(The Center Square) – According to reports by the California Budget & Policy Center, Nov. 3 ballot measures could cost Californians billions of dollars.
The Center Square projects that if Propositions 1, 2, 3, 37 and 40 passed, the Golden State’s taxpayers could pay roughly $155 billion over the next several years, although higher-income earners would pay more of that amount if the state’s billionaire tax, Prop. 40, passes. Another measure, Prop. 3, would make permanent current income tax rates that have higher income-earners pay more in state income tax, saddling California’s richest residents with more of that cost than middle- or lower-income Californians. The Center Square bases its $155 billion projection on its previous reporting and numbers from the California Budget & Policy Center.
Despite the hefty price tags attached to those propositions, Chris Hoehne, the center’s executive director, said Californians won’t necessarily see a huge bump in their tax bill every year.
“The vast majority of taxpayers in California won’t see any real effect on their tax bill,” Hoehne told The Center Square on Wednesday. “So the actual tax measures don’t really impact the overwhelming majority of Californians.”
One measure, Proposition 1, asks voters to approve or project an $11.25 billion housing bond that would pay for affordable housing projects, including housing for veterans and shoring up funding for homelessness programs. The California Budget & Policy Center said in its report on this proposition that the state needs 2.5 million new homes, including 1 million homes for lower-income families.
The center’s report on Proposition 2, which increases the amount of general fund money allocated to the state’s Rainy Day Fund, highlights the debt pay-down timeline. That timeline would be extended by 10 years, from 2029-30 to 2039-40. Proposition 2, notably, would increase the amount of money required to be deposited into the Rainy Day Fund every year from 10% of general fund revenue to 20%.
According to the center’s report on Proposition 3, the top 1% of income earners in California would get a tax cut unless the proposition passes. That measure makes current tax rates on high income earners permanent, extending funding for taxpayer-funded services like K-12 and community college education.
Those propositions were supported by Democratic politicians in California this year as good-governance measures that were meant to help pay for services that help make quality of life higher for Californians throughout the state, one Democratic lawmaker told The Center Square.
“The State of California experiences these cycles of boom and bust,” Assemblymember Nick Schultz, D-Burbank, told The Center Square about Prop. 2. “There are other good governance measures we can do to not spend everything we take in that year, and I think Prop. 2 is one small, but significant, part of that.”
Drastic cuts that many lawmakers feared they would have to make were averted in large part because of the Rainy Day Fund, Schultz said.
“Given the volatility of our revenue streams and this increasing threat from D.C. to choke off more funding to California, I think this is definitely a measure worthy of consideration by the voters,” Schultz said.
The center published two other reports – one on a homebuyer assistance proposition and one on the billionaire tax. The homebuyer assistance proposition, Prop. 37, would use $25 billion of revenue bonds to provide up to 17% of the purchase price of a down payment on a house for first-time home buyers, while the billionaire tax, Prop. 40, would impose a 5% wealth tax on California’s billionaire class to shore up funding for education, health care and other taxpayer-funded programs.
Some groups, like the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, oppose many of these propositions, including the billionaire tax measure – in large part because of the high-profile billionaires who already relocated to other states, presumably because of the proposed billionaire tax.
“The top 1% of tax filers pay almost 50% of all the personal income tax in the state,” Susan Shelley, vice president of communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, told The Center Square on Wednesday. “So if you start driving people out of the state, and keeping new businesses from opening here because of the tax structure, that hurts everybody.”
The Multicultural Celebration will take place on Saturday, September 12Provided / Emily Abernathy
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – For its fifth year in a row, South Lake Tahoe’s Multicultural Celebration kicks off on September 12 at Bijou Community Park offering a celebration of different cultures through art, entertainment, food, displays, activities, and more.
“This is a festival-style event that’s free for the community to attend,” said Emily Abernathy, Marketing and Events Coordinator for the City of South Lake Tahoe.
An exciting lineup of entertainment is scheduled for this year as artists take to the main stage to dazzle the crowd with unique performances ranging from high-energy Battle Born Highland Scottish dance to vibrant Mexican folkloric dance.
In addition to the performances, there will be a variety of market place vendors, food and beverage vendors, community partners and local nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, Vista Rise Collective, and the U.S. Forest Service who will be participating in fun activities and games with attendees, including free facepainting, global flag design, a community scrapbook, opportunities to meet Smokey Bear, and more.
Artists and artisans will be displaying hand-made jewelry, macrame, candlemaking and home-baked goods.
The Multicultural Celebration will host local and regional artists and artisans.Provided / Emily Abernathy
Cold Water Brewery will be offering ice-cold adult beverages while food options include dumplings, kabobs, mexican food, along with ice cream and kettle corn desserts.
“My favorite part of this event are the performances we see every year. It’s amazing to see the different cultural groups that come up. We have a lot of local groups that have participated and groups from as far as Napa coming up to perform,” Abernathy said.
Performing artists include Tahoe Mountain Aikido, SpiceIslander Steel Drum Band, Diablos Mixtecos Oaxaca, and Samba Da Capital.
The event is free for the public and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bijou Community Park.
The Lake Tahoe Bike Coalition is sponsoring a free bike valet and guests are encouraged to carpool as parking is limited.
ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. – George Whittell High School hosted the annual Lake Tahoe Cross Country Relay on Sept. 4 on the single-track trails surrounding the school. 11 schools from California and Nevada competed.
In the boy’s division, South Lake Tahoe senior Shamus Nealis defended his title and broke his own 2-mile record with a time of 11:04. Senior Lincoln Ayers was the top finisher from Whittell.
In the girl’s division, Keilana Rivas from Sacramento Adventist took the title with a new course record of 13:19. The top local finisher was South Lake Tahoe junior Madelyn Landy who finished third in 14:07.
In the boys’ team category, Bishop Manogue narrowly defeated South Lake Tahoe High School in a close fought competition. Douglas High School was 3rd.
In the girls’ team category, Bishop Manogue was 1st, followed by North Valleys High School and Douglas High School.
The next High School race will take place on Sept. 11 at North Tahoe High School.
To try and decide each week where and what to eat around the basin can be a challenge – there are so many amazing choices. In this feature we’ll dive into dishes that will surely satisfy those hunger pangs and leave you wondering where to go next.
Lake Tahoe AleWorX’s Avventura PizzaRob Galloway / Tahoe Daily Tribune
When someone tells me that we’re going to be featuring an item that’s a best seller on their menu, I’m always looking forward to it – mainly because if that many people like it, I’m bound to like it as well. But when the owner also adds in a tidbit that when in college, this pizza was the go-to when creating their own at the local pizza place, I’m even more excited. Welcome to this week’s feature.
On top of AleWorX’s signature pizza dough that go-to consists of a combination of crushed tomato, mozzarella, roasted garlic, sausage, fresh jalapeno, pepperoni, pine nuts, and cherry tomatoes. I’m all in on all these ingredients but once it gets that sweet kiss from the woodfired oven, I can easily see why it’s a customer favorite because it’s easily one of mine, too.
The sweet bursts from the cherry tomatoes, the delicate texture from the pine nuts, just the right amount of heat from the jalapenos, the savory depth from the roasted garlic, and the perfect chew from the pepperoni and sausage, this pizza is a murderer’s row of ingredients and flavors.
I guess it doesn’t hurt that pizza is my favorite food, but this truly carries some exciting twists and turns on the palette. I paired it up with one of their Mexican lagers and it was the perfect complement to a summer day. I realize summer is on its way out, but I’ll always have this combo to get me through the coming months … probably multiple times.
Lake Tahoe AleWorX has two Tahoe locations: 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe (The Y) and 31 US-50 #105 in Stateline. For pizza menus and more information about other offerings, including their Reno location, visit them online at laketahoealeworx.com.
9/11 Commemorative Ceremony at the American Legion Post 795 – 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., American Legion Post #795, 2748 Young St. The public is invited to join the American Legion Post 795 on September 11, 2026, for a 9-11 Remembrance Ceremony starting at 11 a.m.
The community will come together to remember and honor the lives lost, the heroes who answered the call, and the families forever changed by the events of September 11, 2001.
The American Legion is located at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.
Light refreshments will be provided by Tacos Por Favor Catering and Juice It Up.Please join us as we gather in remembrance. We will never forget.
For more information about the 9/11 ceremony or about becoming a member of any of the American Legion families, contact Commander Millham at 530-308-5215.
For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/911-commemorative-ceremony-at-the-american-legion-post-795/.
Alex Ramon “Magic” – 7:30 p.m., Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, 15 Highway 50. Harrah’s & Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe prohibits the carrying and/or possession of firearms (Even with a CCW) or other dangerous weapons on the premises. The venue reserves the right to implement security procedures designed to protect the experience for all of our customers. Sale Dates and Times: Public Onsale : Wed, 13 May 2026 at 10:00 AM Additional dates: 9/11, 9/12, 9/15, 9/16.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/3263215560732927/ or call (800) 427-7247.
Cool Car Fridays Cruise Night at the Heavenly Village – 5-8 p.m., Heavenly Village, 1001 Heavenly Village Way. Cool Car Cruizen Fridays, All Cool Vehicles Welcome. Free to All.
Fridays, May through October. 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Gas money drawing, prizes, and more! Rain cancels. Open to all cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Brought to you by Good Sam Safe Ride.More information here
For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/cool-car-truck-and-motorcycle-cruise-every-friday-at-the-heavenly-village/2026-09-11/.
Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings – 4-9 p.m., Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, 948 Incline Way. Our biggest fundraiser of the year is back… and we couldn’t be more excited! All proceeds from the event benefit the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science! Guitar Strings Vs. Chicken Wings The ultimate Village battle is back, as six restaurants and six bands face off for the ultimate supremacy for “Best Wings” and “Best Band.” Restaurants will battle for the Wing vs. Wing Champion Trophy and bands will battle for a cash prize, in addition to bragging rights. Cast your vote and help choose the winners! Event Details Tickets and beer, wine and cocktail specials at the TINS bar are available starting at 4:00pm. Additional voting tokens can be purchased at the registration booth to help push your favorites to the top. Each restaurant will be cooking their own signature recipes for spicy, flavor-packed chicken wings and joining forces with the region’s best bands to crank the contest to the max. Click Here for More Info We need volunteers to make this event happen!!! We need your help!! In order for us to host this fundraiser, we will need over 20 volunteers, so please help spread the word. It can get busy, but it sure is fun! To volunteer, please click on the button below. Sign Up to Vol
For more information, visit https://www.tinsweb.org/upcoming-events/ncmpjjhb9yzqgjgpf13m4vxoztcauw-kykn4-a46jz-yw4nr-b22pe or call 775.298.0060.
Jackie Greene w/ Magnolia Boulevard – 8-11 p.m., 14 NV-28. Jackie Greene makes his return to the Crown Room. This time he is joined by Magnolia Boulevard! This should be a very fun evening of great music in the Crown Room! Jackie Greene is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose work seamlessly blends Americana, roots rock, blues, and folk. Known for his soulful vocal delivery and stage versatility, he is celebrated both for a prolific solo career and as a frequent, high-profile collaborator across the jam band and rock scenes. Magnolia Boulevard is a fast-rising American roots-rock and “Appalachian soul” quintet based in Lexington, Kentucky. Known for a genre-bending sound that weaves together Southern rock, Delta blues, funk, and Americana, the band is fronted by powerhouse vocalist Maggie Noelle and supported by sharp, expressive slide guitar work Tickets: https://tixr.com/e/193606 $30 ADV/ $35 DOS Doors: 7PM l Show: 8PM
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1506425234275576/.
Lake Tahoe Summer Concert Series – Zach Top – Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe, 4130 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Summer, Music, Family Friendly
The Lake Tahoe Summer Concert Series has some of the hottest music acts under the stars, located across the street from our resort.
Starting on 09/11/2026 and ending on 09/12/2026
For more information, visit https://www.margaritavilleresorts.com/margaritaville-resort-lake-tahoe/things-to-do-in-lake-tahoe/events/lake-tahoe-summer-concert-series-zach-top.
Peek Nightclub inside Harrah’s Lake Tahoe – 10 p.m.-4 a.m., Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, 15 Highway 50. Peek Night Club is back with an incredible lineup of DJs. Join us for unforgettable nights of music and dancing. Get ready to party like never before at Peek Night Club! Get your tickets today!
Peek Nightclub inside Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. Saturday nights, doors open at 10:00 pm. Featuring over 6,700 square feet of optimal nightlife and live entertainment space, Peek Nightclub’s footprint includes 40 intimate VIP sections, including some of today’s most highly touted nightclub amenities. With the capability to provide full-scale music performances, Peek Nightclub hosts some of the world’s biggest names in entertainment, including big-name Las Vegas, Miami, NY, and L.A. DJs.
DRESS CODEUpscale fashionable attire is required. PEEK Nightclub does not permit the following: bandanas, durags, skull caps, beanies, sandals, ripped or baggy clothing, athletic wear, steel-toe shoes or work boots. Management reserves all rights of entry based on dress code etiquette.
For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/peek-nightclub-inside-harrahs-lake-tahoe/2026-09-11/ or call (800) 427-7247.
Ski Run Farmer’s Market & Street Fair – 3-8 p.m., Ski Run Farmer’s Market & Street Fair, 1132 Ski Run Blvd. This beloved Friday market is where the heart of South Lake Tahoe comes alive. Stretching along the charming Ski Run Blvd, the market brings Tahoe’s best farmers, makers, musicians, and food vendors for a lively community event packed with good Tahoe vibes. Fridays, 3:00-8:00 pm June 5 through September 11, 2026.
