federal

The ongoing drought, warmer-than-usual weather conditions and the fuel for fire those conditions produce could lead to a “perfect storm” this summer where multiple states in the West could be having large, simultaneous fires, state and federal fire officials told Gov. Brian Sandoval Monday.

“The system is going to be heavily taxed this year,” said Kit Bailey of the U.S. Forest Service. “We have preparedness levels of one through five and I’m a little concerned that we may get to an unprecedented level, a level six, and that is kind of a worst-case scenario.

All bids for the final phase of the Sierra Tract Erosion Control Project may be rejected during Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Originally, Vinciguerra Construction was awarded the project even though their bid wasn't the lowest. The City felt the lowest bid, submitted by Burdick Excavating Company, didn't meet all of the federally required regulations (required due to federal financing).

Vincent J. Doyle, former CFO of Morton & Pitalo, was sentenced on Wednesday by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to 51 months in prison for mail fraud arising out of his embezzlement from his former employer of more than $2.5 million. Doyle was also ordered to pay over $2.5 million in restitution.

Living in the midst of the fourth consecutive year of drought in the Sierra Nevada brings with it a responsibility to become fire adapted. While the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consistently thins forests, conducts prescribed burns and defensible space programs to reduce wildfire risk, they need the public's help to create Fire Adapted Communities at Lake Tahoe

Marijuana is still on the list of dangerous drugs after U.S. Federal Court Judge Kimberly Mueller's ruling in Sacramento Wednesday. The move disappoints advocates that saw the case as a chance to get closer to their goal of nationwide legalization.

Mueller denied the motion of the defendants in United States v. Bryan Schweder to dismiss an indictment on that basis that the continued scheduling of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance in federal law was unconstitutional.

The consolidation of ski operations in Lake Tahoe continues with news Monday that plans are underway to install a gondola to connect Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski resorts.

The resorts, both owned by Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, reached an agreement with Troy Caldwell, the owner of the property between the base of the resorts, to build a gondola that will run about two miles.

Clarity levels at Lake Tahoe in 2014 showed the biggest improvements in more than a decade, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, who have studied the lake for the last half century.

The improvements are in part due to continuous work from the Lake Tahoe community to lower pollutants to the lake. They were also influenced by the drought, as reduced precipitation meant fewer contaminants flowed into Lake Tahoe, particularly during the summer, when clarity levels were the highest recorded since 2002.

The public is invited to a series of public hearings on the proposed State Route 89/Fanny Bridge Community Revitalization Project. The completed design is expected in September with construction expected to start in May, 2016.

The final environment impact report, environmental impact statement, and environmental assessment (EIR/EIS/EA) documents are now available. They can be viewed on line or at the following hearings:

There were more than 1,000 fires in California in 2014 and, because of the current dry conditions, 2015 is expected to be more of the same.

Even though the airport in South Lake Tahoe hasn't had commercial flights since 2001, they have maintained their Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR)Part 139 Certification, though it is currently inactive.

Since the airport currently does not plan on having commercial flights in the near future, the City Council voted on Tuesday to stop paying for the certification.

This free small business tax seminar is sponsored by the California Board of Equalization, the City of South Lake Tahoe, South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and Tahoe Chamber. Register Here.

Topics include:

-Avoiding sales and use tax problems

-Forms of ownership

-Social media marketing

-Employee or independent contractor

-Loan programs and services

-Better business through better records

Who should attend?

Location

This presentation will focus on Issues regarding wage and hour claims under federal and state laws which continue to hit record levels. To avoid litigation, employers must ensure that their wage and hour policies and procedures are complaint with the Fair Labor and Standards Act as well as the state wage and hour laws. This seminar discusses the latest legal developments in the area of wage and hour law, including: 1) meal and rest periods; 2) overtime exemptions; and 3) independent contractors. Webinar will be held from 12:00pm-1:00 pm.

There’s a lot to be learned by studying others’ successes. At the Tahoe Talks Brown Bag Lunch this February, a design engineer for the Federal Highway Administration discussed how modern roundabouts are being used to improve traffic and make roads safer for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians, as well as where they would make the most sense at Lake Tahoe.

A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment today against Mark McLeod Wygant, 44, resident of Chico and former South Lake Tahoe Fire Captain, charging him with Sexual Exploitation and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of Minors, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

Mark Wygant, the South Lake Tahoe Fire Captain who is facing federal charges of possessing child pornography, resigned Wednesday according to City officials.

On January 29, 2015, Wygant was arrested following a federal investigation into his receiving child pornography. He was placed on paid administrative leave at the time but with his resignation he terminates the paid status.

Every year, thousands of children go missing. Understandably, the parents in these situations are frightened and may not be thinking as they would when not under distress.

Accurate information about missing children is necessary immediately after a child goes missing, but with panicked parents this may not be as easy as one would think.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has created an app for iPhones and android phones so parents can keep information about their children at their fingertips.

A South Lake Tahoe fire captain has been arrested and is on paid administrative leave resulting from a federal criminal investigation into him allegedly receiving child pornography.

A 2011 false arrest complaint against the City of South Lake Tahoe by Patrick Solomon ended up in a jury trial in Federal Court's Eastern Division in Sacramento. On Thursday the jury came back with a decision siding with the defense, stating that there was no wrong doing on behalf of the City or the police department.

The case started when Solomon was arrested on January 21, 2011 for assaulting an El Dorado County Sheriff's Officer Deputy Brandon Pena.

Officer Pena was a County correctional officer and knew the plaintiff during his time as an inmate at the El Dorado County jail.

John Winton Harris, 31, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to 21 years and 10 months in prison for possessing more than 163 grams of crack cocaine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

Casino company Caesars Entertainment (CZR), the owner of Harrah's and Harvey's in Lake Tahoe, announced early Thursday that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court in Chicago for its main operating unit in an attempt to beat back an effort by some creditors who filed their own bankruptcy plan in Delaware on Monday. They claim the company has cheated them.

Free education "for those willing to work for it."

That's what President Obama said he would like to see in an announcement the White House posted to Facebook and Vine on Thursday.

He's proposing to make the first two years of community college free.

Draft environmental documents are available for public review and comment for the State Route 89/Fanny Bridge Community Revitalization Project in Tahoe City, California. Public comments will be accepted through Tuesday, February 17, 2015.

Tucked deep inside the 1,603-page federal spending measure is a provision that effectively ends the federal government's prohibition on medical marijuana and signals a major shift in drug policy.

The bill's passage over the weekend marks the first time Congress has approved nationally significant legislation backed by legalization advocates. It brings almost to a close two decades of tension between the states and Washington over medical use of marijuana.

Tahoe In Depth, the environmental newspaper that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency created two years ago to help improve awareness and understanding of lake issues, was recognized with a Silver Spike award at the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America annual awards ceremony on Thursday.
Silver Spike awards recognize the northern Sierra region’s best public relations and communications campaigns, according to Anne McMillin, President of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.