By Huffington Post

Daily exercise can mitigate the effects of overdoing it around the holidays, a small study suggests.

The Journal of Physiology study showed that people who exercise on a daily basis are less affected by the negative health effects of one week of overeating, such as poor blood sugar control and expression of genes by fat cells linked with metabolic changes.

“Our research demonstrates that a short period of overconsumption and reduced physical activity leads to very profound negative changes in a variety of physiological systems — but that a daily bout of exercise stops most of these negative changes from taking place,” study researcher Jean-Philippe Walhin, of the University of Bath, said in a statement.

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More than three-quarters of survey takers have a “very positive” impression of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

Of the 6,721 individuals who placed calls for service in August 2013, 125 were given 11 questions to answer in a survey. The survey was issued either in person or by phone and included questions about the deputy’s interpersonal skills, punctuality and overall competence during the call for service.

Here is the community survey.

By Brian Lada, AccuWeather

With 2013 quickly coming to a close, it’s shaping up to be one of the driest calendar years on record for many places in California.

Regan Beach in South Lake Tahoe in October 2013. Photo/LTN

Almost all of the Golden State is under either a severe or extreme drought with no end in sight heading into 2014.

This prolonged drought has contributed to the heightened risk of wildfires over the past several months and is raising major concerns in the agriculture industry.

Looking at the forecast through the remainder of 2013 and into the beginning of 2014, it appears as though very little rain — if any at all — will fall across the state.

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By Siddharth Cavale, Reuters

Sales during the 2013 U.S. holiday season grew from a year earlier as deep discounting and increased promotions encouraged consumers to buy more.

Holiday sales between November 1 and December 24 rose 2.3 percent, compared with 0.7 percent a year earlier, according to data published in the MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse report.

This sales growth was the highest in three years.

“It was actually a Merry Christmas for retailers,” Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president at MasterCard Advisors, told Reuters, adding that jewelry was the best-performing category.

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The upper mountain at Squaw Valley reopened today after being closed because of a sewage leak.

Through the resort’s monitoring system employees realized something was wrong Dec. 26. The leak was found that afternoon, which led to the upper area being closed and the sewer system shut off.

“The site was excavated and the pipelines exposed between the afternoon of Dec. 26 and the early morning hours of Dec. 27. Squaw Valley determined that the leak had allowed earthen materials to enter the pipeline and to create a blockage,” resort spokeswoman Amelia Richmond told Lake Tahoe News.

Squaw Valley Public Service District employees were on site while resort staff and others cleaned out the blocked pipes.

Pipes were fixed by Friday afternoon and the tram began running again that evening.

“Placer County environmental health staff visited the site and observed that Squaw Valley had taken remedial measures, noting that the leak did not appear to have reached any water courses and that no sewage odor was present,” Richmond said.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Colin Lygren, KOLO-TV

As families continue their holiday vacations, many will be heading up the hill to catch some fresh turns. But this year the mountain may be a little more dangerous than in years past.

Last year we got a lot of snow early in the season and by late December, ski resorts were actually looking pretty good. This year, there’s not much snow at all which means less mountain for skiers and boarders to enjoy.

The problem at Tahoe area resorts started two months ago when the snow never came.

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By Pam Belluck, New York Times

A popular surgical procedure worked no better than fake operations in helping people with one type of common knee problem, suggesting that thousands of people may be undergoing unnecessary surgery, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports.

The unusual study involved people with a torn meniscus, crescent-shaped cartilage that helps cushion and stabilize knees. Arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus is the most common orthopedic procedure in the United States, performed, the study said, about 700,000 times a year at an estimated cost of $4 billion.

The study, conducted in Finland, involved a small subset of meniscal tears. But experts, including some orthopedic surgeons, said the study added to other recent research suggesting that meniscal surgery should be aimed at a narrower group of patients; that for many, options like physical therapy may be as good.

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• Pints & Paddles with Ike & Martin is every Wednesday through March 19 from 5:30-7pm on the M.S. Dixie II.

• Eileen Fahrner, longtime Kings Beach Elementary principal, is retiring at the end of the school year.

• Starting in January, Trax and Truckee police Officer Andrew Holbrook will begin visiting Truckee High to give students an opportunity to find out about his skills and to assist in drug education programs as part of the Truckee-Tahoe Humane Society’s Dogs with Jobs program.

• Michael J. Peters, previously the manager of The Lodge Restaurant & Pub at Tahoe Donner, was promoted to food and beverage director.

By USSA

LIENZ, Austria — World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) returned to the site of her first Audi FIS Alpine World Cup slalom podium to further her status as a giant slalom threat after finishing third Saturday in Lienz.

Fourth after the first run with a 0.35 second deficit, Shiffrin charged within 0.01 of second place finisher and discipline leader Jessica Lindell-Vikarby of Sweden.

Austrian Anna Fenninger won for her second straight giant slalom victory in Lienz.

It was the final 2014 Olympic qualification race in women’s giant slalom. The Olympic U.S. Alpine Ski Team will be named Jan. 26.

Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley) finished 29th and will return to the U.S. for a planned break. Mancuso will return to action for the speed series Jan. 11-12 in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria.

Shiffrin and Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) return to action Sunday with a slalom in Lienz.

By Kathryn Reed

In this era of corporate banking and corruption, one bank has held true to its roots – El Dorado Savings Bank.

A lot has to do with the fact that members of the Cook family are still at the helm of the Placerville-based institution. It was George Cook Sr. and members of the Warren family who founded the bank in 1957. Cook still works in Placerville three days a week.

In the past 56 years the bank has grown to have 35 branches, including three in South Lake Tahoe, one in Tahoe City, one in Carson City, one in Gardnerville and one in Sparks.

El Dorado Savings has three branches in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN

The bank is a closely held company with about 180 stockholders.

On Jan. 1 a bit of musical chairs will take place in the front office for the first time in years. But those accessing the branches should not notice any changes.

George Cook Jr., who has been president of the bank for the last 23 years, will become CEO. Tom Meuser is stepping down as CEO, but will remain chairman of the board. Meuser is planning to work three days a week.

Cook has been with the bank for 40 years and Meuser 45 years, with the last 23 as CEO.

John Cook moves from senior vice president, chief appraiser, and facilities manager to president of the bank. He has been with the bank 34 years.

(John and George Cook are brothers.)

El Dorado Savings Bank has weathered the tumultuous financial times of the past few years. While it has had to deal with foreclosures, it is not in a precarious situation like other institutions.

“I’m pleased to report we currently do not have any real estate owned on our books and at the end of the year we will be without any on our books,” John Cook Jr. told Lake Tahoe News. “To be able to end the year without any foreclosures on the books is pretty darn good.”

In its last earnings report for the quarter ending Sept. 30, El Dorado Savings Bank earned $2.3 million. For the same quarter in 2012 the earnings were $1.9 million. El Dorado Savings Bank has approximately $1.9 billion in assets.

Cook said there have been plenty of positive signs in 2013 in terms of the real estate market improving and bank finances stabilizing.

In June, Bauer Financial Reports of Coral Gables, Fla., awarded El Dorado Savings Bank its highest five-star rating for being one of the safest banks in the U.S. for the 80th consecutive quarter dating to 1993.