By Kathryn Reed

The lake or the pool? This should be the most difficult question to answer on vacation.

Out the window I could see both. After a hot hike it was time to cool off, but not freeze. The pool was the answer.

While this particular get-away was just for a night, it was still a mini vacation for me and AJ. We’re pretty much of the philosophy that if a hotel room is involved, it means work is secondary. 

She was perfectly content to rest on the large bed provided for her by Hotel Azure. She even had a bowl in the room with treats when we came in. (Dogs are $25/night extra.)

The pool at Hotel Azure is open year round. Photo/Kathryn Reed

This centrally located hotel in South Lake Tahoe recently underwent a $3.5 million renovation to provide guests with a more contemporary look and features – such as plenty of plugs for electronic gadgets. Reclaimed redwood covers one wall, giving it a woodsy feel. The grey-blue-brown color scheme is relaxing.

While the hotel is not right on the water, Lake Tahoe is directly across the street. It was wonderful to be able be in the room at sunset to see the colors dance across the lake. Rooms come with a balcony or patio; I was too lazy to go there.

Minor things that hotel designers often overlook were not at Hotel Azure. It’s actually possible to read in the bath tub because there is a light overhead. And a full length mirror is always appreciated (not always supplied).

It was nice to grab the comfy robe and head to the pool, which is heated year round. The hot tubs are like two in one with how the water from the upper one tumbles into the lower one. An added perk is that it’s accessible until 11pm, an hour later than most hotels.                                                 

A multi-million dollar remodel at Hotel Azure included making the rooms contemporary. Photo/Kathryn Reed

I thought staying above the pool/hot tub area might be excessively noisy, but on a Thursday night that was not the case.

With no glass allowed in the pool area, it would have been nice to have had plastic cups in the room. The front desk was able to supply me with a paper coffee cup and they opened my bottle of beer since I forgot to bring an opener.

Most people think of the Stateline area as the place to stay if you don’t want to get in your car again. Hotel Azure is proving it can offer that same amenity.

Nearby are several restaurants to choose from. Dinner at MacDuff’s was delightful on the patio, while breakfast on the lawn at Bear Beach Café was also good.

The hotel owners, who are from the Bay Area, also own the land where the café is located, as well as the bowling alley on the same street. They have had the property since 1976. The rooms in the building near the pool were added in 1985. All together there are 99 units.

It’s possible to walk to Lakeview Commons or even Ski Run Marina. For those who want to get places a little faster, bikes are available for free at the hotel. (Snowshoes are provided in winter.) This mode of transport expands the offerings even further. (There is bike and ski storage for those who bring their own toys.)

A workout room as well as a game room offer other ways to spend time on property.

The 3,850-square-foot event center that opened in March 2003 has never had many bookings because of its size – a capacity of 100. Going forward the hotel owners will not be taking reservations for this facility after October. They are still deciding if it will be leased to someone or be sold. (Prior to being an events center it was a Pizza Hut.)

It’s nice that there are no hidden extra costs, as in resort fees. Plus, parking is free.

Planes like the Super Scooper are the U.S. Forest Service’s choice for fire suppression. Photo/LTN file

By Keith Ridler, AP

A giant aircraft that can fly high above oceans on intercontinental flights instead jets in low and slow over a flaming forest, trailing a long plume that settles on the ground and creates a wildfire-stopping barrier.

The operators of the Boeing 747 converted from a passenger jet into a firefighting air tanker say it has proven itself battling forest fires in countries outside the U.S. The modifications allow it to drop more than 19,000 gallons of a flame-squelching combination of ammonium phosphate and sulfate mixed with water that comes billowing out in a red-colored line.

“We just happen to be the biggest, fastest firetruck in the air,” said Jim Wheeler, CEO of Global SuperTanker Services.

But the company says the U.S. Forest Service is seeking to keep the plane grounded by offering a contract limiting firefighting aircraft to 5,000 gallons of fire suppressant and won’t say why. The company says the federal agency is putting homes and lives at risk just as the current wildfire season surges past the 10-year average for land area burned in a decade that includes some of the most destructive and deadly wildfire seasons on record.

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By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal

CARSON CITY — The leadership of the National Governors Association, including incoming chairman Gov. Brian Sandoval, repeated a plea to Congress on Friday to create a national committee to address cybersecurity threats.

