Cheerio

Cheerio is a 5-year-old, 8-pound Havanese mix who just arrived at the Meyers shelter along with 12 other dogs from Contra Costa County shelters.

Cheerio is very shy, but she does not have a mean bone in her body. She is part of a group of more than 75 dogs who were rescued last week by Umbrella of Hope and other groups from a backyard breeder in Sutter County. We have three dogs from this rescue. All are shy and will need extra help in adjusting to life outside of a cage and dark barn, but all are sweet little dogs.

Cheerio is spayed, microchipped, tested for heart worm, and vaccinated. She 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

Eggs hunts and Easter bunnies are springing up in the mountains, and lakeside venues are offering family-friendly activities throughout the weekend.

There will be an underwater egg Hunt at Incline Village Recreation Center on March 28 from noon-1:30pm. The pool at the Recreation Center will be filled with weighted and floating eggs. The Easter Bunny will make an early appearance to cheer on swimmers and stay for pictures.

Tahoe City’s Spring Eggstravaganza & Egg Hunt starts at 10am April 4 at Commons Beach in Tahoe City.

West Shore will host two Easter Egg Hunts on April 5, one for children and one for adults. Children can run around the venue’s expansive lawn scavenging for eggs with sweet treats, while adults hunt on paddleboards for eggs tied to buoys.

Gar Woods in Carnelian Bay will be hosting a traditional Easter Egg Hunt for children beginning at 11am on Easter Sunday. The bottle hunt event for adults ages 21 and over will start at 11:30am.

Northstar hosts daylong festivities on Easter Sunday in the village and on the mountain. Beginning at 10:30am is an Easter Egg Dash on the Village Rink at 10:30am.

Alpine Meadows’ two Easter egg hunts for kids and adults beginning at 9a on Easter Sunday. Alpine also welcomes the use of technology during its Beacon and Eggs Avalanche Beacon Scavenger Hunt.

The mission for WordWave is to create an annual cultural event for locals and visitors to share their stories, create and be inspired by the beauty of Lake Tahoe.

WordWave, A Festival of Story at Lake Tahoe will debut Oct. 9-11 at the Tallac Historic Site on the South Shore.

WordWave is the brainchild of Kim Wyatt, publisher of Bona Fide Books based Meyers, and Jennifer Basye Sander, a New York Times bestselling author.

The three-day writing event will include workshops, featured readings, panel discussions, open mics, oral storytelling, and guided hikes on some of Tahoe’s best trails. Most of the events are free and all events are open to the general public.

The winners of the play competition will each receive $500, and see their work directed and produced as a staged reading at the historic Boathouse Theater. Winners of the playwright contest will also receive three nights of lodging and the opportunity for a pre- or post-show discussion with the audience. Two winners will be selected.

The deadline for entry is June 30. Plays may be submitted online. Manuscripts can have a running time of no more than 60 minutes, and writers may enter multiple works. There is a $10 submission fee for each.

For full submission requirements, go online.

By Michael Abbott and Christopher Bennett

As people creep into the retirement “red zone” – those years just before or right after they retire – it becomes more important than ever that they find ways to keep their savings safe.

Because at that point, their retirement picture will change significantly only if they lose a lot of money.

They are not going to change who they are. But if they lose a bucket of money, they are not going to go out to eat, they won’t travel, they won’t be able to leave money to their children and grandchildren. They will end up having to make sacrifices.

In other words, they won’t be living the retirement they envisioned all those years they were saving a nest egg.

Having a “safe money” strategy is key to a secure retirement. It’s important to be able to create an income stream that the retiree won’t outlive.

There are several areas you and your financial professional can focus on as part of an overall “safe money” strategy.

Here are two examples:

• Rate of return vs. sequence of return. The average rate of return on an investment can be misleading. That’s because in reality how well you hang onto your money depends more on “sequence of return.” That is, exactly when do those profits and losses come about?

To see how that might work, imagine a 50 percent loss followed by a 50 percent gain. That would appear to average out to a zero rate of return. But that’s not how it would look in your portfolio. If you have $100,000, a 50 percent loss drops it to $50,000. The market rebounds with a 50 percent gain. But a 50 percent gain on $50,000 just increases that investment to $75,000, so you’ve still taken a loss.

