An Evening with Bruce Hornsby at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on Dec. 30 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $60 — 800.786.8208.

Blues, gospel and roots music legend Mavis Staples at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on Dec. 10 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $35 — 800.786.8208.

Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary’s Holiday Fair is Nov. 6 from 9am-3pm at St. Theresa’s Grace Hall, South Lake Tahoe.

The Attic is selling its finest “treasurers” that have been collected throughout the year. Clothes, books, linens, purses, toys, glassware, silver, dishware, jewelry and Christmas items will be available.

Santa will visit from 10:30am-1pm.

Food and drinks will be available to purchase.The bake sale will feature the auxiliary’s famous cheese balls.

By Paul Rogers, San Jose Mercury News

In a move that could have a major impact on the recycling industry, California Attorney General Kamala Harris will sue three national companies that make plastic bottles or sell bottled water in California, contending that they illegally claim their bottles are “biodegradable.”

The lawsuit filed Wednesday, seeks to have tens of thousands of bottles of Aquamantra and Balance Water removed from supermarket shelves immediately. It asserts that the bottles used by those brands do not actually decompose naturally and that they contaminate other types of recycled plastic. Further, the suit states that their green-sounding labels could lead to increased littering if consumers believe that tossed bottles will decompose like apple cores or banana peels.

“The manufacturers of these bottles are taking advantage of Californians’ concern for their environment,” Harris said. “Consumers are led to believe they are being environmentally friendly by choosing these bottles. In fact, they could be further damaging our natural resources.”

The court action, filed in Orange County Superior Court, names ENSO Plastics, a bottle-maker based in Mesa, Ariz., along with the retail companies that sell bottled water: Aquamantra, of Dana Point, and Balance Water, of West Orange, N.J.

The products of all three companies are found in stores across California and other states, including major grocery chains such as Whole Foods and Albertson’s.

Read the whole story

Keeping with tradition, Boreal will be the first Tahoe area ski resort to open.

It will be open today from 3-8pm and Oct. 29 from 9am-2pm.

Operations are on a day-to-day basis based on how conditions are.

Boreal will operate the Nugget chairlift. This provides access to one run that has a terrain park with a handful of features.

Lift tickets are $15.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Howie Nave

Oh, how I love Halloween and all that goes with it. From the costume parties, the trick-or-treat candy to the horror movies — Halloween is my favorite time of year.

I remember staying up late as a kid on a Saturday night living in the Bay Area watching “Creature Features” on KTVU Channel 2 (before it became a FOX affiliate) and marveled at all those classic horror flicks that would keep me up in to the wee hours of the morning so it would be daylight when I knew the monsters wouldn’t try to kill me and the vampires were asleep in their coffins.

I give you 15 of my all time favorite scary movies because a Top 10 just wasn’t enough. I still love a good scare and there’s nothing like taking your mind off the real horrors of the world by escaping into a theater or staying up all night watching good horror flicks on DVD at home until the wee hours of the morning where I know the daylight will give me some time to sleep before the monsters decide to wake up later that night.

Halloween, R (1978)

What better way to begin than with the title flick that would spawn so many sequels? “Halloween” is director/writer John Carpentaer’s horror masterpiece and introduced us to the new Queen of Scream, Jamie Lee Curtis and became the sci-fi/horror standard in which other movies copied. Starring the late, great Donald Pleasence as Dr. Sam Loomis, “Halloween” had it all, didn’t it? A psychotic murderer, The Shape (later to be known as Michael Myers in subsequent sequels) who loved to slash his victims, a terrifying music that sticks to your soul and by far one of the most frightening experiences I have ever had in a theater. There were some equally scary sequels but nothing that captured that first scream as the original.

Alien, R (1979)

To this day when you witness that alien bursting out of John Hurt’s stomach you know director Ridley Scott’s terrifying flick has you captivated. “Alien” and its sequel “Aliens” (1986) are still two of the better sci-fi/horror flicks out there even though their version of high tech by today’s standards looks antiquated. The aliens are still some of the creepiest and scariest I have ever seen in a movie which by the way were based on the work of H.R. Giger (for which he received an Academy Award under Best Visual Effects category).

The Exorcist, R (1973)

It would forever typecast its little known actress, Linda Blair. After this flick it was tough for Blair to get any real serious roles forever typecast as that possessed girl who spit up pea soup. Of course it was supposed to be barf, but soon everyone found out it was pea soup and then people would always imitate her making a mess. One of the scariest and psychologically tinged movies ever, “The Exorcist” caused a sensation when it first premiered including religious protesters that of course only made me want to see it more. And yes, there were countless sequels and prequels, but none of them holds up to the mother of all satanic movies.

