• Do you have something to say about the Tahoe Rim Trail? Then consider being part of Bona Fide Book’s anthology. More info is online.

• Truckee is having a Big Truck and Open House on Oct. 27 from noon-3pm at the Pubic Service Center, 10811 Stockrest Springs Road.

• The volunteer Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue Team now has two snowcats for use in winter rescues, thanks to the no-cost transfer of the second vehicle from the Auburn-based Placer County Water Agency.

• Tahoe Mountain Sports 6th annual Pro/Am Disc Golf Tournament returns to the North Tahoe Regional Park’s 18-hole disc golf course in Tahoe Vista Oct. 13-14.

• A groundbreaking ceremony for the Douglas County Community and Senior Center at Herbig Park in Gardnerville will be Oct. 19 from 10am-nopn. For more info, call (775) 782.9828.

• The workforce is changing. Here’s some info about Gen Y:

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The Tahoe City Parks and Recreation Department is gearing up for the annual Breakfast with Santa and Craft Bazaar. The event is going into its fourth year at Rideout Community Center.

The department is calling for local artists and craftsmen to show off their creativity and display their work. The cost is $50 per booth with the proceeds going directly to the Recreation Departments’ after school program.

The event is Dec. 1 from 8:30am-12:30pm.

It is free to attend.

For more information on this event or to reserve a booth, call 530) 583.3440, ext. 14.

South Lake Tahoe City Council candidate JoAnn Conner has turned in her first expense-donation list for her campaign.

Here is the Conner form.

Here is a link to the story with figures for the other candidates.

Stateline gaming revenue drops. Photo/LTN

Gaming revenue in Nevada declined 3.1 percent in August compared to the previous year.

Nevada Gaming Control Board released the figures Wednesday morning. Overall, casinos collected $859.2 million from gamblers.

Stateline continued its decline, dropping year-over-year revenue by $22 million, or 19.5 percent.

The two bright spots in the state were Washoe County, where revenues were up 5 percent, and Mesquite, with a gain of 4 percent.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

To the community,

So, you voted for a congressman, Tom McClintock, who promised to curb government spending. According to your news sources (Fox) the deficit continues to grow and the excessive spending has not stopped at all, even though the House of Representatives is supposed to appropriate all the funds for the government.

Perhaps Tom McClintock’s method of blocking everything and saying no to anything did not work after all. Perhaps it would have worked better if there had been some Congress people that were willing to work together and craft a solution that headed us in the right direction instead of just voting “no, no, no”. Those all-or-nothing Congress people like McClintock created the present total gridlock in our government.

Republicans block anything the Democrats propose and Democrats block anything Republicans bring forth. And it will not matter who becomes president. If congress remains as deadlocked as it is now, the government will continue to be as ineffective and wasteful as it is now – nothing will change or get done for another two years. And we, the citizens of this country, will pay the price.

If you are serious about curbing excess government spending and if you are serious about creating jobs in our region, there is an alternative to Tom’s “NO, NO, NO” policies.

Take a serious look at John Uppal. He is a moderate running against Tom McClintock and he is eager to talk and work with anybody who wants to move the government out of its morass. The tactic of voting “no” on everything did not curb government spending and most certainly did not create any jobs. Perhaps electing someone willing to listen to and work with the other side would give us a better chance to get out of the current recession.

Here is Jack’s website.

Sincerely,

Urs Schuler, Placerville

Valhalloween at the Valhalla Boathouse Theater is Oct. 26 and 27.

Grab your fishnets and your feather boas and reserve your tickets now for two showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”.

Cost is $15. Doors open at 10pm, costume contest each night at 10:30pm, and then the film at 11pm.

For tickets, call (530) 541.4975.

No outside props, bags, backpacks, food or drinks.

This event is not recommended for children.

The Tallac Historic Site is located 2 miles past the intersection of Highway 50 and Highway 89, just past Camp Richardson, on the lake side of Highway 89. Please turn right on the street with the sign “Valhalla.” If parking lot is full, feel free to park along Hwy 89 outside entrance.

By Kathryn Reed

While the consultant in charge of the Harrison Avenue project in South Lake Tahoe said the purpose of Tuesday night’s gathering was to exchange information – the city saying what it wants to do and locals saying what they want – some wondered what the point really was.

One person said how four years ago the city agreed there would be no one-way streets in that area. Now some people are miffed that maps show one-way streets.

Bob Albertazzi, right, talks Oct. 9 about South Lake Tahoe's plans for parking in the Al Tahoe area. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Another meeting-goer brought up how a year ago a vocal group was adamant that parking permits in neighborhoods, especially Al Tahoe, was a bad idea. That idea is back on the table at a proposed cost of $25 per household a year.

On the flip side, a man told Bob Albertazzi, who was leading the parking discussion, that he believed what the city had come up with was a viable solution.

Marti Monns, who lives by Regan Beach, told Lake Tahoe News, “I don’t believe in paid parking in an area like this.” She also doesn’t want to pay for a permit. She knows what it is like to be a single mom, so she wants to keep things affordable for those who live and visit Lake Tahoe.