Now consider that kind of activity over the course of your retirement as you are also withdrawing money from your savings to live on. Depending on when market fluctuations happened, you could take major hits. That’s especially true if the dips come early in retirement when your savings are at their peak, and the rallies arrive late when there is less left in the account.

One big downturn and that money could run dry.

There are tools that a good financial professional uses that can help people reduce the risk created by sequence of return.

• Maneuvering toward tax-free income. Whatever the tax rates may be in the future, taxes can be a drag on your savings and may adversely impact your retirement security. So it’s important to consider the tax implications of how you hold your assets.

Even those Social Security benefits that retirees draw can be taxed, but they don’t necessarily have to be. Once again, a financial professional can review strategies that could help reduce or even eliminate the tax on that monthly Social Security benefit.

It’s possible to have tax-free income in retirement. Talk about being in control. Then you can just enjoy your retirement with your children and your grandchildren.

Michael Abbott has two decades of experience assisting retirees with their 401(k)s and pension plans. He is co-founder of the Abbott Bennett Group, LLC, an independent financial services firm, where he serves as CFO. Christopher Bennett is a 16-year financial professional who has served as CEO of the Abbott Bennett Group since 2003. 

By Kathryn Reed

More data and faster results. That’s what happens when volunteers are used as citizen scientists.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe in the last few years has been embracing this approach involving projects dealing with water quality and lake clarity.

Jesse Patterson, deputy director of the League, on March 18 gave a presentation about the effectiveness of volunteer monitoring as part of Tahoe Talks Spring Brown Bag Lunch Series at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Laminated cards provided by the League help volunteer scientists identify invasive and native plants. Photo/LTN

If people don’t know what an agency is doing, then it is hard to recruit more volunteers. And if people don’t know about a problem, they can’t volunteer to help fix it.

Patterson illustrated this point by explaining how beaches in the Lake Tahoe Basin are often littered with trash after July 4. But until the League used numbers to fully illustrate the extent of the problem, people were ho-hum about the issue, and solutions were not sought.

In 2014, from 5 percent of the shoreline, the following were collected July 5:

• 2,260 pounds of trash

• 3,000 cigarette butts

• 1,200 cans

• 800 bottles.

“We identified a significant issue. We need cigarette disposal canisters,” Patterson said. “We hope to get the message out before July 4 so we have a different outcome this year.”

While citizen science or volunteer monitoring has been around for more than a century, it hasn’t always been widely used in the basin. The League only three years ago started the Tahoe Pipe Keepers and two years ago began Eyes on the Lake. Patterson said citizen scientists are important for “gathering quality data to answer questions to make a change as a community.”

It all starts with observing a problem or situation and then asking questions. This evolves into doing research, then setting goals and objectives – figuring out potential outcomes, getting buy-in from others, setting up quality assurances, getting volunteers, sharing results, constantly tweaking things to stay relevant and engaged, and then taking action to solve the original problem. This is the process the League went through in establishing its programs.

With 45 pipe keepers trained, 20 of the more than 100 pipes in the basin being monitored, 1,191 samples collected and analyzed, and more than 1,000 photos-videos taken, Patterson calls the program a success.

On top of that the Desert Research Institute and Tahoe Resource Conservation District have come on as partners. The agencies have looked at the League’s data, compared it to its own and see relevance in what the League is doing – so much so that the League is sharing its findings for the real scientists to incorporate the data into their work.

Patterson said the key to maintaining success and interest for the volunteers is to provide different levels of participation. In the Pipe Keepers case this meant not having everyone have to go out to a drain in the middle of the night in the middle of a downpour. It also means providing tools so volunteers don’t have out-of-pocket expenses, making reporting easy – aka, available online, and always feeding the workers.

