The Placer Life Placer County

Maybe you've driven by the "10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway" signs on your way to the mountain resorts along state Route 89. And maybe you've wondered, why here? There's no official connection to the 10th at all here, really.

But in fact, the Tahoe we know and love today - and America's experience of mountain sports in general - would look a lot different if it weren't for the 10th. In this episode of "The Placer Life," the second of our four-part miniseries about the ways World War II changed life in Placer County, we share the incredible story of the 10th's heroic efforts during World War II - and how veterans of the 10th changed the way we look at the mountains forever.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains historical reenactments of combat that may be difficult for some listeners. Discretion is advised. Transcript: https://shorturl.at/grM15

To learn more about the history of the 10th Mountain Division and its influence on mountain sports, check out the Ninety-Pound Rucksack podcast: https://christianbeckwith.com/

And visit the SNOW Sports Museum popup exhibit at the Boatworks building in Tahoe City to see artifacts from the 10th Mountain Division's service during World War II: https://www.thesnowmuseum.org/snow-sports-museum-at-the-boatworks/

In this first episode of our new four-part miniseries on the experience of World War II in Placer County, Placer Museums Administrator Ralph Gibson explains what life looked like before and during the war, and the enduring consequences of the war we still experience here today.

A transcript of this episode is available at: https://rb.gy/g0y6po

Foster youth are less likely to graduate from high school than their peers; less likely to enroll in college; more likely to be unemployed; more likely to experience mental health and substance use challenges; and more likely to become homeless.

A renewed focus on transition age youth who are aging out of foster care aims to change that story. In our new Placer Life podcast, listen to the story of Ariel, a young woman in Placer who was able to navigate young adulthood — and even save and purchase her own home — with THP-Plus or HOPE, one of the programs now in place for these young people that offering housing support and life skills training.

With foster care now open to young adults through age 21, and programs like HOPE lasting even longer, there’s more opportunity than ever to help our young adults get off to the right start. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3siAtck

One morning in February, Oleysa awoke to the sound of bombing. What followed was a harrowing months-long journey that brought her to a new life in Placer County, which is home to a growing number of refugees from Ukraine. In this episode, hear how they’ve adjusted to and embraced The Placer Life. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3G9fn4C

Futures don’t come much brighter than Zach Didier’s. At 17, Zach was a standout student at Rocklin’s Whitney High School. A star athlete and actor. A self-taught musician. He could’ve done anything. Everyone thought so. He died at Christmas - after taking a pill he didn't know was fake he bought on Snapchat. In our new podcast miniseries, "One Pill Can Kill," we talk to his parents, Chris and Laura, about their loss and what every parent needs to know to help keep their kids safe. We also talk to health, safety and law enforcement experts to better understand the fentanyl crisis and what we can all do to help. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank discussion of death that may be difficult for some listeners. Discretion is advised. Transcript: bit.ly/3yItAQU. For information and resources on the fentanyl crisis please visit www.1PillCanKillPlacer.com.

The Placer Dead has returned! Would you stay the night in a house you knew to be haunted? Lois Larimore did exactly that and lived to tell the tale. She shares her experience and other creepy happenings from her youth while working at the old Butterworth's restaurant in Old Auburn. Lois also shares a celebrity ghost sighting that's not to be missed!

Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-placer-life/id1183505610#episodeGuid=tag%3Asoundcloud%2C2010%3Atracks%2F701182282

Have a spooky tale tied to Placer County's past? Email us at placerghosts@gmail.com, and you could be featured in a future episode of The Placer Life.