Silver State of Mind

The most recent show.

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

  1. 9:04Stronger Every Morning

    The Helicopter Built From Military Junk

    If you've ever heard a helicopter working low over a ridge near Tahoe or Pyramid Lake, there's a good chance it was flying on a surplus military airframe the county got for scrap value thirty years ago, crewed partly by volunteers. Here's how Washoe County actually finds people who go missing in our own backyard, for free.

  2. 9:17Smart Start

    Three Bays to Eight: A Reno Garage's Biggest Bet in 79 Years

    Roy Foster's Automotive just opened a second shop in Sparks, an eight-bay, $4 million buildout, the biggest move in the family's 79-year history. It started in 1947 when his dad came home from the Navy and opened a service station. Here's how it got from there to here.

  3. 9:30Smart Start

    Four Power Bills, Same House

    Everybody up here assumes Las Vegas pays more for power because of the heat, and that Sacramento's public hydro power means a cheaper bill. We built the same hypothetical power bill in Reno, Vegas, Sacramento, and Boise, straight off each utility's own filed rate sheet, and the order isn't what you'd guess.

  4. 9:43Trailhead Report

    The Flume That Fed Virginia City

    Next time you're driving up Spooner Summit or you tell someone you live in Incline Village, you're standing on top of one of the wildest supply chains in Nevada history. In the 1870s, a forest on one side of the lake was turned into silver on the other side of the mountain, by twelve miles of wood, water, and gravity.

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