History will repeat itself Jan. 15 at Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park as the Eagle Wings Dance Group, descendants of the Paiute, Shoshone and Washoe tribes, will be offering traditional songs and dances sacred to the tribes represented to the creator-God in thanks as part of the closing ceremonies for Olympic Heritage Celebration week.

An absence of January snow in the Sierra posed similar planning concerns for the organizers of this week’s Olympic Heritage Celebration events as for the organizers of the VIII Winter Olympic Games Nordic events on the West Shore in 1960. The nervous organizers of those original Olympics brought in Great Basin dancers to encourage snowfall.

“No snow coverage has presented problems, but has also opened a door to history,” Heidi Doyle, the volunteer and interpretation program manager for California State Parks in the Lake Tahoe, said in a release. “Sugar Pine Point State Park was the summer home of the Washoe peoples and we are thrilled that their traditions will return to the West Shore of Lake Tahoe this winter.”

Athletes from around the world came to Lake Tahoe to participate in the 1960 Winter Olympic Games. The biathlon and cross country events of the VIII Winter Games were held in what is now Ed Z’Berg Sugar Pine Point State Park. Portions of the marked Nordic trails, found within the state park, follow the route of the biathlon and men’s events. Olympic Heritage Celebration week celebrates the spirit of athleticism and highlights the unique cultural heritage found within the park and our region.

Past Olympians, officials, and dignitaries from the 1960 Nordic events will also be on hand to commemorate the end of a week celebrating our Olympic Heritage. The ceremony will take place at Sugar Pine Point State Park in front of a quarter scale replica of the Tower of Nations that stands at the entrance to Squaw Valley.

The park is located on Highway 89 midpoint on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, just south of Tahoma. The Closing Ceremonies begin at 2:30pm and there is an $8 per vehicle parking fee.

For more information, call Doyle at (530) 583.3074.

By Bill O’Reilly

President Obama may not know it, but he has a nice advantage in the world of late-night TV. A new study by The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University says that in 2011, late-night comedians mocked Republicans three times more than they did Democrats. The biggest ideological difference was between David Letterman and Jay Leno. Letterman told 77 jokes at the expense of Obama, while Leno told 156 — about 100 percent more.

The Republican presidential candidates got whacked across the board in late-night precincts. Herman Cain was mocked 191 times, Rick Perry 186, Michele Bachmann 128, and Newt Gingrich 110.

Interestingly, Mitt Romney was only singled out for teasing 79 times, perhaps signifying a certain blandness on the part of the governor.

The George Mason survey doesn’t count the GOP mocking by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, possibly because researchers would have collapsed trying to chronicle that. The fact is that every late-night comedian is liberal, and so are most of their writers. Leno is the most neutral; Letterman, Stewart, Colbert and Jimmy Fallon are the furthest left.

The question is: How much will this matter in the 2012 election? Tough to answer, but one thing is certain: The late-night shows are not as well watched as they used to be.

However, popular culture does have an effect on the distracted voter: those people who do not pay much attention to the news. They often pick up the political narrative from entertainment programs and stuff they read on the Internet. There is no question that Obama’s rock-star status in 2008 was largely defined by Oprah and other entertainers. And that stodgy old John McCain did not exactly dominate the rundown on “Entertainment Tonight.”

If Romney is the Republican nominee, boring jokes will rule the day. If a committed conservative like Rick Santorum were to run, the writers would go wild. I can see a Santorum impersonator on “Saturday Night Live” wearing a sleeveless sweater and a “Re-elect John Adams” button. Huey Lewis once sang, “It’s hip to be square.” Not on late-night TV, it isn’t.

Americans should expect the media to back Obama again, although the enthusiasm couldn’t possibly match that of 2008. We live in sobering times, and even though many believe it’s all George W. Bush’s fault, that punch line is not working anymore. There will be a new narrative, and it most likely will involve highlighting the dumbness of the GOP guy, not the accomplishments of the president.

In the end, the election will not be decided on late-night TV. Republicans already have lost there. Luckily for them, the Electoral College is a daytime operation.

Bill O’Reilly is host of the Fox News show “The O’Reilly Factor” and author of “Who’s Looking Out For You?” and “Pinheads and Patriots”. 

By Kathryn Reed

Balancing the needs of the environment, the economy and the residents was the overriding message delivered by seven people who spoke at the Lake Tahoe Community College board meeting Tuesday night about SnowGlobe.

The three-day music festival during New Year’s Eve weekend continues to be cursed by those who endured the loud music inside their homes and blessed by businesses that otherwise would have had little income without the influx of tourists.

These young professionals are a different crowd than the people who gather at Stateline New Year’s Eve. SnowGlobers have money to spend. The casino crowd is a lot of college students with little money.

