Originally published in Moonshine Ink, 1/22/2026, Staff Report

The final U.S. Ski and Snowboard team rosters for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics were released on Jan. 22. Six athletes from Tahoe/Truckee made the cut for alpine skiing, nordic skiing, and snowboarding.

The U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team includes Carnelian Bay’s AJ Hurt, 25, on the women’s and Tahoe City local Bryce Bennett, 33, on the men’s. Both Hurt and Bennett are former Olympians and world cup podium-finishers. On the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team is another Tahoe Olympian, 25-year-old JC Schoonmaker. 

Tahoe/Truckee also has debuting Olympians. Olympic Valley Freestyle Freeride (OVFree) Team’s 15-year-old Abby Winterberger joins the freeski team for the Freeski Halfpipe as the only club-level freeski athlete to qualify directly to the Olympics. Winterberger began on OVFree at eight years old and bypassed the traditional route of making it onto the U.S. pro team before the Olympics. 

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Footballs are pointy and bounce funny. I guess that’s what makes football so much fun. Watching a grown man chase a fumble is like watching a child chase a duck, it’s enough to make a cow laugh, really.

Betting on sports is popular these days, but you don’t want to bet on football. No, save your money for March Madness where the balls are round and the games are determined by something the fat guys in Las Vegas cannot measure or predict, that of the heart. 

My good friend Pilarski RIP and me, used to carry money out of the Hyatt Sports Book in wheelbarrows in March. Of course, we would give it back over the balance of the year, but, hey, we had a few free drinks and one merry hell of a good time along the way.

There was one season in my hoary old days of sports betting where I actually made a small fortune by adding up the total tonnage of offensive lines, and betting on the heavy side to best protect the quarterback and the running backs. That proposition vaporized however when my swaggering stats got swallowed up by an even heavier defensive line.

Then for a while, I rode comfortably along with the Tooth Fairy by betting strictly on the strongest kickers, as so many games are determined by a field goal. That manifesto served me well until my favorite kicker got turf toe and kicked me out at the next homeless shelter for escaped sports book apostates.

Every little surefire sportsbook scheme that set me on fire from head to foot soon enough left me grasping for a Little-Three-Team-Prospect-Made-in-Heaven. 

For a few short weeks I actually made money on the flip of the coin. I figured the captain of the team who won the toss would be so jacked-up as to continue his good fortune with a dead-center win, and there was still time to get in on the action. That prediction market held me over for a few weeks of euphoria until I got puffed up big as a Kauai Bufo and bet the farm on one single provocative toss. I am limping still from the loss…

At the end of my string, I turned to that Oracle of Prophecy, my ex-wife, whose favorite team is the Bengals, though she calls them the “Bagels.” 

“Honey, who do you like in this Sunday’s feature game?” I asked over the phone.

“Who’s playing?”

“The Bengals and the Rams.”

“Well, you know I love my Bagels, so bet against the Lambs.”

You might wonder why I might consult my ex-wife for advice on football bets.

Well, when her attorney called to tell me I was late with my alimony, I excused myself by telling him, “But she told me to put it on the Bagels!”

I shall leave the last word about football to Mark Twain’s astute observation of 1900, 

“Football beats croquet. There’s more go about it!”

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

After nearly 40 years of building Chase International into a successful regional luxury real estate brokerage, founder Shari Chase has sold the company to Susan Lowe and Georgia Chase, who have helped lead the organization since its 1986 inception. Shari Chase will remain actively involved as founder and chair emeritus, providing strategic guidance and continuity.

“Chase International began as a vision I carried long before it became a company, a belief that business could be built on humanity, courage and trust,” said founder Shari Chase. “What we have created together is far more than an organization. It is a living legacy, and I am deeply proud of what it has become and how it will continue forward.”

“What began as a dream has grown into a firm known for integrity, market leadership and a heart-centered culture, with a strong presence throughout Northern California, Nevada and beyond,” said Sue Lowe. “It is as much as a company as it is a family where people are seen, valued and empowered and where extraordinary things unfold. Georgia Chase and I are honored to continue Shari’s legacy.”

According to Lowe, the firm will continue to operate as an independent brokerage “preserving local leadership, faster decision-making and its longstanding commitment to personalized service, community involvement and agent-focused leadership” as many regional firms are absorbed by national brands.

 “As we enter this next chapter, we will continue to lead Chase International with confidence grounded in decades of experience and industry-leading achievements,” said Georgia Chase. “That foundation creates meaningful opportunity ahead for both our professionals and the buyers and sellers who rely on us for thoughtful guidance when the decisions matter most.”

