The view of Barton's proposed hospital with the pedestrian walkway across Highway 50 in Stateline.
Last month, I was holding my breath, seeing what mayhem would come to Tahoe for the Fourth of July, I am happy to report I can exhale as the holiday was a vast improvement over past years. Seems if some of the messaging and some of the measures taken under Destination Stewardship are having an impact, but there’s still a ways to go.
In late July, I took a trip with my Dad and sister to Coronado. My Dad served there in the Navy and we took a little stroll down memory lane. I’m always curious about how other resort areas handle issues around tourism and community. Here are some things I discovered about Coronado:
• The city of Coronado has about the same population as South Lake Tahoe. It lost around twenty percent of its population between 2010 and 2020. Its high school has an enrollment similar to South Tahoe High.
• Dockless scooters and bikes have been declared a public nuisance by the city of Coronado and when found in the public right of way are impounded and the company fined. A popular way to get around the island is on golf carts.
• Sidewalks are for pedestrians. Bikes and skateboards must be walked on sidewalks.
• A free, public transit shuttle comes around every 15 minutes.
• A round of drinks alone at the Hotel del Coronado (the equivalent of Edgewood) will set one back as much as an average restaurant meal.
• Of numerous service personnel I asked, only two actually lived in Coronado and don’t commute, both in houses that have been in their families for decades. One night, our waitress said she lives in San Diego and said she wouldn’t want to live in Coronado, anyway, as her neighborhood is diverse and vibrant. Another night, a waiter, one of the ones who does live in Coronado, said his neighborhood has been hollowed out by second homeowners.
• Coronado does have a program to assist low and moderate income homebuyers, but help with closing costs and a downpayment seem meager in a town where the median home price is almost $2.4 million.
• On the way back up Highway 395, we passed the turnoff to Yosemite National Park where day use reservations are now required.
• And one other thing I discovered on my trip –Tahoe tap water really is the best.
Then it was back to Tahoe and back to work. The proposed move of Barton Hospital to Nevada is starting to be noticed with meetings among residents and an informational event taking place in early August. Readers may have seen news coverage elsewhere about the issues and controversies, but reporter Kae Reed has been working for weeks on a comprehensive article about the relocation. Her story appears in this month’s issue. It’s long, but good, and since the Mountain News is around for a whole month, it can be digested in chunks.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the August Mountain News without our annual summer book reviews. We located five local authors and four reviewers to be guides through the pages produced by those who call Tahoe home. And when they become bestsellers, remember, you read it here first!
-Heather
In July, San Francisco
Standard reporter Garrett Leahy decided to visit Tahoe to see what tech wonder-boy Mark Zuckerberg was doing with his West Shore compound, currently undergoing a massive property renovation. Mark’s new crib includes two lakefront properties (almost 10 acres) purchased for $59M that have been combined into a bougie vacation home site that when completed will include 10 buildings.
The reporter was given the bum’s rush when he arrived at the Zuckerberg property, so he ventured over to a neighbor’s property (looking for a story) where he found a handwritten sign attached to an orange construction cone placed in the driveway. The sign simply said: “Stay the F#@k Out!” It would seem the folks on Sunnyside Lane aren’t welcoming visitors, but I’m wondering if the exclamation point on the sign is really necessary. FYI: California law (not true in Nevada) allows the public to pass through or occupy the area between the high and low water marks of any navigable
waterway. That means the public can legally walk, stand, sit, boat or swim along the shoreline of Zuckerberg’s property. You may not, however, cross his property to get to the strip of land (the public easement) between the high and low water marks.
Meanwhile in Incline Village, Elon Musk’s cousin, Lyndon Rive (another billionaire) is building a lakefront estate with a 15,000-square-foot, threestory pool facility designed to host underwater hockey games. Underwater hockey, known as Octopush in the UK, has been around since 1954. Who knew?
In other publications, Rive has described his plan to build a dedicated underwater hockey club where players can stay, train, and compete. Neighbors and Incline Village residents have complained to the TRPA, questioning if an underwater hockey facility fits within the residential zoning under which the TRPA approved this project. Let’s hope the TRPA doesn’t hand Mr. Rive the billionaire’s get-out-of-jail-free card.
The rub is that working-class people who want to improve their property by adding a deck or a room are faced with excessive TRPA fees that make most small projects prohibitively expensive, not to mention the months it can take to get a project approved. Not surprisingly, people often build smaller projects without a permit to avoid the costs and frustrations of dealing with the TRPA.
EDGEWOOD’S PUBLIC BEACH
Buried in the Douglas County planning documents signed in 2017, you will find that the public has the legal right (into perpetuity) to enter the gated Edgewood Resort (with the exception of four events per year) to access the beach. Entry is allowed for pedestrians and
Lifestyles of Tahoe's rich and famous TRPA
"What is going on with the park on Ski Run Boulevard?"
– Child at heart
those traveling on non-motorized vehicles. Edgewood advertises their beach as private to their $1,000 a night guests and makes no mention of the public access.
After speaking to Edgewood employees, I concluded that Edgewood would prefer the public beach access remain a secret. Public access to the lake is essential and Edgewood’s attempts to obscure the public’s rights to this beach are contrary to their agreement.
CHATTER
Barton Hospital: Their PR campaign has shifted into overdrive as the details of their unpopular and critically reviewed “Hospital Replacement Project” are being rolled out. Barton’s plans include an 85-foot-tall building on the back side of the former Lakeside Inn property with a helicopter pad on the roof.
If this happens, the adjacent neighborhood (Oliver Park) will become collateral damage.
Moving the hospital from the city of SLT to Stateline, Nevada is at the center of the controversy.
Before their plan can be approved, Barton will need to convince the TRPA to change the existing
zoning, i.e., the South Shore Area Plan.
Vacancy Tax: Former Mayor Tom Davis has filed legal action against City Clerk Susan Blankenship and EDC Registrar of Voters Bill O’Neill. At issue is the wording used in the ballot argument in favor of the Vacancy Tax Initiative (Measure N) submitted by five SLT citizens who are named as “real parties in interest.” This smells like a political maneuver orchestrated by corporate interests to undermine and disrupt the initiative process where citizens bring an issue directly to the voters.
The initiative process is part of California’s system of government. Since 1912, 354 citizens’ initiatives have appeared on California ballots putting decisions about new laws in the hands of voters. Sharon Kerrigan (South Tahoe Association of Realtors) said she believes “governing shouldn’t happen at the ballot box.” Excuse me! The whole point of democracy is that we vote.
To be continued….
PIANO SERVICE
Steve Kurek ~ Piano Tuner/Technician (530) 577-5067
tahoepiano@gmail.com
South Lake Tahoe’s newest park on Ski Run Boulevard is like no other in the city or anywhere else on the South Shore.
Partly this has to do with kids actually being involved in the design, partly with how the
time and services are calculated.
After breaking ground in 2022, kids (and adults) will be able play at this city-owned park this summer. The grand opening will be Sept. 6 to coincide with the farmers market.
ownership process took place, and partly because of all the people and organizations involved.
While the price tag is about $750,000 in real money, the actual value is more like $1 million when all the in-kind donations of goods,
This land between Spruce and Willow avenues is just more than a half-acre. Safeway Corp. purchased it for its development rights so the company could build the grocery store at the corner of Highway 50 and Johnson Boule-
vard. The Slalom Inn on Ski Run was razed in 1999.
“The main thing is it was empty for a long time. A lot of different people who live on Ski Run and care about Ski Run had said this needs to happen. It seemed like the only thing that could happen on this parcel,” Chris McNamara, owner of GearLab, said of creating the park. “Probably more kids live within this area than any other without a park.”
At one time the city estimated more than 1,000 youngsters lived within proximity of the new park.
McNamara, along with his wife, Viktoria, Wynn and Lauren Ruji, Lincoln and Galena Else, and Corey and Marina Rich bought the property from Safeway for $45,000 in 2021 with the intent of developing a park and donating the land to the city.
Going forward, the city owns the park and is responsible for maintaining it.
“Inadvertently, it now feels like a climbing theme, but that was not the intention,” McNamara said. “The intention was to meld Ben Fish’s visions and I forget how many kids; I think over 100 kids. We gave them an outline of an aerial view and said draw in your dream park and write what you want to see,” McNamara said of the process.
Fish, who is a landscape architect for Design Workshop, donated his skills.
While there are plenty of naysayers who don’t believe Tahoe needs parks like this because the area is one big outdoor
playground, the truth is many people—kids in particular—don’t actually have access to the outdoors. Studies prove children learn all sorts of skills and interpersonal relationship building through play.
Different structures are available to climb and slide on. Benches to hang out on. Grass to roll around on. While the nonprofit Friends of Ski Run and others helped bring this to fruition, the park is open to everyone—not just those who live in the neighborhood.
McNamara says the climbing boulder surpassed his expectations.
“One cool thing about the climbing boulder is all you need to be a world-class climber is on that boulder,” he said. “When I was really into climbing you really wanted tall walls. But modern climbing training is building strength and technique on really short surfaces. The climbing boulder is cool because you can actually top out on it. You can summit. There’s a big deck up there.”
Before opening, it was product tested by families. McNamara took his 2- and 4-year-olds there to see what they thought of it.
“(Kids) are the real judges if it’s successful or not,” he said. His kids liked it so much they were crying when they had to leave. In McNamara’s eyes those were happy tears.
In the future, Friends of Ski Run plans to host events that involve the park. The local library has been approached to do reading nights at the park. Free climb-
ing classes for kids is another possibility.
Shoutout to contributors
Bringing Ski Run Community Park to fruition was a collaborative effort.
“We had more than 170 individuals donate to the project,” Devin Middlebrook, a native of South Lake Tahoe, said. While he has never lived on Ski Run, he has been an ardent supporter of the project. His role was fundraising.
