By Julie Hirschfeld Davis, New York Times

President Obama announced on Sunday that Mount McKinley was being renamed Denali, using his executive power to restore an Alaska Native name with deep cultural significance to the tallest mountain in North America.

The move came on the eve of Obama’s trip to Alaska, where he will spend three days promoting aggressive action to combat climate change, and is part of a series of steps he will make there meant to address the concerns of Alaska Native tribes.

It is the latest bid by the president to fulfill his 2008 campaign promise to improve relations between the federal government and the nation’s Native American tribes, an important political constituency that has a long history of grievances against the government.

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By Kathryn Reed

The vote by the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on Monday regarding the Meyers Area Plan reflected that of the community – it wasn’t unanimous – just like there isn’t consensus among residents as to what should be done.

Many of the 17 people who spoke Aug. 31 believed it was necessary to talk more before moving on to the environmental phase. Just as many said it was time to take the next step.

Ultimately, the board voted 3-1 to start the environmental review. Supervisor Shiva Frentzen was the dissenting voice. Supervisor Sue Novasel was not part of the discussion or vote, having recused herself because she owns property in the area.

In the 3½ years that the Meyers Area Plan has been discussed three area plans on the South Shore have been completed. The Meyers plan is at least two years from being complete because it could take that long for the environmental documents to be finalized. The time frame will in part be determined by the level of review that is conducted. Then there will be five opportunities for the public to comment. Ultimately the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board will have the final say.

One of Frentzen’s hang-ups was not knowing how much the process would cost the county going forward. An environmental impact report could cost more than $100,000. She wanted a guarantee there would be a return on investment for that outlay of cash. It’s not something anyone can guarantee.

El Dorado County planner Brendan Ferry on Aug. 31 advises supervisors about the Meyers plan as about 30 people listen. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Brendan Ferry, county planner, pointed out that the county is not in the development business. While he said a goal of the plan is to attract economic development, there is no guarantee this will occur.

Fear of a large-scale development has gripped this small South Shore enclave ever since Norma Santiago when she was supervisor spearheaded the Catalyst project. That project was dead in the water almost as soon as it came to life. But just the thought of something of that magnitude still strikes fear with many.

However, many who spoke on Monday said it was apt to be locals who initiate any new development in Meyers.

Still, one thing that divides those who live there is whether a motel or bed and breakfast ought to be built. Currently, other than camping, there is no place for tourists to sleep in Meyers. The criteria in the proposed plan would allow for some sort of lodging – something the existing 1993 plan can no longer accommodate based on zoning regulations and commodities distributions.

            The current plan, which is the fourth draft, contains:

·      42-foot height limit; this is the same as what’s in the 1993 plan.

·      34,150-square-feet of commercial floor area, with 17,500 dedicated to small businesses. The 1993 plan had 25,400 square feet. The difference is that Bob Dog Pizza did not use as much CFA as anticipated.

·      30 units per acre for a lodging property, 20 units per acre for multi-family residential; 1993 plan had 40 and 15 units per acre, respectively.

·      One level of incentives for potential developers; 1993 plan had no incentives.

·      Meyers Advisory Council will either be elected or appointed, be a formal body and must adhere to open meeting laws; 1993 had a loose knit group with zero power.

·      4 California Tahoe Conservancy lots will be classified recreation, while 5 will retain current zoning to allow for potential development.

The next step is for county officials – with the help of their legal staff and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency – to determine the level of environmental review.

—–

  In other action:

·      The board heard a presentation about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, a basinwide effort to make the area less prone to catastrophic wildfire.  When Supervisor Frentzen asked why the basin doesn’t have small fire safe councils, Lake Valley Fire Chief Gareth Harris chose not to tell her about the misappropriation of funds and how many contractors still have not been paid.

·      South Lake Tahoe City Manager Nancy Kerry and marketing guru Carl Ribaudo talked about the legacy principles, which are designed to get all parties – public and private – on board with a shared vision for the area even if the means to get to the end is different. The overriding desire is to leave a legacy of sorts.

By Ben Botkin, Las Vegas Review-Journal

A circus has been coming to Las Vegas nearly every week this summer, but not the kind with clowns and dancing elephants that delights youngsters.

Instead, the ringmasters are candidates running for president and their shows are filled with political acrobatics.

The seemingly never-ending parade of candidates is to be expected here. Nevada is an early voting state with February caucuses that play a key role in determining which candidates get the Democratic and Republican nominations. Its importance is on par with New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa, other states with early primaries or caucuses.

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By Megan Michelson, Outdoors

There’s still plenty of summer left, with grilling and mountain biking in full swing. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be getting ready for winter. If you’re planning to buy one of the season’s hottest passes, which grant access to multiple major resorts, consider booking now.

Prices tend to shoot up the closer you get to opening day and some passes sell out completely even before the start of the season, so the best advice we can offer: Buy your pass early.

