By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review Journal

CARSON CITY — A coalition of wine enthusiasts has formed to lobby the 2015 Legislature to allow production and sales of the fermented beverage in Clark and Washoe counties.

Nevada law now bans the selling of wine that is made “on premise” in counties with more than 100,000 residents.

The prohibition means wineries can operate now in only less populated Nevada jurisdictions. Nye, Douglas and Churchill counties have operating wineries.

The Nevada Wine Coalition will lobby the Legislature to remove the population limitation and allow wineries to make and sell wine on-site in a tasting room.

Reno resident Dennis Eckmeyer, president of the coalition, said wine is a $36 billion industry in the United States and has seen growth every year for 21 years.

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Do you like butterflies? Do you want to learn more about them?

North American Butterfly Association’s 40th annual Butterfly Count is July 20.

It is a long-term citizen-scientist project, involving almost 500 counts and thousands of volunteers throughout North America.

Much like the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, volunteers select a count area with a 15-mile diameter count circle and assemble a group to conduct a one-day census of all butterflies sighted within that circle. Experienced butterfly counters head out in small groups or on their own, but there is also a group for beginners.

For more info, go online.

A man renting property owned by the Nutting Family Trust has been arrested on charges of marijuana cultivation.

Former El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting is a trustee.

Justen David Schultz, 44, is accused of growing pot in 10 foot by 30 foot, and 20 foot by 40 foot plots. There are also two greenhouses on the property on Gravel Court, according to officials.

Schultz also faces charges of transportation, distribution or importation of a controlled substance; cultivation of marijuana; and possession of marijuana for sale. An enhancement was also added.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Erin Breen, KTVN-TV

It is a beautifully calm day on Lake Tahoe as Ben Caldwell and his dad, Sonny, launch their boat from Cave Rock. They are headed for their first set of crawfish traps about 20 minutes away.

“This is the greatest cubicle anyone could ever work in,” says Ben with a smile. He and his dad sold an 18-foot boat to buy a 23-footer and joined forces with Fred Jackson and the Tahoe Lobster Company. “We love to fish and this is great.”

Tahoe Lobster Co. was the first to harvest invasive crawfish from Lake Tahoe . Photo/LTN file

These days you’ll find Jackson on the water less and less because more and more he’s focusing on the marketing end of the business, which is paying off nicely.

“I love being out on the boats,” Jackson says. “But what I found was that I just didn’t have the market for the crawfish we were catching. So I’m creating a bigger market.”

And that he has. Not only has be expanded the number of boats on the water with two subcontracting boats like Caldwells, but he’s opened a store front and warehouse in Minden. He’s purchased a refrigerated truck and next week they’ll make their first international shipment — to the U.K.

Read the whole story

The July 13 accident where a bear was killed on Highway 50 near Zephyr Cove did not involve a local teenager.

Lake Tahoe News apologizes for publishing wrong information.

“Our dispatch center cross referenced another person and vehicle with the same accident number. We have cleared up the issue,” Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Dave Gibson told Lake Tahoe News.

Jose Cruz Calvillo-Vasquez of Sun Valley was traveling east on Highway 50 at 9:35pm when he struck a bear in the fast lane and knocked it into the slow westbound lane.

No people were injured.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

South Lake Tahoe is hosting a workshop to focus on options for additional bike routes, enhancing the bicycling experience, and reviewing strategies for promoting safe bicycling in and around the Y.

Specifically, the area is contained within the Tahoe Valley Area Plan, which is being put together.

City officials want to know what the public envisions for future links and strategies that should be considered to improve safety.

The July 21 meeting is at 5:30pm at Lake Tahoe Airport.

For more information, contact John Hitchcock at 530.542.7472.

By Tamara Burns

As an emergency room nurse, I have cared for visitors and locals who experience heat-related illnesses. This includes dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

It is important to understand the differences, especially when exercising in an area like Lake Tahoe with higher altitudes and higher temperatures.

Dehydration occurs when the body does not have enough fluid to carry out normal functions. Young children, older adults, and people with chronic illnesses are most at risk. Common causes include intense diarrhea, vomiting, or excessive sweating. Not drinking enough water during hot weather or exercise also may cause dehydration.

