By Associated Press

RENO — Federal judges have agreed to allow environmental lawyers in to legal battles being waged by rural and commercial interests in Nevada and Idaho intent on blocking new U.S. protections for the greater sage grouse.

Butch Otter

Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter didn’t oppose granting intervener status to the three national conservation groups in the lawsuit he has filed in Washington, D.C., and the Obama administration hasn’t objected in either case.

But nine Nevada counties, three mining companies and a livestock ranch opposed to the move that sets up a three-pronged approach to the arguments in an already complicated case expected to drag well into the summer in Reno.

The Wilderness Society, National Wildlife Federation and mining watchdog group Earthworks won the status in both lawsuits filed last fall. A third lawsuit was filed last week by Utah’s governor and legislature repeating claims that the land use planning amendments impose unnecessary restrictions on activities in or near grouse habitat.

Those activities range from livestock grazing to road building and energy exploration.

The conservationists agree with the government’s argument that blocking the regulations could force reconsideration of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell’s decision in September to deny the bird protection under the Endangered Species Act.

But they also said they have many other interests contrary to those of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, given the agencies’ legal mandate to manage federal lands for multiple uses.

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said in her ruling in Reno late last month that such intervention is permitted by anyone with a legal interest in the property “unless existing parties adequately represent that interest.”

“The court agrees with (the) conservation groups that because of their more narrowed focus (on) environmental protections in contrast to the agencies’ broader land management interests,” she said.

She concluded that the government “may not adequately represent their interests.”

Conservationists have won similar status before in a number of land management battles in Nevada, including disputes over roundups of wild mustangs and ownership of a national forest road in Elko County.

Elko and Eureka counties first filed the lawsuit Sept. 23, along with Western Exploration LLC and Quantum Minerals LLC accusing the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management of illegally adopting the planning amendments in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and Federal Land Planning Management Act.

Since then, seven other counties have joined the suit. So has Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, over the objections of fellow Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who argues that continued negotiations with the Interior Department will prove more productive than a protracted legal battle that could last years.

Laura Granier, lead attorney for the Nevada plaintiffs, argued the environmental groups shouldn’t be allowed any formal status in the proceedings because they have “only made generalized environmental statements which do not rise to the level of ‘significantly protectable interests.’”

They “apparently just seek to argue environmental policy issues,” she said.

But Judge Du disagreed. She said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals “has recognized public interest groups are generally permitted to intervene where they have been directly involved in the enactment of the law or the administration proceedings out of which the litigation arose.”

Du noted at least two of the groups had been providing public comment and engaged in the planning amendment process before the Fish and Wildlife Service first concluded in 2010 that federal listing of the greater sage grouse was warranted, but precluded by higher priority listing actions.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in the D.C. Circuit made a similar finding last month. He said they’d proven they could “suffer an injury-in-fact” if the Idaho officials are able to persuade the court to set aside the government’s plans.

By Seth A. Richardson, Reno Gazette-Journal

If the Iowa Democratic caucuses showed the country one thing, it’s that sometimes it does come down to a coin flip.

Initial reports showed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won six precincts over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders that needed some form of tie breaker, resulting in a coin flip to determine who was awarded the contested delegate. Sam Lau, a spokesman for the Iowa Democratic Party, said seven coin flips were reported through the party’s reporting app, with Sanders winning six and Clinton winning one, but others may have been unreported through the party’s phone system.

However, the Nevada Democratic caucus has a similar system, only with a process more appropriate to a state with a heavy casino industry: a card draw.

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South Lake Tahoe friends Kelsey Adams, from left, Christina Wiseman and Christi Caden enjoy cocktails and conversation at The Loft.  Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

By Kathryn Reed

Whatever your plans were for tonight, you need to change them. Go to The Loft. Drink, eat, see the show – do all three or any combination. It’s that good.

Owner Paul Reder has redefined what going out in South Lake Tahoe is all about. There is nothing else like it in town or even across the state line.

It’s part bar, part lounge, part restaurant, part show room.

Jim McGowan and Naomi Chianese of Napa enjoy a drink at the bar. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

Energy oozes from The Loft – it’s intoxicating without ever having taken a sip of alcohol. People are relaxed on the comfortable couches, enjoying one of the many specialty cocktails as an electronic beat vibrates through the room.

While the music is hard to miss, it’s not so pronounced that dinner conversation is a problem.

Steampunk, rustic, modern, industrial – all words people used to describe the South Shore’s newest venue. Red, black and wood dominate the décor.

Lighting doubles as artwork. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

It took about $1 million to transform the vacant area in the Heavenly Village into what has already become a destination for locals and tourists.