Outgoing chairman and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said cybersecurity, which has become a major threat as evidenced by recent actions including during the 2016 presidential campaign, does not have a single point of contact in Congress.

“We have implored the Congress to have a cybersecurity committee,” he said. “One does not exist today in the Congress.”

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By Kathryn Reed

Light is usually a good thing to help plants grow. That’s not the case with ultra violet C light.

Invasive plants have been withering to nothing in the boat slips at Lakeside Marina. And that’s a good thing.

John Paoluccio, president of Inventive Resources Inc., is the creative genius behind this system. His special boat with a slew of devices was designed specifically to kill unwanted weeds in waterways.

Below the boat is a device that can hover just above the lake bottom. It’s air tight. No fish can get in, nor can they be killed if they touch the machine. It can be so precise that native plants can be left alone.

UVC light works by damaging the DNA and cellular structure of the plants. This then stops reproduction. Because there isn’t much cellular structure the plants essentially shrivel up and decompose in a matter of days. Eurasian milfoil, curly leaf pondweed and coontail are three of the main targets.

John Paoluccio is confident in his creation to rid invasive plants with UVC light. Photo/Kathryn Reed

This summer Paoluccio is testing his theory and equipment in a pilot program funded and overseen by the Tahoe Fund, California Tahoe Conservancy and Tahoe Resource Conservation District. The agencies have more than $260,000 invested, while Paoluccio has about the same just in the vessel and gear. That doesn’t take into account his research and sample tests to get to this point.

Paoluccio is almost giddy as he talks about the success so far this summer. Invasive weeds at Lake Tahoe may have met their match.

It will be a two-year study, with more definitive results coming out in late 2018. But for now it’s working just like the engineer surmised it would.

Data about water temperature and turbidity are being collected. The amount of time to kill a plant, how far it is from the bottom and other data are also documented. The plant height is noted; some were 8-feet tall.

Paoluccio’s vessel moved through the marina working in each 20-foot-by-20-foot slip. If it weren’t for the generator powering the UV lights, it would be a silent process. Next up is going to the mouth of the marina and beyond to see how it works in more of an open water environment.

Those tasked with protecting Lake Tahoe are hopeful the success of this venture will allow for expanded use. So far it looks like the UVC combined with mats that suffocate the invasive plants could be the desired one, two punch.

Assuming the data proves the UVC effective, the next hurdle will be funding. After all, Lakeside is just one location with the weeds so cost-effective solution is desired by many. The Tahoe Keys is ground zero for the problem. The homeowners there have voted to use herbicides to deal with the weeds, though that project has not been permitted.

Mark Mulder is the first person in the 28-year history of the ACC to win the tournament three years in a row. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

By Susan Wood

STATELINE – Despite winning the American Century Championship golf tourney an unprecedented three consecutive times Sunday, former A’s pitcher Mark Mulder insisted he’s not necessarily ready to compete with the pros.

When asked if Mulder was ready to take his game to the U.S. Open, the family man got understandably humble.

“I understand the big difference between their game and my game. I know what it took to get to the top of baseball,” he told Lake Tahoe News after the win July 16, adding another major consideration. “I know my wife wouldn’t like it.”

Think “Tin Cup” – the movie about an amateur qualifying for the famed U.S. Open. It stars Kevin Costner, who also played in the celebrity golf tournament years ago – but with results not even close to being on par with Mulder’s.

The Major League Baseball pitcher racked up 73 points in the three-day tournament, which also broke a record of its own in attendance with 55,801 people. That’s a 16 percent increase over last year’s record-breaking attendance.

Of his historic win, Mulder told Lake Tahoe News: “Records are meant to be broken.”

Oh, what to do with a $125,000 windfall? To that, his 7-year-old daughter, Tatym, helped him out during the press conference by whispering ideas in his ear. She later told LTN the siblings would love a go-kart – perhaps for their home in Flagstaff where he golfs in high altitude. Mulder reserved comment on the go-kart idea.

Mardy Fish finishes the celebrity golf tournament July 16 tied for second. Photo/Susan Wood

Instead, he did indicate how the family’s trip to Lake Tahoe has become a special vacation, one he’d like to extend each year. The clan plans to raft the Truckee River, among other activities that make Tahoe an outdoor paradise.