Mild to moderate dehydration symptoms include:

· Dry, sticky mouth

· Fatigue

· Feeling thirsty

· Headache

· Not urinating

· Dry skin

· Constipation

· Dizzy/lightheaded.

You may reverse dehydration by drinking more fluids, but severe dehydration requires medical treatment.

Heat exhaustion can occur after a prolonged dehydration period. Triggers that cause the body to overheat include extended time in higher temperatures, and strenuous activity. Symptoms may appear suddenly, or develop over time, particularly after extended periods of exercise.

Possible symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

· Confusion

· Headache

· Muscle cramps

· Nausea

· Pale skin

· Fatigue

· Rapid heartbeat.

Treatment for dehydration and heat exhaustion is straight forward. If you, or anyone else, has mild or moderate symptoms of a heat-related illness, I recommend:

· Drink plenty of fluids (avoid caffeine and alcohol)

· Take a cool shower/bath/sponge bath

· Remove any tight or unnecessary clothing.

If this does not provide relief within an hour, contact a doctor because heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke.

Heat stroke is the most serious heat injury. If the body’s core reaches 104 degrees, this is a medical emergency. If you suspect someone has heat stroke, also called sunstroke, call 911 immediately. Help cool the patient until paramedics arrive.

The National Athletic Trainers Association released guidelines in June suggesting that heat stroke victims need immediate cooling before going to a hospital.

Symptoms of heat stroke:

· Fainting (may be first sign)

· Nausea

· Altered mental state: person agitated, aggressive, or confused

· Dizziness/lightheadedness

· Red, hot, and dry skin

· Rapid heartbeat

· Muscle weakness, cramps

· Throbbing headache

· Seizures.

The safest approach is prevention and education. In hot weather, drink fluids regularly to help prevent dehydration and heat-related illness. Avoid waiting until you feel thirsty, you may be dehydrated. Monitor fluid loss during hot weather, illness, or exercise, and consume liquids to replace water loss. Sports beverages can replace salts and minerals after you sweat. Wear sun protection, including a brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Take breaks in the shade and wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.

Tamara Burns is a registered nurse in the emergency room at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe.

Aaron Johnson, front row from left, Cody Ruby, Kody Griffis, Tyler Wattanachinda, Jakob Costley, Assistant Coach John Pfister. Back row from left, Assistant Coach Sean Griffis, Kevin Lehmann, Alex Kasper, Chris Pfister, Daniel Hibler, Cameron Johnson, Kyle Dane, and Manager Mark Lehmann. Photo/Provided

By Kelly Johnson

The South Tahoe All Stars gave their all at last weekend’s tournament at Jack Tighe Memorial Park in Reno.

The 13-year-olds were led by pitchers Kevin Lehmann, Chris Pfister and Cody Ruby during the four-day tournament. All three shared responsibilities at second base and short stop when not on the mound.

Cameron Johnson had the responsibility behind the plate in three of the four games. He was responsible for picking off several runners at second and third base.

Kyle Dane finished out the tournament behind the plate.

Completing the infield were Alex Kasper at first base, who dug every ball that came his way, and Daniel Hibler at third base, who was responsible for laying down the tags when the pick-off throws were made.

The outfield was led by Kody Griffis at center, with Aaron Johnson, Tyler Wattanachinda and Jakob Costley sharing the responsibilities of left field and right field. They were kept busy with some big hitters from the other teams sending fly balls their way all weekend. The most commanding performance at the plate for South Tahoe was Alex Kasper’s opposite field two-run home run, clearing the fence at least 315 feet.

All other batters took their turns getting base hits and driving in runs. The team was led by Manager Mark Lehmann, and assistant coaches Sean Griffis and John Pfister.

South Tahoe fell short in game one to Yerington 5-4 on Thursday, but came back with a strong performance Saturday morning against Sparks, winning 7-1. That meant facing Yerington again Saturday evening, where the team ended out front 8-7. South Tahoe was down 7-6 going into the top of the seventh inning with the top of the order up. Kevin Lehmann hit a double and stole third base, leaving the tying run in scoring position. Cameron Johnson drove the tying run in with a single shot over the short stop’s head.

