By Harriet Baskas, USA Today

In January, California joined the growing list of places where the sale of recreational marijuana is allowed, and now one in five Americans lives in a state where buying pot can be a tourist activity.

But if you’re considering traveling with pot, be careful.

Marijuana is still an illegal drug under federal law and post-security areas at airports are ruled by federal agencies. So, as in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Alaska and Nevada, bringing legally purchased pot past a security checkpoint in the country’s most populated state can still trigger a law enforcement response.

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There will be a three-day retreat at Veterans Healing Camp in Silver Springs from March 25-28 for all area veterans.

Fun, fellowship and healing are on the agenda.

There is no charge for the retreat, including all meals and transportation.

Contact Shahla Fadaie at 775.781.2394 to sign up for the retreat. Veterans may sign up for select activities during the three days or choose to participate in all. Bring a sleeping bag and pillow if you would like to stay overnight. Lodging is available for the first six veterans who would like to stay on the Veterans Healing Camp property in Silver Springs.

By Jonathan J. Cooper, AP

A proposal to make California’s drought-era water restrictions permanent could allow the state to chip away at long-held water rights in an unprecedented power grab, representatives from water districts and other users told regulators Tuesday.

Members of the state Water Resources Control Board delayed a decision about whether to bring back what had been temporary water bans from California’s drought, spanning 2013 to 2017. The plan is part of an effort to make water conservation a way of life, with climate change expected to lead to longer, more severe droughts.

It comes after U.S. officials declared that nearly half the state, all of it in the south, is back in drought just months after emerging from it.

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Truckee’s planning commissioners this week gave the green light for a Grocery Outlet to be built at Donner Pass Road and Vista Avenue.

The town is on pace to go from two grocery stores to five.

The expansion comes with controversy. The proliferation is one concern, traffic at this specific site is another.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

This is the third year the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Truckee will be hosted by Mountain Area Preservation.

The April 20 event will be from 5-9pm at the Community Arts Center.

That Friday, MAP kicks off the film festival weekend with three hours of films, a raffle, local entertainment, food and libations at the Community Arts Center. 

On April 22 from noon to 4pm MAP hosts a stewardship project at the Trout Creek Pocket park to clean up the creek, plant native species and celebrate Earth Day by giving back to the local watershed.

Tickets will go on sale March 5. For more info, go online.

By Scott Ramirez

SnowGlobe has been a popular local event to those who attend, a frustrating bombardment of sound to nearby residents, a story of safety planning for SLTPD, STPUD, Barton Hospital and other local public services and a story of unplanned issues for both the city of South Lake Tahoe and those running SnowGlobe.

This event began when then City Manager Tony O’Rourke brought the event to town. The first year included no defined noise limits at all and there were many complaints. The complaints were so bad that SnowGlobe offered those with noise sensitivities to go to Murphy’s Irish Pub on Emerald Bay Road between 9-11pm for drinks and appetizers on them. 

Nancy Kerry, then spokeswoman for the city of South Lake Tahoe, arranged for bass levels to be turned down and had one night end early.

The following years the city negotiated the 95 dB based in discussion with SnowGlobe. They spoke with other agencies and venues to come up with this number given most concerts are measured at 110-114 dB within the venue which plainly was too loud for an event in the middle of a bunch of residential neighborhoods. It was eventually agreed that three city employees would test for 95 dB levels with hand-held meters and ask SnowGlobe to turn down the sound if it peaked over 95 dbs. Only if there was sustained sound over a 10-minute period above 95 dBs would there be a violation.  Considering the typical EDM sound runs 6-8 minutes it is unlikely that 10 minutes of sound would happen. Plainly these regulations were not thought out in terms of length of song, the venue itself or how the sound radiates to neighboring areas. 

Other cities have hired sound engineers to evaluate a site before a concert is brought in. Typically, there would be limits established that are cumulative and not simply over a sustained amount of time just as the effects of sound are cumulative on those subjected to those sounds.  Levels might be set for the sound booth (loud), the perimeter of the venue (moderate) and in surrounding areas like neighborhoods (lower).  Also, using decibels or dBs does not account for low frequency noise (LFN) or bass, which is one of the root sounds used at EDM concerts. The city and SnowGlobe have failed to plan for the noise from this event from the very beginning.

The same story can be found with regard to the play fields. There have been discussions on how to protect those fields from heavy trucks, tents and 20,000 people tramping over a field of grass meant for soccer. But there have not been any guidelines beyond having the city parks and recreation staff inspect the field and that plywood boards be used to protect the ground when heavy equipment is in use.  SnowGlobe has talked about million dollar ground coverings and are responsible for repairing our playfield but there currently are no defined requirements to protect the turf from 20,000 people jumping up and down to the sound of thumping bass.

