Lake Valley Fire Protection District is offering free chipping through October.
Converting slash and cut limbs into wood chips reduces flammable vegetation and helps homeowners create defensible space to protect their property from the threat of wildfire.
The program includes residents of El Dorado County, South Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf, and Alpine County.
Go online to get more details.
Hot summer weather has forced Squaw Valley to finally end the 2016-17 ski season.
The last day was July 15. This was after 200 days of operation; the average season is 174 days.
This is the latest the resort has ever been open. The 728 inches that fell last season included breaking the record for most snow in one month with 282 inches in January, snowing 23 feet in 23 consecutive days. This was followed by the snowiest February ever with another 196 inches.
Now it’s all about summer operations — at least until the snow starts to fly again.
By Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times
As he prepared to launch his fishing boat from the dock at Castaic Lake, longtime angler Dan Curtis recalled conditions two years earlier when the state’s worst drought shriveled the reservoir to nearly a third of its total capacity.
The lake is now near capacity, but below the surface of the water, not everything has returned to normal.
Five years of drought have stunted the size of the bass that spawned in the 3 1/2-square-mile reservoir near Santa Clarita, and Curtis has mostly been catching 6-inch-long bass — about half the size before the drought.
By Paul Rogers, Bay Area News Group
TRUCKEE — A breathtaking landscape of Sierra Nevada meadows, forests and wetlands larger than San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park — located 20 miles north of Lake Tahoe — will be preserved from development under a $10 million deal that closed Friday.
The Carpenter Valley is 1,317 acres, a hidden valley one ridge over from the Tahoe Donner ski resort that is home to bald eagles, black bears, carpets of wildflowers and an unspoiled stream — all flanked by snow-capped peaks.
A coalition of conservation groups known as the Northern Sierra Partnership, which is based in Palo Alto and funded in large part by donors from Silicon Valley and the rest of the Bay Area, feared that the land would be developed as a golf course or housing subdivision. So the groups stepped in to acquire the property when it was about to hit the market.
By Jamie Wanzek, Moonshine Ink
The Truckee River has returned with vigor. In addition to creating rare whitewater conditions and easing concerns about the recent drought, the raging cobalt flows have done up to $1 million worth of restoration work naturally, says David Lass, Trout Unlimited California field director.
The estimate is largely based on the amount of woody debris that has been swept into the river in the Tahoe-Truckee area, which creates fish habitat, feeds aquatic insects, and establishes “structure.”
Based on projects that TU has organized doing exactly the same thing — placing dead trees on the river bottom — he estimates that the high water has done the equivalent of $600,000 to $1 million of restoration work along the Truckee River watershed.
Mohamed Irfan Lakdawala returns a shot with partner Ryan Johnston in the nen’s 10.0 final in 2016. Photo/ZCTCF
The four-day Tahoe Tennis Classic tournament based out of Zephyr Cove Tennis Club boasts some of the best club tennis players in the region as well as the country and world.
The all doubles tournament is July 27-30, with 14 divisions.
It’s an opportunity for the Tahoe community to watch some high level tennis without having to travel outside the basin. And there is no cost to attend.
A record number of entrants – more than 200 – will be playing in the 34th annual event.
Dick Johnson of Ballwin, Mo., is one of the top players in his age group (70-plus) in the world. At the South Shore tournament he has won the men’s 130, 100 and A divisions. He won the 70-plus World Championship singles in Croatia in 2015. In Tahoe, Johnson will be partnering with Hersh Herschman in the 130 division. This is combination of ages – the total must be at least 130.
Herschman and his wife, Sheryl, are the founders of the tournament. The nonprofit Zephyr Cove Tennis Club Foundation is in its fourth year of running the highly-regarded event.
The Catania family may walk away with top prizes. Duane and Hannelore Catania of Incline Village are leading the pack, with their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter all in the draw.
Zephyr Cove’s head pro, Dave Nostrant, will be playing in his first Classic, as this is his inaugural year at the facility. He and partner Neal Trebotich will be in the 130 division.
Ginny Unger, who teaches at Zephyr, is pairing with Angelina Spinnato of Gardnerville in the 9.0 division. Spinnato is a top junior player in USTA NorCal, which includes Northern Nevada.
For more information about the Tahoe Tennis Classic, go online.
By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent announcement that it would review a New Jersey case on sports wagering and the American Gaming Association’s continued push to repeal the law forbidding state-authorized sports gambling are clear indicators that sports betting is on its way to some major changes.
But will those changes be good for Nevada?
For years, sports books have been supportive of efforts to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, the federal legislation that blocks states from allowing sports gambling.
Industry leaders argue that a repeal would bite more into illegal offshore betting than in the four states where some form of wagering is legal — Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware.
Mark Mulder is the first person in the 28-year history of the ACC to win the tournament three years in a row. Photo Copyright 2017 Carolyn E. Wright
By Susan Wood
STATELINE – Despite winning the American Century Championship golf tourney an unprecedented three consecutive times Sunday, former A’s pitcher Mark Mulder insisted he’s not necessarily ready to compete with the pros.
