By Sarah Moore, KXTV
Six months into California’s plastic bag ban, a cultural shift has taken place.
The ubiquitous “paper or plastic” has been replaced with “Do you need a bag for that?” or, more to the point, “Do you want to buy a bag for that?”
It might seem insignificant, but it represents a somewhat different attitude with respect to customer service and use of resources.
Horace
Horace is an 8-year-old who has all the good characteristics of an older dog and all the best features of a puppy.
He is house trained, he walks nicely on the leash, he likes to play with girl dogs and has lived with cats and small children. He enjoys riding in cars and is very happy hanging out in a crate, and like a puppy he is quite playful and affectionate.
Horace came to the shelter when his owners became homeless. He has been at the shelter for more than four months, and he is still a happy, friendly boy. But it is time for Horace to go home.
Please share his information with anyone who may be interested in a great companion.
Horace 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
By Jeanne Nelson
As an active leader in the South Lake Tahoe chapter of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, I work closely with family members who have loved ones with mental health issues. For many, one of the hardest times was learning about their child, partner, or friend’s diagnosis and not knowing what do next. Some were shamed for not addressing their loved one’s needs sooner and others were told they were too protective or doing too much.
I have been in this same position as a parent and unsure what to do for my adult child. Based on what I have learned and heard, here are few tips about what to do after you learn about your loved one’s symptoms or diagnosis.
Imagine how we would think about mental health if we assumed all our children, colleagues, or neighbors had a mental health condition. Maybe we would be more proactive in getting timely healthcare and supporting prevention education. We might focus less on “what ifs” and more on solutions.
Jeanne Nelson is a leader of NAMI El Dorado County in South Lake Tahoe. NAMI is a grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by mental health.
Lake Tahoe Community College will present the iconic hit musical “Godspell” from June 16-25 in the Duke Theatre.
It is one of the biggest off-Broadway successes of all time.
“GodspellL first took the world by storm in 1972, then went on to enjoy successful productions around the world, including a recent Broadway revival in 2012.
A rock musical based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, “Godspell” follows a group of people as they help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a variety of games, storytelling techniques, and perfect comic timing. The show offers an eclectic blend of songs ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, bringing the parables of the New Testament to life on stage.
LTCC’s production of “Godspell” includes cast members Molly DeLallo, John Friedrich, Sharon Kerrigan, Thomas Lopez, Ellen Martin, Amanda Sanderson, Richard Sargent, Chris Taylor, Pam Taylor, Ashley Wallick, Saundra Whitt, and Jeff Whitt.
Performances are June 16-17 at 8pm, June 22-24 at 8pm, and June 18 and June 25 at 2pm. Tickets are $15 general admission, $12 for seniors, students with a valid ID and children under the age of 13.
By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Nevada Division of Tourism and the Nevada Department of Education are collaborating again on TravelNevada’s “Discover Your Nevada” campaign encouraging state residents to visit attractions within the state.
Nationally, 51 percent of state residents take trips to attractions within their own states, but in Nevada, the rate is just 6.7 percent, meaning most Nevada residents go out of state for weekend getaways and vacations.
To encourage more instate travel, TravelNevada — the brand for the state’s tourism division — is working with the education department to conduct an essay contest among the next school year’s eighth-grade students on destinations within the state.
By Tim Prudente, Baltimore Sun
The bushlands of West Africa are far in many ways from the Johns Hopkins University, and the path was neither sure nor straight for the boy whose name meant “beloved by his ancestors.” They called him Kpimenongme Mwinnyaa.
Only now as he graduates — having been baptized George, having earned semester after semester of straight A’s despite grades once too poor for college — does he dare believe it’s more than a dream.
George Mwinnyaa, 29, received a bachelor’s degree in public health with academic honors at Hopkins’ commencement last month. Mwinnyaa was named the outstanding senior researcher in the prestigious public health program and wore the honorary cords.
His formal education in the United States started in Reno.
By Fiza Pirani, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’re spending hours in the sun this summer, sunscreen is a must. But according to a report, nearly three quarters of all sunscreen products on the market don’t actually work or could potentially cause more harm.
For their 11th annual sunscreen guide, researchers at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group evaluated the UV-ray protections, toxic ingredients and other health hazards in approximately 900 sunscreens, 500 SPF-labeled moisturizers and more than 100 lip products.
The group found 73 percent of the 880 tested sunscreens either contained “worrisome” ingredients or didn’t work as well as advertised.
Dan Ruby, director of the Fleischmann Planetarium, will be in Tahoe on Saturday explaining the science behind SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy).
His PowerPoint presentation will focus on infrared astronomy with some safe sun viewing activities, and giveaways too.
Ruby is active in ongoing planetary research involving extraterrestrial caves and trans-Neptunian objects. He is trained as a NASA ambassador in heliophysics and airborne infrared astronomy. He will be talking about tools scientists use to explore the vast universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and what can be learned by looking outside visible light.
The free talk is June 3, 10am at the South Lake Tahoe Library on Rufus Allen Boulevard.
By Thomas Moore, Las Vegas Sun
You would think it would be a sure-fire hit in Nevada; a slot machine with a Frank Sinatra theme.
It was unveiled in 2001 when then-Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, along with Sinatra’s daughter, Tina, made Dec. 12 Frank Sinatra Day.
But sometimes, what seems like a great slot theme just doesn’t pan out, industry experts say.
Olaf Vancura, vice president of game development for slot maker Mikohn Gaming (which eventually became part of IGT) and other gaming companies, said gameplay is paramount. To be successful, a slot machine must offer players entertainment and escape, Vancura said. If it doesn’t, no theme will save it, he added.
Tahoe Activist Artists have released “Art & Science in an Age of Unreason,” a video collaboration between award-winning oil painter Shelley Zentner and Anthony Capaiuolo of First Tracks Productions. The video is available online at Facebook, Vimeo and YouTube.
“Art & Science in an Age of Unreason” began as a simple time-lapse of a large oil painting of Marie Curie by Zentner and ended as a call to action. The subject of the short film, two-time Nobel Prize winning scientist and educator Curie, was chosen to celebrate science, education and the achievements of women.
“The trend toward anti-intellectualism, anti-science, a lack of respect for women and the growing hostility toward refugees and immigrants fleeing the horrors of war fuel my work,” says Zentner.
The Tahoe Activist Artists is a community of multidisciplinary artists who formed in response to the current social and political climate in the U.S. to work toward a more compassionate world. This film is the first major output of the group.
“Art & Science in an Age of Unreason” will be featured at the Tahoe Activist Artists show “We the People: Tahoe Artists Visualize a World of Conversation and Connection” on Sept. 9, 2-8pm at Tahoe Mountain Lab in South Lake Tahoe.