Susan Frailey, a registered nurse in South Lake Tahoe and author of “More Alive Now: Simple Nutrition to Change Your Life” will be joining fellow faculty members speaking at the University of Nevada School of Medicine 18th Annual Alimentary Update.

Frailey will be speaking on “Innovative Nutrition for Gastrointestinal Health” and “Colon Hydrotherapy: Applications for Gastroenterology” on March 25 at 9am at Harveys in Stateline.

For more information on the event, go online.

By Kathryn Reed

Soggy could be the word to be used for much of Northern California and Northern Nevada as winter blows out and spring arrives Sunday. The Lake Tahoe Basin isn’t expected to see sun until at least the middle of next week.

The National Weather Service in Reno has bumped up the winter storm warning to noon Friday, ending 8am Saturday. Three inches of snow could come down per hour, the agency says.

One to 2 feet above 7,000 feet is being called for, with 8 to 14 inches at lake level. Winds will be from the south to southwest at 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph. Sierra ridge gusts may hit 90 mph.

Standing water March 17 at the corner of Modesto and Harrison avenues in South Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The high winds on Lake Tahoe forced the M.S. Dixie noon cruise to be canceled.

The Weather Service is also cautioning that creeks and rivers are prone to flooding. Ponding on highways and local road surfaces will make driving precarious.

Sump pumps throughout the South Shore have been running almost nonstop at residences in low-lying areas. Standing water became increasingly prevalent this week in the Lake Tahoe Basin with rain, snow and thawing.

South Lake Tahoe crews this week were working behind the Super 8 motel off Highway 50 to clear culverts for better drainage. That area is notorious for flooding.

Caltrans earlier this week had to close Highway 50 between Placerville and South Lake Tahoe four hours to clear a wall of snow. Highway 89 around Emerald Bay remains closed.

The transportation department expects a section of Highway 1 to be closed for a month in Monterey County after a 100-foot section of asphalt fell into the ocean. However, the California State Parks is notifying hundreds of campers headed for the Big Sur area that all State Park campgrounds will remain open with all reservations honored.

Gov. Jerry Brown has issued emergency proclamations for Del Norte, Humboldt, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo and Mendocino counties because of damage from the tsunami that resulted from the 9.0 earthquake in Japan a week ago.

The crazy weather had the NWS calling for a tornado warning this morning in San Mateo County.

Gates at the Orville Dam spillway were opened today for the first time in five years. Other reservoirs in California have also been releasing water in anticipation of needing more storage space for the series of storms headed to the state.

By Zac Amidan, U.S. Snowboarding

VALMALENCO, Italy -– Friday was a strong day for U.S. Snowboarding as Lindsey Jacobellis of Stratton Mountain, Vt., led the way for the women with a win and Jonathan Cheever of Saugus, Mass., moved into the top spot in SBX standings at a snowboardcross World Cup in Valmalenco, Italy.

Cheever, who had been injured during a training run crash with teammate Alex Deibold of Manchester Center, Vt., grabbed the yellow bib after Friday’s race. Right before dropping in for his run, Cheever had eight stitches put into his elbow after colliding with Deibold’s head during a training run.

Despite the injury, Cheever, who rides out of Utah’s Canyons Resort, went on to finish second in a close race. The top three spots came down to a photo finish. Just edging out Cheever was Italy’s Alberto Schiavon who took the top spot and finishing in third right behind Cheever was teammate Nate Holland of Squaw Valley.

“I have been racing for a very long time and don’t ever remember a race this close between three athletes,” said Holland. “When I went through the finish line I wanted to raise my hands for the victory because it was so close, but the officials made the right call.”

After Friday’s race Cheever moves into the World Cup lead with two more events to come.

“I love the podium but I am sick of the bridesmaid spot,” said Cheever, who has been second for three competitions in a row. “I am in it to win it for the next couple of events.”

On the women’s side, Jacobellis grabbed the top spot after dealing with some tough conditions over the week. Snow and wind caused the course to slow down during time trials but on the final race day the sun came out and the course sped up setting up making for a great day of racing.