Hellraiser, R (1987)

Clive Barker knows a thing or two when it comes to messing with people’s minds and this to me is one of his best in that department and one of the most original, too. Originally titled, “Sadomasochists from Beyond the Grave,” Barker (who wrote, directed and produced) must have been on some sort of medication (or stopped taking it) when he came up with this classic horror gem. The character of Pinhead, the lead Cenobite is truly one of the more original icons in horror. You’ll never play with a Rubik’s Cube again if you haven’t seen this classic that’s for sure. Go ahead ,I dare ya.

The Grudge, R (2004)

Based on Takashi Shimizu’s Japanese movie, “Ju-On: The Grudge”) the American version is just as good. Why? Because someone out there in Hollywood was smart enough to let Takashi Shimizu do a remake from his own movie. How about that? The original creator gets to do his own work and wow – the results are impressive. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as an American nurse living and working in Tokyo, she discovers (and is exposed) to a mysterious curse that causes a person to experience an uncontrollable rage before taking their life. The part that still creeps me out is that of images of zombied looking kids in this waterlogged black and white image with freaky noises that stay with you long after the movie has ended. You’ll never want to enter an uninhabited house again unless accompanied by an army of eye witnesses.

The Thing, R (1982)

Hands down one of the best remakes ever. There’s a new one out that’s more of a precursor but this version is still one of my absolute favorites. I first saw this as a double feature in the theater not knowing what to expect, but was blown out of my seat it was that good. Starring a bearded Kurt Russell as the head of an American Antarctic expedition, “The Thing” still boasts some of the best special effects ever and has an all-star stellar cast that includes Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard A. Dysart and Charles Hallahan. Directed by the master himself, John Carpenter, you’ll be grabbing anything when you see what happens when an alien being replicates itself into anything starting with huskies and moving on up from there. Every movie mentioned so far has had a sequel or two and yet this one is the one that I wanted to see a sequel but alas Carpenter felt otherwise.

Poltergeist, PG-13 (1982)

Would you believe that back then executive producer (and writer) Steven Spielberg had to lobby to give this movie a PG rating? The film was originally given an R rating so he (along with the filmmakers) protested successfully and got a PG rating (the PG-13 rating did not exist at the time). This was the movie that gave us the immortal line, “They’re baaaaaack” that was uttered by Heather O’Rourke, the cute little blonde who played Carol Anne, daughter of Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams in the movie. The movie is a stark reminder of what happens when developers, in their zeal to construct urban sprawl forget to move bodies from a cemetery they are building on. The movie took on a life of its own with real life actors dying in each production. The eldest daughter in the movie (played by Dominique Dunne) was killed in real life by her boyfriend upon completion of the first film. Actor Julian Beck died of stomach cancer after shooting the second film and actress Heather O’Rourke died of a mystery case of intestinal stenosis shortly before completion of the third film. Also, many cast members’ careers have suffered after appearing in the films. The ghosts at first appear friendly moving moving objects around the house to the amusement of everyone but then they turn nasty and start to terrorize the family before they “kidnap” Carol Anne. Still a great scare factor to this day, “Poltergeist” has a great story and great effects that rival only that of “The Thing.”

Psycho, PG (1960)

The one movie that would forever make showers a scary experience (if you’re a woman) and would brand those of the male species who were too close to their mom a horror just waiting to unfold. Think of it as a momma’s boy becoming momma. Leave it to Alfred Hitchcock to deliver one of the truly frightening masterpieces of all time. Phoenix office worker Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam (John Gavin) at lunch breaks and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony payments. One Friday afternoon Marion is entrusted to bank $40,000 by her employer. Seeing the opportunity to take the money and run, Marion leaves town and heads toward Sam’s California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into The Bates Motel. The motel is managed by a quiet young man called Norman (Anthony Perkins) who seems to be dominated by his mother. An interesting piece of trivia: After the film’s release Hitchcock received an angry letter from the father of a girl who refused to have a bath after seeing “Les Diaboliques” (also on this list), and now refused to shower after seeing “Psycho.” Hitchcock sent a note back to the father simply saying “Send her to the dry cleaners.”

28 Days Later, R (2003)

Movies that contained a virus theme in them have always creeped me out because you just can’t see them and in the current climate we live in you never know what’s going to kill our species. Will it be an in-your-face detonated device or an anthrax type of monster? Whichever it might be director Danny Boyle plays on that scenario combining the terror of its after effects and the tried and true zombie story. The movie also takes a look at what might happen if we experiment on things that go unchecked. It’s that unknown element that can be the scariest psychologically. Londoner Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up in a hospital room all alone. No one else is in the entire hospital. He puts his clothes on, walks out into the empty streets. He does meet other survivors but how long will they survive? Not just that but it’s the manner in which they die that will make you writhe.

