·       Barton Memorial Hospital was one of 798 hospitals to receive an A ranking from the Leapfrog Group, making one of the safest hospitals in the United States.

·       Doug Pierini is now general manager of Kirkwood Mountain Resort. He comes from Breckenridge.

·       Lionel Richie has been added to the Harveys Outdoor Concert Series on Aug. 13 at 8pm.

·       June 11 is Discover Nevada State Parks Day, which means free fishing and entrance to state parks.

·       The 7th annual Lake Tahoe Bird Festival is June 11 from 10am-3:30pm at Taylor Creek Visitor Center on the South Shore. For more info, go online.

By Kathryn Reed

What was going to be a hotel project at the edge of Van Sickle Bi-State Park in South Lake Tahoe is now going to be 22 condominiums.

The South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission on June 9 at 3pm will have a public hearing about the project. The meeting is at Lake Tahoe Airport.

Commissioners will be considering a negative declaration addendum and a request to grant a variance from the front yard setback standard and trash enclosure requirement.

Lucky Look LLC is the owner and applicant. The Washington state-based corporation is a partnership of Michael E. Pegram and Robert S. Over. Pegram is a partner in the Carson Valley Inn in Minden and Bodines casino in Carson. The company’s name is a play off of a horse Pegram owned — Lookin at Lucky — the 2010 Preakness Stakes winner. Neither man was available for comment.

They acquired the property in foreclosure.

Sloan Gordon of Gordon Consulting in Stateline told Lake Tahoe News, “I work for the owner. I’m not going to make any comment.” According to his website, he was a principle planner for Lake Tahoe Development Company. That is the Randy Lane-owned firm that created the Ta-hole – aka failed convention center project.

Lane has been brought in as a consultant for the condo project because at one time he was going to build what was known as the Gondola Vista Boutique Hotel. This was going to be a time-share. Those permits have expired.

When the permitting agencies approved the old project time-shares were an allowed use and whole ownership condos were not. The Tourist Area Plan that was approved in the last couple years now allows condos there. (Time-shares are also still permissible.)

“They called me because I have knowledge of the process. Beyond that I don’t have any involvement,” Lane told Lake Tahoe News.

Attorney Lew Feldman will be representing the project applicants at Thursday’s meeting.

The current project is called Gondola Vista Estates, which will be at 20, 30, 40 Lake Parkway. The units are each two-story and 2,670 square feet.

“The applicant will develop the site using existing residential units of use that are being transferred from the old Colony Inn site,” John Hitchcock, planning manager with South Lake Tahoe, told Lake Tahoe News.

The parcel can be located by going into the state park and taking the access road near the gondola.

“We have different alternative designs. They are going to have to figure out ingress/egress to the loop road if it ever gets built,” Hitchcock said.

(The loop road is a proposal to bring Highway 50 behind Harrah’s-Mont Bleu and in front of the park. Carl Hasty with the Tahoe Transportation District, which is the lead agency on the loop road, did not respond to LTN’s inquiries.)

TRPA has sent a notice to neighbors asking for comments.

“The notice will only ask for comments and does not include a public hearing date because if there are no substantial comments submitted, we can approve at staff level since it is re-permitting a project that was previously approved several years ago,” Tom Lotshaw, TRPA spokesman, told Lake Tahoe News. “The new permit does not have to be issued to the previous applicant/owner.”

By Michael M. Crow

Around the country, graduation speakers are stepping up to podiums to deliver messages of inspiration and hope. But this is not your typical graduation season. This year speakers honored at commencement ceremonies must calibrate their words of wisdom to cut through the chatter of a political season whose discourse has turned coarse, bitter, and disheartening.

At Arizona State University’s commencement a few weeks ago, Teach for America Founder Wendy Kopp advised the newly minted graduates to remember the importance of inclusion and diversity and the need to break down barriers that keep “millions of children from exercising their talents and achieving the quality of life they deserved.” (Zócalo is affiliated with ASU.) She called this generation “smart, savvy, discerning, amazingly connected” and capable of making a profound difference by seeing each other as members of the same team.

Kopp’s vision of the world, and how young people should engage it, stands in stark contrast to the world described by many of the candidates out on the hustings this year. I don’t recognize that picture portrayed by politicians eager to divide us; like Kopp, I have an abundance of confidence in the future precisely because the young men and women in their caps and gowns are already fighting to build the kind of world we all want—fair, just, creative, with the capability to fix even the most complex problems.

