By Jocelyn Wiener, Sacramento Bee

GREENVILLE — Lee Marshall loves the mountains surrounding this small community three hours northeast of Sacramento. Even so, it can be hard to maintain a sunny outlook.

On a recent Friday, while waiting for his next Social Security check to arrive, Marshall said he had 24 cents to his name. He had been without the propane he needs to cook or have a warm shower for several weeks. His car broke down months ago and, because he uses an oxygen tank at home, he can’t climb underneath to fix it. He is almost 70, and if he wants to get anywhere, he often hitchhikes.

“That’s the kind of thing I go through because I don’t have any money,” he said.

Five days a week, Marshall and his 13-year-old chocolate Lab, Lucas, wait in their trailer six miles outside Greenville, population 1,129, for a Plumas County employee named Art Davis to bring lunch. For dozens of seniors scattered around this breathtakingly beautiful yet impoverished mountain valley, the small plastic tray Davis delivers holds the only nutritious meal they’ll get all day.

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United Blood Services’ blood inventory level has been trending at an approximate two-day supply for patients, which is half of the ideal quantity needed to provide a safe and available blood inventory.

Supplies are projected to be at least 4,700 pints below required inventory levels. That’s the equivalent of more than 14,000 lives that could be saved.

United Blood Services has issued a critical public appeal urgently encouraging blood donors of all types to give blood now. The agency’s service area includes Lake Tahoe; it ranges from San Francisco to the west through Northern Nevada in the east, to the Oregon border and south to Merced.

Hospital demand for blood has also increased significantly this year. Compared to last July, approximately 500 more pints of red blood cells are projected to be in demand from hospitals this July.

To schedule a donation appointment, call 800.696.4484.

Jaycee Lee Dugard talked to ABC News about life after captivity. Photo/ABC News

By Robert Salonga, Bay Area News Group

At long last, Jaycee Lee Dugard looks like she is in control.

So much so that in an hourlong TV special with ABC’s Diane Sawyer that aired Friday, one of the most prominent segments shows her directing and calming a horse with a series of nonverbal gestures and commands.

The exercise was among the kinds of therapy that have helped transform Dugard, who famously survived 18 years of captivity in an Antioch backyard, during which she bore two daughters fathered by her rapist kidnapper. She had been kidnapped from a school bus stop in Meyers.

Since she resurfaced in August 2009, and released a best-selling memoir in 2011 — the year she gave her first public interview, with Sawyer, as a coming out of sorts — Dugard has come to exude a preternatural confidence and acceptance of how half her life was stolen by captors Phillip and Nancy Garrido.

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By Sonali Kohli, Los Angeles Times

A 13-year-old in California shook her head at the TV. A 5-year-old in Pittsburgh asked her father why people are so angry.

As America coped with one tragic moment after another this week, with the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile followed by the shooting of a dozen police officers in Dallas, the country’s parents had an added task: explaining each act of violence to their children.

“If [children] see a bunch of this on television, they can become the indirect victims of trauma,” said Suzanne Silverstein, director of the Cedars-Sinai Psychological Trauma Center.

African American children might be afraid for their own lives or for their friends and families when they see black men being shot. Children of law enforcement officers might be even more afraid for their parents after learning what happened in Dallas.

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Laura Veirs, k.d. lang and Neko Case delight a full house July 7 at Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater in Reno. Photo/LTN

By Kim Wyatt

RENO – That voice.

Legendary vocalist k.d. lang stole the show at a revelatory concert under the stars Thursday night in Reno. Lang, touring with Neko Case and Laura Veirs, blew away a sold-out crowd with an intimate, powerful performance at the Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater at Bartley Ranch Regional Park.

The concert on July 7 was part of the Artown citywide arts festival that lasts through the month of July.

