By Kathryn Reed

Sometimes I question whether Sue is really a Giants fan or a Red Sox fan.

Last weekend my doubts became stronger when she came up with the Green Monster on the same day Jake Peavy made his first start as a Giant. Peavy had just been traded from the Red Sox – land of the Green Monster in left field.

Sue grew up in Vermont, where the Red Sox are the home team for New Englanders.

She’s never come up with a drink that had anything to do with Giants – not even when they were winning World Series.

She made two versions of the drink. The bourbon was for me, the vodka for her. We both liked our respective drinks better. It had everything to do with our preference of liquor. I would probably have liked mine even more if there had been a little less Midori. Sue is the melon liqueur fan.

 Green Monster

1 shot Tennessee bourbon or vodka
2 shots ginger ale
1 shot Midori melon liqueur
Lemon slice to garnish

Place liquids in cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into chilled glass. Garnish with floating lemon slice.

Virginia City is looking for participants in what it expects to be the largest parade in the state on Nevada’s actual birthday, Oct. 31.

There is no fee for towns, organizations, counties, groups, schools and bands to join the 5:30pm parade and the official celebration.

Applications are available online. Due to the late start time, entries are encouraged to be lighted.

For questions, call 775.847.7500.

The parade is a part of Virginia City’s Nevada Day celebration that includes an unveiling reception of local artist Steven Saylor’s portrait honoring past and present Nevada governors at the renovated Gold Hill Depot in Gold Hill at 4pm and the Nevada 150 Masquerade Ball at Piper’s Opera House at 7:30pm.

By Matt O’Brien, Washington Post

Nostalgia is just about the only thing the middle class can still afford. That’s because median wealth is about 20 percent lower today, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than it was in 1984.

Yes, that’s three lost decades.

Now, as you might expect, the middle class has been hit particularly hard by the Great Recession and the not-so-great recovery. It’s all about stocks and houses. The middle class doesn’t have much of the former, but it does have a lot of the latter. And that’s bad news, because, even though the crash decimated both, real estate hasn’t come back nearly as much as equities have. So the top 1 percent, who hold more of their wealth in stocks, have made up more of the ground they lost. But, as the Russell Sage Foundation points out, the slow housing recovery means that, in 2013, median households were still 36 percent poorer than they were a decade earlier.

In fact, the housing bust was big enough to erase all the gains the middle class had made the past 30 years—and then some. As you can see below, median households didn’t add much wealth between 1984 and 2007. That’s what happens when real wages don’t increase, and the cost of a middle class lifestyle—housing, healthcare, and higher education—does. So, as Dean Baker points out, when the crisis did come, it devoured these meager gains and left the middle class with 20 percent less wealth than they had when it was “Morning in America.”

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Douglas County Parks & Recreation along with Steve Maltase and former Whittell varsity soccer players will be conducting a youth soccer camp at Kahle Community Park.

The camp for boys and girls runs Aug. 4-7 for ages 4-14. Lil Kicks (4-6 years) plays soccer from 10 am-1pm, while kids ages 7 and older play from 10am-3pm. Camp runs Monday-Thursday.

The cost is $125 for the younger group and $145 for the older kids. Price includes a camp T-shirt.

Participants need to bring a lunch, water bottle and sunscreen, as well as cleats and shin guards.

For more information or to register, call 775.586.7271.

Douglas County is hosting the Western Nevada College “Always Lost: A Meditation on War” arts and humanities exhibition as part of a special Nevada Sesquicentennial tour sponsored by the Nevada Department of Veterans Services.

The free exhibit will be on display at the Minden Inn from Aug. 25-Sept. 12. Viewing hours will be Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm, with extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm. A special opening ceremony will take place in the lobby area of the Minden Inn at 10am Aug. 25.

“Always Lost” includes a memorial wall of individual photographs with names of the more than 6,500 U.S. military war casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001; the 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs (Breaking News Photography) by David Leeson and Cheryl Diaz Meyer (courtesy of the Dallas Morning News); original literary work by WNC creative writers, veterans and their family members, and others from the Nevada writing community; WNC student veteran photographic portraits and interviews to represent service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan; and the personal story and original poetry of Spec. Noah Pierce, who took his own life after serving two tours in Iraq, to represent the thousands of veteran suicides. Observations about the nature of war, from Greek philosophers to modern-day generals, serve as thought-provoking meditations concerning the effects of war on each of us and our obligations to those willing to serve in harm’s way on our behalf.

