Author-farmer to talk about high altitude gardening

Third-generation farmer and author of “July & Winter: Growing Food in the Sierra” Gary Romano on May 20 will answer questions about gardening and mountain farming.

The free talk will be at the South Lake Tahoe Library at 2pm.

Romano will share tips and techniques for growing food in the Sierra Nevada, including the foothills and the east slope. The talk is sponsored by the Friends of the Library in partnership with the UCCE Master Gardeners of Lake Tahoe. “July & Winter” will be available for purchase.

Romano, owner of Sierra Valley Farms in Beckwourth, will discuss which varieties are right for different areaa, whether to use seeds or transplants, when and how to plant to maximize yield and the benefits of biodiversity. He’ll also talk about soil, water, nutrients, pest management and how to extend your growing season.

In “July & Winter” Romano details his experience growing food at Sierra Valley Farms. Despite the challenging mountain climate and soil, Romano has successfully grown food on his 65-acre organic farm and shares his experiences in ten essential chapters. Romano hosts the state’s only certified organic on-site farmers’ market each summer, along with barn dinners and concerts. He can also be found in the summer at the Tahoe City, Truckee and Reno farmer’s markets.

“July & Winter” is available through Bona Fide Books and Gaia-Licious in South Lake Tahoe, Word After Word and Bespoke in Truckee, Sundance Books & Music in Reno, the Villager Nursery in Truckee and Amazon.

NDOT looking to improve Hwy. 50 on South Shore

The Nevada Department of Transportation is hosting an open house May 31 to share ideas about enhancing safety on Highway 50 from Stateline to Highway 28.

Proposed future safety improvements within the corridor include:

Roadway resurfacing/restriping
Lane reconfiguration, including bicycle lanes
Roundabouts
Bicycle and pedestrian enhancements along the roadway
Designated turn lanes, acceleration/deceleration Lanes, and designated turn out locations for slow moving vehicles/

The meeting will be at Zephyr Cove Elementary School’s multipurpose room from 4-7pm, with a formal presentation beginning at 5:30pm.

For more information, contact Kent Steele at 775.888.7010 or ksteele@dot.nv.gov

Snippets about Lake Tahoe

· While Barton Health has not been affected by the global cybersecurity breach, it is taking precautions to protect its systems. Anyone who needs to call a Barton Health patient office or department, must call the direct hospital line at 530.541.3420. Other direct lines may be available, but calls will not be transferred from other lines. This precaution will be implemented at least through the weekend.

· Jack Wagner is returning to the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe in July.

· Want information about health insurance in Nevada? Check out this story.

· Truckee is having a workshop in the next fiscal budget on May 15 from 2-8pm at the airport.

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

LTCC not clamoring to renew SnowGlobe contract

By Kathryn Reed

SnowGlobe’s future in South Lake Tahoe is murky.

Lake Tahoe Community College’s board of trustees on May 9 heard a recap about the 2016 music festival. Promoter Chad Donnelly asked to be able to talk to the board and give a presentation, so he did.

The board is most concerned about protecting the new grass fields. Last year the ground was just dirt. Wear and tear on the college campus, a timely demobilization (unlike this year) and a larger deposit to protect the college are what the electeds mostly talked about.

Donnelly said he’s willing to purchase turf insurance for the fields.

However, Donnelly didn’t have adequate enough answers for all the questions, so the electeds are hoping in the next month he provides more robust solutions.

This last event, in addition to annoying locals with the booming bass, irritated a whole new crop of people because the remnants remained into April, making that stretch of Al Tahoe Boulevard and the roads into the college looking ghetto-like.

“The common thread for the board was the desire and need to protect the college and the asset that was entrusted to us,” LTCC President Jeff DeFranco told Lake Tahoe News. “There is a much deeper look being taken at SnowGlobe now.”

No action was taken at Tuesday’s meeting. The topic is expected to be on a June agenda, at which time the board will be asked if the three-day music festival should be given another contract. The college has had a year-to-year contract for the last six years. The city of South Lake Tahoe has a three-year contract that expires this year.

