By Matt Stevens, Los Angeles Times

Under orders to slash water use amid a historic drought, cities and towns across the state saved about 75 billion gallons in July, eclipsing Gov. Jerry Brown’s once-daunting order for a 25% reduction.

But, in a paradox of conservation, water agencies say the unprecedented savings — 31% in July over July 2013 — are causing or compounding a slew of problems.

Sanitation districts are yanking tree roots out of manholes and stepping up maintenance on their pipes to prevent corrosion and the spread of odors. And when people use less potable water, officials say, there’s less wastewater available to recycle.

Water suppliers, meanwhile, say the dramatic decrease in consumption has created multimillion-dollar revenue shortfalls.

Read the whole story

AAA is projecting 35.5 million people in the U.S. will take to the roads and skies Labor Day weekend.

That calculates to $13.5 billion travelers will pour into the economy — up 2 percent over 2014. Each person taking a trip for the long weekend is expected to spend an average of $380 on goods and services, according to a survey and analysis released by the U.S. Travel Association.

The survey, conducted for U.S. Travel by the firm TNS, found that even among those who plan to travel this weekend, 8.7 percent will stay fewer days and 9.1 percent will travel shorter distances due to concerns over road congestion and flying headaches. Factoring in those shortened trips, the total Labor Day economic cost of hassles due to infrastructure rises to $1.7 billion.

Trip spending by auto travelers is expected to average $270, according to U.S. Travel’s survey. With AAA projecting 30.4 million travelers by car, that totals out to $8.2 billion — an increase of 0.5 percent over 2014. The fact that the spending figure will increase at all is significant, say U.S. Travel Association researchers, given that gasoline is considerably cheaper than a year ago.

Expected trip spending by air travelers is significantly higher at $1,090 on average, for a total weekend spending figure of $2.9 billion — a year-over-year increase of 4.9 percent — based on AAA’s projection of 2.6 million air travelers.

The remaining $2.4 billion in predicted Labor Day spending will come from the 2.5 million Americans expected to travel by “other means.”

By Mike Higdon, Reno Gazette-Journal

Millennials like craft beer and Northern Nevada has plenty of it with 28 brewpubs and their satellite tap houses.

The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority released its first Craft Breweries of Reno Tahoe map showcasing these drinking spots Tuesday night, which they hope will draw more young people to the region. It also features the region’s five distilleries.

RSCVA CEO Chris Baum said he watched a focus group of Millennials in San Francisco change their mind about Reno when the moderator told them how many brewpubs they could visit in Reno.

Read the whole story

To the community,

It is with the greatest joy, respect and admiration that I thank the 33 business owners/managers, South Tahoe Refuse, City Council, service organizations, fire department, Forest Service, community college, hospital staff, district staff, news reporters and community members who attended the Mt. Tallac High School community meet and greet.

The experience was amazing. Our students felt valued, excited and pleasantly surprised by the community’s interest in their future plans and needs. We can’t wait to work with each and everyone one of you who attended.

We are grateful and proud to belong to this community.

Respectfully,

Holly Greenough, director Mt. Tallac High School

By Phillip Reese, Sacramento Bee

An unprecedented number of Californians left for other states during the last decade, according to new tax return data from the Internal Revenue Service.

About 5 million Californians left between 2004 and 2013. Roughly 3.9 million people came here from other states during that period, for a net population loss of more than 1 million people.

Read the whole story

To the community,

For decades, Lake Tahoe has been viewed as one of the clearest and most beautiful lakes in North America. In the past 50 years, however, Lake Tahoe’s water clarity levels have dropped from about thirty meters of clarity to just over 20 meters of clarity today.1

This lack of clarity makes the lake less appealing, and it can be harmful for native species living in the lake. One of the main causes of this lack of clarity is urban stormwater runoff.

