With several other water ways experiencing historic low levels, Donner Lake is expected to be a popular destination for boaters.

However, officials are warning boaters that Donner Lake is very low as well.

“With the lower water levels there will likely be submerged hazards that were not near the surface last season. Pay particular attention while boating around the edges of the lake and familiarize yourself with any potential hazards before operating at speed,” the Truckee Police Department’s marine patrol officers said in a statement.

Here are some safety reminders:

• Best practice is for everyone to wear a personal flotation device that fits correctly.
• Do not consume alcohol when operating any vessel or recreating on the lake. The few seconds of delayed response and impaired judgment could have significant consequences.
• Boats on plane towing water skiers or traveling greater than 5 mph must travel in a counter clockwise direction.
• Obey all speed limits and be constantly scanning for other traffic and hazards.
• Have your boat serviced and inspected regularly to prevent any unnecessary emissions into the environment and to know your boat is safe to operate.
• Know the weather and the limitations of your vessel and the limitations of the operator.
• Review all boating laws and safe operating procedures. If you have not taken a Boaters Safety Course, consider one online. Boating laws and information about training is online.
• Starting in 2014, all motorized watercraft launching into Donner Lake are required to have an aquatic invasive species inspection and inspection sticker. Hand launched watercraft like canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards are subject to inspection, but are currently exempt from the mandatory inspections and fees. However, these watercraft can also carry the invasive species and should be self-inspected before launching.

Access to Donner Lake is limited and several ramps are closed or have limited access based on trailer and vessel size. With fewer access points to launch, there will likely be lines and limited parking at the locations that are open.

Brad Paisley opened the 2015 Harveys Outdoor Concert Series on June 11.

Brad Paisley delights the crowd at Harveys on June 11. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – Brad Paisley was crushin’ it at Harveys on Thursday night.

The three-time Grammy winner had the crowd at the outdoor arena on its feet for most of the 1 hour, 40 minute-concert.

Besides being a singer and song writer, Paisley is a phenomenal guitarist. He and Keith Urban are the premier guitarists in the world of country; and both could hold their own against colleagues in any genre.

His fingers rarely stopped moving across the strings all night. He didn’t interact with the crowd much; instead letting his fingers do much of the talking. Segues from one song to the next were him playing a riff.

The night started with “River Bank” off his 2014 album “Moonshine in the Trunk”. It was the start of an evening of guitar-dominating dynamics. While it’s one thing to hear his songs recorded, the live version is so much richer. His picking is sensational and is what makes his live performance worth seeing.

Brad Paisley is a renowned guitarist who uses a variety of the instruments throughout his performance.

Paisley switches guitars – sometimes mid-song – as often as Cher does wardrobe changes. He is the owner of two less guitars after the June 11 concert, though. This is something he is accustomed to. Early on he singled out a little girl in a pink cowboy hat. He autographed it and then later called her up to the side of the stage, handed her his guitar, shook her hand and got a “thank you” from her. Later in the show 7-year-old Cayden was brought to the stage to play Mario Kart 8, which was then projected on the screen that was much larger than the normal movie screen. Paisley and his six-member band rocked out while this took place. The youngster, who set a new top score, walked away with a guitar practically as tall as he is.

It was the diversity of songs that brought the fans out – not his goodwill.

Paisley blends old-style country with quirky tunes like “Celebrity” (about selfies and other narcissistic behavior) and “I’m Gonna Miss Her” (where fishing is his priority and not his woman).

A youngster in the crowd goes home with a Brad Paisley guitar.

It wasn’t until he slowed things down with “She’s Everything” that the crowd sat down. The ballad showed his sentimental side.

He saved the love song “Then” off the 2009 “American Saturday Night” album for his first of two encores.

Brad Paisley and Justin Moore use a fan’s phone to take a selfie.

Mickey Guyton and Justin Moore, the two opening acts, each sang a duet with Paisley. It won’t be surprising if one day each is a headliner on this stage.

The only disappointment was how few people were in attendance at the 7,500-seat venue. Considering Paisley sold-out the 17,000-plus seat Hollywood Bowl and filled the 20,000-seat Sleep Train Amphitheater in San Diego earlier this month, it’s not about his popularity. Maybe it was the fact the Warriors were playing or that Paisley has now been here three of the last four years.

—–

Future concerts at Harveys:

July 3  – Aerosmith

July 18 – Imagine Dragons

July 21 – Train, opening are The Fray/Matt Nathanson

July 22 – Kenny Chesney, opening Chase Rice

Aug. 7 – Jackson Browne

Aug. 8 – Elton John

Aug. 13 – Slightly Stoopid, opening are Dirty Heads/Stick Figure

Aug. 23 – Dierks Bentley, opening are Kip Moore/Maddie & Tae/Canaan Smith

Sept. 5 – Sammy Hagar and the Circle, featuring Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson

Sept. 9 – Dave Matthews Band.

To the community,

Following up with their second Adopt A Day of Nourishment sponsorship this year, the Heavenly ski patrol hosted Bread & Broth’s evening dinner on June 1.

Representing the ski patrol were Nate Ludwig, Tegan Davidge-Ludwig and Cynthia and Thomas Burkart who came to St. Theresa Church’s Grace Hall at 3pm to help the B&B volunteers bag the giveaway bags with fresh fruit, vegetables, canned goods and pastries donated by local business, stores and B&B donors.