Expect fresh organic produce, handmade goods, live music, street food, and spontaneous street dancing. It’s the perfect stop to kick off your weekend—whether you’re meeting friends for happy hour, looking for something fun with the kids, or exploring Tahoe like a local.
For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/ski-run-farmers-market-street-fair/2026-09-11/.
Thunderbird Lodge/Whittell Mansion Tour – Thunderbird Lodge/George Whittell Estate, 5000 State Route 28. Exclusive Tuesdays and Fridays guided tours let you explore the magic and mystery of the historic Thunderbird Lodge and Whittell Estate grounds. (Wednesdays from July 8 through September 2)
Learn about Captain Whittell’s conservation of Lake Tahoe’s Nevada shoreline and see his world-famous mansion, including secret tunnels, the card house, and the legendary Thunderbird yacht (when available).
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
Tours are on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 am and 12:30 pm, May 26 – October 16, 2026. 75-minute lodge and estate tour.
Get your tickets online here
Shuttles depart from the Travel North Tahoe Nevada Welcome (Visitor’s) Center, 969 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to departure. No private cars allowed at the Thunderbird Lodge. For more information, call 1-800-GO-TAHOE (1-800-468-2463).
Afternoon upgraded wine and cheese tours are available each Tuesday and Friday (plus Wednesdays July 8th – September 2nd), in the afternoon at 2:00 pm. Wine & Cheese Tours
For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/thunderbird-lodgewhittell-mansion-tour-2/2026-09-11/.
Writers in the Woods presents Gayle Brandeis – 5:30-7:30 p.m., Prim Library, UNR-Lake Tahoe, 999 Tahoe Blvd. Gayle Brandeis is the author of the memoir The Art of Misdiagnosis and the poetry collections Many Restless Concerns, and The Selfless Bliss of the Body. Her other books include Drawing Breath, and Fruitflesh and the novels The Book of Dead Birds, Self Storage, Delta Girls, and My Life with the Lincolns. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and has received honors including the Bellwether Prize for Fiction of Social Engagement and a Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Award. She has taught at universities, libraries, and conferences across the country, served as the Inlandia Literary Laureate, and is a founding member of the Women Creating Peace Collective. She is currently visiting faculty for the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Nevada, Reno.
For more information, visit https://events.unr.edu/event/writers-in-the-woods-gayle-brandeis or call (530) 448-6535.
Saturday, September 12
Annie Davidson – 8-10 p.m., Social House.
For more information, visit https://tahoemusic.live/?page=3.
Chalk Art in the Park – 10 a.m.-3 p.m., North Tahoe Recreation & Parks North Tahoe Recreation & Parks, 6600 Donner Rd. Join us for Chalk Art in the Park! Participants will receive a 10′ by 10′ square in the North Tahoe Regional Park parking lot to MAKE A MASTERPIECE. All participants will receive a bucket of chalk. Bringing your own supplies? Chalk only please. The event includes lunch for participants. Those that are not participating are welcome to enjoy the art and support our local food vendor! Artists are welcome to start their Chalk Art at 9 a.m. if more time is required. Pieces will be judged by local celebrities for: Most Artistic, Most Colorful, Best Kids Entry, Most Creative, and Park Goers Favorite. $15 Resident | $20 Non-Resident Event Schedule 9:00 a.m. – Early start available for artists requiring extra time. 10:00 a.m. – Official artist arrival, square assignments, and supply distribution. 11:00 a.m. – Lunch served for participants. 3:00 p.m. – Artwork judged by NTPUD Recreation staff and awards ceremony.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2439384829910419/.
Emerald Bay Trail Run – 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Emerald Bay. “One of America’s Most Scenic Trail Runs” – Competitor Magazine The Emerald Bay Trail Run starts at Eagle Point & takes you around Emerald Bay & up the Rubicon Trail to DL Bliss State Park with a finish at Lester Beach. The course is a 7 mile/11Km & fast with low/moderate climbing. Shuttle from finish to start (parking) is included in the registration fee. https://tahoetrailrunning.com/emerald-bay-trail-run
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/993163496626681/.
Fall Ale Festival / Wings Cook Off – 1 p.m., Heavenly Village, 1001 Heavenly Village Way. Description Join us for the ultimate celebration of fall flavors at the Fall AleFest and Chicken Wing Festival in the heart of Heavenly Village, Lake Tahoe’s #1 destination! This lively event promises to be a feast for the senses, bringing together the best of craft beers and the most mouth-watering chicken wings for a weekend of fun and flavor. Date & Time: Mark your calendars September 13th 2026 and get ready to indulge from 1pm to 5pm. Location: Heavenly Village, South Lake Tahoe, CA Event Highlights: Beer!!!: Sample a diverse selection of craft beers from local and regional breweries. Whether you prefer hoppy IPAs or refreshing lagers, there’s something to satisfy every palate. (Disclaimer: Beer brands and styles are subject to change.) Wings!!!: Savor a variety of chicken wings from the top restaurants in Heavenly Village, each offering their unique twist on this classic dish. From spicy and tangy to sweet and smoky, discover your new favorite flavor. Purchased separately: 3 Bones for $6 Law Enforcement Wing Cookout: Enjoy a special cookout featuring the culinary skills of local law enforcement officers as they compete to create the best chicken wings. Show your support and taste some unique, delicious wings! Live Music & Entertainment: Enjoy live performances from talented musicians and entertainers, creating the perfect soundtrack for your day of tasting and mingling. Fun for All Ages: In addition to the beer and wings, there will be activities and entertainment for all ages, making it a family-friendly event. Tickets & Information: Tickets are just $40 that support Christmas Cheer our local food cabinet. Purchase your tickets in advance to secure your spot at this highly anticipated event. For ticket prices, event schedule, and more details, visit our official website www.theshopsatheavenlyvillage.com (http://www.theshopsatheavenlyvillage.com/). Come celebrate the flavors of fall at the Fall AleFest and Chicken Wing Festival in Heavenly Village! It’s the perfect way to enjoy the crisp autumn air, delicious food and great company. See you there! ***All sales are final. We do not offer refunds or exchanges for any reason, including but not limited to event cancellations due to weather, personal scheduling conflicts, or dissatisfaction with the experience. By completing your purchase, you acknowledge and accept this policy. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your purchase, please contact us prior to completing your transaction. Thank you for your understanding and support.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1065584053110789/.
Guided Rainbow Trail Walk – 10-11 a.m., 2152 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Join us for an enchanting journey through nature’s vibrant palette on the Guided Rainbow Trail Walk. Nestled in the breathtaking landscapes of South Lake Tahoe, this guided walking tour at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center offers an unforgettable experience for nature enthusiasts. Immerse yourself in the tranquility of the forest as our knowledgeable guides lead you along the Rainbow Trail. Discover the diverse ecosystems, and learn about the unique flora and fauna that call it home. The Guided Rainbow Trail Walk provides an opportunity to connect with your national forest and appreciate the beauty of the great outdoors. Don’t miss the chance to explore one of South Lake Tahoe’s hidden gems and experience the magic of the Rainbow Trail. We look forward to welcoming you on this educational walk! This tour is offered, free to the public, every Wednesday & Saturday at 10am between June 17th and September 27th. Be sure to bring water, waterproof shoes and please leave all pets and food/scented beverages at home or in the car. Additional dates: 9/12, 9/16.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1035573822210868/1035573845544199/?active_tab=about.
Inaugural Heavenly Village Jeep Flex Festival and Ale Fest with Chicken Wing Contest – 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Heavenly Village. Join us for our Inaugural Heavenly Village Jeep Flex Festival and Ale Fest with Chicken Wing Contest. The event will host live music throughout the day including food and drink vendors on site. Heavenly Village has enough space for 100 Jeeps this first year to participate in the show and shine. There is no cost to participate but you are required to secure your spot by sending an email to NevadaJeepClub @gmail.com. These spots will fill up fast so please email Matt as soon as possible. This event is sure to be a fun day for the whole family as you showcase your Jeep at the legendary South Tahoe Heavenly Village venue. We ask all those participating to invite their friends and family and please share the event. Event Sponsor: Heavenly Village Shops Trophy’s (Awards) 1) Best in Show 2) Maximum Flex 3) Most Heavenly If you would like to participate in the wing fest there is a $40 donation required but the Jeep show and shine is free to participate. Family friendly
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/960252710337732/.
Led Zeppelin 2 – 7 p.m., Bally’s Lake Tahoe, 55 Highway 50. Led Zeppelin 2 “The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience!” Saturday September 12, 2026 Bally’s Lake Tahoe Showroom Stateline, NV (Lake Tahoe) Tix on sale now! Ticketmaster.com LED ZEPPELIN 2 is a powerhouse live experience dedicated to faithfully recreating the electrifying sound, look, and spirit of Led Zeppelin at the height of their legendary performances. Hailing from Chicago, the band has built a reputation as one of the most authentic and sought-after Zeppelin experiences on the touring circuit today. Rather than simply covering the songs, they channel the raw, improvisational energy that defined Zeppelin’s concerts, where no two shows were ever the same. Drawing deeply from the band’s extensive catalog, including iconic studio albums, historic live recordings, and rare bootlegs. LED ZEPPELIN 2 delivers an immersive performance that captures both the precision and spontaneity of the original shows. From the blues-infused swagger of early tracks to the expansive, cinematic arrangements of later works, every set is crafted to transport audiences back to the golden era of rock. At the core of their sound is a meticulous attention to detail, capturing the signature dynamics, textures, and power that made Led Zeppelin a defining force in rock history. What sets LED ZEPPELIN 2 apart is their commitment to recreating not just the music, but the full live experience, complete with extended jams, medleys, and the loose, unpredictable magic that made Zeppelin’s shows so unforgettable. Over the years, the band has toured extensively across the United States, performing in premier theaters, clubs, and festivals, earning a loyal following and critical acclaim for their authenticity and high-energy shows. Each performance is immersive, powerful, and steeped in authenticity, appealing to both lifelong fans and new audiences discovering the music for the first time. More than an experience, LED ZEPPELIN 2 is a celebration of one of the greatest rock bands in history—keeping the legacy alive with every note, every riff, and every roar of the crowd.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2197617141025204/ or call (775) 588-3515.
PARTNER’S EVENT: 2026 Tahoe Bear Fest – 2-6 p.m., Sugar Pine Point State Park. Event Fee: Free Park Day-Use Fee: $10 | Cash, Card accepted This is a wheelchair accessible event. If you need to request special accommodations please reach out to: Sarinah Simons. The Tahoe Interagency Bear Team (TIBT) is proud to announce the return of Tahoe Bear Fest on Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with a showing of the documentary, “Bears of Durango” at 7 p.m. at Sugar Pine Point State Park. This free, family-friendly event celebrates Lake Tahoe’s iconic black bears while highlighting the important role local agencies and communities play in keeping bears wild and people safe. Visitors will enjoy a day filled with interactive booths, educational presentations, guided hikes, and activities for all ages. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. For more information or if you have any questions please contact: 5304898970 Please note: We do our best to avoid postponing or cancelling events, but all events and programs are subject to change due to adverse weather conditions or unexpected issues with staff scheduling, park maintenance projects, natural resource management activities, and data connectivity (for virtual programs). Please contact the park if you have any questions.
For more information, visit https://sierrastateparks.org/events/bearfest.
Summer Send-Off Party feat. Pipe Down – 5-9 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Reggae vibes from Pipe Down, opening set from Jeff Connor + Midnight Chef at noon. After party at Cocktail Corner!
For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/summer-send-off-party-feat-pipe-down/.
THE TAHOE CUP – LAKE CROSSING 2025 – 5 a.m., Tahoe Waterman, Waterman’s Landing, 5166 N Lake Blvd. WHERE: Lake Tahoe Waterman’s Landing WHEN: September 13,14,15, 2024 – THREE-DAY EVENT WITH A WEATHER WINDOW FROM FRIDAY TO SUNDAY DISTANCES: 22-Mile (35km) point-to point course accross Lake Tahoe. Tahoe Cup / Lake Crossing is set apart from other paddle races by its 22-miles length (35km). The majestic paddle across Lake Tahoe nicknamed the Alpine Caribbean with surrounded by 2000′ peaks is a bucket list to most. Lake Tahoe is known worldwide as a skier’s paradise; the alpine destination is one of the largest flat-water paddle venues in the world, where the serenity of the deep blue water will challenge your paddling mindset and imprint inspiring memories. The crossing is open all craft; stand-up paddleboards, prone paddleboards, outrigger canoes (OC2, OC2, OC6) and surfskis. Because this is a major bucket list event for most athletes and have paddlers from far and beyond the region, making sure the weather is showing signs for a safe voyage on Tahoe, we are reserving three days to run the race safely; the race will start either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, the preferred day is Saturday. So be prepared to race on any given day – make accommodation or obligation arrangements accordingly. We will check the weather forecast during the race week and give updates as the week progresses. This new format will support all paddlers in reaching their goals of paddling across Lake Tahoe and prevent cancelation. The race day will be announced between Monday and Wednesday, the week of the race. EVENT INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION https://paddleguru.com/races/TAHOECUPLakeCrossingTahoeWatermanPaddleRacing2025/startlist
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1235674788053948/.
