By Ed Vogel, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CARSON CITY — Through the sale of $3 billion in public land in Clark County, cities and counties throughout Nevada have built hundreds of parks and trails, pollution has been kept out of Lake Tahoe and forest fires have been prevented.

The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998 has been a boon for the entire state. The federal program has saved taxpayers’ money and made life more pleasant and safer for residents and visitors. In Clark County alone, the sales have funded 691 projects. The money paid for park and trail construction, purchases of land for open space, and making water delivery system improvements.

But the good times are about over.

Once the recession reared its ugly head in Nevada, people stopped buying U.S. Bureau of Land Management property in what had been one of the fastest-growing areas of the nation. Just five acres were sold in the most recent auction last year, and that sale brought in only $457,000. That pales in comparison with the heyday in 2004 when 10,329 acres sold for $884 million, of which Las Vegas received $248 million and Clark County $280 million.

Clark County and Las Vegas elected officials acknowledge they relied too much on the land sale revenue and now don’t have other sources of money to build additional parks. But they are confident there is enough general fund revenue to repair and maintain all the parks that have been built.

“There are no guarantees anymore,” said Nancy Lipski, Clark County’s comprehensive planning director. “It has been a very good source of funding that allowed us to do things more quickly than normal.”

Read the whole story

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe and Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra are sponsoring the Violet Richardson Award program, which was created in 2000 as a way to recognize girls for their volunteer service to their communities.

The program honors young women between the ages of 14 and 17 whose volunteer efforts include helping other disadvantaged girls; fighting drugs, crime, or violence; cleaning up the environment; or working to end discrimination and poverty. Volunteer actions that benefit women and girls are particularly valued.

The program is named after Violet Richardson, the first president of the first Soroptimist club that was established in 1921. Richardsn was committed to creating opportunities for girls and young women through her affiliations with Soroptimist, the Girl Scout Council and the American Association of University Women. Her passion for community service, particularly as it affected women and girls, has been an inspiration to Soroptimist International throughout the years.

If you know of a young woman who deserves recognition for her volunteer service, let her know she can find an application for this award at El Dorado and Douglas County libraries, South Tahoe Middle or Whittell High schools, Soroptimist websites: www.Sislt.org or www.Sitahoesierra.org or call (530) 541.2844 for any additional information.

Applications from young women are due Dec. 1.

Publisher’s note: Michelle Aguilar is one of three 2005 South Tahoe High School graduates who joined the Peace Corps upon college graduation. As it gets close to their return date, each will share with Lake Tahoe News readers their thoughts about the last two years.

By Michelle Aguilar

BUENA ESPERANZ, Panama – You know that “talk” most grandparents get to give their grandchild? The talk where they get to say how rough they had it compared to the seemingly effortless and uncomplicated lifestyles of their grandchildren. It usually starts when the child is whining or complaining about how tough their life is. That’s when the grandparent gets the opportunity to chime in with some words of wisdom, typically starting with “well when I was young …” fill in the blank. I think you know what speech I am talking about.

Now, how many people in my generation, “Gen Y”, will be able to give this insightful and intuitive talk to their heirs? Or maybe it will be that they will just fill in the blank a bit differently. Instead of talking about how far they had to walk in the snow, barefoot, both ways, they may fill in the blank with something like “when I was young, Twitter only gave us 140 characters, and the iPad only offered 60,000 apps, and we had to watch our movies with only three dimensions.”

Michelle Aguilar will return to South Lake Tahoe later this year after completing her commitment in the Peace Corps. Photos/Provided

Well, my grandchildren will be hearing a different story.

I lived in rural Panama, working as a Peace Corps volunteer in a remote Ngobe indigenous village named Buena Esperanza, accessible only by boat. I have seen and experienced true poverty firsthand for 27 months.

I lived in the heart of the village and my daily life was much like theirs. I practiced a minimalistic lifestyle. I lived without running water and electricity. I survived without a car, or any personal form of transportation other than the dugout canoe that took me only as far as I could row it.

I have gone without Internet for months at a time and I lived in a place where only the sun controlled my sleep pattern.

However, I did not join Peace Corps just so that I would have a good story to tell my grandchildren. I joined because I truly believe the proverb: “Much is to be expected from those to whom much has been given.” So, really, Peace Corps was just another way for me to advocate that in my personal life.

My main project in Buena Esperanza was a clean water project. Together with my community members we engineered appropriate technology to bring clean, potable water to the community. We solicited and received funds from Rotary International, a local governmental organization and other private donors. Community members were trained in construction methods adapted to the community’s resource availability and maintenance techniques, emphasizing low-cost designs and the use of local resources.

Together we installed 38 water catchment systems and one clean water well which directly benefits more than 500 individuals. This provided them with clean, potable water for the first time in their lives.

