Jamie Anderson of Meyers added some hardware to her trophy case on Jan. 28.
She took home silver in slopestyle at the X Games in Aspen. This was her 12th X Games medal.
Nineteen-year-old Julia Marino, making her X Games debut, was on top of the podium. Taking third was Katie Ormerod.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Two dogs are rescued Jan. 28 in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Provided
Thin ice isn’t just a threat to humans. Animals can break through just as easily.
South Lake Tahoe firefighters on Saturday rescued two dogs from the frigid waters at the mouth of the Upper Truckee River and Lake Tahoe.
“Crews donned our ice rescue gear and ice board and entered and retrieved the dogs who were tuned over to the Humane Society so that could be checked by a vet,” according to fire crews.
The animals had escaped from where they were being boarded at friends. Both had tags so they can be reunited with their owners.
The Upper Truckee River has pockets of ice on it. Cove East has a layer of snow over thin ice.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal
CARSON CITY — As Gov. Brian Sandoval begins the job of selling his $8.1 billion legacy budget to the Nevada Legislature, he finds himself in familiar territory.
The Republican will have to work with Democratic majorities to achieve his objectives when the 2017 session kicks off on Feb. 6, a situation he faced in both his first and second sessions as governor.
Sandoval has proved to be a governor who knows how to compromise and find a path forward for his goals of expanding economic development opportunities and improving public education. Working with supportive Republicans and Democrats who often seek the same objectives, Sandoval has won approval of most of his initiatives over the past six years.
By Henry Brean, Las Vegas Review-Journal
An anonymous group of current and former Bureau of Land Management employees, including a few from Nevada, have joined a Twitter-based revolt against their new boss.
The “Alt_BLM” Twitter account, launched Thursday afternoon, describes itself as the unofficial resistance team of the BLM, dedicated to “defending science and our public lands.” The posts so far have offered a harsh rebuke to President Donald Trump and his policies.
A bureau employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution, said the account was started “to show solidarity with other natural resource agency employees” and keep uncensored information flowing.
The annual Kings Beach Snowfest Parade is scheduled for March 11, 11:30am-12:30pm on Highway 28 in downtown Kings Beach between Secline and Coon streets.
The event is produced by the North Tahoe Business Association.
Last year’s Kings Beach Snowfest Parade was attended by an estimated 1,000 spectators and featured 30 entertaining entries including kids, music, animals, clubs and more. This year, the parade will be filled with past participants as well as several new entries and surprises. Parade entry forms are due Feb. 13.
For a complete schedule of Snowfest events, go online.
The Tahoe Boys Variety Show will be Feb. 3 at the MontBleu showroom beginning at 7pm.
The show features Tahoe natives Chris Smith, Nick Smith and Sean Pawling.
It will be an evening of music, comedy, juggling, skits and more. This program is suitable for all ages.
Tickets are $15 for adults, and free for kids who are accompanied by an adult. Doors open at 6:30pm.
Tahoe Arts Project is bringing Tahoe Boys Variety Show to South Shore schools the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 3.
For more information, call 530.542.3632.
By Andrew Selsky, AP
Antelope injured while falling on ice. Horses stranded in snowy mountains. Cougars descending from their wilderness lairs to forage in a town.
It’s been a beastly winter in the American West, not just for people but for animals too. One storm after another has buried much of the region in snow, and temperatures have often stayed below freezing, endangering a rich diversity of wild animals.
In southern Idaho, about 500 pronghorn antelope tried to cross the frozen Snake River earlier this month at Lake Walcott, but part of the herd spooked and ran onto a slick spot where they slipped and fell. Idaho Fish and Game workers rescued six of the stranded pronghorn, but 10 were killed by coyotes and 20 had to be euthanized because of injuries suffered when they fell down.
Another 50 pronghorn were found dead in the small western Idaho city of Payette after they nibbled on Japanese yew, a landscaping shrub that’s toxic. Tough winter conditions have forced some wildlife to feed on the plant in urban areas.
Heavy snow has forced Idaho’s fish and game department to begin emergency feeding of big game animals in southern Idaho.
In eastern Oregon, state wildlife officials are feeding elk, but the weather makes accessing them difficult. When highways and the Interstate are closed because of the snow, the workers must still get to the rural feeding stations where they feed the elk alfalfa hay.
“When you run feed programs, you can’t take a day off because of bad weather. If you take a day off, the elk wander away,” said Nick Myatt, district manager of La Grande office of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Wandering elk tend to feed on haystacks that ranchers have left for their cattle, and congregate in low-elevation sites along Interstate 84 in northeastern Oregon, where cars have hit them in recent weeks, Myatt said.