The 16-song set, followed by two encores, featured songs from the newly formed supergroup’s June 17 release, “case/lang/veirs.” A playful lang led veteran musicians Case and Veirs through love lost and found, howling dervishes and do-wop with swagger, all while barefoot in what looked like very comfortable dark pajamas. Although the stage, a simple backdrop of the album cover artwork by Elliott Green, was designed to be egalitarian, highlighting the collaboration as well as each of the musician’s oeuvres, a charismatic lang easily commanded the crowd.

“We’re going to lay a little healing on you, ’cause we all need it right now,” lang said, kicking off the concert. Song after song showcased the strengths of each performer: lang crushed it on a cover of Neil Young’s “Helpless,” casting a spell as the moon rose and bats flitted in and out of trees. The alchemic Case brought the crowd to its feet with the hit “Man” from her latest album. Folk artist Veirs was the workhorse of the group, a guitar in hand for each number. New to me, Veirs’-led songs, like “Best-Kept Secret,” are deceptively simple toe-tappers, yet complete stories. Although the women co-wrote all 14 songs and share lead vocals on their excellent debut album, Veirs received co-songwriting credit on every song. So while lang’s vocals and Case’s metaphors captivate, perhaps Veirs keeps the wheels on the bus.

One song I won’t soon forget is “Blue Fire,” named after the hottest part of a flame. No one does unrequited love like lang. In full crooner mode, she lets loose a honeyed voice that penetrates your chest and makes you want to break your own heart so you can feel that deeply again.

The intimate setting at the amphitheater complemented the show, with mountains and big sky the backdrop. So many of the songs had celestial themes, with stars, sky and constellations anchoring heartbreaking lyrics. If you’re going to have big emotions in public, this is a good place to do it.

Their trio’s top-notch band—Johnny Sangster on guitar, Lex Price on bass, Barbara Gruska on drummers and keyboardist Steve Moore—provided a formidable and rich counterpart; at times I looked for instrument that weren’t there. The band elevated the trio’s vocals, and when their harmonies worked, they really worked. One could see why lang invited Case and Veirs to make an album and take their show on the road.

The earnest opening act, Loch Lomond, hit the jackpot when invited to open for the super group. The vibe at the amphitheater was pleasant, and the food great, especially a vegetarian taco platter and cheese plate that I would order at a restaurant. Let’s hope the Collaboration Catering works out the bugs and returns.

The concert ended with the controlled chaos and wild vocals of “Georgia Stars.” Two encores later, the concert ended in exactly the right place, with “I Want to Be Here,” paean to the world’s artists and misfits: lovely, hopeful and musically interesting. Lang introduced the song by acknowledging the shooting of Philando Castile. The world is a terrible place today, she said, and then offered this tender number as atonement.

We’re a long way from healing. But musicians like lang, case and veirs are doing something about it, bringing us together to share what’s broken inside and out. And they’re doing it beautifully under the stars.

Kim Wyatt is the owner of Bona Fide Books.

Tony Magliari

Former Lake Tahoe Unified School District Superintendent Anthony J. “Tony” Magliari passed away at his home in Ridgecrest, Calif., on June 14, 2016, at the age of 85.

Born in Los Angeles on Oct. 5, 1930, Mr. Magliari, the son of an Italian immigrant, graduated in 1948 from George Washington High School, where he served as student body president.

While attending Los Angeles City College, Mr. Magliari enlisted in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and was called into active duty during the Korean War in 1951.  Honorably discharged three years later, Mr. Magliari resumed his studies at UCLA where he earned his bachelor’s of arts degree in 1955.  That same year he married Dorilee June Woodworth and moved to Torrance, Calif., where he began his career in public education as a fifth-grade teacher at Peter Burnett Elementary School.

After receiving his master’s in education from UCLA in 1959, Mr. Magliari relocated the following year to Riverside where he taught sixth grade at Arlanza Elementary in Arlington before serving three years as the principal of Wells Intermediate School.

