• Tim Jitloff of Reno made his 2011 World Cup debut wearing a helmet in support of October being breast cancer awareness month. Jitloff’s mother is in remission.

• Mike Bridges, one-time beverage manager at Sahara Tahoe and High Sierra, has died of leukemia. Domenic Mazzetta, general manager of Harveys when the bomb went off, has also died.

• The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California elected its first female leader — Wanda Batchelor. She beat out Chairman Waldo Walker and Vernon Wyatt.

• The South Lake Tahoe Redevelopment Agency, aka City Council, is having a public hearing Nov. 16 at 9am to discuss redrawing the lines of Redevelopment Area 2 to match what staff agreed to with El Dorado County. The meeting is at Lake Tahoe Airport.

• Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, received an A grade for the fourth year in a row from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association for the 2010 legislative season.

• The El Dorado Community Foundation 2011 grant applications are open and available at the foundation’s website. The deadline to apply is 5pm Nov. 15.

• A change implemented by City Manager Tony O’Rourke – no department heads at South Tahoe council meetings unless an agenda item is related to their department.

• Sierra House Elementary School’s annual Harvest Festival is Oct. 30 from noon-3pm. Costumes optional at the South Tahoe school on Pioneer Trail.

By John Simerman, Contra Costa Times

Nearly lost amid the shouting of a high-volume campaign season, 42,000 Richmond voters may do more to change the region’s environment than in any election in decades.

They will vote on a gambling resort, right on the Bay, with more slot machines than all the casinos on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore — the first Vegas-style casino in a California urban area. And if its magnitude is not well understood, its origins are even less so.

The resort’s journey to the ballot — which, if voters agree, could prod federal approval — is a seven-year saga with an uncommon cast, from a figure with alleged criminal ties who spurred a small band of American Indians to pursue casino riches, to a development team that includes a former U.S. senator and Clinton-era defense secretary, a major Chicago real estate financier and a former governor’s land czar.

Along with the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians, a tribe with 112 members and roots in Mendocino County, they’ve pushed ahead with the help of, among others, a former top aide to U.S. Sen. John McCain, and financing first from Harrah’s and now from the tribe that runs Cache Creek Casino Resort in Yolo County.

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The Barton Foundation’s second annual Festival of Trees and Lights kicks off the holiday season Dec. 3-5 at the MontBleu Convention Center in Stateline.

The festival features nonstop holiday entertainment; trees decorated by local designers, Barton employees, and local schools; visits with Santa Claus; an expanded children’s craft area; and a community stage.

Decorators compete for best tree at the 2009 event. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Here is a rundown of the ticketed events:

* Teddy Bear Hospital provides an interactive way for kids to learn about their health and hospitals in a safe, “no poke” environment from real doctors, nurses and caregivers. Every child 12 and under attending the festival during public viewing and Family Night will receive a free teddy bear. Their bear is then admitted to the hospital, diagnosed and treated. Sponsored by the Tahoe Emergency Physicians.

* Family Night, Dec. 3 from 5-9pm offers a time for families to experience the festival together. The $25 (up to five people) admission includes a Santa photo, light refreshments, holiday-inspired crafts, face painting and marionette show. Cap off the evening with a free holiday light show presented by Horizon Casino Resort.

* Teddy Bear Breakfast is Dec. 4 at 9am. Bring your child’s favorite doll or stuffed animal to be adorned with holiday flair while you enjoy a kid-friendly buffet. Costumed characters will roam the room and, of course, Santa is there to hear your child’s wishes and to create that keepsake holiday photo. Adults $20; children 12 and under $15.

* The Gala, Dec. 4 at 6pm is the Barton Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser. The black-tie optional event features a live auction, expanded silent auction, live entertainment and the winning cocktail from our Signature Cocktail Contest, the Nutty Mulligan by Edgewood’s Chip Norton. Tickets are $150 per person.

* Fashions in a Winter Wonderland, Dec. 5 at 11am. This Champagne Brunch and Fashion Show features holiday and resort looks from local retailers on the runway. Tickets are $35 per person.

