To the community,

South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center would like to thank local service clubs Kiwanis Sunrisers and Tahoe Douglas Rotary for bringing holiday cheer to the lives of women and children who have experienced violence. Kiwanis Sunrisers hosted a full course Thanksgiving meal for more than 20 people on Nov. 18. Mothers were thrilled and thankful to sit down to a delicious meal with their children.

On Dec. 8 Rotary hosted their annual holiday party held at Embassy Suites complete with dinner, gifts and Santa Claus.

Children had a great time telling Santa their holiday wishes and parents and children received a special gift.

Thank you, Kiwanis Sunrisers and Tahoe Douglas Rotary, for providing these wonderful events to brighten the holidays for our clients.

Sarah Sanchez, development coordinator South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE — Parents. They are the common denominator of the eight South Tahoe High students selected to be Young Women of Distinction.

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe each year singles out seniors who have risen to the top of their class beyond having exceptional grade point averages. Still, the averages are impressive – ranging from 4.08 to 4.57.

STHS Principal Ivone Larson talks about the eight women being honored Dec. 8. Photo/Kathryn Reed

As Principal Ivone Larson described each young woman’s accomplishments, the tears started to flow. With parents in the audience for the Dec. 8 lunch at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, it was obvious this event was a culmination of 17 or 18 years of hard work on everyone’s part.

All of the girls spoke of their parents’ influence on their lives. The majority wants to pursue an education in science or a career that will involve science. All have a wealth of community service on their resume. Some are dancers, some athletes, some artists – above all they are distinct in their own right.

Here is a bit of what Larson had to say about each girl.

Katie Burba: “With her multilingual talents in Spanish and French, Katie hopes to travel to Spain and Europe to teach English. While there, she hopes to pick up a few more languages, including Italian, as her family is Sicilian.” Burba’s passion is dance – spending five days a week on her toes. She may minor in dance. Her first choice college is UC Davis.

Elisa Escobar: When she arrived in the United States from the Philippines at age 7 she spoke no English. Now she is fluent in four languages, has a 4.27 gpa and wants to go to UC Santa Barbara to eventually become a marine biologist, oceanographer, or nurse practitioner. “It is fitting that Elisa credits her parents for teaching her who she is and giving her strong morals. She also acknowledges her teachers for being her inspiration. Elisa, you have already made a difference in the lives of so many and we can’t wait to hear about your future adventures.”

Annie Lineberry: The acting bug bit her when first auditioned for a high school performance. She has been on stage every since. She aspires to be a company member in the Oregon Shakespearian Festival in Ashland or possibly a high school drama teacher. “Annie says her Dad is a constant source of encouragement and pressure to do her absolute best in everything she does. She credits him with inspiring her acting dreams. Her Mom challenges her to think about real issues and to question the morality and intelligence of everything that occurs on a day-to-day basis. She says she challenges her to form her own opinions on issues based upon fact and truth even if they don’t line up with her Mother’s beliefs.”

Tiffany Racz: “She attended the National Youth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., last year and came home a changed person in the sense that her career goals are now global instead of national. Her goal is to be an epidemiologist somewhere remote studying and researching epidemics hoping to be part of a close team that will find solutions to serious global problems.” She has taken every science class the school offers.

Ariana Truszewski: She works 20 hours a week to support her riding habit. She owns a horse and has been in the saddle since age 7. “Therefore, it is no surprise to any of us that she hopes to become an equine veterinarian working in the thoroughbred-racing field. This past summer she did an internship at an equine sports medicine and rehabilitation center in Lexington, Ky. She worked side by side with veterinary students, working long hours through extreme heat and humidity, leaving exhausted and grimy at the end of the day, but loving every minute of it.”

Dana Tumbaga: With psychology and English being her favorite classes, she is considering a career path that may involve those disciplines as well as sociology. She is fluent in English and Ilocano. “Dana is not certain about her future endeavors, but as an artist, she can appreciate the potential of a blank canvas when provided with the right tools and inspiration.”

