Sophia

Sophia is a 4-year-old Chihuahua who weighs about 3 pounds.

She likes other dogs. Sophia will greet you with a big tail wag and will eagerly go for a walk with you, but she is so tiny that she would easily fit in a cute purse so you could take her everywhere.

Sophia will be spayed on Tuesday, and is microchipped, tested for heart worm, and vaccinated. She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes. Go to the Tahoe animal shelter’s Facebook page to see photos and descriptions of all pets at the shelter. 

Call 530.573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet. 

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online. 

— Karen Kuentz

By Kathryn Reed

Disrupter. That’s what Airbnb has been to the lodging industry and communities where it operates.

Airbnb is part tech company, part lodging company, part tourism company. It is anything but ordinary. And that’s what those who like it love about it.

Author Leigh Gallagher captures the entrepreneurial spirit of the three men (Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk) who founded the company in 2008 in San Francisco by delving into their world. The concept of the business is simple – strangers renting rooms from strangers.

“The Airbnb story: How three ordinary guys disrupted an industry, made billions and created plenty of controversy” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017) is a look at this start-up, the fragile beginnings, the meteoric rise, the controversies, the struggles, the future.

It’s in part a book about business – the Silicon Valley in particular. It’s venture capitalists, it’s finding a niche and filling it, it’s fulfilling dreams, learning to adapt, flying by the seat of their pants, and being anything but conventional.

It’s part biography – three men found a way to launch a concept multiple times until it finally took hold, how they struggled financially, but now are part of the Bill Gates-Warren Buffett club that promises to give away the bulk of their wealth. The vulnerabilities and naïveté of the founders are revealed.

Gallagher, who is an assistant managing editor at Fortune magazine, does not shy away from delving into the controversies Airbnb and similar businesses have brought to the communities where they operate. Nor were some of the horror stories of guests glossed over.

It’s not a book championing Airbnb. Instead it sheds light on how it came to be, the struggles and where it plans to go from here. It talks about how the hotel industry has changed how it does business because of the shared rental market, and even highlights how chain hotels themselves were once disrupters.

It’s $30 billion valuation (it is still a private company, though predictions are an IPO is in its future) is larger than Hilton and rivals Marriott.

There is one mention of Lake Tahoe in the book, which showed the author’s unfamiliarity with the location – suggesting the region is one municipality and not realizing these short term rentals in the basin are governed by one city and five counties. The reference is to how Tahoe is logical to have property management companies operate listings. In the same breath was an inference that the area doesn’t have a housing problem.

“In cities where there is a real housing issue, however, like New York, (Chesky) says the policy should very clearly be one listing per host,” Gallagher said. If she knew the Tahoe-Truckee market, she would have pressed him more or not used the Tahoe area in this context.

That was the only disappointment in the book.

Agree or disagree with the concept of short term rentals, this book is a fascinating look at three people who had the gumption to take an idea and turn it into a billion-dollar business. While their success is phenomenal, the process to get to where they are and to not rest on their laurels is inspirational.

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·      Please join in the discussion via commenting. Feel free to pose questions. Please keep the discussion to the book and questions.

·      Questions: What did you learn that surprised you the most from reading this book? Would you use a company like Airbnb – why, why not? What are your opinions about the sharing economy? How have companies like Airbnb changed how you travel? If you had the money to invest in Airbnb in the early days, would you have backed these men – why or why not?

·      The next book will be “What Unites Us” by Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner. From the jacket cover, “With a fundamental sense of hope, ‘What Unites Us’ is the book to inspire conversation and listening, and to remind us all how we are, finally, one. Rather brings to bear his decades of experience on the frontlines of the world’s biggest stories. As a living witness to historical change, he offers up an intimate view of history, tracing where we have been in order to help us chart a way forward and heal our bitter divisions.” The review will be posted on Lake Tahoe News on Feb. 1.

Joan Elaine Grech

Joan Elaine Grech passed away at home Dec. 18, 2017, after battling cancer for the past two years. She was 77.

