“Foreigners in Their Own Land” will be show at Lake Tahoe Community College on Oct. 12 at 7pm.
Lake Tahoe Historical Society is bringing the film to South Lake Tahoe.
It will be shown at 7pm in the board room. It is free.
Albert Ponce, LTCC professor of history, political science, and ethnic studies, will lead a discussion about the film.
The North America premier of “Passenger” will be shown at Homewood Mountain Resort on Oct. 8.
“Passenger” was filmed with several goals in mind, to push the boundaries of riding, explore artistic cinematography and formulate creative storytelling. The film includes destinations such as Revelstoke, Queenstown, Hokkaido, Edmonton and more. The riders are 15 world-class skiers including Freeride World Tour sensation Sam Smoothy and Olympic gold medalist Joss Christensen.
Tickets may be purchased online in advance for $12 or for $15 at the door.
Doors open at 6pm, music and drinks until 7pm, movie at 7:30pm, and after party from 8:30-10pm at the North Lodge.
The movie will be outside, so dress warm. No dogs allowed.
Jim and Kim Warlow are closing the Cork & More in South Lake Tahoe on Oct. 31. Photo/Provided
By Kathryn Reed
For decades it has been the go-to store on the South Shore for a great bottle wine, unique presents, holiday items, gift baskets and specialty foods.
At the end of the month the doors to the Cork & More will close for the last time. Owners Kim and Jim Warlow are retiring after nearly 40 years. While the South Lake Tahoe shop has been on the market since February, no buyer has come forward. That doesn’t mean there isn’t time, but the clock is ticking.
Kim Warlow echoed the sentiment of many when she said, “It will be a really sad loss for the community if someone doesn’t come in and carry it on in some form.”
The couple has had a knack for creating a store that told the story of the season. The temporary items balanced the backbone of the store – wine, cheese and specialty condiments. Staying one step ahead of what could be found elsewhere was a goal of the Warlows, which made the Cork & More the place to find something beyond the ordinary.
Customer service is also what sets the store apart from others.
“Everything that we do is the best. We don’t compromise on anything. We taste everything that comes in the store,” Kim Warlow said.
Jim Warlow’s background is in wines, having been a sommelier at the now closed Christiana Inn, which was where Himmel Haus in South Tahoe is now. California wines dominated the shelves to begin with, now it’s like a trip around the world.
“We started with wines, a little bit of coffee and a tiny bit of cheese. We just kept adding on to our store to meet demands of the community,” Warlow told Lake Tahoe News. “I spend a lot of time in Europe. That’s where the gift and cheese influences come from.”
They started Cork & More on Nov. 1, 1976, on Ski Run Boulevard where Blue Angel Café is – just not in the same building. It was 1984 when they moved to the current location on Al Tahoe Boulevard.
They had a second store in Tahoe City from 1980 to 1992. When that store closed the catering business started.
Warlow is still on the fence whether she will continue making wedding cakes.
It’s the customers and 10 full-time employees they will miss the most. After all, one or both of the Warlows has been in the shop usually five days a week.
Retiring means more time to ski, more time to spend with their family, including both of their moms, and time to travel. It also means the first Christmas in years to be with family.
“I’m really proud of what we have done … what we brought to the community,” Kim Warlow said.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office will host its annual Community Picnic at Incline Village on Oct. 4 from 10am-2pm.
The picnic is free and all residents of Washoe County are invited. It will be at the Aspen Grove/Village Center picnic area on Lakeshore Boulevard.
Highlights will include:
Zephyr Cove Elementary School students give Cubby a farewell hug on Sept. 30. Photos/Kathryn Reed
By Kathryn Reed
ZEPHYR COVE – Cubby is going into hibernation indefinitely.
The man who has been Zephyr Cove Elementary School’s mascot for the last 16 years is turning in his bear suit uniform.
Pedro Kinner never expected to have this “job” for so long. Nor is it one he every applied for. It all started when his daughter attended the school and Kinner noticed no one was out there to greet the students. There were all these cars either dropping off kids or whizzing by to get to Whittell High School.
“It just makes you feel good,” Kinner told Lake Tahoe News of the volunteer job.
Being self-employed allowed him to adjust his schedule to make the school a priority.
Kinner remembers one time running after a kid who was chasing his dad’s car because he had left his lunch in it. Then the principal at the time started chasing Kinner. It was a kid, a bear and a principal running toward Highway 50 in what looked like a comedy show.
Cubby has endured being pelted with water balloons. Then there was the green pinecone incident that ended with a broken class window. He attended so many special events – it wasn’t just an early morning job.
Pedro Kinner has been ZCES’s mascot for 16 years.
The mascot uniform was at the school before Kinner began his daily ritual. However, it is the same one from Day 1. It gets dry cleaned regularly. The head has been repaired, with glue being a dominant tool to keep it looking OK.
Two years ago he and some of the students created a vest of sorts. Kinner started a weaving group at the school, which is how the vest came about.