Monns added that the congestion during Fourth of July and concerts at Lakeview Commons is tolerable. What concerns her and others is if the city puts paid parking in at Regan Beach, it will spill over into the neighborhood because those people will want to park for free. That is why the city is looking at permit parking – to lessen the impact on locals.

The meeting on Oct. 9 at South Tahoe Middle School attracted about 80 people. Three stations were set up for people to get info and voice opinions. They included talking about events at Lakeview Commons – the impacts, types of events and how many there should be. The city plans to have event specific guidelines for Lakeview Commons devised by December. That same month request for proposals will be sent out for concessionaires for that location.

Another sector at the meeting focused on parking management. What wasn’t mentioned by city staff is how in the current budget there is revenue budgeted to come from paid parking. Then again, it was in the last fiscal budget, too, but the City Council took it out when public pressure weighed heavily on them.

The third station at the meeting was talking about plans to revamp the Harrison Avenue business district. Hilary Roverud, who runs the city planning department, said, “The actual physical changes are only proposed for the commercial area.”

Another opportunity for people to comment on Harrison Avenue will be during the 30 days when the CEQA document is on the street. It should be released Oct. 12. The Planning Commission is likely to have a special meeting later this month about that document. The council Nov. 6 is expected to have a public meeting about creating an assessment district for Harrison.

In March or April, city staff would like to award a contract to a contractor who would then begin work in May.

By Sean Whaley, Nevada News Bureau

CARSON CITY – Nevada is among the states with the highest amount of government debt per capita at $14,949, according to a report from State Budget Solutions, a non-partisan advocate for state budget reform.

The level of debt put Nevada at 37th highest among the states.

It was a slight improvement from 2011, when Nevada ranked 38th highest at $15,509.

The debt totals include budget gaps, outstanding unemployment trust fund loans, post-employment benefit liabilities such as health care coverage and unfunded public pension liabilities.

Nevada, for example, has borrowed about $680 million from the federal government to pay unemployment benefits during the current recession. The state is looking at increasing tax rates on businesses to repay the loan. The state’s Public Employees’ Retirement System was projected by the state to have a long-term unfunded liability of $11 billion as of June 30, 2011. Other analyses put the liability at much higher levels.

Hawaii, New Jersey and Alaska lead the nation with the highest debt per capita at $29,062, $29,252 and $31,141 respectively.

Debt among all the states amounts to $13,425 for each resident.

“Americans are sadly desensitized to the trillions of dollars in debt our states are facing,” said Bob Williams, president of SBS. “This report brings the debt closer to home by demonstrating that a newborn arrives already more than $13,000 in debt and that a family of four owes their state government $53,700. It is the individuals and families who will ultimately bear this horrific financial burden if state governments do not get their budgets under control.”

In a telephone interview, Williams said meaningful pension reform would go a long ways to reducing the per capita debt. But the looming costs of the federal health care law could become a significant contributing factor to the problem in the years to come, he said.

“States really need to address the pension problem,” he said. “Currently the public sector salaries and benefits, particularly the pensions, are unsustainable for the taxpayers.”

Gov. Brian Sandoval has advocated for changing Nevada’s public pension plan to a defined contribution plan where there would be no long-term liability to taxpayers, but efforts to change the plan in the 2011 legislative session went nowhere.

Getting policymakers to act has been difficult, but recently some of the bond rating firms have begun to signal their concerns, Williams said. If states’ bond ratings are lowered, it might finally force them to come to terms with their debt problems, he said.

Even Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has acknowledged concerns over pension costs, Williams said.

Bill Gates has also expressed concerns about the cost of public pensions and the effect on funding for public and higher education.

“You cannot keep pushing the cost off to future generations,” Williams said.

The report is an extension of State Budget Solutions’ third annual State Debt Report, released in August showing that state governments face a crushing debt of more than $4.6 trillion. The analysis of debt per person looks at state debt per capita, per private sector employee, and the percentage of private sector gross state product. In each of the three categories, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Alaska are among states with the five largest debt figures. At the other end of the spectrum, Nebraska has the lowest total in each of the areas.

Nebraska has the lowest total debt per capita at just $4,249 for each resident. Tennessee, Indiana, Florida, and Idaho round out the lowest five debt levels per capita.

Private sector workers are at increased risk as they are the ultimate tax base for reducing state debt, the report says. Using figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State Budget Solutions determined that Hawaii has the largest debt per private sector worker at $83,815, followed by Alaska, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New Mexico. Nebraska again has the lowest total, with $9,829 in debt for each private sector employee. Indiana, Tennessee, North Dakota, and South Dakota follow.

“Voters deserve to know how much debt their elected officials are saddling them with before they go to voting booth,” Williams said. “$13,425 per person is an unacceptable debt and immediate fiscal reform is desperately needed.”

Tahoe Best Friends Howl’oween Party is Oct. 27 at 2:30pm.

There will be a costume party for dogs, kids and adults, along with games, face licking contest, musical sits and more.

Tahoe Best Friends is at 2197 Ruth Ave., South Lake Tahoe.

For more information, call (530) 542. 2336.