December 2023

Since: Kingsbury Middle School update, p.9

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Mountain News 5

This will mark the 12th edition of the Mountain News for which I have been fully responsible. What a year it’s been!

I started amid a record-setting winter and trying to navigate the Mountain News and the storms and associated fallout, literally, at the same time was challenging to say the least. Many nights I went to bed and thought I wouldn’t be able to get up the next morning and do it all again. But I did. (I will admit there were a few days when I just pulled up the covers and put my head under the pillow.) They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and at times, I thought, “Ok, just kill me now, please.”

But today, I’d say I’m definitely stronger. In fact, I’m antsy for some significant storms because our town needs it—environmentally and economically—and because I am prepared. My snowblower is tuned up and has a full tank of gas, as does my car. I have firewood put away, thanks to my Dad, a stash of candles and flash-

lights and winter gear prepped and at the ready, and I have the knowledge that I can make it through whatever Mother Nature throws my way. Bring it!

This month also marks our annual Made in Tahoe edition where we highlight people who actually make things in our town. This was dreamed up by Paperboy decades ago as a way to feature craftspeople in what is often considered a service economy. We have a variety of people and products this year and I hope our readers will consider shopping from these and other locals this holiday season.

Destination Stewardship, the campaign to deal with the impacts of overtourism, continues to creep along and after talking with Devin Middlebrook of TRPA I am ever so cautiously optimistic. Middlebrook said the Destination Stewardship Council has hired a staffer and will begin implementing the few action items identified in the initial document. He said the council will be looking to identify gaps and needs that aren’t in the initial plan and

move toward addressing those. Part of that will entail pinpointing the “invisible burdens of tourism,” such as the high cost of housing, low wages and traffic congestion, how they impact locals and how to mitigate them.

Middlebrook said the goal is to make tourism “more enjoyable and less impactful for the community and the environment.”

I have been advocating for the work of the Destination Stewardship Council to be made public. Its eventual conclusions and measures will be implemented publicly through a variety of avenues, but I think it’s important for there to be a public process—for people to see and hear all the information and points of view that are considered and to understand how they shape the outcome.

Middlebrook did not promise public deliberations, but he did say Destination Stewardship would be looking at efforts “to get the community more involved and be more visible in the community.” Stay tuned.

-Heather

FROM HEATHER.............................................................. 7 POLITICS WITH PEGGY.................................................... 8 SINCE YOU ASKED.......................................................... 9 PUBLISHER/PAPERGIRL Heather Gould

COPY EDITOR Mike Filce

PRODUCTION

Joann Eisenbrandt

CONTRIBUTORS M.C.Behm Gary Bell Peggy Bourland David Hamilton Kathryn Reed Trish Tomer

LETTERS .................................................................9 & 10 HEARD AROUND TOWN................................................12 MIKE’S MUTTERINGS...................................................14 MADE IN TAHOE............................................................16 NEWS BRIEFS...............................................................22 TAHOE TRISH.................................................................24 Three things seniors don't have

TAHOE DAD....................................................................25 The Tahoe Mountain News is a community newspaper serving Lake Tahoe’s South Shore. Distributed FREE everywhere in the community. One copy per person. No article may be reprinted without the permission of the publisher.

Send all submissions to: P.O. Box 8974, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158.

(530) 208-7671 • mountainnews2@gmail.com www.mountainnews.net Copyright © 2023 Tahoe Mountain News

6 Mountain News

SPOKE JUNKIE..............................................................26 NEWS BLASTS...............................................................27 DAVE AT THE MOVIES...................................................28 A holiday trio at home

PARTING SHOT..............................................................31

Mountain News 7

'Tis the season GONE GIRL At the November 21 city council meeting, Cristi Creegan ended her final meeting as mayor by showing a room full of residents, high level city staff and her co-council members what it looks like to think you’re the most important person in the room. At 9:54pm (in the middle of the last agenda item), the mayor asked the other council members if they wanted to continue the meeting past the designated 10pm cut-off.

All members present voted “yes” to continue. She then said, “Okay.

No, I do not want to keep going past 10:00” and abruptly struck the gavel ending the meeting.

This action not only left everyone hanging but required the quickthinking city attorney to interrupt and ask for a motion to continue the unfinished item before the mayor, like Elvis, left the building with no explanation or apology.

It is a privilege to be chosen to serve the city as the mayor and that privilege should never be abused. This kind of behavior might be expected from a teenager

who is trying to figure out how to act like an adult, but not from the mayor who is hoped to be a role model for the community.

This would be a good time for the city council to review the current policy that allows one person to shut down an entire council meeting with no warning.

Artie Rodriguez posted: “Disgraceful end to the meeting this evening. The disdain the mayor exhibits towards Councilman Robbins is palpable.

She should resign immediately;” Sharon Kerrigan posted, thanking Cristi for her“expert management in chairing the meeting as mayor;” and Noel Farmer cried foul saying,“She not only walked off the field, but she took the ball with her.”

WHAT ELSE? The agenda item that was upended by the mayor was a cannabis ordinance that proposes to re-introduce on-site consumption, which was allowed in the city (under the medicinal use ordinance) for nine years at TWC

without incident but has been questioned by one of the owners of Embarc (Christi Wilson, president of Wilson Public Affairs based in Sacramento) who, I’m told, is trying to influence the council to deny on-site consumption in the city. It is of interest that Ms. Wilson plans to open a cannabis dispensary in Meyers in the building where a popular gym was previously located and where on-site consumption could be approved by El Dorado County.

DONE AND DONE Two notable road-related projects that were proposed this year have been permanently shelved.

Caltrans spent over $1M on their plan to install large electronic signs throughout rural

Alpine County. Since 1982, the non-profit, Friends of Hope Valley (www.friendsofhopevalley.org) has made it their mission to protect and preserve this pristine, scenic wilderness area. We can thank this organization and private citizens who led the opposition against this visual blight that would have provided no measurable safety benefits. An example of our California tax dollars wasted on another poorly-thought-out and never-to-be-executed plan.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) also permanently shelved the (on again-off again) project to reduce the lanes on Hwy. 50 between Round Hill and Spooner Summit.

The Tahoe East Shore Alliance (www.eastshorealliance.com), powered by the belief that they could make a difference, opposed this half-baked idea that lacked even an evacuation plan. The Alliance took their objections all the way to the Nevada governor before the cancellation of the project was officially announced at the November 14 NDOT meeting.

What is going on at the old Kingsbury Middle School site?

This time, Nevada taxpayers will pick up the tab for a costly fiasco.

Margaret Mead said it best: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world.” Participate in local government when you can. It is the only way we can ever expect to balance the crazy shit that happens around here under the banner of ”sustainability” that instead is anything but sustainable.

GETTING LIT The haphazard tree lighting in the Heavenly Village area had not gone unnoticed by members of the public, causing Councilman Cody Bass to bring the issue to the city manager who jumped in to work with the folks responsible for the lighting around the Heavenly Village. This public-private effort has resulted in a much-improved and visually impactful light display. Wow! Thanks to all the holiday elves who have made the whole South Shore much brighter and merrier this year.

To be continued….

