Connection fees will not increase for residents and businesses serviced by South Tahoe Public Utility District.

The board’s unanimous postponement of the proposed 36 percent increase in water capacity charges and 16 percent increase in sewer capacity charges was “in order to provide the incentive to encourage construction projects to move forward,” according to a press release.

The cap on the fees is good through June 30. The board will reassess the fee structure in a few months.

In 2006 for water and 2008 for sewer, the district undertook formal rate studies to determine appropriate capacity charges. The studies indicated the need for significant increases, according to a press release. The board’s plan was to phase the increases in over a five-year period.

By Lindsey Sine, USSA

BLUE MOUNTAIN, Quebec -– Caitlin Ciccone (Littleton, NH) was at it again Wednesday, leading the way for the U.S. and cracking the top 30 as she finished 27th during a skiercross World Cup in Quebec.

Norway’s Marte Hoeie Gjefsen won the women’s race followed by Ashleigh Mcivvor of Canada in second and Slovenia’s Sasa Faric in third.

According to U.S. Ski Cross Head Coach Tyler Shepherd, the key to Ciccone’s day was her start.

“Our focus today was to get her out of the start faster and I think we accomplished that,” Shepherd said. “The last several World Cups she has been out of the gate last and here we got her more even with the rest of the women, and in the mix.”

In the men’s competition Andreas Matt of Austria won, followed in second by Lars Lewen of Sweden and Austrian Patrick Koller in third. No U.S. men made finals. The USA’s Casey Puckett (Aspen, CO) is taking a break before the Olympics, while Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA) will be back for Lake Placid.

Now, the skiercross contingent will head to Lake Placid for what will be the final opportunity for freestyle athletes to make the 2010 Olympic Team. The Nature Valley Freestyle Challenge runs Jan. 21-24, with skiercross on Sunday. The Olympic Team will be named next Tuesday.

Blue Mountain, Quebec, Jan. 20, skiercross

Men

1. Andreas Matt, Austria

2. Lars Lewen, Sweden

3. Patrick Koller, Austria

4. Michael Schmid, Switzerland

5. Brady Leman, Canada

–

47. Justin Johnson, Park City, UT

52. Patrick Duran, Fayston, VT

53. John Teller, Mammoth Lakes, CA

55. Biche Rudigoz, Ketchum, ID

64. Scott Horn, Truckee, CA

Women

1. Marte Hoeie Gjefsen, Norway

2. Ashleigh Mcivor, Canada

3. Sasa Faric, Slovenia

4. Katharina Gutensohn, Austria

5. Ophelie David, France

–

27. Caitlin Ciccone, Littleton, NH

30. Langely McNeal, Ketchum, ID

Squaw is hosting a daylong scavenger hunt for kids and families, a snowshoe tour for fun-loving singles and a romantic High Camp dinner package for couples this Valentine’s Day.

The most up-to-date resort conditions, operation schedules, events and live mountain cams are available on www.squaw.com.

Sugar Bowl Resort hosts two sanctioned U.S. Skiing FIS Nor-Am Cup skiercross competitions Feb. 1-3.

Top-level skiercross competitors from around the world will descend upon Sugar Bowl to race the new skiercross course on the Tunnel 41 trail, located off the Mt. Judah Express quad chair.

For more information, visit wwww.sugarbowl.com.

Nan Bostick is in “From Gaslight Ragtime to Electrified Swing Time” Feb. 5 at 7pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

Admission is $5.

Bostick will present her history of ragtime program in the local schools Feb. 1-5.

The event is sponsored by Tahoe Arts Project.

By the end of the month the skiers and snowboarders representing the United States in Vancouver Olympics Games in February will be announced.