“I’m just a big fan of Ski Run,” Middlebrook, who works for TRPA and is former mayor of South Lake, said. “How do you not love the idea of supporting a project that is bringing an amazing park to local residents in our community who need it most?”
Real estate agent Rene Brejc assisted in the land transaction, while Sierra Sustainable Builders and all the subcontractors donated time and services. Sarah Steele was project manager. Tahoe Outdoor Living, Blue Sky Electrical, Island Excavation, Ed Cook Tree Service, Haen Constructors, Sierra Tahoe Ready Mix, and Tahoe Fence Company all gave substantive price breaks.
The above is not an exhaustive list of those who contributed to making this park a reality.
Email: mountainnews2@ gmail.com
Mail: P.O. Box 8974, South Lake Tahoe, CA 95618.
It is encouraging to see the amount of progress happening around affordable and workforce housing in the Tahoe Basin including the LTCC student housing and Sugar Pine Village projects. However, we also recognize how great the need is currently. Today, about half of Lake Tahoe’s workforce lives outside the basin, many of whom must commute in to work. This stresses local workers and their families, adds to traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes to shuttered businesses and rundown areas.
For its part, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has set out to modernize land use policies and the regional growth management system that directs the “how, what, and where” of new building and redevelopment. The agency so far has made it easier to add accessory dwelling units to residential properties and added incentives to create deed-restricted workforce housing that is close to transit and improves walkability. All new policies maintain TRPA’s high standards of environmental protection.
But we need to do more. Next month, we start to examine potential policy updates through a new lens. Called Cultivating Communities, Conserving the Basin, this project aims to make housing more accessible and equitable, build climate resilience, and establish long-term, two-way engagement between communities and agencies, particularly with underrepresented groups. This is as ambitious as it sounds and input from residents, workers, and business owners is critical as we move forward. Read-
ers can find the Cultivating Communities ad on these pages for information on upcoming public workshops and visit the new website tahoeliving.org to get involved and help create a more equitable and sustainable future for the Lake Tahoe Region.
Sincerely,
Fink,
Climbing is a dominant theme at South Lake Tahoe's newest park.
I’ve lived in the Oliver Park area of Douglas County—the Tahoe neighborhood behind the old Lakeside Inn—for over 15 years, year-round, as a renter and as a homeowner.
The existing area plan needlessly punishes local Douglas County residents of the Oliver Park neighborhood, who are primarily casino and restaurant workers living in some of the last affordable housing units at the lake, while better development alternatives for all parties already exist. Further, Barton’s plans as codified in the area plan have been deliberately hidden from the community and misrepresented by Barton executives who draw salaries up to $1 million from their “nonprofit,” and are a net negative for both Douglas County and the entire South Lake Tahoe community. Here follow our primary issues with the area plan, as residents of the neighborhood bordering the proposed hospital. I also list proposed actions and alternatives.
Barton Health plans would harm the community
• The proposed area plan raises the allowable height limit on the lake side of Highway 50 from 38 to 85 feet. The height calculation depends on the slope and is complex. It can be found on page 37-4: https://www.trpa.gov/ wp-content/uploads/TRPA-Codeof-Ordinances.pdf
• This would be higher than any building in the casino core except the hotel towers. The tallest other buildings are the CVS building and the Harrah’s and Harveys entrances, both at 36-38 feet, Bally’s parking garage at 5055 feet, and Tahoe Event Center at 60 feet.
• These 85-foot towers would be directly across the street from a neighborhood of one-story homes. They will overshadow the entire neighborhood, and turn the streets they overshadow into a dangerous ice rink in winter.
• These towers will not only block all lake views from the road, they will tower over the first half of the path to and from Nevada Beach, blocking
the mountain view for everyone walking to and from the beach, and everyone using the bike path.
• If height restrictions are to be relaxed to provide higher density, the Barton property on the east side of the highway is the place for that. It’s at the bottom of a steep hill, next to a parking garage and other buildings that are already higher than 32 feet, and would block no one’s view of anything, while still providing Barton executives their coveted lake view from the upper stories.
• Barton’s current site plans—allowed under the proposed area plan—place the helipad atop a 60-foot tall building, directly across the street from local workers, many of whom work swing shift and sleep during the day. All emergency services must be restricted to Barton’s existing campus on the east side of Highway 50.
• The hospital will be farther away, on average, from its patients. Traffic in the casino core is often at a standstill.
Ambulances will be unable to get through, causing even more deafening helicopter flights.
bicycles very well. This is asking for disaster.
• The Barton property across the highway is already their urgent care facility. It is bordered by a parking garage, a gas station, and Kingsbury Grade. This is an appropriate place to site emergency services.
• Barton’s current site plans call for the emergency and parking entrances to be on residential streets. All emergency entrances must be on Highway 50 just like the existing entrance for Barton’s urgent care facility across the highway.
• Constant ambulance traffic is not only noisy, it’s dangerous. Many locals walk to work in the casino core, and would have to dodge ambulances on their way. Children play in their yards, and in the meadow across the street. Ambulance traffic would roar right past the parking area for the path to Nevada Beach, full of families, and tourists who don’t ride
• The roads Barton hospital traffic would be using are in the Oliver Park GID. These are not state or county roads. The residents of the GID pay to repair those roads and remove snow in the winter. Barton is outside the GID, and is a nonprofit, so they would contribute nothing, while dramatically increasing the need for snow removal and damage repair. Since there are only a few hundred residents of OPGID and 100 property owners paying the fees, as the GID board notes, “The proposed hospital threatens to bankrupt OPGID.”
The area plan seems designed to maximize negative impact to the local residents for no corresponding benefit.
John Grigsby, Stateline
I have been a volunteer driver for the El Dorado County Meals on Wheels program for 25 years and have recently made the decision to resign after Tina Roybal was removed from her position as the meals coordinator. Your columnist, Peggy Bourland (Keeping it
Real) accurately described the situation that has developed since Tina has been replaced. EDC has made changes that make working there less enjoyable and, in my opinion, have put seniors at risk of not receiving their meals in a timely manner. This unfortunate
situation all started with a frivolous complaint against Tina by a person working in the kitchen. That person is still working in the kitchen and is one of the reasons I have decided to stop volunteering. I am hopeful that EDC can restore this program to its former level of service. There is so much more that our senior center should be providing to the senior population, and I hope in the future that more services are provided. I encourage new people to consider volunteering to deliver meals to our vulnerable senior community.
Nelsen, Zephyr Cove
The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center has released its annual State of the Lake report focusing on clarity, ecology, climate change and human impacts. Read the full report at https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/stateofthelake.
The US Forest Service and Heavenly are hosting Hike with a Ranger every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 1pm through September 29. The onehour hikes will cover a variety of natural history topics and encourage stewardship and environmental literacy. Meet at the top of the gondola. Moderate difficulty, closed-toe shoes required. First come, first serve.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is kicking off the next phase in its affordable and workforce housing initiative, Tahoe Living: Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin A South Shore community workshop to provide information and receive feedback will be held September 9 at Bijou Community School at 6:30pm. To register and for more information, visit tahoeliving.org.
The median price for a single-family home on the South Shore reached $700,000 in July according to the South Tahoe Association of Realtors.
El Dorado County has been placed on the state of California’s Fire Risk Reduction List based on implementing best practices for fire planning and prevention. Placement on the list makes
homeowners eligible for reductions in their insurance premium and makes the county eligible for wildfire prevention grant monies.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is seeking public feedback on its proposed Ski Run Mountain to Marina Green Infrastructure Project to naturally restore the ecology and improve the health of the urban environment. Take the survey at https:// www.surveymonkey.com/r/ TZQHQCF.
The Tahoe Resource Conservation District and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency continue to monitor an infestation of New Zealand mudsnails, an aquatic invasive species, along a three-mile stretch of the South Shore from the Tahoe Keys to Ski Run Marina. The agencies have upped their watercraft inspection programs at the lakeshore and are deploying roving inspectors to educate boaters.
“Mt. Tom,” a painting by Tahoe artist and retired Lake Tahoe Community College instructor Phyllis Shafer, was purchased for $30,000 at the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction. The auction focuses on Western and American Art featuring past masters and contemporary practitioners. Shafer was one of only a handful of women invited to participate in the male-dominated genre.
The University of Nevada, Reno, has released a defensible space guide to provide residents with guidance in protecting their homes. Access the document at
Signage in three languages—English, Spanish and Washoe—line an interactive trail walk through Van-Sickle Bi-State Park. The story walk is designed to educate about Lake Tahoe’s flora and fauna, Washoe heritage and inspire a closer connection to the local environment and its Native American heritage.
A jet boat operator who illegally entered the Upper Truckee Marsh earlier this year has been fined $10,000 by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Regulations prohibit motorized watercraft from operating in tributaries of Lake Tahoe or speeding within 600 feet of shore. Last year, agency employees spent 1,300 hours on education and enforcement around the lake.
The U.S. Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has selected Rosalie Herrera as the new deputy forest supervisor. Herrera comes from the ApacheSitgreaves National Forest in Arizona where she served as the Recreation, Lands and Minerals Program Manager since 2021.
Sample the Sierra, South Lake Tahoe’s farm-to-fork festival, returns to Bijou Community Park on Sept. 21, 1pm to 4pm. Residential customers of South Tahoe Refuse will be given three totes this month—blue for recycling, green for yard waste, black for trash. Use is mandatory in California, optional in Nevada.
South Lake Tahoe and Lake Valley Fire Departments have a free chipping program for residents in their respective jurisdictions.
Tahoe Rim Trail Association’s Trail Fest is Sept. 14, 6pm to 8pm at the Hangar Taproom & Bar in South Lake Tahoe.
