Tahoe TAP

Tahoe Talk - 2/23/21

From around the globe to out your backdoor, here are the topics to keep you relevant and up-to-date! 

National News:
- Apple will introduce 217 new emojis in its next iOS update, 14.5. These include a heart on fire, exhaling face, and gender options for the people with beards. Also included in this update is a vaccine-friendly syringe emoji, and support for couples with a mix of skin tones
- England's Jasmine Harrison, 21, becomes youngest woman to row solo across an ocean. 70 days, 3 hours and 48 minutes 3,000 miles across Atlantic Ocean. The first attempt ever was a pair of Norwegians who successfully rowed from Manhattan to France in 1896. Since then there have been about 900 attempts - Only two-thirds have been successful.
- Avalanches have killed at least 30 people in the U.S. this winter, the most in years. The Pacific Northwest is on high alert for more this season. 23 last year was the total last year and 27 is the average.
- Walmart (America’s largest private employer) is raising wages for 425K workers, bumping its employee average to ~$15/hour (up from $14). But it's keeping its starting wage at $11. Of course this announcement is on the heels of record sales of $152B last quarter, as we stocked up on groceries and goodies. In 2020, Walmart filled 7X more online orders than in 2019
- Final Note: Snowiest place in America ever: Mt. Baker 98-99 winter = 1,140” of snow or 95 feet! Snowiest state on average per day: Vermont with every sq inch of the Green Mtn. state receiving 89” per winter

Local News:
- There’s some anticipation this week in CA for what the governor called last week “a substantial number of counties” could possibly move into the red tier – he has typically saved his announcements for Tuesdays, but the general consensus for the counties around Tahoe is probably not this week – I think there’s a good chance the trends point us that way maybe next week. 
- Fresh off what I think most people would call a very successful weekend of NHL hockey in Tahoe, I saw a lot of response to the article that talked about the present that the NHL left behind…a used Zamboni!
- On a much sadder note, an apartment complex caught fire in South Lake Tahoe yesterday claiming the life of one person – the fire department rescued several victims and were ale to limit the fire to 4 apartments, so luckily it wasn’t worse 
- For those of you who have been super bummed about events getting cancelled, I have a bit of good news for you – the 30th annual Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival in Virginia City is a go this year – March 13th, which is a combination St Patty’s Day celebration, they will have a restructured event to accommodate all the current guidelines - Limited amount of tickets ($45), but it’s an event Mike, a real true event!
- On the weather front, looks like more of the same through the end of the week and month – my truck said 50 degrees outside yesterday, it was gorgeous…Not sure if we’ll hit that high again this week, but looks to be close with some lows at night into the teens – I saw one snowflake toward the end of next week, but that’s way too far out to excited about – but we’ll see.
- One side note, our Mutt Madness photo bracket will begin March 1 – 2 separate contests for the north and south shores, but almost 500 submissions!

Tahoe Talk - 2/16/21

We hope you enjoyed the long weekend, whether you were celebrating the joyous Lunar New Year (FYI: Year of the Ox), Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, President's Day... or just this 4-day week!

Regional News:
- Perseverance, NASA's most sophisticated rover to date, is expected to land on the surface of Mars on Thursday, February 18, around 3:55 p.m. ET. The rover has been traveling through space since launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the end of July. When it reaches Mars, Perseverance will have traveled 292.5 million miles on its journey from Earth. The rover will explore Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient lake that existed 3.9 billion years ago, and search for microfossils in the rocks and soil. Along for the ride with Perseverance is an experiment to fly a helicopter, called Ingenuity, on another planet for the first time
- Back in 2012, the FAA anticipated 30,000 drones operating by 2020. But, like the current temperature in Texas, that was wayyyyy too low. According to data from the government, there are at least 1,746,248 registered drones in the US, and likely many more unregistered ones.
- In Bloomberg’s annual ranking of innovative countries, America has fallen outside the top 10. When the index first launched in 2013, the U.S. took the top spot. (South Korea came in at No. 1 this year.) According to the analysis, the country is falling behind in terms of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) graduates, advanced degrees and workers in research and development. A 2020 report from the National Science Board sounded a warning about the U.S. being “no longer the uncontested leader” in science and engineering.
- Jeopardy’s late Alex Trebeck donates wardrobe to The Doe Fund, an organization that "provides paid work, housing, vocational training, continuing education and comprehensive social services to underserved Americans with histories of addiction, homelessness and incarceration,"
- What happens when you mix the world’s richest human and the #1 downloaded podcast in the world? Find out by listening to Elon Musk and Joe Rogan. 3:24

