By Justin Doom, Bloomberg

Drought-stricken California has more than twice the water capacity needed to erase an annual deficit of more than 6 million acre-feet, through better conservation and management efforts, according to the Pacific Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Almost half of the potential 13.7 million acre-feet in savings could come from agricultural efficiency gains and conservation, with the balance from urban improvements, water reuse and captured storm water, the two groups said in a joint report this week.

One acre-foot is enough to cover an acre with a foot of water, approximately 326,000 gallons.

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By Robert D. Dávila, Sacramento Bee

Mark A. Smith, a world-class adventurer and 4×4 motorsports pioneer who organized the first gathering of Jeep owners for an off-road trek along the torturous Rubicon Trail over the Sierra Nevada, died June 9 at 87.

The cause was a stroke, said Pearse Umlauf, vice president of Jeep Jamboree USA.

Mark A. Smith

Mr. Smith was a legendary outdoorsman who was widely credited with launching 4×4 off-roading as a sport more than 60 years ago and popularizing Jeeps as recreational vehicles. After settling in Georgetown in 1951, he worked with the local Rotary Club on a plan to bring visitors to the rugged El Dorado County community for an outing in Jeeps to boost the economy.

In 1953, he launched the Jeepers Jamboree, which drew more than four dozen 4×4 vehicles and 155 revelers for camping and driving along the Rubicon Trail, an old wagon route between Georgetown and Lake Tahoe. Today, the annual event draws enthusiasts from all over the world in Jeep Wranglers – and Jeep-like Toyota Cruisers and British Land Rovers – that crawl over granite slabs and boulders to Rubicon Springs.

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Bona Fide HQ becomes a print shop twice a month. Photos/Kim Wyatt

By Liberty Zikos

MEYERS – It all started with the word “Handglovery” painted in black on a plain white wall. It’s a word that designers used in the past when creating new font or typeface, and ever since Kim Wyatt, owner and publisher of Bona Fide Books, put it up in her office last fall, special things have happened.

Bona Fide HQ’s atmosphere is inviting and peaceful, with shelves stocked with books and handmade zines and plenty of comfortable seats covered in bright animal patterns. But these days a visitor’s attention is more likely to be directed to the print shop.

Composing stick

Bona Fide Books is an independent press that started in 2009 and publishes three to four books a year. It’s also home to the Center for Wayward Writers, a public space for creative people that is well used by local writers and artists.

By way of donations a print shop was born in summer 2013, when painter and Wyatt’s friend Ken McNutt pulled up to the office and said, “You gotta look at this.” Inside his car was a book press that he had rescued from a friend’s barn. The compact piece of machinery was so heavy that it took two strong twentysomethings to wrestle it inside. But the timing was right. A monthly print club began with community members creating Christmas cards and later fine art. Now they are experimenting with wood block prints.

The arrival of the book press was followed closely by an etching press, and then a proof press was donated in January. It was used from the mid- to late 1950s at the Tahoe Daily Tribune. The proof press found its home at Bona Fide when Del Laine, who was once a columnist for the Tribune, donated it.

“When Kim showed interest in the hand presses it seemed that it was the home for it [the proof press]. We were happy to know that Kim had it and would be using it as much we had,” Laine said. It wasn’t just the space that compelled Laine to entrust the proof press to Bona Fide. “The fact that Kim sees the value of the printing press shows the value that she brings to this community – more than just a printed page, but the crafted printed page.

Steve Robison at the letterpress.

Wyatt, whose great-grandmother was a typesetter for a West Virginia newspaper in the 1900s, started Bona Fide to promote new voices and to build community through storytelling. Although the space typically hosts writing workshops and art receptions, a new sort of creative expression has developed. Letterpress printer Steve Robison found his way to Bona Fide through his wife, Karen Cutter, a book arts artist. The couple moved from the Bay Area to be closer to their Meyers family, and Cutter dropped into Bona Fide one afternoon. After talking with Wyatt, she brought in her husband. Robison had his first printing press experience at 7 years old, and has been hooked ever since.

“I talked to Kim and said, ‘If you’re interested in equipment I can bring some up. Maybe we could create a little space for that.’ I told her I’d teach classes,” Robison said.

Bona Fide now hosts a twice-monthly book arts club led by Cutter, and recently started offering letterpress classes taught by Robison.

Three of the seven presses date to the 1800s. Wyatt said she would welcome more.

In the age of information, what is the appeal of a heavy, time-consuming printing press?

