monitor the Reno Gazette-Journal

Sparks mayors respond with passive-aggressive, patronizing racism
"So, boys and girls..."
By Siobhan McAndrew / rgj.com 7-14-2020 / Reno Gazette-Journal 7-15-2020

Reno-Sparks NAACP President Lonnie Feemster will participate in a half-hour special on KOLO TV-8 on Saturday, July 11, at 5:30 p.m. PDT.
Turn on, tune in, tell a friend.

Fair warning to the rich, famous & powerful
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-15-2020 Sparks Tribune

There just ain't no cure for stupid
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-8-2020 Sparks Tribune

Ship of Fools: Washoe County as derelict ocean liner
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 7-1-2020 Sparks Tribune

KEOLIS-19: TRANSIT SYSTEM DEFIED GOVERNOR'S MASK ORDER
Then put out a press release denying they did so (Updated 8-20-2020)
TEAMSTERS: Reno-Sparks-Washoe passengers, families and workers jeopardized
U-News 6-26-2020 / Updated 6-29-2020

Weird love of dos Tejanas for El Jefé Trump
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-24-2020 Sparks Tribune

Government shuts down when it should step up
Wherein I become a 36-year overnight success
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-17-2020 Sparks Tribune
e
eeTop 10 cures still go begging
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-10-2020 Sparks Tribune

FLAILING OVERTURNED TURTLE: Have we reached a turning point?
By Frank Rich / New York Magazine 6-9-2020

View Reno-Sparks NAACP President Lonnie Feemster's June 6 & 7 appearance on KTVN TV-2's Face the State half-hour program

Most arrested after May 30 Reno riot were innocent downtown residents
Most live within walking distance of downtown, one 700 feet from City Hall
Mississippi West alive and well: City lawyers advise arrestees to plead guilty or face days or weeks in jail
Reno Gazette-Journal / Sunday front page 6-7-2020

Don't let fear and anger convert us to Germany 1933
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 6-3-2020 Sparks Tribune

Reno reimposes martial law

Tuesday, 02 Jun 2020 17:12:30 (PDT) [Official City of Reno bulletin] Reno, Nevada USA — Out of an abundance of caution for public safety, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve has issued citywide curfews starting at 7 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, June 2. The curfew will be in effect nightly from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning and will continue until terminated by Mayor Schieve. During the hours of the curfew, no person — with the exception of law enforcement, military and other emergency response personnel, government officials and authorized media — shall enter or remain in the public right of way, public parks or any other public place in Reno unless they have an essential reason to be out (i.e. people traveling to/from work or seeking emergency care, etc.). Residents are asked to adhere to the curfew to help protect the safety of our community. [More at Reno.Gov]

NAACP CALLS FOR CALM & SHOOTING TRANSPARENCY
Downtown Reno Black Lives Matter rally turns violent
RENO CITY HALL SET ON FIRE

RENO, NEV. (Updated 7:54 p.m. PDT 6-2-2020 / 02:54 June 3 GMT) — Saturday afternoon's downtown Reno Black Lives Matter rally turned violent after adjournment as evening approached. People jumped on cars near the casino center Reno Arch. Windows were broken at businesses, the Washoe County Courthouse and Reno City Hall. Its first floor set afire, tear gas was used to keep crowds away from the 14-story high-rise. Arrests were made. Gov. Steve Sisolak called out the Nevada National Guard. Citizens put hands in the air shouting "don't shoot." KOLO TV-8 telecasted live, joined by two other network affiliates much later in the evening. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve ordered a citywide curfew which was expanded to cover the entire county. The Reno-Sparks NAACP called for calm and transparency regarding all shootings, local and elsewhere. Stay tuned.

NAACP calls for calm, demands police transparency
Family of 18 year-old killed by Sparks Police in January still waiting for answers
By James DeHaven / rgj.com 5-31-2020 / Reno Gazette-Journal 6-1-2020

BREAKING NEWS—>WE WON! City of Reno votes down Ballardini Ranch annexation

At 2:48 PM -0700 5/27/20, Jon Humbert wrote:
Contact: Jon Humbert, Public Information Officer
<mailto:humbertj@reno.gov> | Media Number: 775-430-5005

May 27, 2020 Reno City Council Meeting Highlights

Reno, Nevada —In our ongoing commitment to keep citizens and media informed, we’ve summarized the outcomes of a few key agenda items from today’s Regular Meeting of the Reno City Council:

C.3 - Evans Creek Annexation —Council denied the introduction of an ordinance to annex approximately 1,019 acres near Evans Creek in southwest Reno. While no development was associated with the request, any future development of the site will require details including access, lot layout, utilities, trails, hillside development and environmental protection. Council found the land in question did not follow guidelines, criteria, and appropriateness for annexation.