In July, the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex stocked 19,238 catchable Pilot Peak strain Lahontan cutthroat trout into Lake Tahoe at El Dorado Beach, Zephyr Cove Marina, Kings Beach State Park, and Sand Harbor State Park.
Parts of the Mount Rose Trailhead off Mt. Rose Highway will be closed at different times to finish improvements to the Mount Rose Welcome Plaza and parking lot.
The annual celebrity golf tourney at Edgewood set an attendance record in July at 77,049.
American Century Investments, the tournament sponsor, and NBC each pledged $10,000 annually to the South Tahoe Recreation & Aquatic Center as a remembrance to Tim and Stacy Wakefield.
Lake Tahoe on July 22 hit its second highest recorded surface temperature at 75.7 degrees. The record of 77.9 degrees was set July 24, 2006.
The 19th annual Tahoe Bike Month broke a participation record with 474 residents and visitors collectively logging 9,890 trips covering 78,798 miles and climbing 5,512,602 vertical feet.
The annual Lake Tahoe Brewfest will be held on August
Make Your Investment Count
“We can take your project fom Concept to Turn-Key”
24 from 1pm to 5pm. Attendees will enjoy four blocks of over 40 breweries, vendors, fooderies, entertainment, and music. Visit https://tahoebrewfest.com for tix and info.
A free concert featuring Dirty Cello will be held on Valhalla Grand Lawn from 4:30pm to 7:30pm, August 18. Tahoe Arts Project annual fundraiser, Music on the Beach will be held August 22 at Lakeshore Lodge at 7pm. (doors open 6pm). Niall McGuiness, Trey Stone and John Shipley perform. Suggested donation, $20.
The popular Valhalla Renaissance Faire returns to Lake Tahoe Campground August 2425. Tickets available online at valhallafaire.com.
Finish out the season at one of the Lake of the Sky Amphitheater summer programs. August 16. Reflections of Lake Tahoe, 7:30pm. August 23, Pathways for Wildlife, 8:30pm. August 30, Black Bears in the Basin, 7pm. Cost, $20/$10 kids. Realtor Gregory Cremeans has earned the Accredited Buyers Representation designation by the National Association of Realtors.
The Tahoe Transportation District has been awarded a federal grant of $7.9 million to finance diesel-electric hybrid buses.
Have a community item for Heard? Email mountainnews2@ gmail.com, subject line, “Heard.”
Local artist Phyllis Shafer poses with her painting, "Mt. Tom," which recently sold at auction for $30,000.
I really did intend to be done with school-related writings for a while. But then on June 18, Los Angeles Unified School District gave us something to talk about with their cell phone ban. Maybe you heard the news—about banning devices at school from first bell to last. And maybe you wondered, could we do that here? And if we did, what would it look like?
Before I get into all that, let me clarify that LAUSD is not the first to confront the issue this way; in July 2023, the Florida legislature passed a bill prohibiting the use of phones during instructional time in public schools, and many other states are now exploring such policies. So LAUSD isn’t the first, but the big difference is that Florida school districts had state legislation to back them up, and that does matter. A lot.
Turning to Lake Tahoe Unified, I have heard many parents comment that they would love a similar decision here. But again, if you don’t have state law supporting you, the efficacy of a policy rests even more heavily on your school leadership’s ability and will to carry it out. And remember, we’re not just talking cell phones, but ancillary devices such as smart watches, headphones and ear buds.
School cell-phone ban.
Why now?
The research is everywhere you look and overwhelming at this point, and it all seems to support what we’ve known for more than a decade—that smartphones are causing immeasurable harm to our kids. We’ve long recognized that social media use is fueling anxiety and depression in our young people, and we’ve witnessed countless other daily reminders that these tools are serving the designers and purveyors while corrupting and enslaving the users. If you think I’m exaggerating, do my job for a week.
And despite all the conveniences the smartphone affords us, we are doing our young people no favor by allowing things to continue as they are. I mean, think about yourself at that age, with access to literally anything you can conjure up; you know how insane that is, don’t you? We know how bad of an idea that is, yet we adults and parents convince ourselves that our kids are just using their device for this and that—and not for that other unspeakable stuff . that they know the boundaries. Well, they don’t. Their brains aren’t well enough formed yet to make those distinctions and to manage that level of temptation and curiosity.
The LAUSD rationale
A LAUSD press release states, “Studies show that smartphones and social media are distracting kids from learning, eroding their mental health, and stifling in-person social connection.”
LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin stated, “Kids no longer have the opportunity to just be kids . . I’m hoping this resolution will help students not only focus in class, but also give them a chance to interact and engage more with each other— and just be kids.” Board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said, “When I visit campuses during lunchtime, my heart breaks to see students sitting alone, isolated on their phones instead of engaging and learning with their peers.”
In my experience, what you see even more often is a table full of kids who are all engrossed in their phones—together but apart. It is disturbing.
Executing a “no-devices” plan
First off, there is no one plan for this but more like a few general approaches—all of which come with challenges.
One way is to require students to turn devices in at the office before school, and logistical challenges rear their heads immediately. If you’re having 1,000 students turn their phones in when they arrive on campus, how many staff would it take to manage that process in addition to their regular jobs? How and where will the phones be stored? Who’s responsible if one gets lost or damaged in the shuffle? And then, do you have the staff available to reverse the process at the end of each day—accounting for bus departure schedules and the like as well? Can that
process be sustained, day in and day out? What about when one of the appointed staff members is out sick? Those are just for starters.
So, before you contemplate all that, the first question you need to answer is if you’re even dealing with that issue.
A second way is to say, “No devices. Period.” To avoid all the hassles mentioned above, a school might just ban devices from campus completely, but this would come with a separate set of challenges. You would have to accept that many students are not going to leave their phones in their cars or at home, so they’re going to have them in their pockets or backpacks regardless of the policy. Then you need an answer for the next question: what’s the school’s response when a phone is spotted? And really, it’s the teachers who will have to address this question, thereby interrupting instruction. And in my experience, these confrontations don’t always go smoothly— especially when you’re dealing with a young person who is addicted to their phone, which is most often the case. There can be excuses, arguments, defiance, profanity, outburst, violent reactions of all kinds. And then what has become of the class that day?
Then it’s a question of enforcement: does the district and school administration have the staffing, the time and the will to enforce whatever consequences there are for defying the policy? You all know what happens when you warn of consequences but then can’t or won’t follow through with them. It’s parenting 101: you either do the hard work of meaning what you say, or you deal with the fallout for years to come.
There is a third way to avoid the collection conundrum
and the no-device-on-campus mandate: in Florida, the policy is that students may possess devices provided that they are silenced and concealed in backpacks or purses. Florida schools are empowered to take the following actions if a student violates the cell phone policy: confiscation (returned at the end of the day), detention, in-school and out-of-school suspension. Likely, these are progressive steps. This approach is essentially the same as most policies in place already—but which aren’t enforced. Yes, in LTUSD as well, this has been the policy for a while. This approach would fall again to the teacher to enforce in the classroom—or not. And if it’s not enforced in every classroom, well, you know how that would go.
LAUSD seems to be saying no phones “bell-to-bell” but it’s not clear how they’re going to keep kids from pulling them out between classes, at lunch, when using the restroom during class, and so on. I’d be shocked if they mean this literally—and even more shocked if they actually enforce it as such.
So . . . LTUSD?
Could LTUSD enact such a policy and carry it out successfully? I think any district could—that is, if parents are behind it as well. Let’s face it: even if you have a determined school board, superintendent, school site administration and teachers on board, if parents undermine the effort, it’s not going to work. It’s a question for the community village: Do we have the kind of community that can pull this off together? You tell me.
As always, feel free to email mikesmutterings@gmail. com
“Barton Stay in California” is the mantra many folks on the Nevada side of the South Shore are chanting as work is afoot to change an 11-year-old planning document in Stateline to allow Barton Health to build a hospital where the Lakeside Inn and Casino sat for decades.
Momentum is gaining to quash the idea of moving Barton Memorial Hospital from South Lake Tahoe where it opened Nov. 23, 1963, with 38 licensed beds, 18 physicians, five dentists and about 20 employees.
The outrage is coming from Nevada residents, not Californians where many will be impacted by needing to travel farther to what is projected to remain a level 3 trauma center.
“They are kind of conspiring to change the entire face of the community without really addressing the community’s needs and concerns,” David Vogt, vice chair of Oliver Park General Improvement District (OPGID), said. “The highest and best use of this land is not a hospital. It is commercial retail and maybe two-story high-density housing in the back. That is what TRPA’s prior report agreed to. To change it now brings up the question: Why? What are people getting in return for this?”
Barton's big move
in 2023 to allow religious assemblies in the Kingsbury Town Center.
The proposed amendment would create a health care district on both sides of Highway 50. Barton has a number of offices on the mountain side.
modern hospital with the services Barton provides. Building standards for hospitals require additional height for each floor to accommodate the HVAC and other equipment necessary.”
a (stream environmental zone) and water levels are only several inches below the surface. It was once marsh land that filtered water before it reached the lake. No environmental impact study has been ordered,” Vogt said.
had set up stations about various aspects of the project rather than allowing the group to raise their concerns as a whole.
The city of South Lake Tahoe doesn’t seem to care it could be losing a storied asset.
“The City Council has not taken a position on the matter and no direction has been given to staff. Council hasn’t made it a priority,” Irvin said.
Growing trepidation
OPGID encompasses less than 100 residential units behind the old Lakeside property, but doesn’t include this parcel. Tahoe Beach Club is part of the GID.
OPGID’s main responsibility is maintenance of area streets, which locals project will see increased use with the hospital, as well as icing in the winter because the 85-foot-high structure Barton wants to construct would prevent sunlight from melting the snow and keep the area in shadows.