—–

Notes:

Future brown bag lunches at Lake Tahoe Community College’s board room:

• April 15, noon-1:30pm – Dealing with Drought: Stewardship Practices at Sierra-at-Tahoe

• May 20, noon-1:30pm – The Bike’s Impact on Tahoe’s Economy

• June 17, noon-1:30pm – Legal Rights and Issues for Pedestrians and Bicyclists

• June 24, noon-1:30pm – Law Enforcement Strategies to Improve Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety.

Have you heard any good Middle Eastern Oud or Kemenche lately? How about South American Charango and Zamponia or East Indian Tablas or Santoor? These and many other ethnic instruments from the Middle East, Central Asia, India, China and South America will be played by multi-instrumentalist Todd Green at 7pm March 27 at South Tahoe High School theater.

His performance will be enhanced by digital samplers, which allow him to record and over-dub instruments one by one, making him a one-man-orchestra of unique and exotic instruments.

The concert will be preceded by a half-hour quiet strings-only, live prelude.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $5 for children.

Green is performing in South Shore schools through March 25 as part of Tahoe Arts Project’s performing arts program. He is also giving a free lecture-demonstration March 21 at 3pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

For more information, contact Tahoe Arts Project at 530.542.3632.

Toyota Yaris evolves through the years — especially in looks. Photos/Larry Weitzman

By Larry Weitzman

Yaris has been in the Toyota stable since 1999 starting as the egg shaped Echo, not exactly the most attractive car in Toyota history, but it was quite a performer knocking off 0-60 mph times in the eights and easily achieving 30 mpg plus. Now in its third generation (since 2011) and the second generation using the Yaris name (2005), it remains a sporty runner.

Styling since the introduction of the second generation was a significant improvement over the original Echo, now appearing as a two-box shape with sharper lines. It’s a small car with a long wheelbase of 99 inches and a short length of 155 inches. Width is svelte at 67 inches and it stands tall at 59 inches. For 2015 the new Yaris, while keeping the shape of the third generation, gets a face lift with the new Toyota themed front end which looks like a black wide upside down smile. You can see the same look in the Corolla and Camry. Even the Highlander gets a similar front end styling theme. Yaris is not a bad looking car, as its design is based on maximum utility, but it is also designed for maximizing economy. Yaris co-efficient of drag is a low 0.29. If you look at the Yaris from the side, you can see its slick profile and the steep rake of the windshield.

Specifications
Price
$15, 670 to about $19,500 all in
Engine
1.5L 16 valve, DOHC inline four cylinder 106 hp @ 6,000
103 lb-ft of to0rque @ 4,200 rpm
Transmission
Five speed manual
Four speed automatic
Configuration
Front engine/front wheel drive
Dimensions
Wheelbase 98.8 inches
Length 155.5 inches
Width 66.7 inches
Height 59.4 inches
Track 57.5/56.9 inches
Ground clearance 5.5 inches
Weight 2,335 pounds
Fuel capacity 11.1 gallons
Passenger volume 85.5 c/f
Cargo volume 15.5 c/f
Turning circle 36.1 feet
Steering lock to lock 2.65 turns
Wheels 16 inch alloys
Tires 195/50VR16
Co-efficient of drag 0.29
Performance
0-60 mph 9.94 seconds
50-70 mph 5.63 seconds
50-70 uphill 11.19 seconds
Top speed, well over the century mark
Fuel economy EPA rated 30/36/32 mpg city/highway/combined. Expect 34 mpg in suburban driving, 39 mpg on the highway at legal speeds.

Getting to the nuts and bolts of the Yaris, it is powered by a peppy little 1.5L DOHC 16 valve inline four-cylinder engine cranking out 106 hp at 6,000 rpm and 103 pounds of torque at 4,200 rpm (82 hp at 4,200 rpm). It is connected to a five-speed manual tranny or an optional four-speed torque converter automatic as was my tester. When I tested the original Echo about 15 years ago, it had an almost identical 1.5L inline four rated at 108 hp and 106 pounds of twist. With a five-speed manual, it could scamper to 60 mph in 8 seconds and at 163 inches in length it was slighter larger, but I couldn’t say anything nice about its appearance.

