U.S. high school students and their teachers may participate in the Bill of Rights Institute’s sixth annual Being an American Essay Contest.

The Being an American Essay Contest explores the founding principles outlined in the Constitution. The contest is administered by the Bill of Rights Institute, a nonprofit educational organization in the Washington, D.C. area devoted to educating young people about the Constitution and Founding principles. The 2011-12 contest is sponsored by the History Channel.

Students are asked to share their thoughts on the Constitution by answering the following question: “How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty?”

The top three student winners from each of the five geographical regions will be awarded cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250. Teacher sponsors for each student winner will also receive a cash prize of $100.

Further information, including submission criteria, lesson plans and background information on the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Founders and the Founding principles are available online.

Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News is profiling the six candidates who will be on the Nov. 8 ballot for the South Tahoe Public Utility District board. They are being published in the order they were submitted. Randy Vogelgesang is running for the seat vacated by Marylou Mosbacher.

Name: Randy Vogelgesang

Age: 54

How long have you lived on the South Shore?: 25 years

What water company supplies your home? Your work?: South Tahoe Public Utility District

Randy Vogelgesang

Job/profession?: Civil and structural engineer

What stands out to you in the 2011-12 budget?: The thing that stands out the most is the decrease in revenues from rates, taxes and grants. The district will have the difficult task of prioritizing expenditures, looking for increased sources of revenues and cutting expenses without raising rates.

What boards, commissions, or other experience, including volunteering, do you have?: I have been a longtime member of the Building Board of Appeals for the city of South Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Engineers, Architects & Surveyors organization.

Is there any individual, group or organization you would not take campaign money from? Why?: I would evaluate all campaign donations on an individual basis and would not accept from any group or individual that would create the appearance of a conflict of interest.

What is the No. 1 reason someone should vote for you over another candidate?: When making decisions on behalf of the ratepayers I plan on using the same common sense, fiscally conservative, approach that has worked well for my business.

California law mandates water meters be installed. What is your solution to make the fee equitable for those on meters and those without one?: We need to take a closer look at the metered rate structure. I don’t think it is acceptable to have customers using the same volume of water paying very different amounts for the next dozen years. The current metering amounts are based on average usages in order to remain revenue neutral to the district. However, the district is composed of full-time and part-time residents, neither of which fit the average. Until all customers are metered, I would like to lower the metered rate portion of the bill as much as possible without jeopardizing future grants. The meter installations need to be done at a more accelerated pace to minimize these inequities.

To get the remaining 60 percent of South Tahoe PUD customers on meters it will cost $15 million. As a board member, where will you get the money to pay for the meters?: Grant money has helped and of course should still be sought, but the installation of meters needs to be treated like all other infrastructure upgrades and budgeted for. It has been known for many years that meters were coming, but inaction has caused this fiscal problem.

Do you believe the district should spend money on lobbying efforts in Sacramento and/or Washington, D.C.? Why or why not?: Only if it can be shown that the results of the lobbying have financial value.

What do you know about STPUD getting money from the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act?: The money from the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act helps with water line upgrades for fire suppression. Unfortunately, like most government money in these tight times, the amount will decrease.

How do you balance the economic situation of the community with the infrastructure needs of the district?: It is important to make sure the infrastructure is maintained and upgraded, a poorly maintained system can be more costly in the long run. However, each project considered needs to be evaluated based on its necessity, and less expensive options should be considered given the state of our economy.

With 38 percent of a customer’s sewer bill going to meet the needs of the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act and $100 million already invested in Alpine County to take STPUD’s wastewater, would you leave things as they are? If yes, why? If no, what would you change and how do expect to accomplish those changes?: The district is required to pump its recycled water out of the basin; this water is used by Alpine County ranchers for irrigation. The treated water is valuable for agricultural uses and could be used to generate revenue. We should also actively pursue hydroelectric power generated by the export C-line. The district’s purchase of Diamond Valley Ranch appears to have been a good long-term strategic decision because it ensures uses for our export water.

What should be done with the land STPUD owns where the old post office was on Black Bart?: The district should consider demolition of the building on this property. The building has little value as there are zoning issues and there is no water and sewer service. However, if any opportunity that makes fiscal presents itself, it should be considered.

There has been a three-year wage freeze for employees. What are your thoughts on employee raises and benefits?: Most of the ratepayers that I know have had their income decrease in the past three years. Wages and benefits for the districts employees should be comparable to the private sector.

When would you vote for a hike on water and sewer rates and why?: In this current economic environment we will need to prioritize our spending and cut costs wherever possible. I see no reason to justify a rate hike in these tough economic times.

Lukins Brothers Water District – any comments?: The Lukins Brothers Water District has some serious infrastructure problems which would be very expensive to bring up to even minimum standards. It would not be in our best interest to even consider absorbing this district unless it, and all of the anticipated upgrades, is completely funded by grants.