“Our priority is simple,” Lowe said. “To protect what makes Chase special while continuing to strengthen the platform that supports our agents’ success. When our agents are supported at the highest level, buyers and sellers receive better guidance, better representation and more meaningful results.”          ###

About Chase International

Founded in 1986, Chase International is a leading independent luxury real estate brokerage serving Nevada and California, with a strong presence throughout Northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe region. The firm is known for its market leadership in luxury residential, ranch and resort real estate, representing some of the region’s most significant properties and clientele.

Over the past five years, Chase International has closed more than $10 billion in sales, helping more than 11,700 families and individuals buy and sell real estate. The firm has consistently led the market in the sale of homes priced above $5 million, $10 million and $20 million, surpassing regional competitors in ultra-luxury transactions.

Chase International is supported by more than 300 highly skilled real estate professionals, including 60 luxury specialists, across 14 office locations, providing clients with deep local expertise and a collaborative, full-service platform. The firm operates under the guiding principle “One Company, One Heart, One Philosophy,” which shapes its culture, leadership and commitment to clients, agents and communities.

Chase International remains an independent brokerage, locally guided and committed to delivering an elevated, relationship-driven experience while offering its agents a powerful platform to grow and lead in the luxury real estate market.

For more information, visit www.chaseinternational.com.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is updating regional environmental goals, called threshold standards, for forest health and community wildfire protection in the Lake Tahoe Basin and is seeking public input, the agency said today.

As a founding member of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team and leader of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, TRPA is working with land managers, scientists, and the community to restore balance and resilience to the basin’s forests. 

“Lake Tahoe’s forests are a vital part of the basin’s ecosystem, wildlife habitat, and recreation, and they help protect the lake’s incredible clarity, but they have changed dramatically over time,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. “Setting measurable forest health targets based on current science is essential to restore Tahoe’s forests to a healthy, resilient condition.”

In the 19th century, silver mining on the Comstock Lode drove clear-cutting of the majority of Tahoe’s forests. Later, decades of fire suppression created dense forests with accumulated dead vegetation, increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Since the founding of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) in 1997, land managers have treated more than 100,000 acres through forest fuel reduction and prescribed fire projects. This work has been made possible by hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, state, local, and private funding.

Thousands more acres are planned, including 44,300 acres as part of the Lake Tahoe West project and priority fuel reduction work along evacuation routes to improve public safety during emergencies. Increasing the pace and scale of forest health projects underscores the need for clear, measurable benchmarks for the region, according to TRPA.

New Forest Health Threshold Standards

A growing body of science and past wildfires in the Tahoe Region show that modern forest management practices can reduce wildfire severity and support long-term ecosystem health. The four proposed forest health goals leverage advancements in fire science and climate research to restore a balanced mosaic of forest ages, manage canopy cover, and reduce stand density. They also set targets for predicted fire behavior in wildland areas and in the Wildland Urban Interface, which is the critical area along evacuation routes and around neighborhoods.

Members of the public can review the new goals at tinyurl.com/ForestThresholds. A survey at the end of the summary is available to provide feedback. The agency will provide an informational presentation on the proposed thresholds at the TRPA Governing Board Environmental Improvement Program Committee meeting on January 28, 2026. The Governing Board is expected to take action on the new standards on February 25.

Additional Background

The 2007 Angora Wildfire burned 3,100 acres in the southern portion of the Tahoe Basin and destroyed more than 250 homes. Since 2007 alone, Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team partners have thinned nearly 80,000 acres of forest and conducted tens of thousands of defensible space evaluations to help homeowners reduce wildfire risk on their properties. Some of this work helped firefighters protect Lake Tahoe during the 2021 Caldor Fire. The 221,000-acre fire burned nearly 10,000 acres in the Tahoe Basin, with no primary residences or lives lost.

Funding from the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, California and Nevada bonds and appropriations, local tax measures, and private-sector support has made this work possible.

As a core member of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, TRPA has streamlined processes and applied science-based policies to help increase the pace and scale of forest health projects. In 2022, the TRPA Governing Board adopted new policies that significantly expanded where ground-based mechanical equipment can be used on steep slopes in the Tahoe Basin. Nearly half of that area is in the Wildland Urban Interface near communities where hand crews and mechanical equipment now work together.

PHOTO: Photo by Tahoe Regional Planning Agency: Healthy forests help protect Lake Tahoe by stabilizing soil and taking up nutrients, both of which affect the lake’s famed clarity.