·       At the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, Kim George and Al Martinez have been promoted to captain, and Mike Taormina to the rank of engineer.

·      Here is the link to the South Tahoe Public Utility District candidate forum from last week.

·       Guttermouth, plus Get Dead and the Cryptics will be at Whiskey Dicks Saloon in South Lake Tahoe on Nov. 13. Doors open at 9pm. Must be 21. Tickets are $15.

·       Here is the Sierra roadwork schedule from Caltrans for this week.

·       Through the Roots, plus the Late Ones will be at Whiskey Dicks Saloon in South Lake Tahoe on Nov. 8. Doors open at 9pm. Must be 21. Advance tickets are $12 at The Spot and Whiskey Dicks or $15 that night.

Tahoe Youth & Family Services’ inaugural Night of Magic is Nov. 4 at The Loft at Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe from 7:30-10:30pm.

This fundraiser will start off with wine and appetizers. Then at 9pm the party moves into the theater for a special Magic Fusion show.

Tickets are $60 per person and all proceeds will go to fund needed programs in the community that serve youth and families.

TYFS has added an interactive feature to the evening where everyone can donate and watch a moving thermometer, something attendees (and those not attending) may participate in with a code word and a text.

Text to donate:  TAHOEYOUTH to 41444.

Text to purchase tickets: MAGICTIX to 91999.

Tickets are limited. Another way to buy tickets is to call 530.541.2445.

The U.S. Forest Service is scheduled to begin prescribed fire operations this week in areas south and west of Lake Tahoe.

If conditions are favorable, operations may take place on urban lots near Heavenly Mountain Resort, around Big Meadow off Highway 89 (Luther Pass) and north of Meeks Bay, near Timberland in Tahoma. Operations will continue as conditions allow.

Each prescribed fire operation follows a prescribed fire burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. This information is used to decide when and where to burn.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions.

Before prescribed fire operations are conducted, agencies post road signs around areas affected by prescribed fire, send email notifications and update the local fire information line at 530.543.2816.

Mya Rossi is on a path to see her dreams of being a scientist come true.

Mya Rossi

The South Tahoe Middle School student has received the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Scholarship. Through the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe she applied for the scholarship in the pursuit of following her passion for STEM – science, technology, engineering and math.

The $3,025 scholarship will help Rossi achieve her dream of going to the Science Camp of America: Air and Space in Hawaii.

Rossi has been active in STEM throughout her school work as well as in extracurricular activities. This past summer sh was picked for the Tech Trek Camp of UC Davis.

By Matt Youmans, Las Vegas Review-Journal

For star power and fascinating storylines, it’s tough to top the Chicago Cubs. A team of future superstars — starting with Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo — leading a popular franchise with more than a century of suffering in its past is more than enough to make this October unforgettable.

In case anyone has forgotten, the Cleveland Indians are a part of the story, too, and they add another element of intrigue.

When the numbers are totaled, this might be the most-wagered World Series in history.

Read the whole story

The California Highway Patrol recognizes Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 23-31, as an opportunity for families to have lifesaving conversations with their children about drug use.

The Red Ribbon Campaign, organized by the National Family Partnership, is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation.

The CHP will be supporting efforts in California schools during Red Ribbon Week to discourage illegal drug use.

“Children whose parents talked to them regularly about the dangers of illegal drugs are far less likely to use drugs than those who do not, yet only about a quarter of teens report having these conversations,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in press release. “Despite all the outside influences on our young people today, their families’ messages are still crucial.”

The three most widely used drugs by youth and adults are alcohol, prescription drugs, and marijuana.

To the community,

I am a resident and registered voter in Nevada, but I work in Meyers, attended Meyers Elementary, grew up in Christmas Valley, and graduated from South Tahoe High School (STHS). The state line is a blur to me because I view the South Shore as one community.

I have two children currently in high school, one at Whittell and one at STHS; I also have another child who graduated from Whittell and is now a college freshman. I believe that a good public education system is the great equalizer in America, and that every child has a right to the best education possible. I am active in both high schools’ booster clubs and the STHS Performing Arts Booster Association; I am a former member of the STHS school site council; and for fun I attend Douglas County school board meetings.

Public education is my passion.

My participation in our local schools provides me with an educated opinion when it comes to whom I would support for school board, candidate Larry Reilly.

Lake Tahoe Unified School District’s (LTUSD) focus has been on primary education. The economy has improved and the workforce is becoming more flexible; LTUSD has an opportunity now to increase its student population and improve the services it provides. Parents relocating to an area often look at academics when choosing a place to relocate. To accomplish this goal we need enlightened leadership and experience. Mr. Reilly has great leadership skills and decades of real local experience, especially within the secondary education system. School board members need a solid understanding of the needs of all their constituents: students, teachers, parents, administrators, and other school board members. Mr. Reilly and his wife, Michelle, (who is a counselor at STHS) have been working with these constituents locally all their adult lives. He will bring much-needed experience to the board.