I aided in the creation of a comprehensive and culturally appropriate educational program and training manual on the maintenance and use of the water system to ensure its sustainability.

I also worked closely with the women’s artisan group in my community, acting as a motivator and small business consultant. Together we worked on various fundraising, budgeting and forecasting techniques, which resulted in their ability to finance their own artisan house for the production and sale of their products.

My days were also filled with more informal secondary projects including English classes, literacy projects, Girl Scout meetings and painting maps. Since most of my community members had never been farther than 30 miles from their homes and have little access to information, I found myself facilitating many informal discussions, usually sparked by photos from National Geographic magazines, about political, historical, cultural, geographical and scientific issues regarding “the outside world.”

So, now that I am at the end of my Peace Corps adventure, what do I think? I say what most returned Peace Corps volunteers would say: that I have learned and received so much more than I have taught or given.

I realize now that serving as a Peace Corps volunteer is unlike any volunteer or life experience I have had prior, and may every have again. The Peace Corps experience is about human connection, about giving a community hope, teaching them new skills and above all, helping them to help themselves. It is not about bringing in aid, dropping it off and waiting until they need it again. It is about working one-on-one or little by little to reach a goal. It is about taking time. The Peace Corps experience is about truly immersing yourself in another culture to figure out together what is right for them. Peace Corps is about working yourself out of a job (i.e. development work).

As my time here in Panama comes to an end, I am able to reflect on and appreciate all I have been given during my Peace Corps service. Most of all, I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to see and experience the way the majority of the world’s population lives. I leave Panama with a new appreciation and outlook on life.

As hard as it is to leave and say goodbye, I feel like I am ready. I am ready to move on to the next chapter in my life, and I am definitely ready to get back to Tahoe’s mountain air. Once I leave Panama, I plan on traveling through Central America. But I will be back in Tahoe for the holiday season, with my plans after that are still undecided.

Thank you for your support during my few years abroad. I am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces when I get home.

For the full account of my time in Peace Corps Panama refer to my blog.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

By Steve Timko, Reno Gazette-Journal

Same-sex couples increased by 44 percent in Nevada from 2000 to 2010, revised U.S. Census Bureau figures show, while families increased by only 32 percent in the same period.

A Douglas County same-sex couple said there has been a significant change in attitudes toward gay and lesbian couples in Nevada in the past two decades. A University of Nevada, Las Vegas law school professor said changing cultural attitudes could affect how the law is interpreted for same-sex couples. And the man who led the effort in Nevada to define marriage as being between a man and a woman expects the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately weigh in at least one more time on the issue.

Census figures originally released in August for same-sex couples in the United States were revised after the bureau discovered errors caused by the wording of questions. The revised figures released last week showed 7,140 same-sex couples in Nevada in 2010, compared with 4,973 in 2000. The 2010 figures showed 681 same-sex married couples in Nevada.

One was Joe Edson and Mike Hardie of Douglas County, who got married in Cape Cod, Mass., in August 2008.

Hardie, a math professor at Western Nevada College, moved to Nevada in 1981 and came out to his wife, who had been his high school sweetheart, in 1995 after 24 years of marriage.

Hardie said his wife wouldn’t let him move out until he explained to their daughters, then ages 18 and 16, why their marriage was ending, which he said in retrospect was a great decision.

“I have several friends who have tried to hide their sexual persuasion from their children, and it’s been disastrous,” Hardie said.

Hardie and Edson have been a couple since 1996. Edson, now systems/technical director for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, moved to Nevada and in 1998 enrolled in the University of Nevada, Reno.

Edson said that, as a couple, they have “jumped through all the legal hoops backwards” to get many of the same rights and protections that come to opposite-sex couples. That includes legal powers of attorney for health issues and revocable trusts. Edson said he had to be treated for colon cancer in 2004 and that helped propel the decision to get family rights.

Read the whole story

By Patrick McGreevy and Anthony York, Los Angeles Times

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday gave the state auditor broad new powers to investigate the misuse of taxpayer funds by cities and counties, signing legislation created in the wake of the financial scandal in the city of Bell.

The governor also approved a bill allowing nonprofits to take over the operation of state parks that otherwise would be closed because of budget woes and a clutch of proposals intended to protect children. He vetoed a measure that would have allowed child-care workers to unionize.

Jerry Brown

The Bell-related measure by Assemblyman Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, whose district includes the tiny city, allows the auditor to launch an examination of local government agencies, including special districts, to determine whether they are at risk of fraud, waste or mismanagement.

“It is critical for the state to have the tools and authority to help flag gross mismanagement at the local level,” said Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Brown.

The state auditor has an existing program to identify agencies at high risk of fraud or waste, but the law has limited it to state functions. The auditor could investigate local agencies only if directed to do so by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, as the panel did recently for the city of Vernon.

