northern nevada

In a one man show, Chris Bayer will portray both Major William Ormsby and Lucky Bill Thorington in “The Major and the Gambler” at Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday, August 9, at 6:30 pm.

Major William Mathew Ormsby was born in 1814 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Ormsby was a teamster, failed horse dealer, citizen at large, visionary and one of the most important figures in the founding of Nevada and its capitol, Carson City. He was killed in 1860 during the Pyramid Lake Paiute uprising.

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11:30 p.m. update: All evacuation orders have been lifted on both the Brenda Fire and the Cold Springs Fire.

Multiple resources aggressively attacked both fires Friday, preventing them from moving through the dry hillsides.

As of tonight, Truckee Meadows Fire Department is reporting 1500-2000 acres have burned in the Cold Springs Fire.

The Brenda Fire east of Washoe Lake has burned an estimated 1200 acres and it is 10 percent contained.

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Two large wildfires that started Monday east of Reno continue to burn.

The Truckee Fire near Wadsworth is now between 18,000 and 20,000 acres and is 15 percent contained. Over 200 firefighters and multiple agencies are working to put out the fire. This fire is now covering portions of Washoe and Churchill counties.

People are asked to stay out of the area and keep traffic clear along Interstate 80.

Have you noticed hazy skies around Lake Tahoe today? No, there are no fires nearby but the Air Quality Index (AQI) is showing a "moderate" range.

There are two fires southwest of Yosemite near Mariposa, but winds are most likely not strong enough to carry that smoke into the Tahoe Basin and Northern Nevada. The Spring Fire started Sunday afternoon and has now burned 60 acres. Nearby the four-day old Ben Fire is 95 percent contained.

Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe announced today that they will start charging for those using their parking lots and valet services during concerts, special events and holidays.

Their new parking policy starts on June 30. It will cost $20 to self-park and $25 to use valet parking. Cash and credit cards will be both accepted for payment.

MontBleu Resort currently charges $10 for those parking during the Harveys' concerts, but that is returned to driving using the lot in the form of free play coupons. Hard Rock Tahoe also charges non-hotel guests $5 - $20 depends on the event.

Harrah's and Harveys Lake Tahoe have announced a new addition to their staff. Christopher Joy has been named Vice President of Hotel and Food & Beverage for the resorts.

Joy spent many years living in the Reno area, having attended Reed High School and the University of Nevada, Reno. He started his gaming and hospitality career at the Silver Legacy in 1995 before moving to Las Vegas where he helped open the Aladdin as the Assistant Director of Front Office Operations, a job he held for five years.

In the last 12 hours there have been several tumblers according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno. The largest of the 24 recorded on their equipment was a 3.9 earthquake at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, 12.4 miles southeast of Gardnerville, Nevada.

It was followed by a 2.2 earthquake at 3:51 p.m.

Earthquakes are not uncommon through the Sierra and Northern Nevada.

For more information on this, and other seismological activity, visit their website at http://www.seismo.unr.edu/Earthquake.

Two women escaped what could have been a tragic accident after their vehicle plunged into the fast-moving Carson River early Friday morning.

Deputies were called into the Carson River Canyon near Deer Run Road in the early morning hours, for a report of a vehicle that went into the river. Dispatch advised both occupants of the vehicle managed to escape and were safe. Dispatch received the initial call at 2:42 a.m.

One woman, who is pregnant, was taken to the hospital for an injury to her foot, according to family friend Crystal Pacheco. The other woman suffered minor scratches.

On Wednesday, May 24, Edgewood Tahoe is offering a "Locals Day" golf special. They have opened for the 2017 season and are offering those living in the surrounding Lake Tahoe or Northern Nevada area (South Lake Tahoe, North Lake Tahoe, Reno/Sparks, Carson City, Carson Valley) a discounted rate.

Above average temperatures combined with an above average, and still deep, snowpack in the Sierra has led to the flooding of the Upper Truckee River, Trout Creek and Cold Creek in South Lake Tahoe. The extra water in the river has also led to slight flooding on Colorado Avenue in the Tahoe Keys.

Individuals and teams from Carson City, Northern Nevada and Northern California took an icy cold dip into Lake Tahoe Saturday for the annual Special Olympics Polar Plunge, raising around $150,000 for the program's many functions.

The event at Zephyr Cove Resort featured more than 400 water warriors, many who dressed up in costumes for the event. Participants either ran, walked or swam in the 38-degree lake, which has experienced a rapid rise in its shoreline due to heavy snowfall this winter.

The 12th annual Brave the Shave event for children and young adults fighting cancer will be held at Heavenly Mountain Resort's California Lodge in South Lake Tahoe Friday, March 3 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Everyone is invited to join this St. Baldrick's event, and whether you decide to shave your head, volunteer, or donate, you can be a part of the excitement!