Politics and political rhetoric don’t define the entirety of our civic engagement, and so these graduates are right to believe in the future and their power to shape it, without being deterred by dire partisan machinations. And these graduates’ sense of empowerment to contribute to society doesn’t stem from naiveté, but from the foundation for lifelong learning and adaptation they’ve acquired with their college education.

But what will it take for these graduates to pursue their goals and succeed in this deeply polarized America? The answer is a simple and powerful technology: Teamwork. And the good news is that the same hyper connectivity that at times poisons our political discourse with its unfiltered, raw immediacy can also be leveraged for collaboration and constructive teamwork.

Indeed, Wendy Kopp’s concept for Teach for America is a model of how to leverage networks of well-intentioned and talented people wanting to make a positive difference in their communities. For more than 25 years, the organization has recruited recent graduates from top institutions to sign a two-year contract to teach in K-12 schools located in low-income areas throughout the country. Several studies have concluded that the program consistently provides effective, high-quality instruction to students who can benefit from it most. I am proud that 40 graduating Sun Devils have been selected to teach in TFA classrooms this coming fall.

In a similar spirit, at ASU we are committed to expanding the benefits of a college diploma to a larger swath of people. And we seek creative forms of teamwork that can further this mission. One of our responses is an unlikely partnership with Starbucks to create a path to educate more of our nation’s population, encourage upward mobility, and respond to the challenges of social and economic inequality.

Our resulting College Achievement Plan (CAP) provides a means for more people to complete their college education without being burdened by crushing student debt. A key aspect of this ongoing initiative is an evolving use of technology to enhance our digitally immersive course offerings. We are seeing the results with more than 5,200 Starbuck employees enrolled since 2014 and more than 100 graduates this spring.

The fruits of this effort can be seen in the achievements of people like store manager Michelle Brown, a Sacramento mother of two who had struggled financially and with demands on her time before dropping out after two years of college. Through the CAP program, she just completed her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership at ASU, and she will see her own daughter head to college this fall.

Brown’s story is not unusual: There are thousands and thousands of smart, capable, and passionate people who for a variety of reasons had not completed their college degree on a traditional track. It is incumbent upon us as a society, and especially those of us privileged to work in higher education, to find innovative ways to connect with these people who have so much to contribute. The effort is not only about fulfilling their individual potential, but the nation’s as well.

If we leave it up to our politicians to define the narrative around America’s prospects, we may be convinced that failure is at hand—and that teamwork is not a key to success. But that is neither a winning proposition nor true.

Michelle Brown and her fellow graduates are wise to take their cues and inspiration from the Wendy Kopps among us, and to fight together for the future they want. That is the future we all need.

Michael M. Crow is the president of Arizona State University. Zócalo Public Square is affiliated with ASU.

Don’t worry when an army of fire vehicles descends upon Truckee on Tuesday.

Truckee Fire, U.S. Forest Service, Calfire and the town of Truckee are hosting a multi agency wildland drill June 7 from 8am-3pm.

Fire agencies will be training on a multi-faceted scenario that includes wildland fires, wildland urban interface areas, police tactics on road closures, along with community officials helping to manage a theoretical wildland incident in the area.

Expect to see fire agencies from all around the greater Lake Tahoe area, Reno and Sacramento. Expect delays in the areas of Tahoe Donner that exit on to Alder Creek Road near the lower Wolfgang area along with areas by the ski hill Slalom-Snowpeak Road, which will be used as a staging spot.

Two Reno teenagers died Friday when the vehicle they were in crashed near Northstar.

Gregoria Martinez-Reyes, 15, died at the scene. Miguel Ramos-Carillo, 16, succumbed to his injuries that night at Renown Medical Center in Reno.

Two other passengers, both 16 and from Reno, were taken to Renown with major injuries. Their names have not been released.

Martinez-Reyes was on Highway 267 near Northstar Drive when the Jeep Grand Cherokee he was driving left the roadway, and then flipped several times, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officers said alcohol and drugs are not likely factors in the June 3, 8:30pm accident, though speed could be. All four were wearing seat belts.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Darlene Superville and Mary Clare Jalonick, AP

WASHINGTON — Nutrition facts labels on food packages are getting a long-awaited makeover, with calories listed in bigger, bolder type and a new line for added sugars.

And serving sizes will be updated to make them more realistic — so that a small bag of chips won’t count as two or three servings, for example.

“You’ll no longer need a microscope to figure out whether the food is actually good for your kids,” first lady Michelle Obama said. She was announcing final rules for the new labels in a speech at an annual health summit as part of her “Let’s Move!” campaign against childhood obesity.