SnowGlobe is making noise more than a week after the musicians left town. Photo/LTN

Jacob Hurd, president of LTCC’s Associated Student Council, rattled off a list of foreign passports he saw representing the diverse group at SnowGlobe.

“We brought a new group of tourists up here,” Hurd told the board.

The ASC plans to present the board or staff with recommendations for how to get students more involved and to make the event better if it were to return.

While the college could reap about $13,000 in cash – that goes to the general fund and not to Sacramento – this was a city event. The college made money by leasing the gym as the green room for performers and the student center/kitchen for meals to be prepared for concert workers.

The field’s ownership wasn’t uncovered until all the paperwork was being put together between the promoters and South Lake Tahoe. The California Tahoe Conservancy still has title to the multiuse ball field. The deed was never filed for the city to take possession of the property. That should be rectified soon.

The CTC did turn over operations of the field to the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority because it was money from Measure S that paid for the ball field. The JPA then turned over operations and maintenance of the field to South Lake Tahoe.

The city has controlled use of that field since it opened a few years ago. That is why the city is the one who had the permit with the promoters.

While the promoters would like to come back, no one has come to the city or college asking to do so. As of today, there is no August concert on the calendar – nor any other concert planned in the city for 2012 by anyone, according to city spokeswoman Nancy Kerry.

College President Kindred Murillo told the board if SnowGlobe or something like it were to come back to the field, she would like LTCC to be more of a partner. But she also said because the college doesn’t own the property, the city could do whatever it wants.

“When you are a partner in the process, you have more control,” Murillo said. “I feel we need more of a say in things.”

The three key things Murillo wants to be part of are transportation, noise and trash.

The latter two issues are what most of the people who spoke Jan. 10 complained about. Six people who live in the area mostly gave the board an earful about the noise they experienced, the vibrating walls and inability to escape the thumping bass.

Catherine Whelan let the board know people are talking with an attorney with the intent of filing a class action lawsuit against the city and college to cover damages from items that were broken when they fell off shelves or walls because of reverberation from the music produced at SnowGlobe.

“The entire inside of my house was vibrating,” Whelan said.

Murillo after the meeting told Lake Tahoe News this was the first she had heard of a lawsuit.

Kerry said, “SnowGlobe producers took out an insurance policy protecting the city, county, the college, CTC, and JPA. If there is any damage or problem, they would have to take it up with SnowGlobe.”

The college board members were a bit restrained in their comments about SnowGlobe at the end of the meeting. Fritz Wenck said the the closest he got was driving by. Others, though, praised the college staff for a job well done.

Murillo said if the city is going to do this again, she hopes they come asking for assistance soon so appropriate planning can begin.

Kerry said the council is not likely to have anything about SnowGlobe on a future agenda. When someone proposes an event, that’s when the ball gets rolling.

But the city is not waiting for the next event to even reach the idea stage before it makes changes. Staff met Tuesday to discuss amending its special use permit for events like SnowGlobe. Revisions would have to be approved by the City Council, which is likely to occur in March or April.

Noise and time elements, with specified penalties/fines will be part of that revised permit.

“The other thing is there will be an agreement between the city and producer, not just a permit,” Kerry told Lake Tahoe News. It will be a binding contract.

The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce took a survey with the results showing SnowGlobe being a moneymaker as the overwhelming sentiment of business owners.

Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce this week put up a survey on its site that anyone may take.

“The positive impacts to businesses are indisputable,” Kerry said.

However, Tom Wendell told the LTCC board, “The short-term benefits do not outweigh the long-term detriments.”

By Robert Reich

My political prediction for 2012 (based on absolutely no inside information): Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden swap places. Biden becomes Secretary of State — a position he’s apparently coveted for years. And Hillary Clinton, Vice President.

So the Democratic ticket for 2012 is Obama-Clinton.

Why do I say this? Because Obama needs to stir the passions and enthusiasms of a Democratic base that’s been disillusioned with his cave-ins to regressive Republicans. Hillary Clinton on the ticket can do that.

Moreover, the economy won’t be in superb shape in the months leading up to Election Day. Indeed, if the European debt crisis grows worse and if China’s economy continues to slow, there’s a better than even chance we’ll be back in a recession. Clinton would help deflect attention from the bad economy and put it on foreign policy, where she and Obama have shined.

The deal would also make Clinton the obvious Democratic presidential candidate in 2016 — offering the Democrats a shot at twelve (or more) years in the White House, something the Republicans had with Ronald Reagan and the first George Bush but which the Democrats haven’t had since FDR. Twelve years gives the party in power a chance to reshape the Supreme Court as well as put an indelible stamp on America.

According to the latest Gallup poll, the duo are this year’s most admired man and woman This marks the fourth consecutive win for Obama while Clinton has been the most admired woman in each of the last 10 years. She’a topped the list 16 times since 1993, exceeding the record held by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who topped the list 13 times.

