The gaming win for December on both ends of the lake prove that it was a busy time in Tahoe.

The South Shore casinos were up 7.65 percent compared to 2015, at $18.7 million. North Shore casinos had a win of $2.5 million, a 24.9 percent increase over December 2015.

Statewide the numbers weren’t as good; the gaming win fell 2.73 percent in December to $956.1 million.

The state Gaming Control Board released the figures on Jan. 31.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Publisher’s note: This was sent to the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Jan. 30 by the police chief and is republished with permission.

Regarding the recent questions regarding immigration related fears, I offer the following which outlines the philosophy related to immigration matters by SLTPD:

Brian Uhler

1. Officers and staff of the SLTPD do not investigate immigration-related issues on behalf of the federal government.

2. Nothing in the president’s executive orders obligates the South Lake Tahoe Police Department to change our current practices.

3. In the event South Lake Tahoe police officers arrest people who were involved in serious criminal activity, and who also have questionable immigration status, they will be booked into El Dorado County Jail for the crime, but not charged with immigration-related crimes. In such cases, it is between El Dorado County Jail officials and immigration officials to evaluate and bring potential immigration-related charges.

4. In the event South Lake Tahoe police officers encounter people who have warrants for their arrest, whether federal or not, whether immigration-related or not, such people will be arrested as we are obligated to comply with such warrants for arrest when these orders are signed and executed by a judge.

5. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has a long-standing practice of not actively pursuing immigration-related matters. This philosophy is grounded in this key belief that maintaining good relations and open communication with those who may be victims of human trafficking or victims of crime should feel comfortable reporting such crimes without fear of deportation or immigration-related actions against them. In short, anyone who lives in our community, regardless of their immigration status, should feel comfortable reporting crime, being witnesses to crime, and working with the police.

I hope this information helps.

Thank you,

Brian Uhler, SLT police chief

The M.S. Dixie makes it way around a partially frozen Emerald Bay. Photo/John Gomez

By Jason Samenow, Washington Post

How do you seriously dent a drought? You blast it with the equivalent of trillions of gallons of water. That’s exactly what happened in California in January.

Twenty feet of snow buried parts of Northern California in just two weeks, with up to 30 feet in some ski areas. For the month, the Sierra Nevada witnessed 120 percent of its annual snowfall.

The January snow output by itself eliminated 37 percent of a five-year (2012-16) snow water deficit, according to University of Colorado-Boulder Center for Water, Earth Science, and Technology.

Read the whole story

Sean Paul McIntire

A South Lake Tahoe man serving a life sentence at Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego is accused of attacking two guards.

Sean Paul McIntire, 35, hit an officer in the head and face on Jan. 27, the California Department of Corrections said Monday. 

A second officer was hurt as he tried to intervene. Neither guard sustained life-threatening injuries.

Prison guards used chemical agents, batons and physical force to subdue McIntire.

McIntire was sent to Donovan in March 2015 for the second-degree murder of Shirley Gordon. Gordon, 57, was found stabbed to death in August 2013 while sleeping on Wildwood Avenue in South Lake Tahoe.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Interstate 80 will be closed in both directions from 11pm Jan. 31 to 1am Feb. 1 so crews can repair power transmission lines damaged during the Jan. 8 mudslide just west of the Donner Lake interchange.

Automobiles will be detoured onto Donner Pass Road and can rejoin I-80 at the Donner Lake interchange. Trucks will be turned at Exit 184 and are encouraged to find parking in the Reno area during the closure.

Eastbound I-80 will be closed at Donner Summit (Castle Peak Exit 176). All traffic will exit, but automobiles will be allowed back onto the freeway to detour onto Donner Pass Road at the Donner Lake Interchange and reconnect with I-80 at Exit 184. Trucks are encouraged to utilize the Auburn Fairgrounds or Gold Run Rest Area for their waits. Limited parking for trucks will be available at Boreal Ski Resort after 11pm.

The railroad made Donner Summit much easier to cross; now vehicles traverse it across the interstate. Photo/Caltrans

By Abby Stevens, Moonshine Ink 

When Charles Crocker, an executive for the Central Pacific Railroad, suggested in 1864 the company hire Chinese immigrants to help build the railroad, he was met with laughter.

The defense against hiring Chinese was that the men were small in stature and building railroads required brute strength. At the time, Central Pacific was charged with building the railroad from the West Coast to Utah, and Union Pacific was building its portion from the East Coast to Utah much quicker — so Crocker was feeling pressure.