Hannah Wheelen: “She is passionate about the environment and hopes to someday return to Tahoe to work as a scientist protecting our precious natural resources.” Quiet and introspective are words to describe her, but so are busy and giving with a slew of extracurricular activities and volunteering outside the school.

Stephanie Zepeda: “She has applied to several universities, but hopes to be accepted to UC Berkeley in the fall and eventually become a bilingual criminal psychologist.” She has been on the cheerleading squad all four years. Last year she received the nomination for the National Youth Leadership conference in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, she studies and scrapbooks.

By Freddy Perryman, U.S. Ski Team

RUKA, Finland – Patrick Deneen (Cle Elum, Wash.) and Hannah Kearney (Norwich, Vt.) started off the 2011 World Cup moguls season capturing both top spots for the U.S. Ski Team near the Arctic Circle in Ruka, Finland. It was the first career World Cup win for Deneen, the 2009 World Champion, and 11th for Kearney.

Setting aside all the jitters that come with the first competition of the season, Olympic champion Kearney threw down her first heli mute grab in competition to claim victory.

Kearney’s winning run started with a back layout off the first jump and a clean exit allowed her to carry her speed through the middle bumps.

A new jump package also allowed Deneen to have the fastest run of the night on his way to victory, besting Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury and Guilbaut Colas of France.

Conditions in Ruka were chilly, just above 10°F, but the course was in great condition, allowing the athletes to showcase their talents unencumbered.

Eliza Outrrim (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) finished just outside the podium in fourth. Four U.S. women and two men made the top-16 finals including World Cup Rookie of the Year Heidi Kloser (Vail) in 10th and Heather McPhie (Bozeman) in 13th for the women and Jeremy Cota (Carrabassett Valley, Maine), who finished 14th for the men.

This Wednesday, freestyle competition resumes in Meribel, France, with dual moguls. Then it’s off to Beida Lake, China. This event marks the first time a World Cup moguls competition will have been held in China.

Official results,FIS Freestyle World Cup, Ruka, Finland, Moguls

Men

1. Patrick Deneen, Cle Elum, WA, 25.23

2. Mikael Kingsbury, Canada, 24.89

3. Guilbaut Colas, France, 24.78

4. Dmitriy Reiherd, Kazakhstan, 24.61

5. Cedric Rochon, Canada, 23.99

–

14. Jeremy Cota, Carrabassett Valley, ME

19. Bryon Wilson, Butte, MT

22. David Digravio, Farmington, ME

24. Jimmy Discoe, Ridgway, CO

26. Joe Discoe, Telluride, CO

28. Sho Kashima, Lake Tahoe, CA

Women

1. Hannah Kearney, Norwich, VT, 24.09

2. Jennifer Heil, Canada, 24.02

3. Kristi Richards, Canada, 23.52

4. Eliza Outtrim, Steamboat Springs, CO, 22.97

5. Justine Dufor-Lapointe, Canada, 22.76

–

10. Heidi Kloser, Vail, CO

13. Heather McPhie, Bozeman, MT

24. Laurel Shanley, Squaw Valley, CA

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. – The hillside was illuminated and the music kept the crowd moving as Cheryl Maas and Zak Hale clinched the win by pumping out some stylish tricks during the Paul Mitchell Progression Session on the nighttime slopes Saturday.

The setup included an in-run to a wall feature, followed by either a gap jump, or a rail transition. The night started out in a jam session format, and after 50 minutes the field was whittled to five men and three women. Each then got three runs and were placed in order.

Maas, who hails from the Netherlands, threw a stylish flip off the wall, but the run that won her the event was a backside wallride to backside 3 over the railing.

As far as she was concerned, the night was a success that included a nice outcome in the form of Paul Mitchell hair care products as one of her prizes.

On the men’s side, Hale of Big Bear City, Calif., was clearly putting out progressive moves as he cleared the gap and styled down the rails.

“Front one sameway on the closeout rail, a couple tricks off the wall and I guess that’s what got me this check, so I’m pretty stoked,” Hale said.

The event marked the close of the Copper Mountain stop of the Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix. Relive all the fun Dec. 12 starting at 11am on NBC.

