May 1, 2024, Letters to the Editor

Aramark not good for Tahoe

Editor:

Zephyr Cove Resort previously leased from the Forest Service about a half mile of lakefront. Despite public objections, the Forest Service has now agreed to a new lease adding another ½ mile of lakefront, doubling the lease of public lands on this shore to a commercial operation. 

This added leased area, Zephyr Shoals, occupies over half of one of the last accessible pieces of lakefront natural forest remaining at Lake Tahoe. For decades, this small parcel of natural forest has been used by local residents and visitors. All have enjoyed the natural wonder of hidden beaches and the maze of foot trails enjoying the beauty and tranquility of this watershed its natural state. 

The Forest Service is the caretaker of public lands for the benefit of all.   Why then would the Forest Service lease Zephyr Shoals to a private resort company that will now charge the public for use of our public land? Even more unbelievable is that there is now serious consideration to allow Aramark to commercially develop Zephyr Shoals and convert this natural habitat into a money-making resort asset.  

On these decades old hiking trails, they propose to construct rental glamping sites, a snack bar, and even a lakefront wedding venue requiring a large parking lot. This would destroy the heart of this rare lakefront natural forest that for 100 years has been freely accessible to public use.  The question is not should it be permitted. The question is why would this even be considered?  The rational that these proposed developments would allow “public access” is spurious and self-serving. Aramark only wishes to convert the public, who already freely enjoy access, into paying customers.

It isn’t as though Aramark does not already offers a dizzying array of amenities to those who want a more Disneyland experience: there are hotel rooms, cabins, a restaurant, a snack bar, a beach bar, a half mile of sandy beach with boat tours, boat rentals, jet skis, other rentals, and an existing wedding venue. Across the road there are a horse stables, extensive RV camping and tent camping sites laid out on access roads up the mountain behind.  Should Aramark now be allowed to consume the last half mile of natural forest on the lakefront to further enhance its profits?

Aramark already gets a failing grade for the management of its existing facility at Zephy Cove, from maintenance to garbage control, to controlling unruly visitors. Before Aramark, the beach was known to be a family beach, but in the last 20 years, Aramark has aggressively marketed it to be a party beach. Especially on long weekends the beach mimics the infamous Spring Break beaches, marked by noise and altered states of consciousness. Every year dozens of contract security personnel must be hired just to keep the lid on. Aramark’s negligent management is evident not only here, but at other resorts in Aramark’s portfolio. Their Crater Lake concession has been cancelled, and their management of Yosemite appears to be questionable. (see: Yosemite’s Health and Maintenance Woes: Aramark’s Management Under Scrutiny in NPS Reports)

Shamefully, I fear the answer is to follow the money. Don’t let corporate profits spoil our Lake Tahoe

 Lee Edwards

Zephyr Cove

Fighting behavior modification

Editor:

Response to Jennifer Wilson’s March 27 letter, for the last 35 years parents have been greatly concerned where America’s education system is headed. It is indeed a troubling trend across our beloved country. This began as “education reform” then “restructuring” and when these received bad press “applied academic skills” became the term. In the 1828 Noah Webster Dictionary his definition of apply is; to fix the mind. 

Realize local control has been lost when the federal and state governments voted in new laws for curriculum, e.g. Goals 2000, School to Career, No Child Left Behind, CRT, data collection that will follow each child, all to change the attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and values to create “the new child of the future.” All this is “behavior modification.” It is fatally flawed. Surely you don’t desire this for your own precious flesh and blood. This is not academics. It is a cradle-to-grave agenda and the “goal is a compliant citizenry.”

The government was never to be involved in designing curriculum for states and this is the reason the schools, colleges and universities have become a political football for parents, grandparents and teachers. Now, with computers, children are being tracked on line through portfolios. The powers that be want to break the bonds between parent and child. This should concern us all, young and old alike.

