Effective May 31, 2024, Seasonal Open Burning (wood, slash, or needle piles) will be closed for Incline Village and Crystal Bay, NV.

Recreational fires (wood or charcoal fire within a non-combustible container with a 1/8” mesh screen) are still allowed with a permit.

Barbeque grilling is still allowed, with the following guidelines:

All grilling appliances shall be used within the manufacturer’s guidelines and recommendations.

Follow these simple safety tips when using solid-fuel, charcoal, or propane grills.

• Propane, charcoal, and other solid-fuel grills should only be used outdoors.
• The grill should be placed far away from the home, deck railings, and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
• Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the grill area.
• Keep your grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and in trays below the grill.
• Never leave your grill unattended.
• Always make sure your gas grill lid is open before lighting it.

Charcoal Grills:

• Charcoal grills are prohibited on combustible surfaces.
• There are several ways to get the charcoal ready to use. Charcoal chimney starters allow you to start the charcoal using newspaper as a fuel.
• If you use a starter fluid, use only charcoal starter fluid. Never add charcoal fluid or any other flammable liquids to the fire.

• Keep charcoal fluid out of the reach of children and away from heat sources.
• There are also electric charcoal starters, which do not use fire. Be sure to use an extension cord for outdoor use.
• When you are finished grilling, let the coals completely cool before disposing in a metal container. Contact the Fire District for a free ash can (residents will need to have some type of wood-burning heating appliance to be considered for the program). To obtain a free ash can, residents may fill out an application at the Fire District Administration Office, 866 Oriole Way, Incline Village. If the required criteria are met, an ash can will be provided.

Propane Grills:

• Check the gas tank hose for leaks before using it for the first time each year.
• Apply a light soap and water solution to the hose. A propane leak will release bubbles.
• If your grill has a gas leak, by smell, or the soapy bubble test, and there is no flame, turn off the gas tank and grill. If the leak stops, get the grill serviced by a professional before using it again. If the leak does not stop, call the fire department.
• If you smell gas while cooking, immediately leave the grill and call the fire department. Do not move the grill.
• If the flame goes out, turn the grill and gas off and wait at least 15 minutes before re-lighting it.

Please note: no open flame of any kind is allowed during Red Flag Warnings.

While staying at the enchanting Renaissance recently, I had a view of the Truckee River, and a half dozen homeless folks dwelling there on her silent shores. They pretty much kept to themselves until a gregarious gentleman came along with something to eat that he passed out to one after another until they were all up and around on the riverbank, bargaining and trading with what little they had to offer. This was quite possibly their main meal for the day, and they were exhibiting great gladness in celebrating it…

Most of us Americans have never experienced real hunger as opposed to just feeling hungry. The only time I ever experienced hunger was in Vietnam when a low hanging cloud cover kept us Marines from being resupplied. We went four days without eating before we came upon a field of onions, dug a few up, and ate them raw, without any condiments or complaints. Of course we had the breath of a buzzard for the next three months, but we didn’t care.

Back to our homeless folks on the Truckee, they seemed delighted with what little sustenance was bequeathed to them by the Good Samaritan gentleman, who looked to be homeless himself. My first impulse was to go down there and invite the seven of them to dinner at the Renaissance, but I had to go downstairs and talk into a microphone for my own dinner. It did not go unappreciated by me that could I not talk for my supper, I might be out there on the riverbank, sharing a few KitKats with my new neighbors.

But help is on the way. I’ve been reading about Emergency Urban Sleeper Pods. They’re called, “Amazing Grace Spaces Pods,” and are 8ftX6ft with a bed, light, toilet and USB socket. They even have a coded smart lock to protect the no longer homeless person on the inside. Nobody would want to live in one of these pods for long, but it would give someone time to find a better life. My hat is off to Amazing Graces Spaces for caring, and expressing that care with Emergency Urban Sleeper Pods.

I had a dream last night that I was asleep in my pod there on the bank of the Truckee, when the river rose and floated me downstream into Pyramid Lake, where I bobbed around for an hour or so before some merciful Washoe folks banged on my door, and towed me back to land, where we dined on dried trout. 

As a nation, we have got to deal with homelessness, this stain on our good name. There are more caring folks out there capable of building pods as a short-term stopgap measure toward a permanent solution to homelessness.

Meanwhile, Nevada Cares Campus is providing shelter to folks who are seeking more permanent housing opportunities. Bravo to them!

There are so many caring people on deck and ready. We need hammers & nails, and some charitable counseling. Go Reno!

Audio: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Fhv4PrH1UuwlhbnTT23zO

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 06/03/2024, Written by Brenna O’Boyle

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Jesse Santina was chosen to represent Incline High School’s Class of 2024 in Washoe County School District’s annual Countdown to Graduation celebration.

The district’s 20 high school principals choose their recipients. 

“Jesse Santina exemplifies the spirit of excellence and leadership we cherish at Incline High School,” said Principal Tierney Cahill who selected Santina for this honor. “As one of our valedictorians with a remarkable 5.1 GPA, his dedication extends beyond the classroom to the cross country and track teams as well as the nationally ranked ‘We the People’ team. Jesse’s acceptance into the Naval Academy in Annapolis on a Congressional appointment is a testament to his hard work and character. He is a humble leader who brings others along and ensures everyone feels included. Above all, Jesse is a remarkable human being whose achievements and values make him a standout choice for our spotlight student.”