What should be the main priority of South Tahoe PUD?: The priority of the district is to serve the public. I think the district and its employees provide an excellent product and we should strive to continue this high level of service while keeping a constant eye on spending.

What should be the main priority of a South Tahoe PUD board member?: The priority of the board is to represent the public and oversee how the district spends our money. The key word in STPUD is public and I will always keep that in mind when making decisions.

Tell readers something about yourself that most people don’t know: My wife, Cathy, and I have lived in South Lake Tahoe for more than 25 years and have two kids now in college. Before moving to Tahoe I worked for several years for a large public utility company in Southern California. When I first came to town I was in the ski business at Heavenly, then Kirkwood and more recently I was on the board of the South Tahoe Amateur Hockey Association.

Beginning next year, Americans will see acclaimed musicians, sports stars, writers, artists and other nationally-known figures on U.S. postage stamps — while they are still alive. The Postal Service is inviting the public to use social media to submit their ideas for individuals to honor.

The Postal Service is dropping a rule that currently requires an individual to have been deceased at least five years before being honored on a stamp. Under the new guidelines, living or recently deceased individuals will be eligible for commemoration on postage stamps.

customers may submit five living individuals they would like to see on stamps through Facebook and Twitter or mail suggestions to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, c/o Stamp Development, Room 3300, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-3501.

By Carlos Alcalá, Sacramento Bee

After dark, on a moonless Wednesday last week, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office received three 911 hang-up calls from within Desolation Wilderness, near Eagle Lake.

Uncertain of exactly where the caller was, the Sheriff’s Office did what it has done many times before: It radioed Calstar 6 – the non-profit rescue and air transport helicopter service in South Lake Tahoe.

Calstar has a base at Lake Tahoe Airport. Photo/LTN file

“We are the only emergency aircraft located in the Tahoe basin … available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Tom Pandola, Sierra Nevada regional director for Calstar.

Calstar’s Messerschmitt Bo 105 was already up in the air, and pilot Luca Dell’Anese turned it around to look for the possible caller.

Anyone whose commercial flight has come into Sacramento over the Sierra knows how featureless the backcountry can appear in the dark.

However, Dell’Anese and flight nurse Stephen Poehls were both equipped with night-vision goggles – a $15,000 piece of gear that allows them to spot a cellphone screen at night from 1,000 feet above.

Read the whole story

Publisher’s note: This is reprinted with permission from the August 1976 Lake Tahoe Historical Society newsletter.

Several months ago, our newsletter carried a report of Linda Mendizabal’s interview with Mrs. Meliba Vallet Meier, whose father was chef at Tallac House some 65 years ago and whose playmate at the time was Gladys Comstock. Since that time we have had correspondence from Velma C. Eden further commenting on the time of which Mrs. Meier spoke. From her letters, we quote:

February 25, 1976

You asked about the ‘fabled beach tents’. My personal knowledge of Tallac is from the period September 27, 1900 to late fall 1913, the last year my family lived at Tallac. To my knowledge, there never were any tents on any of the Tallac beaches. However, much as I seem to be a slayer of myths, I hesitate to do so in this case, since there was a lot of going on in the 80’s and 90’s of which I had no knowledge. I have taken the time to reread some of my father’s memories painstakingly written down by my stepmother when he was a very old man. In speaking of the year 1885, he recalls “There was a fine sandy beach at Tallac and below the hotel, but not in sight of it, was creek named Taylor Creek.”

This would have been west of the old (original) Tallac House. In Scott’s Saga of Lake Tahoe, No. 1 Pg. 154, he mentions a quote, “Tallac is rustic and comfortable as well as commodious with a while sand beach one-half mile west.”

However, on pg. 156 of this same book, Scott mentions that the bathing activities were moved to a beach in front of the Tallac Hotel, a little to the east. This would have been after the Hotel Tallac was built in 1898. This is the beach I remember and not a very good or sunny beach. There was a slightly rickety wooden bathhouse at this beach, and very little used. Why, do you ask, was this beach used instead of the very fine one which I think now is called Baldwin Beach? Alas, the swampy area at the mouth of Taylor Creek was used as the Tallac sewage dump, and this would have influenced the removal of the swimming activities. We should not be too fast to criticize these early arrangements, as the early timers were face with many problems and had to face them any way they could.

It is entirely possible that there may have been some tents at the early beach to the west, but I do not know of them at first hand. Strange to relate, neither my sister nor I learned to swim while we were at Tallac. Our lives seemed to have been full of horseback riding and hiking and shooting. When very little I can remember playing in the sand at the beach. No one taught us to swim. When we moved to Brockway in 1915 we both learned to swim there and my sister, in her Senior year at U of California made first place in diving. I learned to swim well enough to feel very much at home in the water and still swim anytime I get the chance …”

Tahoe Forest Health System celebrates National Breast Health Awareness Month by giving first-time mammogram patients a free gift.