In 1964, Mr. Magliari moved to Tahoe Valley, an unincorporated community that soon became part of the newly formed city of South Lake Tahoe. There, Mr. Magliari became principal of South Tahoe Intermediate School (1964-65) and then performed double duty as associate superintendent of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District while serving as principal of South Tahoe High (1965-66).  In 1966, Mr. Magliari became the district superintendent and, five years later, earned his doctorate in school administration from USC in 1971.

During his 14-year tenure as superintendent, Mr. Magliari presided over the construction of the current South Tahoe High School campus as well as the opening of Al Tahoe, Meyers, and Sierra House elementary schools. He also led the district’s successful $7 million school bond campaign in 1971 and secured voter approval of three school tax increases in 1970, 1974, and 1977.

Mr. Magliari served as the Region II president of the Association of California School Administrators and as chairperson of the Community College Study Committee that resulted in the founding of Lake Tahoe Community College in 1975.

Always engaged in civic affairs, Mr. Magliari was an active member of the South Lake Tahoe Rotary Club and a charter member of the Lake Tahoe Community Concert Association.

After leaving South Lake Tahoe, Mr. Magliari served as superintendent of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District in San Diego County (1980-83) and the Sierra Sands Unified School District in Ridgecrest (1983-91).

Mr. Magliari was preceded in death by his parents, Fortunato “Frederick” Magliari and Jennie Tecca, and sister Esther.

He is survived by his wife, Dorilee; brother John; sons Michael (Karen Nissen), Gregory (Cindy), and Dana; daughter Diana (Tom Campbell); and his four grandchildren, Dominic, Jesse, Monica, and Dante.

A funeral Mass will be said at 11am July 30 at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church, 446 West Church Ave., Ridgecrest.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to a favorite charity.

By Nic Abelow

If you are like many of your peers, the road into your business was more clearly laid out than your exit route from involvement. However, a well-drawn roadmap for the endgame can be the difference between achieving success and missing the target on important life goals. As a result, preparing an effective exit plan should be a central part of your overall game plan.

Nic Abelow

Laying the groundwork

A viable entrepreneurial exit strategy must take account of where you are today or where you would like to be in the future and provide for contingencies in the event of unforeseen circumstances. As a result, your exit planning should start with a comprehensive appraisal of your business and personal finances. Many entrepreneurs have found it valuable to start by developing a comprehensive net-worth assessment with their financial advisor. This not only helps to identify all available resources, but also to help match those resources against specific goals.

Perhaps less objective but no less key to a successful exit strategy is values clarification. For example, if some or all of your children are involved in the business, do you want them to continue in their current roles or expect that all will move on when the business is sold? You might have a clear choice for successor, and so might wish to consider how that choice will impact other family relationships. Keep in mind that many exit plans have foundered because of internecine conflicts. A related area of concern that will form a backdrop for the exit strategy is your vision for life after the event. Are you planning to retire? To remain involved as a consultant or part-time executive? To start a new venture in another field? Also, what might happen to your business if you were to suffer an untimely disability or even death? How each of these questions is addressed will direct the practical thrust of the nascent exit strategy.

Finally, a successful exit process should be based on a sound understanding of existing business relationships and provisions. You should identify the key professional and executive talent in your firm and then formulate appropriate reward and retention strategies for them.

Potential deal forms to consider

The various choices of deal structure each offer unique cost/benefit trade-offs. Here is an overview of the options:

Buy-sell agreement — This arrangement is designed to permit business co-owners to terminate their business relationship by setting the parameters for some participants to buy out others. It enables one or more associates to maintain involvement in a business when others might wish to sever their ties to it. It can also provide funding for a buyout in the event of the disability or death of a co-owner. A buy-sell agreement requires careful design to ensure that its execution does not work at cross-purposes with other estate and succession planning tools.