Sunday, September 13
Babes on a Boat – P.E.O., Chapter XE Fundraiser – 6-9 p.m., North Tahoe Cruises – Tahoe Gal, 952 North Lake Boulevard. Get ready for a fun evening supporting PEO, Chapter XE with great food, wine, prizes, and entertainment all while enjoying beautiful Lake Tahoe!
For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/babes-on-a-boat-chapter-xe-fundraiser-tickets or call 530.386.2420.
Rose to Toads – Registration opens July 13th!
Over 62 miles in length with 9,000+ feet of climbing and 11,000+ feet of descent, this is the most amazing (and tough) mountain bike ride. What started off as a hair-brained idea with a few friends many years ago, before TAMBA’s rebirth, is now one of our signature events that attracts crazy people from all over the country. It takes most people all day to complete the ride and showcases some of the best trails linking Lake Tahoe’s North Shore from Mount Rose down to the South Shore, ending on the famous Mr. Toads Wild Ride. This is not a race but the ride can be as intense as you want it to be. Join us and be part of something awesome!
More information here.
For more information, visit https://tamba.org/event/rose-to-toads-5/.
Wednesday, September 16
Alpenglow Sports Mountain Running Club | Martis Peak – 7 a.m., Brockway Summit. Let’s tackle Martis Peak this week! Join us this Wednesday 9/16, at 7AM at the Tahoe Rim Trail Trailhead off of 267 for this uphill challenge. But, the best part about going uphill? The top usually has a view, and the second half is all down. Come out and run off the day on the trails together for this. Please remember to bring anything you might need — layers, water, snacks, a hat, a friend, etc. These are zero drop runs intended to build community! Curious about the route? Check it out via our Strava page, and please call the shop with any questions! https://www.strava.com/routes/3345121533624570956
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1766478331259855/.
Mexico Independence Party – 5-9 p.m., The Shops At Heavenly Village, 1011 Heavenly Village Way. Visit Heavenly Village Lake Tahoe present our annual Mexico Independence Party SEPT 16th 4pm-7pm. Live performances and mariachi band!
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/28332697646334986/.
Thursday, September 17
Become a Tahoe Blue Crew Leader – 4-5 p.m., Description Tahoe Blue Crew Training Tahoe Blue Crew Training on September 17 from 4 to 5 pm: Join the Tahoe Blue Crew program and help create a litter-free Tahoe! The Tahoe Blue Crew program allows individuals or groups of people to take care of an adopted area in Lake Tahoe and empowers them to keep it litter-free. At this hybrid training on September 17 from 4 pm to 5 pm, you will learn how to become a Tahoe Blue Crew Leader, adopt a litter hotspot, and collect data for your site. We will also help you develop your personal approach for planning and executing your Blue Crew efforts. After this training with Keep Tahoe Blue staff, we will schedule a time to meet with you personally to go over your adopted site and other logistics. For more information and to register, please visit
For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/become-a-tahoe-blue-crew-leader-1897967?sourceTypeId=Hub or call (530) 541-5388.
Birds, Botany, and Beavers Hike with TRTA – 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Join the us at TINS and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) for a guided nature walk around beautiful Spooner Lake as we explore the vibrant life that remains as summer winds down. Led by naturalist Sarah Hockensmith and volunteers from the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, this outing is a perfect way to connect with nature during the last few days of summer. We’ll be on the lookout for migrating birds headed south, discover late-blooming wildflowers, and search for signs of local beavers: from gnawed trees to dams and lodges, there’s plenty of evidence of their busy activity! Whether you’re a birder, botanist, wildlife enthusiast, or just enjoy being outdoors, this adventure offers something for everyone. Difficulty Intermediate Distance 3 miles roundtrip Location Spooner Lake Trailhead Sign
For more information, visit https://www.tinsweb.org/upcoming-events/birds-botany-and-beavers-hike-with-trta.
Chart House – Prisoner Wine Dinner – 7-10 p.m., Chart House, 392 Kingsbury Grade. Five-course wine pairing dinner featuring The Prisoner Wine Company selections.
For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chart-house-prisoner-wine-dinner-stateline-tickets-1982469286001.
SAILING CLUB, YACHT ROCK PARTY W/ PIER PRESSURE – 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Tessie’s Cocktails & Chords , 18 US-50. Sailing Club launches at Tessie’s with Tahoe’s smoothest & grooviest party starters, Pier Pressure. Captains Orders – grab a cocktail and head to the dance floor. Sailing Club offers a night of high-energy yachty fun that keeps the room rocking from start to finish. Rascal Flatts ticket holders receive a BOGO cocktail with their concert ticket.
Jamie Saso 8 pm
Pier Pressure 10 pm
Grab a drink and settle in for a night of yacht rock party anthems.
Experience the yachty energy firsthand—book your table today.
Lounge open 11 AM Daily. For large party reservations or tables before 10 PM, call us at 775.586.5014 or email: VIP@tessiestahoe.com
For more information, visit http://tessiestahoe.com/events or call 6194547421.
Tahoe Blue Crew Training – 4-5 p.m., Keep Tahoe Blue Spurlock/Evers Environment and Education Center, 2877 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Join the Tahoe Blue Crew program and help create a litter-free Tahoe! The Tahoe Blue Crew program allows individuals or groups of people to take care of an adopted area in Lake Tahoe and empowers them to keep it litter-free.
At this hybrid training on September 17 from 4 pm to 5 pm, you will learn how to become a Tahoe Blue Crew Leader, adopt a litter hotspot, and collect data for your site. We will also help you develop your personal approach for planning and executing your Blue Crew efforts. After this training with Keep Tahoe Blue staff, we will schedule a time to meet with you personally to go over your adopted site and other logistics. For more information and to register, please visit https://www.keeptahoeblue.org/events-activities-lessons/tahoe-blue-crew-training-september-17-2026/
For more information, visit https://www.keeptahoeblue.org/events-activities-lessons/tahoe-blue-crew-training-september-17-2026/.
A Labor Day weekend party for a Lake Tahoe girl’s soccer team ended up with the adult host being arrested on child endangerment and a score of contributing to the delinquency of a minor charges.
Deputies responded to noise and parking complaints at an address on Manzanita Court in Lake Village at 10:40 p.m. Saturday.
They were greeted by a broadside of alcoholic beverage containers thrown from the home’s balcony by high-school aged teenagers, according to the Sheriff’s report.
Deputies looked into the open front door to see around 30 teens standing inside along with the odor of spilled alcoholic beverages tinged with marijuana smoke.
Deputies directed the teens to sit down as the homeowner came downstairs.
He told the deputies he’d allowed his 15-year-old daughter to invite a few friends over, and that turned into many, stating “he later realized additional juveniles had been invited and the gathering had gotten out of hand.”
He also confirmed he knew many of them were underage and said he told his daughter to start sending kids home.
Deputies contacted the juveniles’ parents and while waiting, one girl who was obviously impaired tried to leave on her own, despite attempts by her friends and deputies to keep her inside. She ended up being taken into custody while the other juveniles received a citation after a breath test indicated they’d been imbibing.
After determining the homeowner should have been aware of what was going on, he was taken into custody for child endangerment and the 20 counts of contributing to the delinquency.
A school board trustee accused of embezzling $125,000 from two Lake Tahoe parents clubs is seeking appointment of a public defender.
Erinn Coleen Miller appeared in Tahoe Township Justice Court in custody on Tuesday afternoon, not long after it was announced she’d been arrested on two felony counts involving thefts from the Zephyr Cove Parents Club and the Warrior Boosters Club.
Bail was set at $25,000 bondable or $3,750 cash for Miller, 46, under the condition she surrender her passport, wear a GPS locating device and be under the supervision of the Department of Alternative Sentencing.
Senior Judge Richard Glasson also granted a motion from the state ordering Miller not to act as a fiduciary without a written waiver being executed by a client indicating they know about the case. Miller is also required to inform her current clientele about the status of the case.
Glasson said Tahoe Township Justice of the Peace Michael Johnson had voluntarily recused himself because he has children at the schools.
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Whether Miller qualifies for an appointed attorney will be determined by Glasson unless the parties agree for Johnson to hear the case. Glasson ordered the case continued to Sept. 15, when he would be back on the bench.
Douglas County Indigent Defense Coordinator Brian Filter appeared on behalf of Miller on Tuesday and asked for her release on her own recognizance.
“She is a resident of Zephyr Cove … and has lived in the same home for 10 years,” he said. “She is a self-employed wife and mother of three, who poses zero flight risk. The only risk she poses is financial and should be covered by the restriction on her.”
Corinne DeLuca presenting Amelie Torres-Flores and Ximena Perez with their winningsProvided / Corinne DeLuca
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Eighth grade students Amelie Torres-Flores and Ximena Perez were crowned the winners of this year’s color run flyer contest.
The contest showcases students’ creative designs leading up to South Tahoe Middle School’s (STMS) biggest fundraiser of the year – The STMS Color Run.
As the winners, Torres-Flores and Perez won a $30 gift certificate to RetroArcade and a $20 gift certificate to Baked Bear, as well as bragging rights as their flyer is featured all over town, the school, Facebook and Instagram.
Organized by the PTA, the STMS Color Run is an annual event where students have the opportunity to run or walk laps around a course while being enveloped in colorful, non-toxic color powder.
What does a proposed Olympic heritage and snow sports museum have in common with a 65-year-old empty fire station? Both are on land given by the U.S. government to the public, and both have been taking over a decade to figure out if proposed projects match the zoning. The former is proposed for the Olympic Valley Park, zoned as forest recreation by the US Forest Service; the latter sits on Commons Beach, which was deeded to the people of Tahoe City in 1872 and is zoned recreation.
The question of whether a museum belongs in a public park and what to do with the old fire station building while maintaining the recreational intent of both properties has vexed Placer County and some residents for over a decade. Both projects, however, may soon be moving forward.
SNOW Museum
The nonprofit SNOW (Sierra Nevada Olympic & Winter Sports) Museum and Community Cultural Center moved one step closer to becoming reality after the Placer County Planning Commission unanimously approved it on Aug. 27.
The idea for the SNOW Museum dates back to 2009. Tahoe is one of the only Olympic host cities in North America that doesn’t have a museum to honor the event, which was held in Olympic Valley in 1960. Lake Placid in New York, Park City, Utah, and Vancouver, British Colombia, all have Olympic museums. Other mountain towns, like Aspen and Vail, have museums that pay tribute to their winter sports legacy.
Currently, the museum exists in a small retail space in the Boatworks Mall in Tahoe City.
After conducting multiple site studies and assembling master plans, in 2015 the SNOW Museum Board of Directors settled on a 2.3-acre site within the 26-acre Olympic Valley Park. Although the board considered the property across the street near 7-Eleven, it found that spot was not ideal due to the existence of a power substation, the industrial nature of the site, and a patchwork of land ownership.
Sitting on public land and at the entrance to Olympic Valley, the board believes the park to be the ideal location.
VACANT: The old Tahoe City fire station has been empty since 2012. What to do with the building has troubled Placer County ever since. Photo by Ted Coakley III/Moonshine Ink
“Throughout all the site studies, it’s like, where do we put something that needs to be connected to the milestone event — the ’60 Olympics — and that can represent the culture of our area and still represent all the culture in ski areas up and down the Sierra?” said SNOW Board President Bill Clark. “If you had a dream of where you could put something that recognized the Olympics, welcomed people to our area and our culture, and the rest of the ski industry would feel the connection to it, and it’s on public land so it can never really go away … We almost feel like from our perspective, we feel blessed that there’s that opportunity to do that.”
Other advantages of the park location are that it lies between the North Shore and Truckee and along the Highway 89 corridor, giving it high visibility to motorists, and is not on Palisades Tahoe property. It’s important to the board that the museum represent all Sierra ski resorts and doesn’t sit on private land, which could be taken away.
The museum is currently planned to be a two-level building that would occupy 7,250 square feet on land between the upper and lower parking lots above the pickleball courts. It would have public restrooms accessible from outside the museum, replacing the park’s vault toilets, as well as public meeting rooms.
BLENDING IN: The proposed two-level SNOW museum building in Olympic Valley Park is designed to convey the appearance of a single-story building. Renderings courtesy SNOW Museum
What is driving some opposition to the project’s location in Olympic Valley Park, however, is the question of whether charging admission and having a small gift shop and café as planned violates the deed restriction’s ban on commercial activity.
“What was the intent of the Forest Service even putting on this deed restriction that said no commercial operations? This is where I come down on the other side of the SNOW Museum and Placer County trying to stick it in there is the original intent of what was going on, because I was at those meetings with all the Forest Service people and the Placer County people,” said Olympic Valley resident Ed Heneveld, who helped establish the park in 2004.
Up until this winter, the Forest Service agreed with Heneveld. However, a leadership change in 2025 at the Tahoe National Forest brought a new forest supervisor with a different interpretation.
“So long as the county can implement the proposal in a manner that will not meet the threshold of a ‘private development of a commercial nature,’ then the Forest Service agrees that the museum would not violate the deed restriction,” wrote Forest Supervisor Chris Feutrier in a January 2026 letter to Clark.
Placer County, which has supported the museum with $850,000 in TOT (transit occupancy tax) funds for the environmental impact report, is thus far in favor of the park site for the museum.