Truckee High School was the scene of this weekend's two-day 2017 NIAA 3A Northern League Wrestling Championships, with two South Tahoe High athletes moving onto the mats at the Nevada State Wrestling Championships at Spanish Springs High School in Sparks February 10-11.

Twenty-five years ago, I finished my graduate work in Oregon and moved to Northern Nevada for a planning position at TRPA. Having spent a large part of my youth hiking and camping at Tahoe and in the Sierra, the move felt like coming home.

1:35 a.m. update 12/28/16: There are widespread reports of those feeling the series of earthquakes and aftershocks this morning, from Lodi and Sacramento, to Reno and Lake Tahoe, and beyond. The have been 11 seismological events in the Hawthorne and Bridgeport area, and two in Tonopah since midnight, ranging from 1.9 to 5.7 in magnitude.

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11/12 update: The Vikings' road to state has ended in Las Vegas. The boys from South Tahoe High suffered a crushing blow with a loss to Desert Pines, 56-7 in the 3A State semifinals.

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For the first time in 25 years, the South Tahoe High football team is headed to the Nevada Division 3A State football championship games in Las Vegas this weekend. The Vikings are coming off a victory over rival Truckee to head to Vegas as the number two seed from Northern Nevada.

The 28-20 win over Truckee sends South Tahoe to their first appearance at the state playoffs since 1991.

The team of Louis Marin and Mickey Sullivan from South Tahoe High won the Nevada State 3A tennis doubles title Saturday, beating Preston Jorgensen and Boen Huxford from Boulder City, 6-1, 6-2

They began the state tournament on Friday with a match against Adan Cano and Kevin Giron from Desert Springs High. After beating them 6-3, 6-3 they went onto a 9:00 a.m. Saturday match against Zach Larson and Noah Warren from Truckee. Marin and Sullivan beat them 6-3, 6-3, setting them up for the championship game.

The state tennis tournament was held at the Tahoe Donner Tennis Center in Truckee.

The South Tahoe High boy's tennis team continues to dominate Northern Nevada action on the courts and are now preparing to take their 12-0 record to the Nevada state tournament which begins in two weeks. In the meantime, players head to the regional playoffs.

South Tahoe High's varsity football team is now in a three-way tie for second place in Northern Nevada 3A with their 6-1 record. They blanked Dayton during Friday's homecoming game at South Tahoe, 57-0.

The 2016 Street Vibrations Motorcycle Rally is underway and the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) is asking all motorists to use extra caution over the weekend. An estimated 50,000 motorcycle enthusiasts will take to northern Nevada streets during the event which runs September 21 - 25.

The NHP today announced that while they wish participating and or spectating to have a great time at the event, they also urge to be aware of this large influx of motorcycles and keep your eyes out for them while operating on our highways.

If being outdoors is on your weekend agenda in Lake Tahoe, you'll be enjoying sunny skies and warm temperatures with highs around 80 and lows near 40. A possibly wet system is moving towards Northern Nevada and California Monday, and could result in rain in South Lake Tahoe.

The forecast from the National Weather Service:

Friday - Sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Northeast wind around 5 mph.

A wildfire burning west of the town of Coalinga in Fresno County is responsible for the widespread haze through the Lake Tahoe basin, the Sierra Nevada and Western Nevada.

The National Weather Service in Reno said the Mineral Fire is sending smoke north due to a southerly flow in the lower atmosphere.

So far, fire has burned through 5,000 acres of land in steep terrain. It started on Tuesday and the cause is under investigation.

There are 1,000 firefighters on the scene and several evacuations are in place.

Brad Deeds has been hired as the new Dean of Workforce Development and Instruction at Lake Tahoe Community College where he will manage the college’s various Career and Technical Education programs. Deeds will be over the Fire Academy, Culinary Arts, Commercial Music, Allied Health, the new Adult Education program, and other vocationally-focused departments on campus. He will also oversee workforce development and select instructional programs at LTCC.

The LTCC Board of Trustees gave approval for the hiring at their meeting on Tuesday night.

Here is some news to take a little “paws” with...introducing the newest trainee on the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District team, Gunner. He is a member of the Tahoe Douglas Explosive Ordinance Disposal team and, once he completes his training, will join six other dogs as canine resources for the Northern Nevada Bomb Technicians Task Force.

The other EOD dogs are from UNR-Police Department, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Reno Police Department, and three from Reno Airport TSA.

The fires responsible for sending smoke into the Lake Tahoe Basin and Northern Nevada have burned 47,876 acres since being started by lightning strikes on Friday morning.

Known as the Virginia Mountains Complex, the five separate wildland fires include the Anderson (13,196 acres), Sage (4,238 acres), Seven Lakes (3,063 acres), Rock (2,293 acres) and Tule (27,379 acres) Fires. All are burning on mostly BLM land within about 20 miles of each other in an arc about 35 miles north of Reno.