Homeless pets will soon have a much-improved place to await adoption as the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe and partner, Truckee Animal Services, prepare to open the community’s first public animal shelter.

Everyone is invited to attend a grand opening of the new facility on Sept. 28 from 10am-6pm at 10961 Stevens Lane, off of Stockrest Springs Road in Truckee.

The Truckee animal shelter opens this month. Photo/Whitby Bierwolf

Adoptable pets will be available immediately. The new shelter will comfortably house more than 20 dogs and 60 cats, as opposed to the eight dogs and 25 cats at the old facility.

The new location has more windows allowing more natural light, indoor-outdoor access for dogs, a quarantine area, medical treatment room, and administrative area. The larger location will also allow the organization to offer adoptions 40 hours per week, Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10am to 6pm.

The Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe continues to seek donors to assist with final shelter construction funding needs, and naming opportunities are still available for various wings of the new facility. To become a Hero with the Heroes Now & Forever campaign, call (530) 587.5948.

Ramsey and Ralphie

Ramsey and Ralphie are two of the 15 sweet young kittens available at the shelter right now.

There are two other orange kittens, plus two Siamese, several tabby cats, and all possible colors – gray, black, white, tortie, and tan. Plus there are several nice adult cats.

Ramsey and Ralphie are neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. They are 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 online 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.

— Karen Kuentz

By Chris Taylor, Reuters

Kelly Bird Pierre knew the world had changed when she heard what the Tooth Fairy was giving out these days.

The 39-year-old educator from South Orange, New Jersey used to get a quarter whenever she lost one of her own baby teeth. But when her daughter Oona and son Jacques went through the same phase, reports from their schoolyard buddies swiftly got back to her: $3, $5, even $10 a tooth.

Pierre was shocked. “A dollar still seems reasonable to me,” she said.

Pierre and her parental peers had better get used to tooth inflation, because a new survey shows just how dear a baby tooth has become. The national average is now $3.70 per tooth, up 23 percent in a single year and 42 percent in just two years, according to a study that credit-card company Visa will release today.

“Tooth Fairy inflation clearly is surging,” marvels Jason Alderman, Visa’s senior director of global financial education. “It is due to a combination of things: one is a reflection of an improving economy, and that parents feel they can afford to be generous in small areas.

“The other real driver is parental angst. It is very hard for us to say ‘no’ to our kids.”

Apparently so: For a full set of 20 baby teeth, at the going rate, that works out to $74. Especially for a young child, that is a serious sum.

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

Delicia Spees doesn’t know what the word quit means.

Even though Friday was her last day as executive director of the Family Resource Center in South Lake Tahoe, she is still going to be working there. But now she will be the coordinator working with families for about 15 hours a week.

“I have worked and done what I have done because I have this amazing mother who said you have got to give to people,” Spees told Lake Tahoe News. “I was lucky to work for people who needed me and I needed them too because they fulfilled me.”

The 63-year-old is looking forward to spending more time with family and friends, and enjoying Tahoe.

“I want to be a domestic goddess again and play with my girlfriends,” Spees said with a laugh.

She will continue to be involved on the board of directors for the Senior Plaza, being part of the Kinship Program at Lake Tahoe Community College and hoping to volunteer at Bookworks. The used bookstore near Freshies is one of the primary funding sources for FRC.

Karen Tinlin, who has known Spees since she was Spees’ oldest daughter’s third-grade teacher at Meyers Elementary School, said her friend is an advocate for people, even if it isn’t work related.

“She has a real special place in her heart for young children and wanting to make sure their lives are good,” Tinlin said. “She knows the families, their stories. She is connected.”

Spees started at the FRC’s predecessor about 20 years ago and has been the director for the last 13 years. It started as a nonprofit people had to be referred to, and now is open to anyone and includes programs. It used to mainly be a welcome center for new students, where they would enroll and officials would ensure all the paperwork and immunizations were in order.

Now mental health services, translations, food and clothing give-aways, English as a second language classes, one-on-one counseling, parenting classes and advocacy all come under the FRC umbrella.

“I definitely think there should be a FRC in every school if you could afford it. Every school has its own needs,” Spees said. “This FRC doesn’t just cater to Bijou. We work with the school district to do different programs at different schools.”

