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After a gangbuster start to the winter season, a lot of us in Tahoe are wondering where all the snow has gone. Sitting here at the end of February with snowpack numbers dwindling, snow lovers are chomping at the bit, waiting to see the storm track shift back our way.

Still, the mountains have been buzzing with activity as skiers and snowboarders race to the mountains to enjoy what natural snow we’ve received and are ever thankful for the assist from local resorts’ snowmaking operations.

Nevada’s nonrestricted gaming licensees reported a total “gaming win” of 1,057,602,710 for the month of December 2019. This amounts to a 5.79 percent decrease compared to December 2018, when licensees reported a gaming win of $999,678,537 according to the monthly report released today by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Considering attempting this 5000-year-old practice that has somehow become a modern phenomenon? Nervous? Don’t be. Here are a few secrets to know before you jump in and try yoga.

1) What To Wear

Back in 2000 when I first began exploring Yoga I would show up for classes in anything from whatever I had worn to class that day to my running shorts and a tank. "Active Wear" was not a thing. It wasn't until I started attending classes at a local gym that I began to seek out clothing that would better allow me to stretch out and bend my body.

The year was 1969. And what a year it was. On July 20, 1969—the Viet Nam War was raging—American Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the surface of the moon. For much of the decade, America and indeed the world had been mesmerized by the space race.

Last week our collective memories returned to that terrible November morning as a raging wildfire swept through Paradise, California. We woke that morning to images of wholesale devastation as fearsome winds drove racing flames from one town and one home to the next. We were horrified to watch videos of citizens running for their lives, desperately trying to escape the smoke and flames that were engulfing everything in their path. Eighty-five people lost their lives—the deadliest fire in California history— in what we now call the Camp Fire.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – There was a lot of public reaction when the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) released their "Proposed Action for the Winter Recreation and Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) Travel Management Project" in September. That document outlined changes to snowmobile access in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has released the "Proposed Action for the Winter Recreation and Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) Travel Management Project," and in that document are changes to snowmobile access in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

They have proposed to open OSV use (snowmobiles) to areas around the lake that have been restricted in the past and close up other areas. The plan still leaves about 50 percent of the lands managed by LTBMU open to OSV use.

The new areas proposed for OSV use

This month, membership in the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has surpassed one million total members since its beginning. Member number one million is Amy Dickinson from Freetown, New York. Amy is the author of the popular advice column, “Ask Amy.” Her journalism career began as a freelancing position with the Chicago Tribune. Her personal life has involved many challenges, including her father’s abandonment of the family when she was a child.

Californians, including the people of Lake Tahoe, love our public lands. We love the cold deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe, the rugged mountains, and the varied forests that are part of the nearly 100 million acres of land all Californians can claim ownership of. We love these public lands not just because of their natural beauty, but because they are central to our way of life. Many of us live here, or moved here, because of what they provide - culture, lifestyle, and livelihood.

Krista Kline Carson passed away peacefully on July 9, 2019 surrounded by family and friends after a 3½ year battle with cancer. Always positive, always upbeat she would constantly describe her life as AWSOME! She was a positive force for everyone who knew her.

She is survived by her husband Jesse Kalin (Philip) Carson, daughter Trella Ruth Carson, parents Don and Gwen Kline, brother and sister-in-law Scott and Jen Kline, step-daughter Madison Merz, step-son Travis Steidle and uncles, cousins and other relatives too numerous to mention.

We’ve finally settled into a spectacular Tahoe summer. Like a shooting star, summer is fleeting, with the Fourth of July already in our review mirror. With all the outdoor recreation that summer affords us here at Lake Tahoe, here’s one more experience worth noting.

If you’re looking for a stunningly beautiful bike ride or a perfect pathway on which to take a walk, the new East Shore Tahoe Trail is unparalleled. Dignitaries recently gathered to celebrate the trail’s grand opening at the end of June. The path is a three-mile link between the south end of Incline Village and Sand Harbor.

While many local groups have joined forces to develop housing for residents, the reality is that it takes time to build new housing. And time is what many of our local employers don't have right now as we head into summer. Faced with an immediate need to house their employees, employers have created their own solutions.

A big shout out to Ruby Abuhajleh for writing her "Viking Corner" column this year! She will write some stories this summer but this is her last column for the school year. She'll be back in the fall!