Born in New Jersey, on April 21, 1940, Joan moved to California as a young girl.

After graduating high school, she met and married her husband of 58 years, Charlie. Joan and Charlie spent many summers and holidays in South Lake Tahoe with their family.

In 1975, they made Lake Tahoe their forever home. Joan worked at Barton Memorial Hospital in the admitting department for 25 years, where she made many friends. She enjoyed going to car shows in their 1941 Chevy.

Joan is survived by her husband, Charlie; son, Michael; daughter, Debbie (Cass); grandsons, Eric and Troy; and her fur babies Coco and SkiDoo.

No services are planned at this time.

Donations may be made to the South Lake Tahoe Cancer League or Barton Hospice.

Diamond Peak Ski Resort will once again host a free Retro Ski Film + Speaker Series at The Chateau at Incline Village this winter.

It will include brief presentations by local historians, filmmakers and/or former Diamond Peak employees, followed by screenings of classic ski and snowboard films including five Warren Miller films from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Events will begin at 5pm, with the films starting about 5:30pm and run for approximately 90 minutes.They are free.

The Chateau will offer a no-host bar and popcorn at each event.

Schedule of films:
•    Feb. 15: Warren Miller’s “Winter People” (1972); speaker Mark McLaughlin – “History of the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley”
•    Feb. 22: Warren Miller’s “In Search of Skiing” (1977), speaker TBD
•    March 1: Warren Miller’s “Snowonder” (1982), speaker Mark McLaughlin – “Reign of the Sierra Storm King”
•    March 8: Warren Miller’s “White Winter Heat” (1987), speaker Mark McLaughlin – “History of Lake Tahoe and the Comstock”
•    March 15: Warren Miller’s “Steeper & Deeper” (1992), speaker TBD.

South Shore author Jennifer Quashnick on Jan. 30 will introduce people to the third novel from her Mountaingirl Mysteries series, “Sierra Nevada Dangerous Developments.”

In this adventure, Rachel Winters never skied so fast in her life. But her life never depended on it before. Now, Rachel’s friends and family are in danger, and the only clue left behind is a message written in blood. Still recovering from a serious accident, Rachel must race against the clock to save her loved ones. Who’s after them, and why?

The Friends of the Library ​event is at 6pm at the library on Rufus Allen Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.

By Tia Rancourt    

Knowing that you are prepared for an emergency can help you and your family stay calm and act effectively. Working together, learning about risks, making an emergency kit, staying informed, knowing your evacuation plan are just some of the things you can do to prepare ahead of time.

The three key steps are: make a plan, assemble a kit, and stay informed. The Washoe County Emergency Management Program has compiled some general information listed below to help you prepare for an emergency.

Emergency plan

Prior to a disaster, each family must have a plan. You can begin this process by gathering family members and making sure each person is well informed on potential hazards and community plans. Discuss with them what you would do if family members are not home when a warning is issued. Meet with household members. Discuss with children the dangers of fire, severe weather, earthquakes, and other emergencies.

• Draw a floor plan of your home. Mark two escape routes from each room.
• Learn how to turn off the water, gas, and electricity at main switches.
• Post emergency telephone numbers near telephones.
• Instruct household members to turn on the radio for emergency information.
• Pick one out-of-state and one local friend or relative for family members to call if separated by disaster (it is often easier to call out-of-state than within the affected area).
• Pick two meeting places – one near your home and one outside your neighborhood.

Assemble a kit

You may need to survive on your own after a disaster. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. There are six key items you should have: water, food, first aid supplies, clothing/bedding, tools and any special items. Keep the items that you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to-carry container.

Stay informed

Learn what disasters or emergencies may occur in your neighborhood. Local emergency management officials will continually be updating the local media during the events of an emergency. Citizens should monitor Lake Tahoe News, and other media. It is a good idea to have a battery-operated radio included in your evacuation kit. Sign up for Code Red to receive emergency alerts by going online. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) local primary stations are: KKOH 780AM, KUNR 88.9 FM, KOWL 1490AM, KRLT 93.9 FM, KTKE 101.50 FM.

