1/08 tahoe mt. news
By Kathryn Reed
A lingering smoky smell is the only thing diners might notice from the fire that shutdown the Fresh Ketch restaurant during Christmas week.
General Manager George West got a wake-up call at 2:30 Christmas morning from the fire alarm company. The South Lake Tahoe restaurant was on fire, though no flames were visible.
The floor in the upstairs kitchen and ceiling of the seafood bar sustained about $60,000 in damage. One of the upstairs stoves, the floor joist, ceiling panels and carpet have been replaced.
“The way the ovens are set up it was a long-term exposure of heat from the ovens on the wood below. It kept drying out the wood,” West said. “Firefighters said it could have been burning for days.”
He estimates the restaurant lost $80,000 in sales before it was able to open again on New Year’s Eve.
“The toughest part was the staff. They were counting on a big week,” West said. He said the 25 servers-bar staff might have lost out on $16,000 in tips.
2007 wasn’t kind to the company that owns the Ketch as well as the Beacon restaurant at Camp Richardson. The Beacon was closed during what is usually one of its busiest times because of the Angora Fire.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Freedom Writer in Tahoe
1/08 tahoe mt.news:
By Kathryn Reed
Gangs. Racism. Intolerance. Packaged together and they make for a pretty intense learning environment.
Watching “Freedom Writers” was like putting a mirror in front of many South Tahoe Middle School students. Not everyone liked what they saw. And they weren’t about to let the status quo rule.
“It changed the relationship in the classroom. They went through the school year hating each other and by the end they wanted to hang out,” said seventh-grader Dakota Cronin. “(The movie) really changed the way I looked at racism.”
The film has had a lingering affect. Students say self-segregation is no longer the norm at school.
“Nobody wanted to interact with anyone but their own race,” student Isabella Castillo said of life before seeing the movie. “There are still groups, but they’re mixed.”
Cronin, Castillo and Shane Whitt along with many of their classmates were skeptical last school year when their teachers took them to see “Freedom Writers”, a movie about a Long Beach school barely surviving -- because of the teachers and students – and how one teacher made a difference.
So inspired were these three students by what they saw on the big screen, that they are helping teacher Cindy Cowen bring one of the real life Freedom Writers to campus Jan. 24.
“I want to recharge the class from last year. What that class taught me last year is don’t give up,” said Cowen of why she is having Manuel V. Scott speak to the school. “There is a huge message of hope in that movie.”
A grant from the El Dorado Community Foundation is paying for the student assembly. Lake Tahoe Education Foundation is paying for Scott to speak at South Tahoe High School on Jan. 25.
The community is invited to hear him the night of Jan. 24 at STMS. (Time was not available when we printed this.) Lake Tahoe Community College and Lake Tahoe Collaborative are covering the costs that evening, though donations will be accepted.
Scott travels the world inspiring others to turn their lives around. His was a rocky road. He dropped out of school at 14. Drugs, alcohol and crime were part of his daily routine.
“I was once dismissed as ‘unreachable’ and ‘unteachable,’ and classified as an ‘English as a Second Language’ student,” Scott says on his website, “but something special happened, and I love sharing that message with others.”
He did not return phone calls.
All students at South Tahoe Middle School will have seen “Freedom Writers” before Scott arrives.
Anne Frank, Southern California gang bangers, STMS. They aren’t as different as one might think. Journaling is one of the positives they share. In the movie the kids, most who didn’t know much about Frank or the Holocaust, were enlightened by going to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
And then they started writing in journals much like Frank did with her diary.
Seeing how putting personal thoughts onto paper made a difference for the kids in the movie, South Tahoe students asked if they could do the same. They weren’t graded. It was more of a cathartic exercise for themselves and a chance for teachers to gain insight into where they were coming from.
“Since I started writing in the journal my life isn’t as stressful, as depressed,” Whitt said. He still writes.
By Kathryn Reed
Gangs. Racism. Intolerance. Packaged together and they make for a pretty intense learning environment.
Watching “Freedom Writers” was like putting a mirror in front of many South Tahoe Middle School students. Not everyone liked what they saw. And they weren’t about to let the status quo rule.
