The North America premier of “Passenger” will be shown at Homewood Mountain Resort on Oct. 8.

“Passenger” was filmed with several goals in mind, to push the boundaries of riding, explore artistic cinematography and formulate creative storytelling. The film includes destinations such as Revelstoke, Queenstown, Hokkaido, Edmonton and more. The riders are 15 world-class skiers including Freeride World Tour sensation Sam Smoothy and Olympic gold medalist Joss Christensen.

Tickets may be purchased online in advance for $12 or for $15 at the door.

Doors open at 6pm, music and drinks until 7pm, movie at 7:30pm, and after party from 8:30-10pm at the North Lodge.

The movie will be outside, so dress warm. No dogs allowed.

By Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times
 
Forecasts of an approaching El Niño winter have ski resort operators dreaming of the kind of snowy peaks that were a common sight in California before a four-year drought dried up the state’s $3-billion ski industry.

But optimistic talk of powder-covered slopes may not be enough to persuade skiers to buy expensive resort passes, especially after being disappointed by limited runs and broad swaths of exposed dirt the last several seasons.

So this year resorts are trying something new: offering incentives if this year’s predicted El Niño turns out to be a dud. They range from simple discounts to guarantees that give pass holders credit toward skiing next winter.

Some annual passes even can be used at affiliated resorts where snow is more consistent, including one Colorado-based operator that has expanded amid industry consolidation to extend its Lake Tahoe passes to resorts it owns in other states.

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·       There will be a meeting about Regan Beach on Oct. 6 from 5:30-7:30pm at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center.

·      UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center in Incline Village will host Robert Emmons, the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, on Nov. 17 at 6pm. Learn how gratitude heals, energizes, and transforms lives. Cost is $5.

·       Tahoe Toastmasters meets the second, fourth, and fifth Mondays of the month at 6:30pm at South Tahoe Public Utility District’s board room, 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe. No cost to attend.

·       El Dorado County residents may sign up for reverse 911 online.

·      The American Legion Post 795 of South Lake Tahoe with members of the American Legion and Ladies Auxiliary is putting on traditional German dinner Oct. 4 from 4-8pm to celebrate Oktoberfest. The cost is $10. There will be a raffle and the Cash Only Band will provide music. The American Legion Hall is at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

With the onset of cooler, wetter weather, the Tahoe National Forest is beginning preparations for prescribed burns that will occur throughout the fall, winter and spring, as conditions allow.

Planned projects include burning piles of stacked vegetation and low to moderate intensity understory burns of vegetation on the forest floor. The primary goals of these projects are to reduce the severity of future wildfires and provide protection for communities in the wildland urban interface. In addition, the prescribed burns will promote a diverse and more resilient forest, as well as improve wildlife habitat.

All four ranger districts on the Tahoe National Forest are planning prescribed burning operations. While detailed information on prescribed burning projects is available from the districts, some of the planned projects include:

• The American River Ranger District will conduct understory and pile burning at Big Trees picnic area, Humbug Ridge, and the American Fire burn area.
• The Sierraville Ranger District will conduct understory burning at Lewis Mill and west of Highway 89 (south of Little Truckee Summit), as well as pile burning in the areas of Loyalton Pines, Sierraville, Calpine, and Sagehen Summit.
• The Truckee Ranger District will conduct understory burning east of Stampede Reservoir and on the west side of Highway 89 north of Tahoe Donner and Prosser Lakeview/Prosser Heights.
• The Yuba River Ranger District will conduct understory burning three miles east of Camptonville and along Highway 20 just east of White Cloud Campground, as well as pile burning along Madrone Springs Road east of Nevada City.

By Michelle Rindels, AP

CARSON CITY — A Carson City judge tossed out a petition Thursday that seeks a ballot question repealing the entire $1.1 billion tax package that Nevada lawmakers passed this spring.

Judge James Todd Russell dismissed the measure brought forth by Las Vegas anti-tax activist Chuck Muth, who did not show up to the hearing and has been trying to move the matter from state to federal court. Russell ruled against efforts to take it out of his jurisdiction and did not excuse Muth’s absence.

“We’re pleased with the determination and the actions of the court today,” said Matt Griffin, a lawyer with the Coalition for Nevada’s Future PAC, which is defending the tax package. “There are rules that govern the petition process and rules that govern the judicial process, and Judge Russell applied both fairly and correctly today.”

Muth wants to circulate a petition and ultimately create a ballot question that would repeal the taxes. He says lawmakers passed the measure, which is worth more than $1 billion over the next two years, against the will of voters who overwhelmingly rejected a 2014 ballot question to impose a margins tax.

The Coalition for Nevada’s Future challenged the petition in court, saying it violates the Nevada requirement that ballot measures deal with only a single subject and did not properly explain the consequences of repealing the new law.

Muth, who said he thought the court date would be postponed, said he was surprised the hearing proceeded but is not surprised by opposition to his repeal efforts.

“This is par for the course,” Muth said about the ruling, noting that he’s exploring his options for next steps. “They were going to do everything in their power to prevent the people from voting on this.”

Muth said he didn’t find out that the hearing was still on until Tuesday, and sent the judge a letter through overnight mail saying he couldn’t come to northern Nevada on such short notice. He said he thought all state court proceedings were on hold because he filed a motion Sept. 11 to move the matter to federal court.

Thursday’s hearing is not expected to be the end of the battle over the taxes, which were backed by Gov. Brian Sandoval and passed the Legislature with more than two-thirds approval after extensive debate.

Other tax opponents are seeking to repeal just one portion of the three-part package — the new Commerce Tax based on gross revenue. That petition has not been filed.

