By Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post

Depression is usually considered an issue parents have to watch out for starting in the turbulent teenage years. The CW channel, full of characters with existential angst about school, friends and young love, tells us so, as do the countless parenting books about the adolescent years in every guidance counselor’s office.

But what if by that time it’s already too late?

A large new study out this spring contains some alarming data about the state of children’s mental health in the United States, finding that depression in many children appears to start as early as age 11. By the time they hit age 17, the analysis found, 13.6 percent of boys and a staggering 36.1 percent of girls have been or are depressed.

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Without a suitable home, the Bass Camp and Reggae festivals are not happening in Tahoe this year.

Paul Reder through PR Productions started the concerts in the parking lot of Lake Tahoe Hard Rock.

His customers want to be on grass. And while he accommodated them to a point, it wasn’t feasible to lay sod down across the entire asphalt parking area. Last year 10,000-square-feet of grass was brought in.

Reder spoke at a City Council meeting in January about his desire to move the concerts to the community ball fields where SnowGlobe is staged.  With the turf being laid this season at the new field, the council was lukewarm at best to this idea. It never got approval.

North Tahoe Regional Park in Tahoe Vista has been used before, but snow from last winter damaged the fields and made it off limits this year.

All of this has forced Reder to cancel the Tahoe concerts for 2017. He’s hoping for a different outcome in 2018.

Reder isn’t letting the setbacks stop him. He has started to offer regular live reggae at The Loft in South Lake Tahoe on Sundays and the Bass Camp show has moved to the Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno on July 8.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Thomas Moore, Las Vegas Sun

The bulk of Nevada’s economy rests on one unglamorous, taken-for-granted object.

It supports most of the state’s gaming win and resultant tax revenue, as well as a large portion the quarterly earnings for publicly traded gaming companies and as a result, sometimes their stock prices.

To a large degree the fortunes of gaming establishments from the smallest neighborhood tavern to the largest Strip resort literally sit on this item.

We’re talking about chairs — the kind seen in front of almost every one of the 166,855 slot and video poker machines in Nevada.

“If you look at a typical slot chair, what you’re trying to do is to get people to stay for extended periods of time to play,” said Skip Davis, president of Reno-based Gary Platt Manufacturing, which builds slot and video poker chairs.

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Liberty Utilities customers may sign up for a free energy audit at either of two local events this weekend, and receive free energy efficient LED bulbs during the audit.

Liberty will be at the Wildfire Safety Expo in South Lake Tahoe at the TJ Maxx parking lot on June 17 from noon-3pm, and at Peaks and Paws at the Squaw Valley Village Saturday on the same day from 11am-5pm.

In addition to free energy audit signups, customers can learn about other ways to save energy, money and the environment including the refrigerator recycling program.

Information about income-eligible programs will also be available.

In 2016, 461 residential customers took advantage of Liberty’s free energy audit. Collectively, their subsequent energy efficient improvements resulted in saving nearly 391 MWh of power. A record number of refrigerators were recycled last year; 225 which is nearly double of what has been done in prior years with an estimated savings of 169 MWh.

Liberty Utilities doled out several scholarships to area high school and community college students living in its service territory. This is the fifth consecutive year that Liberty has provided these awards.

Winners are:

South Tahoe High School – Emily Doyle

Douglas High School – Hunter Celio

North Tahoe High School – Lionel Pascal

Truckee High School – Julia Meyer

Lake Tahoe Community College – Hannah Brown.

Each high school senior received $500 and the community college student received $750. 

A Liberty Utility representative attended each of the school’s awards ceremony to personally congratulate the student and present the check.

Kings Beach will start the Independence Day holiday on July 3 with the annual fireworks show.s Beach.

The firework and beach party are from 4-10pm at North Tahoe Event Center, hosted by the North Tahoe Business Association. The event is open to all ages and features preferred fireworks seating, food vendors, a beer/wine and mixed drink garden, free watermelon eating and sand castle building contests, music provided by the San Diego Marine’s Double Time Brass Band, a raffle to win a standup paddleboard, patriotic and glow items, face painting and more.

The event is capped off by fireworks at 9:30pm.

Entrance into the beach party is free.  

Preferred fireworks seating is available for $20/person. Ticket holders can secure their seats starting at 4pm and will also have access to indoor restrooms at the North Tahoe Event Center. There are a limited number of tickets available; purchase them online. 

All proceeds go to pay for the fireworks. They cost approximately $1,000 per minute.

“The Smog of the Sea” short film chronicles a one-week journey through the remote waters of the Sargasso Sea to assess the fate of plastics in the world’s oceans. As the crew sieves the water they find a fog of microplastics permeating the world’s oceans.

Following the movie screening in Inline Village on July 13, Will Richardson of the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science will briefly discuss how excess light and sound can affect people and wildlife. This is an opportunity to learn about the impacts of these less-considered forms of pollution on animal species and what can be done to prevent them.

Attendees will also be told how they can help monitor pollution, local species, and water quality at Tahoe beaches using the Citizen Science Tahoe app.

