By Rachel Feltman, Washington Post

Thanksgiving is almost here, and Americans are preparing to knuckle down and stuff their faces, come what may. While the “average” calorie counts of Thanksgiving diners are often overblown, it’s safe to say that most people eat richer food — and more of it — than they would during a typical meal.

But what does this delicious, delicious debauchery do to your body?

Let’s start with the obvious: Eating a lot of food makes you feel full, and Thanksgiving is a day for getting stuffed.

As explained by the American Chemical Society video above, your stomach is pretty resilient. It can easily stretch to a bit over a liter in volume — about the size of a burrito. And according to the pathology reports of people whose stomachs have ruptured you can probably get about four times that much food in there before things get too dire. (Please don’t try that.)

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

Jeremy Meyers, the disgraced former superintendent of El Dorado County Office of Education, is receiving more than seven months worth of severance – aka taxpayer money.

The attorney for the district, David Girard, did not return multiple calls or an email asking how this is not a gift of public funds. Lake Tahoe News also asked Girard, as well as the public information officer for the district Dina Gentry, to site the Government, Education and/or Election code(s) that allow for the board to financially compensate an elected official upon his resignation. Neither did so.

Jeremy Meyers when he was booked Aug. 22.

Board President John Lane also did not respond to an email from LTN.

After being arrested on DUI charges twice in five months and pleading no contest to the first offense, Meyers opted to sign a resignation agreement Nov. 13, while the board acted on in Nov. 16. Meyers had not worked since his Nov. 5 arrest.

On that day he had a blood alcohol level of 0.19 percent, more than twice the legal limit, according to the California Highway Patrol. This was in the middle of a work day. The district office shares a parking lot with an elementary school.

Meyers will receive $114,821.55 – the equivalent of his salary through June 30, 2016. The five elected board members agreed to also give him $10,930. This is what the value of his medical, dental and life insurance would be for that same time period.

Per the agreement Meyers has until Dec. 1 to return all property belonging to the district. This includes master keys, credit cards and security passes. A condition of getting paid off is those items must be turned in.

The agreement contained language that the document would not be released without an entity like Lake Tahoe News invoking the Public Records Request Act.

Lake Tahoe News had two attorneys with experience in municipal government law review the agreement and offer input into its legalities. Both believe it’s possible the payment is a gift of public funds.

“I have not found any basis upon which the $114K can be paid. If he had a contract with a severance clause, that would need to be examined, also the basis of such a contract in the first place,” one of the attorneys said. “The salary schedule for the superintendent does not outline a severance. Ordinarily when a resignation occurs, there is no basis for payment, although they may claim that it is in exchange for a release from potential suit.”

Anyone can challenge the agreement in court. This must be done within 90 days.

Because Meyers was elected and was not accused of committing a felony the board had little recourse.

Gentry emailed this statement, “The board of education determined that the separation agreement is in the best interest of the El Dorado County Office of Education. As an elected official, the county superintendent was legally entitled to complete the remaining three years of his term of office, and any legal or other challenge to the county superintendent’s right to continue in office would have been potentially expensive and lengthy.”

Had the board waited for a recall to occur, the odds are the process would have taken until next summer. Meyers would have been collecting his paycheck that whole time. Plus, there is no guarantee voters would have recalled him. Without a recall, he would have been on the job for the rest of his term – the end of 2018. With a recall, the district would have to pay the expense for a special election.

The statement from the district went on to say, “The board, with strong public input, came to the unanimous conclusion that it must take all reasonable and feasible steps to effect an immediate leadership change in the El Dorado County Office of Education.”

The board is looking to finalize the application process by Dec. 1, with the goal of naming a replacement in January.

Mikey Sheehan

Meyers resident Mikey Sheehan died Nov. 21 from injuries he sustained in a vehicle accident the week before.

Sheehan was driving by himself Nov. 14 in Truckee on Highway 89 south of Sagehen when his vehicle drifted off the side of the road for unknown reasons. The vehicle rolled and he was ejected, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Sheehan died at Renown Medical Center in Reno.

Sheehan worked at Freshies in South Lake Tahoe as a waiter, and as the beer and wine buyer.

Music was a passion of his. He was also a huge Giants fan, though he kept his loyalty to the Orioles since Baltimore is where he hailed from.

Sheehan is survived by his parents, David J. and Elizabeth A. Sheehan; sister Kerry DiBiagio (Mark); niece and nephew Molly and Anthony DiBiagio; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

The family, who are in Maryland, had a private service and interment.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the American Cancer Society, 8219 Town Center Drive, Baltimore, MD 21236.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The 2016 U.S. Alpine Ski team was publicly introduced on Nov. 21 during Nature Valley First Tracks, a public celebration at Copper Mountain, Colo., home of the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center.