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– Curious neighbor Mountain Metro Church paid Douglas County School District $3.525 million in 2018 for the 22-plus acre parcel in Stateline, including the buildings that have 36,000-square-feet of space.

Wilcox isn’t sure what will become of the property’s structures. The church has already put some money into the property.

About three years ago the roof and siding of the gym needed work, and with last year’s snow load, part of the roof collapsed, necessitating repairs on the main building.

This is the same year the church incorporated as a nonprofit in Nevada. However, its offices are in Texas, and it’s that Texas address that is listed with the Douglas County Assessor’s Office.

“We will use what we can, but if those buildings don’t work, we won’t use them,” Wilcox said.

This is what Cowen at TRPA had to say about the site: “The land capability isn’t too low on the majority of the parcel and there is a good amount of existing coverage, some of which could be excess coverage that would need to be mitigated. Legally existing coverage could also be sold/transferred/banked.”

Texas is where the Mountain News reached Donna Wilcox, a board member of the church.

“A full review of the potential use of the property is being done. The goal for purchasing the property was to add significant value to the public space and for community use,” Wilcox said. “As a religious organization, we want to ensure a place of worship is in the development as well.”

According to the Douglas County Assessor’s Office, the buildings were valued at $1,271,360 in 2018 and in 2023 the number is $1,178,997. The land was valued $1.4 million in 2018, and this year it is at $1.54 million.

Kingsbury Middle School closed in 2008.

She said it will be a mixed use with a focus on the community. Specifics are not bility study for the 1900 Echo Drive parcel, chor Point Lodge in Tahoe City. This year available.

Neither churches nor schools pay propwhich should be made public in 2024. it started hosting youth and adult church erty taxes in Nevada, so Douglas County Design Workshop is creating a feasicamps.

While Wilcox isn’t losing any property tax dollars with the Wilcox said the old KMS site will not sale. said the goal is to have input from be used for camps.

Kingsbury Middle School operated locals, she doesn’t “If the owners would like to create a from 1976 to 2008. It was built to absorb the have specifics on church or church camp/retreat, an applicaincreasing population at the lake, and then what that might tion for a change in use would be required,” closed because of declining enrollment. It look like beyond TRPA spokesman Jeff Cowen said. “I can’t cost $1.6 million to construct. people being able say if it would fit with the allowed/special to attend Tahoe uses in the area or what the change in vehiRegional Planning cle trips would look like, but those are a few Agency meetings. of the things TRPA would hypothetically M o u n t a i n want to review in conjunction with Douglas Metro Church, County.” which has an execEmail: mountainnews2@gmail.com Neither TRPA nor Douglas County has utive director and been in any pre-planning consultations with Mail: P.O. Box 8974, board that governs the current owner or its representatives reSouth Lake Tahoe, CA 95618. it, also owns An- garding the old school site.

A Texas-based church has purchased the former KMS.

GOT A QUESTION?

I finished reading the November Mountain News, and was both surprised and disappointed to see the guest column by Duane Wallace.

Mr. Wallace spends 80 percent of his column describing his childhood experiences with a school bully and assuring us that the ends justify the means, just the sort of reasoning for which we revile Mao Tse Tung and Richard Nixon.

Eventually Mr. Wallace gets to his point, criticism of an unnamed City Council member, a "political bully" whose "minions cannot be appeased," apparently Scott Robbins. Mr. Robbins has certainly angered some of the City Establishment. That's why he was elected, and those who don't understand might suffer.

Mr. Wallace also seems not to understand the mechanics of an At-Large Council election, in which each

voter gets multiple votes, but cannot award any candidate more than one, thus assuring that all winners will have a minority of the votes cast.

I'm disappointed that the Mountain News would publish such a poorly written column.

Josh Benin South Lake Tahoe

Mountain News 9

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In the November issue of the Mountain News there was a guest column by Duane Wallace of the South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce. After a story of Mr. Wallace’s interactions with a school bully while he was a child, he spends the last paragraph of the article ranting about a “political bully” on the city council. Of course, we all know he is talking about Councilman Robbins, however, he does not name him.

Councilman Robbins spent his first year working

on exactly the things he campaigned on. Housing costs, pay equity, over-tourism; positions he was exceedingly clear on in a campaign that ended with him winning more votes than any other candidate. Yet, Mr. Wallace attacks his legitimacy. Mr. Wallace has seen fit to repeatedly use his position to verbalize unsupported accusations against Councilman Robbins. For some Republicans it seems, any election outcome they dislike is invalid. That’s not how democracy works.

The guest column written by Mr. Wallace is an example of a bully playing the part of the victim. The Chamber’s membership should be ashamed of the statements of their representative. We deserve better from our community leaders than this.

Susan Chandler, chair South Lake Tahoe Democratic Club

gavel and walked out of the room leaving everyone wondering what happened. This woman owes all of us an explanation and a public apology not a newspaper comment where she blames another council member.

Acting like a five-year-old is bad enough but blaming Scott Robbins makes her look like someone unable to take responsibility for her own inappropriate behav-

The Tahoe Turkey Because you either love bacon... or you’re wrong.

Mayor needs to grow up Dear Editor, Thank you to the Tribune’s new reporter, Katelyn Welsh, who covered the November 21st city council meeting in great detail and didn’t sugar coat the politically sensitive part where Mayor Cristi Creegan, in the middle of the last agenda item, (as if no one else in the room mattered except her), stood up, hit the

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ior. If she has issues with Mr. Robbins, she should address him privately not walk out of a meeting like a spoiled brat. The business of the city demands that everyone on the council learn to respect each other.

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M OUNTAIN N EWS B USINESS

The Van Sickle barn has been remediated for lead.

Kiwanis of Lake Tahoe is sponsoring its third annual holiday sock drive so kids in the community can keep their feet warm. Drop off socks at the South Lake Tahoe library, STPUD, Guild Mortgage, South Tahoe Refuse and US Bank.

To help keep Tahoe bears wild, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has issued a new Forest Order that requires the proper storage of food and refuse (garbage) on all National Forest System lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Forest Order takes effect on January 1 and requires all food and garbage that is not personally attended to be stored in a container designed to prevent access by bears and other wildlife. The Forest Order also requires the use of bear canisters (hard-sided bear-proof containers) for overnight visitors to the Desolation Wilderness and the use of wildlife-resistant dumpsters and food lockers (bear boxes) provided at National Forest campgrounds. Bears are attracted to anything edible or scented and the improper storage and disposal of human food and garbage is a leading cause of human-bear conflicts in the Tahoe Basin.

The California Tahoe Conservancy has completed lead paint remediation on the historic barn at Van-Sickle Bi-State Park while maintaining the integrity of the almost 160-year-old structure.

12 Mountain News

Barton Health is now offering Bravo pH monitoring to help diagnose and treat gastroesophageal reflux disease, known as GERD. Bravo is a wireless probe which is inserted in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The capsule containing the probe dissolves after completing its monitoring and is expelled by the body. Heartburn, regurgitation, chest discomfort, or waking up with a sore throat or cough are symptoms of GERD. The Tahoe Fund is asking those in possession of the “Take it Slow, Tahoe” yard signs to store them inside for the winter. Large banners encouraging drivers to be careful and cautious will be installed at key traffic points in the basin for the winter season.