Rick Meyer, who started on FRC board in 1999, said to this day he remembers the first time he was at the facility.

“I walked into the Family Resource Center and here was the executive director handing out bread, handing out clothes, the phone is ringing, people needed her to do this and that,” Meyer recalled. “She is completely involved with all the people who need to be served.”

He admires that she created an organization from humble beginnings to a stable, respected nonprofit.

Besides more programs, Spees also has seen a growth in need. And while many think FRC only helps the Latino population or those associated with Bijou Community School because its offices are there, the truth is everyone is welcome.

“Because of the economy we have seen a growth in the Anglos coming in,” Spees said.

She knows FRC will continue to evolve.

“We built something that means a lot to the community,” Spees said.

De-Anne Hooper, who at one time was the executive director of the local Boys & Girls Club and has worked closely with FRC and Spees, will now be at the helm of FRC.

Hooper has been on board for the last month to learn the ropes from Spees.

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times

Thursday’s $765-million settlement between the National Football League and 4,500 retired NFL players underscores two key facts about traumatic brain injury: that it is difficult to prove and measure — especially many years after the fact — and that its link to neurocognitive problems that appear years later remains an enigma.

A mediated agreement does not mean that the retired NFL players’ injuries were caused by football, or even that they could have proven as much, said former U.S. District Judge Layn Phillips, the court-appointed mediator who brokered the proposed settlement. Nor, Phillips added, does it mean they could not prove it.

What’s clear is that proof either way will take years of further research — and litigation. While evidence of a link between concussion and long-term cognitive and psychiatric consequences is mounting, it may take many more studies to clarify the relationship. And hard proof of cause-and-effect may remain elusive.

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Luetta (Lue) Dressler Bergevin passed away peacefuly on the morning of Aug. 24 surrounded by her family. She was 91.

Luetta, a fourth generation Nevadan, was born on Sept. 6, 1921, on the Dressler Home Ranch, to Fred H. and Anna (Neddenriep) Dressler. Luetta was the last baby delivered by her great-great-aunt Dr. Eliza Cook, Nevada’s first woman physician.

She developed an early appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors, having spent the first years of her life on the family cattle ranch that encompassed parts of Carson Valley and Alpine and Mono Counties in California.

Luetta (Lue) Dressler Bergevin

At the age of 7, she boarded in Centerville at the home of John and Mildred Drendel in order to attend the Centerville School. Due to consolidation, she continued her education the following year at the Minden Grammar School where she graduated from the eighth grade in 1936 as valedictorian of her Class.

She graduated from Douglas County High School, where she was an active member of the class of 1940. Luetta served as secretary of the student body, editor of the Garminada, and was a member girls basketball team.

She continued her education at the University of Utah where she received her B.S. degree in nursing education and her degree as a registered nurse from St. Marks Hospital School of Nursing in Salt Lake City. She was a member of Delta, Delta, Delta sorority and was active in campus life.

During World War II, she worked as a U.S. naval cadet nurse at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Seattle. Following V.J. Day she returned to St. Marks in Salt Lake City, where she passed her state boards with honors, and was employed as the head nurse on the orthopedic floor.

In June 1946, she returned to Gardnerville and in August married her high school sweetheart, Louis Bergevin. Following their marriage they lived near Mesa, Ariz., where her husband was a captain in the Air Force at Williams Field. After his discharge as a major, they moved to Reno.

While in Reno, she worked as a head nurse on a surgical floor and then as O.B. supervisor at the Washoe Medical Center (now Renown). In time they moved to the Dressler Ranch and Carson Valley where they would raise their family.

After the move, Luetta did private duty nursing at the first Carson-Tahoe Hospital for Dr. Ontie Hovendon and Dr. E.G. Hand. She volunteered at health fairs and assisted in giving the first polio injections in Carson Valley. She served on the board of the first Carson Valley Emergency Medical Center. Later she served as a nurse at the Lake Tahoe 4-H camp.

Following her retirement from nursing, she revived her interest in art. She was a member of the Carson Valley Art Association and the East Fork Gallery, serving as president in each. She was also a charter member of the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City.

