Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe meets Sept. 23 at noon at Harvey’s Convention Center. A Candidates’ Forum featuring candidates for the Lake Tahoe UnifiedSchool Board of Trustees as well as the Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees will be presented and is open to the public. Lunch is $15. Call 866-801-8652 to RSVP.

SISLT on Sept. 30 at noon at Harvey’s Convention Center will have a Candidates’ Forum featuring candidates for the South Tahoe Public Utilities District. Lunch is $15. Call 866-801-8652 to RSVP.

Jim and Lois Coalwell are veterans at the weekly farmers market. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The weekly farmers market is in South Lake Tahoe today from 8am-1pm in the American Legion parking lot on Highway 50.

Growers from El Dorado County and beyond will continue to bring their produce to Tahoe through Oct. 13.

A slew of items are available — peaches, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, onions, garlic, squash and more.

This time of year corn stalks start to show up as well — good for decorating with since Halloween is around the corner.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday mobilized the California Emergency Management Agency (CalEMA) and CalFire to prepare for increased wildfire potential as unseasonably hot and dry conditions are forecast for much of California this week.

Additionally, the governor directed CalOSHA to carry out the largest heat enforcement effort in its history to protect California’s workers from heat-related illness during this week’s high temperatures.

The National Weather Service has issued several “Red Flag Warnings” and “Fire Weather Watches” for parts of Northern and Southern California this week, warning residents about the increased fire potential created by hot temperatures, low humidity and off-shore winds. Winds were forecast to occur late Monday night into this morning and again tonight into Wednesday morning with gusts up to 35mph  in the passes and canyons and local gusts up to 45 mph.

As a result of the increased fire risk potential, CalEMA has coordinated with CalFire and local agencies to identify state, federal and local firefighting resources such as fire engines, water tenders, helicopters and air tankers available to be deployed from throughout the state.

By Howie Nave

Greetings aficionados of all things comedic. As summer peters out giving way to another season, I’m reminded of things that I’m not sure are politically correct or OK to still say. I’m referring to the term, “Indian summer.”

I grew up with that term and to my limited knowledge was always meant in a meteorological light. According to Wikipedia, the generally accepted use of the term is when the weather is sunny and clear and above 70 degrees F, and all of the leaves of the trees have turned but before the first snow has fallen. The term “Indian summer” is also used metaphorically to refer to a late blooming of something, often unexpectedly, or after it has lost relevance. Since that’s how I’m often referred to as I’ll just continue to use the term until protesting begins for those who are stupid or misinformed (much like those attending town hall meetings on health care).

Or you can just refer to me as “Anointed Bear” which was my Hebrew name growing up. I’m open to discussion. My office number is (775) 586.6266 and I can always be seen on Facebook future friends who are not already there.

Howie Nave is host of the Improv at Harveys at Stateline. Follow his rants at http://howienave.blogspot.com.

Improv Schedule-Harveys

Date-HeadlinerFeature

Sept. 23-27 Steve White, Scott Kennedy

Sept. 30-Oct 4 John Caponera, Kat Simmons

Oct. 7-11 Nick Griffin Tom Simmons

Oct. 14-18 Allan Havey, Marc Price

Oct. 21-25 Mark Pitta, Frazer Smith

Oct. 28-Nov 1 Geechy Guy, John DiResta

Nov. 4-8 Stagebenders, Jeff Burghart

Nov. 11-15 Hal Sparks Chris Bonno

Nov. 18-22 Dat Phan, Ron Morey

Nov. 25-29 Rocky LaPorte, TBA

Dec. 2-6 Maryellen Hooper, Darryl Collier

Dec. 9-13 Will Durst, Ronnie Schell

Dec. 16-20 Bob Zany, Mo Mandel

Dec. 23-27 Bruce Fine, TBA

Dec. 30-Jan 3 TBA, Graham Elwood

Showtimes are Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays at 9pm, and Saturdays at 8pm and 10pm. For more information, call (775) 586.6266.