Read the whole story

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, each year more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from the flu, including an average of 20,000 children younger than 5. Everyone 6 months and older is a recommended to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu.

Barton Health is providing free flu vaccines to South Lake Tahoe area residents ages 3-18. Ages 19 and older may receive the flu vaccine for $20 and the pneumonia vaccine for $35. Barton has secured various locations, dates and times for people to conveniently receive their flu and pneumonia vaccinations. All locations will be providing free flu shots for ages 3 to 18. T

here is no appointment necessary to receive the vaccination(s).

Walkin:

Barton Family Medicine (1090 Third Street, South Lake Tahoe)

Oct. 8 9am-1pm

Oct. 22 1-5pm

Nov 5 9am-1pm

Nov. 19 1-5pm.

South Tahoe Middle School (multipurpose room, 940 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe)

Note: This is the only on-campus flu vaccination clinic – The Kung Flu and IZ Xtreme will not be offered in the schools this-year]

Oct. 12 3-7pm.

Stateline Medical Center (155 Highway 50, Stateline)

Oct. 21 3-7pm.

Consult with your physician before receiving any vaccinations. All patients younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. The H1N1 vaccine is included in the seasonal flu vaccine.

Both vaccines are reimbursable for standard Medicare patients. Medicare HMOs cannot be billed. Cash, check and credit cards (Visa, M.C. and Amex) will be accepted. For more information on the seasonal flu, questions may be emailed to publicrelations@bartonhealth.org or call (530) 543.5615.

By Yukari Iwatani Kane, Wall Street Journal

Steven P. Jobs, the Apple Inc. chairman and co-founder who pioneered the personal computer industry and changed the way people think about technology, died Wednesday.

“Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives,” Apple said in a

Steve Jobs

statement. “The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

His family, in a separate statement, said Mr. Jobs “died peacefully today surrounded by his family…We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.”

During his more than three decade-long career, Mr. Jobs transformed Silicon Valley as he helped turn the once sleepy expanse of fruit orchards into the technology industry’s innovation center. In addition to laying the groundwork for the modern high-tech industry alongside other pioneers like Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, Mr. Jobs proved the appeal of well-designed intuitive products over the sheer power of technology itself and shifted the way consumers interact with technology in an increasingly digital world.

Unlike those men, however, the most productive chapter in Mr. Jobs’ career occurred near the end of his life, when a nearly unbroken string of innovative and wildly successful products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad fundamentally changed the PC, electronics and digital media industries. The way he marketed and sold those products through savvy advertising campaigns and its retail stores, in the meanwhile, helped turn the company into a pop culture icon.

Read the whole story

The Employee Communication Committee at South Tahoe Public Utility District is sponsoring a candidate forum for the candidates for the board of directors on Oct. 12 from 7-8:30pm.

The forum will be at the board meeting room located at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

The public is invited to attend.

On Oct. 4, the South Lake Tahoe City Council honored Tahoe Area Coordinating Council for the Disabled for 30 years of service to the disabled and senior citizens.

“You left your mark in this community more than anyone I can think of,” Mayor Hal Cole told David Kelly at the meeting.

David Kelly at the Oct. 4 council meeting says he will keep fighting to bring a better quality of life to Tahoe for seniors and the disabled. Photo/LTN

Kelly is the face and inspiration behind the organization that has been instrumental in getting three facilities built in South Lake Tahoe for the disabled and seniors.

With him at the podium on Tuesday to accept the proclamation from the city were TACCD board members David Stevenson and Les Lovell.

In celebration of the 30-year milestone, five restaurants have offered to help increase TACCD’s funding base to make sure its services continue at the same high level.

The Getaway Café in Meyers is the first restaurant in the series to offer to donate a portion of the profits from any item ordered off the regular dinner menu. This will be Oct. 6 after 5pm.

The other dining fundraisers are:

• Ernie’s Café on Oct. 11

• Passaretti’s on Oct. 18

• Taqueria Jalisco on Oct. 25

• Coyote Grill on Oct. 27.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

As part of its Chamber EDucation program, the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Sierra Economic Development Corporation is hosting a two-day QuickBooks seminar Oct. 11 and Oct. 18, 9am-4pm.

Sign in starts at 8:30am both days at the North Tahoe Event Center, 8318 North Lake Blvd. in Kings Beach.

Deadline to register is Oct. 7.

This seminar is geared for owners and/or financial managers of small businesses. Attendees will learn the fundamentals of the QuickBooks accounting software, how to set-up and understand the accounting system, the simplest way to track income and expenses and how to use financial reports to improve their profitability. Mac users are welcome and laptops are not required for the program.

The cost is $225/person and includes 12 hours of instruction and handbook. To register, call the Sierra Economic Development Corporation at (530) 823.4703 or email info@sedcorp.biz.