By Thomas Moore, Las Vegas Sun

Decades before Apple sold watches and before the kids in the ’70s wore Casio calculators on their wrists, comic strip detective Dick Tracy used a precursor of the smartwatch to fight crime.

Today, however, officials at Nevada casinos are concerned that smartwatches will be used illegally to cheat at table games. A note in a Harrah’s October employee newsletter reminded casino workers that smartwatches with cameras are forbidden.

Smartwatch cameras can be hard to see because they often aren’t there. Cameras are not a popular feature in this category of consumer electronics.

Read the whole story

To the community,

I am writing to endorse Annie Davidson for LTUSD school board. As coach of my daughter’s soccer team, Annie showed true devotion to her athletes and was an incredible teacher and mentor for the girls she coached.  She showed true patience and skill in coaching nine 7-year-old girls.

I got to know Annie during this time and was impressed with her enthusiasm for our youth and our community.

Annie has extensive experience in the realm of education. Her work has included education research, teaching, and policy.

We are lucky to have Annie and her family in our community. I am asking you to vote for Annie Davidson for the LTUSD school board this Tuesday.

Amy Anton, South Lake Tahoe physician and mom

·      El Dorado County Supervisor Shiva Frentzen has been elected to the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commission board of directors.

·      Check out the video on this link for thrilling footage of dirt biking at Donner.

·      Jake Nielsson’s Triple Threat will play at Whiskey Dick’s in South Lake Tahoe for free on Nov. 19. Doors open at 9pm.

·       The Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe is now part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand. Reservations are now open for stays beginning June 22, 2017.

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

By Megan Messerly, Las Vegas Sun

Down ballot, Democratic and Republican candidates are waging a quieter war for control of the Nevada Legislature.

They’re not running the million-dollar races that have taken over your television, but they may have knocked on your door or given you a call, and their yard signs are probably parked in your neighborhood. It’s a battle with tremendous consequences for the Silver State.

Two years ago, Republicans took control of both houses of the Legislature, marking the first time that the governor and legislative leaders all have been Republicans since 1929. It was part of a phenomenon across the nation where Republicans enthusiastically turned out to the polls seeking change, while a significant number of Democrats stayed home.

Read the whole story

The 46th annual Barton Auxiliary Holiday Faire is Nov. 13.

The free event is at St. Theresa Grace Hall in South Lake Tahoe from 9am-3pm. Santa Claus will stop by from 10am-2pm.

Holiday and winter treasures have been set aside from the Attic Thrift Store donations. Items include jewelry, books, holiday decorations, winter wear, crystal, dolls, purses, antiques, and collectibles.

All funds support Barton Health’s efforts to improve the community’s health and wellbeing. In 2015, the Barton Auxiliary raised $280,850.99 from holiday fundraisers, membership donations, Attic Thrift Store, and the hospital gift shop.

Attendees to can also purchase baked goods, lunch, refreshments, and the auxiliary’s famous cheese balls.

By Kathryn Reed

A little used meeting space at Lake Tahoe Community College is now a dedicated area for veterans.

“You don’t have to be a student to access these services. We are considering ourselves as a hub and will be able to refer vets to other services,” Aaron Barnett, the LTCC counselor who oversees the center, told Lake Tahoe News. “We’ve never had a place for them to meet before.”

The South Lake Tahoe school has been helping vets for years, especially with those using the post-Sept. 11 GI Bill. The Veterans Resource Center expands the offerings and gives those who have served a place to call their own.

Lake Tahoe Community College has created a Veterans Resource Center. Photo/Provided

At any given time LTCC averages about 30 veterans who are enrolled. With the center, it will be easier to welcome non-students into the fold and provide them with help as well.

The center is equipped with computers, printers, copiers, television, comfortable furniture, a fridge (snacks, water and coffee will be provided for free), and other amenities. It’s part work space, part lounge.

But it’s also a resource center to get information about financial aid, veteran benefits, priority registration, as well as obtain general assistance regarding transitioning back into civilian life.

The state is advocating community colleges have these centers for vets. LTCC started working on this one a year ago. More than half of all veterans who receive education benefits in California’s public higher education systems attend one of the 113 community colleges.

Counseling will come in many forms. A readjustment therapist from the Veterans Affairs center in Reno is at LTCC every other Thursday. If the need increases, it’s possible he could come every week. Stress management and psychological services are also available.

Greg Hoover, who served in the Marines for 20 years, will be the student worker in the center. By having students who are also veterans work in the center the goal is to boost camaraderie. Barnett and other LTCC employees will be available to work in the center as needed.

