40

RENO — Gov. Brian Sandoval used the University of Nevada, Reno on Tuesday as a backdrop to unveil his economic development plan, and he challenged the business community and all partners to work to create 50,000 new jobs by the end of 2014.

The following is the complete text of President Obama's State of the Union address as written.
Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared for Delivery
State of the Union Address
"An America Built to Last"
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
Washington, DC

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Winter weather continues through today in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Ski resorts report up to 2 feet of snow from the system which arrived Friday and continues today. The National Weather Service in Reno reports that a second and much colder storm will move into the area on Sunday into Monday, dropping temperatures and bringing more snow. Here is the latest from the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority on the storms:

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.

Here is this week's fishing report for January 18-25. This report covers streams, lakes and rivers in Nevada, Northern California, southern Oregon and the Sierra.

The year of 2011 was anything but quiet for the California Department of Fish and Game.
Pesky bears, a roaming gray wolf, significant poaching arrests, tsunami relief work and dramatic wildlife rescues were among the stories that captured the public’s attention.
DFG also welcomed new Director Charlton H. Bonham, who was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in August.

CARSON CITY — A legal firm retained by the state Department of Transportation to defend against a contractor dispute over construction of a section of the Carson City bypass has racked up $6 million in fees so far and the costs could still go higher.

Gov. Brian Sandoval today expressed concern about the amount of legal fees in the case involving a $40 million claim by Utah-based Ames Construction, which built the first phase of the U.S. 395 bypass in the capital that opened in February of 2006.

An Incline Village couple have been identified in the fatal pedestrian accident on Friday night at a crosswalk on State Route 28 in Incline Village. The Nevada Highway Patrol reports Robert C. Mathis and Linda Mathis, both 46 and husband and wife, died from injuries sustained in the accident. Family members have been notified.

Two pedestrians were killed Friday night when they were struck by a pickup, shortly before 8 p.m. in Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, the Nevada Highway Patrol reports. The driver of the pickup, Christopher Torii Smith, 25, of Grass Valley, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence causing death. Names of the deceased have not been released.

Chicago resident Rudy Randa is organizing a group of 40 or so friends from around the country to meet in South Lake Tahoe for New Year's Eve. He's calling this group the "Jail or Deads.""We are ...

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada's average gas price is $3.40 per gallon after a month where prices made double-digit dips in all but one region.AAA said Tuesday that their latest number is up 34 cents from...

Attorneys General Kamala D. Harris of California and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada announced Tuesday that their states have entered into a joint investigation alliance designed to assist homeowners who have been harmed by misconduct and fraud in the mortgage industry.

By forging this alliance, California and Nevada will combine investigative resources, including litigation strategies, information, and evidence gathered through their respective ongoing investigations, assisting each state as it pursues independent prosecutions.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Unprecedented cuts by the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service will slow first-class delivery next spring and, for the first time in 40 years, eliminate the chance for stamped letter...

Viking Road is soon to become the way to 42nd Street with the first student performance to take the stage at the new Viking Theatre at South Tahoe High School’s Tahoe Arts and Design Academy.

For those who want to experience the big bold musical production of 42nd Street, the curtain rises Friday, December 9, Saturday, December 10, and Saturday, December 17 at 7pm; and on Sunday, December 11 and 18 at 2pm. Tickets are on sale at South Tahoe High School’s Associated Student Body office at $5 for Students; $10 for age 65+; $15 for General Admission. 

By Aimi Xistra-Rich
The Heavenly Ski and Snowboard Foundation will host the Winter Welcome on Friday, December 9th, 2011 from 5:00pm to 10:00pm at Heavenly’s California Lodge on Saddle Rd. at the top of Ski Run Blvd. Celebrate the coming of Winter in après style, the event will feature heavy gourmet hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and a beer and wine bar; live music will be played by local musicians Jerel Dutton and JT Chevallier.

By Li Terrell
At the Nov. 1 South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, there was a decision passed to use grant money from the state of California to purchase a new hybrid vehicle for use in the citywide recycling program. 
The new Chevy Silverado hybrid is valued at $39,000, gets 20 miles to the gallon and will reduce emissions compared to the old truck currently in use. However, a lively discussion of whether the purchase would give the wrong impression regarding the city’s fiscal responsibility ensued.

Zimride, the largest online ride-sharing service in North America, today announced that a new route between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe will open to the public beginning Thanksgiving day, bringing Bay Area residents convenient, inexpensive access to one of the country’s top winter destinations. To celebrate the route’s launch, Zimride is giving away $20,000 worth of free gas to riders on the route.

More than five years after the parents of a slain South Lake Tahoe teenager asked local authorities for help in solving the 1980 murder of their son, the case remains active and some remain hopeful the case could be solved.
Information that surfaced two years ago about the murder of Richard Swanson turned the cold case into an active one, with retired FBI agent Jeff Rinek and South Lake Tahoe police investigator Chuck Owens continuing their search for the killers. 

Who said there's never any good news on Thursdays? The folks over at SnowGlobe Music Festival report that the advance and early bird tickets for the Dec. 29 through New Year's Eve concerts have sold out. But there are plenty of tickets remaining for the regular 3-day and VIP passes, according to the website.

By John Heil
California is expected to see a boost in its local mountain economies as a result of a new legislation that now permits year-long recreation opportunities on U.S. Forest Service ski areas. The Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011, which was signed by President Barack Obama on Nov. 7, is estimated to create and annually sustain up to 600 extra jobs nationwide.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s public employee pension system is one of the better funded plans around the country, but its financial health is far poorer than taxpayers may realize because of the way the long-term liabilities are calculated, a new analysis released Wednesday says.

Another change in the skies over Lake Tahoe is in the forecast this week, the National Weather Service in Reno reports Sunday.
After a weekend of sunny blue skies and warm weather a cold front will move into the area late Monday giving way to cooler temperatures and a chance of snow in the Sierra on Tuesday. Later in the week, a colder and wetter system will move through the Lake Tahoe region, with possible periods of heavy snow, according to the weather service.

Here is the fishing report for the week of Oct. 26 to Nov. 2. This report covers rivers, streams and lakes in Nevada, the Sierra, Northern California and Southern Oregon.

Reinvention: We're all in this together.
This is the vision of the proposed Edgewood Tahoe Lodge at Stateline.
The plan by Edgewood Companies is to create a unique world-class destination that delivers significant economic, environmental and community benefits to South Shore Lake Tahoe.  
“That is one of the things that investment can bring to the community, said Patrick Rhamey, vice president of Real Estate for Edgewood Companies. “We have continued to re-invest our property over the years and hope to be a pathway for others to follow.”