The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District has purchased new vehicle extrication tools through grant funds awarded to the fire district through the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety’s Zero Fatalities Program.

The Zero Fatalities Program utilizes the Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan to educate citizens and increase awareness regarding safe driving practices in an effort to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on all Nevada public roads.

The $19,389 grant paid for four new vehicle extrication tools that have twice the cutting power as the tools they replaced — for example 120,000 pounds vs. 60,000 pounds.

All front line responders have received training on the new tools and they are in service on the first out apparatus.

A Piper Pawnee tows the glider to an elevation where it can fly on its own. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

MINDEN – Ten thousand feet in the air without an engine. And I only have myself to blame. I pulled that yellow knob and the plane with an engine went one way and we went another.

At this speed – about 55 knots – it would have been easy to pick out hikers along the Tahoe Rim Trail. Instead, this section on Friday morning was a vacant swath of dirt.

It was as though I could reach out and touch the treetops. We weren’t really that low, but going this slow made individual trees standout. That doesn’t happen in a power plane or helicopter. We were on the crest of the east side of the Lake Tahoe Basin coming up from the Minden airport.

Alfalfa fields near the Minden airport

The lack of an engine made it so tranquil. While not silent because of the whir of the wind against the glider, there is no need for headsets to communicate with pilot Elizabeth Tattersall.

“It is such a thrill to stay up without burning fuel – to use just what Mother Nature provides,” Tattersall says.

She points out the iconic landmarks of Jobs Peak, Heavenly, Spooner Lake, Glenbrook Bay. The list goes on with a 360-degree view of Tahoe.

Leading up to the lake the tow plane takes us over the Carson Valley where dirt fields and those green with alfalfa, some square and some circular, fill the landscape. Large houses stick out – and there are many of them.

As we approach the Sierra, Mount Tallac is framed in the distance – while still impressive, it’s a bit dwarfed from this perspective.

I could float up there for hours just watching the scenery of Tahoe and her peaks – Pyramid with a dollop of snow; the lake shimmering in shades of blue that rival a Crayola box; the trees with stories to tell. But we must be back by sunset because this bird has no lights because it has no engine to power them.

Lake Tahoe and the South Shore from 10,000 feet.

Soaring NV has been around for five years as a school and scenic tour company. With the thermal patterns, it’s a destination for people wanting to fly long distances.

Michael Marshall, who works for the glider company and is a pilot, possibly set five records for juniors earlier this week with his 350-mile flight that took him to Independence and back. (The paperwork needs to be submitted and the state must verify it.)

Lenticular clouds – the ones that look like a UFO – are common to this region in spring and late fall.

“Those are air waves. When that happens, it’s like nature’s elevator,” Soaring NV owner Laurie Harden told Lake Tahoe News.

A lot of what makes the Tahoe area difficult for power pilots in the summer is what glider pilots love – the thermal pockets. Those lift the glider, allowing a plane to keep soaring.

Mineral Peak, which is about seven miles from the Minden airport, is a location for gliders to head to because of the lift.

Tattersall sees the concave nature of the bottom of a cumulus cloud that is on the mountain ride. That, she says, is going to keep this bird in the air even longer. It got us 200 more feet.

The ASK21 weighs about 850 pounds and can carry about 400 pounds.

For those looking for a unique wedding setting, Tattersall is also a reverend and has performed nuptials in the air.

Soaring NV will be at the Aug. 24 Lake in the Sky Air Show at Lake Tahoe Airport.

“I do believe they are the prettiest manmade thing in the sky,” Harden said of gliders.

While many of the aircraft at the South Lake Tahoe show are military in nature, gliders have played a role in this country’s history. They were used to sneak troops into France during War World II.

Most gliders, including seven of the eight Soaring NV has, are made in Germany. Because Germany cannot make power planes based on treaties agreed to at the end of the war, it turned to gliders.

—-

Notes:

• Lake in the Sky Air Show is Aug. 24 from 8am-4pm at Lake Tahoe Airport. More info is online.

• More info about Soaring NV is online.

South Lake Tahoe police officers are advising vacation homeowners, rental companies, and future visitors to the area of a scam over the Internet through vacation rental websites.

At least three families have been victimized by this scam recently, and it is suspected there may be more.

The scam involves false postings on legitimate vacation rental websites advertising rental properties available in South Lake Tahoe. They include photographs of residences in the area, which make the postings appear authentic.