In western Wyoming, supplemental feeding of elk wintering on the National Elk Refuge near Jackson started the first week of January, three weeks earlier than usual because heavier than normal snowfall buried the natural forage the thousands of elk graze on at the 24,700-acre refuge.
Mule deer, which are smaller than elk, have not only been prevented by a layer of ice from pawing through powdery snow to reach their natural forage, but that ice also makes them easier prey. The deer break through the ice and stumble while animals like coyotes can stay on top of the surface.
“With conditions that we have, we do anticipate higher mule deer mortality,” Myatt said.
John Stephenson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said wolves are also more agile in deep snow than deer or elk because their lighter bodies and big feet help them stay on the surface better. Stephenson said he is amazed that a wolf he’s tracking south of Crater Lake, Oregon, traveled roughly 30 miles through 6-foot-deep snow in less than 12 hours recently.
Some animal lovers have been taking matters into their own hands by feeding deer, but experts warn they will likely do more harm than good and could end up killing the animals.
“What they’re feeding the deer is an improper diet,” said Rick Hargrave, a spokesman for the Oregon wildlife department. “They have a complex digestive tract, and they require the right mix of crude protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.”
The deep snow likely caused a group of normally elusive cougars to come to the woodsy community of La Pine in recent days, where they preyed on pets and chickens, the Oregon wildlife department said. Authorities on Thursday killed a fifth cougar in the central Oregon town. Four others were shot dead on Saturday and Monday, raising an outcry among some conservationists.
Amid the grim news, there were some bright spots.
In central Idaho, volunteers earlier this month rescued a horse stranded on a snowy mountain by tranquilizing it, placing it in a sling and then attaching it on a long line to a helicopter. It was flown, dangling from the belly of the chopper to safety. A second stranded horse was not found and is believed to have died.
The experience was emotional for the rescuers.
“You get your adrenaline going and everyone gets all excited and choked up,” Robert Bruno, president of Idaho Horse Rescue, told KTVB-TV of Boise.
In California, some of the heaviest snow and rain in decades should prove a life-saver for threatened native salmon, whose numbers have dropped during the state’s five-year drought that is now easing.
Flooding this winter has greatly expanded the bug-rich wetlands where young salmon can eat and grow strong on their way to the ocean, said John McManus of the Golden Gate Salmon Association, a fishing-industry group.
“They eat like little pigs, and they love it,” McManus said. “It’s a little smorgasbord for them.”
AP journalists Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, Bob Moen in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Ellen Knickmeyer in San Francisco contributed to this report.
The Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe will be hosting a guardian nomination workshop for all families in the South Lake Tahoe area.
This event is open to the public and will help with the process of nomination a guardian for minor children. The event will be in the meeting room at the of the club at 1100 Lyons Ave., South Lake Tahoe on Jan. 31 from 5-6pm.
The club will be open until 6:30pm to allow parents to be in an uninterrupted workshop.
This workshop is free for all parents.
For more info, contact Kili Ongoy at kongoy@bgclt.org or 530.542.0838.
· Jan. 30 is a school day for Douglas County kids at the lake. Originally it was to be an in-service for teachers. Instead it’s a makeup day for one of the five snow days this school year.
· The first Maker’s Monday of the New Year will be Feb. 13, 6pm at Bona Fide Books — 1069 Magua St., No. 4, Meyers. The focus will be mail art. This art form, also known as postal art and correspondence art, is an artistic movement centered on sending small scale works, interesting/fun inclusions, and unique mailings through the Postal Service. For more info, call 530.545.1373.
· The QuickMap app from Caltrans is now available for iPhone and iPads. The app displays the user’s location on a map along with real-time information including; traffic speed, road closures, California Highway Patrol incidents, chain controls, fire locations, electronic highway sign messages, and live traffic cameras.
· Here are the roadwork schedules of the coming week from Caltrans for El-Dorado-Tahoe and sierra.
· Forbes ranks Northstar in the top five for family friendly ski resorts.
By USSA
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany – Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley) was again the top American down the dark Kandahar downhill, this time finishing 12th.
Saturday’s race was the official Audi FIS Ski World Cup downhill day in Garmisch, as Friday’s race was a makeup race from Wengen. While Ganong won in Friday’s attempt, he skied the rough and bumpy course to finish just outside of the top 10 in 12th Saturday.
Hannes Reichelt of Austria was untouchable in the final downhill before the World Championships in St. Moritz kicks off in February, taking the win. Peter Fill of Italy was second and Beat Feuz of Switzerland third.
The rest of the American Downhillers finished in the points, with Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley) 22nd, Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) 26th, Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) 27th and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.) 28th.