Anna is a 2-year-old Lab-pit bull mix who came to Tahoe looking for a better life than she had in Fallon. She is very affectionate with people, and she likes to play with other dogs, although she should probably be your only pet.

She is house trained and has good manners. Anna is very energetic and would be a great hiking or running companion.

Anna is spayed, microchipped, 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.

The 50 percent off special for cat and and kitten adoptions continues through August, please consider adopting a feline companion this month.

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

By Kathryn Reed

Understanding your patients’ lifestyle can be critical to getting them to being in top shape after an injury.

As someone who has competed in cross country skiing and mountain biking, Jon Finnoff knows what an active lifestyle is about. It’s one of the reasons he moved to South Lake Tahoe.

Even though he does not start at Tahoe Orthopedics and Sports Medicine until next week, he has been on his bike, closed on a house and has his 2011-12 pass for Heavenly Mountain Resort.

Jon Finnoff

Now it’s a matter of him, his wife and their 4-year-old daughter getting settled and learning where to play outdoors.

His position is new for Barton Health. Finnoff will be medical director of sports medicine, working with the physician team of Keith Swanson, Terry Orr, Steve Bannar, Robert Rupp, Dan Robertson, Kyle Swanson and William Cottrell.

Like Orr, Bannar and Kyle Swanson, Finnoff is also a doctor with the U.S. Ski Team.

“Sports medicine is not just orthopedics. I’d like to create a multi-disciplinary team for sports medicine,” Finnoff told Lake Tahoe News. “I want to find out what we have, what we have that needs to be improved and what we don’t have.”

While he comes from the esteemed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, it’s growing up in Boulder and living in Bend, Ore., that fueled him with the desire to return to the mountains.

Finnoff met Orr at a conference a few years ago, which led to building a relationship and his eventual move to head the center.

He has been an associate professor at the Mayo Clinic, is still on the faculty at the University of Utah, and often gives lectures internationally. He has also contributed to more than 60 publications.

This month he will be traveling to Chile and China to give presentations.

Finnoff is aware of the missed opportunity by Barton to have Richard Steadman pursue his dream of an orthopedic clinic. He eventually did so in Vail, leaving South Lake Tahoe decades behind the curve. Finnoff shrugs that off.

On the South Shore he intends to create a sports concussion program like he did at the Mayo Clinic. He will create a multi-disciplinary team that incorporate the schools and ski resorts.

“For the concussion program, the baseline tests people who are at risk. If you don’t know how the person functions prior to injury, you don’t know how they are functioning after the injury,” Finnoff said.

In other words, cognitive skills differ in everyone. If they weren’t a rocket scientist to begin with, then there should not be the expectation that recovery will make them one.

“If you are participating in a sport at high risk for concussion, that includes snowboarding and skiing, you should get a baseline (concussion test),” Finnoff said.

He says concussion are “somewhat of a hidden injury” because blood and broken bones are not usually part of the trauma. Finnoff is well aware of second-impact syndrome and the need for better education about it.

Finnoff wants to turn this area into a hub for sports medicine – not just in terms of treating patients.

Education, research, and tracking clinical outcomes are key goals of his.

He also said, “It’s important to create a strategic alliance with other medical centers to create a high level of care here.”

Finnoff is also tasked with continuing Barton’s goal of becoming a destination health care facility. This is also part of the basin’s prosperity plan.

After he gets acquainted with the community and facilities in the area and region, Finnoff intends to create a one-, five- and 10-year action plan.

And when Finnoff isn’t in scrubs or a lab coat, expect to see him dressed to hike, bike, climb or ski.

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

The Historical Society will honor the 25th Anniversary of St. Theresa’s Church at its March meeting. The program will be in charge of Father Grace who first came to the parish in April of 1956.

As an outreach of the Truckee parish, founded in 1885, a priest served the north shore area of Lake Tahoe for many years before Mr. and Mrs. Frank Globin invited a priest to come to their Al Tahoe resort to hold services during the summer months. The church records show the fist mass on the South Shore to have been celebrated by Rev. Michael Miles during the summer of 1926 in a small building at the corner of Sacramento and Lakeview Avenues. Twenty-five years later, Father Patrick Lyons arrived on July 1, 1951 to establish St. Theresa’s to serve his parishioners on a year-round basis. The original site of the church was that of the current Intermediate School. Twenty families of about 150 people comprised the membership at the founding. Roughly 1000 families now belong to St. Theresa’s where it is not unusual for 4000 worshipers to be served ruing Sunday services.

St. Theres’a is preparing a historical brochure for printing later in the year. Mrs. Pat Whitney, in collecting pictures for the brochure, has prepared several photographic exhibits which will be on display during the March 25 meeting.

Refreshments will be served following the program. Guests are cordially invited.