Official Results, Visa U.S. Halfpipe Grand Prix, Copper Mountain, Colo, Paul Mitchell Progression Session

Men

1. Zak Hale, Big Bear City, CA

2. Austen Sweetin, Seattle, WA

3. Forest Bailey, Lake Tahoe, CA

4. Yale Cousino, Sugarbush, VT

5. Tyler Flanagen, Mammoth, CA

Women

1. Cheryl Maas, Netherlands

2. Colleen Quigley, Waterville Valley, ME

3. Darrah Reid, Canada

To the community,

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority would like to thank all of the locals and visitors who attended the Community Tree & Menorah Lighting Dec. 3 at the California Visitor Center. This annual event was made possible through the generous support of the following local businesses:

Sierra Pacific Power, Lake DJ/ Derek & Vicki Tarpey, Temple Bat Yam, Paul Kushner and the Tahoe Schools Choir, Borges Sleigh Rides, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Zephyr Cove Resort, Riva Grill, Grocery Outlet, Safeway Round Hill, Raley’s at the Y, CVS at the Y, Sierra Wood Products and the South Lake Tahoe Parks and Recreation Department.

A very special thanks to Santa Claus and his helpers. We look forward to seeing you on the first Friday of December next year for this annual community event.

Anne Sutterfield, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority operations manager

St. Theresa Catholic Church welcomes anyone and everyone to its Fifth annual Community Christmas Dinner and Festive Celebration on Christmas Day beginning at 3pm and continuing into the early evening.

The holiday event will be in Grace Hall on the corner of Highway 50 and Lyons Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.

If you know anyone who would be alone on Christmas, or does not have the wherewithal to prepare a holiday meal, encourage them to come and celebrate this day with others.

If you would like to help plan, organize and implement St. Theresa Community Christmas, call Sue Jackson at (530) 544.4007 or send an email to tahoecommunitychristmas@live.com.

The Tahoe Figure Skating Club and the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena are hosting a “Holiday on Ice” Dec. 18 from 5:30-6:30pm at the South Tahoe Ice Arena located at 1170 Rufus Allen Blvd.

Admission is free.

See local and regional skaters perform to their favorite Christmas songs. There will also be performances by the Hockey League, Skate School and a special appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Dress warm.

For more information, call (530) 542.6262.

If you don’t get enough action on the slopes today, the Tahoe Adventure Film Festival is at MontBleu in Stateline tonight.

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

Mystery writer Todd Borg is teaching a three-day writing class in Folsom.

Details are here.

By Kathryn Reed

Most South Tahoe Refuse customers can expect to pay a few pennies more a month for garbage service starting Jan. 1

The cost of living adjustment for South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County and Douglas County is based on seven consumer price indices. Based on the franchise agreements STR has with the three entities this is considered a non-discretionary rate increase – meaning it’s automatic even though each governing body will vote on it.

The City Council, after the three new members are sworn in Dec. 14 at 9am, is expected to approve this as part of the consent agenda. Douglas County commissioners have the increase on their Dec. 16 agenda. El Dorado County supervisors have not set a date.

For South Lake Tahoe, the 1.52 percent increase would equate to 35 cents more a month for residential customers. The 0.59 percent  increase for one can pick up in Douglas County means 9 cents more a month, or 18 cents for two can pick up. El Dorado customers are likely to see a 1.9 percent increase.

The point of the COLA is to maintain operating expenses.

Every four years the refuse company can ask for a more substantive rate increase through what’s called a general reset. That four-year cycle comes up next year. This means talks will start in 2011 and the adjustment would take effect in 2012.

“We look at the revenues of the company versus expenses and adjust the rates,” explained Terry Trease, STR controller. “The last thing people want is a rate increase. We’ve been given our marching orders to do what we can, to max out diversion with the personnel we have.”

Even though the company is meeting the state mandate of recycling 50 percent of the waste collected, it wants to do more. But doing more could mean more trucks or some other expense on the bottom line. STR is weighing the cost-effectiveness of all of its programs, Trease said.