Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the May 9, 2011, Sacramento Bee.

Beth Gaines is scheduled to be sworn in this week as Assembly member for the district that includes parts of Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado counties.

Many wonder if she is fit for state office. We hope she surprises us.

She succeeds her husband, Sen. Ted Gaines, who was elected to the upper house in a special election. Gaines won a rather lackluster victory, besting a Democrat who barely campaigned by 10 percent in a district that is heavily weighted to favor Republicans.

Gaines should understand that it’s a privilege to serve, not a right. She ought to turn down the perquisites of public office, avoid constant fundraising, and devote full-time to representing her constituents.

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Brandi Carlile plays MontBleu at Stateline on Aug. 2.

Hailed in 2006 by Rolling Stone magazine as its “Artist to Watch,” Carlile’s emotionally powerful songwriting and acoustic guitar work has crossed all boundaries between small venues and large stadiums, opening for such acts as Dave Matthews, Shawn Colvin, and India Arie.

Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 the day of the show. Doors open at 8pm; show begins at 9pm.

All children ages 2-11 are invited to the Hope Lutheran Church for Beach Blast Vacation Bible School June 26-30 from 6pm-8pm.

Stories, songtime, crafts, snacks and recreation will be provided. Families join the group for the Beach Blast Barbeecue from 6pm-8pm on July 1 at Pope Beach. No Cost. For more information, call (530) 541.1975 or email hopelutheransierra@pacbell.net.

Snow on Monday caused about a five-hour delay in Caltrans being able start work on Echo Summit.

The one-way controls started about 9:30am on Highway 50 on the main stretch of asphalt that links the South Shore with the Bay Area and Sacramento.

Deanna Shoopman, spokeswoman with Caltrans, told Lake Tahoe News on May 9 the contractor is set to close the summit completely for at least 10 straight days beginning May 11. Though the start time is not set in stone, it will be in the morning.

A closure sign on Highway 89 near the Y in South Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The summit is being closed to replace the deteriorating rock wall.

Motorists are being rerouted via Highway 88, by Kirkwood and Jackson.

More information about the project can be found online.

— Kathryn Reed

On Course Events presents BMX skills exhibition featuring 2008 Olympic BMX racing medalists Donny Robinson (bronze) and Mike Day (silver).

Along with Olympic athlete trainer Greg Romero, the riders will demonstrate what it takes to be an Olympic bike racer.

This will be May 15 at approximately 11:30am at the Y in South Lake Tahoe after the Amgen road bike racers make the first pass at highway 50 and 89.

The event is free.

Only a select few have the opportunity to raise a baby Steller’s Jay, an Evening Grosbeak or a Western Gray Squirrel. There are state and federal laws prohibiting the average person from doing so.

However, as a trained volunteer with Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, you would be working with these wild creatures – and many more – under the permits issued by California Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Annually, LTWC cares for more than 700 wild birds and animals with the No. 1 goal of releasing every one back into the wild.

You can learn to be a wildlife rehabilitator by taking the two-day training seminar May 28-29. The cost per person is $60. For families of two or more, the first family member is $60 with each additional member $40.

If you are interested in this type of volunteering, go to LTWC’s website or call LTWC Executive Director Cheryl Millham at (530) 577.2273 to obtain a registration form.

Bud Klein, founder of Kirkwood Mountain Resort, died May 5, 2011.

A story about Mr. Klein was published in the November 2007 edition of the Tahoe Mountain News and is republished here with permission.

Bud Klein

A public celebration of Mr. Klein’s life is planned for the summer.

The Silver State National Peace Officers Museum’s Second Annual Police Memorial Week Parade in historic Virginia City is May 14 at noon.

This parade is held in honor of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty throughout history as well as for those who currently serve and have served their communities in the law enforcement profession.

The Silver State National Peace Officers Museum features historical artifacts from the law enforcement profession dating to the 1780s from all across America and is located within the 1876 Storey County Jail inside the courthouse.

The parade is in conjunction with a Restored Emergency Vehicle Show and Collectors Show which run from 9am to 4pm.

For more information, call the museum at (775) 847.7800.

El Dorado County Sheriff John D’Agostini is having the inaugural Sheriff’s Day on June 11. For more details click on sheriff invite.

By Richard Pestes, PezCycling News

There’s almost never a bad time to see a bike race, and with the Tour of California now running in May, it’s an even better time to actually ride your bike there too. Former pros Chris Huber and Greg Oravetz will guide a select group of guests through the opening stages in the scenic Lake Tahoe area.

Based out of Lake Tahoe, RoadBiking California is a new tour company started by former U.S. pro’s Chris Huber and Greg Oravetz – you’ll likely recall them both from their days as Coors Light Silver Bullet riders in the late 80s and 90s.

Being in the cycling tour business takes a special breed of person – you gotta love riding your bike, and guests rely on you to make sure all the details are covered. But that something extra is what sets any business venture apart – and in this case the fact that the owners and guides are both ex-pros who have lived and ridden in these parts for years is what makes them unique.

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