By Kathryn Reed

I want to throw out all the store bought produce in my refrigerator. I want to be less frustrated with my tomatoes and basil that are struggling this year and be more appreciative of how hard it is to grow good produce. I want to hug a farmer – but not just any farmer.

I want to start with Gary Romano and then all the other small farmers; especially the ones growing organic produce.

Reading Romano’s book “Why I Farm: Risking It All for a Life on the Land” starts with a look at his family’s roots in farming, their struggles and Romano’s early days of digging in the soil.

Bona Fide Books in Meyers published the book this year.

And while Romano is only in his mid-50s, the evolution of the small farmer in his lifetime has almost been revolutionary. And not necessarily in a good way.

He points out how the government – at the state and federal levels – has allowed big corporate farms to dominate the food market. Those are the farms that get the subsidies. They are the ones with fewer regulations. They are the ones putting goods into grocery stores where there is no way for the consumer to know what chemicals have been used to get them to look so perfect and taste so bland.

Raw, honest and authentic. That’s what this book is. Romano doesn’t hold back. He tells readers what he thinks the F in IRS Schedule F form really stands for.

Romano’s Sierra Valley Farms is 65 acres in Beckwourth; which is north of Truckee. And it’s certified organic.

He worries about the future of farming, the food supply and whether there will be a fourth generation Romano to take over this farm.

“Farmers should be able to pass on the farm to their children without the fear of the kids having to sell the family farm to pay the estate taxes,” Romano writes.

While Romano gets a bit whiny toward the end of the book, it reads like a man who is desperate and clearly frustrated with the regulations, the lack of the public’s understanding of where food comes from and the bleak outlook for the future.

Romano estimates “only 5 percent of Californians have access to local produce and products and buy directly from farmers.”

He explains why it’s important for people to know where their food comes from, why people should buy local produce, and what can be done so farmers like himself can continue to do what they do.

That was one of things I really liked about the book – it identifies problems, comes up with solutions and explains why the problems are problems and why they should be solved.

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Notes:

• Romano’s second book, also to be published by Bona Fide Books, will come out next year. It is titled “July and Winter: Farming and Gardening in the Sierra”.

• “Why I Farm” is available online.

• Romano will give a talk and sign books Oct. 22 at 6pm at the South Lake Tahoe library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

To the community,

For over 24 years, Bread & Broth has been the recipient of donations made by concerned and generous anonymous donors who support B&B’s goal of providing hot nutritious meals to the needy of South Lake Tahoe. Bread & Bread would like to acknowledge and thank a local couple who anonymously sponsored two Adopt A Day of Nourishment evening meals, one on Aug. 19 and the second on Sept. 2.

In their correspondence, the couple expressed their desire to encourage others to help feed the needy.

“The thank yous we saw in the newspapers made us aware of the fact that we could sponsor dinners,” they wrote. “What a great opportunity for those of us who have plenty of food to donate to those who do not. Thank you for the wonderful work you do at Bread & Broth.”

Bread & Broth’s work of feeding the hungry on Monday evening at St. Theresa Church Grace Hall and at the Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church on Friday is only possible due to the donors, sponsors and volunteers who support the program.

B&B appreciates the many years of support from the South Lake Tahoe community.

To help B&B as a donor or sponsor, please contact me at (530) 542.2876 or carolsgerard@aol.com.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth

By Kathryn Reed

Tolerance and teaching differences is part of what our educational institutions are supposed to be about. Lake Tahoe Unified School District and Lake Tahoe Community College get an F this week for having done the opposite.

Both institutions were called on the carpet by Lake Tahoe News and neither responded.

LTUSD’s moral and ethical breach was more egregious because of how it was handled, the age group impacted and audience receiving the information.

Angie Keil, secretary to Superintendent Jim Tarwater and de facto public information officer, regularly sends out emails to the district and anyone in the community asking to be on the list.

Her last email came out Sept. 5. In it she included an item state Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Granite Bay, had sent to constituents on Sept. 3. That item was about the bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last month that allows transgender students to choose which bathroom and locker room they want to use and which sports team to play on based on their gender identity.

