By Mike McPhate, New York Times

After President Obama announced a goal last year to make community college free for all Americans, no state has moved as aggressively as California.

In 2016, at least 20 programs offering support to incoming community college students were introduced in California, bringing the state’s total to about 30, according to the federal Department of Education.

Critics of the move toward free community college have argued that the programs would strain public budgets and that aid should rather be narrowly targeted toward needy students.

California’s 113 community colleges have become an increasingly attractive option for families looking for alternatives to the state’s public universities, where academic competition has grown fierce and tuitions have tripled since 2000.

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By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal

It won’t be long before people will be able to bet on teams competing against each other when they play video games.

Teams also will be able to bet against each other in a modified poker-style format in which the house will rake a percentage of the head-to-head bets.

But bettors will have to wait a little longer — maybe forever — before they will be able to play daily fantasy sports games in casinos.

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·      El Dorado County Supervisor Brian Veerkamp is having a town hall meeting Dec. 6 at 6:30pm in the temporary Board of Supervisors’ meeting room located in Building C at 2850 Fairlane Court in Placerville.

·      Chris Fajkos has been hired as project manager of Tahoe Prosperity Center.

·      Sister’s Christmas Catechism comedy show is described as a borderline irreverent reflection on the guilt and fear that guided many a terrified soul into adulthood. Shows are Dec. 1-2 at 7pm at Carson Valley Inn. Tickets are $22; call 775.783.6606.

·      California Controller Betty Yee updated the online self-reported salary and benefits data for K-12 education employers, including public school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education.

·      Here is the El Dorado-Tahoe roadwork schedule from Caltrans for next week.

Mount Rose is open for the 2016-17 ski season. Photo/Provided

By Steve Rubenstein, San Francisco Chronicle

SODA SPRINGS — A lot of people in wool beanies who hoped they weren’t about to sprain, tweak or break anything too important showed up on Friday to give it another shot.

It was opening day of ski season at the Boreal Mountain Resort, and ski bunnies, male and female, were excited enough to hop up and down like the other variety of bunny.

“I like snow,” said Caty Mieske, 4, of Sacramento. “It feels like ice cubes. I dreamed about it last night.”

Caty got up before dawn to get ready. So did just about everyone else. The night before opening day is not something that ski junkies easily sleep through.

Mount Rose Ski Tahoe also opened Friday, giving skiers access to four beginner trails.

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While Barton Health wanted to support the Tahoe Chamber Independent Expenditure Committee, it has had to back pedal with its donation for legal reasons.

The political action committee is an arm of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce. The entity financially supported candidates Brooke Laine and Jason Collin for South Lake Tahoe City Council. They went on to win the two seats earlier this month.

Collin is an employee of Barton Health.

According to Mindi Befu with Barton, the $1,000 contribution was given before the health conglomerate knew who the IEC was going to support. The money, she said, was in support of the chamber’s Tahoe Future 2020. Nonetheless, Barton as a non-for-profit group cannot make such a donation.

“As a 501(c)3, Barton Health is unable to contribute funds that support or oppose political candidates. When Barton administration was made aware of this event, we requested the donation be returned,” Befu told Lake Tahoe News.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

A control burn in Truckee was quickly extinguished today after it became an actual vegetation fire.

The Nov. 19 fire was off Ski Slope Way in the Tahoe Donner subdivision. Winds spread it to about one-quarter of an acre before firefighters got it back under control.

Multiple fire vehicles are parked on Ski Slope Way between Teton Way and Herringbone Way.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Nevada Highway Patrol has a seat belt campaign going on now through Dec. 10.

During this time, the officers will be watching for drivers and other occupants in vehicles who are not wearing their seat belts and/or children who are not properly secured in car or booster seats. Deputies will be stopping drivers for traffic offenses and issuing citations for seat belt violations if unbuckled.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 12,584 lives were saved by wearing seat belts, yet 49 percent of occupants who were killed in 2013 weren’t restrained.

By Taryn Luna, Sacramento Bee

California voters passed a measure on Election Day urging state politicians to use their authority to limit corporate and special interest spending in elections.

Then they sided with the campaign that raised the most money on the majority of statewide ballot measure contests.

Proposition 59 was advisory-only, aimed at overturning a Supreme Court decision in an effort to rein in outside spending. It carries little weight. Nonetheless, the vote demonstrates Californians’ concern over the role of money in politics.

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Chase poses with his find in Truckee. Photo/Provided

More than 250 pounds of marijuana were seized this week in Truckee.

Placer County sheriff’s K-9 Chase sniffed out the weed that was stored in a false floor of a trailer.

The California Highway Patrol has stopped the cargo trailer on Interstate 80 in Truckee and then requested the K-9.

Deputy Josh Buckley responded with Chase, who made a positive alert on the floor of the trailer. Officers found 258 pounds of marijuana in the floor.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CARSON CITY — The financial health of Nevada’s public employee pension improved in fiscal year 2016, with the funded ratio increasing to 74.1 percent from 73.2 percent the prior year.

The actuarial valuation report for the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) was reviewed and approved Thursday by the seven-member board that oversees the plan. The report was prepared by Segal Consulting, an independent actuary contracted by PERS to do the analysis.

The report recommends no changes to the contribution rates for the plan, which are split 50-50 between employers and employees. The contribution rates are currently set at 28 percent for regular state employees and 40.5 percent for police and firefighters.

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