VISTA SPECTACULAR: With million-dollar views like this, the old Tahoe City fire station sits on prime property as part of Commons Beach, which was deeded to the community over 150 years ago. Photo by Ted Coakley III/Moonshine Ink
“A lot of studies we did way back, long before I was in the supervisor role, indicated that one of the things we needed to broaden and reduce our dependence on weather and seasonality for outdoor recreation, was to have indoor facilities,” said Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson, who represents North Tahoe. “The original tourism master plan indicated that we needed more facilities to broaden that kind of our offerings. The idea that we celebrate the heritage of our Olympics and the development of the ski industry and snow sports in the Sierra made a lot of sense to me.”
The SNOW Museum would be a public-private partnership, with Placer County owning the land. More details of the partnership still need to be worked out, which will happen if the board of supervisors approves it. The item is expected to go the board on Oct. 20 in Tahoe.
A partnership would bring with it financial and public benefits, since nonprofits are allowed to solicit donations.
“We know we need to replace the playground, and we would love to have permanent restrooms,” Gustafson said. “A partnership with a nonprofit helps us secure more funding to do the infrastructure and bring the water and sewer to the site especially so that we can have regular restrooms … The other thing that we as the county insisted on is that there would be a public meeting room or an event room, so people could take shelter there, or gather. It’s a partnership that we think could be very meaningful to the community.”
Gustafson does not think that a museum gift shop or coffee shop qualifies as commercial. Most museums around the world have these amenities, which help to offset the organization’s expenses.
“If you go to the Gatekeepers Museum, they sell trinkets, right? It’s a museum on state park property. It is a historical museum. They have a gift shop,” she said. “Having visited Mount St. Helens, which is a Forest Service-run visitor center, there’s a commercial shop in there … Most people don’t define gift shops in a museum as an unregulated commercial use.”
One option proposed by the USFS is that the county pay the difference between the assessed value and the fair market rate, since the deed restriction blocking commercial usage reduced the value of the land. If the county did, this would remove the deed restriction, and the issue of commercial use would be moot. This is one possibility Heneveld said he can live with. However, the county stated it is not considering this alternative.
“Our interpretation is that this county museum is consistent with county service operations, so we are not exploring a buyout of that restriction at this point,” said Stephanie Holloway, Placer County deputy CEO for Tahoe.
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FOREST RECREATION: An aerial view of the proposed SNOW Museum. It would sit in a small, semi-forested area between the upper and lower parking lots in the Olympic Valley Park. The location was the site of a ready-mix concrete batch plant in the 1950s.
OLYMPIC HERITAGE: An artist’s rendering of the proposed SNOW Museum, which would be on two levels and encompass a total of 14,500 square feet on a 7,250-square-foot footprint.
The SNOW Museum estimates the project will cost $20 million. It currently has a $1.4 million endowment designated for construction and has its collection of artifacts in place thanks to the Auburn Ski Club, which donated thousands of pieces dating back to the 1930s. The museum will start fundraising when the project is approved.
The museum is not the only organization eyeing the park for possible development. According to Gustafson, Placer County offered a portion of the park behind the sports field to Creekside Charter School in exchange for maintaining the field and keeping it open for public use. If this were to move forward, public meetings would be held, and it would need board of supervisors’ approval. No official proposal from Creekside has been submitted.
Old Fire Station
A bigger headache for the county has been the former Tahoe City fire station — what to do that meets the recreational intent of the zoning, is open to public use, and is financially viable? The building has been vacant since 2012 when the North Tahoe Fire Protection District moved into a new facility.
In 2018, two groups — Siren Arts and Commonwell — submitted proposals, the first for a multi-use community space and the second for a market hall, but Placer found neither was economically sustainable.
“Moving forward, what we’ve really been focused on is trying to find the right mix of community support and a financially sound partner who has assets to bring forward,” Holloway said.
The nonprofit California Wildfire Institute approached Placer County about the space in 2022, but the organization eventually pulled out of discussions.
Through community surveys and public meetings, the county says it has an idea of what residents want in the space. A 2017 survey revealed that residents were most interested in bringing art complexes, indoor recreation facilities, and food and beverage options to the former firehouse. Meeting rooms and gathering spaces came in fifth.
Further community engagement conducted by the county, including focus groups in 2022, found that there was alignment around three guiding pillars for the future use of the site: (1) science and environmental protection; (2) art and community spaces; and (3) public awareness and stewardship education.
In 2023, after the county held small group conversations on the topic, a staff MOU to the board of supervisors stated: “Uniform support amongst all stakeholders interviewed [stated a preference] for a multi-use facility that would provide science research, science meeting and public education spaces, and flexible arts and community spaces open to the public.”
“What we heard from the community is that this is public land. We, as the county, are stewards of the land,” Holloway said. “What we learned was that the community had a strong interest in still having a community connection. That was first and foremost. Secondly, we heard that activating the space in a science-based, educational component to celebrate being stewards of the lake was important. We took all of that to heart.”
Another science-based nonprofit has been in talks with the county for a few years, according to Gustafson, although the talks are still in the early stages — UC Davis’s Tahoe Environmental Research Center, which has been in Incline Village since 2006.
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LEG BONE CONNECTED TO THE KNEE BONE: Moving forward with the SNOW Museum project may make it easier to update both the restrooms and playground at Olympic Valley Park. Construction is planned to take place just above the pickleball courts. Photos by Ted Coakley III/Moonshine Ink
LEG BONE CONNECTED TO THE KNEE BONE: Moving forward with the SNOW Museum project may make it easier to update both the restrooms and playground at Olympic Valley Park. Construction is planned to take place just above the pickleball courts. Photos by Ted Coakley III/Moonshine Ink
LEG BONE CONNECTED TO THE KNEE BONE: Moving forward with the SNOW Museum project may make it easier to update both the restrooms and playground at Olympic Valley Park. Construction is planned to take place just above the pickleball courts. Photos by Ted Coakley III/Moonshine Ink
Gustafson said TERC could be a good match if the design of a new building includes public meeting and event space as well as a visitor center. The nonprofit’s offices, however, may need to be across the street in the Bechdolt building, which the county owns, to satisfy the recreational zoning of Commons Beach.
“I’ve always believed in the idea of a more elaborate visitor center for our community to educate the public on taking care of this lake,” she said. “I think it’s amazing to me that millions of visitors come into Tahoe City and they can’t really learn about the lake other than on interpretive signs outdoors.”
Gustafson points to the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, run by the USFS; Washington State Parks’ Mount St. Helen’s Visitor Center, which has a theater that plays educational movies; or the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium, which hosts dinners and after-hour events, as examples of what the TERC facility could become that would benefit the community.
“You can have movies. You can have shared-use facilities where people learn about the history of the lake, the environmental research going on, or exhibits,” she added. “Tahoe City could have a landmark facility.”
TERC said it could not provide details of talks with the county due to the preliminary nature of the negotiations.
“I can confirm that we have been in discussion with the county and we are looking into opportunities to expand our very successful education program into Tahoe City, but we can’t comment beyond that at this time,” said Cara Hollis, TERC communications and marketing specialist.
The key to whatever goes into the fire station is “perpetual funding,” per Gustafson, which likely means a public-private partnership similar to the SNOW Museum.
“Whether that’s TOT or the county or whether it’s TERC or other groups where there could be an event space … we need partnerships coming together because not one group on its own can fund the cost of such a thing,” she said.
If TERC were to take over the building, it would need board of supervisors’ approval.
Robb Olson, who was part of the Siren Arts team, said while he considers TERC a good fit for the former fire station, he thinks that the space should also encompass the arts, which is exactly what the Siren Arts project was trying to do — provide a space for both the arts and sciences and other community interests.
“The thing that Placer County hasn’t been able to connect with is arts,” he said. “We don’t really have a strong advocate for the arts. We need to be more well-rounded … The sun goes down, what do you do? That was what Siren Arts was about.”
Olson is critical of the county for not allowing Siren Arts to prove their project could work financially.
“The county just wanted someone to be like, ‘Hey, I’ve got $20 million. I’m going to make this project happen,’” Olson said. “We just need to try to lift things up and we can’t look to the county to subsidize arts and culture. They’re not there. I think arts and culture is hard for people to understand and to see the value.”
While the Siren Arts fire house project has been put to bed, Olson is trying to implement many of its goals with his new project — a total remodel of the Trading House buildings (across from the old Safeway in Tahoe City), which he and his wife purchased last fall.
“The Siren Arts spirit is very much alive. It’s just in a different form and it’s going through different channels to get there — it’s going through the private sector versus public,” he said.
Over the past 30 years, thousands of volunteers have shown up for the Truckee River Watershed Council’s (TRWC) annual Truckee River Day. I have been among them, volunteering since I could toddle back and forth with a willow branch in hand.
The Truckee River is where I spent countless summer days navigating rapids in inner tubes and playing instruments on its banks. But the river itself is a single part of the much larger network of creeks, lakes, forests, and meadows that make up our watershed.
Everything that makes our home in the Tahoe/Truckee area special can be traced back to our watershed –– from fresh tracks on powder days to the wildflowers alongside our favorite trails. Even the water we drink and air we breathe depend on a healthy watershed.
However, human development and industrial demands have been impacting our watershed since the 1800s. To accommodate cattle grazing and make room for highways, railroads, buildings, and other infrastructure, creeks were straightened, meadows degraded, and essential habitat lost. And despite improvements to environmental regulation and industry standards, the damage of past development can still be observed today.
Without our help, the Truckee River watershed will continue to degrade and its systems will fail to function. That’s where TRWC and its mighty volunteers come in.
Truckee River Day allows our community to come together in an effort to protect and restore the watershed. No matter participants’ age, background, or level of experience, this event welcomes everyone with open arms.
As a result, the legacy of Truckee River Day volunteers runs deep. Some have been coming since its inaugural year in 1996. Others first volunteered side-by-side with their children and, decades later, now attend with their grandchildren. Some return regularly to past project sites to observe changes and reflect on their own, individual role within our landscape.
Many have allowed their experiences as a volunteer at Truckee River Day to shape their lives and livelihoods moving forward. I fall into that category.
Some of my most vivid childhood memories took place at Truckee River Day. As a toddler, I remember helping my mother plant willows as we worked to stabilize creek banks. Years later, I showed up to volunteer with my Girl Scout troop, proudly donning my green vest to release juvenile Lahontan cutthroat trout into the river by the bucketful.
Truckee River Day has undoubtedly shaped both my love of the natural world and my commitment to protecting it, and I’m hardly the only one.
Jeff Glazner volunteered with his preschool-aged children, Ryan and Jessica, in the early years of Truckee River Day. Today, Jessica is completing her PhD in marine biology, and Ryan is approaching four years in Cal Fire’s forestry department. Both return as Truckee River Day volunteers whenever possible, and Jeff still hasn’t missed a year since 1997.
Sam Zabell also grew up volunteering at Truckee River Day with his parents, eventually securing an internship with TRWC. This foundation of environmental work shaped his professional trajectory, first with the Yosemite Rivers Alliance and now with Sierra Foothill Conservancy.
Our shared experiences with Truckee River Day reflect an event bigger than the sum of its parts. By convening our community around the watershed, TRWC transforms a single volunteer event into a lifelong connection to our landscape. Both as a launchpad for the future generations of environmental stewards and an opportunity for volunteers to give back, Truckee River Day continues to heal our watershed and create a more resilient community for years to come.
Learn more about the 31st annual Truckee River Dayon Oct. 18 or sign up to volunteer at truckeeriverwc.org.
~ Addison Wingate was born and raised in Truckee, where she grew up skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and enjoying the mountains she calls home. After six years in Southern California and a summer spent hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, she resettled in Truckee, where she works as the lead storyteller at the Truckee River Watershed Council.
I’ve taught American government at the college level for 20 years. Over time, I’ve made a few observations about my students.
One of them is that of the several hundred students who have passed through my classrooms, I don’t believe I have changed many minds. It’s not a matter of demographics. They have covered a wide age span, ranging from high schoolers to retirees. Nor is it a matter of retention, at least in the short term. Most of them listen attentively enough to do well on tests and papers. But in casual conversations, I’m struck by how many held onto their preconceptions of how government and politics work.
If I had to identify the reasons why this is the case, most if not all can be attributed to how and where we learn our personal values. Our early childhoods are dominated by our families, schooling, and communities of faith. Not knowing any differently, we default to what we learned early in life rather than entertaining any alternatives.
Our values, in turn, influence our attitudes toward events and issues. This is particularly true of controversial hot button topics that polarize the electorate. The goal of partisan politics is “mobilization of bias” –– attracting voters holding strong views on a given issue to your side.
The resulting polarized political climate works against promoting a well-informed electorate. The facts are out there and easily obtainable. Unfortunately, facts alone don’t change minds in a time where “facts” and “truth” have become highly subjective for many of us. (This is not a new thing, really. Kurt Andersen’s 2017 book Fantasyland makes the case that Americans throughout history have tended to live in realities of their own creation.)
One stumbling block is time. The information cost needed to be an engaged and well-informed citizen is simply too great for a lot of people. Many families are supported by two incomes. Families with small children compounded by the necessity of paying bills can overwhelm the mental bandwidth required to educate oneself on candidates, issues, and policies. The complexity of ballots, particularly in primaries under our top-two primary system, can be daunting for even the well-informed and confusing for everyone else.
Complicating matters is the ballot initiative. A legacy of the Progressive movement of the early 20th century, Californians take it for granted that they can enact statutes or amend the state constitution at the ballot box. Some initiatives are easy to understand, both in their intent and their expected outcome. Many are not.
