By Kathryn Reed

South Lake Tahoe City Councilman Bruce Grego expressed dissatisfaction with contents of the city’s environmental impact report for the updated General Plan, but was essentially shutdown by the consultant.

“It appears there is a certain philosophy being worked into this document,” Grego said at the Nov. 2 council meeting.

He took issue with regulating fireplaces and woodstoves, restrictive lighting for businesses, and the pervasive view people are going to stop using their vehicles.

Bruce Grego

“Today is not intended to be a dialog of the adequacy of the document,” explained Pat Angell of PMC World, the group paid to assemble the EIR. “When we prepare the final we will relook at the language and unintended consequences.”

Angell gave a brief, superficial PowerPoint of what the EIR is about, but no substance to what is in it.

Even though a PowerPoint slide said the purpose of the public hearing was to, “Provide an opportunity for interested agencies and the public to provide input on the adequacy of the draft EIR,” Angell did not seem to care what Grego had to say.

Staff and fellow councilmembers pointed out to Grego that much of what he is worried about in the draft EIR is already in city code or part of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency rules.

One person from the audience spoke.

Mayor Kathay Lovell agreed with Councilman Bill Crawford’s statement, “I think the General Plan is much like the city budget, both are living documents that are subject to be changed along the way.”

This was an informational item, with nothing to vote on.

The General Plan, once approved, will replace the existing General Plan that was adopted in 1999. The public may comment on the draft EIR until Nov. 12. The plan is online. The final EIR is expected to be released in January or February.

By Kathryn Reed

The contraption looks a bit like a sophisticated high school science project as it rocks back and forth, with steam escaping and a slight rumble reverberating in the large room. The Munchinator is at work.

A team of representatives from Carson City-based Ecologico Logic Inc. brought a prototype of their machine from their Southern California offices to South Tahoe Refuse this week to demonstrate how organic waste can be turned into compost in a matter of hours.

Mohammed Memon tells a crowd Nov. 3 about his company's device to breakdown organics. Photos/Kathryn Reed

More than two dozen cans of pine needles and wood products were dumped into a funnel of sorts to enter the presoaking stage before going to the digester.

It took the firm’s research team 10 years to develop the patented naturally occurring microorganisms that breakdown the waste.

Water is added at the start, then it is re-circulated to continue working on fresh waste. The amount of water needed depends on what is being processed. The 2-ton system on display used 300 gallons of water.

It costs about $20 in energy (it runs on electricity) per ton of waste, officials said.

The end product is 20 percent solids, with the rest being water and carbon dioxide. The solid looks like wet pulverized wood chips – with little aroma.

Using this aerobic method to breakdown the waste is cleaner compared to anaerobic organisms that produce toxic gases like methane, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide.

“The solid is like an organic fertilizer, but it’s not rated as a fertilizer,” explained Mohammed Memon, chief operations officer of Ecologico. “But it’s super nutrient rich. It’s sellable as a growth enhancer.”

He brags of his avocado crop since using the compost in his yard – four harvests a year instead of one.

Ron Cline, director of marketing, said the Munchinator is all about helping the environment. It means less waste going to landfills, which in turn means fewer trucks on the road and byproducts that can be reusable.

Cline said the goal is not to compete with entities like South Tahoe Refuse, but to be a partner. He said his firm has buyers lined up for the solid that the Munchinator produces.

John Marchini, who runs South Tahoe Refuse, isn’t sure his company needs a machine like this because of the chipper they use at the Resource Recovery Center and the ability to sell the end product to users in the Carson Valley.

He said he would be more interested in grinding everyday trash. The state would have to make a ruling if reducing a pile of trash by 25 percent counts the same as diverting it from a landfill.

Marchini’s other concern would be the wastewater if household trash is involved, especially plastics.

The company is giving demos of the system in various cities, but is not limiting the technology to just municipalities.

“We want to take smaller systems to hotels,” Cline said. “We could take this size into cruise ships.”

Although Ecologico is promoting this to get rid of organic waste, it could be used to reduce trash as well as biohazards.

Cline, who lives near the old Meyers Landfill on the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe, said the Munchinator could “process landfill dirt and it would come out clean so you don’t have to truck contaminated dirt.”

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

By Martha Bellisle, Reno Gazette-Journal

PLACERVILLE – The judge in the Jaycee Dugard case refused today to unseal the grand jury testimony that led to charges against Phillip and Nancy Garrido, and instead set a Dec. 2 hearing on the issue.

Judge Douglas Phimister also set a two-week competency hearing for Phillip Garrido for early March, but said his psychiatric reports must remain sealed.

Nancy Garrido’s lawyer, Stephen Tapson, continued to voice his opposition to the release of the transcripts, saying they contain “evil” and tell “a tale of woe and misfortune.