BARBWIRE UPDATE: Naomi Duerr moved; Jenny Brekhus added conditions; voted down unanimously.

From a reader: "Duerr moved with Brekhus adding lots of stuff to the motion."

Thank you kindly for your support. Stay tuned.

Thursday, 28 May 2020 13:33:50 +0000 (UTC) — Naomi Duerr and Jenny Brekhus led the charge, citing a long list of reasons this land is not suitable for annexation into the city, including fire coverage, water, no sewer capacity. If it had been annexed by Reno, the city would have been responsible for all infrastructure. The terrain is steep, it has suffered from numerous fires, and concerns were expressed about access points to the north and south (Lone Tree Lane). The vote was unanimous. Many people over time have made it clear the people want the land from Mt. Rose Highway to Verdi spared as a wilderness area. Special shoutouts go to Naomi Duerr, Jenny Brekhus, Frankie Sue Del Papa, Richmond Breen, and Andy Barbano, who led the charge previously devoting years of his life to trying to protect this land for all time. Jim Galloway (no relation), too, devoted much of his commissioner service to trying to save this land. Perhaps the owners would consider selling it to Nature Conservancy or some similar organization to preserve it for future generations.

Have a fantastic Thursday!

Pamela E. Galloway
Virginia Foothills
(Washoe County, NV)

MUCH MORE AT PROTECTOURWASHOE .ORG

Presidents Trump & Harding channel Mark Twain
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-27-2020 Sparks Tribune

Ballardini Ranch: Love's Labours Lost. Again.
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-20-2020 Sparks Tribune

Letter from gods of alpha males & alpha mails
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-13-2020 Sparks Tribune

Going the distance vs. Coronavirus
Laborers' Union Local 169 launches worksite safety campaign

The Laborers' Work Zone Safety Sentry will ride its messages into high-traffic areas and routes, daily visiting 10 to 15 construction sites that each typically employ 100 to 200 workers. The union is a nationally recognized leader in construction site safety. Please be careful out there. [MORE]

Re-name former Hug High for Dolores Feemster
By William C. Webb, John A. White, Jr. and Andrew Barbáno / RGJ.com 5-7-2020 / Reno Gazette-Journal op-ed 5-10-2020

Make Dolores Feemster's light shine brightly
Renaming of former Hug High before school board Tuesday, May 12
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 5-6-2020 Sparks Tribune / Updated 5-7 & 5-9-2020

MAGAcidal maniax are loosed upon the land
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-29-2020 Sparks Tribune

AFL-CIO Workers Memorial Day April 29, 2020
Including 11 Las Vegas Culinary Union workers dead of COVID-19

WORKER DOUBLE JEOPARDY: Unions outraged as businesses seek congressional shield from pandemic liability
By Jim Tankersley & Charlie Savage / The New York Times 4-28 & 4-30 2020

Wisconsin and US Supreme Courts forced citizens to risk lives to vote
Extraneous postmark dictum will disallow votes in November
By Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice-Elect Jill Karofsky / NYTimes 4-29-2020

Unions: Pandemic used to foil labor organizing nationwide
By Jessica Silver-Greenberg & Rachel Abrams / NYTimes 4-29-2020

1930s ReRun? Nationwide wildcat strikes may revitalize crippled labor movement
Organized capital, hostile courts and a cruel president: "US Supreme Court conservative majority ready to make entire US an open shop"
By Jamelle Bouie / NY Times op-ed 4-29-2020

Rev. Jim Jones said "drink the Kool-Aid"
Time for Trump's True Believers to Respond

4-26-2020 — Memo to my New York union readers: I'm a bleeding heart liberal and thus always open to new ideas. I will give the president's innovative new medical therapy careful consideration if he will be the first to try drinking bleach and applying his makeup with Lysol. Swill at will. Bon appetit. Alleluia! — AB
Be well. Raise hell. Stay safe, sane and sanitary in the permanent sanitarium.

"Betwixt all the Trump flags in the thinly attended Carson City MAGAcidal maniax demonstration was a home-made sign stating 'All cults should be voluntary.' They are obviously experts on that kinda stuff." (Barbwire 4-22-2020)

New Yorkers take Trump's medical advice and o.d. on Clorox and Lysol
The will to live is finally gone since the bastard is their city's spawn
Spike in New Yorkers ingesting household cleaners following Trump’s coronavirus comments
New York Daily News 4-25-2020

TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM (New York Times front page headline 8-6-2019)
BARBWIRE TRANSLATION: "You provide the unity, I'll provide the racism"

Trump wants your cat and your shorts
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-22-2020 Sparks Tribune / Updated 4-26-2020

A gold record message from the King
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-15-2020 Sparks Tribune

Three Reno VA hospital AFGE 2152 Union members die of virus
First victim, Bruce McAlister, 47, followed by ER nurse Vianna Thompson, 52, who died in the hospital's ICU, and medical technician Alex Gousev, 57
Reno Gazette-Journal 4-journalist team series 3-30 thru 4-10-2020

Are you ready to die for your country?
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the Wednesday 4-8-2020 Sparks Tribune

300 Died of COVID-19 in NYC Friday, April 3; 550 statewide just that day

Trump wants the churches full by Easter — Perhaps like Lombardy, Italy, today?

