Actor Joseph Cross drinks a white wine from Miraflores in the movie “Last Weekend.” Photo/Provided

Miraflores Winery of El Dorado County has a cameo appearance in the movie “Last Weekend”, which was filmed at Lake Tahoe.

The wines got their debut during a lavish end-of-summer party scene at an estate on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Bottles of Miraflores wines can be seen on the dinner table near actor Joseph Cross.

El Dorado County Lake Tahoe film commissioner Kathleen Dodge supplied the film crew with several local products.

“Product placement opportunities are exciting, but there’s no guarantee that any of the products will appear in the final cut,” Dodge said in a statement. “Wine shows off one the region’s best offerings — whether it’s used on set or enjoyed by the crew.”

Matricia Haigood, general manager for the winery, has offered to pour Miraflores during the opening reception in San Francisco in September.

By Cathy Locke

Six Sacramento-area residents were indicted Thursday in a case involving drug-trafficking in Sacramento, Yolo and El Dorado counties.

A federal grand jury returned a 17-count indictment against Kenneth Tam, 53; Gerald Osborne, 56; Sherlynn Charles, 52; Marco Antonio Borja, 38; Adalberto Valenzuela-Ruiz, 30; and Nelson Gutierrez, 26. They are charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, and possession and distribution of methamphetamine and heroin, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, a seven-month investigation began in January after law enforcement officials received reports that Tam was trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin throughout Sacramento, Yolo and El Dorado counties.

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TAMBA’s Armstrong Connector Trail Day is Sept. 7.

Members of the mountain bike organization (and anyone else) will be working on the Armstrong Connector and Upper Corral Trail along with 27 AmeriCorps members. Volunteers receive lunch and a post work barbecue.

Meet at 9am at the Corral Trail dirt parking lot. Some will ride, other will take shuttles up with tools and bikes. Wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves and long pants, helmet or hard hat.

On Sept. 28 the nonprofit will be on working off Highway 28.

Nevada State Parks just gave the green light for a singletrack connector trail from the Tahoe Rim Trail at Twin Lakes down to the Red House Flume Trail.  This bypasses the steep and sandy fire road that is impossible to climb unless you’re on a fat bike.

TAMBA sawyers will be clearing the corridor through September with the groundbreaking Sept. 28.  Meet at 9am at the dirt lot behind Tunnel Creek Cafe for a 4-wheel drive carpool up to the top.

By Alexei Koseff, Sacramento Bee

Driven by shifts in technology and educational expectations across industries, California’s higher education leaders know they face an unexpected economic challenge just six years after the recession ravaged the state’s workforce: a potential shortage by 2025 of 1 million bachelor’s degrees.

As California’s overburdened public universities consider ways to boost middling graduation rates, community colleges see an opportunity to step in and help close the gap.

Traditionally the domain of transfer and career technical education, community colleges are looking to offer bachelor’s degrees in vocational fields, a step that could be the biggest adjustment to the mission of the state’s three-segment system of public higher education since it was laid out more than 50 years ago in the California Master Plan for Higher Education.

“There’s no way the state universities can absorb the … demand or growth,” said Constance Carroll, chancellor of the San Diego Community College District, adding, “In California, the time is right” to follow 21 other states that already offer baccalaureates at the community college level.

Hans Johnson, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California who first calculated the often-cited million-degree figure in 2009, said a confluence of factors has driven educational expectations higher and higher, including a shift toward more technically advanced industries in California and a growing sense that college-educated employees are more effective.

Research suggests “there’s something about college itself that leads to these gains,” he said.

Johnson estimates that 40 percent of jobs will require a bachelor’s degree within a decade, up from about a third now. Yet, unless the public universities that educate most Californians improve outcomes or accept more students, the state won’t be able to meet that potential.

If SB 850 is signed, campuses, including Lake Tahoe Community College, will present applications to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, then the selected degree programs will have to be accredited, said Vince Stewart, the system’s vice chancellor of government relations, so it could be another year or two before any are established.

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Bradley Anderson, a doctor at Barton Urology, will be talking about cancer and benign diseases of the prostate on Sept. 10.

He will discuss different prostate cancer screenings available and the variety of treatment options.

The free lecture is from 6-7pm at Lake Tahoe Community College’s board room.