She loved to paint and worked in oil and watercolor with watercolor being her favorite. She was a self taught artist until her first painting lessons from Geraldine Lawrence. In 1981 she traveled to China with a group of artists who took every opportunity to sit down and paint or sketch while on the trip. They met with Chinese artists and exchanged ideas and techniques. It was an experience she never forgot. Over the years she painted numerous landscapes, florals and other varied subjects. She sold several of her works and her family members each have a favorite.

Aside from her paintings, Luetta was an avid gardener, an incredible cook and a beautiful seamstress. She enjoyed hiking, especially in the mountains of Alpine County and outlying areas of Nevada. On these hikes she would collect numerous photos that would later be inspirations for many of her paintings.

She was never inactive and her involvement in community life included membership in the Carson Valley Literary Club (past president), the Nevada State Cattlewomen (formerly Cowbelles) (past president), Douglas County Republican Women, Parent Teachers’ Association, 4-H Leader, 4-H chaperone on educational trips, and she was a lifetime member of the St. Mark’s nurses’ association. She also served on the Nevada Historical Commission, Nevada 4-H Foundation, Douglas County Historical Society Board and was chairman for the National “Beef for Father’s Day” campaign.

She enjoyed working with people and put in many hours assisting her husband in his many campaigns for the Nevada State Assembly. She was a lifetime member of Trinity Lutheran Church and was a substitute organist for Ruth Felten at the old church and often taught Vacation Bible School.

In April 2010 she moved to Merrill Gardens Gardnerville where she enjoyed much love, friendship and attention. The family would like to thank all of the wonderful staff at Merrill Gardens along with Linda from Gentiva and Brian from Vista Care Hospice for all of their kindness, efforts and care in making Luetta comfortable.

She is survived by her son Lee (Sharon) Bergevin and his family: Debbie Curry Flaherty (Amber and Chris Weller, Jordan Flaherty), Greg (Jennifer) Curry (Kaitlyn, Joshua & Julianna Curry), Lynda Curry, Shannon Bergevin (Al) Garner (Abigail and Genevieve Garner), Andrew Bergevin and Erin Bergevin; her daughter Jeanne (Todd) Russell and her family: Matthew (Carolyn) Russell (Nathan and Charles Russell), Timothy (Cassidy) Russell (Brynn and Larkin Russell); her brother Frederick Dressler; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

In addition to her husband, Louis, Luetta was preceded in death by her parents.

A celebration of life will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1480 Douglas Ave., Gardnerville on Sept. 14 at 10am. In lieu of flowers, Luetta would be happy to know that she inspired donations in her name to the Douglas County Historical Society, 1477 Highway 395, Suite B, Gardnerville, NV 89410 or the East Fork Gallery, 1503 Highway 395 N, Suite K, Gardnerville, NV 89410.

Squaw Valley’s KT Base Bar will be the site for the world premiere of “CRJ – The Chronicle of a Freeskiing Icon.”

This event is free. The 20-minute film will begin at 7:30pm Sept. 14. Seating opens at 6pm. Lawn chairs, warm clothing and blankets are recommended.

This will be a celebration of local professional skier CR Johnson’s effect on the sport he helped shape during his heralded career.

The film, produced by 4FRNT Media (with help from Inspired Media, Level 1 Productions, Poor Boyz Productions and Teton Gravity Research), outlines Johnson’s rise to icon status in the world of freeskiing, documenting his career through film segments and insights from those who knew him best.

Charles Russell Johnson III, better known as CR or CRJ, was a pioneer in the freeskiing movement. At the age of 17 he rose to skiing stardom after landing a 1440 (degree rotation) at his home mountain of Squaw Valley. During his career, Johnson competed in the slopestyle and superpipe Winter X Games events, filmed with many top-tier ski film production companies, and returned to a professional level of freeskiing after a life altering and career threatening head injury in 2005. Throughout his highly public skiing career, Johnson’s passion for skiing and dedication to the sport set him apart.

Johnson died in a skiing accident at Squaw Valley on Feb. 24, 2010.

By Kurt Chirbas, Sacramento Bee

In the last four weeks, Sacramento urologist Louis Giorgi and his wife, Joanne, have received countless cards.

