By Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun
CARSON CITY — Steve Coburn, co-owner of Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, keeps getting richer.
On Jan. 2, the Nevadan bet an undisclosed amount at 200-1 odds that his horse would win the Derby.
A spokesman for sports and race book operator William Hill said Coburn already has collected his winnings. But the company will present a blanket for the horse on Wednesday at Sharkey’s Casino in Gardnerville.
American Legion Post 795 chaplain Curt Emrie at the May 26 Happy Homestead Cemetery ceremony. Photos/Lesia Witkowsky
Veterans and family members arrived hours before the Memorial Day ceremony to ensure each gravestone of a veteran was adorned with an American flag.
Dozens gathered at Happy Homestead Cemetery in South Lake Tahoe to remember those who lost their lives fighting for the United States. Music, prayer and words from community members and political figures filled the still morning air. All shared personal stories and memories with the underlying similarity of honoring the men and women who had died.
Others throughout Lake Tahoe celebrated Memorial Day by relaxing or spending time with friends and family on what was an unusually warm weekend with highs in the 70s. Many took to the water; some were going up the mountain via the Heavenly gondola, while others chose ice cream as a way to stay cool.
No vacancy signs were seen throughout much of the South Shore during the long weekend. It was practically bumper-to-bumper traffic getting out of the basin on Monday via Highway 50.
ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)
— Lesia Witkowsky
Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News convened an editorial panel of six South Shore residents to decide on this endorsement for the June primary.
The two challengers in the Douglas County sheriff’s race contend morale is not great within the department and a change in leadership is needed.
If this were true, then we wonder why the Douglas County Sheriff’s Protective Association endorsed Sheriff Ron Pierini. The bargaining unit represents deputies, investigators and sergeants in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Ron Pierini
We concur with the bulk of the department’s employees that Pierini should continue to be sheriff, a position he was first elected to in 1997. He started with the department in 1976 – having been a captain in Tahoe, undersheriff and now sheriff.
He faces Dave Brady and Michael Gyll in the June 10 primary. The top two vote getters move onto a runoff in November.
Brady and Gyll are outsiders, even though Brady had been a reserve deputy for the department before he declared his candidacy.
While it’s not always in the best interest of a department to keep the status quo or to hire within, we also don’t believe in the need to change leadership for the sake of change.
Pierini has proven he is capable of weathering many storms. We believe he will continue to do so for the next four years.
The sheriff’s department’s budget has been cut by $2 million and 10 positions have been eliminated in the past few years. Despite the cutbacks, the department’s arrest to prosecution rate is 38 percent. Nationwide the average is 22 percent.
He was at the helm when 9-year-old Krystal Steadman was kidnapped and killed in 2000 in Stateline. In 1980, he was a captain at the Tahoe substation when Harveys was bombed.
While we don’t wish crimes like that to occur, it is reassuring to know someone with that breadth of experience will be directing the troops to find the bad guys.
By the nature of the job Pierini spends the bulk of his time in the valley. But he has a connection to Lake Tahoe that the other two candidates don’t. This is another driving reason to keep Pierini in office. He works well with the other leaders at the lake – whether it is peers in other law enforcement agencies, fire personnel, casino executives or other business people.
Brady’s financial background is intriguing and something often not seen in the ranks of law enforcement. But his character has been questioned. And already the voters of Douglas County ousted him out of office when he was a commissioner.
Gyll appears enthusiastic, but he presents no new ideas. He lacks the polish and gravitas to take on the top position within the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
We need a sheriff who can reach across the aisle. We need someone who is capable of making tough decisions. We need someone who is a leader in his department as well as the community.
That person is Ron Pierini.
Explore Tahoe: An Urban Trailhead Visitor Center will host guided hikes June 7 from 10am and 2pm in honor of American Hiking Society 22nd annual National Trails Day.
Participants will be lead on a moderate hike through Van Sickle Bi-state Park by Gavin Furman. The hike will highlight environmental and historic facts along the trail. Hikes begin and end at Explore Tahoe near the Heavenly Village.
Wear comfortable shoes, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and bring water. Refreshments will be provided following each tour.
These hikes are free and open to ages 12 years to adult. Call 530.542.4637 for reservations.
As part of the Tahoe Bike Challenge, Clean Tahoe is is having a bike path cleanup June 7 from 10am-noon.
Volunteers may choose from three starting points for the cleanup, one of which is right behind the Clean Tahoe office!. Pick up litter and pull invasive weeds from around the bike path and through the nearby neighborhood.
After the cleanup, all volunteers are invited to a free lunch and celebration at the League to Save Lake Tahoe office (2608 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe).
Everyone who rides a bike to the event will receive a free raffle ticket.
To sign up, fill out this form.
Clean Tahoe is at 2074 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
By Jeff Gorton
One lesson the average American should have learned from the recent financial crisis and gradual recovery is that putting more money into savings is, in general, good.