South Tahoe’s First Tracks Productions new snowboarding movie “Droppin'”will premiere in the showroom at MontBleu Resort in Stateline on Sept. 25. The premiere is free. Doors open at 7:30, with the show starting at 8pm. Raffle for a Sierra-at-Tahoe season pass, a new snowboard, and a lot more. After-party with live music at Opal for 21+. To see the trailer for “Droppin'” and for more info, go to http://www.firsttracksproductions.com.

###

Ted Gaines

Publisher’s Note: The following is a letter Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, wrote to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urging him to reconsider his decision to close Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park in El Dorado County.

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to close Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park. The closure of this park will threaten public safety and devastate the local economy in my district. It will also have far-reaching and detrimental effects from historical preservation, cultural and educational perspectives.

The economic hit of the park’s closure would spread far beyond that of El Dorado County. In addition to the effect on local tourism, businesses such as rafting, horseback riding, and local shops will be devastating. This is not the time to be driving small businesses to shutter their stores and adding to our already high unemployment numbers.

This park is extremely important to the overall economic success of El Dorado County. The people that visit the park also visit local wineries, Apple Hill and surrounding attractions. This closure will damage our entire County’s economy.

Another concern for closing the park is the historic Highway 49 that runs right through the middle of the park. It will be problematic at best to prevent people from continuing to access the park, causing serious health and safety risks. The risk of having a curious family enter the park unsupervised and being hurt would alone warrant keeping the park open.

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park marks the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in 1848. After Marshall’s discovery the hamlet of Coloma swelled to over ten thousand in 1849. The Park includes an operating replica of Sutter’s Mill and the Gold Discovery Museum giving students and individuals the telling story of Marshall’s discovery.

California’s historical legacy began at this park and it offers over seventy thousand 4th graders each year the chance to see and touch one of the most important pieces of California history. To close this park is to deny our heritage and deny school children from around California the opportunity to see this pivotal historical spot.

There are other options to consider than closing the park entirely. Local community leaders, business owners, and education groups have all expressed a sincere desire to find a way to help keep the park open.

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park is where California began its rise to greatness. Please do not let it be where it also starts its decline. I urge you not to threaten an important piece of California history and to instead exhaust every option, such as public private partnerships, to ensure that this park remains open.

Sincerely,

Ted Gaines

Assemblyman, 4th District

Home weatherization services are available to income-qualified residents living in El Dorado and Alpine counties to help reduce high-energy costs.

An estimated $1.5 million in federal stimulus American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will allow El Dorado County to expand its Home Weatherization Assistance Program to serve more households during the next two years.

Weatherization measures may include window repair, ceiling fans, weather-stripping, attic insulation and/or minor home repairs. An individual home assessment will determine what measures are necessary and appropriate.

For more information, call (530) 621.6150.

Jamall Mansoor Eslami

On Monday at approximately 11:40 am, investigators from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Street Enforcement Team (DCSET) were conducting a narcotics trafficking/sales investigation on Market Street in Stateline.

During the investigation, officers attempted to arrest the involved suspect, 27 year-old Jamall Mansoor Eslami, of South Lake Tahoe. Eslami fled in a green  Cadillac Deville, ramming one of the DCSET vehicles. The officer inside the vehicle was not injured.

Eslami then sped away, driving in a reckless manner on crowded streets, ultimately fleeing into South Lake Tahoe, officers said.

Eslami’s vehicle was found near the Royal Bahama Motel near Stateline Beach in South Lake Tahoe.

Eslami was still on the loose when this was posted

Eslami is described as: male, 27 years-old, appearing of Middle Eastern descent, approximately 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, black hair, brown eyes.

Eslami is wanted for trafficking in a controlled substance (methamphetamine), sales of a controlled substance, assault on a peace officer, and felony reckless driving.

Anyone with information about the possible whereabouts of Eslami is asked to call (775) 782-9905 or Secret Witness at (775) 78-CRIME.

