Nevada
Reno High’s Ortega-Gammill honored as Nevada’s Gatorade runner of the year
Gatorade announced that Eric Ortega-Gammill of Reno High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Nevada Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. Ortega-Gammill is the second Gatorade Nevada Boys Cross Country Player of the Year to be chosen from Reno High School.
Ortega-Gammill, a 6-foot-3, 160-pound senior, raced to seventh place at the talent-stacked Clovis Invitational this past season in a time of 15 minutes, 38.6 seconds. Ortega-Gammill was also the top Nevada finisher at the Woodbridge Classic and the prestigious Bob Firman Invitational.
A four-time Academic All-State honoree, he won the Class 5A state meet in the fastest time across the all levels with 16:31.0, earning All-State recognition for a third consecutive year.
Ortega-Gammill is also an accomplished classical pianist, and he has volunteered locally on behalf of MyKeys Studio, playing the instrument for younger students and providing feedback on their own recitals. He also has donated his time to the Junior Silver State Striders, a running group for ages 6 to 18.
“Eric Ortega-Gammill churned out highly impressive consistency on a variety of championship-level courses to emerge as one of the premier talents from the Silver State in recent memory,” Rich Gonzalez of PrepCalTrack said in a news release. “Crossing state lines six times this season in search of top competition, the talented senior shined brightest at the Clovis Invitational in California and the Bob Firman Invitational in Idaho, two of the top meets in the country.”
The Gatorade award celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Ortega-Gammill as Nevada’s best high school boys cross country runner.
Ortega-Gammill has maintained a 4.60 weighted GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to run on scholarship at Santa Clara University this fall.
Nevada
Rural Nevada ice cream shop named best in the state by Yelp
Video: How to make Cold Stone Creamery’s Strawberry Blonde ice cream
Chris Reynolds, franchisee of Cold Stone Creamery’s Reno locations, shows how to make the Strawberry Blonde ice cream.
When foodies think of the best ice cream in Nevada, their minds might immediately go to the world-class eateries in Las Vegas or the independent dessert shops in Reno. As it turns out (or at least according to Yelp) the best ice cream isn’t in either of Nevada’s most urban areas.
Last year, Yelp released its list of 100 best U.S. ice cream shops ahead of National Ice Cream Day on July 20, naming one rural spot as the best place to get a frozen treat in the entire state.
Luckily for Renoites, the best ice cream spot in Nevada isn’t far away. Here’s a look at the only Silver State location that made the list.
What is the best ice cream shop in Nevada?
Steve’s Homemade Ice Cream in Fernley was the only Nevada location to make Yelp’s best ice cream spots list. Steve’s is at 1360 US Hwy. 95A N., Suite 5, or just off the second highway exit going into Fernley from Reno, in the outdoor mall across the street from the Starbucks.
Yelp reviewers appreciated Steve’s variety of homemade ice cream flavors, the shop’s cleanliness and aesthetic appeal, and the owner’s friendliness.
How did Yelp make its Top 100 Best Ice Cream Shops list?
Yelp used the reviews of businesses in the ice cream category, then used factors such as the total volume of ratings and reviews to create its “all-time list of the Top 100 Ice Cream Spots in the U.S..”
When is National Ice Cream Day 2026?
Sunday, July 19, 2026, is National Ice Cream Day.
Nevada
Sparks weekend road closures are slated
SPARKS, Nev. (KOLO) – From Friday, July 17, at 10 a.m. through 6 a.m. Monday, July 20, Southbound Pyramid Way will be closed from Oddie Boulevard to C Street in Sparks for repaving and reconstruction work, according to a Wednesday, July 15, Nevada Department of Transportation news release.
• Southbound vehicles will be detoured via McCarran Boulevard
• Business access will remain available via side streets and marked with signs
• Westbound and eastbound Prater Way will remain open during the closures
• Drivers are asked to leave extra time to detour around the closures
The $14 million improvement project will improve Pyramid Way for bout 28,000 drivers who use it daily, the release said.
