Tahoe TAP

Tahoe Talk - 3/23/21

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

National News:
- Vail Resorts is not planning on using a reservation system for guests next season. CEO Rob Katz states that the system was only created in light of COVID-19, and he plans on it not being needed for next season. Also announced was a Kit Lender partnership providing head to toe rental ski/snowboard gear.
- Disney says its two California theme parks will reopen on April 30 - at 15% capacity. One catch - no screaming allowed on any rides or roller coasters
- Outside Lands is officially scheduled to happen this year, on Halloween weekend, Oct. 29-31 in Golden Gate Park, SF! Headliners include: Lizzo, Glass Animals, The Strokes, The Strokes, Vampire Weekend, Tame Impala and more! 
- Amazon becomes the #1 clothing retailer in the US, unseating Walmart. We're talking $41B+ worth of apparel sold in 2020. This represents a highly impressive 11%-12% share of all apparel sold in the U.S. and 34%-35% share of all apparel sold online. To put this in perspective, Amazon sold almost 7x as much apparel/footwear as the second largest player online (Macy’s)
- Anyone who shows a vaccine card at a participating Krispy Kreme gets a free glazed donut. The "best" part? The offer is valid until the end of 2021, so a vaccinated person could theoretically obtain a free glazed donut every day for the next 284 days. Brands have struggled to strike the right tone throughout the pandemic. But supporting the vaccine rollout so everyone can return to normal life is like saying you love fluffy puppies—not particularly controversial!
- Partly as a result of hiring Blue Shield to run vaccine distribution, California’s COVID-19 response will cost $2 billion more than projected, with the state estimated to spend more than $15 billion through 2022, according to figures released last week by Newsom’s Department of Finance…. California appears to be the only state to have hired a health insurer to run its vaccine distribution — and it seems Blue Shield may have been chosen largely because of its lengthy relationship with Newsom. Over the past 16 years, Blue Shield has given nearly $23 million to the governor’s campaigns and special causes

Local News:
- Had some crazy activity the past week for the SLTPD – Sunday morning a stabbing suspect was arrested but this was after he smashed a police car window with a claw hammer. The stabbing victim said he was hanging at the redbox when someone jumped on their back and stabbed them with a metal drywall saw – this was on the heels of an incident that happened Friday morning where on Orangevale man shot at SLTPD officers with an assault rifle. The man was spotted trying to break into a room at the Three Peaks Resort – the suspect was shot, but does not believed to be life threatening

- Everyone’s dream scenario happened this past week at Harrah’s – a person from Orangevale sat down at the three card poker table and on their first hand drew a straight flush and won a progressive jackpot worth $251,175

- The TRPA released the final draft of the transportation plan and based on the projects that need to be done vs. the amount of budget there is to do them, the gap is a whopping $1B – keep in mind this is over the next 25 years and there are some pretty aggressive goals. The TRPA will be holding public meetings so people will get the opportunity to learn more but it will go to vote on April 28 & will include an additional member of the Forest Service so that the TRP can push federal funding into Tahoe Basin transportation projects.
- In a feel-good story from last week, a Washington state couple that had come to Tahoe to tie the knot, were doing so out on the pier at Sugar Pine Beach and when it came time to pull out the ring, it fell through the cracks of the pier – but, not to fear, local scuba diver Phil Abernathy came to the rescue and was able to find the ring being guarded by a crawdad 

Tahoe Talk - 3/16/21

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

Local News:
- Beginning yesterday on the NV side, businesses are able to up their capacity limits to 50% and public gatherings and events are now able to operate at 50% of their capacity or 250 people – whichever is less. For larger venues, they can submit a form to the Dept. of Business And Industry to get a variance and go bigger

- In somewhat of a surprise decision last week, Incline Village decided to cancel their 4th of July fireworks this year citing high visitation last summer and current coronavirus trends 

- Last week we mentioned the decision coming from the Tahoe Transportation District on whether or not they will be purchasing the old elementary school in Incline Village and they ultimately decided to move forward with that purchase – despite concerns from some folks in the community around safety. 