As the school year wraps up, students at South Tahoe High School are getting their beachwear ready for summer break.

The school year of 2018-2019 had many highlights for STHS students. Here are some:

Junior Bryce Dunnigan said his highlight of the school year was going to the volleyball and basketball games with his teammates from Tahoe Hockey Academy.

In 2007, just as the Angora fire was breaking, Amy Jackson hurriedly attempted to pack her belongings, not knowing what the outcome would be. As she did so, she remembered that she had promised a young 8th-grade boy that if he met her with his birth certificate verifying his age, that she would help cover his fee for AYSO soccer that year. She thought of what to do? I better go, she decided. As she approached their neighborhood in Bijou, she encountered not only the one boy she had promised to meet, but many other boys as well. She was in shock.

I was on the beach today for my first Bachelorette Party Yoga Practice of the season. These sessions are some of my favorite. I love being outside. I love looking at the lake and the mountains. I love sharing in the practice of Yoga for such a joyful event. I am also very good at connecting with and recognizing how prepared each group is for the practice that day.

It’s Been A While Since I Did This

Did you know that Medicare has an ombudsman to help you resolve complaints you may have about your healthcare?

Congress created the job of Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman to assist people with Medicare with their inquiries, complaints, grievances, appeals, and requests for information.

The Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman also shares information with Congress, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and other organizations about what works well and what doesn’t work well to improve the quality of the care you get through Medicare.

As the seasons shift from cold, dry, and grey to warm, damp, and sunny we can easily become swept up in the shift and can lose ourselves in the change. Yoga is a practice of establishing balance, ease, and steadiness. The better we become at recognizing how seasonal changes affect us, the more harmonious we will feel year round.

Understand Your Surroundings

Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual recognition event intended to encourage everyone to learn more about healthcare safety. It’s an opportunity for hospitals and health systems to share their work and resources on patient safety, safety culture and patient engagement.

He’s not Romeo.

I know that you think that when he told you that he would love you forever, take care of you, and accept you, that he really meant it. Maybe it was the 13th “What are you doing?” text that made you believe he really cared. Maybe it was his “Is that your other boyfriend?” response when he saw you talking to another man that made you believe he truly valued you. Maybe it was when he said “No one will love you like I love you” that made you believe he was the only person that would truly accept you.

Do you know what it is like to be hungry? I mean really hungry and not just a little growl in your stomach. I do and so do over 49 million Americans who are what we call “food insecure.” It is a feeling that can best be described as a fist inside of your stomach ever-so-slowly tightening until you are writhing in pain.

Having a nutritious diet has a direct correlation in academic success, psychological well-being, growth, and overall health. A lack of proper nutrition is estimated to cause 678, 000 deaths in the US each year.

After a six-month investigation into drug transactions in the Lake Tahoe Basin, the El Dorado Sheriff's Department Narcotics Task Force executed search warrants at two locations in South Lake Tahoe on August 23, 2017. Large amounts of heroin, methamphetamine and approximately 12 firearms were seized in the search. Lynwood Towle, Shawn German, Melissa Griffis, Paul Ryan, and Krystal Long were all arrested, charged, and eventually pleaded guilty to various charges stemming from those searches.

South Tahoe Now will now be publishing stories from Ruby Abuhajleh, a student at South Tahoe High. Her column, Viking Corner: This Week at South Tahoe High, will feature stories about students, faculty, and events.

In School
This was a short week with Monday and Tuesday canceled due to snow days, which meant plenty of sleep and skiing for some of the students at South Tahoe High School.

With five feet of snow outside, Lily Perez, a freshmen, spent two nights at her friend’s house, unable to make it home.

I was recently watching the movie Castaway. This time, as I watched, I thought about how it was filmed. As the movie begins, Tom Hanks’ character has a bit of a belly. As the story progresses he becomes thinner and more muscular. I assume the effect was created by filming in reverse; he began as thin and muscular and gained the weight afterward. I began thinking about how easily we can change when we put our minds to it.

The holiday season can be a happy and joyous time, bringing family and friends together. But for some, it can be a stressful and lonely time, leading to symptoms of depression. When stress is at its peak, unhealthy behaviors, such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, and overeating, tend to take over. Though people use these behaviors to cope and escape difficult emotions, they tend to make things worse.