By Stephen Ward

INCLINE VILLAGE – It might be gold medals athletes would be after, but it’s green in the form of cash that organizers of the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition are after.

“This is something that could benefit everyone in the region,” Joe Killoran, CEO of the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition, said. “We have an opportunity to market ourselves to the world in a short period of time.”

Killoran stressed that the impact the Olympic games would have on the region would be enormous.

Joe Killoran talks Feb. 4 about bringing the Olymics to Reno-Tahoe. Photo/Stephen Ward

Killoran conducted a presentation Friday meant to inform residents about his organization’s aim to have the 2022 Winter Olympics in Lake Tahoe.

The majority of the PowerPoint slideshow at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at Sierra Nevada College referred to the ways in which Salt Lake City prospered from hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics. Killoran cited the city’s $100 million operational profit and the 35,000 jobs created. The city’s infrastructure, business community and tourism numbers have also improved significantly in past decade.

“(Tourists) want to be on slopes where Olympians are,” he said.

That wealth, according to Killoran, could come to Lake Tahoe – again.

In fact, the region’s rich Olympic legacy was a centerpiece in Killoran’s vision for obtaining a competitive bid for the region. The 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley were the first time they were conducted in the Western United States, were the first to use artificially refrigerated ice surfaces, and the first to use fully automated timing.

It will take an estimated $1 million annually now through 2013 to fund research studies about the economic and environmental impacts the Winter Olympics would have on the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The money would also help bring competitions and events to the region in order to stir economic activity and prove the area would be a credible Olympic host.

Although the Nevada Legislature has assisted the planning organization in the past, Killoran said the group didn’t ask for assistance in the previous session.

“If we can’t raise the money from private investments, we’re all wasting our time in this room right now,” he said.

Despite a few logistical questions, the roughly 50 people in attendance showed little sign of skepticism about the venture.

“I came in here a real skeptic, not about what happens between now and 2022, but what would happen after that,” Michael Durand, a 60-year-old Incline Village resident, said. “The buildings built could go to housing seasonal workers in South Lake Tahoe and dormitories at (Sierra Nevada College). I feel much better after hearing the presentation.”

Other attendees said they were convinced, so long as the environment remains a top priority.

“The key is better public transportation,” Al Bulf, a 67-year-old retired railway businessman, said.

For more information about the Reno-Tahoe Winter Games bid, go to the website.

By Freddy Perryman, U.S. Ski Team

PARK CITY -– Olympic Champion Hannah Kearney of Norwich, Vt., won bronze in dual moguls at the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Championships which ended Saturday night in front of 6,000 spectators at Deer Valley Resort. The bronze marked Kearney’s second medal of the championships after taking silver in moguls earlier in the week.

Kearney won the consolation round match with teammate Heather McPhie of Bozeman, Mont., who was fourth. Patrick Deneen of Cle Elum, Wash., was fifth to lead the U.S. men.

Newly crowned moguls World Champion Jenn Heil of Canada won the gold, her second of the week. Fellow Canadian Alexandre Bilodeau won the men’s title giving Canada 16 medals including eight golds. The USA was second in the medals count with seven.

In a sour twist of fate, all three U.S. men were in the same bracket for Saturday night’s finals, forcing a faceoff between Deneen and teammate Joey Discoe of Telluride, Colo., in the first round. Deneen won, making the quarterfinals.

Jeremy Cota of Carrabassett Valley, Maine, who has been on a hot streak for the last few weeks, lost his first round dual against Japan’s Nishi Nouyuki. Nouyuki, after defeating Cota, would go on to knock out Deneen on his way to a bronze medal.

Official results, FIS World Freestyle Ski Championships, Deer Valley Resort, Park City, Dual Moguls

Men

Gold: Alexandre Bilodeau, Canada

Silver: Mikael Kingsbury, Canada

Bronze: Nishi Nouyuki, Japan

–

5. Patrick Deneen, Cle Elum, WA

9. Jeremy Cota, Carrabassett Valley, ME

13. Joe Discoe, Telluride, CO

18. Sho Kashima, Lake Tahoe, CA

Women

Gold: Jenn Heil, Canada

Silver: Chloe Dufor-Lapointe, Canada

Bronze: Hannah Kearney, Norwich, VT

–

4. Heather McPhie, Bozeman, MT

9. Eliza Outtrim, Steamboat Springs, CO

14. Kayla Snyderman, Winchester, MA

On Feb. 26 from 10am to 3pm the South Lake Tahoe Branch Library will be having a book sale to support the Friends of the Library Free Children’s Programs.

Many hardcover and paperback books will be available at deep discounts. DVDs, VHS and books on tape will also be available.

The library is at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

All Friends of the Library members are invited to a pre-sale from 9-10am. If you are not currently a Friend, you may join at the door. Membership is $10 per individual, $25 for a business, and $250 for a lifetime membership.

Call (530) 573.3185 for more information.

By Jason Hidalgo, Reno Gazette-Journal

Nevada needs to make tough choices and identify which priorities it can address now with its limited resources if it wants to emerge from the current downturn with a viable economy.

That was the consensus of a panel of business and community leaders that met Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Lawlor Events Center.

The panel, comprised team leaders for the Reno Gazette-Journal’s Reno 2020 project, identified a set of action items within four key areas considered vital for economic development: education, green energy, fiscal policy and innovation.

It was the second portion of a two-part forum, which aimed to develop scenarios that will, over the next 10 years, set the region on a path to greater economic success.

The Reno 2020 project began in October in conjunction with UNR’s Center for Regional Studies, which generated a scenario of what Reno would look like in 2020 if it remains on its current course.

A sense of urgency was palpable among the panelists Wednesday, and even some audience members during the economic forum’s public comment portion.

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By Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun

Those looking to bet on a side in Super Bowl XLV based on where the smart money is coming in are going to run into a problem.

Sharps or professional sports bettors have split opinions on Sunday’s game where the Green Bay Packers enter as 2.5-point favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to one prominent Las Vegas bookmaker.

“We’ve gotten a lot of large plays on the Steelers and a lot of large plays on the Packers,” said Jay Rood, MGM Resorts International sports book director. “I’ve taken money on both sides from guys who we’ve dealt with in the past and whose opinions we really respect.”

The betting public’s feelings are also equally divided. Walk into any sports book in town this weekend and chances are half the room would prefer Terrible Towels, while half would rather take cheeseheads.

That was the case at the Mandalay Bay sports book Friday night. Scanning the room revealed an equal number of Steelers and Packers hats.

In the back of the book, two friends from Fresno, Calif., debated the betting options detailed on the board. The first mentioned Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers as a reason why he leaned toward the Packers. The second naturally disagreed.

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Each winter the Sierra Nevada will naturally see its share of slides and avalanches in the backcountry. Although extremely rare, big snow dumps and changing snow conditions can cause slides and avalanches within ski resort boundaries despite preventative measures. In the event there is a slide or avalanche at or near Kirkwood, patrollers are ready.

On Jan. 21, four of Kirkwood’s patrollers and avalanche dogs as well as one dog and handler from El Dorado Country Search and Rescue completed their annual orientation and training with Care Flight at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. To expedite transportation, Care Flight has been working with avalanche dogs and their handlers at various ski areas and with search and rescue teams for years.

This year Care Flight worked with Kirkwood patroller Kip McCarthy to provide orientation for their avalanche dogs and handlers to ensure both dogs and people are comfortable and familiar with the flying in the helicopter.

Sammy Hagar & The Wabos at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on May 6-7 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $75. Tickets available only through Ticketmaster locations.

Must be 21 to attend.

This show is sold-out. A cancellation line be open that night at the South Shore Room.

Dragonfly’s owner and chef Billy McCullough has created two Valentine’s Day dinner menus, one for the dining room and another for the sushi bar.

To reserve your table or spot at the sushi bar, call (530) 587.0557.

Dragonfly Restaurant and Sushi Bar is located upstairs at 10118 Donner Pass Road, in the heart of downtown Truckee. Dinner is served from 5-9:30pm. Reservations for dinner are recommended.

Wind may be an issue today.

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

By Erin Kelly, Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON — When Republican Rep. Dean Heller came to Congress four years ago, he was all but lost among the wave of jubilant Democrats who had just won control of the House.

Now, as he begins his third term, the 50-year-old Carson City resident has gone from a relatively powerless newcomer to a congressman with real clout.

Not only has his party taken back the House majority, but Heller has a coveted seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and counts new House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, among his closest friends in Congress. Boehner said he speaks with Heller often and sees him playing an important role in “getting Americans back to work.”

As his star rises, Heller, who represents Congressional District 2 which includes Reno, acknowledges that he is considering a 2012 bid for the U.S. Senate seat now held by scandal-plagued Nevada Republican John Ensign. A poll released Jan. 11 by Public Policy Polling showed Heller beating Ensign in a GOP primary, 52 percent to 34 percent.

“He has a real opportunity now to step up and be a leader both within the House and in rallying the state Republican party,” said Eric Herzik, chairman of the political science department at the University of Nevada, Reno.

While Heller’s increased clout will boost his political ambitions, the congressman prefers to focus on how it could help his Northern Nevada district.

Heller’s connections to Boehner and other House leaders give him a much stronger chance this session to pass legislation such as the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which died in the last Congress. The act, which Heller plans to reintroduce soon, is a $415 million, eight-year bill aimed at restoring the lake by keeping out invasive species, improving water clarity, reducing the threat of devastating fires and protecting wildlife.

The legislation must go before the Natural Resources Committee, where bills from the majority party are passed at a much higher rate than bills from the minority party. Heller also gets along well with the new committee chairman, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and is optimistic that Hastings will help expedite the bill.

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