By Gloria Liu, Bicycling

Trek is recalling all of its bikes that are equipped with disc brakes and a certain front quick release. The company is working with the CPSC on the recall, which affects up to 900,000 bikes from the 2000 to 2015 model years.

The bikes were sold for $480 to $1,650.

Trek knows of three crashes that have resulted from this issue, including one that resulted in quadriplegia.

The issue is with the quick-release used on these particular models.

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By Felicity Barringer, New York Times

In Modesto, utility records chart an 18 percent rise in farmers’ energy use in 2014 compared with 2013. No evidence shows exactly why this happened, but California’s drought, now in its fourth year, sent many farmers to their wells to pump from hidden aquifers water that normally would be found at ground level.

Such measures are a timely illustration of the way water needs power — not just to move it, but to clean it and even, with desalination, to create it from brine. A large desalination plant being built to provide 7 percent of San Diego’s water will require about 38 megawatts of power, enough for more than 28,000 homes. And it is no coincidence that primary owners of the 2,250-megawatt, coal-fired Navajo generating station near Page, Ariz., are water managers; they need the power to move water.

The converse is also true: Water is required for power — for hydropower; for extracting oil, natural gas and coal; and, most of all, for cooling power plants. A report from the Congressional Research Service projects that 85 percent of the growth in domestic water consumption from 2005 to 2030 will come from the power sector.

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By Scott Sonner, AP

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell reversed the government’s proposed federal protection for a type of sage grouse specific to California and Nevada, and said it shows it’s still possible to head off a bigger, looming listing decision for the greater sage grouse across 11 Western states.

Jewell joined Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and others in announcing she’s withdrawing the government’s 2013 proposal to declare the bistate, Mono Basin sage grouse a threatened species along the California-Nevada line.

The bird found only along the Sierra’s eastern front no longer faces the threat of extinction thanks to voluntary conservation efforts and range improvements initiated by ranchers, local governments, private land owners and public land managers, she said.

“What this has shown is that despite the stresses we feel on the landscape here — particularly around drought and wildfire and other stresses that impact this part of the world — we can still create and find habitat that supports sage grouse,” Jewell said in a speech outside Nevada Department of Wildlife headquarters in Reno on Tuesday.

“There’s no reason you can’t have a healthy state with a healthy economy and a healthy ecosystem. By working together, you can have it all,” she said.

The bistate bird is a genetically distinct population of the greater sage grouse species, which is under consideration for protection in Nevada, California and nine other states stretching from Oregon to the Dakotas.

“This is welcome news for all Nevadans,” said Sandoval, a Republican. “Working together, I’m hopeful we can preclude the need to list the greater sage grouse just as we have done with the bistate.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is under a court order to make a listing decision on the greater sage grouse by Sept. 30 in a legal battle with conservationists that spans more than 15 years.

“I think it is very possible not to list that species,” Jewell told reporters after her bistate announcement.

Conservationists who petitioned to protect both populations accused Jewell of caving to pressure from Western conservatives who fear federal protection would mean dramatic restrictions on livestock grazing, energy exploration and other development of public lands.

Michael Connor, California director of the nonprofit Western Watersheds Project, said that as recently as last December federal officials had assigned the bistate grouse the “maximum priority for listing” based on the magnitude of threats facing the isolated population across more than 7,000 square miles Carson City to near Yosemite National Park.

“The service’s backpedalling in claiming that unfinished management plans and voluntary, cooperative agreements will protect the species is untrue and smacks of political expediency,” Connor said Tuesday.

Randi Spivak, public lands director for the Center for Biological Diversity, agreed. “Half measures may delay extinction but it won’t prevent it,” Spivak said.

Jewell said the decision not to list the bistate grouse should be “real encouraging” for other western states pursuing similar voluntary measures to ward off listing of the greater sage grouse.

“I think if it had been listed after all the hard work and effort after 15 years, it would make people discouraged — ‘Gosh, we’ve worked together so hard and maybe there isn’t a way to protect these ecosystems,’ ” Jewell told reporters.

She said Tuesday’s decision should “give the scientists and the land managers and the private land owners and the ranchers and the state and governors all encouragement that we need to stay the course on the greater sage course and we’ll be able to achieve a similar outcome if we work together.”

Mary Grim, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional sage grouse coordinator, said the agency was concerned about the rate of habitat loss when it proposed listing the bistate bird as threatened two years ago. Since then, ranchers, conservationists and government agencies have committed more than $45 million to restoration efforts over the next 15 years, making the listing unnecessary, she said.

“If you look at the science, look at the commitments we have, clearly in comparison to 2010, the future looks very bright for bistate sage grouse,” Grim told the Associated Press. “There’s no reason to think the subspecies is at risk now or in the future of going extinct.”

• Lake Tahoe Hard Rock opens Splash Day Club at the pool on May 23. It will be open on select weekends to the general public – for a price – from noon-6pm through Labor Day.

• Sno Frozen Yogurt Café is opening this summer in the Chateau complex in South Lake Tahoe.

• All Tahoe National Forest campgrounds will be open before Memorial Day weekend.

