By Margot Sanger-Katz, New York Times

After decades of worsening diets and sharp increases in obesity, Americans’ eating habits have begun changing for the better.

Calories consumed daily by the typical American adult, which peaked around 2003, are in the midst of their first sustained decline since federal statistics began to track the subject, more than 40 years ago. The number of calories that the average American child takes in daily has fallen even more — by at least 9 percent.

The declines cut across most major demographic groups — including higher- and lower-income families, and blacks and whites — though they vary somewhat by group.

As calorie consumption has declined, obesity rates appear to have stopped rising for adults and school-aged children and have come down for the youngest children, suggesting the calorie reductions are making a difference.

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The Dry Diggings Festival in Placerville is billed as a music, camping and beer festival.

Music groups reflect the unique nature of the West Coast reggae style music genre that has attracted capacity crowds at their sister Cali Roots festival in Monterey each May. The lineup includes Tribal Seeds, Collie Buddz, Nahko and Medicine for the People, JBoog, Don Carlos, Zion I, Through the Roots, Josh Heinrichs, Hirie, Makua Rothman, Seedless, Thrive, Inna Vision, Leilani Wolfgramm, Mystic Roots, Arise Roots, Element of Soul, Skanks Roots Project, Brodi Nicholas with more artists to be announced in August.

The Dry Diggings festival will be at the 6,000 capacity El Dorado County Fairgrounds on Sept. 25-27.

Attendees have the option of camping on site.

The event will feature 30 vendors and a beer garden. Sierra Nevada Brewing, Lagunitas Brewing, Altamont and Firestone Walker will all feature a variety of beers to taste.

To purchase tickets, go online.

Tahoe Star Tours will host a special mountainside star gazing event that corresponds with the Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 14.

The Perseid, a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, are visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity happening between Aug. 9-14. During the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour.

While viewing the constellations and meteor shower through a high-powered Celestron telescopes, guests will also be treated to a special live concert performance by Accent, a Reno-based chamber music ensemble. The event will also include cheese and dessert stations, wine and Champagne.

The event is at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe from 8:15-10:30pm. Go online to buy tickets.

Through Sept. 16, residents and visitors may enter to win $500 cash and weekly prize packages at more than 25 participating Kings Beach retailers, restaurants and recreation outlets.

The We’re Open You Win Contest is North Tahoe Business Association’s way to encourage people to visit and spend money in the area.

Participants must fill out an entry form and put it in the contest box. Every Wednesday now through Sept. 16 a drawing will take place for a package valued at more than $100. All non-winning entries will qualify for the grand prize of $500 cash. For a list of participating contest locations and contest rules, go online.

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times

If it seems like mass shootings are becoming more common, researchers say there’s a good reason: They are.

Between a 2011 shooting at an IHOP restaurant in Carson City that left four people dead and the 2013 attack on the Washington Navy Yard where 12 people were killed, a mass shooting occurred somewhere in America once every 64 days, on average.

In the preceding 29 years, such shootings occurred on average every 200 days, according to an analysis by researchers from Harvard University’s School of Public Health and Northeastern University.

The study defined a mass shooting as an outbreak of firearms violence in which four or more victims were killed and the shooter was unknown to most of his victims.

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Volunteers are being sought for El Dorado County’s Certified Long-Term Care Ombudsmen Program.

Ombudsmen are advocates who visit residents of long-term care facilities to ensure quality of life and quality care for the residents.

There are approximately 40 long-term care facilities in El Dorado County.

Ombudsman candidates are required to complete 36 hours of training at no cost. Training begins in October in Placerville. Those interested in becoming an Ombudsman, or receiving more information about the program, may call 530.621.6271.

By Allison Aubrey, NPR

Sixty-five grams of added sugar. That’s how much you’ll find in a 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola.

But can you picture 65 grams? It’s about 16 teaspoons worth of the sweet stuff.

The Food and Drug Administration wants to make it easier for Americans to track how much added sugars we’re getting in the foods and beverages we choose.

So, in addition to a proposed requirement to list amounts of added sugars on the Nutrition Facts panels, the FDA is now proposing that companies declare a daily percent value, too.

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In the last two weeks several El Dorado County residents have been the target of scam artists attempting to obtain money from them.

The scammers are not from the area and use Internet based phones, which allow them to select a local area code. The Scammers have been identifying themselves as local law enforcement. They tell people that they have missed jury duty and that a warrant has been issued for their arrest. The scammers tell the victim’s if they don’t pay, they will be arrested.

In most cases the scammer has told the victim the amount of the warrant was $5,500.

There have been approximately 50 reports of this scam.

Anyone who has been the victim of this scam or has information that would assist in this investigation, is asked to call 530.642.4703.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

A Toast to Die For: An Evening of Mystery is coming to the South Lake Tahoe Library on Aug. 23.

An aura of mystery will pervade the scene, both inside and out. There will be special library mysteries to solve.

Friends of the Library is hosting the 4-7pm fundraiser at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

There will be appetizers, beverages and a silent auction, along with music, readings and book sales.

Reno author, Mark S. Bacon, whose writing career has included newspaper reporter and copywriter, recently published “Death in Nostalgia City”. Local mystery authors Sue Owens Wright, Kathi Daley and Cindy Sample will also be on hand.

All proceeds benefit the South Lake Tahoe Friends of the Library to enrich programs and resources. Tickets are $45 and are available at the library. For more info, call 530.573.3185.

By Andrew Kimbrell, Wall Street Journal

One of the biggest arguments in the food world these days involves products that have been genetically modified.

Consumer advocates have been pushing for rules requiring companies to label foods that contain ingredients that have been modified for any number of purposes, such as making them resistant to herbicides. Recently, voters in Oregon and Colorado voted down measures to require labeling. Other states, though, have approved labeling, and the Food and Drug Administration’s website says it has received petitions to mandate labeling nationwide but hasn’t made a call on the idea.

The argument for labeling comes down to the right to know: Consumers, the advocates say, should be well informed of what’s in their food. Further, they argue, genetically modifying food carries risks while providing few nutritional benefits.

Opponents say that the fears about GMO foods are overblown, and that in fact the foods are safe and bring benefits. So, labeling foods would give the wrong impression that there’s something dangerous about GMOs, when there isn’t, opponents say.

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