South Lake Tahoe Recreation Department and the Tahoe Tri Club co-hosted the 2nd annual Kids Triathlon on July 21 at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Complex.

Participating were 42 racers. Ages 3-4 and 5-6 competed in the 25-yard dash, ages 7-8 raced 50 yards, ages 9-10 ran 100 yards, and ages 11-12 competed in the 200-yard dash.

The triathlon course included the recreation complex swimming pool, parking lot, and greenway that surrounds the campground.

Here are the race results,

By Kathryn Reed

Lake Tahoe Community College is one of 17 community colleges not offering federal loans.

“We try to encourage students to not get involved with student loans while in community college. Our tuition fees are very low cost, and if a student is financially needy, they almost always can get their fees waived through the Board of Governors fee waiver,” LTCC President Kindred Murillo told Lake Tahoe News. “Our philosophy is to ensure our students transfer to four-year colleges as debt-free as possible.”

It costs about $1,200 a year in tuition fees for a full-time student at a California community college. This is the least expensive in the country.

One reason the two-year institutions are not offering federal loans is because in 2014 if a school has a default rate of more than 30 percent for three consecutive years, the federal government could issue sanctions.

“I don’t believe a California community college campus has ever been sanctioned,” said Debbie Cochrane, research director for the Institute for College Access & Success, told the Modesto Bee. “To be sanctioned, you have to have high (default) rates with no mitigating circumstances.”

Community college students also have access to Pell grants. That money can be used for books and living expenses. There are scholarships and other financial aid available, too.

Murillo added, “With the recent national concerns for the high level of student debt, this seems to be a prudent course of action for most students.”

The 6th annual Conservation Landscaping Tour is Aug. 11 from 1-5pm.

This year’s tour will feature turf conversions and water-wise landscapes in the Tahoe Keys. There will be conservation presentations and information, light refreshments, and live music.

Tickets are available event day from 1-3. Cost is $10, with children free.

Meet at the Tahoe Keys owners pavilion at 356 Ala Wai Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

By Kathryn Reed

Federal law dictates what happens to people who might be displaced if the Tahoe Transportation District ever reroutes Highway 50 on the South Shore. But fair market value today is another story.

One man at Thursday’s TTD meeting brought up the fact that he would have to fully disclose to a potential buyer that the loop road could one day take out his property. He said he would not be able to get fair market value today because of this fact.

Alfred Knotts with Tahoe Transportation District looks over one of the loop road maps with Angie Watson who owns apartments in the project area. Photo/Kathryn Reed

A real estate broker in the audience confirmed that everyone with property that could be affected by the project now has to tell a buyer about the loop road. This scenario is the same thing that for years left those in the path of the convention center project not wanting to improve their properties for fear of not getting a return on investment and unable to sell based on the threat of the parcel being consumed for what became a hole.

Officials are trying to bring transparency to the loop road by talking relocation and acquisition, but some in the audience said notices that have gone out seem more like scare tactics.

This project, though, would not become a hole because it cannot start until all the funding is in place.

There are four alternatives being studied, along with a do-nothing option. The one the TTD prefers would start on the west side in South Lake Tahoe at the vacant lots the city owns before the junction with Pioneer Trail and then go behind  Harrah’s and MontBleu, coming out at Lake Parkway where a roundabout would be put in. Another starts at the Pioneer Trail intersection. One calls for Highway 50 to be one way and the loop on the mountain side to go in the opposite direction. Then there is the skyway option to move pedestrians around, but would not address the traffic concerns proponents want to improve.

Goals of a loop road include making what is now Highway 50 in the tourist core a city-county street that would be more pedestrian-bike-transit centric, have wide-inviting sidewalks, and feel more like a downtown.

About 30 people turned out for the July 25 meeting – about half of what officials had hoped for.

Mike Lahodny with Bender Rosenthal, a commercial valuation and right-of-way services company, went over the laws that dictate what can happen to property owners, business owners and tenants.

No appraisals or acquisitions can occur until the TTD board certifies the environmental document. But part of the environmental document is the Community Impact Study (CIS), with the Relocation Impact Study (RIS) being a component of that.

The RIS is expected to be completed by the end of August and the CIS in the fall.

Lahodny said even though the information being collected today will be outdated three to four years from now when appraisals may actually occur, the data is designed to let planners project out what could happen.

The draft environmental documents could be released in spring 2015, with the final document out in fall 2015. It is on the draft enviro docs that the public will be able to make the most comments, though officials are always taking comments.

