54°F
weather icon Clear

Miss Nevada 2017 crowned

Andrea Martinez was crowned Miss Nevada 2017 by last year’s winner, Bailey Gumm, in a ceremony at Tropicana Theater in Las Vegas.

The nearly full theater erupted with cheers on June 16 for the 23-year-old Las Vegas resident, who was also awarded a scholarship of $10,000 and the opportunity to compete in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘Is this real?’” said Martinez, Miss Clark County 2017. “The second thing I thought was, ‘Praise God.’”

Earlier in the day, Martinez also won a $500 scholarship for the swimwear portion of the pageant.

Her platform, “Bridging the Gap — Building Relationships between Communities and Police,” helps bring local officers together with residents they represent. In her year of being Miss Nevada, she said, she hopes to continue working on it.

“I really want to promote my platform,” Martinez said. “I want to go into the inner cities and help high school students who don’t understand how to interact with the police. At the same time, I want to promote positivity with the police and the community.”

Contestants

Sixteen women competed in the pageant for the Miss Nevada 2017 title. Another 22 competed on Thursday for Miss Nevada’s Outstanding Teen 2017, and the winner was crowned during Friday’s ceremony.

Miss Nevada’s Outstanding Teen 2017, Carli Gumm, was crowned by the 2016 winner, Heather Renner, before the announcement of the Miss Nevada winner. Gumm, a 16-year-old Minden native, won a $5,000 scholarship and will go on to the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant in Orlando, Florida.

The Miss America scholarship foundation is the world’s largest scholarship foundation, said Sue Lowden, a Miss America board of directors member — even larger than the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

Some $33,000 in scholarships was awarded in the two pageants. Various scholarships were awarded for community service, academics and success in pageant categories. The top five finishers in each pageant received scholarship money.

Festivities

The pageant emcees were Steve Schorr and Jennifer Joseph Lier, a former Miss Nevada winner.

The talent portion consisted of a variety of performances from the 16 Miss Nevada 2017 contestants, such as singing, dancing and even an electric violin.

Questions in the interview portion covered topics including selfies, narcissism and Syrian refugees. The pageant began with swimwear and ended with evening wear.

Miss Nevada runners-up were Miss Las Vegas Alexis Hilts, Miss Henderson Baylee Bernstein, Miss Douglas County Briana Neben and Miss Reno Nasya Mancini.

Contact Katelyn Umholtz 702-383-0279 or kumholtz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @kumh0ltz on Twitter.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Looking for some family fun for Easter? Hop over to Simkins Park

Anyone looking for a fun, family-friendly festivity to enjoy this holiday can hop on over to Simkins Park to join the Mills family as they celebrate Easter Sunday with worship music, free food and an enormous 14,000-egg hunt that is sure to bring a smile to hundreds of faces.

Campground fees to increase at Death Valley National Park

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — Visitors to Death Valley National Park can expect a slight increase in entrance fees for various campgrounds beginning on May 1.

Clerk staffer Cori Freidhof appointed interim leader

Nye County Clerk Mark Kampf’s time in office officially comes to a close on March 31 and deputy clerk Cori Freidhof has now been selected to assume that vacated seat. Freidhof will take over the office as of Monday, April 1 and fulfill the unexpired term ending Jan. 1, 2027.

Gaming can have impact on us

When does gaming cross the line from recreational relaxation to problematic behavior? How do video games and gambling relate? What resources are available for those who find themselves struggling to control their relationship with video games and gambling?

County eyeing impact fee increases

The cost to develop in Pahrump could go up, with a public hearing on a proposal to raise local impact fees set for next month.

Here’s who filed as political candidates in Nye County

Locals have filed their political candidacy as of March 15 and this year two major offices in Nye County will be up for grabs in the general election. Nye County residents have to first narrow down their preferred party candidate on June 11 in the primary and then vote in November to support their preferred candidates.

Second Source donation for Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Nye County Sleep in Heavenly Peace is now better off thanks to a second donation from The Source dispensary’s Round Up program.

Beatty riled by sheriff’s substation closure

Lone staffer will be relocated to Pahrump to help with workload there; be onsite in Beatty just once a month.

Sales tax question headed to the ballot

Road conditions in the Pahrump Valley are a sore point for many drivers as well as a source of frustration for the crews dedicated to maintaining them but with only so many road dollars to go around, it can be hard to keep pace with the demand.