A wind advisory is in effect through 8pm. Upper lifts will operate weather permitting. Check out the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

U.S. Ski Team

Devin Logan (West Dover, VT) sailed above the competition to take her first U.S. title, winning the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships women’s halfpipe skiing event. David Wise (Reno, NV) earned his third U.S. crown in four years with a win Saturday at Stratton Mountain.

With back-to-back podium finishes in last weekend’s halfpipe World Cup double header in France, both Logan and Wise were brimming with confidence and full of momentum going into Saturday’s competition.

Standing with Wise on the podium was Marshall Lacroix (Bondville, VT) who came in second and Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, CO) who finished third.

Logan, who was runner up at the U.S. Championships in 2009, was joined on the podium by Dara Howell (Canada) in second and Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, CA) third.

Sunday, March 27 will be the final day of the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships. Dual moguls will close out this action packed season ending competition.

Halfpipe skiing is one of five events being considering for possible inclusion in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. The International Olympic Committee will announce it’s decision next week.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships

Stratton Mountain, VT – March 26, 2011

Halfpipe Skiing

Men

1. David Wise, Reno, NV, 46.00

2. Marshall Lacroix, Bondville, VT, 45.80

3. Aaron Blunck, Crested Butte, CO, 44.90

–

4. Broby Leeds, Vail, CO, 39.10

5. Bily Mann, Truckee, CA, 38.60

6. Alex Ferreira, Aspen, CO, 38.1

7. Daniel Rosenblum, Stamford, CT, 38.0

8. John Leonard, Vail, CO, 37.80

9. Even Schwartz, Weston, CT, 37.40

10. Ben Parker, Bellevue, ID, 33.60

11. James Campbell, Windham, NH, 31.10

12. Evan Walls, Manchester, MA, 31.00

Women

1. Devin Logan, West Dover, VT, 36.80

2. Dara Howell, Canada, 31.80

3. Maddie Bowman, Lake Tahoe, CA, 31.60

–

4. Kendall Deighan, Vail, CO, 31.30

5. Annalisa Drew, Andover, MA, 30.50

6. Chloe Lee, Park City, UT, 25.10

7. Hannah Haupt, Sun Valley, ID, 23.30

8. Keni Maras, Lake Geneva, WI, 21.80

9. Blake Peterson, Park City, UT, 19.50

10. Emily Simpkins, Salt Lake City, UT, 16.50

11. Jeanee Crane-Mauzy, Waterville Valley, NH, 14.50

12. Eden Netelkos, Underhill, VT, 14.00

13. Peaches Harrison, Park City, UT, 13.70

Updated hours take effect April 4 for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency front counter.

Front counter services exist for customers to submit permit applications and get project and property information. The updated schedule reflects the agency’s commitment to customer service following a recent reorganization and staff reduction.

The most significant changes include closing the front office on Tuesdays while closing one hour earlier and during the lunch hour on all other days. Also, new applications will only be accepted before 3 pm.

Other TRPA departments and staff members will continue to be available during normal office hours Monday through Friday.

This updated schedule will allow TRPA planners to allot more time to getting permits and evaluations out the door.

• Northstar-at-Tahoe has extended its closing date to April 24.

• Caltrans is closing Highway 50 over Echo Summit for two weeks in April or May. Follow this link to keep up with project and learn how to get to the South Shore other ways.

• Barton Memorial Hospital’s Auxiliary raised $315,000 in 2010. The money will help with the hospital’s $800,000 expansion and renovation of the Barton Community Clinic.

• Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce is accepting bids from local contractors to fabricate support frames and install wayfinding signs. Bids are due to chamber CEO B Gorman (bgorman@tahoechamber.org) by 5pm April 6.

• The Community Foundation of Western Nevada has provided the Douglas County School District with a commitment of $989,326 to fund the purchase and installation of Promethean interactive white boards and related instructional tools in the elementary schools.

To the publisher,

The City Council’s 1995 decision to subsidize redevelopment debt by giving all of the hotel room taxes in Redevelopment Area 1, Herbert Avenue to Stateline, set the table for the city’s economic woes for the last 15 years.

After the 1995 decision, the city manager and the council began a reorganization plan called Destination 2000. As a result, 18 city employees left the city. The finance officer left, and the police chief and fire chief officers were combined into one. The fire chief became the police chief in the dual role.

Bill Crawford

Sometime between the years 2000 and 2002 $7 million was filched from the city’s general fund and given to the Redevelopment Agency. The City Council didn’t know about it until after it was disclosed. It was then called a loan.

In 2002, bonds were sold to finance the city garage at 7 percent interest when the going rate for muni bonds was 4 percent. The garage is a millstone around the city’s neck and is one of the factors that has led to the city to nearly drown in debt.

Now there’s the Hole in the Ground bankruptcy which is the third bankruptcy for redevelopment in South Lake Tahoe.

About a year and half ago while Mr. (Dave) Jinkens was city manager there was another reorganization of the city’s workforce. People were terminated. Some were given early retirement. But the subsidy to redevelopment remained whole.