- Something that we talked about around the office when it was happening back in 2018 is the idea of eliminating the time change – back then, the bill stalled in CA before the full Assembly could consider it but a bill was introduced on the NV side late last month that would eliminate the time change, but, they are hitching it to CA so whatever is decided, we won’t run into this type of issue 


Good News:
- 52% of Americans Surveyed Say They Volunteered for the First Time During the Pandemic. 1) delivering food to essential workers 2)helping the elderly maintain homes 3) volunteering at food pantry
- Since vaccine distribution began in the U.S. on Dec. 14, more than 109 million doses have been administered, reaching 21.4% of the total U.S. population. The U.S. is currently administering over 2.4 million shots a day.
Weather News:
- Airpocalypse: China’s worst dust storm in over a decade  is effecting tens of millions of people - grounding flights, closing schools, and halting everyday life
- Denver’s 4th Biggest Storm Ever: Xylia. Denver’s airport picked up 27 inches 3/13-14 and double that at the resorts like Vail, Breck, and Keystone (same system that delivered 40 inches to Kirkwood & Squaw )
Making History:
- Beyonce becomes most decorated woman in Grammy award history! 28 Grammys in total. The only person that tops her is the late conductor, Georg Solti, at 31.
—  Side note: viewership this past Sunday was down to a record low 8.8M views. 53% down from 2020.
- Iditarod 2021: Dallas Seavey ties record for most-ever wins. 5 titles since 2012. 830 miles in 7 days, 14 hours
Other News: 
- Netflix to begin cracking down on password sharing. Testing out a new two-factor authentication processes which emails or texts you a code to enter upon entering a binge sesh.
- The University of California, Davis is offering students an incentive to staycation for spring break instead of traveling. The Healthy Davis Together Spring Break Grant will award 500 applicants $75 to spend during the March 22 to 25 break in the Davis, California area. The idea is to spend the money on local businesses rather than somewhere else. 

Tahoe Talk - 3/9/21

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

Local News: 
- This coming Friday the Tahoe Transportation District board will vote on whether or not to purchase the old elementary school in Incline Village with the intent to turn it into a mobility hub. There’s been a lot of tensions between the community and TTD on this project so I’m certain there will be a lot of eyes on this decision. The main concern from the residents is traffic and safety.
- Looks like the event side of things is picking up a bit of steam – we talked last week about the rocky mountain oyster fry in VC still taking place, and last week the announcement from both CA & NV saw some easing of event restrictions – and yesterday, Mike, you pointed out the concert listings on Harveys website, starting with Kenny Chesney on June 30/July 1  
- Very unfortunate accident that happened late Sunday where a 3-car collision on highway 50 near Zephyr Cove claimed the life of one and sent another to the hospital via careflight. Impairment is suspected and the NHP said they’ve seen far too many crashes due to impairment over the past week 
- Speaking of auto accidents, yesterday morning a driver on Highway 89 lost control of their Subaru between Tahoe City & Alpine Meadows and eventually came to rest in the Truckee River. The driver did suffer minor injuries and the car had to be pulled out with a tow truck 
- On the weather front looks like between today and Thursday we could see as much as a foot and a half of snow at the higher elevations – possibly 6-12” at lake level. 
- A reminder on Saturday evening to bump those clocks up an hour as daylight savings time takes hold. 