“Our goal is to develop a meaningful and lasting partnership that is mutually beneficial to both parties,” Donnelly’s presentation said. “With that in mind, SnowGlobe respectfully requests a multi-year partnership agreement that is aligned with the multi-year contract we are seeking from the city.”

City Manager Nancy Kerry told Lake Tahoe News there is no time line for the city to entertain any such contract with Donnelly.

Donnelly was so bold in his written material provided to the board to call SnowGlobe the “largest New Year’s Eve event in North America.” Apparently he hasn’t heard of Time Square, which has about 1 million revelers compared to his 10,000.

Three members of the public spoke at the LTCC meeting – Steven Denzler, Peggy Bourland and Tami Wallace – all in opposition of the festival.

Opinion: America’s unfriendly skies

By Jonathan Grella, U.S. News & World Report

The ugly viral video incident that has sent United Airlines’ reputation and stock price into a tailspin has generated calls to boycott the airline – “delete the app,” to employ contemporary parlance.

But it’s tough to delete the app when it’s the only app in town. Lack of consumer choice in air travel makes it near impossible to just pick another airline in many U.S. markets.

A decade ago, nine airlines competed fiercely to win traveler loyalty. Today, following a wave of mergers and consolidations, only four airlines control almost 80 percent of all available domestic capacity in the U.S.

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Most homes still worth less than before the recession

By Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times

Home values have risen for years amid the economic recovery. And in some corners of California, prices are even setting records, surpassing levels reached during the height of the housing bubble.

But for most of the state — and indeed the nation as a whole — values remain below those peaks, underscoring both the depths of the Great Recession and the unevenness of today’s housing recovery.

That’s the finding of a new report released this month from real estate website Trulia that found only 34.2 percent of all U.S. homes are worth more now than they were at the peak of last decade’s housing bubble.

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Grueling ascent up Kingsbury challenges cyclists

By Kathryn Reed

A yellow jersey may have figuratively brought Katie Hall warmth, but she was literally shivering after riding for more than three hours to win stage two of the Amgen Tour of California.

“It was definitely cold at the start. There were some flurries,” Ruth Winder, who earned the best young rider jersey, said at the press conference after the May 12 race.

It was 37 degrees when the 17 teams left Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California Lodge at about 10:30am, and 46 when they came back after the 67-mile grueling course. Heavenly had about an inch of fresh snow on the top of the mountain.

Hall, who rides for United Healthcare, finished first. On her heels was Anna van der Breggen. Van der Breggen, who rides for Boels-Dolmans, was second in both stages. Kristabel Doebel-Hickok with Cylance Pro Cycling was third.

The overall standings have Hall in first with a time of 6.13.54, van der Breggen second at 6:13.54, and Megan Guarnier (Day 1’s top finisher) in third at 6:14.23.

After Hall and van der Breggen made the turn off Pioneer Trail onto Ski Run Boulevard it seemed like minutes before a group of 11 came through the intersection. Guarnier was in that bunch of riders.

Friday presented a new route for the tour; one with the most elevation gain for either the women or men. From the ski resort they went to Meyers, over Luther Pass (7,740 feet), through Diamond Valley and the Carson Valley, and then up and over Kingsbury Grade (7,375 feet). Going up Kingsbury is an 8-mile climb with a 2,700-foot elevation gain.

This part of the course was built for Hall.

“For me, the longer hills are better,” she said. “I thought I would probably get second because I didn’t think I could shake Anna and I’m not much of a sprinter.”

She rightfully earned the Queen of the Mountain jersey, and van der Breggen the sprint jersey.

It was a sprint to the finish between the two of them.

In the valley, Lindsay Myers with the Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank crashed, but is reportedly fine.

In the morning the peloton was greeted by about 200 excited students from Bijou Community School who lined the course at the corner of Ski Run Boulevard and Pioneer Trail.

Melissa Bornstein has brought her second-graders out the last three years. This year there were five second-grade classes, two first-grade and two fifth-grade.

“It gives the kids an awareness of what fit women can do,” Bornstein told Lake Tahoe News. It is also a chance to see a high caliber event in their hometown. Some of the youngster were there both days.

“I like seeing the bikers. It’s very interesting and very cool,” Natahly Rodriguez, 10, told Lake Tahoe News.