South Lake Brewing Company will be hosting holiday markets on December 16 and December 23 from noon to 5pm, with different local vendors every week.

TOCCATA, the Tahoe Orchestra and Choir, will be performing excerpts from Handel’s Messiah and other seasonal music on December 17 at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, 3pm. Tickets $30 to $50, depending on seating.

The Boys and Girls Club has launched a campaign to update the Al Tahoe playground located by its clubhouse. The campaign will fund the construction of a new playground, as well as the

removal of the decrepit and obsolete one. “Accessibility, safety, and versatility are the main focus for the future playground. With new youth programs, schools, and community sports programs like AYSO and Little League utilizing the field space adjacent to the playground, there needs to be a playground that is fun and accessible for all ages, all abilities, and all children. The teen group is adamant for the inclusion of an outdoor classroom, and it's included in our master design,” said the club in a press release. Design Workshop provided pro-bono design services for the new playground. Visit www.bgclt.org/letthe-kids-play for more information or to donate.

The city of South Lake Tahoe recently received the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association Exemplary Systems in Government Award for the development of a Defensible Space Inspection System. The Defensible Space Inspection System was developed by City GIS Analyst Ryan Malhoski.

The city of South Lake Tahoe is seeking residents to sit on the Planning Commission, the Building Board of Appeals, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Arts, Culture and Tourism Commission and the Police Advisory Commission.

Applications may be obtained at city hall, downloaded from

the city's website, or mailed to interested parties upon request.

Completed applications must be returned to the city clerk's office no later than 4pm Thursday, December 28.

Dr. Matthew Minson has been named El Dorado County's public health officer. He is billed as a physician, inventor, author, and a decorated local, state, and federal health official.

Meg Peart has been named the executive director of Valhalla Tahoe. Most recently, she was human resources and grants manager at the Tahoe Resource Conservation District.

Kathy Lewis is returning to Douglas County, this time as chief financial officer. She first worked for the county's finance division in 2002. She left the county in 2018 to work for the East Fork Fire Protection District.

Since December 1, city of South Lake Tahoe residents became the first within the Tahoe basin to use a new software tool to better connect with the city’s fire department. South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue has launched a new citizen satisfaction and feedback program that utilizes text messaging for citizens to provide feedback after an interaction with the fire department. “In today’s on-demand society, we understand how important it is to receive feedback from customers, much like private companies, and SLTFR is now

able to do the same,” said Fire Chief Jim Drennan. “We expect that this new solution, PowerEngage, will drastically enhance communication with the citizens we serve.”

Bijou Community School is accepting commitment forms for its two-way bilingual immersion program in Spanish and English for its transitional kindergarten and kindergarten classes. Interested parents should call Martha Ubias or Julia Cedano at 530/5432337 and submit a completed TWBI commitment form to the office. Please visit Bijou.ltusd.org for more information. Tours are available and commitment forms are due on February 16, 2024.

The South Lake Tahoe Cancer League is holding its annual See’s Candy sale. All proceeds from the candy sales go to support monthly grants for local cancer patients and for the reimbursement of volunteer drivers who take local patients to their appointments in Truckee, Sacramento, Carson Valley and Reno. Stop by the American Legion between 10am and 6pm to stock up for the holidays.

Have a community item for Heard Around Town? Email mountainnews2@gmail.com, subject line “Heard.”

Mountain News 13

Habl am Espa os nol

A (somewhat) More Honest Christmas Newsletter You’ve all received those newsletters from a friend or relative — either instead of a card or, for the real over-achievers, inside the card. It might include pictures, borders and pretty graphics, and details all the amazing things accomplished by each member of the family that year. You know, John is wrapping up the year as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, reaping bonuses and invitations to speak at international conferences; wife Penny is running three online businesses while serving as president of the PTA, cleaning oil-soaked birds and taking in rescue puppies in her spare time; daughter Jennifer and son Jason, similarly stellar and impressive — destined for nothing less than the kind of greatness unseen for generations.

The pictures show only

14 Mountain News

delight in life’s bounties and in each other’s company—and the dog, Scooter, seems to concur. Sometimes, by the kind of comparisons we are all prone to make, our lives can seem to dim while reading these newsletters; mostly, I don’t read them. What I’d like instead, and what I’ll try to give you below, is a more honest update on life and family — and we’ll see how that goes.

But first, a disclaimer: I recently mentioned, tongue-incheek, the rumors a few years ago that Democrats wanted to blow up Mt. Rushmore. At least a couple people took it—I don’t know—seriously? They thought it was political when it was really about stupidity, and part of stupidity is not understanding humor, but then again, it’s entirely possible I failed to write it well enough for the humor

to work. Point is, if you’re already offended by my exaggerated portrayal of a newsletter above—if maybe you’re John or Penny, yourself—you might want to stop here and move onto something else.

The holidays are a time to reflect on the year, and as we tend to block out the bad and remember the good, it’s maybe natural that holiday newsletters are so glowing and idyllic.

For our family, 2023 had some highlights as well. The Dot started her official career life as a newly minted Doctor of Physical Therapy, and the Chappie somehow keeps socking away most of his income (in the mortgage industry) in savings, which is embarrassing to the dad who spent most of his early adult earnings on guitars, CDs and cassettes (yeah, it was an odd era) and beer—rotating on the priority wheel.

Celebrating our 30th anniversary, Anne and I spent a few weeks in Ireland and London, and yes, it was amazing. We got on each other’s nerves maybe less than half the time, so that’s probably about right. We didn’t have the same sightseeing priorities and sometimes butted heads on that, but no blows were exchanged over Guinness, so that’s probably good.

Did she adore the way I drove the single-lane roads? Evidence would suggest, no. Did I

snap a side mirror casing off on a hedge while driving through Killarney National Park? Absolutely. But I was able to scamper back, grab it without getting run over by a tour bus or another tourist, and snapped it back on by the time we returned the car—somewhat worse for its shocks and gears.

When we returned home, we needed to build a woodshed because—well, remember last winter? It ended up looking decent enough for a Christmas newsletter, but getting there wasn’t so pretty. The project quickly scaled up in every sense, and since Anne and I do these things together, mostly, one or two moments got testy. Anne says the problem is that we’re both “chiefs” (in our minds, to be clear) but clearly, she just doesn’t know how to take direction. (Ohhh, that comment is going to trigger someone, right?)

Some percentage of the time, we find each other a “PITA” (if you don’t know this acronym, the first words are “pain in the”); I don’t know if it’s 50 percent or more or less, but it’s not zero.

I’m sure that I’m less the PITA, and Anne is likely certain she is less the PITA. There it is.

The kids are doing well, but they have challenges . . . like all real kids. Sometimes it’s about work, sometimes it’s about relationships, health, housing or any number of other things. Both are

amazing in their different ways, and we pray that they will contribute goodness to the world.

Our work lives are challenging yet often rewarding; we love the students—mostly (hey, we’re being honest here, right?), the people we work with —mostly—and try to work around those who have lost their way and are in the way. We are much more concerned about the “state of education” and LTUSD than those in charge of the imaging, but we are striving to move things in the right direction. And we’re not the only ones in that fight, so that’s good.