•The Bicycle Advisory Committee of the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority meets May 1 from 9-11am at Lake Tahoe Airport.

• Check out this time-lapse video of Yosemite produced by a group in Meyers.

By Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times

A lasting marriage does not always signal a happy marriage. Plenty of miserable couples have stayed together for children, religion or other practical reasons.

But for many couples, it’s just not enough to stay together. They want a relationship that is meaningful and satisfying. In short, they want a sustainable marriage.

“The things that make a marriage last have more to do with communication skills, mental health, social support, stress — those are the things that allow it to last or not,” says Arthur Aron, a psychology professor who directs the Interpersonal Relationships Laboratory at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. “But those things don’t necessarily make it meaningful or enjoyable or sustaining to the individual.”

The notion that the best marriages are those that bring satisfaction to the individual may seem counterintuitive. After all, isn’t marriage supposed to be about putting the relationship first?

Not anymore.

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Alison Tetrick is eager to participate in next month’s races based in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Sam Wiebe

By Susan Wood

Move over boys.

Title IX aside, pro cyclist Alison Tetrick knows in order for women’s sports to receive the recognition the big boys get in their respective events, the girls need all the help they can get – sometimes from a few angels on the shoulders.

And so it goes with the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Race, which will have two legs starting and ending at Heavenly Mountain Resort on May 8-9. Fourteen teams representing 84 of the top professional women cyclists are expected to roar from the California Base Lodge parking lot each day. The first stage goes around the lake and is 74.5 miles, the second goes into Meyers and is 49.7 miles. This is the largest women’s race ever in the United States.

An army of volunteers and spectators will be on hand.The receptiveness from the town and in particular Heavenly as a host is something Tetrick told Lake Tahoe News she immensely appreciates.

“That’s huge that they place such a high value on supporting women’s cycling. It’s exciting that Tahoe utilizes this race as well. It creates more fans and inspires other women riders as well. And Tahoe is all about recreation,” Tetrick, 30, said while on tour. “It’s nice to see the steady growth (in interest).”

Tetrick is an advisor to the Women’s Cycling Association. The pro cyclist of five years grew up in Redding, played tennis in college in Abilene, Texas, and became serious about cycling while living in Petaluma – where the rolling Wine Country hills beckon.

She’s inspired by her 84-year-old grandfather who still rides to this day in Evergreen, Colo.

“He’s a tough guy. I try to ride with him whenever I see him,” she said.

She has a message for young girls wanting to become something in the recreation world.

“Find what you’re most passionate about. Then, get out and active and meet your goals – whatever they are. And, be bold. You’ll be ahead of the game,” she said, adding, “Education is important” to getting the support they need.

That’s precisely why Heavenly wanted to take part, said John Wagnon, director of marketing of Vail Resorts’ three Tahoe properties. The longtime marketer, who served on the California Tourism Commission and now is on Nevada’s, understands the importance of promoting women’s sports and being the business to provide the kick-start in giving them a leg up where many companies have been noticeably absent in a man’s world.

“We want to support women’s pro sports. They struggle to get visitors and don’t get the level of sponsorships (the men do), but (women’s sports) are growing in popularity,” he said.

Granted, the sport is more commonplace and supported in Europe. But the prospect of growth in the United States through visibility is what the competitors and sponsors are seeking.

Wagnon recalled how South Shore executives reached out to the Amgen organizers many years ago. When the men’s race was scheduled through town in 2011, it got snowed out. Fingers are crossed that’s not a problem this year.

“After that, we remained in contact with the folks at Amgen and worked to continue efforts to get the race back. We were very interested,” Wagnon said, speaking on behalf of Heavenly and through conversations with Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority Executive Director Carol Chaplin.

“Seeing the athletes in our community builds the enthusiasm for hosting the event as well as the sport,” Chaplin said in a statement. She also mentioned this year’s signature sunny weather as “good for training” opposed to snow and rain hampering the event.

This time, the women are on center stage.

Motorists are advised to allow for extra time in getting around the South Shore on that Friday and Saturday. Riders will start from Heavenly at 11am Friday and finish about 2:15pm. The next day, they’ll begin the ride at 10:30am and end at approximately 12:30pm. A festival opens both days’ event at 10am.

“This is going to be awesome,” said Mike Frye, who runs LTVA events.

Frye noted he’s beyond excited about this event because of its importance to the women like Tetrick who have fought and clawed for recognition despite multiple wins.

Tetrick rides for Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies and an ambassador for Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer. Tetrick has represented the United States at the Pan American Games and around the world racing for the national team.

Tertrick received a bronze medal at the World Championships in the Team Time Trial for Astana BePink in 2014, and placed second at Chrono des Nations in 2012, 2013, and 2014. She won the overall at the Merco Cycling Classic and the Valley of the Sun Stage Race and won stages at the Sea Otter Cycling Classic, Nature Valley Grand Prix, Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and most recently at the Tour Femenino de San Luis in Argentina.

Not only does she spend countless hours training and racing, Tetrick is in graduate school for neuropsychology. She believes it is important to raise awareness of resources available for those affected by cancer and thinks teamwork is a necessity.