“The presses, to me, represent the intersection of democracy, writing, and art —there’s nothing better,” said Wyatt, citing the long tradition of print to change the world. Johannes Gutenberg’s innovations in movable type and printing made information widely available to people of all social classes, and beyond borders.

“Those who embrace [the printing press] embrace a hands-on form of communication, one that has been replaced by fast communication,” Laine said. “The printing press takes time and it’s checked and rechecked before it hits the public. It’s a thoughtful form of communication.”

Many people are also seeking ways to build relationships away from social media and text messaging, and the community that has started gathering at Bona Fide wants connection – with materials and with each other. People come to Bona Fide to work with their hands, to learn a craft and also for camaraderie.

Ed and Del Laine’s proof press.

“It’s like the church of ink,” Wyatt said.

Robison believes the hands-on experience is part of the draw to letterpress printing. “When people get involved in the craft of it – I know for me it’s something I get lost in – the pressures of the day disappear.”

Bona Fide’s print shop gives people the chance to slow down and put some time into a well thought-out project while learning to set type.

“Letterpress is crisper, clearer. It has a tactile feel to it. It’s sort of otherworldly and like finding an artifact, and people are drawn to that,” Robison said. Drawing on problem solving abilities and creativity, the process requires attention to detail, and in the end you make something exceptional, one-of-a-kind. Robison says, “With letterpress you can see every single step of the way, and there’s no mystery at all. It’s just honest.”

——

Notes:

• Bona Fide Books is located at 1069 Magua St., No. 4, Meyers.

• For more information about the Bona Fide print club, book arts club and letterpress class, go online or call 530.573.1513.

Liberty Zikos is a student at UNR working on her undergrad in English writing.

By Jim Kuhnhenn, AP

WASHINGTON — Capping a rare instance of congressional compromise, President Obama signed a $12.3 billion water projects bill Tuesday, financing improvements ranging from a harbor expansion in Boston to flood control in Iowa and North Dakota.

Obama praised the work of Democrats and Republicans and said he hoped it set a pattern for agreement for more spending on capital works projects across the country.

“Right now we should be putting a lot more Americans back to work rebuilding our infrastructure,” he said. “There are a lot of guys with hardhats sitting at home.”

The new law will pay for 34 new projects over the next 10 years. Its price tag is half the amount of the last water projects bill seven years ago. Congressional leaders have praised the bill for containing no pet projects from lawmakers, the kind of targeted, congressionally directed spending that had angered the public and helped fuel the tea party movement.

All of the projects were recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Obama singled out the bill’s main negotiators — Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California and Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, Republican Rep. Bill Schuster of Pennsylvania and Democrat Nick Rahall of West Virginia.

“They set aside politics, they focused on what was important for the country and what was important for their communities,” he said. “And as a consequence we have a piece of legislation that is really going to make a good difference.”

He urged lawmakers to use the same spirit of compromise to act on a massive transportation bill. He warned that without action, 100,000 projects could come to a standstill, affecting 700,000 jobs.

“The fact that this bill received some bipartisan support I think hopefully sets a pattern for additional work,” he said.

Though some conservative groups argued the bill still contained unnecessary spending, it had broad support from state and local officials and business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

By Jeanna Smialek, Bloomberg

Vera Johnson from Seattle is barely making do, let alone saving for retirement.

“I try to remain in the present moment and not live in fear of the future,” said Johnson, who has neither retirement savings nor a college fund for her two children. “My property is underwater, the properties around me are underwater, I’m not building equity in my home.”

The 45-year-old almost lost her home to foreclosure in 2010 after the housing-market collapse in the worst recession since World War II. She embodies the financial challenges facing America’s Generation X, those born between the mid-1960s and 1980, which lags behind other generations in building assets.

Good timing is not the age group’s forte. Many took out mortgages just before prices plunged, making them the most disadvantaged by the housing crisis, while the 2008 stock-market slump dealt them a further setback. Only one-third of Generation X households have more wealth than their parents, even though most earn more, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.

When their working years end, Gen-Xers might have to live on just half of their pre-retirement income, compared with 60 percent for the Baby Boom generation, Pew said last year.

“Generation X is at this really critical historical spot,” said Diana Elliott, a research officer in financial security and mobility at Pew, a nonprofit global research and public policy organization in Washington. “They are not doing well relative to the last generation. It should give us concern as a country.”

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By Kathryn Reed

Douglas County voters clearly want Ron Pierini to be sheriff.

Assuming he carries the momentum he had Tuesday into November, he will continue on as sheriff.