Official results, World Cup, Valmalenco, Italy, Snowboardcross

Men

1. Alberto Schiavon, Italy

2. Jonathan Cheever, Saugus, MA

3. Nate Holland, Squaw Valley, CA

–

9. Nick Baumgartner, Iron River, MI

11. Alex Deibold, Manchester Center, VT

21. Robert Minghini, South Lake Tahoe, CA

22. Jayson Hale, Sierraville, CA

30. Jarod Minghini, South Lake Tahoe, CA

Women

1. Lindsey Jacobellis, Stratton Mountain, VT

2. Eva Samkova, Czech Republic

3. Deborah Anthonioz, France

–

10. Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, Girdwood, AK

19. Jenna Feldman, Linwood, NJ

23. Carrie Uren, Randle, WA

By U.S. Ski Team

LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland -– Two days ago Lindsey Vonn stole the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup lead from Maria Riesch. Today, Maria Riesch took it back – by a slim three points. Now, an entire five-month season will come down to one race – Saturday’s giant slalom.

“This is March madness on snow,” said Universal Sports commentator Steve Porino after Friday’s slalom where Riesch was fourth and Vonn 13th. “Imagine you’re in the Final Four and you get sent to the line in the final seconds of the game to seal the lead. But you’re a 43 percent shooter. That’s Vonn’s finish rate in slalom. Meanwhile Riesch has finished over 90 percent in the last two years and is among the fastest when she does. Problem is, Riesch skied out in the last two. It’s almost as though the overall is starting from scratch and neither has any reason to feel confident. That’s how the day started. In the end both lived up to the pressure.”

A wild card in the picture is the weather. It resulted in the men’s GS being canceled Friday, handing Ted Ligety an American record third GS crystal globe. But weather may be a factor in Saturday’s women’s GS.

“If the race gets canceled tomorrow, Riesch gets the globe by three points. Otherwise it’s a rock fight,” said Porino.

How close is it? Riesch was fourth, just a hundredth ahead of fifth. Without that hundredth, she would not be in the lead. Similarly, Vonn was just a tenth away from finishing out of the points. It’s that close.

By Reno Gazette-Journal

An Incline Village groundskeeper has been arrested on suspicion of stealing thousands of dollars from a property owner.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said Eric James Hosmer, 43, was arrested Wednesday at a construction site on eight theft counts and taken into custody without incident.

Read the whole story

By Sacramento Bee

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A former animal research technician pleaded guilty Thursday to killing a Yale University graduate student from Placerville days before her 2009 wedding.

Prosecutors revealed that Raymond Clark III left behind evidence of a sexual assault and desperately tried to cover his tracks.

Clark pleaded guilty to murder and attempted sexual assault of 24-year-old Annie Le under an agreement that calls for a 44-year prison sentence.

His plea on the attempted sexual assault charge falls under Connecticut’s Alford doctrine, in which the defendant in a criminal case agrees only that the state has enough evidence against him or her to get a conviction.

The sex charge and related DNA evidence offered the first official revelation of a potential motive in the case.

Read the whole story

If forecasters are correct, the afternoon could be miserable on the slopes.

Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

By Elizabeth Karam, U.S. Snowboarding

TIGNES, France -– South Lake Tahoe’s Jamie Anderson put together a solid run to clinch the 2011 European X Games slopestyle snowboarding gold medal Friday morning in Tignes. The men’s event was scheduled to follow directly after the women’s but was canceled due to weather.

Anderson, who was the back-to-back Winter X Games champion in 2007 and 2008, regained the top spot Friday throwing down her trademark backside 540 to boost her to the win. Although her run didn’t include the popular 720, Anderson’s style and consistency separated her from the field.

Joining Anderson on the podium were Norway’s Siljie Norendal and Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi taking silver and bronze. Both women competed two of the five 720s that were launched during the contest. Norendal pulled a 720 frontside rodeo, while Rukajarvi dropped a cab 7.

With the men’s slopstyle snowboarding event canceled, on tap next for the European X Games is women’s halfpipe skiing and men’s halfpipe snowboarding finals Friday late afternoon.

