military

Nevada is one of the few states that celebrate its Admission Day, and boy do we throw a party. A parade, competitions of strength and facial hair, hot air balloons, bloody marys, a carnival, pow wow, and free chili are just a few of the festivities awaiting the capital city on Saturday.

The party begins Friday this year with a ribbon cutting celebration of the 'new' downtown. The Nevada State Museum hits its 75th Anniversary this year and will have a day full of fun and surprises. Keep reading to see where you need to take advantage of all the best this holiday weekend has to offer.

When Krysinthia White’s team, 20 Percent Survival, completed the MedWAR Tahoe Challenge at the Taylor Creek Sno-Park, they knew it was not a first place finish. Yet they were still smiling after six flat tires, a bee sting, and multiple wrong turns.

“From our perspective, last place was the best place,” says White. “We had the entire lake [Fallen Leaf] to ourselves and pretty much the entire trail.”

20 Percent Survival is one of ten teams of wilderness enthusiasts and medical responders who participated in the inaugural MedWAR Tahoe Challenge on Saturday, September 17.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Locals and visitors are welcome to join the American Legion Post 795 of South Lake Tahoe as they hold a commemorative ceremony honoring the victims and first responders of the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

The 11:00 a.m. ceremony will be held at the Legion Hall located at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Post members and the Ladies Auxiliary will also be providing refreshments after the ceremony.

Seven out-of-state men were arrested Saturday on felony fraud and other charges after officers uncovered a scam where the suspects allegedly went door-to-door asking for money donations they said would be used to assemble care packages sent to U.S. soldiers overseas, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

Officers began investigating the men after dispatch received several calls from Carson City residents who said they were asked for money from one of the men and the pitch that was being used didn’t appear to be legitimate, according to the arrest report.

Cole Sonneman, a Carson Valley native, was sworn in on July 18 as the newest deputy with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

Sonnemann was raised in the Carson Valley and spent several years in the DCSO Explorer Program as a teenager with Deputies Teresa Duffy and Chris Griffith. Sonneman said he remembers attending DARE lessons taught by Griffith while attending Gardnerville Elementary School.

Chautauqua performers Dana Blane, Larry Lippmann and Mike Trute will portray local historical figures Donner Party survivor “Patty Reed”, Stagecoach driver “Hank Monk” and U.S. Marshall “Warren Wasson” at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday, July 6, at 6:30 pm.

Patty Reed was 8 years old when her family joined the movement west to settle in California. As survivors of the ill-fated 1846 Donner Party, the tremendous hardships they endured left the family destitute. The little doll Patty hid in her clothing survives until this day.

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Charles “Butch” Jensen died peacefully in Sacramento on May 14, 2016 of cancer. He was 73 years old.

Retired Staff Sergeant Andrew Bachelder, a decorated veteran of Iraq and the ongoing war in Afghanistan, has been added to the American Century Championship field of celebrities for their annual Lake Tahoe tournament July 19-24, 2016.

Bachelder earned a spot by winning the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Warrior Open this past October in Irving, Tex.

Charles Barkley, Justin Timberlake, and Steve Kerr and Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors lead a group of 90 sports and entertainment stars coming to South Lake Tahoe for the 27th annual American Century Championship, July 19 – 24, 2016. Many were hoping to see Steph Curry on the list, but with the Olympic Games in Rio just after the tournament, speculation is that he had to skip the stop in Tahoe.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Explorers just finished a week-long detail in Pebble Beach, California working the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Golf Tournament to earn money for their POST.

Thirteen DCSO Explorers handled pedestrian control, traffic control and security details in and around the famous 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach. They saw golf professionals like Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh as well as amateurs like Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, Carson Daly and Larry The Cable Guy.

It was 174 years ago, on Valentine's Day in 1844, when John C. Frémont and Charles Preuss “discovered” Lake Tahoe as they were making the first crossing across the Sierra Nevada in winter. The pair had been hired by Congress to explore the Colombia River region to the Pacific Ocean with famous scouts Kit Carson and Thomas Fitzpatrick.

The Society of Professional Journalists has awarded Jason Paladino, Sierra Nevada College Tahoe graduate and native of Truckee, Cal., their NorCal 2016 James Madison Freedom of Information Student Award for his investigation into the Navy’s Sea Dragon program.

Two good news stories out of Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows today.

First, they are now offering a season pass to all active duty military in exchange for a $25 donation to the “Military to the Mountains” program, a partnership between Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, High Fives Foundation, Achieve Tahoe (formerly Disabled Sports USA Far West) and Adaptive Training Foundation.