Typically a victim contacts the suspect(s) via email through such a website, and the suspect emails realistic appearing rental agreements with an out of state bank account number, and routing number for the victim to send money. The suspect then has the victim wire transfer the money, which makes it non-refundable to the victim by a bank. The victim then sends the money unknowingly to the suspect(s), thinking they have a reservation for the property.

They arrive at their destination to discover that the transaction was fraudulent and they have been scammed out of their money.

The thieves have used accounts in multiple states and have used different names, both male and female. One common denominator is that a cell phone number of (940) 238.4477 is listed on the rental agreement.

If anyone is a victim of these suspect(s), contact Officer Mark Hounsell at (530) 542.6100.

By Barack Obama

Last week, I spoke about what we need to do as a country to build a better bargain for the middle class — to make sure everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead in the 21st century economy.

You see, over the past 4½ years, America has fought its way back from the worst recession of our lifetimes. We saved the auto industry, took on a broken health care system, invested in new American technologies to reverse our addiction to foreign oil, and changed a tax code too skewed in favor of the wealthiest at the expense of working families.

President Obama

As a result, our businesses have created 7.2 million new jobs over the past 40 months. We produce more renewable energy than ever, and more natural gas than anyone. Health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years. Our deficits are falling at the fastest rate in 60 years.

Thanks to the grit and resilience of the American people, we’ve cleared away the rubble of crisis and begun to lay a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.

But as any middle-class family will tell you, we’re not where we need to be yet. Trends that have been eroding middle-class security for decades — technology that makes some jobs obsolete, global competition that makes others moveable, growing inequality and the policies that perpetuate it — still exist, and in some ways, the recession made them worse.

Reversing these trends must be Washington’s highest priority. It’s certainly mine. But over the past couple of years in particular, Washington has taken its eye off the ball. An endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals shift focus from what needs to be done. And as Washington prepares to enter another budget debate, the stakes could not be higher.

If we don’t make the investments necessary to make America a magnet for good jobs — in education, and manufacturing, and research, and our transportation and information networks — we might as well hit the “pause” button while the rest of the world forges ahead in a global economy. And that’s certainly not going to fix what ails the middle class.

Here’s what will: a strategy that builds on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class in America, and what it takes to work your way into the middle class. Good jobs that pay good wages. An education that prepares our children and our workers for the global competition they’ll face. Homeownership that’s based on a solid foundation, where buyers and lenders play by the same set of rules. Affordable health care that’s there for you when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you’re not rich. More chances for folks to earn their way into the middle class as long as they’re willing to work for it.

Over the next several weeks, in towns across the country, I’ll lay out my ideas in each of these areas. Reversing the forces that have conspired against the middle class for decades will require more than short-term thinking; it will require a long-term American strategy, based on steady, persistent effort.

I know there are members of both parties who understand what’s at stake, and I’m open to ideas from across the political spectrum. But I will not allow gridlock or willful indifference to get in the way of where this country needs to go. The choices that we make now will determine whether or not every American has a fighting chance in the 21st century.

We can do this if we work together. It won’t be easy, but if we take a few bold steps — and if Washington is willing to shake off its complacency and set aside some of the slash-and-burn partisanship we’ve seen in recent years — our economy will keep getting stronger.

And as long as I have the privilege of holding this office, I will spend every minute of every day doing everything in my power to make this economy work for working Americans again, to build that better bargain for the middle class and to make sure that the American Dream is something that’s achievable for everybody — not just today, but for decades to come.

A male black bear was tranquilized in Douglas County on Friday morning by wardens from the Nevada Department of Wildlife and was to released this evening in the Carson Range.

The yearling male weighing between 80 and 100 pounds was found up a tree at a residence in the Gardnerville Ranchos.

“We have the most success with aversion conditioning on bears like this. They are young and respond to the aversion treatment,” Carl Lackey, biologist with NDOW, said in a statement. “The rubber buckshot and the bear dogs chasing them make an impression that will hopefully keep them wild.”

NDOW is also noticing bear activity is picking up in Verdi. No traps have yet been set in the area.

“We have reports of bear activity in the Gold Ranch area near the homes and businesses right off Interstate 80 and in the older section of Verdi,” Lackey said. “People need to secure their garbage and do all they can to keep the bears from gaining access to it.”

Soaring NV takes riders over the Carson Valley and into the Lake Tahoe Basin.

