Hello, Nevadans!

Today’s Your Nevada took me back to the first time I ever road tripped from Las Vegas to Reno a few years ago. I went out without knowing much of what I’d encounter or expecting much. In fact, many people tried to talk me out of the road trip and said the drive was “boring.”

But I couldn’t disagree more. I made sure to stop by a couple of ghost towns, historical markers, open-air art installations, try the famous Tonopah root beer, and really take in the state’s magnitude, diversity, and richness. I imagined what the trailblazers felt standing in the vast, lonely land, how (even before the trailblazers) Indigenous tribes thrived, and how we got here.

In today’s newsletter:

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The average hourly wage in Nevada was $33.24, ranking 35th nationally. (Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock)

By USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

The average hourly wage in Nevada was $33.24, ranking 35th nationally.

Nevada tied with Tennessee for the seventh-highest average workweek at 34.7 hours, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. 

Nevada’s minimum wage is $12 an hour. That increase in minimum wage hit the state in July 2024 resulting from legislation passed in 2019.

Though Nevada has a higher minimum wage than 20 states in the nation, its base requirement of pay is still lower than almost all of its neighboring states (except Idaho and Utah, which have the same minimum wage as the federal standard), and some criticize that the state’s minimum wage still isn’t enough to affordably cover the high cost of rent and other living expenses in Nevada.

You can’t visit Area 51, but you can drive next to it on the E.T. Highway. (Aleza Freeman)

By Aleza Freeman

Here are seven stereotypes and stories about Nevada that are either true, false, or unconfirmed. Whether you’re a novice Nevadan or you just want to brush up on Silver State trivia, read on to get the scoop. 

Number one is a given:

1. True: If you pronounce Nevada wrong, you will face the wrath of Nevadans. 

There’s nothing more infuriating to a Nevadan than hearing “Nevada” pronounced the wrong way (except, possibly, drivers from California). It may be an innocent mistake, but to a Nevadan, it screams, “Not only am I completely clueless about all things Nevada, but I have no respect for you or your state.” This eye-roll-inducing offense instantly pegs you as an outsider.

UNLV history professor Michael Green compares the offense to “Gerald Ford eating a tamale with the husk still on” or “eating a slice of New York pizza with a fork and knife,” concluding, “You just don’t do it.”

🟣 Nye County freezes hiring, cuts $7 million in spending to close budget hole. Pahrump Valley Times

“It took major cuts to services and supplies [more than $4 million] as well as salaries and wages [$1.2 million], along with a reduction in risk management funding and a reduction to the jail fund [$1.5 million], but after some intense financial finagling, the county managed to eliminate its multi-million-dollar shortfall.”

🟣 Officials open Southern Nevada’s first foster care health and wellness clinic. KNPR

“The medical center includes primary care services, a phlebotomy lab, dental services, and psychological and behavioral counseling for children both in and out of the foster care system … Staff estimate they’ll be able to serve nearly 60 children per day, in four medical exam rooms, three dental rooms, and three therapy rooms.”

🟣 State economist on NV’s persistently high unemployment rate: It’s complicated. Nevada Current

“Rising unemployment due to job loss is a recession indicator, said [David Schmidt, chief economist at the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, & Rehabilitation (DETR)], and updated data through the third quarter of 2025 suggests that isn’t happening in Nevada. Instead, the unemployment rate is being buoyed by reasons other than job loss and is ‘normal and very distinct from recession,’ he added.”

🟣 Nevada researchers target wildfire fuels in eastern Sierra forest with new federal funding. KUNR

“During a recent demonstration at the research station, University of Nevada, Reno Forest Manager Hunter Noble showed how crews use thinning and fuel reduction to make forests more resilient when wildfire occurs. ‘We’re going to do approximately 300 acres of hazardous fuel reduction as a way to help reduce the risk of high-severity fire impacts to both the forest and then the community down below,’ Noble said.”

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Jannelle Calderón with stories by Aleza Freeman and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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