Read the whole story

Four vacancies will occur on the Lake Tahoe Unified School District’s Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee as the first two-year term of current members expires Jan. 31.

Members may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The membership vacancies are as follows:

1. A parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district.

2. A parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district and active in a parent-teacher organization or school site council.

3. A person active in the construction industry in South Lake Tahoe.

4. An at-large member of the community.

The committee’s purpose is to:

· inform the public concerning the district’s expenditures of bond proceeds;

· review expenditure reports to ensure that bond proceeds are expended only for the purposes set forth in the ballot measure and that no bond proceeds are used for salaries or other operating expenses;

· present an annual report to the board of education indicating whether the district is in compliance, along with a summary of the committee’s proceedings and activities.

Meetings are quarterly, usually on Wednesdays from 6-8pm.

Qualified applicants are invited to complete an application and submit it to the superintendent by Dec. 1. The board of education will make the appointments, upon recommendation by the superintendent, at the Dec. 14, 2010 Board Meeting.

Call Angie Keil at (530) 541.2850, ext. 225 for further information.

Dennis Oliver of Incline Village passed away Nov. 3 following a serious, monthlong illness. He was 47.

Dennis was born May 20, 1963.

Dennis was the public information officer for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and an extremely valued employee of the agency over the last three and a half years, according to TRPA Executive Director Joanne Marchetta.

Dennis Oliver

“Dennis’s love for Lake Tahoe combined with his superlative writing skills made him an exceptional spokesperson for our agency and we are deeply saddened over his loss,” Marchetta said.

Dennis moved to Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area in 2007 and immediately became an active part of the community and passionate advocate for Lake Tahoe. He was a key team member on the successful campaign for a ballot initiative to raise funds for fuel reduction work in the Douglas County portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin and was a board member of the Sustainable Tahoe Congress.

Dennis never hesitated to be involved in civic affairs and was a candidate for the Incline Village General Improvement District board earlier this year.

“Dennis made a major impact on Lake Tahoe during his time here,” said Julie Regan, external affairs director and Dennis’ supervisor and colleague. “We will remember his laughter, his extraordinary talents and especially his unwavering commitment to Lake Tahoe’s restoration.”

Dennis spent more than 27 years as a reporter, editor, writer, instructor and communications professional, including three years covering environmental policy, investigative news and special projects for the Oakland Tribune and six years as director of communications for California Alliance for Jobs where Dennis focused on promoting important public infrastructure projects.

Impassioned for nature and the outdoors, Dennis also authored two regional travel, nature and outdoor guides, “Inside Out Northern California” (1999) and “Camping! Northern California” (2001). Dennis also supported the arts and enjoyed painting in his spare time. He was an avid poker player and supported many charitable poker tournaments at local casinos.

Above all, Dennis was a consummate journalist. His writing was inspiring and poignant and he used his skills to educate local residents and visitors about how to Keep Tahoe Clear.

Services are pending.

Staff members at TRPA are initiating an arts and environmental education fund in his memory. For additional information, contact Jeff Cowen, TRPA community liaison, at (775) 589.5278 or email to jcowen@trpa.org.

Three generations of women explore the far reaching ripples of the Holocaust in Diane Samuels’ play “Kindertransport,” opening at Lake Tahoe Community College’s Duke Theatre Nov. 13.

Kindertransport was the name of a rescue effort that brought thousands of Jewish children to Great Britain from Nazi Germany between 1938 and the outbreak of war in 1939. Almost 10,000 children were sent by their parents to safety.

Performances are Nov.13 at 8pm, Nov. 18-20 at 8pm and Nov. 14 and Nov. 21 at 2pm.

In the play “Kindertransport” 9-year-old Eva ends up in Manchester, England. When Eva’s parents fail to escape Germany, her attachment to her foster mother increases, and a new identity starts to form. The child changes her name to Evelyn and begins the process of denial of her German and Jewish roots. More than 30 years later, when her daughter discovers some old letters in the attic, Evelyn is forced to confront the truth about her past. Combining theatricalism and naturalism, past and present are intertwined throughout the play as themes of mother-daughter relationships, survivor guilt, and loss of identity are explored.

A special commemoration of Kristallnacht will be held at the opening night performance, Nov. 13, prior to the show. Rabbi Jonathan Freirich from Temple Bat Yam in South Lake Tahoe will preside. Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, was a series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on Nov. 9–10, 1938.

“Kindertransport” opens the week of the 72 anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Tickets for “Kindertransport” are $10 general admission, $7 for seniors, $5 for children under 13 and students with a current student body card.

The first Kindertransport arrived in Harwich, Great Britain, on Dec. 2, 1938, bringing about 200 children from a Jewish orphanage in Berlin that had been destroyed during Kristallnacht. In all, the rescue operation brought about 10,000 children, approximately 7,500 of them Jewish, from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland to Great Britain.