Envelopes, in a rainbow of colors and sent from people across the nation, overflowed from a bowl on a counter in the Giorgis’ Carmichael kitchen. Personal notes offered condolences for a young teen who died too soon. And some expressed gratitude for the message of her grieving parents.

Natalie Giorgi

The Giorgis’ 13-year-old daughter Natalie died on July 27 from a severe allergic reaction to peanut butter while the family was at Camp Sacramento. The couple have since used Natalie’s death as a rallying cry for more education about children’s food allergies.

They helped establish a nonprofit organization called the Natalie Giorgi Sunshine Foundation, which is aimed at promoting public awareness and research of food allergies. They are giving out “Natalie Marie, the Sunshine Girl” wristbands – in her favorite shade of purple – for community members to wear.

On Sept. 15, the parents will be participating in a fundraising walk for Food Allergies Research & Education, a group working on behalf of millions of Americans facing potentially life-threatening food allergies.

Read the whole story

By Geoffrey Mohan, Los Angeles Times

That head-splitting migraine attack that knocks you off your feet may also put you at risk of permanent changes in the brain, an analysis of 19 medical studies found.

The potential for increased abnormalities in the signal-carrying white matter of the brain appears strongest among those who suffer headache warning symptoms, such as flashes of light, blind spots and tingling, according to the analysis published online Wednesday in the journal Neurology. Those “migraine with aura” sufferers were about 1.7 times as likely to have such anomalies than were the non-migraine population, the analysis found.

But the significance of these white-matter blips and other tissue changes remains elusive, and there is some question about whether the neurological variances from the norm mark a migraine-prone brain or the ravages of the attacks, researchers said.

At best, doctors have concluded that what they see on patients’ magnetic resonance imagery amounts to a “benign imaging correlate” of migraine. They’re there, they are associated with migraine, and that’s where the hard evidence stops.

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By Betty Hechtman

They’re called second acts, encore careers or reinventing yourself – they’re the completely new and different jobs people take in midlife or later.

Today, making that jump is more likely to be a matter of following the heart than it was during the throes of the economic recession, when professionals caught up in corporate layoffs discovered they were too old to find jobs in a poor market and too young to retire. They started second careers not to follow a vocation but to pay the bills.

I’m glad to see the tide turning again – especially for all the baby boomers who don’t want to retire but do want to do something gratifying.

I have had a lot of practice reinventing herself. I have volunteered as a farmworker on a kibbutz in Israel, waitressed and worked in retail sales, and made connections as a telephone operator, among a host of jobs.

I’ve held jobs just for the paycheck and I’ve pursued my passions, so I know how profoundly different it is to do one versus the other. No matter what age you are, if there’s work you feel called to, you should most definitely give it a try — you may well experience a joy unlike any you’ve ever known.

Here are tips for people considering an encore:

• Do your homework. There’s nothing more disappointing them jumping into something new only to become disillusioned and frustrated because you didn’t take the time to prepare. If your dream is to open a particular business, research the market. Is there a demand for what you hope to sell? Should you give it a trial run as an online business before investing in shop space and other overhead? Start by checking the resources at Score.org, a nonprofit supported by more than 12,000 volunteers dedicated to helping small businesses off the ground. For other encore pursuits, you might take classes or spend a few hours a week working as a volunteer to learn the ropes.

• Join a group of like-minded people. This is particularly helpful for aspiring artists who want to paint, play music, write a book or indulge some other creative talent. You can brush up on your skills and make valuable contacts by becoming a part of a community theater, joining a writers circle, or finding a group of hobbyists. You may find your skills develop much more quickly with the support and guidance of collegial peers who are all helping one another achieve a dream.

• Consider working in one of the five most popular encore fields. Most people seek second their careers in health, education, government, environment and non-profits — all fields expected to provide abundant job opportunities in the next couple of years, according to Encore.org, a non-profit that supports second careers “for the greater good.” If you need training to qualify, now is the time to get it. Invest now in the education, and you can soon have a job that feeds the heart, the mind – and the body.

Betty Hechtman is the author of “Yarn to Go,” the first book in the Berkley Prime Crime Yarn Retreat mystery series, as well as the author of the best-selling Berkley Prime Crime Crochet mystery series. The eighth book, “For Better or Worsted,” comes out in November.