Last chance to ski in February.

Here is the Feb. 28 ski report.

— Curtis Fong

• The March 5 South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting has been canceled. The next meeting is March 19 at 9am at Lake Tahoe Airport.

• South Tahoe Public Utility District’s board is having a workshop March 6 from 2-5pm to discuss the budget and 10-year capital improvement plan. The meeting is at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

• The first weekend in March marks the beginning of SnowFest in North Lake Tahoe, as well as the return of the Rahlves’ Banzai to Squaw Valley.

• Pollard Station is proposed to be an age-restricted senior neighborhood located on the 8.05-acre Davies/Fitch property in the 37.8-acre Hilltop Master Plan area of Truckee. For more information, contact planner Jaime LaChance at (530) 582,2927or jlachance@townoftruckee.com.

• Eric Lamoureux, 43, of Placerville has been appointed deputy director of the office of public affairs at the California Department of General Services, where he has served since 2010.

By Kathryn Reed

Smiles are scarce. Concentration levels are at their peak. Counting to four keeps being repeated. Bodies are being twisted in ways they aren’t used to moving.

Today will be the last of four practice sessions for the six South Shore residents who will take the stage March 1 with professional dancers as their partners. Dancing with Your Stars is a take-off of the wildly successful “Dancing with the Stars” television show.

Six Tahoe-ites will perform with professionals March 1 in Dancing with Your Stars. Photos/Kathryn Reed

Wendy David has a perplexed look as she asks Andrew Blackburn, “What are we doing now?”

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District board member is paired with a tall partner. She stretches to put her arm around Blackburn’s neck. As Tuesday’s rehearsal progresses, she is bending and turning with more ease.

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority Executive Director Carol Chaplin quips, “The fact someone can flip me … I’m thrilled.”

Chaplin and Joey Williams are taking up a good portion of the width of the multipurpose room at Sierra House Elementary School as they work on a two-step.

The guy from Tahoe, Curtis Fong, is more stationary in his area of the room. At one point it looks like he is proposing to Sarah Najdek, but then she tells him he’s supposed to be facing the “audience” and not her.

Joel Dameral, South Tahoe High teacher, doesn’t seem to be having fun until near the end of the second day. By then he is spinning Jen Hayes like they have been dancing together for weeks and not just hours.

Bert’s Café owner Bueno Ketelsen is like a matador as he spins a black and red cape to the beat of the music. A smile crosses his face when partner Casey Bartlemay tells him he got it.

The sixth local competitor is Deb Howard, but she missed Tuesday’s session.

“We prefer when they don’t have a ton of training. Then it’s like a fresh canvas for us,” Jesse Maher, assistant director for the Utah Ballroom Dance Company, tells Lake Tahoe News.

Just like the TV show, video and interviews are being shot during the rehearsals that will be played during the performance. And just like the TV show, the contestants will be all decked out in fancy clothes and makeup.

Each duo will perform one dance routine. Each is a different type of dance like the Waltz or jitterbug. During the intermission the audience will pick their favorite. That score will be combined with the judges’ (Marcia Sarosik, Pat Ronan and Paul Middlebrook) score to crown the winner.

The second half of the show is all about the professionals, of which there are about 20 who will be on the stage.

The money raised goes to Tahoe Arts Project, the local organization that brings performing arts to South Shore schools. (One program was cut this year because donations to TAP have dwindled.) The six dancers who have been practicing with locals all week have also been working with students all week.

—

Note:

• Dancing with Your Stars – March 1, 7pm

• MontBleu casino in Stateline

• Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Sarah Tencher, Emily Harris, Amanda Harris, Nicki Simon and Sierra Forvilly

Publisher’s note: Five Whittell High School seniors were honored Feb. 27 by Soroptimist International South Lake Tahoe as young women of distinction. The following is what counselor Estela Gerlinger said about them at the lunch at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

By Estela Gerlinger

Sarah Tencher

Sarah has always been dedicated to her academic endeavors. She will be graduating with an honor’s diploma and a GPA of 4.21. During her high school career, Sarah has consistently found her place on the honor roll for her academic achievements. Sarah enjoys being challenged and she has a real thirst for knowledge. Her favorite subject is math because it is not subjective and it’s based on facts. And although Sarah hasn’t decided on a specific career or major to focus on in college, she knows she would very much like to study something that involves math and science.

