By Kelly Vial

With the cool fall weather approaching, it’s important to think about an important vitamin we can absorb from the sun: vitamin D. According to city data, South Lake Tahoe boasts an average of 249 days of sunshine per year, so we should all be quite abundant in our vitamin D stores.

However, many of us spend hours indoors and nutrition research shows about 40 percent of adults are lacking this vitamin.

Kelly Vial

Below are some common questions about vitamin D and how to get the most from this important nutrient.

What is vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. This means it is stored in your body’s fat, not your blood stream, and must travel through the digestive system for absorption. Vitamin D helps the body absorb important nutrients we get from food, including calcium, magnesium, phosphate, iron and zinc. Vitamin D can enter the body through the skin or diet, is processed by the liver, and activated by the kidneys.

Why is vitamin D important? 

Vitamin D is a key component to maintaining healthy bones. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, which can increase the risk of falls and fractures in older adults. Though less common in the U.S., a deficiency also leads to other bone diseases such rickets in children and softening of the bones (osteomalacia) in children and adults. New research shows vitamin D may help regulate many other cellular functions throughout the body.

Do all people need the same amount?

Some people may require higher vitamin D intake due to certain risk factors. For example, sunscreen and other skin barriers can prevent the absorption of vitamin D. Other barriers include darker skin tone, obesity, and certain diseases.  You can also consume too much vitamin D, so be sure to consult with your primary care provider prior to taking a dose higher than the daily recommended intake.

How do I get more vitamin D?

Sources of vitamin D including the following:

• Sunlight. Sun exposure can increase your risk for skin cancer, so be cautious.
• Fortified vitamin D. Look for milk, orange juice, bread, cereal, and other products that add vitamin D.
  Fatty and oily fish. Tuna, sardines, and cod liver all have high vitamin D levels.
• Mushrooms. The kind you buy in the store.
• Vitamin supplements. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends infants who are solely breastfeeding need 400 international units (IU) daily. The IOM suggests 600 IU daily from age 1 to 70 and adults over the age of 70 should take 800 IU daily.

To learn more about vitamin D and its effects on your health, talk to your care provider and see if you are getting an adequate amount of vitamin D.

Kelly Vial is a family nurse practitioner at Barton Family Medicine in South Lake Tahoe.

By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times

Cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death in California and 21 other states, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That total is in stark contrast to the situation at the start of this century, when only two states — Alaska and Minnesota — lost more people to cancer than heart disease.

And it’s a huge departure from the situation in the 1950s, when the number of heart disease deaths was 2½ times bigger than the number of cancer fatalities.

Read the whole story

By Daniel Rothberg, Las Vegas Sun

Despite a sharp decrease in applications for new rooftop solar projects, Nevada remains among the top five states for the deployment of solar resources. When Nevada was compared to other states, it ranked fifth for solar installations during the first half of 2016, a trade group said in a study released Monday.

One reason for the result: large-scale solar projects. According to the study from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association, Nevada continues to break ground on large-scale projects, even as sales for rooftop solar systems in the state remain a fraction of what they were during 2015.

As of June, about 81 megawatts of large-scale solar resources had been installed in Nevada (for reference, one megawatt can power about 600 homes). Several projects became operational at the end of 2015, including a solar operation at Nellis Air Force Base and one near Tonopah. NV Energy began construction on two additional large-scale projects this summer, both expected to operate next year.

Read the whole story

·       Expedia Viewfinder calls Lake Tahoe one of the world’s most breathtaking destinations.

·       The Tahoe Donner Trail (aka the Trout Creek Trail) is now open in Truckee.

·       Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California will receive $490,000 in Indian Community Development Block Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. These funds may be used for a wide range of affordable housing and community development projects.

·       At Nevada Field Day on Sept. 24 from 9am-2pm, visitors will be treated to a variety of free activities and giveaways, and even some tasty food samples. Restaurateur/chef Mark Estee will be demonstrating how to cook at home with healthy, local food. The event is at the university’s Main Station Field Lab, 5895 Clean Water Way in Reno.

·       The California Government Compensation in California website has been updated to include 2015 self-reported data for special districts.

By Sandra Chereb, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Cafeteria lunches have been the butt of jokes for generations of schoolchildren. Mystery meat, chef’s surprise and cardboard often come to mind.

Jokes aside, it’s a conundrum Gov. Brian Sandoval contemplates seriously. Why can’t school lunches taste better?

