By Kathryn Reed

A powder day or work? The choice just got easier – at least for those who can work remotely.

Tahoe Mountain Lab and Heavenly Mountain Resort are partnering this winter to provide people a space to work on the mountain.

“I really have found myself on the mountain needing a place to work and not able to,” David Orr told Lake Tahoe News. Either the Internet connection wasn’t there or the quiet place to conduct business didn’t exist. Now both will.

Orr is one of the owners and founders of Tahoe Mountain Lab, a shared work space in the center of South Lake Tahoe. This satellite office will be known as Lakeview Mountain Lab because it is inside Lakeview Lodge at the top of Heavenly’s tram.

Today the space is used for weddings. By December, when the lab will open, there will be 16 desks in the 800-square-foot area. Time will be charged hourly, with rates not locked in stone – but likely will be between $10 and $20. Drop-ins are OK, but no promises there will be space.

This is the view workers from Lakeview Mountain Lab will have. Photo/LTN file

For those who know they’ll need to get a little work done in between making turns, lockers will be provided at the lab for computers and the like.

The lab will use software and hardware from Cobot to manage the workspace. As people’s time is about to expire, a message will pop up asking if they want to continue or end the session. Codes will be given out that allow prepaid workers access and no one else.

Orr doesn’t anticipate needing an employee to be on site. Heavenly will have staff available if someone needs something.

This is the first such work space at a ski resort in the United States.

“Office space is anyplace you want to be on the planet. Anywhere you can sit down and get a wireless connection is a virtual office space,” Coop Copper with Heavenly told Lake Tahoe News. “We think we are going to see pretty good traffic through there. This gives you that nice quiet space.”

Vail Resorts, parent company of Heavenly, will see how this workspace functions before deciding to expand it to other locations on the mountain or to other resorts.

It will be open the same hours the resort is.

Orr admits this is an experiment. He won’t make projections for how busy the on-mountain lab will be.

“We expect people on the mountain are with their families and want to get their work hammered out and get back on the mountain. We assume people want to do the bare minimum so they can feel comfortable about their work and take off,” Orr said.

That’s why it’s an hourly rate instead of something longer. Skiing is the No. 1 activity, the work thing is secondary at best in this situation. The difference though will be having that connectivity and quiet space that until now has been elusive at a ski resort.

The space can also be rented out by businesses if they want to do a workshop or the like on the mountain.

For info or to reserve a time slot for this season, go online.

By Jonah Engel Bromwich, Daniel Victor and Mike Isaac, New York Times

A Chicago company has marketed a tool using text, photos and videos gleaned from major social media companies to aid law enforcement surveillance of protesters, civil liberties activists say.

The company, called Geofeedia, used data from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as nine other social media networks, to let users search for social media content in a specific location, as opposed to searching by words or hashtags that would be less likely to reveal an exact location.

Geofeedia marketed its abilities to law enforcement agencies and has signed up more than 500 such clients, according to an email obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union. In one document posted by the organization, as part of a report released on Tuesday, the company appears to point to how officials in Baltimore, with Geofeedia’s help, were able to monitor and respond to the violent protests that broke out after Freddie Gray died in police custody in April 2015.

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The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 24 received multiple reports of attempted fraud.

In all of the reported incidents a male subject claimed to be Lt. Mike Sharp with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.  Caller IDs identify the phone number as 775.375.5858, located in Winnemucca. The complainants were told they owe money in regard to civil case No. 6120-NV-8901. Callers reach a voicemail stating all deputies are currently busy on other lines and to leave a name and telephone number for a return call.

None of the complainants has given money to the suspect.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office employees do not call citizens to demand payment for any reason. If a citizen were to have a warrant of arrest, an officer would contact them and place them under arrest, or advise them to turn themselves in on the warrant.

Any call from a person who states they represent any entity in the judicial system and demands money is a fraud, according to deputies.

If anyone has any information on this matter, call 775.782.9905.

By Karma Dickerson, Fox-40

SACRAMENTO — Today is the last day to register to vote in California.

Mike Patterson

The campaigns are hitting the streets to register and persuade voters.

California Teachers Association members were campaigning statewide Sunday in favor of two education initiatives. Proposition 55 would sustain funding for schools through an extension of the tax on people making over $250,000 a year.