Olympic medalists Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley) and Andrew Weibrecht were among 43 athletes named to the 2015 A, B and C Team, with another nine to the development team and six to the National University Team.

Bode Miller will miss the 2015-16 season, but remain on the team. Mancuso will miss the 2015-16 season due to hip surgery, but has her sights set on PyeongChang in 2018.

Bryce Astle (Sandy, UT) and Ronnie Berlack (Franconia, NH) were named to the team posthumously. The two were poised at the start of their U.S. Ski Team career when they were killed last January in an avalanche in Austria. It is the first time the U.S. Ski Team has named an athlete to the team posthumously.

Men’s A Team

David Chodounksy (Crested Butte, Colo.)
Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley)
Tim Jitloff (Reno)

Ted Ligety (Park City)
Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.)

Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah)
Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley)
Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.)

Women’s A Team

Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain)
Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley)
Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, Colo.)
Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.)

Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.)

Leanne Smith (North Conway, N.H.)
Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.)
Lindsey Vonn (Vail).

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce wants help planning for 2016.

The chamber is asking people to take a survey. It is available online until Nov. 30.

The survey includes opportunities for feedback about how the chamber performs in several areas, as well as opportunities for business owners to request desired programs, workshops and services.

For more information, call 775.588.1728.

By Weather Channel

Before there were modern weather forecasters, there were persimmons and wooly worms. Old folklore says that the seeds inside of the fruit and the appearance of the worms will tell you what to expect in the winter.

As ABC11 explains, when it comes to persimmons, tradition says if you slice the seed of the fruit in half, the type of utensil shape you see inside will show you how the winter will be in your area.

When using wooly bear caterpillars, better known as wooly worms, to predict the weather, tradition says the width of the brown band on the worm is key, according to KSPR. If the band on the worm is narrow, it will be a harsh winter. If the worm has a wider band, there’s a milder winter coming.

Read the whole story

By Brian K. Sullivan, BloombergBusiness

The drought relief for California widely expected from El Nino in early 2016 will be far more effective if a chill descends soon — ideally with a bit of snow.

“If we can get some snow on the ground and some cold nights, it will set up the snowpack and get cool air pooling,” said California State Climatologist Mike Anderson.

Cool air, especially at high altitudes, will help ensure snow falls and stays on the ground in the mountains through the winter, as needed to supply the state’s reservoirs. While that may seem like a non-issue given the height of the mountains and the tradition of heavy snows there, recent years have seen some worrisome trends.

During the winter of 2014-15, the three-month average temperature in the Sierra region topped the freezing mark of 32 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time in records dating to 1950, data compiled by Anderson show.

California as a whole posted its warmest February on record and both December and January came in among the top 10, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, N.C.

Read the whole story

Two men accused of staging an armed home invasion on the West Slope have been arrested.

Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies arrested Deshawn Stone and Jeremy Ross, both 21, on Nov. 20 at about 6:30pm. Deputies said the men were armed with loaded firearms. They were booked on weapons and drug charges.

Some of the property from the Nov. 19 Greenwood robbery was recovered.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

South Lake Tahoe is reminding business owners of the snow removal ordinance.

Business owners are responsible for sidewalks that are on or immediately adjacent to their business or property. It is the responsibility of all businesses to keep their sidewalks and walkways clear of all dirt, ice and snow.

The code reads:

“It shall be the duty of all owners, and their tenants, of real property within the city whose property borders, or is in an easement, any improved sidewalk or walkway to maintain the sidewalk or walkway in a safe condition for its use by pedestrians and other members of the public. The duty created by this section shall include the duty to keep the sidewalk or walkway free and clear of all dirt, sand, gravel, filth, rubbish, ice and snow.”

Dawn Sumner from UC Davis and the NASA Mars Science Laboratory team will be giving a talk a Sierra Nevada College on Jan. 28.

The Curiosity rover is exploring Gale Crater on Mars. The NASA Mars Science Laboratory team has discovered lake and river deposits that show that ancient Mars was habitable by Earth-like life, although they have yet to find evidence that life was present. As the mission continues, the team will keep searching for evidence of life and exploring the clues to a changing climate on ancient Mars. Sumner will describe the evidence for ancient lakes and flowing water on Mars as well as what it is like to work on this type of mission.

Registration for this event is required. The program will begin at 6pm with refreshments and no-host bar from 5:30-6pm at 291 Country Club Drive in Incline Village.

The program begins at 6pm. A $5 suggested donation will be collected at the door.

For more information or directions call 775.881.7566.