Appliance Repair in Squaw Valley, CA

With dozens of homes already erected in Olympic Valley, Plant Prefab announced it has won a bid to prefabricate the final phase of custom homes at luxury home community The Palisades at Olympic Valley.

Plant Prefab, which has been building homes in the area for several years, brings a different approach to construction in the Sierra. By prefabricating much of a house in a factory, and then shipping it in modules consisting of living spaces like kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms, homes can be put up in as little as an afternoon.

Plant Prefab’s most recent contract is its third with San Diego-based developer The Brown Studio, and is for three 4,627-square-foot custom homes. Since first being sourced to build one of the development’s first-phase homes, off Squaw Valley Road on Creeks End Court, Plant Prefab has since prefabricated 33 of the development’s single-family homes.

“We are honored to partner with The Brown Studio to complete The Palisades community,” said Plant Prefab President and Chief Operating Officer Deep Bhattacharya in a news release. “As the first new residential development in Olympic Valley in more than a decade, The Palisades showcases the value Plant Prefab can provide to developers of architectural housing in weather- and labor-constrained markets — where reliability and time and cost efficiency are essential.”

Plant Prefab has previously built 2,630- to 2,800-square-foot homes, but the larger-scale homes it has been contracted to make will require a different approach, said founder and CEO Steve Glenn.

“It’s going to be about three months in the factory per home,” said Glenn. “It’ll take two or three days for installation, and then a month or two to finish it out.”

Work after installation includes some dry walling, grouting, weatherproofing, and connecting electrical and plumbing.

The Plant Prefab has other projects in the work in the Truckee area, though Glenn declined to announce where, as details with developers are still being worked out.

As far as working in the Tahoe area, Glenn said the biggest challenges come from transporting the modules, which can weigh up to 40,000 pounds, from its factory in Rialto to the area.

“But one of the great advantages is, you’re taking a huge part of the construction process, and you’re moving it to an all-weather, indoor facility,” concluded Glenn. You’re mitigating a big chunk of the weather factor.”

Justin Scacco is a staff writer with the Sierra Sun. He can be reached at jscacco@sierrasun.com

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With dozens of homes already erected in Olympic Valley, Plant Prefab announced it has won a bid to prefabricate the final phase of custom homes at luxury home community The Palisades at Olympic Valley.

RENO (AP) — A long-awaited gondola connecting two Lake Tahoe ski resorts that was entangled in a legal battle will be completed for the 2022-23 ski season at Palisades Tahoe, resort officials say.

Alterra Mountain Co., the Denver-based parent company of the resorts, broke ground last spring on the $65 million project that it says will effectively create the third-largest ski area in North America.

The 2.2-mile-long gondola had been controversial because it will travel near the edge of federally protected wilderness on national forest land above Lake Tahoe. A settlement was reached with conservationists two years ago.

The gondola will carry up to 1,400 people per hour in eight-passenger cabins. A 16-minute ride travels about 2,000 vertical feet over the ridge separating the ski areas to reach panoramic views of the alpine lake between Tahoe City and Truckee, California.

Its newly connected 6,000 acres of ski terrain will rank only behind Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia and Park City Mountain in Utah. The resort hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics.

The company confirmed the projected opening for next winter season last week when it detailed its plans to spend $344 million this year on capital improvements at its 15 North American resorts. The bulk of the investment will expand infrastructure at Palisades and Mammoth Mountain in California, Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado, Deer Valley Resort in Utah and Crystal Mountain in Washington.

“This historic investment is clear evidence of our commitment to deliver a premier guest experience at our North American destinations and our engagement towards the long-term future of our mountains,” Alterra Mountain CEO Rusty Gregory said.

The gondola at Tahoe is expected to eliminate about 100 vehicle trips per day on California Highway 89, the access road between Palisades and Alpine Meadows, Alterra said.

A yearslong legal battle is being waged in the California Court of Appeals over additional expansion plans at the resorts. Conservationists say they will harm the surrounding environment and dramatically increase traffic in the highway corridor along the Truckee River, which could prove dangerous in a wildfire evacuation.

Conservationists agreed to drop another lawsuit specifically targeting the gondola project two years ago in exchange for neighboring land purchases and other wildlife protection measures.

As part of the settlement with the Granite Chief Wilderness Protection League, Palisades Tahoe agreed to permanently protect 27 acres of habitat for the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog and contribute about $500,000 over the next decade toward land purchases.

It also prohibited any road construction within the Tahoe National Forest’s neighboring Granite Chief Wilderness Area and dictates the gondola will operate only during the winter, shutting down each year no later than April 30.

Forest Service officials said the original plans could have passed as close as 75 feet to the wilderness boundary lines, but the approved route won’t come within 1,000 feet.

© Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

The 1960 Winter Olympics were held from Feb. 18-28 in Squaw Valley, California, with medals being awarded in 27 events. However, there was little evidence at the time that an innovation introduced at those Games would turn out to have such a profound impact on the success of an NFL expansion franchise and would help ignite a revolution in how teams evaluate talent.

A young television executive named Tex Schramm was working for CBS Sports in the late 1950s and helped orchestrate that first-ever television broadcast of the Winter Olympics. A graduate of the University of Texas School of Journalism, he previously had worked his way up to general manager of the Los Angeles Rams. Needless to say, television and football were integral to his career.

During those broadcasts of the Winter Games in 1960, computer giant IBM and CBS collaborated to insert a computer chip in the tip of skis during the competition to measure the speed of a run. The innovation so fascinated Schramm that he wondered if such technology might just help him in his new job – running the recently created expansion team in Dallas.

As the Cowboys president and general manager, one of the tasks Schramm gave Gil Brandt, his chief scout, was to find some way to use computer technology similar to what IBM did at the Olympics, so that the upstart team might gain an advantage when it came to acquiring football players.

The task was the beginning of two NFL pioneers collaborating to build the foundation of what would become one of the game's iconic franchises. And both Schramm and Brandt went on to be honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for helping innovate many aspects of building a successful football team from the ground up, as well as for their overall contributions to the sport.

NFL scouting at the time the Cowboys came into existence consisted of scouts using contacts and relationships to find players. The job was more subjective and antidotal than analytical.

"(The Cowboys) started using computers as far back as 1962. Our stuff was computer driven and we had a ton of data," remembers the now 90-year-old Brandt during a recent telephone interview. "The first thing we did was we wanted to find out what were the characteristics that made up a good football player."

From that, Brandt began devising a rating system based on attributes such as quickness, strength, agility, balance, mental alertness and personal character. Each position had its own set of criteria. To help quantify the data, the Cowboys consulted with IBM, which led them to a young mathematician/data analyst named Salam Qureishi.

Qureishi came to the United States from India in 1959 to accept a teaching fellowship at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland (currently Case Western Reserve University). IBM then recruited him to work in statistics and analytics.

When he came to Dallas to meet with Brandt, he had no idea what football was let alone how he could help a professional team identify talented players. In the short film The Cowboys and the Indian, Qureishi said, "I thought football was about people piling on people." He went on to say the biggest challenge was they had to figure out a way to "quantify a human being."

Brandt said the process was not primarily to identify the best and the worst players but to find the hidden gems languishing somewhere in between.

"We think a housewife can give you who's going to be great. We think a housewife can tell you who's going to be bad," said Brandt. "So, we wanted to find all those guys who are in the middle."

Collecting data using the character traits developed through extensive research and then inputting that data into the computer gave the Cowboys several advantages. Athletes at smaller schools could be run through the system and identified as potential NFL players despite the lack of competition or visibility afforded those at the major college level. The system could also help identify athletes in other sports with the right characteristics that could translate into success on the football field. Statistical evaluations also helped eliminate bias influenced by personal relationships scouts might have with a particular school or coach.

The Cowboys were also one of the first teams to dedicate resources to historically black colleges. "We assigned [Cowboys scout] Dick Mansperger. I told him his only job was to cover those 45 schools," says Brandt.

The dedication to small schools began to pay off in 1965 when the Cowboys selected a defensive end from tiny Elizabeth City (N.C.) State named Jethro Pugh. Pugh became a stalwart on the Cowboys defense and was part of two Super Bowl championship teams. He played his entire career with Dallas before retiring in 1978.

Two years after they found Pugh, the Cowboys used a seventh-round selection (182nd overall) on a little known offensive lineman from Fort Valley (Ga.) State named Rayfield Wright. Wright went on to become a six-time Pro Bowl selection, a member of the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team, an inductee in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2006.

But Wright wasn't the only future Hall of Fame selection the Cowboys' analytics helped uncover. Florida A&M wide receiver Bob Hayes was better known, but not for football. He was a world-class sprinter on the track team. He earned the title of "Fastest Man in the World" after setting world records in the 100-meter dash. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Hayes won gold medals in the 100 meters and as part of the 4x100 relay team.

When Hayes' athletic characteristics were put into the computer, it detected a high probability of his talents transferring to the NFL. With the intel, the Cowboys were able to take a flyer on Hayes in the seventh round of the 1964 NFL Draft (88th overall). The analytics just couldn't ignore the potential of all that speed on the football field. "Bullet" Bob Hayes was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor and was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

Schramm and Brandt also believed the analytics could help identify athletes in sports other than track. Basketball players have skills that can sometimes translate well on the football field, and with the computer it really didn't matter that there wasn't any film of them on the gridiron. Of course, the Cowboys did have to get creative when it came to gathering the data they needed on these hoop stars.

