News

Vehicular manslaughter charges were filed today by the Douglas County DA Mark Jackson against Judge Michael Gibbons. On August 20, 2013, cyclist Joseph Longo was killed in an accident near Pinenut and East Valley Roads in the Carson Valley. Charges state that Gibbons failed to exercise due care when overtaking or passing Longo who was traveling in the same direction. Gibbons is accused of failing to pass at a safe distance and not using due care to avoid a collision.

During the week of November 19 through November 26, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 171 Calls.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

11/19
Burglary in the 1300 block of Glenwood Avenue

11/20
Unlicensed driver at Midway and Pentagon

11/21
Contributing in the 1700 block of Venice Drive
Drunk in Public in the 1000 block of Emerald Bay Road
DUI in the 2400 block of Venice Drive
Driving on a suspended or revoked license at Blackwood and Herbert
Spousal Abuse in the 1000 block of Long Valley Ave

11/22

It's colorless and odorless. It's tasteless and virtually undetectable. It can be deadly when inhaled.

"It" is carbon monoxide (CO) and is responsible for hundreds of deaths a year.

You read and hear about it in the news too often: Occupant of home found dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning. In Truckee recently, two men died of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by their home's heating ventilation.

Casinos at South Shore Lake Tahoe saw a 22.5% drop in gaming profits for the month of October, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported today. The rest of the Silver State saw a drop of 2.58%.

The Stateline casinos took in $12,291,710 in gaming-related profits or "win" compared to October 2013.

There is still come good news for the local casinos, they still lead the state with a 3.22% gain in gaming win for the fiscal year which started July 1.

The net revenue for Nevada was $954.331,806.

More information is coming out about Thursday's 1 pm shooting in the Fish Springs area of Douglas County. 81 year old Melvin Norlund was involved in an altercation with his 51 year old caregiver, Catherine Mary Costanza. Norlund said he shot and killed her and then asked a neighbor to call 911.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 214 calls between October 31 and November 8.

Calls resulting in no arrests:

Auto theft on the 1300 block of Dick Lake Road
Auto burglary on the 1000 block of Moss Road
Burglary on the 3700 block of Larch
Battery on the 1000 block of Heavenly Village Road
Battery on the 3900 block of Pioneer Trail
Petty theft on the 3700 block of Tamarack
Petty theft on the 1700 block of Lake Tahoe Blvd
Vandalism on the 2100 block of Eloise
Vandalism on the 900 block of Emerald Bay Road
Vandalism on the 700 block of Merced

Mayor Tom Davis touched on more than a couple of dozen points during his State of the City Address which was presented to an overflowing full house at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Among the Davis's highlighted city successes for the year:

Linear Park - Over $600,000 was spent on a paved bike path, landscaping and an additional 22 lights on a stretch from Wildwood Avenue to just before Pioneer Trail.

11-4-13 update 12 pm: The Nevada Highway Patrol has released more information on Friday's 2 car accident on Kingsbury Grade. The occupants of the Yaris were the driver Dora Aranda, 27 of Azusa, CA, Christopher Ashlock, 23 of San Diego, CA and Melissa Dominguez, 28 of Rialto, CA. Zephyr Cove resident Donna Janaczek, 59, was the driver of the Subaru which was hit by Aranda as she apparently tried to over correct her car's drifting over the right roadway edge, causing her to cross the center line.

South Lake Tahoe Police report that home and car burglaries are on the rise in the city. Unattended cars being warmed up on cold mornings are also tempting car thieves so caution is urged at home and with vehicles.

Lt. Brian Willians of the SLTPD is advising residents that a warming up car left alone is a tempting invitation to a thief. Keep cars locked when parked and don't leave home windows and doors unlocked and open.

During the week of October 23 to 30 there was 1 auto theft and 6 burglaries in the city limits. Since September 19 the SLTPD has responded to 15 auto theft calls.

This Halloween, police, sheriff and CHP Officers in El Dorado County will crack down on drunk and drugged drivers throughout the region with an aggressive Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement effort. The Avoid the 6 DUI Task Force has given a fair warning to all partygoers: keep the party off the road.

“The scariest part of Halloween is not the spooky costumes and scary pranks, it’s the impaired drivers. All too often, partygoers don’t plan ahead and choose to drive impaired, but a costume can’t disguise drunk driving,” said Press Information Officer Dave Stevenson.

The 402 square mile Rim Fire is now 100% contained, 69 days after it was started by an illegal campfire near Yosemite. The cost to put out this fire has cost $127.35 million to date, has destroyed 98 outbuildings, 11 homes and 3 businesses.

There are still 42 fire personnel on the scene to continue efforts to put out the fire. The potential for more growth is low and there is a 1000 acre pocket that still has the potential to burn.