* Polar Express, Dec. 5 at 3 and 6pm, features two departures. Dress up in your best pajamas and grab a seat on one of our “trains.” Have your ticket punched by our conductors, sing carols as you make your way to the Red Hut for a cup of hot chocolate. From there the “trains” continue on to MontBleu for refreshments, the reading of the Polar Express, and the songs of the Tahoe Belles choir. Space is limited to 300 people per departure. Tickets are $15 per person.

Proceeds from the Festival of Trees and Lights benefit the Barton Community Clinic, which provides medical care to the community, especially for those living in poverty or without insurance. Barton is planning an $800,000 expansion and renovation of the existing clinic to improve service for the more than 1,600 patients visiting the clinic each month.

Tickets go on sale Nov. 8 at 9am. Bring a non-perishable food item for Christmas Cheer and receive a $1 off Public Viewing or Family Night.

For a complete schedule, to purchase tickets or for more information, go online or call (530) 543.5909.

By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal

After Nevada’s worst grasshopper infestation in up to 20 years hit last summer, ranchers and agriculture officials are bracing for a return of the insects next year.

It’s unknown if the problem will be as severe, but officials have rectified a situation that prevented them from spraying infested federal land as grasshoppers gobbled valuable range, said Jeff Knight, state entomologist.

“Everything is in line. We shouldn’t have any more hiccups,” Knight said.

Up to 300,000 acres of public and private land — including alfalfa fields — were overrun by grasshoppers last summer, with the problem peaking in July. Hard hit areas included areas near Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Paradise Valley and south of Ely, Knight said.

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Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the Oct. 26, 2010, Sacramento Bee.

For all their palaver about jobs, Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman ignore public talk about a growing industry that generates $7 billion-plus annually.

Soon after taking the oath of office, however, the next governor will face weighty issues presented by California Indian tribes that own casinos and hope to renegotiate compacts with the state. Tribes that aspire to own Las Vegas-style casinos will want a place at the bargaining table.

Brown is no neophyte to the world of gambling and its regulation. As attorney general, he oversaw card rooms. But neither he nor Whitman has discussed the topic in any detail on the campaign trail.

The gambling industry spent $48 million lobbying in Sacramento during the first decade of this century. During that period, Indian casinos and some tribes and investors became rich, while counties and residents of certain rural areas faced traffic, environmental stress and social costs.

There is no turning back. Expansion will continue.

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

MEYERS — A bunch of kids sit around a pond with plastic bottles floating on it. It’s their fault. Each one thought it would be OK to toss their empty into the water.

“We created this problem, didn’t we?” Cindy Wise asks the kindergartners.

Students draw on a water drop to show what water means to them. Photos/Kathryn Reed

This pond, as it were, is actually a dark blue sheet representing a body of water. The youngsters are in Aimee Rice’s class at the Environmental Magnet School. Wise is with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District; part of a Wonders of Water program being taught for the second year in South Shore schools in grades K-6.

With the curriculum grade appropriate and tying into state requirements, youth this month in Lake Tahoe Unified School District and at Zephyr Cove Elementary are learning about watershed health, water conservation, fish life cycles, food webs, water cycles, water quality and the importance of stewardship of water resources.

“Year after year, concepts and topics become a bit more complex and build upon one another. Ideally, students will have been exposed to several years of different activities, making them much more informed about local and global water and conservation issues,” explained Pete Brumis with TahoeRCD.

The kindergartners in Rice’s class on Tuesday could not have articulated exactly what they were learning, but they quickly figured out their one bottle of litter and their friend’s and their other friend’s adds up to a whole lot more than just one bottle.

“The Earth can be killed,” Bella Munson said of what happens if this sort of thing were to really happen.

Bella Munson

Though that is not likely to be the immediate outcome, Wise said, “Ecosystems can be killed.”

Before tossing the bottles in the “water” a bunch of (paper) animals that might be found in a pond were put into the water. With imaginations going, they were swimming in a pristine body of water.

Once the bottles were tossed in, they were overrun, killed. Only bottles could be seen.