Local News:
- In an announcement last week, NV governor Sisolak announced that beginning yesterday, most NV businesses will be able to move into the 35% capacity range and in another month possibly back into the 50% capacity range. It also pushes large gatherings into a 200 or 25% (whatever is less)
- CA governor Newsom might be on the hot seat as the petition to recall him says they have the amount of signatures needed for the campaign to happen. 
- Sunken boat off of Pope beach still not pulled out of Tahoe's water
- In Incline Village – thanks to a grant from the Duffield Foundation, the sheriff’s office will be fully staffed this summer – something that hasn’t been done in over 20 years. 
- If you’re a cross country skier – or just want to hit up something different without the lines from the lift, cross country trails have been groomed and ready to roll up at Spooner Lake 
- Only sight of weather on the horizon is possibly Friday and potentially into the weekend, but looks like could be rain at lake level and snow at the higher elevations 

Tahoe Talk - 2/2/21

Here are some conversation starters from around the globe and within your local community to add to your social toolkit. 

Regional News:
- 6 more weeks of winter. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow in Pennsylvania. Hilarious that we still celebrate a rodent meteorologist tradition that start back in 1887. Then, it took until 1993 to become an adjective of something happening over and over again, thanks to Bill Murray. 
- Russia’s Anti-Corruption Foundation’s leader, Alexey Navalny, release a video which uncovers Vladimir Putin’s $1.3B, 190,000 sq ft palace which includes a sea port, vineyard, church, casino, underground hockey rink and toilet brushes costing $850 each
- Lionel Messi's leaked contract was published by the Spanish paper El Mundo, and it's...astonishing. The deal the soccer star signed with FC Barcelona in 2017 works out to $674 million over four years. Largest in world history. $3.7M per 90 minute game.
- Six people arrested in LA after replacing the W and D with a B on the iconic Hollywood sign. (Rob can you solve the puzzle?)
- United Airlines warned 14,000 employees they could be furloughed once payroll support from the government expires April 1. Huge indicator for travel trends.
- Target announced that it will give all of its hourly workers a $500 bonus as a thank-you for their effort amid COVID. 
- Kraft Is Introducing ‘Pink Mac & Cheese’ for Valentine’s Day. Only 1,000 boxes available and you have to register online. Here’s the kicker: it’s actually candy flavored!
- New York City restaurants can open for indoor dining at 25% capacity on Valentine’s Day, as long as current Covid trends continue, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Restaurant workers still aren’t eligible for vaccines and many in the restaurant industry are expressing concerns of safety.
- 6 more weeks of winter. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow in Pennsylvania. Hilarious that we still celebrate a rodent meteorologist tradition that start back in 1887. Then, it took until 1993 to become an adjective of something happening over and over again, thanks to Bill Murray. 
- Russia’s Anti-Corruption Foundation’s leader, Alexey Navalny, release a video which uncovers Vladimir Putin’s $1.3B, 190,000 sq ft palace which includes a sea port, vineyard, church, casino, underground hockey rink and toilet brushes costing $850 each
- Lionel Messi's leaked contract was published by the Spanish paper El Mundo, and it's...astonishing! The deal the soccer star signed with FC Barcelona in 2017 works out to $674 million over four years - Largest in world history which works out to $3.7M per 90 minute game.
- Six people arrested in LA after replacing the W and D with a B on the iconic Hollywood sign. 
- United Airlines warned 14,000 employees they could be furloughed once payroll support from the government expires April 1. Huge indicator for travel trends.
- Target announced that it will give all of its hourly workers a $500 bonus as a thank-you for their effort amid COVID. 
- Kraft Is Introducing ‘Pink Mac & Cheese’ for Valentine’s Day. Only 1,000 boxes available and you have to register online. Here’s the kicker: it’s actually candy flavored!
- New York City restaurants can open for indoor dining at 25% capacity on Valentine’s Day, as long as current Covid trends continue, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Restaurant workers still aren’t eligible for vaccines and many in the restaurant industry are expressing concerns of safety.

