Lake Tahoe Community College is seeking submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction for its 25th annual edition of “The Kokanee” literary journal.

Writers must be current LTCC students, faculty, or staff, or an alumni who has taken at least one class at LTCC.

For poetry, writers may submit up to five single-spaced, typed poems of no more than 10 pages. For prose, submit up to two pieces of literary fiction or non-fiction, typed, double-spaced, and paginated, consisting of no more than 20 pages total.

All submissions should include a cover page that states “Kokanee Submission,” and includes the author’s name, physical address, phone number and email address, as well as a statement of eligibility that indicates whether the writer is a current or former student, or a current staff or faculty member of LTCC.

Send writing and cover page with contact information to Suzanne Roberts, Room A274, by Dec. 1, or submit materials by email to kokanee@ltcc.edu. All accepted work must be submitted in electronic form upon acceptance.

For more information, contact Roberts at robertss@ltcc.edu or 530.541.4660, ext. 708.

The parent companies of three Stateline casino companies this week received high marks from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization.

The 2015 Corporate Equality Index is an annual report assessing LGBT inclusion in major companies and law firms across the nation, including six in Nevada.

Nevada rankings:

• Caesars Entertainment Corp. — 100 (parent company of Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys)
• MGM Resorts International — 100
• Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas — 100
• Wynn Resorts Ltd. — 100
• Tropicana — 90 (parent of MontBleu)
• NV Energy Inc. — 70.

In total, 781 companies were officially rated in the 2015 CEI, up from 734 in the 2014 report. The report also unofficially rated 190 Fortune 500 companies that have yet to respond to the CEI survey about their LGBT policies and practices.

“When it comes to LGBT equality, corporate America is a leader, not a follower,” HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. “At every turn, from advocating for marriage equality to providing vital support for transgender employees, this country’s leading companies have asked, ‘what more can we do?,’ and they’ve worked tirelessly to achieve new progress. That kind of leadership changes countless lives around this country, and sets an important example to other companies around the globe.”

Griffin cautions, however, that despite steady progress, LGBT workers still face major obstacles.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

It is a sad time for the Sierra Club – Michael Donahoe, the most energetic, focused, passionate and caring man I’ve known, who provided more than 10 years of leadership to the TASC, has left us for that place out there graced with a perfectly clear deep blue lake surrounded by unspoiled forested mountains.

Michael cared for the lake as few do.

He helped launch the TASC along with Shannon Raborn and Heidi Hill Drum and proceeded to work hard to protect the lake and the shoreline, expand the TASC, faithfully manned the TASC booth at the farmer’s market in South Lake Tahoe from its inception – rallying people to the cause of protecting the shores and the lake from the TRPA’s expansion plan.

When TRPA didn’t listen, Michael led us into the shorezone lawsuit against the TRPA, which TASC won.

He worked hard, built relationships with deciders, and strongly opposed a big subdivision near Kingsbury, but the TRPA stacked the hearing schedule, limited testimony from Michael’s famous hydrology expert and approved the project. Even after what was a major blow, Michael soldiered on, giving his support and encouragement and advice to all of us, always urging us to work to protect the lake that he and we love.

I have a large hole in me that will take some time to heal. I will miss Michael’s advice and support as the TASC continues his work to protect the natural resources of the Tahoe basin that we all love.

I’ll look for Michael’s spirit on our mountain trails and think about the time we were all granted to experience such a talented and positive man who had a very large following. I think of Michael and his circles of friends, from the nude beach friends to the poker group friends, from an annual large family domino tournament, to a drumming circle, to Burning Man.

Michael did it all, with love and great humor.

Michael is irreplaceable.

— Laurel Ames

Nearly 50-year-old sign dismantled. Photo/Bill Kingman

• The sign above had been at this Stateline property since 1965 when it first opened as Del Webb’s Sahara Tahoe. It came down Nov. 20 as the Lake Tahoe Hard Rock takes shape.

•On Nov. 25 from 6-7pm there will be a live interactive Twitter chat (#GoProChat) with three GoPro athletes from the South Shore – Jamie Anderson, Hannah Teter and Elena Hight.

• Reid Kaiser has been appointed assistant director of operations for Nevada Department of Transportation and Sondra Rosenberg will serve as assistant director of planning.

• Forty percent of its staff commuting from Reno is one reason Truckee-based Clear Capital is moving part of its operation to Reno in March.

• U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell sent this directive Nov. 4 to staff regarding commercial filming and photography permits. The public has until Dec. 3 to comment on the directive.

El Dorado County Elections Department released updated totals on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, which resulted in no changes to South Lake Tahoe contests.

The top three vote getters for South Lake Tahoe City Council are Wendy David, Tom Davis and Austin Sass. The three will be sworn in Dec. 9.

There are 31 votes separating Sass, who finished third, from fourth place Angela Swanson.

Michelle Sweeney beat Bob Grand by 33 votes for the Lake Tahoe Community College District 5 seat.

These are unofficial final numbers, but still need to be certified.

