TAHOE CITY, Calif. - Leveling gas prices and fewer international workers living locally are leading causes to a 30 percent drop in bus ridership along Lake Tahoe's North Shore, officials said.
The Tahoe Area Regional Transit system in January 2010 saw 30 percent fewer riders compared to the same month a year ago, and overall ridership has fallen 10 percent to 20 percent in the last six months.
"We're still up higher than we were three or four years ago, but it's something we're going to keep a close eye on," said Placer County Public Works Manager Will Garner, who presented a January 2010 ridership report at last week's Truckee-North Tahoe Transportation Management Association meeting.
The biggest January drop came from the West Shore at 41 percent, according to the report. North Shore routes on Highway 28 also showed a significant loss at 38 percent. Routes from Truckee to Tahoe City had the third largest drop at 29 percent.
The other routes, from the state line

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Nevada's budget is so far out of balance that by one account the state could lay off every worker paid from the general fund and still be $300 million in the red. The economic downturn has hit so hard that prisons may be closed, entire colleges shuttered and thousands left without jobs.
Against the backdrop of an imploding economy and an $881 million shortage, Gov. Jim Gibbons will try in an emergency "State of the State" address Monday to explain the depth of the state's financial crisis and how fixing the gaping hole in the budget.
It won't be pretty.
Nevada, with a heavy reliance on discretionary spending through gambling and sales taxes, has been especially hard hit by the recession as tourists and gamblers hold on to their money. The state's unemployment rate has hit 13 percent, and a once booming housing market that created thousands of high-paying construction jobs has gone bust, with Nevada topping the nation in foreclosures.
In his address, Gibbon

Is this you? Just back from the doctor with news that your cholesterol levels are climbing too high. Time for action. You can't imagine you can eat healthier and have it taste good. Besides, can eating differently really help? You do hate to cook. How much time will it take? What to do?
Call for a nutrition checkup with a registered dietitian! Call me, Betsy Taylor, RD at the Tahoe Center for Health and Sports Performance and Cardiac Health specialist. Or visit the weekly Wednesday Cardiac Health Talks at Tahoe Forest Hospital for current updates. Then, purge your pantry! Take the authority as the "gatekeeper" of your pantry and restock with these guidelines.
Start your day with soluble fiber, found in oats - steel cut, old fashioned, or oat bran.
This water-soluble fiber is a great "gut glue" absorbing cholesterol in your intestines, making a soft, gelatinous stool that literally slides on out of your body. Aim for at least 1 cup cooked per da