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Two Douglas County senior citizens have fallen prey to a scam involving the purchase of gift cards.

The Truckee Police Department was notified by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office on March 7, 2018 about a possible fraud that may have taken place in both communities.

A vacation home in Incline Village had been rented for a number of days by a couple using a fraudulent credit card issued by a foreign country. When the rental company returned to the home on Friday afternoon, they discovered major damage to the residence as well as the theft of thousands of dollars worth of electronics and other valuables. The homeowners had reported an approximate loss of $75,000 in theft and damages.

Non-profit partners of government agencies play a critical role in managing trails, recreation, planning and other essential activities taking place on public lands. Locally, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) is the region’s largest non-profit trail organization and has the primary responsibility for managing and maintaining about 200 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails in and around the Tahoe Basin in partnership with the US Forest Service (USFS) and NV State Parks.

Last year, more than 1,500 wildfires burned over 640,000 acres on National Forest System lands in California, including the Thomas Fire, the largest fire in California’s recorded history. The surrounding communities are still dealing with damage from debris flows caused by a charred and barren landscape that no longer has the protection of trees, grass and other vegetation. We see and empathize with those affected, and are working to reduce the potential for future loss by performing hazardous fuel reduction treatments which include thinning overstocked forests and prescribed burning.

Yes, dogs can get the flu.

With dozens of reported cases of dogs with influenza throughout Northern California over the last few weeks, it appears two strains of the nasty bug may be getting closer to Lake Tahoe.

One Reno veterinarian says even though they've had just 10 confirmed cases of dog flu in Washoe County, he believes there has likely been 100 cases. Some dog owners don't get their dogs tested for flu due to costs, but Dr. Rick Furman said many of the sick dogs seen in his office have they symptoms.

Law enforcement from both California and Nevada are reminding motorists to not drink and drive, especially during Super Bowl weekend which seen an increase of drunk drivers on the road. As friends and family gather to watch the game Sunday, February 4, please designate a sober driver before the game between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles begins.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) have teamed up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind motorists to not drive while intoxicated.

Natural disasters can occur at any given time and in any given area. The size, duration and damages are usually unpredictable. The devastation, destruction and cost of California wildfires are increasing annually.

Mental Health issues in communities where they have operations will be the focus of a new charitable fund created by Vail's Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz and his wife, Elana Amsterdam.

Katz and Amsterdam created the new charitable fund in October 2017 with funding of approximately $58 million.

More than a dozen reports from the public about a phone scam prompted the Washoe County Sheriff's Office to issue an alert.

The callers claim to be a person's grandchild and they are in need of financial assistance because they're in jail, or have been involved in an accident. It is not unusual for scammers to use personal information about a potential victim’s family members in order to sound credible. This type of information is often easily obtained via the Internet or social media.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department has received multiple reports regarding a phone scam to local residents. Callers are identifying themselves to potential victims as an employee of the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). These phony IRS Agents inform the victim they have a warrant for their arrest or owe taxes. This is a scam. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they must pay using a pre-paid debit card, credit cards or wire transfer. The scammers threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license.

Winter is upon us as we begin to see light snowfall and cold, icy conditions. Every year families travel to South Lake Tahoe for Thanksgiving and Christmas, leading to congested roadways and an increase in pedestrian traffic. Many of these travelers are foreign to winter weather and do not have much experience driving in icy conditions. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department reminds motorists to be alert and courteous so that everyone can arrive at their destination and enjoy the holiday season with their friends and loved ones.

Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) released their September figures and they show revenue for casinos on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe was down almost three percent when compared to the same month in 2016.

They showed a gaming "win" of $21,084,873, 2.96 percent drop from the previous year. The state as a whole was up 3.25 percent, bringing in $979,859,876. The biggest gain in the "win" was experienced by the North Shore casinos with their gain of 16.53 percent, or $414,250 more in 2017.

The "win" represents the computed income of casinos before business expenses and taxes.

One important component to living a long and healthy life is to get preventive health screening for serious diseases. If your doctor finds a disease early, it’s often easier to treat and may cause less damage.

In addition to celebrating milestone birthdays as celebrations, consider them reminders for important health checks. Here's a timeline for health screenings through the decades:

Suspects are being sought after two construction sites in Washoe County lost over $110,000 in materials during late night burglaries this week.

Detectives from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office are currently investigating two large commercial burglaries that took place between Wednesday night and Friday morning at construction sites in different parts of the county.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

8/20

1:40 a.m. - Discharging Firearm - Chippewa St - 25-YEAR-OLD MALE SUBJECT WAS ARRESTED FOR FIRING A HANDGUN INSIDE OF HIS RESIDENCE AND BEING DRUNK IN PUBLIC. A REPORT WAS GENERATED FOR DOCUMENTATION.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will pass over the Pacific Northwest affecting the California solar resources supplying power to the grid. During the eclipse from 9:02 a.m. to 11:54 a.m., the moon will obscure much of the solar rays directly affecting the output of both large scale photovoltaic (PV) electric power plants and rooftop solar. A loss of 4,194 megawatts(MW) of California large scale solar electricity is expected.

Patrick Slavin, 55, formerly of Truckee, has been accused of being behind an investment scheme that allegedly used at least $1.7 million of investor's money.

Slavin was arraigned in federal court Tuesday on a 21-count indictment charging him with mail and wire fraud for the scheme that he ran from 2008 through 2016, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

It’s that time of year where heat-related illnesses are on the rise for locals and visitors alike. Heat illnesses include dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. It is important to understand the differences, especially when exercising in an area like Lake Tahoe with higher altitudes and higher temperatures.

The Nevada Gaming Commission released their figures for the month of May, and Stateline casinos on the South Shore were the biggest winners in the state.

The team of Harrah's, Harveys, Hard Rock, MontBleu and Lakeside Inn had a "gaming win" of $17,821,193, up 30 percent from May in 2016. Most other areas saw single digit losses and wins, and the state as a whole had a win of $991,604,782

The "gaming win" represents the computed income of casinos before business expenses and taxes.

North Shore casinos saw a drop of 7.33 percent in their win of $1,514,359.

Loss/Gain of local areas:

From the National Basketball Championship to the American Century Championship (ACC), Golden State Warrior Stephan Curry is returning to Lake Tahoe for the 28th annual ACC celebrity golf event July 11-16.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is advising the public of an increase in vehicle burglaries in the county recently. There have been several reported cases of suspects getting into unlocked cars, just as there has been in South Lake Tahoe.

In Douglas County the increase began in the last two weeks and have up to this point have occurred in the Gardnerville Ranchos, Gardnerville and Minden. The losses during these car burglaries have been coin change and cell phones but any loss causes emotional and financial damage.

Our local Humane Society needs our help.

Day in and day out our local Humane Society answers the needs of people who have lost their cat or dog or those who have been forced to move to a place where their pets are not allowed. They host spay and neutering clinics to help with over population and other pet inoculation issues. This past Christmas I saw them giving out pet food to those who were too poor to feed their pets.

There is a full slate of events in South Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area this weekend. On Al Tahoe Boulevard, one can hit the Lake Tahoe Home and Garden Show, Earth Day, and Ladies' Morning Out on Saturday.

Casinos on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe had a gaming "win" of $16,742,788 in March, 2.3 percent less than they did in the same month last year according to a report released today by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

The gaming "win" represents the computed income of casinos before business expenses and taxes.

Even with a loss in March, local casinos are still 5.45 percent up from 2016.