Squaw Valley Institute in partnership with Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows presents Behind The Gold: Winning Traits of Olympic Athletes.

On Nov. 17, Tom Kelly, noted Olympic historian and longtime U.S. Ski Team spokesperson, will bring the Olympics to life. Kelly’s talk will trace the origins of the Olympics and fast-forward attendees to firsthand stories of athletic success.

Kelly has been on the front lines of nine Olympics and in the finish area for more than 130 U.S. Olympic and World Championship medals. Kelly credits his passion directly to the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley.

The event will be at the Olympic Valley Lodge. Admission is free. Doors open at 5:30pm. Keynote address from 6:30-7:30pm, with Q&A following the presentation. Refreshments and a cash bar will be available.

A driver nearly crashed through the Fremont Mall entrance in South Lake Tahoe on Nov. 2. Photo/Barbara Cooper

A 31-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman lost control of her vehicle Thursday night and ended up landing on the roof.

Maria Vivas Sandoval was arrested on two counts of driving under the influence.

The Nov. 2 accident occurred in front of the commercial area of Highway 50 near Freshies restaurant.

Officers did not provide any further information.

It is not known if Sandoval was injured. She has posted the $10,000 bail.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

To the community,

I’m voting for Measure C because South Lake Tahoe needs a reliable and transparent way to fund road maintenance and improvement. Last winter was illustration enough for me. After I hit a pothole on Pioneer Trail during a snowstorm, I had no other option than to spend $800 for new tires if I was going to drive my children to school and get to work. In the summer months, I watched as the asphalt wore down from thousands of tires coming in from out of town every week. As the tourists leave, we are left with cracks and splits and holes.

Road work is costly and ongoing. Our current city budget does not fund road repairs. This means that we are using discretionary funds to maintain our roads. Another big winter could mean that we cut other city departments to fix potholes. Measure C gives us a way to share the cost of this road work with the thousands of tourists that visit us annually and use our roads: the small Measure C sales tax will provide a consistent source of revenue for fixing and maintaining the roads. By setting up an independent oversight committee and management authority, Measure C funds will only be used for our roads.

We need a two-thirds vote to pass Measure C so get out to vote. And if you don’t vote for Measure C, will you pay for my next set of tires?

Vote yes on Measure C.

Annie Davidson, South Lake Tahoe

By Terra Breeden

MEYERS – The Tahoe Paradise Golf Course in Meyers is the first 18-hole golf course in the Lake Tahoe Basin and now, the historic property is up for sale.

The property is listed for an asking price of $8 million. If sold, the golf course will close, ending its legacy, and the 50-acres of pristine land and forest may be appropriated for a different use.

Bruce Beeman opened the Tahoe Paradise Golf Course in 1960. At that time the town of Meyers was little more than an outpost and the only other businesses in the vicinity were an old gas station and a dusty horse stable across the street on Highway 50.

Beeman, a farmer from Woodland, wanted to get out of agriculture and do something different. His passion was golfing and even though there was little evidence to suggest that Tahoe would become a popular golfing destination, Beeman decided to invest in the 50 acres of untouched land in Meyers.

“There was nothing here, it was barren,” Beeman’s granddaughter Dawn Steimer told Lake Tahoe News. “Everyone thought he was crazy to open a golf course here but he just did it.”

Tahoe Paradise Golf Course is on the market after being in the same family since 1960. Photo/Terra Breeden

Tahoe Paradise Golf Course is a family-owned business and Steimer grew up in the family golfing tradition. One of her earliest memories is learning to golf in the junior golf program at the course. Over the years, the sport changed, evolving from a leisure pastime for the wealthy to a popular summer activity for people from all walks of life.

“This is where I spent my summers as a kid,” Steimer says. “But it wasn’t until Tiger Woods came out that it became cool to golf.”

Tahoe Paradise Golf Course enjoyed several decades of success. Famous figures like Clint Eastwood played there and the sprawling course became the first location of an informal celebrity golf championship.

“There weren’t any other golf courses in Tahoe, so celebrities would come here and have tournaments,” Cinda Beeman, daughter of Bruce Beeman and co-owner of Tahoe Paradise Golf Course, said.

The Beemans planned to keep the business in the family and pass down the property to the younger generation. However, when the recession hit in 2006, the bustling golf course became a ghost town.

Since then, Tahoe Paradise Golf Course has regained some momentum, but still, the golfing business has been slow to recover.

