Tour de Tahoe bike ride starts in Stateline and goes the whole 72 miles around Lake Tahoe on Sept. 11.

Click here for more information.

America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride leaves from Stateline and goes the 72 miles around Lake Tahoe on June 5. Riders leave between 6:30-8:30am.

Click here for more information.

Bona Fide Books in Meyers is offering a two-day class, An Organized Mess: Making Graphic Novels at its office in Meyers. Two three-hour sessions are June 25 and June 26 from 10am-1pm.

The cost is $69 for both sessions.

Instructor Jared Manninen is a graphic novelist and co-founder of Makoto Press. Manninen was an artist for years before publishing his first graphic novel, the recently released “Gruesome Tales to Tickle Your Terror Bone”.

Jared Manninen

Students will learn about the process of creating graphic novels. Through practical application and discussion, students will explore script writing, illustration, lettering, scanning, and printing. Other topics to be covered include contemporary comics history, self-publishing, and graphic novel resources.

The class is geared toward people who want to write and draw black and white books, but anyone who is interested in the medium is welcome.

Class size is limited, so early registration is recommended. Register for the class online at www.bonafidebooks.com/events or send an email to erin@bonafidebooks.

For more about Jared Manninen, go online.

Bona Fide Books is an independent press that seeks to connect readers with writers and build community. For general information, contact publisher Kim Wyatt at (530) 573.1513 or editor@bonafidebooks.com.

Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park is extending its tour schedule through June 30. After that date, Nevada State Parks will discontinue its operation of the park.

Park tours include a presentation on Dangberg family history and the family’s role in the development of Carson Valley. Displays of historic objects include furniture, clothing, books, dishes, artwork, photographs, phonographs and other items that give insight into the lives of four generations of Nevadans and Carson Valley’s agricultural history.

The park features several historic buildings constructed between 1857 and 1917. Of particular interest is the 15-room main residence, once one of the most prominent homes in Carson Valley.

The park is located on Highway 88 west of Minden, one mile south of the junction between highways 395 and 88.

Tours are Wednesdays through Fridays at 10am; Saturdays and Sundays at 10am and 2pm. Reservations are required by calling Mark Jensen at (775) 783.9417.

Cost is $3 for adults; free for children 12 and younger.

To the community,

Bueno and Marty Kettleson of Bert’s Café recently hosted a Spaghetti Night fundraiser for Tahoe Arts Project. It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by many.

All of us at Tahoe Arts Project would like to thank Crystal Dairy, Bonanza Produce, Sara Lee, US Foods, Sausage Factory and of course the staff at Bert’s for helping to make this fundraiser a success.

A big thank you to all of you who had dinner with us that evening and to the TAP board members and volunteers who helped serve our guests.

Tahoe Arts Project is a nonprofit organization that brings professional performing arts into the schools and community of South Lake Tahoe. Event proceeds will benefit over 5,000 K-12 students who see our programs. If you would like to know how you can support Tahoe Arts Project, call (530) 542.3632.

Thank you,

Peggy Thompson, executive director Tahoe Arts Project

Public school systems spent an average of $10,499 per pupil in fiscal year 2009, a 2.3 percent increase over 2008, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Public schools in New York spent more than any other state or state equivalent, with $18,126 per pupil in 2009. The District of Columbia ($16,408), New Jersey ($16,271), Alaska ($15,552) and Vermont ($15,175) had the next-highest spending.

Nevada ranks No. 44 when it comes to dollars spent on per pupil education and California is No. 29.

“Most children in the United States rely on public schools for their education, so it’s important for people to understand how available resources are being spent within the public education system,” said Lisa Blumerman, chief of the Census Bureau’s Governments Division, said in a statement. “These data provide a detailed look at how taxpayer money is being spent on education.”

States or state equivalents that saw the largest percent increases in per pupil spending from 2008 to 2009 were the District of Columbia (12.4 percent), Utah (10.3 percent), Minnesota (9.4 percent), North Carolina (7.4 percent) and Maine (6.3 percent).

Public school systems received $590.9 billion in funding in 2009, up 1.5 percent from the prior year. Of that amount, state governments contributed $276.2 billion (46.7 percent), followed by revenue raised from local sources, which contributed $258.9 billion (43.8 percent), and federal sources, which provided the remaining $55.9 billion (9.5 percent).

Total spending by public school systems was $604.9 billion in 2009, a 2 percent increase from the prior year. Total current spending was $517.7 billion (85.6 percent), of which $311.9 billion went to instruction.

Other highlights:

– States and state equivalents that spent the least per pupil were Utah ($6,356), Idaho ($7,092), Arizona ($7,813), Oklahoma ($7,885) and Tennessee ($7,897).

– Instructional salaries accounted for the largest spending category for public elementary and secondary education, totaling $209 billion in 2009.

– Property taxes accounted for 65.2 percent of revenue for public school systems from local sources.

The data used in the tabulations came from a census of all 15,331 public school districts.

For more information, visit the Census Bureau’s website.

The park and log cabin museum are open at Mormon Station State Historic Park in Genoa.

While at the park, visit the log cabin museum and see the 1862 Light Cavalry saber belonging to John Reese, founder of Mormon Station. The sword is on display at Mormon Station for the first time in more than 40 years. View other relics of early settlers from when they traveled along the California Trail, some settling in Genoa.

The museum entry fee is $1 per person. Children 12 and under are free. There is no charge to picnic in the park, walk the grounds and enjoy the area.

