By USSA

ARE, Sweden — Ted Ligety (Park City ) slayed his way to second place in Are, Sweden, behind Marcel Hirscher from Austria, who collected his 25 career World Cup win, and ahead of Stefan Luitz of Germany.

Tim Jitloff (Reno) grabbed more giant slalom World Cup points, finishing 22. The win moved Hirscher back atop the Audi FIS Ski World Cup GS standings and set the stage for an epic battle for the globe with Ligety, which will continue next weekend in Alta Badia.

With the sun setting just after 2pmin Sweden, the giant slalom took place under the lights. The Norwegians set a super technical first run on the steep and injected course. Without much room for error, the course spat out DNFs — 18 racers first run, including David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, Colo.). But Ligety and Jitloff both skied solidly, with Ligety sitting third and Jitloff 19 after the first run.

The Americans set a much more open second run, allowing the men to let their skis run a bit more. Jitloff had a few mistakes. Ligety looked calm when he pushed out of the starting gate, losing a little time on the top section of the course, but putting the hammer down in the second half. With his infamous angles, Ligety skied through the finish in first place, only surpassed by Hirscher, who slaughtered the field by over a second.

Along with Chodounsky, Brennan Rubie (Salt Lake City), Mark Engel (Truckee) and Nolan Kasper (Warren, Vt.) did not qualify for the second run.

• South Lake Tahoe employees donated nonperishable food items and raised more than $200 for Christmas Cheer.

• Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules for the week ahead from Caltrans.

• BlueGo’s California routes 50 and 53 will be free from Dec. 20-Jan.4.

• Following a full interior and exterior renovation, Cal Neva in Crystal Bay will reopen on Dec. 12, 2015, which would have been the 100th birthday of longtime guest and one-time owner Frank Sinatra.

• Alpine Meadows is open.

By USSA

ARE, Sweden — Tina Maza continued her quest for the overall Audi FIS Ski World Cup title with her third win in three disciplines this season, taking the giant slalom in Are on Dec. 12.

Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) placed 10 in the opening race of the weekend, originally scheduled for snow-starved Courchevel, France. Rising Swedish star Sara Hector skied from 25 into second while first-run-leading Eva-Maria Brem of Austria was third.

Shiffrin skied solid but not as aggressively as she wanted in the first run, going out second and finishing the run in eighth, one spot behind Maze and 0.78 from the leader Brem in a tightly packed field. In the second run, Shiffrin dropped to 10 while Maze charged up to take the lead and the victory.

Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley) just made the flip at 30, but went out in the second run. Megan McJames (Park City) missed the top 30.

Updated 7:50pm

Heavenly Mountain Resort will be closed Saturday — the third consecutive day.

“Due to a variety of complications from the storm, Heavenly will not open on Saturday. We expect to restore power to the mountain for operations on Sunday,” Sally Gunter told Lake Tahoe News.

Wind forced the closure on Thursday, power was the problem Friday. The resort had issues with power at the top of the gondola and on the Nevada side. The Nevada side is where all the open terrain is.

“We are still battling some power issues on the California side, but are working to resolve those. No terrain is open on the California side yet so that should not impact operations,” Gunter said.

The resort also was contending with storm damage that included a tree falling onto the Dipper Express lift line as well as one on Olympic Express.

The tree on the Dipper chairlift was removed Dec. 12. Olympic is not open and the damage is still being assessed.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Phillip Reese, Sacramento Bee

More California kindergartners are getting their vaccinations before starting school, curbing a decadelong trend of falling immunization rates, new state figures show.

The shift comes as California experiences one of its worst whooping-cough outbreaks in generations. Health experts said several prior years of lax immunization primed the state for such an outbreak.

This year’s rise in vaccination rates corresponds to the introduction of a new “personal belief” form that must be completed by parents who don’t want to immunize their children. The result of a new state law, the form must be signed by a doctor who acknowledges telling parents about the risks and benefits of vaccinations; alternatively, parents can state that visiting a doctor violates their religious beliefs. The new form replaces a document that did not require a doctor’s signature.

Read the whole story

Vincent Francis Campodonico Jr.

A photograph hangs in our father’s home – Needham Grammar School, Lodi, California, class of 1944, 120 kids from a different time. Amazingly, dad could name a fair number of those classmates 70 years later.

A teacher for 25 years, the ex-students of South Tahoe High School will remember having Mr. Campodonico for history or civics.

Vince held an optimistic belief in society and citizenship that he practiced all life long. He was always planning a trip, back from a trip or on a trip. Vince enjoyed people and would want us to say his goodbyes to his friends and family.

We can’t thank dad enough for the great life he provided us; the love and care he gave us. We will try to be extensions of his integrity the rest of our lives.

We will have a celebration of life at a later date. Send a card to the family home at 1511 Seminole Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 and let us know if you wish to be notified or any other sentiments or questions you may have.

Dad willed his body to UCSF School of Medicine in 1959, an educator to the end.

With love,

Vince’s family

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California State Parks, Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will continue prescribed fire operations near Sugar Pine Point State Park, Pioneer Trail and Washoan Boulevard, Ski Run Boulevard near Heavenly, Van Sickle Bi-State Park, Luther Pass, Spooner Summit, and Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park in Slaughterhouse Canyon. Operations will last through the next several weeks as conditions allow.

Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning. Each operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitors weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition.

The Forest Service updates the local fire information line at 530.543.2600, ext. 6. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

Powder conditions for opening day Dec. 12 at Sierra-at-Tahoe. Photo/Provided

Sierra-at-Tahoe opened today at noon.

While the South Shore received only a dusting of snow out of this storm, the Echo Summit area ski resort received 15 inches overnight.

Grandview and Easy Rider chairlifts are running, servicing seven runs. With the limited terrain, come discounted prices.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Ana Ley and Amber Phillips, Las Vegas Sun

When President Obama gave Astrid Silva a shout-out last month, he did more than put a face on his new immigration plan.

He helped thrust Silva, and her home state of Nevada, into the national spotlight on immigration reform.

She has since used her political fame to sell the president’s divisive executive action. Her latest push came before a Senate panel Wednesday, where she accused Obama’s critics of “attacking America and everything that has made this country strong.”

“When people challenge the president’s authority, they’re attacking me,” Silva said. “They’re attacking my mom.”

Astrid is one of several Nevada players who are behind a movement that is intensifying attention on the state’s unique immigration landscape. And what happens in Nevada could impact the national conversation about changes in policy.

Read the whole story

A tree falling on a house started a fire Dec. 11 in Tahoe City. Photo/Provided

Fire investigators are still trying to figure out how a tree falling onto a Tahoe City house started a fire Thursday morning.

“A tree fell through the house, hit the bed where someone was sleeping in the bed, moved the bed a few feet, and miraculously did not hurt anybody,” Dave Zaski with North Tahoe Fire told Lake Tahoe News.

Two adults and two kids were staying at the 1770 Washoe Way house that belonged to their friends. The family lost everything they brought with them. Neighbors helped by providing clothing. Sunnyside Resort put them up for free the night of Dec. 11.

No one was hurt and the fire did not spread beyond the one structure. However, the house sustained substantial damage.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report