“Golf has changed. The economy isn’t great and people don’t spend money on golf when they don’t have extra money,” Steimer says. “Now there are all these big golf courses right off the hill for less money so people go there instead and it hurts us.”

The property has been on the market now for two years. Potential buyers can use the land for golf or for other recreational activities. A snowmobiling operation leases the property from the Beemans in the winter.

However, those thinking to purchase the property will have to look at zoning for land use. Currently, the property is listed under forest resource Zoning, but when the new Meyers Area Plan goes into effect, the Tahoe Paradise land will be changed to recreational zoning.

The Meyers Area Plan, according to El Dorado County principle planner Brendan Ferry, will rezone 137 acres of wild areas in Meyers like Lake Baron, the Truckee River area and the Tahoe Paradise Golf Course to become strictly recreational. This means there will be no housing development or commercial building allowed on the property, but the land will be open to all sorts of recreational opportunities.

 “The zoning will change, but there’s a lot of things that can be done with this land,” Ferry told Lake Tahoe News. “The district allows for many different types of uses under recreational zoning. I’d like to see the Meyers community drive what goes on the property, but my job is to set the framework for the site.”

In the meantime, Tahoe Paradise Golf Course is closed for the season but those interested in the property may contact Coldwell Banker McKinney and Associates at 530.542.5555.

By Virginia Berry

Have you ever made a decision that took you down the wrong path in life? Boy. I sure have.

Have you ever stumbled and fallen when facing challenges that seemed insurmountable? I’m raising my hand.

Virginia Berry

Did life ever throw you a curve ball that you didn’t see coming, and perhaps you reacted in a way that didn’t serve you well? This has happened to me more times than I can count.

Do you or someone close to you struggle with addiction or mental health challenges? My family and personal relationships certainly haven’t been immune to either of these troubling issues.

At Tahoe Youth & Family Services, our young community members and their families face these kinds of struggles on a frequent basis. At-risk youth find themselves in circumstances that seem unreal to them. Experimentation with drugs and alcohol may result in addiction and ultimately a fight for life. Precarious mental health issues bloom into full-on crises. Myriad unforeseen circumstances may lead to homelessness. Young people without strong role models or mentors may make decisions that keep them from reaching their full potential.

The good news is that you can help in more ways than you may realize.

I retired as a dean from Lake Tahoe Community College last year thinking that my future held glorious mornings of sleeping in and sipping coffee while watching “Good Morning America.” I would certainly be hiking every day, working out at the gym, traveling, taking classes at LTCC, and volunteering with local nonprofits.

Then the first of many curve balls came along.

Instead of the leisurely and relaxing days I imagined, I spent my time fighting for justice as a victim of domestic violence. Didn’t see that coming. I was humbled to learn the hard way that anything can happen to anyone, at any time. Life is full of curve balls. Standing up for myself and others made me realize that I had retired from LTCC too soon and that I still have a lot to give to our community beyond sleeping in, taking classes, and even volunteering.

The board of Tahoe Youth & Family Services asked me to consider an interim (and possibly permanent) position as executive director. Another curve ball. A few years ago, I had applied for this position, but withdrew from the hiring process when I decided to stay at LTCC. This time around, I knew I needed to re-enter the workforce in a leadership position that provides an opportunity to not only help TYFS, but to truly serve the community I have come to love over the last 25 years.

The curve balls continued. A large, federal Street Outreach Program grant was not renewed for TYFS. Among many things, the grant funded a very robust outreach program to help homeless and semi-homeless (“couch surfing”) youths and devoted resources to address the very real problem of sex trafficking in our community. Losing this grant was devastating news to TYFS, but we made unbelievably difficult financial cuts to weather the storm. We are now looking for creative solutions to regain other grant funding as well as ways to bolster our fundraising and donor efforts.

How can you help?

We are in dire need of foster-certified families in South Lake Tahoe, Alpine County, and Douglas County to serve as host homes in emergency situations for runaway youths. Please call me or Cheyanne Lane at 530.541-2445.

Consider attending our unique fundraiser on Nov. 8, A Night of Magic. Tickets are easily purchased by texting the keyword MAGIC2017 to 91-999 or visiting our web page and clicking on the Night of Magic flyer. Can’t make it, but would like to make a donation to Tahoe Youth & Family Services? Donations of any size are gratefully accepted by texting the keyword TAHOEYOUTH to 41-444 or visiting our web page.