Payback: Corona, Cocaine & Trump
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 4-1-2020 Sparks Tribune
Photos, video and commentary from Barbwire correspondents in the belly of the beast: New York City and northern Italy
And remembering when Andy met Betty on April Fools Day 44 years ago

Covid Containment

Teamsters 533 persuades Waste Management to protect public and drivers
4-1-2020 Sparks Tribune

Teamsters UPS members protest unsafe working conditions nationwide
3-25-2020 Sparks Tribune

Kinks and hijinx in the time of plague
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-25-2020 Sparks Tribune

The lighter side of the latest plague
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-18-2020 Sparks Tribune

Medflies, flyweights and President Pelosi
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-11-2020 Sparks Tribune

Trump's Blackrobes: Humpty Dumpty Homotextuals
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 3-4-2020 Sparks Tribune

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Scott Fullerton
(775) 753-8761

National Labor Relations Board dismisses Nevada Gold Mines’ effort to disrupt union representation

ELKO, NEV. (2-25-2020) — An election petition filed by Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in early February has been dismissed. The NLRB’s Regional Director based in Oakland, Calif., found that there was “no question” concerning the Operating Engineers Local 3’s (OE3’s) representation of roughly 1,300 mine workers formerly employed by Newmont Mining Corp.

NGM, a joint venture between Newmont and Barrick Gold Corp., had pushed for a union election that would have included not only the former Newmont workforce, but also employees of mines formerly operated by Barrick. OE3 has represented the former Newmont workforce since 1965.

“NGM’s election petition was designed to strip these workers of their union representation. We’re happy that the NLRB saw through NGM’s transparent attempt to completely end collective bargaining at the former Newmont mines by trying to force an unnecessary — and unfair — union representation vote,” said OE3 Director of Organizing Bruce Noel.

NGM filed the election petition despite a pending Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge filed by OE3. OE3 filed the charge because NGM refused to honor the three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated just last year between mine workers and Newmont Mining Corp. Company representatives promised workers and the Union that the agreement would continue to apply at the former Newmont mines after the joint venture between Newmont Mining Corp. and Barrick Gold Corp. was finalized. In an about-face last December, NGM announced that it would no longer recognize the CBA or the Union.

OE3 also accuses NGM of retaliating against local employers for participating in the Miners’ Rights Expo that OE3 held at the Elko Convention Center on Feb. 7, enhancing miners’ fear of retaliation from their employer if they indicated any interest in union representation. “People are afraid to speak up, because they’re afraid they’ll get fired,” said Noel.

Elko resident and former Newmont employee Josh Jauer says NGM even went so far as to harass workers who sought to know more about the election — which NGM had itself demanded — ensuring the process would not be as clear and fair as NGM representatives claimed it would be.

“We were harassed, if we tried to get information on union representation,” Jauer said. “If Local 3 can’t access these workers, how would they know to even vote? It’s an unfair situation.”

“NGM has taken alarming steps to try to intimidate OE3,” said OE3 District Rep. Scott Fullerton. “They called the police on us for being on public property and trying to talk to the workers at the former Newmont mines now owned and operated by NGM. This is not transparency. It’s union-busting.”

Fullerton maintains that his and the union’s main focus has been to protect the current OE3 members and the contract they and their employer agreed upon. “We will not abandon the workers we have represented since 1965.”

Editor's note: This story was excerpted by the Elko Daily Free Press and the Associated Press.
The AP update appeared in the Feb. 29 Reno Gazette-Journal.

Bernie or bust, Dolores a must
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-26-2020 Sparks Tribune

"OUR JOAN OF ARC"
32-year Sen. Joe Neal's comments on the Feb. 19 NBC debate
Senator Neal endorses Sen. Warren, reviews 2-19 LV debate
SenJoeNeal.org 2-20-2020

Czars Donaldov & Nixon win Democratic Caucus
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-19-2020 Sparks Tribune

Springtime for fat cats & unburied hatchets
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-12-2020 Sparks Tribune

Betty Joyce Luffman Donlevy Barbano
2-7-1941 / 12-27-2005

Love saves a life on Reno's mean streets
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 2-5-2020 Sparks Tribune

Bill Harrah's cookie cutter crumbles
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-29-2020 Sparks Tribune

Going to confession with Father Barbwire
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-22-2020 Sparks Tribune

MLK weekend events

NEW JIM CROW AUTHOR: "Everything has changed and nothing has changed"

INJUSTICE ON REPEAT: From mass incarceration to mass deportation, our nation remains in denial
By Michelle Alexander / The New York Times / Jan. 17 & 19, 2020
Printable text version

Ms. Alexander has just released the 10th anniversary edition of her seminal bestseller, "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness," from which the above is adapted.