Jennifer do some research of your own on these issues. The majority of board members desire is to bring back traditional academics to classrooms and end the “social engineering” of your children. There are no personal agendas other than protecting all children from this woke, political correctness that is in play.

Stop the onslaught of the hostility, beat-downs, viciousness, slander and lawsuits of these members who are striving to correct the problems currently inundating school systems in all 50 states. Stop the hatred and opt to be kind and respectful. They are not being given the opportunity to do what they ran on. They mean no harm, are not the enemy and want the best education for the children.

I honestly believe the main reason for all this duress is strictly the fact that the majority of the board are Christians. Stop the needless persecution. This behavior is extremely unacceptable. Let’s turn this around and get along for the sake of Douglas schools. The majority of the board is trying to work diligently to keep the curriculum free of government control and intrusion.

Sally Bowman

Minden

Too late to reverse 2022 election

Editor:

In the last Douglas County trustee school board election a solid majority of voters chose to replace then-incumbents Lehman, and Jackson, (and candidate Butterfield) with challengers Jansen, Dickerson and Burns. All the candidates had participated in large, well attended debate venues and fielded audience questions. JDB campaigned door to door in several Douglas precincts and were interviewed by Jerry Evans on KKFT radio. The well informed voters have spoken, right? Not so fast.

Ever since Jansen, Dickerson and Burns were sworn-in, a small, noisy batch of complainers, many dressed in red shirts, have abused the public comment time of the school board meetings to complain about the school board trustees’ governance. But where were they during the election? How many voter households did they call on for their LJB slate? How many advertisements in the newspaper, radio, direct mail pieces, did they buy? How many meet-and-greets did they do for their candidates? 

It’s way late trying to reverse the outcome of the school board elections. But two local lawyers have recently brought various legal actions against the board majority in an apparent attempt to negate the choice of the voters by harassing them out of office. 

Complaints concerning Joey Gilbert’s fees should be directed to the lawyers threatening to reverse the election and to the noisy meeting disrupters. If Gilbert can shut down the lawyers’ attempts to drive the current board majority out of their seats and attempted vote nullification, it will be worth every penny. 

Lynn Muzzy

Minden

Paying more for prescription drugs

Editor:

As a senior, I notice a much bigger chunk of my budget is going to prescription drugs, which means the government is paying more too. Medicare spending on prescription drugs is expected to double over the next 10 years.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by congressional Democrats and signed by President Biden, will save Douglas County seniors an average of $433.81 annually due to the $2K annual out-of-pocket cost cap mandated by this law. Effective January 1, 2023, out-of-pocket costs for insulin are capped at $35 per monthly prescription for Medicare Part D enrollees. Some 22,000 Nevada Medicare beneficiaries used insulin in 2020.

In addition, the Inflation Reduction Act gives Medicare the authority to negotiate the prices of prescription drugs. Over 20 drugs, including Eliquis (blood thinner), Enbrel (arthritis, psoriasis), Farxiga (diabetes, heart failure), Entresto (heart failure), Imbruvica (leukemia), Januvia (diabetes), Jardiance (diabetes), Stelara (psoriasis, Chron’s disease), and Xarelto (blood thinner) will have price caps on them in the coming years.  These caps will save Douglas County seniors additional hundreds of dollars and deficit hawks can rejoice in the billions of dollars saved from the federal budget.

If you value these benefits, please vote for Joe Biden. A Trump Presidency would threaten the Inflation Reduction Act (not one Republican in congress voted for this legislation), it would threaten the Affordable Care Act premiums, Social Security, Medicare, and Reproductive Healthcare for women.  

Elizabeth Valdes

Minden

Ending of a new person

Editor:

More and more we read of legal rulings in defense of abortion rights, and even input from the older generation, none the wiser despite their years.

(Pg. A5, NV Appeal April 24… and pg. A9, RC letter to editor April 17, 2024.)

