In December, a group of Starbucks employees in Northern Nevada decided to join a national strike against the coffee giant, demanding higher wages, amid rising cost of living. We recently reported on the person who helped lead the strike at Reno's only unionized Starbucks location.

On today's show, we hear from Lynn Lazaro who shared that story, and get into some recent news headlines from around the region.

Story links:

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/most-nevada-ice-arrests-dont-happen-in-raids-heres-where-they-do-take-place

https://www.kunr.org/local-stories/2026-01-09/court-dismisses-republican-candidates-lawsuit-against-our-center-washoe-county

https://mynews4.com/news/local/robert-beadles-confirms-he-hired-private-investigator-to-track-reno-mayor-hillary-schieve

This show is made possible by Press Forward, a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms and close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage.

And from our readers and listeners at sierranevadaally.org.

Music for the show comes from local band, People with Bodies.

Visit SierraNevadaAlly.org to show your financial support of coverage on civics, climate and community in the Sierra Nevada region.

And sign up for our FREE newsletter and get the latest reports from the Sierra Nevada Ally sent directly to your inbox.

As of Jan. 7, Sierra snow pack is at 91% of normal for this time of year, buoyed by more than usual snow in the Southern Sierra. For the Tahoe area, mountain snow pack is slightly lower, 89% of the normal amount by this date. The mountains are seeing precipitation, but with warmer temperatures, it's falling as rain.

What does the late, and warmer, start to the snow season mean for the region, local businesses and more? We turn to our environmental contributor Claire Carlson who joins Ally Audio to talk about her latest story and what she found out.

This show is made possible by Press Forward, a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms and close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage.

And from our readers and listeners at sierranevadaally.org.

Music for the show comes from local band, People with Bodies.

Visit SierraNevadaAlly.org to show your financial support of coverage on civics, climate and community in the Sierra Nevada region.

And sign up for our FREE newsletter and get the latest reports from the Sierra Nevada Ally sent directly to your inbox.

Together one more time in 2025, the Ally team takes a final look back at some of our favorite stories from the past year in this special episode of Ally Audio. We talk about our grocery price tracker, and coverage of the impact of USAID cuts at home, what environmental agency cuts could look like, and water releases in California earlier this year.

This work is only possible thanks to your financial support. Give now during our NewsMatch campaign and every new donation up to $1,000 is matched through Dec. 31.

This show is made possible by Press Forward, a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms and close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage.

And from our readers and listeners at sierranevadaally.org.

Music for the show comes from local band, People with Bodies.

Visit SierraNevadaAlly.org to show your financial support of coverage on civics, climate and community in the Sierra Nevada region.

And sign up for our FREE newsletter and get the latest reports from the Sierra Nevada Ally sent directly to your inbox.