The changes were proposed by the Food and Drug Administration two years ago and are the first major update to the labels since their creation in 1994. They are now found on more than 800,000 foods.

“The calorie count is in bigger font, so you can actually see it,” the first lady said. “This label will tell you how much of the sugar in your snack was added after processing.”

The overhaul comes as science has changed in recent decades. While fat was the focus in the 1990s when the labels first were created, these days there is more concern about how many calories people eat. The calorie listing will now be much larger than the rest of the type on the label, making it hard to overlook.

Serving sizes will also be easier to see, listed at the top of the graphic. And it will be easier to discern how many servings are in a container as part of an attempt to revise often misleading serving sizes.

Calculations for serving sizes will also be revised. The idea behind listing a whole package of food, or a whole drink, as one serving size isn’t that people should eat more; it’s that they should understand how many calories are in what they are actually eating. The FDA says that by law, serving sizes must be based on actual consumption and not ideal consumption.

Nutrition advocates have long asked for the added sugars line on the label because it’s impossible for consumers to know how much sugar in an item is naturally occurring, like that in fruit and dairy products, and how much is added by the manufacturer. Think an apple vs. apple sauce, which comes in sweetened and unsweetened varieties.

The labels will also include a new “percent daily value” for sugars, meaning the percentage of a person’s recommended daily intake of added sugars in that particular food item. New dietary guidelines announced this year recommend that people get no more than 10 percent of calories daily from added sugars. Since the calculations are based on an average diet of 2,000 calories, that means people should get no more than 200 calories of added sugars a day.

Michael Jacobson, president of the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest, says it’s currently impossible for consumers who look at the labels to know how much sugar in foods is added and how much fits into a reasonable diet.

“Besides helping consumers make more informed choices, the new labels should also spur food manufacturers to add less sugar to their products,” Jacobson said.

Other changes to the labels: They must now list levels of potassium and Vitamin D, two nutrients Americans don’t get enough of. Vitamin C and Vitamin A listings are no longer required but can be included. Iron and calcium will stay.

The food industry has two years to comply.

Reaction to the labels from food companies has been mixed since they were first proposed. While some companies have fought the new line for added sugar, others have supported it. The Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents the food industry’s largest companies, has supported the larger print for calories.

“This update is timely as diets, eating patterns and consumer preferences have changed dramatically since the Nutrition Facts panel was first introduced,” said GMA’s Leon Bruner.

By Hudson Sangree, Sacramento Bee

El Dorado County courts have called the stocky white courthouse in downtown Placerville home for over 100 years – and for nearly half that time residents have argued about whether the historic courthouse has outlived its usefulness.

The debate riled the Gold Rush-era town in the 1960s and resulted in a makeover that covered the neoclassic courthouse’s interior with dark wood paneling and swapped chandeliers for florescent lights.

Today, plans call for a new courthouse to be built in a parking lot behind the El Dorado County jail, in a wooded area on the western edge of the community of 10,000 in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

“It is a building that has outlived its usefulness as a courthouse,” said Suzanne Kingsbury, presiding judge of the El Dorado Superior Court.

Others think the move is misguided. The courthouse has anchored downtown Placerville since it was built in 1912, and it reliably infuses Main Street with dozens of jurors, lawyers and court employees who keep downtown restaurants and shops busy on weekdays. Tourists generally don’t show up until the weekends.

Critics of the move contend there is ample room to build a modern courthouse annex with a much-needed parking garage, while rehabilitating the historic courthouse.

Kirk Smith, a downtown property owner whose family has been in the Placerville area since the 1840s, has led the fight against moving the court.

“It has to do with pride. That’s our heritage. It’s part of our DNA,” Smith said. “People come to Placerville because of what’s old, not what’s new.”

In 1965, grand jurors recommended replacing the old courthouse because of seismic instability, he said. That caused a public outcry and resulted in the courthouse being renovated.

This time, the plan to move the court hasn’t caused such a stir, but there are those who think it’s a bad idea and would siphon dollars that keep downtown’s restaurants and shops afloat.

Main Street business owners say a significant portion of their sales, up to 30 percent in some cases, come from customers who work in the courthouse or residents who are called for jury duty. During the court’s long lunch break, they eat, shop and stroll Main Street, often coming back on the weekend with friends, they said.
Albert Fausel co-owns Placerville Hardware, billed as the oldest operating hardware store west of the Mississipi and one of the longest-operating businesses in California. He and other merchants said they felt excluded from the debate over the courthouse’s fate by public officials intent on a new building despite public sentiment.