Health wise, could I spare an undisclosed number of pounds and run more often?

Oh yeah. I get out when I can, but makers of running shoes are not pestering to sponsor me just yet. And does my adult beverage intake support my health goals?

Probably not, but I’m sure I could make a half-baked argument to the contrary.

Life brings challenges every day—frustrations, resentments, conflicts—for all of us, doesn’t it? And sometimes we respond to these adversities poorly—in ways we’d like to re-do afterward. Life entails regret, shame, guilt and a constant struggle to maintain your faith and integrity; it also offers counterbalancing gifts of beauty, hope, love, and countless other soul-builders.

But all in all, we are fortunate and blessed, and we recognize that often. I just wish Anne recognized how rarely I’m a PITA. Happy Holidays to one and all—and a blessed New Year.

As always, feel free to email mikesmutterings@gmail. com

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On the following pages is the Mountain News Made in Tahoe edition. An annual tradition, Made in Tahoe was begun to shine a light on Tahoe locals who actually make things—a locals gift guide of sorts for the holiday season. This year we have diverse offerings made by diverse craftspeople in our mountain community.

Teenage entrepreneur creates specialty cutting boards With a Dremel and sandpaper, she finishes off the lake design. Epoxy is then applied.

Each, of course, is a shade of blue.

“It’s like a bright blue with a sparkly aspect,” Milan said.

That’s because she adds a metallic to the color.

She uses a variety of wood, which are all plain premade cutting boards. Given how busy Milan is with school, being on the soccer and basketball teams, and

in her South Lake Tahoe garage and not outside. She will do the router and Dremel work on several boards, let them sit and then come back for the epoxy application.

How many she can make all depends on other obligations she has. Cutting board creation time right now is often relegated to Sundays only. She makes 10 to 15 in a month.

Where she goes with this endeavor she isn’t sure. It is

Milan Riva works on her Tahoe-themed cutting boards in the garage of her South Lake Tahoe home.

Milan Riva doesn’t mind if some people think her cutting boards are too pretty to use.

The creator of these Tahoe boards is well aware many end up as decorative pieces. After all, some have hooks and handles to make hanging easy.

In fact, Riva recommends people use the non-decorative side for cutting purposes.

“I have not tested if a knife would go over the epoxy, but my guess is it would leave marks,” she said.

16 Mountain News

While being creative is nothing new to Riva, this South Tahoe High School junior said her foray into making cutting boards was “very random.”

When visiting a cousin in Portugal, she saw her relative had made a cutting board with the island she lives on etched on it.

“My dad and I thought it would be a really good Mother’s Day idea,” Riva said. “I made one for my grandma and mom, and then friends and family started seeing them,

and my mom asked me to make them as gifts.”

Since May it has become a budding business with no official name, though on Instagram she uses Boards by Milan. They are available at GaiaLicious and Tahoe Consignment Store, both in South Lake Tahoe.

Milan’s dad taught her how to use the router, which is used to cut out the lake on the wood after the outline has been traced on to it. Different sizes of the lake are used depending on the size of the board, with most being centered on the wood.

A trip to Portugal was the impetus for Milan's cutting boards.

working at Sprouts in the summer, her mom sources most of the boards.

“I really like darker woods because it contrasts with the blue,” Milan said.

Now that the temps have dropped, the work is all done

something she could see doing indefinitely for friends and to give as gifts.

“This is more like a hobby at this time,” Milan said. “It’s bringing a creative side back that I have not worked with in a while.”

Sarcastic scents inspire local candle maker What does Sierra cement smell like? Or the odor of everyone leaving town on a Sunday?

Hannah DeGoey has the answers.

This Meyers resident is the creative genius behind Sierra Soapbox Candle Co. Sierra Cement and Sunday Morning are two of her candles names, with the latter being her best-seller. Besides smelling good, her candles come with a dose of sarcasm. Sierra Cement’s label says, “Smells like I can’t shovel anymore.”

The aroma is black cardamom, cinnamon and cream. Sunday Morning “Smells like everyone leaving town.” Coconut milk and chai are the fragrances.

“I am a very sarcastic, dry humor person,” DeGoey said.

“It’s nice to have people who can relate to my sense of humor and can enjoy candles too.”

DeGoey started this creative endeavor last winter as a self-indulgence of sorts to decompress from all that snow shoveling and to quash a sense of boredom. She gave the candles to family and friends, who in turn told her she could Hannah DeGoey works in her home lab in Meyers creating unique be making money off of them. candles with a mountain sentiment.

In April, the commercial enterprise began.

“I had to increase pro"I am a very sarcastic, dry humor person, duction three times. Now I can do 500 in a weekend and I’m DeGoey said. "It's nice to have people getting the orders to support who can relate to my sense of humor it,” DeGoey said.

Her house looks more and can enjoy candles too." like a manufacturing zone than a living space. The entire bottom floor has elements Candles cure on baking mixes them with each other and inof Sierra Soapbox Candle Co. racks and test candles sit on the serts them into the wax. throughout. What were two mantle.

Top line ingredients are critiguest rooms are now used for The array of oils aren’t for storage, packaging and inven- cooking—that’s the form fra- cal to her, which means the wax is grances come in before DeGoey 100 percent soy and the wick is cottory.

ton. Oils are sourced out of Reno. times a re-do is necessary, oth“A lot of times bigger re- er times the candle lands in the tailers cut costs with oils with trash and she goes back to the adding chemicals and things drawing board. you don’t necessarily want to Once perfected, the witty inhale,” DeGoey explained. “I labels are created to match the use quality oils that are free of sentiment behind the candle. toxins and phthalates.”

On her website (https:// For her 7.2-ounce candles, www.sierrasoapboxcandleco. she has an eight to ten per- com/) 12 candles are available. cent fragrancy load to ensure Some are seasonal like Après it burns safely. Too much oil Ski (smells like a warm bar, a and the candle can be unsafe to cool drink; smoky vanilla and burn, she said. palo santo), while others will DeGoey said candle mak- stay year-round like Locals Only ing is not a highly-regulated industry, with the only requirements on the jar being the number of ounces and the type of wax.

While this is a side hustle in many ways, she says it’s really a second job based on the amount of time she puts into it. For now, it’s a one-woman operation, with her fiancé pitching in when needed.

Where it goes from here, DeGoey isn’t sure. She isn’t ready to give up her primary job. So, for now she will continue to devise intriguing aromas and labels with quips that are Sierra Cement is one of Sierra Soapbox Candle Co's best sellers. definitely Tahoe inspired.

Inspiration comes from (smells like you can’t park there; life in the mountains. It could santal, amber and cardamom).

Candles are also available be a short-term renter blocking her driveway or something on the South Shore at GaiaLimore magical like when the cious, Cuppa Tahoe and Holiday backcountry gates at Sier- Market. DeGoey also sells them ra-at-Tahoe are open. Then it’s at various holiday events and a bit of chemistry—sometimes farmers’ markets. she nails it the first try, some-

Mountain News 17

Sustainability is the name of the Nature's Keeper game A garage full of gear isn’t anything unusual on the South Shore.

But the gear found in one particular Meyers’ garage isn’t for hiking, cycling, or any snow or water sport. Instead, inside those four walls are the tools to create gear.