Mike Patterson, a teacher at South Tahoe High School, says if Proposition 55 doesn’t pass, his district would lose 10 percent of their funding.

“Class sizes will go up, programs will go away — it’s not good for students,” said Patterson.

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Beth Howard

Northstar needs a new top executive. Beth Howard is leaving the Truckee resort to be to the chief operating officer at Beaver Creek.

Vail Resorts, the parent company, has made changes throughout its resorts.

Howard replaces Doug Lovell who is taking over the top job at Vail Mountain.

Vail Mountain’s chief operating officer, Chris Jarnot, is now executive vice president of the mountain division, overseeing Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone, Perisher in Australia, Afton Alps in Minnesota, Mt. Brighton in Michigan, and Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin.

Howard came to Northstar two years ago from Beaver Creek.

No replacement for Howard has been named.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Kathryn Reed

More heads in beds is bringing in a substantial amount of money in order to promote the South Shore to even more people.

The South Lake Tahoe Tourism Improvement District’s budget is more than 20 percent higher than it was a year ago; $2.3 million v. $2.6 million. (In 2009 the budget was $1.8 million.)

Officials attribute the increase all to more room nights, not the price of rooms going up because the TID fee is a flat fee and not a percentage of the cost of a room night.

The TID gets its money by charging $3 per room on most hotels, with $4.50 a night assessed to time shares, condos and duplexes that operate as a tourist rental. This is just for properties in the city limits.

Ninety-five percent of what is collected goes to the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. Forty-eight percent of that percentage goes to marketing and 10 percent for special events.

Jerry Bindel, president of the TID, said the reason for the upswing is the increase in marketing. He spoke at last week’s City Council meeting. The city manages the collection of money, receiving a 1 percent administrative fee for doing so.

Carol Chaplin, who heads the LTVA, said events and international travelers are making a difference.

“The important thing with the international visitor is how long they stay and the money they spend,” she said.

Material is on the tourism bureau’s website in a variety of languages as a way to be instantly accessible to would-be travelers.

LTVA, which is integral to the annual celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe, continues to see more residual benefits from the event. Chaplin said the American Century Championship has a $10 million economic impact on the community.

In 2015, an attendance record of more than 41,000 was set. It was broken this year with more than 47,000 attending the July tournament in Stateline.

The contract to have the tournament here goes through 2022.

LTVA is in talks with Amgen to bring the women’s cycling event back to the South Shore in May.

While the LTVA has often targeted Northern California and Los Angeles, San Diego is a new market. Results so far are positive, with the plan to continue to attract that Southern California population.

Different air routes out of Reno are helping to bring people here – like Jet Blue’s Long Beach and New York services, Alaska’s Orange County route, Allegiant increasing flights to Los Angeles, and Delta’s Atlanta flights.

Five people were arrested in Truckee in three days related to a series of thefts in the area.

Officers were alerted Oct. 21 to suspicious people entering unlocked vehicles in the Prosser Lakeview subdivision. A witness was detaining a suspect, Lourene Walter. Officers arrested Walter, 20, on felony charges of theft, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and conspiracy to commit crimes. Also on Friday officers arrested Jonathan Nash, 20, on charges of felony theft, possession of narcotics paraphernalia, and conspiracy to commit crimes.

As officers were continuing to investigate, they determined there were at least six associated thefts, including a stolen vehicle, with possibly more unreported thefts. One theft included a construction site in the Tahoe Donner subdivision where several construction tools were stolen. These were later recovered in another vehicle in the Prosser area.

Officers also determined there were three more people involved. Brittany Nash, 29, was taken into custody on Oct. 22 on felony theft and conspiracy to commit crimes, she also had a fixed blade knife concealed on her, according to officers.

Kelsey Ewing, 23, was taken into custody on charges of felony theft and conspiracy to commit crimes. Ewing was recently released for auto theft in an unassociated case.

On Oct. 23, Ronald Cochran, 54, was taken into custody. He was booked on charges on felony theft and conspiracy to commit crimes.

Officers are continuing to follow-up on other possible crimes associated with this group. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Robert Womack at 530.550.2335 or rwomack@townoftruckee.com.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Electric vehicle charging stations in the Tahoe-Truckee area. Map/TRPA

By Carole Bernardi

INCLINE VILLAGE – Electric vehicle readiness is on its way to the Tahoe-Truckee region.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Truckee-Donner Public Utility District, an independent consultant team and a Plug-in Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council have all partnered to accelerate transportation electrification in the region.

Vehicle technologies in the United States and around the world are in a phase of rapid change. The last six years have seen the introduction of self-driving cars, mass production of electric vehicles, and new vehicle sharing. Electric vehicles are booming and this area has a chance to become the “electric highway in the sky.”

Millions visit the region and transportation has impacted air quality and become the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. To counteract the tendency to negatively impact the nature of our surroundings, regional planners are leading an effort to encourage the use of plug-in electric vehicles.

These vehicles have the potential to dramatically reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while increasing energy independence. There are two definitive types of plug-in electric vehicles: PHEV — plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and PEV — plug-in electric vehicle.

The Tesla Model X is all-wheel drive, has a 100kWh battery providing 289 miles of range, seating for seven, and goes from 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds. Photo/Carole Bernardi

The PEV is 100 percent powered by electricity stored in a rechargeable battery and electric motor. The PHEV includes an internal combustion engine and rechargeable battery which includes regenerative breaking (where the gas engine kicks in when the electric system becomes limited). The pros with PEVs are no fuel costs, low maintenance, cheaper to operate and zero emissions with an average range of 100 miles on electric only. The cons are limited range anxiety and longer time to charge. PHEV’s pros include a fuel option to rely on, but the cons are more emissions, more fuel dependency and more maintenance.

Vehicle manufacture options for these types of vehicles range from $24,000 to $94,000-plus with more utility vehicle models on the drawing board (due to high demand in varying regions). The growth appears to be steady with 45 percent of regional residents showing ownership of Tesla models alone.

There are incentives the public may not be aware of. Rebates, like the Federal Electric Vehicle Tax Credit which grants up to $7,500. There’s the CA-EV state rebate upward to $2,500 (for California). Time of usage (electricity) utility rebate (Washoe County issues “half price electricity” during the hours from 10pm-6am) and charging infrastructure tax credits up to 30 percent (usually implies a charging installation in resident).

Other natural incentives include: 1. Air quality (reduced greenhouse gas emissions), 2. Water quality (less gasoline pollution on roads seeping into the watershed), and 3. Noise (reduced roadway noise impact).

Let’s say you’ve been convinced an electric vehicle is the way to go. The second part of that equation is how and where to get charge?

The charging adapter cord is used only when not hooked up to a Tesla free charging station. Photo/Carole Bernardi

“In the Tahoe-Truckee region, most of the fast chargers are located in Truckee and are for Tesla’s only (16 stations). The only fast charger for other electric vehicles is located at Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe,” Steve Poncelet, Truckee-Donner Public Utility District’s spokesman, said.

A charging location can have multiple chargers, with three levels available. However, not all chargers are open to the public. Tahoe-Truckee has 71 percent open to the public. These might be contained to hotel guest use, as an example, and confirms the concern that access is an issue for the consumer.

These three levels of charging options are:

·     Level One: for a PEV it’s the slowest and the cheapest, up to 14 hours, and found mainly in residential situations (220-volt accessibility). For PHEVs it’s a charge for to 2-7 hours.

·     Level Two: for a PEV it offers 5-7 hours and for a PHEV 1-3 hours. These are usually found in commercial locations as well as residential (must be installed).

·     Level Three: for a PEV this is what’s called a direct current (Tesla charging stations) and takes 1 hour (fastest method). For PHEVs, it would average 20 minutes.

Why plan for this future transportation option when there are challenges here like limited electric SUV model options and cold weather where the estimated driving range is reduced by one-third?

“We surveyed the region and discovered that 70 percent of drivers are interested, but have never driven any type of electric vehicle. They’re basically undereducated or hesitant no matter their concern for the environment,” said Jennifer Cannon, associate planner with TRPA.