“It’s so different from any place in Tahoe,” Kelsey Adams said as she enjoyed drinks with two friends from South Lake Tahoe. This was her eighth time to The Loft – and it’s only been open since December. “It feels classy, but it’s very comfortable. You don’t feel like you are in South Lake Tahoe when you come here.”

“The ambiance is magnificent,” her friend Christina Wiseman added.

They were there for Lipstick Thursday. Wear lipstick – no matter your gender – and the discounts start adding up. Most days of the week there is a special that involves discounts on food and beverages.

A mix of seating choices makes The Loft inviting. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

Jim McGowan and Naomi Chianese came up from Napa to experience The Loft. Sitting at the bar the two enjoy a drink. They rave about the grilled cheese dippers on the appetizer menu.

The liquor bottles are backlit in a yellow-orange light that casts a glow onto the area that allows bartender Nicky Lipovsky to see what she is doing.

Chef Lisa Devincenzi-Miller, who owns Capice in Round Hill, has created a menu at The Loft that embraces her family’s roots that go back to northern Italy. The food is rich, with butter being a dominant ingredient. It’s served hot, seasoned perfectly and delivered with quality service not often found at Tahoe restaurants.

The ravioli sampler is a great start to a delicious dinner. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

The menu is divided into Appetizers, Salad, Soup, Pasta, Risotto Bowls, and Kids. The ravioli sampler is worth splitting. It’s possible to get ones filled with cheese or sausage, then covered in butter and cheese, and/or marinara sauce. This sauce is better known as the chef’s prized gravy.

This gravy is what covered Bob’s lasagna.

“The pasta is perfect and that is hard to do. The chef knows what she is doing,” Bob said. Plus, he liked that it was not too cheesy and that there was plenty of meat.

The vegetable risotto is off-the-charts good, and definitely filling. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

This was one of the best risottos I’ve ever had. So often I’m left wondering where the vegetables are and if I just consumed a block of cheese. And while this was rich, there was also a lot to it. It would be easy to just order this and no starters and still be satisfied. A long grain is used, which is traditional for the region of Italy from which the chef hails.

The Bolognese came with the same spicy sausage that were in the ravioli, which Carolyn said was delicious.

Magician Joel Ward makes Landon’s $100 bill disappear and then reappear. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

A little magic

Reder has been bringing Fusion magic shows to the South Shore since 2003. He and Tony Clark are the producers of Magic Fusion. Clark was the first to perform in the 107-seat showroom. Now a mix of magicians will dazzle patrons.

It was built specifically to showcase slight-of-hand magic. The only place like it is in Hollywood at Magic Castle.

Reder, though, also wants it to be a venue for artists to unplug – where he creates an intimate experience for performer and guest. On other nights disc jockeys might spin tunes after the magic is done for a little after hours fun.

Author James Van Praagh is booked for the summer to give a talk. The Kinsey Sicks will be in town in July. A local version of Ted Talks is also planned.

Kaitlyn’s paper heart becomes a necklace at the hands of Joel Ward. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

On this particular night Joel Ward kept stunning the full house with trick after trick.

“When the magic is close, you feel more connected,” Ward tells Lake Tahoe News.

As a shy kid growing up in San Diego, magic was a way to interact with people. He kept practicing to the point it became a way to make a living.

To keep things fresh he is always trying new things so the material never gets stale. He admitted one of the bigger challenges to performing at Lake Tahoe is getting winded easily because of the elevation.

Magician Joel Ward is constantly entertaining the audience. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

The show is thrilling for all ages.

Audience participation is huge for Ward. He brings down a slew of volunteers to the stage; all who return to their seats bewildered and perplexed by what just happened.

Ward starts by doing some old school magic with birds and ropes.

Then he does unfamiliar tricks, ones that are more complex, that seem to defy logic. One hundred dollar bills seemed to go up in smoke and then reappear; a paper heart became a pendant on a necklace.

Liz from Indian Lake, N.Y., cut a New York Times article at a spot of her choice. She was told to memorize the last word. A prediction by Ward had already been sealed in a container that was hovering above the walkway. But when the paper was pulled it wasn’t Liz’s word. Ward then unbuttoned his shirt to show WRONG written across his chest. That was Liz’s word.

Paul Reder is the brains and inspiration behind The Loft. Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

Carolyn from Zephyr Cove willingly gave her diamond-sapphire wedding ring to Ward. She signed a tennis ball like Ward asked her to do. To her it looked like any of the other balls she regularly plays with. It wasn’t long before the ring and ball went “missing”. Then Ward presented the signed ball to Carolyn to inspect. With a knife he slit it open and the ring was inside.

At one point Ward donned an astronaut suit – including helmet. He was doing card tricks. Somehow the card in question ended up inside the mask.

Heads shook. The audience was confused and amazed all at the same time. And it just kept going on all night. Ward left the patrons wondering what they just saw.