Zain Ali founded Nature’s Keeper in May 2022 “to create sustainable outdoor gear.”

This isn’t clothing that can be bought anywhere else.

“Everything is unique. It’s not reproduceable,” Ali said.

That’s because he takes discarded items and turns them into something new.

“People a lot times refer to vintage items as grails. We take cool, unique pieces from back in the day and turn them into hats,” Ali said.

Hats are one of his best-selling creations. Often, each hat is a combination of retro jackets to add to the uniqueness. One jacket could be enough fabric for five hats, and each hat comes with a safety buckle and emergency whistle.

Inspiration for designs comes from being outside, from food, from the community he lives in.

“I really love the vintage look that was part of the ’70s and ’80s. I’m trying to bring some of those colors and shapes into my work,” Ali said.

He spends hours scouring thrift shops, searching Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for the perfect fabric.

The hoodies and T-shirts for sale are from “clothes rescued from late ’90s.” Plant-based dyes are used, with the plants being grown by a friend.

Ali has creative collaborators he works with, but he is the one on the sewing machines making the product.

Nature’s Keeper uses PFCfree deep waterproofing on products.

While it’s too soon to know if this startup will become a household name, Ali may be walking in the footsteps of wellknown companies that started in a garage—think Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

How it works Most of Ali’s days are spent in the two-car garage where he has five industrial, heavy-duty sewing machines, industrial embroidery machines, an 8-foot by 4-foot table he built to cut cloth, and an array of other tools for his trade.

While some of the business spills over into the house he shares with girlfriend Destene Kinser, who is the creative director for the clothing company, he tries to keep the two as separate as possible. It is on the computer inside the dwelling, though, where the design process takes place.

In the beginning The 35-year-old said of his move to Tahoe in 2018: “For me it was like this was coming home.”

He explained, “When my parents immigrated from Pakistan they first landed in Reno at a friend’s place and then made their way to Southern California through Tahoe. I was born in Southern California. My parents took me to Tahoe all the time when I was really young.”

Skateboarding and surfing were his sports growing up. In his 20s he discovered snowboarding.

All the while, though, he had an interest in designing clothes.

18 Mountain News

“As a kid, I started as an artist. For me, design was my main career—graphic design. I started off making flyers, book covers and things like that and websites for people,” Ali said. “And I love photography and video. My world around designing art and clothing is a big part of that. It all comes together because I love making things.”

Custom work also includes taking someone’s old jackets and turning them into something else—like hats or tote bags.

Future plans Through REI’s four-month accelerator program focused on BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) small business owners that Ali went

Zain Ali transforms discarded clothing into something new.

Much of his work is custom.

Part of this came about because he couldn’t find a backcountry pack he liked, so he made his own. Now he custom fits packs for people.

through earlier this year, he established relationships that continue to be helpful.

Due to one business connection made through REI, Ali is looking to use milkweed cloth

being created in Davis for puffer jackets and slippers. Milkweed would be used instead of down, which is often harvested by plucking feathers from geese while they are alive.

Using milkweed, which has been “identified in prehistoric textiles in the Pueblo region,” according to the National Plant Data Center, adds to the sustainability of Nature’s Keeper.

Just before Thanksgiving he picked up some the milkweed cloth with the idea of seeing how it performs before making it available to consumers.

Ali is hoping the puffer line will be available this winter, and it might also include camping pillows. Duffle bags and boot bags are expected in the near future as well.

“I’m trying to figure out how to do jackets and bibs sustainably. We might do a small line of these where we work with a manufacturer, but currently there is no good way to do a good ski jacket and snowboard bibs at a high-quality standard and still be sustainable,” Ali said. “I expect that to change. I’m still trying to experiment.”

Because the work is so specialized and one-of-a-kind, Ali knows most of what he creates will never be mass produced.

Still, one day he’d like his products to be sold in local sports shops “Every piece has a story.

You are not just buying fashion,” Ali said. “You are buying a story, you are buying education of how things can be done differently, you are buying sustainability.”

Contact info Nature’s Keeper is online at https://natureskeeper.xyz/. The best way to reach Ali is through Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/natures.keeper/.

A bag of corn to keep warm “They’re like a beanbag, only made with corn,” says Kel Gennert about her corn bags.

What makes these corn bags so special is they can be heated in the microwave in just a few minutes and provide warmth for an extended period of time.

Warm up the bed on cold winter nights, place it on the lap while working or use it to treat sore muscles. “I don’t get through the winter without them,” Gennert says. It can even be put it in the freezer as a cold pack.

“It beats a bag of peas” for swelling and injuries, she says.

Gennert has been making these corn bags for about 30 years and selling them through word of mouth for 20.

“Other people have used rice” in these types of bags, she says, “but I don’t think they hold the heat as well.” The corn used is whole feed corn. The moisture in the corn heats up and radiates out through the fabric.

Gennert uses all flannel to make the corn bags. “I love flan-

nel,” she says. The bags have a “fun” side and a plainer side.

She has different patterns available but can’t custom make the item with specific patterns as in the past.

“Flannel is disappearing. There used to be 40 bolts of cool (patterns)” in a fabric store. “Now it’s getting harder to find,” she says, due to import limits and quotas. What is available tends to be somewhat irregular.

Some of the designs she has are snowflakes, woodland animal and snowmen. They’re pret-

ty enough they can be left out decoratively. Just make sure the mice don’t get to them.

The 8-inch x 13-inch bags are just the right size for slinging around the neck, warming up the core of the body or putting at the foot of the bed to keep feet warm, says Gennert.

In fact, she says, the bags helped her get through menopause. “You hear about hot flashes, but you don’t hear about the chills” that accompany them.

Also, says Gennert, “I don’t put any herbs or anything stinky in them. I steer clear of that. They’re just plain.”

G e n n e r t learned to sew from her mother, whom she calls an “amazing” seamstress who made exquisite clothes for her dolls growing up and who makes professional grade tote bags these days. It was Gennert’s mother who found a corn bag at a community fair three decades ago. “I thought, ‘oh, we can make these,’ ” says Gennert.

These bags have gone off to college with people and gone to other parts of the country, Gennert says. “A friend of mine lives in Chicago. They were having a brutal winter and

I sent her one. She said ‘why have I not heard of this? I have to fight the cat for it!’” For frozen hands, she says, “this is the quickest thing to warm them up.”

For Gennert, this is a side hustle and will remain so. “I don’t want to put all my energy into sewing.” Gennert works at Grass Roots and is also an assemblage and watercolor artist.

She takes on occasional graphic

“People have to experience them,” Gennert says. Generally, people who have bought one come back and want to buy additional bags. “They get one for everyone in the family plus a few more . . . They’re just so cozy.” A customer from Washington state called up wanting another bag when she got a new boyfriend.

For information on choices and to purchase one or more of

Kel's cozy corn bags.

arts work and used to run the Aspen Hollow Store on Emerald Bay Road.

these, text Gennert at 530/4160375.

This concludes this year's Made In Tahoe, our spotlight on local artisans. We hope you find it useful this holiday season.

To be considered for inclusion next year, email mountainnews2@gmail.com, subject line "Made."