Oftentimes we are confronted with initiatives whose purpose is obscure or at least opaque in their intent. I’ve spoken with people who voted for every office and every ballot initiative on their ballot because they thought they had to. This is untrue. It’s perfectly okay to undervote your ballot. I’ve done it more than a few times when I didn’t fully understand a measure.
There are bright spots here and there. Voter turnout in California, particularly in midterm elections, is improving. In 2014 it was a paltry 30.7%, rising to 49.3% in 2018. The 2022 midterms saw some back-sliding, with a turnout of 42.9%. Presidential election years generally bring greater voting rates, with 68.8% in 2020 and 62.1% in 2024. This should be a welcome development, particularly in the midterms where there is much more at stake than popular perception would have it.
But do these voters make good decisions? Our political culture has long been dominated by candidates’ personalities and often blind identification with one of the two major parties. Voters make decisions based on image and “vibes” rather than on a clear understanding of the issues at stake in an election.
There are a number of theories in my field as to why people make decisions at the polls. The prevailing school of thought is rational choice. This explanation holds that people don’t cast votes as a dichotomous, either/or decision (even though if you asked most people, they would probably describe it this way). Rather, rational choice uses a consumer-based approach. When we buy a consumer item, we rank-order our options to optimize value. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a can of beans, an electronic device, a car, or a house. Each of us is a rational actor in the marketplace.
This theory assumes that each of us has perfect information, when in most cases we probably don’t. A more plausible explanation, in my opinion, is a prospective and retrospective hypothesis. When times are bad, we want to go with whichever candidate or party offers a way out. When times are good, we want to stick with the candidate or party that is in office. Image and vibes may account for more than my colleagues and I may think.
So, how do we improve voter knowledge? I wish I had an innovative, outside-the-box solution.California voters do not lack for information. There is the secretary of state’s guide with its tiny font on newsprint. There are the sample ballots and candidate guides published by the counties. There are lots of third-party resources such as the League of Women Voters. A personal favorite is Ballotpedia. This website covers all the major federal and state political contests, along with notable local elections. Importantly, it discloses major donors and contributions to both candidates and ballot initiatives. (Ballotpedia began as a volunteer-edited wiki but has been professionally edited for several years.)
If I had to make a recommendation, I would suggest first choosing an issue area of interest to you. Then, find a source you believe reputable to research that issue and where candidates at all levels stand on it.
Inform yourself and choose wisely.
~ Scott Parker is an instructor of political science at Sierra College. Raised in Placer County, Scott earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Sacramento, with graduate study at the University of Nevada, Reno. He lives in Truckee.
KNOW BEFORE YOU VOTE
November’s General Election is just around the corner. Do you know your local candidates?
Moonshine Ink put together a detailed Election 2026: Tahoe/Truckee Tracker, showing the local agencies with seats up for election this year, who will be included on ballots, as well as the benefits and compensation each seat receives.
Attend one or all the events below to hear from various candidates before the big day, Nov. 3, 2026.
P.S. Our October edition of Moonshine will cover critical races in our region. Stay tuned.
~ AH
North Shore Election Forum (Virtual) | Oct. 6
First Tuesday Breakfast Club is a community forum about news, projects, businesses, and influencers hosted by the North Tahoe Community Alliance (NTCA). The October Breakfast Club will feature local candidates running for election, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. Join on Zoom by visiting firsttuesdaybreakfastclub.com.
Truckee Candidate Forum Oct. 6 and 8
Both forums will be held in the Town Council Chambers at Truckee Town Hall, 10183 Truckee Airport Road and will be broadcast and recorded as well. The events are free and open to the public. Moonshine Ink serves as a partner to the events, and staff will be part of the team asking questions of candidates.
Night One: Tuesday, Oct. 6 | 5 to 8 p.m.
5 to 5:15 p.m.: Measure P
5:15 to 6 p.m.: Tahoe Truckee Unified School District
6 to 7 p.m.: Truckee Donner Public Utility District
7 to 8 p.m.: Truckee Fire Protection District
8 to 9 p.m.: Sierra College Board of Trustees, Trustee Area 2
Night Two: Thursday, Oct. 8 | 5 to 9 p.m.
5 to 6 p.m.: Truckee Town Council*
6 to 7 p.m.: Tahoe Forest Hospital District
7 to 8 p.m.: Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District
* The town council race is uncontested, however, organizers wanted to give community members a chance to hear directly from the candidates who will represent them.
Readers are invited to submit questions to Jessica Penman at jessica@truckee.com by Friday, Sept. 25. Due to time constraints, not all submitted questions may be asked.
Incline Village/Crystal Bay
As of press deadline, no candidate forums have been proposed for the Incline Village General Improvement District board.
Sandor Lengyel builds things meant to outlast him.
High on trails meandering along the West Shore of Tahoe, this means benches — massive, hand-built seats made from dead and downed trees, milled and hand-built on-site. Seven of them now sit along the trail — with one more on its way — offering hikers and bikers a place to stop, take in Lake Tahoe, and admire the view.
Lengyel, a Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) trail crew leader, built his first trailside bench after the organization rerouted and dramatically improved the iconic Stanford Rock trail. He wasn’t expecting much from a piece of furniture.
BUILT BY HAND: Each bench takes six slabs, stripped of bark by hand with an ax, wedge, and draw knife.
But “[the bench] really became a focal point up there,” he said. “It had a larger impact than I anticipated.”
That bench sparked an idea.
As TAMBA began planning the Meeks Ridge Trail — a route that will eventually connect to Lost Lake and, via the General Creek Trail, Sugar Pine Point State Park — it approached the Tahoe Fund about financing. What emerged was a distinctly Tahoe kind of equation: People who love the place and have the means to give back can pay $10,000 or more for a commemorative bench. TAMBA gets money to build the trail. And everyone who comes along afterward gets a wonderful trail to explore and places to rest.
It was a win-win-win. Then Lengyel started building the benches.
“MINIATURE SAWMILL:” Sandor Lengyel using an Alaskan mill and chainsaw to create bench slabs. Photos courtesy Sandor Lengyel
“Sandor blew us away. We didn’t realize they would be as magnificent as they would be,” said Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry.
Magnificent may be understating it.
Building a bench
Lengyel began working on trails in Marin County after graduating from college.
“I discovered it is legacy work,” he said. “The work we are doing will positively impact people’s lives long after I’m gone.”
LABOR OF LOVE: Once ready, the heavy bench pieces are hauled up the trail with help from the TAMBA crew.
When he bought a house in Tahoma in 2005, he connected with TAMBA and started becoming involved in their trail projects, especially the Stanford Rock trail, before eventually working on the Meeks Ridge Trail.
“Sandor blew us away. We didn’t realize [the benches] would be as magnificent as they would be.”
~ Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry
“With so many drought-stressed trees dead and dying, we were able to use dead trees to build the benches. Half of them we built with storm blow-downs,” Lengyel said. “We would mill as close as possible to the site, but we had to haul some of the slabs a thousand feet to the site.”
Lengyel would lug out an Alaskan mill, which is a large rail attached to a chainsaw. It is basically a miniature sawmill, and makes a clean, flat cut in the wood. “It’s slow, noisy, and dusty, and I wear double ear protection and a respirator,” he said.
FROM TREE TO TRAIL: Bench slabs ready to be assembled high above Lake Tahoe.
Each bench requires six slabs. After cutting the slabs, Lengyel then strips the bark with an ax, wedge, and a draw knife, tools that have been used for taking on these tasks for hundreds of years. Once he has the slabs ready, other TAMBA folks help him to haul the pieces to the bench site.
Seven benches have been built so far, with the last to be constructed next year when the Meeks Ridge Trail is completed at the highest overlook. This trail offers beautiful views of Lake Tahoe, the Meeks Bay meadow, and the edge of Desolation Wilderness.
In addition to being a great fundraising tool, “The benches are a huge hit with the locals,” said TAMBA Executive Director Drew Bray.
Finishing the trail
Bray is hoping they can finish the connection to Lost Lake by next year. But the job has been harder than anticipated. The further up the ridge they travel, the more challenging and rockier is the terrain. The money TAMBA received from Tahoe Fund and other donors, however, has enabled them to have professional trail building crews out working for 16 weeks this summer. “It’s making an incredible difference, but progress is slow,” Bray said.
The need for trail volunteers and money is great in our area.
“The Forest Service is chronically underfunded,” Lengyel said. “The Tahoe Basin is a global recreation destination, but the Forest Service has only a two-person trail crew. They are unable to maintain their system of trails. So, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and TAMBA have closed the funding gap and stepped in to maintain this amazing recreational resource.”
FROM TREE TO TRAIL: After a donor group paid for a bench, its members so enjoyed hanging out at the spot they asked Lengyel to make a table, which the author found to be a perfect spot for lunch. Photo by Tim Hauserman
In early August, the money needed to finish the trail’s construction arrived when South Lake Tahoe philanthropists Kyle and Jessica Aster gave TAMBA $250,000 to fully fund this upcoming season’s construction of the Meeks Ridge Trail. Avid mountain bikers, the couple made the donation not only to complete this trail, but for it to be the first phase in a new trail building program called the Basin Wide Trails Analysis Project, which seeks to add an additional 45 miles of trails in the Tahoe Basin.
“Time and time again the community steps up when the need is there,” Berry said. “TAMBA does a great job building trails, and a lot of people who love Tahoe have the capacity to really leave their legacy.”
Our astrological considerations begin with a Virgo new moon on Sept. 10, marking the height of the farming harvest season and offering grounded energy for both goal setting and practical acts of service. Venus in early Scorpio opposite Chiron in Taurus will stir tension between transformation and comfort, asking us to consider what makes us feel truly secure during our lunar reflections. Mercury opposes Neptune retrograde in Aries on Sept. 12, prompting diplomacy in communication but potentially in a blurry and intangible way. This energy shifts on the 13th, when Mercury trines Uranus in Gemini, sparking clarity and insight. Mid-month brings an exact sextile between Pluto retrograde in Aquarius and Neptune, quietly repatterning collective dreams and power structures. Chiron retrogrades back into Aries on Sept. 17, revisiting wounded energy in the realms of identity and initiation just as Saturn opposes Mercury, bringing serious conversations to the table.
The sun moves into Libra on Sept. 22, delivering the autumn equinox and the balance between day and night. The Aries full moon on Sept. 26 conjoins Neptune, illuminating idealism and big dreams, while Mars in Cancer simultaneously squares Chiron in Aries. This full moon again asks us to let go of what isn’t working in favor of what we hope to experience, but with extra vigor and spice. Oct. 3, we have Mars, now in Leo, opposite Pluto in Aquarius, a reactive transit worth noting so we can cool our jets. The same day, Venus in Scorpio begins her retrograde, which will end in Libra on Nov. 13.
NATURAL MAGIC
Fall Equinox is a wonderful time to celebrate with family. Cook a harvest meal with root vegetables and your favorite protein. Light one dark candle and one light candle, to honor the balance in the sky that brings the seasons and cycles to our lives. Making a gratitude list for everything that summer offered you is also a powerful practice; it can anchor positivity and support manifestation, and may become something to utilize with each turning of the seasons.
During Venus’s retrograde, the planet will disappear from the night sky to reappear in November as a morning star. The time when Venus vanishes from the sky has been spiritually significant for all who came before us and is worthy of preparing for. Offer yourself time between Oct. 3 and Oct. 14, when Venus will leave the night sky, to reflect and journal on attachments in love, self-worth, and how even minor shifts in these areas may shape the way we show up for ourselves and others.
My experience in foils doesn’t extend much further than using a fair amount of the tin variety when cooking over a campfire. But there is a growing number of highly dedicated individuals in our area who have dove headlong into hydrofoiling, or just “foiling” — applying aeronautics to traditional watersports in order to “fly.”
“It’s a whole new spectrum of watersport,” said Steven Siig, longtime North Lake Tahoe local who has become a multi-day-a-week foiler.
IN THE FLOW: A focused Doug Ingersol seeks balance upon board and wake. Photos by Craig Beck
There are various means of foiling — kite, wing, prone, downwind, efoil, and wake being the most prominent. While foilers find their rides thrilling and even spiritual, the learning curve can be steep, long, and painful.
“A lot of things are easy,” said adventure sports icon and foiling guru Craig Beck. “But it’s like, how much fun is that? Well, foiling ain’t easy.”
FOILERS find freedom, fun, and flight when out on the water. Photo courtesy Steven Siig
Beck has experimented with a number of the foil disciplines as a rider and a designer, and just recently tested his first skate foil to rave reviews.
Siig’s crew are wake foilers. Sitting in the water with their foil-and-board setup, they’re pulled up via a rope attached to a boat like a wakeboarder. Yet once enough speed is gained, the underwater foil’s wings-and-fuselage attain lift, the board rises above the water, and the foiler begins to soar. Letting go of the rope, the foil continues to do its thing — the rider hovering around from wake to wake, a turn here, a glide there as they find their water-flight Zen.
Siig and most of his foil-mates — including Tom Burt, Russ Klein, Mark Hendricks, and Dan Fraiman — were Tahoe water skiers in the ’90s who moved on to wakeboarding in the 2000s and wake surfing in the 2010s. Foiling was next in line in the progression of riding on water. “We all started seeing foiling on the lake,” Siig said. “There weren’t too many people doing it in [wake] surfing, but we noticed it was starting to become a new tool in terms of water sports. Once it kind of caught on, we realized we could adapt it into the wake scene. We were on the first wave of people doing it [locally], and it started happening all over the world.”