“It changed the relationship in the classroom. They went through the school year hating each other and by the end they wanted to hang out,” said seventh-grader Dakota Cronin. “(The movie) really changed the way I looked at racism.”
The film has had a lingering affect. Students say self-segregation is no longer the norm at school.
“Nobody wanted to interact with anyone but their own race,” student Isabella Castillo said of life before seeing the movie. “There are still groups, but they’re mixed.”
Cronin, Castillo and Shane Whitt along with many of their classmates were skeptical last school year when their teachers took them to see “Freedom Writers”, a movie about a Long Beach school barely surviving -- because of the teachers and students – and how one teacher made a difference.
So inspired were these three students by what they saw on the big screen, that they are helping teacher Cindy Cowen bring one of the real life Freedom Writers to campus Jan. 24.
“I want to recharge the class from last year. What that class taught me last year is don’t give up,” said Cowen of why she is having Manuel V. Scott speak to the school. “There is a huge message of hope in that movie.”
A grant from the El Dorado Community Foundation is paying for the student assembly. Lake Tahoe Education Foundation is paying for Scott to speak at South Tahoe High School on Jan. 25.
The community is invited to hear him the night of Jan. 24 at STMS. (Time was not available when we printed this.) Lake Tahoe Community College and Lake Tahoe Collaborative are covering the costs that evening, though donations will be accepted.
Scott travels the world inspiring others to turn their lives around. His was a rocky road. He dropped out of school at 14. Drugs, alcohol and crime were part of his daily routine.
“I was once dismissed as ‘unreachable’ and ‘unteachable,’ and classified as an ‘English as a Second Language’ student,” Scott says on his website, “but something special happened, and I love sharing that message with others.”
He did not return phone calls.
All students at South Tahoe Middle School will have seen “Freedom Writers” before Scott arrives.
Anne Frank, Southern California gang bangers, STMS. They aren’t as different as one might think. Journaling is one of the positives they share. In the movie the kids, most who didn’t know much about Frank or the Holocaust, were enlightened by going to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
And then they started writing in journals much like Frank did with her diary.
Seeing how putting personal thoughts onto paper made a difference for the kids in the movie, South Tahoe students asked if they could do the same. They weren’t graded. It was more of a cathartic exercise for themselves and a chance for teachers to gain insight into where they were coming from.
“Since I started writing in the journal my life isn’t as stressful, as depressed,” Whitt said. He still writes.
Enrollment on the South Shore
1/08 tahoe mt. news:
By Kathryn Reed
Officials at school sites throughout the South Shore monitor enrollment on a daily basis because how many students show up affects the budget.
The best news is at Lake Tahoe Community College, where numbers from fall quarter were about 10 percent higher than fall 2006. Last school year the college saw about a 7 percent overall increase, while the previous three academic years enrollment declined.
Lori Gaskin, vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Services, isn’t ready to proclaim the upturn as a trend, but she is encouraged by the numbers. She says various factors play into the increase. Part has to do with the state reducing fees in January 2007. Part is online classes growing popularity -- 600 people signed up for one last quarter.
“We have made a very aggressive effort to outreach, market and recruit. We’ve done that by going to college fairs around the state and revamping our website,” Gaskin said.
When people inquire online about the college they receive an email response and handwritten note from Gaskin.
The goal is to reach the 18- to 24-year-olds who are likely to be full-time students. Ads play on radio stations in Sacramento geared toward that age group. The college is reaching out to South Tahoe and Whittell high schools, too.
“Thirty percent of the population in this community is Hispanic. We want to reflect that on the campus. One way is to reach out to younger kids and recent high school graduates to show them that college is a viable option,” Gaskin said.
Vocational education programs are growing as well. Gaskin said a strong partnership with South Tahoe High is important in this regard.
“We want them to focus on fire science. We are hoping they put some more resources and effort to build that effort up,” Gaskin said. The college is in its second year of offering a fire academy, while the high school has a limited program.
Lake Tahoe Unified is continuing to lose students, but not at the alarming rate of recent years. The difference from October 2006 to October 2007 was 120 fewer students. However, the district ended last school year with 4,186 kids and had 4,206 last month.
“I think it’s going to be fairly flat this year,” said Superintendent Jim Tarwater of the enrollment change. “Right now we are above where we ended, which is positive.”
But he knows all too well that many families leave when it gets cold or don’t come back after the winter holidays. That reality was known as of deadline.
The district was nervous the Angora Fire would affect attendance, but only a handful of the 55 students who lost their homes have left.
One thing LTUSD and Douglas County School District have in common is a kindergarten class that surpasses last years. LTUSD has 324 kindergartners, whereas most of the first- through fifth-grade classes are in the 275 range. Neither district has a definitive reason for the increase except to point to birth rates increasing.
In Douglas County, Zephyr Cove has 31 kindergartners. That’s only nine more than a year ago, but percentage-wise it’s huge.
The Lake schools for Douglas had a projected enrollment of 528 students, but the three total 516 this school year. Zephyr Cove went from 192 last year to 180 this year, Kingsbury from 145 to 132 and Whittell from 221 to 204.
“I just think people are not able to live up there,” said Sue Estes, budget manager for DCSD. “It’s been a steady decline. I can’t tell you what would make it change.”
To reduce expenses, the district is closing Kingsbury Middle School and turning Zephyr Cove into a K-6 beginning next fall and Whittell will be 7-12.
By Kathryn Reed
Officials at school sites throughout the South Shore monitor enrollment on a daily basis because how many students show up affects the budget.
The best news is at Lake Tahoe Community College, where numbers from fall quarter were about 10 percent higher than fall 2006. Last school year the college saw about a 7 percent overall increase, while the previous three academic years enrollment declined.
Lori Gaskin, vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Services, isn’t ready to proclaim the upturn as a trend, but she is encouraged by the numbers. She says various factors play into the increase. Part has to do with the state reducing fees in January 2007. Part is online classes growing popularity -- 600 people signed up for one last quarter.
“We have made a very aggressive effort to outreach, market and recruit. We’ve done that by going to college fairs around the state and revamping our website,” Gaskin said.
When people inquire online about the college they receive an email response and handwritten note from Gaskin.
The goal is to reach the 18- to 24-year-olds who are likely to be full-time students. Ads play on radio stations in Sacramento geared toward that age group. The college is reaching out to South Tahoe and Whittell high schools, too.
“Thirty percent of the population in this community is Hispanic. We want to reflect that on the campus. One way is to reach out to younger kids and recent high school graduates to show them that college is a viable option,” Gaskin said.
Vocational education programs are growing as well. Gaskin said a strong partnership with South Tahoe High is important in this regard.
“We want them to focus on fire science. We are hoping they put some more resources and effort to build that effort up,” Gaskin said. The college is in its second year of offering a fire academy, while the high school has a limited program.
Lake Tahoe Unified is continuing to lose students, but not at the alarming rate of recent years. The difference from October 2006 to October 2007 was 120 fewer students. However, the district ended last school year with 4,186 kids and had 4,206 last month.
“I think it’s going to be fairly flat this year,” said Superintendent Jim Tarwater of the enrollment change. “Right now we are above where we ended, which is positive.”
But he knows all too well that many families leave when it gets cold or don’t come back after the winter holidays. That reality was known as of deadline.
The district was nervous the Angora Fire would affect attendance, but only a handful of the 55 students who lost their homes have left.
One thing LTUSD and Douglas County School District have in common is a kindergarten class that surpasses last years. LTUSD has 324 kindergartners, whereas most of the first- through fifth-grade classes are in the 275 range. Neither district has a definitive reason for the increase except to point to birth rates increasing.
In Douglas County, Zephyr Cove has 31 kindergartners. That’s only nine more than a year ago, but percentage-wise it’s huge.
The Lake schools for Douglas had a projected enrollment of 528 students, but the three total 516 this school year. Zephyr Cove went from 192 last year to 180 this year, Kingsbury from 145 to 132 and Whittell from 221 to 204.
“I just think people are not able to live up there,” said Sue Estes, budget manager for DCSD. “It’s been a steady decline. I can’t tell you what would make it change.”
To reduce expenses, the district is closing Kingsbury Middle School and turning Zephyr Cove into a K-6 beginning next fall and Whittell will be 7-12.
DCSD consolidation
01/08 tahoe mt. news:
By Kathryn Reed
Parents seemed shocked the district was not budging.
Administrators never intended to.
Kingsbury Middle School will close at the end of this school year. It’s final. And it’s been final since June 2006 when the school board unanimously voted to do so. Zephyr Cove will be a K-6 in the fall, while Whittell High becomes a 7-12.
During a nearly three-hour meeting at Whittell on Dec. 10 about 200 people listened to Superintendent Carol Lark defend the decision she inherited when she took over the helm of the district.
Board member Cindy Trigg, who is the lone Lake representative on the seven-person board, at times seemed like she was campaigning to keep her seat. Her term expires at the end of the year. An ironic twist to the evening was having Lawrence Howell moderate the event. He lost to Trigg in the November 2004 election.
Trigg, Tom Moore and Keith Roman represented the board that night. Not one of them was taking notes.
More than 90 minutes into the discussion someone finally asked Lark to give a two-sentence answer to why Kingsbury is closing instead of Zephyr Cove. Proximity to the high school and economics are her reasons.
The elementary and high schools are on the same street. Sharing teachers will be easier, as will custodial staff and busing issues.
“If we can’t sell Zephyr Cove, it would be a financial disaster,” Lark said. Earlier that night she had indicated the Whittell Estate put a deed restriction on the Zephyr Cove site when it was donated to the school district. It essentially ties the district’s hands when it comes to having choices with what to do with the parcel.
Lark said Zephyr Cove could fetch $4.5 million if allowed to be sold and Kingsbury could garner $9.5 million. To date, Lark said no one has expressed interest in leasing or buying KMS.
In the past 10 years, Douglas County’s Lake schools have declined in enrollment by about 42 percent. No one is arguing to keep all the schools open – just which ones. With Kingsbury being the newest of the three and not having the radon levels of Zephyr Cove, the outspoken parents believe the board’s decision needs to be revisited.
Lark does not anticipate arranging another meeting like last month’s. The three board members said they would not ask their colleagues to reconsider closing Kingsbury.
Parents did gain a few things. Trigg agreed to have the board look into the district’s field trip policy that prevents parents from raising money for travel. The district’s thinking is keeping things equal for all schools is better – so schools with more affluent parents are not providing more than schools with lower income households.
But the district somewhat violates its own policy by spending $9,631 per student at the Lake and $7,278 on valley kids. Lark said the difference is because “you have special needs.”
The elimination of Spanish at the elementary level was brought up. Lark, who is bilingual, appreciated that concern but does not foresee it being reinstituted soon.
As for the radon issue, through that evening’s discussions, it was agreed to investigate more rigorous mitigation measures at the Jan. 8 board meeting – which we did not have time to cover before deadline.
By Kathryn Reed
Parents seemed shocked the district was not budging.
Administrators never intended to.
Kingsbury Middle School will close at the end of this school year. It’s final. And it’s been final since June 2006 when the school board unanimously voted to do so. Zephyr Cove will be a K-6 in the fall, while Whittell High becomes a 7-12.
During a nearly three-hour meeting at Whittell on Dec. 10 about 200 people listened to Superintendent Carol Lark defend the decision she inherited when she took over the helm of the district.
Board member Cindy Trigg, who is the lone Lake representative on the seven-person board, at times seemed like she was campaigning to keep her seat. Her term expires at the end of the year. An ironic twist to the evening was having Lawrence Howell moderate the event. He lost to Trigg in the November 2004 election.
Trigg, Tom Moore and Keith Roman represented the board that night. Not one of them was taking notes.
More than 90 minutes into the discussion someone finally asked Lark to give a two-sentence answer to why Kingsbury is closing instead of Zephyr Cove. Proximity to the high school and economics are her reasons.
The elementary and high schools are on the same street. Sharing teachers will be easier, as will custodial staff and busing issues.