In 2010, the road was fully repaved, with minor resurfacing in some areas more recently.
Copyright 2026 KOLO. All rights reserved.
Nevada
Nevada’s modern boomtowns are these fast-growing cities, study said
Reno or Las Vegas: Which costs less?
Which costs less? Reno has pricier homes but higher pay and cheaper groceries; Vegas offers cheaper housing.
Nevada’s history as a mining and entertainment state has made it synonymous with boomtowns. Perhaps more than any other state, cities in Nevada can feel like they practically explode overnight (like Las Vegas) and at times are abandoned as quickly as they were inhabited (like the state’s many ghost towns)
SmartAsset, a financial technology company, said in a recent report that Nevada is still home to several boomtowns. SmartAsset defines as cities that “stand out for attracting people, investment and development at a pace that sets them apart.”
“Boomtown status does not mean growth benefits everyone equally, but it does reflect a city’s expanding economic capacity and the new opportunities that come with it,” wrote SmartAsset.
The list was compiled by analyzing more than 400 U.S. cities with populations of 65,000 or more. Each city received a score based on five-year changes in three factors: economic output, housing units and labor force size. Four Nevada cities landed in the 75 highest-scoring cities, which SmartAsset said represent America’s new boomtowns.
Here’s what else to know.
Nevada is home to these four ‘boomtowns,’ according to Smart Asset
North Las Vegas was the highest-ranked Nevada city on the list, at No. 39. It had a 21% increase in housing units, a 24% increase in the labor force, and a compound annual real GDP growth rate of 3.5%.
Nevada’s runner-up was Sparks at No. 53, which saw housing units grow by 16%, labor force increase by 14%, and a 3.8% compound annual GDP growth rate.
Henderson followed at No. 63, posting a 13% increase in housing units, an 18% rise in labor force, and a 3.5% annual GDP growth rate.
Reno came in last among Nevada cities on the list at No. 66, with housing units up 14%, a labor force increase of 11%, and a 3.8% compound annual GDP growth rate.
Methodology
In order to determine the country’s boomtowns, Smart Asset looked at U.S. cities with populations of more than 65,000.
Each city was scored across three metrics: five-year labor force change, five-year housing unit change, and county-level compound annual real GDP growth.
Changes in the labor force (which includes residents ages 16 and older who are employed or actively seeking work) and in housing units were calculated using 2019 and 2024 ACS data.
Real GDP growth was calculated using Bureau of Economic Analysis data for 2019 and 2024; county-level real GDP was used as a proxy for city-level economic output.
Cities were assigned composite scores based on the three metrics and ranked accordingly.
America’s top 10 boomtowns
According to SmartAsset, these are the top 10 boomtowns in the U.S. in 2026:
- Georgetown, Texas
- New Braunfels, Texas
- Lehi, Utah
- Leander, Texas
- Lewisville, Texas
- Palm Coast, Florida
- Nampa, Idaho
- McKinney, Texas
- Conroe, Texas
- Frisco, Texas
Diana Leyva with The Tennessean contributed to this report.
-
Ohio4 minutes agoCanadian wildfire smoke forces cancellation of several events in northwest Ohio
-
Oklahoma10 minutes agoOklahoma first responders join rescue efforts as deadly Texas floods claim more lives
-
Oregon16 minutes ago
Oregon Lottery Pick 4 results for July 16
-
Pennsylvania22 minutes agoContinued Legacy: Central Pennsylvania Auto Auction gears up for 25th anniversary of Classic Car Auction
-
Rhode Island28 minutes agoWould You Dare Step Inside the Scariest Porta Potty in Rhode Island?
-
South-Carolina34 minutes agoSouth Carolina Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for July 16, 2026
-
South Dakota40 minutes agoSouth Dakota opera ‘Giants in the Earth’ finds new audience
-
Tennessee46 minutes agoState encouraging Paramount to come to Tennessee