Registration for this event is required. The program will begin at 6pm with refreshments and no-host bar from 5:30-6pm at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center on the campus of Sierra Nevada College. A $5 suggested donation will be collected at the door.

By Laura Walny

Suicide in men has been called a silent epidemic around the world because of limited awareness. Yet according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, men die by suicide 3.5 times more often than women and account for the majority of suicide deaths in most nations, including the United States.

El Dorado County is no exception. A study of health data in El Dorado County between the years 2005 and 2015 showed that 347 people died from suicide in the county, and 78 percent of these deaths were among males. In addition, 73 percent of the suicide deaths were among people aged 40 or older.  

As a community, we need to be talking about suicide. It’s important that everyone knows the risk factors and signs to look for, as well as protective factors that can help reduce the risk of suicide. 

When it comes to suicide and suicide attempts, there are some big differences between men and women. Research shows that while females tend to make more suicide attempts than males, their methods are generally not as lethal as men. Men, by and large, tend to act more quickly on suicidal thoughts and to use more lethal means, such as firearms. Of the 347 suicide deaths in El Dorado County between 2005 and 2015, over half (54 percent) were committed with a firearm.  

Risk factors and warning signs

Certain factors tend to put individuals at risk for suicide. These include social stressors such as social isolation, family breakdown (divorce or separation), overwork, and employment insecurity. These stressors can be especially difficult for men because they often do not have the same social supports as women. In addition, men may be less likely than women to seek out help when they are depressed or experiencing emotional problems. The stigma males may feel in asking for help with mental health problems can be very powerful.

In addition to social stressors, a history of alcohol or other drug use can be a significant risk factor for suicide. Social factors are often combined with alcohol or drug abuse, particularly in men. In fact, many suicides are committed while the individual is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.  

As men age, their risk for suicide can also increase. Risk factors, warning signs and symptoms of suicide and depression can look different for older people than for young adults. Some risk factors increase with age, such as chronic health conditions; disabilities; limited mobility and access to services and activities; substance abuse; and fear of prolonged illness. Older adults face challenges such as coping with retirement, smaller budgets, health concerns, and loss of friends and family. Symptoms of depression in older adults (such as loss of appetite, changes in sleep and disinterest in activities once enjoyed) can often be mistaken for “normal” signs of aging.

The most critical warning signs of suicide are:

• Talking about wanting to die or about suicide
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live
• Looking for ways to kill oneself.

If you are concerned about someone, don’t ignore those feelings. Talk to them and ask direct questions. Call the Friendship Line at 800.971.0016 or National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800.273.8255 and talk with a trained counselor who can provide additional tips.

Protective factors

Research shows that there are certain protective factors that can help to reduce the risk of suicide. These include having a strong social circle of friends, engaging in meaningful activities such as volunteering or taking up a hobby, and staying as physically active as possible.

Major protective factors to help reduce suicide include:

• Effective behavioral health care
• Connectedness to individuals, family, community, and social institutions
• Life skills (including problem solving skills and coping skills, ability to adapt to change
• Self-esteem and a sense of purpose or meaning in life
• Cultural, religious, or personal beliefs that discourage suicide.

Ideally, a person will have multiple protective factors. If someone is severely depressed, it is important to reach out for help to a mental health professional or trained counselor.

Learn more

El Dorado County Behavioral Health and partner agencies offer trainings on suicide prevention. For questions about local suicide prevention trainings, call 530.621.6130. Behavioral Health also operates a 24-hour mental health crisis line at 530.622.3345 in Placerville and at 530.544.2219 in South Lake Tahoe for residents experiencing a mental health crisis. In an emergency, call 911.

Laura Walny is the program manager with the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency.

Carrie Pryor was a character in Truckee in the late 1800s Photo/Truckee-Donner Historical Society

By Abby Stevens, Moonshine Ink

On April 13, 1873, the Daily Alta Newspaper reported “that Carrie Pryor has acquired an unenviable reputation in Truckee … She is a dangerous woman and it is high time this community were rid of her presence.” This wasn’t the first time Pryor had been written up in a newspaper — her name was splattered across police logs from Virginia City to Truckee.

Truckee has always drawn a crowd of freewheeling and independent people. As the town began to establish itself in the Wild West, the list of characters who showed up grew. Among them, during this period, there stand a few outliers — people with the same wild spirit, but one big difference — they were women, not men.

1870s Truckee was a rough town. The rowdy town had little place for women, but among the brave who held their own was Carrie Smith Pryor, known to most as “Spring Chicken.” She perplexed lawmen and vigilantes alike with her unbreakable spirit and propensity for getting into trouble. Pryor made her living working on Jibboom Street as a “lady of the night,” but her exploits did not stop there; she had a reputation for stirring up trouble in town.   

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Jackson and Robbie

Jackson and Robbie are shy male kittens who need a home together because they didn’t get much attention when they were younger. They are about 3 months old and will do best in a household that will be patient with them.

Jackson and Robbie are neutered, microchipped, tested for FIV, 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 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. Vouchers can be obtained at the animal shelter also, check the website for application procedures.

— Karen Kuentz