To this issue, Barton says, “A preliminary study is underway to assess sunlight impact from the proposed building. Early findings indicate there will be brief early morning shade. Additionally, most sun is from the south and west which may be impacted by the existing mountain, but not the building.”
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency doesn’t believe the hospital project will warrant an environmental impact statement.
“We don’t have an application for the project yet, but our planners anticipate starting the review process with an (initial environmental checklist),” TRPA spokesman Jeff Cowen said. “On some projects, there is a need for specific studies such as a traffic analysis, noise study, or habitat assessment. We can go from there depending on what is needed to review the proposed project.”
Vogt’s group isn’t waiting for that checklist to be completed. OPGID has written letters to the county and TRPA stating their concerns, and neighbors are organizing.
“The property Barton proposes to build on has numerous problems. These include the water ponding that needs a hydrology report. That property is still
While Barton says it wants to know what people think about its plans, until the powers that be started hearing rumblings of discontent, they had not organized public meetings. John Gurner, who lives directly behind the proposed new building, told a Barton official, “dropping a note off in the driveway under a rock. That’s not communicating.”
Barton on Aug. 6 hosted its first informational meeting about its plans to move the hospital. This gathering at South Tahoe High School came five days after the area plan amendment was originally supposed to be voted on by Douglas County commissioners. Nothing in Barton’s press release mentioned the area plan. Approximately 75 people attended the meeting, many disgruntled with the plans and the way Barton
The Mountain News asked City Manager Joe Irvin if the city is doing anything to keep the hospital in town.
BartonStayInCa.com is a website created by concerned Nevada residents. Topics include the building height, helipad, environmental issues, shutting down emergency care in California, bankrupting Oliver Park GID, as well as impacts to the Kahle Drive Complete Street Project, the neighborhood and more.
Locals are also frustrated with Douglas County officials who are pushing for an amendment to the South Shore Area Plan (SSAP) to make the process go more smoothly for Barton.
The SSAP, adopted by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board and county Board of Commissioners in 2013, took effect Dec. 5, 2013. It was amended
“As it is currently proposed by the county, the additional height would only apply within the proposed health care subdistrict on the lake side of the highway. It would not apply to the other Barton property across the highway,” TRPA senior planner Jacob Stock said.
TRPA allows a maximum height of 56 feet in town centers, with regional centers (Heavenly Village is the only one with that designation) to reach 95 feet. A high-density tourist district allows buildings 197-feet tall, even though Harveys is a little more than 200 feet.
Part of Barton’s plan is to also build an enclosed pedestrian overpass that would link the new hospital to existing facilities. This will require permits from at least TRPA and the Nevada Department of Transportation.
NDOT requires an occupancy permit for any construction or development connecting to or on state highways, including a proposed walkway crossing over a state roadway. This highway occupancy permit process allows NDOT structural, geotechnical, construction and other experts to carefully review the safety, design and traffic impact of any development accessing or over state highways,”
ties, these plans should be examined carefully by an independent hydrogeologist. Furthermore, if any pumping of underground facilities will be required, this plan should be eliminated and no underground facilities should be permitted.”
Barton wants surface level and underground parking.
Sierra Club concerns also include the height, blocking views of the lake, increased vehicle miles traveled, gridlock and subsequent degradation to Lake Tahoe.
“The Sierra Club also objects to the proposed South Shore Area Plan amendments that would remove current affordable housing in Lower Kingsbury and expand the town center to include more tourist accommodations and entertainment. This is completely nonsensical and antithetical to the lengthy, voluminous discussion surrounding the need for af-
Barton wants to amend those rules to build an 85-foot structure. Kate O’Neil, a planner with Douglas County, said about 30 percent of the new hospital would have a height of 85 feet.
Jeff Cowen, spokesman for TRPA, added, “Once the phase two affordable and workforce housing policies go into effect in December, 100 percent deed-restricted housing projects in town centers can apply for 63 feet of height, unless the local government amends their area plan with a lower height limit for those projects.”
Stock said, “The county argues that 85 feet is required for a
Meg Ragonese, NDOT spokeswoman, said.
The Tahoe Area Group of the Sierra Club wrote a letter in June to TRPA and Douglas County criticizing the area plan amendment and hospital relocation.
“The nearby Tahoe Beach Club was allowed to build an underground facility and is currently undergoing severe problems (with) groundwater interception and requires pumping to remove the groundwater, creating greenhouse gas emissions,” the letter says. “If the proposed hospital plans include underground parking or other underground facili-
fordable housing in the basin, for which the TRPA has proclaimed is the alleged purpose of TRPA’s housing amendments,” the letter says.
Dorothy Dean, a Barton emergency room nurse and spokesperson for the nurses’ union, at a June TRPA meeting voiced her apprehensions. She questions the wisdom of increasing transport time when ambulances will have to travel through the casino corridor and what happens to the nurses’ union, which doesn't have a contract after nearly seven years.
Barton would not reveal how long it takes on average for
“It
a patient to reach the hospital today and how long it’s projected to take that same patient to arrive at the new facility. It did say 40 percent of ER patients don't live on the South Shore, while 30 percent of admissions are also from outside the area.
He wonders how TRPA will allow this when one of its mandates is scenic quality. The hospi-
shouldn’t be about a beautiful new building, it should be about the quality of care that goes on inside.”
-Dorothy Dean, Barton Emergency Room nurse
After the June meeting, Dean said, a main concern is “(CEO Clint) Purvance’s desire for the new facility to become a critical access hospital, which would cut the number of inpatient beds available to the community by half.”
Barton would not explain the benefits or drawbacks of seeking critical access designation, but explained, “Critical access hospitals are designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services with a goal of supporting rural hospitals by providing payment benefits for delivering inpatient care. CAH eligibility is based on a variety of criteria including not exceeding a specific number of patients admitted to the hospital at any given time. As inpatient care volume has decreased and the demand for outpatient services has increased, Barton is assessing if the current needs meet these criteria.”
Building a helipad in a residential area is another negative for Stateline residents. Barton said it averaged about six helicopter transports per month last year.
Donna Loscar, president of the Oliver Park GID board, said, “We are also worried about the prices of our homes going down. If they put in this big huge hospital, who will want to live with that traffic and noise?”
Vogt said he proposed to Purvance that Barton buy the old Kingsbury Middle School site which is much larger. “They want a view of the lake and No. 2 he wants highway exposure; he wants to be seen from the highway,” Vogt said of Purvance.
Barton did not respond to a question about the KMS site.
tal will be across the street from Rabe Meadow and in view of everyone walking to their vehicles. Grigsby wonders if the 85foot ceiling is really to provide the C-suite with views of Lake Tahoe. At the August 6 meeting, Purvance said the upper floors of the new hospital would be patient rooms. “When there’s natural light, patients do better, they heal better.”
“It's becoming clear that the powers that be are salivating over the prospect of redeveloping our neighborhood, and are looking for ways to drive out local residents and replace our relatively affordable small homes and apartments with expensive vacation condos as they've already done with the Tahoe Beach Club, which kicked out well over 250 local workers, residents, and retirees, causing rents in Stateline and Zephyr Cove to double immediately and triple over the last 10 years,” Grigsby said.
Others are concerned efforts to narrow Highway 50 through the casino corridor are being resurrected. While locals organized to keep NDOT and the county from reducing the lanes in the Zephyr Cove area, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen in Stateline. If the highway were reconfigured and the hospital is built in Stateline, the worry is over congestion and the ability to get treated in a timely manner. Some then wonder if helicopter flights would increase to avoid ground transportation issues.
Past and present Barton Memorial Hospital opened two years before the city of South Lake Tahoe incorporated.
Dairy farmers Alva Barton and Fay Ledbetter donated a 6-acre parcel that at the time was valued at $200,000. This is how it got its name Barton and why “memorial” is part of the name.
John Grigsby, who has lived in this Stateline neighborhood for more than 15 years, said, “The hospital plans seem like they are specifically designed to have as much negative impact on the neighborhood as possible, while looking like they don't.”
Barton Health not Barton Memorial Hospital is on all the mock ups of the proposed entrance of the new facility.
Stateline resident John Grisby illustrates how the height of the proposed hospital would shadow Laura Drive and the people living there.
This is a rendering of what Barton Health hopes its hospital complex in Stateline will look like from Kahle Drive.
It was pioneering families living mostly on the California side who raised $422,011 to build the $1 million facility; federal and state grants totaling $598,010 accounted for the rest of the funding.
The need for a local hospital was a matter of life and death.
Six decades ago, it was a much more difficult to reach Carson Hospital—the closest emergency facility. In 1959 nearly one-third
M OUNTAIN N EWS C OVER S TORY
• Two-story addition—4
• Mechanical plant and addition—4
• MRI addition—5
• New central utility plant—5.
Tahoe is not immune to earthquakes. A cluster of about 40 temblors were registered in the middle of the lake in July and faults have been documented in the basin. Still, Barton officials admit the hospital has never
Barton’s answer was:
“Barton Health has a positive economic impact on its community including employing approximately 900 workers with a $90 million annual payroll along with providing $6 million in hospital and charity care for vulnerable populations. Once the project is approved, a facility plan will be developed, giving a better picture of how many employees will be located at each campus. Barton
• Key dates per TRPA for the South Shore Area Plan amendment, though they could change:
• Aug. 13 Douglas County Planning Commission
• Sept. 19 Douglas County commissioners first reading
• Oct. 17 Douglas County commissioners second reading
• Nov. 13 TRPA Advisory Planning Commission
• Dec. 18 TRPA Regional Planning Committee
• Jan. 22 TRPA Governing Board
of the emergency room visits to Carson Hospital were from South Lake Tahoe residents, according to patient records.