Mountain News 19

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Mountain News 21

“TRPA is moving very quickly, strangely quickly, on a very large set of land use regulations,” said Pamela Tsigdinos.

“They’re pushing two different very large interrelated items. Placer County’s Tahoe Basin area plan update has very specific language that would open the door to very large developments . . . and TRPA’s oversight for the entire Tahoe basin, each county’s area plan, has downstream impacts that have not been fully analyzed. I’m trying to understand what’s the hurry.”

To see if she could gain some insight, Tsigdinos went to TRPA’s website to request copies of staff and board emails on the topic and was in for a bit of a surprise.

TRPA would be charging her for the cost of providing the documents she requested. The costs range from $45 an hour for an assistant to locate, gather and provide records up to $113 an hour for the work of TRPA’s legal counsel in responding to a request. Black and white 8 ½” x 11” copies are 25 cents a page. The maximum copying charge is $10 per page for 24” x 36” color copies or for records provided on a compact disk.

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Tsigdinos ended up not submitting her request. “I didn’t want to be on the hook for hundreds or thousands of dollars.

It’s unnecessarily complex and rather chilling. How many individuals have sought a public record and opted not to go through with it?”

Not all public agencies charge for providing information. Tsigdinos has previously been provided public documents and information at no cost by Washoe County. South Lake Tahoe City Clerk Susan Blankenship said California law makes it illegal to charge for staff time to respond to a public records act request.

“I cannot charge for my time no matter how long it takes.” She is allowed to charge for copies—10 cents a page—postage or a thumb drive containing requested information. She would be allowed to charge for time spent on providing public documents if her office had to, say, write a whole new computer program to access and compile them. “But I don’t even know what that would be,” said Blankenship. “I just use a file share program I have.”

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The Douglas County Manager’s Office said it does not charge for providing public records. Nevada law is similar to California law and does not usually allow charging for staff time. Virtually all public records requests in Douglas County are handled electronically with a quick database search and an email.

Jeff Cowen, TRPA spokesman, said the agency’s bi-state compact allows it to charge for public records. He cited Article VIII(b): “The agency may fix and collect reasonable fees for any services rendered by it.”

He elaborated, “if someone wanted every document that mentioned ‘air quality’ going back to 1981, we can’t dedicate a lot of staff time and resources to retrieving that information. We have no funding source to cover that. We have to balance the budget.”

That being said, Cowen said the agency provides a free database search function on its website and does fulfill many public records requests for free. “If the time to figure out the cost and process payment is greater than the time to collect data and pass it on, we wouldn’t charge.”

After being contacted by the Mountain News, Cowen said the public records request page on TRPA’s website would be updated to indicate that many public records requests can be fulfilled

TRPA's website lists the cost of providing public documents.

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Mountain News 23

An Old Timey Christmas It’s that time of year again.

Snow-sleet-rain-drizzle-mudice-overcrowded-roads-commensense-challenged-tourists and maximus-bills for everything we love: hot toddies, hot tubs and colorful flashing light displays that aren’t on the police car in our rearview mirror. Yes, it’s Christmas!

And now that Hubby and I are seniors, and one of us is fully retired physically and mentally, we’re looking forward to the celebratory season. It’s an opportunity to spend time with friends we love and family, especially if it’s somebody else’s.

Because we have time now.

That’s what you get for being old.

Lots and lots of time to schedule our Medicare providers, our annual physical, the sweetheart duo of colonoscopy and endoscopy, physical therapy sessions, dementia testing, dental cleaning, eye exams, skin cancer checks, hearing tests, MRIs on our missing shoulders, knees, hips and libidos, our preference of cremation or

casket and, of utmost importance, our schedule of pickleball classes.

Some of us find this to be a bit overwhelming. And by “some of us” I mean me. I always looked forward to being retired. I believed it meant less responsibility and a return to the childhood freedom of playing all day, only this time with my brain engaged.

Now there’s the real possibility of averting the experimental disasters of my youth, which were so much fun for me but nobody else.

And I’m not the only withered peach in this mental and physical fruit basket. All my senior friends who can still crawl to the pickle ball court or rev up their e-bike for a pretend-pedal on the trail agree with me. At least the ones who can still hear.

Or aren’t busy babbling nonsensically on social media, as that’s the requirement of social media. You have to babble endlessly but not make any sense because, when you sign up, you gift your brain to Elon Musk. And you’ve seen what

too much time on the dance floor showing off your James Brown splits. You’ve been escorted out of the club by a burly, humorless man with a limited vocabulary (“OUT! NOW!”), into an empty parking lot where you can’t find your car. Or remember if you have a car. And you’re hoping you can he’s done with it. find your way home. If you have The problem is, all those a home. Because you may have things we want to do when we’re forgotten to pay your rent. Or old require the three things seyour roommate kicked you out. niors don’t have: a cooperative Or you kicked her out because she body, a memory and tech abilidiscovered where you hid your ties. And the world is constantly money and your shrooms. You’re throwing stumbling blocks at us, abandoned, unstable, angry and like iPhones, computers, smart confused. So, youngsters, that’s refrigerators and microwaves, how it feels to be old, no matter and keypads on everything so we don’t need to remember where we how many vials of Botox you left our keys, but now we’re locked drink. out because we can’t remember Yet, I embrace this season of the combination. Then there’s our lives. Fully aware of being old touch screen kiosks, which should and sentimental, I savor the cheerbe easy, but a few finger pushes ful, bursting lights piercing the in and we’re getting scolded by deepest, dark winter night. HearAngry AI and ejected from planing sleighing bells after slaying et Your’eTooOldToBeHere. And cocktails. Indulging in the seadon’t get me started sonal aromatic mix of pine, wine on the NASA inspired and pumpkin everything, toffee, car dashboards that spiked coffee, wet dogs, burning have caused more car logs. The softness of velvet ribaccidents for seniors bons, fresh snowflakes floating than our grown child down to melt on our tongues, the screaming at us in tersweetness of a dog’s kisses, the ror from the backseat.

Our children warmth of a friend’s embrace, just don’t understand. the laughter of kindred spirits.

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Why? Because they’re young, with fully functioning hormones and lubricated working parts. To them, we appear deranged and unbalanced. Which we all are eventually and some of us are currently.

So, very patiently, I explain to them that being old feels like going dancing all night with your friends. Naturally, you would start the evening with a low-calorie dinner of Bud lite and sauteed magic mushrooms. Then squeeze into your favorite spandex and jump in a car so tightly packed with people that you hope you’re not pregnant by the end of the ride.

Now head for Sunshine Fish and Meat Locker Company at Round Hill Mall. No, that wasn’t a discount grocery store but a real nightclub with a dress code and an entrance fee you could ignore if you were vaguely female.

You emerge from the club alone, at dawn, wrapped in a gagging fog of cigarette smoke, your dress slippery from the greasy couch cushions. Your tongue is tattooed with cheap beer, your vision blurry from the toxic combination of mascara, tequila and sweat, and, overnight, you’ve completely lost your hearing, other than the persistent high decibel ringing in your busted eardrums.

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Matilda reaches the top

Middle school is rough.

It was rough for me.

And it was rough for everyone I’ve ever spoken with on the topic.