The biggest piece of the puzzle for the PEV Vehicle Readiness Project was answered when the TRPA/Truckee-Donner PUD/Independent Consultant team was awarded $200,000 from the California Energy Commission to accelerate the planning. As a part of this grant, a coordinating council was convened including utility companies, local government, experts, private sectors like ski resorts/hotels and local business associations. The council will provide recommendations, act as ambassadors and serve as a peer network offering education and outreach to the public.

Boosting and building this readiness plan with local policy will help accelerate development, increase access availability and viability for electric vehicles in the region. Municipalities are starting to install conduit into sidewalks in shopping districts and are requiring chargers for large parking lots and structures. Planned charging station installations will increase utilization by almost 90 percent and decrease what is known as “range anxiety” — a fear of being stranded due to lack of charging infrastructures. Free market competition is already in full swing with utility companies competing with aggressive independents like EVgo, whose plan is to build the largest PEV charging network in the country.

Like any plan there is a schedule. Starting now with existing condition assessment and surveys, leading into toolkits and recommendations regarding policy and incentive, including education and outreach, the goal for the project is to reach implementation by May.

Based on the U.S. Department of Energy calculations, estimated CO2 reduction in California is 76 percent and 59 percent in Nevada between all PEV and PHEV vehicles.

Technological advancements are expected to go beyond private vehicle use all the way to driverless automated vehicles. Tesla already offers this option and encourages it for highway use only. There is also the future electric boat transportation that would protect lakes. Regional progress is under way with the Tahoe Transportation Department pursuing the purchase of electric buses.

By Josh Lederman and Jill Colvin, AP

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Steering his campaign toward controversy yet again, Donald Trump vowed Saturday to sue every woman who has accused him of sexual assault or other inappropriate behavior. He called them “liars” whose allegations he blamed Democrats for orchestrating.

Trump’s blunt threat of legal action eclipsed his planned focus on serious-minded policy during a speech in Gettysburg. Though his campaign had billed the speech as a chance for Trump to lay out a to-do list for his first 100 days as president, he seemed unable to restrain himself from re-litigating grievances with Hillary Clinton, the media and especially the women who have come forward in recent days.

“All of these liars will be sued once the election is over,” Trump said. He added later: “I look so forward to doing that.”

Nearly a dozen women have publicly accused Trump of unwanted advances or sexual assault in the weeks since a 2005 recording emerged in which the former reality TV star boasted of kissing women and groping their genitals without their consent.

The latest came on Saturday, when an adult film actress said the billionaire kissed her and two other women on the lips “without asking for permission” when they met him after the American Century Championship celebrity tournament at Edgewood Tahoe in 2006.

According to the tournament’s archives, Trump played in the 2006 ACC as an amateur. He finished with minus-16 points in the Modified Stableford format, good for 62nd place.

Trump has denied all the allegations, while insisting some of the women weren’t attractive enough for him to want to pursue.

“Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign,” he said. Without offering evidence, he surmised that Clinton or the Democratic National Committee had put the women up to it.

Speaking to reporters aboard her campaign plane, Clinton said: “I saw where our opponent Donald Trump went to Gettysburg, one of the most extraordinary places in American history, and basically said if he’s president he’ll spend his time suing women who have made charges against him based on his behavior.” She also said the suggestion that Democrats or her campaign were encouraging women to level accusations against Trump “inaccurate.”

Trump’s broadside against the women came at the start of an otherwise substantive speech that sought to weave the many policy ideas he has put forward into a single, cohesive agenda that he said he would pursue aggressively during his first three months in office.

By Tony Bizjak, Sacramento Bee

Placer County roads and highways are increasingly congested and local leaders say they don’t have enough money to provide traffic relief. After years of debate, they are asking voters on Nov. 8 to approve a half-cent sales tax increase to fund an estimated $1.6 billion of transportation improvements over the next 30 years.

Measure M, the Keep Placer Moving initiative, will need a two-thirds yes vote to pass. It’s a tough hurdle in a largely Republican county where voters are known to be fiscally conservative. But congestion problems have led some low-tax advocates to offer support for the measure.

The tax is similar to transportation sales tax measures on the ballot in 14 California counties, including neighboring Sacramento. County officials say they are asking voters for the tax because the state and federal governments have failed to provide adequate funds for roads, and there appears to be no movement at either state or federal levels to come up with a reliable, long-term revenue source.

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