Interested in volunteering? We always need mentors for at-risk youth or help in a variety of other capacities. What about serving on the TYFS board? I am currently recruiting board members, especially those with experience in education, public safety, finance, and counseling, as well as members who reside in Douglas County or Alpine County.

Let’s return to the questions I posed at the beginning of this missive and turn the tables a bit.

Have you ever been helped in your hour of need by a person who believed in you? Someone that told you everything was going to be OK and offered you the support you needed? I am thankful for the many friends and family members who have come to my aid when I needed them the most.

Have you been able to turn around a bad situation and actually discovered that you were grateful for your struggles because they have made you a stronger person? I wouldn’t trade one of my darkest moments for anything because my persistence has always paid off in the long-run.

Have you been blessed with role models, mentors, support systems, and resources that have allowed you to stay strong and do miraculous things with your life? I know that I have. My father was a homeless teenager during the Great Depression and he joined the Navy at the age of 17. When WWII was over, he capitalized on his GI benefits and worked three jobs while attending medical school. His determination to rise above his circumstances still serves as a powerful legacy in my life. His service to others, compassion, and work ethic provided the resources his six children needed to make it through college and pursue rewarding careers.

Despite the trials and tribulations of this wild roller coaster that we call “life,” I know I have been blessed. It’s time for me to pay my blessings forward by serving our community and doing my very best to strengthen and grow the amazing non-profit agency known as Tahoe Youth & Family Services.

Would you consider paying your blessings forward to assist at-risk youth and their families in our community? Your support and donations will always be used to strengthen and grow services to people who need your help. I firmly believe that every human being has potential beyond what he or she realizes. Please help us unleash that potential and strengthen our community at the same time.

Ideas? Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me an email at virginia@tahoeyouth.org. Please join me in this journey to create a stronger, kinder, and more compassionate community in South Lake Tahoe, Minden/Gardnerville, and Alpine County.

Virginia Berry is executive director of TY&FS.

By Josh Magness, Sacramento Bee

Let’s face it — at some time or another, we’ve all felt guilty about not going to the gym enough.

But according to a new study from Mayo Clinic Proceedings, those who go to the gym and exercise around 8 hours a week or more should rethink how much they work out, too.

Conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Kaiser Permanente, the study found that those who work out more than three times the recommended amount a week are much more likely to develop heart disease than those who work out a moderate amount.

Read the whole story

By Associated Press

Bode Miller is heading back to the Olympics. This time, he’ll be calling the action from the TV booth.

The six-time Olympic medalist, and only American to compete in Alpine skiing at five Winter Games, will work for NBC as an analyst alongside Dan Hicks at the PyeongChang Games next February.

Read the whole story

The High Fives Foundation and CharitySmith will present the Squaw Valley Prom on Dec. 31 at 8pm at Squaw Valley’s Olympic Village Lodge.

The 14th annual prom has a Great Gatsby theme.

Tickets are on sale online for $100 per couple and $200 single. Only 400 couples tickets are available.

This year’s prom will not only feature DJ Dojah andDJ Spinbad, a photo booth, video and entertainment, as well as drink specials.

By Ray Hagar, Nevada Newsmakers

The city of Reno is poised for a long-term economic upswing, according to an analyst from Union Gaming Research of Las Vegas.

“We’ve seen housing prices really firm up,” said Union Gaming analyst John DeCree on “Nevada Newsmakers” Monday. “That is always a great economic indicator for the casino and entertainment industry.”

Construction jobs and residential development spur more sustainable economic activity. “As large companies come and create construction jobs, they bring population and migration to the city, which then requires housing development, then expansion of schools and other social services,” DeCree said.

Read the whole story

·      The annual Valhalla Holiday Faire is Nov. 17 from 4-8:30pm, Nov. 18 from 10am-5pm, and Nov. 19 from 10am-4pm.

·       Placer County has been awarded a $90,437 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to the Placer County Probation Department, ensuring that high-risk, felony and repeat DUI offenders are complying with all court orders. These offenders are overrepresented in traffic crashes involving alcohol and other drugs, often with tragic results.

·      Mammoth Mountain and Boreal are scheduled to open Nov. 9.

·      Caltrans has closed Ebbetts, Sonora and Tioga passes in anticipation of this weekend’s storm.

·      On Nov. 18, Jelly Bread, the nationally-touring, quintet, comes to Hard Rock Lake Tahoe’s Vinyl Showroom. Show starts at 9pm. Tickets are $10.