By Adam Ashton, Sacramento Bee

California governments likely will make do with fewer teachers, parks employees and other public workers while they struggle to absorb fast-rising pension costs in the next few years, a former state lawmaker argues in a study released this week through Stanford University.

Former Democratic Assemblyman Joe Nation projects that many cities, counties and school districts will double their spending on pensions by 2030, “crowding out” their ability to fund public services.

The trend is an acceleration of the swelling pension costs that most California governments have recorded since the dot-com crash in the early 2000s, when pension plans that had been over-funded suddenly had to catch up with investment losses.

Read the whole story

·      Mary Ellen Frazee sent us the above cartoon.

·      The Minden Library is showing “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (rated PG) on Oct. 14 at 2pm in the meeting room. The movie and popcorn are free. 

·      Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s annual Blue Ribbon Awards event honoring excellence in business on the South Shore will be Nov. 9, 5:30-8:30pm at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. The event recognizes businesses, organizations, and individuals for achievements, community contributions, and milestones. The $60 tickets are available online.

·      A U.S. Ski & Snowboard proposal to the International Ski Federation to permit Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn to ski against the men was reviewed in a preliminary meeting of the FIS Alpine executive board Oct. 3 in Zurich. Given that the proposal was for the 2018-19 season, the board opted to table the motion until it meets again next May.

·      Liberty Utilities is scheduled an outage on Oct. 6 from 9 am-5 pm in the Squaw Valley/Olympic Valley area along Squaw Valley Road and Christy Lane. Crews will be replacing the pad mount transformer. 

South Lake Tahoe police are looking for two men who allegedly fired a semi-automatic handgun in the parking lot of 7-Eleven on Pioneer Trail late Tuesday night.

Casings from the bullets were found, but police are not saying how many. No one was reported injured. Property damage has not been disclosed.

The gunfire was reported Oct. 3 at 11:56pm.

Witnesses told officers the suspects are two Hispanic men in their 20s with short dark hair; they were driving a gold colored Ford Excursion or Explorer.

No arrests have been made, but officers have identified two people considered “investigative leads.”

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at 530.542.6100, or to remain anonymous, Lake Tahoe Secret Witness at 530.541.6800.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Fire restrictions in the Eldorado National Forest have been lifted.

This means that people with a valid California campfire permit may have open campfires outside of designated campgrounds according to the terms of their permit. The permit is free from any Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management or CalFire office.

Officials caution that wildfire season is ont over and that the forest is still dry enough for a fire to start.

People interested in camping outside of designated areas should contact the nearest Forest Service office for instructions, updated fire information, campfire permits and current restrictions.

By Jason Hidalgo and Sam Gross, Reno Gazette-Journal

The gunman at the center of the deadliest shooting in U.S. history did not leave much of an impression with his Reno neighbors.

Amid the bright lights and bustling din of the casinos he visited in the Biggest Little City, however, Stephen Paddock was instantly recognizable.

Before becoming known around the world as the man behind a shooting rampage that left 59 people dead and more than 500 injured at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Paddock was a familiar fixture among the staff at some of Reno’s big hotel-casinos.

Matt Orchowski, 25, of Reno remembers running into Paddock a few times at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa’s VIP lounge. Orchowski, now the general manager at Fitness For 10’s downtown Reno branch, worked as a VIP representative at the Atlantis from 2014 to 2016. He was responsible for catering to the needs of high rollers, including checking them in and serving them drinks.

Read the whole story

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, which includes local, state and federal fire and land management agencies in the Lake Tahoe Basin, will begin the fall prescribed fire program in early October, weather permitting.

Each prescribed fire operation follows a specialized prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke.  This information is used to decide when and where to burn. 

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions. Prescribed fire smoke is generally less intense and of much shorter duration than smoke produced by wildland fires.

Keep in mind that residential burning on private property in the Tahoe basin is still suspended.

By Michael McGough, Sacramento Bee

After an El Dorado County man’s wife had criticized him for purchasing lottery tickets, he started hiding in his own house to scratch them.

Hermenegildo Beltran-Meza was in the bathroom when he discovered that one of his $10 California Black Premium Scratchers was a $1 million winner, the California Lottery reported in a Tuesday press release.

Read the whole story

A gas leak is causing traffic issue in Tahoe City on Thursday morning.

Highway 28 in Tahoe City is closed at the Y to Highway 89 at Fairway.

Motorists are being advised to use Interstate 80 to Highway 267.

There is no estimated time when the road will be open. There are no details about the leak.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Sip, shop and stroll your way through historic downtown Truckee at the 14th annual Downtown Truckee Wine, Walk & Shop on  Oct. 7 from noon to 4pm.

Tickets are $40 in advance or $45 at the door and include a commemorative wine glass, an event program, map of participating venues and five tickets for food tastings. More info is available online.

This annual event brings nearly 1,000 local and visiting participants.

In the past 14 years more than $26,000 has been raised for local nonprofits. This year the partner is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe.

Original libations at Cocktails for a Cause on Oct. 4. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

A little bourbon might just have been the secret ingredient in what was a vodka themed cocktail contest.

Coldwater Brewery proved it’s not just a beer joint. The South Lake Tahoe restaurant was the overall winner Wednesday night at the annual Cocktails for a Cause event. The bartenders also won the main cocktail contest and came in second for the mocktail – aka, the version without alcohol.

Now in its eighth year, the event is a fundraiser for the Barton Foundation. A certain cause within the South Shore-based health conglomerate is designated the beneficiary. This year it’s mental and behavioral health services.

Mental health was a top concern in the 2012 and 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment. It’s an area that Barton and other agencies in the area have been putting resources toward, with the hope of helping people in need as well as bringing awareness to an issue that is often not openly talked about. Although mental illness – which ranges from mild depression to schizophrenia – has touched most people’s lives, it remains a more delicate subject than a physical ailment.

The cocktail contest dovetails into Barton Foundation’s big fundraiser in December – the Festival of Trees and Lights. The winning drink from the Oct. 4 event at Riva Grill will be served at the gala on Dec. 2.

The gang at Coldwater set out to make an adult Cherry Coke. The cherry cider mulled for a couple days to deepen the flavor profile. That’s where the bourbon came in. There is a distinct clove taste in the finished product. This is a perfect fall-winter spice that is used in so many entrees and desserts, that this drink could complement several dishes.

Winners:
Overall: Coldwater
Cocktails: 1. Coldwater 2. Riva 3. McP’s
Mocktails: 1. Heavenly 2. Coldwater 3. Riva

Triple sec, sweet vermouth, and Coke rounded out the drink.

The main ingredient was Tahoe Blue Vodka – which every bartender had to use.

“There was plenty of trial and error,” bartender Aaron Stein told Lake Tahoe News. “The whole idea was to go back to a retro theme with Cherry Coke. Then we added seasonal flavors.”

For the judges, of which this reporter was one, the cocktail was served in a mason jar with a lid and candy cane looking straw.

There is talk this drink dubbed Hugs and Fizzes will be on Coldwater’s menu soon.

The other drink judges raved about was Apples to Apples created by Erick Martinez at Riva Grill. In addition to the vodka, it had ginger rosemary syrup, cold pressed apple juice, fresh muddled apples, lemon squeeze and fresh shaved cinnamon.

It wasn’t too sweet and the ginger definitely came through, several judges said. And with it being apple season, it, too, stood out as a distinctly seasonal beverage. The apple and rosemary garnish made a great impression as well.

Other contestants came from McP’s, Heavenly, Lucky Beaver, LewMarNel’s, and Glazed and Confuzed Tahoe Donut. Each made a cocktail and a mocktail, with different judges for each category.