Cash sale to a third party — A pure cash transaction may create the greatest immediate liquidity for the seller, but other financing structures may have the potential to generate greater net yield over time. A cash sale may also be the simplest means to execute a complete and immediate separation from the business. However, keep in mind that one of the challenges of seeking a third-party buyer is that quite often there is no ready market to sell a small business. Simply put, it can take time and money to find the most profitable deal.

Buyout or recapitalization — In leveraged transactions partners, managers, or the business as a corporate entity borrow the funds to purchase the stock of the exiting entrepreneur. These deals may be especially useful for dissolving a multiple ownership arrangement while otherwise maintaining the business as a going concern. They are also often used for transferring business responsibility to children or other heirs while creating financial independence from them. Recapitalizations can also be used to finance an annuity for a business owner who might wish to combine financial independence with limited business involvement.

Employee stock ownership plan — An ESOP is a form of leveraged buyout designed specifically to give control of the business to a broad base of its current employees. ESOPs may have higher transaction costs than ordinary cash sales, but in many cases these costs are not out of line with the costs of other more complex deals. There are also specific tax benefits for ESOP transactions that may improve their net value significantly.

Managing the proceeds

A key part of any exit strategy is the financial plan for managing the proceeds of the deal in a manner consistent with the client’s post-sale goals. Such plans typically include a blueprint for investing sale proceeds in a diversified portfolio. They also typically include an estate plan crafted to take advantage of the trust structures and tax-code features that allow you to preserve wealth and protect the future interests of heirs. Among the favored devices may be family limited partnerships and grantor retained annuity trusts, which can reduce the estate value of shares passed on to heirs. In addition, many entrepreneurs are interested in charitable remainder trusts. These may be used to fund philanthropic programs that realize specific charitable goals while maximizing tax benefits, minimizing costs, and creating an income stream.

Professional guidance a must

Just as you likely rely on key advisors when making significant business decisions, you’ll need to assemble a team of legal, tax and finance professionals to help you analyze your current and future objectives and planning needs.

Points to remember

The sale of a business is only one small transaction at the center of a larger plan often referred to as an exit strategy.
The most successful exit strategies are those that give the business owners the greatest probability of comfort with the results as seen in their financial security, family dynamics and long-range goals.

There are many options for structuring the sale of the business, and each had different implications for other elements of the broader strategy. Buy-sell agreements can help maintain continuity for remaining owners in a wide range of circumstances. Pure cash transactions typically yield the greatest immediate liquidity. Leveraged transactions may enable managers, partners or family to take over and maintain continuity for the business. ESOPs can provide tax benefits and empower employees.

Trusts can be valuable tools for managing the income tax and estate planning implications of the wealth derived from a business sale.

This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax or legal advice. We suggest that you discuss your specific situation with a qualified tax or legal advisor. Please note that the LPL financial advisor providing this article does not provide business valuation services.

Nic Abelow is a LPL financial advisor with Abelow, Pratt & Associates Financial Advisors and Wealth Management in Lake Tahoe.

The Lexus NX300hAWD is available with an electric motor on the rear axle. Photos/Larry Weitzman

By Larry Weitzman

For those of you hooked on hybrids, Lexus has a new relatively inexpensive SUV for your consideration. It’s a new version of the well-received NX series, based on the super successful Toyota RAV4. First thing to notice is that the NX has absolutely no resemblance to the RAV4, inside and out.

While its design starts off badly with that huge ugly grille that resembles and upside down frown, the balance of the design has a trim, sleek sporty look with a profile that looks low and lean and no unnecessary lines to alter its shape. One interesting little item are small tabs on the black rear wheel fender blisters. Why are they there?

As reported in my test of the NX200T model, wheelbase is identical to the RAV4 at 104.7 inches, indicating a chassis sharing. Even the steering rack has the same 2.68 turns lock to lock, but from there most other dimensions are close, but no cigar. It is a couple inches longer at 182 inches, an inch wider at 74 inches, it is shorter (and sleeker) by a couple of inches at 65 inches. The NX also has an inch wider track at 62 inches. NX300h also has gained some weight to 4,055 pounds (about 100 pounds) over the recently tested NX200T.

