Originally published in Moonshine Ink, 08/13/2026, Written by Jon Grant

The collective conscious of Tahoe/Truckee is a creative one, and the Bristlecone Film Collective wants to tap into it — to foster a robust and thriving independent movie culture. 

The feeling? Park City has Sundance, Telluride’s been putting on two world renown film festivals since the 1970s, and the Nevada City Film Festival just turned 25. So why not us? 

“We have an art community here,” said Nadia Gill, filmmaker and cofounder of the collective, rapping on the symbiotic nature of mountain towns and creative culture. “We want to put in energy and help it grow, and make a more well-rounded community.”

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Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 8/11/2026, Written by Clare McArthur Tahoe Magazine

In the peak of summer, boats create wakes across the invisible line dividing Lake Tahoe between California and Nevada. No buoy marks the transition, and, while on the water, lakegoers may be unaware of the state line cutting the lake in two, or its complicated history.  

On shore, the invisible line determines where casinos are located, how people are taxed, and a host of other regulations. 

It’s also based on a series of errors and approximations spanning decades.

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Originally published by Kristie Wells, 08/11/2026

Applications are open for the 2026 Washoe Tahoe Academy, a free three-day program connecting Incline Village and Crystal Bay residents with the people, agencies, and organizations serving our community.

One of the things I have learned from living and working in Incline Village is that understanding how our community works is not always as simple as it seems.

Incline Village and Crystal Bay are part of Washoe County, but many of the services we rely on and decisions that affect life here involve a combination of county government, special districts, regional agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations. Knowing who does what, where to find reliable information, and who to contact with a question can take time to figure out.

The Washoe Tahoe Academy offers residents an opportunity to better understand those connections firsthand.

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In the merriest of experiments that we are calling, “Jimmy Buffett Meets Mark Twain on the Way to Heaven,” impressionist Darin Talbot and I are connecting dots between two of America’s most colorful characters. We decided to begin by selecting lyrics that might segue seamlessly, and just let time and space fall into simultaneous dimensions.

I’ll present some first proposals here, and await Jimmy’s (Darin’s) rejoinders…

Jimmy, my son, I feel a need to share with you some etiquette on getting into heaven…

Upon arriving at the Pearly Gates, don’t speak first.  Let St. Peter speak first. And don’t start a sentence with “So, or Say, or, Be good and you will be lonesome…”  And don’t try to take a selfie with him, hell is full of people who have tried that. And Jimmy, in case all else fails, you might want to take along your guitar…

On your way to heaven, Jimmy, you must stop at the Island of Maui. You will think you have arrived. I remember one particularly pleasant afternoon on Maui I observed a bevy of naked native ladies bathing in the ocean. This was the sort of local color I was looking for, for the Sacramento Union, so I went down and sat on their clothes -to prevent them from being stolen.  The sea was rising, I shouted for them to come out but they ignored my warnings and continued to frolic in the sea. When I got up to go I noticed my horse was asleep, which goes to show you that there is a difference between a horse and a man.  You cannot depend upon a horse to gather news…for the Sacramento Union.

The Sandwich Islands are to this day the peacefullest, restfullest, dreamiest haven of refuge for a worn and weary spirit that the surface of the earth can offer. Those islands affect you just as all things that you instantly recognize as perfect affect you -perfect Parot Head music, perfect joy.  The Sandwich Islands are one long slumbering Sabbath.  The good that die there experience no change, for they fall asleep in one heaven -and wake up in another…

I wrote to my brother in 1866: I have had a call to literature, of a low order – humorous…to excite the mirth of God’s creatures. When it comes to writing, Jimmy, the difference between the right word and the almost right word, is the difference between the lightening and the lightening bug…

I know how you like to travel, Jimmy, and travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. I have gone over the Atlantic so many times now that I know all the whales, and lately it’s been an embarrassment to me to meet them, for they do not look glad to see me, only annoyed, and they seem to say, “Here comes that old derelict again.”

You will be one of the youngest to enter heaven by this gate, Jimmy. Your few wrinkles merely indicate where the smiles have been…

So I repeat and emphasize my maxim, Jimmy: You cannot reach old age by another man’s road.  The important thing, the essential thing, is that we endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry…

Stay tuned to these pages for future Buffett – Twain progress…

Audio: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Fhv4PrH1UuwlhbnTT23zO

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 8/7/2026, Staff Report

Protecting Lake Tahoe’s iconic water quality, a joint California-Nevada effort, prevented a record quantity of fine-grained sediment and other pollutants from reaching the lake’s dazzling blue waters in 2025, according to an annual performance report released today.

By restoring wetlands and streams, limiting dust from roads and construction sites, and improving stormwater systems and other anti-pollution actions, partners in the Lake Tahoe Total Maximum Daily Load Program (TMDL program) kept an estimated 736,600 pounds of sediment known to harm clarity and water quality out of the lake.

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Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 8/4/2026, Submitted

On Monday, August 3, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Director Vinson Guthreau met with California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot to reaffirm the longstanding partnership between the two states and advance shared priorities for the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Because the Lake Tahoe Basin straddles the Nevada-California border, protecting one of the nation’s most iconic alpine landscapes requires close coordination between the two states. During the meeting, the leaders focused on strengthening wildfire resilience, preserving Lake Tahoe’s famed clarity, advancing forest and watershed health, and expanding outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the basin.

“Our two states share some of the West’s most important natural landscapes and resources,” said Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Director Vinson Guthreau. “Our partnership has a long history, and I appreciate Secretary Crowfoot’s leadership and his commitment to the Lake Tahoe Basin. Together, we have accomplished a great deal, and I am confident that continued cooperation between our agencies will benefit the basin, along with its residents and visitors, for years to come.”

Photo: Wade Crowfoot and Vinson Guthreau – Provided / California Natural Resources Agency

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 8/4/2026, Written by Katelyn Welsh

After multiple attempts of tree poisoning were discovered at Burnt Cedar Beach, the Incline Village Improvement District is working with environmental specialists to assess and mitigate the effects on the trees and surrounding soil.

The district is working closely with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office on investigating the poisonings and also announced it is taking measures to prevent similar conduct.

Residents are encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office with any pertinent information at (775) 328–3001 and reference case number 26-4225.

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