A consumer alert has been issued regarding scams targeting seniors who served in the military and their survivors.

“California’s veterans have made extraordinary sacrifices to keep our nation safe and uphold our most sacred values and freedoms,” said Attorney General Kamala Harris. “Sadly, many of our senior veterans are being targeted by scam artists seeking to take advantage of them for a quick profit. My office will continue to protect our veterans and ensure that predators who seek to profit from their service are held accountable.”

Some have jobs. Some have families. Some are recent high school graduates. Some are retired military. Some are college graduates. They are all future firefighters.

One month into the new school year, 33 men and women are part of the tenth class of firefighters being trained at the Lake Tahoe Community College's program, the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy. This year's class started with 36 students, but some find out early on how physically demanding the program is and they find it isn't for them.

Dan Costa, entrepreneur and CEO of First Tactical, will headline the first 2015-2016 US Bank Speakers Series event at Sierra Nevada College. This free lunchtime event takes place Oct. 21 at 11:30 a.m. on SNC Tahoe’s Incline Village campus in their Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences. It is open to the public.

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For America's young men 70 years ago, their thoughts weren't on college and careers. They were focused on survival and a battle bigger than any of them individually during World War II.

For some that meant a foxhole in Europe, Africa or some Pacific island, or perhaps aboard a battleship with eyes focused for enemy submarines. For thousands of young men, most barely out of high school themselves, it meant long days airborne in a freezing aluminum tube, hoping that it wasn't their day to be unlucky.

Military veterans of all ages will be honored at the 5th Annual Aviation Roundup, August 22 and 23, 2015 at Minden-Tahoe Airport. Among those veterans being recognized is Dr. Kyle Swanson, an orthopedic surgeon with Tahoe Orthopedics & Sport Medicine in Carson City and Lake Tahoe. The Army veteran served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan where he performed surgeries on soldiers and Afghan civilians injured during the conflict of war.

Four-time American Century Golf champion Billy Joe Tolliver, former quarterback for five NFL teams, is now the top choice of Harrah’s and Harveys Race & Sports Book to win the 26th annual celebrity golf tournament this week in South Lake Tahoe.

He is listed at 7-2 to win the event over defending champion Mark Rypien and perennial contenders John Smoltz and John Elway.

Rypien, the original favorite, is 5-1 with Smoltz at 6-1 and eight-time champion Rick Rhoden at 7-1 for the 54-hole, modified-Stableford competition at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Several residents on the west slope of El Dorado County have periodically made calls into law enforcement about "loud booms" heard over many days so the Sheriff's Department investigated several possible sources.

It turns out that the sounds were created by Naval Air Station Fallon and Hawthorne Army Depot maneuvers over the County, mostly heard in the area of Swansboro. The daily ordinance explosions and high speed fighters and bombers breaking the sound barrier have been determined to be the cause of the noises.

Justin Timblerlake fans will be thrilled to learn that the multi-talented actor and musical artist will be golfing at this summer's American Century Championship celebrity golf in South Lake Tahoe his summer. He joins superstar athletes and entertainers for the first time this summe. Timberlake is an avid golfer who sports a six handicap and is renowned in the sport for his philanthropic endeavors.

Queens from foreign lands, juggling jesters, winsome wenches, lords and ladies, knight of horseback, squires and simpletons will all converge in South Lake Tahoe over two weekends for the 23rd annual Valhalla Renaissance Faire. Camp Richardson is turned into a Renaissance village for the popular event that draws several thousand people during the two weekend run.

The fun costumed festival will be held May 30 and 31, and June 5, 6 and 7.

Once again, the most popular celebrity golf tournament in the county will be held on the southern shores of Lake Tahoe. The 26th Annual American Century Championship will be held in South Lake Tahoe from July 14-19, 2015 at Edgewood Tahoe.

The list of the 95 participants released resemble the 'A List' of who's who in sports and entertainment, as well as the military. They will all be going after a prize purse of $625,000.

Cyclists of all ages and levels are invited to take part in Ride 2 Recovery's Tahoe Honor Ride on Friday, May 8 as part of the Amgen Tour of California.

The Honor Ride Lake Tahoe is a 19-mile route that departs from Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California Base Lodge and takes participants along Pioneer Trail toward Meyers before returning to Heavenly. Post-event celebrations will include the Amgen Tour of California festivities with vendors, food, drinks, DJs, and cheering on the professional athletes as they complete Stage 1.