By Denise Neil, Wichita Eagle

Popcorn, much like fall, is a crunchy treat.

And it’s even more of a treat when you pop it up with the flavors of the season — Halloween and football-friendly flavors like pumpkin spice, peanut butter and honey, white chocolate and candy corn, Buffalo Ranch, bacon Parmesan.

We scoured the internet for the most tempting popcorn recipes for fall and found several winners. These recipes are all easy to make — some take only a few minutes to mix up — and they’re perfect for Halloween parties, tailgates or even simple snacking.

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By Mike TeSelle, KCRA-TV

A ballot measure in Placer County would impose a sales tax increase that could impact everyone who commutes or shops via Interstate 80, Highway 65 and other roads in the county.

The passage of Measure M would impose a half-percent increase in the retail sales tax to raise funds for transportation improvements.

Some commuters said it is easy to spot areas where road repairs or improvements are needed.

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By Adam Nagourney, New York Times

EAST PORTERVILLE — California slashed urban water use over 25 percent in the face of a punishing drought last year, exceeding a mandatory order issued by Gov. Jerry Brown and turning the state into a model of water conservation. Californians tore out lawns, cut back landscape watering and took shorter showers as they embraced Brown’s call to accommodate what he warned were permanently drier times.

But this year, after regulators lifted the mandatory 25 percent statewide cut following a relatively wet winter, water use is up again, a slide in behavior that has stirred concern among state officials and drawn criticism that California abandoned the restrictions too quickly. In August, water conservation dropped below 18 percent compared with August 2013, the third consecutive month of decline.

By any measure, California is confronting a complicated new chapter as it enters the sixth year of a drought that has forced it to balance huge demand for a sparse resource — water — from farmers, residents, municipalities and developers. For one thing, the situation is not as dire as a year ago after a relatively normal rainy season. Some of the most searing symbols of the drought, such as near-empty reservoirs, are harder to find.

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Kindred Murillo is one of three finalists for the chancellor position in Contra Costa Community College District.

Murillo earlier this year tendered her resignation at Lake Tahoe Community College, which will be effective in February.

Kindred Murillo

The next round of interviews at the Bay Area district will be Nov. 1 with the board of trustees, with a public forum the day before.

Prior to coming to South Lake Tahoe in 2011, Murillo was vice chancellor for the Contra Costa Community College District.

What she likes about the East Bay district is the diversity of students – of which there are about 40,000, and then the unique opportunity to finish projects she started. There are three main colleges, with a new satellite center being built in Brentwood.

“I like impacting lots of people,” Murillo told Lake Tahoe News.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Associated Press

Top state election officials and federal authorities in Nevada say plans are in place to ensure a fraud-free vote on Nov. 8.

Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske told the media Tuesday she’s heard fears about voting insecurity in the presidential battleground state.

The Republican state official and the FBI chief and federal prosecutor in Las Vegas say the system is secure.

They insist they’re not responding to GOP candidate Donald Trump’s recent comments about the integrity of the vote nationwide.

Cegavske says Nevada uses touch-screen polls with paper printouts that voters can review before casting ballots, and that since adopting the system in 2004 audits have never found a faulty vote.

FBI Las Vegas chief Aaron Rouse says the bottom line for Nevadans is that their vote is safe and will be counted.

The Loft Lounge’s inaugural Halloween Bash and Costume Contest is Oct. 29.

Resident DJ Roger That will be spinning music until 2am.

In addition to the party, The Loft will be giving away more than $1,000 in prizes for the top three costumes that night.

The South Lake Tahoe restaurant-bar opens at 5pm for dinner and cocktails, and music for the party will start at 9pm.  There is no cover charge. Bar-lounge guests must be 21.

Magic Fusion performs two shows that night, 7pm and 9pm.

Tim Jitloff hanging out in his Jacuzzi, one of his sponsors, at home in Germany. Photo/USSA

By Megan Harrod, USSA

He speaks fluent German and lives in Bergen am Chiemsee, Germany. These two things alone make Tim “Jit” Jitloff of Reno unique among his teammates. Like the Europeans, Jitloff is a commuter in his job as a professional ski racer.

However, Tahoe was his playground as a child, and he was lucky enough to have local legends like Daron Rahlves and recently retired teammate Marco Sullivan to look up to on the mountain.

“I watched them growing up and they inspired me to become a ski racer,” Jitloff remembered. “Marco gets embarrassed when I say that because he thinks I’m joking, but he truly had an impact on me wanting to succeed.”

Oftentimes, it’s those childhood ski heroes that can make all the difference in an athlete’s career—exemplifying how the right mix of passion, determination, grit and perseverance can lead to places never imagined. Like, for instance, the biggest stage in the sports world: the Olympics.

Jitloff is one of those well-rounded athletes who understands the responsibility professional athletes have to exemplify for the next generation of little shredders. He works to show kids that things like humor, honor, kindness and respect are what make people great. While these are character traits that not every professional athlete possesses, hang with Jitloff for a day and you’ll notice it straight away. His gratitude and professionalism shine through.