Now there’s another attempt by the city to salvage city operations with the Strategic Plan 2011-14. What’s new? The plan is one more reorganization somewhat like the Destination 2000 plan, reducing staff, etc. But the gift of $4 million a year to redevelopjment remains intact.

Redevelopment remains the sacred cow. Well, that’s politics. Ignore the facts so that the same old stupidities are repeated.

Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe

Golden Sierra Job Training is offering a series of free webinars for employers in El Dorado, Alpine and Placer counties.

On March 30 the topic is workers comp; April 27 is managing your web presence; May 25 is navigating the wage and hour minefield; and June 29 is effective and legal performance evaluations.

All webinars are from noon-1pm.

To register, call 800. 399. 5331.

The opportunity for citizens to submit their names for possible nomination for the 2011-12 El Dorado County Grand Jury is now available.

The Grand Jury acts as an investigative body to ensure that county, special district, and city government is being effectively run. The grand jury is not a jury for a trial.

The judges of the Superior Court shall select names from those submitted, as well as other nominees, and currently seated grand jurors who wish to be held over, to be put into the jury pool. Nineteen jurors are then selected in a random drawing from this pool. Final selection will take place in late June. Jurors are expected to be present. Jurors serve for a period of one year, commencing July 1.

The El Dorado County Grand Jury sets its own meeting schedule. However, jurors can typically expect to serve a minimum of six to seven hours over two days per week. Investigative committee chairs and the foreperson may expect to serve 10-20 hours per week. Jurors can take vacations during the session, but periods of absence exceeding two weeks, especially during the second half of the session, should be held to a minimum.

Jurors are regularly called upon to confer with government officials and other citizens in order to gain information and insight concerning matters under investigation. While being a grand juror is not a full-time job, it does require a substantial time commitment. This time includes attendance at meetings and committee meetings, investigating, and preparing written reports.

Meetings are compensated at the maximum rate of $15 per day of meeting. A mileage expense is compensated at the rate payable to employees of El Dorado County for each mile actually and necessarily traveled for purposes of said sessions or committee work. No other compensation is provided.

Applicants must be Untied States citizens, at least 18 years of age, have resided in the county for at least one year at the time of the swearing-in date, and cannot hold an elected office.

Qualified citizens who have an interest may pick up an application form at the Superior Court, 495 Main St., Placerville, go online or call (530) 621.6451. The deadline to apply is May 13.

By Kathryn Reed

Frustration isn’t the emotion one should have while cross country skiing.

But this particular day it was my word of choice – at least initially. So I took the skis off, stuck them in the snow hoping no one would walk off with them, and decided to walk the golf course.

Sue Wood uses the disc golf basket at Bijou to clean her skis. Photos/Kathryn Reed

Sue stayed on her skis, which eventually turned out to be the better choice.

Not too long into my walk and her ski we came across a woman on skis wondering where mine were. I said I took them off because I wasn’t able to glide with all the snow piling up on them and that it was easier to walk. She suggested using cooking spray on the bottom, saying it will seem like the best wax job ever.

I plan to take her advice before I venture out on my skis again.

Plenty of snow on this particular day had me sinking knee deep. Sue glided in the tracks laid by earlier recreationists. At that point I was frustrated again – wishing I had my skis.

Despite my poor judgment in what to have on my feet for the outing, the beauty brought me out of funk.

Like most golf courses, this municipal facility is in a scenic location. And like most golf courses – it’s flat.

That combination makes it a great trek for all ability levels.

It also allows for short or long outings; out and backs; loops; and various entry points.

Trails are all over Bijou Golf Course. This is a perfect trek for people living in the neighborhood. They don’t have to drive anywhere.

And although the park has an area just for dogs, the golf course provides them an even larger playground.

The nine-hole course usually opens in May. The city’s Parks and Recreation website still has the opening day for 2010 listed.

Getting there:

From the Y in South Lake Tahoe, turn right on Al Tahoe Boulevard. Go through the intersection at Johnson Boulevard. Turn left into Bijou Community Park. Go straight and park as far down as you can.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The El Dorado County Library in South Lake Tahoe will celebrate National Library Week by giving away a NOOKcolor, e-book reader at 10am on April 16.

The drawing will be during the demonstration of OverDrive, the library’s new software that allows people to check out downloadable e-books and audio books on a variety of devices.

To enter in the drawing, stop by the library at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd. before April 16.

For more information, call (530) 573.3185 or go online.

Updated as of 8:10pm March 29

By Susan Wood

Results from an autopsy of the 36-year-old Lake Tahoe Community College student found dead Friday afternoon in the Commons area could take weeks, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s coroner’s office reported Tuesday.

A toxicology report was ordered for the woman identified as Beverly Elizabeth Barday.

Barday was found slumped in a chair at the college. The cause of death is still unknown. but at this point authorities doubt foul play.

When discovered unresponsive at about 1pm, campus officials called 911, and a South Lake Tahoe Fire Department crew tried to revive the South Shore woman to no avail. She was pronounced dead at 1:20pm Friday.