Cubby is such a fixture at the school that at his farewell sendoff on Wednesday it was hard to know if the adults were sadder or the kids to know he will no longer be out there each morning. Many said it wouldn’t be the same without him.
(Kinner has family obligations that prevent him from continuing on as Cubby. The school may look for someone else to take on the persona of Cubby.)
On Sept. 30 big and little kids filled the bleachers at Whittell to say goodbye to Kinner, aka Cubby. Most only know him as Cubby and few have ever seen his face.
Still, they all know his voice. He’ll be at the grocery store and kids will run up to hug him when they hear him. Parents are wary, he said, wondering who this strange man is hugging their kid. Then he explains who his alter ego is.
Those hugs may still happen, there just won’t be any Cubby hugs to start the school day.
About 100 years ago Nevada was rocked by the largest earthquake in its history, the Oct. 2, 1915, magnitude 7.3 Pleasant Valley earthquake south of Winnemucca. Only a few large earthquakes since then have rumbled the state, but nothing near the surface scar – with a vertical offset as high as 19 feet – that stretched 35 miles across Nevada’s Great Basin.
October is also the month for the Great Nevada ShakeOut. It is a simple, coordinated “drop, cover and hold on” exercise on Oct. 15 at 10:15am. Last year more than 570,000 Nevadans participated.
More than 568,000 Nevadans already are registered to participate this year in the annual statewide public earthquake drill. To register as an individual, business, school or government agency or organization, go online.
Participants of the drill are instructed to drop, cover, and hold as if there were a major earthquake occurring at that very moment, and to stay in that position for at least 60 seconds. Participants are also encouraged to practice other aspects of emergency plans and to “secure your space,” which includes retrofitting buildings to reduce damage and securing things within a building to prevent injury.
Sonata Eco continues to be a pleasurable ride. Photos/Larry Weitzman
By Larry Weitzman
Introduced as a 2015 model in the summer of 2014, the new Sonata Eco differs from the standard Sonata in two basic ways. First, instead of the 2.4L normally aspirated Theta four-cylinder 185 hp engine it receives a small turbocharged 1.6L Gamma four-cylinder engine making 177 hp. Secondly, the ECO gets a trick seven-speed dual clutch tranny instead of the six-speed auto cog swapper that has a torque converter. Those are the main differences.
Sure there are other little tweaks here and there like outside mirror mounted turn signals, auto head lights, 10-way power with lumbar driver’s seat and more, otherwise it is the same great automobile.
Specifications
Price with destination $24,085 to $28,310
Engine
Four cylinder inline 1.6L turbo 16 valve 177 hp @ 5,500 rpm
195 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,500-4,500 rpm
Transmission
Seven speed Dual Clutch automatic with a manual mode
Configuration
Transverse mounted front engine with front wheel drive
Dimensions
Wheelbase 110.4 inches
Length 191.1 inches
Width 73.4 inches
Height 58.1 inches
Track (f/r) 63.5/63.5 inches
Ground clearance 5.3 inches
Cabin volume 106.1 cubic feet
Trunk volume 16.3 cubic feet
Fuel Capacity 18.5 gallons
Weight 3,371 pounds
Steering lock to lock2.78 turns
Turning circle 35.8 feet
Wheels 16X6.5 inch alloys
Tires 205/55X16
Co-efficient of drag 0.27
Performance
0-60 mph 7.16 seconds
50-70 mph 3.71 seconds
50-70 uphill 5.50 seconds
Top Speed Beyond sanity
Fuel economy EPA rated at 28/38/32 city/highway/combined. Expect 32 mpg in suburban driving and 44 plus mpg on a level highway at 70 mph.
Of course its long wheelbase of 110 inches and length of 191 inches is identical to all other Sonatas; the difference is in the powertrain and what a surprising powertrain it is. Its 177 hp is achieved at a low 5,500 rpm and it belts out 195 pounds of twist from between 1,500 to 4,500 rpm from its 1.6L direct injected engine. It uses a twin scroll turbocharger to achieve this high level of performance and this is where it gets good.
In reviewing my recent test of a standard Sonata from about six months ago, it had good performance in the three performance tests of 0-60 mph, 50-70 mph and 50-70 mph uphill with numbers of 7.82 seconds, 4.25 seconds and 6.56 seconds respectively. However the tiny heart of the Eco produces bigger results with numbers of 7.16 seconds, 3.71 seconds and 5.50 seconds respectively, out running the 2.4L engine by over half a second in each category and a full second in the uphill climb. That is a significant difference. On top of that it returns EPA fuel economy over 10 percent better (EPA numbers are 28/38/28 mpg city/highway/ combined vs. 24/35/24 mpg) than the standard 2.4L engine which incidentally has 8 more hp.