Many Chinese men had immigrated to the U.S. to try and get a piece of the gold rush, but as jobs in mines dwindled, Central Pacific decided to capitalize and hired 50 men on a trial basis. The experiment went well — by 1865, there were 3,000 Chinese working on the railroad.

Read the whole story

Every day journalists write about events. It takes a skilled professional to transport readers so they feel like they are living that same experience.

That is exactly what Lake Tahoe News reporter Susan Wood does on a regular basis.

Susan Wood on assignment in Park City in 2016. Photo/LTN

The North American Travel Journalists Association on Jan. 31 honored Wood for her “Salt Lake Olympic legacy remains on fast track” story that appeared on LTN on Feb. 28, 2016. She earned second place in the Special Focus Travel Articles – Internet: Leisure or Hobby Travel category.

The story starts out about riding the bobsled down the course used in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and continues to delve into the legacy left behind from those Games.

“Susan is a tremendous asset to Lake Tahoe News. She brings a depth to her stories that is reflective of her inquisitive nature. She goes beyond the surface of every topic she covers to enable her to write comprehensive, in-depth stories,” Kathryn Reed, Lake Tahoe News publisher, said.

This was the 25th year for the NATJA awards, with a 20 percent increase in entries over the prior year. Submissions were from September 2015 through August 2016.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Sherellen Gerhart will give a talk about palliative care on Feb. 1 from 6-7pm.

Palliative care is a medical specialty focusing more broadly on improving life and providing comfort to people of all ages with serious, chronic, and life-threatening illnesses.

Gerhart will discuss:

·       Palliative care vs. traditional care

·       Palliative care vs. hospice care

·       Qualifying for palliative care services

·       Understanding patient referrals.

The free talk will be in the board room at Lake Tahoe Community College.

By USSA

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah — Germany’s junior ski racers dominated opening day of the USANA FIS Junior Nordic World Championships at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center on Jan. 30.

Janosch Brugger of Germany came from behind to take Norway’s Petter Stakston at the finish line in the classic sprint. Norway’s Herman Meyer won bronze. In the women’s sprint, Polina Nekrasova of Russia took gold over Germany’s Antonia Froebel in silver and Coletta Rydzek with bronze.

The races were run under clear blue skies, hard packed snow and cold temperatures on the trails used for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

It was a tough loss for Stakston, who was the fastest qualifier and won both his quarterfinal and semifinal heats. Brugger, meanwhile, had to some out of semifinals as a lucky loser to earn his spot in the finals. Stakston had the lead coming into the finish, but Brugger put on a strong push into the finish to take the win.

Nekrasova, who qualified 10th, established herself early as the top athlete in the women’s field. In the opening heat, the Russian won over a strong effort by American Julia Kern by just 0.19. In the semifinals, Nekrasov won over Finland’s Anita Korva, also by 019. And she ran away in the finals for a 3.56 second margin of victory. It was her first individual Junior Worlds medal, going with the bronze she won in the relay event two years ago in Rasnov.

Julia Kern (Waltham, Mass.) of Stratton Mountain School was the top American finisher in ninth. Kern finished second, just 0.19 behind Nekrasova, in the quarterfinals. She was skiing a strong semifinal before getting caught up at the bottom of a downhill and crashing. Hannah Halvorsen (Truckee) of the Sugar Bowl Ski Team was 11th. All four U.S. men qualified for the heats, with Bill Harmeyer (S. Burlington, Vt/) of the University of Vermont making semifinals and finishing 12th.

To the community,

A big thank you to all of the volunteers who braved snow covered roads to help feed the vulnerable and hungry at Bread & Broth’s Monday meal on Jan. 23. Being the biggest snow fall in years, no one was really sure if the meal’s volunteers or any dinner guests would be able to travel the roads to St. Theresa’s Grace Hall. Amazingly, 65 dinner guests and most of the scheduled volunteers attended the dinner.

Sponsoring the evening’s dinner was Kirkwood Mountain Resort. Skier services crew members Jon Copeland, Anjie Goulding, Reba Mourcio and Jamie Mullens formed the volunteer sponsor crew.

“It’s always a treat to come to volunteer here and support the community,” said Copeland. “Bread & Broth does a fantastic job and we are happy to help and support.  Our employees enjoy the experience.”

Bread & Broth is very fortunate to have volunteers and sponsor groups that are committed to helping the hungry even under hazardous conditions. Walking and driving through barely plowed streets to help at B&B’s Monday meal and making a difference in another person’s life deserves a very special thank you. So kudos to Kirkwood Mountain Resort and their incredible Skier Services sponsor crew.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth