Ghostland Observatory will be at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe in Stateline on March 19 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $30.

Must be 21 to attend.

Super Diamond will play at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe in Stateline on March 12 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20.

MontBleu casino in Stateline is hosting the Lake Tahoe Body Building Competition Aug. 26-28.

Go to the website for more information.

It’s National Ski Safety Week. Resorts throughout Lake Tahoe are having special events related to this all week.

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

Precious is a sweet little German shepherd puppy who has had a rough first few months. She was badly treated by her former owner while being house trained. She’s only 4 months old and is very shy until she gets to know you. She is quite pretty and will grow up to be a beautiful dog. Precious is only about 15 pounds now, and we don’t think she will be big as an adult.

Precious is spayed, microchipped and vaccinated.

She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet. For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz

By Amanda Gardner, U.S. News & World Report

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords continues her remarkable recovery after she was gravely wounded by an assassin’s bullet to her brain nine days ago: On Sunday, her doctors upgraded her condition from critical to serious.

Giffords underwent surgery Saturday to replace a breathing tube that had been in place since she was shot in the attack in Tucson that left six people dead.

The 40-year-old Giffords was breathing on her own, but the breathing tube had been left in as a precaution. In its place, surgeons inserted a tracheotomy tube in her windpipe, protecting her airway and allowing her to be disconnected from a ventilator, according to officials at University Medical Center in Tucson, where Giffords is being treated.

Doctors also inserted a feeding tube. Both procedures, according to the hospital, are common in people hospitalized with brain injuries.

The hospital issued a statement saying that Giffords’ “recovery continues as planned.”

Giffords can’t talk because of the breathing tube, but her husband reported Monday that she has improved so much that she was able to smile and give him a neck rub as he sat by her side, according to the Associated Press.

“She’s …gone through this traumatic injury,” astronaut Mark Kelly said in an interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer. “And she spends 10 minutes giving me a neck massage. It’s so typical of her that no matter how hard the situation might be for her, you know, she’s looking out for other people.”

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – It’s not just a bike ride. It’s not just a one-day gig for the South Shore.

Carol Chaplin, executive director of Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, last week made this extremely evident about the Amgen Tour de California during her presentation to the South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association.

The plan is to have a week’s worth of events leading up to the start of the race on May 15. Chaplin and others are starting to make the rounds this month to service clubs in the area to see how they would want to participate and if they would be responsible for a day of fun.

Events on the books include a Gala on May 13 for all involved, and what’s being called the Lake Tahoe Legends Participation Ride on May 14. The latter will be for anyone.

LTVA is talking with an unnamed property about having a party for the community.

As the host area, 1,848 rooms must be provided – for free, along with 3,844 meals for staff and teams. MontBleu and Harvey’s will be providing the rooms for the teams.

The eight-day race through California – and this year part of Nevada – is touted as having a $400 million economic impact each year. Chaplin said communities have reaped $3 million to $10 million from being a host city for the tour.

“I hope each one of you can take advantage of those wallets out there,” she told the meeting attendees.

Law enforcement and transportation representatives met last week for the second time to begin coordinating efforts. The highways around Lake Tahoe (50, 89, 28) will be closed in stages as the 200 riders pedal through the area.

The start will be near Stateline, with the cyclists going the 72 miles around the lake in about two hours and then doing much of it again before finishing at Northstar-at-Tahoe. The exact route – which may include city streets – will be released in February by tour officials.

The second stage starts at Squaw Valley and ends in Sacramento.

There will be 100 support vehicles, with more than two dozen California Highway patrolmen with them.

Chaplin was asked how the Highway 50 closure over Echo Summit will affect the cycling event. Weather permitting, it is possible Caltrans could start on the rock wall replacement project the Tuesday after Easter – April 26. This would start the two-week closure of the main road into the South Shore.

If all goes according to plan, it would open two days before the international teams arrive in Tahoe.

What hasn’t been addressed publicly is what happens if there is snow or ice on the road during the race. Lake Tahoe is notorious for long winters. One only need look at the snowfall for May and June 2010.

About 300 volunteers are going to be needed on the South Shore to handle various jobs. Sean Sweeney, an avid cyclist and director of skier services at Sierra-at-Tahoe, is heading the volunteer team.

