photos by Asa Gilmore

  • BJ’s Nevada Barbecue

    BJ’s Nevada Barbecueย in Sparks โ€”ย known locally for 38 years of delicious food and deep-rooted community involvement such as mentoring culinary students and supporting first responders โ€” was honored nationally as a 2025 Intuit QuickBooks and Mailchimp Small Business Hero.ย The recognition came with a surprise $20,000 check, which was presented to owner and chef Jay Rathmann on April 25, 2025. Intuit team members will join Rathmann and his team at BJโ€™s on May 8, 2025, to further honor his contributions to the community. ย Photo by Asa Gilmore

  • A Republic of Riches

    A nation lies within Nevadaโ€™s borders. It has its own navy, space program, railroad, and postal service. MoonPies, cookie dough, and the San Francisco-based historical figure Emperor Norton are revered. Onions, incandescent bulbs, and plastic shopping bags are prohibited.

  • Seeds of Hope

    โ€œWhen we discovered Columbusโ€ฆโ€ Augustin Jorquez begins, each word enunciated slowly, at a distinctly measured pace. Those four words, startling despite their seeming simplicity, speak volumes.

  • Raising the Big Three

    Located about an hour north of Reno, the family-run, 500-acre ranch hugs the north end of Honey Lake near the small towns of Janesville and Buntingville in Lassen County, Calif. The ranch has sweeping views of Honey Lake Valley and Thompson Peak, and itโ€™s filled with the sounds of birds and the bleating of young lambs.