Night Of The Living Dead, R (1968)

If this movie were made today, it would be considered tame for the current crop of gore permeating the marketplace, but “Night of the Living Dead” is a true classic that definitely deserves its place in the Smithsonian Institute of Horror. The movie is still quite effective. I had the rare privilege of seeing this film in a theater at a midnight screening. The audience found themselves screaming and jumping as I did in certain parts. It’s raining weird rays from outer space that causes the dead to awaken from their graves to feed on human flesh for sustenance. After seeing this movie originally on television, I never slept near my sister again when camping with the family.

Diabolique, R (1955)

This movie (original French title “Les Diaboliques”) centers around a nasty headmaster having an affair on his wife who, as it turns out treats his mistress just as badly as he treats his wife. In a twisted three-way the two women conspire to do in the headmaster. Robert Bloch, author of “Psycho,” called this his favorite horror movie.

The Fly, R (1958)

You know a movie is good when a generation of fans who creeped out on the original decide that when they become filmmakers in the next generation to try and top the original. They don’t. Tough to make a better one when you have Vincent Price in the original. When a scientist experiments with matter transference and a fly accidentally becomes part of that matter well, let’s just say if you’ve never seen this classic you’ll never look at flies the same way again.

Seven, R (1995)

For one thing I liked seeing Brad Pitt in a role where even he looked scared. David Fincher’s “Seven” stars Pitt as a rookie detective with veteran detective Lt. William Somerset (played Morgan Freeman) tracking a serial killer who gruesomely kills for world’s ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. It gets really good when they get into the killer’s mind and start thinking as he does.

Jaws, PG (1975)

The was the movie that literally put a young Steven Spielberg on the cinematic map and if you think the PG rating is too tame, you’re correct. But back then they hadn’t come up with the PG-13 rating which is what this should be if seen today. This is one of the best psychological horror-adventure flicks I’ve seen in a while. The idea of a lone, killer shark bent on eating people in a vacation resort community just begs buffet specials. That coupled with the signature shark music of John Williams makes this an all time fav of mine and even to this day I ask myself, “Is it safe to go into the water?”

Paranormal Activity, R (2007)

Maybe it’s the low-budget quality that made it so real with its single-camera, rapid-movement-shot in the first-person style but whatever it was sure scared me and this was the first one. Less than four years later the second sequel is released and still raking up box office receipts. With the success of another very low-budget flick, “The Blair Witch Project,” “Paranormal Activity” works because the tension is just a shaky as the movie plus since there’s no big names in this movie you don’t know who is going to be killed off or saved.

OK, some Honorable Mentions worth checking out too:

There are so many other flicks that make Halloween worth celebrating include the original “Saw” (2004), “Basket Case” (1982), “The Omen” (1976), “House of Wax” (not the Paris Hilton version but the original 1953 rendition with Vincent Price), “The Haunting” (1963), “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984), “The Blair Witch Project” (1999), “Scanners” (1981) and the Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, “The Birds” (1963). For campy horror fun you must see “An American Werewolf in London” (1981), “Scream” (1996) and my personal fav, “Shaun of the Dead” (2004).

Howie Nave is host/emcee/manager of The Improv at Harveys. You can hear him Monday-Friday 6 to 10am on KRLT FM-93.9.

A South Lake Tahoe man is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 31 on murder charges.

Brad Macewan, 55, is accused of killing his roommate Patrick Lee Rego, 52, at their South Tahoe residence. Macewan was originally arrested in July, but was released until the District Attorney’s Office believed enough evidence was presented to file charges.

The court hearing will be in Placerville. It’s possible at that time the presiding judge will decide if the case should be tried in Tahoe.

If found guilty, Macewan could face 25 years to life in prison.

— Kathryn Reed

As party-going ghosts and goblins celebrate Halloween, the Avoid the 6 El Dorado County DUI Task Force reminds everyone to keep the party off the road. Two extra DUI saturation patrols will be out in force with extra officers looking to stop and arrest drunk or buzzed drivers.

Additionally, every patrol officer and traffic officer on routine patrol countywide will be on alert for the telltale signs of impairment.

“There isn’t a Halloween costume clever enough to hide an impaired driver who’s made the poor decision to get behind the wheel,” South Lake Tahoe police Sgt. Shannon Laney said in a press release. “Whether you’ve had one too many or way too many, it is just not worth the risk. Remember, buzzed driving is drunk driving.”