“My three kids think this is the tournament where they get to run on the green,” he said. And they did as dad laid in the last putt.

It was a picture-perfect Sunday at Lake Tahoe – one that tourism officials salivate over when images are broadcast to millions on NBC Sports.

Throngs of fans crowded around NBA champion Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who provided the best single-day performance of 28 points to place him at fourth in the tournament with 60. (The ACC uses the Stableford format for scoring.)

Curry played with singer Justin Timberlake and retired quarterback Tony Romo, a fan-favorite trio.

Mulder teed up with former pitcher Derek Lowe — who played on a Boston Red Sox World Series team — and ex-tennis player Mardy Fish, a trio that seemed to quietly slip behind the frenzied trio in front of them. They provided stellar performances minus a few mishaps.

Mark Mulder’s three kids are eager to congratulate him on his win July 16. Photo/Susan Wood

Some missed short putts were disappointing to Mulder, but were countered with “one of the best birdies” in the tournament. They’re all just a part of the up-and-down nature of golf as a humbling sport – much like a pitcher’s ERA. 

As for the unexpected, Mulder admitted having to nurse his hand on the 17th hole because he pinched his finger between the basketball hoop rim and the ball set up to please the party people lined up on the beach. Mulder handed the bloodied towel to Fish.

Fun and games are all part of the celebrity golf scene every year, along with the camaraderie of playing with other sports stars. This year was no exception.

The three leaders come across as genuinely liking each other, despite the keen competition.

When push comes to shove, some bring their game more than others – with apologies to former NBA star and television commentator Charles Barkley. Mulder, Fish and Lowe are all contenders in a pool of at least 15 who could excel and win the American Century Championship.

We “just fell a little short,” Fish explained — although his long drives were commendable. He and Lowe tied for second with 62 points.

“The tennis player outdrives the two baseball pitchers. Must be that smooth tennis swing,” one man yelled from the ropes on the 18th.

It’s not the first year Fish was close to winning on the same day his tennis counterpart, Swiss legend Roger Federer, racked up an eighth Wimbledon title.

When LTN asked Fish if he saw Federer’s performance as the U.S. tennis star approached the 18th, he replied: “Yes, have you?”

Fish later complimented Federer for being on top of his game.

Rick Angelocci’s daughters Larissa, left, and Sarah meant the world to him. Photo/Provided

By Steve Archer, Loomis News
 
A small town is like a big family is the Loomis town motto.

Rick Angelocci, was, in many ways, the town father. He was Loomis town manager for six years, starting in 2011. He took a leave of absence for health reasons last October.

Angelocci, 64, died at his home July 6 after a two-year fight with cancer. He is survived by his daughters, Larissa and Sarah.

Angelocci was the assistant city manager for South Lake Tahoe before moving to Loomis.

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It is a dog party/fundraiser at Basecamp Hotel for a canine nonprofit. Photo/Justine Lureva

By Terra Breeden

The C word isn’t just something that afflicts humans. Dogs, too, can get cancer.

Victoria Rhodes knows this all too well.

Rhodes founded Wild Blue Dogs this year after losing her Welsh terrier Willy to canine cancer. Willy was diagnosed with cancer six years ago and given just six months to live. But Rhodes refused to accept that sentence. She spent a lot of time researching treatments for canine cancer, from oncology to homeopathy and provided Willy with the most advanced treatments and care for his cancer.

“My dog’s six-month sentence turned into 3½ years because of the care he received,” Rhodes told Lake Tahoe News.

Through the process of saving her dog, Rhodes discovered the devastating effects that cancer was having on canines nationally.

Six million dogs are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. each year. One in every three dogs in the U.S. gets cancer and most of the dogs who are diagnosed don’t survive the year.

Willy’s cancer diagnosis led Victoria Rhodes to help others. Photo/Justine Lureva

“You’re talking a very short life expectancy once diagnosed,” Rhodes said. “And a lot of people’s dogs are their companion. Over 70 percent of Americans own a pet and it’s a part of their family.”

One of the reasons canine cancer is causing such a high number of fatalities is because treatments like radiology and chemotherapy are so expensive. Most people don’t have health insurance for their dog and can’t afford to provide the care needed to extend their pet’s life.

Cancer treatment for dogs generally runs between $5,000 and $25,000. It’s extraordinarily expensive.