Chaplin said she hopes this is the first of many years Tahoe will be involved with the bike race.

More information about the May 15-22 cycling race is on the Amgen Tour de California website.

• El Dorado County Board of Supervisors is having a public hearing Feb. 1 regarding the proposed South Tahoe Refuse 1.9 percent rate increase. The meeting is in Placerville at 9am. It would raise rates 50 cents per month and be effective starting that day.

• Sierra-at-Tahoe’s superpipe is open – the only one on the South Shore. To showcase the superpipe and terrain parks the resort will host the Gatorade Free Flow Tour on Feb. 5, Far West Slopestyle Competition Feb. 12, and USASA Superpipe Competition Feb. 27.

• A funny video to show you how not to get snow off your roof.

• A photo of the Thunderbird taken by Tahoe City’s Steve Lapkin is on the cover of the January issue of Yachting magazine.

• Robert M. Weygandt, in his fifth term on the Placer County Board of Supervisors, is now chairman of the board.

• Read this to find out what Carl Ribaudo of SMG thinks the tourism trends for 2011 will be.

By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal

Major change is coming to what is arguably the Sierra’s most famous ski resort.

Squaw Valley USA, acquired in November by the Colorado-based investment firm KSL Capital Partners, is planning a $50 million upgrade to the resort made famous by hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics.

An infusion of cash is designed to put Squaw back on world stage. Photo/Kathryn Reed

It’s doing so, CEO Andy Wirth said, through a novel competitive approach involving three of the world’s best mountain planners.

“In essence, this is basically a bake-off,” Wirth said.

Three companies — Vancouver, Canada-based Ecosign Mountain Planners, Ltd.; International Alpine Design of Avon, Colo., and the Salt Lake City-based SE Group — are designing proposals for $50 million worth of mountain improvements.

On Feb. 1, Wirth and colleagues plan to decide which proposal they like the best and then proceed with improvements to be built over the next three to five years.

Nothing’s off the table. Changes could include renovation of the High Camp lodge, accessed by the resort’s iconic tram, new or relocated ski lifts, regraded ski runs and new restaurants.

“The only thing changing here is everything,” said Wirth, 46. “We want to make sure we have the best of the best. This is an incredible piece of rock on which we operate.”

None of the coming changes will compromise Squaw’s reputation as a “mountain of legend,” with extreme terrain such at KT-22 and the Headwall serving as beacons for adrenaline junkies, Wirth said.

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

Bagels the size of hockey pucks and muffins the size of eggs. That’s what a single serving is.

Finding out bagels and muffins from coffee houses and restaurants count as several servings did not seem to sit well with some of the women as they ate breakfast.

Nutritionist Amber Wilson talks about smaller portions -- on plates and in glasses. Photo/Laurie Brazil

When registered dietician Amber Wilson told the group of women last week that filling a smaller wine glass would be a good idea, it was met with chuckles like that suggestion isn’t about to happen.

“Most people have an emotional connection to food,” Wilson told members of Soroptimist International Tahoe Sierra.

She said it’s best to eat when hungry, which is likely to mean having several small meals throughout the day.

Wilson also said no watching TV, no emailing and no reading while eating. This will allow for enjoying the experience of eating.

To demonstrate how better to enjoy food she had each woman put an M&M in her mouth and close her eyes. The idea was to pay attention to the taste, smell, texture – to notice what it felt like swallowing and if while eating it evoked any feelings besides hunger.

“You need to focus on what food tastes like,” Wilson said. She added that by doing so it will result in making healthier food choices.

Eating fruits, vegetables and protein are critical, she said.

“A lot of diet related foods have fillers in them. A lot of times they take out the fats and put in other things to make it taste good. Those are usually sugars,” Wilson said.

She recommends keeping a food journal to be accountable for what one eats. People tend to avoid bad foods when they know they have to write it down.

Wilson was asked how to get people to eat better.

“You have to have a realistic conversation about their health and the risks. But if they don’t want to change, you won’t get them to,” Wilson said.

In addition to paying attention to what is being consumed, where it’s eaten and how much, Wilson is a big believer is being active for 30 to 60 minutes a day.

“The best kind of exercise is the exercise you like,” Wilson said.

Wilson may be contacted by emailing a.wilson@new-life-nutrition.com.