What makes Sarah a great individual is that she is not only a great scholar, but she has also learned how to balance a rigorous class schedule with extracurricular activities. Sarah has participated on the volleyball and softball teams and in cheerleading. In addition, Sarah belongs to the Key Club and the National Honor’s Society where she has learned leadership skills that will translate well into college. Last but not least, Sarah enjoys serving her school as our current senior class vice president and class treasurer.

As well as being an exemplary student at Whittell High School with excellent grades and citizenship, Sarah has dedicated much of her free time to community service. Sarah understands the importance of giving back and has enjoyed doing so by participating in causes that are near and dear to her heart; Breast Cancer Awareness, Nevada Humane Society, Relay for Life, and Special Olympics.

When I asked Sarah who has had the most influence on her, she quickly responded that both her parents have had the most influence on her. She admires her mother for being caring and empathetic, and her father for being motivated and hardworking. This response was not surprising as Sarah is an individual who has cultivated all of these great qualities within herself.

Amanda Harris

As her new counselor, I have gotten to know Amanda for the well-rounded student that she is. Amanda is a great example of the complete George Whittell High School Student. I say this because Amanda has managed to be involved in our school across all areas.

As part of our Executive Student Council, she is always looking to improve school spirit on campus not only by planning events that encourage school involvement but by leading by example. Amanda is a member of the school’s Black and White Choir, Christian Club, National Honor Society, Academic Team, and Youth Group. As a natural athlete, she is involved in sports and this year was awarded division MVP in volleyball and All Team League in basketball. Amanda has carried the determination, enthusiasm, and focus she has for athletics into the classroom by challenging herself academically and enrolling in AP and honors courses.

Amanda learned from a young age to fight for what she wants when her father was diagnosed with lymphoma. Watching him fight for his life and turning to her faith, instilled in Amanda a determined work ethic and a need to want to help others. Growing up, Amanda also learned to admire her mother for being the person who has always held the family together and keeps it running like a smooth machine.

No matter how demanding her school obligations are, Amanda still has been heavily involved in community service dedicating her little free time to causes that are near and dear to her such as the annual Relay for Life, helping out at her church, and mentoring younger children through athletics and contests. That is why it’s not surprising that Amanda after graduating from George Whittell High School with an honor’s diploma and a GPA of 4.16 is excited to begin her path to becoming a high school English teacher. A career that will give her the opportunity to marry the two things she loves, English because she believes there are no definite answers, and teaching which gives her the opportunity to help others. Amanda is well on her way to achieving her goal and her next step will be to pick between McDaniel College in Maryland or Coker College in South Carolina, as they’ve both offered her a scholarship and the opportunity to play volleyball.

Sierra Forvilly

I have gotten to know Sierra for the dedicated and all-around great individual that she is.

Sierra has always been dedicated to her academic endeavors. She currently is on track to graduate with an honor’s diploma and she has a GPA of 3.94. During her high school career, Sierra has consistently found her place on the honor roll as well.

Like her peers, Sierra has learned how to balance a rigorous class schedule with extracurricular activities. Sierra has a deep passion for athletics that was instilled in her by her father, a former USC athlete. She credits her father for teaching her work ethic and giving her the tools to become the strong and independent young lady that she is. Sierra’s first sport of choice is track. Because we live in a small community that lacks coaches, she’s had to rely on her father for guidance. But it was Sierra who took the initiative and dedicated long hours to practicing so that she could compete at a high level. Her dedication paid off, as last year, Sierra led her team to the state championship title and Sierra broke and set a new record in the 300-meter hurdle. This fall, Sierra as team captain led the varsity soccer team to the state runner-up title for the first time in 15 years. Sierra was able to accomplish all of this all while participating in cheerleading.

Off the field, Sierra’s other love is singing. As a member of our Black and White Choir, she truly enjoys any the opportunity she gets to perform. Sierra is also our school newspaper and yearbook editor. This is a huge responsibility for Sierra as she has had to learn how to manage her time and balance her schedule between her academic obligations, athletics, cheerleading, and choir all while ensuring that her classmates are on task so that she can meet her deadlines.