For race officials, they were not worried to wake up to wet roads on Friday. And for the racers – just another day at the office.

“They are absolutely not concerned about rain or water on the roads, or even our crappy roads,” Mike Frye, events manager for the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, told Lake Tahoe News. He added how most of the roads in California are filled with imperfections, as is the case in Europe where the majority of the road bike races are contested.

Before the start of stage two some well-known South Shore cyclists offered Lake Tahoe News their perspective of the route:

· “The wind in the Carson Valley will be a factor. Luther-Kingsbury is a great loop and not overly challenging, but wind can make a ride much more difficult. The key is not to get dropped from the pack. You don’t want to ride solo into a Carson Valley headwind.” –Nancy Harrison

· “It’s obvious to me that the hardest part of stage 2 is the Kingsbury climb. There are a couple of sections with less percentage grade and if the teams were scouting the route, there could be multiple attacks from the middle section to the top.”— Curtis Fong

· “I think the climb up Kingsbury will be the hardest. Already one day in, the women will tackle Luther, the highest elevation yet, I believe. Kingsbury at 6 percent grade is after all of the Carson Valley mileage. And we don’t know how the wind will play into the entire route. This will be a very strategic stage I think!”— Carol Chaplin

The next two days will be much different than riding at Lake Tahoe; climbing won’t be an issue, nor should near freezing temperatures. (Day 1 was the loop around the lake.) The women will start in Elk Grove and go to Sacramento, with Day 4 all in the state capital where the 256.6-mile course concludes.

EDC seniors eligible for farmers’ market booklets

The El Dorado County Area Agency on Aging has a limited supply of senior farmers’ market check booklets available for qualified El Dorado County residents.

Each eligible senior will receive one booklet that includes five checks redeemable for $4 each to be used at certified farmers’ markets for the purchase of fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, cut herbs and raw unprocessed honey.

Distribution of the booklets will take place as follows:

July 11 from 8am-1pm at the South Lake Tahoe Farmers’ Market, American Legion
July 15 from 9am-noon at the People’s Mountain Market, Garden Valley Park
July 19 from 8am-noon at the Burke’s Junction Farmers’ Market in Cameron Park.
July 26 from 4pm to dusk at the Main Street Farmers’ Market in Placerville.

Farmers’ market check booklets will be distributed to seniors who are at least 60 years of age and meet income guidelines (one person household with annual income less than $22,311 or $1,860 per month or two person household with income less than $30,044 or $2,504 per month). Checks are good for all certified farmers’ markets in California.

Quantities of the booklets are limited and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.

Nevada cops targeting seat belt scofflaws

The Nevada Highway Patrol is teaming up with local law enforcement agencies to educate motorists on seat belt usage. The click it or ticket campaign runs through May 31.

Anyone who is driving and all passengers 6 or older and weighing more than 60 pounds must wear a seat belt. Any child younger than 6 years and who weighs less than 60 pounds must ride in a federally approved child restraint system. Also, it is always safest for children under 13 years old to sit in the back seat, even for short trips from home.

Seat belt citations carry a $75 fine after court and administration fees. A citation for an unrestrained child is significantly higher.

Placerville business takes chance on hiring autistic adults

By Sammy Caiola, Sacramento Bee

On the sun-soaked patio of Placerville’s Lava Cap Winery, Richard eyed the case of empty blue bottles he was picking up from wine club manager Kevin Jones. Without any prompting, Richard launched into a lecture as he worked.

“The blue comes from cobalt and nickel, the green from copper oxide,” said the eager 29-year-old about the bottles in Jones’ arms. “Red glass you don’t see very much because it’s made from gold.”

He would have gone on had his mother not gently reminded him it was time to load the bottles into the car. Like many adults on the autism spectrum, Richard has an uncanny knack for memorizing details, but doesn’t always choose the best moments to share them.

Richard now has a safe place to practice those skills while working for Forever Glass, a young Placerville company that makes and sells glass bowls from recycled wine bottles. His mother, Cathy Porter, who launched the business last year to hire adults with developmental disabilities, said Richard and others like him can become valuable employees, with the right support. The Bee is only using Richard’s first name at the request of his mother.

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