READ MORE >

Photo Credit Tahoe Daily Tribune

Over the years I’ve had the distinct honor of delivering a few commencement sermons to some great graduates. So I dug down into a dusty bin to find out if any one of those ancient relics holds any water today. I shall share Sierra Nevada College here (abbreviated) and let you be the judge…

For the class of 2006 I have some good news and some bad. The good news is, as Bergson tells us, “Life, in all its color, warmth and complexity, is far greater than any intelligible formulation of it.”

  The bad news is, after today, the word “party” is no longer a verb. You are now a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent. So keep in mind what our friend Mark Twain advocates, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”

Yours will be the first generation whose foremost responsibility, whose foremost obligation, will be to stand up in an over-heated environment and shout, “Fire!”

It will take an intellectual process to predict the impact that greenhouse gasses will have on our environment in the year 2100.  You have the intellect to make the predictions and deal with the problems.  And, to facilitate this process, Sierra Nevada College will soon unveil the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, just behind us here…45,000 square feet of scientific space dedicated to the study of our Alpine ecosystem. 
  I come today equipped to offer our graduates one hundred life lessons, but will spare you, and offer five for your consideration.  

Life lesson #1:  Money, you might be surprised to find out, money is not for throwing from the back of trains.  Save your money.  Don’t gamble.  But if you do gamble…don’t split your tens.  And don’t waste time on Keno, it’s a 17% house-hold.

Life lesson #2: You must travel, far.  St. Augustine tells us, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”  In your travels you will eventually come to appreciate what Mark Russell discovered: “The rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage.”  Always pack a change of underwear in your carry-on.

Life lesson #3: Read good books.  The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.  Today’s literature is mostly about sex and not much about having children, whereas life is the other way around.  And when you consider having children, remember this caveat from Martin Mull: “Having children is like having a bowling alley installed in your head.” 
  For life lesson #4 we can thank Marcus Aurelius: “Waste no time debating what a good man should be…be one.”  And as an addendum to life lesson #4 we can turn to Robert Frost:  “You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness.”

For those who aspire to go into acting, I offer life lesson #5 from George Burns: “Acting is about sincerity.  If you can fake that you’ve got it made.”  George used to call me on my birthday, God rest his beautiful soul. And I asked him the last time I spoke to him, “George, I understand you’re still going out with young women…why!?”  He said, “Because their stories are shorter.”

Yes, on that note, I can hear William Hazlitt, an Essayist from the 1830’s, shouting these words to our graduates of today:  “Look up, laugh loud, talk big, keep the color in your cheek and the fire in your eye, adorn your person, maintain your health, your beauty and your animal spirits.”
           

Sierra Nevada College class of 2006:  Have a good life – have a good time – and God’s speed…

Audio: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Fhv4PrH1UuwlhbnTT23zO

Submitted and Written By David Vomund

Two weeks ago The Guardian published the results of a Harris poll on the economy.  The findings were very interesting:

• 55% of those polled believe the economy is shrinking, and 56% think the U.S. is experiencing a recession.  It’s not.  The economy hasn’t contracted since mid-2022 and is currently growing at an annual pace of about 1.3 percent
• 49% believe the S&P 500 index is down for the year.  It’s not.  The S&P 500 is up 10 percent and that’s after a 24 percent gain last year.
• 49% believe that unemployment is at a 50-year high.  It’s not.  It’s actually near a 50-year low.
• 72% think inflation is increasing.  Wrong again.  Today’s 3.4 percent inflation is down from its post-Covid peak of 9.1 percent and stable. 

How can so many Americans be so wrong?  I see three possible reasons:  1.  People don’t follow the economy and markets.   2.  People are misinformed, getting their information from bad sources. 3.  People are frustrated by paying higher prices so they view everything about the economy as bad.  Number 3 is the most likely.

  The half of Americans who are wrong about the economy can be forgiven.  They see higher prices at the pumps and higher prices at the grocery stores.  Housing is unaffordable.  Even if prices stayed flat the frustration would remain the same.  As I’ve previously written, falling inflation doesn’t mean lower prices.  It simply means prices are rising at a slower rate.

Most people are not economists.  A poll can ask about a recession but how many people know what a recession is?  Instead, people know that their paychecks don’t go as far as they once did.  Blame inflation again.  

Interestingly, while many believe the economy is shrinking and we are in a recession, consumer spending shows the opposite.  Traveling over Memorial Day weekend reached a record high.  The TSA screened 2.9 million people on Friday.  It felt like most of those travelers came to Tahoe!  

With all the negativity many investors are choosing money-market funds over riskier investments like stocks and bonds.  It’s hard to argue with a risk-free 5 percent return.  But those with a long time horizon should stick with stocks, especially dividend payers.  As the esteemed investor Peter Lynch once said, “Far more money has been lost by investors preparing for corrections, or trying to anticipate corrections, than has been lost in the corrections themselves.”  I couldn’t agree more.

David Vomund is an Incline Village-based Independent Investment Advisor.  Information is found at www.VomundInvestments.com or by calling 775-832-8555.  Clients hold the positions mentioned in this article.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Consult your financial advisor before purchasing any security.