Ron Pierini

With 100 percent of the precincts reporting June 10, Pierini dominated his opponents by tallying 69.36 percent of the votes with 6,335 votes. David Brady had 20.67 percent, 1,888; and Michael Gyll 9.97 percent, 911.

The top two – Pierini and Brady – meet again in November.

“It’s been quite an experience for me because I never had to go out and do the things I am today. I look forward to November,” Pierini told Lake Tahoe News.

Pierini was appointed to be sheriff by county commissioners and then elected in 1997. Every four years since then he had not had a challenger until this year.

He spent time going door-to-door, at debates and talking to residents at other locations.

“It solidified the fact we are doing a good job,” Pierini said of the feedback he received.

He has led a department that has seen its budget cut by $2 million and the loss of 10 positions. Despite the cutbacks, the department’s arrest to prosecution rate is 38 percent. Nationwide the average is 22 percent.

Pierini praised his deputies for the work they do and their ethics, underlining the fact the department has not had to deal with any scandals.

In the other contested race in Douglas County, incumbent Jim Wheeler will retain his seat in the state Assembly. The District 39 representative had 4,435 votes for 62.32 percent, while challenger Robin Reedy has 2,681 votes or 37.68 percent. This seat extends to Lake Tahoe.

Nevada was expecting a low voter turnout that could set a record. The state allows early and mail-in ballots. Those could account for two-thirds of the votes cast. They represented 18.74 percent of the votes in Douglas County.

By Jennifer Medina, New York Times

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that teacher tenure laws deprive students of their constitutional right to an education, a decision that hands teachers’ unions a major defeat in a landmark case that overturns several California laws that govern the way teachers are hired and fired.

“Substantial evidence presented makes it clear to this court that the challenged statutes disproportionately affect poor and/or minority students,” Judge Rolf M. Treu wrote in the ruling. “The evidence is compelling. Indeed, it shocks the conscience.”

The ruling, which declared the laws governing how teachers are hired and fired in California to be unconstitutional, is likely to set off a slew of legal fights here and in other states, where many education reform advocates are eager to change similar laws. The ruling brings a close to the first chapter of the case, Vergara v. California, but both sides have made it clear that they plan to appeal any decision that goes against them to the State Supreme Court.

The plaintiffs argued that California’s current laws made it impossible to get rid of low-performing and incompetent teachers, who were disproportionately assigned to schools filled with poor students. The result, they insisted, amounted to a violation of students’ constitutional rights to an education.

But lawyers for the states and teachers’ unions said that overturning such laws would erode necessary protections that stop school administrators from making unfair personnel decisions. They also argued that the vast majority of teachers in the state’s schools are competent and providing students with all the necessary tools to learn. More important factors than teachers, they argued, are social and economic inequalities as well as the funding levels of public schools.

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By Martin Griffith, AP

RENO — Scientists are hailing the return of a threatened fish to its home spawning grounds in Nevada for the first time in 76 years, calling it a milestone in efforts to re-establish a self-sustaining population of the species at a desert lake near Reno.

About 90 Lahontan cutthroat trout weighing up to 25 pounds spawned this spring along the extreme lower two-mile section of the Truckee River, which flows over 100 miles from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials announced last week.

Pyramid’s cutthroats last spawned in the river in 1938 and died out by the 1940s because of overfishing, degraded habitat and the introduction of non-native fish. They also vanished from Tahoe around the same time for similar reasons.

Lisa Heki, fisheries complex manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the recent spawning activity was a surprise because of low water levels caused by a severe drought.

It offers hope that the species reintroduced into Pyramid in 2006 will be able to reproduce on its own in the future without the help of hatcheries, she said. Heki said she expects the number of cutthroats that spawn in the Truckee to keep increasing.

“It confirms this strain retains its capacity to reproduce naturally and it’s ready to take advantage of the stream to spawn,” she told the Associated Press. “I think we’re on the steps of a new era for this species. It’s pretty exciting.”

Terence James, vice chairman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, agreed. His tribe’s hatchery has raised cutthroat that originated from outside the Truckee basin since 1974.

“It’s a very exciting success story for the tribe,” he told the Reno Gazette-Journal, which broke the story about the spawning activity on the lower Truckee. “We haven’t seen this happen for a very long time.”

Officials counted 182 spawning areas along the lower Truckee where cutthroat males and females paired up to lay and fertilize eggs.

Heki said that while it’s uncertain whether any of the areas produced fry that survived, it’s likely that cutthroats would have more spawning success in a wet year.