Local News:
- Jamie Anderson sets a record for most Xgames gold medals with two in Colorado last weekend
- Eagles & Ag in Carson Valley last weekend and this week
- Loop Road being discuss again in SLT City Council
- City events canceled through April 2021
- NV Gov. Sisolak order flags at half mast for Siegfried of Siegfried & Roy
- More snow on the way then clearing for the weekend

Tahoe Talk - 1/26/21

Regional News:
- X Games returns to Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado for the 20th consecutive year January 29-31! Nearly 100 of the worlds top winter athletes will take center stage and will compete in biggest snow sport event of the year. X Games Aspen will have live coverage of the event on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC
- NFL announced that 22,000 fans will attend Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay, including 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers (who will receive free tickets)
- The 2021 MLB Hall of Fame class will be announced on Tuesday night. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa are 3 of the 11 stars on the chopping block.
- Netflix says, ‘I’m feeling lucky.’ Do you spend more time debating which shows to watch than actually watching shows? If so, you’ll be happy to know Netflix confirmed the release of a “Shuffle Play” button in the first half of 2021. (Plus, did you notice the $1 increase they slid into your email over the weekend??)
- More branded shortcut buttons than ever. Chinese smart TV maker Hisense introduced a remote with 6 branded buttons including Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Tubi, Disney+, and Peacock. Vizio “hold my beer’d” them with 7 buttons. Streaming services dish out ~$1 per remote for the real estate, making the buttons a valuable revenue stream for TV manufacturers looking to offset a ~60% decline in TV prices between 2014 and 2019. On the other end -- with the smart TV market expected to grow 10.5% annually through 2025 -- streaming services see the buttons as a means toward subscriber growth and increased viewership
- Elon Musk tweeted he's giving $100 million toward a prize for the "best carbon capture technology." One of the key goals, aside from climate change, is to lower the price of direct-air carbon capture so it can feasibly be used to make synthetic rocket fuel, replacing the fossil fuels used now
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Sunday morning launching 143 small satellites into orbit, and if that sounds like a lot, it is. 143 payloads is a new record for a single rocket. Again, the booster nailed it’s landing back home… for the 8th time since May 2020! (Another record)

Local News:
- Lakeside Inn and Casino to auction assets to community
- California reveals data used to lift stay-at-home order
- Taking flight: Annual Tahoe eagle count monitors species, numbers higher in 2021
- Couple fundraising for Nevada Beach dog fountain and water bottle refill station
- Placer County seeks to further address trash issues in North Lake Tahoe
- Sledding madness: Authorities issue hundreds of citations, ask sledders to be safe, legal

Tahoe Talk - 1/19/21

Here are some conversation starters from around the globe and within your local community to add to your social toolkit. 

