RENO, Nev. – A homicide suspect from Montana took their own life on Thursday night after police surrounded their car in northwest Reno, reports KTVN 2 News Nevada.

The incident happened in the area of Sharlands Avenue around 9 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the Reno Police Department.

Officers located the suspect and surrounded their car, blocking them in. They then heard a single gunshot and backed away.

Reinforcements were called, and a drone was brought in by UNRPD. It was then confirmed the suspect was in their car, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the news agency reports.

The suspect has not been identified pending the notification of next of kin, and no additional information has been released at this time.

In addition to the Reno Police Department, the Regional Narcotics Unit and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office also responded.

The investigation is ongoing.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Vers Bar will soon open in Nob Hill, adding a new gay bar to the city as its owners say Albuquerque’s LGBTQ+ community wanted more space.

KOB 4 got a preview before the opening and spoke with owners Lucas Romero and Luke Rogers outside the new bar.

Romero and Rogers said Albuquerque right now has only two gay bars and one gay club, fewer than other cities its size and fewer than the city used to have.

“We put a lot of love and effort into this space and put a lot of love and effort into the community. And I think when you bring those two things together, I think we have something really special for Albuquerque,” Romero said.

“Coming out of COVID. We realized that there was an opportunity or a need for people in the queer community to have a space, and so we hosted this mixer. We called it friends of Dorothy,” Rogers said.

They said those quarterly meetups at different bars across Albuquerque eventually drew close to 400 people and helped show demand for a permanent space.

“We were like, well, hold on. Is this our proof of concept for possibly a gay bar?” Romero said.

The couple found the former Albuquerque Distilling location on Central early last year and renovated it into a bar and lounge. They also leased the suite next door for a dance floor and event space.

They said social media posts about the project built interest beyond New Mexico, but they created Verse Bar with local customers in mind.

“To many of us in the gay community, having a gay bar or a strong queer culture is really important.” Rogers said.

Verse Bar will officially open to the public next weekend. Romero and Rogers said they plan a soft opening this weekend to test equipment and make sure staff are ready.

WEST LINN, Ore. (KOIN) — For some 30 years, locals and boaters along a popular spot on Oregon’s Willamette River have been staring at a 50,000-plus-square-foot home, unsure of what to think.

It’s unfinished, fenced in, and the open-air structure towers over 31 acres that include 2,700 feet of prime riverfront in an area affectionately called “Peach Cove.”

“Being a kid, I would drive the boat and look at it from the river,” said Jason Mendell.

The high-profile realtor never thought he’d actually list the home, yet now he’s fielding calls from all kinds of folks trying to figure out the property’s potential.

“Entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, business owners, and people trying to figure out what you could do with this,” he told Nexstar’s KOIN on a recent summer day.

The home’s specs are massive, and Mendell said if it’s ever completed, it would be the largest mansion in Oregon by far.

The listing includes nine bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, multiple garages for dozens of show cars and other toys. There’s a massive gymnasium or event space, too, which could include a full-size basketball court. Original plans called for two pools.

“There’s obviously only a certain amount of people that can afford a home like this, and they’ve got to have the vision to be able to finish it off,” says Mendell.

Ask around, though, and it doesn’t take long to learn there’s much more to the larger story.

“He said, ‘Would you like to build a home for me?’” says Tom Avgerakis.

The longtime home builder is referring to Mark Wattles, the founder and one-time boss of Hollywood Video, which grew to be the second-biggest video store chain in the country in the 1990s and 2000s.

Avgerakis remembers when Wattles first showed him the architectural sketches.

“He rolled them out, and I went ‘Oh, okay.’ The challenge was thrown out, and we can do it,” he said.

At first, Avgerakis said construction moved swiftly, with 50-plus workers on site moving dirt and using high-grade Oregon lumber to erect the frame.

Then, as 1996 became 1997, construction stalled, and “We anticipated a short amount of time off, but it just grew and grew and grew.”

He said that as the owner moved on to other businesses and eventually moved away, they kept up general maintenance and even planted acres of berries.

The property was eventually unloaded at auction, and it has changed hands a couple of times over the years, but no one has ever fully built it out.

“It’s a diamond in the rough. It’s just incredible,” said Avgerakis.

He hopes to be involved if the project is ever completed, and said much of the original woodwork remains in good condition even if other elements have deteriorated over the years. The current owner recently installed a new roof.

Mendell said they’re talking to potential buyers about “what could be,” whether it’s a private estate, high-end senior living facility or even a vineyard.

“It’s 31 acres of prime real estate that’s unique,” he said.

The asking price is $4.7 million.

The property is deemed Exclusive Farm Use (EFU), according to Clackamas County records.

A spokesperson told Nexstar’s KOIN that it’s approved for the one home but that anything like a larger care facility wouldn’t be allowed unless there was a zoning change.