The Inside Veer - A city that never lacks for news

By Robert Perea

When I first started the Fernley Reporter online in 2016, someone asked me, “What is there to cover in Fernley?” It was asked honestly, not sarcastically, the kind of question people ask when they think news only happens in big cities, or because they don’t know how much life fits inside a small one.

When Mayor Neal McIntyre took to the podium last Thursday for his third State of the City address, he went through a laundry list of things the city has done in the past year, and more that he believes will be coming up this year, including a surprise announcement that there might be a hospital coming to Fernley in the near future.

But that was only part of it. He focused on the positives, as well he should on a night like that, and to be fair, there were plenty to choose from. 

But as most people who pay attention to the city know, the city right now is like a duck on a pond. Steady on the surface, legs kicking like crazy underneath.

The past year also brought conflict among the City Council members, including censure of one, and this week’s meeting contained agenda items to discuss external investigations into the conduct of two council members. There’s also the matter of whether the city can find a city manager, or whether it will change its structure and proceed without one. 

And that’s all just part of what’s happening at City Hall.

Elsewhere, the Nevada Pacific Parkway is either finally coming together or taking way too long, depending on your perspective, and the city is growing either way to fast, not fast enough, or in the wrong places with the wrong amenities, 

There’s no shortage of opinions on either side, and no shortage of things to have opinions about.

What is there to cover in Fernley? I haven’t even begun to list the half of what’s going on. There are service clubs helping people in need, high school sports teams playing their hearts out, and starting this week, people running for election.

The truth is, Fernley has never lacked for news. And in 2026, there’s more to notice than ever. That’s the real state of the city.