For more information about the display at the Minden Inn, call 775.782.9821.

 By Laura Smith, Slate

In January, a 13-year-old patient named Kelssi came to Dr. Robert Zarr’s office at Unity Health Care, a community health center in Washington, D.C. Kelssi had struggled with her weight for as long as Zarr had known her and was now obese. But during this visit, she looked at Zarr and told him she was finally ready to do something about it.

Zarr told me that exhorting patients to “get more exercise” was too vague. Last year, he decided to start trying something different. He stopped asking his patients, “Do you move?” and began asking “Where do you move?” He discovered that many spent very little time outdoors, and he began prescribing time outside for conditions as wide-ranging as ADHD, high blood pressure, asthma, obesity, anxiety, diabetes, and depression.

With Kelssi, Zarr figured out that she could squeeze outdoor time into her commute. Kelssi lives in Northeast D.C. but goes to school in Northwest. Every day, she takes a bus to a train, and the commute lasts about an hour each way. Zarr and Kelssi decided she would get off the bus to school four stops earlier and take a walk through a park.
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At Kelssi’s next visit, she was no longer obese; her weight was within the “overweight” range, a feat that Zarr described as no small victory. But perhaps even more strikingly, she seemed much happier and more positive. “It’s working,” she told Zarr.

Why don’t more doctors prescribe nature? They used to do so regularly. The practice gained popularity in the mid-19th century as cities rapidly expanded. In Your Brain on Nature, Eva Selhub and Alan C. Logan explain that sanitariums, or health resorts, gained popularity during the Industrial Revolution as concerns increased about overstimulation, noise, and smoke in cities. Doctors began prescribing their patients visits to more hospitable climes such as the Swiss Alps or the Adirondacks for afflictions from tuberculosis to mental health issues. A thriving industry of sanitariums sprang up with names like the Pines, Lake View, and River View.

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Tahoe Keys Marina is accused of not maintaining its best management practices for erosion. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

One week after Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board found 12 violations at Tahoe Keys Marina the infractions have not been corrected.

“That is significant,” Eric Taxer, water resource control engineer, told Lake Tahoe News of the ongoing problems.

Failing to maintain a pump so boaters can get rid of their sewage was one of the more serious violations. These pumps are required at all marinas so sewage does not wind up in Lake Tahoe.

“I was there (Monday) and it still was not working. And he assured me it would be by (Tuesday),” Taxer said. It wasn’t.

The “he” Taxer is referencing is Rob Spinnato, general manager of the marina. Spinnato was not available for comment.

Taxer said Spinnato told him the pump had been out for about a month before the inspection. He reportedly told Taxer getting parts could be a problem.

Another of the more serious violations was not having adequate supplies on hand in case there is a spill.

“They did have some oil absorbent booms on site, but an inadequate supply. There should have been more, especially for a marina that size,” Taxer said.

Inspectors found an oil rag wrapped around one of the fuel nozzles to catch drips.

“However, the rag appeared to be completely saturated and of no use,” the report stated.

Spinnato claimed more pads were on order. The order date, though, says July 22 – the same day as the inspection.

Other violations included:

• Failure to clean up anti-freeze and silicon spills in areas close to marina waters.
• Failure to maintain copies on site of all monitoring results.
• Failure to maintain copies on site of the inspection logs.
• Failure to maintain copies on site of the weekly printouts of the National Weather Station prediction reports.
• Failure to maintain copies on site of the daily recordkeeping of the rain gauge readings.
• Failure to maintain a copy of the permit on site.
• Failure to maintain stormwater runoff erosion control measures.
• Failure to perform all maintenance activities under cover, in bermed areas.
• Failure to properly dispose of soiled absorbent pads.

On July 22, Tahoe Keys Marina was told Styrofoam needed to be cleaned up; on July 29 it was still floating by rental boats and near the fuel docks.

“This one had the most amount of violations; some of which were significant,” Taxer said in comparing the Keys inspection to other marinas. “We will look at our enforcement options and consider what is most appropriate for the site.”

