News Briefs
Guest Dies at Palisades Tahoe
OLYMPIC VALLEY
At approximately 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, in the Scott area of Palisades Tahoe at Alpine, a guest collided with a tree. Patrol responded and rendered aid, but the guest succumbed to their injuries.
~ Palisades Tahoe statement
Tahoe Heartbeat Owner Apologizes for Racist Comments
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE
After making inflammatory comments about immigration on South Tahoe Now’s Facebook last week, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported that stores pulled Tahoe Heartbeat merchandise from their shelves.
Parker Alexander, owner of apparel brand Tahoe Heartbeat, commented under a post with a letter from Lake Tahoe Unified School District Superintendent Todd Cutler on immigration, saying, “These illegally bred children will grow up with the influence of their criminal parents. We have to cut the dragons [sic] head off at the head.”
Though he initially responded to backlash with a comment about Tahoe Heartbeat sales increasing by $10,000 “from people who support the truth,” he deleted his comment and issued an apology. Alexander said his brand intends to convey the opposite message from his comments.
“I will work tirelessly to promote kindness, empathy, and the love reflected by Tahoe Heartbeat,” his apology statement read.
Read more on the Reno Gazette-Journal.
~ Reno Gazette-Journal
Lake Tahoe Business Walk Survey Provides Critical Insights
LAKE TAHOE
The results of a Lake Tahoe Basin-wide Business Walk Survey coordinated in October 2024 by the nonprofit Tahoe Prosperity Center are now available. The insights will be used to inform future initiatives and partnerships aimed at addressing the region’s challenges.
Over the course of 3 days, 64 volunteers canvassed 700 small businesses, generating responses from over 400 businesses through in-person and online surveys.
Top business challenges identified in the 2024 Business Walk Survey include:
- Housing affordability. This was the top concern noted by more than half of all businesses, despite many businesses reporting they are stable or growing.
- Infrastructure challenges. The need for transportation improvements, employee housing, and broadband topped the list of major roadblocks to local small businesses.
- Workforce development, training, and recruitment. Developing a skilled workforce to meet the demands of the local economy was cited as crucial to small business success, and businesses are seeking solutions to address this gap.
Nearly 70% of small businesses also reported that tourism is critical to the regional economy and the overall health of local businesses. And, despite the challenges businesses face, most local business owners reported having a positive outlook regarding the economy, though there are concerns about economic challenges including rising costs, decreased revenue, and increased competition.
The full report is available here.
~ Tahoe Prosperity Center press release
Tahoe Transportation Partners at Nevada Legislature
CARSON CITY
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) participated in Transportation Day at the 83rd session of the Nevada Legislature this week and addressed the State Senate and Assembly Growth and Infrastructure Committees in support of environmental and transportation improvements in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
As the lead agency for the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, TRPA submitted legislation requests on behalf of partner agencies for consideration this year, including bills to streamline forest health projects, improve parking enforcement along Nevada roadways at the lake, and improve boating safety. Other legislation would allow $19 million in bond sales for Nevada EIP projects and authorize self-assessed business improvement districts to fund improvements to transportation, housing, and tourism management.
During the 2024 interim session, TRPA and other Lake Tahoe agencies worked with the Nevada Legislative Oversight Committee for TRPA and the Marlette Lake Water System to provide in-depth information on environmental issues and programs, which helped elected officials introduce various bill requests. After six committee meetings last year, TRPA satisfied all requests from the committee.
More information on the Nevada Legislature is available at leg.state.nv.us/session/83rd2025/.
~ Tahoe Regional Planning Agency news release
Public Utility District Expands Water Rate Assistance Program
TAHOE CITY
The Tahoe City Public Utility District (TCPUD) Board of Directors recently approved the expansion of its Water Rate Assistance Program. The expanded program is intended to provide water rate assistance to more TCPUD water customers, with discounts of up to 50%.
The expanded program now offers a 25% rate reduction for a second tier of eligible low-income TCPUD customers. This adds to the existing program that provides a 50% rate reduction for qualifying customers enrolled in the Liberty CARE program. Depending on the discount level, eligible customers can save between $26 and $53 per month on their water bill in 2025.
To qualify, applicants must have their TCPUD water service address be their primary residence and be responsible for paying the water bill. Additionally, water usage must remain within 8,000 gallons per month over the past year.