It was assumed at the time that when the crisis was over, the children would return to their families, or parents would eventually join their children in their new country. Most of these children would never see their parents again because they were murdered during the Holocaust.

After the war, many children became citizens of Great Britain, or emigrated to Israel, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will host a meeting to update the community on the Meyers Landfill site on Nov. 18 at 6pm at the Forest Supervisor’s office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

The meeting will include an update on the status of construction of the landfill cap, details on the continued forest closure at the site, and information regarding continued investigations into the extent of the contaminated groundwater plume originating at the site, as well as time for questions.

Contractors are working to winterize the construction site, and work will resume next season. In the meantime, the Forest Service anticipates extending the closure of Garbage Dump Road and the site through the winter due to ongoing safety hazards. this winter, for their own safety.”

For more information on the Meyers Landfill site, visit here.

If you have questions, contact Cheva Heck at (530) 543.2608 or check@fs.fed.us.

Who: The Friends of the El Dorado County Veterans Monument will host the 5th annual Veterans’ Day Tribute in celebration of our nation’s veterans.

When: Nov. 11, 11am

Where: The El Dorado County Veterans Monument, 360 Fair Lane, Placerville.

Why: Veterans Day is a time to honor those who have served the cause of freedom. Each year the community packs the El Dorado County Veterans Monument grounds to honor those who have served.

Highlights of this year’s tribute include:

· A fly-by salute from a flight of T-6 aircraft (weather permitting) in honor of El Dorado County’s 17,000 Veterans

· A second T-6 fly-by salute in the missing man formation in honor of those who have given their lives to preserve our freedoms

· Special guest speaker, Christopher Moore, former U.S. Army Special Forces staff sergeant and local high school principal

· Participation from local Cub and Boy Scout troops

· The presentation of the El Dorado County Veterans Monument-Veteran of the Year Award.

Dear Supervisors,

Last week, the CAO proposed budget cuts to senior programs that we believe would have a grave, negative impact on the quality of life for the some of the most vulnerable citizens in our community.

Eliminating nutrition sites would increase the likelihood of inadequate or improper diet and would put seniors at an even greater risk of poor health. For some seniors, the meal they receive at the nutrition program is the only meal they will eat that day.

Senior nutrition sites offer more than just a healthy meal. Many seniors live alone and would live a life of isolation if not for the opportunity to come together with their peers over lunch. The value of this social contact should not be underestimated.

Attendance at the food program also gives the program coordinators and volunteers an opportunity to observe any signs of change or poor health in an individual. Staff can then engage the person of concern in appropriate resources prior to need for more extensive intervention.

Our seniors are greatly valued by all of us here on the South Shore, as they should be in the entire county, state and country. Please use your considerable power and unite to protect these treasured members of our community.

Sincerely,

David Kelly, chairman Tahoe Area Coordinating Council for the Disabled

South Lake Tahoe entrepreneurs and small businesses will host the first Massage for the Masses Nov. 12-13, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to support Dolphin Anti-Rape and AIDS Control Outreach, a Kenya-based rape-prevention organization.

Elevate Wellness and Biospirit are donating their studio and spa space to host the event, and a dozen local massage therapists e argiving their time to provide 25- and 55-minute massages.

Jennifer Gurecki and Julie Lowe are organizing the event. Gurecki has worked with Dolphin for five years and travels to Kenya regularly to provide technical assistance to the organization.

BioSpirit (530.541.5511, 1116 Ski Run Blvd.) will provide massages Nov. 12 and Elevate Wellness (530.541.9355, 1113 Emerald Bay Road) Nov. 13. Call one of the numbers to make an appointment.

Massage therapists include: Jennifer Webb, Rosemary Manning, Crystal Honeck, Ali Warren, Heidi Meiser, Nancy Gayner, Teresa Bertrand, Coco Maliya, Jennifer Ross, and Vickey Waldo.

The suggested minimum donation is $30 for a 25-minute mini-massage and $60 for a 55-minute massage.

Dolphin is a nationally-registered Kenyan nongovernmental organization that has delivered life-saving sexual violence prevention and self-defense education since 1998. For less than $1 per child, it provides Nairobi’s youth with innovative and life-changing strategies that can save their lives. Dolphin has empowered and educated more than 1 million schoolchildren and teachers. More than 250 children and adults have reportedly used the skills to stop sexual violence in their lives.

The HIV rate among women in Kenya is four times higher than that of men, and 25 percent of women and girls aged 12-14 report having lost their virginity by force, according to UNAIDS. In Nairobi, the capitol of Kenya, the women’s hospital receives an average of 18 cases of rape and incest each day.