Nighttime is an especially dangerous time to be on the road. But this weekend and Halloween night is one of the deadliest times of the year for impaired drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 48 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night (6pm Oct. 31 to 5:59am Nov. 1) in 2009 involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher.

DUI checkpoints along with regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement serves as a proven deterrent with the goal of removing impaired drivers and heightened awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The Avoid the 6 DUI Task Force recommends these simple tips for a safe Halloween celebration:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.

• Before drinking, designate a sober, non-drinking’ driver.

• If you’re impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.

• If you happen to see a drunken driver on the road, don’t hesitate to call 911.

• And remember, friends don’t let friends drive drunk. If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

By Kathryn Reed

KINGS BEACH – “It is finally Lake Tahoe’s time.”

Those are the words of Squaw Valley CEO Andy Wirth. His peers Bill Rock, COO of Northstar, and Art Chapman, president and chairman of JMA Ventures, concur.

The three shared the stage Thursday during the 59th annual membership lunch for the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association. More than 100 people listened to the three executives talk about Squaw-Alpine, Northstar, and Homewood, respectively, and what it means in terms of Lake Tahoe competing with destinations in Utah and Colorado.

Andy Wirth of Squaw speaks Oct. 27 as Art Chapman of JMA and Bill Rock of Northstar listen. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“What a great time to be in North Lake Tahoe,” Rock said. He said this is the most interesting place to be in all of North America when it comes to the ski industry.

Vail Resorts bought Northstar last year and this summer infused $30 million into the resort. When KSL Capital Partners bought Squaw last year it pledged $50 million in upgrades in five years.

Homewood Mountain Resort, which turns 50 next year, is ready to spend millions as well. JMA is awaiting the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s potential approval of its overhaul of the resort at the Dec. 14 meeting before it can go forward.

While the three consider each a friend and competitor, they recognize upgrades to one resort enhance the overall experience for visitors. They also know with the multitude of resorts in the greater Lake Tahoe area that skiers seldom stick to one property during a weeklong vacation. Even locals like to ski more than one place, as evidenced by the popularity of combo passes.

With Vail Resorts owning Northstar and Heavenly, it has the Tahoe Value Pass.

Wirth said sales of the Tahoe Super Pass – which gives riders access to Squaw and Alpine – are three times greater than what was anticipated.

Homewood and Kirkwood Mountain Resort also have a combo pass.

KSL’s partnership with JMA, which had been the sole owner of Alpine Meadows, is expected to be finalized within two weeks so the new firm called Squaw Valley Ski Holdings Inc. will run Squaw and Alpine. The last hurdles are for the California Tahoe Conservancy to approve a lease agreement today and the U.S. Forest Service to do the same in a matter of days.

Wirth pre-empted a likely question about what happens with White Wolf, the property owned by Troy Caldwell that separates (links?) Squaw and Alpine. Caldwell was at the lunch, but didn’t speak.

“We are working on ways to accomplish great things on a long-term basis,” Wirth said. He added that the resort has a good relationship with Caldwell. After all, Caldwell owns KT-22.

Wirth brushed by the fact Squaw is in talks with the U.S. Forest Service that might lead to access changes.

“There may be an announcement in the next three weeks,” Wirth said without elaborating.

Wirth and Rock praised those who operated Northstar and Squaw until last year, recognizing they laid the foundation that allows the new owners to elevate the level of skiing beyond what it has been in Tahoe.

In the first month of South Lake Tahoe’s online Report a Grow program, a search warrant was served that turned into a child endangerment case and the seizure of more than 90 marijuana plants, and eight other properties were inspected and found to be in compliance with codes.

Those eight were told about the need to obtain a permit by Dec. 20 to be in compliance with the city’s Residential Medical Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department provides the following list of observations that could be indicative of marijuana growing operation:

• Strong marijuana odor or skunk-like smell around the residence.

• Excessive condensation on the windows or on the exterior of the residence.

• Brown discolored ooze seeping from the inside out.

• Black tarps or dark covering around the majority of windows.

• Ventilation holes cut into the home.

• Humming noises associated with ventilation fans.

• Signs of power meter tampering. Most marijuana grows draw a significant amount of electricity which would require altering the amperage output for the home.

• Suspicious activity including excessive foot traffic in and out, plastic pots with stems and/or numerous bags of fertilizer and soil with no signs of outdoor gardening. Loading or unloading of equipment from the residence during nighttime hours.

• Visible security cameras around the residence.