My name is Sam Ross and I am 15 years old. I have been coming up to Tahoe each summer for as long as I can remember and I always loved and still do love swimming in Lake Tahoe and enjoying its beautiful beaches. This past summer, I resolved that I wanted to help preserve the lake that I love so much. So, I decided to join the League to Save Lake Tahoe as its natural resources student intern.

At the League, one of the most important things I learned was that stormwater runoff is harming Lake Tahoe. Many stormwater pipes simply drain directly into the lake or into streams running into the lake. The water from these pipes is a murky brown color and often has a putrid smell. The fine sediments from
this runoff disperse into the lake, causing lake clarity to decrease which in turn makes the lake less attractive. In addition, these sediments often contain nutrients that can cause algae growth. Excessive algae growth can also decrease clarity and can be harmful to native species.2

Although this situation is pressing, it is not hopeless. The League to Save Lake Tahoe has organized a program called Pipe Keepers. In this program volunteers monitor stormwater pipes by taking observations of the pipes’ runoff and reporting the data that they find to the League. The League can then push for
these pipes to be better controlled and can report the data to the proper authorities.

Hopefully, if enough volunteers join the League’s efforts, the stormwater drains will be controlled and the lake will be kept blue.

Sincerely,

Sam Ross, Burlingame and South Lake Tahoe

1 Anon, “Fun Facts & History”, League to Save Lake Tahoe, Accessed August 9, 2015,
https://keeptahoeblue.org/abouttahoe/history-facts/.

2 Anon, “Why should we protect Tahoe’s shoreline?”, League to Save Lake Tahoe,
Accessed August 9, 2015, https://keeptahoeblue.org/protect/shorelinebeauty.

By Marcella Corona, Reno Gazette-Journal

Two churches were damaged in a string of vandalism in Incline Village over the weekend.

The Village Church on McCourry Boulevard and the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church near Kelly Drive were vandalized overnight Saturday. Both churches are located along Mt. Rose Highway less than a mile apart.

The incidents follow several similar occurrences at local churches, Washoe County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Clark said. If arrests are made, hate crime charges could be considered.

Read the whole story

By Gabrielle Karol, ABC10 

Closing an animal shelter usually means bad news for the animals. But, in the case of Placer County’s Tahoe Vista shelter, the closure may actually mean a better experience.

Starting today, animals that would have gone to the Tahoe Vista shelter will be taken 13 miles to Truckee’s animal shelter — a newer, more high-tech facility. Truckee’s shelter has an average 17-day stay for animals, compared to the 3- to 4-month stay in Tahoe Vista.

“It will improve the health of the animals, it’s more convenient and accessible to the community,” Placer County animal services director Wesley Nicks explained. “And, it saves taxpayers a ton of money.”

Read the whole story

South lake Tahoe Fire Department’s first responder training class —  STAT (South Tahoe Action Teams) — starts Sept. 3.

STAT is designed to incorporate trained citizens in the field with the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and other first responders during times of crisis.

Classes will run approximately two hours per class for four weeks. The next session is Sept. 3-24, 6-8pm in the training center at 1100 Al Tahoe Blvd.

Curriculum will include eight hours of instruction taught by members of the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department. Graduates will be called upon in times of natural disaster, large scale emergencies and times of need in the South Lake Tahoe area.

The application is available online at or at any fire station. Complete the application and arrive at the training center at 5:45pm for the this week’s session and at 6pm the following weeks.

By Ian Whitaker, Las Vegas Sun

Hillary Clinton’s plan for lowering the cost of higher education and reducing the roughly $1.2 trillion student loan debt held by American students could strengthen Nevada’s post-secondary institutions while saving money for the state’s college students, local education experts say.

But if you think those benefits would be enough for the state to embrace the plan, those same experts say, you don’t know Nevada.

Clinton’s “New College Compact” would funnel $350 billion toward states that agree to increase funding for higher education and make sure students are graduating on time. One-third of the funding would be set aside to allow students to refinance existing loans at lower interest rates, while the rest would go toward grants designed to keep costs down for state colleges and universities, as well as make community college free.

Read the whole story