By Paula Peterson

AVILA BEACH – To sum it up: heavenly. I found a place to unwind, relax, disappear into my own world, and yet, my daughter can have fun and enjoy it as well. And, I don’t have to leave the hotel.

When traveling with your kids there aren’t many places that can give everyone in the family the same vacation value. But the Inn at Avila Beach, Avila Beach and the central coast certainly fit that bill.

Cabanas on the roof at the Inn at Avila Beach mean not needing to the leave the hotel. Photos/Paula Peterson

I usually take a vacation to enjoy a region, but after finding the Inn at Avila Beach in 2009, I have found that I can enjoy a hotel as my vacation destination. Don’t get me wrong, the whole central coast is full of great things to do, and I enjoy them when I’m there. But my rooftop heaven is always waiting for me.

I attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo during the late ’70s and frequently visited Avila Beach. This big pink building on the hill housed apartments and I never paid much attention to it. But with remodeling and its reincarnation as a hotel, I definitely pay attention now. Terra cotta tiles on the floors, colorful hand-painted tiles around the property and a homey atmosphere greet you as you check in (but yes, it still sports a pink exterior). Oceanfront rooms with nice patios allow the visitor to hear the waves pounding on shore all day and night. They have interior courtyard view rooms, but I wasn’t very impressed with the rooms without an ocean view where one can enjoy the view and the sounds of the waves.

So now, for the best part … the rooftop. They have created a paradise on the roof, complete with cabanas, barbecues, tables, hammocks, counters, sinks, blenders, sofas, televisions and comfy chairs and couches. You can sit and relax in a cushioned wicker chair and read your favorite book while listening to the beach action. You can bring up that bottle of wine you bought during your day of wine tasting, uncork it with some cheese and crackers and enjoy the sunset. You can stay away from restaurants and barbecue your dinner, from steaks to the fresh fish you just bought on the pier. Or, when the sun goes down, bring up the bag of complementary popcorn you just popped and watch a movie under the stars.

Everyone in the hotel shares the space, but there has always been plenty of room for everyone each time I’ve been there. I was impressed the maids made regular rounds and straightened up the blankets and cushions so all was fresh for the next person to enjoy the space.

Avila Beach is small and quaint.

It’s changed a lot since my college days. In the late 1990s Unocal started to clean up decades-old oil seepage from their pipes under the town and where a massive oil spill was found. A half-mile stretch of town was leveled in order to clean up the mess and a $30 million lawsuit helped rebuild the town. The small beach shops were old and homey before, but what replaced them are stylish and pleasing shops, deli, store, beach front restaurants, coffee shop, a wine shop and bar. You can walk from your hotel room and have a coffee at Joe Mamma’s (where the sign reminds you that each cup of coffee is personally crafted and that they aren’t at Starbucks). You can sit in the beach chairs outside or stroll on the beach or pier with your java.

The newly redesigned Avila Market & Deli is quite charming and offers a great menu. You can eat upstairs, take it outside, or downstairs where they’ll pour you a glass of wine to go with your meal. As with each beach town, there are souvenir shops my daughter can’t stay out. During late spring, summer and early fall there is a fun farmers’ market where you can sample seafood from the local restaurants, buy fruit and veggies or stop by the outside bar and enjoy a cocktail. Then you just walk home to the Inn at Avila Beach a block away.

I’m happy on the rooftop, but there are so many nearby choices on where to go touring and exploring. Rent a local bike and go out the Bob Jones Trail from the beach by the golf course out to the Avila Valley Barn and enjoy a treat, drive in to See Canyon for apples or wine, venture south to Pismo Beach or the other direction to San Luis Obispo. One can go wine tasting in the ever expanding Paso Robles region, exploring and shopping in Morro Bay, Cambria and Cayucos or go on Hearst Castle tours and the list goes on.

Something I never miss on my trips to the central coast is the fabulous year-round Thursday night farmers’ markets in San Luis Obispo (SLO) … a must see and do. City streets close every Thursday for three hours from 5 to 8pm and you can eat from a multitude of restaurants, fruit and veggie stands, and buy clothing and just about anything you’re looking for. Bands are also playing on several of the side streets and the energy in the area is easy to catch.

Another stop we never miss is to Splash Café. Their bread bowl clam chowder is out of this world. Their main restaurant is in Pismo Beach near the pier. Don’t let the long line wrapping around the funky building scare you. It moves quickly. They just added a location in SLO, too.

But there is always my rooftop at the Inn at Avila Beach. Late spring is my favorite time to be in Avila, but there really is no wrong time. Parking gets a little crazy on busy summer days, but if you’re parked in the lot at the hotel you’re good, though there aren’t enough places for every room.

More hotel and town information are online.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

For the first time since its inception five years ago, KidZone Museum Family Camp is offering families the opportunity to join in on guided nature walks, art projects, science exploration, entertainment and home-cooked meals for just a day, skipping the overnight camping.