There’s life off the mountain, too, and Jitloff—who plays guitar—is inspired by musicians from all walks of life, including Jimmy Page, Dave Gilmour and Bob Marley, but also businessmen like Elon Musk and Richard Branson.

“I like people who do things their own way and create,” said Jitloff. Makes sense, as Jitloff tends to take the offbeat path.

You’ve likely seen or heard buzz about a newer ski company on the market: Croc Sports, an Austrian-Finnish company started in 2015. And chances are you’ve heard that buzz because the Californian-born, Tahoe-raised Olympian and seven-time National Champion, Jitloff is the newest member of the Croc team. While in Norway in April for an on-snow training camp, Jitloff ski-tested with Croc Sports. With the switch and his healthy and strong physical condition, Jitloff—often fastest amongst his teammates in training sessions—hopes to translate this speed to race day and find his way back into the top 15 in the world in giant slalom, and onto the podium in 2017.

Jitloff must have a love affair with Italy, as his career-best results—two fifth-place Audi FIS Ski World Cup finishes —have taken place in Alta Badia and Sestriere, Italy. Last season, Jitloff placed seventh at Alta Badia—his best finish of the 2016 season. These results are something of which he’s proud.

“I’m a giant slalom skier, so I am proud of my strong results in Alta Badia the last three years,” he recalls. “Alta Badia, for me, has a special place in my soul because it defines the GS art. When I go there, it makes me better.”

But Jitloff is quick to note that skiing is not everything. Things like languages, music, culture and history help Jitloff to find balance in his often chaotic life on the White Circus. Seeing situations with a different perspective, remaining open-minded and calm help him to deal with the daily challenges of the life of a professional athlete.

Growing up in Truckee, he shred with his two older brothers and their friends at Alpine Meadows and felt like nothing was impossible. He credits his parents as his biggest supporters and says that they encouraged him to relentlessly pursue his dreams—never standing in the way and always allowing him to find his way. For Jitloff, Truckee was a fantastic little mountain town for kids to grow and learn about nature and the mountain lifestyle.

“It shaped me into who I would become and the time skiing around Tahoe was a cornerstone in my life,” Jitloff recalls.

This love for the mountains has translated to Jitloff’s new life in Bergen am Chiemsee, where he lives with his fiancé, Anja, whom he’ll marry next summer. There, he often mountain bikes and holds himself to high conditioning standards. For Jitloff, conditioning is key.

“Everyone has talent, but talent can only bring you so far. You have to be willing to work harder than everyone else and put yourself through a lot of pain to be able to reach the top,” he said. “My journey is a work in progress, but I enjoy the process and I think that’s what keeps me strong.”

It’s hard to reach an elite level in any sport without sacrifice, and alpine ski racing is definitely no exception to this rule. Between travel, on-snow training, racing and conditioning, ski racing is an incredibly full and grueling lifestyle. It is, in fact, your life. Your teammates and coaches become a second family—and, at times, more like a first family. Whether it’s leaving your loved ones at home for extended periods of time or missing key life events because you have a race on the other end of the world—that’s the life of a ski racer. You have to love it. Live it. Breathe it. And these athletes do. One sacrifice for Jitloff that sticks out in his memory was missing his high school graduation for a ski camp. At the time, he’d have rather been skiing, but was also bummed to be missing a major life moment. These days, Jitloff stresses the importance of balancing his personal life with his sporting life—a contributing factor to his decision to live in Europe.

Jitloff believes progressing through life with constant learning and growth is what really matters in the end. We asked him three questions on what he believes makes a champion.

Ski team: In your words, what makes a champion?

Jitloff: A champion is not just someone wins. A champion is someone who stands for something. Someone who has some substance. Who you are as a person—the real you—is what matters. You can win everything there is to win, but things like humor, honor, kindness and respect are what makes people great. I don’t put stock into what you win; I put stock into who you are and how you treat people. That, to me, is a champion.

Ski team: Do you remember the first time you felt like a champion?

Jitloff: I can honestly say that I don’t feel like a champion. I feel like a really lucky kid from Tahoe who got to grow up and follow his dreams. I have had amazing support on so many levels in my career. To be able to what I love is what makes me feel like a champion.

Ski team: What is the biggest piece of advice you have for aspiring kids who want to be sitting where you are today?

Jitloff: In the end, the journey is what matters. The end goal is not everything.

Jitloff kicks off the 2017 season at the World Cup opener giant slalom in Soelden on Oct. 23.

“Death and the Psychiatrist” by Calgary, Alberta, playwright James Hutchison is one of three winning plays to be presented at the second annual WordWave Festival this weekend.

WordWave runs from Oct. 21-23 at Valhalla on the South Shore. The festival features writers, musicians, and performers from around the country, along with oral storytelling, workshops, panels, open mics, guided hikes, and staged readings of the winning plays.