A $4,000 reward has been set up to help find the man who gunned down a South Lake Tahoe gas station clerk on Aug. 6.

Manpreet Ghuman Singh, 27, was working behind the counter Tuesday night when he was shot at pointblank range in the upper torso. He died at the USA gas station on Highway 50 and Lodi Avenue.

The murder suspect acted alone and did not appear to have any intention of robbing the station, according to police.

The suspect is described as a male between the ages of 20 and 40, between 5-feet-8 and 5-feet-10, wearing a dark hoodie and dark mask over his face, his skin tone is light but exact race unknown.

The Lake Tahoe Secret Witness Program has offered a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. An anonymous donor contribute an additional $2,500. The phone number is (530) 541.6800.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Peggy Bourland-Madison

INCLINE VILLAGE – The annual Oscar de la Renta and Saks Fifth Avenue Lake Tahoe benefit for the League to Save Lake Tahoe is a tradition that started in 1969.

Oscar de la Renta with fans at the annual fundraiser on Aug. 3 for the League to Save Lake Tahoe. Photos/Peggy Bourland-Madison

San Francisco-Tahoe philanthropist and socialite Diana Dollar Knowles conspired with a few of her notable friends, some still very involved today, to bring American designer and pal Bill Blass to Lake Tahoe for a benefit fashion show to support the work of The League to Save Lake Tahoe. Back then the show took place at a private residence on the West Shore’s “Gold Coast”, with a small number attending and tickets at just $15. Now in its 44th year, the sold-out event accommodates 600, with a wide range of ticket prices. The event attracts fashion lovers from near and far, with the added appeal of helping to protect the lake.

In 1995, after 20 years of dazzling fashion events on the shore of Lake Tahoe, Blass at age 73 announced he would be retiring and would no longer be taking his fall collection to Lake Tahoe. This news was not entirely unexpected and with his help a replacement was quickly found. Blass convinced a friend and fellow designer that coming to Lake Tahoe was too much fun to miss and thus the Oscar de la Renta era began.

Though he calls New York City his home, de la Renta clearly has developed a fondness for Lake Tahoe. His shows, presented by Saks Fifth Avenue, have raised millions to benefit the League.

This year the event returned to the extensive grounds of Kern Schumacher’s 5-acre lake front estate in the tony village of Incline. With de la Renta “in the house”, excitement was high as guests arrived and passed through the gates to a live band and a hosted bar serving Tahoe’s own Tahoe Blue Vodka that was swizzled into libations that set a festive mood.

Many of the guests’ images are often found on the society pages of the San Francisco Chronicle and the Nob Hill Gazette. Last Saturday they were in Tahoe providing plenty of fashion diversion long before the runway show began. The hats, the dresses, and the bags were what you would expect to see at a fashion event. In spite of their best intentions, there were a few “fashion misses”, but it was all good fun and highly entertaining.

This year’s fashion show and luncheon was dedicated to the memory of Diana Dollar Knowles who died in 2013, at the age of 96. Knowles and the many blue blood families that have deep roots in Tahoe as summer home residents dating back to the early 1900s have made preserving Tahoe’s clear blue waters a responsibility to restore some of the impacts their ancestors may have left behind.

Looking the part at the fashion show.

Lunch was served at noon and the first part of the live auction begins. Bidding is very competitive and items included the coveted New York Fashion Week with de la Renta. It was now time to settle into your seats to enjoy the show. Sixty designs are revealed worn by 19 stunning runway models. While this flotilla of $10,000 couture dresses and gowns float down the runway, there is a flurry of activity back stage. South Shore’s 25-year veteran, Mary Ann Werley is in “the tent” with her crew of 20 dressers getting the models in and out of the 60 costume changes. Saks has their hair and make-up teams making last minute touch ups before each model steps onto the runway. The final showing is the evening gown finale.

De la Renta’s designs did not disappoint and are met with wild applause.

Designs by Oscar de la Renta.

Before audience members can rush backstage to order items from this 2014 Resort Collection, part two of the live auction begins. League Executive Director Darcie Goodman Collins is on stage to introduce the League’s newest project — Eyes on the Lake. Eyes on the Lake is a volunteer aquatic invasive species monitoring program. Volunteers are trained to identify and document evidence of aquatic plant species considered to be one of the leading causes of Lake Tahoe’s clarity loss. In just a few minutes more than $30,000 is raised to fund this program.