Newcomer Ginger Nicolay-Davis and incumbent Barbara Bannar will be sworn in to the Lake Tahoe Unified School District board on Dec. 9. Both ran unopposed.

Sue Novasel told Lake Tahoe News she plans to officially resign her LTUSD board seat Jan. 2. She takes the oath of office for El Dorado County supervisor on Jan. 6. Dec. 9 will be her last school board meeting.

LTUSD plans to appoint a replacement for Novasel at either the Jan. 27 or Feb. 10 meeting.

Applications are available at the district office on Al Tahoe Boulevard for what is now District 1. This is roughly the north side of Pioneer Trail from Christmas Valley to the state line.

Besides needing to live in the district, candidates must be 18 and a registered voter. The board will interview the candidates in open session, make a decision the same night and swear the person in the following meeting.

A deadline for returning applications has not been set.

— Kathryn Reed

By Jo Jolly, BBC

A study looking at data from 1990 to 2006 by researchers at the U.S. Nationwide Children’s Hospital recorded 1,647 fatalities from cardiac-related injuries associated with shoveling snow. In Canada, these deaths make the news every winter.

Cardiologist Barry Franklin, an expert in the hazardous effects of snow removal, believes the number of deaths could be double that.

“I believe we lose hundreds of people each year because of this activity,” saysFranklin, director of preventative cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at William Beaumont Hospital, Michigan.

His team found that when healthy young men shoveled snow, their heart rate and blood pressure increased more than when they exercised on a treadmill.

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

Several Lake Tahoe casino workers are out of work and others are losing hours.

Less than a week after Caesars Entertainment – parent company of Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys – announced it would be trimming its workforce by 1 percent, the ax came down. Some of the jobs were eliminated last week, some this week.

John Packer, spokesman for the local properties, did not respond to an email.

It is not known how many were let go or from which departments. One source told Lake Tahoe News 10 people were laid off in facilities engineering from Harrah’s. No one in table games lost their jobs, but other departments were affected.

“We had to sign documents,” a now former employee told Lake Tahoe News. He would not discuss specifics of the separation.

There are also reports of layoffs in senior management in Las Vegas.

At MontBleu in Stateline hours are being cut.

“(They are) actively trying to cut down our hours in an attempt to perhaps increase the number of part-time employees,” an employee of 15-plus years told Lake Tahoe News. “They have already changed the guidelines for full-timers from 30 hours per week minimum assessed by quarters to assessed yearly. (This) means if you do not actively self-monitor these numbers and how they are assessed, you might have only one quarter or three months to bring your numbers up. I understand these might be hard economic times for the casinos, but I wish they would be more forthright and less callous with their own employees.”

Steve Ditchkus, general manager of MontBleu, did not return a phone call.

At the start of this year MontBleu eliminated health insurance for employees; instead opting to pay the $2,000 penalty per employee as mandated by the federal government under the Affordable Care Act.

Employees don’t know what will happen for 2015.

“I couldn’t make a statement,” a woman in human resources told Lake Tahoe News last week. “We haven’t started open enrollments. I’m not saying yes or no (to whether we’ll offer health benefits).”

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has launched Warrant Wednesday, a weekly feature on its Facebook page that enlists the public’s help with locating people who have outstanding arrest warrants.

Every Wednesday images of wanted persons will be added to the WCSO Facebook page along with arrest or bench warrant information, and a contact number.

The sheriff’s office reminds residents not to take any action themselves. If people have information about the whereabouts of a wanted individual, contact the sheriff’s 0ffice or law enforcement in their jurisdiction.

By Nia-Malika Henderson, Washington Post

Nevada Republicans won big this November, flipping the Nevada state Assembly and Senate from blue to red and winning every statewide office — including re-electing Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval in a landslide. So you’d think Sandoval would be happy, right?

Maybe not. Ira Hansen is very likely to become the next speaker of the state Assembly, after being put forth as the nominee of the majority Republicans. Hansen has written disparagingly about blacks, Latinos and women in the past, even using words like “negro” and “darkie.”

Republicans backed Hansen over a more moderate pick. And given the more moderate and pro-abortion rights Sandoval has often clashed with more conservative elements of his party, it seems quite possible Hansen could be a thorn in his side for the next few years — just as he the governor is primed to build more of a national profile.

Hansen’s ascent also suggests that Nevada, a state that President Obama won twice, is headed the way of North Carolina, where Republicans in power for the first time in many decades used that power to pass some controversial bills — often to the detriment of Gov. Pat McCrory (R) and the still-successful campaign of Speaker and new Sen.-elect Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

Read the whole story

Lightning struck the tree in Meyers that is decorated each holiday season. And when this happened it shorted out most of the strands of lights.

Meyers Community Foundation is scrambling to raise cash for the new lights.

The 4th annual Holiday Tree Lighting is Dec. 5 at 5pm.

Donations may be mailed to: MCF, P.O. Box 550278, Meyers, CA 96155. The donation levels are below. Donors’ name will be included on the 2014-15 Community Donation Plaque located next to the tree:

$25 — Bronze
$50 — Silver
$100 – Gold
$250 — Platinum.