The goal is to allow the species to get past a couple of dams on the lower Truckee and spawn around Reno and other upstream areas as it once did, she said.

Nevada’s state fish, the cutthroat is prized by anglers because of its taste and size. A record 41-pound cutthroat was caught at Pyramid in 1925, and specimens weighing up to 25 pounds have been reeled in over the last year.

A recovery team also is considering a long-term effort to restore the cutthroat at Lake Tahoe, Heki said, but officials first want to re-establish a self-sustaining population of the species at Fallen Leaf Lake.

“I think this strain would perform quite well at Lake Tahoe,” Heki said. “Long-term, with community involvement and support, I think it’s definitely feasible to have them there.”

By Susan Wood

Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki may serve his last day on the job come January, but it will always be Labor Day in which he made the most lasting impression on former state official Sue Wagner.

Fourteen years ago on that day, Wagner narrowly survived a plane crash with Krolicki while campaigning for her lieutenant governor’s seat, along with Nevada Treasurer Bob Seale, who was also injured. Seale’s wife died. Krolicki was ejected from the plane and got help at a farmhouse miles away.

“He calls me every Labor Day,” Wagner told Lake Tahoe News in a soft voice. “I’ll always be indebted to him for that. He was instrumental in getting us out of the plane.”

Brian Krolicki

Like others in high-profile state office posts, Wagner complimented Krolicki on his two terms as lieutenant governor – in particular for going “out of his way” to bring business into the state. Krolicki’s background is in finance for the private sector and has used it effectively in the public arena.

“He’s done an incredible job as lieutenant governor,” she said.

Wagner believes Krolicki has managed to view life with a seize-the-day mentality since surviving the plane crash, causing him to excel in his long list of endeavors and accomplishments. They include his service as chairman on the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition and his tenure as president of the state Senate.

Wagner is in good company with her assessment of Krolicki. Gov. Brian Sandoval holds Krolicki in the same high regard.

Since coming into the highest state office, Sandoval has been tested in the last few years with an ensemble of tragedies, ranging from a mass shooting at the IHOP in Carson City to an air show disaster in Reno.

“We’ve talked about that day, and I can’t wish that on anyone. If you survive something like that and you remind yourself to make the most of each day, then there’s something to that with Brian,” Sandoval told Lake Tahoe News, further admitting to having spent poignant moments with “BK.” The two Nevada leaders have embraced their nicknames. Sandoval joked he’s referred to as “BS.”

The duo has traveled extensively together.

Sandoval said Krolicki is protective of his home turf — Lake Tahoe, but he has also covered the far reaches of the high desert state. Krolicki, his wife and their three daughters live in Stateline.

“He can never get enough of Nevada,” Sandoval said.

He reflected on a time when both men wanted to get home after attending the Ely Crab Crack. They left Ely in the middle of the night and kept each other awake chatting.

“You really get to know somebody when you travel Highway 50,” said the governor, who has known Krolicki personally and professionally for 20 years.

“I respected him immediately for his work ethic, and he’s a family man,” he said, also citing Krolicki’s sense of humor.

Sandoval said he hasn’t been privy to whether Krolicki ever thought about challenging the popular governor in their Republican Party.

“Whatever he chooses to do, I’m sure he’ll do it extremely well,” Sandoval said.

Nevada Commission on Tourism Deputy Director Larry Friedman, who threw out “ambassador” as a title for Krolicki, shared those thoughts.

Friedman mentioned being impressed that Krolicki only missed the state’s Rural Conference one time in eight years. He cites Krolicki’s accessibility to many residents over the years as a commendable quality.

“Not only has he always been at the awards ceremony we’ve asked him to speak at, he has stayed the whole time. This is huge. He enjoys it, and he’s fun,” Friedman said. “The constituents are there, and they have access to him.”

And beyond Nevada, Krolicki has a reputation for touting the state overseas – whether it involves trips to China, Japan or India. Friedman said he overheard the latter nation’s officials saying “he gets it” when it comes to tourism.

“He made such a difference when he was there. He reached out to everybody,” Friedman said.

And now the state could be gearing up to reach out to him. Friedman mentioned talk of a tribute to Krolicki at next fall’s Governor’s Conference in Reno. Details are being worked out.

Personally, Friedman noted Krolicki’s tenacity in the early years. He referenced Krolicki’s two blind dates he had with his wife, Kelly. They were seven years apart. But the last one must have sealed it for them.

