By Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee
 
Faced with a presidential administration that’s dialing back climate change policies, California is getting even more aggressive on battling greenhouse gases.

Electric utilities in California already are working to generate half of their power through solar and other renewable energy sources by 2030, one of the most aggressive timetables in the nation. Now the leader of the California Senate is pushing a plan for utilities to go completely renewable by 2045.

Separately, Democratic lawmakers are doubling down on California’s cap-and-trade carbon market, unveiling a proposal that could increase the cost of emitting greenhouses gases for cement makers, food processors and even motorists.

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·      Jamie Orr has been appointed to the South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission.

·      Reports say Nevada needs 200 pilots to make up for a rash of retirements and high demand for flights.

·      El Dorado Winery Association’s second annual Blind Barrel is July 15 at 6pm at Lava Cap winery. For more info, go online.

·      North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District purchased five state-of-the-art Stryker auto-load gurney systems with a grant from the Nevada Public Agency Insurance Pool.  

·      Tyree Holdridge, who grew up in Gardnerville and graduated from Douglas High School, is Douglas County Sheriff’s Department’s newest deputy.

By Kathryn Reed

South Lake Tahoe hopes to have a dedicated fire boat on the water this summer.

The City Council on Tuesday agreed to allocate up to $75,000 for a used vessel. The money would come from the emergency medical services fund.

The fire department had a boat starting in 1999, but it was decommissioned in 2015. The repairs would have been more than what the boat was worth so it was scrapped. For the past couple of years firefighters have used one of the city’s two police boats when possible.

However, as Battalion Chief Jim Drennan told the council on May 2, using the police boat is like trying to do fire work from a police car – it’s ineffective.

A fire specific boat will allow medical treatment to be performed inside a cabin area, as well as fight fires.

A new boat can cost $400,000. That’s why firefighters have been diligent about looking at surplus property.

With the OK by council, it means the department can pull the trigger when an appropriate vessel comes available. They are looking at boats that have only been in fresh water and are most likely from the Coast Guard.

South Tahoe responds to calls from Emerald Bay to Cave Rock around the clock. Most police boats are on the water 9am-5pm, and not always seven days a week. The Coast Guard operates out of Tahoe City and Tahoe Douglas Fire also has a boat.

The boat is expected to be moored at Lakeside Marina.

It’s official — Squaw Valley intends to be open all summer for skiing.

The ski resort will be open July 1-4 and Saturdays thereafter as long as conditions allow.

The resort registered 714 inches of snow this winter, equaling nearly 60 feet. And more moisture is on the way this weekend. Squaw Valley currently has a base depth of 20 feet.

The plan is to offer skiing and riding in the Shirley zone in the summer. This will be the fourth time Squaw Valley has been open for skiing on July 4. Going beyond that date is a first.

January broke the resort’s record for most snow in one month, with 282 inches, followed by the snowiest February with another 196 inches. 

Guests planning to ski and ride will access High Camp via the tram and make their way on foot between High Camp and where the snow remains. Through the strategic movement of snow using grooming machines, Squaw Valley mountain operations team members will transport snow from areas with ample snow to areas with lower amounts of snow, effectively maximizing the snowpack long into summer. The Shirley zone also benefits from a northwest aspect, limiting sun exposure and snow loss due to melting.

Operations at Squaw Valley will continue seven days a week through May, on weekends in June and July 1-4. Beyond the 4th of July,  the Shirley Lake Express chair will be open on Saturdays for 2017-18 Tahoe super passholders, with discounted daily lift tickets also available.

By Kathryn Reed

A bankruptcy judge in Reno may decide the future ownership of the strip of commercial space in South Lake Tahoe’s Bijou Center that houses a medical marijuana dispensary.

Lawyers for Patty Olson want all agreements with Cody Bass to be terminated and for Bob Hassett to be the owner of the parcel. A hearing is set for later this month.

Attorneys Kevin and Tricia Darby, who are representing Olson, did not return multiple calls.

For years Olson has owned this swath of land, as well other parcels in the area. She and Bass, who owns the Tahoe Wellness Cooperative, have been at odds for about a year. Bass believes the agreement he has with Olson to buy the commercial and residential properties for $4.2 million is still valid. Not true says Olson’s lawyers.

Bass stopped paying rent in March 2016. A court order mandated he pay the $10,200/month rent. He has not consistently done so, according to court documents.

He filed a countersuit contending breach of contract. Bass was not available for comment.

Complicating the matter is that Bass is operating his shop without a permit from the city because he’s supposed to have the landlord’s permission. He no longer does. That issue is slated for a hearing in El Dorado County Superior Court next month.

Depending on what happens in bankruptcy court, the city dispute could just go away.

Olson, who had lived in the city for decades, now resides in Reno. She filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy earlier this year after her Tahoe properties were foreclosed on.

Court documents say the commercial property and the residence on Bal Bijou Road have a value of about $3.5 million.