A major reason Barton says it needs to move is because of seismic concerns brought on by regulations from the California Health and Human Services. The state agency originally gave medical facilities until 2030 to make upgrades, move or shutdown.
The California Legislature has this month to vote on bills that could extend that deadline by two years. Irvin with the city said South Lake Tahoe has not engaged its lawmakers to make that happen.
As a member of the California Hospital Association, Barton is advocating for the extension, but is not doing so independently.
Only one of Barton’s five hospital structures does not meet the state’s new mandate.
The state rated structures on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 meaning it may be at risk of collapse during a strong earthquake and 5 deeming the building “reasonably capable of providing services to the public following a strong earthquake.”
The state rated Barton’s hospital buildings as:
• Original and nursing wing addition—2
it have the cash on hand to pay for it.
When asked where the money would come from, the response was: “Barton is assessing all funding opportunities to include current asset holdings, debt financing, and ongoing philanthropy to properly fund the project while maintaining acceptable debt and financial ratios.”
Douglas County tight lipped
What isn’t understood is why Douglas County would proceed with an area plan amendment when it doesn’t understand what the ramifications are to have a hospital at the corner of Highway 50 and Kahle Drive.
Morgan repeatedly told the Mountain News he didn't have answers. Then he said he would answer them via the agenda for the Aug. 13 planning commission meeting.
health care in our community, and with an aging population, additional comprehensive health services are required to meet the needs of the region in the future,”
Mindi Befu, spokeswoman for Barton Health said. She provided all the quotes for Barton. “While bed counts will remain at 55 beds, the emergency room and many other departments are undersized for the current equipment and the care needs of the community. A larger footprint is necessary to meet these needs.”
The current 45-foot-tall hospital is 124,000 square feet, while the new one is penciled out to be 200,000 square feet. Oncology and cardiovascular centers would account for 30,000 square feet.
Befu believes Californians seeking care in Nevada won’t have an issue with insurance companies.
“sustained damage in an earthquake.”
CEO Purvance at the June TRPA meeting admitted Nevada’s seismic requirements are less than California’s, but said, “If we build in Nevada, we would meet all the same regulations. We are not building a less safe hospital in Nevada.”
Barton is creating what it calls health care campuses in South Lake Tahoe and Stateline in what it calls a dual campus design. It wants both to have primary care offices, specialty offices, and places to get blood work and X-rays taken, as well as rehab-physical therapy offerings.
Barton said, “(T)he South Lake Tahoe campus will continue to offer outpatient services, which comprise roughly 90 percent of patient visits currently.”
If the hospital moves, Barton Community Health Center would expand. No changes are planned for Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness.
Economics of the project
Officials from the city of South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County do not know what the economic impacts of moving the hospital will be on their respective jurisdictions. In fact, both deferred to Barton.
also expects additional jobs to be created throughout the construction period.”
But that doesn’t answer what the economic impact of the move will be on either location. What will the impact be to other businesses? No one is studying this.
“First off, you have to look at what the county has done. (Douglas) County has relinquished property taxes, they have relinquished gaming revenues, they have relinquished TOT, so financially the county is losing revenue in three different ways and one has to wonder why,” Vogt, with Oliver Park GID said. “Is there some quid pro quo going on here that has not been made public?”
He questions if the county has been promised something that is being kept secret.
Scott Morgan, Douglas County’s second in charge, said, “We are in the early stages of analyzing the effects of the possible Barton Hospital moving to Stateline. We are aware that the hospital facilities are property tax-exempt, however private practice offices and private commercial hospital/medical operations are not, vacant land is not tax-exempt.”
Barton has not disclosed a price tag for the facility nor does
“Although we are preparing information for an area plan amendment, we do not have an official application from Barton or a county position. Although staff is supportive of the further exploration of this proposal, (we) will want to ensure that the process runs its course,” Morgan emailed.
Still, the county prepared a slick presentation about the area plan amendment for the June 26 TRPA Regional Planning Committee meeting. So, what is keeping officials from answering questions is unknown.
At that meeting Morgan told the committee, “This is a gift and a gift that needs to be further explored.”
He also said county staff supports the location for the hospital and the height of future buildings.
At that same meeting Kate O’Neil, a planner for the county, said she personally has been working on the area plan amendment for two years. .
Barton’s defense
In the 61 years since the hospital opened, the South Shore has changed dramatically as has medicine.
Hospital officials want to build a state-of-the-art facility with services not currently offered, like an oncology unit. Plus, building new means no interruption of care.
It’s too soon to know what equipment would be moved and how much would be brand new.
“With a growing need for
The health care conglomerate also believes adding more services will keep more people in the basin instead of seeking care in Carson Valley, Reno or Truckee.
At the August 6 meeting, Barton presented information that hospital stays are “typically covered” by insurance. Barton stated it would try to negotiate coverage for people with California insurance policies to receive care at the new hospital.
Barton baby, El Dorado County Supervisor Brooke Laine, told the Mountain News she was concerned about the insurance piece. “Is California insurance really going to be accepted in Nevada and pay out at the same rate?” Laine also wondered how transport between the two campuses would work. Would it involve expensive ambulance rides?
Barton, which bought the old casino site in 2021, intends to build a hospital at this site even if an area plan amendment fails. It would need to apply for a special use permit, though.
“If the area plan is not amended, Barton will update the project and building plan to fit the existing plan,” Befu said. “The facility plan will be developed based on the approved building size, and a smaller building will result in fewer services housed within the new hospital.”
At the close of the August 6 meeting, Dean remarked, “it shouldn’t be about a beautiful new building, it should be about the quality of care that goes on inside.”
Heather Gould contributed to this report.
Close out summer with one of the following books in our annual summer reading section featuring local authors. Kick back and relax with non-fiction, thrillers and memoirs.
Thriller takes on AI and container ships
When thinking of spycraft, sleek boats, fast cars and stealth aircraft come to mind. But container ships? Yes, container ships. Art of Deception, the second in a trilogy by local author and scientist Geoffrey Bott, has container ships at the center of this thriller.
The book opens aboard the container ship Muar in the South China Sea as it steers right into a super typhoon after the crew has lost control of its operating systems. Halfway around the world in the Panama Canal, another container ship, the Tianen, is blown up.
CIA contractor Daniel Cross is enjoying a Tahoe summer, going on long mountain bike rides with his girlfriend, savoring meals out and recovering from his most recent assignment when he catches the news about the Tianan on television. Shortly thereafter, his handler calls. Cross is back in.
Cross flies to Panama where he meets with one of the perpetrators of the
explosion who claims to be his old chum, Graeme Moore. But something isn’t quite right. A gun battle and car chase the next day lead to a revealing development. Moore is an AI clone.
From there, Cross bounces around between Asia, Canada, the United States and England as he attempts to decipher what is going on, who he can trust and who is real. At various times, Cross is joined by CIA agent Leslie Taylor, MI6 agent Nick Jennings and tech wizard Frank Wilson, among others. Then there is the mysterious villain, Wu. What does he want?
The pages of Art of Deception skim along. It doesn’t get bogged down, but moves nimbly along from plot point to plot point, resolving one question while creating others that keep the reader engaged. An expert in mass spectrometry by trade, Bott manages to “Goldilocks” the science. Not too simple, not too complex. It’s a high tech suspense novel in which the average reader can follow along and
understand the tech aspects, which play a key role in driving the story. The book isn’t all just nerd world. Bott weaves in international politics which
provide the “why” to complement the “what” is going on. A collision between a North Korean warship and a South Korean cruise ship pulls Iran into the mix and keeps suspicion off of the true culprits.
The UN gets involved. An international crisis is brewing and Cross and company need to move fast to make sure it doesn’t boil over. Cross must call in favors from around the world from his network of allies and contacts and Jennings even stages a riot at a soccer game in England to provide distraction and cover to put into place a key piece of the plan.
Like many books in this genre, the story culminates with a race to find and catch the bad guys before they can execute their final takedown of the free world. What sets Art of Deception apart is the very last paragraph. In a masterful plot twist in which everything clicks into place with a revealing sentence, Bott leaves the reader thinking “wow!”
Caution: hilarity ensues
Most books we decide to read have a relatively universal format, with chapters that logically follow a storyline. An opening event leads to multiple other events, connected in some way to either a real or made-up set of other events, all of which build toward the exciting last chapter and the last rush to the end of whatever the story is about. Fiction, nonfiction, trail hikes and so on. Not much variation from this exists.
Tahoe Local, written by Trish Tomer, follows a wildly different journey. Unless you are comfortable having strangers stare at you as you collapse in laughter with your head thrown back and Tahoe Local flopping around in your hand, stay out of public view as you attempt to get through this one.
Tomer, also known as Trish the Dish, currently billed as Tahoe Trish, writes a column for the Tahoe Mountain News
each month. Back in 2013, Taylor Flynn, owner/editor at the time, read a letter to the editor from Tomer, and promptly asked if she’d be interested in a column in the paper. Yes, was the answer, luckily for all of us.
Tomer sorts the 293 rip roaring pages into 10 sections. The book starts with this: “In gratitude to Tahoe and its locals…for inspiring me to climb mountains real or perceived.”
This is followed by a Dr. Seuss quote, from Oh, the Places You’ll Go!: “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so…get on your way!”
Relax through the preface and introduction, as you encounter small hints as to what kind of irreverence is coming next. The laugh fest begins pretty quickly after this and simply doesn’t let up.
Tomer launches into a ground lev-
el, expansive, irreverent trip through her 50 years of living in Tahoe. Why Tahoe?
This is where the fun begins. Why?
According to Tomer, “I came for the same reason any girl moves to the mountains—so I’d never have to shave my legs again. Or wear nylons. Or dresses, except for church, which I no longer attend, having received a lifetime ban at the age of twelve.” Pretty impressive intro to what will follow.