As well as being an exemplary student involved in all aspects at Whittell High School with excellent grades and citizenship, Sierra has dedicated what little free time she has left to community service. Sierra understands the importance of giving back and she has enjoyed doing so by volunteering her free time to mentoring younger students and coaching them in track and soccer.

In speaking with Sierra, I asked her how is she able to manage to get everything done in addition to working part time for her family’s business. Her response is that she has always liked to keep busy. It isn’t always easy, but as she has learned in track, life will always have hurdles and it is all in how you approach those hurdles. With this attitude, I have no doubt that Sierra will achieve her goal of someday becoming a doctor.

Emily Harris

As her new counselor, I have gotten to know Emily for the well-rounded student that she is. Emily, like her twin Amanda, is a great example of the complete George Whittell High School Student. I say this because Emily’s school involvement spans across all facets. She is an honor student and a member of our Black and White Choir, Christian Club, National Honor Society, Academic Team, and Youth Groups. In addition, Emily continues to dedicate much of her free time to serving others in the community.

At a young age, Emily’s father was diagnosed with lymphoma. This diagnosis and seeing her father fight for his life had a great impact on Emily. She didn’t completely understand the details of his diagnosis; all Emily knew was that he was going to fight it. The other person Emily truly admires is her grandfather. Listening to him proudly speak of the time he served in the navy and his stories about Vietnam and Korea have truly inspired her. Both her father’s determination and her grandfather’s service have made her equally determined to win every challenge that comes her way.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Emily has immersed herself in sports and she has relied on her faith and close family bonds to help her become the strongest student athlete she can be. Whenever she is faced with an obstacle, she tells herself that like her father and grandfather, she must continue to fight and give her best. Due to this drive, Emily has earned numerous athletic awards and honors including First Team All League in both basketball and volleyball this year.

Emily’s enthusiasm for athletics has carried over into the classroom where she has challenged herself academically by enrolling in AP and honors courses. Emily will be graduating in June from George Whittell High School with an honor’s diploma and a GPA of 4.21. Emily is excited to continue on her path and like her sister, Amanda, Emily has been offered scholarships and the opportunity to play volleyball both at McDaniel College in Maryland, and Coker College in South Carolina. Emily looks forward to the small college atmosphere these schools have to offer and embarking on a new experience. Although Emily is undecided as to what specific career she is interested in pursuing, Emily does know that no matter what challenges she is faced with she will fight through and land in a profession where she will help others.

Nicki Simon

Nicki Simon will also be graduating with an honor’s diploma and she has a GPA of 3.96. Nicki credits her mother as the person who has influenced her the most. Watching her mother go back to school later in life and start a career in nursing has been very inspiring to Nicki.

Like her peers here today, Nicki is not only a great scholar, but she has also learned how to balance academics with extracurricular activities. She has been playing basketball, varsity softball, and varsity soccer since her freshman year. Nicki credits these experiences for teaching her the importance of hard work and dedication, and how to become the senior and the captain that she is today. This fall Nicki was awarded the Coach’s Award for her participation in soccer.

In addition to athletics, Nicki is the Key Club president, executive vice president, a member of the National Honor Society and a senior class representative. With these credentials it is no surprise that Nicki’s favorite class is American Government as she finds learning about laws and how they affect our society very interesting. Nicki is grateful to have attended a small high school, because by having had the opportunity to be involved in athletics, academics, and numerous other activities including the Black and White Choir, it has given her the ability to grasp what she enjoys doing most.

Nicki really enjoys being a part of humanitarian efforts, she has volunteered for numerous causes including Relay for Life, Special Olympics, and Breast Cancer Awareness to name a few. But it was an organization called Invisible Children that really caught her attention in the eighth grade. She learned how the organization was about ending the war in Central Africa and bringing peace back to the affected communities and this really had an impact on Nicki. She spent the next four years of her life supporting Invisible Children by participating in awareness events and raising money for their cause. It was these experiences that gave Nicki feelings of satisfaction and self-worth that she could only find by giving of herself.

