Hi, Nevadans!

There’s lots happening this week for Halloween, from trunk-or-treats to community festivals and special celebrations. Make sure to check out the events section below—I included a couple of Día de Muertos celebrations—but just a reminder: it’s a holiday to remember and honor loved ones who have passed; it is not “Mexican Halloween.”

Also below: A look at Renonites’ favorite bakeries thanks to our readers. Yum!

And, in not-so-sweet news: Clark County School District enrollment is declining.

Have a good week, Nevadans!

Jannelle Calderón

Newsletter Editor, The Nevadan / El Nevadense

🍁 Fall Festival — Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5-8 p.m. at the East Las Vegas Community Center (250 N. Eastern Ave.) Family-friendly games, a costume contest, a treat walk, live entertainment, a pumpkin patch, train rides and face painters.

🎃 Monster Mash Trunk or Treat — Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5-8:30 p.m. at Crossing Church (7950 W. Windmill Lane) Grab your costume, rally the crew, and head to the Monster Mash Trunk or Treat presented by Clark County Parks and Recreation/Special Events (free entry). Enjoy a night of candy, music, food trucks, a haunted house, and the opportunity to explore a police cruiser or fire truck up close.

💃 Halloween Salsa Party at The Jesse — Friday, Oct. 31, 7-11 p.m. at The Jesse Hotel & Bar & Coffee (306 E. 4th St.) in Reno. Come in costume and dance the night away. Tickets are available online for $20, which includes a drink and a salsa lesson at 7:30 p.m.

🌼 Día de Los Muertos Reno Celebration — Saturday, Nov. 1, from 12-7 p.m. at Locomotion Plaza (301 N. Virginia St.) Celebrate Día de Muertos in downtown Reno with colorful altars, live Latin music and dance performances, food vendors, family activities, kids’ crafts, artisan vendors, and a community altar honoring loved ones. Free entry.

🌙 Día de los Muertos Las Vegas Festival — Saturday, Nov. 1, from 3-9 p.m. at the Carolyn G. Goodman Plaza (525 S. Main St.) Enjoy free entertainment by local and guest artists, interactive children’s activities, artisan vendors, food, face painting, and an exhibition of altars created by community organizations and groups.

The best bakeries in Reno, according to our readers

A deliciously flaky almond croissant. (Courtesy of Perenn Bakery)

By Stacy Rounds

As part of our Reno food guide, we asked our readers about their favorite Reno bakeries. And with the weather getting cooler, a nice hot cup of coffee and a fresh, fluffy, flaky pastry hit just right.

Reno has a slew of different bakeries that sell bread, pastries, regional specialties, and more. Local bakeries are touchstones of authenticity. They are the places you take visitors to prove that Reno’s local food can be soulful, creative, delicious, and rooted in place.

These six spots represent a mix of heritage, artisan revival, ethnic tradition, and ambitious growth. From Panderias to European fare to Cantonese treats, Reno boasts some amazing bakeries that our readers love.

🥐 Check these out!

School choice and low funding create enrollment vacuum for Nevada public schools

An elective class period at Swainston Middle School on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. (Naoka Foreman/The Nevadan)

By Naoka Foreman

Clark County School District (CCSD) lost roughly 9,000 students this year as migration slows, families turn to charter schools, homeschooling, and other alternatives.

Falling birth rates, persistent teacher vacancies, chronic underfunding, and the school choice movement all contribute to the continued slide in enrollment at Nevada’s largest public school system, which served more than 300,000 youths last school year.

At the same time, the charter school system is expanding—reshaping Nevada’s educational landscape and growing to the state’s second-largest school district with more than 64,000 students. Meanwhile, the rise of school choice has fueled overcrowding at high-ranking suburban schools, resulting in historically marginalized campuses losing students at alarming rates, with some schoolhouses seeing enrollment as low as 46%, reports Channel 8 News.

Read more here

Reach 70,000+ Nevadans who care about their communities! Sponsor the Nevadan’s Dec. 6 Special Edition, “How to Get Involved and Give Back this Holiday Season.” Book by Nov. 21, 2025, and save 20% off your placement.

Email advertise@couriernewsroom.com for more information.

Nevada DMV now requires all vehicle transactions to start online, leaving access questions: “As of Oct. 22, Nevadans must begin transactions such as new registrations, title transfers, renewals and temporary movement permits through MyDMV or DriveNV before visiting an office, if an in-person step is required. DMV Director Tonya Laney said the shift will let staff focus on services that can’t be done remotely, such as driver’s licenses and ID cards.” (Reno Gazette Journal)
After-school programs increase literacy, curb absenteeism, and are hard to come by in NV: “Nevada is routinely at or near the bottom of lists gauging education outcomes and achievement, while also seeing a surge in chronic absenteeism and other conditions which hinder student performance. After-school programs in the state, as well as across the country, have shown to fill the gaps and increase literacy rates or math scores through tutoring and other educational programing, said Kendra Gipson with Nevada Afterschool Network.” (Nevada Current)