Business and Economy

State officials say they're seeing fraudulent unemployment claims using the personal information of some Nevada employees. Our contributor Bob Conrad of ThisisReno has more.

The state has notified employees that their personal information may have been breached. The data may include an employee's name, date of birth, and social security number.

The Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency is in charge of coordinating with the cities of Reno and Sparks, along with Washoe County, on land use planning. That includes conversations about resources, like water, and infrastructure, like roads and schools.

“One of the other pieces that we’ve really been prioritizing over the past four years or so is predicting population growth and employment growth and talking about where that’s going to happen in our community,” explains Kim Robinson, the agency’s executive director.

One of the biggest promises Tesla has made to Nevada is its commitment to hire thousands of people for well-paid jobs at the gigafactory. In the latest installment of our series Behind the Battery Boom, reporter Amy Westervelt looks at how the company will deliver on that promise in the face of a looming labor shortage.

I’m standing in what will soon be the new advanced manufacturing lab at Truckee Meadows Community College. Jim New, the school’s dean of technical sciences, is showing me around.

Reno City Council recently voted to demolish two downtown motels, leaving some residents wondering, “What will happen to their neon signs?” 

As part of our ongoing series on Tesla, Amy Westervelt takes a look at the state of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and whether or not it’s easier to get around without gas these days. 

A partnership between The Boeing Company’s unmanned aircraft systems design team, Insitu, and the University of Nevada, Reno could help improve the way drones fly. Reno Public Radio’s Marcus Lavergne has more.

Median housing costs have risen to more than three-hundred-thousand dollars, the first time prices have hit that mark since the recession. That's according to a recent report published by Northern Nevada Business Weekly.

Business and construction are booming in Reno, and that means even more students for the already-overcrowded Washoe County School District. In the latest installment of our series Behind The Battery Boom, looking at Tesla's impact on Northern Nevada, we break down the complex relationship between economic development and local schools. 

The Tesla gigafactory has officially opened, but questions remain regarding how northern Nevada is preparing and responding to economic growth spurred by the company. To explore this issue for our series Behind the Battery Boom, we turn to our contributor Bob Conrad of ThisisReno who recently toured the plant.

The Tahoe Reno Industrial Center just welcomed a company in the battery industry, but it’s not Tesla.

Aqua Metals, a company which recycles lead batteries, held a grand opening to unveil the world’s first facility for a process company executives call “AquaRefining.”

More environmentally friendly than smelting, “AquaRefining” dissolves the lead acid from batteries in a water solution instead of heating it and causing emissions.

As part of our series Behind the Battery Boom, we’re taking a look at a key element of the factory: batteries. Lithium-ion batteries to be exact, and whether the electric vehicle industry’s multi-billion-dollar bet on the technology will pay off.

Electric car maker Tesla officially opened its Gigafactory near Reno.

The massive factory is only about 15 percent complete, and when it’s finished will stretch more than 10 million square feet. That’s about the size of 260 pro football fields, making it one of the largest buildings in the world.

Earlier this month, the Reno City Council made a controversial vote to demolish two downtown motels.

Natalie Van Hoozer takes a look at this particular case and what might be in store for Reno’s vacant buildings as the city grows.

I’m standing on Virginia Street outside of the Golden West Motor Lodge with Britton Griffith-Douglass, the president of the Riverwalk Merchant’s Association. She says that to her, the property is an eyesore.

A housing community called the Tiny Ten is coming to downtown Reno.

Local urban developers Kelly Rae and Pamela Haberman of HabeRae Properties knew they were on to something when they first started building tiny homes over a decade ago.

“The tiny homes are the future," Rae says, "as far as our millennials, our [baby] boomers or Generation X-ers that don’t want to live in an 1,800 to 3,000 square foot house out in the suburbs, who want to be near the urban core."

The Nevada Board of Transportation is using its powers of eminent domain on a private property that's in the construction pathway of the USA Parkway east of Reno. Our contributor Bob Conrad of ThisisReno reports.

Libraries across the country are taking on new roles in today’s digital age. In Washoe County, libraries are offering programs like Startup School.

When we think of libraries, we often imagine stacks of books and study desks.

“It’s not just a house of books, there’s a lot more opportunity and more and more hands on stuff,” said Morgan Tiar, a Washoe County librarian and instructor for Startup School.

She’s in a meeting room where students like Colleen Lennox are discussing their products.

Reno City Council has approved a contract to demolish two downtown motels, the Golden West Motor Lodge and the Heart o’ Town.