Gaines wrote in his newsletter, “To my shock and that of many of my constituents, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 1266 into law last month, effectively making California school bathrooms, locker rooms and other, previously single–sex areas into co–ed [stet] facilities.”

Keil in her email sent out all of Gaines’ opinion on this subject. But she also added her own emphasis. She made the words I underlined a larger point size. This is the first mention of the bill by Keil in one of her mass emails.

This is the email LTN sent to Keil on Sept. 5 that was copied to Tarwater, the five school board members and the principals at South Tahoe High and South Tahoe Middle schools:

Angie,

I was surprised and disturbed when you reprinted Ted Gaines rant from his newsletter about the transgender bathroom issue at schools. And even more alarmed when there was no context to it. As in, is there an issue at any of the schools here with transgenders, what is being done to help these youngsters to feel safe, and others to understand the rights of all?

It came across as though you were making a judgment call. A negative judgment.

And your email not only goes to all LTUSD employees, but many community members.

I found this inappropriate and unprofessional and hurtful to a segment of the community that is already marginalized. I also found it to be politically charged.

Perhaps someone could tell me how LTUSD is going to deal with this law? Is there an issue? What kind of education do kids get about transgender?

I’ve cc’d Ivone and Beth here with the belief they would be the principals with the greatest impact.

Kae

No one has responded.

But that does not mean I am alone in my feelings and beliefs about her email.

Here are comments from teachers and classified staff, who fear retribution and do not want their names used.

• I’m disgusted that she is writing this as a representation of how our district views this law … given her role as the voice of the district in these newsletters.

• Very unsafe way to present this obviously sensitive Assembly bill.

• She always includes her own opinion and gets away with it.

• Out of line. She clearly has a personal agenda.

• Does she read her own district’s rules about editorializing and sending out personal emails?

• We get threatened with write-ups if we so much as offer a couch to someone to use in his or her classroom. And she can write this?

• The opinion piece treats this as if everyone will be rushing the bathrooms and pretending to be transgender. That is ignorant and diminishes the fact that these are real people who are not faking it.

There is a transgender teen at South Tahoe High School who is out. Lake Tahoe News was told she was looking forward to this school year to be able to use the rest room facilities she felt most comfortable with.

At LTCC the issue also involves what the PIO emailed.

Peter Bostic on Sept. 3 sent a press release to the media about the new Conversational Russian I class being offered this fall.

The email talks about how the class will delve into current affairs in Russia.

(When I took a basic French class at LTCC the curriculum was not political in nature, but instead about helping us learn the language with some basics to help us get by if we were to visit France.)

The press release said, “As any news junkie knows, Russia is making headlines lately for banning homosexual behavior, for granting asylum to Edward Snowden (the government contractor who leaked information about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs), and for the strained diplomatic relationship between the United States and Russia.”

This is the email I sent to Bostic and President Kindred Murillo:

I was a bit taken aback by the phrase “banning homosexual behavior” in the press release. It reminds me when people say the “gay lifestyle” — I’m still trying to figure out what that means. Maybe you could define heterosexual and homosexual behaviors for me.

No word from either of them.

The press release then quotes adjunct faculty member Maria Mircheva saying, “How and why these measures are working is worth a more careful cultural analysis. It is easy to label things as wrong and people as ‘bad’ without understanding their perspective.” And then the press release says, “To help explain that perspective, Mircheva’s class will host a number of guest speakers.”

So, from that logic can one then surmise that if we understand why people discriminate, it’s OK?

South Lake Tahoe has always been a little backward, but it’s 2013 people. While it’s perfectly fine to not like someone for whatever reason, it is not OK to teach that hatred in our public institutions or keep people on staff who publicly advocate for discrimination.

The potential to commercially harvest crayfish from the California side of Lake Tahoe is in the works.

Nevada has allowed this for a couple years. But California had a law preventing the sale or purchase of crayfish taken from Lake Tahoe. Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 6 repealed that law. Next up is for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to allow the commercial harvest.