“If we can’t sell Zephyr Cove, it would be a financial disaster,” Lark said. Earlier that night she had indicated the Whittell Estate put a deed restriction on the Zephyr Cove site when it was donated to the school district. It essentially ties the district’s hands when it comes to having choices with what to do with the parcel.
Lark said Zephyr Cove could fetch $4.5 million if allowed to be sold and Kingsbury could garner $9.5 million. To date, Lark said no one has expressed interest in leasing or buying KMS.
In the past 10 years, Douglas County’s Lake schools have declined in enrollment by about 42 percent. No one is arguing to keep all the schools open – just which ones. With Kingsbury being the newest of the three and not having the radon levels of Zephyr Cove, the outspoken parents believe the board’s decision needs to be revisited.
Lark does not anticipate arranging another meeting like last month’s. The three board members said they would not ask their colleagues to reconsider closing Kingsbury.
Parents did gain a few things. Trigg agreed to have the board look into the district’s field trip policy that prevents parents from raising money for travel. The district’s thinking is keeping things equal for all schools is better – so schools with more affluent parents are not providing more than schools with lower income households.
But the district somewhat violates its own policy by spending $9,631 per student at the Lake and $7,278 on valley kids. Lark said the difference is because “you have special needs.”
The elimination of Spanish at the elementary level was brought up. Lark, who is bilingual, appreciated that concern but does not foresee it being reinstituted soon.
As for the radon issue, through that evening’s discussions, it was agreed to investigate more rigorous mitigation measures at the Jan. 8 board meeting – which we did not have time to cover before deadline.
USFS parking regs
1/08 tahoe mt. news:
Parking restrictions will be in effect through May 10 in the Spring Creek Cabin Tract. The purpose is to improve resource protection by reducing soil damage, erosion and roadside drainage run-off.
Posted parking signs designate the parking zones. Violators are subject to citation. The ban is for a one-year trial.
The Forest Service recommends backcountry users park in the Taylor Creek Sno-Park, about one mile south of the Spring Creek Road. Anyone parking in the Sno-Park must display a current 2007-08 Sno-Park permit issued by the California Department of Parks and Recreation at various locations throughout the basin or by going to http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1233.
Parking restrictions will be in effect through May 10 in the Spring Creek Cabin Tract. The purpose is to improve resource protection by reducing soil damage, erosion and roadside drainage run-off.
Posted parking signs designate the parking zones. Violators are subject to citation. The ban is for a one-year trial.
The Forest Service recommends backcountry users park in the Taylor Creek Sno-Park, about one mile south of the Spring Creek Road. Anyone parking in the Sno-Park must display a current 2007-08 Sno-Park permit issued by the California Department of Parks and Recreation at various locations throughout the basin or by going to http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1233.
Higher natural gas rates?
1/08 tahoe mt. news:
Pay attention to those Southwest Gas bills in the coming months because they will contain information about public hearings regarding a proposed average rate increase of 12.5 percent for South Lake Tahoe residential customers.
Customers in El Dorado, Placer and Nevada counties also face hikes to natural gas bills.
The state Public Utilities Commission must approve the increase that would be for what is being called “test year 2009”.
“If this request is approved by the Commission, the proposed rate changes will take effect on January 1, 2009 and thereafter on January 1, 2010 through 2013,” according to published documents.
A copy of the application is available at the Southwest offices in Truckee, Incline Village and Carson City.
Comments may be submitted to public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov or call (415) 703-2074.
Pay attention to those Southwest Gas bills in the coming months because they will contain information about public hearings regarding a proposed average rate increase of 12.5 percent for South Lake Tahoe residential customers.
Customers in El Dorado, Placer and Nevada counties also face hikes to natural gas bills.
The state Public Utilities Commission must approve the increase that would be for what is being called “test year 2009”.
“If this request is approved by the Commission, the proposed rate changes will take effect on January 1, 2009 and thereafter on January 1, 2010 through 2013,” according to published documents.
A copy of the application is available at the Southwest offices in Truckee, Incline Village and Carson City.
Comments may be submitted to public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov or call (415) 703-2074.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)