Mr. Reilly knows what LTUSD needs to do to best serve the students and the community. He understands that the best way we can improve our local schools is to change our attitude and our priorities. It’s not about the lack of money, the challenging demographics, or the facilities; it’s about attitude and priorities. Educating our students needs to come first, and all the other extracurricular activities will follow. Mr. Reilly knows what motivates high school students, teachers, and administrators. Mr. Reilly knows this community well, through teaching, coaching, and raising two kids within LTUSD. His local knowledge, wisdom, and leadership will be a welcome addition to the Lake Tahoe Unified School Board.

Please vote for Larry Reilly … because if I could, I would.

Kelly Krolicki, Stateline

By Kathryn Reed

A powder day or work? The choice just got easier – at least for those who can work remotely.

Tahoe Mountain Lab and Heavenly Mountain Resort are partnering this winter to provide people a space to work on the mountain.

“I really have found myself on the mountain needing a place to work and not able to,” David Orr told Lake Tahoe News. Either the Internet connection wasn’t there or the quiet place to conduct business didn’t exist. Now both will.

Orr is one of the owners and founders of Tahoe Mountain Lab, a shared work space in the center of South Lake Tahoe. This satellite office will be known as Lakeview Mountain Lab because it is inside Lakeview Lodge at the top of Heavenly’s tram.

Today the space is used for weddings. By December, when the lab will open, there will be 16 desks in the 800-square-foot area. Time will be charged hourly, with rates not locked in stone – but likely will be between $10 and $20. Drop-ins are OK, but no promises there will be space.

This is the view workers from Lakeview Mountain Lab will have. Photo/LTN file

For those who know they’ll need to get a little work done in between making turns, lockers will be provided at the lab for computers and the like.

The lab will use software and hardware from Cobot to manage the workspace. As people’s time is about to expire, a message will pop up asking if they want to continue or end the session. Codes will be given out that allow prepaid workers access and no one else.

Orr doesn’t anticipate needing an employee to be on site. Heavenly will have staff available if someone needs something.

This is the first such work space at a ski resort in the United States.

“Office space is anyplace you want to be on the planet. Anywhere you can sit down and get a wireless connection is a virtual office space,” Coop Copper with Heavenly told Lake Tahoe News. “We think we are going to see pretty good traffic through there. This gives you that nice quiet space.”

Vail Resorts, parent company of Heavenly, will see how this workspace functions before deciding to expand it to other locations on the mountain or to other resorts.

It will be open the same hours the resort is.

Orr admits this is an experiment. He won’t make projections for how busy the on-mountain lab will be.

“We expect people on the mountain are with their families and want to get their work hammered out and get back on the mountain. We assume people want to do the bare minimum so they can feel comfortable about their work and take off,” Orr said.

That’s why it’s an hourly rate instead of something longer. Skiing is the No. 1 activity, the work thing is secondary at best in this situation. The difference though will be having that connectivity and quiet space that until now has been elusive at a ski resort.

The space can also be rented out by businesses if they want to do a workshop or the like on the mountain.

For info or to reserve a time slot for this season, go online.

To the community,

I have always found it interesting that October is both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Both issues are very important, and when either touches a woman, the effects are devastating for her, her family, and her friends.

Jenny Davidson

We have been able to make great strides on both these fronts in recent years, but domestic violence still occurs far too often. Over 3.7 million women are victims of domestic violence every year–that’s 15 times the number of women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually.

Like breast cancer, domestic violence is not exclusive to women. Although 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence, 1 in 7 men will also become victims. Rates of victimization are even higher in the LGBTQ community. No one should ever be subjected to domestic violence.

You can make a difference:

• Store our crisis line number, 800.575.5352, on your phone.
• Offer non-judgmental support to loved ones who disclose domestic violence and help them to connect with Stand Up Placer.
• Take part in Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities.
• Consider making a donation to Stand Up Placer to help us provide critical services for survivors and their children.

You probably know one or more friends, family members, or co-workers who are survivors, even if you’re not aware of it yet. What will you do when a friend or loved one confides their personal struggle with domestic violence? I’m asking you to take a stand today.

Sincerely,

Jenny Davidson, Stand Up Placer executive director

By Jonah Engel Bromwich, Daniel Victor and Mike Isaac, New York Times

A Chicago company has marketed a tool using text, photos and videos gleaned from major social media companies to aid law enforcement surveillance of protesters, civil liberties activists say.

The company, called Geofeedia, used data from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as nine other social media networks, to let users search for social media content in a specific location, as opposed to searching by words or hashtags that would be less likely to reveal an exact location.

Geofeedia marketed its abilities to law enforcement agencies and has signed up more than 500 such clients, according to an email obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union. In one document posted by the organization, as part of a report released on Tuesday, the company appears to point to how officials in Baltimore, with Geofeedia’s help, were able to monitor and respond to the violent protests that broke out after Freddie Gray died in police custody in April 2015.

Read the whole story