When asked if Mulder was ready to take his game to the U.S. Open, the family man got understandably humble.
“I understand the big difference between their game and my game. I know what it took to get to the top of baseball,” he told Lake Tahoe News after the win July 16, adding another major consideration. “I know my wife wouldn’t like it.”
Think “Tin Cup” – the movie about an amateur qualifying for the famed U.S. Open. It stars Kevin Costner, who also played in the celebrity golf tournament years ago – but with results not even close to being on par with Mulder’s.
The Major League Baseball pitcher racked up 73 points in the three-day tournament, which also broke a record of its own in attendance with 55,801 people. That’s a 16 percent increase over last year’s record-breaking attendance.
Of his historic win, Mulder told Lake Tahoe News: “Records are meant to be broken.”
Oh, what to do with a $125,000 windfall? To that, his 7-year-old daughter, Tatym, helped him out during the press conference by whispering ideas in his ear. She later told LTN the siblings would love a go-kart – perhaps for their home in Flagstaff where he golfs in high altitude. Mulder reserved comment on the go-kart idea.
Mardy Fish finishes the celebrity golf tournament July 16 tied for second. Photo/Susan Wood
Instead, he did indicate how the family’s trip to Lake Tahoe has become a special vacation, one he’d like to extend each year. The clan plans to raft the Truckee River, among other activities that make Tahoe an outdoor paradise.
“My three kids think this is the tournament where they get to run on the green,” he said. And they did as dad laid in the last putt.
It was a picture-perfect Sunday at Lake Tahoe – one that tourism officials salivate over when images are broadcast to millions on NBC Sports.
Throngs of fans crowded around NBA champion Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who provided the best single-day performance of 28 points to place him at fourth in the tournament with 60. (The ACC uses the Stableford format for scoring.)
Curry played with singer Justin Timberlake and retired quarterback Tony Romo, a fan-favorite trio.
Mulder teed up with former pitcher Derek Lowe — who played on a Boston Red Sox World Series team — and ex-tennis player Mardy Fish, a trio that seemed to quietly slip behind the frenzied trio in front of them. They provided stellar performances minus a few mishaps.
Mark Mulder’s three kids are eager to congratulate him on his win July 16. Photo/Susan Wood
Some missed short putts were disappointing to Mulder, but were countered with “one of the best birdies” in the tournament. They’re all just a part of the up-and-down nature of golf as a humbling sport – much like a pitcher’s ERA.
As for the unexpected, Mulder admitted having to nurse his hand on the 17th hole because he pinched his finger between the basketball hoop rim and the ball set up to please the party people lined up on the beach. Mulder handed the bloodied towel to Fish.
Fun and games are all part of the celebrity golf scene every year, along with the camaraderie of playing with other sports stars. This year was no exception.
The three leaders come across as genuinely liking each other, despite the keen competition.
When push comes to shove, some bring their game more than others – with apologies to former NBA star and television commentator Charles Barkley. Mulder, Fish and Lowe are all contenders in a pool of at least 15 who could excel and win the American Century Championship.
We “just fell a little short,” Fish explained — although his long drives were commendable. He and Lowe tied for second with 62 points.
“The tennis player outdrives the two baseball pitchers. Must be that smooth tennis swing,” one man yelled from the ropes on the 18th.
It’s not the first year Fish was close to winning on the same day his tennis counterpart, Swiss legend Roger Federer, racked up an eighth Wimbledon title.
When LTN asked Fish if he saw Federer’s performance as the U.S. tennis star approached the 18th, he replied: “Yes, have you?”
Fish later complimented Federer for being on top of his game.
By John Clary Davies, Outside
German manufacturer Marker DE has stopped selling the beloved Kingpin ski binding in response to a finding from a patent infringement lawsuit brought forth by G3 Genuine Guide Gear Inc. According to legal documents, Marker stipulated in court in May, agreeing that it had infringed on one of three patent claims that G3 asserted against them.
Subsequent court dates will determine whether Marker infringed on two other infringement claims, as well as the damages G3 will be awarded.
In the fall 2015, Marker, who elected not to comment on the matter, introduced the Kingpin binding to great fanfare.
Mark Mulder, who won the ACC in 2015 and 2016, is leading going into the final round. Photo/Kathryn Reed
Reigning ACC champion Mark Mulder will go into the final round on Sunday with a three point lead.
After two days of play, the former Major League pitcher has 48 points. (The American Century Championship uses the Stableford format for scoring.) Tied for second are Mardy Fish and Derek Lowe. Lowe was atop the leader board after play on July 14.
Chad Pfeifer and John Smoltz round out the top five.
Here’s what the NBC broadcasters had to say:
Quotes from players:
Play starts at 7:30am July 16. Curry, Timberlake and Tony Romo will again be a threesome. They are set to go at 9:30am. All the pairings may be found online.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report