The new household income eligibility is based on limits set by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Applications for the program must be completed annually. Customers can apply online through the TCPUD website, or they may download a PDF application to submit by email or in person. The Water Rate Assistance Program operates on a calendar year basis, and funding is limited.
Learn more and apply at tcpud.org/rate-assistance.
~ Tahoe City Public Utility District press release
TTUSD Preview Nights for TK and Kindergarten
TRUCKEE
The Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) is hosting six transitional kindergarten (TK) and kindergarten preview nights over the next 2 months. The informative series, led by TTUSD elementary principals, provides families with all the information they need to prepare their children for success when entering TTUSD for the 2025/26 school year.
These preview nights offer families a chance to meet principals and teachers, learn about the curriculum, and discover the unique strengths of each TTUSD elementary school.
Events are hosted at each elementary school within the district, including the independent charter Sierra Expeditionary Learning School (SELS). These events highlight what makes each school site unique, and families receive information on the enrollment process, the free meal program for all students, and how to apply for bus transportation services. All events will include Spanish interpretation services.
Since TTUSD is an open-enrollment district, families can apply to any school within the district that best benefits their students’ needs.
Visit ttusd.org/kinderpreview for more information.
~ Tahoe Truckee Unified School District press release
New Book Takes An Innovative Look At Olympic Spirit
A Canadian sailor en route to an impressive finish — until he sees a head bobbing in treacherous waters. A women’s marathoner so dehydrated she can’t walk straight. A relay runner who hears an audible pop halfway through his race. A downhill skier left for dead on a sinister mountaintop. These are among the athletes reintroduced to the public in the pages of a new book by Doug Levy, an award-winning journalist who ventures underneath the headlines to examine rarely told Olympic stories.
Published Jan. 28, Hero Redefined profiles the stories of 13 Olympic athletes across six continents, with eleven chapters that chronicle their iron will to finish, their ability to recover from horrific medical and psychological blows, and their devotion to selfless sportsmanship and human rights. Two more chapters focus on herculean efforts to recruit and restore Olympic venues.
Levy’s book also tells the story of Alexander Cushing and others who led a longshot bid to bring the 1960 Winter Games to Squaw Valley (now Palisades Tahoe), as well as a dogged crusade by longtime coach Senad Omanović to restore a 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games luge and bobsled track ravaged by years of war and bloodshed.
Additionally, Hero Redefined has earned written praise from famed Olympic athletes Sebastian Coe, Frank Shorter, Mitch Gaylord, and Willie Banks; Golden State Warriors President Brandon Schneider; well-known broadcasters Paul Swangard and Ross Fletcher; and many more. For more about Hero Redefined, visit authordouglevy.com.
~ Doug Levy press release
Moving In, Moving On, Moving Up
IVGID Appoints Robert Harrison as New District General Manager
INCLINE VILLAGE
On Jan. 29, the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID) Board of Trustees approved an employment contract with Robert Harrison to become the district’s next general manager.
Harrison comes to the district after a 30-year career in public sector management, with 28 years of service as a city manager or similar role in three states. Harrison has experience working with both small and large municipalities, including tourism-impacted communities.
Most recently, Harrison has been providing consulting services through The Harrison Group, a private consulting firm he founded that’s dedicated to helping public agencies with executive search, strategic planning, council relations, community outreach, public safety programming, and organizational assessments.
In addition to welcoming Harrison to this role, the IVGID trustees would like to thank Acting IVGID General Manager Mike Bandelin for his willingness to provide the district with leadership while staff and the board sought candidates for the general manager position.
~ Incline Village General Improvement District press release
Shaydar Edelmann Joins Tahoe Fund Board of Directors
TAHOE CITY
The nonprofit Tahoe Fund announced that Shaydar Edelmann, vice president and general manager of Heavenly Mountain Resort, has joined its board of directors. Edelmann’s resort leadership experience and deep connection to the Lake Tahoe environment will further the efforts of the organization to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.
Edelmann’s career in the ski industry has spanned the past 25 years, with most of it spent in the Lake Tahoe area working for resorts including Alpine Meadows, Boreal Mountain Resort, Soda Springs, and Woodward Tahoe. Edelmann has demonstrated his commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement through various projects, including helping to establish California’s first recycled water snowmaking system.
In addition to contributing to the Tahoe Fund Board of Directors, Edelmann serves on the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Council and is a member of the Ski California executive committee.
Learn more about the Tahoe Fund and its current and completed projects at tahoefund.org.
~ Tahoe Fund press release