Upcoming events:

June: Pony Express re-ride celebration on June 17, the Sierra Nevada Mormon Pioneers Living History Re-enactment on the 18th, an evening with young Chatauquans on the 15th and a Snowshoe Thompson celebration with the Sons and Daughters of Norway on June 18.

July: Annual Pops in the Park during the Fourth of July weekend celebration with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra. Later in the month, enjoy several historical presentations by state Archivist Jeff Kintop, California Trails Center Director Dave Jamiel and others.

August: On Aug. 20, a Chautauqua presentation by Doris Dwyer, who plays Sarah Royce, a pioneer woman who traveled the Carson route of the California Trail.

September: The annual Candy Dance celebration is Sept. 24 and 25.

For more information on any event, call (775) 782.2590.

By Kathryn Reed

It’s not exactly what planners had hoped to bring to the table, but the proposed 3.86 miles of bike trail being studied would connect a significant chunk of South Lake Tahoe.

Though still known at the South Tahoe Greenway, the environmental documents being released today do not provide a continuous trail from Meyers to Stateline. Instead, the route under review goes from the end of Sierra Boulevard at Barbara Avenue to Van Sickle Bi-state Park at the state line.

Money and land ownership are preventing the full 9-plus miles from being studied as this point.

“Connecting to the Y, connecting to Meyers are important parts of the overall network in South Lake Tahoe,” said Sue Rae Irelan, program analyst for the California Tahoe Conservancy. “It’s certainly not off the table. It is still part of the bike and pedestrian master plan.”

Irelan has been working on this project since 2002. Four years ago the thought was pavement would start to be laid this summer. Clearly, that isn’t going to happen.

First, the environmental impact report and the U.S. Forest Service’s environmental analysis will be out for comment for 30 days. The final environmental documents should be done this fall. At that time funding will be sought. Not a penny is in place to build this trail.

Irelan said having the final environmental documents signed off is a criterion for many funding sources to start writing checks.

When California was flush with cash the CTC had relatively easy access to money for projects like this. Not so anymore. But the agency is going forward with planning so it can seek funding.

The soonest Irelan foresees any ground being disturbed for the Class 1 trail is 2013. Even then it’s likely this stretch of trail will be built in phases.

Irelan won’t put a dollar figure on the trail, saying others are working on those estimates, which should be available this month. It has been costing between $1.5 million and $2 million per mile of bike trail in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

When it comes to building the boardwalk bridge over Trout Creek, the expense shoots up.

One thing that will keep costs down is much of the land is high-capability and disturbed – meaning laying the 10-foot-wide asphalt trail won’t be as expensive.

The Conservancy owns much of the land that follows the old Caltrans right-of-way. (At one time a four-lane highway was going to be built by the state.) The Forest Service, city and county also have land along the route.

The route will allow the Sierra Tract area access to Lake Tahoe Community College and the Bijou area a trail to Bijou Community Park.

“What we recognized is we need to make the highest value links that we can to produce the network benefits people are looking for,” Irelan told Lake Tahoe News.

With the trail that is in place now, this section of the Greenway will provide a little more than 4 miles of continuous cycling through the center of South Lake Tahoe to Nevada.

There is still a chance the Stateline demonstration part of the Stateline-to-Stateline bike route will break ground this year. This, then, means eventually having an even longer continuous trail. The Forest Service needs to sign off on paperwork for movement to begin.

For the Greenway, it will start on the east side of Barbara near where Caltrans dumps snow at the end of Sierra Boulevard. It will follow Martin, cross over Trout Creek via a new bridge, head toward the South Tahoe Public Utility District on Meadow Crest, and then connect with the trail by the ball field at Lake Tahoe Community College.

It connects to the bike route on Al Tahoe Boulevard for people wanting to get off there.

Then the Greenway crosses Al Tahoe, following along the edge of Bijou park on the old Caltrans right-of-way toward Glenwood Way. From there it crosses some neighborhood streets before angling toward Herbert and Aloha.

At this point it heads toward Pioneer Trail. It hits Ski Run Boulevard, crosses Pioneer Trail and hooks up with David Lane. A steep grade will require it to wind a bit, along with the need to build retaining walls.

The route stays upslope of Pioneer Trail, following the old right-of-way to Van Sickle park where it will end below the barn.

“The trail we are designing is capable of being plowed. We would have to find a separate funding source for that and that has not been real obvious,” Irelan said.

What isn’t plowed, she foresees being used as a cross country ski trail in the winter.

The document may be viewed online as of 5pm today or at the Conservancy’s office on Third Street, the Forest Service office on College Drive, the county library on Rufus Allen Boulevard – all in South Lake Tahoe, or the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency office on Market Street in Stateline.

An open house is scheduled for June 15 from 6-8pm at the Forest Service office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

By Susan Voyles, Reno Gazette-Journal

Reno Rodeo officials said they expect a virus that has afflicted cutting horses at two recent events in Utah and California to fully run its course before the rodeo opens June 16.

With the rodeo almost a month away, “there’s enough time to be relatively sure the outbreak is behind us,” said Joe Coli, a veterinarian with the Comstock Large Hospital and chairman of the rodeo’s animal care committee.

The deadly and highly contagious virus has infected more than 30 horses in nine states and Canada at the height of show season. Horse shows and sales have been canceled, and some competitors are backing out of the professional rodeo circuit.

The Senior Pro Rodeo in Elko has been postponed. The Elko Daily Free Press reported that the Elko Convention and Visitors Authority will work with rodeo producers on rescheduling the event, which had been set for June 1-3 at the county fairgrounds.

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