This new Yaris is a bit quicker than its perhaps small car rival the Mitsu Mirage by stopping the chrondex in a sprint to 60 mph in 9.94 seconds. Not as quick as the original Echo, but the Echo was a five-speed manual. This Yaris with a manual should break into the high eights. Passing times also show a bit of spirit with a 50-70 mph simulated passing time of 5.63 seconds on a level highway and 11.19 seconds up a 6 percent grade. Yaris wasn’t designed for racing.

But Yaris was designed to pass gas stations. EPA rated at 30/36/32 mpg city/highway/combined it does a bit better. Overall the Yaris averaged 34 mpg in suburban driving and 39.2 mpg in a two-way level highway run at 70 mph. While it may be quicker than a Mitsu Mirage, the Mirage returns about 5 more mpg. At least Toyota saw fit to have a larger fuel tank with 11.1 gallons giving you a solid 300-plus-mile range.

Suspension is MacPherson struts up front with a semi-independent torsion beam in the rear. But instead of tires modeled after a Winchell’s doughnut, my test came with 16-inch alloys with 195/50 series rubber that was V rated to withstand 149 mph for 24 hours. Don’t expect the Yaris to approach 149 mph, but it is sporty rubber and it shows when you get aggressive in the twisties. Besides its quick steering of 2.65 turns lock to lock its turning circle is only 36 feet. On center steering feel is very good. With that wider 16-inch low profile rubber the Yaris can corner. It only weighs 2,335 pounds, which also reduces tire loads improving cornering power. Turn in is crisp making it powerful, predictable, balanced and fun in the twisties with good feedback. It was surprisingly good even getting some controlled rotation when pushed very hard in the corners. Wait a second; the Yaris might be fun in an autocross. Even the base Yaris gets 15-inch steel wheels with 175/65 series rubber.

Ride quality is smooth on the highway, but on coarse roads there is some road noise. It handles bumps well, but you can feel when the suspension reaches its limits on huge bumps. The engine spins 2,950 rpm at 70 mph and is nearly inaudible. A fifth gear could improve the highway mileage. Wind noise is at a minimum.

With SE model you also get four-wheel disc brakes instead of drum rear brakes on the base model. Of course ABS and most every other safety acronym is standard. Stops from 40 mph are made in a very good 42 feet with perfect control. Nine airbags are standard along with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Of course vehicle stability control, traction control and even smart stop technology is standard.

Inside are firm, stylish comfortable seats with complete manual adjustments. They are actually quite nice and the back seat is roomy for two full size adults. Behind the rear seats there still remains over 15 cubic feet of cargo volume. Folding the rear 60/40 seats turns the Yaris into a mini SUV.

Mileage makes the Yaris a good commuter vehicle.

Instrumentation is complete with a speedo and tach plus a trip computer. All the materials are Toyota quality. The center stack has a large touch screen and the $899 upgrade to a NAV system works well. It is a terrific commuter that actually gives you a lot more. Full power is standard, including power windows, locks and mirrors.

Pricing for Yaris L starts at $14,845 plus $825 for the boat from France (yes, Yaris is assembled in France. You will need to check for croissant crumbs on delivery). That is for a manual, three-door model with still standard power windows, locks and mirrors. The full boat model SE that I tested stickered for $17,620 plus destination plus the NAV system. Embroidered carpeted floor mats were $180 bringing the total to $19,524. In combined driving you should get 36 mpg, spunky performance with plenty of bells and whistles. And the sound system sounds great. What’s not to like. I drove it for a week and enjoyed every day going places.

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 Martin Griffith, AP

The historic Nevada newspaper where Mark Twain cut his journalistic teeth is back in publication for the first time in three decades, and its owners plan to uphold tradition by offering more than just real news.

The Territorial Enterprise was revived as an online and monthly print publication this week by Capitol Publishing Group, the parent company of a weekly newspaper in Jefferson City, Mo., that focuses on politics and government.

Samuel Clemens, Twain’s real name, assumed his pen name and developed his penchant for western tall tales when he was a reporter from 1862 to 1864 at the feisty newspaper in Virginia City, about 20 miles southeast of Reno.