Through engine placement, ballast additions, and trim tabs (fins/rudders), new wake surf boats are creating bigger wakes, more technically shaped wakes, and more numerous wakes, essentially augmenting available terrain. The foil allows that terrain to be seized in a way that traditional wake surfing does not.
WAKE UP AND LIVE: Steven Siig finds the flow in a morning session on Lake Tahoe.
“Guys that are really good can go across the boat, to the third, fourth, fifth, six wave,” Siig described. “When Hendie’s like on the sixth wave, he’s way back there. Like a quarter mile away, then he pumps back up [closer to the boat].”
Foiling can produce a near-perpetual ride, the limitations not imposed by the lift/speed of the foil/board but by the human body’s need to take a break. Elite foilers can fly around for so long unattached to a boat that they sometimes seem less like athletes and more like wizards.
Daily improvement — but difficult, dangerous
Like snowboarding in the 1980s and early ’90s, wake foilers are frontiersmen, learning on the fly and creating as they go. “My favorite thing about the sport,” Fraiman said, “is I feel like I get better and learn something new every time I go … The progression is cool.”
PAYING THE PRICE: Siig’s face displays some of the inherent danger of foiling, sliced by the wing. Photos courtesy Steven Siig
When Siig started foiling three years ago, he relied heavily on the coaching of his crew, even though they had at most a year or two of experience on him.
The need for instruction in the sport is a recurring theme when speaking to foilers. There is an obvious reason why.
“It’s freaking hard,” said Beck, the longtime adventure-man and perhaps Tahoe’s godfather of the foil scene. “It’s typically a minimum of 10 times before you basically get up. And once you get up, you’ve still got a lot to learn. There’s a lot to it.”
THE FOIL RACKS at Praxis Skis feature an array of shapes and designs. Photo courtesy Keith O’Meara
But in a world where groceries are delivered at the push of a button and machines write people’s emails and do their thinking for them, there’s perhaps benefit to the sport’s inherent difficulty — a crucible that must be passed, the fun on the other side of the learning curve unable to be found through a prompt, the feeling of flight a thing to be earned by one’s own human acumen and determination.
ARTISTIC DESIGN: A foiler shows a Craig Beck designed board with Beck’s artwork, his art often drawing on inspiration from nature, and the Maori and Japanese cultures. Photo courtesy Craig Beck
Part of the sport’s difficulty is its inherent danger. The two sharp wings and fuselage connected to the mast-and-board are not entirely unlike a giant version of something you might find in a chef’s arsenal for slicing specialty meats.
“Seeing these hovering surfboards riding three wakes back with no rope defied logic and therefore captured my interest.”
~ Keith O’Meara
He now wears a helmet (the only rider I saw when watching numerous local and international foiling videos), and when he falls, he wraps his entire face within crossed arms, aiming to make himself “into a ball” as he pushes the foil behind him and leaps forward. “I probably look kind of funny,” he said, “but you gotta protect yourself at all times.”
Even the boats themselves can be dangerous, especially when other boats are in proximity.
Once a level of trust is established between wake foil crews, different groups can choose to come together to essentially create more terrain. Boats meet up in the lake and riders share the waves, moving seamlessly between their varied wakes as if a snow skier was somehow able to mingle back and forth between fresh pow and spring corn on the same run.
But, as in snow sports, upping the terrain game can up the consequences.
In early August, multiple crews were out doing their thing, and the interplay of numerous wakes was creating exhilarating conditions when calamity struck. “We had a big accident,” Siig said. “By circumstance you can get into the wrong place at the wrong time, and it happened. Someone got launched into the boat and broke six ribs, had a collapsed lung.”
In Tahoe/Truckee, hear-tell of injury in adventure sports can feel like commonplace news, perhaps too much so. But we go on. We put the ski boots back on. We put the bike helmet back on. We get back on the foil.
You could call it competitiveness or sticktoitiveness. You could also call it obsession, or you could use another word, which came up with great frequency when speaking with foilers.
“It’s an addiction,” Siig said. “I’m freaking addicted.”
But it is this need to get back on the foil that keeps the sport progressing and keeps the good times rolling. Tom Brady was addicted to winning football games, and Georgia O’Keeffe was probably addicted to painting close-ups of flowers. Such need can also be called passion.
And when it comes to foiling, there might not be anyone more passionate about it than Craig Beck.
Action sports all-timer
Beck grew up on the water in Southern California, surfing the breaking ocean waves of Dana Point by the time he was 8 years old.
Flight was in his DNA. His father was an Air Force pilot who flew experimental aircraft. The family moved around internationally for a few years before Beck landed in Truckee just in time for the 1960 Winter Olympics. Though he did not know how to ski, the 14-year-old procured an on-mountain, on-ski messenger job for the Games. His first ever run was from the very top of what is now Palisades Tahoe all the way to the bottom — his assignment to bring film from the start of the men’s downhill (ostensibly the only copy) down the black-diamond run to folks at the base who’d disseminate the photos worldwide.
Undaunted, the young Beck simply watched how the Olympians were making turns and made a plan to mimic what they were doing. He managed to make it down the mountain, the film somehow survived in one piece, and a lifelong love of carving was born.
Fifteen years later, Beck would produce one of the most pioneering and innovative ski films ever made, Daydreams, an ethereal showcase of Tahoe’s early extreme skiing movement and a foil of sorts to the more one-size-fits-all Warren Miller films of the time.
Beck got his first taste of hydrofoiling “35 or 40 years ago” on The Air Chair, the first commercial foil, marketed toward water skiers in the 1980s. “It was a giant turd,” Beck said.
So, he started innovating. Beck now works with sport-leading Lift Foils, and also designs his own custom boards (complete with his own custom artwork) sold on a more bespoke level.
To move from his disappointment in the air chair to designing top-level foil equipment, Beck turned to the sky for inspiration. After Daydreams, he launched heavily into aviation and aeronautics. He designed his own hang glider in his living room, and learned from its successes and failures in his pursuit of better designs and more efficient flight. He became a test driver for hang glide companies and gained an expert’s knowledge of aeronautics. Eventually he took his knowledge of wing forms and shapes to the wings of the water, some of his early hydrofoils even made from hang glider parts.
“Hang gliding was basic,” Beck said. “Then wings got wider and narrower [for better performance]. That’s aspect ratio. And that’s the big deal now in foils.”
Aspect ratio is, in simple terms, wing span divided by wing area. In nature, birds that fly long distances and/or that tend to soar (think albatross or eagle) have long and narrow, high aspect-ratio wings. For maneuverability, as found in the shorter, broader wings of bats, for example, low aspect ratio is the name of the game.
When converted to foiling, low aspect ratios offer heightened ease and stability while higher aspect ratios allow for increased speeds and optimized top-end performance.
Into the Future
Foiling as a concept in water sports received a big boost in the 2000s when surfing great Laird Hamilton began using foil boards for tow-in big-wave surfing. In time, the various niches of foiling became more defined as mainstream sports with bright futures.
“It was around 2016 that wake foiling caught my eye on Lake Tahoe,” said Praxis Skis founder Keith O’Meara, his heralded “handcrafted” ski company based in Incline Village. “Seeing these hovering surfboards riding three wakes back with no rope defied logic and therefore captured my interest.”
O’Meara met Beck at a Made in Tahoe festival, the former showing his snow skis and the latter showing a bevy of his custom-made surf, wake, and foil boards. “I was able to swindle a trade,” O’Meara said, “a pair of my skis for one of the Beck Boards, and in doing so Craig said he would teach me to wake foil.”
WITH SOUL: On this Tahoe Native Board one can see the mast attached to the two wings and fuselage that are “the foil.” Photo courtesy Keith O’Meara
His friendship with Beck and intrigue with foiling grew from there, and Praxis has become a significant player in the Tahoe foil sphere. It is a dealer for Lift Foils as well as Slingshot Sports, and also showcases Beck’s designs.
“When you get a board from Craig Beck you get a one-of-a-kind board with one-of-a-kind artwork,” O’Meara said. “You get a board with a soul.”
O’Meara stated that the most popular foil setups this summer have been for the wake and wing variety, with an increased interest in efoils. “The efoil is the easiest way to learn how to foil,” he said. “You will be up flying around on foil in a matter of hours.”
“Efoiling is solitary,” observed Siig of the discipline in which a rider gains speed and lift from an electric propeller attached to the mast. “It’s go out and Zen out.”
Siig also finds spirituality in his crew’s morning wake foil sessions. “We call it church,” he said. “We call it praying, being one in the world.”
Yet with efoils costing up to $15,000, and top of the line wake boats well exceeding $100,000, the nirvana ain’t free. On your local barista or teacher salary (not to mention journalist wage), in fact, it’s prohibitive. And a primary tenet of spirituality is that it should be open to all who seek it.
So, with all the progression that’s occurred since the Air Chair, all the distance that foiling has covered in the past 40 years, perhaps the final frontier is for foil flight to become accessible to all — all, that is, who dare brave its crucible of difficulty and danger in order to discover its realm of magic and beauty.
Equipment, types, technique
The foil-setup looks a lot like a miniature airplane. Composed of a front wing and a tail wing connected by a fuselage, when enough speed is reached lift is attained — and the above-water board and its rider take off in flight.
While wake foiling uses a boat for propulsion and lift, kite and wing foilers harness the wind for theirs. Efoilers use a battery-powered propeller, and downwinders (downwind SUP foil) use an oar, wind, and the energy of small bump-waves.
Prone foilers, found on ocean waves, start out on their bellies and paddle like surfers to catch a breaking wave for their initial speed and lift, catching multiple waves before ever needing to paddle again.
All foil disciplines employ “pumping” — riders pushing into the water with their legs to create energy in similar fashion to a child using its body to do so on a swing.
Donner Lake’s low-to-the-water winds are often ideal for wing foiling. In Lake Tahoe, the higher, gusty winds (especially of approaching storms) in Incline Village and Kings Beach offer a goldilocks zone for kite foiling.
And any morning where Lake Tahoe is calm and flat is prime for wake foilers to create their own waves to go out and fly around.
Various Tahoe/Truckee sport shops are now stocking foil boards and setups, and many offer rental/demo packages as well. If you’re interested in trying out foiling, visit your local shop and talk with the pros.
For the first time in a long time, I feel something I don’t often associate with the business of running a small newspaper: hope.
That may sound strange coming from someone who has spent the better part of two decades trying to keep an independent newspaper alive in a rapidly changing media landscape. But something is happening in California that feels worth paying attention to.
One part of it is the California Civic Media Program, a $20 million state investment in local and state journalism matched by, of all entities, Google. The program will distribute grants of up to $250,000 to eligible news organizations, with funding intended to support original reporting, strengthen California’s press corps, and increase civic engagement.
This summer, Moonshine Ink applied for a grant. We don’t know if we’ll receive any money or not, but the hope that we might, for an independent newsroom, matters.
Yet what interests me even more than the potential monetary help is what this program represents: a growing recognition by the state that journalism is not simply a struggling business sector but a vital part of the infrastructure for a functioning democracy.
Just a couple of years ago, it didn’t seem like California saw things this way.
In 2023 and 2024, I watched closely as two pieces of legislation made their way through Sacramento: Assemblymember Buffy Wicks’ Assembly Bill 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act, and Senate Bill 1327, introduced by Sen. Steve Glazer. AB 886 sought to require enormous tech companies such as Google and Meta to compensate news organizations for the journalism they regularly accessed and distributed across their platforms. SB 1327 took a different approach, proposing a data-extraction fee on digital advertising revenue.
Illustration by Mike English/Moonshine Ink
It was estimated that SB 1327 alone would have generated $500 million annually, and the dollar amount from AB 886 had yet to be established. The two bills would have held technology giants responsible for their drastic impact on journalism and helped level the playing field for news media companies in the state.
But they didn’t pass. In September 2024, I wrote about the last-minute deal that ultimately brought both bills to an end. I called it what I believed it was: a bully act by a tech giant.
The 11th hour deal, negotiated by the state and Google behind closed doors, was set to be a relatively paltry $250 million over five years from a mix of public and private funding — with taxpayers kicking in a higher amount!
The irony was hard to miss. A company that had helped fundamentally disrupt the economic model supporting local newspapers was now sitting at the table, seemingly dictating the terms of journalism’s rescue, and getting taxpayers to foot a larger share of the bill.
And yet, here we are.
Not surprisingly, the current Civic Media Program is smaller than the original 2024 promise — a result of state budget cuts and, in turn, Google reducing its committed dollars. It is also not a permanent solution, but a one-time grant.
Still, I find it deeply heartening to see California moving in this direction.
And now comes something else, AB 2222, passed in the final days of August.
The bill, which moved through the Legislature with bipartisan supermajority support in both chambers, is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature by Sept. 30. It would create refundable tax credits for qualifying local news organizations based on the journalists they employ — a $20,000 credit per full-time journalist for the first five positions and $15,000 for each additional full-time journalist, with incentives for new hires. The state estimates the program could make available more than $40 million annually to California newsrooms. (Compare this to the $500 million annually estimated impact of the failed SB 1327.)
If signed, AB 2222 would be the “largest local news subsidy of its kind in the U.S. to date,” reported Rebuild Local News.
If it becomes law, it will mean the world to this publisher, who has been limping along for years trying to make this all work, every month wondering whether our pages’ revenue will cover everything that needs to get done.
Because a lot is at stake.