Yerington was fearful to pitch to Alex Kasper again after he sent one over the fence earlier in the game. This left the opportunity wide-open for Cameron Johnson to advance to second and third on steals, and eventually scoring the game-winning run.

The defense was able to hold them in the bottom of the seventh inning.

With Yerington and South Tahoe having 2-1 records, the true championship game or the “if” game was played Sunday morning. In 103-degree heat, South Tahoe came out wanting to send Yerington home, but fell short with a final score of 9-7.

By Kathryn Reed

By the time the Bijou erosion control project is completed this year, South Lake Tahoe will have put in an $11 million investment to curtail fine sediment from reaching Lake Tahoe.

This section of town is responsible for about one-third of the sediment in the city limits that reaches the lake.

“It’s designed to handle most storms,” Ray Jarvis, city public works director, told Lake Tahoe News. “Bijou has historically been the biggest problem for discharge into the lake.”

Crews work July 15 on the Bijou erosion control project. Photo/LTN

The city per Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board’s total maximum daily load policy is mandated to reduce the amount of fine sediment entering the lake.

The 42 acres are comprised of 43 parcels, most of which are commercial.

At the July 15 City Council meeting a community facilities district was formed that includes 10 of those parcels. This means they will pay for some of the improvements and ongoing maintenance via a tax that will be assessed to the property. This will allow property owners to receive their best management practices certificate from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

That BMP certificate is something all properties in the Lake Tahoe Basin are supposed to have by now. It demonstrates the property owner has met mandated erosion control requirements.

What no one at the city or TRPA could immediately answer is if property owners who are not in the community facilities district, will still get a certificate.

The 10 properties that are part of the CFD are paying a reduced price for their BMPs compared to if they did them on their own. The cost is about 10 cents per square foot of impervious surface through the CFD, while it is between $1 and $3 per square foot individually.

The remaining properties can join the CFD at a later date if so desired.

This project looks at the stormwater runoff more holistically instead of parcel-by-parcel. So instead of keeping water on each site, the water collected via gutters is diverted to larger catch basins for filtration purposes.

The problem with this area is that so much of it paved. It includes the Bijou center where CVS is located.

Storm vaults were inserted underground by Lake Shore Lodge last year. Now much of the work is concentrated on Fairway Avenue on the other side of Highway 50.

The system is designed to handle 220,000 gallons of water at once.

The water will collect in the basins for the sediment to settle, then the water will be pumped back to the meadow area near Glenwood Avenue where it will be filtered naturally. There are still drains that are along the beaches of Lake Tahoe that carry treated water.

To the community,

The Barton Health and South Lake Tahoe community have lost a special, irreplaceable friend. On June 27, Dan Kerr passed away. He was 76 years old.

Dan is probably best known as the Sacramento chairman of the blood drive. Dan donated more than 26 gallons of blood. Since 1981, he has coordinated blood drive efforts in South Lake Tahoe with the Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. The South Lake Tahoe Blood Drive still takes place every other month and, with Dan’s coordination, celebrated its 48th anniversary in June.

Dan Kerr

In 1985, Dan joined the Barton Auxiliary, the hospital’s active group of volunteers, when men first could participate as members. Dan’s spirit of volunteerism may have also sparked from his mother, Harriet Kerr, who, as a founding Auxiliary member, helped form the hospital in 1960.

Always in the giving spirit, Dan was willing to help whenever Auxiliary volunteers were needed. Dan served as the Hospital Auxiliary president in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, and 2010. He represented the Barton Hospital Auxiliary with the California Association of Hospital & Health Systems.

Dan greeted patients for the wellness lab draws and actively stepped in for special events, including the annual holiday faire.

He also knew the secret recipe for cheeseballs, the Auxiliary’s holiday treat, and made hundreds to help raise funds for the hospital.

On behalf of the Auxiliary, we appreciate Dan’s commitment to Barton Auxiliary and for making a difference in our community.

Larry Coffman, Barton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary president