March 2024

Wading into Tahoe

This month the Mountain News looks at South Tahoe High teacher Richard Kinnett's unique, hands-on Tahoe Science class.

a look inside

a look inside

Heard Around Town

Tidbits about our town

Mike's Mutterings

A teacher's take

Tahoe Dad

Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

South Tahoe High School students get their feet wet studying Taylor Creek.

Serving Lake Tahoe’s South Shore Since

Growing up, my parents always emphasized the paramount importance of voting. They would discuss the various candidates and issues around the dinner table and on election day, they would take me and my sister with them to vote, even bringing us into the voting booth. Then we would anxiously await the results, which took awhile in the days before the internet.

I like to vote in person on election day. No early voting for a variety of reasons. What if you vote early and then some new information comes out about one of the candidates or ballot measures that you weren’t able to consider in casting your vote? And voting in person seems like a festive, secular celebration of democracy. In some countries, election day is actually a paid holiday. More and more though, when I go to my polling place, the less and less people there are voting.

This year’s March primary was only the second time since I turned 18 that I did not cast a ballot? Why? I was snowed in. I know in an earlier column I said I was ready for whatever Mother Nature threw my way, but this storm was a doozy. The precipitation is welcome, but I wish it was spread out over a few weeks rather than a few days. My snowblower was no match

for the snow on the ground. and finding someone to come and clear me out seemed at times like an exercise in futility— people not getting back to me or promising to show up and then just ghosting me. Finally, I was able to find someone to come and do snow removal, but not until a few days after the storm and not in time for me to vote. So I may reluctantly become an early voter just to be sure I am able to cast a ballot, but it just won’t be the same as showing up in person.

Just as we were going to press last month, news broke of four residents who died of suspected fentanyl overdoses in a single instance. Abraham Lemus, Keely Pereira, and brothers Adam Joy and Clifford Joy all succumbed after consuming drugs apparently laced with the deadly narcotic.

The community turned out and came together to support the quartet’s families and each other. Word came out that the four were not addicts, but recreational users, who inadvertently got a “bad batch” of drugs. The police department put out a statement that no batch of drugs can be considered safe. Officials said if people are going to consume street drugs, they should have Narcan, which reverses the effects of an overdose, on

hand. Narcan is available for free at the Barton ER, the Barton clinic at Stateline and the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless, no questions asked.

These four were people in the prime of life and their passing leaves a big hole in the community. I talked with someone who used to work with one of the deceased and she said it seemed surreal and unreal that she will never see him again. I would like to say that all overdose deaths are tragic, whether an addict or not, though four people gone in one fell swoop is a gut punch to the town.

Moving on. Readers may know Tahoe Trish for her humorous skewering of the absurdities in life, but she has another, more sincere side. She is looking for volunteer opportunities in the community and suggested the Mountain News could be a clearinghouse. So, if your organization or event needs volunteers, on a onetime or ongoing basis, send it my way and I’ll find some place for it in the paper.

While my driveway is clear and my car unburied, I still have some snow removal to continue. See you next month!

-Heather

“In Steamboat Springs, Colorado, along with other mountain towns and destination communities across the country, a pandemic-fueled real estate boom driven by remote workers, secondhome buyers and short-term rental investors has caused home prices to nearly double. Those prices have shown few signs of easing, despite rising interest rates and a push for remote workers to return to the office, leaving even highincome professionals struggling to find housing in small, rural communities across the country.” Sound familiar?

South Lake Tahoe’s “leaders” have been talk, talk, talking about the need for affordable housing for decades. In 1995, Councilman Hal Cole talked about the urgency of addressing housing. In the last 30 years, the “need for housing” conversation has been persistent, but a solution has remained elusive. Addressing the problem has created conflicts, dividing residents in a battle over how to

provide more housing and who should pay for it. When it comes to building more housing, residents have mounted opposition to some efforts over concerns about traffic, parking, fire evacuation, and the carrying capacity of our fragile environment.

In a place like Lake Tahoe there is always going to be significant demand for housing. This makes building more houses seem like the solution. South Lake Tahoe doesn’t have a housing shortage. The housing inventory already exists. The more obvious solution is to shift the demand for second homes (many bought by investors and converted to VHRs) and incentivize some of those properties to be available for people who actually live and work here. Approximately 7,000 houses in the city are unoccupied for all or most of the year. The entire basin has been affected by the growing number of empty second homes.

Each year the TRPA allocates a set number of residential building permits to the jurisdictions around the lake. The city of SLT receives

33. In today’s market, many of these 33 permits end up being million-dollar, oversized second homes built on small lots in modest neighborhoods. Gentrification is changing the character of our neighborhoods and further exacerbates the inability of the middle class to live and work here.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

For some people it may be the best of times in Tahoe, but for too many it is the worst of times. The LTUSD reports that 48.6 percent of our students are economically disadvantaged and 72 are homeless. At the February 27 city council meeting, our town’s economic disparity was on full display. The room was packed with

those who support a vacancy tax on second homes wanting to share their stories of housing insecurity, and business owners and those representing tourist interests wanting to protest higher taxes.

To be clear, the vacancy tax initiative that many came to support is not a city council proposal, but rather an idea born out of frustration by mostly younger residents who are struggling with rents that have dramatically increased since the pandemic and the lost dream of ever owning a home.

Scott Robbins cited census statistics that show a 33 percent decline in residents aged 25-50 since 2000. He stated, “Our town is dying.”

Cristi Creegan responded, “I don’t think our town is dying. I hugely take issue with that and if that is true, why would so many people want to live here…? This is a great place to live.”

Three days after that council meeting, a mother posted on Facebook that she had missed the pickup for the free weekend meals

provided by Bread and Broth for her children and asked if someone could help. She and her children live in a motel room with no cooking facilities. Her situation speaks to the flip side of Cristi’s “Livin’ the Dream” version of life in SLT.

TAKING A PASS

At the February 27 city council meeting, the council changed direction on its proposal to place a measure on the November ballot that would increase the hotel tax (TOT) from 14 percent to 16 percent. Four members of the council decided this is not the time to ask voters to raise taxes. Here’s the kicker: the council hired a consultant ($53,000) to advise them through local polling if this measure would pass. The results showed that 70 percent of those polled favored raising this tax. And yet, four council members voted against it. Question: Why hire a consultant if you’re going to ignore the results?

To be continued….

How is Douglas County spending some of its discretionary dollars? – Financial follies

At least one reader is not happy with how Douglas County is spending the money it collects from taxpayers.

Anonymously we received an email partially saying: “(On) IRS Form 990: both LTVA and Tahoe Chamber both share the same accountant who leaves 990 Part IV question 4 pertaining to lobbying blank!!! They are both funded by Douglas County taxpayers and illegally spend some of those monies to fund all sorts of California pet projects through lobbying and tax write-offs! The primary funder is TDVA who provides over $6 million per year to LTVA alone. Its CEO Carol Chaplin takes in more money than many physicians in this country! Carl Ribaudo's company is a huge unreported primary LTVA expense.”

Regarding the lobbying question: The line item pertains to a 501(c)3. Both Tahoe Chamber (whose real name is Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce) and Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority are classified as 501(c)6. They do use the same tax preparer: Eide Bailly LLP out of Minneapolis is listed on those forms. The company’s Reno office is listed on Tahoe Douglas Visitors’ audit documents.

To date, we have no evidence of illegal spending by any organization mentioned. That’s not to say LTVA doesn’t have a bit of a sordid past. Former Executive Director Terry LeBan in 2002 was sentenced to jail and had to pay about $115,000 in restitution for embezzling from the organization. Embezzlement on the South Shore is not rare.

Chaplin, the current LTVA executive director, according to 2022 tax filings, made about $217,000 in salary and benefits.

Chaplin reports that LTVA paid Ribaudo's SMG Consulting $82,995 over the last five years, all for its strategic plan, including six workshops. SMG collected $23,500 from TDVA over the last five years for work on the events center.

The accusations by the emailer made us take a shallow dive into how the county allocates some of its money.

We asked the county why it funds LTVA, TDVA, Carson Valley Visitors Authority, Tahoe Chamber, and Tahoe Prosperity Center (TPC).

Assistant County Manager Scott Morgan explained LTVA and TDVA get a chunk of transient occupancy tax money per county and state law.

LTVA has been around since 1986, while the TDVA was created by the Nevada Legislature in 1997. They com-

bined marketing efforts 20 years ago. LTVA’s budget in large part is from TDVA and the Tourism Improvement District, which assesses a fee on most California South Shore hotel guests.

According to TDVA’s audit from last summer, it “contributed $2,853,197 to LTVA in connection with costs of administration, marketing, and the American Century Golf Championship Tournament. In addition, personnel and facilities are shared by the authority and LTVA. LTVA provides employees to the authority to perform all accounting and administration functions. The authority, additionally, supports LTVA by providing office space that is occupied by both entities.”

It goes on to say, “A memorandum of understanding commits the authority to provide (LTVA) 20 percent of unrestricted tax revenue annually. The funding agreement for the year ended June 30, 2024, is $3,073,016.”

LTVA is a bi-state organization—so, yes, entities in California benefit from the visitors’ bureau. Its mission is to promote tourism on the entire South Shore without regard to the state line.

The county Board of Commissioners voted to write checks to the chamber and TPC. Both are also bi-state organizations. The TPC is a $30,000 annual allocation

I’d rather you not show up at all. Where is the training for these drivers? (Note to driver: there is a little lever on your plow that works the side gate). As taxpayers we deserve better service than this. Once again, the West Slope is not serving the people that live here.

Mike Rich

that “is an expense line item in the county manager’s budget,” Morgan said. The chamber gets $75,000 a year.

Morgan did not share how the county benefits by dolling out these discretionary dollars. Instead he deferred to the agencies that were rewarded the money.

“Please reach out to those organizations who occasionally make presentations to the board to answer benefits to the community and how are they measured,” Morgan said.

Douglas County reports it took in $20,183,414 in TOT at the lake in 2022-23, and expects revenues of $21,459,236 for this fiscal year, which includes hotels and vacation home rentals.

In 2019-20, the TOT revenues at the lake were $13,395,571; in 2020-21 $19,088,412, and in 202122 $19,206,806. The pandemic accounts for the dip in 2019-20.

The Carson Valley TOT barely registers, at less than $2 million in each of the last five budget cycles.

TOT collected at the lake for this fiscal year, according to the county, will be distributed as follows:

• State promotion — $539,799

• Lake promotion (includes Stateline events center/chamber) — $13,127,186

• County parks and recreation —$4,930,882

• Douglas County General Fund admin— $115,157

• Tahoe Transportation District — $1,439,464

• $5 surcharge to TDVA — $1,293,920

• $5 surcharge, one percent admin fee to the county — $13,070.

Those dollar figures are consistent with prior years.

GOT A QUESTION?

Email: mountainnews2@gmail.com

Mail: P.O. Box 8974, South Lake Tahoe, CA 95618.

The Tahoe Area Sierra Club will be hosting a presentation by 41-year South Lake Tahoe resident and local bear expert, Tahoe Toogee. This presentation will focus on the urbanization of the black bears and the urbanized bear population on the South Shore. This 40-minute presentation will be held at the Lake Tahoe Community College on March 22 at 5pm. Seating will be first come, first serve. To register and find more information, visit https://act. sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=7013q000002IAJFAA4. Forest management, expanded recreational access and ecological restoration are just a few things the California Tahoe Conservancy accomplished in 2023. Read their full, year-end report at https://storymaps. arcgis.com/stories/eb14777e1d7d4b24a3c81965b6e5779a?utm_ medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.

The California Tahoe Conservancy Board has awarded a $600,000 grant to the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), for forestry operations as part of its joint project with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California to restore Máyala Wáta (Meeks Meadow). “We are excited to partner with the Washoe Tribe as we work together to implement our restoration strategy in this important cultural area,” said LTBMU Forest Supervisor Erick Walker.

The U.S. Forest Service has released several short videos about various aspects of the organization. Learn about its wildfire crisis strategy at https:// fast.wistia.com/embed/channel/ bzasnm32ls?utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feature+Email+-+20240229+-+2&utm_ content=Read+more. Discover the contributions of African Americans to the Forest Service at https://fast.wistia.com/embed/ channel/qyn2ijofbl?utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feature+Email+-+20240229+-+2&utm_content=Read+more.

The former Beacon Bar & Grill has reopened as The Grove at Camp Rich under the auspices of the new concessionaire, ExploreUS. The name is based on the site’s historic name of Copeland’s Grove Resort dating to the early 1900s. Specialties on the menu include a bison bbq bacon burger, miso salmon and more. Drinks include the Kokanee and the iconic Rum Runner. (Find out what former concessionaire Bob Hassett has to say about that on page 23.)

The Tahoe Fund and the U.S. Forest Service are seeking artists and community members to paint restroom murals at three sites around the Tahoe basin, including the Tallac Historic Site. “By painting murals on the walls inside the restrooms, we hope to inspire people to take better care of these spaces and—by extensi-

on—the Tahoe environment,” said Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry. The move is patterned on a similar successful campaign at Henry Lake, Idaho. Proposals may be submitted through https://docs.google. com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIjVtWGq2kGVgu5f438bL1P3xsuxbUBrqtDbW4IVMSLa_sig/ viewform?pli=1and must be received by 6pm on March 29.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has released its draft Public Participation Plan outlining how it will engage with stakeholders in carrying out its mission. The plan can be accessed at https://www.trpa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024-Public-Participation-Plan-DRAFT-Feb.-24.pdf. Public comment is being accepted through April 5. Email krichardson@trpa.gov or call (775) 5895236.

El Dorado County’s Tahoe-based Supervisor Brooke Laine is conducting a transit survey for the unincorporated areas of the basin. The nine-question survey can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey. com/r/SZF6TXV?fbclid=IwAR06bdQbJElCc9OJswVm-QRrBGAKEx9SAnwATULLierIUnLySV-RTI62ZbU.

Watch a snow safety video, take a quiz and be entered to win a 2024-25 Gold Pass valid at 36 downhill and cross-country resorts in California and Nevada.

Ski California has released its latest short film, focusing on snow safety in deep snow—which mea-

sured in feet, not inches, in the Sierra. The video can be accessed at safety.skicalifornia.org.

Submissions are being taken for the inaugural Lake Tahoe Documentary Film Festival that will be Oct. 4-6 at the event center in Stateline. Details are online: https://filmfreeway.com/LakeTahoeDocumentaryFilmFestival.

The K2Sierra4Trees Race/ Tour (or R’our) will be held on March 16 and March 17. The course traverses the ridge of the Sierras from Kirkwood to Sierra-at-Tahoe. Participants will carry seedlings to be planted in the spring at the resort which lost 50,000 trees in the Caldor Fire. The event will benefit the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Visit https://k2sierra4trees.org for more information and to register.

The South Tahoe Public Utility District has put in place new watering guidelines to comply with state of California mandates. Drip irrigation must now follow the same schedule as spray irrigation and watering times are now between 6pm and 10am to mitigate the loss of water to daytime evaporation.

Lake Tahoe Community College and 4th Wall Down Productions will be presenting Tony-award winning Peter and the Starcatcher, the zany origin story of Peter Pan, starring the Mountain News’ own Dave Hamilton as evil Captain Black Stache. Showing March 15 and March 16 at 7pm and March 16 and March

17 at 2pm at LTCC’s Duke Theatre. Cost $23, adults/$18, students and seniors.

AARP Tax-Aide is a free tax service, offered to taxpayers of all ages, at the Senior Center on Mondays (2pm to 6pm), Thursdays (2pm to 6pm) and Saturdays (9am to 1pm). Pick up an information packet (available now at the Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd., M-F 8:30 am to 12:30pm) before meeting with IRS-certified tax volunteers. Questions before coming in? Email SouthLakeTahoeLC@gmail.com.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association in 2023 added 149 people to the 165-Mile Club. These hikers completed the entire loop of the Tahoe Rim Trail either in sections, over time, or in one outing.

On March 20 at 6pm the Lake Tahoe Unified School District will be hosting a State of the District address by Superintendent Todd Cutler. This interactive event will be at the student union at South Tahoe High School. Refreshments and childcare provided.

The South Lake Tahoe Optimist Club will be hosting its annual Easter Egg Hunt on March 30 at Lake Tahoe Community College. The festivities begin with a parade at 10:30am, an Easter Bonnet contest at 10:45am and the main event at 11am.

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

Oliver Randolph, Kaylee Klym and Addie Lucksinger star in Peter and the Starcatcher at Lake Tahoe Community College.

We have teachers who can tell you about ninth graders throwing up after coming to class under the influence of alcohol and prescription cough medicine (called lean), being suspended for the day and then doing it again a day or two later. Others could tell stories of students falling out of their desks, being sent to the office to be checked and then sent back to class with the statement, “We couldn’t find anything,” or words to that effect.

You get the idea — drugs and alcohol are a problem for much younger teens and preteens these days, and it seemingly became a more serious problem during Covid and remote learning.

So, what is being done about it? This question winks at a much larger observation that in recent years, teens have gone astray more than usual, in greater numbers, with fewer consequences. We’re talking about fighting, disrespect and defiance in all forms, vandalism and destruction of school (and teacher) property, and more.

When confronting students in the hallway for bullying or disruptive behaviors, teachers often get attacked rather than obeyed, showered with “F-you” bombs, the “n-word,” and various other compilations of epithets. Often, the offenders disregard requests to come with the teacher and they run — or walk dismissively — off. You can imagine the impact that these situations have on the teaching and learning environment.

And while some school staff are making efforts toward getting kids back on the rails, it’s a huge lift for them, and they

A teacher’s take on Tahoe teens and theft

haven’t always gotten the support of parents, administration or even the school district — although, to be fair, I am seeing a more concerned response from administration in recent months.

That old saying, “It takes a village” is literally the case here — as in, the SLT community. This includes school personnel, the SLTPD, the business community, parents and families.

And, yes, you can sense I’m not just talking about a substance abuse problem, and if you want to lose more sleep, just ask kids what they witness in school bathrooms these days. But for the scope of this piece, let’s focus on just the theft.

So, the question arises, where are kids pilfering food, miscellany and yes — alcohol?

Are our high school students actually raiding the deli and the alcohol shelves at Raley’s — even

justs where needed to foster a welcoming environment. Like other local businesses, we are consistently reviewing our operations and working on new ways to curtail escalating theft. We have not experienced an uptick of theft in the South Lake Tahoe area.” Again, Safeway isn’t near South Tahoe High School and this statement came from corporate media relations rather than someone “on the ground.”

Accountability

When it comes back around to what’s being done about alcohol and other theft at Raley’s (or any other local establishment), it gets more complicated than you might think.

Let’s say a student grabs a bottle of vodka off the shelf (or food from the deli) and scampers out of the store. The student gets identified by school administrators from the store’s video

ident of Community Impact and Public Affairs for Raley’s, acknowledged that at least partly due to prop 47, “the theft challenge for retailers across California is significant right now.”

You might recall, in Nov. 2014, California passed Prop 47, which, among other things, lowered non-violent property crimes below $950 to misdemeanors.

Specifically, Proposition 47 added section 490.2 to define “petty theft” as “obtaining any property by theft where the value of the money, labor, real or personal property taken” does not exceed $950.

I’ll note that Prop 47 didn’t strip away all consequences as it includes section 459.5 creating a new misdemeanor offense called “shoplifting,” applicable to these cases under $950, punishable by up to six months in county jail.

In short, one can be

So, the question arises, where are kids pilfering food, miscellany and yes — alcohol? Are our high school students actually raiding the deli and the alcohol shelves at Raley’s — even during school hours?

during school hours?

Well, some of them, sometimes, yes.

And if you’re unfamiliar with the geography and wonder, why not Safeway or other markets in town? — Raley’s is less than a mile from South Tahoe High School. Unsurprisingly, Safeway, about four miles further away, doesn’t experience the same level of teenage theft.

A spokesperson for Safeway provided the statement, “(a)s an ongoing effort, Safeway closely monitors security measures in place across its stores and ad-

footage, so there’s no question who it is. SLTPD responds, the SRO (school resource officer) locates the student and brings them in for citing and possible referral to probation.

Naturally, you wonder, is the teen prosecuted? Are charges pressed? Well, you have to remember that it’s the victim that needs to press charges; and while you might think a market sees itself as a clear victim in these circumstances, it’s not always that simple.

Reality and Prop 47

Chelsea Minor, Vice Pres-

charged and prosecuted for theft in these cases, but the reality is that these crimes — regardless of the offender’s age — get in the “fish to fry” line behind a list of bigger fish in the district attorney’s kitchen.

So, it’s not that Raley’s is unwilling to prosecute in these cases of, say, a teenager running out with a handle of vodka; it’s more that these cases are often difficult to make stick and they need a district attorney willing to hear them. Minor concedes this is more likely if the school district and/or police are behind

the effort, and she says they welcome collaboration with the schools and police.

According to El Dorado County Assistant District Attorney Lisette Suder, “all juvenile crimes are submitted to us via probation . . . it is within the probation department’s discretion whether or not to submit (cases) to us.” She added that in 2023, “nine theft-related cases were referred to (the district attorney’s office) from probation for consideration of filing charges against minors,” but she “was unable to determine how many were in SLT versus other areas of EDC.”

Meantime, Raley’s maintains an “asset protection” team for each region that determines what measures each store should take to mitigate theft. For store managers, the question of simply grabbing someone as they attempt to leave isn’t so simple. They have to consider if the encounter might lead to an altercation, injuries, broken glass or liquids, which then might cause some other injury, and so on. So, they also consider safeguards like product placement, door access in relation to high-theft products, increasing contracted guards when needed and the like.

Where Theft Meets Badge

Last winter, when the Stateline (“Crescent V”) Raley’s closed after suffering a roof collapse, Raley’s brought in Alpha Defense Security Corporation, a private contractor, to prevent looting. According to Minor, that contracted job was shifted over to Raley’s at the “Y” in the summer and has been in place since; however, many locals have noticed a more visible

presence of armed security at this store in recent weeks.

Recently, a South Tahoe High student, being confronted for shoplifting by an ADSC guard, pulled a knife and ended up injuring the guard in the confrontation. The guard received treatment and is back at work. Naturally, adding knife-play and assault into an act of larceny takes the issue from a misdemeanor theft into the realm of more serious crimes, and according to Minor, the guard is pressing charges.

According to Chief David Stevenson of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, this incident did not involve alcohol but occurred after “the suspect shoplifted a couple items and was approached by ADSC.”

In such cases, Stevenson said that the school resource of-

ficer “will respond if it’s during school hours and he’s available.” He added, “(a)s far as larger monitoring systems/measures as it relates to individuals, it depends on a lot of different factors. Probation basically handles all the ‘monitoring’ that occurs after a juvenile is arrested.”

Organized Retail Theft

Leaving aside all manner of other crime the DA and police contend with, even on the priority list for the markets themselves, your basic shoplifting is going to take a backseat to organized retail theft, a point emphasized by nearly everyone I talked with for this column.

Jason Brewer, senior vice president of communications and marketing at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, told Reuters

that “organized retail crime cost U.S. retailers nearly $70 billion in 2020.” According to Brewer, retailers say it has "gotten exponentially worse" since the COVID-19 pandemic, when stores were short of staff to monitor store shelves.

“Organized gangs” have exploited conditions in which employees are advised not to engage perpetrators as described earlier. Often these folks will have one or more people obtain legitimate jobs at a targeted business, and then use that access to acquire goods, which they will then resell on any number of online platforms. It can also be done more crudely by creating distractions while confederates make off with goods.

Where Do We Go from Here?

I think the take-away is that theft is going to continue as the

consequences are few and far between, and that as a result, we are all going to pay more for nearly everything.

As for the local issue involving teens and South Tahoe High School, perhaps it’s time to consider a closed campus approach, like many other high schools. The policy is already in place at STHS, but only for freshmen. But when freshmen have older friends or acquaintances, it’s hard not to follow along off campus with them, which is what happens. In turn, it’s tough for school staff to identify who’s a freshman and who’s not, so the system is difficult to enforce.

To be clear, I’m not talking about the fully fenced type of closed campus, which is simply not practical around STHS — not to mention the maintenance

it would require. Just the policy, which yes, would require enforcement itself. But again, it is done elsewhere — and at much larger high schools. And there are ways to alleviate the problems that come with having that many students out of class but on campus, such as staggering lunch times for different grade levels, which also makes food service manageable.

Honestly, I don’t know if this is the answer; I’m just wondering if a closed campus approach might look out for both the community and students alike.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on the issue @ mikesmutterings@gmail.com

Hands-on science class training students for local jobs

“Help wanted”—it’s a common refrain throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin from natural resource agencies because a skilled workforce is hard to find locally.

side professionals. It’s sowing the seed of job possibilities not often thought of—like being a tree climber, planting trees, traveling the world as a firefighter.

Beyond the classroom

An experiment at the end of February delved into how insulators work.

“A lot of students love to

That is one reason why South Tahoe High School and Lake Tahoe Community College launched forestry programs in fall 2022. They are educating the next generation to fill those vacancies.

Some aspect of Lake Tahoe is always at the forefront of what Richard Kinnett teaches at STHS. He was hired specifically for this position after teaching science for 14 years at South Tahoe Middle School. With STHS’ program falling under career technical education, the goal is for students to have a skill after completing the classes. The classes are open to all but freshmen.

It’s real life experiences—not just a bunch of textbook learning. It’s doing the work of professionals, sometimes along-

It’s learning that knowledge about soil and geology have multiple applications in the working world.

Already some of his students have worked for the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit through Generation Green, and have been park stewards for the city.

The first-level class qualifies as a required science credit. The second level is taught in the fall to allow students to compete in the El Dorado Forestry Challenge, which according to Kinnett, is “four days of really intense learning and application of what they are learning.”

Not knowing what to expect at their first competition last fall, he is happy to report the Vikings didn’t place last.

wear cotton hoodies when it’s freezing and raining,” Kinnett said. “It was an aha moment. You may as well be walking around naked because that is safer (than the hoodie).”

What happens when you fall into cold water like Lake Tahoe? Hypothermia sets in quickly, which is why it’s important to get those cotton clothes off as fast as possible.

Many of Kinnett’s lessons are not in the classroom, though they could be in the surrounding forest or another nearby location.

Students ran citizen science projects with the Forest Service and Great Basin Institute to determine whether the benthic mats designed to eradicate aquatic invasive species at Taylor Creek and near Kiva Beach were affecting the outflow at the creek. They aren’t.

The plan is to keep studying the area to determine if different environmental conditions would create different results.

This project was recognized by the USFS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“With every project we hope to create a heritage project so it runs next year as well,” Kinnett explained.

It’s learning outside the classroom that makes this curriculum unique and continually evolving. That’s what Kinnett loves about science—it’s always changing.

The last part of every project is to look at how to make it better. Kinnett said a scientist’s job is never done.

This month Kinnett and a few students are seeking wildland firefighting certification. It’s a job 18-year-olds could then apply for.

What he’s been most surprised by is how many students haven’t explored the outdoors. The grant that launched the program paid for mountain bikes— which allows students to ride to riparian habitats and other locales

of educational benefit. But not everyone knows how to ride a bike, Kinnett has learned.

Snowshoes were also purchased with the funds. This, too, provides an outdoor education opportunity. They will use those devices at Heavenly Mountain Resort later this semester with the Forest Service providing instruction.

Students are learning about soil, human impact on the terrain, creating and maintaining trails, and how to use them correctly.

Curriculum possibilities are seemingly endless.

“My goal is for every high school student to have the ability to take this class and want to take this class. It’s a beautiful way to teach why we preserve Lake Tahoe,” Kinnett said.

Outside support

LTUSD is one of 17 members of the South Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition that was founded in 2008 to “conduct programs in an outdoor setting, providing place-based and experiential learning.” Kinnett leans on this group and individ-

Students measure the diameter of trees in order to create a forest improvement plan.

South Tahoe High forestry students work at Kiva Beach as citizen scientists with the U.S. Forest Service and Great Basin Institute.

ual members to help with school projects.

Any professional who works with Kinnett’s students is asked to teach them the skills needed to obtain an entry level job.

A long-term goal is to have students manage the 84 acres of forest that surround the South Tahoe High School campus. Part of the land needs fuels treatment.

“We would like to build future leaders in wildfire protection and forestry, so reaching

the students in high school when they are at that time in their life of making considerations of what they would like to do is a great opportunity,” Martin Goldberg, captain with Lake Valley Fire Protection District, said. “What we would be doing is offering up times when we are out there doing the planning and giving opportunities for students to see and participate firsthand.”

What this collaboration with Lake Valley and the greater Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team will

to accelerate the basin-wide goals, as outlined in the Lake Tahoe Basin Forest Action Plan, for large-scale restoration and wildfire protection for communities,” LTCC President Jeff DeFranco said. “Unlike many existing forestry programs in the Western United States, LTCC's forestry program is focused on forest restoration and

Funding came from grants from CalFire, California Tahoe Conservancy, federal grants, El Dorado Community Foundation, Tahoe Fund, and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation.

DeFranco said a number of students are from the California Conservation Corps in Meyers. This year 46.4 percent of the stu-

look like remains to be seen.

Kim Carr, a consultant on the South Shore who works for LTUSD, was the lead on securing the $688,000 state grant that launched the high school program.

“We need skilled young people in these positions, so let’s train them in our local education system. And these are good wages,” Carr said. “The second piece was to get students outdoors. Historically natural resources is (ethnically) not diverse, but the high school is.”

LTCC’s program

Students at LTCC may earn an associate of science, certificate of achievement or foundational skills certificate through the forestry program.

“Through input from local agencies and review of labor market information, the forestry program was developed with industry partners to increase the number of qualified forestry professionals needed

resource management rather than industrial forestry or logging.”

Adrian Escobedo, who worked at the local U.S. Forest

dents are Hispanic/Latinx, 30.4 percent are female, and 71 percent are younger than 25.

“Students are eligible to ap-

Service office, is director of the college’s program.

ply for federal, state, and regional timber jobs. These may include forestry technicians, wildland firefighting, and other natural resource entry jobs,” DeFranco said.

Practical experience is obtained at Blodgett Research Forest near Georgetown in partnership with University of California Cooperative Extension, and the opportunity to attend the Society of American Foresters conference in Sacramento.

The hope is dual enrollment credit will be available for STHS students in the future.

What are the odds on the future of sportsbooks?

While the $185.6 million bet at Nevada casinos on the Super Bowl in February set a record, sports betting is really no big deal in the state or locally—at least when it comes to revenues.

“The sportsbook would make a couple million dollars a year in gross profit and then it roughly equates to a million dollars to the bottom line. In the big picture at Harrah’s and Harveys, that is a pimple on their butt,” says a retired casino manager from the Stateline properties. “They are better than poker rooms. Poker rooms make nothing, so to speak. But both things are in there to make it a full service casino; to attract people for other things.”

Sports betting revenues were bleak at Lakeside Inn and Casino as well, but had nothing to do with the property’s closing in 2020.

“The sportsbooks are very labor intense and costly. We made so little that I stopped owning our own sportsbook and leased the space to William Hill a few years before we closed,” explained Stacy Noyes, former president of Lakeside. “They basically took on most of our employees and I just collected rent.”

So, sports betting is not an economic driver, but gaming experts say this has nothing to do with the U.S. Supreme Court ‘s decision to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018. It’s always been this way.

“Sports gambling doesn’t generate a lot of revenue by itself. Where its shows impact is in everything else,” Alan Feldman, gaming expert at the International Gaming Institute at UNLV, said. Those other things are room nights, food, drinks, shows, and gambling at the tables and slots.

PASPA opened up sports betting to every state. At the time only Nevada allowed sports betting—at least legally—so the economic impact to the Silver State could have been significant.

Today, 38 states, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., allow sports betting.

cent margin,” he said. “Online you do a little bit better because you don't have the same level of expenses. If you take that 3 to 5

percent of $185 million, that is the economic impact to Nevada.That is what stayed here.”

Stateline sportsbooks’ overall take from 2016 through 2023 was minimal, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The contribution to the bottom line in that eight-year period ranges from 1.9 percent to 3.2 percent, or $4.9 million to $6.6 million.

In 2023, people dropped $30,622,793.99 on football games at the Stateline casinos, $22,329,927.97 on basketball, $13,974,434.37 on baseball, and $2,866,077.29 on hockey.

The take for the South Shore casinos last year on football was $2,952,949.71, basketball $1,392,734.41, baseball $1,235,937.52, and hockey $390,689.87.

“From a statewide view PASPA has not hurt Nevada sports betting at all. It is booming,” Mike Latton, senior analyst with the Gaming Control Board, said. “Sports betting is so popular. It’s so accepted. It’s no longer in the shadows. It goes hand-in-

The numbers before and after PASPA (see chart) prove expansion of sports betting has not hurt local casinos.

That could change if California approves sports betting.

Two initiatives to grant this type of gaming failed in 2022. People in the know expect voters will have an opportunity to revisit the idea in the coming years. With more than 20 major league teams in the state, sports is clearly important to the residents of the Golden State. And with 76 Indian casinos in the state, Californians clearly like to gamble.

Money matters Feldman explained how about half of the $185 million wagered on the Super Bowl is returned to winners.

“By the time you take expenses out you are hoping as a sportsbook to have a 3 to 5 per-

Source: Gaming Control Board

hand with betting on your phone. You have a sportsbook in your pocket. A huge driver of success is mobile wagers on a phone.”

Who’s in charge

William Hill runs the sportsbooks at Bally’s Lake Tahoe and Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe. No one from the London-based company responded to an inquiry.

No one from Caesars Entertainment, which owns Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys, returned calls. Same with Gold-

but instead by Caesars Sportsbook.

Even though Eldorado Resorts bought Caesars Entertainment for $17.3 billion in 2020, it opted to use the Caesars name. The acquisition created the largest casino and entertainment company in the United States.

“Sports betting changed significantly with the big guys like William Hill spreading across the state because you could bet anytime you want on their app if you were in Nevada,” Noyes said. Local appeal

Not everyone is thrilled with

en Nugget. A Bally’s worker wouldn’t give his name and said he didn't have much experience in the sportsbook.

Harrah’s and Harveys, the latter being the larger of the two sportsbooks with multiple televisions and kiosks for betting, for years had a locally operated sportsbook. When William Hill came in a few years ago, things went haywire. No longer were issues able to be resolved in-house or quickly.

Caesars Entertainment solved that problem by spending $3.7 billion in 2021 to acquire the company. Even so, the local properties are not run by William Hill,

the changes, at least locally. Some longtime gamblers prefer personal interactions with sportsbook employees instead of having to bet via a kiosk, which is becoming the norm.

“They suck. It’s absolutely awful. The bottom line is they want everything to be automated. It’s a nightmare,” said Sharla Freeman, who has a home in Zephyr Cove.

She and her husband, Jay, like to make regular, albeit small like $10 a game, bets on football and basketball. Today, the thrust is to get people to use kiosks to place bets instead of relying on an employee to make the exchange.

“If you go into Harveys at 9am on NFL Sunday, there is very

likely to be 100 to 150 people waiting to bet. You try to get that done on six kiosks; it just doesn’t work. People were getting fed up,” Freeman said.

Her husband has the Caesars app, but it only works in the state where he signed up for it. And that’s not Nevada, so this just adds to their frustrations.

“It got to where I don’t even want to go in there anymore,”

Freeman said of Harveys. “I will go to Bally’s sometimes and make my bets. Bally’s will actually have some people there and have more sheets.”

The sheets with all the games available used to be the only way to place a bet. People could pick one up a few days ahead of game time and peruse what they wanted to gamble on. For people who don’t want to bet with mobile devices, this now leaves the kiosks as the preferred way—at least preferred by casinos.

“This was the first year that the Las Vegas-Stateline sportsbooks did away with their numbered betting options. This makes it extremely difficult to make bets from the printed prop bet sheets that the sportsbook passes out,” explained a South Lake Tahoe resident who has more than 40 years

of betting experience from bookies to sportsbooks. “We went to three different sports writers who could not find our bets on their computers. We ended up with the sportsbook manager and general manager both working on placing our bets. It took about an hour and a half to finally place our bets with both of those guys helping us. Last year and prior years every bet had a number next to it, so it took no more than five seconds to make a bet.”

These locals have noticed a decrease in the number of people at the sportsbooks. The dollars, though, prove people are betting. Apps allow it to be done outside

•

the sportsbook.

“Back a few years ago you were not even allowed to use your cell phone in the sportsbook,” the South Lake bettor said. “Now everybody is on their cell phone in the sportsbook. Now with the betting apps you can bet during the game with lines always changing based on the current score.”

Without the casinos commenting, it’s hard to know if the change to the kiosks is to reduce the number of employees, to add convenience or for some other reason.

As Freeman says, “I don’t think they care if you are there.”

Steve

A sportsbook patron watches numerous games on-screen at the Harveys sportsbook.

Kiosks have reduced the number of human employees in the sportsbook.

The gaming counter at Harveys sportsbook.

Foundation celebrates 50 years of supporting state parks

Hablamos Español “We can take your project fom Concept to Turn-Key” Affordable apartments at the 248-unit Sugar Pine Village project in South Lake Tahoe will be open for applications this year.

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While much of the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin is under the control of the U.S. Forest Service, California and Nevada also own large swaths of property.

The problem is California State Parks doesn’t have the money to keep up its land and buildings, or to provide programs. It’s nonprofits like the Sierra State Parks Foundation that help keep the properties viable.

Going south to north the foundation supports:

• Washoe Meadows State Park

• Emerald Bay State Park

• D.L. Bliss State Park

• Sugar Pine Point State Park

• Tahoe State Recreation Area

• Burton Creek State Park

• Donner Memorial State Park

• Kings Beach State Recreation Area. The foundation, which has contributed more than $15

million to these local state parks in the last five decades, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Donations, events, and visitor center bookstores are the main sources of funding for the foundation.

It all started in 1965 when the Lake Tahoe Advisory Committee was formed by North Shore residents who lobbied the state to not tear down the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion that was built in 1903. It is now a state and national landmark that is open in the summer for tours led by foundation members.

That early group incorporated in 1974 as the Lake Tahoe Basin State Parks Association. The current name took hold in 1988.

The foundation has a permanent staff of four, which swells to 15 during the busy summer season when more amenities are open. Their work is bolstered by a team of volunteers who collectively contribute more than 1,000 hours of service each year.

While the entire basin receives about 15 million visitors a year, these California public lands register about two million guests, who are nearly evenly split between locals and out-oftowners.

“If Sierra State Parks Foundation was not involved in supporting our parks, much of what people enjoy and experience would not be there,” Executive Director Heidi Doyle said. “For example, the visitors’ centers might be closed or have shorter hours, facilities would not be as well-kept and repaired, trail signage and other projects might not happen.”

These state parks are flush with history. The interiors of the Vikingsholm and Ehrman mansions can be toured seasonally. At Sugar Pine, it’s possible to cross country ski on the same trails Olympians competed on in 1960. Donner State Park honors those who perished and prevailed in crossing the Sierra mountains in the mid-1800s. The Washoe Indian tribe to this day is an integral part of much

The first item on The Grove’s menu is The Rum Runner. Not surprising considering what a cash cow this drink had been for the Beacon.

The restaurant at Camp Richardson Resort changed names and managers. Another difference is the recipe for the signature drink. How so? Well, that is something those who imbibe are going to have to discern.

ExplorUS took over operations of the South Shore resort in January under a 20-year contract with the U.S. Forest Service, which owns the lakefront property and other amenities on the west side of Highway 89.

Only four drinks—Dark ’n Stormy, Painkiller, Sazerac and Hand Grenade—are protected by U.S. trademark laws.

Bob Hassett, who for 27 years operated Camp Rich and still owns the marina, has long said he owns the recipe for this particular Rum Runner. He admits, though, the name is not unique.

“A good analogy is the Coca-Cola formula. It is their proprietary information. That formula is theirs. Our Rum Runner is our formula,” Hassett said.

of the lands throughout the Tahoe basin.

Hassett is the concessionaire at Round Hill. According to Liquor.com, “the Rum Runner is said to have been invented by a bartender simply looking to use up extra ingredients. It’s been claimed to have originated in the early 1970s at the Holiday Isle Tiki Bar (now the Tiki Bar at Postcard Inn) located We also carry Ply-Gem vinyl windows, Marvin wood windows, All Weather and Anderson.

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The foundation works hand in hand with State Parks to prioritize projects. It’s a to-do list that never ends. That’s one reason the organization is working to establish an endowment for the Ehrman Mansion much like what is in place at Vikingsholm.

Future plans include site improvements at Donner, refurbishing the nature center at Sugar Pine, and helping with signage at Washoe Meadows when the general plan is complete. Ongoing maintenance projects for Vikingsholm include repairing the turret and defining paths around the grounds to lessen erosion and make it more appealing.

D.L. Bliss will remain closed for the second year as replacement of the nearly 100-year-old water system has proven more complicated than anticipated.

Beyond the traditional activities the Sierra State Parks Foundation is involved with each year, there will be a bit more of a party atmosphere in 2024 to celebrate its golden anniversary. Various programs, fundraisers, and events are planned, with details available online https:// sierrastateparks.org/.

The Rum Runner lives on

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“The Rum Runner is a popular drink in lots of restaurants, so it is not proprietary,” Will Boas, vice president of ExplorUS, said of the cocktail.

The Rum Runner is still on the menu at Camp Rich.

Cross country skiers have the opportunity to ski some of the same trails used in the 1960 Winter Olympics at Sugar Pine Point on the West Shore.

An endowment run by the Sierra State Parks Foundation helps with upkeep at Vikingsholm.

A new understanding of reality

If you’re currently reading this article in a coffee shop, you’re in luck because this column is about science, and the other customers will be very impressed by your pursuit of higher knowledge — despite the fact we both know you nodded off immediately upon seeing the word “science.”

However, you will remain seated lest you lose your table to some vagrant caffeine junkie roaming around looking to steal your seat — which you retain, even though you’re hiding behind your laptop screen, eyes closed and using your coffee cup as a hand warmer, starting to snore as your latte begins to dribble down your chin and puddle in your crotch.

Fear not! Faithful readers know that anything written in my column is devoid of intellectual content and will not poke, prod or stimulate the brain or attempt to raise the IQ of a gerbil or a male massage therapist who just spent his gi-normous college fund to get licensed in a career where he’ll

never be hired. Perhaps this was the plan all along. But I think the gerbil told him to do it.

Speaking of aberrant coffee shop addicts, opinionated columnists and bad advice from gerbils, science offers us a way to better understand these subjects, though it’s probably just best to avoid them. There is a study called “behavioral science” which, according to the gerbils who work for Google, is “based on observation of human behavior in the field.” I assume “the field” they’re referring to is any place people watch NFL football, child beauty pageants, or cheerleading tryouts. Or any pickleball court or divorce court, which are often the same thing.

Basically there are six steps in the scientific method, though more can be added if you’re a nerd. These steps are:

1. Question (I have a million of them as nobody has satisfactorily answered any of my questions since I was five and asked, “But why can’t I take my

shirt off and run naked outside?

All the boys get to!”)

2. Research (Collect data. This may require travel outside an already comfortably closed mind.)

3. Hypothesis (Big word that means “take a stab at it and make a guess.”)

4. Experiment (Devise a “deviant” plan, which the dictionary defines as “beyond most human comprehension.” My expertise.)

5. Data Analysis (Try to explain your deviant experiment to the authorities.)

6. Conclusion (If you’re not in jail, you can now consider your problem solved.)

Scientists believe utilizing this method is the best way to “gain a new understanding of

reality.” This is very exciting because it’s a place many of them have never been before.

Since I seldom visit Planet Reality myself, I’ve utilized the scientific method on many occasions. One of my better experiments was conducted on an employer I’ll call “Mr. Dimwit” because “Dim” was part of his name and he actually was. He hired me to take pictures of tourists skiing at Heavenly. It was the pre-smartphone era, when they only existed in the imagination of prehistoric Neanderthal teens and a one-year-old, constantly babbling Steve Jobs. This could have all been resolved earlier if Steve’s mom had bothered to listen to him whine about lack of cell service.

While working one day, a tourist skied up and inquired about the mountain photo business and where he could find the owner. It appears Mr. Dim had stolen the licensed business name from him. This quickly ended in a cease and desist order and Mr. Dim scrambling to find a new scam.

However, he refused to pay me for the last week I worked. One hundred buckaroos. Enough to cover my rent and a bottle of non-expensive, previously tasted and expired wine. So, I resorted to the scientific method.

Question: How do I get my paycheck from this dimwit asshole?

Research: Get a job cocktailing at a popular bar and restaurant where Mr. Dimwit likes to hang out.

Hypothesis: Since he thinks I’m completely powerless, forgiving and forgetful, which I’m not, he may request my beverage services one day.

Experiment: He requested my beverage services one day. Vaguely waving his hand at a table in the bar area, he asked that I “take care of his friends” and “put their drinks on his tab.”

Now, this was a difficult task because we both knew he didn’t have any friends. But I headed towards the table and he remained seated at the bar, fully occupied with trying to titillate the cute bartender, while his wife was home with the baby.

The tropics, cheap rum and a cigar

This was the first time that our family did the winterbreak-tropical-escape, and I can see why so many Tahoe locals make the annual winter pilgrimage to the Gulf of Mexico or Hawaii. It feels restorative, replenishing, reinvigorating. It feels…. Ahhhhh.

while you feed them, which was all the thrill that Matilda required to thoroughly convince her that she would need to someday have one as a pet. Personally, I’m glad it’s illegal in California.

diving, enjoying all the cool underwater swim-throughs and snorkeling challenges.

So, all evening, I brought drinks to his “friends.” And, naturally, the friends of his friends. And, clearly, the other bar patrons who were friendly with his friends. And everyone else who looked friendly that night.

Data Analysis: A bar tab the size of his ego, doubling my absconded paycheck in tips. And a bar full of exceedingly happy customers.

Conclusion: Successful deviant experiment, due to Mr. Dimwit’s failed hypothesis when dealing with a science-loving woman, whereby he gained a new understanding of reality.

Especially now, staring down the barrel of another snowblower lap on my driveway and wishing I had moved a bit more firewood under shelter before the storm began in earnest. I love winter, but it was sure nice to lounge in salt water, drink cheap island rum, and let the sand squish out between my toes.

The six of us joined with a larger crew of Tahoe locals and voyaged to a tropical paradise, a skinny and mountainous island running east to west about 18 miles off the mainland into the Caribbean Sea. It was the first trip out of the country for our two adopted kiddos and the furthest south on planet Earth for all of us.

“This is a chance to unplug, guys,” I said. “Hand over your phones.”

This led to an outright mutiny. Particularly for Jack, who yelled at us from South Tahoe all the way up and over Spooner Summit until he was interrupted by Max, who spontaneously vomited all over his outfit for the plane ride.

We stopped at Walmart and bought some new clothes. Wifey later joked that, “I think the vomit was a good thing. It distracted everyone from their technology withdrawal.”

Despite the protests and barf bags, we did somehow make it out of the country.

“I want a monkey,” Matilda said.

“We know. We know,” I responded. “That’s only like the 261st time you’ve told us on this trip.”

“But they’re so cute.”

“I’m just glad none of the monkeys threw poop at us.”

One of the tourist activities on the island is monkeyperching and sloth-hugging. Matilda and her group of friends have been affectionately referring to each other as “monkeys” since the start of the school year so we knew she would be particularly keen on getting a chance to actually interact with them. The white-faced Capuchin monkeys don’t allow you to hug or pet them, but they leap onto your shoulders and scamper over your head

Max also had a memorable interaction with the local wildlife. He’s a kid with a lot of irrational fear about anything and everything. Going up a long escalator, no problem. Going down, big problem. On an earlier trip at JFK airport outside of New York, we nearly missed a flight when Max refused to take the only means of transport between one level and another. On this vacation, he was ready for snorkeling, having practiced with his mask, snorkel, and fins in pools for over a year. But the first time that he put his head into the ocean and saw one tiny bright blue and yellow fish, he screamed and ran out of the water as fast as he could. Perhaps it was this irrational fear of unknown animals that “Jessie” the sloth sensed in Max when the caretaker at Mayan Jungle placed her in his arms for the same slow embrace that she gives to hundreds of visiting tourists. Jessie immediately began to try to extricate herself from Max’s nervous “hug” in what can only be described as a leisurely and incremental sloth attack. The sloth covered Max’s eyes with her arm, and her 4-inch nails landed squarely on his cheek. We got the picture.

“Mommy, I almost died,” Max exclaimed.

“I’m glad you survived, Buddy,” Mommy comforted Max, “But you would probably be the first death by slowmotion-sloth-maul.”

“Sloths are dangerous.”

Despite some initial setbacks, Max did get a chance for a nice long sloth embrace. I’m also pleased to report that by the end of the trip, even though he had a death-grip on my shoulder the whole time, he was able to snorkel through whole schools of brightly colored fish.

On the other end of the adventure spectrum, Jack and I got open water scuba certified this past fall and were able to go on some amazing dives, seeing eels, loggerhead turtles, sting rays, swimming through shipwrecks and having a whole new set of gorgeous experiences. Michael also got to try scuba and became quite proficient at skin

Knowing that this trip was in our future, Wifey announced at New Year’s that she had a resolution to, “smoke a cigar on a tropical beach.” The kids all expressed some curiosity about the cigar.

“It’s not good for you,” Wifey laughed. “But it’s not illegal and you don’t really inhale the smoke.”

“Can we try it?” Michael wanted to know.

Wifey looked at me and shrugged, “You won’t like it, but sure.”

So, we bought a couple locally made cigars and introduced not only our children, but took on the role of Evil-Godparent, and introduced our friends’ teenagers to the delicious vice of cigar smoke.

“That’s disgusting,” Matilda said. “People actually like this?”

“That’s right kids,” I said in a deep voice.

“Why are you doing it?”

“Peer-pressure from Mommy.”

“Hey now,” Wifey laughed.

As a former history teacher, I absolutely loved reflecting with the kids on the differences between the developing country in which we vacationed and the United States. Travel has an uncanny ability to allow kids to start to understand difficult economic concepts — “Why is it over 1,000 of their dollars to buy a T-shirt?”— and to reflect on cultural differences like language, and food, and how pets are treated. Mark Twain said it best: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

It's impossible to predict the future for our kids. All we can do is provide them with safety and structure and hopefully broaden their horizons and open their minds and hearts.

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.

Playing the grumpy old man card

I jump on the chairlift, happy to be there and happy to be able to get right on — no line and by myself. Suddenly, out of nowhere, this guy slips in, not gracefully and with his bad music playing — loud. What? Really? Empty chair in front of me, empty chair behind me, I guess he just needs a friend; I don’t. Okay, just playing the grumpy old man card.

“Hey, mind if I have my music?” he says . at least he asked.

“Well, yeah, I really don’t want to listen to that, maybe just not that loud, please.” He turns it down a bit, not enough to remove the obnoxiousness, but some.

Then I try the usual pleasantries: “How’s it going today?

Where ya been playin’?”

“I’ve been over there in those trees,” he says. “Most people don’t go in there, so you probably don’t know where I’m talking about, and besides, you need some pretty good skis to go in there.” I glance down at his skis. They are huge,

maybe 118 or so under foot and fully rockered, pretty much a big powder day ski. Now mind you, this is mid-January, winter snow but well packed down — no powder day. I’m on my skinniest skis, which are still mid-sized at just under 100 underfoot, plenty big for these conditions, some would say bigger than needed, so we are both over-gunned to some degree but all in a good day’s fun, right?

My buddy does some head bobbin’ to his bad music. We actually have a few laughs about how fun last year was and how busy it has been. Then he says, “Yeah, it really kinda sucks up here this weekend. I thought there would be a lot more snow!”

“Yeah, we all thought there would be more snow,” I say, but it has been pretty damned fun. You can go everywhere on the upper

mountains and the snow quality has been really holding well, but I guess people will find something to complain about no matter what the snow is like. And you know, it is still early really. We frequently get our best snows late February and March. Surely you have heard of “Febubury” and “Miracle March.” Just wait — it’s gonna get way better.

He says he is from the Bay Area (Well, that’s obvious) and that it might be his last trip up for this kind of snow; there is other stuff to do at home (Okay, good thinking), “and now I have to pay for parking too, there goes my money for a beer at the deck

at lunch. Where you from?” he asks.

“Oh, I live here. Do you come up here a lot?”

“Yep.”

“So you must know this mountain pretty good.”

“Yep. So where are you headed now?”

“Oh, I’m just cruisin’ around,” I tell him.

Then he drops the question: “Would you mind if I follow you?”

“Mmm, I really don’t want to hear your noise while I’m enjoying being out here. I would rather hear the mountain.”

“Oh, I can turn it off,” he says.

“Well, you should have done that when you got out of your car. And besides,” I point to my Telemark binding, “I’m going to climb out a bit before I drop so that might be tough for you to do.”

“I always wondered why you guys ski those bindings; you learn something new every day.” I was hoping you learned two new things today, I think to myself as we unload. As he skis away, I can hear him turn the noise back up.

Wow, if you had just been a little more respectful, I would have taken you somewhere you haven’t skied before, and you would have learned something new today.

Alright, full disclosure, I had started this bit of a tirade to be used last month but ran out of time, hence my re-run column in February. So here I am, finishing right at deadline anyway!

And what do you know, here we are at the end of a fun and exciting four-day storm that changed everything. I will admit, I was skeptical about the amount of snow we were supposed to get; you know, all the hype just makes me think — yeah right! Well, yeah right, that was just a good classic Sierra storm — BAM. Maybe the amount of wind made the weather people and the media get more cautionary about the whole four days — you know, “blizzard conditions…don’t leave your house… you could become disoriented and fall over! Or worse yet, drive your car into a ditch or someone else’s car.” Okay, that is pretty realistic, isn’t it? That was beautiful and exciting; I love those storms.

Now, how about my buddy from that obnoxious chair ride? I don’t hate to say it: “Told you so!” And the grumpy old man says, I hope you did find something nice to do at home, golf maybe. I wonder if you would play that same music there? Oh, you probably would have knocked the muffler off your lowered “tuner” Subaru in the deep snow if you tried to get here anyway. Let’s play.

A winter movie to hold you over

You know I have always liked watching actor Paul Giamatti. I certainly haven’t seen everything he has done but every time I do see him, I like his performance. He’s one of those film stars I tout for having a theatre background before he ventured into TV and film.

Giamatti got an MFA in theatre from Yale School of Drama back in 1994. He appeared in plays, including on Broadway, at about the same time he was beginning a career in TV and movies. He was a supporting character in a lot of films until he gained more notice playing underground comic book writer and music critic Harvey Pekar in the film American Splendor in 2003. But it was the 2004 road trip comedy Sideways that put him up on the A list. He portrayed Miles, a depressed writer vacationing in the Santa Barbara wine country with his best friend who is looking for a last fling before his wedding. Paul received a Golden Globe nomination, an Independent Spirit Award and was named best actor in a leading role by several significant film critics groups. I had seen him in minor roles earlier, but this was the first film where I really began to appreciate his talent.

From there, he got an Academy best supporting actor nomination for his role as Joe Gould

in Cinderella Man. He’s played everything from John Adams (in a 2008 TV miniseries) to a nasty villain called The Rhino in The Amazing Spiderman 2 in 2014. He does comedies, dramas, thrillers, lead roles and supporting roles and he still does theatre. He is an everyman character with bottled intensity that can come out in many ways. No matter what he is doing — soft, loud, big, small— he will engage you. And he has the full sense of believability; there is never a sense of “acting”— just the life of the character. Must be that theatre training.

And now for the first time, Giamatti has been nominated for a best actor Oscar in the new film The Holdovers (which you can

days, only one student remains, a 17-year-old named Angus, a good student with a bad attitude whose behavior always threatens to get him expelled. Joining Paul and Angus is head cook Mary, an African American woman who caters to all the sons of privilege and whose own son was recently killed in Vietnam. These three become an unlikely group to share the Christmas holidays.

When I saw the preview for this film I thought, okay, three people will be cooped up together and they will learn about themselves and each other. But the film is more than that. First off, there is a longer segment before the other kids leave the school — enough time that you get some good back-

When I saw the preview for this film I thought, okay, three people will be cooped up together and they will learn about themselves and each other. But the film is more than that.

now catch on Prime for $4.99). He stars as Paul Hunham, a cranky ancient civilizations teacher at a New England prep school in 1970, forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. After a few

story on everyone, though no revelations until later. Mr. Hunham is basically disliked by both students and other faculty, though the character is not drawn as a mean person. He simply has a rigid and strict way of looking at the world as well as having no real life be-

yond the school. He has gotten in trouble for failing students whose parents financially support the school because he will not bend his moral compass. But the character is not without compassion and a sense of humor, though his wit tends to reference classical history and flies over most people’s heads. And this character was practically written for Giamatti’s acting strengths: a sense of honest compassion and wit combined with limited empathy and a dose of antagonism, though soulful underneath.

Angus is played by newcomer Dominic Sessa in his film debut. He was discovered at an audition for the film at the Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts where he was a student.The Deerfield served as the location for the fictional Barton Academy in the film. In his first film Dominic does well as the troubled Angus. He hits all the ups and downs, though the layers don’t go too deep. Da'Vine Joy Randolph is the grieving head cook Mary, and she plays that loss fully, though she isn’t given much more to work with (though she received a nomination for best supporting actress). The other kids in the earlier part of the film are relegated to more cliché roles to help establish Angus and Paul and pretty much just serve as exposition and set-up for the later prem-

ise. As a matter of fact, almost every other character in the film is pretty much formula, except for Carrie Preston, who plays one of the school secretaries. You might remember Carrie as the quirky Elsbeth Tascioni from both The Good Wife and The Good Fight TV series (and recently starring in her own TV series called Elsbeth). She has some of that quirk here and is very engaging as someone who pulls Paul a bit out of his shell.

The film certainly is about three different people, spending time together, though not by choice, two of whom, Paul and Angus, will learn about each other and themselves. The revelations are not too far from formula with a couple of surprises, but all played believably. The end arrives close to where you expect it to, though again, with a believable finish.

Overall, The Holdovers is a touching, funny, bittersweet film, showcasing the excellent acting talents of Paul Giamatti who deserves the best actor nomination. The film has four other nominations, including best picture. I have to say that Teresa didn’t see it yet because I watched it while holed up at the house during the snowstorm and she was on a yoga retreat in Sonoma with her good friend. But I will venture to say that she would have liked it.

Paul Giamatti stars as a cranky prep school teacher in The Holdovers.

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