"We had a great relationship with college [basketball] coaches because we'd have a little party every year for them at the Final Four," says Brandt. "The only way they could come to the party was if they answered our questionnaire. They all wanted to go to the party, so they answered the questionnaire. Even [legendary Indiana and Texas Tech head coach] Bob Knight answered the questionnaire."

While several of the Cowboys' draft picks came from the basketball ranks, including future NBA head coach Pat Riley who passed on the opportunity to try football in order to pursue basketball, the most notable to actually play with the team was undoubtedly defensive back Cornell Green.

Utah State basketball coach LaDell Anderson told the Cowboys about Green, who had never played a down of college football. But Green was also drafted by the NBA's then Chicago Zephyrs, and though he was invited to Dallas' training camp in 1962, he was planning to join the Zephyrs once he got cut from the Cowboys. He never made it to the NBA.

Green not only wasn't cut by the Cowboys, he became a starting defensive back and was named to the All-Rookie Team. He played in five Pro Bowls and was a three-time All Pro during his 15-year NFL career.

The collection of data to evaluate football players might have started with the Cowboys, but eventually the rest of the league began to catch on to the processes, many of which remain in wide use in today's analytics driven NFL.

Brandt was also the driving force behind pooling scouting resources rather than every team scrambling to collect information on players. The concept of working together is credited with helping kick-start the development of the NFL Scouting Combine, now held annually in Indianapolis. And many of the tests and drills performed at the combine, such as the 40-yard dash, are designed to showcase the type of data that the Cowboys began collecting in the early 1960s with the help of a mathematician whose first impression of football was "people piling on people."

"(Qureishi) helped put the shovel in the ground to dig out what we had to do," says Brandt. "He did a great job. He was just as important as Dick Mansperger was in discovering all these guys from small black schools."

Even today, Brandt believes the process he helped build is still paying dividends.

"Our whole team are the ones who started it. I was just the one who implemented it. The system is working again and that's thanks to [current Cowboys owner] Jerry [Jones] for funding it and the coaching staff for coaching it and thanks to the scouts."

And to IBM for deciding to put a computer chip in a ski.

The Official 2022 Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine Draft Guide has comprehensive scouting reports on 110 players with more than 500 top prospects listed overall. Available in both print and digital, visit DallasCowboys.com/star for more information and to purchase yours today!

WinterWonderGrass California made its triumphant return to Olympic Valley’s Palisades Tahoe ski resort this past weekend for three days of bluegrass in the thawing springtime mountains. The festival featured headlining performances from Billy Strings, The Infamous Stringdusters, and The California Honeydrops.

The main stage kicked off on Friday with Keller & The Keels, as the barefooted bard performed alongside Larry and Jenny Keel. After them came The War And Treaty before day one’s main event, Billy Strings. The bluegrass phenom played two sets, which featured a pair of sit-ins from Lindsay Lou and Michael Trotter Jr. (The War And Treaty). Billy’s Friday performance came just two days before he played atop the MGM Grand Garden Arena as part of the 64th annual Grammy Awards.

Billy Strings w/ Michael Trotter Jr. – “Summertime” (Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) – 4/1/22

Saturday got underway with Lindsay Lou on the main stage followed by Bozeman, MT’s finest, Kitchen Dwellers. Fruition then brought some electricity to the stage ahead of a headlining set from The Infamous Stringdusters.

The final day of WinterWonderGrass opened with bluegrass luminary Peter Rowan. The original Old & In The Way member also sat for a studio session with Paste Magazine. Following a set from Della Mae, the other pride of Montana The Lil Smokies turned in a set featuring appearances from Lindsay Lou, Cris Jacobs, and the California Honeydrops horn section. The main stage then closed out with California Honeydrops before Pickin’ On The Dead delivered the final set of the weekend at The Soapbox.

Peter Rowan live at Paste Studio on the Road: WinterWonderGrass

The Lil Smokies w/ Cris Jacobs, California Honeydrops Horns – “Doctor My Eyes” (Jackson Browne) – 4/3/2022

[Video: Max Berde]

The Lil Smokies w/ Lindsay Lou – “The Power of Love” (Huey Lewis & The News) – 4/3/2022

[Video: Max Berde]

Though the festival itself was over, the WinterWonderGrass Grass After Dark programming was just getting started. A late-night set from the Kitchen Dwellers took on a collaborative format with help from The Lil Smokies.

“There ain’t a hell of a lot of bands in Montana, let me tell you,” Kitchen Dwellers’ Torrin Daniels said. “Our choices of friends are pretty limited.”

Kitchen Dwellers w/ The Lil Smokies – “Tombstone Blues” (Bob Dylan) – 4/3/22

[Video: Max Berde]

Kitchen Dwellers w/ The Lil Smokies – “Can’t Stop Now” (The String Cheese Incident) – 4/3/22

Kitchen Dwellers w/ Lindsay Lou – “Spiderwebs” (No Doubt) – 4/3/22

Check out a gallery of images from WinterWonderGrass California courtesy of photographer Elliot Siff.