South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County electeds will have to sign-off on the environmental documents, along with the TTD board. The one place the city and county could derail the project would be to not approve the permits to do the work within their jurisdictions.

The information Lahodny discussed is expected to be on the TTD website today, along with more detailed maps of the parcels that could be affected.

By Mandy Kendall

I want to get healthier, I just don’t know where to start?

Start with being honest with yourself. How happy are you with your health at the moment, honestly? The best way is to give yourself a mark out of 10 for different areas of your health. We tend to be more objective when we put a number value to something. For example, you could rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 on the following areas … (10 being totally happy and 1 being I’m beyond unhappy). How happy am I with my weight? How happy am I with my stress levels? How happy am I with the amount of exercise I’m doing? How happy am I with my levels of energy, etc. Once you have a number for each area you can then prioritize which area to start on.

Then what do I do?

Mandy Kendall

Once you have an idea of what area of your health you want to (or need to) start with, you can decide on how you will get there. Chances are the number for your priority area will be fairly low. To make changes a little less daunting it can help to break them down into manageable and achievable steps. If your happiness with your weight is at a 2 out of 10, you might not even be able to imagine being at a 10 out of 10.

Setting a target of 5 out of 10 might seem much more doable. Then imagine where you would need to be with your weight in order to give yourself a 5 out of 10. Maybe it’s a weight goal (releasing a certain number of pounds) or maybe it’s a dress you would like to fit back into. Try and give yourself a goal you can truly see yourself achieving.

The next step is to set a realistic timeframe to achieve it in. Change takes time and, especially when releasing weight, you should not try to rush things with fad diets that promise a large amount of weight loss in a short period of time.

Next, you need to consider how you will get to this first level. Will it be through more exercise, better diet or both? Will you do it alone or with a friend or maybe join a group of people all trying to achieve the same thing. Research shows that those people who join a group have significantly better results than those who don’t.

How do I find the right group?

Try asking friends and family who have succeeded what’s worked for them? Check local media for groups in your area, (Meet Up Groups are a great resource for this) and it’s a great way to make new friends too. Some people prefer online groups, so you could check with your Facebook friends for recommendations (you can always private message them if you don’t want to broadcast it to the world). If you search for specific groups on Facebook, try not to be too swayed by the number of “likes” they have, it is better to go by the “talking about this” number as this indicates how many people are active on the site. Maybe a friend is looking to do the same as you — there’s nothing like having an accountability coach to help you over the bumps and hurdles along the way and help you celebrate the successes.

I’ve tried all that before and it either doesn’t work at all for me or it works for a while and then I go back to square one or worse … what am I doing wrong?

OK, this happens to a lot of us in one way or another. First, it is always worth checking with your doctor to make sure there aren’t any medical issues that are hindering your progress. However, much of the time we just get in our own way. We try to change things, with the best of intentions, but something in us prevents us from moving forward. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy and years of external, or internal, negative talk has convinced us on some level that we are not worthy/capable/deserving/able to change (if you feel like checking all those boxes, don’t worry you’re not alone).

If you’ve honestly tried the steps above and you still can’t make those changes then chances are you are going to need some more specific help. There are many ways to address these mindset issues and it all depends on your circumstances and your personal preferences as to how you go about resolving these roadblocks to your success. Some holistic practitioners are very experienced in helping you work through emotional and behavioral blockages. Again, you can ask friends and family for recommendations for particular therapies or practitioners. Find out if a prospective therapist is willing to chat with you on the phone for a few minutes to let you know how their treatment works. This will give you a chance of finding out if you resonate with them. Emotional/behavior release therapy is very personal and it helps immensely if you get along with the practitioner as a person. There are also some techniques that you can do on your own.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), or the tapping technique as it’s sometimes known, is an extremely effective tool at unblocking and releasing emotional issues.

As with many self help techniques, it is often advisable to find a professional to take you through the basics before you branch out on your own (a bit like having a lesson with a trainer before you try to train on your own in the gym) as it will help you get the most out of the therapy. You can find out about EFT online. There is also a book that I highly recommend which will walk you through the why and how of this wonderful technique – “The Tapping Solution”.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at connect@healthconnective.com.

Mandy Kendall operates Health Connective in South Lake Tahoe, which aligns wellness seekers with their ideal wellness provider. If you have questions, would like some advice, or would like to request some Qwik-e tips on any health and well-being topic, drop her an email at connect@healthconnective.com or keep an eye out on Lake Tahoe News for regular Qwik-e tips on how to make healthy changes one Quick and Easy step at a time.

To the community,

A great day in history for people with disabilities was marked on July 26, 1987, when the United States Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law.

Although each state has enacted its own laws to enhance the federal law and protect their own citizens, the ADA remains the primary civil rights law for people living with a disability.

David Kelly

The ADA and state laws protect our citizens with disabilities in nearly all areas of our lives from education, housing and employment, to transportation, recreation, health care and more. Many government agencies have jumped on board to ensure that everyone is treated equally and that all people have access to government and public buildings and areas that were previously inaccessible.

Although there is still much to be done, the multitude of changes and significant progress is a wonderful blessing considering the difficulty of exacting change within our government and citizenry. Twenty-three years does seem a long time – a lifetime for some, but we’re still working the problem. Many have fought desperate fights to bring about these changes and to them I offer my heartfelt gratitude for their time, their dedication and their tears. Many more have joined their ranks or taken up the cause in their own towns and counties. Those, too, are sincerely appreciated.

Although we have many aging citizens who will need assistance, they will be able to utilize these services and freedoms that weren’t available to some people in the past. The human rights improvements in so many areas of our lives, along with the overall acceptance of persons with differences and disabilities in general will allow us to envelop our seniors, persons with disabilities, and our returning wounded warriors and veterans with understanding, acceptance and many new freedoms that our service people have fought so valiantly to protect.

David Kelly, president Tahoe Area Coordinating Council for the Disabled

A teenager is airlifted out of the backcountry July 24 on the West Shore. Photo/Provided

A 16-year-old who fractured his leg had to be airlifted out of the backcountry on Wednesday.

The teen was in Ward Canyon below Standford Rock on the Tahoe Rim Trail.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter airlifted him out July 24. Then North Taheoe fire crews treated him before transporting him to Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report

Tahoe Derby Dames will be having a fundraiser this Friday at the American Legion.

The July 26 event starts at 8pm at the American Legion in South Lake Tahoe. Cost is $5.

Food, drinks and raffle will be available. Three bands will be playing.

The Dames are a competitive roller derby team in South Lake Tahoe.

Longtime South Lake Tahoe resident Walter Currier died July 6. He was 78.

He born on Sept. 4, 1934.

Walter, known to all as Walt, began teaching at the age of 21 in Martinez in 1955. He taught at Martinez Elementary School until 1961. He then moved his family to South Lake Tahoe where he was first hired to teach seventh grade at Al Tahoe Middle School which was combined with the high school.

In 1962 he moved to Tahoe Valley Elementary to teach sixth grade. He then became a teaching vice principal, and then principal from 1965 until 1970.

In 1970 he became principal of Bijou Elementary School; serving that community until 1978.

In 1978 he became principal of the Meyers Elementary School; serving that community until 1983.

In 1983 he became principal of Sierra House Elementary School; serving that community until 1987.

In 1987 he became principal of South Tahoe Middle School.

In spring and summer of 1988 he served as interim superintendent of Lake Tahoe Unified School District.

He then began working for El Dorado County as the director of Court Schools, which included El Dorado Juvenile Hall in Placerville.

At the same time he was a liaison to the project Right of Passage which enabled students to graduate high school who struggled in the public system.

He retired from the county in 1994 to spend time with his wife, Nancy, and children Janiece, Walter Jr. and Mark and dog Frankie.

Walt was an avid runner for decades and then enjoyed his walks in the woods with Frankie.

He spent his last days at Cascade of the Sierras in Spanish Springs, Nev., with his daughter, Janiece, son-in-law, John, and grandson, Jess Walsh.

He was well loved and will be missed by all.

A cyclist on Thursday attempted to rob an El Dorado Savings Bank in South Lake Tahoe.

Police are looking for this man.

The suspect passed a demand note to a teller at the 3443 Lake Tahoe Blvd. branch and then appeared to change his mind about following through with the 3:30pm robbery, according to officers.

No weapon was ever threatened or displayed.

The suspect left through the front doors and rode a bicycle east on Highway 50. The bicycle is described as a white or chrome girl’s style frame with a large basket on the front and a black bag affixed to the back.

The suspect is a white male, possibly in his 70s, approximately 5-feet-9, thin and clean shaven. The suspect has short hair and wore a baseball cap which was black in the front and white mesh in the back. The cap has unknown type lettering on the front. The suspect also wore a black hooded sweat shirt, a dark colored polo style pull-over shirt with thin multi-colored horizontal stripes, black shorts, white socks and black shoes.

Anyone with information should call South Lake Tahoe Police Department, (530) 542.6100, the FBI at (530) 542.4140, or Secret Witness at (530) 541.6800.