Her take on life in Tahoe will ring a lot of bells with anyone who lives in Tahoe, or used to live there, or anyone in snow country on the west slope. She rambles and rummages through the seasons, and years, in this mountain wonderland. Her neighbors, friends, family, strangers, “Hubby,” holidays, weather events, traffic, snow plow drivers, various employers, casino rules, casino-mandated women’s costumes—complete with
upper body enhancements—are all part of this.
She is relentless in including her own ups and downs. This really is her
own personal take on living in Tahoe, warts and all. Actually, it’s sags and all too.
While it’s hilarious in the extreme, she is also highlighting some of the serious bits of living in the mountains, Tahoe in particular. You’ll have to quit laughing long enough to realize this though.
Tomer regales us with overburdened streets resulting in “clusterstuck” traffic, VHR stupidity contests, snow, no snow, city government follies, finding a place to live that doesn’t include resident racoons, bees, carpenter ants, fires, flood, or imminent collapse, employment bingo, the
required locals’ happy hour, which is any hour, at any time, mind numbing drink in hand, anyplace that’s good . . . Tahoe, year-round, plus who knows?
The locals? “. . oxygen-starved, reality-warped, high mountain enthusiasts” is one way she describes locals, including herself. First snowstorm for her? Stepping outside in her canvas tennis shoes, sliding down three flights of stairs, and finding her Karman Ghia frozen solid in a block of ice. Amazing how this brings back similar memories among so many different people.
Throughout this free-styling Tahoe cliff dive, you may find yourself attempting to read a passage to your wife while being unable to actually speak because you can’t breathe, you’re laughing so hard, and when you are able to take enough breath to read, neither of you can speak, breathe, or gain control. It’s a laughter so deep and all-body consuming that it hurts. Amazing, but true. She sums it up quite well: “Guess it’s our choice. We can shop for happiness and take rose petal baths alone in our basement. Or, we can keep doing the local thing, which means reveling in all Tahoe has to offer. . . Being thoroughly seasoned and under the spell of altitude-induced optimism, I think I’ll take the local hikers' advice. I’m going to stop and smell the tree sap. And stare long enough to see the rainbow.” You’ll have to read Tahoe Local to understand this massively funny trip through Tahoe and all it offers, through the eyes and wandering thoughts of Tahoe Trish. Remember my warning about doing it in public.
Living on the edge
The more I read, the more I realized I had something to learn.
Dancing on the Edge: Moving Through Life with Power, Dignity and Effectiveness by Tyrone Polastri, better known to most in Tahoe as Ty, will be available this fall in print and e-book formats.
I would put this in the self-help genre. If that is usually a category you avoid, think twice before dismissing this one. It’s not preachy, it’s not psycho-babble. It’s real. It’s really real. That’s why I wanted to keep reading.
Polastri has such an unassuming way of connecting with readers. His words are there to help everyone. It would be hard to imagine someone not getting something out of this book—that something being self-improvement. And as enlightened and together as you might think you are, we all have room for personal growth. After all, that should be an ongoing goal.
“By learning to control what we can and letting go of what we cannot, we gain the power of personal mastery,” Polastri writes.
As a skier, it was easy to follow his references to this sport, which are woven throughout the book. But non-skiers will have no problem understanding Polastri’s thought process.
“Edges are everyday occurrences. They are a place of tension and energy living in the polarity of things. These things can be as simple as facing situations requiring a yes or no response,” Polastri writes. “My goal is for the edge to serve as
a visual compass to help you sharpen your focus and prioritize your actions, as you journey through life.”
While there are some exercises in the book that can be done alone or with a partner, mostly Polastri has you become cognizant of what you are feeling and thinking, and how our reactions affect decision-making.
Grounding and centering are the two key exercises that can easily be incorporated into daily life. Much of these are about creating new habits and becoming aware of current behavior.
It was powerful to feel the sensation of the grounding exercise. My breathing changed, my concentration on the activity took my mind off the issues of the day and actually had me returning to the book with more focus and undivided attention.
It’s about awareness of the mind and body. It’s about defining your core values, then having life choices reflect them.
An entire chapter centers on how our voice matters. “Our voice is so important in defining who we are and who we can become that it deserves extra attention and practice to increase our abilities.”
This is followed by a chapter titled “Power of Words”; then comes “Power of Speaking Up.”
It’s about understanding how early communication impacts how we interact as adults— how there could be triggers we aren’t conscious of.
er person is still speaking, it is a sign that you are no longer listening. To honor the speaker, check if they have concluded their thought or idea before you offer any comments.” This completely resonated with me, as I hate to be interrupted and keep working hard not to be the interrupter.
This is the first book I’ve read that talks about body language being a vital communication tool.
Advice and strategies relate to work and personal situations, which gives the book a greater depth. After all, much of the world is still working, so having the ability to better relate to co-workers and clients can only be a good thing.
“The exercises simulate true-tolife situations. By practicing regularly, you will begin noticing ineffective ways and replacing them with more successful ones,” Polastri says. “You will also begin increasing your ability to handle stress and develop the skills and confidence needed to face any situation.”
“Ultimately, we are working toward building the ability to face and move through our edges with the power and confidence to speak up as situations arise. This takes practice, like learning to ski; we build our Power of Speaking Up competencies by developing incremental levels of skillful actions before leaping off the cornice,” Polastri writes.
On the flip side, he writes about the importance of listening.
“If you are planning and rehearsing what you are going to say while the oth-
Polastri also address the contentious world we live in. When having conflicting values with someone, he suggests asking the question, “Do I want a future with this person?” which seems so powerful and will clearly dictate how you might respond to that person. But it doesn’t mean you unleash venom at them. As Polastri says, “… respect the differences and keep an open-door policy to allow for a future of change.”
A powerful reminder from Polastri, “Never be afraid of who you are becoming.”
Polastri has lived on the South Shore for years. He teaches skiing at Heavenly Mountain Resort and is the co-founder of Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition.
Finding a happy ending
Knowing the book, and more important the author, has a happy ending made it easier to turn each page.
I’m not giving anything away when I say there is a happy ending. It’s how Bridey Thelen-Heidel talks about her book.
And, really, how am I as a reader to complain about the difficulties of reading the trauma Thelen-Heidel endured in her childhood, teens and into adulthood? I only had to read about it. She had to live it.
Bright Eyes: Surviving Our Monsters and Learning to Live without Them (She Writes Press, 2024) is Thelen-Heidel’s memoir that will be available Sept. 24.
Stories about crappy childhoods, survival and creating a “normal” life are not new. One thing that makes this book stand out is that Thelen-Heidel is a South Lake Tahoe local. She grew up here when she wasn’t in Alaska or someplace else. She graduated from South Tahoe High in 1989. She became a full-time English teacher at
her alma mater in 1999. She is probably best known as Ms. Heidel, or Bridey.
Those who have been paying attention know Thelen-Heidel founded the Ally Club at STHS nearly two decades ago and continues to be its advisor, as well as a strong advocate for young people across the rainbow.
Others will know her mission to meet Duran Duran, the band she fell in love with as a seventh-grader. If you don’t know about her obsession with lead vocalist Simon Le Bon, I am not going to be the spoiler. Her teen-age crush carried through adulthood. You’ll just have to read
the book to know what happened.
Locals are sure to recognize people and places in the book. This will add a depth to the book for some.
For those who don’t know this incredible woman, or only know the adult she is today, you will want to get to know her through her words. This will give you a greater respect for who this woman is.
There is always something to be learned from someone else’s plight in life. Compassion, for one. Understanding, an appreciation for resiliency, and hope are also what I took away from Bright Eyes
The book is told through Thelen-Heidel’s perspective at the time. It’s like we’re in real time instead of stepping to the past as a remembrance. This makes the stories even more raw. You feel the despair of a child. That’s excellent writing when the reader feels the words.
This doesn’t mean it’s childish writing. It’s that the story is through the eyes of a youngster’s.
It’s also hard to digest at times. I had to read Bright Eyes in small chunks. Sitting with it for a while helped me better absorb all that Thelen-Heidel was going through.
No one should have to live a life like this. No one. But especially not children. I suppose it could go without saying, but be ready to cry. On the flip side, don’t worry, you’ll also be smiling—eventually.
Mother/daughter star in new series
Todd Borg, known for his popular Owen McKenna mystery thrillers, has kicked off a new series. Wilderness Vacation is the first of Borg’s “Dark Road Suspense” books. Josie Strong is featured as his female protagonist, along with daughter Samantha. Josie is an intellectual, middle-aged professor of medieval history. She is analytical by nature, a bit out of shape and perhaps a little insecure about mothering her 14-yearold daughter through her teen years. Josie and Samantha live in a Santa Monica condo with a peek-a-boo view of the ocean and all the amenities of city life. Their home is not upscale but it is convenient. It is only a short walk to the beach and close to UCLA where Josie teaches.
Samantha, a typical 14-year-old, can be sassy at times but she is curious and quick. She has a love of movies and art, and despite their unique differences plus a glaring generational gap, the mother and daughter get along. Samantha lovingly refers to Josie as Mama. Samantha favors the Goth look, wearing black clothing punctuated by dark, dramatic eye makeup, black boots and nails. She recently added a new piercing, showcasing safety pins on her upper ears.
Josie lives in the world of academia, immersed in research, textbooks and teaching techniques. As a PhD professor, she is fact-based and logical but maybe not as technology savvy as her daughter. Saman-
tha, on the other hand, views her phone as an appendage, using its features for maximum benefit, remarking, “You can do any-
thing with your phone.” The absence of WiFi for Samantha is likened to a guillotine dropping, cutting off the world.