• Cold Water Brewery and Grill in South Lake Tahoe on the corner of Highway 50 and Sierra Boulevard is having job fairs Sept. 4 from 6-8pm and Sept. 6 from 9-11am.

• Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a workshop on Measure F – Lake Tahoe Community College’s facilities bond – on Sept. 18 at 5:30pm at the college’s board room.

• Go online to receive emergency notifications from Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

• Phase 2 of the Trout Creek Trail in Truckee has been selected to receive $1.52 million in Federal Active Transportation Program funds.

• Shawna Brekke-Read has been hired as South Lake Tahoe’s Development Services director.

By Eric Bernstein, Outside

Your running regimen isn’t going to make up for your workday nine-to-five. All that sitting causes serious problems with hip mobility, which are only exacerbated by the repetitive movements of endurance training.

“Running and cycling combine to make some of the tightest, shortest hips on the planet,” explains Kelly Starrett of MobilityWod.com. And it’s not poor form that’s causing the problems. The repetitive movements of endurance training—coupled with the sedentary lifestyle most athletes lead outside of their sport—restrict range of motion.

Forget about posture: This is bad news for any athlete hoping to maximize efficiency and avoid injury, Starrett says.

For runners, tight hip flexors prevent full rear extension of the leg. To compensate, stiff runners achieve extension by arching their back and tilting their pelvis forward; this shifts the foot strike forward, in front of the runner’s center of mass, and creates an inefficient braking force, as well as a heavy foot strike that takes its toll on ankle, hip, and knee joints, explains USA Triathlon performance adviser Bobby McGee.

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Eileen Fingerhut takes her time crossing moving logs. Photo Copyright 2014 Carolyn E. Wright

By Kathryn Reed

Snake Bridge nearly bit Pete Fingerhut as he carefully swung between the logs and held on to the thin ropes.

Vertical logs are linked together five at time, then three. And just when you have your rhythm, there are five single logs that test upper body strength, timing to step from one log to the next and agility to grasp the ropes.

London, a guide at Heavenly, described this feature as one of the more challenging ones. No wonder it is listed as black. (Elements are green for beginner, blue for intermediate and black for advanced just like ski runs.)

While this was Fingerhut’s first go-round at the Discovery Forest ropes course at Heavenly Mountain Resort, he and his family are now well versed at the resort’s courses. The week before he and his wife, Eileen, and daughter, Sydney, had done the Black Bear Challenge Course.

They split their time between Meyers and Moss Beach.

“This course was more challenging,” Fingerhut said at the end of the nearly two-hour session. “The other one is a lot of fun. It’s funner than it looks.”

Pete Fingerhut channels Spiderman for this feature. Photo Copyright 2014 Carolyn E. Wright

Sydney Fingerhut has no problem navigating the moving logs. Photo Copyright 2014 Carolyn E. Wright

Heavenly this summer opened three ropes courses at the top of the Gondola to complement other activities in the area.

“All three have a spectrum of difficulty,” explained Liesl Kenney, Heavenly spokeswoman.

This is just the start of what resort operators hope will be widespread on-mountain entertainment that goes beyond skiing and snowboarding. The South Shore resort is in the process of seeking environmental approvals for future expansion.

The plan is to have the courses open in the winter.

“The only time we can’t run them is in high winds or there is moisture on the features,” Kenney told Lake Tahoe News.

Two guides escorted the six of us. Groups max out at 16 people.

“I liked having the guides there to ‘show us the ropes” and watch to make sure that all were safe. They were nice guys and fun,” Carolyn Wright said.

And while London and Kyle were nice and informative about what to expect or how to tackle a feature, the constant oversight on the one hand is great for feeling safe, and on the other hand seemed a bit overkill. (Skiing seems to have more inherent risks; there aren’t nearly the same number of employees on the slopes as there is on the ropes coursed compared to guests.)

Still, the features – at least in the Discovery Forest – are varied, fun and challenging.

Sydney seemed to have little problem keeping up with her parents. Her biggest problem at times was securing the cables to the guide wire. Part of her issue was height related. But my friend and I were having issues at times with getting it locked or unlocked.

From each platform there were multiple options. This cuts down on the waiting, and gives those who are looking for differing challenges the option to play side-by-side without peer pressure. Plus, if there is a feature that is particularly fun, it can be done over and over again.

It allows people to customize their experience instead of being on a set route.