At Moonshine, we cover a community spread across multiple counties, two states, and a dizzying collection of special districts, agencies, and jurisdictions. We attend public meetings and sort through mountains of press releases. We read budgets and pore over court documents. We investigate. We ask questions that sometimes make people uncomfortable. We explain complicated issues that affect people’s homes, livelihoods, and futures. We share stories about the people who make our community shine. We give space to people who don’t always have a voice.
And we do this work while trying to build a sustainable business.
So, what would legislative support mean at Moonshine? It would mean some breathing room. It would mean more resources. It would mean a better chance of sticking around.
I don’t know yet whether Moonshine will receive a Civic Media grant. And I don’t know whether AB 2222 will become law, or what it might mean for our little newsroom if it does. But after years of watching local journalism fight for scraps, I am allowing myself a moment of optimism, a little bit of hope.
It’s not something I take lightly.
Because sometimes the patient doesn’t need to be rescued. It just needs someone to recognize that keeping it alive matters.
And maybe, just maybe, California is beginning to understand that saving local journalism isn’t just about saving newspapers.
It’s about prioritizing the civic infrastructure that newspapers — and the journalists who fill their pages — help communities and democracy uphold.
For this journalist, that feels worth celebrating.
RENO, Nev. – Due to elevated fire weather conditions forecasted across northern Nevada, NV Energy is issuing a Public Safety Outage Management (PSOM) WATCH for customers in the following zones:
If NV Energy needs to de-energize, it would begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, and last until approximately 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 13.
PSOMs are preventive actions taken by NV Energy to prevent wildfires based on extreme weather criteria. The current fire weather forecasts indicate that a PSOM is likely in these areas.
A WATCH means that certain weather conditions, including high winds, low humidity, and high temperatures, may require NV Energy to proactively de-energize equipment to ensure community safety and prevent potential wildfire ignition. This timeframe includes the duration of the weather event, and the time needed for NV Energy crews to inspect lines and other equipment for damage, vegetation, or debris to safely restore power.
“Some areas of northern Nevada are experiencing exceptionally dry conditions, and fire risk is as high as we’ve seen in certain zones,” said Alex Hoon, principal meteorologist for NV Energy. “With a strong wind event expected this weekend, any fire ignition could have the potential to spread rapidly. We recognize that any outage, whether planned or unplanned, creates hardships for the customers and communities affected. However, when extreme weather and wildfire conditions align like this, keeping public safety at the forefront of our decision-making is critical. We’ll continue to monitor conditions closely and provide updates as we evaluate the need for Public Safety Outage Management operations.”
Safety is NV Energy’s highest priority. PSOM is a key measure to help protect the community and environment from wildfires. During a PSOM event, power is shut off to prevent power lines, or debris blowing into power lines, and other equipment from causing a wildfire when certain environmental conditions are met.
Factors contributing to a PSOM event include weather conditions, vegetation levels that can fuel a fire, field observations, and guidance from local fire departments and other first responders. All impacted customers will be notified via phone, text, and email messages.
NV Energy continues to monitor fire weather conditions and will provide regular updates to impacted customers regarding the status of the outage event. Based on past experience, wind conditions can escalate quickly without notice. A PSOM WATCH may be canceled if weather conditions improve.
For additional information, PSOM criteria, preparedness information, and PSOM Zone maps, please visit nvenergy.com/PSOM.
Liberty Utilities has also notified its Verdi (CA), Floriston, Markleeville, Woodfords, Desolation Hotel (Hope Valley), Topaz, Coleville, and Walker area customers that it may implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on Saturday, September 12 at 9:00 a.m.
Former Douglas County Commissioner David E. Nelson was killed in a Beaumont, Calif., traffic mishap on Saturday night, according to a report issued on Sunday by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.
Nelson, 81, was a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the road in front of his granddaughter’s home around 7:31 p.m., the Beaumont Police Department confirmed on Wednesday.
Nelson served as a county commissioner from 2017-2020, narrowly being defeated by Commissioner Danny Tarkanian by 17 votes.
He and spouse Jeanne Shizuru arrived in Carson Valley in 2003.
In 2005, he was a founding member of the Good Government Group, which later rebranded as the Good Governance Group.
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He first sought public office in Douglas County when he ran for county commissioner in 2008 against Greg Lynn. While that attempt didn’t work out, Nelson tried again in 2016, winning the seat.
Nelson was a Carson Valley Kiwanian, who helped modernize the club’s recordkeeping for bicycle donations.
Nelson was early out of the gate in announcing an effort for re-election in fall 2019 and was involved in petition drives to overturn a redevelopment district at Stateline and the Park 2500 development agreement. That was the same year Tarkanian moved to Douglas County.
He was appointed to the Douglas County planning commission in 2021.
He and Shizuru were involved in the petition to regulate vacation home rentals.
In 2024, he was the top vote-getter for Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District trustee.
Nelson has been an agent for M. Scott Properties since he arrived in Gardnerville in 2003.
He graduated from California State Polytechnic University – Pomona with a bachelor of science degree in business administration and management in 1971.
STATELINE, Nev. – The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is reminding motorists traveling through the U.S. 50 Tahoe East Shore Resurfacing Project from the Lake Tahoe’s South Shore at Stateline to Spooner Summit to slow down and follow the posted speed limits and traffic control measures.
In response to ongoing safety concerns including speeding and unsafe driving behaviors, and to protect roadway workers and motorists, the Sheriff’s Office will actively be enforcing traffic laws throughout the construction zone. The enhanced enforcement effort is intended to improve safety for motorists, construction crews, residents, and visitors traveling along the east shore of Lake Tahoe.
“Work zones are not a place for impatient or aggressive driving,” said Sheriff Dan Coverley. “The safety of construction workers and drivers depends on motorists slowing down, following the posted speed limit, traffic control measures, and remaining alert while traveling through these areas.”
Construction zones are established to protect both workers and the traveling public during roadway improvements. Drivers are reminded that the posted speed limit through the project work zones is 35 mph and must be obeyed at all times. Motorists should expect reduced speeds, changing traffic patterns, and periodic delays while traveling through the project area.
Drivers are also reminded that Nevada law imposes double penalties for speeding violations in marked road construction or maintenance zones when workers are present.
Sheriff Coverley added, “We want to remind driver to exercise patience and caution while crews work to improve the roadway. Our deputies are committed to promoting traffic safety throughout Douglas County.”
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Incline Village Community Hospital announced that it has achieved accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) for its Critical Access Hospital (CAH) program. The accreditation recognizes the hospital’s commitment to quality, patient safety and continuous improvement, and its ability to meet rigorous federal and national standards for Critical Access Hospitals.
A Critical Access Hospital is a federal designation created to preserve access to hospital care in rural and geographically isolated communities. To maintain the designation, hospitals must meet specific requirements related to location and distance from other hospitals, maintain no more than 25 inpatient or swing beds, provide 24/7 emergency care, maintain an annual average acute inpatient length of stay of 96 hours or less, and continuously meet the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions of Participation.
“Critical Access Hospitals are an important part of the healthcare safety net for rural and remote communities, providing essential care where access can be especially challenging,” said Michael McGarry, chair of the Tahoe Forest Health District Board of Directors. “We are incredibly proud of our team and their dedication to providing safe, high-quality care close to home.”
For Incline Village Community Hospital, those requirements reflect an important community mission. Located in a high-altitude mountain community, IVCH provides emergency and hospital care close to home in a region where geography, weather, road conditions and distance can create significant barriers to accessing healthcare. During peak winter and summer tourism seasons, the hospital also serves a population that expands well beyond the community’s year-round residents, including visitors and the workforce that supports North Lake Tahoe.
“ACHC accreditation recognizes Incline Village Community Hospital’s commitment to meeting rigorous standards while fulfilling that important role for the North Lake Tahoe community,” said Anna Roth, President and CEO of Tahoe Forest Health System. “It also reflects the passion and dedication of our team, who work every day to provide the best possible care for our patients.”
As part of Tahoe Forest Health System, IVCH and its Rural Health Clinics and other health system services provide an essential healthcare safety net for the North Lake Tahoe community.
ACHC accreditation is distinct from the federal CAH designation. ACHC has CMS deeming authority for Critical Access Hospitals and conducts a comprehensive survey to evaluate whether a hospital meets federal Conditions of Participation as well as ACHC’s standards for quality and safety. The survey examines how the hospital operates and delivers care across areas including clinical services, quality improvement, medication management, infection prevention, patient rights, emergency services, governance, staffing and credentialing, physical environment and life safety.
During the accreditation survey, ACHC surveyors recognized IVCH as the “valedictorian of Critical Access Hospitals.” The recognition was a powerful reflection of the culture of excellence the team has built and the high level of care they provide every day despite the unique challenges of serving a small, rural mountain community.
ACHC is a nonprofit organization that has served as a symbol of quality and excellence in healthcare since 1986. ACHC is ISO 9001:2015 certified and has CMS deeming authority for a range of healthcare services and facilities, including Critical Access Hospitals.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Liberty continued its longstanding support of Bread & Broth on August 31, when four Adopt A Day of Nourishment (AAD) sponsor volunteers helped serve 152 Monday Meal guests and pack more than 120 bags of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Jennifer Guenther, who manages government affairs for Liberty and coordinates the company’s Adopt A Day sponsorships, shared that Liberty’s community service program encourages all team members to volunteer. Currently, Liberty sponsors eight Monday Meals each year.
Left to right: Kevin Newmark, Rio Guenther, Jennifer Guenther, Cindy Kortan.Provided / Bread & Broth
In addition to Jennifer volunteering at the August meal, her daughter Rio Guenther, along with Liberty team member Kevin Newmark and recently retired Cindy Kortan represented Liberty at their sponsorship meal. The Liberty team volunteers joined the B&B volunteers from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. helping with the dinner’s setup, packing food ‘giveaway bags, welcoming and serving the dinner guests, and closing out the meal event by helping with cleanup and takedown.
“It was a pleasure working with such friendly, dedicated volunteers,” shared Cindy. “We served generous portions of food to so many people in our community. The food was plentiful, and everyone was appreciative of the wonderful, delicious meal and the bags of groceries they received to take home.”
Thousands of community members have benefited from the meals served by Bread & Broth. As an all-volunteer, charitable organization and a ministry of St. Theresa Chuch, Bread & Broth has been providing hot meals since 1989. The dedication of its volunteers and the support of the community through donations and AAD sponsorships has been a major impact on those struggling with food-insecurity.
Bread & Broth thanks Liberty and its volunteer AAD crew members for their on-going support and commitment to easing hunger for those facing food-insecurity.
To learn more about Bread & Broth, donate, sponsor an Adopt A Day of Nourishment, or volunteer, visit www.breadandbroth.org or follow Bread & Broth on Instagram and Facebook.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. — What started off as a hair-brained idea with a few friends 15 years ago is now one of the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association’s (TAMBA) signature events that attracts ambitious riders from all over the country. It takes most riders a staggering 10-12 hours to complete Rose to Toads, the 62-mile point-to-point ride that showcases some of the best trails linking Lake Tahoe’s North Shore down to the South Shore, ending on the famous Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. More than just a grueling ride, today it’s one of Tahoe’s most iconic mountain bike traditions, bringing riders together while giving back to the trails that make the ride possible.
On Sunday, September 13, 200 riders will set out to tackle the 15th annual Rose to Toads ride. With more than 9,000 feet of climbing and 11,000 feet of descending, the event is equal parts challenge, adventure, and celebration of the region’s world-class outdoor culture.
Since receiving its first U.S. Forest Service Special Use Permit, Rose to Toads’ reputation as one of Tahoe’s most iconic endurance events has continued to flourish, and the event now raises approximately $20,000 annually to support trail building, maintenance, and advocacy throughout the Tahoe Basin.
“Rose to Toads has always been about more than the miles. It’s about the people who come together to challenge themselves, support one another, and celebrate what makes Tahoe’s trail community so special. Seeing this event reach its 15th anniversary is a testament to everyone who has helped shape it over the years—from riders and volunteers to our incredible partners and land managers” says Drew Bray, Executive Director of TAMBA.
Through close collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service, Nevada State Parks, and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA), 2026 is the final year that the ride route will take place on sections of the Tahoe Rim Trail not otherwise open to bikes, providing one last opportunity for recreationists to experience this unique section of trail on two wheels.
TAMBA and the TRTA share a commitment to creating outstanding trail experiences through stewardship, education, and responsible recreation. Rose to Toads is one example of how partnerships between nonprofit organizations and public land managers can provide memorable outdoor experiences while supporting the long-term health of Tahoe’s trail system.
“Twenty-five years ago, volunteers officially closed the loop and completed a vision decades in the making: a trail connecting the communities and public lands around Lake Tahoe,” said Lindsey Schultz, Executive Director of the TRTA. “Rose to Toads celebrates that same spirit of connection. We’re proud to partner with TAMBA for the 15th anniversary of Rose to Toads to create a unique experience on the Tahoe Rim Trail while encouraging responsible recreation, good trail etiquette, and stewardship of the trails we all share.”
Trail users should expect increased bike traffic along the ride route – including significant portions of the Tahoe Rim Trail – all day on Sunday, September 13. TAMBA and the TRTA encourage everyone planning to recreate that day to be prepared for busier-than-usual trails by practicing good trail etiquette: plan ahead, share the trail with all users, and recreate respectfully to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
As Rose to Toads celebrates its 15th anniversary, the event continues to represent more than just a legendary day on the bike. It’s a celebration of the community that has grown around it and the trails that bring us together. Supporters are invited to join TAMBA at the finish line celebration to cheer on riders as they complete this unforgettable ride.
