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Welcome to this week’s Reno News & Review. I hope 2020 is treating you well so far. The first week of the decade has been pretty good for me—just resting up and relaxing after the rush of the holiday season and watching what my friends and family post on social media about how the preceding year went for them and what they hope to accomplish this year.

A lot of them want to lose weight. I get it. But as a person who’s been a size 2 and a size 16 and every size in between, I know for a fact that the world can be a cruel place for heavyset people. And so I like to encourage people not to couch their weight loss posts in self-deprecation. If you’re interested in thinking more on the topic, see this week’s editorial on page 3.

The other thing that’s been on my mind a lot lately is pedestrian safety. Last year was a deadly year for pedestrians in Washoe County. Well over a dozen of them were killed. And this year is already shaping up to be another one. Just look at the news. As I am writing this, I’m thinking about a 78-year-old pedestrian who police say died after he was hit by a car near Silverada and Oddie Boulevards early this morning. I’m also thinking about a little girl who is recovering after being hit by a vehicle Monday afternoon in Sparks.

I feel terrible for these people and their families—but I feel something else, too. I feel a sense of responsibility to do my part to make sure I never put a person in this situation. That’s why I don’t text and drive. That’s why I do look both ways for pedestrians when I approach an intersection or pull off the line at a stoplight. And that’s why I’m harping on this subject and asking you to do the same. Think about your friends and family and how devastated you’d be if someone struck them with their car. Think about how devastated you’d be if it was you who took someone’s life with your own car.