When things are fine, most of us are prone to commit less of our money to savings; when the economy is down, however, we realize that having money is far more important than spending it on things we don’t need.
The personal savings rate in July 2005 hit an all-time low at 2 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But in May 2009, near the beginning of the recession, the average American’s savings rate hit a high of 8 percent.
That rate dwindled as the economy recovered, which is unfortunate because you can do more with accumulated money, including benefit from investments yielding compound interest, which means that interest also earns interest in an investment.
Here are ways to trim spending in the short term in order to get your financial house in order and accumulate more money in the long term:
• Car buying says plenty about how a consumer views their money. For most Americans, the question is whether to buy new or used. The moment you drive a brand new car off the lot after the purchase, the car’s value drastically drops. Many of the benefits you may enjoy in buying a new car can be had with a certified pre-owned car: low miles, good-as-new functionality and, usually, that new-car smell. And, a given model will have a history, so you can avoid cars that have been recalled. Buying a certified pre-owned car will save you several thousands of dollars versus buying new.
• Summer vacation is an important lifestyle enhancer for many couples, but consider replacing the $400-per-night hotel with a condo rented through a private owner, especially if your vacation will last for an extended period. A condo rental should cost you in the ballpark of $200 per night, which totals $2,800 savings for two weeks.
• Your home is probably your most significant asset if you’re like most Americans. But with that grand house on the hill comes plenty of costs, many of which you may not need. As with a luxury car, rethinking the amount of luxury for a home can save you big on taxes, insurance and maintenance. The cost of maintaining a large home can be put toward lifestyle activities, such as travel and hobbies.
Of course, these are all simply suggestions; money plays a major role in how we achieve happiness, and I’ve found through years of working with clients, a few tweaks here and there frequently yields greater satisfaction with their money. You don’t have to be on autopilot with your expenses.
Jeff Gorton is a certified public accountant and a certified financial planner.
A Zephyr Cove couple’s trailer is destroyed after flipping on Highway 395 as they headed home Memorial Day. Photo/Provided
A Zephyr Cove couple was not injured Memorial Day when the trailer they were towing overturned on Highway 35 near Parr Boulevard in Reno.
James Nunnally was driving and his wife, Carolyn, was a passenger. When Nevada Highway Patrol troopers arrived the Nunnallys were helping pick up debris that covered both lanes of the highway.
The accident occurred at 12:48pm May 26. The highway was closed for a few hours as debris from the two-axle travel trailer was cleared.
“The preliminary crash investigation details indicate the right rear tire and wheel of the green GMC Yukon XL separated from the vehicle, which contributed to the driver losing control of his SUV,” troopers said in a statement. “The trailer swayed or fish-tailed for a short distance before rolling over into the center median area, while the SUV remained upright during the incident.”
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
By Associated Press
Annika Sorenstam is ready to tee it up again with the guys.
Eleven years to the week since Sorenstam played at Colonial on the PGA Tour, she announced Monday she’ll compete in July at the American Century Celebrity golf championship at Lake Tahoe.
The 43-year-old LPGA hall of famer who has a second home at Incline Village says she’ll play from the same tees as the men in the field full of sports legends and entertainers, including defending champion Billy Tolliver, eight-time winner Rick Rhoden and five-time champ Dan Quinn.
Sorenstam, the mother of two, says she hasn’t played a lot of golf since she retired five years ago, but she’s working on her game now to try to win the 54-hole tourney at Edgewood Tahoe in Stateline.
Fizz, Boom, Read is the theme of this year’s summer reading program for kids at Douglas County Library.
Registration starts June 3 at the Minden and Zephyr Cove libraries. The program continues through July 31.
Go to the library’s website to fill out a registration form. Bring the form to the library to receive a special raffle ticket.
The program kicks off June 3 at the C.V.I.C. Hall in Minden with Jordan the Science Wizard presenting Super Cool Chemistry at 6:30pm. He will create oozing, bubbling, and foaming science experiments. Families of all ages are welcome. The Douglas County Library Foundation will host an ice cream social from 7:15 -8pm.
For more information, call 775.782.9841.
• Truckee Police Department is offering free shredding of documents on June 6 from 4-6pm at Truckee Town Hall, 10183 Truckee Airport Road. Up to 100 pounds of paper per person is allowed.
• Leonard Nimoy, aka Spock on Star Trek, sold his Tahoe City house for $4.788 million to a Bay Area couple. It was first listed at $5 million.
• Chase International’s Kurt Carlstedt sold the highest priced condo – $6.725 million – in Lake Tahoe’s history.
• Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules for Caltrans for this week.
• Moe’s Original Bar B Que is scheduled to open this June Located in the new two-story lakefront building at the Grove Street Pier in Tahoe City. Josh Wallick, Eric Pilcher and Luke Dannals are the partners in the restaurant.