primary

As a result of a citizen survey in which 74 percent of South Lake Tahoe residents responded that the city's overall appearance is “poor or fair” local leaders have recognized a compelling need to restore and improve the visual quality of the community and will step up code enforcement.

Leadership Lake Tahoe produced a new kind of fundraiser on Ski Run Boulevard April 28 called the Unforgettable Supper Stroll and Storytellers’ Night. Event organizers Kalia Knutson, Jeff Sterns and Jeff Cowen aimed to combine three goals into an innovative event: raise funds for the Friends of the Library, promote local businesses during the shoulder season and highlight South Tahoe’s local history to promote pride in the community.

Bear cans and defensible space were to the two primary concerns of residents who turned out for a neighborhood meeting this week. South Lake Tahoe has divided the city limits into six areas, even though there are really 20 distinct neighborhoods.

CARSON CITY – A little-known benefit of Nevada’s public employee pension plan is the right to purchase up to five years of service towards retirement.
Referred to by some as “air time,” or the ability to add years of retirement without actually putting in the time in a public sector job, the benefit can allow state and local government workers to retire early, collecting annual pensions years before they would be eligible otherwise.

The Nevada Highway Patrol will step up enforcement on US Highway 395 in Douglas County at the end of this month for a non-disclosed period of time with special emphasis on stopping and citing motorists who exceed the posted speed limit. In an effort to create awareness to this enforcement campaign and to pre-warn motorists from potentially receiving a moving violation citation, we are reminding motor vehicle operators to pay attention while driving and obey all the rules of the road.

Douglas County authorities seek the public's help in locating several suspects involved in an attempt to cash a stolen check on Saturday at a drive-thru window at Bank of America on Topsy Lane in north Douglas County near Carson City.
The primary suspect, an unidentified male adult, attempted to cash the stolen check at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday while using the drive-thru teller window, said Douglas County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Jim Halsey.

CARSON CITY – There was a flurry of candidates filing for office and some political maneuvering today as Nevada’s 2012 election season officially got under way.
Over 90 candidates filed for a variety of offices in Clark County.
Another 17 filed with the Secretary of State’s office and others filed in their respective counties around the state.

Sochi, Russia is next on the list for orthopedic surgeon, Terrence Orr's medical volunteerism. As a physician with Tahoe Orthopedic & Sports Medicine, he will be previewing the future site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games as part of his role as Head Team Physician for the United States Men's Alpine Ski Team — a position he has held since 1999.

As South Shore's primary wellness provider, Barton Health is looking at 2012 optimistically by addressing wellness education, patient access and improving care. Many have questions about healthcare...

After three nationwide searches Douglas County Manager Steve Mokrohisky found the person he wanted for the top finance job right in his own back yard. The pick was Christine Vuletich, the City of South Lake Tahoe's director of finance.
Vuletich has resigned to take the position in Douglas County offered to her this week by Mokrohisky, where she will serve as the assistant county manager/chief financial officer.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Can Newt Gingrich come back a third time?If he loses Tuesday in Florida's primary, Gingrich will spend the next month trying to prove the answer is yes."We were dead in June an...

Will Durst is in the business of political satire, and during an election year business is good."Like an Olympic athlete, I'm on a quadrennial cycle," Durst said on a speaker phone Monday while ...

To the citizens of El Dorado County,
The year 2011 is wrapped up, and so is my first year as your Sheriff. This year end report is to provide you, the community we serve, with information outlining some of the achievements by the men and women that make up your Sheriff’s Office. I believe it is my obligation to keep you, as the taxpayers of El Dorado County, informed as to the direction and accomplishments of this office.

View Washoe Drive Fire (1/19/2012) in a larger map

UPDATE 10PM: Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said tonight the Washoe Drive Fire has consumed and estimated 3,700 acres, burned at least 20 structures and has resulted in one fatality.
Hernandez would not go into details of how the person died. He said the 250+ firefighters on the scene have stopped the forward progress of the fire. He said the fire started in the East Lake area, and then followed the Highway 395 corridor north, where it was stopped just south of Galena High School.
Highway 395 will be closed until further notice due to damage to debris and damage to guard rails, power poles and other item near the roadway. Gov. Brian Sandoval told state workers who commute by this route to stay home Friday. Evacuations have been lifted for the Galena area. About 2,000 people are still unable to go back to their homes tonight.
Hernandez said firefighters saved more than 800 homes that were in the path of this destructive fire.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
****
UPDATE 9PM: Reno Fire officials report forward progress on Washoe Drive fire has stopped. Fire behavior is moderating due to diminishing winds, lowering termperatures and increasing humidity/moisture moving over the Sierra Nevada/Carson Range. Fire burns more than 3,000 acres with zero containment; 10,000 evacuated; no count on home and structure losses.

U.S. Highway-395 remains closed between 1.8 miles north of Carson City to the Junction of SR 341/431 (Mt. Rose Junction) in south Reno. U.S. Highway 395 could remained closed on Friday (1/20) through the morning commute - make alternate plans.
***

At 4:40 pm Thursday, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, under his constitutional and statutory authority, made a state declaration of emergency which qualifies local governments for federal assistance associated with this event. The National Guard is on standby at the request of Sandoval and Washoe County. California has also provided fire assistance as part of a Governor to Governor agreement with Jerry Brown.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been and are being affected by this fire,” Sandoval said. “Declaring a state of emergency ensures that every resource from the local, state and federal level is available to assist. The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Department of Public Safety have also engaged with local responders.”
Additionally, Nevada has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG). As a result, Nevada is eligible for up to 75 percent funding assistance for eligible costs. The request was made by the Nevada Division of Forestry on behalf of Washoe County at the onset of the fire.

More below the fold.

The operator of BlueGo, the South Lake Tahoe area public transportation system, has installed four new bus shelters in the city with plans for three more in early 2012 to provide additional safety, convenience and comfort for riders.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The big snowstorms of autumn are just memories in New England, where people who make their living off winter tourism are losing income and New Hampshire primary candidates...

Those of us who have spent most of our adult life on ski and snowboard slopes know how important it is to follow the rules on the slopes. From our earliest snow days we have followed the Skiers Responsibility Code, simple rules that make fun on the trail safer. If you don't know the Code, check it out next time you're at a mountain resort.

Approximately 2 to 3.5 million sports-related concussions occur annually in the United States, of which 60,000 are sustained by high school athletes. Orthopedic physicians and the athletic training staff from Tahoe Orthopedics & Sports Medicine are working to combat the impact of concussions affecting young athletes in the region through a computerized test called ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment Testing).

Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are announcing a new pilot study to determine the possibility of creating backcountry access gates permitting on-snow travel between Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

By John Heil
California’s landscapes are under siege from a host of threats. Catastrophic wildfire, climate change, invasive species and increasing human population put these delicate ecosystems at risk. The U.S. Forest Service has recognized and battled these threats for decades, but recently the agency recognized the need for a more focused approach on Ecological Restoration as the primary goal for all land management actions.

By Jeff Munson
The fight is pure Tahoe: A project proposed to improve the environment versus a group of people who don't want things to change.
Mud has been thrown, sides are dug in, and lawsuits are likely looming with the proposed reconfiguration of the Lake Tahoe Golf Course as it backs up to Washoe Meadows State Park and Recreation Area.

This type of issue comes up from time to time in areas with a lot of vacation homes, he told Lake Tahoe News. What it essentially boils down to is where a person's domicile, or primary residence, ...

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Lake Tahoe's sign ordinance will be the primary topic of discussion for the city council this week. City staff have proposed a long list of changes to the ordinance...