Fausel said an addition to the existing courthouse would have been a better option.

“They’re spending so much money (to build a new courthouse),” he said. “I think they could spend the money down here and help the merchants. I don’t know why they’re taking it away from us.”

Preservationists have sued the state Judicial Council to stop the project, saying a legally mandated environmental analysis overlooked the potential for urban blight if the courthouse moves.

“The (environmental impact report) failed to adequately disclose, analyze and/or mitigate the Project’s economic impacts to the businesses in historic Placerville on Main Street that will lead to urban decay,” says the complaint by the Placerville Historic Preservation League.

The case, brought under the California Environmental Quality Act, is pending in San Francisco Superior Court and could be decided soon. Courthouse construction, which was scheduled to start next year, is on hold pending the outcome.

In a legal brief filed by the Judicial Council and El Dorado County, lawyers argued that there is no real evidence that the court’s relocation would lead to blight. Plans call for the 1912 courthouse to be left standing and reused in a way that will enhance the local economy and draw people downtown, the attorneys said.

At the same time, construction of a new 88,000-square-foot courthouse will improve the county’s criminal justice system by providing modern facilities with holding cells, jury-assembly rooms and ample security, the lawyers said. Its location next to the jail will make bringing defendants to court much easier and save money, the lawyers wrote.

Placerville City Councilwoman Wendy Thomas said she understands the concerns of business owners but is certain the ornate white courthouse needs replacing.

“She’s a shining jewel in the center of our city and she’s a mess inside,” Thomas said.

The court’s move should be looked at as an opportunity to reuse the old building in a way that would draw visitors to Placerville on weekdays and at night, Thomas said. She suggested it might be turned into a boutique hotel with a restaurant or a performing arts center.

One expert suggested the move might not have the long-term benefits that advocates envision, however.

Ray McDevitt, a retired lawyer who wrote the book “Courthouses of California: An Illustrated History,” said courthouses such as Placerville’s were traditionally the center of small towns, and not just for symbolic reasons.

“It was an economically sensible decision,” McDevitt said. Lawyers and others using the courthouse had offices downtown, as they still do. Hotels and other prominent public and commercial buildings often shared a square with the courthouse. Centralizing functions made sense.

These days counties around the state are building new justice facilities on the outskirts of towns, including in Auburn, Roseville and San Andreas, the county seat of Calaveras County.

New suburban courthouses might seem logical in the short run by providing ample space and easy access to the county jail, McDevitt said, but he doesn’t think they’ll last 100 years.

“Land at the fringe of a community is cheaper and you can have a huge parking lot,” said McDevitt, who practiced local government law in San Francisco for decades.

The trend, however, is oddly retrogressive, like building shopping centers in the 1950s and 1960s on the edges of cities, he said. The current return to city centers and away from car-based culture is more economically and environmentally feasible going forward, he said.

“The flight to the suburbs is sort of over, I think, as an urban design formula,” McDevitt said. “A lot of places are spending time and energy to revitalize the cores of their communities. So to take a functioning governmental institution and remove it from a place where it’s visible, understandable and accessible seems going against the grain.”

“I think that in another 30 years,” he said, “the decision to remove courthouses to remote locations will be looked at as errors.”

Hudson Sangree: 916-321-1191, @hudson_sangree

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4 Comments
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16 hours ago
Kirk Smith
A number of local politicians pushed closure of our historic courthouse with outrageous claims like councilmember Wendy Thomas telling folks that the state wanted to move our courthouse to Rancho Cordova and that if local government did not support this project now, our courts would lose $90 million and would no longer be high on the list for new construction. But court authorities have said those statements are absolutely false, but neither Thomas nor any of the rest have shown the personal integrity required to correct those and a series of other lies.
ReplyShare10
16 hours ago
Kirk Smith
There were no public hearings this time, no public input, just the usual backroom deals where politically connected people are slanted to make huge sums if their scheme to build on property near the jail goes through. Instead they could do what has been done in California and throughout the nation to save old courthouses, expand older courthouses with an annex as would work here since the adjoining public property could allow for increasing court space by at least three times.
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1 day ago
William Howard
Many of these old courthouses were built at the sites where public executions took place before the state took over that task from the counties. An example is the beautiful old courthouse in Placer County that you can see as you drive through Auburn on I-80. It was built at the site of the gallows used for the first three legal public executions in Placer County. The three murderers were buried under the gallows after their executions. I have always wondered if they moved the graves to a cemetery before they built that courthouse or if their bodies are still moldering beneath it.
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1 day ago
William Howard
It seems to me that a compromise could be reached that would make both sides happy. Keep the old courthouse for civil actions and maybe traffic tickets and build a new courthouse for the criminal actions.