The ultimate goal of staff is for the marina to fix the problems. If the marina fails to do so, the Lahontan board could get involved with additional enforcement actions that could include a cleanup and abatement order that imposes specific deadlines and/or fines.

“Pulling a permit to operate does not stop the discharges nor does it assist us in getting reports or achieving compliance. They can continue operating,” Lauri Kemper, Lahontan’s assistant executive officer, told Lake Tahoe News. “Leaving the permit in place allows us to impose penalties on the ongoing violations of the permit. Many of our fines are based on a per day violation of a permit requirement.”

This summer Taxer has conducted inspections at seven marinas in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Keys in South Lake Tahoe has the most egregious violations.  These inspections are routine and are done every few years on a rotating basis throughout the basin. Every marina on the California side operates under a permit issued by Lahontan. They are updated every five years. The current one expires April 12, 2016.

There could be regulations from the state or Environmental Protection Agency that could change, or new technology introduced. New in the 2011 permit is marinas needing to ensure vessels have been inspected for aquatic invasive species.

The other marinas inspected by Lahontan this summer include:

• Sunnyside: No violations.

• Lakeside: Failed to maintain records on site and didn’t have working rain gauge. Those infractions have been corrected.

• Ski Run: Needed updated version of the permit.

• Camp Richardson: There was an area where materials encroached on a stream environmental zone. The metal has since been removed.

• Meeks Bay: Some areas did not have appropriate erosion protections. Follow up still needed.

• Timber Cove: Oil containers were being stored in a box under the docks. This was corrected while inspectors were on site.

 By Alicia Paris-Pombo

August is World Breastfeeding Awareness Month. During the month of August, health professionals in El Dorado County are raising awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding and sharing information about local resources and supports for breastfeeding mothers.

Breast milk is the best food you can give your baby. Breast milk has important ingredients that can help protect the baby from infections, reduce the risk of allergic conditions and aid the baby with digestion. Babies who are breastfed are less likely to develop childhood obesity. Breastfeeding also has many health benefits for the mother.”

I am a member of the Breastfeeding Coalition of El Dorado County, a group comprised of local hospitals, First 5 El Dorado, El Dorado County Office of Education and the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency. The coalition helps breastfeeding mothers get the resources and support they need. Many resources are free. The coalition provides education on all areas of breastfeeding, including how to help baby latch on properly, the best breastfeeding positions, breastfeeding equipment, and tips to successfully transition back to work. The group provides referrals as necessary.

A special project of the coalition is the Express Stop program which has hospital-grade electric breast pumps available for loan to new mothers returning to work or school in El Dorado County free of charge. For information or to reserve a pump, call 530.906.7872 on the western slope of El Dorado County or 530.573.3049 in South Lake Tahoe.

The El Dorado County Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program also has breastfeeding support services and breast pumps for loan to income eligible mothers in El Dorado County and can be reached at 530.621.6176 or 530.573.3491. In addition, moms may access lactation consultant advice and resources through Marshall Medical Center at 530.626.2835 and through Barton Health at 530.543.5547.

It’s important for new mothers returning to work to know that California law requires employers to provide reasonable break times and a private location for them to pump breast milk at work. It’s a good idea for working women to have the conversation with their employer ahead of time.

Alicia Paris-Pombo is El Dorado County’s health officer.

Updated July 30 7:24am:

Late dinners were interrupted at Denny’s in South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday night.

An electrical problem caused the restaurant to shut its doors and evacuate diners just after 9pm July 29. The power was turned off.

“An electrical short occurred last night in a breaker panel. The fire department shut it down. A private electrician must now repair is, so Denny’s is closed without power until that occurs,” Fire Chief Jeff Meston told Lake Tahoe News on Wednesday.

No one at Denny’s was answering the phone Tuesday night.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

A half-acre fire started from lightning this Tuesday afternoon in Coldstream Canyon near the Sierra Crest.

Smoke jumpers are currently on scene of the fire. More firefighting resources are responding. Currently there is no threat to the Truckee area.

There is also another fire north of Truckee in the Sierraville area that is putting up a smoke column. Firefighting resources are at scene and responding to this incident too.

Both incidents are being managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report