Sandoval has spoken out against the efforts, saying they would create a deep hole in the state budget and reverse initiatives to improve schools.

“I strongly oppose the petition. Its passage will destroy a generational opportunity to finally modernize and improve an underperforming education system,” he said in August. “If our schools don’t improve, businesses won’t come here. The time is now to build the workforce of the future.”

By Sharon Bernstein, Reuters

A plan to ask voters to repeal a new California law tightening vaccination requirements for school-age children may falter due to a shortfall in signatures needed to put the referendum on the ballot.

The effort is part of a backlash against a bill signed into law this summer by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown that requires pupils to be vaccinated against childhood diseases unless they have a medical reason to refuse. It was passed after a measles outbreak among unvaccinated people at Disneyland last year.

That law, which goes into effect next year, makes California the third state to eliminate religious and other personal exemptions to vaccinations. It generated strong opposition from some parents, many who feared a now-debunked link between childhood vaccinations and autism and others who feared intrusion on the religious exemption.

Supporters of the referendum had until Monday to turn in 365,880 valid signatures from registered voters in California in order for the measure to appear on the November 2016 ballot.

Award-winning chef Mark Tarbell will headline the sixth annual South Lake Tahoe Food and Wine Festival at Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe on Oct. 16-18.

Tarbell studied in Paris, receiving wine training at the l’Acadamie du Vin and earning a Grande Diplome d’Etude Culinaire from La Verenne Ecole du Cuisine. Nominated for Best Chef-Southwest by the James Beard Foundation, he has been invited to cook at many special events around the country and for a stellar line-up of political, sports, and entertainment celebrities, including the Dalai Lama, Muhammed Ali and Clint Eastwood.

Events for this year’s Food and Wine Festival include dining and tasting experiences, plus discussions, presentations and demonstrations by celebrated food and wine experts. The Grand Market Expo features dishes from Harrah’s and Harveys best restaurants, top-shelf spirits and wines of Napa Valley and beyond.

For a complete list of events and to purchase tickets, go online.

As part of El Dorado County’s process to develop a three-year strategic plan, the county is conducting a citizen survey, town hall meetings, and focus groups.

People may participate by completing the online survey and attending meetings.

The meetings are:

• Oct. 14, 6:30-7:30pm – Cameron Park Community Services District, 2502 Country Club Drive, Cameron Park.
• Oct. 15, 6-7:30pm – South Lake Tahoe City Hall, 1901 Airport Road, South Lake Tahoe.
• Oct. 19, 5-7pm – Board of Supervisors Chambers,  330 Fair Lane, Placerville.
• Oct. 29, 6:30-7:30pm – El Dorado Hills Firehouse No. 85, 1050 Wilson Blvd., El Dorado Hills.

Sierra-at-Tahoe is hosting the 9th annual Keep Sierra Clean Day on Oct. 11.

All members of the community are invited to ride up the Nob Hill chairlift, sweep the mountain of trash and enjoy live music and free lunch on the Solstice Plaza.

In past years, thousands of pounds of trash has been cleared from the summer slopes by pass holders, employees along, and community groups such as the Sierra Education Foundation, Boy Scouts and West Slope high school ski and snowboard teams.

Sierra-at-Tahoe has been awarded numerous accolades for excellence in environmental education and community-based activism. Programs such as Keep Sierra Clean Day, Pack It In, Pack It Out and up-front parking for hybrids during the season are implemented under Project: Green Sierra.

Event registration begins at 10am on the Solstice Plaza. Participants are recommended to bring gloves, trash bags will be provided.

Jim and Kim Warlow are closing the Cork & More in South Lake Tahoe on Oct. 31. Photo/Provided

By Kathryn Reed

For decades it has been the go-to store on the South Shore for a great bottle wine, unique presents, holiday items, gift baskets and specialty foods.

At the end of the month the doors to the Cork & More will close for the last time. Owners Kim and Jim Warlow are retiring after nearly 40 years. While the South Lake Tahoe shop has been on the market since February, no buyer has come forward. That doesn’t mean there isn’t time, but the clock is ticking.

Kim Warlow echoed the sentiment of many when she said, “It will be a really sad loss for the community if someone doesn’t come in and carry it on in some form.”

The couple has had a knack for creating a store that told the story of the season. The temporary items balanced the backbone of the store – wine, cheese and specialty condiments. Staying one step ahead of what could be found elsewhere was a goal of the Warlows, which made the Cork & More the place to find something beyond the ordinary.

Customer service is also what sets the store apart from others.

“Everything that we do is the best. We don’t compromise on anything. We taste everything that comes in the store,” Kim Warlow said.

Jim Warlow’s background is in wines, having been a sommelier at the now closed Christiana Inn, which was where Himmel Haus in South Tahoe is now. California wines dominated the shelves to begin with, now it’s like a trip around the world.

“We started with wines, a little bit of coffee and a tiny bit of cheese. We just kept adding on to our store to meet demands of the community,” Warlow told Lake Tahoe News. “I spend a lot of time in Europe. That’s where the gift and cheese influences come from.”

They started Cork & More on Nov. 1, 1976, on Ski Run Boulevard where Blue Angel Café is – just not in the same building. It was 1984 when they moved to the current location on Al Tahoe Boulevard.

They had a second store in Tahoe City from 1980 to 1992. When that store closed the catering business started.

Warlow is still on the fence whether she will continue making wedding cakes.

It’s the customers and 10 full-time employees they will miss the most. After all, one or both of the Warlows has been in the shop usually five days a week.

Retiring means more time to ski, more time to spend with their family, including both of their moms, and time to travel. It also means the first Christmas in years to be with family.

“I’m really proud of what we have done … what we brought to the community,” Kim Warlow said.