THRU JUNE 30

ONLINE – Health and Religion, a series of online courses organized by the Prolepsis Institute in collaboration with the Hellenic Society of Medical Students of Greece and under the auspices of the Medical School of Athens, began on November 4 and runs until June 30. The courses are supervised and coordinated by the Emeritus Professor of Surgery at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Lecturer in Surgery at Harvard Medical School Dimitrios Linos. Professors of Medicine and other schools and universities including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Duke, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and well-known Greek doctors, theologians, and writers are participating. The lectures include The Role of Spirituality in the Experience of Illness with Tracy Ann Balboni on April 7; Re-Enchantment of the World with Athanasios Papathanasiou on April 14; Religion, Spirituality and Health: Research and Clinical Applications with Harold Koening on May 5, and The Orthodox Church for the Human Health with Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos on May 12. More information, including the detailed program of presentations and speakers, is available online: www.healthandreligion.gr. All the courses are also available on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3AZgQpL. The Radio Station of the Church of Greece and The National Herald are communication sponsors of the courses.

THRU MAY 11

ASTORIA – The Hell Gate Film Society of the Greek Cultural Center (GCC) presents a series of films by Cypriot directors at the GCC, 26-80 30th Street in Astoria, March 27-May 11. The screenings are free to the public. The films will be in Greek with English subtitles. Information about showtimes is posted on the Hell Gate Society Facebook site, Instagram, and on the Greek Cultural Center website/Facebook site. Additional information available by phone: 718-726-7329 and online: https://bit.ly/3iojVY8.

APRIL 1-3

SQUAW VALLEY, CA – The Orthodox Young Adults Lenten Retreat at St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center, 38526 Dunlap Road in Squaw Valley, takes place Friday, April 1-Sunday, April 3. Young Adults from all Orthodox traditions are welcome to attend. The theme for this retreat is Rejoice Mother of the Light and the guest speaker will be Rev. Father Seraphim Ramos, Assistant Priest at Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Las Vegas, NV. Retreat participants will spend time having discussions and fellowship at St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center, as well as visit and help the Sisters of the Monastery of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Spring with a work project. More information is available online: https://bit.ly/3Cvz6rK.

APRIL 1-17

ASTORIA – The Greek Cultural Center, 26-80 30th Street in Astoria, presents the comedy ‘Who Discovered America?’ April 1-17. The play, written by Chryssa Spilioti, directed by Larisa Antypa, and starring Antypa and Alexandra Skendrou, is in Greek with English supertitles. Liza and Kate are two girls growing up together trying to discover their life and dreams. Performances are on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM and 7 PM. Tickets, $20, $15 for seniors, are available at the door and online: https://www.greekculturalcenter.org/. More information is available via email: info@greekculturalcenter.org or by phone: 718-726-7329. Masks as required by NYC protocol.

APRIL 5

NEW YORK – Hellenic Professional Women hosts the Spring Cocktails & Connect on Tuesday, April 5, 6-8 PM, at Kyma Hudson Yards, 445 West 35th Street in Manhattan. Donation is $15 for members, $30 for non-members. Cash bar. Special guest Greek Power Girl Sofia Karvelas of Wknd Nation. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis, with limits on capacity. Register online: https://bit.ly/3u5KsyQ.

APRIL 8-10

LYNN, MA – The 65th Annual Harry Agganis Basketball Tournament, the longest running Greek tournament on the East Coast, takes place April 8-10 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 54 South Common Street in Lynn. Featuring Youth, High School, Women’s, and Men’s Divisions, this fun-filled weekend brings together all ages to play in honor of ‘The Golden Greek’. More information is available by phone: 781-593-6162 and on Facebook: Harry Agganis Basketball Tournament.

APRIL 9

ONLINE – The UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture presents the Greek Book Club featuring Aivali by Soloup on Saturday, April 9, 10 AM-12 PM PDT, via Zoom. The discussion will be in Greek. To register and for further information on how to purchase the book, contact Dr. Simos Zenios via email: szenios@humnet.ucla.edu.

MANCHESTER, NH – Rummage Sale at Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral 650 Hanover Street in Manchester, on Saturday, April 9, 9 AM-3 PM. Drop off donations from your spring cleaning Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4 PM through Thursday, April 7, at the church for the sale. More information is available by phone: 603-622-9113.

ATHENS – College Year in Athens and the Princeton Club of Greece, on Wednesday, April 13, 12 PM EDT / 7 PM Athens, co-host a virtual lecture on philosophical interpretations and views on arguably the most fundamental inquiry asked by humankind: the existence of the divine being.