Evacuation preparedness

Should you need to evacuate, a key component is knowing how to safely and effectively evacuate. Successful community evacuation requires preparation. Elements of family emergency planning and preparation:

Complete an inventory of home contents and photograph/videotape the house and landscape. Store completed documents in a separate location and/or on a storage thumb drive. 

Tia Rancourt works for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District.                          

With January being National Radon Action Month, the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Radon Education Program is offering free short-term radon test kits to Nevadans from Jan. 1 through Feb. 28.

Radon test kits are available at Cooperative Extension offices and partnering locations, as well as at presentations statewide.
 
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It comes from the ground and can accumulate in homes, raising the risk of lung cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates 21,000 Americans die each year from radon-caused lung cancer, killing more people than secondhand smoke, drunk driving, house fires and unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning combined.
 
In Nevada, one in four homes tested show radon concentrations at or above the EPA action level. According to experts, living in a home with radon concentrations at the action level poses a risk of developing lung cancer similar to the risk posed by smoking about half a pack of cigarettes a day.
 
Scheduled presentations for Northern Nevada are:

Jan. 17 at Verdi Community Library & Nature Center, 270 Bridge St., Verdi, at 4pm.
Jan. 23 at Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 128 Market St., Stateline, at 6pm.
Jan. 24 at the Carson City Senior Center, 911 Beverly Drive, Carson City, at 6:30pm.
Feb. 7 at South Valleys Library, 15650 Wedge Parkway, Reno, at 6pm.
Feb. 8 at CVIC, 1604 Esmeralda Ave., Minden, at 6pm.
Feb. 15 at the Storey County Senior Center, 100 Mill St., Virginia City, at 12:45pm.
Feb. 21 at Incline Village GID, Public Works, 1220 Sweetwater Road, Incline Village, at 6pm.
Feb. 24 at Northwest Reno Library, 2325 Robb Drive, Reno, at 2pm.

Pictures of the South Shore are now part of the state archives. Photo/California State Archives

By Alyssa Pereira, San Francisco Chronicle
 
William and Grace McCarthy made a life of traveling across the sunny and sometimes snowy state of California.

William, an armament expert for the U.S. War Department, and his wife lived in San Francisco but traveled frequently to the corners of the state, taking in Yosemite vistas, the lush forests of Tahoe and Shasta, and the waterside views at Tenaya and Tioga lakes.

Photographing the natural beauty of the state seems to have been a favored hobby for the couple in the early 1900s, as over 3,000 photos in newly digitized albums collected by the office of California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla reveal. The photos were donated to the California State Archives in 1996 by the couple’s great-niece, Audrey Fullerton-Samora of Sacramento.

Read the whole story

The 2018 Western Governors’ Association’s Celebrate the West regional art competition that challenges high school students to create works inspired by their state is accepting applications until April 30.

WGA’s visual arts challenge, sponsored by the Western Governors’ Foundation, is open to high school students in the 19 Western states and three U.S.-flag islands served by the nonpartisan policy association, which includes California and Nevada.

Entrants from WGA member states will create original two-dimensional artwork inspired by their state or informed by living in the West. Students may draw ideas from a variety of sources, including state history, landmarks, natural resources, National Parks and Monuments, people, communities and culture.

Winning artists will receive cash prizes and their works will be displayed at an upcoming WGA Governors’ meeting, as well as on the WGA website.

Click here for an entry form; for more information, go online.

Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce is hosting an educational workshop titled China-Ready.

Citcon USA will be conducting the Jan. 25 event from 10am-12:30pm in Stateline.

With Beijing the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Chinese tourists have been increasingly visiting winter sport destinations in the U.S. Many rely on Chinese social media platforms to make travel plans and purchases in the areas of lodging, fine dining, shopping, and other entertainment.

The talk is to learn how to connect with these travelers.

RSVP to yan.mu@citcon.com.