Specifications
Price $34,480 to about $45,000 plus $925 for destination
Engine
2.5L DOHC 16 Valve inline four 154 hp @ 5,700 rpm
152 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
Permanent magnet electric motor (2)
Nickel Metal hydride battery output 67 hp
Maximum combined output 194 hp
Transmission
CVT
Configuration
Transverse front engine/ FWD/AWD
Dimensions
Wheelbase 104.7 inches
Length 182.3 inches
Width 73.6 inches
Height 64.8 inches
Track (f/r) 62.2/62.2 inches
Ground Clearance 6.9 inches
Weight (fwd/awd) 4,055/4,180 pounds
GVWR (fwd/awd) 5,090/5,200 pounds
Tow capacity 1,500 pounds
Fuel Capacity 14.8 gallons
Cargo capacity (second row up/down) 16.8/53.7 cubic feet
Wheels (std/opt) 17X7/18X7.5 inches
Tires (std/opt) 225/65X17; 225/60X18
Steering lock to lock 2.68 turns
Turning circle 37.4 feet
Co-efficient of drag 0.34
Performance
0-60 mph 7.53 seconds
50-70 mph 4.36 seconds
50-70 mph uphill 6.46 seconds
Fuel economy EPA rated 35/31/33 mpg city/highway/combined. Expect 35 mpg on the highway at legal speeds and 31 mpg in suburban driving.

Big differences are also under the hood as this new NX300h gets a hybrid powertrain which is probably quite similar to the Camry Hybrid using the same 2.5L 16valve, DOHC Atkinson cycle engine which makes 154 hp at 5,700 rpm and 152 pounds of twist at 4,400 rpm plus an electric motor which provides a boost of another 40 hp (battery output limits the electric boost number even though its rated at 141hp). Total combined output is 194 hp.

Instead of a six-speed torque converter tranny driving the front wheels, the Hybrid gets a CVT tranny, which makes it a bit smoother. AWD is available with an electric motor on the rear axle. Performance is very good and its numbers are interesting when compared to the turbos’ 235 hp, 258 pounds of twist, 2.0L NX200T. Zero to 60 mph times are very close as the 300h averaged 7.53 seconds. The 200T only was 0.2seconds quicker at 7.33 seconds. Passing times are also close, but the separation is not as close as the 50-70 mph times for the 300h were 4.36 on a level pass and 6.46 seconds on an uphill pass.  The 200T numbers were 3.96 and 5.46 seconds, respectively. The reason for the quicker times is at that point there is almost no turbo lag, while the hybrid computer still has a slight delay.

But there is a big difference in fuel economy. The 300H is EPA rated at 35/31/33 mpg city/highway/combined while the 200T comes in at 22/28/25, however the real difference is not 8 mpg combined or 13 mpg city. The 300h turned in 31 mpg overall and 35 mpg on the highway at 70 mph and during a 100-mile morning trip to Vallejo with some traffic and speeds of 75 mph the 300h returned 32 mpg. The 200T numbers were 26 mpg overall and 29-30 mpg at 70 mph on a level highway. The 300h should net you an improvement of 5 mpg overall versus the 200T. However, fuel tank capacity shrinks from 15.9 to 14.8 gallon, but overall range should grow by about 50 miles.

While the 300h shares the same suspension as the 200T, the former gets a slightly softer suspension. It’s the same MacPherson struts up front with a double wishbone set up in the rear. The wheels were the same at 18X7.5 inch alloys but the 300h gets 225/60X18 rubber and the 200T gets shod with 235/55X18 rubber. Steering gear is the same. I noticed a difference in the slightly softer handling as my 200T had the F Sport handling package upgrade and there is a difference. But if you go with a 300h, there is no F Sport option. So handling is still good with quick steering, you will notice more body roll when pushed hard with more understeer. The 300h gives you almost equal performance, much better fuel economy, but don’t expect to be doing Mario Andretti imitations at Laguna Seca.