For those who don’t go see the Magic Fusion show, other magicians like Bobby Hall wander the restaurant and bar area performing card and coin tricks.

—–

Bobby Hall entertains Tristen Lowman, 8, and Kaly Lowman, 7, of San Antonio, Texas, at their table before their dinner arrives.              Photo Copyright 2016 Carolyn E. Wright

Notes:

·      Open seven days a week from 4pm-2am.

·      Half price tickets are available to the Magic Fusion show for Lake Tahoe News readers. Details are online.

·      The Loft is located above the movie theater at Heavenly Village. It may be accessed from the third floor of the parking garage or on street level between the garage and movie theater.

By Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee

Despite a wet winter, California’s historic drought continues to spark fierce – even bitter – debate over how the state’s water needs should be met in the future.

Dan Walters

The core issue is whether we should primarily rely on conservation of what may be a permanently diminished water supply, or make more energetic efforts to increase the supply with new dams and reservoirs, desalination plants, etc.

The two are not, of course, mutually exclusive, and both are certain to play some role, in the future, so it’s really about their relative emphasis.

Read the whole story

By Michael Schaub, Los Angeles Times

If you imagine millennials are just young people entranced by their cellphones or tablet computers, you might want to think again. According to a new study, 92 percent of college students would rather do their reading the old-fashioned way, with pages and not pixels.

The finding comes from American University linguistics professor Naomi S. Baron, author of the book “Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World.” Baron led a team that asked 300 college students in the United States, Slovakia, Japan and Germany how they preferred to read.

Physical books were the choice of 92 percent of the respondents, who selected paper over an array of electronic devices.

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By Pam Belluck, New York Times

The risk of developing dementia is decreasing for people with at least a high school education, according to an important study that suggests that changes in lifestyle and improvements in physical health can help prevent or delay cognitive decline.

The study, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, provides the strongest evidence to date that a more educated population and better cardiovascular health are contributing to a decline in new dementia cases over time, or at least helping more people stave off dementia for longer.

The findings have implications for health policy and research funding, and they suggest that the long-term cost of dementia care may not be as devastatingly expensive as policy makers had predicted, because more people will be able to live independently longer.

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A 31-year-old Tahoe City man was killed Saturday when the vehicle he was riding in crashed in Yuba County.

Nathan Boyd, who was in the back seat, died at the scene.

Patrick Elliott, 28, of Pike faces second-degree murder charges as well as felony driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license charges, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Officers said Elliott was driving on Highway 49 Feb. 13 at about 7:05pm when he was unable to negotiate a curve and the pickup went down a 300-foot embankment. This occurred between Camptonville and North San Juan.

Owen Megargee, 23, of Pike was also a passenger. He refused medical treatment.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Christine Mai-Duc, Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown is looking to make good on a promise to curb California’s petroleum use by shifting away from new legislation and instead tucking his fuel-reduction goal inside the state budget.

Oil companies spent millions of dollars in 2015 to strip a controversial climate change bill of its provision slashing petroleum use in half by 2030. At the conclusion of that bruising fight, a defiant Brown stood before reporters in the Capitol and declared war.

The budget the governor submitted to the Legislature last month proposed spending a third of the state’s cap-and-trade funds, about $1 billion, on public transit, promoting electric vehicles and other programs, all with the explicit goal of cutting oil use by 50 percent by 2030. Those dollars were collected through the auction of pollution credits to companies that emit greenhouse gases.

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·       There will be a celebration of life for Bob Rockwell on June 11 from 1-3pm at the Lake Tahoe Museum in South Lake Tahoe in front of the Toll House. All money raised will go to the restoration of the Toll House in his name.

·       Placer County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance establishing the retail food facility placard program. The inspection program will provide a color-coded placard at all permanent food facilities so information on the establishment’s food safety is easily visible.

·      The second annual Lake Tahoe Fat Bike Challenge is Feb. 21 from 8:30am-1pm at Tahoe Cross Country in Tahoe City. Register online.

·     Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra is having a free fingerprinting event at the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe (1100 Lyons Ave, South Lake Tahoe) on Feb. 16-17 from 3-5pm. For more info, call 530.541.1610.

By Trevon Milliard, Reno Gazette-Journal

Sixth-grade teacher Terry Rauh hid a video camera in the unisex staff bathroom at Hall Elementary School in Sparks.

Las Vegas elementary school teacher Noel Lardeo was the driver in a DUI collision that forced doctors to amputate a teenage boy’s leg.

Middle school substitute Tamika Queen had sex with a 15-year-old Las Vegas student.

All of these educators had their teaching licenses revoked by the state in the last two years, and for the same reason. It wasn’t for doing something wrong, but because they were criminally convicted for it.

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