Take the Epic Pass, Vail Resorts’ massive pass, which gives you full access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, and more. The current price is $769 and although Vail won’t yet say when the deadline for that price is, or what the price increase, if any, will be, chances are the pass price will go up — and soon. If you’re in the market for an Epic Pass, get it while you still can. “We historically don’t announce a specific date that Epic Passes will go off sale entirely, but it will certainly be before the ski season begins,” says Lesli Carlson, corporate communications coordinator for Vail Resorts.

The Tahoe Super Pass Gold, currently on sale for $809, grants you unlimited riding at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, as well as four days at Sierra-at-Tahoe and Sugar Bowl. Plus, Squaw’s offering a new worry-free guarantee this year, so if Tahoe gets skunked again this winter and you don’t use your pass at least five days, the resort will issue you a credit for a pass for the following season.

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A Placerville teenager was arrested last week on burglary charges.

Tryston Alvarez-Ross

Homeowners on Lo-Hi Court in Placerville said they found Tryston Alvarez-Ross, 19, in their house on Aug. 26 about 8pm. They kept him until officers arrived.

The victims said they were gone a couple of hours. Alvarez-Ross reportedly came walking out of the house as they pulled up.

The house had been ransacked, the TV turned on, and alcohol consumed, accordign to officers.

Tryston Alvarez-Ross was arrested on charges of burglary. He had been arrested on burglary and drug charges on Aug. 24 and was released less than three hours before allegedly committing the latest crime.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Kimberly Pierceall, AP

Caesars Entertainment Corp. can breathe a bit easier after a New York federal judge denied the company’s bondholders a quick judgment in their pursuit for nearly $7 billion they say they’re owed.

On Thursday, New York Judge Shira Scheindlin denied bondholders their motion for partial summary judgment in the case giving Caesars a reprieve for now. The ruling doesn’t stop the case from proceeding against the casino giant.

The bondholders suing Caesars have claimed the company illegally took away a guarantee on their sizeable debt in Caesars’ operating subsidiary by making a series of asset transfers and stock offers that released the parent company from its obligations. The operating subsidiary filed for bankruptcy protection in January.

In her ruling, Judge Scheindlin says there’s no ambiguity in the guarantee’s language promising full payment to creditors if the operating company were to default. She says, though, that creditors did not offer enough proof at this stage that the federal Trust Indenture Act was violated.

By Jessica Calefati, San Jose Mercury News

SACRAMENTO — With the deadline for lawmakers to finish their work less than two weeks away, Gov. Jerry Brown and state Senate leader Kevin de León are working feverishly to pass what they call the year’s most important legislation — measures that both men believe will enhance their political legacies.

The bills, which would dramatically reduce the state’s reliance on oil and help to combat climate change, have been praised by everyone from Pope Francis to President Obama to the world’s leading scientists. If enacted, the legislation would set international precedent and cement California’s reputation as a leader in the fight against global warming.

But standing in the way is one of Sacramento’s most powerful lobbies, the oil and gas industry, which has spent millions of dollars on advertising that paints a dystopian vision of the future: an out-of-control bureaucracy that would have the power to ration gasoline, punish SUV owners and limit the number of miles Californians drive.

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The DeepFlight Dragon is being tested at Lake Tahoe.

The personal submarine was assembled in Richmond, with initial tests in the salt water. Tahoe was selected as the deep-water dive location.

According to company officials, one of the biggest new features on the Dragon is the ability for it to hover.

The company’s website says, “As the pilot in a boundless sea, you have the freedom to chart your own course and explore a piece of the planet no human has seen before.”

Volunteers are protecting the “Entering the Lake Tahoe Watershed — Help Protect It!” signs that were installed in August 2014.

The signs are near Daggett Summit on Kingsbury Grade, Spooner Summit on Highway 50 and on the Mount Rose Highway.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary Club will maintain the signs on Daggett and Spooner summits. The Mount Rose is being cared for by Mark and Lisa Bruce, and Chris and Joy Benna of Reno.

“The signs are meant to help remind the millions of people who visit Lake Tahoe each year that they are entering a special place and have a duty to help protect its famously clear waters and environment,” a Tahoe Regional Planning Agency spokesperson said at the time of their installation. Each sign cost $35,000.

Four police cars surround the 7-Eleven in mid-South Lake Tahoe on Aug. 30. Photo/Brad Perry

People were still able to buy Slurpees while officers cornered a man in the bathroom at the 7-Eleven near the Sierra tract neighborhood in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday.

A K-9 unit was called in to assist the officers just after 3pm Aug. 30.

Officers were called to the convenience store on a report of a domestic violence altercation.

They ended up arresting a man on charges of violation of probation, outside warrants and drugs.

The name of the suspect and hometown were not immediately available.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report