Here are the hopefuls, in alphabetical order, from the Lake Tahoe area:

Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, snowboarding halfpipe

Shannon Bahrke,  Tahoe City, freestyle skiing

Scott Bahrke, Tahoe City, freestyle skiing

Ross Baker, Reno, snowboarding halfpipe

Jayson Hale, Sierraville, snowboardercross

Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, snowboarding halfpipe

Nate Holland, Squaw Valley, snowboardercross

Pat Holland, Squaw Valley, snowboardercross

Tim Jitloff, Reno, alpine skiing

Sho Kashima, South Lake Tahoe, freestyle skiing (injured and no longer a contender)

Errol Kerr, Truckee, freestyle skiing (races for Jamaican team)

Julia Mancuso,  Squaw Valley, alpine skiing

Bobby Minghini, Squaw Valley, snowboardercross

Shaun Palmer, Squaw Valley, snowboardercross

Daron Rahlves, Sugar Bowl, freestyle skiing

Justin Reiter, Truckee, snowboarding

Shelly Robertson, Reno, freestyle skiing

Marco Sullivan,  Squaw Valley, alpine skiing

Elijah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, snowboarding halfpipe

Hannah Teter,  South Lake Tahoe, snowboarding halfpipe

Stormy weather is still swirling around the Lake Tahoe Basin. Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe, delivers his ski report for the day.

Slow Food Lake Tahoe’s first potluck and general meeting of the year is Jan. 28 at the Cedar House Sport Hotel in Truckee from 4-7pm.

Gary Romano, owner of Sierra Valley Farms, will be the guest spaker.

Bring a dish that reflects the theme “winter”.

For more information, contact Susan Brumm at (530) 582.7498.

The free Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Area Snow Carnival is Jan. 23 from 11am-3pm. For more information, call (530) 587.9444, ext. zero or email ski@tahoedonner.com.

By USSA

PARK CITY — The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) has named seven men and six women to the Alpine World Junior Championship Team to compete in the Mont-Blanc region of France Jan. 30-Feb. 6. The athletes, ages 15-19, qualified for the team based on NorAm Cup results this season.

The World Junior Championships are an important international event in the development pipeline, matching the best ski racers in the world together. The events in the Mont-Blanc region will be held in Chamonix, Megeve and Les Houches.

Among the veterans are returning athletes Will Gregorak (Longmont, CO) from Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, who was fourth in downhill at last year’s Championships. He’ll be joined by Holderness School’s Julia Ford (Plymouth, NH), who was fourth in combined. Both are now on the U.S. Ski Team. Ford is current second in the NorAm Cup standings, while Gregorak is fifth.

Evans will serve as team leader for the group, with Randy Pelkey heading the men and John Hale the women.

The men open with the giant slalom in Les Houches on Jan. 31, with the women kicking it off with super G in Megeve.

Two athletes qualified for the team but will miss the Championships due to injury including Kara Shaw (Norwich, VT/Burke Mountain Academy) and Keith Moffat (Berkeley, CA/Squaw Valley Ski Team).

2010 U.S. Alpine World Junior Championship Team

(name, birthdate, hometown, USSA club)

Men

Michael Ankeny, 1/17/91, Wayzata, MN (Buck Hill Ski Club) *

Kieffer Christianson, 8/11/92, Anchorage (Burke Mountain Academy)

Nick Daniels, 4/5/91, Tahoe City, CA (Squaw Valley Ski Team) *

Jared Goldberg, 6/17/91, Salt Lake City (Team Flow)

Colby Granstrom, 9/21/90, Lake Stevens, WA (Mission Ridge Ski Team) *

Will Gregorak, 9/30/09, Longmont, CO (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) *

Wiley Maple, 5/22/90, Aspen, CO (Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club) *

Women

Vanessa Berther, 2/11/92, Sammamish, WA (Team Alpental Snoqualmie) *

Greta Byrne, 5/12/93, Vail, CO (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) *

Devin Delaney, 2/24/91, North Conway, NH (Green Mountain Valley School) *

Julia Ford, 3/30/90, Plymouth, NH (Holderness School) *

Abigail Fucigna, 1/9/91, Hopkinton, MA (Burke Mountain Academy)

Brooke Wales, 8/28/90, Sammamish, WA (Mission Ridge Ski Team)