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Washoe Lake State Park is offering a variety of events this month, including an astronomy program with telescopes, a slide presentation about Washoe Lake, a campfire program and a full moon hike.

These events are included with the park’s entrance fee of $7/vehicle. Nevada residents receive a $2 discount.

June 11, 8:30pm: Star Party

The Northern Nevada Astronomy Group will have telescopes set up at the Maze parking lot for viewing stars, planets, and other wonders of the night sky. Bring a jacket, lawn chair, and a red light if possible (red lights do not negatively affect night vision).

June 15, 8:30pm: Washoe Lake Slide Presentation

This 30- to 45-minute program will focus on Washoe Lake State Park and its natural and cultural resources. There will be a brief history of Washoe Valley highlighting park facilities, activities and interpretive programs.

Meet in the Equestrian Pavilion. Enter the park, turn right, pass the campground, and follow a short gravel road to the pavilion’s parking area.

June 18, 7:30pm: Nevada Wildlife Campfire Program

Guest speaker Tricia Dutcher from the Oxbow Nature Study Area in Reno will talk about Nevada’s wildlife species. Participants should bring a lawn chair and flashlight.

Meet at campsite No. 14 in Campground Loop A.

June 20, 8:30pm: Full Moon Hike

Reservations are required for this hike (775.687.4319 or washoelake@hdiss.net). This will be a one-mile, out-and-back walk on the beach of Little Washoe Lake.

Meet in the parking lot at Little Washoe Lake.

On June 12, FNCTN and Tahoe Blue Vodka team up to bring back the chance to earn bragging rights for the best bloody Mary in Lake Tahoe.

Not only are bragging rights and a trophy up for grabs; there is also a $500 cash purse on the line, $250 for peoples’ choice and $250 for celebrity judges choice.

The event is at Steamers in South Lake Tahoe from 1-5pm.

Last years’ contest included garnishes such as homemade bacon straws, cheeseburger sliders, lobster tails, and ghost peppers.

In addition to tasting cocktails, guests can also enjoy live outdoor music from the Connor Party, as well as chances to win prizes from a charity raffle benefitting the League to Save Lake Tahoe. The event is free and open to all ages, with $10 tastings for attendees 21 and over.

Bartender lineup:

Coldwater Brewery – Jacob and Whitney                                                 Mt. Rose Mixers – Tiffany & Josh

Basecamp Pizza – Jillian Raney                                                                 Ninkasi Brewery – Aimi X

Crystal Bay Club – Tyler Taylor                                                                  Turn 3 – Sarah Moss

Brothers Bar – George                                                                                 Gunbarrel Tavern – Christine Riddle

The Loft Tahoe – Jammer                                                                           California Burger Co. – Becca Starkey

BuckaRoos –Chris Patrick                                                                          McPs Taphouse – Brie Stehlic

To the community,

The Lake Tahoe Windjammers Yacht Club members enjoy sailing, being on the water and helping others. Whether teaching others to sail, being part of a sailing crew or helping Bread & Broth volunteers at their Monday Adopt A Day sponsorship dinner, the LTWYC members are ready and willing to help folks in need.

Thanks to the Windjammers’ AAD sponsorship, the B&B dinner guests on May 23 enjoyed a tasty and nutritious meal.

The Windjammers volunteer AAD crew was staffed by Kurt Rasmussen, commodore; Laura Rasmussen, Brendan Lockamy and Jim Hoefor. These four eager volunteers showed up early and jumped right in to help with the dinner’s setup and food giveaway bag packing. With smiles and warmth, they greeted and served the diners and ended the evening stacking chairs and cleaning tables. They were a great crew.

“The fresh food and upbeat atmosphere is a wonderful benefit to community,” commented Laura Rasmussen. “The nutritious meal was enjoyed by the grateful dinner guests. LTWYC is happy to be able to lend a hand and be of service.”

B&B would like to thank the Windjammers for their continued support and providing both the funds and the great crew to ensure that 100 food insecure folks in our community had a hot and filling meal.

To partner with B&B as a donor or sponsor, contact me at 530.542.2876 or carolsgerard@aol.com.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth