Still in the Middle
Not quite the end of the road
After six and a half years of trying to stay in the middle of the road, I've decided to pull over. Not park—just pull over. Eventually, all things come to an end. Even personally rewarding journeys like writing "Memo from the Middle" can't last forever. Nor should...
Nevada’s election challenge: Secretary of State candidates
Nevada may be the easiest place in America to vote. You can register the same day, vote early for two weeks, or fill out the ballot that arrives in your mailbox. So why do so few of us bother, and why do so many of us doubt the count? A recent Pew Research Center...
A Christmas prayer from Nevada
Dear God, 2020 has been a really hard year. You already know all the reasons why, so I won't burden you with a recitation of all that's happened to us this year. We both know a lot of people who have been hurt in Nevada by an invisible virus that's all...
Don’t let COVID-19 cause a young, lost generation
It's no picnic being a young person in 2020. Because of social distancing, many in this generation of young Nevadans are losing their relationships at school, contact with their friends, sports, their weekend gatherings, hanging out at the mall and a host of...
Why so much about race in Census?
This opinion column was submitted by RGJ columnist Pat Hickey, a member of the Nevada Legislature from 1996 to 2016. Now's a good time for America to be thinking about what heals us, and not, what further divides. You know — things like the kind of pledge we made...
It’s time to finally say farewell, Mr. President
Nobody gave you much of a chance of becoming president. Possibly, you didn't really believe it yourself at first. Many in America's Republican establishment still can't believe a brash businessman and reality TV star ("The Apprentice") could...
All we are saying is give fair elections a chance
"I remember when Halloween was the scariest night of the year. Now, it's Election Night," or so says an anonymous Twitter troll who's not the only person worried about America's election process. For most (but, not all) of the U.S.'s...
Korean War: A forgotten war, not forgotten men
It's been 70 years since mostly American men went off to fight a war in a place few knew anything about before being shipped there. A war-weary U.S. honored its 1882 Friendship Treaty with Korea and summoned help from 15 other nations in coming to the defense of small...
In America, there’s a pendulum, not a guillotine
This opinion column was submitted by RGJ columnist Pat Hickey, a member of the Nevada Legislature from 1996 to 2016. Political power shifts can have dire consequences for those on the losing end of change. The French Revolution comes to mind. With France nearly...
The verdict on virtual education during COVID
It gives me no satisfaction in saying this: Remote education isn't working very well in Nevada. Even though I wasn't a big fan while a member of the State Board of Education, and tried to reform it as an executive with the public charter school association,...
About Pat Hickey
Pat Hickey was born in Carson City and grew up in Lake Tahoe, the place where his Irish ancestors settled in the 1870s. Pat has been a ski bum, a seeker, a reporter, an assemblyman, an education advocate, and a proud parent and grandparent. His “Memo from the Middle” Sunday column was previolusly carried in the Reno Gazette Journal.
Pat received his Master’s Degree from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada. His lifelong interest in life after death is matched only by his fascination with the lives he and other Nevadans are currently leading.