Snowboarding slopestyle is one of the events being considered by the International Olympic Committee for 2014 inclusion, along with halfpipe and slopestyle skiing.

Official results, European X Games, Tignes, France, Slopestyle Snowboarding

Gold: Jamie Anderson, (South Lake Tahoe, CA), 95.33

Silver: Silje Norendal, Norway, 94.00

Bronze: Enni Rukajarvi, Finland, 93.66

–

10 Jordie Karlinski, Snowmass Village, CO, 43.66

• Sample the Sierra’s 2011 date has been changed to Sept. 4. The event is on Ski Run Boulevard in South Tahoe.

• Financial relief for residents making weatherization improvements to their homes is available through El Dorado County. For more information, go online.

• Barron’s magazine lists Lake Tahoe – the California side – as the seventh best place to buy a second home. No. 1 is Seas Island, Ga.

• The Cork & More in South Lake Tahoe is hosting its monthly Wine Evening from 7-9pm on April 21, with Soroptimist International Tahoe Sierra the beneficiary. Tickets are $15 per person.

• Concerned about genetically modified organisms when it comes to what you eat? Then check out this link to take some action.

By Julie Regan

A recent article on LakeTahoeNews.net has created unfortunate speculation and misinformation about TRPA’s role in redevelopment. Having moved to Lake Tahoe in the early 1990s, I know firsthand that public discourse can tend to jump to the negative. I believe we need to take every opportunity to promote informed, civil dialogue, so here are five key facts to add to the conversation.

Fact No. 1: TRPA supports environmental redevelopment projects that prove to be beneficial to the local economy and the environment. Consider the fact that our staff in recent years has recommended approval of affordable housing near Ski Run, the Red Hut plaza redevelopment, and the Heavenly Gondola Village.

Julie Regan

In addition, we are recommending approval of the Boulder Bay redevelopment project at the present Tahoe Biltmore site in Crystal Bay. I mention this project because the city, TRPA, and the community can learn from the innovative design principles being proposed by Boulder Bay to help us revitalize the Y area.

Fact No. 2: TRPA is part of this community. Our dedicated employees live here, raise families here, and support the economy and the community in innumerable ways. While the habit of blaming TRPA as the scapegoat for all occasions will always be the orientation of some, the causes of the dismal state of the Tahoe economy are far more complex than any single source. Widespread problems are affecting tourist towns across the country. Closer to home, the rise of Native American gaming throughout California and the resulting loss of casino jobs is a significant driver of our current economic turmoil. Add to that shifting demographics with second homeownership spiking, the national recession, the bubble bursting in our real estate market, and the facts tell the story. TRPA certainly has a role to play and we take responsibility that our environmental regulations are a factor in the mix. But TRPA is updating itself and changing with the times — we are trying to be part of the solution now, not the problem.

Fact No. 3: No one has applied for a permit to redevelop the Mikasa site at this point. The entire discussion about a potential $160,000 fee is based purely on speculation. When a permit application does come in, there may in fact be no fee at all. The city will be working with any prospective businesses at the Y and TRPA’s transportation specialists will assist in making the project work for our community.

Fact No. 4: When a business comes forward with a permit application for the Mikasa site, the city will be the permit review entity – not TRPA. Assuming the outcome in the absence of facts generally does not move our town forward. If there were any air quality/traffic mitigation fees, they would go back to the city, not to TRPA, for transportation or air quality improvements. Such funds are legally restricted to on-the-ground environmental improvements like bike trails, intersection improvements, or sidewalks.

Fact No. 5: Ten years of scientific research has shown that stormwater runoff from developed areas is causing the lake’s clarity decline. Doing nothing and leaving run-down, vacant buildings as they are actually hurts the Lake more than redeveloping the built environment. TRPA wants to see the economic revitalization of our town, especially considering the lake and community will benefit as well. This means we all have to work together to get the job done. I’m committed to this because I care about my community and the lake. I know you do too.

Julie Regan oversees External Affairs – media, public outreach, and legislative affairs — for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.