Alpine Animal Hospital in South Lake Tahoe works directly with Wild Blue Dogs to fully fund treatment for dogs with cancer and families who need help providing treatments for their beloved pets.

“Wild Blue Dogs is a really cool program because it focuses on getting treatment to the families who need it and supporting the community,” Rhodes said. “I really feel strongly that people should be able to keep their families together and my goal is to treat every dog that needs it.”

Through her experience with her dog Willy, Rhodes saw there were no resources to help people whose pets had contracted cancer. So she decided to start the Wild Blue Dogs nonprofit.

“If people have kids, homes and bills, Wild Blue Dogs will help. It’s a need-based provider not income-based,” Rhodes said. “I feel you should be able to keep your life intact and still provide care for your animal.”

Rhodes is passionate about helping dogs with canine cancer and she wants to do it in the Lake Tahoe community. Wild Blue Dogs helps fund treatment for Lake Tahoe dogs whose people need financial help.

“I want to help this community because I spent the last 20 years vacationing here with my dogs and I love it here,” Rhodes said. “Lake Tahoe is a dog-loving community, but there aren’t a lot of resources.”

Now she needs the community’s support to raise money for the nonprofit. On July 17 and Aug. 21 Basecamp Hotel in South Lake Tahoe is hosting Yappy Hour from 4:30-7:30pm.

“The money raised at Yappy Hour goes directly to treatment of dogs in the Lake Tahoe community and helps dogs in need here,” Rhodes said. “You’re raising money to help your neighbors.”

The event at Basecamp Hotel features drinks and yard games for guests, a photo-booth where you can take a glamour shot with your canine companion, and a chance to meet with other likeminded dog lovers in the South Lake Tahoe community.

“It’s the most fun cocktail party in the world. You get to go with your dog and believe me, the dogs have the most fun, this is their social hour,” Rhodes said.

Basecamp Hotel will donate a percentage of sales from food and drinks sold at Yappy Hour to Wild Blue Dogs. People may also donate directly to the nonprofit.

By Karl Vick, Time

It’s not like the jobs aren’t there. The ice cream still needs scooping. A Tilt-a-Whirl doesn’t run itself. And that floppy, weirdly heavy rubber frog that somersaults toward the rotating lily pads? Hit or miss, someone’s got to bring it back to the catapult for the next lucky player. The work of an American summer remains, sticky and sweet as cotton candy, which doesn’t sell itself either.

But when Jenkinson’s Boardwalk went looking for seasonal employees last year, the response was not at all what the company expected. To fill some 1,200 summer vacancies, an Easter-time job fair drew just 400 people. Applications did bounce up this year, but not nearly enough to reverse a grave trend that summer employers have noticed well beyond the Jersey Shore.

“It is getting harder to find students that will work,” says Toby Wolf, director of marketing at the boardwalk. “Each year it’s getting harder and harder. None of us has been able to pinpoint why. Is it a change in society as a whole?”

The numbers are not encouraging. Forty years ago, nearly 60 percent of U.S. teenagers were working or looking for work during the peak summer months. Last year, just 35 percent were.

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By Caroline Benner, High Country News

Against the backdrop of a desert sunrise, two human silhouettes exchange double high-fives. By 8am, a bouncing crowd of a couple dozen has gathered around a group of wooden columns emblazoned with the crest of the Pacific Crest Trail — the monument that marks the start of the 2,650-mile path.

These are “through-hikers,” people who intend to hike from the fence on the California-Mexican border, all the way to Canada. They hug, take pictures and scrawl breathlessly in the logbook: “Wow!! Wow!! Wow!! Let’s do this!” “Dreams come true!” On this spring day, up to 50 would-be through-hikers set out, focused on the hike’s first leg, 42 miles to the town of Mount Laguna.

On the other side of the monument, just across the border, other hikers are assembling, unseen by the recreationists. Every day, up to 50 people wait until the Border Patrol agent’s truck peels away from the border fence. Once the truck is out of sight, they’ll slip through and begin their own journey north. These are border crossers, and they are focused on simply getting to a road, where a driver will take them deeper into the U.S. Some dash 1,200 feet to where Highway 94 swings close to the border. Some hug the Pacific Crest Trail, making occasional short forays across it; others quietly join the hoopla at the monument and try to blend in with the through-hikers. And some hike a route that echoes the trail’s first leg, heading toward a pick-up point near Mount Laguna.