National News:
- Carson City voted best city to visit during pandemic by Forbes. Criteria considered:  CDC COVID DataTracker, the Harvard-Brown COVID Risk Level Map, TripAdvisor reviews, and also considered other factors like current case counts, population density, average weather, public health guidance, proximity to outdoor activities and drive times from big cities
- Sunday is Pi Day(Papa John’s:order one large pizza, you’ll get a second for just $3.14… 7-Eleven large pizzas for $3.14 each, local restaurant deals
- Last Friday, the media biz got some new competition from women who made careers out of competing. Sports stars Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, Simone Manuel, and Chloe Kim launched TOGETHXR, a new media + commerce company. The pitch: Men's athletics kind of hog the limelight—a 2018 UN report found that only 4% of total sports media coverage focused on women's sports. To combat that asymmetry, TOGETHXR will produce original content and partner closely with social media platforms, serving an audience of girls and young women. It also plans to ink licensing deals and sell merchandise
- 63%… That’s how much viewership for Sunday’s Golden Globes award show declined from last year’s broadcast. Only 6.9 million viewers tuned in. Ratings for the NBA Finals, the NHL finals, the Kentucky Derby and the Super Bowl also plummeted during the pandemic.  
- Streaming services have surged in popularity over the past year, and more than three-quarters of U.S. consumers subscribe to at least one, according to a recent survey. In fact, American subscribers now maintain an average of five streaming services — up from three last year.  
-  Amazon is about to make a big bet on sports.  The e-commerce giant is set to pay as much as $1 billion a year for the exclusive rights to stream the NFL’s Thursday night games on Prime Video. (It’s a bold move, given that Thursday games have been a money-loser for television networks in recent years.) 

What to Watch:
- The America’s Cup sailing race begins on Wednesday. First held in 1851, it’s the oldest international sports competition in existence
- 63rd Annual Grammys on Sunday hosted by Trevor Noah. Headliner performances include Taylor Swift, John Mayer, Post Malone, Billie Eillish and more
- Man fights off two polar bears with sticks in Quebec (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ign-ywFG4Dc)

Tahoe Talk - 3/2/21

National News:
- Largest storm system ever! The old Mount Shasta Ski Bowl in northern California holds the record for the most snow received from a single storm system. A total of 15.75 feet (189 inches) of snow was measured Feb. 13-19, 1959. …   That led me down a rabbit hole of research and sent me to the top amount in a single HOUR which was 12 inches in Copenhagen, New York, Dec. 2, 1966. That same location also picked up 6 inches in 30 minutes during the event.
— Side Note: Top 3 Largest snowpacks in North America right now: “267 @ Snowqualmie, WA… “225 @ Mount Hood, OR… 204” Mount Baker, WA
-6 Dr. Seuss books won't be published anymore because they portray people in 'hurtful and wrong' ways. He has authored 45 books total that have sold 650 million copies  worldwide dating back to the 1920s
-Iceberg on the loose! Los Angeles or NYC sized glacial break off of 490 sq. miles! Experts don’t think this is due to global warming and will not contribute to rising sea levels
- It’s a great day to be worth $49m! Sen. Elizabeth Warren One is proposing an extra 2% wealth tax. Billionaires would be hit with 3%.  This would affect ~100,000 households and raise an estimated $2.8 trillion over 10 years, which could support child care, early education, and infrastructure.
- What stretch of road is arguably more iconic than Route 66? The PCH! Caltrans just announced that 23 miles of this beautiful stretch of Highway 1 is set to reopen May 1st after a huge landslide washed it out and collapsed a massive portion of the road.

Local News: 
- On Friday last week, a vaccine distribution for high risk folks aged 65 & older - effort was a joint effort between Barton and El Dorado county and was held at the community college. They started the day with 1600 doses and by the end of the day only 1 was wasted - Lots of people donated time and energy to help make it a success, so kudos to all you folks
- Be sure to tune into the online auction this Thursday through Saturday for all things old Lakeside Inn casino – some things you have to have a license to bid on, like day 1 is for casinos only (slot machines), the other 2 days are general public
- The hits for Edgewood keep on coming – after the successful NHL games at the resort, they followed it up with an announcement that the US Open will have Edgewood host one of its qualifying rounds on May 10. To be eligible, you must have a handicap index not exceeding 1.4 - less than 10% of golfers have handicaps below 5 – and the total % of men who have a handicap index between 1.1 & 1.9 is 1.1%. 
- On a similar note, US News & World report recently released their “best resorts in Lake Tahoe” – results are a combination of reputation with professional travel experts, guest reviews & hotel class rankings - the top 3 has pretty equal representation around the basin: 1-Ritz Carlton, 2-The Landing, 3-Hyatt Regency; Hyatt’s Stillwater Spa also recognized among the top 100 spas of 2020. 
- Stay tuned! A story is being worked on about snow fleas and scorpion flies in Lake Tahoe

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