“Las mujeres sostienen la mitad del cielo.” – Mao Zedong.

¡Hola Nevadenses! 

Out with the Year of the Dragon, in with the Year of the Snake. That’s right, the 2025 Chinese Zodiac is the Snake which symbolizes wisdom, passion, transformation, and is characterized by an intuitive nature. The Lunar New Year is also known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, and Jan. 29 marks the start of this new zodiac based on the Chinese lunar calendar. It’s a 15-day festival celebrated worldwide, especially in Asian countries and countless cities across the US. 

Families decorate their homes in red and hang lanterns, paper cuttings, couplets or strings of red chili peppers to keep Nian away and attract good luck ahead of the family reunion on Lunar New Year’s Eve. Another tradition is to do a thorough house cleaning on the 28th day of the last lunar month to sweep away any bad luck and make way for good fortune. This sounds like a “limpia” to me, and I’m going to use this as motivation to launch into my spring cleaning pronto. 

One thing I’m thankful for and love to celebrate is the diversity we enjoy in Nevada. There are so many people from different countries that make us a more vibrant, beautiful and resilient community. Not to mention all the delicious eats! 

I hope you find the list of statewide Lunar New Year events helpful in allowing you to plan fun cultural experiences next weekend!

It isn’t only Nevada’s “anything goes” attitude that makes people blush. Like any respectable state, we also have some blush-worthy town names. They don’t match the audacity of Balltown, Iowa, or Intercourse, Pennsylvania, but some earn lowbrow laughs while others are unusual, ironic, or on the nose. Perhaps most ironic, one isn’t a town name at all.

From a name influenced by a jukebox hit to a ghost town with a cursed name, these seven Nevada town names will make you giggle or blush.

.• Puckerbrush

• West Wendover

• Owyhee

What’s giving you hope right now? Reply back to frank@couriernewsroom.com and let me know.

• Nevada set to approve $12M housing initiative to combat rising homelessness. As homelessness reaches record levels across the nation, Nevada officials are preparing to distribute $12 million to create permanent supportive housing for the state’s most vulnerable residents. The funding comes as Nevada’s homeless population surged to more than 10,000 people in 2024, up from 8,600 in 2023 — mirroring a national crisis that saw more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night last January. (Read more here)

• From horses to high-tech classrooms: A 68-year-old CCSD school gets new life. Mountain View Elementary School was recently demolished, making way for a modern two-story facility designed to meet today’s educational needs. Mountain View is among 30-plus schools slated to be rebuilt across the valley by 2035. (Read more here)

• Reno’s 2025 Junior Ranger Program: All ages & abilities are invited. Outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers in Reno will soon have an exciting new way to engage with the city’s natural spaces. The 2025 Junior Ranger Program is set to launch at the end of January, offering residents and visitors of all ages and abilities the chance to deepen their connection with local parks while earning official recognition for their participation. (Read more here)

Conoce tus derechos. El fiscal General de Nevada, Aaron Ford explicó los derechos constitucionales de la comunidad migrante: qué hacer en caso de darse un encuentro con agentes de ICE, qué hacer si un familiar es detenido por migración, quién puede ayudarles y cómo evitar ser estafado por gente inescrupulosa. El foro aconteció en la Plaza Comunitaria de la Fundación Casa del Inmigrante, el miércoles 22 de enero. La comunidad migrante se moviliza.