Liesl Kenney demonstrates her balancing skills. Photo Copyright 2014 Carolyn E. Wright

Something always seems to be moving. Everyone seemed to struggle on the rolling logs.

“It’s really hard,” Eileen Fingerhut said once she reached the platform.

At one point she was nearly fully extended, more horizontal to the ground than vertical. That’s because the logs spin, so it is hard to stand upright while trying to walk. And, of course, all of this is while you are well above terra firma.

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Notes:
• Starting in September the ropes courses will be open weekends only. The gondola will close for regular maintenance in October. The resort opens for ski season Nov. 21.
• Weather will dictate if courses are open in winter.
• Must be at least 5 years old, weigh between 20 and 250 pounds, and be 42-inches tall.
• Prices:
o Discovery Forest Course plus gondola ticket: $89 adult, $78 teen/senior, $68 child.
o Discovery Forest Course: $60 with season pass or lift ticket.
o Black Bear Ropes plus gondola ticket: $79 adult, $68 teen/senior, $58 child.
o Black Bear Ropes: $50 with season pass or lift ticket.
o Boulder Cove Ropes plus gondola ticket: $79 adult, $68 teen/senior, $58 child.
o Boulder Cove Ropes: $50 with season pass or lift ticket.

Publisher’s note: The following letter was sent to Lukins Brothers Water Company customers on Aug. 28. It is a similar message other water districts in the Lake Tahoe Basin are sending to customers.
Dear Customers,

Lukins Brothers Water Company, Inc. would like to thank you for your continued efforts in conserving water. All of your voluntary efforts have contributed to an overall reduction in water consumption of 6 percent between June/July 2013 and June/July 2014. In order to help manage limited resources during current drought conditions, the California Public Utilities Commission has ordered Lukins Brothers Water Company Inc. to notify its customers of the State Water Resources Control Board’s (State Board) recent adoption of emergency regulations for statewide urban water conservation, including mandatory restrictions and potential fines for violations of the State Board’s regulations. Your continued cooperation and support is needed to ensure reliable supplies of water for your comfort and necessary use.

The State Board has determined that the following water use activities by Lukins Brothers Water Company customers are not allowed:

1. Watering outdoor landscapes in a way that causes water to “runoff” onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways, parking lots, or structures.

2. Washing a vehicle with a hose without a shut-off nozzle or other device that will immediately stop the flow of water when not in use.

3. Using drinking water to wash driveways and sidewalks.

4. Using drinking water in a fountain or other decorative water feature, except where the water is recirculated.

Violation of any of these four prohibited or restricted water use activities may be punished by a fine of up to $500 for each day in which the violation occurs.

Please note that such fines are a last resort and that they may be assessed only by local law enforcement authorities. Lukins Brothers Water Company would like to thank its customers who have voluntarily conserved water up to this point and asks that you continue these efforts and comply with the State Board’s new restrictions on outdoor water use.

In addition to the four prohibited activities listed above, the State Board’s new regulations require Lukins Brothers Water Company to inform their customers that they must limit outdoor irrigation of ornamental landscapes or turf with drinking water to no more than two days per week. Lukins Brothers Water Company amended watering schedule and guidelines is as follows:

• Even addresses: Monday and Thursday
• Odd addresses: Tuesday and Friday
• Irrigation watering must be done before 7am or after 7pm.
• Limit watering to no more than 10 minutes per sprinkler zone.
• No watering on weekends.

We also recommend that you adjust your sprinklers to prevent any runoff. Please do not water continually for more than an hour.
Further information may be obtained from Lukins Brothers Water Company’s local business office at 530.541.2606 or by visiting our website.

Again, Lukins Brothers Water Company wants to thank you in advance for helping us manage what has become the most serious drought in California’s history.

Jennifer Lukins

The Lake Tahoe Water Trail Fall Paddle Day is Sept. 20 starting at Pope Beach on the South Shore.

The day begins with a morning-guided tour with interpretive docents who will broaden paddlers’ awareness of the unique features of and challenges to the lake environment.

During lunch on the beach people will learn more about the Lake Tahoe Water Trail.

Following lunch there will be beach games, skills clinics or people may participate in an independent afternoon tour.

Discounted rental equipment is available with reservation.

The event costs $30, which includes membership to the water trail and lunch. Parking at Pope is $8, though it’s OK to paddle in from another site. Meet at the beach at 8am; paddle starts at 9am.

For more info or to register, go online.