News

A Carson City woman whose friends and family reported her missing has returned home and is safe, according to her father. The woman was reported missing after she did not return from Lake Tahoe on Sunday, her father said.

A $7.3 million road improvement project has begun on a half-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe, Caltrans announced.

The project spans from Ski Run Boulevard to Wildwood Avenue and will allow for the collection and treatment of stormwater runoff, in addition to adding Class II bike lanes, ADA-compliant sidewalks and pedestrian lighting. Other features include a new intersection signal, landscaping and streetscaping. Shoulders will be widened to six feet.

The State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday approved certification of a water quality management plan that allows regional planning and water quality agencies to balance infill development needs and environmentally protective policies focused on improving Lake Tahoe clarity.

The rescue of three kidnapping victims is an extraordinary ending for the child abductees. Such endings are rare, but here are some similar cases of child kidnappings which have occurred in recent years:

Jaycee Dugard: Ms. Dugard was kidnapped in June 1991 in South Lake Tahoe, California at age 11 and remained missing for more than 18 years.

She was discovered in August 2009 after her abductor, Phillip Craig Garrido, a convicted sex offender, brought her to a parole office in Concord, California along with two daughters fathered by him, aged 11 and 15 at the time.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Canine Association is looking for an exciting new logo for the upcoming K-9 Trial in October 2013. We invite you to participate in our logo design contest. Please plan on submitting your creative design today and the submissions deadline is June 30, 2013.

The winning logo design will be printed on the backs of our T-shirts, sweatshirts, trophies and other K9 Trial paraphernalia. This is a wonderful opportunity to give your design idea public attention and a published portfolio piece.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will host the third annual Native Species Festival on Sunday, June 9, 2013. Residents and visitors are invited to attend this free family event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89.

Placerville police are investigating a possible link between an alleged kidnapping in the city Tuesday morning and Saturday's fatal stabbing of a an 8-year-old girl in Calaveras County.

"We have no confirmed nexus to the Calaveras County case," said Placerville police Capt. Mike Scott. But he said Placerville officers have been in communication with Calaveras County law enforcement officials following the arrest of 44-year-old Jason Wayrynen. Scott said a DNA sample also has been collected from Wayrynen.

Fire fuel reduction plans and forest thinning projects amounting to about 10,000 acres around South Lake Tahoe have been approved by the Lahontan Regional Water Board. Plans will get underway this summer with efforts lasting anywhere between eight to 10 years, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The large-scale project has been in the works since the 2007 Angora fire where 254 homes burned.
The following is a joint news release from the U.S. Forest Service and the Lahontan Board.

Restoring the Upper Truckee River and the 2013 home building season allocations both received the green light Wednesday from the Governing Board of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

A 42-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman admitted to Douglas County authorities Tuesday that she lied about being robbed and kidnapped to hide from her spouse that she had gambled away her entire paycheck.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe received a grant Monday from Wells Fargo and Company as part of a $3 million Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program across 64 community-based nonprofits nationwide to help support land and water conservation, energy efficiency, infrastructure and educational outreach.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will begin prescribed fire operations on the west shore of Lake Tahoe beginning Monday, April 22. Crews expect to burn approximately 50 acres in the Ward Canyon area, south of Tahoe City. Operations may continue through the week, weather and conditions permitting.

Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from this prescribed fire project area. Smoke may be visible on Highway 89.

Wreckage from an airplane that has been missing since early this week was found Thursday afternoon in the Pine Nut Mountains in southern Douglas County, authorities confirm.

At 2:20 pm the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue with the assistance from Lyon County Search and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff’s Helicopter (Raven) and Civil Air Patrol, located the missing aircraft.

The Lake Tahoe Community College Foundation warmly invites you to an evening with local author and Holocaust survivor Leon Malmed on Friday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Aspen Room, across from the library.

Mr. Malmed will share a short documentary film, discuss his amazing story of survival, and sign copies of his book, “We Survived…At Last I Speak.” Books will be available for purchase and signing, and $5 from every sale will go to the LTCC Foundation in support of student scholarships and academic success. The event is free, and all are welcome to join us for this special occasion.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating a runaway juvenile from Austin’s House, who has been missing since April 9.

Evelynn Ploston, 13, from Winnemucca ran away from Austin’s House in Minden on April 9. At this time her whereabouts are unknown, said Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Pat Brooks in a news release.

Polston is described as a white female juvenile, 5 feet-3 in tall, 150 lbs, brown eyes with blond hair. It is unknown who she may be with or what location she is headed to.

The Friends of the Library are hosting “The Humane Movement: Past, Present, and Future” presented by the Lake Tahoe Humane Society and S.P.C.A.

Dawn Armstrong, Executive Director and Liz Maul, Outreach & Education Manager will give a history and share how a local humane society reaches every member of the community. Join us for this free event at the South Lake Tahoe Library. For questions e-mail Tahoe.Programs@gmail.com, or call (530) 573-3185.

Location

Lake Tahoe Marathon organizer Les Wright tells Lake Tahoe News that he and his wife and daughter escaped Monday's series of bombs while participating in the Boston Marathon. Go here for the full story.

Wright posted this on Facebook:

An elevated pedestrian walkway through the casino corridor will be among five options considered for a proposed Loop Road project following a Friday decision by the Tahoe Transportation District.

The TTD’s Board of Directors selected which options for the long-discussed project will undergo environmental review, while also voting to make what has become known as the Triangle Alternative its preferred option for the Loop Road, seen by some as key to the South Shore’s future.

Former City of Angels 2 pot club owner Gennaro "Gino" DiMatteo of South Lake Tahoe was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.

DiMatteo had pled guilty to a felony for marijuana trafficking on Jan. 9. As part of his plea agreement, DiMatteo agreed to forfeit more than $40,000 to the United States.

The Silver State's first brand has officially been launched: "Nevada. A world within. A state apart."

Gov. Brian Sandoval, Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki and state tourism officials launched the first-ever statewide brand Tuesday to be used for marketing programs by state agencies.

Go here to see the overhauled Travel Nevada website. Below is a television commerical featuring the Las Vegas band The Killers singing "Don't fence me in." It will be used for Nevada's summer tourism campaign.

A South Lake Tahoe man, believed to be a gang member, was arrested Sunday for possession of cocaine and domestic violence, South Lake Tahoe police report.

Jesus Rodriguez, 20, was arrested on James Street after officers responded to a residence on Blackwood Avenue regarding domestic battery.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration will give the public its sixth opportunity in three years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring your medications for disposal to Safeway at 1020 Johnson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Liberty Utilities is pleased to announce the establishment of annual academic scholarships for eligible high school and college students within its Lake Tahoe service territory.

The seven schools participating in the new scholarship program are South Tahoe High School, Loyalton High School, Douglas High School (students residing in Alpine County only), Coleville High School, North Tahoe High School and Portola High School, as well as Lake Tahoe Community College.