On March 8 of this year Hassett offered Olson $2.35 million for the commercial property with the contingency all matters with Bass are resolved and that the property not need more than $400,000 in repairs.

Olson would be able to pay her creditors if the sale to Hassett goes through.

Hassett runs the neighboring marina at Timber Cove, along with Camp Richardson and Lakeside marinas, as well as being the concessionaire at Round Hill Pines. He operated Meeks Bay marina until it was closed. After making public in December that he was in escrow on Olson’s former house, Hassett no longer speaks to Lake Tahoe News.

By Jeremy Jones, Reno Gazette-Journal

Dear Republican voters:

We need to talk. I’m a professional snowboarder, and during a 25-year career I’ve seen first-hand how winters have changed, how they’ve gotten warmer and inconsistent. For example, in the last 30 years, the northern hemisphere has lost a million square miles of spring snowpack and every year has been warmer than average since 1976. There has not been a colder than average year globally since I was a year old.

I know these changes worry you, too. “Sunny-day” flooding is a normal event now in Florida, sending sea water pouring into streets and homes at high tide, and a chunk of ice nearly the size of Delaware could break away from Greenland at any time. These are all glimpses into the future. Yeah, I know that the leaders of your party say climate change is a hoax, a global conspiracy, that it’s natural cycles, etc. We both know that’s not true. The science proves it, and polls show that Americans overwhelmingly think climate change is a problem that the government needs to address.

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By Terence P. Jeffrey, CNS News

Four decades ago, in the mid-1970s, young American adults–in the 18-to-34 age bracket–were far more likely to be married and living with a spouse than living in their parents’ home.

But that is no longer the case, according to a new study by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“There are now more young people living with their parents than in any other arrangement,” says the Census Bureau study.

The No. 1 living arrangement today for Americans in the 18-to-34 age bracket, according to the Census Bureau, is to reside without a spouse in their parents’ home.

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The West Shore Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Reduction and Forest Health Project will treat approximately 4,875 acres extending from Emerald Bay to Burton Creek State Park. 

The project includes thinning and fuels reduction treatments intended to reduce the risk of severe wildfire, provide defensible space to adjacent communities, and improve forest health by thinning trees in high density areas, which decreases the risk for widespread tree mortality during drought conditions, insect infestation and spreading of diseases.

Thinning methods will consist of hand and mechanical removal of brush and trees, which will then be removed for saw logs, biomass, or fuel wood, Remaining material will be chipped, masticated, or piled for prescribed burning. Piles will be burned approximately one to three years later, once the fuels are dry. 

Temporary roads will be constructed to allow for mechanical treatment. Follow-up treatments may include prescribed understory burning. 

Thinning could begin as early as this summer or fall. It could take 10 years to complete.

By Nic Abelow

Getting kids involved in college planning may be an excellent way to teach responsibility to young people — a lesson that could reap benefits well beyond their college years. Children can earn money, learn about sources of financial aid, research potential colleges and take other steps that may relieve their parents of some of the responsibility of college planning.

Starting early

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the best time to introduce children to college planning is when they are in middle school, typically grades six through eight.

Nic Abelow

You may want to initiate discussions about college, explaining the importance of developing good study habits and instilling the idea that your family supports higher education.

You may also want to encourage your children to begin thinking about the career they would like to pursue, which is likely to influence their choice of college, as well as to establish a savings account that could be earmarked for education expenses. In addition, you can teach basic lessons about compounding, investing and other money management issues.

When students are in the latter part of middle school, they can also start planning to make the most of high school experiences with an eye toward college. Remind your budding scholar that success in high school depends on skills and attitudes that are developed in middle school or earlier. You can help your child plan for college by assisting him or her with developing a realistic budget.

The chart below gives a general idea of the average current annual cost of attending a four-year public versus four-year private college.

Match involvement to age, grade level

Young people can assume varying levels of responsibility for college planning depending on their age and interests. Consider the following if you are looking to get a middle or high school student involved.

6th to 8th grades

·      Continue good study habits

·      Enhance computer and internet skills

·      Participate in arts activities or sports

·      Start saving money

9th to 10th grades

·      Enroll in college-preparatory classes

·      Establish high academic standards

·      Research careers that match personal aptitudes

·      Learn about college costs

·      Identify prospective colleges

·      Research financial aid and scholarships

·      Set aside money from babysitting, yard work, or other odd jobs for college expenses

11th to 12th grades

·      Get a part-time job and continue saving for college

·      Visit colleges of potential interest

·      Take the Scholastic Aptitude Test and/or the ACT assessment

·      Enroll in advanced placement classes, if available

·      Apply to colleges and for financial aid.

Nic Abelow is a LPL financial advisor with Abelow, Pratt & Associates Financial Advisors and Wealth Management in Lake Tahoe.

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal

Moisture from Nevada’s historically wet winter will tamp down wildfire risk during early summer months.

But once the vegetation that’s turning much of the Silver State green dries out wildfires could be bigger than normal. That’s according to a wildland fire outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center.

The outlook forecasts wildfire danger through August throughout the United States.

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