Josie decides a remote wilderness vacation in the backwoods of Minnesota will strengthen their bond and perhaps give Samantha a new perspective. They will be free from the LA lifestyle and enjoy nature in its purest form. There will be no Wi-Fi or other distractions except for maybe for a few black flies and bears. Samantha reluctantly agrees to go but not without her phone, something with which she cannot part. So, with some trepidation they set off on their trek, carrying backpacks full of gear and hearts full of hope. What could possibly go wrong?
How about a rifle-toting maniac with murder on his mind? Once the two are terrifyingly tucked away in an isolated cabin on a remote island, the attacks begin.
Two “helpless” female travelers are sitting ducks. But this evildoer picked the wrong pair. Got a sock? Find a rock. Professor Strong has more than a few medieval tricks up her sleeve. An escape would not be easy. It would include portaging a heavy canoe a considerable distance through brush and rocks and
then rowing from one lake to the next. Not easy for a pudgy professor and a wisp of a girl. Muscle power, strategic thinking and fearless determination are required. Josie and Sam check off these boxes.
Their virgin journey to this location was led by their guide Bill, who provided helpful tips before rowing away with Mama calling out, “Check on us only from afar.” Meanwhile, the metaphorical guillotine has dropped, cutting off all connections.
Wilderness Vacation presents an unimaginable predicament for two women in the wild. It is filled with suspense and a few interesting characters, especially Cumberland Durand. You gotta love that name!
In Chapter 12, I got lost in the weeds while trying to digest the details of ancient weaponry. I also missed the comforting presence of a dog. But, Unknown, a lost pup, shows up with the promise of becoming a regular. I hope her name is changed to reflect her sweet nature.
Borg has managed not one but two dramatic stories this year, which is nothing short of amazing.
It was the 70s, a great time to be young and rebellious. Shaped by the politics, music and entertainment of the era, you probably watched “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” They consistently poked fun at the powerful, critiqued the Vietnam War and championed civil rights. And they were my heroes.
I watched their TV show every week, getting my mandatory dose of rebellion and humor, all laced with music played by the Smothers Brothers as they bantered back and forth, which inevitably led to argument. Dickie Smothers would calmly try to edify the angry, sputtering, confused Tommy until Tommy, in total frustration, would expose the root cause of all sibling rivalry, shouting, “Mom always liked you better! ” Then a semi-adult, perhaps you ran off to live in a mountain town, freshly graduated from something—hopefully a college, or at least a high school, but maybe a juvenile detention center. And, upon arrival, you quickly discovered you needed a dependable source of financial income— hopefully a job, or at least a cute
Mom's favorite kid
boyfriend with a job, but maybe a house with a basement where you could grow magic mushrooms.
Maybe it was my deeply ingrained sense of personal responsibility that propelled me to go job hunting. More likely it was the fact that I had 25 dollars in my bank account and was currently renting a bedroom in the Tahoe Keys (with no house privileges—requiring me to pee in, or around, the clubhouse). And my roommate was the homeowner’s boat, stretched diagonally, hull to stern, across the room. It made a terrific bed and also cut the room in two. Which sounds bad, but I was grateful my landlord wasn't charging me for a two-bedroom apartment.
Immediately upon entering El Pavo Mexican Restaurant’s dank, dimly lit atmosphere, breathing in the mixed aroma of cilantro, lime and frying tortilla chips and walking across the tequila-soaked carpet, I knew I had to work there.
My future depended on it, as my roommate-boat and I were beginning to form a meaningful relationship.
Due to El Pavo’s proximity to the casinos and the bus station
next door constantly spitting up vagrants to fill the bar stools, it had an earthy, bohemian appeal. And a strict policy of serving anyone who staggered, crawled or dragged themselves through the door by midnight.
Many celebrities visited the restaurant after their shows. And I just happened to be barely three weeks into my waitress job the night that Tommy Smothers came in and was seated . in my section.
Packed with diners, bustling waitresses and a bartender who pre-tested every drink he served, I peered from the wait station as the pharmaceutically impaired but nubile hostess seated Tommy and his friend in a booth. A ripple of recognition ran through the restaurant. Customers and staff paused in conversation and drinking and pill-popping. Then we all let out
a collective breath, and the atmosphere resumed its usual controlled chaos.
My boss had not yet downed his evening pitcher of margaritas, so his eyes were focused on me.
Tray trembling, I approached the booth and stood mutely as Tommy was in the midst of unleashing a barely hushed, spewing torrent at his friend, whom I assumed was his manager because no one would sit there and take that smack-down without getting paid.
When Tommy finally took a moment to glare at me, I professionally informed them of the evening specials. They ordered dinner and a couple of margaritas. All seemed to be going normally, which rarely happens in life. Particularly my life.
Naturally, a young couple seated in a booth across the aisle from our celebrity pulled me aside.
“Can we buy Tommy and his friend a margarita’?”
Sensing Titanic-al disaster, I hesitated.
“We really don’t want to bother him…but we like him so much.
Please…would you do this for us?”
Stupid, stupid, stupid me. Moments later, tray in hand, two frosty, salty rimmed margaritas brimming beautifully, I stood quietly in front of Mr. Smothers and his whipping boy. Suddenly he jerked his head around to glare at me.
“What’s that?! I didn’t order those!”
“Excuse me, sir. Some fans of yours didn’t want to disturb you but wanted to show their appreciation for your work.”
And that’s when Tommy roared, “Are you trying to make me look like an alcoholic??!!”
Along with the margaritas, everyone in the restaurant froze. My boat-house relationship was now in jeopardy of sinking.
I took a deep breath before calmly replying, “Now I know why your mother likes your brother better.”
The evening ended like any good comedy show. Happy fans, a celebrity manager having a belly laugh at the expense of his persnickety client and a waitress who kept both her job and her relationship afloat.
Grandparents: You've had your turn
Grandparents, it’s time we had a talk. Pull up a chair and get comfortable.
We’d like you to start focusing more on the “grand” and less on the “parent.” We’ve got that parent-thing covered. We’re okay. Seriously, back off. You had your shot. You did great. Now it’s our turn. Wink face emoji.
Admittedly, both Wifey and my parents are out of town and won’t be reading this, so I’m just going to “let it rip” and imagine what a more candid version of this conversation would look like. The reality is… well, more placating and much, much less assertive.
Wifey and I love our parents dearly and we realize how fortunate we are that we both still have both parents and that they are willing to be involved in the lives of our children. They raised us, put up with our shenanigans and mishaps, and today we are productive, healthy, kind, and contributing adults. So, kudos to our parents, you did it. Now, we basically want you to stop trying to do it, you know . . . again.
Our four children are amazing in their respective and very diverse areas. Sure, they can be raucous and rambunctious but they also can be considerate and polite. They all get good-ish grades and are basically great kids. We’re lucky. What our kids want from their grandparents is not more discipline and parenting, but unconditional love and some good old-fashioned “spoil-me-
rotten” attention. Wifey and I will handle teaching them how to do their own laundry and how to clean up their rooms, apply the Pythagorean theorem and put limits on their screen time. It’s your job as grandparents to buy the extra scoop of ice cream with sprinkles and whipped cream, to take them to the arcade or bowling alley or movie theater. It’s okay; be a little wasteful and indulgent with your grandchildren. Wifey and I will teach them how to save and be frugal. That’s our job, not yours. As our brood is firmly ensconced in adolescence, their personalities and preferences have started to solidify. Some of this is as simple as taking control over what food they are and aren’t willing to eat. If Jack doesn’t want your spinach casserole, don’t berate him for it; he’s stubborn enough to respond with, “No. I’ll starve, thank you very much.” Wifey and I will handle the vegetable force-feeding, with reasonable ultimatums like, “So, you want to have a friend over? Well then you better wolf down that yummy salad.” When our kiddos are with their grandparents, we just want them to be happy. We’ll take care of the spinach and raw fruits and broccoli: we do, every freakin’ night. The other stark element of adolescent identity is appearance. Matilda frequently gets critiqued about how she dresses, smiles, and stands. She’s beautiful inside and out and she doesn’t know it yet, but
shhh… that’ll be our little secret.
“What do you mean I shouldn’t wear a hoodie?”
“It’s like almost 90 degrees.”
“And….?”
Matilda dresses for Matidaweather. Don’t question it.
Max has special needs and perhaps he’s the most acquiescent to over-parent-grandparentparenting. For not being able to read, he sure reads the snot out of my parents and gets lots of special treatment by pandering to their whims. He’s always in a collared shirt around them, he always helps his granddad with any chores and he generally gets more sympathy and spoiling than his siblings. So much so that Max was even able to turn his grandparents against us on the subject of wearing his retainer, to which Wifey had to forcibly remind everyone that we paid eight grand for “that f%!@ ng mouth” and he better keep his damn retainer in.
“What could be the wildest thing they’re all doing together at this moment?” Wifey asked me.
“Well, what if they went to Yogurt Beach and the kids went wild on every topping and they ended up spending over a hundred dollars on ice cream?” I joked.
I remember always wanting to be with my grandparents. When I was 11, my grandmother actually brought me to Greece where she proceeded to prodigiously bribe me with baklava and moussaka. That is potentially the equivalent of bringing these Tahoe kids to a
mall in Reno and “going wild,” totally do-able, right?
After college, I went to live with my last remaining grandparent in rural Delaware for a few years before she passed away. I taught social studies in the high school in the neighboring town and I helped my grandmother with all sorts of things as she got older, even with her ostomy bag.
I just don’t know if either set of grandparents are cultivating the sort of relationship with our kids right now that will one day result in changing a plastic baggy full of excrement attached to the stoma on their abdomen.
“So should we send it?” I asked Wifey.
“I think you should send it to them.”
“I don’t know. I’m too chicken and they’d definitely take offense at the language.”
“You’re willing to tell the whole town, but not your parents?” “Yup.”
Wifey thinks about it for a
moment, “Yeah, the status quo is much safer.”