After graduation, Nicki will be traveling to Africa for three months in the fall to work in underdeveloped communities where she will learn about the local culture and people. Some of the work she will be doing includes tracking and rehabilitating rhinos in Uganda, teaching English at an all girls academy in Kenya, and working in a medical clinic in Tanzania. Nicki is excited for her trip and hopes to come back with a better idea of what type of education she would like to pursue, one thing she does know for sure is that helping others will be a lifelong mission for her.

By Stuart Pfeifer, Los Angeles Times

Beer drinkers in three U.S. states filed lawsuits accusing brewing giant Anheuser-Busch of watering down and mislabeling Budweiser, Michelob and other brands to cut costs.

The lawsuits, filed in the last week in California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, said the brewing giant cheated consumers by listing a higher alcohol content than the beers actually contained.

Ten Anheuser-Busch products were named in the lawsuits: Budweiser, Michelob, Michelob Ultra, Bud Ice, Bud Light Platinum, Hurricane High Gravity Lager, King Cobra, Busch Ice, Natural Ice and Bud Light Lime.

Former employees at the company’s 13 breweries — including some in high-level positions — are cooperating with the plaintiffs, said San Rafael lawyer Josh Boxer, the lead attorney in the case.

“Our information comes from former employees at Anheuser-Busch, who have informed us that as a matter of corporate practice, all of their products [mentioned in the lawsuit] are watered down,” Boxer said, according to the Associated Press. “It’s a simple cost-saving measure, and it’s very significant.”

The excess water is added just before bottling and cuts the stated alcohol content by 3 to 8 percent, he said.

Anheuser-Busch InBev called the claims “groundless” and said its beers fully comply with labeling laws.

“Our beers are in full compliance with all alcohol labeling laws. We proudly adhere to the highest standards in brewing our beers, which have made them the best-selling in the U.S. and the world,” Peter Kraemer, vice president of brewing and supply, said in a statement.

Anheuser-Busch, based in St. Louis, Mo., merged with InBev in 2008 to form the world’s largest alcohol producer, headquartered in Belgium. In 2011, the company produced 22 billion gallons of alcoholic beverages, 3 billion of them in the U.S., and reported $22 billion in profits, the lawsuit said.

According to the lawsuit, the company has sophisticated equipment that measures the alcohol content throughout the brewing process and is accurate to within one-hundredth of a percent. But after the merger, the company increasingly chose to dilute its popular brands of beer, the lawsuit alleged.

“Following the merger, AB vigorously accelerated the deceptive practices … sacrificing the quality products once produced by Anheuser-Busch in order to reduce costs,” said the lead lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco.

Boxer told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the plaintiffs did not independently test the alcohol content in the beers. That was a significant omission, said Eric Shepard, executive editor of Beer Marketer’s Insights.

“Right now, I’m skeptical,” Shepard told the Post-Dispatch. “Brewers and other large companies are often the targets of class-action lawsuits, and A-B wouldn’t have had its vice president of brewing Peter Kraemer come out with their statement if they weren’t confident in their standing.”

By Eli Segall, Las Vegas Sun

Southwest Gas Corp. gave shareholders their best year ever with the company in 2012 as rate hikes and new customers pushed up profits.

The Lake Tahoe natural-gas provider said it earned $62.4 million of net income, or $1.35 per share, in the three months ending Dec. 31. That’s up from $55.3 million in profit, or $1.20 per share, in the same period a year earlier.

The company, with almost 1.9 million customers in Arizona, Nevada and California, booked $133.3 million in profit for all of 2012, up from $112.3 million in 2011.

Its earnings per share last year, $2.89, rose 18 percent from $2.45 in 2011 and was the highest in company history, according to President and CEO Jeffrey W. Shaw.

Operating revenue increased to $1.93 billion last year from $1.89 billion in 2011. Its “operating margin,” defined as revenue minus the cost of gas sold, rose by $52 million in 2012. That was largely because of “rate relief” in Arizona (accounting for $45 million of the increase) and, to a much lesser extent, in Nevada ($2 million).

Arizona state regulators voted in December 2011 to let the company raise rates by about 8 percent starting Jan. 1, 2012.

The company’s 17,000 net new customers last year accounted for the remaining $5 million bump in operating margin.

Six South Shore residents will be performing in the March 1 Dancing with your Stars fundraiser event for Tahoe Arts Project at MontBleu in Stateline at 7pm.