READ IT. PRINT IT. POST IT. CIRCULATE IT. IT'S IMPORTANT!

Railroad Workers United General Secretary Ron Kaminkow wrote:

King’s support of unions was long-standing, although that endorsement was not returned by unions, including most rail unions that did not offer membership to African-Americans. In 1961, King’s address at the AFL-CIO’s annual convention was considered a turning point. At the Convention, King observed: “Our needs are identical with labor’s needs: decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old-age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children, and respect in the community. That is why Negroes support labor’s demands and fight laws which curb labor. That is why the labor-hater and labor-baiter is virtually always a twin-headed creature spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other mouth.”

In the last year of his life, King had embarked upon organizing a “Poor Peoples Campaign” designed to unite people of all races in a struggle to redistribute the wealth and power in society to common everyday working people. “I think it is necessary for us to realize that we have moved from the era of civil rights to the era of human rights … [W]hen we see that there must be a radical redistribution of economic and political power, then we see that for the last twelve years we have been in a reform movement … That after Selma and the Voting Rights Bill, we moved into a new era, which must be anoara of revolution … In short, we have moved into an era where we are called upon to raise certain basic questions about the whole society.King’s support of unions was long-standing, although that endorsement was not returned by unions, including most rail unions that did not offer membership to African-Americans.

In 1961, King’s address at the AFL-CIO’s annual convention was considered a turning point. At the Convention, King observed: “Our needs are identical with labor’s needs: decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old-age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children, and respect in the community. That is why Negroes support labor’s demands and fight laws which curb labor. That is why the labor-hater and labor-baiter is virtually always a twin-headed creature spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other mouth.”

In the last year of his life, King had embarked upon organizing a “Poor Peoples Campaign” designed to unite people of all races in a struggle to redistribute the wealth and power in society to common everyday working people. “I think it is necessary for us to realize that we have moved from the era of civil rights to the era of human rights … [W]hen we see that there must be a radical redistribution of economic and political power, then we see that for the last twelve years we have been in a reform movement … That after Selma and the Voting Rights Bill, we moved into a new era, which must be an era of revolution … In short, we have moved into an era where we are called upon to raise certain basic questions about the whole society.[1]

("While roughly 1 of 3 U.S. workers have the day off work today, MLK Day has yet to be recognized by nearly all U.S. rail carriers. For most of us on the nation’s railroads, it is unfortunately, business as usual," Bro. Kaminkow concluded.)

__________________

1. EDITOR'S NOTE: A young Bernie Sanders attended the 1963 March on Washington. The latter paragraph could have been ripped from a Bernie for President brochure.

THIS DAY IN LABOR HISTORY

17 January 1915 — Radical labor organizer and activist Lucy Parsons led a march of over 15,000 people in Chicago. She and her fellow marchers demanded relief from hunger and high levels of unemployment. Industrial Workers of the World (IWW aka "The Wobblies") member Ralph Chaplin re-lyricked an old tune for the march and titled it "Solidarity Forever." The original tune ("Say, brothers, will you meet us? On Canaan’s happy shore?") had been popularized as "John Brown's Body," penned to memorialize slavery abolitionist John Brown who was hanged after his famed 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). The music was later re-lyricked by Julia Ward Howe into "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and both were used as Union Army marching songs in the Civil War. (IWW)

13 January 1912 — STRIKE RIOTS CLOSE BIG LAWRENCE MILLS: Women went on strike and riots broke out at the mills of the American Woolen Company in Lawrence, Mass., in response to wage cuts. The strike went on to become one of the most famous in US labor history. (The New York Times)

National welfare, corporate welfare and MLK
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-15-2020 Sparks Tribune

"America exists today to make war." — Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, 2002-2005

The only way to stop killing is to stop killing
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-8-2020 Sparks Tribune

Barbano sells out to white Republicans
Barbwire by Andrew Barbáno / Expanded from the 1-1-2020 Sparks Tribune

Happy High Holly Days to all
Merry Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Festivus/Chanukah
Hope you and yours enjoyed enthralling Thanksgibleting.
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad
HAPPY NEW YEAR / Feliz Año Nuevo / Felice Anno Nuovo
Frohe Weihnachten und beste Wuensche fuer 2020

BREAKING NEWS AND THEN SOME —>