—–

Notes:

• There are two sites where people may stream the event live. Here is the first and the second.
• May 8, 11am start at Heavenly’s Cal Lodge.
• May 9, 10:30am start at Heavenly’s Cal Lodge.
• For more info, go online.

By Gary J. Gates

Opponents of marriage for same-sex couples have made dire predictions of marital instability, falling birthrates, and increases in children being born outside of marriage if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that same-sex couples can marry throughout the nation.

But an examination of the data – particularly as it relates to children most in need of stable families – does not support those predictions.

Today, nearly 1.4 million men and women are part of the estimated 700,000 same-sex couples living in this country. About 350,000 of them are married couples and 122,000 are raising more than 200,000 children under the age of 18. Michigan couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rouse, plaintiffs in one of the Supreme Court cases, have adopted four children, two with developmental disabilities who require special care. U.S. Census Bureau data show that April and Jayne are not alone.

Same-sex couples are three times more likely than their different-sex counterparts to be raising adopted or foster children. Among married couples, same-sex couples are five times more likely. In states where same-sex couples can legally marry, more than 3 percent of adopted or foster children have same-sex parents. Since only about 0.3 percent of all children in those states have same-sex parents, it means that adopted and foster children there are nearly 10 times more likely than children in general to have same-sex parents.

As marriage becomes more widely available for same-sex couples, they will likely expand their already disproportionate role as parents to some of the nation’s neediest children. In 2013, 19 percent of same-sex couples without children were married compared to 33 percent of those with children. If they had adopted or foster children, the figure was 41 percent. In states where same-sex couples can marry, 60 percent of those with adopted or foster children are married. Clearly same-sex couples raising kids, especially adopted and foster kids, have a strong preference for marriage.

Opponents of marriage for same-sex couples argue that children do best when they are raised by their married biological parents. They reason that reserving marriage only for different-sex couples promotes that ideal. But that’s a false read of social science research. A more careful review of the literature shows that children tend to do better when they are raised by two parents who are in a stable and committed relationship. Marriage offers a way for many couples to strengthen and support their desire for stability, love, and commitment. Kids with married parents, regardless of the sexual orientation or gender of those parents, benefit from the security that marriage offers to many couples.

What about the argument that reserving marriage for different-sex couples encourages them to raise children within marriage? The notion that the marriages of same-sex couples could alter the behavior of the other 99 percent of married couples seems ludicrous on the face of it. It turns out that the research agrees.

Two studies published last year in Demography, the premier academic journal in the field, find no evidence that allowing same-sex couples to marry has altered the marriage rates of different-sex couples in the U.S. or in the Netherlands, the country that has allowed same-sex couples to marry longer than any other in the world. In 2013, the portion of children being raised by married different-sex parents in the U.S. was actually a little bit higher in states where same-sex couples could legally marry (65 percent) compared to states where marriage was restricted to different-sex couples (64 percent).

A Supreme Court decision bringing marriage for same-sex couples to all parts of the nation won’t end political conflict associated with LGBT rights. But it will improve America’s families. The nation will have more married couples, more kids with married parents, and more stable homes and families for the country’s most vulnerable children. It’s hard to understand how that could ever be a bad thing.

Gary J. Gates is the research director and Blachford-Cooper Distinguished Scholar at the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law.  He served as an expert witness in the DeBoer v. Snyder trial, one of the cases currently before the Supreme Court. He wrote this for Thinking L.A., a partnership of UCLA and Zócalo Public Square.

By Pamela Manson,  Salt Lake Tribune

Snowboarders in Utah are asking a federal appeals court to reverse the dismissal of their lawsuit that claims Alta Ski Resort is discriminating against them by banning snowboarding.

In an appeal to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Wasatch Equality and four snowboarders say their suit extensively detailed the history and irrationality of Alta’s ban, which they allege is based on stereotypes that boarders are “undesirables.” They claim the dismissal of their suit at an early stage of litigation — less than a year after it was filed — was inappropriate.

The boarders filed suit in January 2014 against Alta and the U.S. Forest Service, arguing they were being irrationally discriminated against and deserved protection under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which historically has been used in cases involving discrimination based on race, gender or sexual orientation. The ban, the snowboarders said, had no place on public land.

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Douglas County sheriff’s deputies were able to talk a man out of jumping from an eighth floor balcony at the Lake Tahoe Hard Rock in Stateline.

Tahoe Douglas fire crews as well as the CalStar medical helicopter were on standby.

The incident started about 2pm April 24 and was resolved by 4:55pm.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Carol Costello, CNN

In a few years, the military will be unable to recruit enough qualified soldiers because of America’s obesity problem.

Forget about rampant diabetes, heart attacks and joint problems — the scariest consequence arising out of our losing battle with the bulge is the safety of our country.

In about five years, so many young Americans will be grossly overweight that the military will be unable to recruit enough qualified soldiers. That alarming forecast comes from Maj, Gen. Allen Batschelet, who is in charge of U.S. Army Recruiting Command.

Obesity, he said, “is becoming a national security issue.”

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