The El Dorado County Community Foundation provided money to outfit the LTCC center. El Dorado County dedicates a portion of transient occupancy tax dollars to veterans services. Those are the funds the community foundation is tapping. The college’s foundation has also been a player in getting the center started.

—–

Notes:

·      The public unveiling of the center will be Nov. 10 from 12:30-1:30pm. It is located in Room A203 on the second floor of the main building.

By Joe Harn and Nathan Black

California voters will be faced with an unprecedented variety of issues, including several lengthy propositions, on Nov. 8. Many of the wordy and complex propositions will leave you scratching your head about what to do. There is, however, an easy answer for dealing with at least one of them, Proposition 63, and that is to vote no.

Proposition 63 has a deceptive name, the “Safety for All Act”, but do not be fooled. It will add another significant bill for taxpayers at the state and local levels. The expensive new program won’t give the public any benefit, according to the experts. Not a single law enforcement group supports Proposition 63, while numerous oppose it, including the California Police Chiefs Association and the California State Sheriffs Association.

Proposition 63 is not a simple gun control measure merely asking whether there should be background checks on ammunition purchasers. It is 34 pages of complex legalese that requires, among other things, the creation of new court processes and duties for local law enforcement.  This means more work for district attorneys, public defenders, court staff, probation officers, and police and sheriffs, all of whom already are overworked and have stressed budgets.

The price tag for these new duties under Proposition 63, according to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, is estimated to be somewhere in the tens of millions of dollars annually, year-after-year. And, Proposition 63 provides no mechanism for most of these costs to be recouped.

So who pays for all this additional work?  Your county government will shoulder a good portion, if not most, of it. The result could be budget cuts and shifting focus away from vital resources, including health services and family services, in order to pay for these costly new programs. This is because these costs would be mandatory under Proposition 63. Counties will not have the option to cut spending on its provisions. They will have to find the money from existing funds.

Proposition 63 is simply not good fiscal policy. The irony is that the California State Sheriffs Association has warned that Proposition 63’s diversion of funds from critical law enforcement needs could actually make the public less safe. Prop. 63, therefore, is a dangerous bureaucratic mandate on already over-burdened local governments.

Regardless of your view on guns, listen to the many law enforcement officials and fiscally responsible Californians who are urging you to vote no on Proposition 63.

Joe Harn is a CPA and the El Dorado County auditor-controller. Nathan Black is a CPA and the Sutter County auditor-controller.

By Robin Respaut, Reuters

Californians are expected to pass a ballot measure on Election Day legalizing recreational marijuana, and the prospect has cities and counties seeing dollar signs.

Proposition 64 would impose state taxes on the cultivation and sale of marijuana. But it also allows local jurisdictions to add taxes of their own, something many cities and counties said they plan to do.

Economists warn that burdensome taxes and fees on the nascent industry could backfire, fueling the black market and pushing marijuana businesses to decamp for towns where it’s cheaper to operate. For many city and county officials across California, however, the promise of new revenue to fill budget gaps and fund services is too alluring to pass up.

More than 60 local marijuana measures will appear on ballots across California in Tuesday’s election. In Monterey, a scenic county along the state’s rugged central coast, officials said new local marijuana taxes and fees, if approved, could bring in $30 million, nearly double the county’s $16 million budget deficit.

Read the whole story

By Sandra Chereb, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CARSON CITY — A criminal justice advisory panel agreed Tuesday to recommend that state lawmakers establish a special commission to set statewide sentencing guidelines for crimes.

Creation of a sentencing commission, which would work to bring consistency to sentencing practices statewide, was one of several recommendations of the Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice for consideration by the 2017 Nevada Legislature.

The commission, led by state Supreme Court Justice James Hardesty, has met numerous times since the last legislative session to scrutinize Nevada’s criminal justice system and recommend reforms.

Read the whole story

The films “Here and Now” and “Tahoe: The Daily Routine” are coming to South Lake Tahoe and Incline Village.

“Here and Now” showcases the skiing of Eric Hjorleifson, David Wise, Wiley Miller, Thayne Rich and Cam Riley with friends and their escape to the outdoors. This is 4Frnt’s sixth movie highlighting that in a world where nearly everyone’s head is buried in a mobile device, friendships and interactions between human beings are dwindling away, thus the need to be in the here an now.

The first showing is Nov. 19 at Basecamp Hotel (4143 Cedar Ave., South LakeTahoe). Doors open at 6pm and the show starts at 7:30pm. Show is free.

The second airing is Dec. 16 at Diamond Peak (1210 Ski Way, Incline Village). Doors open at 4:30pm and the films start at 6:30pm, with a $5 cover charge.