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Friday, November 13, 2026 at 9:48 PM

Fernley dancers win gold score awards at national competition

08/05/2025 05:00 AM
Kerry Lyman
Fernley dancers win gold score awards at national competition

The Fernley Performing Arts studio dancers continued their July winning streak at the Starbound National Talent Competition Finals at Bally’s Lake Tahoe earlier this week, taking away several awards and winning the Studio Spirit Award for the overall competition.

Performing solo dance routines on the intermediate level and taking away high gold scores were Annabella Villa, Caylee Meeks and Bianca Campbell. Bella Bezinque earned an elite gold score for her solo dance routine.

High gold is for scores attaining between 280 and 290 points, while elite gold is for scores between 290 and 300 points, explained Sophie Workman, one of the dancers and an assistant teacher at the studio.

Fernley Performing Arts won three high gold awards and two elite gold awards for team dance routines on the competitive level, with the “Keep Up” group placing third overall on the elite gold level, office manager Mirandy Lewis said.

Group routine members included Sophie Workman, Annabella Villa, Bella Bezinque, Caylee Meeks, Skylar Fitts, Da’Eemah Devold, Iza Van Phoenix, Bianca Campbell, Sandy Bearden, Melody Banuelos, Velei Hale and Trista Wyant.

Laken Boonlua, the studio’s coach leading the competition teams, trained with the Radio City Music Hall’s world-famous Rockettes and ran her own dance studio for 17 years.

All of Fernley Performing Arts performers at the national event were from the studio’s senior competition team, between 14 and 18 years of age. Training for the competition teams is a year-long effort, with training for the next season starting in August, Lewis said.

New classes at the Fernley Performing Arts studio, at a cost of $55 a month, begin on September 2 and are held six days a week. For more information, log onto FernleyPerformingArts.com.

 

 

 

Upload date: 08/05/2025 05:00 AM
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Comment author: John Mueller Comment text: FERNLEY’S WATER EMERGENCY: FIVE QUESTIONS STILL NEED ANSWERS The November 12 Fernley Reporter article provides a good recap of the November 3 water emergency and the November 4 City Council meeting. First, credit where credit is due. Our city employees responded, restored operations, and took precautions to protect residents. That’s important and appreciated. But fixing the immediate problem isn’t the same as preventing it from happening again. There are five reasonable questions our community deserves answers to: 1. WHAT ACTUALLY FAILED? What was the root cause of the water treatment plant’s communication failure, and why didn’t the backup systems prevent the interruption? 2. HOW CLOSE WERE WE TO A REAL EMERGENCY? How much usable water remained in storage, and how close did we come to affecting essential services, including firefighting? 3. WHAT WILL THIS COST TAXPAYERS AND RATEPAYERS? What did the emergency cost, what additional repairs or upgrades are necessary, and how will they be funded? 4. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE IT DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN? Is there a written corrective-action plan with assigned responsibilities, measurable results, and completion deadlines? 5. HOW WILL RESIDENTS KNOW THE PROBLEM IS REALLY FIXED? Will the city publish an after-action report explaining what happened, what was learned, what has been corrected, and what still needs attention? This isn’t about pointing fingers or finding someone to blame. It’s about learning, improving, and protecting our community. We can appreciate the city’s response while still expecting transparency, accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Some technical information may need to remain confidential for security reasons. But that shouldn’t prevent residents from understanding the risks, the corrective actions, and the results. The real question isn’t whether Fernley recovered from the November 3 emergency. We know it did. The question is: If the same failure happened tomorrow, would we be better prepared? That’s a conversation worth having. Our community deserves more than reassurance. It deserves measurable results. Comment publication date: 11/12/26, 1:54 PM Comment source: Fernley Council Addresses Water Emergency Comment author: Donald DeVold Comment text: Great article It’s actually spelled DeVold Thank you Comment publication date: 10/29/26, 4:58 PM Comment source: The great robbery: Strip-6 by Solis helps Vaqueros punch playoff ticket Comment author: CH Comment text: I want to start a betting 'pool' for the October, November, and December closures: 1. A dent in the pool slide. 2. A failed breaker. 3. A pebble loose in the water part (replacing all concrete) 4. Hurricane Polo makes a sudden turn and blows off the roof (again). With soft muscles after 7 months of no swimming, the only health left is my sense of humor :) Comment publication date: 10/1/26, 11:18 AM Comment source: Fernley Pool Renovation Moves Forward, One Test at a Time Comment author: PFB Comment text: Why can't you guys find competent contractors.. For a large municipal facility like the indoor-outdoor Fernley Swimming Pool located at 300 Cottonwood Lane, a complete ground-up commercial build or major structural renovation typically spans 6 to 12 months or longer when factoring in large-scale engineering, public municipal permitting, specialized commercial HVAC/roofing, and health department inspections. The current renovation has been- The Fernley Swimming Pool has been closed for approximately six to seven months since late February 2026 for a major roof replacement and facility renovation. Now you sat October. Soooo 8 months for a new roof. The picture shows no other renovations. Comment publication date: 9/17/26, 7:14 PM Comment source: Electrical problem delays Fernley pool opening Comment author: P Comment text: Relative of the Mayor is to over see this site. Anyone who knows Fernley KNOWS this is more of the who you are related to and know business in this town. VOTE THEM ALL OUT AND THE CALIFORNIA TRANSPLANTS. Comment publication date: 9/16/26, 10:31 PM Comment source: Lift Station Failure Released Untreated Sewage Comment author: Christopher Walsh Comment text: Could you look into the strong recurring smell around Fernley? It smells like sewage and it can be bad enough that people don’t want to be outside or open their windows. It would be helpful to get an investigative journalist help the Fernley residents get a clear answer from the City, NDEP, and any involved facilities. I was really disappointed that the smell was not disclosed by my realtor when I moved here. I enjoy Fernley and am seeing the improvements that are being made. With Appreciation Comment publication date: 9/12/26, 2:49 PM Comment source: Sewage spill near City of Fernley Municipal Well 9
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