Global News:
- The Sahara Desert in Africa has a fresh blanket of snow after temperatures recently dropped to 27ºF. The area has experienced snow only three other times in the last 42 years; 1979, 2017, and 2018. The average temperature in January is 57ºF. In the summer, temperatures can exceed 120ºF.
- Ski resorts in Italy remain closed as government postpones opening day again! January 18th was supposed to be the most recent opening day, but the Italian government recently announced that the public would have to wait – at least until February 15h, possibly March 5th
- Top snow totals in North America: #1: Alyeska, AK - 480” #10: Mt Hood, OR  - 196”
- Most Affordable Ski Resort: Titus Mountain, NY… Hotel night avg: $53, Day life ticket avg.: $39
- Most Expensive Ski Resort: Deer Valley, UT… Hotel night avg. $286, Day life ticket avg.: $229 
- SF software developer was awarded 7,000 bitcoins back in 2011 for producing a video explains the cryptocurrency.  Price then $2. Price now $41k. That’s not the story though. This man lost his password and you only have 10 chances to guess. Two more wrong guesses and he loses $220M 
- South Coast air quality management district has lifted the limits on the number of cremations that can be performed in Los Angeles county, citing a death rate that is more than double the pre-pandemic norm and an unmanageable backlog of dead bodies. More than 2,700 bodies were being stored at local hospitals and the county coroner’s office as of Friday, Jan. 15
- Donald who? The measures Biden plans to enact are geared toward undoing some of President Trump’s most controversial policies. That includes 1) scrapping the travel ban on majority-Muslim countries 2) rejoining the Paris Agreement and 3) establishing a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. Biden also plans to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit on his first day

Local News:
- Greater Sacramento region (includes Tahoe) moves back into the “Purple Tier” and catches a lot of business off guard
- Chick-fil-A in Carson City opens this weekend
- Big Tree hunter discovers 3 of the tallest sugar pines 
- Mutt Madness contest coming up soon to find the cutest dog photo in Lake Tahoe

Tahoe Talk - 1/12/21

Here are some conversation starters from around the globe and within your local community to add to your social toolkit

Regional News:
- The Spanish capital of Madrid was still trying to get back on its feet Monday after a 50-year record snowfall that paralyzed large parts of central Spain and hampered the delivery of coronavirus vaccines. 20 inches and 11 degrees Fahrenheit. Video of massive snowball fight going viral. Even had measurable snow in Austin TX and Nashville, TN
- 2020 ties 2016 for the hottest year on record for Earth. The Earth is nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer now than it was in the 20th century as greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere continue to rise. 56.95 degrees Fahrenheit was the mark, which is 1.75 degrees above that 20th century average
- CES 2021: Monday, the 54th annual tech show kicks off virtually for the first time ever: home entertainment systems, connected fitness equipment, air purifiers are the most popular items to look for innovation BUT the biggest = Hologram technology inspired by "Star Wars" could bring "new dimension" to smartphones
- The anti-return policy: Walmart, Amazon and Chewy don't want your stuff back.  These online giants are starting to say “keep it,”…  They’ll refund you for that tight-fitting beanie — but they don't want it back. Why so nice? It's a price thing. Some returns are more expensive to process and ship than the products actually cost — especially cheap or heavy items. Companies use AI to do the math. Returns can cost companies $10 to $20, excluding transportation. So it makes more economic sense to just refund you for that $7 PopSocket
- Podcasts are as old as the 2004 iPod — the term is actually a mashup of "iPod" and "broadcast." But the Big Pod Boom came more recently: global monthly podcast listeners grew from 287M in 2016 to 1B+ in 2020 — and they're expected to hit 1.85B in 2023
- ViacomCBS Inc. said Monday it has reached a distribution agreement with Walt Disney Co. ’s Hulu that puts many of its most popular cable channels on the live-television video-streaming service. The deal adds 14 cable networks from ViacomCBS to Hulu’s live-TV option, including Comedy Central, MTV and children-friendly channel Nickelodeon. 
- Friday 1/15 = Nat’l Bagel Day!

Local News:
- Douglas Co. kicks off Tier 2 vaccinations and state of NV extends mitigation measures for another 30 days.
- $200k+ raised for Clean Up The Lake in effort to collect underwater trash in all 72 miles of shoreline in Tahoe
- Rock Tahoe half-marathon canceled for 2021, Tahoe BrewFest being postponed to mid-September
- Tahoe Chamber “GoLocal” campaign and Tahoe AleworX’s  “Feel Good Movement” blow away expectations with funds raised
- Prescribed burns resume in Tahoe basin with mild, warm weather in the forecast with little to no wind

Tahoe Talk - 1/5/21

From around the globe to out your backdoor, here are the topics to keep you relevant and up-to-date!