Family Camp is each year at Sagehen Creek, UC Berkeley’s field station where researchers are stationed to study the unique natural science that is found in the area. The station is 8.5 miles north of Truckee. Camp festivities start Aug. 12 and end Aug. 14. The cost for the weekend is $180 for adults and $80 for children; Saturday only camp cost is $45 for adults and $15 for children; evening programs run $25 for adults and $10 for children. Kids under 2 years of age are free.

At Family Camp, UNR scientists share their knowledge of the natural world with hands-on exploration of bugs, snakes and fish.

To sign-up to attend, call the Kidzone Museum at (530) 587.5437 Tuesday through Friday from 9am-1pm.

By Rob Sabo, Northern Nevada Business Weekly

The Reno Championship Air Races were created in 1964 in part to boost tourism during slow September days. Now, 46 years later, the annual event at Reno-Stead Airport draws close to 200,000 people to northern Nevada, helping make September one of the busiest tourism months in the region.

Though attendance at the 2010 Reno Championship Air Races dipped slightly from 2009 figures, advance ticket sales and pre-orders are encouraging for a slight uptick at this year’s event scheduled for Sept. 14-18. Full-week attendance at last year’s event was 197,000 fans, down slightly from just over 200,000 in 2009.

Mike Houghton, president and chief executive officer of the Reno Air Racing Association for the past 14 years, says about 40 percent of visitors to the event hail from the West Coast, with the balance spread out from larger cities around country.

Although popular with locals, about 70 percent of attendees come from outside of the area — including 4 to 5 percent international visitors. “It is a huge event for this community,” Houghton says. “It contributes in excess of $70 million in economic impact in a week’s time.”

Read the whole story

By Juan Lopez, Reno Gazette-Journal

Cassie Angus used to spend about $500 monthly on groceries and personal care products.

And even then, the stay-at-home-mom’s cupboards were stocked with the same type of foods.

“I used to shop at mass-merchandise stores,” said the 25-year-old mother of three. “I would get 10 pounds of ground beef, and my family and I would have to eat the same thing for two weeks. I had no snack items or variations in meals.”

And now?

Her pantry is “overflowing” with a variety of items and the Reno resident’s monthly bill, which includes personal care products, is 70 percent lower — or about $350 less.

How does she do it? By couponing. And she’s not alone.

Consumers across the U.S. saved $3.7 billion by using coupons in 2010, up from just $200 million in savings in 2009, according to data released by NCH marketing. A total of 332 billion coupons were distributed by advertisers in the U.S. last year.

Read the whole story

By Barbara Barte Osborn, Sacramento Bee

Placer County health officials have scheduled low-cost clinics during August to immunize students against pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough.

Seventh- through 12th-grade students in both public and private schools are now required to present documentation that they have received the vaccine since their seventh birthday.

“The best way to get the pertussis vaccine, called ‘Tdap,’ is through your family’s health provider, since they can also provide any other needed vaccines and care,” Dr. Richard Burton, Placer health officer, said in a news release.

The county vaccinations, which will cost $9 each, are being offered to students who would otherwise be unable to obtain the vaccine before school starts, he said, adding that others may also be able to get the vaccine if supplies last.

Read the whole story

By Faun Kime, KOLO-TV

INCLINE VILLAGE – NDOW has a three-strike policy for what it calls”urban bears” that cause problems in town for people. For a bear that some residents in the area called Charlie, one recent Sunday at the Raley’s shopping center was his last offense and Charlie was euthanized.

Madonna Dunbar, Incline Village’s General Improvement District Resource Conservationist, points to some bushes. “They tranquilized the bear in the shrubbery and then the bear ran under the culvert and came out in the back of the complex where the tranquilizer took effect and the bear collapsed.”

Franny Bryan, an Incline Village resident, is organizing a vigil this Saturday night at 7pm in front of Ace Hardware. She says, “the bear doesn’t know it’s three strikes, ‘oh my gosh, I went to the garbage three times, the next time I’m going to be killed’, I mean, they don’t know that.”

Madonna Dunbar says, “it’s not necessarily a bear problem, it’s a human problem.” Primarily, it’s humans not managing their trash and a few people even feeding the bears. Signs everywhere warn against this. “A fed bear is a dead bear.”

Read the whole story

The 2011 Tahoe Family Festival, benefiting KidZone Museum, a nonprofit children’s museum, is an event full of activities for families looking to play, discover, explore and have fun.

This year’s Family Festival is Aug. 28 from noon-6pm at the Truckee Regional Park. There will be live music, food, cycling, face painting and more. Kids are free. Adults are $5.

In two years the event has raised more than $16,000 for programs at the museum such as free bus service for 30 to 50 families from Kings Beach and Truckee to visit the museum and participate in science and art through the museum’s nationally recognized program KidsReach.

For more information, email director@kidzonemuseum.org, or call (530) 587.5437.