By spreading the word about the importance of scheduling an annual mammogram, patients who bring in another first-timer will both walk away with a free gift. First time mammograms must be scheduled in October 2011 and completed by March 2012 to qualify.

Mammograms assist in the early detection of breast cancer, and they are quick and easy. Tahoe Forest Hospital utilizes the most advanced technology to perform comprehensive breast screening exams; digital mammography screenings are used for all patients. Breast MRI technology is also available.

No doctor’s order is necessary for a screening; follow-up breast care is available. To schedule an appointment, call (530) 582.6510. A limited number of free exams and mammograms are available through Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Call (530) 582.3277 for eligibility details.

On Oct. 5 from 5:30-6:30pm, Ahrin Koppel, a doctor at Tahoe Forest Cancer Center, will talk about how “Breast Health, Knowledge is Power”.

The free health talk is at the Tahoe Center for Health and Sports Performance building located at 10710 Donner Pass Road, Truckee.

Koppel will discuss the importance of knowing your family breast history and how to best educate yourself if you are a descendant of a relative who had or has breast cancer. Women aged 40 and older are recommended to have a clinical breast exam and mammogram annually.

Saturday Mornings, the award-winning morning discussion and lecture series collaboration of Sierra Nevada College and Incline Village Parks & Recreation Senior Programs continue this fall.

College faculty and other knowledgeable locals present bite-size offerings of intellectually stimulating material to pique people’s interest and challenge their sensibilities.

An optional continental breakfast will be provided for $3.

Rick Parsons, Sierra Nevada College professor of fine arts, has served as Sculpture Program Coordinator at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and has taught at the University of Dallas,and Colorado Mountain College. He has been a visiting artist at Colorado College, San Jose State University, University of Miami, and Arizona State University. His sculpture has been exhibited throughout the country, been featured in solo shows, and in 2007 Rick’s sculpture was the focus of an article in Sculpture magazine. He was recently published in the book Confrontational Ceramics: The Artist as Social Critic and was featured in the documentary film “Questions of Art.”

He he speaks Oct. 15 from 10am-noon at Sierra Nevada College, Prim Library, Room 213, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village.

For details, contact Debi Noonan at (775) 831.1314, ext. 7420, dnoonan@sierranevada.edu.

The El Dorado County Health Services Department, Public Health Division is offering a series of low-cost community flu clinics in South Lake Tahoe.

The vaccine to protect against seasonal influenza will be offered at the flu clinics.

The clinics will be at the senior center at 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd., 9am-1pm Sept. 29, Oct. 6, Oct. 13, Oct. 27, and Nov. 10.

High risk individuals are especially encouraged to be vaccinated. High risk people include those over age 60, individuals with chronic health conditions, residents of nursing homes, pregnant women, parents of children under 6 months of age, children 6 months to 4 years of age, health care workers and caregivers.

In addition to the flu shot, the nasal mist is available to ages 2 through 49.

The cost of the flu vaccine is $10, but the fee will be waived if an individual cannot pay. Standard Medicare Part B will be billed for people age 65 and older; Medicare HMOs and other insurance cannot be billed. Seniors must bring their Medicare card to the clinic for billing purposes and parents should bring their child’s immunization record.

The Tdap (whooping cough) booster shot and Pneumonia vaccine will also be available at the clinics for $10 per shot.

People who are severely allergic to eggs or egg products, and infants younger than six months of age should not get the vaccine.

Tahoe Arts Project kicks off its 25th season with the a cappella quintet The Standards on Oct. 7 at 7pm at MontBleu Theater in Stateline.

The human voice, that’s how it all started for five brothers who shared a passion for music. Singing together at an early age, they began the makings of this one of a kind vocal group, forging a relationship beyond brotherhood.

Hailed as one of the most sought after harmony vocal groups of today, The Standards have enjoyed success worldwide for their unique approach to vocal entertainment. Their shows offer more than just a typical music concert..

The quintet is made up of Morgan Williams, Nathan Williams, Jordon Williams, Nicholas Williams and Quinn.

The Standards will be performing their “Music with a Message” program for South Lake Tahoe students the week of Oct. 3-7 as part of Tahoe Arts Project’s in school performing arts series.

A key element to what makes them appealing to many different age groups is that they primarily sing songs that are known as “Standards.” You know and have heard them. Mix that with a new generation sound and unique style, you have an electrifying combination.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for youth and $15 for seniors and can be purchased in advance at the California and Nevada Visitors Centers in South Lake Tahoe. To charge tickets by phone or for more information, call Tahoe Arts Project at (530) 542.3632 or go online.