Dave Mason plays Harrah’s Tahoe April 24, 7:30pm. Tickets are $30 plus tax.

For more South Shore Room information, call 800-786-8208 or purchase tickets online at www.SouthShoreRoom.com.

Johnny Lang plays Harrah’s Tahoe Nov. 19, 7:30pm. Tickets are $55 plus tax.

For more South Shore Room information, call 800.786.8208.

Louie Anderson plays Harrah’s Tahoe May 15, 7:30pm. Tickets are $30 plus tax.

For more South Shore Room information, call 800-786-8208 or purchase tickets online at www.SouthShoreRoom.com.

Blue Oyster Cult plays Harrah’s Tahoe June 12, 7:30pm. Tickets are $35 plus tax.

For more South Shore Room information, call 800-786-8208 or purchase tickets online at www.SouthShoreRoom.com.

Publisher’s Note: The pilot and owner of the plane, Gary Lampert, died in the crash. Lampert had registered the plane using his Zephyr Cove address.

By J.M. Brown, Santa Cruz Sentinel

WATSONVILLE — The pilot of a single-engine airplane died Saturday after crashing into an apple orchard off Freedom Boulevard near Corralitos Creek.

The plane was near Watsonville Municipal Airport at 5,000 feet when the pilot declared an emergency at 1:25 p.m., stating his engine was on fire, authorities said. The pilot told air traffic controllers in Oakland he would try to land at the Watsonville airport, but that was his final transmission.

Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, originally said the plane’s tail number was N7JX, though a different number is painted on the plane. Gregor originally described the plane as a home-built, fixed-wing experimental Lancair Legacy, but later said the FAA was uncertain the make and model information was accurate.

Read the whole story

It’s 7:30am on Nov. 22 and the overcast ski on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe is spitting out a mix of light snow and rain. Conditions may not improve much, except that it’s likely to be snow coming down on the slopes. For all the particulars, check out today’s ski report provided by Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

Heavenly is on a wind hold — be sure to check with the resort to see if opens today.

By Sallie Ross-Filgo

Never try to thaw frozen water pipes with an open flame. This could start a fire inside a wall space.

Instead, use hot water or a hand-held hair dryer for thawing.

Also, don’t use your oven or stovetop for heating the house. This is a fire hazard that could give off poisonous fumes.

Be sure all of your windows open easily. You may need to use them as emergency exits if a fire should occur.

Finally, make sure your furnace and water heater have clear space around the for air intake. This promotes safe and efficient operation of the appliances.

Sallie Ross-Filgo works for the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department.

By Barbara Barte Osborn, Sacramento Bee

Geologists from two national engineering firms will begin mapping the recently identified Polaris earthquake fault near Truckee.

Martis Creek Dam – plagued by seepage as well as the fault – has been deemed one of the riskiest of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 610 dams nationwide and is the subject of a long-term study and remedial efforts.

Kleinfelder and AMEC-Geomatrix will be paid $250,000 for their part of the continuing study of the dam in Martis Valley, which lies between Truckee and North Lake Tahoe.

Read the whole story

Bell ringers at Valhalla. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The annual holiday fair at Valhalla near Camp Richardson on the

Artisans display their work. Photo/Kathryn Reed

South Shore of Lake Tahoe is all about showing off what local artists, crafts people, soap makers, photographers, authors have been busy working on.

The three-day event concludes Nov. 22. The Grand Hall will be open from 10am-4pm. The event is free. A shuttle will take people from the overflow lot on Highway 89 to the front door.

Like years past, holiday music is provided by various groups. It ranges from adult bell ringers to children singing.

Publisher’s Note: Reprinted with permission from the November 2008 Tahoe Mountain News.

By Kathryn Reed

St. Theresa’s is known for many things — not all are religious in nature.

During the Angora Fire of summer 2007 a sense of community was even more evident at the Catholic church. By the end of the week more than 5,000 meals were cooked in its kitchen. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were available to anyone needing nourishment.

The Red Cross got its meals from the volunteers at the church, officials at the fire command post got food, meals were sent to hotels housing displaced locals. Restaurants and grocery stores donated food, the church pantry provided staples, financial donations allowed volunteers to shop for specific items.

Daunelle Wulstein and Robyn Smith got the burners fired up. Weldon Wulstein kept on top of supplies.

Diane Weidinger arrived that Tuesday when Gardner Mountain was most at risk and the number of displaced just kept growing.

“I cook at St. Theresa’s for the Bread and Broth program so I know the kitchen very well and I knew what supplies we had,” Weidinger said. “By midweek we got it down to a science. We knew how many meals we had to deliver outside the church hall. (Menus) were all based on what was donated and what was in our pantry.”

According to Weidinger’s friends, she is a phenomenal cook. Accompanying her in the kitchen was a gaggle of professional and home schooled chefs. Jeannette Shippee and Hugo Lizaola from the county jail lent their expertise. So did Stephen Moise, Reds Regan and Bill Marchetti.

“With the onset of the Angora Fire, my buddy Reds Regan and I were perplexed: Where could we best offer our limited array of talents?” said Marchetti, former chef at Eagles’ Nest restaurant on Kingsbury Grade and current manager of the lounge there. “Perhaps it was divine intervention, but at that moment we drove by St. Theresa’s. Now, if there’s anything two Catholic boys would know about, it’s volunteerism and guilt.”

During that frightful experience 17 months ago, plenty of people stepped forward to donate time, money and resources to help their neighbors. Perhaps this Thanksgiving is another good opportunity to say thank you to everyone who fought the fire, as well as thank the countless volunteers who fought to provide stability, love and a sense of community to those who were touched by Angora.

The following recipe is one of the first dishes Marchetti learned to cook in culinary school in 1977. It’s also something he whipped up during the Angora Fire.

“This relish makes a delightful addition to mayonnaise for a tantalizing turkey sandwich,” Marchetti said.

Cranberry Orange Relish

4 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed

¾ cup sugar

1 whole orange

½ tsp. fresh grated ginger

Blanch cranberries for five minutes, chill.

Peel the orange. Reserve the sections, remove the thick white pith and reserve the zest.

Combine the cranberries, sugar, orange zest and ginger. Pulse in a food processor until chunky. Chill and serve.