The Douglas County Public Library has again joined with In-N-Out Burger for the Cover to Cover Club reading program from March 2 to April 13.

Children ages 4 to 12 are eligible to receive certificates for a free In-N-Out hamburger or cheeseburger by reading books. Both branches of the library are participating in the program.

Children must fill out a file card at the library to enroll in the program.

Readers will earn an Achievement Award redeemable for an In-N-Out hamburger for every five books read at their reading level. Each participating child may earn up to three award certificates. Children too young to read on their own may have a parent read to them.

The Douglas County Public Library is located at 1625 Library Lane in Minden and 233 Warrior Way in Zephyr Cove.

For more info, call (775) 782.9841.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association is offering a two-day wilderness first aid course.

The cost for the April 13-14 class is $195 for non-TRTA members and $175 for TRTA members.

The course will be taught by the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS. This course will provide individuals with a foundation in first aid concepts critical to responding effectively to emergencies in a remote backcountry environment.

The WFA course will help people prepare for the unexpected. This fast paced, hands-on training is designed to meet the needs of trip leaders, camp staff, outdoor enthusiasts and individuals working in remote locations. Classroom lectures and demonstrations are combined with realistic scenarios with mock patients.

Participants must be at least 16.

Successful course completion earns you a WMI Wilderness First Aid certification.

This course may also be used to re-certify WMI Wilderness First Responder and WMI Wilderness EMT (wilderness portion only) certifications.

For more information or to register, contact Hayley at (775) 298.0238 or programs@tahoerimtrail.org.

By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times

California could cut $110 billion in healthcare spending over the next decade, saving the average household $800 a year, by quickly moving away from conventional fee-for-service medicine and embracing more coordinated care, a report says.

These findings released Tuesday come from the Berkeley Forum, a new group of healthcare executives, state officials and academics that studied California’s healthcare market for the last year in hopes of finding ways to make care better and more affordable. The main recommendations are not entirely new, and these shifts are already underway in response to the federal healthcare law and pressure from employers to tame runaway medical costs.

But the group’s report does quantify how much work remains to be done and the potential savings if major changes are made in how doctors and hospitals are paid. Health-policy experts at UC Berkeley convened this group, which included high-ranking executives from Kaiser Permanente, Anthem Blue Cross, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and other industry players.

“This could be a game changer in the state,” said Stephen Shortell, dean of the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley and a coauthor of the report. “These are the CEOs of big insurers, big health systems and large medical groups saying it’s time for a change, and these are the people who can get things done.”

The Berkeley Forum calls for a major shift toward “global budgets,” in which physicians and hospitals provide care under preset amounts that are adjusted to reflect the health of their patients. These payments would also be tied to providers’ performance on several quality measures.

This is similar to the “capitated” payments managed-care companies and HMOs have used for years in California. HMOs already cover 44 percent of California’s population, which is about double the nationwide rate.

Despite that high penetration, the report’s authors found that 78 percent of the state’s healthcare costs, or about $245 billion annually, are still paid through fee-for-service arrangements, which can encourage medical providers to perform unnecessary tests and procedures. The report calls for reducing the share of fee-for-service payments to 50 percent by 2022.

The Berkeley Forum also says California should double the share of the state’s population receiving integrated care from medical providers to 60% within the next decade. The most visible example of integrated care in California is Kaiser Permanente, the Oakland nonprofit that coordinates care across its hospitals and physician groups.

Other health insurers, hospitals and doctors are collaborating in similar ways through accountable-care organizations, medical homes and other initiatives that have strong backing from Medicare. Shortell acknowledged that there are “legitimate concerns” about this integration leading to higher prices as hospitals, clinics and physician groups rapidly consolidate.

The $110 billion in healthcare savings targeted by the group would amount to 2.5% of overall spending of $4.4 trillion over 10 years in California, according to the report. Those savings would mean an extra $800 annually for every California household.

Overall, the report found that 53 percent of the state’s healthcare dollars are spent on just 5 percent of the population, illustrating the high cost of treating certain chronically ill patients.

Pam Kehaly, president of Anthem Blue Cross in California, said this industrywide collaboration “puts us on a path to improving the ailing California healthcare system.”