I guess it’s no surprise that middle school is rough for our four kids right now, doubly so for our one kiddo with special needs and our one kiddo who is transgender.

The awkwardness, the bullies, the confusing class schedules, the gross disproportion of bodies and parts and smells, the black-mirror boredom, the constant scrutiny of adults, the perpetual undercurrent of social groupings and status. I remember wishing I could just fast-forward through adolescence, skip past the acne and the aromas, and emerge on the other side with car keys, chiseled abs, and a solid life direction.

But we don’t get to skip middle school. It’s a rite of passage, a mythological vision quest and at the end of that tumultuous tunnel, we emerge with a little more grit than we had before.

It’s also an amazing and formative time in the lives of burgeoning teenagers, a time when they suddenly have athletic prowess, a time when they start to look around and question the status quo, the green shoots of empathy start to emerge, they can debate modern issues, analyze song lyrics, and occasionally be trusted with chopping firewood,

looking after younger siblings or walking neighbors’ pets.

The wonderful teachers and staff at South Tahoe Middle School get it. We are honestly lucky to have each and every one of them. They really embrace all the positive growth and lean in to the negative oils and odors and odiousness to try to understand and help.

Our eighth grader loves being involved in TTV. Our sixth grade kiddo loved cross-country and I think (fingers-crossed) might even do Nordic.

Both of our seventh-graders have such a great time in Mrs. Brown’s social studies class and come home with stories about the wonderful role-playing history lessons that they do. “Dad, I got the plague today in Rome and died. It was so cool.” I could spend the whole column giving kudos to bus drivers who teach life-lessons and counselors who take the time to really listen, but there’s a broader moral of the story I want to get to.

While it is so wonderful having four kids in the thick of middle school growing and changing, it hurts when Wifey and I see them suffer.

I’m a believer in grit. One of the most important life skills that kids in middle school begin to absorb is the ability to persevere, to take a deep breath and not overreact, to tough it out through arduous assignments from multiple teachers, to put up with

the snickering and bickering of superficial peers, to learn how to coexist and find your own space, to get along, to be a teammate, to be a successful contributing human in our world. Middle school does this. Middle school helps humanity.

It’s easy for us parents to view everything through the skewed Holden Caulfield prism of our offspring. No one wants to see their child under stress, dealing with bullies, negotiating failed friendships, or battling the slings and arrows of adolescent romance. As parents, it is our responsibility to advocate for our children. But it’s also our responsibility to let them build some resilience—to let them fall on their face, get into trouble, make mistakes, get caught breaking rules, and just plain fail.

Failure is equally as important and instructive as success. That is our job too. We can’t always solve their problems. They have to learn to solve issues that arise for themselves. We need to sometimes land the helicopter and back off.

As a former teacher, I must admit that I tend toward trusting the judgment calls made in the classroom and in the school.

There was a recent threat at STMS that the administration and local authorities handled with the gravity that any potential incident demands. As parents and as a community, we are all scared about what we’ve seen happen

elsewhere in American schools.

While my personal belief is that the ubiquity of firearms in our society is the issue, I do take comfort in the fact that STMS creates space for interconnectedness and acceptance. Programs like Challenge Day, the Color Run, school dances, the Pumpkin Run, sports, choir, and TTV all allow our children to form shared experiences and community. As Principal Martinez stated in her announcement on the incident, STMS’ most important function is to provide a safe environment for learning. This isn’t achieved by creating a jail or by closing school for every rumor. It’s more nuanced.

Our trans child is an example of this balance. Jack gets frequently bullied for his life decision, by children who knew him prior to his transition, little things like, holding a door open and saying, “Ladies first.”

Or whispering his dead name behind him in the hall. The administration has been quick to respond and has, I believe, really made a difference in not just curbing these harassing behaviors but reconciling differences and conveying acceptance through understanding and not just arbitrary punishment. It is this sort of nuance that makes a school safer: restorative justice instead of reactive discipline.

Jack also has been the recipient of corrective action by the administration. Earlier

this school year, he used his squeezable water bottle to draw an enormous penis on the carpet of the school’s hallway. As a consequence for his flash watersoluble graffiti, he received some time in lunch detention, despite his insistence that, “Dude, it was dry by lunch” (which I’m told was not the case).

Kids at this age need to be treated with fairness and equity. They need to be listened to and given space to develop and make mistakes and form relationships and learn who they are. Bravo to everyone at STMS for understanding that they, in addition to being worldclass educators with creative and engaging curricula, are not nannies or policemen. No, their superhero roles are in constant flux depending on the circumstance morphing between coach, mentor, guide, chief, coconspirator, and friend. Thank you for being there and being supportive of all our community’s kiddos.

MC Behm is a full-time resident of South Lake Tahoe and author of “Once Upon a Quarantine” and “The Elixir of Yosemite.” To learn more or respond to columns visit www.behmbooks.com or email mcbehmbooks@gmail.com.

Mountain News 25

Take this with a grain of salt I’m sure you have been driving down the road in recent winter months and noticed those light gray stripes that follow the road surface as you travel. I feel like I started seeing them about three years ago. I knew this was something new and strange, you know, like the chem trails in the sky that are being sprayed in the air to control our minds; now they are putting that stuff on our roads, so we absorb it even faster as we are innocently driving along. Okay, not really and no, I don’t believe in the chem trail thing either!

Those gray lines turn out to be brine, a salt and water solution that is sprayed on the roads before a winter storm. Now, I have been

one of those who always thought, “We don’t use salt on the roads around Lake Tahoe.” Well, I guess I was wrong on that one. Salt has been used around here for decades. Of course, it has never been used here as heavily as it is on the East Coast. All you have to do is look at the underside or the fenders of a car from out there; the rust rotting the car away is unbelievable, and we all know not to buy an East Coast car.

Rock salt has been spread on certain roads here for years until at some point in the’90s, a

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few studies started showing that the salt was beginning to affect the health of the pine trees close to the sides of the roads. Many trees were getting brown in the crown, much worse than many of us around here who are getting gray in the crown. The damage to the trees was visibly less as you moved away from the roads and was worse downhill than it was uphill from the roadbed.

Many people were also concerned about the adverse effects of the salt on wildlife, nearby streams and of course the Lake.

Oh, and then what about us? All that salt going to the roads could cause a shortage of salt for my scrambled eggs in the morning before skiing! A more recent study did show very elevated levels of salt in Glenbrook Creek, a major tributary into the lake that runs parallel to Highway 50 where salt

is frequently used to make that section of road safer.

Granular or rock salt has always been used because it lowers the freezing point of water on the road surface. The problem with rock salt is that it tends to bounce around a lot and much of that goes straight off the road, becoming useless right away.

Another technique that has been used on the roads to improve safety is sanding. This just adds grit, so things aren’t as slippery and when it was shown that salt was probably damaging trees and getting into the water, they started using less salt (yay!) and more sand. The sand that was originally used, though, was a volcanic cinder brought in from somewhere else. As cars and trucks drove over this stuff, it got pulverized and then washed and blown off the roads straight into the lake. This was actually shown to be the biggest factor in the loss of clarity in the lake, so no more volcanic stuff.