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Steph Curry doesn’t worry about a foul being called as he goes to block Joe Pavelski. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – Multi-sport athletes used to be the norm in high school; not so any more. But the pros, well, they are showing that they aren’t single sport wonders. Baseball, tennis, hockey and football players are in the top six spots after the first day of the American Century Championship.

It’s a who’s who of quarterback greats with Tony Romo, Alex Smith and John Elway. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

The three-day celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe saw some familiar names in the running, with some newbies as well on July 14.

Former Major League pitcher Derek Lowe took top honors on Day 1 with 25 points. (The ACC uses a Stableford format for scoring.)

Mardy Fish sizes up his putt on hole 10. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Right behind him are Mardy Fish (24) and Joe Pavelski (23). Tied for fourth are Aaron Rodgers, Mark Mulder and John Smoltz, each with 22 points.

It’s like a receiving line between the holes 17 and 18 for ex-linebacker Brian Urlacher. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Pairings on the first day are usually based on some commonality the players share. It was a multi-generational quarterback trio with John Elway, Tony Romo and Alex Smith. Former Braves’ pitching stars Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine are a regular threesome. The Bay Area was represented by Steph Curry, Aaron Rodgers and Pavelski playing together.

With the Broncos quarterback situation not solidified, maybe John Elway, left, would like to lure Aaron Rodgers away from Green Bay. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Deborah Edwards of Scottsdale, Ariz., was cognizant of where Elway was – she got hit by a ball two years ago at this tournament by an errant drive of his on the 17th hole. To this day she can feel where it hit her on the right side of her head.

On Friday, it was Lake Tahoe News photographer Carolyn Wright who walked off the course with a shiner thanks to Curry. He went up for layup on the 17th hole and ran into her.

For the uninitiated, it would be hard to know Steph Curry and Aaron Rodgers are in a golf tournament. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Curry, Rodgers and Pavelski were having fun shooting hoops before teeing off. Rodgers was much better at throwing passes to the throng of spectators in boats lining the course than he was with sinking that large round ball into the net.

After teeing off, Curry ran a pattern resembling a wide receiver, with Rodgers stepping back in the pocket to deliver a perfect spiral to a sliding Curry. It’s not every day you get grass stains playing golf.

Charles Barkley replaces dad in the family portrait. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Charles Barkley, who is well known for his anti-Warriors rhetoric, is well beyond his prime as a basketball star. Still, he was sauntering a bit after teeing off from the 10th hole. This is a huge change from a few years ago – pre-hip surgery – when he could barely get around.

On Friday he was playing to the crowd; “stealing” hats of young fans and posing for family pictures. Even though he is a perennial cellar dweller, the crowd loves him.

NBC sportscaster Kathryn Tappen signs an autograph as Charles Barkley takes the boy’s hat. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Barkley was recognized on the 10th hole by the firefighting community for his generosity to the Angora Fire relief efforts. In 2007, he gave $100,000 and toured the burn area; two years later he donated $90,000. Last month marked the 10-year anniversary of the fire that leveled 254 houses on the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe.

Large galleries follow the more popular players. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Today most of the pairings are based on how the players did Friday. One notable exception is that Curry (23rd place) and Romo (20th) will be playing with Justin Timberlake (53rd). Curry and Timberlake are two of the players who get special security provided by Douglas County sheriff’s deputies. Some of these superstars come with their own security and have an entourage of people.

Deputy Chris Wiggins was with Timberlake on July 14; standing guard making sure fans behaved themselves.

Entertainer Justin Timberlake, center, is playful on the course. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

“He usually doesn’t need us. He has his own people,” Wiggins told Lake Tahoe News. “We walk every hole with them.”

Marshall Faulk chips the ball out of the sand on hole 18. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Fans do the same thing – some following a particular player on all 18 holes, others are perched in one spot waiting for everyone to come through.

Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux on their way down the fairway of hole 17. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

Hole 17 is the busiest, with the crowd several people deep on the sand and grass. This is party central. While golf is usually a quiet sport, not so on this hole. It was almost comical as the official put his hands up for the spectators to hush as the players tee off only to have the music blaring from the speakers.

Ex-Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is favored to win the tournament. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright

The American Century Championship – it’s not your ordinary golf tournament.