To those who know the lieutenant governor well, patience and dedication are two of his strong virtues.

Jon Killoran, executive director of the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition, cited the long-standing commitment Krolicki has maintained to the get the Olympics back to the Tahoe-Reno region. The coalition is working on securing the 2026 Winter Games; a full two decades after Krolicki became involved in the effort.

“First and foremost, his passion and vision have always been there since the time of bringing the Olympic project to my attention,” Killoran said, calling the chairman very approachable to everyone – even across the party aisle.

The executive cited Krolicki’s die-hard dedication to hosting the World Financial Group’s curling event in Las Vegas in January.

“That was a watermark moment for our movement,” Killoran told Lake Tahoe News. Some competitors went on to represent countries at the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, a month later.

The accomplishments don’t end there. Krolicki has helped to organize the World Curling Federation Congress next September at the Peppermill in Reno, the first North American city to host the event.

Killoran said the events have built credibility for the state and the Olympic movement.

“It’s been a pleasure and an honor to work with him,” Killoran said.

Krolicki seems to feel the same way about those he has worked with over the years.

“I’ve walked in that capitol building for 24 years, and I’ve had many, many good memories,” he told Lake Tahoe News. “Some days were better than others, as in all jobs in public service.”

Gaining good jobs for Nevadans and promoting the state are goals Krolicki holds near and dear.

“Economic opportunities and job creation is what public service is really about,” he said.

Apparently, he may soon live on the other end of that mantra.

“I’m excited about the possibilities,” he said, declining to provide specifics of what he’s planning to do.

He didn’t rule out a future public service opportunity.

“There are incredible successes that will forever outlast my time here. It’s been a great privilege,” he said. “It’s time to step down. I think that’s healthy to see where the journey takes us.”

Krolicki has earned the reputation of being a survivor – one who takes a tragic experience and turns it into a lesson for his professional life. He speaks of the plane crash.

“That accident was brutal. It took away or forever changed some extraordinary people. I was the only one not physically impaired from that crash. I must be the luckiest man in the world – not many people get to walk away from being ejected from an airplane. My public service has been a great way to manifest that,” he said.

There are other reasons he feels lucky – and a survivor.

His wife Kelly was a catch he wouldn’t say no to on their double blind date. He snickered at the thought of her agreeing to it for a second time years later. She first met him prior to the plane crash.

He believes they were in different places of their lives on the two dates. Now, they have blossomed in similar interests, including travel, the outdoors and time with their girls, ages 12, 14 and 16. When asked if it’s expected the male suitors would come to the door to greet the girls, his response was quick and decisive in pure Nevada style: “The Krolickis wholeheartedly believe in the Second Amendment.”

But the right to bear arms may take a back seat to the right to give bear hugs to those who have worked so closely with him and will miss “BK.”

“I’ve always said I have the best job in Nevada because I work for the nicest guy. He’s ethical and honest,” Linda Frederick, Krolicki’s longtime assistant, said.

Frederick followed Krolicki from his wife’s golf course development company to Krolicki’s two terms at the state treasurer’s office to now – logging 14 years with the man.

In that time, Krolicki created the Nevada College Savings Plan and the Nevada Prepaid Tuition Program, along with the Gov. (Kenny) Guinn Millennium Scholarship. As state treasurer, Krolicki endured some of the largest corporate failures in U.S. history during the Enron and WorldCom scandals. Krolicki ensured Nevada taxpayers didn’t lose money in the financial disasters. In 2004, his peers selected him as the nation’s “most outstanding state treasurer.”

Krolicki is not only a veteran of financial affairs, he has assisted military veterans in their post-war efforts, hosting conferences at both ends of the state.

In the earlier years of community service, Krolicki served as a Douglas County planning commissioner and member of the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Task Force for the state.

Where he will land after being termed out as the No. 2 man in Nevada politics remains to be seen.

By Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times

Most Californians surveyed say the statewide drought has had little or no impact on their daily lives, and a majority oppose the suspension of environmental protections or large-scale public spending to boost water supplies, a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll has found.

Although 89 percent characterize the drought as a major problem or crisis, only 16 percent say it has personally affected them to a major degree.

Despite widespread news coverage of the drought — one of the worst in recent decades — the state’s major population centers have largely escaped severe mandatory rationing. Even agriculture, which as California’s thirstiest sector is inevitably hit the hardest by drought, has partially compensated for reduced water delivery by pumping more groundwater.

That has softened the drought’s effect on many, apparently blunting the desire for drastic remedies and big spending on water projects.

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