The Territorial Enterprise, based by its new owners in nearby Carson City, plans to feature yarns in keeping with Twain’s spirit, and cover politics, government, business and culture across the state.

“For the most part, the news content will be professional, solid reporting,” editor Elizabeth Thompson said. “Sprinkled in and among that we intend to have fun with fictional and partly fictional stories from time to time.”

Ron James, former Nevada state historic preservation officer and author of four books on Virginia City, welcomed the newspaper’s return to publication.

“Anytime you resurrect an institution like that it’s a positive thing and we have to be pleased with that,” he said.

James said the Territorial Enterprise was one of the most prestigious newspapers in the West in the 1860s and 1870s because of its serious coverage of mining in one of the richest mineral troves ever: the Comstock Lode.

Twain was among a group of talented journalists at the newspaper who perfected the art of the western tall tale with articles that became legendary for their wit, he added.

“I’ve always said Samuel Clemens was born in Missouri and Mark Twain was born in Nevada, and without his western sojourn there’s no way he would have been a nationally renowned author,” James said. “He and the other reporters didn’t spend all their time lying to the public, just a portion of their time.”

Still, the newspaper was regarded as good journalism, James said.

The Territorial Enterprise, the first newspaper printed in Nevada, was founded in 1858 and ceased publication in 1893. It has sputtered to life from time to time since then but has not achieved its former prominence except for a decade in the mid-20th century when it was under the ownership of writers Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg. It was last published in the 1980s.

Thompson referred questions about the newspaper’s new owners to Scott Faughn, publisher of both the Territorial Enterprise and T=the Missouri Times. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Faughn, a former mayor of Poplar Bluff, Mo., was a campaign manager for Rod Jetton, a Republican who served as Missouri House speaker from 2005 to 2009 and now co-owns the Jefferson City, Mo., newspaper.

Faughn told the Associated Press in 2013 that both are committed to providing unbiased news coverage.

Both have had legal problems in the past. Jetton was charged with felony assault of a woman at her home in 2009 and was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge in 2011.

Faughn was convicted in 2007 on three felony counts after he was accused of forging checks on an account for a highway expansion in southeast Missouri. He was fined $1,500.

Thompson is a former publisher of the Nevada News Bureau, an online news service run by a leading Nevada conservative anti-tax activist. It shut down in 2012.

She points with pride to her inaugural edition of the Territorial Enterprise, which included a Twain-like fictional piece titled “The True Story of the Comstock Lode Discovery,” along with an interview with Gov. Brian Sandoval, profiles of freshman Nevada lawmakers and a story on a request by Nevada cities for a rate increase for releasing public records.

The newspaper will start out by being published monthly with the help of one reporter and freelancers, Thompson said.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to, in some small way, be carrying on the tradition and spirit of Mark Twain and bringing something new to the publication as well,” she said.

By Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times

An easy, two-minute vision test administered on the sidelines after a young athlete has hit his or her head can help to reliably determine whether the athlete has sustained a concussion, according to a new study of student athletes, some as young as 5.

The test is so simple and inexpensive that any coach or parent potentially could administer it, the study’s authors believe, and any league afford to provide it as a way to help evaluate and safeguard players.

Those of us who coach or care for young athletes know by now that an athlete who falls or collides with something during play or seems dazed, dizzy, loses consciousness or complains of head pain should be tested for a concussion, which occurs when the brain is physically jostled within the skull.

But most of us are clueless about how to test young athletes. The most commonly recommended sideline test is the Standardized Assessment of Concussion, a multipart examination during which athletes are asked to name the date, describe how they feel, memorize and recall lists of words, and do jumping jacks and other tests of coordination. Ideally, this assessment should be administered and evaluated by a medical professional.

Read the whole story

Kix

Kix is a friendly, happy mystery mix, maybe rat terrier, maybe Jack Russell, maybe Whippet. In any case, he’s a handsome boy who is playful, energetic, and full of personality.

Kix is tall and slender, weighs 22 pounds, and is a good size and temperament for just about any household where he’ll get plenty of exercise and play time. He likes children and other dogs, but will chase cats.

Kix is neutered, microchipped, tested for heart worm, 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