“Death and the Psychiatrist” along with “Joint Chiefs” by Peter McDonough and “In the Garden” by Matthew Widman will be presented at the historic Boathouse Theatre on Oct. 22.

For details and to purchase tickets, go online. Some events are free.

Between Mother Nature and snowmaking, Lake Tahoe area ski resorts are setting their opening dates.

While these are not locked in Sierra cement, so to speak, this is what some of the resorts are forecasting:

• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: Oct. 31
• Boreal: Nov. 4
• Squaw Valley: Nov. 11
• Alpine Meadows: Nov. 11
• Northstar: Nov. 18
• Heavenly: Nov. 18
• Kirkwood: Nov. 18
• Homewood: Dec. 9.
  

By Kathryn Reed

To be, or not to be, that is the question regarding Lake Tahoe Community College’s Theater Arts Department. Only it won’t be Hamlet answering the question.

Ultimately it will be up to the board of education to decide if the department is disbanded, which is the recommendation of staff.

Susan Boulanger

On Oct. 18, Susan Boulanger, who has run the department since 2009, was told of the likely demise of her department.

She doesn’t know if she can fight it, or if she would even try. The rawness of the announcement was still so fresh just a day later.

“Enrollment is down and I don’t know what to do. It’s just fricking heartbreaking to me. I would have liked to have had a little more time to try some different things,” Boulanger told Lake Tahoe News. What those thing might have been she could not articulate.

“It’s not only my loss to not do the shows, but it’s heartbreaking for the people in the community who want to do theater. We are the only game in town,” Boulanger added.

That is the double-edged problem for LTCC. It was never just a college program. Many of the actors in the productions were from the community. Yet, most of the classes were students, not the community actors.

Even though the theater community on the South Shore is small, it is also fractionalized. Boulanger has her domain at the college, Liz Niven rules the roost at South Tahoe High School and then there is Valhalla – the summer community arts festival.

Boulanger has been divisive since she got here seven years ago and since then has not wanted to mend or build bridges. It’s to the point many STHS students don’t enroll in LTCC’s classes.

Niven, who also has a reputation for being stubborn, had a good working relationship with LTCC in the past. After all, she was an adjunct faculty member at the theater program before she got the job to run the high school’s department.

Boulanger has also been reluctant to work with Valhalla. Many question why the black box theater is dark in the summer, when so many people are in town. The only time it hasn’t been was in 2014 when “August: Osage County” was staged there by Valhalla.

What has sustained Boulanger these seven years is that she is well regarded as a director. In the fall and winter she puts on a play, with the spring performance being a musical. Before her tenure there was a time when the college staged four productions in an academic year. Boulanger has been praised for most of her shows, with some singling out “Death of a Salesman,” which was performed in the round.

The fall 2015 production of “Death of a Salesman” was highly praised. Photo/LTCC

But she isn’t a collaborator, and that is what’s needed to keep theater alive on the South Shore. In most places the theater community is close-knit, they go to each other’s productions and cross promote. That doesn’t happen here.

No matter Boulanger’s personality, for the college administration, it all came down to numbers.

In 2011-12 the 188 students in theater arts equated to 25.26 full-time equivalent students. Those numbers for 2015-16 dropped to 82 enrollees or 14.61 FTES. That’s a decline of just more than 56 percent. Usually one degree per year was awarded, with 2011-12 hitting a record of three. To the college, that is unacceptable.

There were not enough students to sustain the lone faculty member. (Years ago the department had one full-time and two adjunct faculty members.)

Most small colleges don’t offer much in the way of theater classes. The only vibrant program is College of the Siskiyous, which is down the road from Ashland, Ore.

But the enrollment numbers at LTCC were going down even when Dave Hamilton ran the program before Boulanger took over.

Boulanger attributed the declining enrollment in part to the increase in tuition and the town not recovering from the recession.

The change in how the state stopped students from taking classes over and over again for credit did not impact the theater program like it did physical education and culinary arts.

This has been a department that has always had to fight for its existence. It just seems like now might be the final curtain call, at least in terms of a traditional college program.

Boulanger’s future with the college remains to be seen. Today, she’d like to keep teaching. There is a process for her to go through to make that happen. She also said she might like to be part of the next incarnation of theater at LTCC.

There is a process for ending the theater program. The Academic Senate will hear the case. This is set for Nov. 4, but could be moved up. Normally it’s not until two weeks later that those members would take a vote on the issue. This would be an advisory vote. In the end it’s the board of trustees who cast the final and deciding vote.

Staff is recommending the college put money into helping create a community theater that would be run by a nonprofit.

“We would like to see more productions like music or dance festivals. All kinds of things could be going on in that theater all the time,” LTCC President Kindred Murillo told Lake Tahoe News. “We believe the community theater model would bring all the people interested in theater to the college to do productions.”