11:00 am update: Sparks Police confirm that a Sparks Middle School staff member and the student gunman are the two dead from this morning's schoolyard shooting and that two minors are in critical condition at Renown Medical Center. The school will be closed for the remainder of the week. More details will be released as the investigation continues.

Four were shot this morning at Sparks Middle School, resulting in 2 deaths and 2 being treated at Renown Medical Center. Many details are not being confirmed at this time.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the physical assault on a South Lake Tahoe woman that was originally reported in Alpine County on October 6, 2013. The victim has now determined that the assault occurred in the vicinity of Meyers, South Lake Tahoe. Details of the original account have changed, possibly due in part to the injuries the victim suffered in the violent physical attack.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Department Captain Randy Pershon has been appointed to the Judicial Council Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee. This committee makes recommendations improving the processing of cases in drug courts, domestic violence courts, peer courts, and other community-based treatment courts. They also propose rules, standards, and forms; reviews and recommends legislation; identifies potential funding sources; oversees the treatment court grant process; and acts on assignments referred to it by the Judicial Council.

Today the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to approve the ban on single use plastic grocery bags in the city limits, duplicating their 3-2 vote from the first reading of the ordinance on October 1, 2013.

Council members Hal Cole, Angela Swanson and Brooke Laine all voted in favor of the ban. Tom Davis and JoAnn Conner against.

Billows of smoke can be seen from the South Shore today as the North Lake Tahoe Fire Department took advantage of the good conditions and continued their prescribed burn on 35 acres above Lariat Circle in the Incline Village General Improvement District.

Smoke resulting from the understory burn will affect the surrounding areas for approximately 24 hours. People that are smoke sensitive are advised to please stay inside and close their windows and doors as much as possible until the smoke dissipates.

SnowGlobe returns to South Lake Tahoe for their third year of outdoor concerts at Lake Tahoe Community College from December 29-31, 2013. Early bird tickets for the three day event are already sold out Concert promoters have released their lineup to date(final one will be released November 3):

Tiesto
Kaskade
Snoop Dogg (Snoop Lion)
Zeds Dead
Luck & Lana with DJ Nykon
That Sound
Festiva
LP
Guillaume
Griffin Camper vs David Oehm
Split
Bob Campbell
XFight
Galen
Bells & Whistles
option 4
Ritchie Panic
Sleazemore
Syd Gris
Ex Mag
Steffi Graff
Bixel Boys
Gladkill

5 PM UPDATE: Alpine County Undersheriff Rob Levy provides new information regarding an assault of a woman Sunday night near Hope Valley who was stopped by a vehicle occupied by a man impersonating a police officer.

Authorities are looking for a man, described as a white, stocky build, approximately 40 to 50 years of age, 6 feet, two inches in height, 225 pounds, with dark hair and a bushy mustache. The male may have sustained injuries.

The power is out in many neighborhoods in South Lake Tahoe. A call to Liberty Utilities resulted in notification that the power will back on by 10:45 am. We will post more information once in.

Once a year the City Council of South Lake Tahoe has a joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors from both El Dorado and Douglas Counties. This year's meeting will be held on Monday, October 7 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel (formerly Embassy Suites) beginning at 1:30 pm.

The agenda for the afternoon includes discussion of the Regional and Area Plans, the South Shore Recreation Plan, transportation and housing issues on the South Shore and will wrap up with discussion on shared resource opportunities in the area.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department Calls and Arrests log for the September 19 through the 27th:

Officers responded to 9 calls for disturbance due to music or a party.

29 calls due to suspicious circumstances/people/vehicles.

6 drunk in public arrests.

17 calls for a disturbance due to spousal arguments, neighbor conflicts and other issues.

1 arrest due to drugs.

6 arrests for driving with a suspended or revoked license or no license at all.

19 calls for alarms going off.

1 arrest for child abuse.

5 calls for burglaries.

5 calls for theft.

With a vote of 3 to 2 in favor, the City Council today voted to ban single use carry out plastic bags in the South Lake Tahoe city limits. This issue was passionately debated by council members and the 8 citizens that offered their comment during today's City Council meeting. The city council is expected to finalize the ordinance later this month. The ban will take effect in grocery stores and farmers markets three months after adoption and will apply to all retail establishments after one year. Pharmacies,restaurants, and non-profits are exempted.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is closing Forest Service-operated facilities and cancelling Forest-Service staffed events due to the lapse in federal government funding, effective October 1, 2013 until funding is restored. Concession-operated facilities, campgrounds and events will continue as normal for the time being. Most forest roads and gates remain open for the time being. The Forest Supervisor’s Office and Taylor Creek Visitor Center are closed. Forest Service-operated campgrounds are closed.

From the US National Weather Service in Reno: