By Chris Kudialis, Las Vegas Sun

Legal betting nationwide on professional sports would help protect the integrity of American sports while cutting down substantially on black market wagering, former NBA Commissioner David Stern said this week.

Speaking at Las Vegas’ Global Gaming Expo, Stern echoed the words of his successor and current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who has advocated for nationwide legalization of betting since taking over the position in 2014.

“There’s a lot out there that’s being bet illegally,” Stern said during a 50-minute talk with American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman in front of about 500 show attendees. “If we can fix this, it would be a big hit to organized crime.”

Anywhere from $100 billion to $300 billion is spent annually on illegal sports wagering, according to estimates from scholars and the American Gaming Association.

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The Nevada Division of Forestry  in cooperation with UNR will be conducting a prescribed burn in the Whittell Forest, located on the East Slope of the Sierra Nevada in Little Valley, about three miles west of Washoe Lake and 2½ miles east of Lake Tahoe.

The burn operation will begin Oct. 3 and is expected to continue for four or five days.

In addition to the Little Valley project (249 acres), burns are also planned at Spooner Meadow (49 acres), and York (294 acres). The division also has multiple slash pile burn projects statewide this fall/winter. These projects range from 5 to 100 acres in size.

Stunning views are the reward for getting to the top of Cave Rock. Photo/Dale Roberts

By Dale Roberts

CAVE ROCK – Whenever I have out of town guests I get a lot of enjoyment and take great pride as a host to show them the best that Tahoe has to offer. No visit to my home is complete until I have taken them to the best spot to admire the beauty of Lake Tahoe.

Cave Rock’s vista has always been somewhat under the radar for the best of Tahoe. As imposing as it is to drive through, most visitors and many residents are not aware of just how easy it is to summit.

This is the final rough approach to the summit. Photo/Dale Roberts

I did not learn about it until about eight years ago, 35 years after moving to Tahoe. Since discovering the view from the top of Cave Rock it has become my perennial favorite. No other vista point around the lake offers a 270-degree unobstructed view of the Tahoe basin.

Cave Rock from the Logan Shoals vista. Photo/Dale Roberts

Quick, easy to get to, less than one mile round trip, with the majority of the trail being an old utility easement road with a gentle gradient. Only the last couple of hundred feet does it do a small climb, scrambling up a rock stairway to the summit.

From your car to the summit is approximately a 20-minute effort at a very relaxed pace. Perfect for that quick unique sunset vista.

Looking toward the North Shore from the top of Cave Rock. Photo/Dale Roberts

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Getting there:

From the South Shore go east on Highway 50. Just as you round the last bend before the boat launch and Cave Rock is in front of you, make a right turn up Cave Rock Drive. Follow it up until it makes a sharp right hand hairpin turn. Do not turn but proceed straight and you will see where the cul-de-sac has been paved over with four marked parking spots. Look just past the fire hydrant and you will see the trail.

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal

Earlier this summer Jenna Yokoyama set out to plan a backpacking trip to northern Idaho.

But before committing she wanted to know if non-white hikers would be safe in a region known as a hotbed for white supremacists.

It was an important question for Yokoyama, 34, a Japanese-American and avid hiker who said several years earlier she was a target of racial taunting in Lone Pine while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

She posted invitations in Facebook groups for the Pacific Crest, John Muir and Appalachian trails.

Almost immediately the posts generated dozens of comments, many supportive but others accused her of everything from promoting separate trails for white people and non-white people, seeking to form exclusive cliques and even warning her to stay off the trail because she wasn’t worthy of search and rescue help should she get in trouble.

Moderators of the various trail groups sought to prevent hateful and ignorant comments, but the damage was done.

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A golden eagle from Loyalton gets a second chance to soar. Photo/LTWC

A golden eagle is back in the wild after having been rehabilitated at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

The eagle was released Sept. 25 in the Carson Pass area near Red Lake.

The center on the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe needed about a month to get the bird healthy. It had a hard time flying at first because it had not been eating.

By Shivani Vora, New York Times

Forget the standard hangout by the beach or sightseeing through a city vacation. Hiking, walking and biking are less common ways to explore a destination, according to Susan Sparks, a travel adviser at Points of Interest Travel in Aspen, Colo., who specializes in customized active trips.

“When you take an active trip, you’re out in nature and get a perspective on a place that most travelers don’t. Plus, you’re moving a lot and burn plenty of calories to balance out all the eating and drinking that are typical on vacations,” she said.

But she cautions that all active getaways aren’t created equal and offers tips on planning one that’s best for you.

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People — bears are unpredictable, wild animals and that may attack you, your children and your pets if they feel threatened.

That’s the message being delivered by wildlife authorities, especially on the South Shore. Human interactions with bears at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center during the kokanee salmon spawn have become a public safety concern.

If a bear becomes aggressive, even if the reason is because a human provoked it, that bear is likely to be killed.

According to the U.S. Forests Service, visitor center staff routinely encounter unsafe situations when guest ignore posted instructions and get close to bears to take photos and videos. Their advise — stay away from bears, as they are dangerous animals.

If visitors continue to disregard directions to stay away from bears at Taylor Creek, the Forest Service may close the area for public safety.

The first snow of the season at lake level may arrive on Sunday.

Clouds will be moving in on Oct. 2, with moisture coming later. According to the National Weather Service in Reno there is a 50 percent chance of rain and snow showers after 11am.

The overnight low Sunday is expected to be 25 degrees in South Lake Tahoe. The high that day is forecasted to be 46 degrees.

The moisture is expected to continue until late morning Monday.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Work in the Martis Valley is one of the Truckee River Watershed Council projects. Photo/LTN

By Kathryn Reed

TRUCKEE – The environment and economy are being altered as the climate changes.

As rain replaces snow and the months when precipitation falls are more in the spring than winter, the Tahoe-Truckee area is going to have to adapt.

People are going to recreate in different ways, which will impact the economy. Different types of businesses may evolve, while others go by the wayside.

Mother Nature will adapt, but she also needs some help.

That was part of the message delivered this month by Joanne Roubique, district ranger of the U.S. Forest Service and Lisa Wallace, executive director of the Truckee River Watershed Council. They were the featured speakers at the Truckee Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

“It’s clear water has a role in buffering climate change near forests,” Wallace said.

Her group has what it calls 50 large scale projects that are slated for completion in the next decade. They are working on waterways, meadows and near the forest.

A main focus is the Truckee River and the neighboring creeks and streams. From Tahoe to Pyramid Lake the Truckee River has been labeled “impaired and polluted.”

“We are seeing the cumulative effect. There is already excessive sediment in the river,” Wallace said. “With more rain, there will be more sediment. This impacts species, the economy and recreation.”

If the river can become healthy, this will help the surrounding forest.

Now in its fifth year, the drought is impacting the health of the environment. Bark beetle is killing trees. Dying trees then become a wildfire waiting to happen. Depending on the fire, it could be catastrophic to people, the built environment and to the natural surroundings.

Roubique said the big issue is what to do with the timber that needs to be removed. The good news, she said, is that the various agencies are working together instead of in silos to address issues.

When it comes to dealing with fire prevention, thinning in the wildland urban interface has been common of late. Now the problem is that the trees upslope need to be dealt with to create a healthy forest.

Keep the shorts out and have the fleece nearby; it’s going to be one of those wacky weather weeks in Tahoe.

While the National Weather Service in Reno does not expect the basin or Truckee areas to hit a record high this week, it is going to be unseasonably warm. South Lake Tahoe is expected to reach 79 degrees today and Tuesday, and 77 on Wednesday.

“Then we have a cold front coming late in week with increased winds and choppy waters, and much cooler temperatures on the weekend,” Wendell Hohmann, meteorologist in Reno, told Lake Tahoe News. “We are looking at 50s by some point in the weekend. It could even be cooler depending on how the front organizes.”

This means the overnight temps will also be dropping. Expect them to be in the 20s next weekend.

For now the fire danger is not elevated, but that could change as the weekend approaches.

Hohmann said the likelihood of any precipitation in the next week is not good. However, he is confident wind and cooler temps are headed for the area by the end of the week.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report