The Douglas County Public Library’s free storytime will resume at the Kahle Community Center starting Jan. 9 and continuing through March 26.

Preschool stories take place on alternate Thursday and Friday mornings from 9-9:30am. Thursday dates are: Jan. 15, Jan. 29, Feb. 12, Feb. 26, March 12 and March 26. Friday dates are: Jan. 9, Jan. 23, Feb. 6, March 6 and March 20.

Younger children are welcome; they must be accompanied by an adult.

The Kahle Community Center is located at 236 Kingsbury Grade in Stateline.

By Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times

Active older people resemble much younger people physiologically, according to a new study of the effects of exercise on aging. The findings suggest that many of our expectations about the inevitability of physical decline with advancing years may be incorrect and that how we age is, to a large degree, up to us.

Aging remains a surprisingly mysterious process. A wealth of past scientific research has shown that many bodily and cellular processes change in undesirable ways as we grow older. But science has not been able to establish definitively whether such changes result primarily from the passage of time — in which case they are inevitable for anyone with birthdays — or result at least in part from lifestyle, meaning that they are mutable.

This conundrum is particularly true in terms of inactivity. Older people tend to be quite sedentary nowadays, and being sedentary affects health, making it difficult to separate the effects of not moving from those of getting older.

In the new study, which was published this week in the Journal of Physiology, scientists at King’s College London and the University of Birmingham in England decided to use a different approach.

They removed inactivity as a factor in their study of aging by looking at the health of older people who move quite a bit.

Read the whole story

The seventh annual Cowboy Mardi Gras fundraiser to benefit Austin’s House is Feb. 27 at the Carson Valley Inn from 6-10pm.

The party atmosphere will be of Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Fat Tuesday. This casual and crazy fundraiser features food, music, dancing, games, raffle prizes, and a silent auction.

The party starts at 6pm with a cocktail hour. Then there will be a western barbecue buffet. After dinner, the Cowboy Mardi Gras party hits full stride with music, dancing and fun games.

Tickets are $60 by calling 775.267.6711.

Angel Infante-Mendoza

The is the vehicle used by the suspects. Photos/Provided

Two people suspected in a New Year’s Day home invasion in Incline Village are wanted by Washoe County sheriff’s deputies.

The third suspect, Angel Infante-Mendoza, was arrested on charges of burglary, home invasion, child abuse and neglect, domestic battery, and battery with a deadly weapon.

Deputies said three people broke in an apartment on the 700 block of Southwood Boulevard midmorning Jan. 1. The suspects fled the scene in a grey midsize SUV.

Anyone with information is asked to call 775.328.3320 or Secret Witness at 775.322.4900.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Ice greeted New Year’s Day polar plungers at Lake Tahoe. Photo/Terry Ogg

It was a little more difficult this year for those participating in the sixth annual Steamers Bar and Grill polar plunge.

Before any plunging could occur, some ice breaking was necessary. The shoreline of Lake Tahoe is frozen because of the low lake level and below freezing temps at the first of the year.

The annual New Year’s Day event attracted more than 80 people — all just to have bragging rights for having braved the frigid waters of Tahoe.

Can you run in snowshoes? Can you run and carry a tray full of drinks in snowshoes? How about just watching people try?

Camp Richardson’s first Snowshoe Cocktail Race of the season is Jan. 17 at 7pm.

Racers run with cocktail trays in hand through obstacles and up and down the beach. The winner is the fastest and cleanest at the finish. Spilling drinks is not a winning strategy.

Signups start at 5pm at the  Beacon Bar and Grill. Snowshoes will be provided. All levels welcome.

The next races are Feb. 21 and March 21.

The Woodwind II is being destroyed Jan. 8 at Cave Rock boat launch. It will then be hauled off to the Carson City Landfill. It broke free from its mooring at Zephyr Cove on Dec. 11. The insurance company deemed it not salvageable.

The Woodwind II on Jan. 8 was being cut into pieces before being hauled to a landfill. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

CAVE ROCK – Loud crunching sounds could be heard as a 50,000-pound excavator destroyed the Woodwind II. Grown men were somber witnessing the destruction of what was once a beautiful vessel that graced the waters of Lake Tahoe.

The catamaran broke from its mooring Dec. 11 during the windstorm at Lake Tahoe and became stuck on rocks near Zephyr Cove. While this is always a rocky area, it’s even shallower with the lake level being so low.

That Zephyr Cove mooring field a few years ago switched from the typical concrete block type anchors to screw auger type anchors. The new ones are not as secure, according to boat owners.

It was expected to take several hours Jan. 8 to breakdown the entire 55-foot-vessel.

Much of the damage was to the starboard side. Punctures in the hull and pontoon damage were extensive.

“The crane is utilized to pull some of the components out,” Dan Rikalo with Connolly Crane Service told Lake Tahoe News.

All the pieces will be taken to the Carson City Landfill.

Diesel from the vessel was taken off a while ago to prevent any spillage into Lake Tahoe.

It was towed to Cave Rock boat ramp on Jan. 7, then hauled out of the water with a large tow truck by its rudders.

Kevin McMullen of Keefe Kaplan Maritime in Richmond was at the dock Thursday morning to get the mast.

“We will cut it up. The insurance company wants it cut up. I hope they save it. It’s a beautiful mast,” McMullen told Lake Tahoe News.

Steve Dunham, who operates Tahoe Cruises, could not be reached for comment. He is down to one boat – the Safari Rose. She is currently at the Tahoe City Marina. The original Woodwind, which was a trimaran, also met its demise when it washed ashore. An operating permit for a tour boat at Lake Tahoe is a coveted item, so it’s possible there could be a Woodwind III.

By Kyle Roerink, Las Vegas Sun

Settlement talks have emerged in a class action lawsuit accusing Nevada of misusing public funds for busing mentally ill patients to California.

The talks are the latest in a 16-month legal battle between Nevada and the city and county of San Francisco. A successful negotiation would end one of three busing-related lawsuits facing Nevada. Any money would compensate California for harboring indigent patients who were discharged from Nevada psychiatric facilities and given one-way bus tickets with directors to seek help in California. The settlement also would aim to outline new rules for transporting patients across state lines.

California officials say the busing cost San Francisco at least $4 million to treat 21 patients from Nevada, according to legal documents in a San Francisco district court. The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office said it has the names of 500 patients who traveled to California from Las Vegas’ Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital between 2008 to 2013. It’s unclear how many of the 500 sought treatment once they arrived in California.

Officials from both states declined to comment on the details of the settlement negotiations — a standard practice during legal settlements.

Read the whole story

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, will offer a series of eight classes for those in the green industry beginning Feb. 3.

Attendees will be taught science-based, sustainable horticulture practices to manage plants and landscapes efficiently and safely.

The program benefits people wanting to enter the industry, beginners in the industry and established industry professionals.

The trainings will be from 9am-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb. 3-26. Classes are $15 each or $80 for all eight. Further discounts are available to organizations enrolling multiple employees. Classes are at the Washoe County Cooperative Extension office in Reno at 4955 Energy Way.

To register, go online. For more information on classes or certification, contact Ashley Andrews at andrewsa@unce.unr.edu or 775.336.0231.

Class schedule:
Feb. 3: Plant Disease Basics
Feb. 5: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Pesticide Safety
Feb. 10: Soils, Potting Mixes and Fertilizers
Feb. 12: Pruning Landscape Plants
Feb. 17: Insect Identification
Feb. 19: Sustainable Turfgrass Maintenance
Feb. 24: Weeds and Weed Law
Feb. 26: Woody Plant Identification.