Heavenly ropes course
Heavenly Mountain Resort has three ropes courses at the top of the gondola.
Snippets about Lake Tahoe
• Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings returns to Squaw Valley on Sept. 5. Seven restaurants and seven bands will go head-to-head from 6-10pm in the village as a benefit for Tahoe Institute for Natural Sciences. Registered attendees will get wing deals, plus beer and drink specials available at each restaurant. For more info, go online.
• On Aug. 26 Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz took on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in honor of Northstar Snow Services Manager Matt Reeder, who has been battling the disease since 2011. Vail Resorts donated $25,000 to ALS; $100 for each of the 250 senior team members who jumped in on the challenge.
• Improv Players are putting on a benefit show for Unity at the Lake on Aug. 29 at 7:30pm. Cost is $10. It is at 1195 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.
• Education will be the topic of Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast meeting Sept. 9 from 7-8:30am at the Truckee airport. Cost is $10 for members, $12 for others. For more info, call 530.587.2757.
• Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day is the largest volunteer restoration event in the Tahoe basin. Volunteers of all ages and skill levels are invited Sept. 27 to work at Tahoe Paradise Park from 9am-2pm. For more info, go online.
Tahoe Keys homeowners to dredge channel
Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association plans to dredge the west channel in September.
The Tahoe Keys Marina has yet to file for a dredging permit, even though the lake continues to drop.
Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board is taking comments on the TKPOA permit application until Sept. 5. The permit is expected to be granted Sept. 15.
TKPOA plans to dredge no more than 5,600 cubic yards of sand to a depth of 6,217 feet from the west channel and lagoons. This could continue through 2016.
Lahontan is also reviewing an application from Fleur du Lac to dredge. Tahoe City Marina has its permit in hand, but has yet to dredge.
No other applications for dredging at Lake Tahoe have been submitted to Lahontan.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Nutting loses latest round in court
The California Supreme Court on Aug. 27 denied former El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting’s request to stop the Sept. 9 special election and block his removal from office.
The election is to replace him on the board.
Nutting was convicted in May on six counts relating to obtaining illegal loans from a county employee.
A Superior Court judge found Nutting’s misconduct in office warranted his removal. That was then upheld by the Third District Court of Appeal.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Plastic bag ban headed for approval in Calif.
By Jessica Calefati, San Jose Mercury News
SACRAMENTO — A bill that would ban single-use plastic grocery bags statewide — something California lawmakers have tried and failed to do more than a dozen times before — won approval from the state Assembly on Thursday after failing on the floor earlier this week.
The bill — which would make California the first state in the nation to ban the flimsy bags — still needs Senate approval, but is widely expected to pass in that chamber.
Touted by environmentalists as a way to reduce a pesky form of litter that pollutes the Pacific Ocean, the proposal has faced intense opposition from plastic and paper bag manufacturers who have been working hard to kill the bill.
Earlier this year, debate on the measure centered on jobs and the environment, but in recent days, criticism of the proposal became all about the 10-cent fee stores must charge for paper and thicker plastic bags under the bill.
Dixie, Queen to race Labor Day weekend
The annual Great Lake Tahoe Sternwheeler Race is Aug. 30.
California’s Tahoe Queen and Nevada’s M.S. Dixie II will race for four miles starting at 11am.
Boarding starts at 10am. The cost is $25 per person, which includes a buffet brunch.
For more info or to buy tickets, go online.
Drug policy shifting toward treatment over jail
By Katie Zezima, Washington Post
Over the past few years, the White House has shifted its drug policy away from putting low-level offenders in jail and prison and toward helping them access addiction treatment — an approach that dovetails with the life of acting drug czar Michael Botticelli, a recovering alcoholic.
It’s a strategy has a rare distinction nowadays: it has been embraced by both Republicans and Democrats.
As the nation grapples with fresh waves of prescription drug and heroin abuse, members of both parties are calling for a shift away from using the criminal justice system to address the problem, and toward public health-based approach to drug addiction.
“You just can’t bust enough people to solve this problem,” Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich said in January. Drug overdose deaths in Ohio increased by 366 percent from 2000 to 2014. “The problem has to be solved at the beginning, which is to keep people from getting involved with these drugs.”
Why are politicians of all persuasions calling for treatment-oriented solutions?
The biggest reason: the spike in drug overdoses isn’t dropping and public opinion has increasingly tilted toward providing treatment to people with addiction issues.
A survey released in April by the Pew Research Center found an overwhelming majority of Americans believe the government’s approach to drug policy should focus on treatment.
Helicopter crashes south of Gardnerville
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a helicopter crash that occurred in Douglas County on Aug. 27.
Douglas County sheriff’s deputies found out about it at 4:45pm after the two occupants sought medical treatment.
Pilot Doyle Holden and friend Karen Cole had flown into the Horsebend area south of Gardnerville to fish the Carson River.
“After fishing, they lifted off of the ground and experienced a malfunction and crashed landed. Holden and Cole suffered minor injuries, and contacted another pilot who flew in and transported them out of the area,” deputies said in a press release.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Scam artists calling South Tahoe residents
South Lake Tahoe police officers have received numerous calls from residents saying people are pretending to be from Liberty Utilities are asking for money for alleged overdue bills.
Contact Liberty Utilities at 800.782.2506 about bills or go online.
Local authorities also say a similar scam involving the IRS is also occurring.
Officers want to remind residents not to give out any personal information over the phone to anyone calling you unsolicited. That includes your name, birth date, Social Security number, debit/credit card numbers, or any banking information. The same is true for any solicitation or requests for money received by email.
Stateline casino revenue keeps declining
Stateline casinos were a drain on the overall July gaming revenue numbers for Nevada.
July is often a good month for Stateline because of tourists coming to town for Fourth of July and the American Century Championship. With schools starting in August, it is now considered the busiest summer month for the area.
Compared to 2013, the South Shore casinos were down 22 percent to $25 million.
North Shore casinos were up slightly last month compared to the prior year at $3.5 million – a 5.3 percent increase.
The $931 million win for the state was a 0.65 increase from July 2013, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said Aug. 28.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report