Sandoval raised the issue Tuesday as the state Board of Examiners approved nine contracts between the Nevada Department of Agriculture and various vendors worth $16.7 million to provide food for school breakfast and lunch programs. Funding comes from the federal government.

Read the whole story

Redrun will once again take over Virginia City by transforming the historic ghost town into the aftermath of Armageddon.

The Oct. 8 event has been named one of the best zombie events in the nation by Yahoo and one of the top quirky races in Nevada by Travel Nevada. Runners must fight off zombies who are trying to take their flags while they maneuver through the historic landmarks of Virginia City, obstacle courses, and attacks of “blood” bombs. Runners may choose to take on the 6.66-mile course or the shorter 3.33-mile course. Participants can also register to be a zombie or a member of the living insane.

Every week leading up to the event Redrun is revealing a dead zone.

The run begins with a zombie procession down the center of Virginia City, and a unique runner launch which is being kept under wraps until the day of the event. There is also a saloon crawl for participants and spectators. The festivities are capped off with a live concert.

For more information on Redrun, including to register, go online.

To the community,

At one time, we were told by the Tahoe Transportation District that the EIR for the loop road project (aka,
US/50 South Shore Revitalization Project) would be completed in April of this year and submitted for public
comment this summer along with the TTD’s preferred alternative.

More recently, however, TTD has said that the EIR would be published in August, with selection of a preferred alternative and public discussion to follow. If I’m not mistaken, August has come and gone and still there is no sign of an EIR. One begins to wonder if wiser heads have prevailed and TTD has decided to shelve the loop road project much as it appears to have done with its “All Season Crosslake Passenger Ferry”. That project, fortunately, continues to gather electronic dust on TTD’s website.

Jerome Evans, South Lake Tahoe

The El Dorado County Senior Nutrition Program is looking for volunteers for the home delivered meal program.

Volunteers generally work one day each week on an assigned route, delivering meals between 10:30am-noon. People who cannot provide a weekly commitment can serve as back-up drivers.

Orientation sessions for new volunteer drivers are:

·      Sept. 28, 1-2pm at the Placerville Senior Center, 937 Spring St.

·      Sept. 29, 10-11am at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

For more information, call 530.621.6160.

South Lake Tahoe Friends of the Library are putting on three diverse programs in October.

The free programs include:

Oct. 1, 11am: Tahoe historian Mark McLaughlin will put on an illustrated presentation about his newest book, “Snowbound! Legendary Winters of the Tahoe Sierra.” The book profiles the Top 10 snowiest winters since 1879, based on snowfall measured at Donner Pass. He will share dramatic stories and compelling weather facts.

Oct. 15, 10am: Peter Mires, historical geographer and Carson City resident, will presents an illustrated lecture on the rustic architecture of the Lake Tahoe region. Material for the talk comes from his recently published book “Lake Tahoe’s Rustic Architecture” (Arcadia Publishing, 2016). Although Mires will focus largely on its Gilded Age to the Great Depression heyday, he will invite discussion of what many call “mountain architecture” or simply “Tahoe style.”

Oct. 19, 6pm: Fall is a time of transitional beauty in the Sierra Nevada – from fish to foliage, winter coats, and lower sun angles, the landscape takes on new colors and appearances. Explore the nature of these transitions with conservation biologist Will Richardson from TINS. Learn why so much of the landscape changes color, the mechanisms behind those changes (for example, how and why leaves change color), and a bit about the nature of color and visual perception.

All talks are at the South Lake Tahoe Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

Lake Tahoe Community College is launching three artist exhibits on Sept. 29.

There will be a free artist receptions that day from 5-7pm. This is an opportunity to meet the artists whose work will be on display, and to enjoy light refreshments with fellow art lovers.

In the Haldan Gallery inside the library building will be a solo exhibition of paintings by Jesse Wiedel titled “End Times Yard Sale.” Wiedel is hosting an artist’s talk at 5:30pm

In the Fine Arts Building’s Foyer Gallery just outside the Duke Theatre will be an exhibit of photographs by LTCC photography instructor Jim Grant. Entitled “Music Through the Camera Lens,” Grant’s exhibit highlights famous musicians who have performed at Harvey’s Casino over the years.

In the Student Gallery in the Main Building will be the winner’s exhibition, where LTCC Art Department students who won awards in last spring’s Annual Student Art Exhibition will showcase their winning pieces along with some of their new creations.

All three of these exhibits will be open until Dec. 2.