Collins stated, “The real significance of this event is being able to fund the League’s new programs that include tangible hands-on projects that will help improve water quality. Funding raised at this benefit makes that research possible.”

In the end it is all about The League’s iconic motto: Keep Tahoe Blue.

Harrah’s, Harveys Lake Tahoe and Harrah’s Reno are installing state-of-the-art electric vehicle charging stations at all three hotel casino properties.

There will be eight stations at Harrah’s Reno and another eight stations at the Stateline properties.

The deployment of EV charging stations at its establishments is designed to encourage cleaner transportation and the broader use of renewable energy. Access to the charging stations is free to the public.

The charging stations are supplied by Schneider Electric’s EVlink, a technology which allows guests a convenient way to charge electric vehicles. The EVlink is a clean and simple design, with a LCD screen that displays instructions, status and usage information offering an exceptional charging experience. It is ChargePoint network enabled, and delivers a robust, reliable network giving users real-time notifications from the EVlink station during charging.

By Trevor Wilson

An alarming Gallup poll published earlier this year is still sending shockwaves throughout the business community: Most American workers either hate their jobs or don’t care one way or the other about them.

Less than a third of Americans are actively engaged in their work, meaning they’re passionate about it, enthusiastic and energetic. They’re consistently productive, and high performing.

Gallup estimates the 20 million who are “actively disengaged” – openly negative and unhappy have a staggering effect on the economy, costing the United States $450 to $550 billion each year in lost productivity.

To engage the 70 percent of non-committal or “actively disengage” employees, business managers need to change how they view human capital.

Engaging employees is an issue I’ve been working on for more than two decades, and there is a solution. I call it human equity — the unique assets each individual brings to the workplace that are often unrecognized. Recognizing and leveraging your own human equity, as well as that of your employees, addresses not only the incredible waste of human capital illustrated in the recent poll, but also related concerns business leaders share, including the constant need for innovation. These challenges are not unique to the United States.

There is a reason why executive royalty, such as Warren Buffet and former General Electric CEO Jack Welsh, sought talent beyond traditional criteria like knowledge and skills, which are also important.

Here is a method for uncovering valuable intangibles in employees; I call it the SHAPE V Talent model:

• Strengths: Consider strength as defined by the 1999 Gallup StrengthsFinder study, which includes consistent near-perfect performance in an activity. The study identifies 34 qualities, which can be innate and, unlike skills, are not learned. Individual employees and managers should not force a square peg into a round hole; if an employee’s near-perfect, near-effortless strength is in research and analysis, but not so much in data management, managers should allocate this resource accordingly.

• Heart: Have you ever wondered what comes first, whether you’re good at something because you like it, or you like it because you’re good at it? The chicken-or-egg question aside, what matters is the passion one has for a talent. This includes activities a worker would do even if he or she didn’t have to do it on the job. If a talented manager won the lottery and decided to quit his job, for example, he might be inclined to manage people in a local political campaign or take the helm of his son’s little league team.

• Attitude: There are three general attitudes an employee might have, according to a branch of study in positive psychology. First, there are those who approach their work as a job, who seek only a paycheck and benefits. The second group includes those with a career perspective who seek advancement. The third group views their work as a calling and deeply connects with what they do every day.

• Personality: In 2009, nearly $500 million was spent on personality testing in North America alone. A reliable test isn’t valuable in so much as it reveals differences among workers, which are most likely already apparent. The value of these tests is in showing how and where differences lie. Understanding differences can lead to an appreciation for how and why coworkers perform and improve the synergy of teams.

• Experience: Who is the person you’re sitting next to at work; who is she when she’s not making business-to-business calls, scheduling meetings or troubleshooting technical problems? How does her race, religion, economic background, family situation and overall lifestyle influence – or not influence – her work life? More importantly, how might her life beyond work offer diversity of thought in the workplace? Life experience should not be overlooked when assessing talent.

• Virtue: Value in action, that’s virtue. Candor, temperance, courage – these traits preempt problems like public scandals, harassment and discrimination and foster a positive moral pragmatism among coworkers and practical wisdom among leaders. With social media continuing to expose bad behavior and employee morale revealed to be at a stunning low, this is a significant quality in the on-going search for the best talent.

Trevor Wilson is the CEO of TWI Inc. and creator of the human equity management model. He is the global diversity, inclusion and human equity strategist who regularly speaks at corporate functions.