DEATH BEHIND BARS: In 2017, Donald Torres drank himself to death in the Washoe County Jail’s infirmary—with water. Keely Darmody vomited until she died while detoxing from opiates. Deputies kept three men pinned to the floor on their stomachs so long their hearts stopped beating. One mentally ill man, Justin Thompson, was kicked and ridiculed during the incident. Each of these deaths contributed to a silent spike in deaths at the Washoe County Jail uncovered in my investigation: Death Behind Bars. The investigation resulted in a new law requiring sheriffs to provide greater transparency into jail deaths and greater oversight by county commissions and state health officials.

GROUP HOMES:  In 2016, when Jeannette McDaniel reached out to the Reno Gazette Journal, she was at her wits’ end. She had rented her mother’s home to a company that provided living assistance to state mental health clients. When the company eventually abandoned the home, McDaniel was horrified to see the condition that those mentally ill clients had been living in. My investigation revealed the state of Nevada provided erratic, if any, oversight of these privately-run homes, funneled a majority of contracts for living assistance to one troubled company and had a poor track record of holding contractors accountable. The investigation resulted in immediate intervention by the governor, and the passage of multiple new laws. 

FILM TAX INCENTIVES: When he was hired to head Reno’s tourism agency, Chris Baum quietly began paying an old friend to act as the agency’s new film consultant. Turns out his old friend’s past was marked by a series of failures, leading to questions about whether the agency’s money was well spent. As part of the package, I also looked at the wisdom of launching a film tax incentive program at a time other states were axing similar tax breaks. Six months later, the agency had ended Jeff Spilman’s contract and continued to struggle to land any film deals.

LAX DRUG AND ALCOHOL POLICY: Twelve years ago, Reno’s powerful firefighters union negotiated a drug and alcohol policy that would allow them to escape discipline if they showed up to work with a blood alcohol content at the legal limit for driving. The policy also allowed for more than twice the legal driving limit for a variety of illegal drugs. As the city entered another round of contentious labor negotiations, the union signaled the policy was off limits. After the stories ran, they back tracked and offered to craft a new policy that conforms with federal standards.

CITY FINANCES: Investigative stories don’t necessarily need to be stodgy, long-form narratives. This piece on the five reasons Reno citizens should be concerned about their city’s finances was widely read and applauded.

Here are a few audience reactions to my investigative work:

Wow, I’m still impressed with your work!

-Your old chemistry teacher.   Paul Nagel

Dear Anjeanette:

Great investigative reporting.  Stories like this are the reason I subscribe to RGJ.  I am looking forward to more follow up stories on this subject.

Thank you

-Carole Reimer

Great article. Now that’s journalism. Well done. We need more like this.

-Patrick