Once the doors opened at 4pm, the ski patrol crew worked the serving line dishing out generous portions of meat loaf, roasted potatoes, mixed veggies, green salad and strawberries. Throughout their three-hour shift, the Heavenly ski patrol volunteers were eager to help and take the opportunity to feed people in need.

“What a wonderful experience,” said Cynthia Burkart. “The Bread & Broth dinners are the best.”

Thanks to groups like the Heavenly ski patrol who donates funds and volunteers, B&B is able to feed from 85 to 110 folks every Monday evening. Serving the community and doing something to make someone’s day a little better is a rewarding experience and is what brings back organizations like the Heavenly ski patrol to sponsor Adopt A Days annually and often several times per year. Kudos to the ski patrol for their commitment to serving the community.

For more B&B information, go online or find us on Facebook.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth

Several troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol, as well as other employees for the Department of Public Safety, will be volunteering their time to raise money for Special Olympics Nevada and California on June 14 at the Hard Rock Café inside Harveys.

The state employees will serve as volunteer waiters and waitresses as they assist the restaurant staff that day while they work for “special tips.” As patrons are greeted, each volunteer will leave an envelope with each table for those wishing to make a donation. These tips are in addition to the regular server’s gratuity.

All of the extra tips will stay in Northern Nevada and Northern California to pay for the sports training and competition activities for area athletes enrolled in Special Olympics Nevada/California programs.

Someone is missing more than 1 pound of marijuana.

An employee at the Camp Richardson Marina on the night of June 8 found a cardboard box at the end of the pier. Inside of it was the pot. The employee then called law enforcement.

“The employee opened the box and found a large quantity of marijuana — approximately 16.7 ounces. At the time of the call the owner of the box could not be determined. The marijuana was taken and booked into property,” El Dorado County sheriff’s Lt. Bryan Golmitz told Lake Tahoe News.

He said the street value for 1 pound of marijuana is between $1,500 and $2,000.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and local agencies are partnering to coordinate the Adopt-a-Beach Program clean-up dates following the Fourth of July and Labor Day firework displays.

The clean-up program is in place to ensure any debris that may be left behind is picked up.

A key element for the LTVA and partner agencies is preserving lake clarity after an estimated 100,000 people gather along the South Shore to watch the pyrotechnic display.

Information online provides people details on how to recognize and report potential fireworks debris and generate immediate response if found. The LTVA has established a hotline (775.410.0417) and an email address (teamfireworks@ltva.org) to communicate information on debris.

In addition, LTVA is coordinating with South Tahoe Refuse to implement a program where bags will be provided to spectators upon entry to the beach in order to help contain trash.

For those interested in helping with the Team Fireworks Beach Cleanup program July 5-9, email info@LTVA.org.

By Conor Shine, Las Vegas Sun

It’s been two years since the Legislature approved a new law establishing a system of dispensaries and growing facilities to make medical marijuana more accessible to patients, but so far not a single bud has been sold.

That could change in the coming weeks with the planned opening of the Euphoria Wellness dispensary in Las Vegas, but there’s no denying there have been growing pains as the industry struggles to launch.

Many of the issues stem from unintended consequences arising from the way the 2013 law was written, and Sen. Tick Segerblom, a leading marijuana advocate, made it a priority during the recently ended legislative session to fix as many problems as possible.

“When you grow (an industry) from scratch, there’s all kinds of issues you never thought about,” Segerblom said. “Basically all these things we’re dealing with are things we’ve learned over the last two years.”

Read the whole story

A South Lake Tahoe woman in her 20s is recovering from an early morning physical and sexual assault from a man she did not know.

The victim was with a group of friends about 2am June 11 outside of a motel on Cedar Avenue when she stepped aside to use her phone.

“While she was temporarily out of view of her friends, the suspect grabbed her and threatened her with a knife. Compelling her silence with the knife, the suspect forced the victim to a secluded area where he beat her violently and attempted to sexually assault her,” according to South Lake Tahoe police press release.

The victim escaped and ran back to the motel. The suspect chased after her, which is unusual. An officer told Lake Tahoe News normally when a victim frees herself the perpetrator retreats. Not in this case.

But he did flee when he saw her friends. He ran toward Stateline. He remains at-large.

The victim was first taken to Barton Memorial Hospital and then to Renown Medical Center in Reno. She has since been released, but has substantial injuries. She was not stabbed.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male between 18-22, heavy set with a noticeable stomach, between 5-foot-4 and 5-foot-6, with short black hair. He is clean shaven and has a deep voice. He was last seen wearing an unknown color T-shirt and khaki shorts.

Anyone with information is asked to call 530.542.6100 or South Lake Tahoe Secret Witness at 530.541.6800.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

A cyclist from Yuma, Ariz., is fighting for his life after being struck by a vehicle on Pioneer Trail.

The 70-year-old man was riding north on Pioneer Trail between Susquehanna and Jicarilla when a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 35-year-old man from Southern California clipped his handlebar with the side mirror after drifting into the bike lane. The vehicle was traveling about 45 mph – the speed limit, and the cyclist 20 mph.

“The cyclist lost control, was ejected from the bicycle, struck his head and rolled over a number of times,” California Highway Patrol Officer Chuck Brothers told Lake Tahoe News.

Despite wearing a helmet the victim sustain serious head injuries as well as severe abrasions. He was flown to Renown Medical Center in Reno after the 11:40am June 9 collision.

Because of the life threatening nature of the injuries, names of the two people involved are not being released.

Brothers said alcohol or drugs are not factors. The investigation is ongoing.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report