The irony of declaring that the need for a medical procedure must not be in the hands of “politicians,” yet hailing Nevada for allowing access achieved only through “political” means, completely escapes their double-minded logic. 

Calling abortion “freedom of choice, a personal medical decision, reproductive health care, family services, freedom of personal autonomy,” or by any other definition, doesn’t change what it really is any more than calling your 80 mph speeding habit “stress ventilation” changes what it is. Sadly abortion is the ending of a new person, conceived for a sacred purpose. 

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Joy Uhart

Minden

Fake electors

Editor:

In Nevada, six Republicans were indicted for their roles in a fake elector scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The state’s GOP Chairman Michael McDonald and five others are accused of submitting false electoral votes for Donald Trump despite his losing the election. Three of the individuals indicted in this fake elector scheme live in Douglas County. These Douglas County residents are Jim DeGraffenreid and Shawn Meehan. Another Douglas County resident involved is Eileen Rice, who is the wife of a local county commissioner The charges they face include offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument, which are serious felonies. 

The incident in Nevada involving these six Republicans who were indicted is part of a larger plot that happened after the 2020 presidential election. As a matter of fact, similar indictments have been brought in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan. A criminal investigation is underway in Wisconsin.

These charges are serious, underscoring the legal boundaries they are alleged to have crossed. These include offering a false instrument for filing and uttering (knowingly making use of forged document) a forged document, both of which are classified as serious felonies. This case illustrates the legal consequences of attempting to interfere with the electoral process and the extent to which individuals are willing to go to influence election outcomes.

As the legal process continues, hopefully, this case will serve as a deterrent to similar conduct from happening in the future and reinforce the importance of following election laws and the consequences of violating them.

Elizabeth Mancl

Genoa

Thanks for Spring into Wine

Editor:

The Kiwanis Club of Carson Valley wishes to thank the following organizations and businesses for their contribution in making the Club’s recent Spring into Wine event a fantastic success.

First of all, we thank Breakthrough Beverage for the terrific wine selection and Raley’s, Columbus Meats and Sierra Chef for the excellent hors devours and desserts.

The silent auction items were presented through the gracious contributions from the following businesses and organizations: Ace Hardware; Alpen Sierra Coffee; Anytime Fitness; Big Daddy’s Bike & Brew; Carson Valley Country Club; Carson Valley Inn Casino; Carson Valley Museum; Cocos n Moes; Cucina Lupo; Carson Valley Community Theatre; David Walley’s; Douglas County Community Center; Douglas County Sheriff; Edgewood Golf; Genoa Bar; Genoa Lakes Golf Club; Giomi Plumbing; Great Basin Brewing; Guild Mortgage; Intero Real Estate; J T Basque Bar & Dining; Jethro’s Oven & Grill; Les Schwab Tires; Nevada State Railroad museum; NV Cryo; Oak View Group; Overland Restaurant & Pub; Paradise Valley Group; Performance Auto Care; Starbucks; Stone Fly Restaurant; Sunridge Golf; The Corner Bar; The Grill Next Door; Toiyabe Title; Two Stone Slab and Tile and Vim and Vigor Fitness.

Please recognize these Community minded businesses with your patronage.

Additionally, the following individuals supported the event with their personal generosity: Alan and Becky Rasell; Bayan Lewis; Bill and Sally Grant; Brooke Brocking; Charlie Wilkins; Chris and Joy Lang; Dave Ericksen; Herbert Bryant; John Cole; Lee Mercado; Daphne Hillyer; Lisa Huffman; Mark Nichols; Mary Ellen Conway; Mike Henningson; Mullen Family; Pascal Baboulin; Sharon Eriksen; Shawnyne Garren and Colleen Reid.

Lastly, we thank the wonderful folks of our community for attending the event and making it such a great success.

The funds raised by this event will fund scholarships for Douglas High Seniors and other county, youth oriented, organizations. 

Bob Wellise

President

Kiwanis Club of Carson Valley