Regional News: 
- Mt. Baker has received up to 84 inches (7 feet) of snow in the last 8 days, and another 4-5 feet of snow is forecasted over the next 10 days! Seems like the PNW is the only region benefitting from La Nina
- West Virginia was one of the few states without a National Park, but that is expected to change after the COVID-19 relief bill passed in Congress last week. The New River Gorge is the nation’s newest national park. The park is highlighted by the absolutely massive New River Gorge Bridge that spans 3,031 feet, and 876 feet above the New River. The area is extremely popular amongst rock climbers, rafters, and hikers.
- The remains of a wooly rhino were discovered in Siberia, and scientists believe that the creature had been preserved by permafrost for more than 20,000 years! The rhino was preserved with its fur, limbs, tusk, and most of its organs. Discoveries, like this rhino, are becoming more common with the thawing of permafrost due to climate change
- The Great Gatsby is among a number of classic works copyrighted in 1925 that have entered the public domain. Copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. Sold fewer than 25,000 copies before Fitzgerald died. It has since sold nearly 30 million. Now, there’s chatter of all sorts of remakes of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic. 
- Planning a trip in 2021? Southwest just launched a fare sale with tickets starting at $29 one way. As with all airline sales, there is fine print galore, but SW has an easy “low fare calculator”
- 17% of US restaurants have closed due to the pandemic as of Dec. 1st. That's more than 500K restaurants of every type — from independent, to franchise, and chain — that have gone under.
- January is named after the Roman god Janus, whose two faces allowed him to look simultaneously into the past and the future (deep)
- Wed. 1/6 = Nat’l Take Down Your Christmas Tree Day

Local News: 
- Region’s ICU capacity keeps Greater Sacramento region in “Stay at Home Order” 
- Mellow NYE at Stateline in South Lake and first time Hwy 50 has been open to thru-traffic since 1980s
- NHL announces two regular season games will be played outdoors at Edgewood Tahoe in February. Las Vegas Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins
- New business, Ladles by the Lake, now serving bread bowl soups 
- Volunteer opportunities:  Tahoe Institute of Natural Science needs help with their annual eagle survey and a six week B-level movie video shoot in February

Tahoe Talk - 12/22/20

From around the globe to out your backdoor, here are the topics to keep you relevant and up-to-date! 

Regional News:
- Feel Good News: 8-Year-Old Raises $10,000 To Save His Local Ski Area. Max Mostad raised the money to save Frost Fire Park located in Walhalla, ND. The area was on the verge of closing down for good when Mostad and the community rallied behind his lemonade stand.
- MacKenzie Scott, the world’s 18th-richest person and former spouse of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, has donated almost $6 billion of her fortune this year.
- A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth last Thursday with the first fresh rock samples from the moon in more than 40 years, offering the possibility of new insights into the history of the solar system and marking a new landmark for China's rapidly advancing space program.
- L’Oreal rolls out a new product. Not a joke. Virtual makeup for Zoom calls and meetings. Think selfie filters on snapchat or FB messenger but for the professional side 
- The Book of Bobo Fatt announcement for the Star Wars fans Sunday night sent fans into a frenzy. The new series is currently in production and will arrive December 2021, only on Disney+
- NCAA Playoff stage is set: Alabama (1) vs. Notre Dame (4) and Clemson (2) vs. Ohio State (3) on Jan 1, 2021 at 2:00 and 6:00pm PST. Championship game set for Mon. 1/11/21 @ 5pm
- NBA’s 72 game season kicks off tonight. No bubble, different format, 10 games fewer and less intraconference play.
- 2021 Winter Dew Tour has been postponed indefinitely at Copper Mtn, CO. Xgames are still a go! No fans allowed allowed at Buttermilk in Aspen, CO Jan. 28-31, 2021

Local News: 
- El Dorado & Placer Counties join a handful of other counties to push for local control over C19 restrictions
- Greater Sac region above threshold of 15% ICU capacity for first time in two weeks
- Class action lawsuit filed against Vail Resorts by 3 local employees
- Human powered travel and wilderness act looks to remove blanket ban that prohibits bikes on trails
- New business, Flatstick Pub, set to open early 2021 in SLT mixing mini-putt golf and pub vibes
- Shooting in Douglas Co. leaves deputy in hospital after suspect opens fire 3 times
- Barton Foundation virtual gala sets new record of $110K raised this year

Tahoe Talk - 12/15/20

From around the globe to out your backdoor, here are the topics to keep you relevant and up-to-date!