SnowGlobe is seeking a multi-year contract. If the sound issues, specifically LFN or bass sound management is not addressed, our local homes will again be bombarded with sound that has been an on-going problem since this event started. If the fields are not protected, they will yet again get destroyed and the new field the Public paid for will be little more than a rebuilt field not available until late summer (digging rules prevent repairs from happening before spring). SnowGlobe is also suggesting that the current $50,000 in cash that the city subsidizes this event with may go away and they are hoping to expand to 27,000 people. More people will mean they need louder sound because all those people’s bodies absorb the sound (this is also why testing sound levels in a crowd doesn’t work). Seven thousand more people on these fields is not going to improve the fields. Do we really want to grow this event when we are already having major issues?

Local businesses are likely happy with this event. It is described as having brought mounds of cash to town. I have to ask, if our local businesses are the ones gaining while the city is already paying $50,000 to subsidize this event for their benefit, should these same local businesses possibly be asked to help fix some of this? I am guessing that comment will not make me popular, asking those who benefit the most to possibly help SnowGlobe and the city of South Lake Tahoe correct the problems of a venue that was never designed for large concerts of 20,000-plus people. Maybe a better question is why are we having this event where it was never intended and why aren’t we looking for a more appropriate location?

The city cannot make any changes for 2018 unless there was a breach of contract. Coincidentally, SnowGlobe held an impromptu after party event at Bijou Park this year. It was well after the negotiated turn off time and in the Bijou Park. Maybe this is the time to cancel the contract and look at other venues.  Wouldn’t an off-season event at Sierra-at-Tahoe when our city could use the business and rooms are empty be amazing? How about SnowGlobe at the old Echo Summit Ski Area with kids bused up from town? I would suggest Harveys Outdoor Arena, but Douglas County has strict noise restrictions that prevent this option. There are other options, it is just a question if our City Council will have the courage to pursue them.

Scott Ramirez is a resident of South Lake Tahoe.

By Justin Peters, Slate

Immediately after finishing his final run in the freestyle skiing halfpipe event, David Wise tossed his ski poles into the snow. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Wise said, apologizing to no one in particular. “I got a little excited.”

Wise had good reason to celebrate. His first two runs of the three-run final had been busts, sabotaged by a broken binding on his skis. But the binding held together for his last run, a superlative, twist-and-flip laden jaunt that earned him a score of 97.20—5.20 points higher than the mark that won him the gold in Sochi. Wise’s superlative final run held up, earning his second consecutive Olympic title. As I watched him come through in the clutch and listened to NBC’s announcers read off his accolades, I wondered one simple thing: Why isn’t David Wise super famous?

He ought to be. Wise is the best freestyle halfpipe skier in the world, and the only man ever to win gold in the freestyle ski halfpipe event, which made its Olympic debut in Sochi.

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The Women Who Dare podcast will feature to Tahoe women on March 6.

Kerry Gross, the host of Women Who Dare, spent five months riding 5,800 miles to meet and interview various women. She tells their stories through weekly episodes. 

Brandi Brown, founder and owner of Tahoe Production House, and Megan Michelson, freelance writer and co-founder of the Tahoe Mills co-working space, will be featured next month. Kerry interviewed both women in Tahoe just before departing on her cross-country ride.

Brown and Kerry talked about founding a business as a young woman, breaking into the film industry, and deciding to make Tahoe home. Michelson talked with Kerry about her journey into journalism and how to honor a subject while still telling a compelling story.

Kerry spent last winter seeking recommendations of women to include in the Women Who Dare project. Then, she used these recommendations to plan a route from San Francisco to Camden, Maine. From April to September, Kerry biked 5,800 miles (and used Amtrak to cover another 1,600 miles) to meet and interview more than 20 women.

By Chris Murray, Reno Gazette-Journal

David Wise returns to Reno on Monday and the community is invited to welcome home the 27-year-old Wooster High alum who won his second Olympic gold medal Wednesday.

Wise is expected to land at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport at 5:05 p.m. Monday, with the Wooster Colts band, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve and others local officials in attendance. Community members are encouraged to attend the rally. 

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·      Family-owned Overland Meat Co. of South Lake Tahoe is for sale.

·      The Grouch plus Pure Powers and ZP Ratik, and DJ Van Gloryus will be at Whiskey Dicks Saloon on March 1. Doors open at 9pm. Must be 21 to attend. Tickets are $25.

·      The fresh snow has allowed Tahoe Cross Country in Tahoe City to reopen.

·      Here are theEl Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules for the week from Caltrans.

·      On Feb. 22, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team used a drone to search the area where the Piper Seneca crashed on Monday. Pieces of the craft were located about one-half mile south of the crash site. The FAA is continuing its investigation of this incident.