In real life the fuel economy difference on the highway is more like 15 percent at a steady 70 mph with a two-way run averaging 44 mpg versus 37 mpg. Overall the Eco averaged about 32 mpg versus 28 mpg and in a run from Placerville to South Lake Tahoe and back the Eco averaged 36.6 mpg in light traffic while averaging at least 55 mph. Also contributing to this performance is the extremely efficient and smooth seven-speed DCT tranny that responds with reflexes better than an NHL hockey goalie. Coefficient of drag is minuscule, wind cheating 0.27
Of the drawbacks, only two tiny ones are noticeable? First at idle I experienced a little bit of rough running and two, there is some turbo lag even with the more sophisticated twin scroll single turbo. But these are very minor issues and as demanding as I am with respect to automobile performance and economy, I would buy the Eco over the normally aspirated Sonata. The Eco even matches the 0-60 mph performance of the Sport 2.0T, but the Sport’s 68 hp advantage was too big to overcome in passing tests where the Sport outperformed the Eco by the same margin that the Eco outperformed the standard Theta engine Sonata.
However, the Eco fuel economy is substantially better than the Sport, with the same Placerville to SLT and back run averaging 30.6 mpg and a highway average of about 35 mpg.
Handling is about the same as the standard Sonata although the standard wheels and tires are slightly smaller (16X6.5 inch alloys; 205/55X16 radial rubber). You won’t notice any difference as the handling is nimble and the steering is very quick at 2.78 turns lock to lock. The all independent suspension is virtually identical to standard Sonata. But the ride quality seemed slightly quieter as did what noise factor there was. The engine is extremely smooth and quiet almost turbine or electric like. The small engine only spins 2,050 rpm at 70 mph. Wind and road noise are nearly nonexistent, except for the coarsest roads.
Technology is at the driver’s fingertips
Braking for the Eco is also almost identical to other Hyundai Sonatas with the identical four wheel disc setup. But perhaps the tire difference extended its 40 mph panic stop by about a foot to a still excellent 41 feet. Besides the ABS and other dynamic safety intervention electronics, there are a plethora of airbags, rear back up camera, cross traffic alert and more.
Inside is a luxurious interior. There is only one option package for the Eco and that is the $4,100 Tech package which adds a blind spot warning system, leather and heated seats, NAV and really turns the Eco into a car wanting for nothing. The front chairs are sublime, the instrument package is complete. Everything, dash, doors, center console and most everything else is soft touch materials. Rear seating is huge as according to EPA Sonatas are classified as a large car. The trunk is a massive 16 cubic feet.
Compared to the super slick interior of the Sonata Sport, the Eco while not as stylish but is actually more comfortable.
Eco is a single priced car starting and ending at $23,275 plus $810 for the train from Montgomery, Alabama. The aforementioned Tech package is worth every penny of its $4,100 and the Carpeted floor mats are $125. That’s it, $28,310. This is the Sonata I would buy, great performance and outstanding fuel mileage plus a sublime ride. Throw in 100,000 mile warranty and a full tank of gas of 18.5 gallons you will love it when the trip computer show a remaining range of about 600 miles and as you cruise down the highway at 70 mph, the range gauge will actually go up. It’s like making fuel.
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.
By Joshua Brustein, BloombergBusiness
The website Intrade gained almost mythical status in certain circles during the 2012 presidential election by letting users bet on how the elections would turn out. Gamblers thought it was fun, and economists marveled at how well the prediction market produced accurate forecasts.
Intrade users traded contracts that paid out if a certain event happened in the future. If a $10 “Obama wins Ohio” contract was trading for $6, that meant the market gave him a 60 percent chance of taking the state. Intrade’s users guessed right on 49 of 50 states.
But Intrade’s biggest success was followed almost immediately by a lawsuit from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which forced the company to close its doors in March 2013.
Two competing projects—Truthcoin and Augur—are now fighting to be the next Intrade by the time the 2016 election is in full swing. And if they work as promised, they will be much harder to shut down.
Lake Tahoe Hard Rock’s inaugural Halloween bash starts at 10pm Oct. 31 at Vinyl.
The Rocking Dead Halloween Bash & Costume Contest will include party band Cover Me Badd.
The best costume will win $250, $100 in free slot play for second place and $50 in free slot play for third place.
Entry into Vinyl is free for partygoers in costume and $10 for those who are not. Costumes may not include masks, real or fake weapons or makeup that makes a person unidentifiable. Attendees must be 21 years of age or older.
Skipper upon arrival.
Skipper all cleaned up.
Skipper is a really nice tiny Poodle-Havanese mix. He’s 4 years old and seems to get along with everyone.
When he arrived at the shelter he was severely matted. Some people prefer non-shedding breeds, but they don’t realize that, since they don’t shed, they must be groomed every six weeks. He was lucky enough to be groomed by one of the shelter’s wonderful volunteers.
Skipper is neutered, microchipped, heartworm negative, and vaccinated. He is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes. Go to the Tahoe animal shelter’s Facebook page to see photos and descriptions of all pets at the shelter.
Call 530.573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.
For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.
— Karen Kuentz