Regional News:
- Google has announced their top search terms for 2020 — Interesting list to check out online. Wanna know how to find it? Just google “top search trends 2020”
- Disney+ casually racks up 70m+ subscribers in the last year plus huge announcement of 10 new Star Wars spinoffs 10 new Marvel shows, 15 Pixar animations and rights to the Kardashians
- Amazon's self-driving car startup “Zoox” unveiled a fully autonomous EV with no steering wheel, basically a robotaxi — it can go for 16 hours at up to 75 mph on a single charge. (Go check out the photos of this ride!)
- NASA just released some spectacular Hubble telescope images for the first time in years. 30 photos to celebrate it’s 30 anniversary in space.
- Cleveland’s MLB team to drop the Indians nickname after 105 years becoming the latest professional sports franchise to shed its Native American imagery amid racist claims
- Manhattan Beach keeps outdoor restaurant space open by a vote from city officials reclassifying it to “public seating”

Holidays by the Numbers
$230: That’s how much the average American will spend on holiday decorations, candy, food and cards this year. Among the holiday spending categories tracked by the National Retail Federation, it’s the only one that’s expected to rise this year. The group estimates average gift spending will fall 1.4% to $650. 
25-45 Million: Americans spend about $2B annually on fresh and fake Christmas trees — approx. 25-30M real pines, and 10-15M artificial trees. 
30% to 50%: That’s how much the light intensity in American suburbs rises every year between Black Friday and New Year’s. All that holiday sparkle shows up on electric bills: Running 10 strings of 100 mini-lights costs about $35 over the course of the season. 

- Friday, 12/18: Nat’l Ugly Sweater Day

Local News:
- Local vaccines are set to hit the region tomorrow through Friday locally
- Gov. Sisolak extends Nevada’s “pause”
- Divisive dynamic within Lake Tahoe mind shutdowns across stateliness
- CA Conservancy announces massive restoration project
- More snow on the way!

Tahoe Talk - 12/8/20

From around the globe to out your backdoor, here are the topics to keep you relevant and up-to-date!

- On the night of Dec. 21, the winter solstice, the two largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will appear so closely aligned in our sky that they will look like a double planet. This incredibly rare 'Christmas Star' is making its appearance for the 1st time in 800 years. 
- The new height of the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest, is 8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 feet), which is approx. 2 feet taller than Nepal’s previous measurement and about four meters (13 feet) higher than China’s reading
- Since COVID-19 arrived in the United States more than 10 months ago, it has infected 13.5 million people across the country, or 1 in 24 U.S. residents. How many of them do you know?
- 6,000 years of arrows emerge from melting Norwegian ice patch. The record-setting discovery of 68 projectiles from the Neolithic to the Viking Era also upends ideas on how ice both preserves and destroys archaeological finds.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom gave a 90-minute press conference Monday in which he unveiled a coronavirus exposure app and public education campaign. The app, “CA Notify”, launches Thursday. Once enabled, it notifies users when they come in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Newsom said the app protects user privacy and doesn’t gather personal information like your name or location. Around 250,000 people used the app and 60 were notified of exposure during a pilot program at some California universities
- A UK grandmother has become the first person in the world to be given the Pfizer Covid-19 jab as part of a mass vaccination program.
- Break dancing (or “breaking”) will officially be an Olympic sport in the 2024 Paris summer games. It will be the latest new-wave sport to join the Olympic program, following sports like climbing, skateboarding and surfing, all of which will debut in Tokyo next summer.
- No surprise here, Cyber Monday was the biggest US e-commerce day ever, with online sales reaching a record $10.8B — up 15% from last year