Letter to the Editor:

As you are may be aware we had school closures that occurred with three schools in the El Dorado Hills area on Friday because of an odor that resulted from a sealant applied to the Oak Ridge track. Folks did an exceptional job of evacuating approximately 2,300 students from Oak Ridge to the LDS Church on Green Valley Road, approximately 1,000 students from Rolling Hills Middle School to Brooks Elementary and approximately 700 students from Silva Valley to Oak Meadows. The Rescue School District also offered their buses to help in the evacuation. After students were evacuated, Raley’s and Nugget markets donated water for students and the El Dorado Hills Fire Department picked up and delivered the waters. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were delivered to the LDS Church for high school students, and grilled cheese sandwiches were delivered to the elementary schools for the Buckeye District students. Both districts’ food service programs kicked into high gear to make this happen. Students were then picked up by parents or delivered home by the transportation departments that responded admirably.

Environmental testing has continued to occur on all three campuses and no substances have been detected of concern. The county’s Environmental Management Department, under the direction of Gerri Silva, has been on the school sites from the early morning hours of September 18 and continued to work with schools, the Office of Emergency Services, the Sheriff’s Department, the Fire Department, and Public Health to ensure that there was no risk for students, staff and the community. What was most impressive in the response was the cooperation among all departments and agencies. Even though there was not a detection of substances that would cause concerns for the community health, the decision was made to take a precautionary stance and to close the schools. Schools stayed closed, and the CSD park also closed over the weekend, again just to be precautious because if there were any substances in the air that would be of a health concern, children playing and breathing harder would be at greater risk.

The equipment available from both the county and the state of California that could test the particular substances that would cause a health concern could only measure the presence of these substances at a certain level. Because all agencies desired to ensure that there were no harmful substances present in the air, the USEPA was called in to provide the sophisticated measurement equipment that could measure to a more finite level. The federal EPA responded by bringing in a team from Las Vegas and had equipment shipped overnight from a variety of sites to ensure that we had the equipment that could test for harmful substances and could be used in the field and provide real time information. The EPA testing on Saturday afternoon into the evening again did not detect any issues of concern. After meeting with all departments and agencies on Saturday evening, the decision was made to continue sampling and monitoring the air on Sunday by collecting samples that would be sent for analysis. This was essentially the third level of review that was conducted to protect the health of our community.

After reviewing the results of the additional testing that had been completed on Saturday and discussion with the federal EPA team, under the direction of Michelle Rogow, the Public Health Officer, Environmental Management Director, Gerri Silva, and the Fire Prevention Specialists, Walter Jukes and Battalion Chief Brad Ballenger, the decision was made with the school districts to open school on Monday.

In addition to commending the county departments and agencies that were engaged in this issue, the three campuses are to be applauded for their handling of a difficult situation. Principals, teachers, and support staff all worked together to ensure that children were safe and that parents were informed of the status of the schools. Superintendents Terry Wenig and Sherry Smith are to be congratulated for having put in place teams that can effectively implement the Safe School Plans and communicate in a timely and accurate manner with parents. There was tremendous cooperation and support from all involved. Again automated telephone and e-mail messages were used throughout the process to keep parents informed of the issue.

We would never want to have to execute the Safe School Plans, but it is comforting to know that we have staff trained, cooperation and relationships between departments and agencies to ensure effective communication, and procedures ready to respond to emergencies. As we always do, a debriefing will occur with all the agencies involved to discuss how we can continue to improve in our emergency response. Thanks to all that gave so many hours and assistance to make this work.

Vicki L. Barber, El Dorado County superintendent of schools

September 21, 2009

By Debbie Arrington, Sacramento Bee

For his Sierra home, Don Phillips created a view to reflect his global travels. Then he opened his gardens to the world, allowing visitors to share in the mountain magic.

“I was looking out over the pond at the buttes, at all the flowers and trees, and I realized: How could I not share this with others?” Phillips recalls. “This is a truly beautiful place.”

Since he first opened his hideaway to the public in 2002, more than 20,000 visitors have made the trek up Highway 49 to Big Springs Gardens near Sierra City to see Phillips’ masterpiece. They marvel at the trout-filled pond, studded with water lilies and ringed by a vast collection of flowers. They hike among the big trees in the shadow of the Sierra Buttes. They dine surrounded by beauty.

Read the whole story