But sanding was effective, so they started using native, decomposed granite. This was at least natural but also much more resistant to being ground into a fine dust, which made it recyclable as

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well. The street sweepers could come along and pick up a large percentage of it to be reused. In combination with salt, sand wasn’t needed in such large amounts either. In 1994, 23,000 tons of sand were used basin-wide, but by 2006, only 5,000 tons were used, with 4,000 tons being reused.

That was all great progress but still salt, ugh. Enter brine. I kept thinking, they are still salting the roads but just trying to give it a name no one will notice—“Oh no, that’s just brine.” Well, it is salt mixed with water but at a much lower concentration—only 15 to 25 percent salt, which is sprayed on the roads wet and hopefully dries before the incoming storm hits. This is a better scenario. It uses less salt (also saving money), it sticks to the road much more effectively, can lower the freezing point of water and snow to as low as 18 degrees, making it much easier for the plows to get that bottom, slick layer off the pavement instead of it taking sometimes days. Other agents can be added to the soup, too, including some organic components like beet juice or pickle brine . . . mmm, I love pickles.

Are there disadvantages? Of course, it can’t be added to the roads during a storm or even right after if there is snow or ice on the surface. It is also worse for our vehicles because it gets on the underside as a liquid, therefore really sticking instead of bouncing off. If you roll around a corner and there is the truck spraying the road, best to pick a different route until that one is dry, if it matters to you. But it still isn’t going to look like that car from Connecticut! And yes, it is still salt. Ah heck, we can’t give them too hard a time for it; they really are just trying to keep us safe—and control our minds.

plines and activities. LTEdF funded field trips to colleges and universities for our high school students, as well as multi-day history and science field trips for our high school, middle school, and elementary students. We supported reading and language arts programs by funding classroom libraries at elementary schools. STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programs at elementary schools, (and the purchase of) laboratory stools, along with physical education equipment. LTEdF encouraged participaStudents study Organisms and Ecosystems at the Science tion in performing arts by funding Expo sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation. plays and musicals, the purchase of musical instruments, and continuing a The Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation multi-year investment in replacing choral group recently funded programs, equipment and more riser platforms for use by all the schools in the in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District. The foundation awarded $46,000 in grants, bringing district. Grants supporting our special needs stuthe total dollar figure to over $500,000 since the dents, as well as social-emotional support profoundation was established in 1989. “This year’s grams, were also funded,” said the foundation in awarded programs included a range of disci- a press release

A student learns about Inheritance and Adaptations at the LTEdF Science Expo.

Photos Courtesy LTEdF

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Awkwafina and Sandra Oh star in Quiz Lady.

The Chimney Smoke RIP offers $899 to $2,000* to replace a non-EPA certified woodstove with a new efficient, cleaner burning, eligible EPA certified device. *$2,000 incentive available to low-income residents or residents of designated low-income communities As the holidays are upon us and we await actual winter arriving, I have to say that the slate of big films in theatres this holiday season is not really grabbing me. With that in mind, I thought I’d mention three new films you might stream when you don’t want to venture out.

The first, available on Netflix, is Nyad. Diana Nyad was a real-life, world-class distance swimmer who set several records in the ’70s. One swim she tried but didn’t make was Cuba to Florida.

No one had ever made it. A while after the attempt, she quit distance swimming and went on to a successful career as a sports journalist and speaker.

In 2013, 30 years later at age 60, she decided that she really wanted to complete that 103-mile swim and began to train to do just that. With her close friend Bonnie Stoll acting as her coach and

a small, dedicated team, she once again attempted what no one had ever done.

The film stars Annette Benning as Diane and Jodie Foster as Bonnie. The two of them look just like the women they are portraying, no glamor and no Hollywood treatment. When Benning comes out of the water after her long swims, she looks like a 60-yearold woman who has been in the water for hours on end. It all adds to the realism the film creates.

The film is only half over when she starts her swim to Florida and that is because this is only the first try. She will endure many obstacles and setbacks as tries to achieve her goal. From weather and currents to jellyfish and sharks, Diana’s obsession to finish keeps her going, testing her strength, stamina and all her relationships, including Bonnie.

Benning and Foster are more

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than up to the challenge of bringing these women to the big screen.

Benning is doing some of her best work here.

Overall Nyad captures the spirit of a well-made sports biopic without the trappings normally associated with this type of film.

It’s realistic with all the ups and downs and gives you a sense of just how significant it was for a 60-year-old woman to swim from Cuba to Florida. Teresa really liked the film and especially the performances by Benning and Foster.

Next up is Quiz Lady on Hulu. Awkwafina plays Anne, a very smart but socially awkward young woman who works in a cubicle at an accounting firm and is obsessed with a Jeopardy-like game show called “Can’t Stop the Quiz.” She has basically watched every episode since she was a little girl. Her older sister Jenny, played

by Sandra Oh, is a free spirit with no direction, jumping from one failed project to the next. Growing up with a single mom who was a partier with a gambling habit, the two sisters had become estranged after heading in very different directions.

When Jenny crashes into Anne’s life saying she needs money to pay off their mom’s gambling debt to some gangsters, Anne says no, until said gangsters kidnap her dog. The only way to get the money is for Anne to ap-

pear on “Can’t Stop the Quiz” and win the money they need. But she is terrified of being in front of people and as the two sisters set out on a wild cross-country trek, Anne must figure out a way she can play the game and become a champion.

Quiz Lady has the usual trappings of a buddy comedy, two people on a road trip who don’t get along but must do so to win the day. But with Awkwafina and Sandra Oh, the match works well, and as sisters they eventually get to delve into the deeper family issues.

There are some great side characters as well, including a smarmy quiz contestant who’s on track to win it all, and Will Ferrell, playing it fairly straight as the host of the quiz show.

Overall, Quiz Lady is a broad, breezy comedy that stays afloat from the energy of its two leads. It’s not the best you’ve seen, but it is easy fun and Teresa really liked it as well.

David Fincher, the director of Gone Girl and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is back with another thriller, this time about an assassin played by Michael Fassbender, called The Killer, also on Netflix.

Fassbender’s assassin is a man whose name we never know.

He is solitary, methodical and in the shadows as he takes out his targets. He is unencumbered by scruples or regrets, and we know

this through a running internal monologue the killer gives us throughout the film. But after an unfortunate moment that causes him to miss his latest target, the killer has a few cracks in his armor and is losing his cool. To make up for the miss, those who hired him try to save face by sending a couple of assassins to take him out, but only end up injuring his girlfriend. Up to now it had been all business, but now it’s personal and he seeks revenge. In Fincher style, The Killer is a bloody and stylish noir story of a professional assassin who is losing himself in a world where no one has a moral compass.

In general, the film has the usual action sequences with some good hand-to-hand violence. Being a stylish piece, a lot of time is spent with the killer planning, waiting and narrating his world and listening to The Smiths on his ear pods. Normally this guy would be the bad guy and it’s different to want to root for an amoral killer, but Fassbender’s performance makes it work. There is also a little sardonic humor thrown in to keep it from getting too pretentious.

So overall the film is not anything new, but with Fincher’s gloomy style along with a leading character who is a cold-blooded killer, it’s not just a run of the mill thriller. And, as this is not her cup of tea, Teresa passed on this one.

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