(The Center Square) – New or increased taxes in California will cost the Golden State’s taxpayers billions of additional dollars after the Legislature approved hikes in certain taxes during this year’s session, which ended Tuesday.
“The tax burden in California is already very, very high – among the highest state taxes of any state in the country,” Susan Shelley, vice president of communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, told The Center Square on Thursday. “We have the highest state sales tax, the highest income tax rates. We have more tax increases on the November ballot on the local and state level. So this is a difficult environment for taxpayers.”
Billions of dollars in projected tax revenues are expected, according to numbers obtained by The Center Square.
Democratic lawmakers on taxation and revenue committees in the state Legislature, as well as groups that supported the passage of some of the taxes that went up this year, did not respond to The Center Square before press time. Democrats control a supermajority of the Legislature as well as the governor’s office.
Gas tax
One of the taxes that already went up earlier this year was the state’s gas tax. According to previous reporting by The Center Square, the state’s gas tax goes up annually under a 2017 law. The revenue generated by the tax pays for roads, bridges, highways and public transportation.
This year, the gas tax went up 2.2 cents, bringing the tax to 63.4 cents a gallon. On the day before the gas tax went up on July 1, the average price of a gallon of gas in California was $5.43, above the national average that day of $3.85 a gallon.
The gas tax was expected to generate $327 million in 2026, according to a budget analysis from the California Senate Republican Caucus.
Digital software tax
Starting on Jan. 1, 2027, the state’s already-existing sales and use tax will include digital software. The tax will generate $450 million revenue in fiscal year 2026-27 and $900 million each year afterward. The money is meant to help pay for education funding and healthcare services, according to previous reporting by The Center Square.
“The software tax expands the tax burden and will worsen the business climate even more. Small businesses will be particularly hard hit,” said Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow in business and economics at the Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute.
“The answer to California’s fiscal problems is spending control and demanding the government do better with less,” Winegarden told The Center Square via email on Thursday.
Managed care organization tax
Senate Bill 125 implements a tax on managed care organizations to shore up Medi-Cal funding in light of cuts imposed by the federal government’s budget law – H.R. 1, otherwise known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The cut in federal funding for Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, is offset by the managed care organization tax. That tax charges an $8.85 tax per enrollee each month who gets their health insurance through managed care organizations.
According to a budget analysis from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the managed care organization tax stands to generate roughly $2 billion to help increase funding for Medi-Cal health plans.
The tax would generate $575 million in fiscal year 2026-27, $2.3 billion in 2027-28 and $1.7 billion in 2028-29, according to that analysis.
It is not clear if managed care organizations would pass along all of those costs to policyholders.
“Sacramento looked at California’s sky-high cost of living and decided it wasn’t high enough,” Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, told The Center Square via email on Thursday. “That’s not affordability. That’s another bill for working families. We need leaders cutting costs, not inventing new ways to charge you.”
GaiaLicious is celebrating its 20-year anniversary Provided /Brandi Caskey – Indigo Photography
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – South Shore’s charming boutique and gift shop, GaiaLicious, has reached a milestone of 20 years in business with plans to celebrate on September 25 through September 27.
Back in 2006, Kelly Brosch, owner of GaiaLicious, knew exactly what kind of shop she wanted to open in town, and together with her husband, Felix, she was able to turn her dream into a reality.
“The shop has changed a lot over the years,” recalled Brosch. “When I opened, I was 40, and a lot of my customers were in their 20s and 30s, and now they’re moms with big kids and, you know, careers and everything else. We’ve had to adapt.”
It’s apparent upon entering why the shop is still going strong. From rich, comforting smells of candles, soaps and incense to stylish clothing, jewelry, tarot cards, crystals, books and art, Brosch describes the gift shop as an “eclectic mix”, teeming with a vast array of unique items.
Brosch’s goals have always been to support the community and to sell as many fair trade goods as possible.
“If you shop at the store, you’re not just supporting me as a local business, you’re supporting local artists that need an outlet to sell their stuff,” Brosch said, noting that many of her goods come from the basin or the region.
It comes as no surprise to those who live here that opening and operating a business in Lake Tahoe is no easy feat due to unpredictable tourism seasons, staffing shortages and high overhead. Brosch credits the locals for keeping GaiaLicious afloat.
“It’s a local’s shop. They’ve been supportive from day one,” said Brosch. “I think we have a lot of ups and downs that other places don’t have.”
GaiaLicious will be offering a 20%-off sale from September 25-27Provided / Brandi Caskey – Indigo Photography
From enduring hardships like the Angora Fire and COVID-19, advice from Brosch to new business owners in Lake Tahoe is to dedicate a lot of time and effort from the start and be sure to invest in the community.
“At the beginning, I was working five or six days a week, and so you have to kind of prepare for that,” said Brosch. “It won’t be like that forever, but prepare to work hard, and long hours, and lots of days.”
Brosch shared with the Tribune that after recently losing her husband, Felix, who played a vital role in the shop’s operations, she is continuing to adjust.
“It’s kind of a weird transition time for me because I’m still grieving him, and then trying to run my business.”
In honor of Felix and for never having cut a ribbon when GaiaLicious first opened, Brosch is planning to celebrate 20 years with a bang, including a 20% off sale throughout the entire weekend of September 25 through 27.
Starting on Friday, September 25 at 4 p.m., GaiaLicious will offer refreshments leading up to their 20th anniversary ribbon-cutting with the Tahoe Chamber at 5 p.m. The stop will remain open until 6 p.m.
On Saturday, September 26, DJ Ocho will be spinning some tunes from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. while customers enjoy a free Tahoe Pop after spending $20.
Sunday marks the last day of the 20% off sale.
“I’m grateful for the support from the community and the locals over the past 20 years,” added Brosch. “It’s a celebration weekend.”
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – With students back in school, Bread & Broth will resume its B&B 4 Kids’ School Year Weekend Food Bag program on Friday, September 4th. Weekend food bags will be distributed every Friday at all pre-K through 8th grade schools in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District.
In addition, weekend food bags will be delivered to seven childcare centers serving low-income families each week during the school year through the B&B 4 Tots program. These childcare facilities include Catalyst Kids, Catalyst Community, Head Start, Appleseeds Academy, Step by Step Learning Center, Family Resource Center, and Lake Tahoe Community College Child Development Center.
Each food bag contains seven single-serving, kid-friendly meals (2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 3 dinners), fresh fruit and vegetables, and protein-enriched snacks to supplement weekend nourishment. In addition, Bread & Broth 4 Kids, through its School Healthy Snack Program, will be providing boxes of nutrition bars weekly to each school to distribute to children who come to school hungry or become hungry during the school day.
During the 2025-2026 school year, nearly 300 food bags were distributed each week, and this number is expected to grow over the coming school year. As Cheryl Breitwieser, co-chairperson of the B&B 4 Kids program, shares, “We want to make sure that children in need have access to nutritious, kid-friendly food over the weekends when away from the school breakfasts and lunches. Families continue to struggle with food insecurity, and this program offers support for their children.”
Parents interested in determining eligibility for their child to receive these weekend food bags can contact their child’s school office or childcare center office for an application form.
ZEPHYR COVE, Nev.––On Sept. 4, 2026, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint charging Erinn Miller, 46, with two felony counts of embezzlement. Investigators with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office subsequently arrested Miller on Sept. 8, 2026 pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by Senior Judge Steven McMorris. The complaint is filed in the Tahoe Township Justice Court. Bail was set at $25,000 cash only.
The issuance of the arrest warrant was based on an affidavit incorporating investigative reports detailing the culmination of a months-long investigation by the Sheriff’s Office regarding Miller’s financial activities while she was a treasurer for parent booster clubs for Zephyr Cove Elementary School and George Whittell High School.
According to the affidavit in support of the arrest warrant, the alleged criminal activities began in July 2020 and continued through November 2025. The complaint charges Miller with embezzling over $100,000 from the Zephyr Cove Elementary School Parents Club and over $25,000 from the George Whittell High School Booster Club.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If you’ve ever signed up for an online casino chasing a “welcome bonus” and then spent twenty minutes in live chat trying to figure out where it went, you’re not alone. At CasinoRIX, that’s the single most common reason players reach out to support in the first place.
CasinoRIX, a casino review and comparison platform that also runs a round-the-clock Personal Support desk for players, just went through a full year’s worth of those live chat conversations to see what people actually ask about. Across more than 5,000 logged chats from 2026, one topic came out well ahead of everything else combined: bonuses. Not broken games. Not failed payments. Not locked accounts.
That number is worth unpacking. Here are the five specific situations that, according to CasinoRIX’s support team, come up repeatedly, and what they reveal about how bonus systems actually work compared to how players expect them to work.
Pain point #1: Missing a bonus window
A player finds a promo code, goes to claim it, and support tells them it’s expired. In their mind, they were right on time.
This is one of the most common forms of bonus confusion support sees: a claim that lands just after an offer’s deadline, a deposit that falls just under the required minimum, or a promo code entered slightly wrong. None of these are dramatic mistakes. They’re small timing or detail issues that, because bonus terms are often buried in fine print, players don’t catch until it’s already too late.
Pain point #2: The signup bonus that doesn’t appear
The pitch is simple: sign up and receive a bonus. So the player signs up, and nothing appears in the account.
This is a case of a promise looking simpler than it actually is. Most of the time, the bonus isn’t triggered just by creating an account. There’s usually one more step first, like verifying your identity or making a first deposit, and nobody mentioned that part. That gap between what the advertisement implied and what actually has to happen accounts for much of this category.
Pain point #3: Requesting a bonus that isn’t listed
Some players skip the promotions page entirely and simply ask, sending support messages along the lines of “I’ve been playing a lot, is there anything available for me?”
CasinoRIX tracks this separately from every other bonus question, and it turns out to be substantial enough on its own to be the single largest support category overall, larger than every withdrawal and deposit question combined. It isn’t really a complaint. It’s closer to a loyalty gesture from players who have been active for a while and decide it’s worth asking.
Pain point #4: A win that can’t be withdrawn
This category is where bonus confusion turns into real frustration rather than a minor annoyance. A player uses a bonus, wins some money, tries to cash out, and is blocked.
Usually the cause is a wagering requirement, a rule stating that a certain amount must be played through before bonus winnings become withdrawable cash. It’s a standard mechanic across the industry, but easy to overlook if the fine print wasn’t reviewed when the bonus was first activated. By the time the block appears, the win is already sitting in the account, so it can feel like the rules changed midway through, even though the rule was there from the start.
Pain point #5: Free spins tied to the wrong game
A player gets a batch of no-deposit free spins, opens up a game to use them, and there’s nothing there. No spins, no explanation, just an offer that seems to have never showed up. Most people’s first thought is that the casino dropped the ball somewhere.
Usually, though, that’s not what happened. The spins were probably tied to one exact game rather than a whole group of similar slots, and that detail tends to get left out of the promo banner. Say the reward was for a fruit-themed slot specifically. A near-identical title from the same studio, maybe with a different fruit or a slightly different name, won’t count, even though the two games could pass for siblings. That one narrow rule is enough to send a player straight to live chat instead of just picking a different game.
What this actually reveals
Put these five together and none of them come from a player doing something wrong. Someone claims a bonus a day too late. Someone assumes signing up is enough to unlock a reward. A regular player asks if there’s anything for them after sticking around a while. A win gets stuck behind a wagering rule nobody flagged. Free spins go to a game that isn’t the one they were meant for. Different situations, same underlying story: the terms existed, they just weren’t visible at the moment they actually mattered.
That distinction points to where the real fix lives. As Alyce Fabel, Proofreader and Head of Content at CasinoRIX, explained, bonuses are increasingly becoming players’ first real interaction with a casino, and the terms attached to them haven’t been simplified at the same pace. A year earlier, bonus questions made up roughly half of all support volume. Now the figure exceeds two-thirds.
That shift doesn’t indicate players are becoming more confused. It indicates that bonuses have become the default starting point of the casino relationship, while the fine print behind them hasn’t kept up.
For an industry built around eye-catching welcome offers, that’s a valuable thing to know, and a considerably cheaper problem to solve than expanding support teams to absorb the fallout.
FRESNO, Calif. — The Lake Tahoe Community College cross country teams hit the trail for the first time this season at the Clovis Crush Invitational hosted at Woodward Park.
Competing at the eventual site of the 3C2A State Championships in November, the men’s team captured ninth place out of 24 teams with a team score of 309.
Shanaya Tolby was the lone runner for the women’s team. The freshman from La Paz, Mexico, finished 5000 meters in a time of 22:12.01.
Lake Tahoe Community College cross-country competed at the Clovis Crush InvitationalProvided / LTCC
On the men’s side, sophomore Kyle Oltmanns paced the Coyotes, finishing 24th overall with a time of 21:22.42. He was followed closely by fellow sophomore Elijah Gilleland, who crossed the finish line in 41st place after clocking 21:37.68.
Jacob Manning and Alessandro Pimentel rounded out the top 100 for LTCC in a crowded, 263-person field. Manning, a sophomore, posted 22:19.29 to take 81st, while Pimentel, a freshman, ran 22:37.24 to finish 97th.
Richard Stites rounded out the scoring for the Coyotes with a time of 23:03.93.
LTCC’s next race is the NorCal Preview on Sept. 18 at Forebay in Oroville, Calif.