“They’re not going to change, it’s like their politics.”
“True. Remember when Michael came home from a sleepover after watching the RNC with Granny and toting Hillbilly Elegy?”
I cringe and say, “I don’t think he’s read more than the first couple pages.”
“But he was willing to engage with them about it.”
“I guess that’s the most important part: communication.”
“For the sake of the poop.”
“For the poop.”
M.C. Behm is a full-time resident of South Lake Tahoe and author of “Once Upon a Quarantine” and “The Elixir of Yosemite.” Available locally and online. To learn more or respond to columns visit www.behmbooks. com or email mcbehmbooks@ gmail.com.
It was always shocking to me when those awful green scooters appeared in our town (it’s so nice to go to other parts of the lake and not see them lying all over the paths, walkways and along the streets like litter!); then people started crashing on them in large numbers, with no head protection. We were hearing from friends working at the local emergency rooms that they were so busy with these scooter crashes that they could have created a whole new ward at the hospital just for them! Well, guess what reportedly has surpassed those injury numbers—yep, e-bikes.
Using your noggin
It is absolutely no surprise when you see the number of people on these “mopeds” going so fast down Highway 50, bike paths and all the backstreets. A few days ago, I saw a lady flying down Pioneer Trail, like many of the others, with no helmet. Perhaps we just have to chock it up to some sort of social Darwinism: some will hit their heads, hard, therefore removing some of the dumb ones from the gene pool and the bike lanes.
There aren’t many reasons not to wear a helmet these days. It’s not like the old days of the heavy, hot, kinda ugly helmets that were actually rather hard to wear. The price of a helmet cannot be that much of a factor because they have really come down at the more basic levels; of course, you can pay an arm and a leg for something really nice, but it is still less than the cost of a few stiches in the noggin.
It is always entertaining at the shop when we rent bikes to people who choose not to wear a helmet. The excuses: “I don’t want to mess up my hair” (five stitches or maybe brain surgery will mess your hair up a whole lot more); “oh, we are only going slow on the bike path” (yeah, but not everyone else is); “the kids will take them, but we don’t need them” (way to set an example, Mom and Dad).
Just a few days ago I had a guy rent a bike as his friends were going to take him on a trail: “Helmet?” I offer him. “They are free and you might as well wear one.”
“No,” he says. “I don’t think I’ll need it.”
“I think you do, just try this one on.” He takes it and goes out for his ride. Several hours later he returns and slaps the helmet and a fat tip on the counter. “Not even a full minute out the door,” he says, “I went off the curb, grabbed the wrong brake and went over the bars . hard, thank you!” And yes, he offered to pay for the helmet, too, since once you really hit your helmet on the ground, it is done; replace it.
People often claim that helmets are too hot. Well, they are hotter than not wearing a helmet for sure, but that same person will be wearing a baseball cap all the time outside or a hat for sun protection, and those aren’t hot? One of the major costs of a good helmet is the fact that they are made with lots of ventilation. Simply put, it costs more to engineer a helmet with more open holes while still making it safe.
Speaking of engineering and technology, there have been some big advances in how to protect our heads, specifically our brains.
In recent years some, if not most, manufacturers have been replacing (or supplementing) the EPS foam inside the helmet with a material called MIPS (multi-directional impact protection system)—a thin plastic liner anchored to the inside of the shell. This technology helps to protect the brain during a very common “angular” impact that stretches and twists the brain inside our skull, which can cause bleeding and swelling . not that
fun! MIPS will allow the head to rotate with the impact about 10 to 15 mm inside the helmet, sort of a rotational shock absorber. There are a few other branded solutions to address this brain slipping around in our skull problem as the technology gets better. I think we need to learn something from the woodpeckers out there but evolution may take a bit longer than most of us have.
Safety ratings on helmets vary between Europe and the US, and also for different uses. Street motorcycle helmets, for instance, must meet the DOT standard, which makes them heavier but better for crashes with multiple tumbles and harder hits.
One of my good friends recently had a serious crash, big air to boulder to the face. Horrible, but he had decided to wear his full-face DOT helmet more often, and that saved him. He still had a mild concussion and possible fractured cheek bone, which was bad but nothing compared to what could have happened with a lesser helmet. Ahh, what’s a few brain cells, anyway? We have plenty. It is so hard to understand why we would not wear a little bit of protection for our skull and brain but then do a whole lot of silly things in our daily life; I’m pretty sure people do more to protect their computers and cars than their heads. Choices, right? And then we are glad the long arm of the government doesn’t make us protect our own brains when we are on our bicycles and mopeds.
I think I’m going to stay inside where I’m safe!
That would have been my skull.
The Mountain News has just celebrated 30 years in publication, which for any business in Tahoe, much less a locally owned and operated newspaper, is quite a feat.
I didn’t start when the paper did. The first issue of the Mountain News rolled out July 1994 and my first review wasn’t until a year later in August 1995. That first column wasn’t actually a film review but mostly a discussion about movie reviewers and critics and where I fit in (basically a reviewer with a smattering of knowledge).
My first actual review was the next month for Showgirls, which had just been released. It was the perfect film to start with as a good chunk of it was shot right here on the South Shore in the Golden Nugget Casino, which was at that time the Horizon Casino. The Grand Lake Showroom was the best showroom up here, even though by that time it wasn’t much used. They used it for some of the big show numbers in the
film. My review basically made fun of a really bad movie that tanked Elizabeth Berkley’s career. Two months later I reviewed
The American President, significant because it was my first official date with this girl named Teresa. Needless to say, it went pretty well. I think the first time I mentioned her by name in a column was September 1999 though I had referred to her as my girlfriend in a column back in the summer of 1996. In the early 2000s I would occasionally mention her opinion of a film and eventually I would be chastised by readers if I didn’t mention her, and she now must appear in every column.
Looking back, I realize a couple of things about my earlier reviews. First is that I spent more time on the review itself. It wasn’t until later that I would begin a column with some (hopefully) interesting aspect of film, the industry, the stars, the history, etc. I think I started doing more
of that because I had been teaching film history at the college. I also didn’t want to spend a lot of words outlining most of a film’s plot for review because if you see it, you don’t need to know everything that happened, and I wasn’t clever enough to expand beyond that.
The second thing is that I seemed to be wittier back then.
Seems like I was looking for funnier ways to say things in a very casual style. Somewhere along the line, I guess I got caught up more in giving out the information. I’m going to assume that I’m still funny and simply chose a different approach. Plus, now of course, we have Trish covering the humor angle for the Mountain News
Another remembrance of those early days was that we were barely into the age of the internet and email. Since I didn’t go to press screenings, I would get movie information for my column (i.e. the whole cast— with correct spellings, production details, etc.) from print magazines. We had moved beyond typewriters, so I was able to type the review on my office laptop, but the first few reviews were printed and dropped off in person. Eventually things were attached to email, but Taylor still had to re-type them into the program for the paper, no downloading or cut and paste. Taylor would
edit as he typed and would complain about my lack of formatting paragraphs (I basically didn’t) or things like shifting tenses. When the editing moved over to Catherine Abel, she also griped at my lack of paragraphs and other things, but they made my columns look good, so I wasn’t complaining.
It's fun to look back at film reviews that would eventually become iconic in some way or another. A good example was my brief review of Twister , a little film that didn’t make a big splash but became a cult favorite over the next 28 years, leading eventually to this year’s sort of reboot-sequel. Back then I liked the effects but thought there wasn’t much between the action sequences and the characters were a bit two dimensional.
Another review celebrated
The Big Lebowski. I was already a Coen fan, but I had no idea it would stand the test of time as it did. Sometimes I feel like someone who had reviewed Citizen Kane back in 1941 and said, “It was okay, but not sure this guy Orson Welles is all that good.”
It’s also interesting looking back at some of my lead-in comments and how technology has moved at light speed. I remember writing about this new thing called a DVD and how it was changing the way we watch films at home.
Eventually it might replace video cassettes. And then how this new
company called Netflix would send you DVDs you could watch at home; you no longer had to go to Blockbuster (which for newer locals was in the building now occupied by Grass Roots).
I used to complain a lot about the lack of quality theatres up here. The Horizon then opened their theatre complex in 2001 (in what used to be the Grand Lake Showroom, the same place they shot Showgirls). Those theatres eventually bit the dust. Then in 2004 we had Heavenly Village Cinema, which brought quality theatres back to the South Shore, and now it’s 20 years later and they are getting a little long in the tooth.
So, I believe you are reading column number 348. When I look back at my reviews, there are films I barley remember watching, much less reviewing. My viewing habits have changed over the years, from going off the hill to watching films locally, and nowadays mostly streaming from the comfort of my couch. I still like a big movie in a good theatre, but at my advanced age (mostly joking), I’m often just as happy to see it with Teresa, sitting in front of our nice sized QLED TV at home. It’s great that the Mountain News is still strong after 30 years and it keeps me on my toes to write a column each month, so let’s keep doin’ it, eh?
Dave's first movie review: Showgirls starring Elizabeth Berkeley.
when you replace your old gas powered lawn eq uipment wit h zero emission cordless electric lawn equipment.
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Purchase a new cordless electric lawn equipment device from a store or order online.
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Within 30 days of the purchase of the new lawn equipment, take the old gas powered lawn equipment and the approved application to an approved disposal site. Disposal site will sign application and return to you.
Deliver complete application and copy of receipt for new equipment to EDC AQMD in person or via email. (edcaqmd@edcgov.us )
In 4 to 6 weeks, receive a check from El Dorado County AQMD for your incentive!
Applicants must meet specific eligibility requirements:
• Reside in El Dorado County.
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• Application MUST be approved by AQMD before you dispose of old equipment.
• You must dispose of the old lawn equipment within 30 days of purchase of new lawn equipment