One by one the students took out their bottle and tossed it into a blue bag – the icon for South Tahoe Refuse’s recycling program. As they plucked the bottles, to the tune of “Mary had a little lamb,” they sing “Garbage should not go in the water, should not go in the water.”

The animals are back. No more muck to contend with.

“This brings their local environment into the classroom. This is where it all begins,” Rice said.

Houses in the Tahoe Paradise and Tahoe Mountain areas have been hit by a series of burglaries. They are occurring during the day when the residents are away from home.

El Dorado County sheriff’s investigators believe the same people may be involved in committing the crimes.

Anyone with information should contact Detective Matt Harwood at (530) 573.3015 or call Secret Witness at (530) 541.6800 to remain anonymous.

The North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and the Sierra Economic Development Corporation have partnered to offer Internet marketing classes for beginners and intermediate users Nov. 2, 9 and 16, 6-8:30pm at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach, 8318 North Lake Blvd.

The Nov. 2 class is for beginners and will teach participants how to get top rankings on Google, how to access free tools and pick the right keywords for their business and market locally. The cost is $45/person.

The Nov. 9 class is for Intermediates I and will focus on how to set up a Google Ad-words account to bid on keywords. The class will also cover strategies to building inbound links to businesses’ websites. The cost is $45/person.

The Nov. 16 class is for Intermediates II and attendees will learn how to create buzz and compelling content through social marketing, such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. The second half of the class introduces participants to one of the most powerful tools to measure their websites. They’ll be able to learn where their visitors are coming from and how to improve their websites.

Coryon Redd, an entrepreneur who has grown an e-commerce business of cell phone batteries and accessories to more than $3 million in annual sales, will teach the classes that include search engine marketing, link building, comparison shopping and website development – a proven blueprint that will translate to more traffic and converting more shoppers into buyers at participants’ websites.

To register, click to the Sierra Economic Development Corporation website at www.sedccorp.biz or call (530) 823.4703. Deadline to register is Oct. 29.

The North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and the Sierra Economic Development Corporation have partnered to offer Internet marketing classes for beginners and intermediate users Nov. 2, 9 and 16, 6-8:30pm at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach, 8318 North Lake Blvd.

The Nov. 2 class is for beginners and will teach participants how to get top rankings on Google, how to access free tools and pick the right keywords for their business and market locally. The cost is $45/person.

The Nov. 9 class is for Intermediates I and will focus on how to set up a Google Ad-words account to bid on keywords. The class will also cover strategies to building inbound links to businesses’ websites. The cost is $45/person.

The Nov. 16 class is for Intermediates II and attendees will learn how to create buzz and compelling content through social marketing, such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. The second half of the class introduces participants to one of the most powerful tools to measure their websites. They’ll be able to learn where their visitors are coming from and how to improve their websites.

Coryon Redd, an entrepreneur who has grown an e-commerce business of cell phone batteries and accessories to more than $3 million in annual sales, will teach the classes that include search engine marketing, link building, comparison shopping and website development – a proven blueprint that will translate to more traffic and converting more shoppers into buyers at participants’ websites.

To register, click to the Sierra Economic Development Corporation website at www.sedccorp.biz or call (530) 823.4703. Deadline to register is Oct. 29.

As party-going ghosts and goblins celebrate Halloween, the Avoid the 6 El Dorado County coalition reminds everyone to keep the party off the road.

Roving DUI Saturation is planned this weekend as part of South Lake Tahoe Police Department’s ongoing effort to lower impaired driving in the region. The DUI patrols will be working on Oct. 31 while the little ones head out for trick-or-treating.

Nighttime is an especially dangerous time to be on the road, but Halloween weekend is often one of the deadliest times of the year for impaired drivers. According to the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, 16 individuals died and 417 were injured on Halloween in alcohol Involved Collision during the past five years.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department recommends these tips for a safe Halloween:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;

• Before drinking, designate a sober driver;

• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;

• If you happen to see a drunken driver on the road, call 911;

• If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.