Obama-Clinton in 2012. It’s a natural.

Robert Reich is chancellor’s professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton. He has written 13 books.

Lack of snow is delaying the learning process for some students in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The snowshoe trek at Heavenly that is led by the U.S. Forest Service for Lake Tahoe Unified students has been pushed back two weeks.

Several outdoor classes at Lake Tahoe Community College have been delayed for a month.

Those LTCC classes include:

WLD 128B 2: rescheduled dates: Lec: 2/7, 2/9 6-9:50pm and lec/field days 2/11, 2/12

WLD 128B 3: rescheduled dates: Fri-Sun 2/3-2/5

WLD125A: BC Ski: rescheduled dates: Lec: Monday 2/6 6-850, Field: 2/7, 2/14, 2/28

WLD126A: BC Snowboarding: TBD

WLD 128B 1: Travis Feist (scheduled to begin 1/3)

Rescheduled: 2/28, 3/1, 3/3, & 3/4, same hours

WLD 122C: Darla Mazzoni (scheduled to begin 1/4)

Rescheduled: Orientation: 2/1

Field: Fridays 2/3, 2/10, 2/24, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, same hours

WLD 122D: Darla Mazzoni (scheduled to begin 2/15, but now in conflict with 122C)

Rescheduled: Orientation: 2/8

Field: Sundays 2/12, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18 Friday 3/23, same hours

WLD 124A 1,2,3,4: Leslie Ames, et al (scheduled to begin 1/4)

Rescheduled: Orientation: 2/1

Field: Fridays 2/3, 2/10, 2/24 and 3/2, same hours

WLD 121: Snowshoeing: MaryAnn Clark (scheduled to begin 1/5)

Rescheduled: Orientation: Th 2/23 Field: Sat 2/25, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17.

By Sheena McFarland and Michael C. Lewis, Salt Lake Tribune

A pioneer in women’s freestyle skiing has been seriously injured in Park City.

Sarah Burke, a Canadian freestyle skier who’s a four-time gold medalist in ski superpipe at the Winter X Games, sustained “serious” injuries while training in the Eagle Superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort Tuesday, said Andy Miller, communications director for the resort.

The Park City Mountain Resort mountain patrol stabilized her at the scene before transporting her to Base Patrol, where she was airlifted to the University of Utah hospital in Salt Lake City.

Further details were not immediately available.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association is “wishing her a speedy and full recovery,” according to Margo Christiansen, the communications director for USSA.

Read the whole story

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol will be increasing law enforcement presence in Incline Village through April 1.

Working in partnership with the community, and with the assistance from NHP, the goal is overall deterrence of traffic violations which include vehicle and pedestrian accidents, reducing criminal activity and improving the overall quality of life.

By providing high visibility law enforcement for a sustained period of time, the idea is deputies can actively enforce and educate violators on the importance of traffic and pedestrian safety.

The program integrates location-based crime and traffic crash data to determine the most effective methods for deploying law enforcement and other resources. Incline Village has been identified as a site for deployment based on historical crime and motor vehicle accident data compiled by the sheriff’s office.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews are scheduled to begin prescribed fire operations in Placer County Tuesday. Operations will take place at the end of Silver Tip Drive near Sunnyside.

The operation is small, approximately one-half an acre and will last one day.

Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from this prescribed fire project area. The Forest Service strives to minimize the impacts of smoke on local communities. Smoke-sensitive residents should consider staying indoors and keeping doors, windows and outside vents closed. To directly receive prescribed fire updates, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

The South Tahoe Amateur Hockey Association is in full swing ready to host the 7th annual Lake Tahoe Invitational Hockey Tournament. This youth hockey tournament features 19 teams from all over California playing in three age divisions at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena, home of the Tahoe Grizzlies.

Admission to all tournament games is free.

This year the Tahoe Grizzlies are entering four teams for the first time: Mites (ages 8 and below), Squirts (ages 9 and 10), PeeWees (ages 11 and 12) and Bantams (ages 13 and 14).

The action-packed four-day holiday tournament gets under way Jan. 13 at 9am with the last game of the day at 9pm. Games run all day Saturday and Sunday form 6am-9pm. The tournament wraps up Jan. 16 with a division championship game for the Mites, Squirts, PeeWees and Bantams.

Including players and their families, the tournament attracts more than 1,000 people to the area and provides an estimated $200,000 or more in direct economic benefits to the South Lake Tahoe community.

It is the largest fundraiser of the year for Amateur Youth Hockey in the Tahoe basin and surrounding area, and features raffle items and silent auctions to raise much needed funds.

The Tahoe Grizzlies Squirts, PeeWees and Bantam teams are travel hockey teams and resume their regular season schedule the following weekend. In March there are regional playoffs and state playoffs, with league games the weekend following the tournament.