With the less aggressive suspension settings comes a smoother, quieter ride. I described the 200T as being on the firmer side of the ride equation. The 300h is less firm, just a bit more compliant. It is of Lexus quality. With the Hybrid drive it is also quieter overall, Lexus quiet, especially at low speeds when running pure electric which it can do up to about 45 mph and a feather foot. No tach so no engine speed at 70 mph, but I estimate it so be around a very low 2,000 rpm.

Lexus is second to none when it comes to safety with four-wheel disc brakes (fronts ventilated for heat dissipation) with all the acronyms that have excellent performance stopping the 3ooh in 41 feet, identical to the 200T. At least eight airbags protect the passengers and pilots and an alphabet soup of letters provides automatic intervention to keep driver error or inattention from becoming too dangerous. But nothing will protect from bad judgment. This is not an autonomous driving vehicle. Headlights are excellent.

Now to another area where Lexus are second to none, the interior. The 300h is no exception, the leather is extremely soft, most everything is soft touch and the quality would be fit for cars costing double. The perforated leather seats are beautiful and inviting and they sit better than they look. Instrumentation has a hybrid bent with the normal tach hole being occupied by a dial showing engine and electrical usage. The trip computer also functions on system energy usage among at least 20 other functions and vehicle info. In fact, the tire pressure monitoring system worked well to not only tell me of a low tire, but identified the offending tire and its current pressure. After refilling, it allowed me to keep track of the leak.

If there is one thing about the Lexus that is annoying, it is the mouse system that operates mostly the sound system. It’s more difficult to operate than the Mazda system. Then again it might take some time of more than a week and there is always operator error.

Pricing for the Hybrid is about $5K more than the 200T meaning the basic FWD 300h stickers for $39,720 plus the boat ride from Miyawaka, Japan. Ever notice how most Japanese words have only two letters per syllable (except for “Japan”)? My tester had over $8K in options including a $4,505 Luxury Package (18 inch alloys, heated and cooled leather seats, moon roof and more), and a $1,875 Nav system. There was a $400power folding rear seat system. The total sticker was $48,945. But the carpeted floor mats were free. AWD will add $1,590.

Larry Weitzman has been into cars since he was 5 years old. At 8 he could recite from memory the hp of every car made in the U.S. He has put in thousands of laps on racetracks all over the Western United States.

Find out if Mormon Station in Genoa is haunted at the paranormal campout.

Visitors will camp overnight on the grounds of Mormon Station while participating in a paranormal investigating of Genoa’s past citizens who might still be visiting the Old Mormon Station today. This experience includes a tour of the park, a light Dutch oven dinner, and a haunting paranormal investigation under the light of a full moon.

Participants will have the chance to experience the park and its history through the eyes of a practiced paranormal investigator.

Space is limited for the July 16-17 event. Call 775.782.2590 to register. The night starts at 7pm, with the event ending at 8am.

This program is intended for ages 15 and up. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, Lake Tahoe Historical Society’s Chautauqua at Lake Tahoe 2016 will feature Theodore Roosevelt played by Doug Mishler.

In addition, Etta Farme, El Dorado’s first woman doctor, will be personified by Ellen Osborn; Sierra Nevada Vade Phillips, woman entrepreneur in the 1800s, by Mary Jo Sonntag; Laura Fair, fatal mistress, by Kim Harris Copél;  and Tahoe traveler, Agnes Diamond, created by Marilyn Long, will share their stories.

The Aug. 13 event will take place at the Lake Tahoe Community College’s Duke Theater at 5:15pm.

Before the main event there will be socializing, hearty appetizers, wine, and raffle items.

Tickets are $45 for historical society members, $50 for others. Purchase them at the museum, 3058 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe. For more information, call 530.541.5458.