Scientists say crayfish are contributing to the lake’s loss of clarity. So by allowing commercial fishing of them, it may help improve lake clarity.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report

The South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge is hosting the 12th annual Kid’s Fishing Derby on Sept. 22 at Tahoe Paradise’s Lake Baron.

The derby is free to all children under the age of 16.

Registration begins at 7am at Lake Baron near the main entrance. Hot dogs, chips, sodas, and water will be provided free to all registered children. The event wraps up at 3pm.

Prizes will be given for the largest fish caught.

For more information, contact the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge after 2 pm at (530) 541.1632.

By Karoun Demirjian, Las Vegas Sun

WASHINGTON — Asking Congress whether the U.S. should strike Syria put President Obama in an unusual position among U.S. presidents, who have usually engaged in military conflicts first and asked lawmakers for their opinions later.

It’s also put the Nevada delegation in an awkward position. Thanks to the presidential history of asking Congress’ forgiveness instead of permission, few of Nevada’s representatives have ever had to decide to authorize a military strike before.

“No one knows how to do it. No one wants to do this,” said David Damore, UNLV political science professor. “But the president throwing this back to Congress is forcing them to answer the question: Hey, you want me to do all this stuff, now let’s see what you have to say.”

That Nevada’s delegation would be green when it comes to this once-in-a-blue-moon issue is hardly surprising: Four of its six members haven’t even logged three years in Washington yet.

Read the whole story

Mosquitoes from Douglas County have tested positive for West Nile virus and one person in the county has come down with the disease.

The Associated Press said the Nevada Department of Agriculture on Friday reported 42 mosquitoes tested positive for the disease. The other affected counties are Carson City, Elko, Lyon, Churchill and Clark. Six human cases have been reported in Clark County.

Infected mosquitoes can transfer the virus to humans and animals. Mosquitoes become infected after feeding on infected birds.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report

This video was shot by Bill Kingman in 1977 on the South Shore. Nearly everything seen on the California side has been razed-replaced, while the Nevada side has changed names and shapes and has grown considerably.

A Placer County man pleaded guilty Sept. 5 to being a felon in possession of ammunition, possessing 17 unauthorized access devices, and destruction of U.S. Post Office letter boxes.

According to court documents, the United States Postal Inspection Service received several reports of letter box tampering and destruction in Colfax, Auburn, and Foresthill.

An investigation led to Richard Lee Gray, 56, of Foresthill. On April 2, a search warrant was executed at his residence where officers found stolen mail in the house and in his car, and also found burglary tools and pry bars. They also found 21 rounds of 20-gauge Winchester ammunition, one round of 20 gauge Remington ammunition, and two rounds of 410-gauge Remington ammunition.

In May 2001, Gray had been convicted in Southern California of possession of stolen U.S. Mail.

Gray is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 21. He faces up to 10 years in prison for the felon in possession of ammunition charge, 15 years in prison for the access device fraud, and three years in prison for destruction of U.S. mail letter boxes.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Andrew Doughman

Nevada’s state government is preparing for a huge shopping spree this autumn.

All Nevadans must have health insurance in 2014 under President Obama’s health care law, and the state is contracting with companies to provide “navigators” who will educate people about the law’s requirements and enroll tens of thousands of uninsured Nevadans in insurance plans starting Oct. 1.

“It’ll be a matter of a family or individual sitting down in front of us with a laptop and we’ll go through the entire application process,” said Ted DeCorte, CEO at Consumer Assistance and Resource Enterprise, a nonprofit established specifically to implement the Affordable Care Act and enroll Nevadans in health insurance plans.

DeCorte’s group is one of seven organizations to receive $2,477,000 in grant money — funded by both the federal and state government — to do the outreach work. DeCorte’s organization was awarded $200,000.

The state awarded the largest grant to the Ramirez Group, a polling and policy research firm typically aligned with the Democratic Party.

Their client, Know Your Care, received about $1 million from the state this year to help enroll the estimated 600,000 uninsured Nevadans in qualified health insurance plans before the Jan. 1, 2014 deadline under which all Americans must have health insurance or face a tax penalty on their 2015 tax return.

Read the whole story